To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many Nursery Nurses Education Board graduates there have been in each of the last 10 years;(2) how many graduates there have been in B.Tec nursery nursing.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what support his Department is giving to the in-service training of teachers of children with severe learning difficulties and the national curriculum.

The Department is making grants available through the local education authority training grants scheme to support some £70 million expenditure on training related to the national curriculum in 1990–91. The Department has made it clear, in guidance to local education authorities, that all aspects of training in the basic curriculum should apply to pupils with special educational needs. The scheme is also supporting over £2·2 million expenditure on specialist training in severe learning difficulties, which may also include aspects of national curriculum training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students have graduated from the initial teacher training course at Westhill college, specialising in training to work with children with severe learning difficulties, in the last five years.

Numbers of students graduating from the initial teacher training course at Westhill college, specialising in training to work with children with severe learning difficulties, in the last five years are shown in the table. Related figures for in-service provision in this area are also shown.

Academic Year	4 year BEd	Full-time (1 year) In-service1	Part-time (2 year) In-service2
1989–90	18	11	0
1988–89	18	17	0
1987–88	22	9	3
1986–87	21	10	4
1985–86	19	13	9

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has for initial teacher training and the education of children with severe learning difficulties.

Initial training in this field is now provided mainly through long in-service courses, which are eligible for support at the higher rate of grant under the local education authority training grants scheme. We are currently reviewing the way in which this and other areas of training in special educational needs are organised and funded, with a view of establishing whether the effectiveness of the current arrangements could be improved. The outcomes of this review will not be determined until later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many bachelor of education graduates had specialist training in work with children with special educational needs in each of the last 10 years.

All initial teacher training courses have been required since 1984 to include training in the recognition of children with special educational needs and strategies for developing all children's potential. Training for specialist teachers of children with special educational needs is now provided through post-experience training.The following table shows the numbers of students recruited to bachelor of education courses which provided specialist training for teachers of children with special educational needs from 1983 until 1987, the last year in which such courses recruited.

Entrants to bachelor of education special needs courses 1983 to 1987
Year	Students
1983	56
1984	56
1985	41
1986	43
1987	48

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) in respect of each city technology college what amount of annual per capita grant he has agreed to pay for the financial year beginning in September 1991; what unit of cost per pupil has been used in calculating the amount of annual per capital grant; how this unit cost has been determined; and what enhancement of annual per capita grant has been allowed under the terms of paragraph 11 of the model funding agreement;(2) what amount of earmarked annual grant he has agreed to pay in the financial year beginning in September 1991; and for what purpose each element of earmarked annual grant has been approved.

The level of recurrent expenditure for city technology colleges for the academic year beginning September 1991 has not yet been agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what sources of external funding are available to support nursery, creche and playcare schemes held at education establishments attended by numbers of women returners and retainees; and if he will make a statement.

The Department does not collect information on the extent to which employers or others support the provision of child-care facilities at educational institutions.REPLAN, funded jointly by the Department and the Welsh Office to promote educational opportunities for the adult unemployed, last year carried out a survey of childcare provision in institutions of higher education. I am placing copies in the Library.Under the education support grants scheme administered by the Department, expenditure totalling £2 million will be available to local education authorities in each of the years 1990–91 and 1991–92 to support the development of measures to increase the recruitment of former teachers and mature entrants to teaching. These measures may include the provision of creche and other child-care facilities, as well as more flexible working practices. Out of 45 successful bids supported, 17 LEAs will receive funding for child-care initiatives amounting to nearly £150,000.I am sure that employers will wish to explore every avenue when considering ways to encourage women back into the work-force, including the possibilities of co-operating with educational institutions in the provision of child-care facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will initiate consultations, similar to those for the proposed city technology colleges at Derby, Telford and Wandsworth, with relevant local education authorities, local schools and other interested parties on the pupil numbers and catchment area proposed for the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college in Deptford.

The consultation on "Securing the Future of the Schools" undertaken by the then governing body of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham girls' and boys' schools in July 1988 provided an opportunity for interested parties to consider three options, including that of establishing a city technology college (CTC). A majority of parents of pupils at the schools voted for the option of a CTC opening in September 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what catchment area and pupil numbers are proposed for the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college; and what additional measures will be taken to ensure that admissions to the college focus on pupils drawn from the disadvantaged parts of its catchment area;(2) if he will consider imposing a condition on the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college that a minimum proportion of its pupils should be drawn from the areas of the Deptford and North Peckham inner city task forces and other disadvantaged parts of its catchment area.

It is for the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college trust, when established, to submit proposals to my right hon. Friend relating to pupil numbers and catchment area. None has so far been submitted and my right hon. Friend would not wish to anticipate his response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to make an announcement as to whether the Anglia institute is to be granted polytechnic status; and if he will make a statement.

The chairman of the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC) wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June with the council's advice on the designation of new polytechnics. In his letter he indicated that the council had deferred consideration of the case submitted to it by Anglia higher education college pending accreditation of the college by the CNAA, which is one of the criteria established for designation as a polytechnic. My right hon. Friend will respond to the PCFC advice as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he received the United Nations report, "The State of the World Population 1990".

The Overseas Development Administration received an advance copy of the UNFPA report on 10 May and attended the UNFPA's executive director's press conference to launch the report in London on 14 May.We welcome the report and strongly support the urgent need for reduction in global population growth rates. Population will continue to be a priority issue in Britain's aid programme. Our spending on activities directly related to population concerns has increased from £6·5 million in 1981 to over £17 million in 1989. We are considering ways of increasing this assistance, but much depends on the willingness of recipient Governments to give population concerns a high priority in their own spending and action plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new plans he has to improve the safety of women and other passengers on London Underground; and if he will make a statement.

London Underground Ltd is currently implementing a programme of new measures to improve passenger security with the aid of a £15 million Government grant. These measures, include trained staff with radios; help-point booths; passenger talkback alarms; closed-circuit television; safe waiting areas; and mirrors and improved lighting in passageways. They have been introduced at selected stations on the Northern and Central lines and at Oxford Circus station, in order to assess their effectiveness, and are now being installed at stations between Hammersmith and Paddington on the Metropolitan line. London Underground Ltd is also considering additional anti-crime features, such as the use of closed-circuit television in carriages. The new generation of rolling stock, now on order, incorporates a number of security features, including alarms allowing communication with the driver, and greater visibility between carriages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from relatives of those who died on the MV Derbyshire, following the publication of the wreck commissioner's inquiry into the ship's loss.

The report of the court of formal investigation into the loss of MV Derbyshire was published on 15 January 1990. Since that date I have received one written representation from a relative of one of those lost in the Derbyshire tragedy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence he has received concerning the sinking of the MV Derbyshire since the conclusion of the inquiry of the commissioner for wrecks.

I have received no fresh evidence concerning the sinking of the MV Derbyshire since the court of formal investigation concluded in March 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the specialist sub-committee on stability matters to report to the maritime safety committee of the International Maritime Organisation on the adoption of a higher standard of residual stability for existing roll on/roll off ferries; and whether he intends to take any action to impose higher standards of residual stability on existing roll on/roll off ferries using British ports in the meantime.

The specialist sub-committee has been requested to report back to the maritime safety committee in May 1991.In addition, a number of European Ministers for Maritime Affairs have been invited to send their officials to a meeting in London on the 24 July. The aim of this meeting will be to obtain European agreement on the application and timing of a higher standard of residual stability to existing roll on/roll off passenger ferries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to substantially reduce energy consumption.

The Government's policy is to promote improvements in energy efficiency through the programmes of the Energy Efficiency Office and by other means.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what role the United Kingdom plays in providing expertise and information in support of the joint venture programme, the international nuclear event scale project, by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's nuclear energy agency.

The United Kingdom has played a key role in the establishment of the international event scale (INES). This scale was developed under the joint auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency by an international committee chaired by a United Kingdom expert from Nuclear Electric. All operators of the United Kingdom's civil nuclear installations have been consulted throughout the development of the scale.The United Kingdom has agreed to participate in a trial period of application of INES which will begin this autumn and will last for around 12 months. When in full use, INES will provide a means for promptly communicating to the public, in consistent terms, the safety significance of events reported at nuclear power plants. By putting events into proper perspective, the scale can facilitate a common understanding between participating countries, the nuclear industry, the media and the public. It should significantly reduce the risk of misunderstandings and help to pre-empt speculation in the media and elsewhere.I am arranging for further details of the scale to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the inquiries of complaints he has had in each month over the last two years on behalf of redundant miners who are unable to transfer their pension in the redundant mineworkers pension scheme because of the cut-off date; what were the sources of the complaints in each case; and what consideration he is now giving to a review of the position.

Ministers in this Department have received six letters from right hon. and hon. Members and six letters from mineworkers and ex-mineworkers on this subject. The transfer of accrued pension entitlement prior to 1 January 1986 is a matter for the trustees of the pension schemes concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he received a copy of the 1989 safeguards implementation report of the International Atomic Energy Agency; and if he will make a statement on its implications for his Department's current policies.

My officials received a copy of the IAEA's safeguards implementation report in May. The agency concluded that the nuclear material under its safeguards in 1989 remained in peaceful nuclear activities. There are no new implications for the policies of my Department arising from the report. A summary of the report will be contained in the agency's 1989 annual report, which will be placed in the Library of the House when it becomes available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals he intends to table at the 34th regular session of the International Atomic Energy Agency general conference to be held in Vienna on 17 to 21 September; and if he will make a statement.

The United Kingdom delegation will play a full and active role in the International Atomic Energy Agency's 34th general conference. However, in the light of the provisional agenda, I do not expect any new initiatives to be launched.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to announce his decision on flotation of the generating boards by (a) placing (b) tender or (c) general sale to the public.

Decisions have yet to be taken on the precise structure of the sale of National Power and PowerGen. I announced on 28 February that the sale would take place in February 1991 subject to market conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to announce what proportion of the shares of the electricity (a) distribution and (b) generating companies will be sold to (i) United Kingdom, (ii) other European community and (iii) foreign investors and institutions.

Decisions have yet to be taken on the precise structure of the sale of the 12 regional electricity companies, National Power and PowerGen. These will be determined by a number of factors, notably market conditions, nearer the time of the sales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate he has made of the savings in public expenditure resulting from placing of the shares in the electricity supply industry companies.

The cost to the taxpayer of privatising the electricity supply industry is being kept to the minimum commensurate with maximising the proceeds from the sales and achieving a successful privatisation. No final decisions have yet been made on the structure of the offers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date estimate of the total cost of the advertising budget to publicise the privatisation of (a) the electricity distribution companies and (b) the generating companies, in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 1 May and 6 June 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to announce the name of the advertising agency that has been commissioned to publicise the privatisation of the electricity generating companies; and if he will make a statement.

A number of advertising agencies have been invited to apply for the job of providing the pre-flotation advertising campaign for the privatisation of the generating companies. An announcement will be made when the decision on the appointment has been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to investigate allegations that secrets related to the latest generation of weapons were missing from the research establishment at Lavington, Wiltshire; if he will indicate the nature of the weapons involved; what progress has been made in the investigation; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of a recent newspaper article which contained such an allegation. However, while I can confirm that an Army warrant officer serving at West Lavington was arrested last September and charged with the theft of official documents; these concerned equipment which has been in service for many years. Ministry of Defence police investigations of this matter have now been concluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research contracts his Department has with the research establishment at Lavington, Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement.

None. The proof and experimental establishment at Lavington is part of the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the cost of providing an allowance to armed forces personnel towards the cost of installation of bullet-proof glass in their personal cars; and if he will make a statement.

All proposals, including the installation of bullet-proof glass, are considered in relation to the threat and their cost-effectiveness. It is not our policy to divulge the details of our security precautions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is offered to armed forces personnel on personal security when off duty.

We have a comprehensive security education programme aimed at reducing the security risk to all service personnel and Ministry of Defence-employed civilians. The intention is to provide sensible and practical advice in a number of different formats (for example, videos and lectures). The type of advice provided includes the need to avoid clothing or luggage which could identify an individual as a member of the services; the importance of checking vehicles for bombs and booby traps and the need to be aware of the danger of any unnecessary gathering in a group in a public place. The central message of the programme is that personal awareness is the key to security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has assessed the potential security risk of the Royal British Legion selling mailing lists of ex-service men and women.

The Ministry of Defence has no responsibility for the Royal British Legion. However, the Royal British Legion has sought and accepted the Department's advice on the security arrangements for its mailing lists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the role of United States Navy Tomahawk nuclear sea-launched cruise missiles in employment plans for NATO theatre nuclear forces; and if he will make a statement.

The details of NATO's operational plans are classified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department is participating in NATO action to examine how to integrate the use of United States Navy Tomahawk nuclear sea-launched cruise missiles into NATO theatre nuclear force targeting, command, control and employment plans; and if he will make a statement;(2) if his Department is participating in the development of a military concept of operations for the use of United States Navy Tomahawk nuclear sea-launched cruise missiles in support of NATO military operations.

No, the examination of the potential contribution of sea-launched cruise missiles to European security is principally a matter for NATO and United States authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning progress by NATO in developing concepts of military operations for the employment of United States Navy Tomahawk nuclear sea-launch cruise missiles in conjunction with dual, nuclear/conventional weapon, capable aircraft.

Since 1984, the United States has deployed nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs) on United States naval vessels as an integral part of its worldwide deterrent forces. In 1988 NATO Defence Ministers instigated, as part of a larger force restructuring programme, an examination of the potential contribution of SLCMs to European security.With this remit, United States and NATO military authorities are continuing to develop the necessary arrangements that would permit the United States to make SLCMs available to NATO in wartime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will deposit in the Library the reports or summaries of the reports of the completed boards of inquiry into the crash of RAF Shackletons since the end of 1967.

The decision that military aircraft accident summaries would be published following service boards of inquiry into major military aircraft accidents was announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Chertsey and Walton (Sir G. Pattie) on 15 January 1980 at column 686. There are no such summaries for accidents occurring before that date and, as my right hon. Friend made clear, the proceedings of service boards of inquiry are, and must remain, privileged.There have been three major aircraft accidents involving RAF Shackleton aircraft since the end of 1967, two before 1980 (on 1 and 19 April 1968 respectively) and one on 30 April this year. A military aircraft accident summary in respect of this last accident will be published and a copy placed in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian and military personnel have been employed at the royal naval armaments depot, Beith, in each year since 1979.

No military personnel are employed at the royal naval armaments depot, Beith. The figures for civilian personnel employed over the past 10 years are shown in the table:

	Personnel
1981	537
1982	523
1983	506
1984	523
1985	496
1986	511
1987	444
1988	469
1989	499
1990	563

Information prior to 1981 is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he now proposes to make available the conclusions of the inquiry into the explosion at Deal on 22 September 1989; and what is the reason for the delay.

I regret that the information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department first initiated action to establish the status of access across Ministry of Defence land at Stoney Castle ranges, Pirbright, for the illegal tipping of waste.

My Department first initiated action to establish the status of the access across Ministry of Defence land at Stoney Castle ranges, Pirbright, on 6 March 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of total visible exports was accounted for by defence exports for each year since 1985.

Taking account of some defence goods which are not readily identifiable as such in the Customs tariff, it is estimated that United Kingdom exports of defence equipment have fluctuated around an average of 3 to 4 per cent. of total visible exports during the period from 1985. Because of changes in the coverage of the statistics, it is not possible to give a consistent annual series of figures over the period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the function of the mooring buoys located in Loch Linnhe, off Onich; who paid for their installation; who pays for their upkeep; and what use has been made of them in the past 10 years.

I have been asked to reply as these moorings are the responsibility of the Department of Transport. They form one of a number of sets of moorings maintained by the Department for emergency use. The cost of installation and maintenance is met by the Department. These moorings have not been required for emergency use over the past 10 years but have occasionally been hired out for short-term use by private barge operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much of the total expenditure on the action for jobs campaign in 1988–89 was spent on outdoor advertising.

A total of £63,000 was spent on outdoor advertising on the action for jobs campaign in 1988–89.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of parents unable to accept employment training because of inability to pay for nursery, creche or play care for their children while undertaking employment training.

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what help he provides for parents taking employment training to place their children in nursery, creche or play care schemes or assistance in meeting the costs of placing their children in private schemes.

Lone parents participating in assessment or training in ET are entitled to receive the costs of caring for children under 16. They can train on a part-time basis if full-time child care facilities are not available. Training providers are encouraged to help parents generally, for example by offering creche facilities, flexible hours of training and distance learning materials.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he hopes to reply to the letter dated 14 May from the hon. Member for South Hams concerning Mr. Paul Hill of Furzehill, Moult road, Salcombe, Devon, and Mrs. Jean Rolfe of South Africa.

I wrote to my hon. Friend on 19 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the extent of the shortages of shirts, pants, socks, shoes and towels discovered at Birmingham prison during the special stocktaking in March.

The shortages were as follows:

Item	Scale holding for population of 9601	Actual holding	Shortfall March 1990
Shirts	9,600	6,474	3,126
Pants	6,720	1,858	4,862
Socks	9,600	1,910	7,690
Shoes	1,680	1,008	672
Towels	5,760	2,777	2,983
1 The scales provide for articles actually in inmates' possession, in the laundry and in store awaiting laundering or issue.

Following the stocktaking substantial additional supplies were issued to the prison, and new control procedures were introduced to ensure that the issue and re-issue of clothing to prisoners is carefully monitored in future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his investigations into the evidence supplied to him by Advocates for Animals regarding experiments carried out by Professor Feldberg and John Stean.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government have considered the recommendations in the report on the National Institute for Medical Research by Advocates for Animals, a copy of which has been sent to him; and whether there are any plans to implement their proposals.

The matters raised in this document are being studied and a report has been made to the Animal Procedures Committee. The Medical Research Council has set up an inquiry, which is expected to report in December.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scientists licensed to carry out animal experiments under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are aged (a) 65 to 70, (b) 70 to 75, (c) 75 to 80, (d) 80 to 85 and (e) 85 to 90 years.

The information is as follows: (a) 65 to 69, 69 (b) 70 to 74, 24 (c) 75 to 79, 15 (d) 80 to 85, four. There are no licences over 85.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inspectors of the animals (scientific procedures) inspectorate are currently in post; how many inspections they carried out in the past 12 months; and how many laboratories are registered for animal experimentation by his Department.

This information is published annually in the "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals" (1988, Cm 743). Information for 1989 will be published in July. A total of 375 places are designated as scientific procedure establishments under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a borough-by-borough breakdown of the Metropolitan police precept and the standard policing costs in each of the same boroughs.

The precept for Metropolitan police purposes is £112·79 per head of relevant population on the community charge registers maintained by each charging authority within the Metropolitan police district. Information on policing costs in each of the boroughs is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is to be taken on the application for British citizenship made by Mr. Mirza Sabir Hussain (Ref: IMP H257707/5); and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hussain's application was approved on 11 May. A letter about the remaining formalities was sent to him on 16 May but to an address from which it was subsequently realised he had moved. A further letter to his new address was sent on 21 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list any circulars and advice documents he has circulated on the subject of cautioning juvenile offenders during the last five years.

Home Office circular 14/1985 is the only one about cautioning which has been issued in this period. It is soon to be superseded by new guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to meet the chairman of the IBA to discuss movements in the ownership of equity in companies which hold current independent television franchises.

We have frequent meetings with the chairman of the IBA, at which a wide range of broadcasting policy questions are discussed. But it is for the IBA, and not Government, to operate the ownership provisions in section 20 of the Broadcasting Act 1981.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give for (a) 1974, (b) 1979 and (c) the latest available year (i) the number of crimes reported in each police force area in England and Wales, (ii) the number reported as cleared up, (iii) the number which were reported as cleared up as a result of other offences taken into consideration, (iv) the percentage cleared up in each of the three years and (v) the percentage which was reported as cleared up as a result of offences taken into consideration; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 June 1990]: The information requested on the total number of crimes recorded and cleared up is published annually in tables 2.4, 2.18 and 2.19 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", copies of which are available in the Library. The latest information on crimes cleared up by being taken into consideration is for 1989 and is given in the table:

England and Wales 1989
	Crimes cleared up by TIC
Police force area	Number	Percentage
Avon and Somerset	5,617	6
Bedfordshire	3,381	8
Cambridgeshire	3,272	9
Cheshire	3,900	9
Cleveland	2,918	5
Cumbria	2,505	9
Derbyshire	2,885	6
Devon and Cornwall	4,060	5
Dorset	2,893	7
Durham	1,262	3
Essex	3,417	5
Gloucestershire	3,181	9
Greater Manchester	13,779	5
Hampshire	5,477	6
Hertfordshire	4,119	10
Humberside	4,870	6
Kent	4,017	5
Lancashire	5,064	7
Leicestershire	4,326	8
Lincolnshire	3,250	9
London, City of	61	1
Merseyside	3,649	3
Metropolitan police district	8,255	1
Norfolk	3,181	7
Northamptonshire	2,493	7
Northumbria	6,851	4
North Yorkshire	1,758	5
Nottinghamshire	8,357	8
South Yorkshire	4,499	5
Staffordshire	3,361	6
Suffolk	905	3
Surrey	1,665	5
Sussex	3,877	5
Thames Valley	9,048	8
Warwickshire	1,367	5
West Mercia	2,581	5
West Midlands	8,534	4
West Yorkshire	6,721	4
Wiltshire	1,187	4
Dyfed-Powys	140	1
Gwent	766	3
North Wales	2,189	7
South Wales	2,007	2
England and Wales	167,645	5

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the average number of crimes directly apprehended by each police officer in each police force in England and Wales in (a) 1974, (b) 1979 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 June 1990]: The available information on crimes cleared up by the primary means of charge, summons and caution is given in the table. The equivalent information is not available for 1974 and 1979.

Number of crimes cleared up by charge/summons/caution per police officer
England and Wales 1989
Police force area	Number
Avon and Somerset	7
Bedfordshire	9
Cambridgeshire	7
Cheshire	7
Cleveland	10
Cumbria	8
Derbyshire	6
Devon and Cornwall	7
Dorset	8
Durham	9
Essex	5
Gloucestershire	6
Greater Manchester	7
Hampshire	7
Hertfordshire	8
Humberside	10
Kent	6
Lancashire	6
Leicestershire	7
Lincolnshire	7
London, City of	2
Merseyside	5
Metropolitan Police District	4
Norfolk	8
Northamptonshire	7
Northumbria	9
North Yorkshire	6
Nottinghamshire	11
South Yorkshire	8
Staffordshire	8
Suffolk	10
Surrey	5
Sussex	6
Thames Valley	6
Warwickshire	6
West Mercia	7
West Midlands	6
West Yorkshire	7
Wiltshire	8
Dyfed-Powys	7
Gwent	11
North Wales	8
South Wales	9
ENGLAND AND WALES	6

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average number of arrests per year in (a) 1974, (b) 1979 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available for each police officer in each police force in England and Wales.

[holding answer 11 June 1990]: The available information is for 1979 and 1989 and relates to arrests for all types of offence. Figures are given in the table:

Number of arrests per police officer by police force area
England and Wales 1989
Police force area	Number of arrests per police officer
	1979	1989
Avon and Somerset	10	13
Bedfordshire	15	13
Cambridgeshire	14	14

Police force area	Number of arrests per police officer
	1979	1989
Cheshire	10	13
Cleveland	16	17
Cumbria	10	16
Derbyshire	9	13
Devon and Cornwall	7	11
Dorset	9	13
Durham	10	19
Essex	10	14
Gloucestershire	9	23
Greater Manchester	13	17
Hampshire	14	20
Hertfordshire	11	14
Humberside	14	18
Kent	12	16
Lancashire	11	17
Leicestershire	12	14
Lincolnshire	10	15
London, City of	4	6
Merseyside	13	13
Metropolitan Police District	15	1—
Norfolk	0	14
Northamptonshire	14	15
Northumbria	17	18
North Yorkshire	7	13
Nottinghamshire	13	18
South Yorkshire	14	14
Staffordshire	12	17
Suffolk	10	11
Surrey	11	12
Sussex	11	13
Thames Valley	13	16
Warwickshire	6	13
West Mercia	11	14
West Midlands	12	17
West Yorkshire	11	15
Wiltshire	7	12
Dyfed-Powys	7	13
Gwent	14	17
North Wales	7	15
South Wales	9	17
ENGLAND AND WALES2	12	15
1 The total number of arrests in 1989 is not available but the number of arrests for notifiable offences in 1989 in the MPD was 4 per police officer.
2 Excluding MPD.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department has made since March 1989 on reducing re-offending by child sex abusers and identifying predicting factors.

[holding answer 18 June 1990]: A number of initiatives have been put in hand since March 1989.A working group has been established to review existing arrangements for the treatment of sex offenders in prison service establishments and consider ways in which they can be developed and better co-ordinated, with the object of reducing the likelihood of re-offending upon release. The aim of the group is to co-ordinate and develop better arrangements for the care and treatment of sex offenders in custody to reduce the likelihood of re-offending after release.Her Majesty's inspectorate of probation is currently undertaking an inspection of the probation service's treatment of sex offenders. Its report should be available later this year. This will give a much clearer idea of the range of existing programmes and will contribute to decisions on how best to develop the supervision and treatment of sex offenders in the community.The proposals in the White Paper "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" (Cm. 965) for the supervision by the probation service of offenders following their release from custody are aimed at reducing re-offending. The probation service has a key role to play in making offenders, including sex offenders, face up to what they have done; this is often the first step in preventing further offences.The Home Office contributes to the work of the inter departmental group on child abuse and a sub-group on working with offenders has recently been established so that the various Departments can develop a framework for a strategic central approach.On the question of predicting factors, the Institute of Psychiatry has been carrying out a study of sex offenders in prisons. The purpose of the study is to try to identify factors in sex offenders' histories which appear to distinguish them from other types of offender and non-offender populations and which may help in making decisions about which types of sexual offender are likely to benefit from treatment and which may not. The institute is also carrying out a study of convicted rapists. The purpose of the study is to describe the offenders and their offences in detail and to assess their treatment needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the £100 million arrears of Iraqi debt is underwritten by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

It has been the policy of successive Governments not to publish the details of ECGD's exposure on individual markets for reasons of commercial confidentiality, but it is no secret that there are some payments overdue as far as Iraq is concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Internal Market Council on Wednesday 20 June.

I attended the Internal Market Council in Luxembourg on 20 June. A series of decisions was reached in the insurance sector. Ministers agreed a common position on the life insurance services directive which confirmed the political agreement of last December. This will allow the measure to go before the European Parliament again under the co-operation procedure. A common position was reached on the motor insurance services directive, enabling insurers to sell motor insurance across borders to consumers in other member states, though subject to a number of restrictions. A progress report was also made on the insurance accounts directive, the entry into force of which will partially determine the full application of the motor services directive. Agreement in principle, subject to the opinion of the European Parliament, was reached on a measure permitting the Commission to grant a block exemption from article 85 of the treaty of Rome (prohibition of restricted agreements) for certain kinds of insurance agreement.Common positions were reached on two company law directives. The first relates to small and medium-sized enterprises, and the second will improve transparency in disclosures made by certain types of partnership, especially GMBH and Co KG in Germany. It will not affect ordinary United Kingdom partnerships.A common position was reached on a regulation on Community transit which will ease the movement of Community goods across internal frontiers post-1992. A further 11 measures in the area of customs procedures and industrial standards were adopted without discussion.Progress reports were made on trans-European networks, biotechnological inventions and recognition of vocational training and education, and further work was discussed in the area of food irradiation. Further consideration on the use of certain dangerous substances was postponed until the next Internal Market Council.Three measures concerning rights of residence for economically inactive persons were agreed subject to the view of the Danish Folketing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to ensure that United Kingdom tour operators carry out proper safety checks on holiday accommodation offered to United Kingdom citizens.

In the event of injury, United Kingdom citizens might be able, in the absence of adequate safety checks by tour operators in certain circumstances, to sue the tour operator in contract or in tort. In addition the recently strengthened ABTA code of practice and the EC package travel directive adopted on 13 June will extend the liabilities of those who organise package holidays. I understand that the United Kingdom travel industry is currently examining ways of ensuring adequate standards of holiday accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what guidance he gives to local offices on the cost criteria to be applied to funerals conducted at crematoria as against church funerals and as to what weight to give to these relative costs when asked to provide assistance with meeting these costs;(2) what guidance his Department gives to local offices about the financing of church funerals when the deceased dies in a state of destitution.

None. Social fund funeral payments are made under regulations. Decisions on claims are taken by independant adjudication officers. The chief adjudication officer provides guidance to them in the adjudication officers' guide, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list any circulars and advice documents he has circulated on the subject of cautioning juvenile offenders during the last five years.

Within the last five years, as a result of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, all staff employed on fraud investigation duties have been issued with a copy of the code of practice for the treatment and questioning of persons. Additional instructions on dealing with young people are contained in the Department's fraud investigator's guide.

	1988–89		1989–90
	Number of awards		Number of awards
	Loans	Grants	Loans	Grants
Pensioners	28,320	33,920	30,350	59,130
Lone parents (without disability premium)	278,390	36,600	380,160	58,390
Others with family premium1	140,280	18,240	171,690	25,100
Disabled2	65,190	22,920	45,330	38,440
Others3	369,280	40,740	403,120	48,890
Total	881,460	152,420	1,030,650	229,950

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the proportion of pensioners, couples with children, lone parents, sick and disabled people and others on income support who received (i) community care grants and (ii) loans from the social fund in 1988–89 and 1989–90.

Number of awards expressed as a percentage of income support caseload for the relevant client group
	1988–89		1989–90
	Loans	Grants	Loans	Grants
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
Pensioners	1·7	2·1	1·8	3·6
Lone parents (without disability premium)	37·3	4·9	50·9	7·8
Others with family premium1	27·4	3·6	34·4	5·0
Disabled2	22·8	8·0	14·6	12·4
Others3	28·2	3·4	29·1	3·8
1 Includes couples with children. It is not possible to identify separately this group.
2 Applicants receiving a disability premium. It is not possible to identify applicants who are sick but not receiving a disability premium.
3 Includes crisis loan payments to couples with children not in receipt of income support.

To ask the Attorney-General how many bailiffs were employed in 1987, 1988 and 1989 and during the current year to date to enforce county court judgments.

All bailiffs as part of their duties enforce county court judgments. In 1987, 1988 and 1989 the number of bailiffs employed in the county courts was, respectively, 898, 930 and 921. For the current year the number of bailiffs employed is, at 20 June, 910.

To ask the Attorney-General what educational requirements are required from persons wishing to be employed as county court bailiffs; and what form of training they are given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the total number of (i) community care grants and (ii) loans from the social fund made in 1988–89 and 1989–90 broken down into pensioners, couples with children, lone parents, sick and disabled people and others.

[holding answer 21 June 1990]: The information available is set out in the table:

[holding answer 21 June 1990]: Information is not available on the number of individuals receiving an award in each client group. The available information set out in the table relates to the total number of awards made to the relevant client groups:

There are no educational qualifications required to be employed as a bailiff. Bailiffs are trained by their line managers at the court or group of courts where they are employed. This training is supplemented by a five day departmental procedural and job skills training course.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish in the Official Report the criteria needed to pass the Certificated Bailiffs Association examination.

The Lord Chancellor's Department is not responsible for the criteria needed to pass the Certificated Bailiffs Association examination. Under the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 those seeking certification must apply to a county court and are required to supply two references, one of which may be from the applicant's employer or an approved officer of the Certificated Bailiffs Association of England and Wales, together with a certificated copy of the result of a serach of the register of county court judgments and confirmation that he is able to provide a security totalling £10,000.

To ask the Attorney-General how many county court bailiffs there are in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

The number of county court bailiffs employed in England and Wales is 839 and 71 respectively. There are no county court bailiffs in Northern Ireland. There is, however, an analogous post of enforcement officer and there are 16 officers in post at present.

To ask the Attorney-General how many bailiffs operating under section 7 of the Law of Distress Amendment Act 1888, certificated by a county court judge, are operating in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

There are currently 889 certificated bailiffs operating in England and 40 in Wales. There is no certificated bailiff system in Northern Ireland. The number of certificated bailiffs on the register maintained by the Lord Chancellor's Department does, however, frequently change as fresh applications for general certificates are granted by the county courts.

To ask the Attorney-General how many certificated bailiffs there are operating within the county courts in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

There are no certificated bailiffs operating within the county courts in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. All bailiffs operating within the county courts in England and Wales are employees of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what assessment he has made of the extent to which the objectives of the agency system are being fulfilled; and if he will make a statement.

The central aim of the "next steps" initiative is to improve management in the civil service, and so bring

(a) These figures show excise and VAT on 20 cigarettes in the most popular price category as at 18 June 19901
Country	RSP2	Factor cost3	Total duty4	VAT4	Total tax	Total tax as percentage of RSP
	(pence)	(pence)	(pence)	(pence)	(pence)
Belgium	114	32	76	6	82	72
Denmark	240	34	163	43	206	86
France	108	35	56	17	72	67
Germany	148	40	90	18	108	73
Greece	48	14	21	13	34	71
Ireland	187	50	102	35	136	73
Italy	90	25	51	14	66	72
Luxembourg	82	23	50	9	59	72
Netherlands	105	31	58	16	75	70
Portugal	60	15	36	9	45	75

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what interchange of staff there has been in the last 12 months between Government Departments and the business sector; and if he will make a statement.

As I announced on 23 May, Official Report, column 190–91, we have had considerable success in increasing the interchange of staff between Government Departments and the business sector. In 1989, the latest period for which figures are available, there were 627 secondments lasting more than three months between the civil service and industrial or commercial organisations. This is 24 per cent. higher than in the previous year. There were also some 550 shorter-term secondments and increases in the attachments arranged under the Whitehall and industry and non-executive directorship schemes.Details of these activities are included in my Department's report "Interchange of Staff between the Civil Service and Other Organisations—1989" which has been placed in the Library. This interchange is an essential ingredient in the fostering of greater understanding between Government and business. We hope to build further on the success of these arrangements in future years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the proportion of the retail price of an average packet of cigarettes which is taken by public sector taxation in each of the European Economic Community member states and (b) the total revenue, in £ sterling at the latest convenient exchange rates, which each European Economic Community member state obtains from taxation on tobacco products.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received since 1979 calling for the abolition of value added tax on tampons and sanitary towels; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have received a number of such representations since 1979. There are no plans to zero rate sanitary products or other essential items of personal hygiene.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many gilts have been issued by the Treasury in the current financial year.

The Government have issued no new stock so far this year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what checks are used to ensure that consignments sent to Iraq described as milk powder are not explosives for military use; and what assessment he has made of the efficacy of these checks in recent shipments.

Milk powder exported to Iraq is presently liable to monetary compensatory amounts (MCAs) which are export charges under the common agricultural policy (CAP) of the European Community. It may also be eligible for CAP export refunds. Customs and Excise regularly spot-checks and samples a proportion of such consignments as part of its normal responsibilities for the controls

	Students on higher education courses	Resident Welsh students1 on higher education courses	Resident Welsh students as a percentage of HE students
The Polytechnic of Wales	5,897	3,183	54
South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education	3,452	2,426	70
Gwent College of Higher Education	3,365	2,657	79
North East Wales Institute of Higher Education	2,728	1,709	63
West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education	2,659	2,131	80
Trinity College	643	443	69
Normal College of Higher Education	577	482	84
Carmarthen College of Technology and Art	353	314	89
College of Librarianship, Wales	314	48	15
Welsh College of Music and Drama	310	111	36
Bridgend College of Technology	209	208	100
Gwynedd Technical College	167	166	99
Llandrillo Technical College	157	127	81
Newport College of Further Education	98	91	93
Welsh Agricultural College	71	45	63
Pontypridd Technical College	64	64	100

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he intends to implement to increase the level of the suckler cow premium following the recent meeting of European Community Agriculture Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

My agriculture colleagues and I are considering the suckler cow premium rate for 1990–91 and will make an announcement as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of students currently studying at each public sector higher education college in Wales; and how many of the students are normally resident in Wales, both in terms of total numbers and as a percentage of the main student body.

The information for the academic year 1988–89 is as follows:

	Students on higher education courses	Resident Welsh students1 on higher education courses	Resident Welsh students as a percentage of HE students
Ebbw Vale College of Further Education	62	60	97
Pembrokeshire College of Further Education	56	56	100
Aberdare College of Further Education	48	48	100
Neath College	43	43	100
Merthyr Tydfil Technical College	13	13	100
Afan College	13	13	100
Crosskeys Tertiary College	8	8	100
Ceredigion College of Further Education	7	7	100
Total Wales	21,314	14,453	68
1Students whose home (grant-awarding) local authority is in Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list any circulars and advice documents he has circulated on the subject of cautioning juvenile offenders in Wales during the last five years.

"Handling Juvenile Crime in Wales" published in November 1986 and "Juvenile Crime in Wales" published in October 1989 both contain relevant information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he intends to implement the Children Act 1989 in Wales in whole or in phases.

Some minor provisions of the Children Act 1989 are already in force. We expect to implement all the remaining provisions in October 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money was spent on research by his Department in 1988–89; and how much was allocated for expenditure in 1989–90.

Full details of my Department's expenditure on research in 1988–89 and the financial provision for research in 1989–90 are given in the 1989 Cabinet Office review of Government funded research and development, copies of which are held in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to conduct an environmental audit of all civil service departments.

The Government's environmental policies, including the implications for Government Departments, will be set out in the Environment White Paper, to be published in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will call in a planning application over proposals by Leigh Environmental to build incinerators in Nash road, Trafford Park, Manchester, for the burning of chemical waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will institute a public inquiry over plans to build two incinerators to process polychlorinated biphenyl chemicals in Nash road, Trafford Park, Manchester, and if he will make a statement.

I have no present plans to do so. The planning application is still being examined by the local planning authority, Trafford Park urban development corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total identifiable expenditure on research by his Department in each year since 1979; what proportion was awarded on a customer-contractor basis; and what proportion of his total departmental budget was expended on research for each year.

Expenditure by my Department on research since 1979 is as follows:

	£ million
1979–80	33·4
1980–81	39·0
1981–82	35·8
1982–83	32·2
1983–84	31·5
1984–85	34·9
1985–86	41·4
1986–87	54·0
1987–88	56·1
1988–89	56·6

The proportion of this research commissioned on a customer-contractor basis was in excess of 97 per cent. for each of the above years. The proportion of my Department's total budget spent on research is as follows:

	Per cent.
1984–85	0·75
1985–86	0·98
1986–87	1·37
1987–88	1·48
1988–89	1·63

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for dealing with the problem of people sleeping rough in London.

The Government are seriously concerned about people sleeping rough on the streets of London and other cities. The problem of rough sleeping in small but concentrated numbers is one that has begun to affect major cities throughout the western world. It has developed for complex reasons, involving in particular the break-up of families and other social ties.This is placing substantial new pressures on hostel accommodation, especially in London, despite the Government's hostels initiative which has created nearly 25,000 hostel spaces throughout the country since 1981 and the availability in London of 23,000 hostel spaces. Most hostel dwellers in the past have moved on to ordinary accommodation in the private sector, and will continue to do so. We are already encouraging householders to offer lodgings and we have put a number of new policies in place to help revitalise the private rented sector. We are considering what further initiatives to take in this field.In addition, I am announcing today that we are bringing forward a special programme of resources to provide additional subsidised accommodation for single homeless people. This will take the form of direct access accommodation for people on the streets, and of "move-on" accommodation to provide longer-term housing for people in hostels.We will allocate £15 million for these new initiatives in the present financial year; the provision of resources for future years will be discussed in the public expenditure survey process in the next few months. Effective use of these new resources requires close co-operation between a number of Government Departments and other agencies. Police officers working on the streets will point those sleeping rough towards the new accommodation being made available.The success of the strategy also depends very much on the co-operation of the voluntary bodies active in dealing with single homeless people and on co-operation with housing associations and the local authorities. We have had informal preliminary discussions with the voluntary groups and we will now talk to them and to the London boroughs urgently about the provision of both direct access and "move-on" accommodation. It is essential that we should ensure that any additional accommodation provided is well directed and meets acceptable standards, but that we do not create a magnet to attract more people into sleeping rough.We also intend to discuss with the voluntary groups concerned the possibility of establishing a special fund to enable people living in hostels to get over the first hurdle of finding a deposit to gain access to rented accommodation. I hope that we will be able to secure the co-operation of voluntary groups in providing more counselling for people who have been sleeping on the streets. I hope, too, that it will be possible to enlist the support of the private sector in providing advice and support to help single homeless people to obtain jobs, making full use of the range of employment services and training provision which can be made available.Those resources are additional to the allocation of £250 million that we have provided for local authorities and housing associations to house homeless families this year and next and to this year's programme of £2 million for voluntary bodies which provide advice and practical help to homeless and potentially homeless people. These special programmes in turn supplement £3 billion a year support for local authority housing revenue accounts and a programme of expenditure on housing associations which is rising over the next two years to almost £1·7 billion a year.My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health is announcing a separate initiative today. It is designed to address the particular needs of young people who are sleeping rough or might be tempted to do so. He will also announce soon an initiative to help homeless mentally ill people.The Government are determined that there should be no excuse for sleeping out on the streets. Emergency accommodation will be made available. Sleeping rough is unacceptable. It is unhealthy and often dangerous. We must see an end to the concentrations of people sleeping out in city centres.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many professional staff are currently employed by the drinking water inspectorate.

The complement of the drinking water inspectorate is 23 posts, of which 16 will be held by professional staff. Currently, eight professional staff are employed in the inspectorate, including two on secondment from the Water Research Centre. Recruitment of other professional staff is in progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what efforts he is making to strengthen EEC regulations on the slaughter of migrating birds in Italy.

Member states are already required to protect migratory birds by EC directive 79/409 EEC on the conservation of wild birds. It is the responsibility of the EC Commission to ensure that effective measures have been taken to comply with the terms of the directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority the voluntary organisations in receipt of funds from his Department; and if he will make a statement concerning his policy towards the funding of such groups.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 5 June to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley)—Official Report, column 481—in which I provided a complete list of organisations and persons in receipt of direct grants from my Department in 1989–90 and the size of each grant. Many of those organisations are national rather than local. For local organisations information broken down by local authority area is not readily available.My policy towards the funding of voluntary groups follows the line set out by my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary, on 4 April 1990,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the implication for research relating to the development of policies on the environment of the reduction of the Aculeate Hymonoptera section of the natural history museum.

[holding answer 19 June 1990]: None. My Department is not responsible for the development of policies on stinging insects.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by what means he travelled to and from Armenia during his recent visit to the Soviet Union.

I flew privately with Sir Jeffrey Sterling, one of the sponsors of the Lord Byron school.