To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who is empowered to slaughter mink and foxes on fur farms.

There are no restrictions on who may slaughter fur-bearing animals on farms. The operation must, however, be done with due care and humanity as required by the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and without unnecessary pain or unnecessary distress as required by the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to ensure that animal feed materials are not contaminated with agents harmful to humans; and if he will make a statement.

The safety standards of animal feed materials are laid down by EC legislation and enacted within the United Kingdom by the Agriculture Act 1970 and Feeding Stuff Regulations 1988, as amended. It is an offence for a manufacturer to sell an animal feed which is unsafe for the animal or final consumer.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he proposes to authorise the use of the antibiotics Avoparcin and Virginiamycin in cattle in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Both antibiotics are authorised for use in cattle by EC Directive 70/524 concerning additives in feedingstuffs. Avoparcin is already licensed for this use in the United Kingdom, but, as yet, I have received no application in respect of virginiamycin for use in cattle.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to provide to those local authorities who request them his list of egg producers and his list of egg producers who have registered with him since 2 April.

Information is provided to local authorities on producers who register with the Department under the Poultry Laying Flocks (Testing and Registration etc) Order 1989. The Department does not hold a comprehensive list of egg producers.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reports he received during June from laboratories conducting microbiological testing for salmonella of samples from hens where no growth was found.

Full details of tests carried out in June are not available, but, from the reports received, the proportion of samples in which no microbial growth was reported was in the region of 5 per cent. The tests in question are designed to establish whether salmonella is present and will not necessarily show growth of other bacteria even when these are present.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any evidence of the abuse of the competitive exclusion product for salmonella developed by the Bristol Food Research Institute; and if he has any proposals to regulate its use.

We have no such evidence. If such a product were to be sold or supplied for a medicinal purpose, a licence would be required to be issued under the Medicines Act 1968. No such licence is currently in force for the product to which the hon. Member refers.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many poultry flocks with over 100 laying hens are registered in each of the counties of England and Wales; and how many of these have notified him of the results of testing for salmonella between (a) 1 January and 21 March and (b) 1 April and 30 June.

Up to 27 June a total of 2,435 laying flocks have been registered in England and Wales. The details in the table refer to animal health offices, where registrations are dealt with, rather than counties.Registered persons are required to notify my Department with the results of tests for salmonella at 12-weekly intervals, commencing with the date after 2 April on which they first receive reports of any such tests. This information is being received and collated at the present time.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what names are used in European Community countries other than the United Kingdom to describe bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and whether this disease is present or endemic under these names in any European Community country.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been a notifiable disease in the European Community under that name since 1 April 1990 and to date has been confirmed only in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make it his policy to ban the tethering of sows in stalls; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he has made an assessment of the animal welfare implications of the use of narrow stalls to contain sows; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he has made an assessment of the space required to allow a sow to perform her natural functions, including grooming, turning and stretching; and if he will make a statement.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council has undertaken an assessment of pig production systems. It concluded that stall and tether systems for dry sows fail to meet important welfare criteria including freedom to exercise and to display most normal behaviour patterns. It recommended that new stall or tether systems should be banned and that existing systems of this type should be phased out as soon as the Government are content that welfare related problems have been eliminated from the emerging alternative systems and that they are commercially viable.The Government have accepted these conclusions and are seeking to have them implemented through European Community legislation as soon as possible.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the licensing requirements which bovine somatotropin met before milk containing bovine somatotropin was allowed to be offered for sale to the general public.

All milk contains natural BST. Milk from cows treated with manufactured BST may be offered for sale to the public if the treatment was carried out in accordance with an animal test certificate—ATC. Before ATCs were issued the Veterinary Products Committee examined all available data relating to the BST products concerned and concluded that they were of good quality and that their use in field trials would pose no threat to the health of consumers, to persons handling the product or to the environment.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to promote field sports such as fox hunting, deer hunting and hare hunting and coursing as a method of vermin control or for any other reason.

I have been asked to reply.Hunting is one of several methods by which the populations of certain wild animals can be controlled. The Government's position is that the choice of method is a matter for the landowner and that participation in field sports is a matter for individual decision and conscience.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what steps he intends to take to secure accommodation and future support for the British Theatre Association and its library; and if he will make a statement.

I am in touch with the British Theatre Association and other interested parties and understand that a number of options are now being considered which should help to secure the future of the library. I have asked to be kept informed of developments.

To ask the Prime Minister what decision was made at the Dublin meeting of the European Council on United Kingdom participation in a conference on political union.

I have been asked to reply.I refer my hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made to this House on 28 June. The United Kingdom will participate fully in the preparation for and in discussion at the intergovernmental conference.

To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions she has had with the leaders of other European Community states concerning the structure, functions and powers of the European Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made to this House on 28 June about the European Council meeting in Dublin, at which the roles of the European Parliament and national parliaments were discussed in general terms.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the outcome of her discussions with Mr. Nelson Mandela with regard to the United Kingdom's contribution to the emergence of a just and equitable society in South Africa.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister had a very good exchange of views with Mr. Mandela on 4 July. Mr. Mandela expressed his appreciation of our efforts to secure his release and accepted our sincerity and determination to get rid of apartheid. My right hon. Friend's discussions with Mr. Mandela concentrated on examining the political and economic way ahead in South Africa.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government have any plans to make divorce easier or more difficult to obtain (a) in England and (b) in Scotland.

I have been asked to reply.It would be premature to say what reform might be brought forward in England and Wales ahead of the English Law Commission's report later this year on divorce. In considering any proposals the Government will be concerned to support marriage and the family and to ensure that those contemplating divorce recognise in advance the consequences of divorce, especially for their children, and wherever possible either draw back from it or at least make arrangements to provide a firm basis for the future upbringing and support of their children.The Scottish Law Commission issued a report on reform of the ground for divorce in 1989 and recommended that the Divorce (Scotland) Act 1976 should be amended.These proposals are embodied in clause 53 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Bill which is presently before the House of Commons.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 10 July.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 10 July.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is attending the economic summit in Houston.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the reduced availability of German and Japanese capital on the international market and its effect on long-term interest rates in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Data for the current and capital accounts o. Japan and Germany are published by the IMF in "International Financial Statistics". The availability of capital from Japan and Germany is one of a number of domestic and international influences on United Kingdom long-term interest rates.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to the royal mint of the recent investigation into staff salaries carried out by Hay MSL.

The cost of this study is commercially confidential.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the various published estimates or projections by Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Community in 1989; and if he will indicate the date on which each such estimate or projection was made.

[holding answer 5 July 1990]: The "Statement on the 1990 Community Budget" —Cm. 1059 —which was published on 26 April 1990, included the outturn of £2,315 million for the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Community in 1989. The previous forecast for the 1989 net contribution, £1,966 million, was contained in the "Statement on the 1989 Community Budget"—Cm. 680—published on 27 April 1989. In addition, the Central Statistical Office balance of payments press notices of 13 March and 13 June 1990 gave, on a slightly different basis from the annual statements, an estimated outturn of £2,301 million for the United Kingdom's 1989 net balance with the European Community. These forecasts are on a calendar year basis.The annual public expenditure White Paper includes calendar year forecasts and outturns of United Kingdom contributions and receipts arising out of successive budgets, irrespective of when receipts and payments occur.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to reconsider the list of items considered for exemption from value added tax.

[holding answer 9 July 1990]: No.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the answer of 11 December, Official Report, column 463, on (a) the golden shares and (b) other shares currently owned by Her Majesty's Government.

[holding answer 9 July 1990]: The Government hold special shares in the following companies: Britoil, Cable and Wireless; Jaguar; Sealink; British Telecom; British Aerospace; VSEL Consortium; British Gas; Rolls-Royce; BAA; British Steel; Anglian Water; Northumbrian Water; North West Water; Severn Trent; South West Water; Thames Water; Welsh Water; Wessex Water; and Yorkshire Water.Details of the Government's other shareholdings are given in the "Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts 1988–89: Supplementary Statements" (HC45). The 1989–90 supplementary statements will be laid before the House before the end of the year. In the case of the 10 water plcs, the Water (Target Investment Limit) Order 1990, laid before the House on 21 May, gave the maximum limits, by percentage, of the Government's residual shareholding. The current market value of the shareholdings can be established from the International Stock Exchange's official list.

To ask the Attorney-General how many booklets have been printed advising the public on the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid; and where they have been distributed.

No booklets advising the public on the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid have been produced.

To ask the Attorney-General whether his Department has sponsored any advertising of the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid.

The Legal Aid Board, which is responsible for publicising the legal aid scheme, has not sponsored any advertising of the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid.

To ask the Attorney-General what consideration the Legal Aid Board has given to publicising the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid.

In paragraph 2.17 of its annual report, which was laid before Parliament on 25 June 1990, the Legal Aid Board reported that it was reviewing its publicity requirements. The board expects to complete its review during the current financial year and publicity for the European agreement on transmission of applications for legal aid is one of the topics to be considered.

To ask the Attorney-General how many United Kingdom citizens have received legal aid in foreign countries under the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid.

Applications made by United Kingdom citizens under the European agreement on transmission of legal aid applications during the year 1 January to 31 December 1989 as follows:

To ask the Attorney-General whether his Department has supplied legal firms offering the legal aid scheme with details of the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid.

The Legal Aid Board publishes the "Legal Aid Handbook" each year. This guide to practitioners includes at note 52 of the notes for guidance detailed instructions on the preparation of applications including information on payment arrangements.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will give the budget for publicising the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid.

The Legal Aid Board is currently reviewing its publicity requirements and although at present no part of its publicity budget is spent on publicising the European agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid consideration will be given to this as part of the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the most recent information his Department has on the level of bus fares since deregulation.

The latest information on local bus fares is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of coaches in the United Kingdom are now fitted with speed limiters; if he will make a statement about the benefits which have been secured for road users; and what is his policy with regard to speed limiters being fitted to heavy goods vehicles.

One hundred per cent. of those first used in Great Britain after April 1984. By next April, all coaches first used since April 1974 will also have to be fitted with limiters, and I am glad that the Bus and Coach Council is urging its members to act ahead of this deadline. It benefits all road users' safety if maximum speed limits are observed. We are currently looking into the merits of the European Commission proposal that speed limiters should also be required on heavy goods vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects his recent agreement with the United States Government in respect of air services to take effect.

Documentation is being completed as quickly as possible and the agreement should come into full effect immediately thereafter. It will however probably take further time for airlines to plan and introduce new services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statutory provisions cover the insuring of oil field workers carried to rigs by helicopters.

None. However any helicopter operator serving United Kingdom oil and gas fields on the North sea requires an air transport licence from the Civil Aviation Authority. In deciding whether to grant such a licence the authority takes into account the financial arrangements of the operator, including the insurance arrangements which have been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the operating opportunities for American airlines within the United Kingdom and Europe are reciprocated for British airlines in the United States of America.

We and the United States Government are jointly to study liberalisation of United Kingdom-United States air services arrangements: issues of the sort my hon. Friend raises are bound to be discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what revisions are planned to the Department of Transport driving test in preparation for 1992.

The European Commission published its proposals for a second directive on driver licensing in 1989. My Department consulted subsequently with interested parties on the implications of these proposals for driver testing and training. I shall announce the outcome of that consultation shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to restrict the register of approved driving instructors.

Over the past two years the qualifying examinations for the register have been made more thorough. There are no plans to make any further alterations or to restrict entry in order to limit numbers in the profession.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a list of categories of people excluded from becoming Department of Transport approved driving instructors.

The grounds on which the registrar of approved driving instructors may refuse to enter a person's name in the register are given in section 125 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are (a) the number of people admitted to the register of approved driving instructors and (b) the total number registered in each year since 1980.

The numbers at the end of each calendar year were as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the countries with which reciprocal internal United Kingdom and Europe service operations have been agreed.

No air services agreements containing cabotage rights exist between the United Kingdom and European partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the environmental measures taken to protect residents when trunk roads have been constructed or updated in urban areas since 1979.

Measures to mitigate the impact of a new or improved road, and to enhance road safety, form an integral part of our planning and design. Each scheme is considered separately, and there is a wide range of possible measures appropriate in different circumstances. We aim to improve on our existing good practice in minimising the impact of new roads.Local residents are consulted on route proposals at an early stage. Increased use of discretionary powers to provide noise insulation to dwellings was announced earlier this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sections of trunk roads passing through urban areas have been constructed or updated in the west midlands since 1979; and if he will give the daily flow of (a) cars, (b) vans and light lorries and (c) heavy long distance lorries for the sections of these trunk roads which have (i) the heaviest and (ii) the lightest flow of traffic.

There has been no major new on-line construction or other significant updating of trunk roads in urban areas of the west midlands since 1979. Small-scale new works and improvements to ease congestion or improve road safety are too numerous to list in detail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current estimate of the daily flow of (a) cars, (b) vans and light lorries and (c) heavy long distance lorries on the A50 at the Meir crossroads, Stoke-on-Trent; and what was the date of the traffic survey on which the estimate was based.

Based on a survey carried out on 22 March 1990, the 12-hour two-way flow on the A50 east of Meir is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the forecast figures for the daily flow of (a) cars, (b) vans and light lorries and (c) heavy long distance lorries on the A50 at the Meir crossroads, Stoke-on-Trent, in the year 2000.

The forecast annual average daily 24-hours two-way flow on the A50 east of Meir is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths, (b) serious injuries and (c) minor injuries have been recorded for each of the last 10 years in respect of accidents on the Winchester bypass; and what is the recorded accident rate per 1,000 vehicle miles travelled.

The only information readily available is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the impact of Government investment on the fastest scheduled journey time on InterCity routes in (a) 1974, (b) 1979 and (c) in the current year.

[holding answer 5 July 1990]: InterCity journey times improved significantly between 1974 and 1979 as a result of investment in high speed diesel trains approved in 1973. Electrification approved in 1984 is bringing further reductions in journey times on the east coast main line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the projected traffic flow figures for vehicles by category travelling north on the Al from Newcastle following its upgrading to motorway status south of Newcastle.

[holding answer 9 July 1990]: A precise assessment has not been carried out for projected traffic flow figures for vehicles by category travelling north from Newcastle upon Tyne following the upgrading of the Al. However, a study for routes south of Edinburgh commissioned by the Scottish Office indicated that completion of a motorway link to Newcastle would not lead to any substantial transfer of traffic with the majority of long-distance travelling from England to Scotland continuing to use the west coast motorway system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the projected traffic flow figures for vehicles by category travelling north on the Al from Newcastle for each of the next 10 years.

[holding answer 9 July 1990]: Traffic predictions allow for both low and high growth. Based upon 1989 values the annual average daily traffic prediction on the Al north of Newcastle are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now refund the costs and other expenses funded by the Laven Glaze Group, South Brent, Dartmoor, as a result of the abortive planning appeal made by Shell UK Oil Limited, regarding land adjacent to Carew filling station which ended on 6 September 1989; and if he will make a statement as to the reason for the delay in carrying out his obligations.

[holding answer 9 July 1990]: My Department has no legal obligation to refund the costs of the South Brent and Lower Glaze Group in relation to this planning appeal by Shell UK Ltd. My Department has, however, decided to pay 50 per cent. of the appeal costs and is paying the objectors' costs in full, on behalf of itself and Shell. It will also pay half of Shell's costs, when these are quantified fully, less the element already paid to the objectors. The parties will have been informed by letter of this decision and the payments will follow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to make it compulsory for catalytic converters to be fitted to all new cars; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 9 July 1990]: Vehicle regulations of this sort need agreement within the European Economic Community. Now that this has been reached, the regulations laid before the House last month will mean that from 1993 onwards effectively all new petrol engined cars will need to be fitted with catalysts. Details are given in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 8 June at columns 722–23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the opening of the new courthouse in Basildon is on schedule.

Yes. I am very pleased to confirm that the official opening is due to take place on 30 November 1990, as arranged.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to introduce a system of statutory regulation for the private security industry;(2) if he will publish the membership of the Home Office working group on self-regulation of the private security industry and the date when the group's report will be published.

We are considering, in the light of the report of the working group on the self-regulation of the private security industry, a range of options for improving the regulation of the industry. The working group included representatives from the Home Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the British Security Industry Association, the International Professional Security Association and the National Supervisory Council for Intruder Alarms.When consideration of this issue has been completed, we will decide what circulation to give the working group's report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions exist in respect of the length of time a guard dog can work before it is rested.

The use of guard dogs is regulated by the Guard Dogs Act 1975. Section 1 of the Act defines the circumstances in which a guard dog must be secured or under the control of a handler. Neither this section, nor the remaining sections of the Act which have not been brought into force, include explicit restrictions on the length of time for which a guard dog can work before it is rested.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a statement on the Government's response to the recent working party on forensic pathology.

We are still considering our response to the working party's report and we will make an announcement as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the strategy of the ministerial groups on women's issues to encourage the growth of child care facilities.

The ministerial group on women's issues believes that high quality in the provision of child care should be encouraged. To this end, the group has agreed a range of measures designed to maintain and improve the standards of child care for those parents who choose to combine their family responsibilities with employment opportunities.Summaries of the initiatives on child care agreed by the group are contained in the press releases issued after the group's meetings in April 1989 and February 1990, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the directors of the state lottery companies in Germany regarding the sending of lottery tickets to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply of my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 8 May at column 30 to his earlier question.As I have further explained in correspondence with my hon. Friend, the directors have also suggested that action by them to penalise agents who continued to try to promote the lotteries here might be disputed by the agents on the ground that European Community law overrides both our 1976 Act and the lotteries' own operating rules; although there appears to be no specific or related judicial decision on this, it is our view that the prohibitions on foreign lotteries in the 1976 Act are compatible with EC law; Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have impounded huge quantities of promotional material for the lotteries

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long from arrival at Lunar house or the nationality department at Liverpool it takes for a letter to reach a case worker.

At Lunar house the current average time taken for non-directly addressed letters to reach caseworkers is eight working days from initial receipt and 10 working days for citizenship applications which are routed via accounts branch for the extraction of fees.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the Coventry courts have so far processed against poll tax defaulters.

No information on the processing of community charge enforcement cases in the magistrates courts is yet available. The Home Office is conducting a survey of the workload consequences for magistrates courts; the first return covers the period 1 April to 30 September 1990, and results will be available at the end of 1990 or beginning of 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the contracts awarded by his Department to management consultants on which work is currently in progress (a) when they started, (b) when they are expected to be completed and (c) their cost.

Information about contract costs still extant is a matter of commercial confidentiality which it would not be proper to disclose. The details of contracts with management consultants on which work is currently in progress are as follows:Directly addressed items reach caseworkers the same day. At the Liverpool nationality office letters are opened and passed to caseworkers within 24 hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applicants for naturalisation, registration or immigration die before a decision is made on their case.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it takes for 100 letters to be opened at Lunar house and the nationality department at Liverpool.

On average it takes each of the 20 staff in the Lunar house post room engaged on this work five minutes to open, date, stamp, check contents, identify any omissions, remove any valuables, prepare acknowledgement and route one item to its next destination. No information is available for correspondence opening averages in the Liverpool nationality office.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of naturalisation, registration or immigration can be dealt with concurrently within the same office.

It is not possible to provide any such estimate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of letters received at Lunar house, Croydon, and the nationality department at Liverpool on the first day of each month for (a) 1988, (b) 1989 and (c) 1990.

Following is the information:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the percentage of all cases where the applicant for naturalisation, immigration or registration is between the ages of one and five years, and every interval of five years through 80 years.

The only readily available information relates to applicants for citizenship whose dates of birth are recorded on the nationality division computer. The number of applicants for citizenship in each age band, expressed as a percentage of the number of outstanding citizenship applications is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding immigration applications there are at Lunar house; what time savings in dealing with applications from (a) students, (b) family members in the United Kingdom applying for variation of stay, (c) settlement entry clearance applications referred from overseas posts and (d) asylum-seekers have been achieved by the 1988 changes in procedures and practice; and what are the average times applicants in each category might expect to wait before a decision.

At the end of March 1990, there were about 28,000 cases in the immigration caseworking groups, including eastern European cases, and referred entry clearance applications, the majority of which were under consideration or the subject of further inquiries and about 16,300 cases in the refugee unit.A number of changes in procedure and practice have been introduced over the last two years in order to reduce the level of outstanding applications and reduce the time taken to process them. Information on administrative time savings as a result of these changes is not available in the form requested.The estimated average length of time between the receipt of an application and the decision, for cases decided in caseworking groups and the public inquiry offices, in the first quarter of 1990 was two and a half months for students and nine and a half months for refugee status. Information on average waiting times for family members in the United Kingdom for variation of leave and for settlement entry clearance applications referred from overseas posts is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received from hon. Members during each quarter of 1989 and the first quarter of 1990 to delay the removal of passengers refused entry at British ports of entry; and, for each period, how many representations resulted in (i) the delay of the passenger's removal for up to a week, (ii) the delay of the passenger's removal for more than a week and (iii) reversal of the immigration officer's decision.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 12 March at column 16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for (a) single entry and (b) multiple entry visit visas were (i) received, (ii) granted, (iii) refused initially and (iv) granted at appeal at each post in the Indian sub-continent, Ghana, Nigeria, Turkey and Jamaica in each quarter of 1989 and the first quarter of 1990; and what was the delay between application and interview for those whose applications were felt to need a second or long interview at each of the above posts in (1) June 1989, (2) January 1990 and (3) June 1990 or the nearest available date.

Information on applications in Jamaica for a visit entry clearance, and separate information on applications in the other countries for single entry and multiple entry visit visas, are not available centrally. The other information requested is given in the tables.