To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of letters that an inmate in prisons in England and Wales is allowed to send out per week if the inmate pays for the postage of his or her letter.

The minimum entitlement of letters that a convicted inmate may send out at his or her own expense is one per week—two in the case of young offenders. However, inmates at establishments where only a random sample of correspondence is read are usually able to send out more letters than the minimum entitlement. Inmates at establishments where there is no routine reading of correspondence may send as many letters as they like. Unconvicted inmates may pay for and send as many letters as they wish.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that cinema regulations are drafted to ensure that people with guide dogs, and wheelchair users, can be admitted to any performances.

The Cinematograph (Safety) Regulations 1955 do not prohibit access by people with guide dogs or wheelchairs. They provide that invalids may be permitted, notwithstanding other requirements of the regulations, with the consent of and subject to any conditions imposed by the licensing authority. Practical guidance on the accommodation of wheelchair users is contained in the Home Department's booklet "Recommendations on Safety in Cinemas" which was published in 1955. It is for cinema proprietors to make appropriate arrangements for wheelchair users in consultation with the licensing authority. In new buildings such access must be provided, but whether wheelchair users can in practice be given access and accommodated in existing buildings may well depend on the design and structure of the building.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the amount of money allocated and paid by his Department to visitors centres in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

The amounts allocated and paid towards running costs by the Department to visitors' centres at prisons in England and Wales are shown in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the programme for the Boundaries Commission's examination of parliamentary constituencies, with particular reference to Kent.

The Boundary Commission for England intends to start its general review of constituencies early in 1991. It will become clearer as the review proceeds when it will look at any particular area. The commission is required to report between 1993 and 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Rwakitangam Turyamureeba, a citizen of Uganda, has been held in detention since 17 May; and when a decision will be reached on his application for political asylum.

Mr. Turyamureeba has been detained because the immigration officer, having considered all the circumstances, could not be satisfied that he would comply with the terms of any temporary admission granted. It is expected that a final decision will be reached shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list all cases of prosecutions brought since 1988 under the Malicious Communications Act; what was the nature of the offence in each case; and what was the outcome of those prosecutions.

In England and Wales in 1988 there were three prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act 1988. Of these, two were convicted; one fined and the other sentenced to immediate custody. Information is not collected centrally on the nature of the offence. Data for 1989 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department plans to issue a circular to police authorities advising them on whether to make a full economic charge for officers engaged at football matches; what factors are taken into account in assessing the full economic cost; and if he will make a statement.

We have consulted the football authorities, the local authority associations and police representative bodies on the terms of a Home Office circular advising police authorities to recover as far as practicable the full cost of providing police officers inside football grounds. We are now considering the comments made on the draft and hope to issue the circular as soon as practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total Government expenditure on funding under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 for 1989–90 and 1990–91, itemised by borough and identifying for each borough the amount of education expenditure for those financial years.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 23 October at columns 126–28 for the amount of grant paid to each borough in 1989–90, under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966.The figures for grant to be paid in 1990–91 are not yet available.Precise figures for the proportion of grant paid for education expenditure to each authority are not available, but it is estimated that education provision accounts for approximately 80 per cent. of total grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress that has been made by the working party on plant theft.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: The working party agreed proposals announced in September 1989 for a voluntary scheme to combat theft by manufacturers marking new plant with a 17-digit identifying number and issuing plant identity documents. The working party is giving further consideration to means of promoting implementation of the scheme nationally and internationally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing in descending order of size the electorate of each parliamentary constituency, based on the 1990 register.

I have been asked to reply.The information requested is published in "Electoral Statistics 1990"—Series EL no 17—a copy of which is

Name of Defendant	Date	Court	Result
J. Kinnon	March 1986	Dudley Crown Court	Convicted
R. Trehane1	March 1986	Bodmin Crown Court	Convicted
D. Cullingford1			Convicted
R. Bearsford-Walker1			Convicted
L. Bearsford-Walker1			Convicted
K. Rowe1			Convicted
S. Knight1			Convicted
A. Shotton1	April 1986	Maidstone Crown Court	Acquitted
A. Waite1			Acquitted
D. Owens1	May 1986	Leeds Crown Court	Convicted
J. Tyndall1	July 1986	Southwark Crown Court	Convicted
J. Morse1			Convicted
M. Atkinson	May 1988	Chertsey Magistrates Court	Convicted
J. Kinnon	August 1988	Dudley Crown Court	Convicted
J. Kinnon	February 1990	Dudley Crown Court	Bound over
1 Denotes a prosecution involving an allegation that anti-Jewish material was published or distributed.

To ask the Attorney-General whether the Lord Chancellor has any plans to introduce legislation to provide procedures for the resolution of housing law cases by means of arbitration or other alternative forms of dispute resolution; and if he will make a statement.

As part of his five year programme for the implementation of the civil justice review, my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor intends to introduce a new housing action based on the informal arbitration procedure used in small claims cases in the county courts. The precise scope and form of the new procedure, which will not be introduced before 1992, will depend on the results of prior consultation.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list all cases of prosecutions brought by the Crown prosecution service since 1986, under the Public Order Acts, in respect of the distribution of anti-Semitic literature; what month and year and in which courts the cases were heard; and what was the outcome of those prosecutions.

Fifteen prosecutions for incitement to racial hatred have been brought under section 5A of the Public Order Act 1936, or under part III of the Public Order Act 1986, in 1986 and subsequent years. Of these, 11 prosecutions included allegations that anti-Jewish material had been published or distributed. Proceedings have been begun, but not concluded, in a further case; this too involves an allegation that anti-Jewish material has been distributed. The details of prosecutions that have been concluded are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to issue the code of practice on litter and refuse foreshadowed in part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today laid before Parliament the statutory code of practice on litter and refuse envisaged in section 89(7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A copy is being sent to all local authorities and other interested bodies.Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act underpins the Government's drive to tackle the serious problem of litter, which scars our towns and our countryside. The Act places a duty on local authorities and certain other bodies throughout Great Britain to keep land clear of litter and refuse. We intend that the duty will apply to local authorities and the Crown from 1 April 1991; there will be certain transitional provisions in relation to authorities who have already let street cleaning contracts under the Local Government Act 1988. We will shortly be making an announcement about the other bodies to whom we propose that the duty should apply.The Act also increases the maximum fine for littering from £400 to £1,000 and gives powers to local authorities to introduce fixed penalty schemes, to designate litter control areas and to issue street litter control notices.The code of practice is another important part of our war against litter. It is designed to give practical guidance to local authorities and other bodies who will be covered by the litter duty. It was drawn up with the help of an advisory group containing experts from local authorities and other organisations.The code breaks new ground in its approach to litter clearance. For the first time, it sets out standards of cleanliness which should be achievable in different types of location under different circumstances. This should help to establish common standards of cleanliness throughout Britain; and will make it possible for an organisation under the litter duty to assess its performance.The code also concentrates on how clean land is rather than how often it is cleaned. This should change the approach taken by many authorities up till now. The emphasis will no longer be on sweeping frequencies but on targeting litter blackspots while reducing sweeping frequencies in areas which all but escape litter. The motto is "If it isn't dirty, don't clean it".I know that the Government's determination to deal with litter is shared by members of the public and by local authorities up and down the country. The code which we have published today should help to translate that determination into results.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which will benefit from the increase in support granted to assist tourist areas.

The proposed increase in the weight given to the tourist element in the 1991–92 standard spending assessment formula benefits the following local authorities.

• Allerdale
• Alnwick
• Arun
• Avon
• Babergh
• Bassetlaw
• Bath
• Berkshire
• Berwick-upon-Tweed
• Blackpool
• Bournemouth
• Breckland
• Brighton
• Bristol
• Cambridge
• Canterbury
• Caradon
• Carrick
• Chester
• Chichester
• Christchurch
• City of London
• Cleethorpes
• Cornwall
• Craven
• Cumbria
• Derbyshire Dales
• Devon
• Dorset
• Dover
• East Devon
• East Hampshire
• East Lindsey
• East Sussex
• East Yorkshire
• Eastbourne
• Eden
• Exeter
• Fylde
• Great Yarmouth
• Guildford
• Hambleton
• Hampshire
• Harrogate
• Hastings
• Havant
• Hereford
• High Peak
• Hillingdon
• Horsham
• Humberside
• Ipswich
• Isle of Wight
• Isles of Wight
• Isles of Scilly
• Kennet
• Kensington and Chelsea
• Kent
• King's Lynn and West Norfolk
• Lancashire
• Lancaster
• Leicester
• Leominster
• Lewes
• Lincoln
• Lincolnshire
• Liverpool
• Luton
• Macclesfield
• Malvern Hills
• Manchester
• Medina
• Mendip
• Mole Valley
• New Forest
• Norfolk
• North Bedfordshire
• North Cornwall
• North Devon
• North Dorset
• North Hertfordshire
• North Norfolk
• North Yorkshire
• Northumberland
• Norwich
• Nottingham
• Oxford
• Penwith
• Plymouth
• Poole
• Portsmouth
• Preston
• Purbeck
• Reading
• Restormel
• Richmondshire
• Rochford
• Rother
• Salisbury
• Scarborough
• Sedgemoor
• Shepway
• Slough
• Somerset
• South Bedfordshire
• South Hams
• South Herefordshire
• South Lakeland
• South Shropshire
• South Wight
• Southampton
• Stratford on Avon
• Suffolk
• Suffolk Coastal
• Taunton Deane
• Teignbridge
• Tendring
• Tewkesbury
• Thanet
• Torbay
• Torridge
• Tunbridge Wells
• Tynedale
• Vale Royal
• Waveney
• West Devon
• West Dorset
• West Somerset
• West Sussex
• Westminster
• Weymouth and Portland
• Windsor and Maidenhead
• Woodspring
• York

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which he now expects to levy a community charge of below £200 in 1991 and those levying such a charge in 1990.

The Government have not made any predictions of community charge levels for particular authorities for 1991–92. Wandsworth and Westminster set charges below £200 for 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what alternative strategy for urban development corporations he is recommending to deal with recession in the property market; if he will now give local authorities, community development trusts and local businesses land and resources to enable them to come forward with alternative schemes to provide local employment and affordable housing in urban development corporation areas; and if he will make a statement.

I am content with the strategies currently being pursued by the urban development corporations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which individual urban development corporation projects have been postponed; which individual projects have been cancelled; and if he will make a statement.

Urban development corporations budget for a wide range of projects. The precise mix is constantly under review and revision in the light of changing circumstances and priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land is currently owned by urban development corporations in England; how long it has been in their ownership; and what plans there are for its development by the private sector.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: Urban development corporations currently own about 2,000 hectares which they will put to a wide variety of development, environmental and infrastructure uses. Information on how long they have held each plot of land is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities in London were sent copies of the consultation paper encouraging the use of vacant public land; and when they were despatched.

The consultation paper was sent to the local authority association on 12 September. I understand that some authorities have since received copies from their association. Eight authorities in London have requested and been sent copies directly by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many submissions he has received to the consultation paper on encouraging the use of vacant public land; and how many were from local authorities.

A total of 73 responses had been received by 9 November. These included five from the local authority associations and 22 from individual authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends to respond to the SERPLAN regional statement, "A New Strategy for the South East".

I welcome SERPLAN's regional statement which is an important step towards developing new regional planning guidance for the south-east. The existing regional guidance is set out in my Department's planning policy guidance note No. 9 of February 1989. Such guidance is intended to provide a framework for the preparation of structure plans by county councils. The Government will now review the existing guidance in the light of SERPLAN's statement. We will also take account of any relevant views expressed by other persons or organisations. Those wishing their views to be taken into account should send them to my Department by the end of 1990. To assist consideration of the issues concerned, my Department will be holding a conference early in 1991, at which invited parties will be able to express their views. We will later publish—for consultation—draft regional planning guidance for the south-east.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, following the merger of British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky Television, he proposes to amend the revised planning controls over satellite television antennas that he announced on 1 November.

Clearly the position on satellite dishes has changed with the recently announced merger of BSB and Sky Television and the proposed adoption of the Astra satellite broadcasting system. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales will therefore be reviewing the proposed changes to the General Development Order in the light of developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the effects of using methylene chloride in regard to Her Majesty's Government's policies towards protecting the ozone layer.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: Methylene chloride is not thought to make any significant contribution to ozone depletion. It can be used as a substitute for CFC 11 in the manufacture of flexible foam.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy in respect of the protection of the Somerset levels.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: We will continue to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between nature conservation interests, the needs of the rural community, and all other interests of the area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to require the clearance from inland waterways of rubbish which neither threatens flood capacity nor inhibits the passage of barges; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will place a new duty on local authorities, designated statutory undertakers—the definition of designated statutory undertakers given in the Act includes

"any person authorised by an enactment to carry on any canal, inland navigation, dock, harbour or pier undertaking"

and other bodies—to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. We expect the duty to apply to all urban waterway towpaths and embankments to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access. Land in this context does not include water. We consider that existing legislation contains adequate provision to deal with the problem of litter on and within bodies of water.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated cost to public funds of his Department's legal representation in support of the German Federal Republic against the European Commission in the Leybucht Bay case.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: I regret that this information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state in the Official Report the bases of the figures and results used in the diagram on page 73 of Cm 1200, "Contribution of transport to CO2 levels" with particular reference to the comparable figures shown therein relating to the London underground and motor cars.

I have been asked to reply.I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of electricity generated in Great Britain in 1989 was generated from coal, oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, respectively.

The proportions of fuel used to generate electricity in 1989 in Great Britain are as follows:

Fuel used in electricity generation1	Percentage share
Coal	71
Nuclear	21
Oil2	6
Renewables3	2

The amount of gas used to generate electricity accounts for less than 0·1 per cent. of the total.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy by whom Dr. James Smith was advised not to address the Energy Initiative Club on 25 October.

This is a matter for Dr. James Smith.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he plans to ask the European Commission to extend beyond 1998 the present favourable terms for the purchase by public electricity supply companies of electricity generated from renewable sources;(2) if he plans to approach the European Commission to extend beyond 1998 the present favourable terms for the purchasing of non-fossil fuel generated electricity.

My Department will continue to keep under review whether to seek the European Commission's approval to extend the fossil fuel levy beyond 1998. However, I am confident that the 12 regional electricity companies in England and Wales currently have the flexibilities that they need in order to be able to offer bankable contracts to renewables operators seeking to contract within the non-fossil fuel obligation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether any of the companies advising him on electricity privatisation have been criticised by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors since 1979 in reports which were not published.

I cannot disclose details of unpublished reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to increase the scope and funding for the Non-Fossil Fuel Purchasing Agency; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for the 12 regional electricity companies in England and Wales, whose agent the NFPA is.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list those companies which have sought consent for projects for gas-fired electricity generating stations showing in the case of consortia the constituent companies.

Since the Electricity Act 1989 came into force on 31 March 1990 I have granted my consent under section 36 for the construction and operation of the following gas turbine stations.

	Company
Killingholme "A", Humberside	National Power plc
Wilton, Cleveland	Teeside Power Co. Ltd. (Enron/ ICI)

I am currently considering applications for my consent under section 36 to construct and operate the following gas turbine stations.

	Company
Little Barford, Bedfordshire	National Power plc
Rye House, Hertfordshire	PowerGen plc
Shotton, Clwyd	Deeside Power Development Co. Ltd. (Asea Brown Boveri Energy Ventures Ltd.)
Keadby, Humberside	Energy Resources Ltd.
Plymouth, Devon	PowerGen plc
Staythorpe "C", Nottinghamshire	National Power plc
Rugby, Warwickshire	Rugby Power Co. Ltd. (John Brown Engineering Ltd., East Midlands Electricity)
Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire	Texaco Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what facilities there are for the disposal of carcases of dead cattle in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

In disposing of carcases of dead animals, agriculture producers in Northern Ireland have options of burial on their own land, subject to meeting environmental requirements; an arrangement with a registered protein processor or his agent; or disposal at authorised land-fill sites by arrangement with licensees. In addition there is a limited kennel market outlet.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the industrial development boards have made representations to countries in the middle east to accept milk products from Northern Ireland; what support is being given to Pritchitt Foods in Newtownards; how many redundancies have been announced at its plant in Newtownards; what is the impact of the Gulf crisis on exports by the Northern Ireland milk industry; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given him by my hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry) on 24 October at column 211. Representations to countries in the middle east to accept milk products from Northern Ireland have been made by the Ministry for Agriculture and Food, rather than the Industrial Development Board, as the restrictions are the result of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.Since 1984 the IDB has offered financial assistance to Pritchitt Foods totalling £1,941,040 towards three capital investment projects and three R and D projects. In addition, the company has been offered financial support totalling £125,970 on nine applications for marketing support assistance.Since 1 January 1988, the IDB's ability to assist the company financially has been constrained by EC restrictions on member states grant aiding dairy companies manufacturing the type of products in which Pritchitt Foods specialises.On 15 October 1990 the company announced 40 redundancies.One other Northern Ireland dairy company has been affected by the embargo on trade with Iraq and only in a marginal way. It has succeeded in diverting its products to alternative export markets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many days in October traffic wardens visited New street, Donaghadee; what arrangements have been made for business men to park their vehicles for loading at New street; what alternative proposals he has for a new central car park in Donaghadee; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: Detailed information on the frequency with which traffic wardens visit individual streets in Donaghadee is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Roads (Restriction of waiting) Order (NI) 1982 permits a vehicle to wait on a public road for as long as may be necessary to enable goods to be loaded and unloaded. The roads service is currently investigating potential car parking sites in the centre of Donaghadee.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 13 November.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, including one with Professor Landsbergis of Lithuania. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be able to advise the House of the resull of the experiment involving the trial of 70 mph repeater signs on the M1 motorway.

The results of the experiment from September 1988 to September 1989 involving the trial of 70 mph repeater signs on a 20-mile stretch of the M I are available in a report published by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory entitled "An assessment of the effect of 70 mph repeater signs on the M1 motorway". I have placed a copy of this report in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the outcome of the meeting with the European Community Transport Council on 30 October.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Public Transport attended the meeting of the European Council of Transport Ministers which was held in Luxembourg on 30 October.Most of the items considered by the Council concerned inland transport. The Council discussed the recent disputes affecting certain border crossings and the transit negotiations with third countries—Austria, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. It also discussed measures to be taken in the event of a crisis in the road haulage sector and an increase in the Community quotas of road haulage permits but did not come to any firm decisions on these two items. They will be discussed again at the December Transport Council. The Council did agree, however, that the Commission should be given a mandate, in consultation with the member states, to negotiate with non-EC countries on the alignment of the drivers hours' rules in the Community and AETR—the European agreement concerning the work of crews of vehicles engaged in international road transport). The Council also agreed a resolution on setting up a high level group to study the prospects for a European combined transport network.At the June Transport Council, member states had reached agreement in principle on an ad hoc three-year programme for EC transport infrastructure funding until the end of 1992. Some points, however, had remained outstanding, and the Council on 30 October made good progress towards resolving these. It now seems likely that the proposal will be finally adopted shortlyThe Council reached a general agreement on the text of a report to the European Council concerning the memorandum produced by the Netherlands entitled "A Transport Policy for Europe". The report welcomed the objective reaffirmed by the memorandum that an internal market in the transport sector should be achieved between now and 1 January 1993, and set out the Council's view of the lines along which Community transport policy should be developed. The Council also discussed fiscal harmonisation and the length of road trains, without coming to agreement on either topic.Under "other business", my hon. Friend raised the issue of airport slot allocations and stressed the Government's concern that the Commission's proposed block exemption regulation was premature in creating new policy in this area in view of the fact that in the near future the Council was due to consider another Commission proposal on common rules for slot allocations. Other issues also briefly discussed included the aviation negotiations with Norway and Sweden and the nationality clause in air services agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to reassess the feasibility of extending the London underground to Thamesmead; and if he will make a statement.

London Transport and the London Docklands development corporation intend to mount a further study of the case for extending the rail network through the royal docks to Woolwich Arsenal and Thamesmead. The option of extending the Jubilee line through the royal docks is being safeguarded by the provision of a step-plate junction for which powers are being sought in the Bill now before Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Networker rolling stock to be introduced on Kent Link services operated by Network SouthEast.

I understand that the first class 465 Networker is due to be delivered to Kent Link in September 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he plans to take to reduce the risks of infection identified in the British Transport Commission report on track pollution problems, and if he will make a statement.

Recent advice from the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service confirms that the risk of infection by material on railway tracks discharged from train toilets is slight. The railway industry advisory committee of the Health and Safety Commission, which is chaired by the chief inspecting officer of railways has discussed this matter and keeps it under review. The railway inspectorate is in touch with the British Railways Board to consider whether any further measures are appropriate. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 12 November at column 62.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he will take steps to enable managers of London Underground Ltd. to study how other urban transport systems facilitate access to the underground system by the disabled, elderly or those with young children when escalators are out of action; and whether he will make a statement;(2) whether he has any information as to how long the escalators at Walthamstow underground station were out of action this year; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether he has any information as to why the escalators at Vauxhall underground station have been out of action for one year; and if he will make a statement.

The operation of escalators on London's underground system is the responsibility of London Underground Limited. I suggest that the hon. Member contact LUL direct. I have forwarded the hon. Member's comments to the managing director of London Underground Ltd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase aid to Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference for production and trade programmes.

We shall be considering the future level, and uses, of our support for the regional programmes of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference—SADCC—in advance of the annual consultative conference in early 1991. The pledge of £10 million, made in January this year, brings the total of our support for SADCC since its inception in 1980 to £70 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase Britain's contribution to the United Nations Mozambique emergency appeal.

We pledged 10,000 tonnes of food and £3·5 million of non-food assistance in response to the United Nations emergency appeal in April and a further £3 million to UNHCR in June in support of Mozambican refugees. This brought the total of our emergency assistance to Mozambique since 1987 to more than £55 million, including our share of such aid from the European Community. We are in touch with the Mozambican authorities and with British voluntary agencies about allocation of funds pledged but not yet committed. We will continue to do what we can to assist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Development Council on 5 November.

The Development Council addressed a range of important issues at its meeting on 5 November, including new proposals for assistance to Asia and Latin America, and to the Mediterranean. I stressed the importance of reforming the tropical forestry action plan, as described yesterday during my evidence to the Environment Select Committee of this House. I also expressed our grave concern at the situation in the Horn of Africa, and announced that Britain would give 10,000 tonnes of cereals and 400 tonnes of wheatflour worth approximately £2 million through CARE for the Sudan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates when decisions were made to allocate United Kingdom aid to support contracts won by British companies, to provide power generating plant to Burma.

Aid and trade provision grants have been allocated in support of two contracts won by John Brown Engineering in Burma, each to provide three gas turbine generator sets and ancillary equipment. The dates of the agreements with the Burmese Government were 3 April 1980 and 6 August 1982 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list all occasions on which the costs of providing military training to developing countries has been met by the Overseas Development Administration since 1979; and what was the amount paid in each case;(2) whether the Overseas Development Administration paid any amount towards the cost of providing free military training to the Filipino presidential security guard in March and April.

There are none. The overseas aid programme is not used in the Philippines or elsewhere to finance military training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the projects funded by his Department in the field of religious education over the past five years giving the organisation funded and the cost of each project.

The Department funded a project by the Christian Education Movement from April 1988 to December 1989, when responsibility was transferred to the National Curriculum Council. The project is concerned with the teaching of personal and social values through religious education in secondary school years four and five. It is due to be completed in March 1991 at a total cost of £120,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what numbers of pupils he has agreed should be admitted into the first-year group at the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college in September 1991; and how many places will be available in the current year group for (a) boys and (b) girls;(2) what is the total number of pupils he intends to fund at the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college when it becomes fully operational.

The Haberdashers' Aske's CTC Trust has not yet submitted its admissions policy for my right hon. and learned Friend's agreement. Under the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, selection arrangements for the CTC may not pay regard to the sex of the applicants. It is, nevertheless, likely that numbers of boys and girls entering the CTC will be broadly balanced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which specific circumstances applying to the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college, different from those at maintained schools. made it appropriate to approve articles of association for the college under which parent governors will be barred from serving on its finance committee.

The Secretary of State enters into agreement with private sponsors to establish and maintain city technology colleges, which are independent schools. It is therefore for the CTC trust to decide on the role of governors, including parent governors, providing that, in the Secretary of State's estimation, this does not conflict with the needs of the CTC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the sum provided in private sponsorship for the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college is to be divided between (a) the value of the sites and premises of the proposed college and (b) other contributions to the capital costs of establishing the college; and what is the basis of his current valuation of the sites and premises.

The Haberdashers' Company has agreed to make available a 99-year lease of the sites and premises of the Hatcham schools as its contribution towards initial capital costs of establishing the CTC. My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State requested and received an assessment of their value for educational purposes from the district valuer. The Haberdashers' Company has also agreed to underwrite sponsorship of £1 million which may be contributed towards capital costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of Newham school leavers have no qualifications according to the most recent statistics.

The latest available information is for 1989. Because the data came from a sample survey, figures for the smaller LEAs, like Newham, are given on a three-year aggregate to reduce sampling error.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if pupils at city technology colleges will be subject to any charges in respect of their participation in enrichment activities.

CTCs may charge for enrichment activities provided outside school hours, so long as these are not an essential part of the curriculum. In common with maintained schools, CTCs may not charge for provision offered during school hours, with the exception of individual music tuition. These conditions are set out in paragraphs 19 to 22 of the model CTC funding agreement, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the educational grounds taken into account when deciding to approve grant-maintained status for Stratford school, London E7.

In approving this application for grant-maintained status, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State judged that, at its present size, Stratford school was able to provide cost effectively for pupils aged 11 to 18 and that it was capable of maintaining and improving its performance under new management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what happened at the Internal Market Council meeting in Brussels on 8 November.

I represented the United Kingdom at the Internal Market Council on 8 November. Two measures were adopted to liberalise the EC insurance market: the life services directive and the motor services directive. Two company law measures were adopted, extending the provisions of the 4th and 7th company law directives to certain partnerships and creating exemptions for small and medium-sized companies.The Council also heard a first report from Sir Leon Brittan on the operation of the EC merger regulation. It was agreed that annual progress reports should be made.I asked that the Commission should treat merger inquiries as an objective process; that clear rules should be observed in hearing evidence and offering fair opportunities to all interested parties; that the Competition Commissioner should stress to his colleagues the need for their final decision to be based the evidence and findings of the investigation and the need to preserve the confidentiality of the price sensitive company information; and reminded the Council that article 2 states clearly that competition is the sole criterion to be used in the examination. The Vice President was sympathetic to these points.The Council discussed the copyright protection of computer software, and in particular the extent to which decompilation or reverse engineering should be permitted. The Council also discussed briefly progress reports on the fifth company law directive, the second diplomas directive, and the firearms directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the present state of trade between the United Kingdom and Australia; and what efforts are being made to improve the position.

Trade with Australia increased by over 24 per cent. last year, with United Kingdom exports totalling £1,711 million. Following the United Kingdom-Australia trade and investment conference in 1989, which was attended by the Prime Ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom, together with senior Ministers and business men from both countries, the DTI has put in place a programme of missions, fairs, seminars and other promotional events designed to promote British exports further and build on the success of the conference.

Ministers' and other paid office holders' salaries
	Current official salary	Proposed January 1991 official salary	Percentage increase	Current total salary (including reduced parliamentary salary of £20,101)	Total January 1991 salary (including reduced parliamentary salary of £21,809)	Total percentage increase
	£	£	Per cent.	£	£	Per cent.
Prime Minister1	46,750	50,724	8·5	66,851	72,533	8·5
Cabinet Ministers (C)	35,120	38,105	8·5	55,221	59,914	8·5
Cabinet Ministers (L)	44,591	48,381	8·5	—	—	—
Ministers of State (C)	24,850	26,962	8·5	44,951	48,771	8·5
Ministers of State (L)	39,641	43,010	8·5	—	—	—
Parliamentary Secretaries (C)	18,860	20,463	8·5	38,961	42,272	8·5
Parliamentary Secretaries (L)	33,241	36,066	8·5	—	—	—
Attorney General	37,320	40,492	8·5	57,421	62,301	8·5
Solicitor General	30,600	33,201	8·5	50,701	55,010	8·5
Lord Advocate	44,661	48,457	8·5	—	—	—
Solicitor General for Scotland	39,109	42,433	8·5	—	—	—
House of Commons
Mr. Speaker1	36,850	39,982	8·5	56,951	61,791	8·5
Leader of the Opposition	32,200	34,937	8·5	52,301	56,746	8·5
Chief Whip	29,230	31,715	8·5	49,331	53,524	8·5
Deputy Chief Whip	24,850	26,962	8·5	44,951	48,771	8·5
Opposition Chief Whip	24,850	26,962	8·5	44,951	48,771	8·5
Government Whips and Assistant Government Whips	15,990	17,349	8·5	36,091	39,158	8·5
Assistant Opposition Whip	15,990	17,349	8·5	36,091	39,158	8·5
Chairman of Ways and Means	24,850	26,962	8·5	44,951	48,771	8·5
Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means	21,840	23,696	8·5	41,941	45,505	8·5
House of Lords
Chief Whip	39,641	43,010	8·5	—	—	—
Deputy Chief Whip	33,241	36,066	8·5	—	—	—
Government Whips	29,971	32,519	8·5	—	—	—
Opposition Leader	33,241	36,066	8·5	—	—	—
Opposition Chief Whip	29,971	32,519	8·5	—	—	—
Chairman of Committees	39,641	43,010	8·5	—	—	—
Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees	36,131	39,202	8·5	—	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response has been made to (a) the European Commission and (b) the Council in regards to Council document 8207/90 of 2 August 1990.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: I have been asked to reply.There has been no formal written response to the Commission. However, the United Kingdom abstained from voting at the Internal Market Council meeting in October at which the proposal was carried.

To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement about Ministers' pay.

The salaries of Ministers and other paid office holders were last increased from 1 January 1990 under the terms of the Ministerial and other Salaries Order 1989 and will remain at these levels until changed by a new order. The salaries of Members of Parliament will increase by 8.5 per cent. from 1 January 1991 according to the terms of the resolution of 21 July 1987. In the light of this, the Government propose that ministerial salaries should increase by 8.5 per cent. also. The details are set out in the table, and I have today laid the draft Ministerial and other Salaries Order 1990 to implement these changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has any guidelines for use by his Department concerning criteria of demand in relation to provision of Welsh language forms under the Welsh Language Act 1967; and if he will make a statement.

Decisions on whether documents published by the Welsh Office should be available in Welsh or in a bilingual format are taken by reference to the Hughes Parry criteria of demand, expense, expediency and prestige. These criteria are currently being reviewed in the light of the guidelines prepared by the Welsh Language Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether there have been any changes in time scale or estimated cost for improvement of the north-south road communications in Wales on the A470, A487 and A483 trunk roads since the publication of "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s"; and if he will make a statement.

Information on all road schemes listed in "Roads in Wales: Progress and Plans for the 1990s" is currently being updated, for inclusion in a supplement to "Roads in Wales" to be published in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what official guidelines are issued to local authorities relating to international adoption procedures.

Guidance on adoption of children from overseas is contained in a letter of 2 October 1990 from the chief inspector, social services inspectorate, Wales, to directors of social services in Wales. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates he has made of the size of waiting lists in. Welsh hospitals (a) six months and (b) one year hence, and of the reasons for any increase or decrease over the preceding six months.

Information about the size of prospective waiting lists and the length of time people may have to wait will become available only following the submission of district health authorities' final procurement plans in March 1991.The latest information on waiting lists is at 31 March 1990 and is contained in the "Welsh Hospital Waiting List Bulletin 1990: No. 2", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the total loss of in-patient care days that will result from the anticipated closure of hospital beds in Wales in the year ending April 1991.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what is his policy with regard to the appointment of ministerial advisers who may previously have been parliamentary candidates; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will outline his reasons for seeking to appoint Mr. Rod Richards as his personal adviser;(3) if he will list the specific topics on which Mr. Rod Richards will be employed to provide him with advice and Mr. Richards's qualifications and experience to each of those topics.

I have appointed Mr. Richards to advise me on a range of subjects drawing on his knowledge and experience in the public and private sectors. Special advisers are appointed on a personal basis. Mr. Richards is my only such adviser at present. He is appointed as a civil servant and his terms and conditions are, where appropriate, the same as for civil servants. It is not the practice to reveal the salaries of advisers nor, in consequence, the total cost of an individual appointment as these are individually negotiated in relation to previous outside earnings and are therefore confidential. Special advisers are appointed after consultation with the Prime Minister.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations have been received from (a) Sketty Ward councillors and (b) the Sketty Schools Parents Association by his Department in the last three years, prior to his directive for the sale of the site, about the need for a school on the Llwyn Mawr site.

The Department has no record of having received such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the total number of patients in each of the Welsh area health authorities that have had national health service operations in the past three years (a) outside their own area health authority area and (b) in London hospitals.

The table shows, for each Welsh district health authority, the number of patient discharges and deaths having operations, including non-operative procedures, in NHS hospitals in Wales outside their own district health authority.Information on Welsh residents having operations outside Wales, including London hospitals, is not collected centrally.

Patient discharges and deaths having operations in NHS hospitals in Wales outside their own district health authority1 2
District health authority of residence	1986	1987	1988
Clwyd	184	199	189
East Dyfed	4,708	4,926	4,850
Pembrokeshire	2,294	2,566	2,606
Gwent	2,810	2,720	2,752
Gwynedd	2,216	2,170	2,267
Mid Glamorgan	9,756	9,517	9,970
Powys	2,731	3,140	2,959
South Glamorgan	1,770	2,029	1,672
West Glamorgan	1,336	1,312	1,231
1 The information may understate the true position in that not all hospitals provide complete clinical details relating to patient discharges and deaths.
2 The information is based on cases where details of the patient's district of residence has been supplied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentages of income support claimants aged under 60 years are repaying social fund budgeting loans and/or crisis loans by deductions from their benefit payments in the Doncaster area offices; and what is the average repayment in terms of a proportion of their income.

The table shows the number of social fund loans being recovered from income support recipients aged under 60 at the end of August 1990 and the percentage of recipients in that age group that the figure represents.

	Number of recoveries August 1990	Percentage of IS recipients under 60 repaying via benefit
Doncaster East	1,149	16·3
Doncaster West	1,563	16·2
Wath on Dearne	1,110	18·6

Information about the average repayment in terms of a proportion of income is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much the social fund budget will be in 1991–92 in (a) gross and (b) net terms; and what were the comparable figures for each year since the social fund's introduction.

We shall make an announcement about the 1991–92 budget nearer the time. Details of the previous years' budgets are in the table.

	Gross	Net
	£ million	£ million
1988–89	203	125
1989–90	206	99
1990–91	227	100

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by office in the London borough of Newham the number of social fund applications (a) submitted and (b) refused since 1 April.

Details of applications processed and awards made can be obtained from information placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of recipients and of households claiming income support are repaying social fund loans by deductions from their benefit payments.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies that I gave him on 24 October 1990 at column 226 and 1 November 1990 at column 671. The information given in those replies relates to income support recipients who may or may not be householders. Separate information relating to households is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the introduction of water metering on families in receipt of income support; and if he will make a statement.

The impact of water metering on families will vary according to a wide range of circumstances, including the rateable value of property which underpins the current system of water charges, and whether or not they pay sewerage charges. It has never been thought practicable or right to make specific provision for metered services such as gas and electricity within social security benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he expects to take consequent on the shortfall shown between resources available for residential and nursing care and its costs for charitable and proprietorial homes as shown in the commissioned report of Price Waterhouse, summarised in the reply of 24 October 1990, Official Report, columns 228–29.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 24 October, Official Report columns 351–52, the proposed increases to the income support limits for residential care and nursing homes from April 1991. These increases, which will cost £225 million in a full year, were arrived at in the light of the Price Waterhouse survey together with other available evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to upgrade severe disablement allowance to the level of invalidity benefit.

Yesterday, regulations were laid before the House, introducing age-related additions to severe disablement allowance with effect from 3 December 1990. We estimate that 245,000 people will have their severe disablement allowance increased at a net cost of £50 million in a full year. We have no current plans to increase the rate of the allowance to that of invalidity benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families were receiving family credit at the latest available date, breaking these figures down into (a) one-parent and two-parent families and (b) one-earner and two-earner families.

The latest available information relates to the end of August 1990 when the family credit caseload stood at 323,000. The breakdowns requested are as follows:

Families	Number
One-parent	126,000
Two-parent	197,000
One-earner	308,000
Two-earner	15,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families receiving family credit are (a) tenants or (b) homeowners.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many children were in families receiving family credit.

At the end of August 1990, there were 684,000 children in such families.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the policy of his Department as to the grounds on which hospitals and general practices should make decisions to use particular medicines on clinical grounds and as to the use of preferred treatment lists to promote rational prescribing rather than budget savings.

Both hospital clinicians and general practitioners are free to prescribe the drug which in their clinical judgment best suits the patient and the condition. The Department encourages clinicians to develop formularies of preferred treatments in order to promote rational and cost effective prescribing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the introduction of limited rights of prescribing for nurses.

We are to commission an independent analysis of the costs and benefits of implementing the proposals of the advisory group on nurse prescribing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received concerning the changes to management circumstances at Higham Grange hospital in Leicestershire; and if he will make a statement.

A number of representations concerning Higham Grange rehabilitation centre in Leicestershire has been received. The proposed venture at Higham Grange will enable a valuable service to continue in the area. It is a fine example of the private and public sector working together to provide a better health service for all.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide a general screening of pregnant mothers to discover the risks of congenital toxoplasmosis.

In any screening programme, the benefits conferred by screening must clearly outweigh any risks. The Department recently sought the opinion of leading experts on the advantages and disadvantages of screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy. I am advised that such screening should not be introduced in the United Kingdom at present because the natural history of the disease, the accuracy of the tests and the efficiency of possible treatment are uncertain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the level of availability on the national health service of neonatal hearing screening by use of the auditory brainstem evoked potential apparatus, to those women who may be at risk.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by year for the last five years to date the annual cost of the national health service in the Doncaster district health authority for staff who have been employed through agencies as (a) nurses, (b) operating department assistants and (c) ancillary and other staff.

The information requested is not held centrally, and is not easily obtainable. The hon. Member may wish to write to Mr. J. G. S. Smith, chairman of Doncaster health authority, for the information that he requires.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of dentists who have left the national health service in the past 12 months; and how many were in practice in the south-east.

Provisional data available show that 893 dentists ceased to provide general dental services in England during the year ended 30 September 1990; 1,084 dentists provided general dental services for the first time during that year, a net increase of 191. In the same period, the total number of dentists providing general dental services in the south-east (the four Thames regions and the Oxford region) reduced by 34 (0·6 per cent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the refusal by Hertfordshire county council to carry out a home assessment for couples wishing to adopt a Romanian child; and if he will make a statement.

Hertfordshire county council has confirmed to the Department that it does carry out home study assessments for couples who wish to adopt a Romanian child; the social services department is engaging additional social workers to provide services in accordance with recent Department of Health guidance CI(90)17, a copy of which is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the increases registered in cancer mortality rates in the London borough of Newham since 1985.

The number of deaths from major forms of cancer to residents of the London borough of Newham have fluctuated over the years since 1985. The data does not show evidence of an overall upward trend in cancer mortality rates in the borough over these years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning full implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 20 March 1990 at columns 563–65. Since then, we have answered four parliamentary questions and six letters from hon. Members on this issue. The Association of Metropolitan Authorities, the Association of County Councils and representatives of Cleveland social services department have also, on separate occasions, indicated support for full implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the reason for his decision to postpone the building of the new Halifax district general hospital for four years; and if he will now take steps to ensure the reopening of the wards closed to accommodate the new hospital and the re-building of the laundry.

Decisions on the relative priority of schemes within Yorkshire regional health authority's capital programme are for the regional health authority.

To ask the Minister for the Arts how much expenditure has been incurred under the business sponsorship incentive scheme in Scotland in respect of 1989 and 1990 to the latest available figures.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: Arts organisations in Scotland have been highly successful in winning awards under my business sponsorship incentive scheme. In 1989–90, 38 awards totalling £288,003 were made to match £707,380 in new sponsorship. In the first half of this year alone there have been 53 awards amounting to £525,141 to match just over £1 million in new sponsorship money.

To ask the Minister for the Arts how much expenditure has been incurred under the business sponsorship incentive scheme in respect of projects under Glasgow's year as European City of Culture.

[holding answer 12 November 1990]: I am delighted that under my business sponsorship incentive scheme, awards totalling £364,041 have been made to arts organisations in Glasgow to match £800,000 in new sponsorship money.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has of the number of people (a) up to three months, (b) up to six months and (c) over 12 months in arrears on their mortgage repayments in the London borough of Newham.

That information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the Treasury has advised against the use of any company as an adviser on privatisation;(2) if he will make it his policy to advise Departments not to use as advisers on privatisation, companies which have been criticised by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors.

It is for Departments to decide on the appointment of their advisers, following consultation as appropriate, in the light of all the relevant circumstances.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury maintains a list of approved advisers on privatisation.

No. The Treasury does, however, maintain a list, which it makes available to departments, setting out the appointments which various advisers have held in past privatisations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the gross domestic products of the countries comprising the European Community, showing also the estimated respective size of the undeclared or black economies.

Following is the information requested:

GDP at purchasing power parities 1989
	(United States dollars billions)
United Kingdom	818·4
Germany	941·7
France	820·0
Italy	798·6
Belgium	135·2
Denmark	73·8
Greece	73·2
Ireland	31·2
Luxembourg	6·3
Netherlands	205·1
Portugal	71·9
Spain	399·3