To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list any differences between the regulations applying to the existing clearways in the Greater London area and those being used in the current red route experiment.

Urban clearways are subject to a blanket prohibition on parking and loading at peak periods. Drivers can stop at any time to pick up and set down passengers. Clearway regulations are applied only to stretches of road where this uniform treatment is appropriate. The pilot red route traffic orders provide for differing treatment along the whole of the route to fit road conditions and local requirements. Where necessary, there is a total ban on stopping. Elsewhere, there is provision for parking, waiting and loading at certain times. Waiting and loading bays are marked in the road, with frequent signs indicating times of application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make it his policy to require the operators of the channel tunnel to segregate passengers and vehicles during transit.

Responsibility for the design, construction and safe operation of the tunnel system rests with Eurotunnel. All of Eurotunnel's designs and operating procedures are subject to the approval of the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission—IGC—which is advised on safety matters by the independent Channel Tunnel Safety Authority—SA. Both are binational bodies established by the treaty of Canterbury.In December 1989 the IGC decided that Eurotunnel could continue to develop its transport system on the basis that coach and private car passengers would not be segregated from their vehicles during transit through the tunnel. With regard to safety aspects of their decision, the IGC took the advice of the SA that non-segregation would be acceptable subject to a number of binding requirements. Copies of the IGC's decision and the SA's note of March 1990 reviewing the principal factors on which their advice was based, were placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he expects to initiate the red route experiment in east London; over what lengths of road it will operate; and how many person hours per day or per week he estimates will be spent in its operation.

The red route pilot scheme in east London is entirely on local authority roads, from the Angel to Butcher row. A distance of some 3·5 miles is involved plus certain measures on adjacent roads. The local authorities concerned are expecting to install the scheme over the next few months beginning in February on the Aldgate and Commercial road stretch. The effort to be applied to enforcement maintenance, and fine tuning of the measures will depend on experience of their operation. Estimating the resource requirements is one of the objectives of the pilot scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now take active steps to ensure or to investigate the options that would provide a high-grade, high-speed rail link to the City and the west end, in addition to that already planned for Paddington.

The east-west crossrail, which was given approval by the Department of Transport on 9 October 1990, will link the City and the west end to Paddington and the express link to Heathrow. BR and its partners are also considering whether crossrail might be used to provide through services from the City and the west end to Heathrow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now take steps to ensure that land in the areas of Stratford and Paddington which could be used for a cross-London railway tunnel is safeguarded for planning purposes by the relevant planning authorities as part of their responsibilities for strategic planning.

Directions to safeguard the alignment of the proposed east-west crossrail were issued by authority of the Secretary of State on 5 November 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to widen the main London-Brighton road at Brixton road near the junction with Atlantic road.

None. This is a local road for which the London borough of Lambeth is the highway authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the policy objective of central Government control of local authority capital borrowing.

Local authority capital expenditure, which is mainly financed by borrowing, amounts to nearly one third of all public sector capital expenditure. Regulation of local authority borrowing is, therefore, an important factor in the Government's control of public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the number of extra staff taken on by local authorities in England and Wales for the collection and administration of the community charge; and if he will provide a breakdown by local authority.

It is estimated that about 15,000 extra staff have been taken on by local authorities in England and Wales for the collection and administration of the community charge. No individual authority breakdown is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his replies of 26 November 1990, Official Report, column 259 and 12 December 1990, Official Report, column 434, if he will publish the information for those local authorities for which information is missing from the material deposited in the Library.

One local authority has sent in information to my Department and another has revised its figures since the previous answer I gave to the hon. Member.

	Authority
	Blaby	Mid Suffolk
Number of people who have made a payment in respect of a personal community charge by 30 September 1990	45,000	55,693
Number of people liable who have not made a payment in respect of a personal community charge by 30 September 1990	17,000	2,939
Proportion of charge payers making a payment (per cent.)	72·6	95·0

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much the estimated 1991–92 average community charge would be reduced if (a) education and (b) education, fire and police were financed through central Government funding, with no change in the grants paid by central Government to the local authorities.

[holding answer, 15 January 1991]: On 31 October 1990 the Secretary of State issued a consultation paper on revenue support grant for 1991–92 and related matters. The Secretary of State's proposals included net revenue expenditure to provide a standard level of service of £17,135·7 million for education, £2,352·9 million for police and £1,020·6 million for fire and civil defence services. If all authorities spent at the level of their standard spending assessment, he proposed that their income from community charges should be £12,972 million.If central Government were to fund education spending in line with these proposals, with no change in the amounts on non-domestic rates, and revenue support grant paid to local authorities, there would be no need for a community charge as the extra government funding would exceed the proposed community charge income.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich, dated 26 July 1990, regarding the National Association of Chimney Sweeps.

My right hon. Friend's office wrote to the hon. Member on 14 August pointing out to her that her letter had been transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry as the subject was primarily a matter for that Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution is being made by Saudi Arabia and other states towards the maintenance of the British forces in the Gulf.

An agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia yesterday, confirming the provision of free food, water, fuel, accommodation and transport for our forces. Other countries in the Gulf where our forces are stationed, our allies in the Western European Union, and other nations are providing a range of practical assistance and we are continuing to discuss what further support might be made available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is in a position to announce any measures affecting Royal Navy establishments arising from his statement to the House on 25 July 1990.

Detailed work on the future structure of the Royal Navy support area is continuing. At this stage in our considerations, however, it has already become clear that it will be possible to achieve significant savings through rationalisation of some functions. As a consequence of these measures, it is our intention to close, by 31 March 1992, the RN leadership school—HMS Royal Arthur—the RN Diesel repair depot, Blackbrock Farm, and, within the next 12 to 18 months, the accommodation and administrative headquarters at Furse house, London—HMS St. Vincent.The leadership training functions presently carried out at HMS Royal Arthur will be transferred to an existing training centre at Whale island, Portsmouth—HMS Excellent. The resulting collocation of leadership training with management and divisional training will produce savings in terms of service and civilian manpower, as well as other running costs. The closure of HMS Vincent should produce worthwhile savings in similar areas, as well as receipts from the disposal of Furse house, assuming that no other defence use for the building is found. There will, however, be some costs in terms of lodging and subsistence allowances for those personnel currently accommodated in the establishment.An independent review of the strategy for the repair and overhaul of RN marine diesel engines has concluded that there is no need to retain the in-house repair facility at Blackbrook Farm. Significant savings will be achieved through putting the whole repair task to industry, which already deals with some 70 per cent. of the work.Consultations with the trade unions will take place, in accordance with normal department practice, and we hope to be able to offer alternative employment to the majority of the civilian staff affected by these closures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqi military personnel underwent training in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1981 to 1990 inclusive.

[holding answer 14 January 1991]: Details of military assistance provided to individual countries are normally confidential between Governments. In addition, statistics are normally collected on the number of places allocated to foreign students not on the number of individuals trained, who may attend more than one course. A total 430 places on MOD training courses were allocated to Iraqi students between 1981 and the cessation of training, following Mr. Bazoft's execution, in March 1990.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the expected time it takes for an appeal against refusal of (a) a visitor's visa and (b) an entry clearance to be heard; what were the comparable figures three, six and 12 months ago; and what plans he has to reduce this time.

The Lord Chancellor's Department and the Immigration Appellate Authorities—IAA—do not keep detailed statistics on the expected times for appeals to be determined in the form requested, but it is possible to provide an informed estimate.Over the past 12 months the average time taken for the IAA to deal with visit visa and settlement appeals to Adjudicators has been six to seven months. This does not include the time which appeals are in the hands of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office and appellants' representatives. This can take from 2 months upwards depending on the nature and complexity of the case.In addition, the average for appeals from a determination by an Adjudicator to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal over the same period has been 4–6 months, depending on the length of time taken by the parties to prepare their case.The Lord Chancellor's Department is seeking to keep waiting times for hearings to a minimum and has authorised the IAA to increase the number of staff from 85 to 961/2.

To ask the Attorney-General what are the most recent figures for the number of appeals received by the Social Security Commissioners concerning (a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance.

The number of appeals received by the Social Security Commissioners in 1990, the last year for which figures are available, concerning (a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance are 268 and 573 respectively.

To ask the Attorney-General what are the most recent figures for the number of decisions by social security commissioners regarding the award of either mobility or attendance allowance that found the decisions of (a) delegated medical practitioners and (b) medical appeal tribunals to be erroneous in law.

The number of decisions by Social Security Commissioners in 1990, the last year for which figures are available, regarding the award of Attendance Allowance that found the decisions of the Delegated Medical Practitioner to be erroneous in law is 535. Medical appeal tribunals become involved in attendance allowance appeals very infrequently. The number of decisions by Social Security Commissioners in the same period regarding the award of Mobility Allowance that found the decisions of medical appeals tribunals to be erroneous in law is 235.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what account is taken in determining the 1991–92 voluntary-aided capital programme of the academic results of a school; and how many voluntary-aided schools have a better academic record than Hasmonean high school, Barnet.

Information on academic performance of individual voluntary-aided schools is not held in the Department and is not taken into account in determining the voluntary aided and special agreement capital programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the 1991–92 voluntary-aided capital programme is being allocated to (a) Church of England schools, (b) Roman Catholic schools and (c) Jewish schools.

The percentage of new major voluntary aided and special agreement building projects approved to start in 1991–92 has been allocated as follows:—(a) 41 per cent. for Church of England schools, (b) 41 per cent. for Roman Catholic schools and (c) 0 per cent. for Jewish schools. The remaining 18 per cent. was allocated for new projects in non-denominational voluntary aided and special agreement schools. Percentages are not available for expenditure on minor projects—£5,000 to £120,000—since it is for local education authorities to determine how best to distribute their minor works allocations after consulting the associated bodies within their area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when Barnet council first included the rebuilding of the Hasmonean high school in its voluntary-aided capital programme submission.

Barnet local education authority first included the rebuilding of the Hasmonean high school in its plans for 1984–85.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what account is taken in determining the 1991–92 voluntary-aided capital programme of the extent to which schools are oversubscribed; and how many of the schools which received funding were more heavily oversubscribed than Hasmonean high school, Barnet.

No account is taken of oversubscription in determining the 1991–92 voluntary-aided capital programme, except in the case of projects which result from statutory proposals to provide new school places in the absence of spare capacity in neighbouring schools. The information requested in the second part of the question is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of Barnet schoolchildren are educated in voluntary-aided schools; what is the comparable percentage for other London education authorities; and what correlation there is between these percentages and the scale of new projects approved for the voluntary-aided sector 1991–92 capital programme.

A total of 34 per cent. of Barnet school children were educated in voluntary aided schools as compared with 22 per cent. for Greater London. There is no significance in any correlation between these percentages and the scale of new projects approved for the voluntary-aided sector 1991–92 capital programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science in how many of the submissions for the 1991–92 voluntary-aided capital programme the sponsors offered to provide more than 15 per cent. of the cost.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science with whom were discussions held during the passage of the Hasmonean High School Bill and what was the then estimated cost of the proposals contained in the Bill.

Discussions were held with officials of the Department acting on instructions from Ministers. The total estimated cost of rebuilding the boys' school on the girls' school site and enlarging it to six forms of entry was £5·96 million at April 1990 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science further to his answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North dated 17 December 1990, Official Report, column 26, if he will show the number and change in the number of (a) teachers employed by local education authorities, in full-time equivalents and in percentage terms in each year, and (b) pupils in similar terms since 1970.

The information requested for local education authority maintained and grant-maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England is given in the table.

	Teachers		Pupils
January	(full-time equivalent thousands)	Percentage change from previous year	(full-time equivalent thousands)	Percentage change from previous year
19711 2	346·6	5·4	7,715·5	2·7
19722	366·2	5·7	7,910·5	2·5
19732	385·9	5·4	8,056·2	1·8
19742	406·7	5·4	8,400·2	4·3

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is (a) the number of teachers employed by local education authorities and (b) the number of local education authority pupils in each year since 1979; and if he will show the percentage increase or decrease in each case.

The inform ation requested for local education authority maintained and grant-maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England is given in the table.

	Teachers		Pupils
January	(fte thousands)	Percentage change from previous year	(fte thousands)	Percentage change from previous year
1979	440·8	1·2	8,347·9	-1·3
1980	438·1	-0·6	8,183·0	-2·0
1981	429·2	-2·0	7,969·5	-2·6
1982	420·0	-2·1	7,752·0	-2·7
1983	414·6	-1·3	7,524·4	-2·9
1984	410·5	-1·0	7,345·0	-2·4
1985	405·3	- 1·3	7,201·5	-2·0
1986	402·9	-0·6	7,073·7	-1·8
1987	402·3	-0·2	6,954·6	-1·7
1988	401·5	-0·2	6,832·3	-1·8
1989	397·4	-1·0	6,761·6	-1·0
1990	398·5	0·3	6,753·2	-0·1

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state, or provide references to, the conditions made in school building regulations concerning the circulation and regular replacement of air in school classrooms, workshops and laboratories and any study made of the relations between these requirements and the incidence of cross-infection.

Regulation 25 of the 1981 Education (School Premises) Regulations refers to the main recommendations for thermal environment set out in the current edition of the Department's design note 17: "Guidelines for Environmental Design and Fuel Conservation". The design note itself includes recommendations on ventilation of schools. We are not aware of any studies made of the relations between the requirements for schools and the incidence of cross-infection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average number of (a) holidays and (b) sickness leave taken by teachers employed by Norfolk education committee in each of the years 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1989.

The data requested are not held centrally.

Higher education qualifications awarded
	Qualifications awarded per 100 of relevant age group1
	19802				19863
		All levels4			Level 54	Level 64	Levels 5/64	Level 74	Total number of qualifications (19863) (thousands)
		Persons	Men	Women
Australia5	26	27	27	28	9	16	26	2	74
Belgium6	710	33	32	34	18	15	33	ֵ	52
Canada	34	45	42	49	13	27	41	5	199
Denmark6	24	24	21	26	11	13	24	ֵ	19
France	32	836	837	836	815	15	30	6	312
Germany (FRG) 6	21	22	23	21	8	14	22	ֵ	230
Italy	11	10	10	9	—	8	8	1	90
Japan9(a)	37	36	39	32	11	23	34	1	586
(b)10	49	47	48	45	22	23	46	1	770
Netherlands6	21	23	25	21	16	7	23	ֵ	59
Spain	13	15	14	17	—	15	15	—	100
Sweden	37	33	30	36	20	12	32	1	40
United Kingdom11	23	33	34	31	13	15	28	5	315
USA12(a)	41	45	44	46	11	24	35	10	1,830
(b)13	31	34	34	33	24	9	33	1	1,374
1 The relevant age group is considered to be the age group identified as including 70 per cent. of new entrants increased by the typical duration of course.
2 1982 data for France.
3 1985 data for Germany; 1987 Belgium, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
4 Level 7 = post-graduate; level 6 = first degree; level 5 =sub-degree higher education.
5 Level detail based on 1985 data. 1986 data excludes TAFE.
6 Level 6 includes level 7 data.
7 Universities only.
8 Increased by level 5 diplomas awarded on the completion of the first two years of a level 6 course.
9 Including data for private colleges and correspondence courses.
10 Includes advanced students in special training schools (senshus) some of whose courses may be equivalent to level 5.
11 Includes estimated public sector professional qualifications and nursing and paramedical qualifications gained at DH establishments. Excludes private sector.
12 Includes private colleges.
13 Excludes students on two year courses (some of which may be below level 5), and, where appropriate, transfers bachelor's and master's degrees to levels 5 and 6 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out in greater detail the statistical basis of his statement in his speech to the north of England education conference on 4 January, that only one country in the European Community exceeds the United Kingdom's present figure of 33 per cent. of the relevant age group achieving higher education qualifications, including his definition of qualification for these purposes.

The figures on which the statement are based are given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much he has made available for capital purposes for the universities in every year since 1979 expressed in 1990–91 prices.

Capital grants to universities in Great Britain paid since April 1989 by the Universities Funding Council and, before then, on the advice of the University Grants Committee were:

Financial year	Cash	1990–91 prices1
	£ million	£ million
1979–80	87·8	190·1
1980–81	97·9	179·2
1981–82	103·1	172·1
1982–83	106·8	166·4
1983–84	103·1	153·6
1984–85	106·7	151·2
1985–86	118·2	158·9
1986–87	130·2	169·2
1987–88	128·8	158·8
1988–89	140·7	161·6
21989–90	161·2	174·1
21990–91	175·3	175·3
1 1990–91 prices are derived using the GDP deflator.
2 Estimated, and includes provision for minor capital works which, in 1988–89 and before, formed an undifferentiated element of recurrent grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in respect of his powers under section 156 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, how many applications from fire and civil defence authorities regarding expenditure on civil emergency co-ordination he has received; how much expenditure each application was in respect of; how much expenditure was agreed to by his Department in each case; and whether his Department has any plans to issue guidance concerning the application of section 156 of the Act.

Section 156 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 enables a fire and civil defence authority, with the consent of the Secretary of State, to incur expenditure within the existing resources of principal councils in co-ordinating planning by principal councils with respect to emergencies or disasters. With the exception of an initial approach from the London fire and civil defence authority for the expenditure of £8,000 which has not yet been decided, no applications have been received. We have no plans at present to issue guidance about the application of this section of the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the procedures for receiving asylum seekers and refugees in the light of experience following recent changes to these procedures; and if he will make a statement.

There have been no recent major changes in procedures and I am not clear to what changes the question refers. In view of the sharp increase in numbers of asylum applications in the United Kingdom, the Government are urgently reviewing arrangements for dealing with asylum seekers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received concerning procedures for dealing with refugees and asylum seekers; what was his response; and if he will make a statement.

We receive representations from time to time on many aspects of our procedures for receiving asylum seekers. Representations are made by hon. Members, interested organisations and the public. Many of the issues raised are being considered in the Government's current review of asylum arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each month from September 1989 to the nearest available date the number of asylum applications, by country (a) at ports of entry, (b) after entry and (c) at British ports overseas made in each case for (i) principal applicants and (ii) their dependants.

[holding answer 12 December 1990]: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information records dependants by the date and location of the application of the principal asylum applicant and also does not generally include dependants who join a principal applicant after the principal application has been decided.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in respect of dependants granted permission to join family members in the United Kingdom (a) who themselves had refugee status under the 1951 convention and (b) who had exceptional leave on the basis of family reunion, if he will give for 1989 and 1990 so far (i) the numbers of each nationality, (ii) how many cases and for which nationalities were required by the embassies abroad to pay visa charges and how much was paid in each case, (iii) for each nationality the numbers by reference to the familial relationship to the convention refugee in the United Kingdom and (iv) the delay between application and date of issue of visa in terms of three months, six months, nine months, and over one year.

[holding answer 12 December 1990]: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information on asylum applicants records dependants by reference to the data on the principal applicant, and does not record the location of the dependants, or the date, whey they applied. It also does not generally include dependants who join a principal applicant after the principal application has been decided. Information on visa applications by dependants to join a person recognised as a refugee or granted exceptional leave in the United Kingdom is not available centrally. I understand that overseas posts have standing instructions that visas for dependants joining a person who has been recognised as a refugee under arrangements made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or its partner the intergovernmental committee for migration—now the International Organisation for Migration—should be issued free of charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the concept of European citizenship following the agreement of the European Council that the matter should be examined; and which body will be undertaking the examination.

[holding answer 14 January 1991]: The concept of European citizenship, separate from national citizenship, needs considerable refinement and clarification before any decisions on its precise implications and acceptability could be made. Work on this is going ahead in the intergovernmental conference on political union.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether input tax will be recoverable by privatised electricity distribution companies on the costs arising from the sale of their own shares on a basis which differs from normal VAT practice; and whether he will make a statement.

Input tax incurred by a business in relation to the issues or sale of its own shares, an exempt supply, is not recoverable. However, shares in the electricity distribution companies were issued and sold on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy, not the electricity distribution companies and the benefits of the sale accrued to the Government. Costs incurred by the electricity distribution companies in their privatisation were regarded as general overheads of their business—mainly the taxable supply of electricity—and any associated VAT was recoverable in accordance with the provisions of the VAT Act 1983.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to his statement of 7 December 1990, Official Report, column 639, he will list the organisations which were consulted in respect of the shape and size of the new five pence coin, indicating those who approved of its introduction; what further consultations he has in hand, or has completed, concerning the proposal to phase out the 10p and 50p coins, respectively; when replies to such consultations must be made; and when he expects to make any relevant decisions.

In July 1987 the Royal Mint issued a consultative pamphlet, "The United Kingdom Coinage". This set out four options for making the coinage lighter together with the option of "no change". The consultation was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Trial of the Pyx on 1 May 1987 and in a Treasury press notice. It was widely reported in the press at the time. Comments were received from the general public and from a wide range of organisations representing:

1. The handicapped, the blind and the elderly.

2. Manufacturers and operators of coin-operated machinery.

3. Bulk handlers of cash such as banks, supermarkets and retail outlets.

4. Local Government, education and Chamber of Trade.

A substantial majority of those who commented favoured change and preferred the option in which the 5p was replaced by a coin similar to the old sixpence, and the 10p with one similar to the then existing 5p.The Chancellor of the Exchequer, having carefully considered all the responses to the consultation, announced on 17 December 1987 that he had decided to introduce the most popular option. The precise specifications of the new coins were decided later following consultations with the blind and with manufacturers of coin-operated machines. As a result of the discussions with representatives of the blind, it was agreed that the new coins should have a pronounced milled edge to make them more easily identified by touch.Following discussions with the banks and the vending industry on timing, the new 5p coin was introduced into circulation on 27 June 1990. It has subsequently been decided, again after consulting the banks and the vending industry, that the new 10p coin will be introduced into circulation from September 1992 together with copper-plated 1p and 2p coins. The precise date has still to be announced but will be discussed with the banks and the vending industry. The old 5p coin was demonetised on 31 December 1990, but no decision has yet been taken on when to demonetise the existing 10p coin. The existing 1p and 2p coins will continue in circulation.There are no plans at present for any further changes to the coinage.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will set out in the Official Report the current rates of excise duty expressed in ecus in each of the EC member states for (a) table wine, (b) sherry at 16·5 per cent. alcohol, (c) port at 20 per cent. alcohol and (d) spirits.

Rates of excise duties applied in each of the EC member states to table wines, fortified wine and spirits according to the latest information available, are set out in the table.

Country	Excise duty on table wine (ecu per 75cl bottle)	Excise duty on sherry at 16·5 per cent alcohol (ecu per 75cl bottle)	Excise duty on port at 20 per cent. alcohol (ecu per 75cl bottle)	Excise duty on spirits (ecu per bottle)
Belgium	0·26	0·43	0·56	4·49
Denmark	1·19	2·21	2·21	13·87
France	0·02	1·34	1·34	3·35
Germany	0·00	0·97	0·97	3·72
Greece	0·00	0·01	0·01	0·09
Ireland	1·98	2·87	2·87	7·80
Italy	0·00	0·10	0·10	0·66
Luxembourg	0·08	0·27	0·40	2·68
Netherlands	0·27	0·44	0·57	4·11
Portugal	0·00	0·00	0·00	0·57
Spain	0·00	0·08	0·08	1·26
United Kingdom	1·16	1·93	2·23	7·33
Notes:
1 Rates of exchange as at 10 January 1991.
2 Source: EC Excise Duty tables. Inventory of Taxes.
3 From the information available we can identify only four member states which apply different rates of duty to fortified wines of 16·5 per cent· and 20 per cent. Alcohol. For the other member states the rates quoted are illustrative for products of 18 per cent. Alcohol.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the balance of payments deficit or surplus for (a) manufacturers, (b) semi-manufacturers, (c) services, (d) consumer goods, (e) raw materials, (f) machinery and (g) invisibles for 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990.

The information, where available, can be found in the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", available in the Library of the House, or on the Central Statistical Office database, which may also be accessed through the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the balance of payments surplus or deficit for invisibles for each year since 1979.

Information relating to the surplus or deficit for invisibles can be found in table 1·3 of the 1990 edition of the CSO's United Kingdom balance of payments publication—the Pink Book—and in table B of the CSO's quarterly balance of payments press notice. Copies of both are available in the Library of the House or alternatively the data can be found on the CSO database which can be accessed through the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer further to his answer to the hon. Member for North Norfolk, dated 19 December 1990, Official Report, column 177, on public sector manning, if he will state the number of people employed in the public sector in 1978–79 and 1988–89 (a) excluding nationalised industries and (b) excluding nationalised industries and armed forces, and also give the change in manpower in per cent. terms.

The information is as follows:

	1978–79 thousands	1988–89 thousands	Change thousands	Per cent.
(a)	4,722	4,580	-142	-3·0
(b)	4,396	4,256	-140	-3·2

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the balance of payments surplus or deficit on manufactured goods for each year since 1979.

The latest information is available in Table A9 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics" and its annual supplement, available in the Library of the House, or on the Central Statistical Office database, which may also be accessed through the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average annual growth rate in the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom in (a) the 1960s, (b) the 1970s and (c) the 1980s.

Between 1980 and 1989 the average annual growth in gross domestic product of the United Kingdom averaged 2·7 per cent. per annum. This compares with growth rates of 3·0 per cent. in the 1960s and 1·8 per cent. in the 1970s.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made in implementing the Government's purchasing initiative since 1988–89.

A report by the central unit on purchasing on progress in government purchasing during 1989–90 is published today. It records that central Government Departments, excluding the Ministry of Defence, reported value-for-money improvements in their purchasing totalling over £515 million equivalent to 6·7 per cent. of total reported expenditure. Since the start of the Government purchasing initiative in 1985, total value-for-money improvements have exceeded £1·3 billion.Also, in 1989–90, Departments reported value-for-money improvements of £205 million arising from new initiatives taken in that year. This equates to 2·8 per cent. of purchasing expenditure of some £7,311 million.For 1990–91, Departments will report only on savings arising from new initiatives in that year and collectively have set targets for value-for-money improvements of £118 million or 3·1 per cent. of purchasing expenditure. This target gives sharper emphasis to the current performance of departmental purchasing organisations.The report also records progress on other areas of the purchasing initiative and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any proposals concerning the existing income tax exemption for directors and employees who derive a benefit from being given priority rights in a public offer of shares; and if he will make a statement.

The existing provisions concerning priority share allocations remove the possibility of a tax charge on directors and employees arising solely because, where a public offer is oversubscribed, they get more shares than members of the public who apply for the same number. The exemption is available only in the context of a genuine public offer, of which the priority allocation to directors and employees forms a small part—10 per cent. or less—and where other conditions are met.Most public offers comprise shares in just one company, and in these cases this rule causes no difficulty. But where a public offer consists of a package of shares in two or more companies, and directors and employees are entitled to priority allocations of shares in just one or only some of them, the exemption is not available. This is because the package offer to the public and the single company share offer or offers to employees cannot be treated under the existing provisions as a single public offer.Since the Government do not believe that it would be right to charge tax in such circumstances we propose to extend the present tax exemption to cover them. We propose that the extension to the relief should apply to any public offer of shares made on or after today. Legislation to effect this will be included in the Finance Bill 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of all Government-appointed nominees to the board of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive since its formation, giving the year of appointment and the length of service in each case.

The information requested is as follows:

Northern Ireland Housing Executive Board
Name	Year of appointment	Length of service at January 1991
		Years	Months
T. D. Lorimer	1971	4	9
J. O'Hara	1971	7	7
C. E. B. Brett	1971	12	10
H. R. Brown	1971	3	—
J. Donnelly	1971	3	—
F. G. Kinghan	1971	3	—
W. E. Elliott1	1971	2	6
G. M. Jones (Mrs.)1	1971	2	6
P. McArdle1	1971	2	6
Col. A. N. Clarke1	1973	5	—
A. W. McGowan1	1973	2	—
W. H. R. Nicholl1	1973	8	—
A. Bashford (Mrs.)	1974	2	—
J. J. Donnelly	1974	2	—
P. McKenna	1974	2	—
T. Seymour1	1975	3	10
R. E. Myles Humphreys	1976	3	—
P. J. Heron	1976	2	10
M. Robinson (Mrs.)	1976	5	7
C. Linehan (Mrs.)	1976	—	2
G. Johnson	1977	6	9
Rev. R. T. W. McCrea1	1978	—	11
J. W. Cushnahan	1978	3	9
E. K. McGrady	1978	3	9
J. R. Gorman	1979	6	3
D. G. R. Green1	1979	3	—
	1985	1	—
W. G. Bleakes1	1979	2	—
M. Mitchell (Mrs.)	1980	9	3
W. J. Beattie1	1981	1	—
J. Carson CBE1	1981	—	9
H. McKeag1	1981	1	—
J. McEvoy	1982	8	22
D. McGuinness	1982	7	—
A. P. McConaghy1	1982	2	—
W. C. Noble1	1982	3	—
A. Spence1	1982	1	—
	1984	26	—
N. G. D. Ferguson	1983	6	—
E. Turner1	1983	2	—
	1991	2—	—
P. J. Devlin	1984	2	11
K. E. Dunlop (Miss)	1984	3	7
J. Doherty	1985	3	4
J. Smith1	1985	5	3
J. Speers1	1986	4	13
S. McDowell	1987	3	210
J. Wilde (Dr.)	1987	3	—
W. Carson	1988	2	22
B. Shiels	1989	1	22
F. Cook (Mrs)	1989	1	22
E. Waterson (Mrs.)	1989	1	22
A. O'Donoghue (Mrs.)	1990	—	22
1 Nominated by the Northern Ireland Housing Council.
2 Ongoing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of all Government-appointed nominees to the Police Authority for Northern Ireland since its formation, giving the year of appointment and the length of service in each case.

For security reasons it is not our policy to disclose the names of members of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is in a position to announce the name of the person who is to be the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland.

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Maurice Hayes has been appointed as Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland. He will commence his task on 1 February 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will make a statement about the offices of Northern Ireland Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints.

Dr. Maurice Hayes, who has held the two offices since July 1987, will be retiring from them on 31 January 1991 and thereafter will be taking up appointment as the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland.Her Majesty the Queen has appointed, to succeed him in the two offices, Mrs. Jill McIvor. Mrs. McIvor is already deputy chairman of the Radio Authority and will retain that office, but will forgo a part of the salary normally payable for the offices of Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Commissioner for Complaints equivalent to the salary she receives as deputy chairman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been allocated by the EC for each of the operational programmes under the Community support framework for Northern Ireland 1989–93.

[holding answer 14 January 1991]: The Community support framework for Northern Ireland was approved on 31 October 1989 and provides for nine operational programmes, all of which have now been agreed by the European Commission. Community funding is allocated to the operational programmes as follows:

	MECU	£ million
Physical and social environment	34·0	23·97
Transportation	137·0	96·58
Industrial development	116·46	82·10
Agricultural development	53·6	37·78
Tourism	44·223	31·17
Multipriority	25·194	17·76
Apprenticeship training	4·693	3·30
Combating long-term unemployment	32·64	23·01
Occupation and integration of young people	174·32	122·89

Figures are shown in 1989 prices and based on the December 1990 exchange rate of £1 =0·705 ecu.The resources allocated in the Community support framework also include provision for various programmes, for example, STAR, Valoren, non-quota border areas, non-quota textiles and so on, which were in operation before the Community support framework was agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requirements are laid on employers in Northern Ireland to ensure that a proportion of their work force is registered disabled.

[holding answer 14 January 1991]: The Disabled Persons (Employment) Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 requires employers with 20 or more employees to employ a 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled people.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his written answer to the hon. Member for Taunton on 19 December, he will list in the Official Report the parishes in Somerset and Devon in respect of which he applied to the European Commission for an extension of less-favoured area status and which was not agreed to by the Commission.

The Parishes in Somerset and Devon which include some land which was covered by the application to the European Commission for an extension of the United Kingdom less-favoured area but which was not accepted by the European Commission were:

Somerset: Churchstanton, Otterford, Pitminster, Spaxton.

Devon: Bishops Bympton, Chulmleigh, Kings Nympton, Knowstone, Meshaw, Molland, Oakford, Okehampton Hamlets, Rackenford, including former Creacombe, Rose Ash, Thornbury, Twitchen, Witheridge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to monitor the proportion of new day surgery facilities at King's College hospital used by (a) private and (b) national health service patients.

No. Camberwell health authority has given assurances that this unit is designated wholly for NHS patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he gives about the appointment of members of district health authorities; and whether he includes specific advice concerning the desirability of members residing in the area covered by the health authority to which they are appointed.

It is for each regional health authority to decide on the appointment of members to district health authorities within its area. Guidance issued to health authorities in July 1990 specifies that it is preferable for members to live or work in, or have connections with, the community served.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has about the number of health authority members who live in the health authority area for each authority in the North Western health region.

The information is not available centrally. Responsibility for appointing non-executive members of district health authorities rests with regional health authorities. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Bruce Martin, the chairman of the North Western regional health authority, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the independent confidentiality review mentioned in paragraph 29 of the census White Paper, Cm 430; and whether he will make a statement.

The report of the British Computer Society's independent review on the confidentiality arrangements for the computer processing of 1991 census data will be published, together with the Government's response, in a White Paper before the census, which is on 21 April this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether regional health authority cash limits for 1991–92 have been issued.

Allocations and initial cash limits were issued just before Christmas. However, the 1990–91 baseline on which these were based had not been properly adjusted to take account of expenditure on long-stay patients, and this affected regions' positions from their weighted capitation target. The new figures for allocations, set out as follows, were notified to regions early in the new year and revised cash limits will follow. This revision does not affect the overall money available or the principle upon which it has been distributed between regions.

1991–92 Revenue allocations to RHAs (England)
Region	1991–92 Allocations for resident population	Percentage cash increase for resident population
	£ million
Northern	985·3	10·0
Yorkshire	1,121·0	10·5
Trent	1,406·5	10·5
East Anglian	595·7	11·8
North West Thames	1,097·2	10·0
North East Thames	1,295·5	10·0
South East Thames	1,221·2	10·0
South West Thames	946·8	10·0
Wessex	872·1	12·1
Oxford	675·4	10·0
South Western	1,000·0	11·8
West Midlands	1,566 8	10·0
Mersey	775·2	10·0
North Western	1,295·0	10·0

Regional cash limits will include additional amounts for specific purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to safeguard the future of Pwllpeiran experimental husbandry farm in Cardiganshire; and if he will make a statement.

Options to safeguard the research facilities available at Pwllpeiran are being explored at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the amount he estimates each district health authority and special health authority in Wales should be able to achieve in 1990–91 and 1991–92 in respect of (a) efficiency savings, (b) cuts in services and (c) income generation and list the factors he has taken into account in estimating a figure that reflects local circumstances in each district health authority.

The 1990–91 cash-releasing cost improvement and income generation targets set for district health authorities in Wales and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority are shown in the table. In 1991–92, these authorities collectively will be expected to realise £11 million from cost improvement and income generation. The targets to be achieved by individual health authorities will depend on their recurring revenue allocations. These are currently being determined and should be announced shortly.Individual targets are the subject of bilateral discussions with health authorities. They are expected to be achieved by genuine efficiency savings and additional income generated, and not by making cuts in services. The Welsh Office has issued clear guidance to health authorities that cost improvement measures should not result in a reduction in the quantity or standard of service provided. Authorities' costs improvement programmes are closely monitored to ensure that they do have an adverse effect on the pattern or provision of services.The Health Promotion Authority for Wales has a target figure of £67,000 in 1990–91 for the generation of additional net income. A target for 1991–92 has not yet been set. Targets for cost improvement are not set for the authority.

Cash-releasing cost improvement and income generation targets for district health authorities in Wales and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, 1990–91
Health authority	Cash improvement target	Income generation target
	(£000s)	(£000s)
Clwyd	1,282	231
East Dyfed	824	149
Gwent	1,518	274
Gwynedd	761	137
Mid Glamorgan	1,776	321
Pembrokeshire	312	57
Powys	367	66
South Glamorgan	2,079	372
West Glamorgan	1,312	237
Welsh Health Common Services Authority	94	17

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on the amount spent by Powys health authority on its board room; and if he will make a statement.

Powys health authority advises that the cost of replacement furniture for the board room amounted to £4,755.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he plans to meet (a) local education authorities of Wales, (b) the teachers' unions and (c) the parent-teacher associations of Wales to discuss the national curriculum.

We have already had extensive consultations with these bodies. We have no plans at present to meet them, but intend to make a statement shortly on the national curriculum in Wales for pupils aged 14 to 16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he plans to call an all-Wales conference of those concerned with education to discuss the national curriculum.

We have no such plans at present but intend to make a statement shortly on the curriculum for pupils aged 14 to 16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take special measures to assist Alyn and Deeside council to develop the site of Connah's Quay power station.

Development of the site at Connah's Quay is a commercial matter for its owners, PowerGen plc. However, I understand that PowerGen has no plans to sell the site at present and that Connah's Quay is one of a number of sites under consideration for future power generation purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the availability of cancer treatment for patients in north Wales.

Radiotherapy treatment is provided to patients in north Wales at specialist centres in neighbouring English regions and central funds have provided fast comfortable ambulance transport for Gwynedd patients having to travel for treatment. Central funds have also been made available to provide medical oncology services at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Ysbyty Maelor Wrexham to reduce the need for patients to travel for treatment. A report on cancer treatment services in north Wales commissioned from Deloitte, Haskins and Sells is being considered following wide consultation. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time family farms there are in Wales.

The number of holdings in Wales estimated to have the economic potential to provide the equivalent of a full-time occupation was 16,613 in June 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time family farmers left the industry in Wales in 1989 and 1990.

The total number of whole-time principal farmers or partners in June 1988 was 19,460 and 19,392 in June 1989. Figures for 1990 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he has taken to assist full-time family farmers in Wales.

Welsh farmers receive assistance as appropriate from a range of measures including the sheep annual premium, beef special premium, suckler cow premium and hill livestock compensatory allowances. Expenditure on grants and subsidies to Welsh farmers total over £100 million a year. In addition, the beef market has also been supported by the special arrangements for intervention which has thus far cost about £230 million on a United Kingdom basis and Welsh sheep producers have also benefited from the bringing forward of the two advance payments of sheep annual premium worth £25 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he proposes to assist full-time family farming in Wales.

I recognise the importance of family farms within the structure of agriculture in Wales and their significance in social terms. I will continue to seek to ensure that these farms, along with others, are able to compete effectively and on equal terms within the single European market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales in which locations in the world the Welsh Development Agency has direct, on-the-spot representation by (a) an employee and (b) an agent; and how these arrangements have changed in the past 10 years.

The Welsh Development Agency and its inward investment division, Welsh Development International, have permanent representation at a number of locations overseas. In north America the main office is in Baltimore with part-time representatives in California and Ottawa. In the far east the main office is in Tokyo with another representative in South Korea. In Europe, in addition to the headquarters in Cardiff, there is an office in Stuttgart, a representative in London and consultants are employed in Brussels. Of the above offices employees of the Welsh Development Agency are located in north America, Stuttgart and London. Within Wales the agency has six regional offices staffed by its own employees.The Welsh Development Agency has had overseas offices since 1983 and the arrangements are kept under continuous review. Changes during the period have included: the opening of the Stuttgart office in 1990 in succession to the employment of agents; the closure of a representative office in Stockholm in 1988; the appointment of consultants in Hong Kong in 1989, an arrangement which ended in 1990; and the rearrangement of north American representation in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make a statement on the future ownership of land and buildings belonging to the hospital service in Wales and the principles for buying and selling surplus property and the application of the proceeds;(2) what policy considerations have led him to review the arrangements for overseeing the buying and selling of surplus land and buildings forming part of the national health service estate in Wales;

[holding answer 15 January 1990]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the letter sent to him on 16 January 1991 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. A copy of it is being placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to present to the House draft regulations to implement the European Community directive of 21 December 1988 on a general system for the recognition of higher education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of at least three years' duration (89/48/EEC).

I expect to lay regulations implementing directive 89/48/EEC shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has held with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales over its application for a supervisory body status.

There have been a number of discussions between the Department and the institute on this matter, and I expect further discussions to be held.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's and European Community policy over the maintenance of indefinite sanctions against Iraq until Iraq abandons its chemical, binary and nuclear programmes.

The sanctions imposed on Iraq by Security Council resolution 661 will remain in place until the Security Council is ready to lift them. A judgment on whether Iraq continues to harbour aggressive designs on its neighbours in the region will no doubt be one of the factors in the Council's decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his latest assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions against Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Sanctions were imposed on Iraq to help bring about Iraqi compliance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. The test of their effectiveness is whether they achieve that purpose. There is no evidence that sanctions alone will do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when it is anticipated the next meeting will take place between the Brazilian Government and Her Majesty's Government on environmental issues.

Frequent meetings and discussions are taking place at official level. The next meeting at ministerial level is expected to be in late April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect renewed diplomatic relations with Syria will have on prospects for the release of British hostages held in the Lebanon.

Syria is an important regional power with a strong influence in Lebanon. On the resumption of diplomatic relations the Syrians undertook to continue their strenuous efforts to obtain the release of western, including British, hostages in Lebanon. This must contribute towards the prospects for a release. Our own efforts will of course remain unremitting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress within the intergovernmental conference.

The two intergovernmental conferences began in Rome on 15 December last year. The initial sessions dealt mainly with procedural matters. We have British proposals to make in both negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the implementation of EC legislation.

The Commission's lastest report on single market implementation shows that the United Kingdom has implemented 84 per cent. of measures requiring national implementation. Only Denmark 88 per cent. and Portugal, with its derogations—85 per cent.—had a better record.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's relations with Argentina.

There has been good progress since the resumption of diplomatic relations with Argentina last February. Trade is growing rapidly. Several ministerial meetings have led to agreements on visa abolition; fisheries conservation; cultural co-operation; and investment promotion and protection. We aim to build on this encouraging trend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions, as a guarantor power, he has had with the Greek Cypriot Government about recent developments in southern Cyprus.

We maintain regular high-level contacts with all parties involved in the intercommunal dispute, and actively support the United Nations Secretary-General's efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will convene a conference of the guarantor powers to discuss the resolution of the Cyprus dispute.

We believe that the United Nations Secretary-General's mission of good offices offers the best hope of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the intercommunal dispute in Cyprus. As part of our active support of United Nations efforts, we maintain continuous diplomatic contact with all parties to the dispute, including the fellow guarantor powers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is currently being provided by the British embassy in Bucharest to couples wishing to adopt Romanian orphans; and if he will make a statement.

Entry clearance applications on behalf of Romanian children whom British couples wish to adopt are made at the British embassy in Bucharest and forwarded to the Home Office in the United Kingdom. The embassy will continue to help British adopters to complete United Kingdom entry clearance procedures as quickly as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the consular leaflet "Get It Right Before You Go".

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received appreciative comments on its general travel advice leaflets, "Get It Right Before You Go".The original leaflet, "Consular Assistance Abroad", explains what a consul can and cannot do for Britons in trouble abroad and is distributed mainly through travel agents. The new leaflet "A Checklist for Travellers" is distributed with British visitor's passports through post offices and concentrates on a few key messages including encouraging travellers to take out adequate insurance and to safeguard valuables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has had any discussions with the United States Government about convening a middle east conference on the Palestinian question; and if he will make a statement.

We are in close touch with the Americans about ways to advance the peace process. We welcome their agreement to a statement by the President of the Security Council on 20 December that an international conference, at an appropriate time, properly structured, should facilitate efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement and a lasting peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of his last meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel concerning the setting up of a middle east peace conference.

My right hon. Friend last met Mr. Shamir in October. Their discussions confirmed continuing differences of approach on Arab-Israel, including over the merits of an international conference. We have long supported this idea. That support continues. But a conference is a technique, not an end in itself. It needs willing participants if it is to get anywhere. We take every opportunity to point out to the Israelis the need for flexibility if the peace process is to be advanced.