To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timescale is envisaged for the widening of the A1 between the north end of the motorway at Birtley and the south end of the Newcastle western bypass; and what areas of land and property will be affected.

The next key stage in the Department's preparation of the A1 Gateshead western bypass improvement is a public consultation which is currently planned to take place in 1992.The area of land and property affected is not yet known.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to make a statement on the east London river crossing bridge.

The public inquiries into the design of the proposed bridge closed on 8 January. We are now awaiting the inspector's report. A decision will be announced as soon as the report has been received and considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of accidents involving the rail transportation of hazardous and inflammable materials that have taken place within a 50 mile radius of Doncaster, for each of the last 10 years.

I regret that this information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department gives to local authorities about resident only parking schemes.

The most recent published guidance is in Department of Transport circular 6/86 and in the publication "Roads and Traffic in Urban Areas" of which the Department and the Institution of Highways and Transportation are joint sponsors. The former deals with specific changes made by the Road Traffic Regulation (Parking) Act 1986; the latter gives more general guidance on the sort of schemes which may be appropriate and the factors to be taken into account in deciding on them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains operating or which it is planned to operate, in Scotland, were built (a) before 1950, (b) before 1956, (c) before 1960 and (d) before 1965.

Neither the Department of Transport nor Her Majesty's railway inspectorate holds comprehensive information on construction dates for railway rolling stock.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current strength of the Merchant Navy Reserve; and how many of its members are now on service in the Gulf.

The Merchant Navy Reserve is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Transport, and I have been asked to reply.The current strength of the Reserve is 301. None of its members have been called out for service in the Gulf, but it is understood that one of them happens to be serving on a ship in the area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with airport authorities generally, and Manchester in particular, in the light of events in the Gulf.

Ever since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the Department has kept in close touch with the industry, including airport representatives, about the development of contingency plans to enhance aviation security as appropriate in the light of events. The measures provided for in those plans in the event of hostilities breaking out were brought into effect on 17 Janaury at Manchester as at other United Kingdom airports.Consultations have also take place with representatives of various airports, including Manchester, about their handling Government charter flights connected with the emergency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to provide the necessary funding for the completion of the Blackwater Valley relief road southern and central sections.

The Blackwater Valley route is being supported with transport supplementary grant and-or credit approvals as appropriate. That support will be maintained through to completion subject to satisfactory progress and the continued availability of funds. The allocation of supplementary credit approvals to Surrey county council in respect of the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92 is being reviewed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to expedite the compensation due from British Rail to the widow of one of the constituents of the right hon. Member for Worthing whose husband was killed in the Clapham train crash; and if he will raise the matter when he next has a discussion with British Rail.

Compensation is a matter for British Rail and ultimately the courts. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State has no powers to intervene in individual cases, but will certainly discuss the general progress of claims when he next meets the chairman of British Rail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made any recent review of the role or functions of Her Majesty's coastguard.

An internal review of the coastguard sector organisation and Auxiliary service has been carried out by the chief coastguard. The review has considered Her Majesty's coastguard's coastal commitments and has made recommendations covering:

the definition of HM Coastguard's responsibilities;

performance targets;

the sector organisation and the sector officers' role;

the availability and pay of auxiliary Coastguards;

Coastguard vehicles and equipment requirements, training and property management.

Government Departments and any interested bodies are currently being consulted and coastguard regional controllers will now be holding discussions with local interests and staff about the implications of these recommendations in each region. No decisions will be taken on the review's recommendations until the implications have been fully assessed. I am placing a copy of a summary of the review and its recommendations in the Library.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any proposals to re-classify alphachloralose; and whether he intends to revoke the approval of phosgen for specific uses.

From 1 March it will be illegal to use alphachloralose as a pesticide unless it is incorporated as an approved product. The Advisory Committee on Pesticides has also recommended that alphachloralose should be moved from part II to part I of the poisons list, thereby making it available only through retail pharmacies.I am not aware of phosgen, but the approval for sale and supply of phosdrin 24, a pesticide with active ingredient mevinphos, was revoked last September on the advice of the ACP. The storage and use of this product will be prohibited from September 1992.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of individual grant recipients in each environmentally sensitive area; what is the estimated total number of those eligible to receive grant in each environmentally sensitive area; and what is the total amount of grant paid out thus far under the scheme in each environmentally sensitive area.

The table shows the number of agreements with farmers in each ESA, together with the total sums payable under each scheme at 31 December 1990. Some farmers have a number of agreements. There are no reliable estimates of the number of farmers in each ESA.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when first his Department received advice from the Nature Conservancy Council about the danger to native crayfish stocks from the spread of crayfish plague by the introduction of American signal crayfish; and what action he has since taken in response to this.

Officials first received advice from the Nature Conservancy Council in 1977. Crayfish plague was officially confirmed in the United Kingdom in 1983, but it is probable the infection had already been present in our waters since the mid-1970s and that this was linked to the import of American signal crayfish. Such introductions preceded legislation to control, inter alia the import, keeping and release of non-native species of freshwater shellfish. Crayfish plague has now been detected in many of our river systems with crayfish populations. Our scientific advice is that eradication would be very difficult to accomplish. Nonetheless, we are continuing to discuss with the Nature Conservancy Council and the National Rivers Authority the feasibility of means of safeguarding native crayfish stocks in those areas at present free of crayfish plague. The Department is also funding scientific work on diagnostic methods.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to help beef calf producers; and if he will make a statement regarding their future prospects.

In recognition of problems faced by beef calf producers, the Ministry has, as announced on 28 September 1990, increased suckler cow premium payments in the current year by £8 million, the rate of premium in less favoured areas is now at the maximum rate payable under EC rules and that for lowlands has been maintained at its current level despite an increase in the amount of eligible stock.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking in discussions with the European Commission to honour the Government's commitment in "This Common Inheritance," paragraph 7.20.

My right hon. Friend the Minister will continue to urge the European Commission and colleagues in the Agriculture Council to ensure that environmental considerations are fully integrated in agricultural support measures.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 29 January.

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

To ask the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the current situation in the Gulf.

The allied air campaign is proceeding satisfactorily and continues to erode Iraq's military capability. The effectiveness of the campaign so far is amply demonstrated by the very few and unsuccessful deployments of the Iraqi air forces, but there is still some way to go before our aim of implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions can be achieved. We condemn Iraq's use of missiles in indiscriminate attacks against civilian populations in Israel and Saudi Arabia. We also deplore Iraq's wanton destruction of the environment of the middle east by deliberately pumping oil into the Gulf.

To ask the Prime Minister what co-ordination and consultation arrangements exist between allied Governments to ensure political control of the military forces engaged in the Gulf war.

The aims of the coalition forces are those laid down by the United Nations Security Council. Military forces in the coalition remain under the ultimate control of their national governments who are maintaining close contact with each other.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Assembly of Welsh County Councils regarding the impact of the loss of top-up powers on the quality and quantity of public sector higher education in Welsh colleges.

We consult the Assembly of Welsh Counties and the Welsh joint education committee every year before deciding on the higher education quantum, the amount of local authority resources we consider is needed for the provision of higher education in the maintained institutions. The figure we proposed for 1991–92 has been agreed by the assembly and the WJEC. We have had no consultations on topping-up, which is a local matter determined by individual LEAs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Assembly of Welsh County Councils regarding the implications of the Price Waterhouse report on the future of public sector higher education in Welsh colleges; and if he will make a statement.

All Welsh LEAs have been consulted on the Price Waterhouse report both individually and collectively through the Wales advisory body for local authority higher education. An announcement on the recommendations of the report concerning the future status of the Polytechnic of Wales will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his most up-to-date estimate of the amount spent per head per full-time equivalent student in public sector higher education in Welsh colleges in the (a) current and (b) next financial year.

The recurrent expenditure on higher education provision in Welsh local authority colleges is funded from three main sources. These are the higher education quantum determined annually by the Secretary of State and paid by LEAs from local authority resources, tuition fees paid through the mandatory awards system and "topping-up" payments paid by LEAs to their own colleges. The Department does not hold information on the level of topping-up payments, which are a local matter, but in some cases they are known to be significant. Recurrent expenditure at Trinity college Carmarthen, the only Welsh voluntary college, is funded by grant from the Welsh Office and tuition fees.The amount of recurrent funding per full-time equivalent home and EC student in public sector higher education in Wales from the higher education quantum, Welsh Office grant and tuition fees is estimated at £3,335 in 1990–91 and £3,738 in 1991–92. These figures take no account of topping-up payments to recurrent expenditure in the local authority colleges and funding for capital expenditure, but cover all public sector higher education in Wales. In this respect they differ from equivalent information regarding the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council sector, which does not take account of local authority higher education provision in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation regarding the references to the corporation in the HACAS report on the financial collapse of the Corlan housing association;(2) what consultations he has had with the chairman of Tai Cymru and the Cardiff Bay development corporation regarding their discussions immediately prior to the financial collapse of the Corlan housing association.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to t reply I gave on 28 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funds he has allocated to the South Glamorgan training and enterprise council for the current financial year.

Funding for TECs is provided by the Secretary of State of Employment. South Glamorgan TEC has received £60,000 development funding this year and details of its operational budget for the remainder of the year are being finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the per capita expenditure figures for primary and secondary schools in the London borough of Harrow, for the latest date available, of spending per pupil, and the relative figures at constant prices in 1979–80.

Figures for nursery and primary schools are no longer collected separately. Harrow spent £465 per nursery and primary pupil in 1979–80 and £1,115 in 1988–89, the latest year for which figures are available. It spent £745 per secondary pupil in 1979–80 and £1,740 in 1988–89. At 1988–89 prices those figures are £880 and £1,115 respectively for nursery and primary schools, and £1,405 and £1,740 respectively for secondary schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the unit costs per student for each of the university colleges in Wales for 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the 1990 volume of "University Management Statistics and Performance Indicators," produced by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the Universities Funding Council, a copy of which is in the Library. This draws on 1988–89 data: detailed figures for university expenditure in 1989–90 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his most up-to-date estimate of the amount spent per head per full-time equivalent—FTE—student in public sector higher education colleges in England in the (a) current and (b) next financial year.

My right hon. and learned Friend announced his plans for spending on higher education on 8 November 1990 and published projections for student numbers in higher education on the same date. Recurrent public funding per FTE student in Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council funded institutions underlying the plans is £4,137 in the financial year 1991–92. The latest estimate for such funding in the financial year 1990–91 is £4,018. Total expenditure per student will depend on a number of additional factors on which information is not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many A-level entrants were (a) school students and (b) further education college students on the latest available figures.

For the academic year 1988–89, the total number of A-level examination entries, including AS examinations, taking two AS entries as equivalent to one A-level entry, was as shown.

	A-level examination entries (000s)
School leavers	424·42
Students in further education establishments	76·67

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what principle a grant-maintained school will be funded where its relevant local education authority has opted out of the national determination of wages and conditions and established a salary rate higher than the national rate.

It is not intended that the principles governing the calculation of annual maintenance grant for a grant-maintained school would change because its former maintaining local education authority had opted out in this way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has made any assessment of the impact of the introduction of training credits for 16-year-olds upon the staying-on rate in full-time education.

No assessment of the impact is possible in advance of the implementation of the pilot training credit schemes. The impact of the pilot schemes, including the impact on the staying-on rate in full-time education, will be the subject of careful monitoring by my right hon. and learned Friends the Secretaries of State for Employment and for Education and Science.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the grant-maintained schools that have agreed to recognise trade unions for the purpose of representing teachers on disciplinary and individual grievance matters.

It is for the governing body of a grant-maintained school, as the employer, to decide whether it wishes to recognise teacher unions for the purpose of representing teachers on disciplinary and individual grievance matters. The Department does not collect information on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to publish the national curriculum working party report on physical education; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend is considering the interim report from the national curriculum working group on physical education. He expects to publish it shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence he has as to undue political bias and undue emphasis on values and opinions in the teaching of geography; and if he will place such evidence in the Library.

In publishing the draft order for geography in the national curriculum, I made clear my reasons for departing from the recommendations of the National Curriculum Council. I recognise that geography lessons will sometimes deal with conflicting points of view on important geographical issues. The programmes of study which I published with the draft order refer to such issues. However, in setting out statutory statements of attainment against which pupils will be assessed, I believe that the emphasis should be on the knowledge and understanding of geography which inform people's views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence he has available of political and other bias in the teaching of (a) 20th century history and (b) current affairs; and if he will place such evidence in the Library.

Of the complaints of bias that I receive from parents, the major part relate to teaching or classroom discussion about current issues and recent events. That is to be expected, because such issues and events arouse the strongest feelings. I believe that the great majority of teachers handle such matters with sensitivity and care and with full regard to their legal duty to ensure a balanced presentation of opposing views on political issues. Nevertheless, there is a special difficulty in achieving balance when dealing with contemporary events and personalities.

To ask the Secretary of Stale for Education and Science how many pupils with statements of special educational need are recorded by each local education authority on DES form SEN(2) for January 1990 as attending maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and independent schools under arrangements made by the authority.

This information was not collected for January 1990 on form SEN2. The Department has since revised form SEN2 in order that such information may be collected for January 1991 in respect of pupils for whom a statement was newly made in the previous year. I have arranged for the hon. Member to receive details in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when work will begin on the rebuilding of Liverpool magistrates court.

Subject to the satisfactory completion by the local authority of the various next steps in the planning process, it should be possible for building work on a new Liverpool magistrates court to begin in 1995–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-Iraqi Arabic or Palestinians resident in Britain have been served with decisions to make a deportation order for national security reasons, on the grounds of being not conducive to the public good; from what areas of the United Kingdom they originated; and if he will make a statement.

Twelve non-Iraqi nationals have been advised of my right hon. Friend's decision to deport them on the grounds that their presence is not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security. The majority have lived in the south-east of the country. In one case, my right hon. Friend has decided to take no further action.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motor vehicles have been clamped in the Metropolitan police area in each of the past three years; and how many have been clamped for exceeding the time paid for in an authorised parking bay.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the numbers of vehicles clamped in the Metropolitan police area in the years 1987 to 1989 were respectively: 111,117 in 1987; 125,824 in 1988 and 149,663 in 1989. A figure for 1990 is not yet available. No information is available on the number clamped for exceeding the time paid for in an authorised parking bay.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of the United Kingdom, of Iraqi origin, have been arrested or detained in the last fortnight for national security reasons, on the grounds of being not conducive to the public good; from what areas of the United Kingdom they originated; and if he will make a statement.

A total of 101 Iraqis have been detained since the beginning of the year. They came from all parts of the United Kingdom. Forty-two remain in detention under the Immigration Act and 35 military personnel are in military custody. Two are in the United Kingdom having been released from detention and 21 have left or have been deported. In one case my right hon. Friend decided to take no further action and the man has been released from detention.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Leicestershire on the number of searches of (a) private homes and (b) businesses that have taken place in Leicestershire over the past five years; and how many of these searches were undertaken without a warrant having been obtained.

There is no requirement under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 for police forces to produce statistics of searches of premises. The hon. Member should contact the chief constable of Leicestershire for the information available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the number of searches of (a) private homes and (b) businesses that have taken place in England and Wales over the past five years; and how many of those searches were undertaken without a warrant having been obtained.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what right of appeal residents have when arrested or detained or notified of deportation orders; and if he will make a statement.

Under the Immigration Act, there is no right of appeal to the appellate authorities against my right hon. Friend's intention to make a deportation order for reasons of national security. There is, however, a provision of the immigration rules to permit someone to appear before a panel of three independent advisers, chaired by a Lord Justice of Appeal, who will consider any representations made by the individual and, separately, the security case against the individual. All those made subject to this deportation action are advised of this right and many have chosen to exercise it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to bring forward proposals to update the Justices of the Peace Act 1361 and in particular the section dealing with branding of vagrants; and if he will make a statement.

We have no such plans. Neither branding nor vagrants are mentioned in the Justices of the Peace Act 1361.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to bring forward proposals to up-date the Ecclesiastic Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans to amend this Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to persuade the motor vehicle manufacturers to improve the security devices on their vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary and I have discussed this issue with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and are considering a report from the society on the action taken by motor manufacturers to improve the security of their cars. The motor manufacturers have clearly taken some steps to improve the security of their cars, but much more remains to be done. The best way for further progress to be made is for car buyers to give as much attention to the security of their car as they do to its performance and looks.We give advice to car buyers on what to look for in our crime prevention publicity material and intend to publish a car theft index.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future location of the headquarters of the prison service.

In January 1990 my predecessor announced that the headquarters of the prison service would be relocated to the midlands. Following a detailed evaluation of a number of options I have now authorised the opening of negotiations with developers for the construction of a new headquarters building for the prison service at St. Mary's wharf, Derby.If these negotiations are successful work on site could start later this year with the building being ready for occupation in late 1993 or early 1994. Some posts may move to temporary accommodation in Derby in advance of the general move.Final details have yet to be settled, but I estimate that around 1,900 posts will eventually be relocated to Derby, 1,500 of these from central London. At least 800 of the 1,900 posts will be filled by local recruitment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish rules establishing the return on capital and turnover which the prison department will be expected to make when submitting a tender for the management of Everthorpe remand centre.

[holding answer 25 January 1991]: If the prison service decides to tender for the contract for the management of Everthorpe remand centre we would not propose publishing the make-up of the tender, since this could prejudice or distort the competition for the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those areas in Britain that currently benefit from (a) RESIDER, (b) RENAVAL and (c) RECHAR; how much money they receive from the European Community in regional aid; and if he will make a statement.

The qualifying areas for RESIDER and RENEVAL are as follows:

RESIDER: The county of South Yorkshire and Scunthorpe travel-to-work area;

RENAVAL: Plymouth travel-to-work area, the county of Tyne and Wear, and Middlesbrough and Langbaurgh districts of Cleveland, Wirral and Sefton districts of Merseyside, Kirkcaldy travel-to-work area and parts of Dunfermline and Alloa travel-to-work areas in Fife region, and Glasgow and Greenock travel-to-work areas in Strathclyde.

The qualifying areas for RECHAR were listed in the Official Journal of the European Communities No. C177 of 18 July 1990.

The RESIDER programme and two of the RENAVAL programmes are already current; they provide for 54 mecu of European regional development fund grant up to the end of 1993. The RECHAR programmes and the remaining RENAVAL programmes are expected to provide for approximately 130 mecu of ERDF grant over the same period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many United Kingdom companies tendered for his Department's recent contract for office furniture.

My Department has awarded a number of contracts to different companies to supply furniture in recent months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which company was awarded his Department's recent contract for office furniture.

My Department has awarded a number of contracts to different companies to supply furniture in recent months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Telecommunications Council on 14 December 1990.

The main item for discussion was a communication from the Commission to the Council on the Commission's green paper on satellite communications —"Towards Europe-wide systems and services—Green Paper on a common approach in the field of Satellite communications in the European Community"—which was published on 20 November 1990. The Commission's proposals envisage wide-ranging liberalisation of the use of satellite terminal equipment on a Community-wide basis and equitable and non-discriminatory access to satellite capacity for all telecommunications service providers. The Council held an orientation debate in which the United Kingdom strongly supported the Commission's proposals.The Council also adopted a resolution on the final phase of the co-ordinated introduction of pan-European public digital mobile cellular communications in the Community—GSM—and a recommendation on the co-ordinated introduction of digital European cordless telecommunications—DECT. A common position was agreed on a proposal for a Council directive on the frequency bands to be reserved for DECT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of foreign diplomats within the United Kingdom accredited to embassies and consulates, respectively, showing within the total the numbers by status against each foreign embassy and consulate; and how many of the total are entitled to diplomatic immunity.

The total number of diplomatic staff accredited to foreign and commonwealth missions in the United Kingdom are:

	Number
a. Diplomatic agents	2,382
b. Members of Administrative and Technical Staff	2,306
c. Members of Service Staff	393
d. Consular officers accredited to subordinate consulates	391

All members of the staff of diplomatic missions in London who are not United Kingdom nationals nor permanently resident here enjoy a degree of diplomatic immunity under the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964. Those who are diplomatic agents enjoy personal inviolability including freedom from arrest or detention. They are immune from the criminal jurisdiction of the receiving state, and except in relation to certain private matters, from its civil and administrative jurisdiction. Members of the administrative and technical staff also enjoy personal inviolability and the same immunities except that their immunity from civil and administrative jurisdiction does not extend to acts performed outside the course of their duties. Members of the service staff have immunity only in respect of acts performed in the course of their duties. The immunity of consular officers is governed by the Consular Relations Act 1968.To list the number of staff at each embassy and consulate by status could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The London Diplomatic List, published biannually, lists diplomatic agents, by mission, accredited to foreign embassies; a copy is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give, for each of the past five years to the nearest available date, the number of traffic and criminal offences, respectively, by foreign diplomats who were able to claim immunity, with the offences registered by embassy or consulate, and the action that was taken by Her Majesty's Government in the most serious cases.

Our policy on diplomatic immunities and privileges is set out in the 1985 White Paper. In the most serious cases we require the withdrawal of the diplomat concerned. The figures requested for the past five years are shown in the table. Details of serious offences and unpaid parking fines are made annually to the House —the last one by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to my hon. Friends the Members for Gloucester (Mr. French) and Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 26 April 1990, at columns 303–5.

	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990
Traffic offences1
(a) Drink/Driving	24	25	28	27	24
(b) Minor offences	71	86	103	75	52
Serious offences
Includes (a) above	41	40	44	40	33
Parking
Unpaid fines	22,331	14,437	10,079	7,831	26,282
Diplomats withdrawn at FCO request	17	18	14	14	6
1 Technically all traffic offences are "criminal" offences.
2 Provisional to 31 October 1990—latest figures processed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to the number of Cambodians still suffering from injuries inflicted under the Khmer Rouge regime; and what steps he has taken and will take to bring Pol Pot and others before the world court under article 9 of the genocide convention.

There is no accurate information available on the number of Cambodians still suffering from injuries inflicted during the Pol Pot regime. Article IX of the genocide convention concerns disputes between states, not the prosecution of individuals. Only states may be parties in cases before the International Court of Justice, which has no criminal jurisdiction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on feral cats on Ascension island.

There is no statistical evidence that feral cats presently represent a major problem on Ascension island, but the matter is under review. If it appears necessary, we shall take steps to reduce the feral cat population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has for a single national scale for the energy efficiency rating of domestic dwellings.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 7 December 1990 at columns 243–44.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has in accordance with section 47 of the Electricity Act 1989, on measures taken by the Director General of Electricity Supply in respect of combined heat and power and the extent of its outlined and planned use in the United Kingdom.

The Office of Electricity Regulation, in consultation with the Energy Efficiency Office and representatives of industry, are in the process of compiling a database of CHP projects operating in Great Britain. This should give the Director General of Electricity Supply, Government and industry a good indication of how CHP is progressing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to encourage the Government of Sudan to allow the newly-formed Sudanese Council of Churches to operate famine relief in southern Sudan.

We have made representations to the Government of Sudan, through the United Kingdom's chairmanship of the donor group in Khartoum, to allow non-government organisations to operate relief activities throughout Sudan to alleviate the present food crisis. We have not taken separate action regarding individual organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial contribution from public funds was made, and what other support from his Department was given, in respect of the conference at Jablonna, Poland, arranged through the Jagiellonian Foundation in October 1990; and who attended.

The know-how fund made a contribution of £8,000 towards the costs of the recent Jagiellonian foundation seminar held to discuss general questions of curriculum reform in the Polish educational context.No other support was given by my Department. No complete record is available of the names of all those who attended, but among those who did so were:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many students from Third-world countries are currently studying in this country on (a) Her Majesty's Government's bursaries, (b) their own resources and (c) other sources of finance; and if he will make a statement.

In the current financial year over 21,000 students from developing countries are receiving help from United Kingdom Government support schemes for study and training in this country. A total of 45,000 full time students from developing countries enrolled in October 1988 for further and higher education courses in this country for the academic year 1988–89, the latest year for which such a figure is available. This would include some of those here under United Kingdom Government support schemes as well as those here under their own resources and other sources of finance; these categories are not separately identifiable. The two figures quoted are compiled from different sources and in different ways and are not comparable.

Project/Programme	Description/Aims
Teff Research	Collaborative research to improve varieties of Teff
Rainfall Monitoring	Rainfall and crop development estimation and monitoring system
Sidamo Rangelands	Improved food security for ten local communities in South Sidamo; managed by CARE
Koisha Rural Development	Increase food production and strengthen rural economy in Koisha region of Sidamo; managed by SOS-Sahel
Land Use—Western Hararghe	Introduce sustainable system of land use for 17,000 families in Western Hararghe; managed by CARE
Dairy Goat Project	Increase rural incomes by improving the productivity of dairy goats managed by women; managed by FARM Africa
Farmers' Research Project	Assist NGOs working with communities in North Omo region to contribute more effectively to farmers' agricultural research; managed by FARM Africa
Projects funded under the joint funding scheme
Action Aid (Small Scale seed production)	Develop economically viable and sustainable small scale seed enterprises
Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (Rural Development)	To increase productive capacity of land
OXFAM (Delanta Agriculture)	To promote post drought agricultural rehabilitation and prevent environmental degradation of the land
OXFAM (Hararghe Agricultural)	Construct a new seed store and to replace seed stocks lost in the drought
Tear Fund (Cattle Project, Durami)	To introduce the Borena breed bloodstock into the fresian/local bloodstock to increase milk yields and help improve disease resistance

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many tonnes of food aid have been delivered to Ethiopia since the Food and Agriculture Organisation appeal of 13 December 1990 (a) from Her Majesty's Government and (b) in total.

A total of 19,000 tonnes of United Kingdom food aid, provided through the World Food Programme, is being delivered at Assab this week. Between 28 and 31 December 1990 some 20,467 tonnes of food aid from other donors were delivered at Assab. A total of 42,000 tonnes is expected, but not confirmed, in January.These figures do not include cross border food aid figures for Ethiopia. The total figure for cross-border

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first received warnings of the current famine in Ethiopia and Sudan.

Initial indications from international agencies of possible food shortages were received on September 13—Sudan—and 14—Ethiopia. Confirmed reports arrived in mid-December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all assistance given for agricultural rehabilitation and restocking of seeds, tools and cattle in Ethiopia since the 1989–90 food shortage.

Relevant projects supported since the 1989–90 food shortage are:operations for December/January is estimated at 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes for Eritrea. Comparable figures are not available for Tigray.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all allocations of famine relief made to African countries in 1990 and 1991, with the date on which the allocation was made and stating whether or not the supplies have arrived for (i) aid from the Overseas Development Administration and (ii) aid from the European Community.

The information is as follows:

United Kingdom Food Aid committed in 1990
Country	Tonnage	Estimated cost £million
Ethiopia	53,836	8·230
Mozambique	15,000	1·740
Sudan	10,550	2·807
Tanzania	2,065	0·201
Zaire	3,725	0·446

Other United Kingdom emergency relief in 1990
Month	Country	£ million
January	Uganda	0·03
February	Liberia	0·392
March	Rwanda	0·05
April	Sudan	3·0
April	Ethiopia	5·0
June	Sudan	0·033
June	Sierra Leone	0·067
July	Angola	0·5
August	Mozambique	3·5
August	Sierra Leone	0·084
September	Ghana	0·034
October	Ethiopia	0·5
December	Ethiopia	2·5
December	Sudan	1·2
December	Angola	0·5

The hon. Lady will recall from my statement to the House on 19 December 1990 the most recent emergency aid package worth £7·2 million which is now being allocated to British non-governmental organisations and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. In addition, I have today announced a further £8·75 million package of famine relief for Ethiopia: It comprises

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what improvements have been made in the famine early warning systems, and delivery mechanisms of relief aid used by the ODA since the 1984–85 famine.

We continue to rely upon the reports of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's global information and early warning system, supplemented by special reports from both the World Food Programme and international and British relief agencies. These reports draw on information from national warning systems, to which the European Community contributes. The quality of these has improved substantially since 1984–85. The recent WFP crop assessment missions to Ethiopia and Sudan played a crucial role in the planning of our current relief activities.In 1984–85 air drops were necessary to reach those in need in Ethiopia. We now have three established land routes for delivering relief supplies—the southern line, the northern line through the recently re-opened port of Massawa and cross-border from Sudan.The regular meetings on the Horn of Africa I hold with British NGOs have also helped both the ODA and the NGOs in planning our emergency relief operations.These improvements have helped enable us to take early and speedy action in response to the threatened famine in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in inflation has been from July 1983 to date; and if he will make a statement.

The annual rate of inflation, as measured by the retail prices index, was 4·2 per cent. for the 12 months to July 1983 compared with 9·3 per cent. for December 1990. Over the period from July 1983 to December 1990 the index has increased by 52·3 per cent., an annual rate of increase of 5·8 per cent. on average.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the level of outstanding consumer debt; and what it was in real terms in 1982.

The level of outstanding consumer debt at the end of the third quarter 1990 was £49·6 billion. Due to changes in coverage, comparable figures are not available for 1982. Those which are available are in the September 1982 issue of Business Monitor SDM6 "Credit business of finance houses and other specialist consumer credit grantors". This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is proposed that charities should become liable to charge value added tax on the production and sale of books, magazines and other printed matter as part of the European proposals for value added tax harmonisation; and whether it is proposed that charities would be able to reclaim value added tax paid for (a) the purchase and (b) the production of books, magazines and other printed matter.

The Commission's most recent proposals, in May 1989, on the VAT rate structure in the single market were not entirely clear as to what might continue to be zero rated. Subsequent European Community discussions have advanced matters little. The United Kingdom has, however, stressed that we must retain the ability to apply a zero rate to those supplies that are currently treated in this way. These, of course, include the production and sale by charities of books, magazines and some other printed matter. As any Community legislation in this area requires unanimity, the United Kingdom's position is protected.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the practice followed in other member states of the European Community with respect to the charging of value added tax on the supply and delivery of goods and services to home carers.

Comprehensive information would be disproportionately expensive to obtain. However, the provisions of the EC sixth VAT directive are clear on the charging of tax on the supply and delivery of goods and services, whether to home carers or others. I have no reason to believe that other member states' practices are not in conformity with EC law. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, perhaps he will write to me.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 18 December 1990, what representations he has made to the EC Commission regarding the constraints of EC value added tax law with respect to the delivery of services and goods to home carers.

The United Kingdom is bound by the EC sixth directive, to which all the member states gave their assent in 1977. The Government are not in a position to challenge its legal requirements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many credit cards are in circulation in the United Kingdom; what was the comparable level in 1980; what are the comparable figures on a per capita basis in other European Community countries.

The only data available are from bank issuers of Mastercard and Visa. These show that at the end

	Proposed date of publication (1991)
Supplement to the Autumn Statement	Friday 1 February
Department of Social Security	Friday 1 February
Ministry of Defence	Tuesday 5 February
Department of Employment	Tuesday 5 February
Home Office (including Charity Commission)	Tuesday 5 February
Cabinet Office	Thursday 7 February
Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments and Net Payments to EC Institutions	Thursday 7 February
Energy	Thursday 7 February
Department of Transport	Thursday 7 February
Department of Health and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys	Thursday 7 February
Department of Education and Science	Monday 11 February
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Intervention Board and Forestry Commission	Tuesday 12 February
Trade and Industry	Tuesday 12 February
Environment	Wednesday 13 February
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (including ODA)	Wednesday 13 February
Office of Arts and Libraries	Wednesday 13 February
Legal Departments	Thursday 14 February
Scotland	Thursday 14 February
Wales	Friday 15 February
Northern Ireland	Friday 15 February

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much bingo duty (a) yielded to the Exchequer and (b) cost to collect in the financial year ended 31 March 1990.

In the year ended 31 march 1990, bingo duty yielded £66 million; no separate cost of collecting bingo duty is available; the cost of collecting all the exise duties on betting and gaming, totalling £976 million, was £4·03 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the present outstanding personal debts on (a) bank credit cards, (b) retail accounts, (c) loans on personal accounts, (d) specialist credit and (e) finance house loans.

At the end of the third quarter 1990 the amounts outstanding were

	£ billion
(a) Bank credit cards	7·6
(b) Retail accounts	2·3
(c) Bank loans on personal accounts	17·0
(d) Finance houses and other specialist credit grantors	20·7

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the 1991 departmental reports to be published.

The proposed dates for publication of 1991 departmental reports and the supplement to the autumn statement are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will raise with the European Court of Auditors the recent EC decision to pay £4,500,000 in compensation to 150 EC personnel; and if he will make a statement on the implications for the United Kingdom contribution to the EC.

[holding answer 25 January 1991]: The Government have noted with concern the observations in the European Court of Auditors' recent report on the 1989 EC budget in connection with redundancy payments to temporary staff at the joint research centre—JRC. The estimated cost to the United Kingdom of these payments is some £300,000 after abatement. The Government recognise that costs are frequently incurred when any organisation is restructured, but will want to ensure that measures taken to correct staff imbalances at the JRC do not result in unwarranted expenditure and that they will have the intended effect. The Government will therefore aim to pursue this issue in forthcoming Council discussions on the European Court of Auditors' report and in the review of the JRC planned for later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) unoccupied housing executive houses there are, (b) priority applicants are on the waiting list, (c) transfers are listed and (d) housing executive houses have been sold in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, in Newtownabbey borough council area.

These are matters for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and I am advised by its chief executive that the information requested in respect of the Newtownabbey borough council district is as follows:

(a) At 31 December 1990 there were 44 unoccupied Housing Executive dwellings available for letting.

(b) The number of priority applicants on the waiting list at 31 December 1990 was 93.

(c) The number of applicants on the waiting list for transfer to the district at 31 December 1990 was 970.

(d) The number of Housing Executive dwellings sold is as follows:

	Houses sold
1987	165
1988	200
1989	201
1990	165

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) unoccupied housing executive houses there are, (b) priority applicants are on the waiting list, (c) transfer requests are listed and (d) housing executive houses have been sold in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 in Antrim borough council area.

These are matters for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and I am advised by its chief executive that the information requested in respect of the Antrim borough council district is as follows:

a. At 31 December 1990 there were 37 unoccupied Housing Executive dwellings available for letting.

b. The number of priority applicants on the waiting list at 31 December 1990 was 58.

c. The number of applicants on the waiting list for transfer to the district at 31 December 1990 was 551.

d. The number of Housing Executive dwellings sold is as follows:

	Houses sold
1987	129
1988	125
1989	174
1990	239

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the completion date for the Killead bypass.

Killead bypass is expected to be completed in autumn 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to remove the mound of earth at the lower end of Hollymount crescent, Newtownards; what action has been taken against the rats at this location; and if planning permission has been granted for development at this location.

Outline planning permission was granted for residential development at the Hollymount crescent site on 2 March 1971. On the detailed plans approved in 1975 the area in question was shown as open space. The Department of the Environment (NI) has attempted without success to trace the owner of the land with a view to seeking his co-operation in having an environmental improvement scheme carried out at this location. The problem of rodent infestation is a matter for Ards borough council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many LEDU-assisted firms went into liquidation or ceased trading in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

This information is available only in respect of firms that were LEDU clients at the time they went into liquidation or ceased trading. The numbers of such firms in the years stated are detailed in the table.

Year	Number of Liquidations	Number ceasing to trade	Total
1988	16	15	31
1989	15	11	26
1990	17	8	25

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members there are in each of the 26 local authorities; and what was the total amount of allowances and expenses paid to these members by each of the local authorities in each of the past five years.

The information is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the recent announcement about women doctors and their careers will be applied to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

The report of the joint working party on "Women Doctors and Their Careers" was issued by the Department of Health (London) on 22 January 1991. The report's recommendations have been drawn up in terms suitable for application in England only, but the Department of Health and Social Security for Northern Ireland will consider these and the action necessary in the light of needs in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public safety and environmental impact assessment criteria and procedures would be invoked by the Government in respect of a proposal to site a toxic waste incinerator in Northern Ireland.

[holding answer 28 January 1991]: The effect of a proposal to site a toxic waste incinerator in Northern Ireland on public safety would be examined by the Department of Economic Development's health and safety inspectorate which enforces the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978. The order requires every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. Regulations prevent the granting of planning permission to proposals of this type unless environmental information has first been considered. Schedule 1(8) of the Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations (NI) 1989 applies and any planning application for such an incinerator must be accompanied by an environmental statement. These statements are available for public information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on planning applications made by Du Pont regarding waste incineration at Maydown.

[holding answer 28 January 1991]: The only planning application made by Du Pont at Maydown for a waste incinerator was submitted on the 10 October 1990 for the

"installation of a solid waste burner"

the purpose of which is to incinerate only lycra waste from the existing plant. Schedule 1(8) of the Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations (NI) 1989 applies to this application and the company have been asked to submit an environmental statement for consideration with the planning application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any Government Department or public agency has had discussions with Du Pont about the establishment of a toxic waste incinerator at its Maydown complex.

[holding answer 28 January 1991]: In October 1990, Du Pont (NI) Ltd. advised the Industrial Development Board, the Department of Economic Development, and the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland of a proposal to establish a hazardous waste incinerator on its site at Maydown, Co. Londonderry. In December 1990, the company confirmed in writing that an evaluation of the project was under way. Officials from the Department involved will be available for consultations with the company as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have taken place with Republic of Ireland Government departments or public agencies regarding possible siting for a toxic waste incinerator.

[holding answer 28 January 1991]: In November 1990, correspondence from the appropriate Minister in the Republic of Ireland indicated that the Republic of Ireland government was a at an advanced stage in its consideration of a central hazardous waste incinerator to service Irish industry, that it had become aware that Du Pont (UK) Ltd. was considering the provision of such a facility on its site at Maydown, Co. Londonderry and sought the views of the Northern Ireland authorities.The response indicated that Du Pont (UK) Ltd. was engaged in the necessary studies of all the implications of such a facility.Informal discussion of the matter between officials has been in accord with the correspondence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of empty properties owned by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations; and if he will make a statement.

The available information for April 1990 for England is in the table

	Vacant dwellings(thousands)
Local authority1	99·2
Housing association2	19·7
1 Derived from local authorities' housing investment programme returns for April 1990. Includes 38,900 dwellings which are awaiting or undergoing major works or awaiting sale or demolition.
2 Derived from housing association returns to the Housing Corporation for March 1990. Includes 12,700 dwellings, mainly purchased from the private sector, which require rehabilitation work before being suitable for occupation.