To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is considering measures to introduce further competition in the coal industry.

In the Coal Industry Act 1990 the first steps were taken to liberalise the coal industry, through the raising of limits on the number of men who could be employed to work underground in licensed mines, and by increasing the tonnage limits on the size of licensed opencast sites. Further competition will be introduced when the Government privatise the coal industry after the next general election.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if the coal mining subsidence damage arbitration scheme that is administered by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators has been approved by his Department.

The new arbitration scheme for resolving disputes arising from coal mining subsidence damage has been voluntarily put in place by the British Coal Corporation and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators with the encouragement of my Department. The Department was consulted on the draft rules of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional funds have been allocated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency consequent on recent hostilities in the middle east; and what additional sums have been sent by Her Majesty's Government to this and similar relief agencies.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Sir D. Steel) on 4 February at column 14. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) about assistance for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations relief agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to the effects of oil price increases on the budget allocated to alleviate third-world poverty.

The cost of imported oil is an important factor in the economies of many developing countries. We supported plans by the International Monetary Fund and the World bank, to which we contribute from our aid programme, to provide help to countries adjusting to the oil price increases in the second half of 1990. These plans will be kept under review in the light of changes in the oil price.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any United Kingdom or EC funding has been made available towards the cost of the construction of a steel fence in the Okavango delta in Botswana.

No British or European Community aid funds have been made available for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Somalian authorities concerning (a) the detention of political prisoners and (b) alleged abuses of political detainees.

We have repeatedly raised these issues with the Somali authorities including at ministerial level over a long period. Following the fall of the Siad Barre regime there is at present no established authority in Somalia and information about conditions inside the country is hard to come by.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy on aid to the tobacco sector.

Tobacco remains an important crop and a source of export earnings and budgetary revenue in some developing countries. There is, however, increasing evidence that the health risks associated with tobacco consumption will affect developing countries most severely and place increasing burdens on their health budgets which in most cases are already inadequate.In these circumstances, the Government have decided that in future the aid programme should not be used for any purpose which identifiably supports the tobacco sector. With immediate effect, no new bilateral commitments will be undertaken. We shall also advocate that multilateral aid agencies to which we contribute should pursue a similar policy. In addition we shall continue to help developing countries reduce their tobacco consumption, and maintain our assistance to farmers dependent on tobacco crops to diversify into alternative activities.The same policy will apply to our assistance to eastern Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make additional resources available to London Underground to prevent staff redundancies and cuts from being made in peak hour services; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will consider lifting current financial restraints imposed upon London Regional Transport.

London Transport has requested additional funding this year and we are discussing its request with it. A statement will be made as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to require the mandatory installation of security systems capable of detecting Semtex explosives for all airports in the United Kingdom handling international air traffic.

[holding answer Thursday 7 February]: The security arrangements already in place at our airports are capable of detecting explosive devices, including those containing Semtex. Our policy is to take all appropriate steps to improve those arrangements further and we will not hesitate to require the provision of any new equipment which would make a significant contribution whether developed under the Department's own aviation security research and development programme, or independently. It would, however, be a mistake to assume that any particular piece of equipment will guarantee 100 per cent. security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department has given to the Port of London Authority with regard to the disposal of dredgings on land at Cliffe marshes, Kent; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer Thursday 7 February]: None. It is the responsibility of the PLA to investigate ways of disposing of silt dredged from the Thames and to seek any necessary statutory permissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of students from institutions of higher education in Northern Ireland who were not offered a placement on their year out of university or other institution by the start of the academic year in the current year and the last two years; and how many in each case never got a placement.

[holding answer 6 February 1991]: Placements are essentially a matter for the institutions, which have advised me that they do not hold information in the form requested. In the current academic year there are in Northern Ireland some 1,010 students on 50 separate courses involving year-long placements (compared with 980 in 1989–90 and 830 in 1988–89) and I have been assured that, through the combined efforts of the institutions and employers, the vast majority of this rapidly increasing group of students have always been placed for the full year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the financial allocations to the research councils for 1991–92, identifying programmes and capital programmes earmarked in advance by Government; and what were the comparable allocations in the three previous years in real terms.

The allocations to the five research councils for 1991–92 announced on 24 January are as follows:

	£ million
AFRC	93·4
ESRC	35·5
MRC	200·4
NERC	122·6
SERC	451·3

None of the additional amounts announced this year was allocated to particular programmes in advance. The sums so allocated to particular programmes for 1991–92 in earlier settlements were as follows; redundancy costs as a result of reductions in MAFF research commissions £6·0 million (AFRC), AIDS £8·5 million (MRC), British Antarctic Survey (BAS) £6·2 million (NERC), British Geological Survey (BGS) £7·0 million (NERC), CERN £7·3 million (SERC), ERS2 instruments £2·0 million (SERC).For the three preceding years the total grant to each council and the sums specifically allocated in earlier settlements (at 1991–92 prices) were as follows:

£ million
Council	Grant in Aid	Specific allocations
1990–91
AFRC	91·8	MAFF 4·0
ESRC	38·4	—
MRC	196·8	AIDS 8·5
NERC	114·2	BAS 25·7, BGS 5 3
SERC	463·3	CERN7·7, ERS2 2·1
1989–90
AFRC	87·4	MAFF 3·0
ESRC	36·6	—
MRC	201·9	AIDS 9·2
NERC	131·6	BAS 10·5, BGS 3·4
SERC	460·5	CERN 10·6
1988–89
AFRC	71·1	—
ESRC	33·7	—
MRC	178·7	AIDS 7·3
NERC	110·7	BAS 10·5
SERC	446·2	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future funding of nuclear physics by the Science and Engineering Research Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received about the future funding of the nuclear structure facility at Daresbury; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend and I have received 120 representations about the nuclear structure facility at the Daresbury laboratory of the Science and Engineering Research Council.As part of a review of all its future activities, the council decided on 6 February to make plans for the possible closure of the nuclear structure facility. To assist its further consideration of this issue, the council is establishing a study to assess the importance of the nuclear structure science in the context of the council's work as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he received from Her Majesty's inspectors of schools on Stratford school, Stratford.

Advice submitted to the Secretary of State on the application by Stratford school for grant-maintained status and on Newham local education authority's proposal under section 12 of the 1980 Education Act to cease to maintain the school took account of HMI advice derived from inspection visits to the school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the dates and purpose of all visits made to Stratford school, Stratford by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools, since 1 January 1990.

The following visits have been made by HMI to Stratford school since 1 January 1990.13 February 1990: one day general visit.15 January 1991: one day general visit.

	1 2Net Institutional Expenditure per pupil 1988–89	Proportion of leavers with 5 or more results at Grades A to C3
LEA	(£)	as percentage of all school leavers	rank
ILEA	2,505	15·9	91
Waltham Forest	2,435	12·7	94
Brent	2,305	20·6	78
Ealing	2,145	22·5	67
Newham	2,140	14·9	93
Croydon	2,040	22·1	70
Knowsley	1,990	8·5	96
Barking	1,970	11·3	95
Coventry	1,940	21·2	76
Liverpool	1,905	19·4	84
Kingston-upon-Thames	1,900	32·2	10
Hounslow	1,895	25·2	49
Sandwell	1,885	15·5	92
Walsall	1,885	23·4	59
Hillingdon	1,870	22·7	65
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	1,870	21·6	74
Havering	1,860	24·4	57
Salford	1,860	23·2	62
Wigan	1,845	30·2	18

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library a copy of any reports on Stratford school prepared by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools.

No inspection report on Stratford school has been produced by HMI and published by the Secretary of State since 1983 when such reports were made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to introduce the teaching of first aid as part of the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

First aid training is a matter for determination by individual schools. This will continue to be the case under the national curriculum. Some core and foundation subjects will however provide specific opportunities for such training. In addition, the National Curriculum Council's non-statutory guidance on health education, "Curriculum Guidance 5: Health Education", recommends that safety education, including a knowledge of basic first aid, should be a key component in schools' health education programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all local education authorities in England in rank order of expenditure per secondary pupil per year, starting with the higher spending authority, together with their position in the table Of examination results for school leavers achieving grades A to C at GCSE in 1989 and 1990.

The table gives the net institutional expenditure per secondary school pupil in the financial year 1988–89, and averaged examination results for three years 1986–87 to 1988–89. The purpose of averaging is to reduce sampling error within the derived percentages. Comparable information is not yet available for 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what are his reasons for setting the date of September 1992 for implementation of the open enrolment scheme for primary schools; and if he will make a statement;(2) what was the reason for giving local education authorities seven weeks to respond to the circular on open enrolment in primary schools; on what date the circular was received by local education authorities; and if he will make a statement;(3) what representations he has received from local authorities on the amount of time allowed for response to his circular on open enrolment in primary schools.

More open enrolment is one of the key provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988, designed to remove artificial limits to parental choice of school. In announcing its implementation in secondary schools from September 1990, the then Secretary of State expressed the hope that all primary schools would also forthwith admit pupils on demand up to the limit of their physical capacity, and many already do so.September 1992 is the earliest practical date to bring these provisions into formal effect for all primary schools; the necessary procedures have been simplified and the consultation process carried out so as to meet that target. The draft circular and statutory order were dispatched to LEAs on 11 December.Some 65 responses have now been received; the majority of respondents have taken the opportunity to comment on the length of the consultation period. The final versions of both documents will be in schools and LEAs later this term so that any necessary adjustments can be made before admission limits for 1991–92 are published this autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what will be the capital cost to British universities of implementing the Home Office's code of practice for the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures;(2) what financial provision has been earmarked for implementing the Home Office's code of practice for the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures in each of the next three financial years; and whether this provision is contained within block grant or capital provision.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 5 February 1991, Official Report, column 131.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 23 November 1990, Official Report, column 221, whether he has appointed any further non-executive directors to the board of the Student Loans Company.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have today appointed Mr. Gavin Burnett as a second non-executive director of the board of Student Loans Company Ltd. This appointment will bring substantial experience of accountancy to the company's board.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the support for 1990–91 and 1991–92 from his Department to all the housing repair agencies (a) nationally, (b) in Suffolk and (c) in Norfolk.

The current estimated outturn for support by my Department to home improvement agencies in 1990–91 is £2,078,500. However, this sum is not paid directly to individual agencies. It is paid to Care and Repair Ltd., and the National Home Improvement Council, which are then responsible for allocating it to individual schemes. My Department does not therefore have any record of the amounts paid currently to schemes in individual counties, although this information will be available after the end of the financial year.The total amount which we have allocated in support of individual agencies in 1991–92 is £2,724,751; and I am pleased to be able to inform my hon. Friend that letters are being sent to local authorities informing them of the allocations to individual schemes. Of these, £19,483 has been offered in support of an agency in Suffolk and £22,032 in support of an agency in Norfolk.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost of providing exemption from the poll tax for all Gulf personnel for the financial year 1991–92.

The revenue forgone from such exemptions would depend on how long British forces are stationed in the Gulf.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the provision of reimbursement of income forgone to those local authorities which are providing exemption from the poll tax for Gulf personnel.

We are giving careful consideration to a number of representations on this point.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those local authorities that have been issued, since 30 October 1990, with (a) section 13 notices, (b) section 14 notices, both under the Local Government Act 1988, (c) section 19a and (d) section 19b notices, both under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, giving dates of issue in each case.

The information requested is as follows:

(a) notices under section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988:

• —London Borough of Haringey—12 December 1990
• —Eastleigh Borough Council—18 December 1990
• —Redditch Borough Council—18 January 1991.

(b) directions under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988:

• —London Borough of Camden—31 October 1990
• —Woodspring District Council—8 November 1990
• —Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council—11 December 1990
• —Thurrock Borough Council—19 December 1990
• —Liverpool City Council—4 January 1991 (revised direction, replacing direction of 6 August 1990)
• —Leicester City Council-29 January 1991 (revised direction, replacing direction of 19 December 1990).

(c) notices under section 19a of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980:

• —Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council—10 October 1990
• —Wycombe District Council—12 December 1990
• —Eastleigh Borough Council—18 December 1990
• —Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council—7 February 1991.

(d) no directions have been made under section 19b of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 since 30 October 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what support Her Majesty's Government are giving to proposals for an international code for transport of hazardous waste.

The Government played an active part in the negotiations which led to the drafting of the global convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes which was adopted at a conference in Basel, Switzerland in March 1989 convened by the United Nations Environment Programme. The Commission of the European Community has prepared a draft regulation on shipments of waste within, into and out of the Community which will inter alia allow EC member states to ratify the convention. Negotiations on the regulation have begun in the Environment Council and the Government have asked that they are completed as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the results of his study of the problems caused by pollutants in cleaning and conditioning agents; and if he will make a statement.

A draft report has been received from CES (Consultants in Environmental Sciences Ltd.) and is currently being discussed with officials. We expect to receive a final report by the end of February. I will arrange for copies of the document to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority in England (a) the change in business rate poundage between the last year of the old system and the first year of the national non-domestic rate and (b) the percentage change in the average business rate bill over the same period.

In the old system each authority set its own rate poundage. Under the new system there is one poundage set nationally. However, poundages must be considered in conjunction with the relevant rateable values of properties before any inferences can be drawn of the effect of the new system. The highest poundage under the old system was 400·2p in Sheffield; the lowest was 122·2p in Kensington and Chelsea; and the average for England was 258·3p. The national poundage for England under the new system for 1990–91 was 34·8p. This was set so as to produce a yield equal in real terms to that from business in 1989–90.I am arranging for copies of a table showing the percentage change in average non-domestic rate bills in each local authority area between 1989–90 and 1990–91 to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give further details of the resources being made available by Her Majesty's Government to deal with the oil slick released from the Mina al-Ahmadi terminal in the Gulf.

Details of the action being taken by Her Majesty's Government to assist Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to cope with the oil spills caused by Iraqi action are set out in my letter of 6 February which has been sent to all hon. Members, additional copies of which are being placed in the Library today.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what study he is making of the importance of coral islands in the replenishment of fish, and the role of fish larvae in coral atolls in the Gulf.

[holding answer 7 February 1991]: At the Government's request, an urgent study has been prepared by the Natural Environment Research Council on the biological effects of the Gulf oil spills. This and other assessments available to me confirm that coral reefs have a significant role in supporting fish larvae for certain species. Of even greater importance to fish stocks in the Gulf as a whole are likely to be the seagrass beds and mangroves which are major nursery grounds both for shrimps and fin fish. The Government unreservedly condemn the action of Iraq in deliberately placing these habitats at serious risk.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards the decision taken by Environment Ministers of member states of the Organisation of African Unity, in Mali, on 29 January, to ban the import of hazardous and nuclear wastes into Africa; and if he has discussed the implications of the OAU decision with his counterparts in the European Environment Council.

[holding answer 7 February 1991]: The Government respect the decision of any country to ban the import of hazardous and nuclear waste and oppose in the strongest terms the export of such wastes to African and other developing countries. EC directive 84/631, as amended, prohibits the export of hazardous wastes from the European Community unless the country of destination gives its consent and the recipient disposal facility operates without risk to human health and the environment. The directive has been implemented in Great Britain by the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988. Nuclear wastes are not exported from the United Kingdom to Africa or to any other destination, except that in respect of post-1976 reprocessing contracts it is intended to return to the country of origin the waste component which may result from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The OAU decision has not been discussed in the EC Environment Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement in respect of the operation of the automated low-flying inquiry and notification system.

The planned automated low-flying inquiry and notification system (ALFENS) will enhance safety by improving the availability of timely and accurate information to aircrew and provide more flexible deconfliction arrangements at night.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information, advice and recommendations have been made by AEA Safety and Reliability and AEA Technology concerning the danger of reactor cracks and other faults in nuclear submarines; and if he will make a statement.

As I told the House previously, Official Report, 5 December 1990, columns 157–58, our nuclear submarines operate in accordance with rigorous safety standards and with the endorsement of the nuclear-powered warship safety committee (NPWSC), which provides the Ministry of Defence with independent expert advice on the construction, operation and maintenance of these vessels. The Department also receives advice from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (AEA); the NPWSC, of which the United Kingdom AEA is an associate member, has access to this advice. It is not our practice to reveal details of the advice provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many New Zealand armed forces personnel have been seconded or temporarily transferred to work with the British Army in the middle east.

A total of 76 personnel from the New Zealand armed forces are currently serving with British forces in the Gulf.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimated replacement procurement cost for the equipment used or destroyed in the Gulf war.

To date the value of equipment lost and ammunition consumed since hostilities began is approaching £200 million. No decisions have yet been taken on the replacement of lost equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the extent to which the precision-guidance equipment fitted to RAF aircraft in the Gulf is capable of minimising deaths of civilians and others in locations close to the target.

Allied pilots have instructions to attack only military targets which could pose a threat to allied forces or facilities which are supporting Iraq's occupation of Kuwait. The precision which can be achieved with laser-guided weapons means that aircrews can be confident that those targets can be hit with a high degree of accuracy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum age below which British service men and women are not permitted to serve with the forces in the Gulf conflict.

The minimum ages for service in the Gulf with the British armed forces are as follows:

	Men	Women
Royal Marines	17 years	—
Army	17 years 3 months	18 years
Royal Air Force	17 years 6 months	18 years

There is no minimum age for service in the Gulf in the Royal Navy. The minimum age for entry to the Royal Navy is 16 years for men and 17 years for women. In practice, men serving in the Gulf are normally at least 17 years of age and neither men nor women would be sent to the Gulf until they had received the appropriate training for their trade.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is still his intention to place an order to replace the Chieftain tank for the British Army; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 November 1990, Official Report, Volume 178, column 770.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will arrange for his departmental library to subscribe to Middle East Defence News.

The MOD library has not yet received a sample copy of MEDNEWS from the French publishers, but will consider subscribing to the newsletter if it adds to the information already available to the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the regional health authorities which are currently distributing development money to their districts according to a system based largely on (a) the weighted capitation formula and (b) the resource allocation working party formula; and for those still relying on the resource allocation working party formula, if he will indicate the transition periods envisaged by the regions.

Funding of district health authorities changes from 1 April 1991 and the RAWP formula will no longer be relevant. From this date they will be funded on the basis of resident populations rather than catchment population. In 1991–92 they will be funded to enable them to purchase broadly the same volume of services as is currently used by their population; but we have asked all regions to make a start in 1991–92 towards district allocations based on weighted capitation. The decision to give all regional health authorities a minimum cash increase of 10 per cent. should enable all regions to make demonstrable progress towards this objective.All regional health authorities have submitted details of their proposals for achieving funding based on weighted capitation at district level. We are analysing the method and pace of change proposed by regions and will be formulating a national policy and timetable shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank the regional health authorities according to the amount by which their allocation per head for 1990–91 exceeds or is less than the national average figure per head.

The information requested is given in the table.

Region	Difference from National Average 1990–91 £s
North East Thames	111·83
North West Thames	9·83
Mersey	6·94
Oxford	2·73
South West Thames	2·72
West Midlands	0·88
National Average	0·00

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's total budget for 1991–92 for the employment training of visually handicapped people at specialist colleges.

The Employment Department, through a central unit, contracts with four specialist providers for the training of visually impaired people in employment training.Nationally, on the basis of negotiations with these specialist providers, a budget of around £3·7 million will be set aside by the unit for the training of visually handicapped people in 1991–;92.Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies may also contract direct with local or other specialist providers. No forecast is available on this level of expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to the average fee per training week agreed by the Training Agency for the vocational training of visually handicapped people; how this fee is calculated; and what account is taken of inflation.

The Employment Department, through a central unit, contracts with four specialist providers for the training of visually impaired people in employment training.Training and enterprise councils, local enterprise companies and Employment Department area offices may also contract direct with local or other specialist providers. Fees for the centrally run provision are negotiated separately with each provider each year, taking into account inflation. Levels of local fees may vary considerably. No information is therefore available on the average weekly fee for the vocational training of visually handicapped people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of (a) the proportion of visually impaired people of working age who are unemployed and (b) the proportion of unemployed visually impaired people who are long-term unemployed; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, it has been estimated that in 1989, there were 194,000 economically active people—that is, people in or wanting work—of working age, who were visually impaired. Of these, 63,000 (32·5 per cent.) wanted work but were unemployed. No separate estimate is available of the proportion of economically active visually impaired people who were long-term unemployed.The Employment Department provides a wide range of help for visually impaired people. This includes rehabilitation and training, specialist assistance with finding a job, provision of special aids and equipment, and a personal reader scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to the level of expenditure in 1990–91 by the Training Agency to specialist colleges providing employment training for visually handicapped people.

The Employment Department, though a central unit, contracts with four specialist providers for the training of visually impaired people in employment training. On the basis of current levels of trainees in training with these providers, it is expected that the total expenditure on training people with visual handicaps in 1990–91 will be £3·5 million.Training and enterprise councils, local enterprise companies and remaining TEED area offices may contract direct with local providers. Information on this expenditure is not held centrally.

Programme	Date announced	Government Funding (£ million)	Total commitment to projects (£ million)
Molecular Electronics	3 February 1988	4·00	5·00
Advanced Semiconductors	3 February 1988	12·20	7·55
Industrial Measurement Systems	3 February 1988	10·80	10·70
Eukaryotic Genetic Engineering	3 February 1988	2·80	4·20
Nanotechnology	3 February 1988	7·75	7·55
Biotransformations	15 April 1988	2·00	3·45
Personal Communications	13 June 1988	6·35	4·40
Selective Drug Delivery and Targeting	14 June 1988	1·50	1·65
Construction Maintenance and Refurbishment	14 June 1988	1·50	0·95
Food Processing Sciences	7 September 1988	7·00	5·45
Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration	17 April 1989	1·50	0·50
Optoelectronic Systems	26 April 1989	15·00	7·75
Design of High Speed Machinery	10 May 1989	10·50	2·65
Structural Composites	16 May 1989	21·25	1·45
Protein Engineering	12 June 1989	4·85	0·60
Biochemical Engineering	15 June 1989	7·50	4·25
New Catalysts and Catalytic Processes	19 June 1989	2·50	—
Power Electronic Devices and Derived Systems	27 July 1989	7·00	2·80
Control of Plant Metabolism	19 September 1989	1·55	—
Molecular Sensors	27 September 1989	5·50	1·00
Technology for Analytical and Physical Measurement	27 September 1989	8·20	0·55
	TOTAL	141·25	72·35

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the funds (a) allocated for and (b) committed to, support for biotechnology; if he will give for the last calendar year all grants approved and their size; and if he will provide a regional analysis of spending so far approved.

During 1990 my Department provided support for 94 projects in biotechnology subjects involving

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 5 February, what discussions he has had with the chairman of South Glamorgan TEC regarding the length of time taken in bringing its new headquarters into operation.

I have had no such discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sums have been allocated to each LIN K scheme for 1990–91; and what sums have so far been committed.

During 1990–91, six new LINK schemes (programmes) have been announced, with allocations as follows: transport infrastructure and operations (£5·9 million); asymmetric synthesis (£3·5 million); crops for industrial use (£3·05 million); enabling technologies for advanced rotorcraft (£2·4 million); medical implants (£5·0 million); and agro-food quality (£8·0 million); the total sum allocated to these programmes by Government is £27·85 million.Previously, 21 programmes had been announced, with an allocation by Government of £141·25 million. Details of these programmes, and the £72·35 million so far committed to projects by Government and industry, are shown in the following table:a total commitment from the Department of £19 million. This figure includes the full commitment to both projects in progress and new projects which started during 1990. The estimated spend for this financial year (1990–91) relating to these projects is £6·3 million.These figures exclude significant sums spent by other Departments and research councils in support of biotechnology.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the full extent of all discussions conducted by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during his visit to Iraq in 1988.

My right hon. Friend's discussions were concerned essentially with commercial and economic relations and a new medium-term credit line, details of which have already been made public. In addition to the discussions on matters of commercial interest my right hon. Friend also spoke of the strong feelings in Britain about the use of chemical weapons against Kurdish Iraqi nationals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the turnover surpluses and/or deficits on (a) the insurance services and (b) the project group of the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each year since 1980.

[holding answer 5 February 1991]: The information requested is in ECGD's trading accounts for the years 1986–87 to 1989–90, which have been laid in Parliament. For the years 1980–81 to 1985–86, the trading accounts were prepared in a different format which showed the results of the guarantees issued analysed between commercial account (section 1 of the Export Guarantees and Overseas Investment act 1978) and national interest account (section 2).The business included in these accounts as insurance services short-term business differs in some respects from that of the insurance services group which is to be privatised. The accounts are, therefore, not a guide to the profitability or otherwise of that business.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police areas which cover each parliamentary constituency in Kent.

A number of parliamentary constituencies covering London boroughs include areas which have Kent postal addresses. These constituencies are: Ravensbourne, Orpington, Chislehurst, Beckenham, Old Bexley and Sidcup, Bexleyheath and Erith and Crayford. All are within the Metropolitan police district. Constituencies in the county of Kent are all policed by the Kent constabulary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for each police area in Kent, what are the most recent recorded figures for (a) crimes of violence against the person, (b) property theft, including thefts from vehicles and (c) burglaries;

Information for the Kent police force area for 1979 is published in table 32 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1979", a copy of which is available in the Library. Figures for 1989 and the latest 12 months to the end of September 1990 have also been placed in the Library. Corresponding information for police areas in Kent is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Greater Manchester on the circumstances surrounding the escape in 1990 from Astley Bridge police station of Alan Lord; if he will ensure that a public statement is issued concerning the results of an internal police inquiry; and if he will make a statement concerning the wider implications of security for dangerous prisoners in remand cells.

I understand from the chief constable that the prisoner escaped after a set of keys went missing at the police station. The incident has been the subject of an internal inquiry by Greater Manchester police and appropriate action has been taken in the light of its findings. Such an inquiry is entirely a matter for the chief constable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing for each relevant category (a) existing fees for civil business in magistrates courts and (b) proposed fees for 1991–92.

The fees to be taken by clerks to justices in respect of civil business are as prescribed in schedule 6 to the Magistrates Courts Act 1980. The fees have not been increased for 60 years. Last year the Home Office consulted the magistrates courts service about new fee levels which would reflect the costs of providing the services concerned, but no decisions about uprating have yet been taken. We shall bring forward proposals shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the establishment by rank of each of the police authorities in England; and what is the number of vacancies in each rank in each authority.

The information requested is set out in the table.