To ask the Attorney-General how many possession orders on the grounds of mortgage arrears have been made in the Lambeth and Wandsworth county courts in the last year for which figures are readily available.

Crown Court committal for trial cases: Hearing times in hours
	England			Wales			Northern Ireland
	Trials	Guilty pleas	All cases	Trials	Guilty pleas	All cases	Trials	Guilty pleas	All cases
1986	7·5	0·6	3·1	8·0	0·7	3·4	13·9	0·9	3·1
1987	7·3	0·6	2·8	7·2	0·8	3·0	12·6	1·2	3·5
1988	7·4	0·7	2·6	8·0	0·8	2·8	15·1	0·9	4·6
1989	7·2	0·7	2·6	7·7	1·0	2·9	12·2	1·2	4·1
1990	7·1	0·7	2·6	7·5	1·0	3·0	13·2	1·3	4·7

Between 1987 and 1989 the information on county court hearing times was collected only on a sample basis, in terms of days, hours and minutes, for two months of each year. It is not possible to calculate an average hearing time from these data, unless an assumption is made about the average length of a day. However, the information for 1990 is available as follows.

	1990
County court trials: England	3·1
Hearing time in hours Wales	3·1

No information is collected on hearing times of county court trials heard in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list the total payments from legal aid funds and the payments per head of the population in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland over the last five years.

The table sets out the total payments from legal aid funds and the payments per head of the population for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland. It is not possible to break down the information between England and Wales. These figures do not include administration costs.

	England and Wales		Northern Ireland
Year	Total payment	Per head	Total payment	Per head
	£ thousands	£	£ thousands	£
1985–86	466,081	9·34	11,300	7·25
1986–87	499,381	9·97	12,200	7·79
1987–88	544,006	10·83	14,000	8·89
1988–89	618,270	12·27	18,200	11·53
1989–90	726,678	14·37	17,300	10·93

In 1990 Lambeth county court made 505 mortgage possession orders and Wandsworth county court made 497.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list the average length in days of trials (a) on indictment and (b) in county courts in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland over the last five years.

Crown court hearing times are recorded in hours rather than days. The relevant information for Crown courts is given in the tables.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will list the average payment from legal aid funds to (a) solicitors and (b) barristers in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland over the last five years.

Separate information is not available for England and Wales. The table sets out the average payment to (a) solicitors and (b) barristers from all forms of legal aid but excludes disbursements.

Year	Solicitors £	Barristers £
1985–86	161·39	218·78
1986–87	175·19	247·54
1987–88	188·08	274·82
1988–89	195·58	320·59
1989–90	216·85	365·41

Information on the number of payments made to solicitors and barristers in Northern Ireland is not available and therefore information on average payments cannot be provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many additional administrative staff local education authorities have been required to employ as a result of the national curriculum; and how many in fact have been employed.

Data are not available on the number of administrative staff employed by LEAs in connection with the national curriculum. The extent to which individual LEAs and schools think it appropriate to employ additional staff will depend on their circumstances, including the scope for redeploying existing staff to new tasks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is, for each year since 1975, and in 1990 moneys, the average public expenditure per student in higher education in the United Kingdom.

The available data on higher education unit public funding are shown in table 11.13 of the Department's report on "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1991–92 to 1993–94", Cm 1511, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 6 February to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs), Official Report, column 145–46, if he has yet reached a decision about the length of architecture courses; what representations he has received about the likely effects of a reduction in their length; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend is still considering this matter in the light of the responses received from RIBA, ARCUK and other bodies to which the Department's consultation paper on the length and structure of architecture courses was sent last August, the advice of the Universities and Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Councils on the outcome of their parallel consultations with institutions in their respective sectors, and the representations received from a number of other bodies and individuals. He is not yet in a position to announce his conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 11 March, Official Report, column 342, whether there have been or are planned to be any alterations to the parapet wall during the construction of the new building of the Institute of Food Research at the Reading university campus; and if he will make a statement.

A number of options were considered at the design stage concerning the parapet wall; the chosen option incorporated a safety handrail. There were no alterations to the parapet wall during the construction phase of the project; nor are any planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what was the number of pupils with statements of special educational need in non-maintained special schools and independent schools under the arrangements of each local authority in January 1989 and 1990;(2) how many pupils belonging to each local education authority attended non-maintained special schools and independent schools for the purposes of special education treatment in January 1989 and 1990.

[pursuant to the reply, 17 December 1990, c. 35–38]: The information provided in the original reply was incomplete. The table lists as at January 1989 the numbers of pupils belonging to each local education authority who are receiving special education treatment in non-maintained special schools and independent schools.

Number of pupils as at January 1989 for whom LEAs are paying tuition fees and who are attending: (a) non-maintained special schools; and (b) independent schools for the purpose of receiving special educational treatment
	(a)	(b)
Barking and Dagenham	16	16
Barnet	35	62
Bexley	47	73
Brent	36	35
Bromley	31	50
Croydon	33	112
Ealing	82	128
Enfield	23	62
Haringey	21	60
Harrow	91	47
Havering	24	21
Hillingdon	56	42
Hounslow	30	59
Kingston upon Thames	11	67
Merton	25	26
Newham	11	17
Redbridge	91	53
Richmond upon Thames	7	13
Sutton	13	68
Waltham Forest	21	17
Inner London	104	159
Birmingham	21	75
Coventry	18	9
Dudley	14	22
Sandwell	20	1
Solihul	4	35
Walsall	2	9
Wolverhampton	8	22
Knowsley	17	12
Liverpool	72	8
St. Helens	69	21
Sefton	48	57
Wirral	33	109
Bolton	58	8
Bury	60	3
Manchester	108	20
Oldham	24	0
Rochdale	26	20
Salford	11	8
Stockport	78	63
Tameside	12	17
Trafford	45	2
Wigan	81	16
Barnsley	18	0
Doncaster	41	15
Rotherham	113	0
Sheffield	2	7
Bradford	12	9
Calderdale	15	20
Kirklees	51	16
Leeds	11	8
Wakefield	59	35
Gateshead	31	10
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	38	17
North Tyneside	37	33
South Tyneside	26	0
Sunderland	41	10
Isles of Scilly	0	0
Avon	122	120
Bedfordshire	55	78
Berkshire	188	127
Buckinghamshire	55	81
Cambridgeshire	9	61
Cheshire	242	76
Cleveland	40	40
Cornwall	29	60
Cumbria	54	80
Derbyshire	85	55
Devon	184	191

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make inquiries into the exclusion of whisky stocks from Lonrho's most recent published accounts in the light of their former inclusion.

I see no reason to do so. The chief executive's statement included in the annual report for 1990 explains that the sale of bulk whisky stocks in 1989 was a one-off event. In future, for public companies with financial years starting after 23 December 1989, any questions about the accounts will be a matter for the Financial Reporting Review Panel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how accurately his Department's sector groups match the responsibility areas of individual Kuwait Ministries; and what arrangements he is making to ensure the closest liasion between the two.

The sector groups were originally set up to match areas of responsibility in the Kuwait emergency recovery programme, which broadly correspond to those of Kuwaiti Ministries. Some changes have since been made in the light of developments, but it is not considered feasible for their responsibilities to match those of Kuwaiti Ministries on every point.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the results of the recent external evaluation of the inner cities task force initiative.

The evaluation of task forces in Birmingham Handsworth, Doncaster and Rochdale was completed at the end of last year by PA Cambridge Economic Consultants. Their report is published today. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any new plans to help British exporters.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and for Trade and Industry have agreed that a new unit, reporting to Ministers in both Departments, should be established on 2 April 1991. The unit—to be called the joint directorate—will be responsible for the development of export promotion policy.Its aims will be to: deploy staff effectively in the United Kingdom and overseas, in line with the priorities for export promotion; ensure that all staff engaged in export promotion are trained to consistent standards; provide a fully integrated service both at home and overseas; and improve the ability to respond swiftly and effectively to the changing needs of United Kingdom businesses.Earlier today, the British Overseas Trade Board published the second edition of its forward plan. The plan, which has the full support of Ministers, sets out the priorities which will guide the way in which the substantial resources available for export promotion will be used in 1991–92.Information about the joint directorate and copies of the forward plan have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement giving details of the assistance which is being provided by his Department to those United Kingdom companies which face delayed time of completion penalty clauses in contracts with Iraq.

[holding answer 11 March 199]: My Department is giving urgent consideration to what further measures might be taken to ensure that, as far as is possible, companies do not find themselves liable to penalties as a result of being unable to fulfil contracts because of sanctions. The Export Credits Guarantee Department will consider, and is considering, claims from its customers in accordance with the terms of the policies they hold.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the full annual cost, including overheads, of his Department's purchasing activity.

In 1989–90 the annual cost, including overheads, of the purchasing and supply activity of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £2,294,423. For the current financial year, the cost is likely to be £2,300,000. With adjustment for inflation, this would represent a decrease in real terms of 5 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people in his Department are wholly or substantially involved in purchasing stores and distribution activities.

In the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 54 staff are engaged full-time on the purchasing and supply activity. A further 17 officers spend over 50 per cent. of their time on purchasing work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures of performance are employed by his Department to ensure value for money.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic wing uses a variety of performance measures, which vary according to the function or activity involved, to ensure value for money. Specific value for money targets for the last two financial years have been notified to Parliament in evidence on the annual public expenditure White Paper. Some of the most significant of these measures will continue to be published annually in the departmental report, which replaced the public expenditure White Paper.In the aid programme, value for money is ensured through the application of the Overseas Development Administration's aid effectiveness procedures which are set out in the annual departmental report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new steps he is taking to speed up the release of British hostages held in Beirut; and if he will make a statement on his latest approach to the Governments of Syria and Lebanon in this connection.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) on 13 March, at column 549. The Syrian Foreign Minister confirmed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 6 February his Government's intention to continue their efforts to obtain the release of western, including British, hostages in Lebanon. My hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is visiting Damascus this week. Her Majesty's ambassador in Beirut maintains close and regular contacts with all those in Lebanon who might be able to influence the hostages' release.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what statements Her Majesty's ambassador to Kuwait has made about the treatment of Palestinian nationals in Kuwait.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 last weekend Mr. Weston, the British ambassador in Kuwait, spoke of the reasons why the authorities in Kuwait were detaining and screening Palestinians. He made it clear that he did not believe the Kuwaiti authorities were carrying out reprisals. In answer to a question, Mr. Weston agreed that not all the Palestinian former residents of Kuwait could be assured of future residence and employment in Kuwait.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Attorney-General's answer of 11 March, Official Report, column 364, for what reasons Her Majesty's Government have decided not yet to ratify the specific conventional weapons convention or to accept the protocol on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of incendiary weapons; and whether he has any plans to ratify them.

We are still considering ratification of the United Nations weaponry convention, and in particular whether to accept the optional protocol No. III, which restricts the use of incendiary weapons in certain circumstances. We hope to be able to come to a decision on ratification when this review is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement about the Belgian financial contribution to the United Kingdom's role in the Gulf crisis.

I am sorry that my reply to my hon. Friend's oral question of 13 March, at column 934, was inadvertently inaccurate in one respect. On 27 February the Belgian Government announced a contribution of £15 million towards British military expenditure in the Gulf. We welcomed this concrete expression of international solidarity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what consultations he has had with the nuclear installations inspectorate concerning the Westinghouse digital protection system governing the computerised safety monitoring system for the Sizewell B nuclear power station.

The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate—NII—is assessing the computerised protection systems for Sizewell B as part of the continuing licensing process. It is also assessing the secondary protection system, which is fitted to Sizewell B in addition to the digital system, and which employs established United Kingdom technology. The nuclear installations inspectorate will not permit fuel to be loaded into the reactor until it has assessed Nuclear Electric's safety case for the station and found it to be adequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will request a report from the nuclear installations inspectorate on the shutdown in February of the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station.

I am aware of the shutdown, but I have no plans to ask the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate for a specific report on the matter. The decision to shut down the Trawsfynydd reactors was taken by the operators, Nuclear Electric plc, and was to enable adjustments to be made in order to allow operation at reduced pressure. The reactors will not be permitted to return to power until the NII is satisfied with the operator's safety case for such action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he next expects to meet the chairman of Nuclear Electric to discuss pressure vessel integrity in the reactors at the Magnox nuclear power station at Trawsfynydd.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to hold such discussions. The matter is an operational one for Nuclear Electric, which is keeping the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate informed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will be proposing any alteration in the level of the non-fossil fuel obligation following the cut in output at the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station.

The nuclear non-fossil fuel obligation—SI 1990/263 —was fully complied with by the regional electricity companies through the arrangements they submitted to the Director General of Electricity Supply by 1 April 1990. However, in the event of any contracted capacity ceasing to be available for a cause other than an act or omission on the part of a regional electricity company, the order provides that the level of the obligation shall be deemed to reduce accordingly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make it his policy to consider the availability of gas for other customers when considering licence applications for gas-fired electricity power stations.

Applications for electricity generation licences are a matter for the Director General of Electricity Supply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the Government's latest forecasts of levels of United Kingdom petroleum production.

The latest forecasts for United Kingdom petroleum production in the years 1991 to 1995 are as follows:

	Million tonnes
1991	80·100
1992	80·105
1993	80·115
1994	90·125
1995	90·125

	FA 1978 schemes		FA 1980 schemes		FA 1984 schemes
	Number of participants receiving share allocations in year	Initial market value of shares appropriated	Number of employees to whom options granted during year	Initial value of shares over which options granted	Number of employees to whom option granted during year	Initial value of shares over which options granted
	('000)	(£ million)	('000)	(£ million)	('000)	(£ million)
1988–89	870	350	370	740	90	1,660
1989–90	850	380	440	990	100	1,700

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the amount of additional revenue raised if the capital and running costs of company-owned cars were included in the calculation of taxable income for income tax and national insurance purposes on the basis of actual costs incurred.

Employees who have cars made available to them for private use are charged to tax on the basis of scale charges for broad bands of types of car and depending on the current business mileage. The actual costs incurred by employers in providing cars are not known. However, in considering the appropriate lever for the scale charges, a full range of appropriate capital and running costs is taken into account. The value of employer-provided cars is not subject to the national insurance charge.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Ministers has been given responsibility for energy use by his Department; and what is his or her brief regarding energy efficiency.

I am responsible for energy use in HM Treasury. My brief is to reduce energy consumption within the Treasury and to support cost-effective measures to obtain benefits from the more efficient use of energy in all Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest calculation on the numbers of employees who benefit from schemes set up under (i) FA1978, (ii) FA1980 and (iii) FA1984 for employee share or share option arrangements; what were the comparable figures for a year ago; and what are the values attributable to each of these figures.

[holding answer 13 March 1991]: Estimates for the two most recent years for which figures are available are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average percentage of pay in profit-related pay schemes in each year; and what is their distribution.

[holding answer 25 February 1991]: The information is as follows:

Live schemes with profit periods ending in	Profit related pay as a percentage of total pay. All schemes.
1988–89	6·5
1989–90	7·3

Range of profit related pay as a percentage of total pay
Live schemes with profit periods ending in	Below 5 per cent.	5–10 per cent.	10–15 per cent.	15 per cent. and below	Total
1989–89	16	48	17	19	100
1989–90	24	46	21	9	100

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the tax relief on the employer's share of the personal pensions rebate paid by the Inland Revenue to the Department of Social Security for each of the years for which figures are available; and what is his estimate of the costs for each of the future years for which estimates are available.

[holding answer 8 March 1991]: There is no additional tax relief on the employer's share of national insurance contribution rebates for personal pensions. Payments made to the Department of Social Security by the Inland Revenue as tax relief on the employees' share are as follows:

Year	£ million
1988–89	37
1989–90	208
11990–91	170
1Estimated.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost of tax relief on the future income of the funds invested to provide personal pensions, using the technical assumption that the rate of return which will build up in personal pension schemes would otherwise have been subject to tax in the hands of individuals and institutions.

[holding answer 8 March 1991]: Such an estimate would depend on future levels of investment, rates of return and tax rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on (a) improvements to the east coast main line and (b) support for provincial railway services in the Northern region in each year since 1987.

Figures are not available for BR investment and Government support in particular geographical regions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will announce the outcome of recent negotiations on road transport between his Department and the Hungarian Ministry of Transport.

These negotiations resulted in agreement to abolish with immediate effect the quota on the number of lorry journeys permitted annually between the UK and Hungary. From 1 January 1992, the need to carry a permit will also be abolished. This welcome extension of liberalisation means that British hauliers will no longer be prevented from carrying out business by a lack of Hungarian permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will announce the outcome of the consultation exercise about the proposal to introduce mandatory seat belt wearing for adults in the rear seats of cars and taxis.

The consultation period ran from 16 November 1990 to 31 January 1991. Some 1,100 copies of the consultation document were issued and to date 81 responses have been received. My Department has also received a number of letters on this subject in response to press reports, rather than to the consultation document itself.There was overwhelming support for the proposal, including those from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the police, the motoring organisations and all 36 local authorities which responded.I am today sending to all those who responded draft regulations, on which comments are invited by 12 April. I have placed copies in the Library. The intention is to lay the regulations before the House after Easter with a view to implementation on 1 July this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list those locations being considered by his Department as possible freight terminals offering trunk rail services from Scotland to the channel tunnel;(2) what provision he is making for relevant bodies, such as regional or district councils in Scotland, to consult his Department on possible freight terminals offering trunk rail services from Scotland to the channel tunnel.

The siting of regional terminals for channel tunnel freight traffic is a commercial matter for British Rail. British Rail is currently discussing possible locations in Strathclyde with local authorities and private sector developers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list those North sea standby vessels which do not meet the requirements of recommendation 89 of the Cullen report;(2) if he will list those North sea standby vessels which meet the requirements of recommendation 89 of the Cullen report.

The information is not available from the survey records kept by the Department, but, since September 1990, most ships converting for standby vessel duties have been meeting those requirements of the Cullen report which the Department had anticipated it might contain. The full requirements of recommendation 89 have now been incorporated into the Department's latest standard for standby vessels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the name of the Silver Pit was changed to the Cam Spirit.

The change of name was recorded in the register of ships on 4 September 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the current refit of the Silver Pit/Cam Spirit will result in that vessel meeting all the requirements of recommendation 89 of the Cullen report on Piper Alpha.

The refit is not complete, but the present intention of the owner is that the vessel will meet the relevant recommendations of the Cullen report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all official inspections and surveys of the Silver Pit/Cam Spirit carried out since the Piper Alpha disaster.

The Silver Pit was inspected by marine surveyors of the Department in July 1988 shortly after the Piper Alpha disaster. Further surveys were carried out in December 1988, January 1989 and December 1989. She was also inspected by authorities in the Netherlands in July 1990 for operation in their sector of the North sea.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the periods when the Silver Pit/Cam Spirit has been on duty in the North sea since the Piper Alpha disaster; and the nature of her duties in each case.

After the Piper Alpha disaster the Silver Pit continued to operate at various locations in the North sea, but separate operational records of standby vessels are not maintained by the Department. This information will be contained in the ship's log books, but could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all modifications made to the Silver Pit/Cam Spirit between the Piper Alpha disaster and the current refit.

During this period no modifications were made to the structure of the vessel. But the fast rescue craft and the Department of Trade and Industry DOTI boat were renewed, the bow thruster unit replaced, the lubricating oil piping repaired, the generator engine re-aligned, and a number of other deficiencies made good.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will hold an inquiry into the causes of the multiple road accident on the M4 in Berkshire, between junctions 14 and 15, on Wednesday 13 March, including the significance of motorists ignoring the weather conditions; if he will indicate the weather conditions at the time and whether the fog/speed warning lights were switched on; and what consideration lie is giving to whether the fire which followed the collision suggests a need for manufacturers to look again at fire hazards on heavy goods vehicles and cars.

I offer my condolences to those who were injured and to the relatives of those who were killed in this tragic accident.The police are still carrying out investigations and are not able to give a definite opinion on the causes of the accident. I have asked to see the report of the investigation as soon as it is available and shall consider urgently what lessons may be learnt including, as my hon. Friend suggests, lessons about driver behaviour.There was blanket fog in the area and preliminary indications are that drivers were driving too fast for these conditions. I also understand that the warning lights in the area were not switched on before the accident. This was a decision by the police, which was in accordance with advice given to all police forces by the Association of Chief Police Officers, that they should be used only for hazards which are not readily apparent to drivers, and not for general adverse weather conditions. I have already spoken to the chief constables of Thames Valley and Wiltshire constabularies. We are arranging to meet to discuss this policy.My Department continually seeks to reduce the risk of fires in vehicles and liaises both with manufacturers and with fire services on research into better design for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recommendations of the World Health Organisation's 1989 consultation report on health surveillance and management procedures for food handling personnel in relation to food service operations.

This is an interesting report which is consistent with the Government's view that food handlers should receive training in food hygiene. We will consider its recommendations carefully before determining our overall policy on training of food handlers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neonatal intensive care cots there are in England.

Neonatal intensive care cots in maternity units are not separately identified in returns submitted to the Department. Of those not in maternity units, 3,496 intensive care cots were in use during 1989–90, of which 865 were in regionally designated intensive care units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the total annual expenditure, in cash and adjusted for changes in input unit costs, on general medical services for each family health authority in each year since 1985.

The total annual expenditure on general medical services—GMS—in cash and adjusted by the GMS service inflation factor has been placed in the Library. Details are provided for each family health services authority and aggregated at regional health authority and national level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give, for each family health services authority, the cost per patient of general medical services.

The information requested is in the table.

Cost per patient oj General Medical Services: England 1989–90
	£ per head of registered population
Cleveland	29·32
Cumbria	33·81
Durham	30·76
Northumberland	35·13
Gateshead	29·75
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	31·20
North Tyneside	29·01
South Tyneside	29·10
Sunderland	26·28
Northern RHA	30·75
Humberside	29·75
North Yorkshire	35·44
Bradford	29·60
Calderdale	29·40
Kirklees	28·10
Leeds	31·86
Wakefield	32·67
Yorkshire RHA	31·30
Derbyshire	31·12
Leicestershire	30·61
Lincolnshire	33·24
Nottinghamshire	28·93
Barnsley	28·25
Doncaster	29·63
Rotherham	28·83
Sheffield	32·28
Trent RHA	30·60
Cambridgeshire	33·08
Norfolk	35·27
Suffolk	35·53
East Anglia RHA	34·63
Bedfordshire	31·59
Hertfordshire	34·13
Barnet	28·67
Brent and Harrow	30·96
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	28·15
Hillingdon	28·47
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster	31·42
North West Thames RHA	30·96

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the level of provision of care available to children with severe learning difficulties, extreme challenging behaviour and autism and on the provision of care available to them after they are of school age.

It is for local statutory authorities to determine the form and extent of services to be provided locally in the light of their knowledge of local needs and resources. We would expect the relevant education, social services and health authorities to work together with parents to identify what arrangements are appropriate for a young person leaving full-time education. Detailed statistics on the range of services provided are not held centrally, but in 1989 there were 2,032 places in local authority, voluntary and private homes and hostels for mentally handicapped children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in each FHSA have withdrawn from the NHS since 1 October 1990.

Between 1 October 1990 and 28 February 1991, 509 dentists withdrew from Family Health Services Authority—FHSA—dental lists in England, and 394 dentists were added to those lists. This represents a net decrease of 115, less than 0·7 per cent. of the total. The details for each FHSA in England are set out in the table.

Changes to the number of registered dentists on FHSA lists since 1 October 1990 (England only)
FHSA	Withdrawals	Additions	Net change
Cleveland	5	3	-2
Cumbria	2	1	-1
Durham	7	1	-6
Northumberland	1	1	0
Gateshead	0	4	4
Newcastle upon Tyne	13	2	-11
North Tyneside	0	1	1
South Tyneside	2	0	-2
Sunderland	3	2	-1
Humberside	0	5	5
North Yorkshire	4	6	2
Bradford	6	11	5
Calderdale	0	2	2
Kirklees	1	5	4
Leeds	7	5	-2
Wakefield	2	1	-1
Derbyshire	3	11	8
Leicestershire	4	3	-1
Lincolnshire	0	12	12
Nottinghamshire	2	6	4
Barnsley	4	5	1
Doncaster	0	8	8
Rotherham	0	3	3
Sheffield	4	4	0
Cambridgeshire	2	0	-2
Norfolk	2	2	0
Suffolk	4	3	-1
Bedfordshire	2	7	5
Hertfordshire	15	8	-7
Barnet	23	2	-21
Brent and Harrow	12	5	-7
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	21	3	-18
Hillingdon	4	0	-4
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster	41	0	-41

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has any plans to introduce charges for replacement batteries for national health service hearing aids.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children who are or may be at significant risk have not been allocated to a qualified social worker; and what action is being taken to remedy the position.

The information collected centrally about children who are or may be at risk relates to children on the child protection register.A child's name is normally placed on the child protection register following discussion at a case conference, convened by the social services department or by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, when abuse or potential abuse is confirmed and an inter-agency agreement is made to work co-operatively to protect the child. When a registered child moves, the child should be registered at once pending the first case conference in the new area.The most up-to-date information about numbers on child protection registers relates to 31 March 1990. This information is collected from all local authorities in England and is published in the provisional feedback "Children and Young Persons on Child Protection Registers, year ending 31 March 1990, England". Copies are available in the Library.The latest information about the number of children on the registers in London boroughs who are not allocated to a social worker is published in "Child Protection Services in London, Aspects of Management Arrangements in Social Services Departments, 31 December 1989", together with numbers on the registers at the time at which the survey took place. Copies are available in the Library. Similar information is not available centrally for the rest of England.It is for individual local authorities to make arrangements to carry out the child protection plans for children in their area on the child protection register. The social services inspectorate offers positive support to local authorities in their efforts to maintain and develop the child protection services which they have a duty to provide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) for each of the last six months and (b) for each division of the London ambulance service (i) the total number of non-emergency ambulance journeys and (ii) the number of cancelled patient journeys by category.

This information is not held centrally. The management of the London ambulance service is the reponsibility of the London ambulance service board. The hon. Member may wish to write to Mr. James Harris, the chairman of the board, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of general practitioners in each family health services authority received target payments for childhood immunisation and cervical screening in the first six months of 1990–91.

[pursuant to her reply, II February 1991, c. 351–56]: I regret that the table published contained errors in respect of Suffolk and Wakefield family health services authorities. The correct figures are as follows:—

FHSA	Higher payment	Lower payment	Total
Childhood Immunisation percentage qualifying
Suffolk	93	7	99
Wakefield	44	43	87
Pre-School booster percentage qualifying
Suffolk	89	11	99
Wakefield	32	34	66
Cervical Cytology percentage qualifying
Suffolk	89	12	100
Wakefield	90	9	99

NB. Figures for higher and lower payments may not add to total because of rounding error.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the number of justices of the peace in Stockport and Tameside by ward; and what steps have been taken over the last three years to increase the proportion of young JPs, women JPs, JPs from ethnic minorities and JPs from under-represented wards.

My advisory committees in the area of Stockport and Tameside have done their best to improve the balance in appointment of magistrates as suggested; they have been partially successful and I shall be sending the hon. Gentleman the figures separately in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Swansea, West of 20 February, Official Report, column 151, how much of the support for Swansea Accommodation for the Single Homeless for 1990–91 is for staff costs; and if he will list the projects for which support for staff costs is provided;(2) if he will give details of all proposed support from his Department to Swansea Accommodation for the Single Homeless for 1991–92; how much of this is to meet staff costs; and if he will list the projects for which support for staff costs is to be provided.

The information requested is as follows:

Source of Welsh Office funding	Amount £	Staff-costs1 £	Project
1990–91
1. Section 73 of the Housing Act 1985	71,150	45,650	Resettlement and housing provision
2. Urban programme	33,600	25,200	Day centre
3. Grant under Section 28(a) of the National Health Service Act 1977	19,000	13,100	Life skills support
1991–92
1. Section 73 of the Housing Act 1985	Application currently being considered
2. Urban Programme	33,600	25,200	Day centre
3. Grant under Section 28(a) of the National Health Service Act 1977	17,000	11,700	Life skills support
1 Staff costs only include salaries and National Insurance costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many operating theatres in Wales are closed (a) because of a shortage of staff and (b) by other measures.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on appointments to health boards in Wales.

The Welsh chapter of the White Paper "Working for Patients" announced that in making non-executive appointments to district health authorities there would be a strong emphasis on leadership and top-level management qualities. That remains the position. Persons are appointed on the strength of the skills and experience they can bring to the work of an authority and not because they represent particular organisations or interests.Executive members of authorities are members either by virtue of the post they hold or because, in accordance with the relevant legislation, they have been appointed by the chairman, non-executive members and the general manager acting jointly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many long-term unemployed there are in Wales.

In January 1991 there were 24,020 long-term unemployed claimants in Wales—that is, those claiming benefit for 12 months or more.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he plans to meet (a) the teacher organisations and (b) the parent-teacher associations concerning primary school testing.

Although I have no immediate plans to meet representatives from teacher organisations and parent-teacher associations, they are being fully consulted about the development of the statutory arrangements for the assessment of primary school pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress he has made concerning improvements to north-south roads in Wales.

The Welsh Office has spent £165 million on 35 improvement schemes to the A470 and A483 since 1979. The A470 Llanidloes bypass was opened on 25 February; the A483 Chirk bypass is on course for completion in the spring. Information on further plans for improving north-south links is contained in the 1991 supplement to "Roads in Wales", published on 25 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to meet the Association of District Councils in Wales to discuss council house building; and if he will make a statement.

I shall be meeting the Welsh Housing Consultative Committee next month, and representatives of local authorities may well raise this subject then.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to enable the district councils in the valleys of Wales to build more council houses.

Within the context of their enabling role, local authorities in the valleys, as elsewhere, work in close partnership with housing associations to make the most effective use of public resources in the provision of new social housing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is now in a position to announce what plans he has for Pwllpeirian Hill experimental farm, Cwmystwyth; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 16 January 1991, at column 517.