To ask the Attorney-General if he will place in the Library a transcript of the Birmingham pub bombings appeal hearing.

Arrangements are being made to have copies of the transcript placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the prices of one pint of milk, 11b of beef sirloin, one loaf of bread, 20 cigarettes, the average price of a three-bedroomed house and a medium-sized car, in 1970, 1980, 1985 and 1990 taking current prices as 100; and if he will show the percentage changes in each case.

Following is the available information.

	Index (January 1991 = 100)	Percentage change in prices to January 1991
Fresh milk
January 1970	13·1	660·5
January 1980	46·5	115·0
January 1985	68·2	46·6
January 1990	92·5	8·1
January 1991	100·0	—
Beef, sirloin
January 1970	10·6	842·2
January 1980	54·3	84·2
January 1985	75·5	32·5
January 1990	98·9	1·1
January 1991	100·0	—
Large white sliced loaf
January 1970	15·1	561·1
January 1980	56·0	78·4
January 1985	69·6	43·6
January 1990	91·9	8·8
January 1991	100·0	—
Cigarettes
January 1970	13·3	653·6
January 1980	37·5	166·8
January 1985	70·8	41·3
January 1990	91·6	9·2
January 1991	100·0	—
House prices1
January 1970	7·2	1,288·9
January 1980	34·8	187·4

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish estimates for the length of time a married man with two children on average male earnings had to work in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, and for the latest date available, after taking into account income tax liability and national insurance contribution, to pay for each of one pint of fresh milk, one pint of beer, 20 cigarettes, the weekly rent of a three-bedroomed council house and the running costs of a medium-sized car.

The lengths of time necessary to work to pay for one pint of milk, one pint of beer, and 20 cigarettes are shown in the table. Data for 1960 and data for the weekly rent of a three-bedroomed council house and the running costs of a medium-sized car are not available.The lengths of time necessary to work to pay for selected commodities and services are published annually in "Social Trends". Copies are available in the Library.

Length of time necessary to work to pay for selected commodities
Great Britain	Minutes
	Married couple with husband only working1
	19702 Minutes	19802 Minutes	19902 Minutes
Pint of fresh milk	5	4	3
Pint of beer (draught bitter)	16	13	11
20 cigarettes (filter tipped)	29	15	17
1 Length of time necessary for a married man on average hourly male adult earnings for all industries and services, with a non-earning wife and two children under 11, to work so that his net income pays for the various goods.
2 At April.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for each year since 1973 what were (a) the overall payments by the Treasury to the European Economic Community, (b) the overall payment made by the European Economic Community to Britain in refunds and all other payments, (c) the total payments and refunds made to the Treasury and (d) the net cost to the Treasury.

The information requested concerning public sector contributions and receipts to and from the Community budget for 1973–1989 is set out in the following table. The Commission does not provide member states with details of payments made directly to the private sector. The overall payment made by the EC to the UK is therefore not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to make further polytechnic designations between now and 30 June 1992; and if he will make a statement.

We have made clear that we see the designation of new polytechnics as a continuing process, and would be happy to receive advice from the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council at any time that an institution has met the criteria for designation as a polytechnic together with the supporting evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what plans he has to create a joint funding council for universities and polytechnics; and if he will make a statement;(2) what plans he has to dissolve the binary line between universities and polytechnics; and if he will make a statment.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 25 February 1991, (Official Report, columns 332–33)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many persons were employed in the Education department of Kirklees metropolitan council in each year since 1979.

The figures in the table are taken from a table of joint staffing watch data, analysed by local education authority, which has previously been placed in the library.The total employees of Kirklees metropolitan council education department in March 1990 were as follows:

	Number
Full-time teachers and lecturers	4,040
Part-time teachers and lecturers	1,520
Full-time other employees	1,350
Part-time other employees	4,750

These figures include the nursery, primary and secondary schools sector, special and further education and central administration.Comparable figures for other years are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much in total, at constant prices, has been spent on the education and training of the average United Kingdom citizen by the time he or she reaches (a) 16 years, (b) 18 years, (c) 20 years, (d) 22 years and (e) 24 years; and if he will give equivalent figures for the main OECD countries.

On the basis of 1988–89 unit costs for maintained schools in England, expenditure per pupil up to age 16 amounts to some £16,000. Information for the other ages requested, and for OECD countries, is not available in this form.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Fallon), last paid an official visit to a school in Stockton, South; and which county councillors he met.

I visited Grangefield school in Stockton-on-Tees-on 25 February 1991 and met County Councillor D. C. McReddie, chairman of the education committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by Her Majesty's Government to persuade the Dutch authorities to investigate the murder of Mr. Crispin Rushworth-Lund in St. Maarten.

On 7 December 1990 the British consul-general in Amsterdam put to the Netherlands authorities the suggestion made by my hon. Friend that detectives from the Netherlands should investigate the murder in St. Maarten of Mr. Rushworth-Lund. He wrote again about the case on 18 December. We are still waiting for a reply. The consulate-general sent a reminder on 15 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has arranged during his visit to the British Virgin Islands; whom he will meet; and what is the purpose of his visit.

I hope to visit the British Virgin Islands—BVI—from 20 to 22 April: I hope to meet the governor, the chief minister and executive council and leading members of the community. In particular I hope to look at BVI's capabilities to combat drug trafficking and see and discuss developments in the offshore finance sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Ministers from the British Virgin Islands about combating drugs trafficking; what action he is now taking as a result; and if he will make a statement.

When I met the chief minister of the British Virgin Islands, the Hon. Lavity Stoutt, on 11 March we discussed the campaign to combat drugs trafficking through BVI. I informed the chief minister that the FCO had just purchased a drugs surveillance aircraft to be based in BVI and would fund a two man RAF team to operate it. I hope to be able to inspect anti-narcotics operations in the BVI during a visit from 20 to 22 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in international initiatives to make plastic explosives detectable.

Changes in rate bills by property type, England and Wales
	Reduction (-)/Increase (+) in rate bill, per cent.
	England			Wales
Property type	Overall change	Net change on UBR	Net change on revaluation	Overall change	Net change on UBR	Net change on revaluation
Factories	-31	-9	-22	-26	-1	-26
Warehouses	-22	-6	-15	-17	+1	-17
Shops	+18	-1	+19	+21	—	+21
Offices	+12	+20	-8	—	+7	-8
Other properties	+12	-5	+16	+12	—	+12

A new convention on the marking of plastic explosives for detection was opened for signature at the International Civil Aviation Organisation on 1 March. The United Kingdom, with 40 other countries, signed the convention. Among other things, the convention will require all plastic explosives manufactured by states parties to be "marked" through a chemical additive; prohibit the import and export of unmarked plastic explosives; and, subject to certain exceptions, require the destruction of commercial stocks of unmarked plastic explosives within three years, and certain military stocks within 15 years, after entry into force. The convention is the result of an Anglo-Czechoslovak initiative, launched after the Lockerbie bombing. We warmly welcome the rapid completion of the convention, in which British officials played a leading part. We hope to ratify the convention at an early date.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the impact of the operation of the uniform business rate on (a) offices, (b) factories, (c) warehouses and (d) shops in Wales relative to England.

The uniform business rate poundage for 1990–91 has been set at 36·8p in the pound in Wales in order to raise broadly the same amount in real terms from private business and nationalised industries as in 1989–90. The same principle has been adopted in England.The combined impact of the revaluation of non-domestic property and the introduction of the uniform business rate on the specified categories of property is shown in the tables:

Changes in aggregate rate bills1 between 1989–90 and 1990–91
	Percentage change
Property type	Wales	England
Offices	0	12
Factories	-26	-31
Warehouses	-17	-22
Shops	21	18
1 After allowing for inflation as measured by the retail prices index and for appeals against valuation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much dispersant the marine pollution control unit keeps in stock expressed in (a) value in £ sterling, (b) weight and (c) volume; what were the stocks in each of the last five years; and what was the capital expenditure of the unit for each of the last five years.

The marine pollution control unit—MPCU—current dispersant stock expressed in (a) value (b) weight and (c) volume is as follows:

(a) value	£1·68 million
(b) weight	1,680 tonnes
(c) volume	1,680 cubic metres

Further stocks are in the course of supply to maintain the level of about 1,800 tonnes which has been held for the last five years.Total capital expenditure by the MPCU, including the purchase of dispersant, for each of the last five years is as follows:

Year	£,000
1986–87	282
1987–88	130
1988–89	215
1989–90	333
1990–91	397

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the contingency fund (a) held and (b) expended for oil spill recovery for the last five years.

The Department has Treasury approval to spend whatever it deems reasonable to deal with a major pollution threat and there are arrangements for calling on the contingencies reserve as necessary. This is represented by a token provision of £1,000 in the Department's annual estimates.Expenditure on dealing with oil spills in each of the last five years is as follows:

	£ thousands
1986–87	0
1987–88	10
1988–89	62
1989–90	168
1990–91	715

The figures for 1989–90 and 1990–91 include £29,000 and £200,000 respectively for the deployment of MPCU oil recovery equipment and hire and deployment of supplementary oil spill recovery resources. Reimbursement of all of this expenditure has been obtained, or is being sought, from the polluters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total budget of the marine pollution control unit for the last five years.

The total budget of the marine pollution control unit for each of the last five years, excluding the cost of dealing with major oil spills, was as follows:

Year	£,000
1986–87	3,076
1987–88	2,781
1988–89	2,805
1989–90	3,308
1990–91	5,974

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to the statement of Monday 11 March, Official Report, column 722, he will indicate any information available to him on the maximum percentage reduction in scheduled bus mileage on any bus route in east London.

London Transport expects scheduled bus mileage in 1990–91 to rise to 182 million miles—an increase of 4 per cent over last year. I have no information on the performance of individual London bus routes. That is a matter for London Transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Railways Board members receive pay related to train punctuality; what percentage of the board's total remuneration such payments represent; and if he will make a statement.

Under the terms of the British Railways Board members' bonus scheme, the six full-time executive members are eligible for bonus payments based on, among other things, train punctuality. Board members can earn payments of up to 4 per cent. of annual salary if British Rail meets the agreed train punctuality targets, and up to 7 per cent if the targets are exceeded. In 1989–90 board members earned a bonus of 1·5 per cent. for exceeding the punctuality target for the provincial sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to announce his decision on the future of the auxiliary coastguard service, arising from the recent review.

After there has been time to consider the advice of regional controllers and the Chief Coastguard, following consultation that is now in progress. It is expected that this process will be concluded during the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the vehicle inspectorate business plan for 1991–92 will be published.

The business plan has been published today. Copies are available in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received an investment submission from British Rail to place an order for 200 new Networker electric trains for Kent link services; when he will be in a position to reply to the application; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend received an investment submission for British Rail, requesting approval for 274 class 465 vehicles, in a letter dated 29 January. British Rail provided additional information on 26 February and 13 March. My right hon. and learned Friend will respond as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received an investment submission from British Rail to place an order for 60 vehicles to be used on London Paddington/Oxford services; when he will be in a position to reply to the application; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend received an investment submission from British Rail, requesting approval for 59 class 165 vehicles, in a letter dated 29 January. British Rail provided additional information on 19 February. My right hon. and learned Friend will respond as soon as possible.

To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what advice he has given to private forestry companies to ensure against disturbance or destruction of active badger setts during forestry operations;(2) what steps he has taken to protect active badger setts from disturbance or destruction by planting, timber harvesting or other operations on Forestry Commission land.

Badger setts are not on the whole vulnerable to damage from forestry operations, since they are characteristically large, subterranean and in well-drained soils. The Forestry Commission nevertheless endeavours to locate all the badger setts on its land so that they can be protected from any possible damage. It has also published forest nature conservation guidelines, for use by its own forest managers and those in the private sector, which emphasise the importance of good management in protecting animal populations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average income of a cereal farmer in each of the last five years.

The information is not available in the form requested. About one third of the total area of cereals in England is on specialist cereal farms and over a half is on general cropping farms. The following table provides estimates of the net farm income from a sample of these types of farm in England as recorded by the farm business survey.

Average net farm income of specialist cereal and general cropping farms in England
£ per farm
	Specialist cereal farms	General cropping farms
1985–86	3,800	6,100
1986–87	9,700	17,700
1987–88	1,600	8,400
1988–89	2,100	8,500
1989–90	8,700	21,800

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the recent adoption of the European Commission directive on infant formulae and follow-on formulae.

The Government voted in favour of the adoption of this important directive. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, and I warmly welcome the essential compositional and nutritional standards which this directive will provide for the first time to safeguard the health and safety of bottle-fed babies. During the negotiations in Brussels the United Kingdom succeeded in obtaining important changes that align the directive more closely with the principles and aims of the World Health Organisation international code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes. In particular, improvements have been obtained in relation to the advertising controls on infant formulae and to the provisions covering the supply of these products to hospitals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what studies have been undertaken into the feasibility of extending the runway on the British Virgin Islands; what cost is involved; and what action he plans to take.

We have not undertaken or commissioned any studies into the feasibility of extending the airport runway on the British Virgin Islands; nor have we been asked or have any plans to do so. We understand that consultants from Israel have undertaken preliminary feasibility studies at the request of and funded by the British Virgin Islands Government and that estimated costs of around US$30 million—£15 million to £20 million—have been mentioned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recommendations were made in the report he commissioned on education in the British Virgin Islands; what plans he has to implement them; and what funds will be made available for this.

The 1988 education sector review recommended improved access to primary and secondary education through the reorganisation of existing infrastructure and management, with the quality of primary and secondary schooling to be assured through strengthening monitoring systems and increased budget allocations for instructional materials and in-service training. The Overseas Development Administration has assisted with quality improvement through the provision of additional school buildings and equipment linked with staff development for primary and secondary training in-country, in the region and in the United Kingdom.We have also assisted the British Virgin Islands Government in the formulation of its first five-year development plan for education. Initial Government reaction to the plan has been favourable and we have indicated our willingness to continue to provide further technical assistance in its implementation when the Government have determined their priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs over what period £175 million for property projects in India, referred to in the letter of 15 February from the Minister of Overseas Development, was committed; and on what basis the decision was made not to include reference to the period involved in the letter.

My letter gave the total value of the British bilateral contribution to poverty alleviation projects in India against which our aid funds are currently being disbursed. Of that total, £130 million was committed to specific projects in the calendar years 1988 to 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and ommonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 564, what criteria were used to determine the eligibility of developing countries for old aid loans to be converted into grants; and whether these criteria remain the same in considering future conversions of aid loans to grants.

Britain decided to convert a numberr of outstanding aid loans into grants following a 1978 UNCTAD resolution. Eligibility was based on poverty

Year	Net Aid programme in cash terms	Percentage change on 1978–79	Net Aid programme in 1990–91 prices	Percentage change on 1978–79
	£ million		£ million
1978–79	715	—	1,807	—

Year	Expenditure Plans	Percentage change on 1978–79	Expenditure Plans	Percentage change on 1978–79
	£ million		£ million
1990–911	1,587	+121·9	1,587	-12·2
1993–94	1,860	+160·1	1,618	-10·5
1 Original planning figures. During 1990–91 the planned aid programme was increased to allow for additional expenditure on Zambia and the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the developmental purpose of the aid and trade provision-supported natural gas conversion project in Turkey; what is the total value of the contract; over what period the ATP grant is expected to be paid; and if he will make a statement.

The purpose of this project is to provide a cheaper alternative to other fuels for meeting Ankara's energy demands and to reduce the atmospheric pollution caused by the use of oil, coal and lignite as domestic fuels.The cost is $200·7 million of which $108·5 million is being financed by a long-term concessional loan to meet the costs of 85 per cent. of the British goods and services. Aid and trade provision grant funds, calculated on exchange rates applying at the date of implementation of

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of bilateral aid went to low-income countries, as defined by the World bank, in 1990; and what percentage went to least-developed countries, as defined by the United Nations in 1990.

The percentage of United Kingdom gross bilateral aid to low-income countries, as defined by the World bank, was 71·2 per cent. in 1989, the latest year for which figures are available. The proportion going to the least-developed countries, as defined by the UN, was 31·7 per cent. in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a table showing the size of the net aid programme, in cash and constant 1990–91 financial year terms, for the financial years 1978–79, 1990–91 and planned figures for 1993–94, showing the percentage change in real terms for each period.

Following is the Information; figures for the net aid programme in 1990–91 will not be available until the autumn.the loan and estimated not to exceed £58·7 million, are being provided to support interest payments due on this loan. Repayments of principal will be made over a 20-year repayment period. Allowing for a five-year grace period the final payment will be made in 2013. Payments from the ATP grant to meet interest "make-up" and Export Credits Guarantee Department premium costs have amounted to £6·35 million to date.The hon. Member will be aware that the figure of £58·7 million differs from that given in my reply to the hon. Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Ms. Abbott) on 28 February at column

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of his Ministers has been given responsibility for energy use by his Department; and what is his brief regarding energy efficiency.

As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, I have responsibilities which include the use of energy. The publication of the Welsh Office energy efficiency plan was announced on 8 May 1989 by the then Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker), and copies were placed in the Library of the House. The plan is currently being updated to reflect the increasing concern for energy efficiency exemplified by the recently instigated ministerial group on energy efficiency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by district authority in Wales the numbers of council tenants evicted, or currently under threat of eviction, by district councils because they are in arrears with respect to payments of water rates, where those rates are charged inclusive of rent by the councils in 1990, and in the first two months of 1991.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the future management arrangements for Cadw.

I have concluded that Cadw should become an executive agency on 1 April 1991. I shall be announcing the objectives and targets that I have set for the agency shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of Moyle hospital, Larne, in the delivery of acute hospital services.

The Department of Health and Social Services has not yet assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of actue services in the Moyle hospital. This is primarily a matter for the Northern health and social services board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members serve on the Fire advisory panel for Northern Ireland; and how many of those members are also members of the Society of Fire Safety Engineers.

There are 30 members who serve on the fire advisory panel which in Northern Ireland is known as the Northern Ireland fire liaison panel. Of these, only one member is also a member of the Society of Fire Safety Engineers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which council districts in Northern Ireland currently have a job club.

The Training and Employment Agency provides support for job clubs in the following council districts:

Antrim, Ards, Belfast, Larne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Coleraine, Craigavon, Dungannon, Derry, Newry and Mourne, Omagh.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when was the last examination of the employment records of the Bank of Ireland under the provisions of fair employment legislation; and if there has been any progress towards eliminating the underemployment of Protestants in the Bank of Ireland since the first fair employment report on this bank.

A report by the Fair Employment Agency in March 1986 dealt with the employment patterns and practices of the five main banks in Northern Ireland, including the Bank of Ireland; a copy of that report is held in the Library. The Fair Employment Commission has decided to make available, upon request, monitoring information from individual concerns following receipt of their monitoring returns for 1991. The Bank of Ireland is required to make its monitoring return by 6 June 1991. This return will indicate the religious composition of its work force and applicants for jobs and will, therefore, enable a comparison to be made with the position as shown in the 1986 report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the catch of nephrops in 1988, 1989 and 1990; and what is the projected catch in 1991 based upon the experiences of the first two months of the year.

Landings of nephrops into Northern Ireland totalled 5,344 tonnes, 5,595 tonnes and 5,606 tonnes for the years 1988, 1989 and 1990 respectively. Landings in the first two months of 1988, 1989 and 1990 totalled 423 tonnes, 370 tonnes and 222 tonnes respectively compared with 397 tonnes for the same period in 1991. This does not give a statistically sound basis from which to project the total 1991 landings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the £15 million in EC grants for the United Kingdom's fish marketing and processing industry for the period 1991 to 1993 will be allocated to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the implementation of this scheme in Northern Ireland.

Of the £15 million in EC grants, some 1·5 million has been separately allocated to Northern Ireland The scheme is open for applicants, but is competitive and not all applicants can be guaranteed support. I hope that the Northern Ireland industry will make full use of the moneys available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the expenditure in each of the Belfast action teams which were created and the projects on which the money was spent.

In view of the considerable number of projects involved, it will take some time to collate the information. I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as the information is available and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many applications were made by employers for capital grants in each of the financial years since 1985 to enable them to adapt (a) premises, and (b) equipment, to employ disabled people in Northern Ireland;(2) what was the total amount of grant aid paid in each financial year since 1985 to employers to enable them to employ disabled people in Northern Ireland.

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of applications approved and amount of grant aid paid to employers to adapt premises and equipment to enable them to employ disabled people is as follows:

	Number of approved applications	Grant aid £
1985–86	3	5,750
1986–87	4	7,860
1987–88	3	2,872
1988–89	7	5,124
1989–90	6	23,000
11990–91	3	8,000
1 To February 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date all hospital incinerators in the United Kingdom will be operating in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Department of the Environment.

[holding answer 27 February 1991]: With the removal of Crown immunity, new incinerators will have to meet the requirements of environmental protection legislation from 1 April 1991. Health authorities and NHS trusts that currently operate incinerators which do not comply with the new standards will be required by 30 September 1991 to agree with the local authority pollution inspectorate a programme for ensuring that all incinerators meet the new standards in full. These agreed programmes will set interim standards which will have to be met.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people who will be eligible for the new lower rate of care component of the disability living allowance by virtue of (a) the requirement of attention for a significant portion of the day and (b) inability to prepare a cooked meal; what is his estimate of the take-up rate for each group; and if he will make a statement.

We expect 140,000 people to receive the lower rate care component of disability living allowance in 1993–94. It is not possible to give any reliable estimates of how many of the anticipated caseload will qualify by each of the alternative routes to entitlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe of 28 February, column 610, what is his estimate of the number and proportion of people who need special diets who will qualify for the new lower rate of care component of the disability living allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Something under 500,000 people below the age of 65 said that they needed a special diet in response to an Office of Population Censuses and Surveys question. Many of this group would be at the lower levels of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys severity scales. The comment in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys fourth report that

"not all the problems included under this heading (eating, drinking, and digesting difficulties) were strictly speaking disabilities",

applies even more strongly to this group. Nevertheless, even after allowing for overlaps between the different rates and components of disability living allowance, we estimate that nearly 200,000 of the people in this group would be in receipt of at least one of the rates of the new benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe on 28 February, Official Report, column 610, if he will explain the basis for the increase in his estimate of the number of recipients of the new lower care component of the disability living allowance from paragraph 4.12 of "The Way Ahead"—Cm. 917—to the figure given in his answer; and if he will make a statement.

The figure of 240,000 given to the right hon. Member on 28 February 1991 represented the number of people whom we anticipate will be eligible for the new lower rate care component of the disability living allowance. The figure of 140,000 quoted in paragraph 4.12 of "The Way Ahead"—Cm. 917—represents our best estimate of the numbers who will be receiving the new lower rate care component in 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people suffering from Alzheimer's disease are in receipt of terminal grant (a) in nursing homes and (b) in residential homes.

Details of conditions suffered by claimants in receipt of the terminal illness limit of income support are not collected by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress has been made on introducing regulations to guarantee the mobility allowance entitlement of double leg amputees.

I am extremely pleased to announce that regulations have been laid today which come into force on 10 April 1991. These will ensure the eligibility to mobility allowance of people who are without both legs for any reason, including amputation. I am also glad to state that the regulations will allow these claims to be fast tracked. That is, they could be decided without a medical examination if suitable evidence about the person's medical condition, such as a general practitioner's letter or previous medical report, is available.

	Claimants	Dependants	Children	Total
Income support1	3,429,000	599,000	1,688,000	5,716,000
Family credit2	264,000	164,000	569,000	997,000
1 Data derived from 1989 annual statistical inquiry.
2 Data derived from 5 per cent, sample of family credit caseload at 31 July 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to prevent the disappearance of seals and dolphins from United Kingdom coastal waters.

Preliminary indications are that our coastal waters continue to support a wide range of marine mammal species and regular surveys carried out for Government by the Natural Environment Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will indicate the savings to the Exchequer arising from the failure to increase unemployment benefit in line with average earnings since 1979; and if he will specify the saving in 1990 and the anticipated saving in 1991.

[holding answer 13 March 1991]: Unemployment benefit is increased annually in line with the retail prices index. If the benefit had been uprated in line with average earnings from 1979 onwards the estimated net additional cost in the financial year 1990–91 would be £125 million and in 1991–92 £150 million. Estimates for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are dependent on (a) income support, (b) family credit and (c) housing benefit broken down into claimants, dependants and children for (i) Leeds, West, (ii) Leeds metropolitan district council area, (iii) West Yorkshire and (iv) England.

[pursuant to her reply, 6 March 1991, c. 72.]: I regret that information was omitted from my reply. The correct information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to amend the criteria used to determine river quality so as to reflect pollutant levels in river life.

We are currently reviewing with the National Rivers Authority the existing schemes for classifying river quality in conjunction with the work of developing the system of statutory quality objectives provided for in the Water Act 1989. The outcome of the review will be published for consultation in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ask the district auditor to review the action of councils and councillors when a substantial proportion of the community charge has not been collected.

All community chargepayers have a right to expect their local authority to collect the charge in a diligent and economic manner. The Audit Commission has published useful guidance to local authorities on improving collection performance. In general local authorities are seeking to collect the charge efficiently. I would expect that there are no cases where action by councillors is impeding effective collection, but if there were the auditor already has a duty to under section 20 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 to certify, where a loss has been incurred or deficiency caused by wilful misconduct of any person, that the amount of that loss or deficiency is due from that person. The auditor may recover the amount for the benefit of the authority from that person concerned. Councillors may therefore be liable for uncollected community charges where the failure to collect results from their misconduct.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the various guidance circulars he has issued to local authorities concerning collection of the poll tax.

My Department issued a practice note to local authorities covering all aspects of the collection of the community charge. A copy is in the Library. The note is currently being revised and updated by the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households he expects to benefit from the new community charge reduction scheme in Berwick borough, Castle Morpeth borough and Alnwick district.

Information on the number of people expected to benefit from the community charge reduction scheme broken down by local authority areas will be available once authorities have returned their initial grant claim forms.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the year on year increase in standard spending assessment for 1991–92 in respect of (a) Westminster, (b) Salford, (c) Wigan and (d) Bolton.

The percentage increases in SSA between 1990–91 and 1991–92 are as follows:

(a) 22·1, (b) 16·3, (c) 18·6 and (d) 17·9.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, in tabular form, (a) the establishment of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and (b) the number of staff employed for each year since 1987.

The complement and number of staff in post in Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution from its formation in 1987 are set out in the table.

Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution staffing1
Year (1 April)	Complement	Number of staff in post
1987	199	133
1988	183	158
1989	194	165
1990	212	172
1991	248	2232

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will detail the criteria used to assess the level of pollution on British beaches.

Bathing water quality is assessed according to standards set out in directive 76/160/EEC.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the "Environmental Action Guide" was issued to Government Departments; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

An initial working version of the "Environmental Action Guide" was circulated to all Government Departments immediately following publication of the environment White Paper last year. The guide itself, together with the first of a continuing series of advisory notes on specific environmental topics such as CFCs and timber in buildings, will be published by HMSO shortly. Copies will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out for 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990 to 28 February 1991, how many planning applications have been determined by Leeds development corporation (a) within one month of receipt, (b) between one and two months of receipt and (c) after more than two months of receipt.

Information is not collected in the format requested. The available information shows that, for the year ending September 1989, 131 planning applications were decided by the Development Corporation of which 57 per cent. were determined within eight weeks of receipt. For the year ending September 1990, 179 applications were decided of which 58 per cent. were determined within eight weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to allow the Rural Development Commission to retain receipts from the sale of its portfolio; and if he will make a statement.

It is our policy that the Rural Development Commission should retain receipts from the sale of their workspace portfolio: up to the targets agreed for each year. The receipts are used to finance the commission's agreed expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Environment Council on 18 March.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Environment and Countryside and I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting.The Council agreed a common position on a directive to tighten up controls on emissions from lorries and buses. The United Kingdom took a lead in pressing for this measure, which will introduce strict new pollution standards for large diesel engined vehicles to match those set last year for cars. The controls, which will come into effect in 1995 and 1996, represent the toughest achievable standards. The motor industry will have a clear target and a manageable timetable for the substantial work which now needs to be done.Agreement was reached on a directive setting minimum standards for the collection and treatment of sewage. The so-called municipal waste water directive requires that all communities above a certain size should be provided with sewerage systems, and that sewage should in general receive full secondary treatment before it can be discharged. Additional treatment to remove nutrient substances is required where this is necessary to protect the water environment. The directive also allows for primary treatment only for certain coastal discharges where this can be demonstrated to he sufficient to protect the environment. Other provisions require treatment of analagous industrial discharges, and an end to the disposal of sewage sludge at sea. This measure represents a major step forward in the protection of the water environment throughout the community. The Government's decision last year to introduce treatment for all remaining major coastal discharges, and the huge investment programme put in place at the time of water privatisation, means that the United Kingdom is well placed to comply with the directive.The Council agreed a common position on a directive amending for the seventh time directive 67/548/EEC on the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances. The amending directive updates requirements for manufacturers or importers of a new chemical substance to provide data on its hazardous properties. It introduces harmonised notification requirements for substances produced in small quantities, with exceptions in certain circumstances to encourage research and development.A directive on the content and disposal of batteries and a new framework directive on waste management, the substance of which had been agreed at previous meetings, were formally adopted by the Council.The Council had a useful discussion on aspects of a proposed regulation controlling the movement of waste within, into and out of the European Community. The United Kingdom, supported by other member states, stressed the importance of incorporating the principle of self-sufficiency in waste disposal, both within countries and for the Community as a whole.Proposals for a directive to protect fauna, flora and habitats, and for a Community ecological labelling scheme were briefly discussed. In both cases the United Kingdom called for the measures to be agreed as soon as possible, and the presidency said it would seek agreement at the next Environment Council.The Council had preliminary discussions on two new proposals on the evaluation and control of environmental risks from existing chemicals, and on a Community environment fund—LIFE.The Council also discussed action taken by member states and the Commission in response to environmental problems in the Gulf. Ministers were briefed by Mr. Al Arrayed, Health Minister of Bahrain, on the environmental situation in the Gulf states. Member states welcomed the efforts co-ordinated by the European Commission to complement initiatives by the International Maritime Organisation and the United Nations Environmental Programme. The Council agreed on the need to provide further assistance to the Gulf clean-up operations, and to develop proposals for responding to similar disasters in the future in collaboration with member states and other international organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department expects to announce the results of the 1990 study into the health risks of sea bathing; and whether those studies are to continue.

The Department is awarding a further contract to the Water Research Centre to manage large-scale studies into the health risks of sea bathing using the methodologies developed over the last two years. The WRC will invite tenders from suitably qualified professional institutions and organisations to undertake these studies.The research will be jointly funded by my Department, the Department of Health, Welsh Office and the National Rivers Authority. It will be undertaken at selected bathing beaches where the waters are of different microbiological quality to allow a further investigation of the relationship between the levels of contamination and the incidence of illness.The results of the 1990 studies at Moreton (Wirral) and Ramsgate will be placed in the Library in early April.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his latest estimate for each local authority in England of (a) the community charge for 1990–91, (b) the charge set for 1991–92 before the new grant announced on 19 March, (c) the charge for 1991–92 after the new grant, (d) the bill in 1991–92 after the community charge reduction scheme for a couple who had 75 per cent. of the average rateable value for their area and (e) the bill in 1991–92 for a couple who had 50 per cent. of the average rateable value for their area.

The new grant announced yesterday will reduce charges set in England in 1991–92 by £140, or to zero where the local charge was below that figure. The details are as follows: