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

I am responsible to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State both for energy matters, including energy efficiency, and for the environment.My specific brief on energy efficiency is to promote the continuous implementation of effective energy efficiency measures throughout the Northern Ireland economy. To that end I published an important consultative paper on energy efficiency last December. It promotes energy efficiency in the context of environmental conservation; calls for committed action now by all interested parties; and sets out—by way of example—an extensive range of initiatives being taken by Government including increased financial support for both low-income families and the industrial and commercial sectors. A copy of the consultative paper has been placed in the Library. Responses to the consultative paper are now being analysed and will be reflected in an energy strategy paper to be published later this year.In the public sector Northern Ireland has had its own inter departmental committee on energy efficiency since 1984. It promotes and co-ordinates public sector initiatives, reports annually to my right hon. Friend and sets targets for continuous improvement. In addition, I represent Northern Ireland on the United Kingdom-wide ministerial group on energy efficiency chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy.On 6 March my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland issued a personal message to all public sector employees in Northern Ireland exhorting them to practise energy efficiency not only at work but at home, in their leisure, social and recreational pursuits. My right hon. Friend wishes to be kept informed of progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will establish a job club in Carrickfergus; and if he will make a statement.

No. There are job clubs in nearby Larne, Newtownabbey and Belfast. Unemployed people who have to travel to make use of job clubs have their fares reimbursed and so are not out of pocket.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the number of persons on the waiting list of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for accommodation in Belfast districts 2 and 7 and each housing area in Castlereagh in both 1979 and 1991.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and I am advised by its chief executive that the information requested is not available before 1981. However, at the end of February 1981 and February 1991 the number of persons on the waiting list was as follows:

District	February 1981	February 1991
Belfast 2	1,463	1,036
Belfast 7	1,308	1,184
Castlereagh 1	570	289
Castlereagh 2	1,178	518

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the budget allocation per unit for local management of schools in (a) Wigston, (b) South Wigston and (c) Oadby; what is the average budget allocation per unit for schools in the city of Leicester; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not available for Leicestershire as the authority did not operate a scheme for the local management of its schools in the 1990–91 financial year. We do not yet have a copy of the authority's budget statement for 1991–92; it is under a duty to publish that statement by 31 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the proportion of children at schools in Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston that come from out of the catchment area; and what consideration he has given to the implications of this on LMS funding to these schools.

The Department has no information on the sources of pupils attending schools in these districts. Under local management of schools, pupils of the same age are funded on the same basis irrespective of their source. If they come from a neighbouring authority, that authority will pay a recoupment charge to the providing authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from Cleveland county councillors about capital grants for schools.

I met Cleveland's education committee chairman and the chief education officer on 11 March to discuss their ACG allocation for 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list (a) the new teaching activities in European integration with effect from the beginning of the 1991–92 academic year and (b) the new European chairs financed and supported under the terms of the Jean Monnet project 1991; and if he will make a statement.

The EC has awarded grants under the Jean Monnet project to United Kingdom higher education institutions in support of the following activities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to publish (a) the draft regulations on teacher appraisal and (b) the draft circular of guidance on teacher appraisal; if he will list those interested bodies which he intends to consult on both the draft regulations and the draft circular; and if he will indicate how much time will be allowed for such consultations.

My right hon. and learned Friend intends to initiate consultations shortly on draft regulations and a draft circular on school teacher appraisal. He intends to allow some four weeks for such consultations and to consult the following bodies.

• Association of County Councils
• Association of Metropolitan Authorities
• Welsh Joint Education Council
• Assistant Masters' and Mistresses' Association
• National Association of Head Teachers
• National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers
• National Union of Teachers
• Professional Association of Teachers
• Secondary Heads Association
• Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru (National Association of Teachers of Wales)
• Catholic Education Council
• Free Church Federal Council
• General Synod of the Church of England Board of Education
• London Board of Jewish Religious Education
• Methodist Division of Education and Youth
• Grant Maintained Schools
• Grant Maintained Schools Trust
• National Association of Governors and Managers

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future of United Kingdom funding of the Institute Laue-Langevin in Grenoble.

As part of its review of forward commitments, the Science and Engineering Research Council announced on 7 February that it could not continue to support both the Institut Laue-Langevin and the ISIS (RAL) neutron facility at the current levels. To help it take the matter further the council has established a review panel to assess the United Kingdom's requirements for neutrons over the coming years and the most effective way of providing them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he is taking to ensure that more resources are delegated to schools; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 February 1991, Official Report, c. 235–39]: The national average of responses retained by LEAs on central administration in 1990–91 as a percentage of the potential schools budget should read 4·06 per cent., rather than 5·26 per cent. as quoted in the table at column 238. The individual LEA figures quoted in the table remain correct.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the total amount paid in grants by Government Departments to voluntary bodies during the financial year 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

Government funding to voluntary organisations in 1989–90 amounted to £2·36 billion. Of this, £1,681 million was payments to housing associations; £204 million was payments under major employment and training schemes; £373 million went to support provision of services and a wide range of activities and projects by a variety of voluntary organisations. The amount spent under individual departmental programmes is as follows:

	£
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	120,170
Defence	8,148,082
Education and Science	4,751,901
Employment
Youth training scheme	100,000,000
Employment training	104,000,000
Other programmes	58,078,798
Energy	722,218
Environment
Direct grants	11,132,402
Urban programme	61,400,000
Housing corporation	1,347,690,000
Countryside Commission	2,107,000
Nature Conservancy Council	1,528,000
Rural Development Commission	4,816,000
Sports Council	15,543,000
UK 2000 project grant fund	336,000
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	1,532,000
Overseas Development Administration	65,164,127
Health
Direct grants	39,589,458
Health Education Authority	728,043
Home Office
Direct grants	28,545,000
Equal Opportunities Commission	7,043
Commission for Racial Equality	1,178,722
Lord Chancellor's Department	768,000
Northern Ireland Office
Direct grants	16,158,488
Housing associations and societies	38,192,981
Economic Development Grants:
Action for community employment	48,547,471
Community workshops	19,008,115
Community volunteer schemes	868,000
Youth Community project	868,658
Youth Help	793,318
Sports Council for Northern Ireland	507,835
Scottish Office
Direct grants	16,339,277
Urban programme	34,251,000
Housing associations	202,000,000
Countryside Commission for Scotland	709,798
Highlands and Island Development Board	1,075,485
Sports Council for Scotland	1,386,562
Social Security	3,997,784

To ask the Prime Minister when the Commissioner appointed under the Security Service Act 1989 will present his first annual report; and if he will make a statement.

A copy of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's first annual report, for 1990, has been laid before the House today in accordance with section 4(6) of the Security Service Act 1989. The confidential appendix to the report has been excluded from that copy in accordance with section 4(7) of the 1989 Act. I am grateful to the commissioner for his work in reviewing the issue of warrants and note that he is satisfied that the Secretaries of State have properly exercised their powers under the Act.

To ask the Prime Minister how the Government intend (a) to mark the safe homecoming of British troops who contributed to the liberation of Kuwait, (b) to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in that cause and (c) to honour those who gave gallant and meritorious service.

A service of remembrance and thanksgiving will be held in Glasgow cathedral in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen on Saturday 4 May.The Lord Mayor and the Corporation of London will host a reception at Guildhall on Friday 21 June for members of British forces. It will be preceded by a march through the City at which Her Majesty the Queen will take the salute.Her Majesty the Queen has approved the award of a Gulf medal for those who served in the region. She has also agreed that there should be a Gulf honours list, to be published at the end of June, for those who displayed gallantry and gave meritorious service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he will take to ensure that all full-time carers are granted the right to regular breaks, and that those carers wishing to take up such breaks in the company of their clients are given additional resources.

The main social security benefit available to carers is invalid care allowance (ICA). ICA is payable to people who give up the opportunity for full-time work to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person receiving attendance allowance. ICA can remain in payment for up to four weeks in any period of 26 weeks while the carer or the person cared for is on holiday, or the caring role is temporarily suspended for some other reason. Breaks in caring can total as much as 12 weeks in a 26-week period, if the breaks are due to the carer or the disabled person undergoing medical or other treatment as an in-patient in a hospital or similar institution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total amount spent on social security in the United Kingdom, in actual and at 1990 prices, for each year since 1978–79; and what was the percentage increase or decrease for each year.

Details of social security spending in Great Britain are given in the table. Information about social security spending in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Grand total social security spending
£ million
Year (outturn)	Cash	At 1990–91 prices	Real terms percentage increase over preceding year
1978–79	16,602	41,953	—
1979–80	19,616	42,483	1·3
1980–81	23,751	43,469	2·3
1981–82	28,963	48,341	11·2
1982–83	33,000	51,426	6·4
1983–84	36,881	54,933	6·8
1984–85	39,949	56,627	3·1
1985–86	43,488	58,460	3·2
1986–87	46,841	60,886	4·2
1987–88	48,939	60,327	−0·9
1988–89	49,721	57,121	−5·3
1989–90	52,661	56,874	−0·4
1990–91 (estimated)	59,001	59,001	3·7
1991–92 (plans)	66,167	62,422	5·8

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the total current cost of unemployment to the Exchequer, including benefits, redundancy fund payments, administrative costs, lost revenue and any other identifiable costs.

Benefit expenditure on the unemployed is expected to be £4,850 million in 1990–91. The cost of administering unemployment benefit in 1989–90, the latest year for which figures are available, was £176 million. For other benefits it is not possible to identify separately the administration costs attributable to the unemployed.Redundancy fund payments are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, who advises that in 1990–91 redundancy fund payments totalled £141 million. Estimates of tax revenue forgone are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of people in receipt of cold weather payments in each of the Scottish and English regions and Wales for each of the last five years; and what was the cost of these, by regions.

Information on the number of people in receipt of cold weather payments, together with their costs, for the period 1985–89 is available in the Library.Information for 1989–90 and 1990–91 will be placed in the Library as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will introduce legislation to provide a water rate rebate system for those on low incomes;(2) if he will introduce an additional element into the income support system to give extra payments to all persons who have water bills in excess of £50 per adult person in that household.

We have no plans to do so. Income-related benefits are intended to cover all normal living expenses, including those for utilities such as water and fuel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what length of lease is required in the establishment of a care home trust to satisfy his Department that the home is truly independent.

In determining entitlement to income support, the adjudication officer has no regard to the length of lease under which the independent home was established.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for income support by residents of care home trusts have so far been refused by his Department; and what were the main reasons for refusal.

This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether residents of local authority care homes which have been redesignated under schedule 8 of the National Health Service Act 1977 are entitled to claim housing benefit and income support.

People whose accommodation is provided under this legislation may claim income support up to an amount equivalent to the current basic rate of retirement pension to meet the minimum charge for the accommodation. They are not entitled to housing benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his present policy in respect of the dry storage of radioactive material.

Other than on licensed nuclear sites, no person shall keep, use or cause or permit to be kept or used, radioactive material unless he is registered under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 or exempted from being so. The storage of all radioactive material on licensed nuclear sites must be approved by the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate under the terms of the site licences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment 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 have responsibility for energy efficiency within the Department of the Environment.My aim is to reduce the Department's own energy consumption by 15 per cent. in real terms over the next five years, in line with the target adopted generally for the Government estate. To this end I am encouraging the Department to implement all practicable energy efficiency schemes and to promote staff awareness of the benefits of saving energy.As part of the Secretary of State's responsibility for environmental policy we aim to increase public awareness of the link between energy efficiency and the threat of climate change due to the greenhouse effect. The Department's leaflet, "Wake up to what you can do for the Environment", published on 4 March, gives advice on improving energy efficiency in the home and on the road.We are taking specific measures to increase the energy efficiency of the housing stock. Amendments to the Building Regulations which came into effect on 1 April 1990 should achieve a 20 per cent. improvement in the energy efficiency of new houses, and we will monitor them to see how they can be further improved. We will consider how best to develop and encourage the application of energy labelling schemes for buildings, with the intention of incorporating labelling into the Building Regulations. A model developed by DOE's Building Research Establishment is already in use for assessing the energy requirements of housing.My Department is running the greenhouse demonstration programme to provide examples of effective energy efficiency in local authority housing. General local authority housing repair and maintenance programmes are supplemented by our estate action programme, targeting particularly rundown council estates. Around a quarter of the money spent is on heating and insulation measures. In private sector housing the new home renovation grants regime enables local authorities to help less well-off people in housing which is not energy efficient. A substantial new programme of research will be undertaken into the barriers to increased energy efficiency in the housing stock.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the measures he is taking in order to reduce or stabilise carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2000.

The Government announced last May that, if other countries take similar action, we will stabilise United Kingdom emissions of carbon dioxide at 1990 levels by 2005. Taking account of our policies on other greenhouse gases, achieving this target would reduce the global warming potential of Britain's emissions to some 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2005. The Environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance" published last September set out the first tranche of measures that the Government proposed to take to achieve this.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many properties owned by local authorities have stood empty (a) for over six months or (b) for over one year; how many properties owned and administered by his Department have been vacant (i) for over six months or (ii) for over one year; and what is the regional distribution of these properties.

Local authorities report the number of their dwellings vacant for between six and 12 months and over a year in their annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1). The latest figures are published in columns A178 (six to 12 months) and col. A188 (over a year) of "1990 HIP1-Regional Grossing", a copy of which is in the Library.The regional breakdown of Crown freehold properties on the common user estate with at least 90 per cent. vacancy are given below:

Outstation	Properties vacant for 6 to 12 months	Properties vacant for more than a year
Scotland	—	10
North East	—	1
North West	—	3
Midlands	2	2
Thames North	—	—
Thames South	1	3
Central London	—	1
South West/Wales	4	7
TOTAL	7	27

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 30 local authorities with the highest generalised needs index private stock indicator scores, giving in each case their respective scores on this indicator and the allocation which each received for specified capital grants in 1991–92.

Following are the 30 authorities with the highest total of private sector stock condition and private defective dwellings generalised needs index scores:

	Private sector stock condition score	Defective dwellings score	Total	Allocation for specified capital grant(£000)
Birmingham	164·0	82·3	246·4	21,973
Liverpool	66·0	59·7	125·6	7,320
Bristol	68·2	42·8	111·0	10,991
Leeds	72·0	15·3	87·3	7,350
Bradford	65·5	3·3	68·9	3,200
Sheffield	59·7	4·8	64·5	7,400
Manchester	56·8	0·0	56·8	3,405
Sandwell	35·0	20·1	55·1	4,575
Kirklees	54·2	0·3	54·6	4,200
Brent	32·2	17·2	49·4	2,938
Wirral	43·6	4·0	47·6	4,866
Plymouth	32·5	14·2	46·6	3,306
Coventry	43·4	1·2	44·5	3,210
Ealing	37·7	6·1	43·8	3,917
Wolverhampton	28·8	11·9	40·7	3,100
Wakefield	30·4	9·5	40·0	5,117
Sefton	36·5	2·2	38·8	2,000
Stoke-on-Trent	37·9	0·5	38·3	5,135
Calderdale	34·4	1·6	35·9	1,500
Waltham Forest	32·6	2·6	35·2	1,787
Dudley	27·0	6·9	33·9	2,740
Newcastle-under-Lyme	16·3	17·6	33·9	2,814
Walsall	27·0	6·1	33·1	2,891
Kingston upon Hull	29·7	2·4	32·1	4,970
Wigan	27·7	2·6	30·2	1,865
Bolton	30·2	0·0	30·2	3,311
Bournemouth	29·9	0·0	29·9	1,359
Southampton	12·2	17·6	29·8	3,112
Staffordshire Moorlands	13·9	15·7	29·6	2,748
Bromley	21·8	7·6	29·4	2,137

The allocation of resources for specified capital grants is neither a limit nor a target for the level of grants which an authority may receive. It is made partly in relation to needs index scores, but also reflects local authorities' individual needs and circumstances which are taken into account by the Department's regional controllers in recommending the allocation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in each of the last three years district auditors have drawn attention in their reports to the costs incurred in answering community charge payers' or ratepayers' questions.

Such information is not held centrally by either the Department or the Audit Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will break down the number of urban programme projects not approved for the 1991–92 financial year by local authority (a) numerically and (b) by cash value; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will indicate the percentage of projects not approved for the urban programme 1991–92 relating to

This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to ensure that the district auditor of Northampton borough council makes public his report into the Northampton employment and training unit.

Except in certain specified circumstances, the appointed auditor is prohibited by section 30 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 from disclosing information obtained pursuant to his duties, and the Secretary of State has no powers to set aside that prohibition. However, when such a report comes to be formally considered by the authority it will, in effect, be made public under the provisions of section 18(5) of that Act. If the Local Government Finance (Publicity for Auditors' Reports) Bill were to be enacted, auditors' immediate reports in the public interest would be made public immediately upon receipt by the authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council homes have been sold in the constituency of Leicestershire, North-West including Shepshed.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: Information is not available for sales by parliamentary constituency. A table showing the available information on sales for each English local authority since April 1979 was recently placed in the Library (Official Report, volume 184, column 542).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the interference to (a) the feeding habits and (b) the breeding patterns of dugongs in the northern Gulf waters arising from (i) the oil slicks discharged from Kuwaiti oil terminals and (ii) the explosion of sea mines.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: The assessments available to me indicate that dugongs are vulnerable to damage which oil pollution can cause to the seagrass beds on which they feed in the shallow waters of the western Gulf. I have no information on particular risks to dugongs posed by explosion of mines, but no mortalities have yet been reported. The current location of the spill is to the north of the main dugong habitats.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the work of the Plymouth marine laboratory of the Natural Environment Research Council in relation to the Gulf.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: The Plymouth marine laboratory of NERC has compiled an assessment of the likely biological effects of the Gulf oil spill, copies of which are available in the Library. We are continuing to seek its advice on this topic and to make its expertise and that of other United Kingdom marine environment science bodies known to the Gulf states.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which countries have donated defensive booms for work in the Gulf.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: According to the list provided by the International Maritime Organisation, equipment donated to the Gulf states for preventing oil pollution, recovering oil, or clean-up has so far been provided by Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest information from the International Maritime Organisation on the movement of oil slicks in the Gulf.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: The latest reports from the International Maritime Organisation indicate that a large slick remains positioned along the Saudi coast north of Abu Ali island with further patches of light oil between 10 and 60 miles offshore. Small amounts of oil continue to leak into the northern Gulf in Kuwaiti waters.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action is being taken to protect the sea grass in the Gulf.

[holding answer 21 March 1991 ]: The best prospect for protecting sea grass beds from the effects of the Gulf oil slick is likely to come from rapid recovery operations directed at the remaining oil floating on the surface before it breaks up and sinks. I described to the hon. Member on 15 March at column 1385–86 the UK's contribution to counter-pollution measures in the region.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what requests he has had from Gulf states for monitoring equipment for oil slick-related problems.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: The UK has had no direct requests from the Gulf states for equipment of this type.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research he is doing to establish the presence of dioxins in the Gulf; and whether the crude oil contains hydrogens.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: None directly, but the Meteorological Office research aircraft may be able to obtain relevant data on the composition of the plumes from the oil fires.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the dangers posed to human health of blue asbestos dust particles distributed in smoke from the fire at the railway carriage storage yard in Leicester on 10 March.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: An extensive monitoring programme was initiated by Leicester city council soon after the onset of the fire at the railway storage yard. No asbestos fibres were detected in any of the samples taken. It was concluded therefore that the risk to the general public from this incident was very low. It is recognised, however, that such fires involving asbestos cause concern and therefore the Department has sponsored research on this subject for some years. Updated advice on asbestos in fires has just been published by the Department in the revised edition of "Asbestos Materials in Buildings", a free copy of which was sent to all local authorities in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the work of the world conservation monitoring centre in Cambridge in relation to the Gulf.

:[holding answer 21 March 1991]: As I indicated to the honourable Member on 15 March at column 1384 I pay tribute to the work of the world conservation monitoring centre in Cambridge, who have carried out regular assessments of the ecological resources of the Gulf states and how the oil slick and smoke plumes are likely to affect them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funding has been given to the RSPCA team to train local volunteers in the cleaning of oiled birds in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs indicated in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) on 15 February 1991 at column 609, his Department provided the transport costs for the RSPCA team.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account is taken of the establishment of local authority care home trusts in the calculation of social services departments' standard spending assessments.

The standard spending assessment (SSA) for social services for the elderly includes as an indicator the proportion of elderly people in each social services authority resident in an independent, registered home. An increase in this proportion reduces an authority's SSA. This is because residents of independent homes do not receive financial assistance from local authorities. Where a care home trust is established the number of residents will be included in the independent homes indicator.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his practice to issue supplementary credit approvals only to those local authorities which have received European regional development fund support.

My Department issues supplementary credit approvals (SCAs) to local authorities for a variety of purposes. Authorities in receipt of European regional development fund support for projects falling within the other services block and the urban programme are eligible for SCAs associated with such projects. But SCAs are also available to all authorities undertaking certain types of project. For 1991–92, these include housing special programmes (such as estate action), urban initiatives and, within other services, a variety of initiatives concerned with waste disposal and environmental quality.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account he took of the level of European regional development fund receipts when calculating the credit levels within the other services block for local authorities.

The Government take anticipated European Community receipts into account at the national level when setting the level of public expenditure programmes, with the result that these programmes are higher than they would otherwise be.The majority of capital resources on the other services block are distributed between individual local authorities in the form of block allocations on the basis of formulae recommended by the local authority associations. No explicit account is taken in this distribution of whether expenditure may be financed in part through grant from the European Community. However, in addition, the Government are distributing £25 million of credit approvals within the other services block in 1990–91 to authorities in receipt of European regional development fund grant on projects falling within this block. For 1991–92, it is planned to distribute £45 million for such projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about delays in announcing his decision about the proposed gipsy site at Middlejoy, Somerset; what are the reasons for those delays; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received representations from six persons or bodies including the hon. Member. He will issue the decision on this difficult and controversial case as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total value of work carried out for the Property Services Agency at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich by CITEC Electric Ltd.; and when the company will receive payment.

[pursuant to the answer, 8 March 1991, Official Report, column 299]: The total value of work carried out for the Property Services Agency at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich by CITEC Electric Ltd. is £20,029·29 inclusive of VAT, which has been paid to the company in full.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what basis the Overseas Development Administration uses planned aid expenditure for 1990–91 rather than actual expenditure when calculating planned increases between the current financial year and future financial years.

As I explained to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley on 20 March at column 120, figures for actual expenditure in 1990–91 will not be available until autumn 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Sillars) on 15 March, Official Report, column 713, if he will place in the Library a copy of the programme of measures under the terms of the RENAVAL community programme which was submitted to the European Commission on 18 December 1990.

The programme is still the subject of discussion with the European Commission. I should be happy to send the hon. Member a copy of the programme when it has been approved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he made of the likely impact on the Scottish electricity industry of being bound to the nuclear energy agreement for a period of 15 years.

The nuclear energy agreement is central to the privatisation of the two Scottish electricity companies, securing abundant supplies of baseload nuclear power at stable market-related prices for the next 15 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to provide for private generators of electricity from renewable energy sources in Scotland that are unable to take advantage of the non-fossil fuel obligation which applies in England.

My right hon. Friend has no current plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what financial and other resources are being given to local authorities in order to promote crime prevention initiatives for Crime Prevention Week;(2) what financial and other resources are to be given to local voluntary groups for Crime Prevention Week; and if he will make a statement;(3) what financial and other resources are to be given to

[holding answer 21 March 1991]: The Crime Prevention Week is a Home Office initiative which does not extend to Scotland. Crime prevention publicity is undertaken in Scotland through the Secretary of State's crime prevention committee. The committee has recently developed a new national publicity campaign with a distinctly Scottish flavour. The first phase of the campaign, which ran for the whole of February, involved a new Scottish television commercial and extensive press advertising at national and local level to highlight the level of opportunistic crime and to promote the merits of domestic and vehicle security measures. Associated with the campaign is also a new Scottish version of the crime prevention handbook—"The Family Guide"—which is being widely distributed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has made on the effectiveness of the design of wing mirrors in the avoidance of accidents.

The Department has commissioned the Transport and Road Research Laboratory to investigate the effectiveness of wing mirrors as part of a wider research project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many advance works have been undertaken, are being undertaken and are planned to be undertaken on property along, and adjacent to, the route of the Government's proposed Mll motorway link in Leyton.

In addition to those referred to in my answer on 16 November (Vol. 180, column 233), work is to start shortly on modifications to the London Underground structures, Gainsborough road bridge and Whipps Cross tunnel. Noise insulation has been carried out on residential properties close to the bridge and tunnel works, and further homes will be offered secondary double glazing prior to the start of the main works. The advance diversion of services is almost complete.Internal work is being carried out in Leytonstone House hospital so that areas which will be adjacent to the road works can be vacated before construction begins on the Al2 link road between M11 and Hackney Wick.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will seek funding from the private sector, to be repaid from tolls, in order to meet the incremental cost of building a tunnel to accommodate the proposed extension to the M3 between Bar End arid Hockley Cross roads at Winchester.

No. We have no intention of reopening the joint decision by the Secretaries of State on this much-needed scheme which followed 20 years of debate and four public inquiries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provision he makes in assessing grant levels to London Regional Transport of the cost of promoting private Bills.

No separate provision is made for the cost of the promotion of private Bills when setting levels of grant for London Transport. These costs are included by London Transport in the total investment expenditure proposals which it puts forward in support of its requests for Government grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has concerning the accident, in which one person died, on the Holloway road in Islington on 8 March; and if he will make a statement on road safety on red routes.

The Metropolitan police are still investigating the circumstances of a fatal accident which occurred on a pedestrian crossing in Holloway road, south of Landseer road, in the afternoon of 8 March.Road safety will be included in the monitoring exercise for the red route pilot scheme to be carried out during 1991.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will seek a review of the judge's ruling in the case relating to the Zeebrugge ferry disaster; and if he will make a statement.

On 11 December 1990 I informed the legal representatives of all parties to the proceedings that I had decided, with the advice of leading counsel, that no point of law of general application arose warranting reference to the Court of Appeal under section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-British citizens of New Commonwealth origin, including British overseas citizens and British dependent territory citizens, are currently settled in the United Kingdom.

Information is available only on the number of citizens of New Commonwealth countries usually resident in Great Britain, excluding British overseas citizens and British dependent territories citizens. According to the labour force surveys there were about 540,000 such citizens in 1987–89, including students. Not all these persons will have settlement in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 142, to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), if he will list those categories of foreign nationals from countries from where immigrant arrivals in the United Kingdom normally need a visa for entry who are exempt; and on how many occasions a waiver dispensation has been instituted since 1979.

Details of the visa exemption scheme and the 10 nationalities to which it applies are set out in the document referred to in the answer of 6 February. Visa regimes incorporating the scheme have been introduced on five occasions. There is in addition a long-standing transit without visa concession for airline passengers booked on an onward flight within 24 hours. The concession does not, however, apply to nationals of Sri Lanka and Iraq, or to nationals of Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Turkey and Somalia if they seek to pass through immigration control.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority has any proposals for the reinstatement of the pump appliance at Woodford fire station, temporarily withdrawn on 31 March 1979;

(2) if he will provide details of the current disposition of reserve fire appliances in the London Fire Brigade;

(3) if his Department envisages any reduction in the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority's budgets for the financial year 1992–93; and if he will make a statement;

(4) if he has received any proposal from the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority for the reinstatement of a second operational fireboat in the London Fire Brigade.

It is for the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority, in the light of its statutory and fiscal responsibilities, to determine its budget for any financial year and the disposition of appliances and other resources consistent with the need to conform to the minimum nationally recommended standards of fire cover. It is not required to seek the Home Secretary's approval to reinstatement or increases in the number of appliances, reserves of which are currently understood to be 85 fire pumps (including 18 for training purposes) and 17 special appliances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action has been taken by the LFCDA to implement recommendations Nos. 26, 30 and 109 of the Fennell inquiry report on the London Fire Brigade;(2) what action has been taken by the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority to implement a review of sub-ground radio communications in the London Fire Brigade in line with the recommendation of the Fennell report.

The London Fire and Civil Defence Authority has updated its procedures and related training for handing over and assuming command during major incidents. A scheme to train operational personnel in fire prevention has been developed and is being implemented. The authority has also been working with London Underground Ltd. to improve sub-surface radio communications for firefighters. A programme of improvements includes the provision of a radio base station and associated work initially at 44 sub-surface railway stations and then to all others.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority has any proposals to implement a trial of a warbling mobilising system at fire stations in the London Fire Brigade.

It is understood that the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority, following a trial, has decided to replace electro-mechanical bells at fire stations with a system which produces a similar sound electronically.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority has any proposals to equip fire rescue unit appliances with geiger counters for use at incidents involving radiation.

Each of the six rescue tenders in the London Fire Brigade is equipped with three survey meters and one contamination meter. All front-line appliances are equipped with one dosimeter per firefighter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of fire stations in the London Fire Brigade, showing the establishment of (a) black and (b) female operational firefighters based at each fire station.

Information about ethnic minority and women operational firefighters in the London Fire Brigade is not collected in the form requested. The following information is contained in the brigade's establishment scheme in force on 1 January 1991, as notified to the Home Office by the chief fire officer:

London Fire Brigade: ethnic minority and women wholetime operational staff in post on 1 January 1991
	Number
Ethnic minorities
(a) Afro-Caribbean	1144
(b) Asian (Indian sub-continent)	30
(c) Other	54
Women	247

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will establish a nationwide police squad to co-ordinate the prevention and suppression of female circumcision; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans to do so. The police will continue to make every effort to enforce the law against this practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he is making under the terms of his Department's authorised disputes procedures for his trans-Pennine area manager for prisons to meet representatives of the Prison Officers Association before 1 April to discuss staffing levels at Her Majesty's prison, Wakefield.

A meeting under the national disputes procedure has been arranged for Tuesday 9 April. The Trans-Pennine area manager will attend this meeting along with national representatives of prison service management and the prison officers associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when there will be a decision on the case of Stuart Bower, the former West Yorkshire police officer.

My right hon. Friend hopes to reach a decision on the case shortly. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as a decision has been reached.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce his decision regarding mergers of petty sessional divisions in the county of Devon; and if he will treat this as a matter of urgency.

I hope to make an announcement very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether national health service trusts will report directly to their regional health authority rather than his Department.

National health service trusts will be accountable to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Parliament via the national health service management executive. They will not report directly to their regional health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will provide additional funding to Doncaster health authority to enable paediatric wards to be kept open.

Trent regional health authority is responsible for the allocation of funds to districts in its region. I understand that in 1991–92 Doncaster health authority will receive an initial cash allocation for its resident population which is 10·8 per cent. higher than it would have been in 1990–91 on a similar basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether tenancy agreements have now been entered into by the residents of the Bath health authority houses which were the subject of legal action brought by C. and G. Homes Ltd.

I understand that Bath district health authority hopes to complete the tenancy agreements in the week commencing 25 March 1991. There has been some delay because of the need to appoint signatories for several of the residents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement concerning the implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.

The Disabled Persons Act 1986 has been implemented with the exception of sections 1, 2 and 3 and sections 7, 8(2) and (3).Sections 1 and 2 would provide for the setting up of a formal system of authorised representatives to be appointed either by the disabled person himself or, if he is unable to do so due to physical or mental incapacity, by the local authority. Section 3 would require local authorities to give a disabled person or his authorised representative the right to make representations about the need for services, to be given on request a statement of the assessed needs and services to be provided, and to make representations about any such statement.Consultations with the local authority associations on what it would cost to implement these sections have been completed recently. The associations estimate these costs at about £28 million a year in England at November 1989 prices, including £18 million to establish and run a formal system of authorised representatives under all three sections.The objectives of these sections are to give disabled people a greater say in decisions affecting their ability to live independent lives in the community. We fully endorse those objectives and have taken great care to see that they are fully reflected in the provisions of the Children Act 1989 and the new arrangements for community care under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 and associated policy guidance.Under the provisions of the 1989 Children Act from 14 October 1991 disabled children will have the same protection which they enjoy currently only if they are taken into care. One of its key features is the emphasis on the need for parents, the child and others connected with the child to participate fully in decisions about service provision in partnership with local authorities. The Act also provides for a representations procedure with an independent element to consider complaints and other representations from parents, the child and others connected with the child.The new community care arrangements, which will be fully implemented by April 1993, have a wider scope than the Disabled Persons Act 1986 in that they cover all people affected by ageing or disability and give greater recognition to the needs of carers. They reflect and amplify sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons Act in a number of specific ways. From 1 April 1991 local authorities are required by directions under section 50 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act to have procedures for considering representations about needs and services. Anyone acting on behalf of a disabled person can make representations, including complaints, about needs and services, and local authorities are obliged to consider them.When the community care arrangements are fully implemented, local authorities will need to have in place assessment arrangements covering all community care needs. For people with communication difficulties arising from sensory impairment, mental incapacity or other disabilities local authorities have been advised that they will need to take positive steps to ensure that they can participate fully in the assessment process and in the determination of service provision. Written statements of the results of assessments and any services to be provided will be supplied on request. These requirements have been set out by the Department in the document "Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond: Policy Guidance" (HMSO, 1990).The Department is preparing good practice information and material designed to assist authorities to give effect to the community care policy guidance. This will include material on representation and advocacy including the development of local advocacy schemes. In addition, we are giving financial support to a number of voluntary organisations which assist disabled people to make representations about needs or services either through peer support or the provision of advocates or companions.Disabled people within the meaning of the 1986 Act will retain their right under section 4 of that Act to an assessment of needs and a decision on services and where a need for services under section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 has been established to have those services provided.In the context of these substantial and wide-ranging provisions which provide protection for disabled people, to impose on local authorities the additional requirements of sections 1, 2 and 3 could carry the danger of diverting resources into complex administrative arrangements at the expense of services. We have therefore decided not to implement these sections, but we will review the situation again in the light of experience of the new arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of local authority care homes which currently fail to meet the requirements of the Registered Homes Act 1984.

The Registered Homes Act does not apply to local authority residential care homes. Information about standards in local authority homes compared with those expected of registered homes is not collected by the Department. From April this year local authorities are required to have arms length inspection units charged with inspecting and reporting on both local authority and registrable independent residential care homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the capital expenditure required by local authorities to bring their care homes up to the physical standards required by his Department.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 24 January at column 294.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to make a statement on his policy towards care home trusts.

Further guidance to local authorities planning to transfer their residential care homes to trusts or other agencies will be issued soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list each local authority or health authority which has a policy of not sponsoring elderly persons resident in care or nursing homes; and if he will make a statement.

Returns submitted by local authorities to the Department indicate that all local authorities sponsor elderly people in independent sector residential care homes.We are not aware of any health authority which has a policy of not sponsoring elderly persons resident in nursing homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his latest estimate of the average unit cost of bed spaces in (a) local authority residential homes, (b) private care homes, (c) private nursing homes and (d) voluntary homes for elderly persons.

The information requested is not available. The gross cost per place filled (excluding capital charges) for local authorities' own residential care homes for elderly people is given in table F17 of "Key Indicators of Local Authority Social Services" publication. The latest available information is for 1988–89; a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons have been given to him by King's college hospital for the late notification to his Department of the abortion of the King's college baby in September 1989.

The legal responsibility for notifying a termination of pregnancy to the Chief Medical Officer lies with the doctor who performed the termination and not with the hospital. Several terminations were performed at King's college hospital during September 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names, addresses and qualifications of the directors of the North Middlesex hospital trust.

The names of the chairmen and non-executives of the North Middlesex National Health Service trust are available from the Library.Non-executive directors are chosen for the personal contribution they can make to the effective management of the trust rather than for particular formal qualifications they hold. The chief executive is appointed by the chairman and non-executive directors. Other executive directors are appointed by the chairman, the non-executive directors and the chief executive and the appointments are thus a matter for the trust itself. The qualifications for executive directors are laid down in the National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990 paragraph 4. (S.I. 1990, No. 2024).Information about the chief executive and other executive directors can be obtained from the chairman.

Expenditure by Regional and District Health Authorities 1989–90
	Expenditure on headquarters administration
Region	Regional health authorities	District health authorities	Region totals	Region total expenditure (current and capital)	Total regional expenditure on headquarters administration as a proportion of region total expenditure
	£000 (cash)	£000 (cash)	£000 (cash)	£000 (cash)	per cent.
Northern	7,475	30,429	37,904	930,953	4·07
Yorkshire	10,706	35,213	45,919	1,057,434	4·34
Trent	11,498	35,111	46,609	1,317,573	3·54
East Anglian	8,140	16,761	24,901	570,319	4·37
North West Thames	9,119	38,050	47,169	1,152,671	4·09
North East Thames	13,065	47,480	60,545	1,396,890	4·33
South East Thames	15,044	42,846	57,890	1,220,095	4·74
South West Thames	13,720	30,713	44,433	998,521	4·45
Wessex	6,244	26,586	32,830	824,042	3·98
Oxford	4,704	22,511	27,215	645,267	4·22
South Western	8,000	30,223	38,223	952,665	4·01
West Midlands	18,019	46,946	64,965	1,504,619	4·32
Mersey	6,044	25,640	31,684	751,098	4·22
North Western	12,356	41,094	53,450	1,253,376	4·26

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will request the United Nations Security Council to authorise an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly under the provisions of United Nations resolution 377A(V) to deal with the diplomatic resolution of the Gulf war.

There is no need for an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the Gulf crisis. Nor is there any basis under the United Nations Charter for General Assembly action. The Security Council has fully exercised its charter responsibility for international peace and security throughout the crisis, and remains actively seized of the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the administrative costs of running the headquarters of each regional health authority in England including staffing and maintenance costs but excluding service delivery functions such as ambulance and blood transfusion services.

[holding answer 5 February 1991]: Figures derived from the 1989–90 annual accounts of the regional and district health authorities in England are shown in the table. Regions are managed in an integrated way and it would be misleading to interpret regional health authority data in isolation from that for the districts they manage. The region totals provide a more valid picture.With the variety of management and support functions provided by regional and district health authorities it is not practicable to exclude those costs at headquarters levels which are more directly concerned with the operational management of service delivery.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made to exchange civil prisoners with Egypt.

We are negotiating a prison transfer agreement with Egypt that would enable prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country.The Egyptians are still considering the matter. We shall continue to press them for an agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if her Majesty's Government will increase its grant to the United Kingdom United Nations Association.

After careful consideration of all the applications for grants-in-aid, against the background of available resources, a further sum of £24,000 was agreed for the UNA for the financial year 1991–92, subject to parliamentary approval. We have no plans to increase this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Galbraith) of 13 November 1990, Official Report, columns 115–16, if he will update the capacity figures for Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil refineries following the Gulf war.

The total refining capacities for Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil refineries, which I gave the hon. Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Galbraith) in my answer of 13 November 1990 at col. 115, remain unchanged following the Gulf war. We do not yet know, however, to what extent the operational capabilities of the refineries in Kuwait may have been damaged during hostilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet non-governmental organisations on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation issues.

I plan to host a meeting with non-governmental organisations on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation issues on 14 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communication Her Majesty's ambassador in Cairo has had recently with Mrs. Maureen Paleschi, currently in prison.

Consular officers from the embassy at Cairo visit Mrs. Paleschi regularly, most recently on 5 March 1991 when the consul found her well and in good spirits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in respect of the case for elections to determine the representatives of the Palestinians; and what estimate has been made of the effect of such elections on creating delay in the holding of an international conference on the middle east.

We support proposals for a dialogue between Israel and representative Palestinians. They could discuss among other things possible arrangements for elections in the occupied territories. This could be a useful step in preparing for an international conference which we think will be needed at the appropriate time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Canadian Government expressing opposition to any increase in seal culling.

We have no plans to do so as we are not aware of any Canadian plans for seal culling outside accepted international conservation practices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 15 March, Official Report, column 716, to the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) on contacts with opposition groups in Iraq, what information he has on opposition groups' proposals for the franchise as part of proposed democratic reforms.

The Iraqi opposition envisage free and fair multi-party elections under universal adult suffrage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has for giving practical assistance to the Kurdish population of Iraq.

We are co-operating closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross in its admirable efforts to provide humanitarian assistance throughout Iraq, including in areas not controlled by Saddam Hussein's regime.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings he has had with Ministers and other high officials from the autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics.

None, although we are keen to expand our links with all authorities in the Soviet Union where this would bring practical benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Office's East African Department will acknowledge or reply to letters sent on 4 December 1990, 10 December 1990, and 26 February 1991, by Messrs. Owston and Co. Solicitors, 44 Long street, Wigston, Leicestershire, in relation to the case of Mr. A. C. Patel of Westfield avenue, Wigston Fields, Leicestershire.

Messrs Owston & Co. were sent a reply to their letters on 20 March. The issues raised in the correspondence are not straightforward and involve consultation with a number of others both inside and outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information his Department maintains on the size of work forces of different employers, or of the largest work forces, in individual travel-to-work areas or constituencies.

The information held by my Department reflects the PAYE arrangements of employers. Large employers provide separate returns on numbers of employees covered by each PAYE scheme. We have no means of aggregating returns in respect of different PAYE schemes for a particular employer.

To ask the Secretary of Stale for Employment whether there are any age limits on entry into the employment training scheme; and whether he has any plans to introduce an age limit.

People aged 18–59 inclusive are eligible to enter ET if they meet the qualifying conditions set out in the contract between the Secretary of State and training and enterprise councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training places funded or partly funded by his Department were available, and how many filled, in the parliamentary constituency of Tottenham in January 1989, January 1990 and January 1991.

The information requested is not available for the parliamentary constituency of Tottenham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he intends to ensure that Government Departments pay small business suppliers promptly.

All Government Departments are committed to ensuring that the timing of payment is normally stipulated in all contracts. If, however, there is no contractual provision or other understanding or accepted practice governing the timing of payment, departments' practice is to pay within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice or similar demand for payment, whichever is the later.I also draw attention to the recent CBI/Cork Gully survey which found that national public sector bodies cause less significant problems than large private sector firms. Indeed, of those who deal with such bodies, a significant proportion of respondents said they cause no problem.However, we are not complacent about this record. During the 1991–92 financial year major spending Departments will be monitoring their payment performance and will make an annual return to my Department. The results will he published.