To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to make it mandatory for all heavy goods vehicles of over 7·5 tonnes gross vehicle weight to he fitted with speed limiters.

The Department has consulted about a proposal to require new heavy goods vehicles of more than 7·5 tonnes gross vehicle weight to be fitted with speed limiters, to ensure that these vehicles cannot be driven at more than 60 mph, their motorway speed limit. I am considering the response to this consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many HGV drivers lost their licences at the age of 45, 50, 55 and 60 years respectively, in each of the last three years; and if he will give the figures by disease or illness for each category in each year.

Prior to 1 April 1991 decisions on fitness to hold these licences were a matter for the statutorily independent traffic commissioners. Separate statistics relating to decisions taken on medical ground have been maintained since 1988. These are set out below. Details of the ages of the drivers concerned or the medical conditions in question are not available.

	April 1988 to March 1989	April 1989 to March 1990	April 1990 to March 1991
Refusals	1,735	2,391	1—
Suspensions	706	783	1—
Revocations	2,462	1,716	1—
1 Figures not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of road traffic accidents and the numbers of injuries and deaths that have taken place on the stretch of the A19 which passes through the Easington constituency for 1990–91; and if he will make a statement.

For the section of the A19 within the Easington constituency the accident figures available for 1990 are as follows.

	Number
Number of road traffic accidents	16
Number of personal injuries	30
Number of deaths	2

The accident rate is higher than I would wish although it is lower than the national average for similar trunk roads.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects work to be commenced on the A6 trunk road pelican crossing between Kibworth Harcourt and Kibworth Beauchamp in Leicestershire; and if the consultations by his Department with the local people concerned are yet completed.

Responses to the Department's proposals are still awaited from Kibworth Harcourt and Kibworth Beauchamp parish councils. I would expect construction work to begin about six months after the satisfactory conclusion of the consultation with local bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to install roadside lighting along that stretch of the A 19 running through the Easington constituency; and if he will make a statement.

The installation of roadside lighting on the A 19 between Murton and Easington is planned for this financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will outline the rights of parents of children who have been refused admission to the secondary school of their choice after they have lost their appeal to the local council.

Parents have a right to appeal to an appeal committee, which is independent of the local council, against the council's decision as to the school their child should attend. If their appeal is unsuccessful they may complain to the Secretary of State, who can intervene if he believes that the council has acted unreasonably in refusing to admit the child to the parents' preferred school. "Unreasonably" in this context has the meaning given to it in administrative law: a body has acted unreasonably in this sense if it has acted in a way in which no sensible body, bearing in mind its statutory responsibilities, could decide to act.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what sums have been pledged by ADT in respect of the city technology college, Wandsworth; and on what dates and in what amounts these sums are due.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the dates and amounts of funds actually paid over by ADT in respect of their sponsorship of the city technology college, Wandsworth; in what form such payments have been made; and to whom the payments have been made.

ADT plc has agreed to pay £1 million and to underwrite a further £700,000 as their contribution of the capital costs for establishing the Wandsworth city technology college. A schedule of payments is being drawn up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he is making to the problems of the lack of qualified science teachers in respect of science key stages 1 and 3.

We have taken measures to improve the supply of teachers in shortage areas. A number of these are targeted specifically at science, including the extension of the initial teacher training bursary to biology as well as chemistry and physics courses, support for the development of distance learning materials in physics, chemistry and primary science, teaching taster courses and the undergraduate work experience scheme.In the current financial year, the Government are making specific grants to support local authority expenditure of some £170 million for the implementation of the national curriculum. It is for local education authorities to apply for these grants, to identify needs and priorities and to direct spending towards them. However, £10 million of this total is earmarked for courses for teachers of maths and science in primary schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he is taking to increase the number of school laboratory technicians.

Under local management of schools, the governing bodies of schools take their own decisions on staffing matters. The Government are confident that governors are best placed to take decisions including the appropriate deployment of resources between teaching and non-teaching staff, and the nature of the non-teaching staff to be appointed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children whose homes are in Scotland are being educated at specialist schools for children with speech and language disorders in England.

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to improve implementation of the prison service's race relations policies; and if he will make a statement.

The prison service is committed to the elimination of racial discrimination in all aspects of its work. This is clearly set out in the service's public policy statement, which emphasises the need to treat all prisoners fairly and without discrimination.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the conclusion of his consultations with interested parties about possible changes to the list drawn up for the purposes of section 182 of the Broadcasting Act 1990.

Following consultation with broadcasters, the rights holders of the events concerned, the Sports Council and the Central Council of Physical Recreation I have drawn up a list including eight events. They are:

1. Cricket Test matches involving England

2. The Derby horse race

3. The FIFA World cup finals

4. The FA cup final.

5. The Grand National horse race

6. The Olympic games

7. The finals weekend of the Wimbledon tennis championships and any subsequent days if the championship overruns

8. Additionally in Scotland, the Scottish FA cup final.

The Commonwealth games when held in the United Kingdom and the Oxford and Cambridge boat race have both been removed from the list, as have all but the finals weekend of the Wimbledon tennis championships.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has reviewed the arrangements for visa nationals who travel abroad and return during a period of leave in the United Kingdom.

At present, a visa national who intends to leave the United Kingdom for a visit abroad and then to return before the expiry of his current leave can obtain a re-entry visa from the Home Office. However, because re-entry visas are issued without substantive consideration of applications, they do not contribute to immigration control and I am not satisfied that they represent an effective use of resources. Furthermore, because returning visitors are eligible to receive a fresh six months' leave on each admission, a visa national can in theory prolong a visit indefinitely and without effective scrutiny through repeated use of re-entry visas. I have therefore decided that re-entry visas will no longer be issued with effect from 16 May 1991 and that alternative arrangements should be made.In recent years it has been the practice, when introducing a new visa regime, to provide an exemption for visa nationals who are settled here or have been admitted for work, study or other long-term purposes. The visa exemption scheme, currently limited to 11 visa nationalities, is functioning satisfactorily and there is no longer any reason why its scope should remain confined in this way. I am therefore laying before Parliament today immigration rules changes to extend the scheme to all visa nationalities. From 16 May any visa national who is settled here and returns after an absence of not more than two years, or has been granted a limited leave of more than six months and returns before the expiry date of that leave, will benefit from the exemption.Visitors will remain outside the scope of the exemption scheme. However, in order to provide increased flexibility for those who plan to travel abroad and return during a

Year	Current balance (1) £ million	Balance on trade in oil (2) £ million	Non-North sea current balance1 (3) £ million	Non-North sea current balance as a percentage of non-North sea money GDP2 3 (4)
1970	821	-496	1,317	2·5
1971	1,114	-691	1,805	3·1
1972	203	-665	868	1·3
1973	-998	-944	-54	-0·1
1974	-6,822	-3,360	-3,462	-4·1
1975	-1,525	-3,062	1,537	1·5
1976	-772	-3,952	3,180	2·6
1977	53	-2,775	2,828	2·0
1978	1,123	-1,989	3,112	1·9
1979	-453	-737	284	0·1
1980	2,843	308	2,535	1·1
1981	6,748	3,105	3,643	1·5
1982	4,649	4,639	10	0·0
1983	3,787	6,972	-3,185	-1·1
1984	1,832	6,933	-5,101	-1·7
1985	2,738	8,101	-5,363	-1·6
1986	-66	4,070	-4,136	-1·1
1987	-4,322	4,183	-8,505	-2·1
1988	-15,542	2,797	-18,339	-4·0
1989	-19,904	1,303	-21,207	-4·2
1990	-12,794	1,576	-14,370	-2·7
Forecast £ billion4
1991	-6	+1	-7	-1
1 Defined as col. 1 less col. 2.
2 Non-North sea GDP is the average measure of GDP at current market prices less the value added of the extraction of mineral oil and natural gas industry.
1Based on non-North sea money GDP figures adjusted to remove the distortion caused by the abolition of domestic rates.
4Source: consistent with financial statement and Budget report 1991–92.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a table showing, for each calendar year from 1970 to 1990 inclusive, (a) the non-oil current account surplus or deficit, (b) non-oil money GDP, (c)(a) above as a percentage of (b) above;(2) if he will publish a table showing, for each year from 1970 to 1990 inclusive, plus the Budget forecast for 1991, the non-oil current account surplus or deficit expressed as a percentage of non-oil GDP.

[holding answer 15 April 1991]: The annual values for the years 1970 to 1990 of the current account balance less the balance of trade in oil are shown in the table, together with these current balance values expressed as a percentage of non-North sea gross domestic product. Non-North sea GDP is not published as a separate series. There is no standard definition of the non-oil current balance; the measure shown here does not take account of the full impact of the oil industry, nor would it be feasible to do so.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on farm prices for the current year.

Negotiations are continuing on the European Commission's proposals for agricultural prices for the 1991–92 marketing years; the Agriculture Council next meets on 22 and 23 April.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in how many herds of cattle brucellosis has been identified in the current year; how many heads of cattle have been destroyed; what is the basis of compensation for cattle killed as a result of this identification of brucellosis; and if he will make a statement on the extent of brucellosis and the measures taken to curtail it.

In Great Britain, no case of brucellosis has been confirmed this year and so far one animal has been slaughtered as a reactor. In Northern Ireland, brucellosis has been confirmed in two herds, and 36 reactors and 196 contact animals have been slaughtered.Compensation for reactors is paid at 75 per cent. of market value, subject to a ceiling.The United Kingdom is officially brucellosis free under community criteria, and qualifies for blood testing to be carried out only every two years.

To ask the Prime Minister when he will be replying to the letter of 19 March from the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North on the subject of the campaign for non-payment of the poll tax by a prospective parliamentary candidate.

A reply to the hon. Member has been sent today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average time taken by the rent officer service for Wales to deal with applications made to them under (a) section 70 of the Rent Act 1977 and (b) section 121 of the Housing Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what increase there has been in personnel employed in the rent officer service in Wales since the introduction of the Housing Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Fifteen.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is now able to dissolve the English residuary water authorities.

My right hon. Friend has today dissolved by order the residuary Anglian, Northumbrian, North West, Severn-Trent, Wessex and Yorkshire water authorities. He will dissolve the remaining authorities as soon as they have discharged their functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the report by the head of the meteorological research flight on the Hercules flight through the smoke plume in the Gulf.(2) what has been the assessment of the meteorological research flight in relation to

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 April, Official Report, Vol. 189, columns 65–66, and to the related documents which have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been received from Iran about oil-black rain and oil-black snow.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 28 March, Official Report, columns 538–39, to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks), what interim assessments he has had from the United Nations Environment Programme for a comprehensive assessment of environmental damage in the Gulf.

None so far. I understand that implementation of the 90-day programme for the comprehensive assessment proposed by UNEP has now begun, but it is too early to make a substantive report on progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when local authorities are to be compensated in respect of the statutory reduction of community charges; and if he will make a statement.

A new grant is to be paid to local authorities to reimburse them for the loss of community charge income arising from the provisions of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991. Payment of this grant will be made in 10 monthly instalments of 9 per cent. commencing in April on the basis of an estimate of the income forgone by each authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of (a) the total costs of administration of the community charge in England in 1990–91 and (b) the costs of the administration of the rates in 1989–90.

[holding answer 16 April 1991]: Local authorities budgeted to spend £440 million on the administration of the community charge in 1990–91. This compares with £200 million for the collection of both domestic and non-domestic rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the average reduction in 1991–92 in community charges resulting from the provisions of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Bill for all those entitled to a reduction under the community charge reduction scheme prior to the enactment of the Bill.

[holding answer 15 April 1991]: Following the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act and the improvements to the community charge reduction scheme, the average reduction in net charge payable after community charge benefit in England, for those who were previously within the scope of the community charge reduction scheme as already planned for 1991–92, is estimated at £86. For those with no entitlement to community charge benefit the average reduction is estimated at £113.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many community charge payers he estimates will benefit, net of rebates and the community charge reduction scheme, from the provisions of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Bill by (a) £140, (b) £120 to £140, (c) £100 to £120, (d) £80 to £100 and (e) less than £80; and in each case, how many are (i) pensioners and (ii) income support recipients.

[holding answer 15 April 1991]: The Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991 provides for headline community charges everywhere to be reduced by £140, or to zero where the charge set is less than that figure. About 20 million chargepayers in England will additionally receive help from the community charge reduction scheme and/or through community charge benefit.Both the community charge reduction scheme and community charge benefit help people meet their headline community charges and reduce the amount falling to be paid. The community charge reduction scheme limits increases between 1989–90 rates and community charge liabilities in 1991–92. Community charge benefit helps those with low incomes. It follows that when the headline charge is reduced, the amount of help a person needs to meet the headline charge is also reduced.For example, a person on income support would only have to pay 20 per cent. of the community charge as reduced by £140 and any entitlement under the community charge reduction scheme, CCRS. If their original charge was £400, and if there were no entitlement to CCRS, the charge after benefit would have been £80; after the £140 reduction the headline charge is £260 and the charge payable is £52. The 35 per cent. reduction in net charge is the same as the percentage reduction in headline charge.The information requested is given in the table below:

Reduction in payment per year	Charge payers (millions)	Pensioners (millions)
(a) £140 plus	14·2	1·9
(b) £120 to £139·99	1·7	0·2
(c) £100 to £119·99	2·2	0·3
(d) £80 to £99·99	2·9	0·5
(e) less than £80	14·6	5·0

All 4 million individuals in England on income support are entitled to maximum community charge benefit and hence fall in category

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates the average community charge will be in England in 1991–92 (a) before the effects of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Bill and (b) after the reduction provided for in the Bill, in both cases giving figures (i) gross of the community charge reduction scheme and rebates, (ii) net of the community charge reduction scheme but gross of rebates and (iii) net of the community charge reduction scheme and rebates.

[holding answer 15 April 1991]: The information requested is as follows:

	£
(a) Before Community Charges (General Reduction) Act
(i) Average charge (gross)	392
(ii) Average charge less community charge reduction scheme	340
(iii) Average charge less community charge reduction scheme and community charge benefit	285
(b) After Community Charges (General Reduction) Act and revision to community charge reduction scheme
(i) Average charge (gross)	252
(ii) Average charge less community charge reduction scheme	220
(iii) Average charge less community charge reduction scheme and community charge benefit	187

Taking account of the allowance in income support for the 20 per cent. minimum contribution, the estimated average charge in England is reduced to less than £175. Charges have been calculated without allowing for reduction in charges due to capping.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to make a decision on the inspectors' report into a planning application for a concrete batching plant at Monnery road, London N19; and if he will make a statement.

A decision is expected shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on action being taken to end environmental destruction in the Gulf region.

[holding answer 16 April 1991]: I listed the actions which the United Kingdom had taken to help alleviate the effects of oil pollution in the Gulf in my reply to the motion tabled by the hon. Member for Linlithgow on 15 March, Official Report, Vol. 187, columns 1384–91. Since then, the Government have continued to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Gulf states. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was accompanied on his recent visit to Kuwait by a team of experts to advise on the capabilities which United Kingdom industry could offer for extinguishing oil fires and capping the wells. The Government are also making available to the Gulf states an assessment of the health and environment effects of those fires. In relation to the coastal oil slick, part of the £1 million which the United Kingdom has contributed to the International Maritime Organisation is being deployed to clean up Karan island, a key Gulf breeding site for green turtles.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's estimate of the number of homeless people on 1 January of each year since 1981 who are sleeping in (a) bed and breakfast accommodation, (b) hostels and (c) other temporary accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 April 1991]: Information on homeless households for whom local authorities have accepted a statutory duty to secure accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1985 is reported quarterly to the Department.Estimates of the number of such households, including some on whom inquiries had not yet been completed, in each type of temporary accommodation at 31 December of each year since 1980 are as follows:

	Bed and breakfast	Hostels1	Other
1980	1,330	3,380	..
1981	1,520	3,320	..
1982	1,640	3,500	4,200
1983	2,700	3,400	3,740
1984	3,670	3,990	4,640
1985	5,360	4,730	5,830
1986	8,990	4,610	7,190
1987	10,370	5,150	9,240
1988	10,970	6,240	12,890
1989	11,480	8,020	18,400
1990	11,130	9,010	25,030
1 Including women's refuges.
.. Not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government about plans to build new housing units for Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian west bank.

We continue to make very clear to the Israelis that we oppose all such activity. Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, including east Jerusalem, are in our view illegal and an obstacle to the search for peace.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance has been given to Turkey to alleviate the problem of Kurdish refugees from Iraq; what assistance has been given to the Kurds within Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the plight of the Kurdish people of Iraq.

We have contributed £20 million in response to the United Nations and other international appeals for help to Iraqui refugees. This money is for use in Turkey, Iran and Iraq and other affected countries. We have also contributed three Hercules aircraft and nine Chinook helicopters to assist with the delivery of relief supplies. This is at a cost of some £1 million per week.We remain concerned at the plight of the Iraqi refugees and determined to play our full part in meeting their needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the question of human rights was discussed at his recent meeting in Peking; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the subject of human rights, and in particular the present situation in Tibet, with both Mr. Qian Qichen, the Chinese Foreign Minister, and Mr. Jiang Zemin, the General Secretary. He referred to a list of cases of particular concern compiled by Amnesty International. We have made regular representations to the Chinese authorities, both bilaterally and with our EC partners, about reported human rights abuses in China.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken concerning the imprisonment of Catholic priests and clergy of other denominations in China at the most recent date.

We regularly make representations to the Chinese about these matters. EC ambassadors in Peking made a demarche on this subject last year and my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also raised it on his visit to Peking in July last year.On his recent visit to Peking, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs reminded the Chinese authorities of our general concern about reports of human rights abuses. He referred to a list of cases of particular concern, which included a number of people imprisoned for their religious beliefs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the question of religious freedom in Hong Kong after the handover to China in 1997 was discussed during his recent visit to Peking.

This question did not arise during the recent discussions that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had with the Chinese Government. The Sino-British joint declaration and the Basic Law both make provision for the continuation of freedom of religious belief and practice in Hong Kong after 1997. In addition, the international covenant on civil and political rights, article 18 of which covers religious freedom, will, under the joint declaration and Basic Law, continue to apply to Hong Kong after 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to China.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Thorne) on 15 April, in Official Report, Vol. 189, columns 111–12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what considerations persuaded the coalition to allow Iraq to use helicopter gunships after the peace treaty; and if he will make a statement.

At the meeting between General Schwarzkopf and the Iraqi military authorities on 3 March on the suspension of hostilities, the use of fixed wing combat aircraft by Iraq was prohibited. No limitation was placed on the use of helicopters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will raise in the European Community the special need for additional funds for emergency relief in Africa.

The need for additional funds for emergency relief in Africa was discussed, at our request, at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 15 April. The principle of further emergency aid was agreed. Detailed proposals will be presented by the Commission as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government and the European Community have taken to provide additional food supplies to Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Since the first clear indications of the serious food situation in Africa became apparent in September 1990, the United Kingdom has committed 158,000 tonnes of food aid. I also announced at the beginning of this week an additional £30 million of non-food emergency and relief assistance in Africa. The need for additional funds for Africa was discussed by EC Foreign Ministers on 15 April, and detailed proposals are expected to be agreed soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how much the total number of training places available through employment training has been reduced in the Northumberland area over the last two years.

The information requested is not available. There have been boundary changes and a change in the way data have been collected over the past two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list the current members of the Health and Safety Commission and give the relevent experience of each member; how many of the commission are females; and what percentage of the total membership they comprise.

The Health and Safety Commission consists of the following members, including the chairman, with their relevant experience:

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current maximum level of payment per trainee being made by training enterprise councils to agencies providing skill and vocational training to the young, and of this how much is due to the trainee and agency, respectively.

Payments to providers of youth training are a matter for negotiation between them and the training and enterprise councils. Trainees who are not employed must receive a weekly training allowance of at least £29·50 when they are aged 16, and at least £35·00 when they are aged 17 and above.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's review of career guidance, announced in May 1990.

I have no plans to place a copy of my Department's internal review of the careers service in the Library. I wrote on March 27 to the local authority associations, the chairmen of TECs, the CBI and the TUC seeking their views on a consultative paper on the future of the careers service. A copy of this consultative paper has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the net income after the Budget proposals have come into effect (i) after housing costs of a married man with children aged 13 to 16 years earning (a) £104 and (b) £105 per week, (ii) of a married man with children aged three, eight and 11 years paying average rent and rates as used in the tax benefit model tables earning (a) £65 per week and (b) £80 per week, (iii) after benefits of a married man with children aged four and six years earning (a) £60 per week gross and (b) £140 per week gross (iv) under current tax and benefit structure of a married man with children aged three, eight and 11 years with gross earnings of (a) £65 per week and (b) £105 per week and (v) under the current tax and benefit structure of a married man with children aged four and six years earning (a) £80 per week and (b) £90 per week.

The information is set out in the tables. All assumptions are as set out in the published tax-benefit model tables. For the purposes of these examples, it has been assumed that housing costs remain static irrespective of the level of gross earnings. Each family is assumed to live in council property appropriate to its size and to pay estimated average rent and community charge. Total net income is the product of the interaction of income-related benefits and the tax system at any given level of gross earnings. In the tables relating to the situation after the Budget proposals have come into effect, average rents are provisional 1991–92 figures and community charge has been assessed at £250 per annum. Any relevant changes announced in the Budget, including the increase in child benefit which will take effect in October, have also been incorporated. Those relating to the situation before the Budget use benefit rates in force before the April uprating.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will explain, as precisely as the information available permits, how the 1977 upratings of child dependency increases and war widows' children's allowances, respectively, were calculated; and what amounts were paid out in respect of these allowances in 1977 and at the latest available date.

In November 1977 the rates of child dependency increases of benefit for the first child in a family and war widows' children's allowance were increased by 14·5 per cent. in line with the general up-rating of long-term benefits. The rates of child dependency increases for the second and any subsequent child in a family were calculated by reducing the rate payable for the first child by the 50p differential between the rate of child benefit payable for the first child and that payable for any other child.On the basis of the information available, expenditure on child dependency increases of benefit in the financial year 1977–78 is estimated to have been in the region of £230 million, of which about £90 million was for child dependency increases of short-term benefits. Since 1984, child dependency increases of short-term benefits have been payable only where the beneficiary has reached state pension age. Equivalent expenditure in the last financial year, 1990–91, is estimated to have been £158 million. Information on expenditure on war widows' children's allowances is not available as no records were kept of the numbers receiving the two levels of allowance then payable; expenditure in 1990–91 was about £1·7 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the cash limits of the social fund for 1991–92 applied to the Peterlee and Seaham offices for 1991–92 and the estimated expenditure on discretionary grants and loans for 1990–91.

Details of the district office budget allocations for 1991–92 and monthly local office expenditure up to February 1991, the latest figures available, are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the level of expenditure on social security each year since 1979, both in cash terms and at 1990–91 prices, excluding expenditure on unemployment benefit, income support for the unemployed and their families and other expenditure on the unemployed; and what has been the percentage change in real terms each year and cumulatively.

Details of total social security spending from 1978–79 to 1990–91, excluding the amount spent on unemployed people, are given in the table. The table is as follows:

	Expenditure £ million
	Cash	1990–91 prices	Percentage change in real terms	Cumulative percentage change
1978–79	15,228	38,416	—	—
1979–80	18,146	39,234	2·13	2·13
1980–81	21,221	38,774	-1·17	0·96
1981–82	24,941	41,558	7·18	8·14
1982–83	27,989	43,544	4·78	12·92
1983–84	31,180	46,364	6·48	19·40
1984–85	33,630	46,590	2·64	22·04
1985–86	36,525	49,023	3·01	25·05
1986–87	39,533	51,283	4·61	29·66
1987–88	42,292	52,084	1·56	31·22
1988–89	44,483	50,985	-2·11	29·11
1989–90	48,380	52,129	2·24	31·35
1990–91	54,149	54,149	3·88	35·23

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) council tenants and (b) private tenants in Lambeth were in receipt of housing benefit at the end of February based on claims for refund of housing benefit by his Department to Lambeth.

This information has not yet been received from Lambeth council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will investigate the delay in carrying out elective coronary surgery in the Lothian health board area.

I have made substantial extra resources available to Lothian for cardiac surgery. Last year, the number of operations increased and waiting lists fell by 5·4 per cent. I will however give further consideration to the programme in the light of the hon. Members' representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to promote employment prospects in the Ravenscraig district.

The Lanarkshire working group, which I supervise, is identifying the constraints to regenerating the Lanarkshire economy and the measures necessary to overcome these constraints. I expect the group to put forward its recommendations for economic development measures, including job creation projects, around the end of this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement on the future of the poll tax.

I refer to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (Sir R. Johnston).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the cost of implementing the Government's new proposals for local government finance.

A consultation paper on the Government's proposed new local taxation system will be issued shortly. Until the proposals have been finalised, it will not be possible to estimate the costs of implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will next meet COSLA to discuss local government finance.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend earlier today to the hon. Members for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) and for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (Mr. Hogg).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year from 1967–68 to 1991–92 the aggregate grant percentage for rate/revenue support grant.

The percentages for 1975–76 to 1991–92 of rate/revenue support grant to actual relevant expenditure are shown in the table. Figures for earlier years are not readily available.

	RSG as a percentage of relevant expenditure
1975–76	52·2
1976–77	61·0
1977–78	60·4
1978–79	57·4
1979–80	51·6
1980–81	49·6
1981–82	53·7
1982–83	55·7
1983–84	55·0
1984–85	51·0
1985–86	48·4
1986–87	47·2
1987–88	47·1
1988–89	46·7
1989–90	48·1
1990–91	48·3
1991–92	48·0

1. Total relevant expenditure figures include loan and leasing charges.2. Rate/revenue support grant figures represent the original amounts of RSG awarded.3. No account has been taken of specific grants payable to local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the estimated cost of collecting local authority taxes in (a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

Based on local authorities' own budget estimates for 1991–92, the cost of collecting the community charge and non-domestic rates will be £47·4 million. The comparable information for 1992–93 and 1993–94 will not be available until local authorities have submitted their budget estimates for those years.Full account has been taken in successive aggregate external finance settlements of the costs incurred by local authorities in collecting both the community charge and non-domestic rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of expenditure by Scottish local authorities in connection with the administration of the community charge for 1991–92.

Based on local authorities' own budget estimates, the cost of community charge registration and collection in 1991–92 will be £61·6 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further progress the Government have made in their review of the poll tax.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Scotland and Wales will be issuing a consultation paper shortly on the Government's proposals to introduce a new local tax to replace the community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of the latest changes in local government funding in Scotland.

The Scottish share of the cost of the step change in the level of central Government funding for local authorities announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 19 March is around £490 million gross. The net cost, after taking into account changes to the community charge reduction scheme and community charge benefit will be about £380 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the average level of poll tax is expected to be in the coming year.

Following the passage of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991, the average personal community charge in Scotland for this year is £253 and the average combined personal and water charge is £282.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with local authorities about the financing of local government.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Local Government and I met representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on 8 April to discuss a range of local government finance issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has plans to meet the Scottish Fishermen's Federation to discuss the tie-up scheme; and if he will make a statement.

I have arranged to meet representatives of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation on 23 April 1991 to discuss their concerns about the Scottish fishing industry in general.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to discuss unemployment.

Meetings with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are normally undertaken by me and my noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for the highlands and islands respectively. We both had contact with the bodies which fall within our responsibilities earlier this month. The Secretary of State has had opportunities for discussion with the chairmen of both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise during the past two months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the chairman of Scottish Enterprise to discuss training and employment.

My right hon. Friend met the chairman of Scottish Enterprise on 26 February and I met the chairman on 2 April. On both occasions a wide range of subjects relevant to Scottish Enterprise was discussed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from shop stewards on the future of the steel works at Ravenscraig, Clydesdale and Dalzell.

Since the beginning of last year, Scottish Office Ministers have held seven meetings with trade union representatives from the Scottish steel industry. At these meetings, the unions made representations in support of the case for investment to secure the future of the Scottish plants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the letter of 13 March of the Minister of State, Scottish Office to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, what requests he has had from UNICEF or the World Health Organisation or other agencies for help in Kuwait or southern Iraq to fight diseases such as cholera and typhoid; and what response he has sent.

There have been no direct requests to my right hon. Friend from any such organisations for assistance to fight disease in Kuwait and Southern Iraq. The Government support the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and have contributed £2·5 million to its Gulf appeal. We have also contributed $1 million to the United Nations and other agencies through the United Nations Disaster Relief Organisation. The work of these organisations will include action to control diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to further involve the private sector in the provision of care for the elderly in the Greater Glasgow health board area; and if he will make a statement.

It is for Greater Glasgow health board to decide whether it wishes to extend partnership developments with the private sector in its strategy for care of the elderly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Grampian health board regarding NHS trust status for Aberdeen royal infirmary, Foresterhill.

None. However, my officials maintain close contacts with the board on this and other aspects of the NHS reforms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to discuss problems in Scottish housing.

I expect to meet representatives of the Housing Committee of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on 24 September. My last meeting with them was on 25 January.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the statutory rights available to tenants who are transferred out of the ownership of Scottish Homes by means of a ballot in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988 against their wishes.

[holding answer 15 April 1991]: Tenants who are transferred to a private sector landlord from Scottish Homes as part of a large-scale voluntary disposal after a ballot, will hold assured tenancies and will have the statutory rights set out in part II of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988 and the associated schedules.Except for those tenants whose new landlord is a fully mutual co-operative housing association, tenants will have a contractual right to buy their home. This would become a statutory right to buy, after the coming into force of regulations, in terms of section 81A of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, which I expect soon to be laid before this House.In addition, the terms of the new tenancy would be those agreed in advance of transfer and would have been made available to the tenants for their consultation process prior to the ballot taking place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to promote development and enterprise in Fife region.

The Government's main instrument for promoting development and enterprise in lowland Scotland is Scottish Enterprise and its associated network of local enterprise companies. For Fife region, the relevant local enterprise company is Fife Enterprise which, for the first year of its operation in 1991–92, has a budget in excess of £21 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures he will take to stop councils being required to pursue people for small sums of unpaid poll tax.

I am satisfied that local authorities have adequate discretion under existing arrangements to decide whether or not to pursue arrears in particular cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will itemise expenditure by the Industry Department on new towns in every years since 1987–88, including plans for 1991–92.

Central Government expenditure on Scottish new towns through the new town development corporations since 1987–88 and the planned expenditure for 1991–92 are recorded in tables 3.18 and 3.20 on pages 42 and 43 of the Scottish Office Report "Serving Scotland's Needs 1991–92 to 1993–94", published earlier this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of the number of fatal military and civilian casualties in the Gulf war from (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States of America, (c) Kuwait, (d) other countries participating in the coalition force, (e) Iraq and (f) other countries, respectively.

Twenty-five military personnel were killed in action during the operation to liberate Kuwait. There were no United Kingdom civilian casualties during the operation. I understand that the figures for military deaths from other coalition countries during the operation were as follows:

	Number
(a) United States	142
(b) Kuwait	One
(c) Other coalition countries	51

As at 16 April, the United States also had five personnel still listed as missing. I understand that it is estimated that about 1,300 Kuwaitis were killed in the first three days following Iraq's invasion and about 1,700 subsequently. We have no authoritative information on civilian casualties suffered by other coalition countries, nor on military or civilian casualties sustained by Iraq or by other countries outside the coalition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resident paediatric support exists for the obstetric units at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast.

Resident paediatric support for the obstetric units at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the Belfast city hospital is provided at two levels. Registrars are based at the Royal maternity and the Belfast city hospitals and combine with a registrar at the Royal Belfast hospital for sick children to provide a one in three rota for all three obstetric units. This means that a registrar is on call one night in three and one weekend in three. At senior house officer level, two senior house officers in the Belfast city hospital combine with two in the Royal Belfast hospital for sick children to provide a one in four rota for the Belfast city hospital and the Mater. The Royal maternity hospital has four resident senior house officers who between them provide 24 hour cover.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deliveries were recorded in 1989 in the obstetric units of the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast.

The number of deliveries was as follows:

Hospital	Live births	Stillbirths	Total
Royal maternity hospital	3,171	23	3,194
Mater	887	5	892
Belfast City hospital	2,888	14	2,902

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the current rota for obstetric staff at the Royal maternity hospital, the Mater hospital and the City hospital, Belfast;

Eleven consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists are employed in the Mater hospital, Belfast city hospital and royal group of hospitals, including the royal maternity and the royal Victoria hospitals. These consultants provide 24-hour cover to the hospitals concerned.A rota indicates the degree to which a doctor is on call outside his normal working week. For example a 1:3 rota means that he is on call one night in three and one weekend in three. The term is normally used in relation to junior doctors. Details of the current rota for junior doctors at the hospitals are set out below.

	Rota
Royal Victoria hospital
Senior registrars and registrars	1 in 4
Senior house officers	1 in 4
House officers	1 in 3
Belfast city hospital
Senior registrars and registrars	1 in 4
Senior house officers	1 in 4
Mater hospital
Registrars	1 in 2
Senior house officers	1 in 3

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the quantity of milk produced in the year ending 31 March 1991; what was the relevant quota for milk production; and if he will make a statement.

Wholesale milk production in Northern Ireland in the year ending 31 March 1991 is provisionally calculated to have been 1,285·950 million litres. This volume will be adjusted to take account of its butterfat content. The final wholesale production figure will not be known for some time. Wholesale quota for the Province is 1,285·628 million litres. This figure may be increased by the addition of any unused direct sales quota. Direct sales quota is 5.6 million litres. Direct sales production will not be known until final returns have been received from direct sellers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total expenditure of the Industrial development board in (a) Germany, (b) the United States, (c) South Korea and (d) Japan in each of the past five years.

Expenditure incurred by IDB in maintaining its offices in Germany, United States, South Korea and Japan during 1990–91 was £580,675, £1,598,472, £677,343 and £1,017,050 respectively. The components of this expenditure are salaries, rents, capital works and promotional costs.Because of changes in IDB's accounting methods, comparable information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost per job to be provided to the industrial development board in each of the past two years for jobs provided by firms from (a) Germany, (b) the United States, (c) South Korea and (d) Japan.

The information requested is as follows:

Cost per job (£s)
	Germany	USA	South Korea	Japan
1989–90	21,825	23,871	—	39,740
1990–91	—	15,690	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of infectious bovine rhino-tracheitis pneumonia in cattle have been identified in each of the past six months; and if he will make a statement.

Four cases of infectious bovine rhino-tracheitis in cattle have been reported to the Department of Agriculture in the past six months. The occurrences were as follows:

	Number
October 1990	Nil
November 1990	1
December 1990	2
January 1991	1
February 1991	Nil
March 1991	Nil

In each case, the Department of Agriculture has taken the appropriate control measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those grants under the physical and social environment programme which have been allocated to (a) Irish cultural activities and (b) British cultural activities; if both sections of the community are benefiting from this programme; and if he will make a statement.

The physical and social environment programme makes provision for a sub-programme under the broad heading of community reconciliation. The overall aim of the sub-programme is to encourage greater mutual understanding and respect for different cultural traditions, and to promote greater contact between the different communities in Northern Ireland. Within the sub-programme there are five measures:

• Cross-community contact
• Community relations council
• Cultural traditions
• District councils
• Education

The programme is for the period up to December 1993 with European regional development fund support of £9 million towards gross expenditure of £12 million.The four projects which have so far received funding are:

Project	Grant £	Measure
Ultach trust	0·5 million	Cultural traditions
Spirit of Enniskillen bursary scheme	0·5 million	Cross-community contact
Cross-community project associated with tall ships race	38,000	Cross-community contact
Lurgan pub with no beer	15,000	Cross-community contact

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs are expected to be provided by firms attracted from (a) Germany, (b) the United States, (c) South Korea and (d) Japan for each of the past five years.

The information requested is as follows:

Years	Germany	USA	South Korea	Japan
1986–87	—	—	—	193
1987–88	—	220	—	—
1988–89	100	74	500	—
1989–90	40	785	—	100
1990–91	—	55	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of compensation being provided for those who have had flocks of poultry destroyed as a result of the recent outbreak of Newcastle disease.

Schedule 2 to the Disease of Animals Order (Northern Ireland) 1981 provides for compensation for flockowners in the case of Newcastle disease. The rate is at the value of the birds immediately before slaughter. Compensation is also paid for any eggs or feed which have

District council area	11985	11986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Antrim	291	298	300	296	349	316	327
Ards	202	200	208	216	198	197	188
Armagh	521	518	523	523	501	467	368
Ballymena	664	662	694	705	660	658	656
Ballymoney	105	115	123	126	115	99	98
Banbridge	122	128	135	140	130	107	109
Belfast	13,322	13,616	13,706	13,743	13,327	13,577	14,209
Carrickfergus	107	114	117	126	148	162	161
Castlereagh	316	366	433	473	489	497	506
Coleraine	751	775	773	769	764	739	729
Cookstown	244	241	250	258	246	232	228
Craigavon	719	748	766	7X1	781	766	741
Derry	832	838	851	874	863	X64	962
Down	424	443	452	466	461	460	453
Dungannon	210	220	231	235	213	201	284
Fermanagh	504	508	517	522	497	459	453
Larne	129	129	133	137	139	129	127
Limavady	126	127	139	141	134	124	117
Lisburn	499	478	482	519	511	495	479
Magherafelt	105	113	116	119	124	106	108
Moyle	14	12	11	10	10	9	10
Newry and Mourne	439	431	428	434	428	389	386
Newtownabbey	278	310	282	293	268	228	299
North Down	802	764	786	831	848	861	864
Omagh	624	628	630	641	642	627	626
Strabane	143	146	147	152	140	125	116
Total	22,493	22,928	23,233	23,530	22,983	22,894	23,604

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many poultry flocks have been affected by Newcastle disease since 1 April; what is the source of the present outbreak; what precautions have been taken against the spread of Newcastle disease; and if he will make a statement.

Newcastle disease has been confirmed in one poultry flock since 1 April 1991.Epidemiological investigations are continuing but the available evidence indicates that the source of the outbreak was contaminated feed.The Department of Agriculture in accordance with EC and domestic legislation impress restrictions on the movement of all poultry, poultrymeat and eggs in a 10 km zone around infected areas.After consultation with the poultry and compound feedingstuffs industries, the Department introduced regulations requiring all poultry rations to be heat-treated, or until 31 August 1991 handled through closed systems, so as to minimise the risk of contamination. Heat treatment of feedstuff's is the most secure means of preventing the spread of infection from this source. The Department has issued advice to poultry producers on how to prevent infection, the symptoms to look out for and the need to report promptly any suspicion of disease.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were employed in the non-industrial civil service in each district council area, as at 1 April in each year from 1985 to 1991.

[holding answer 15 April 1991]: The information relating to the Northern Ireland civil service is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will list the current members of the standing pharmaceutical advisory committee and give the relevant experience of each member; how many of the commission are females; and what percentage of the total membership they comprise.

The current members of the Standing Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee (SPAC) are:

• Mr. W. M. Darling, CBE, FRPharmS
• Mr. T. P. Astill, BPharm, LLB Barrister, MRPharmS
• Dr. S. Ellis, MPharm, PhD, FRPharmS
• Mr. A. Massam, LLB Barrister, FRPharmS
• Mr. J. Ferguson, FRPharmS
• Professor A. T. Florence, DSc FRSs FRSE FRPharmS
• Professor P. Spencer, BPharm DSc, PhD, FRPharmS,
• FIBiol, MCPP
• Professor D. Ganderton, BPharm, PhD, MRPharmS
• Mr. P. J. Keen, FRPharmS
• Miss M. E. Tompkins, MRPharmS, MSc
• Mr. N. L. Wood, BPharm, MRPharmS
• Mr. J. Kirby, FRPharmS
• Mrs. L. J. Stone BPharmS

Twelve members are appointed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, and the president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is an ex-officio member.Including the ex-offlcio member, three out of 13 members are female.All members of SPAC are chosen by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State bearing in mind their standing in the profession and their experience in their own field of pharmacy.