To ask the Prime Minister when the United Kingdom first agreed to give official overseas aid equivalent to 0·7 per cent. of annual income; and if he will list the amount in real terms and the percentage for each year since then.

The United Nations target for official development assistance to developing countries of 0·7 per cent. of GNP was accepted in principle by the British Government in 1974, although no date was set for meeting it. The United Kingdom has provided net official development assistance since then as follows:

Year	Net official development assistance £ million (1989 prices)	Official development assistance as percentage of GNP
1974	1,348	0·36
1975	1,395	0·38
1976	1,469	0·39
1977	1,679	0·44
1978	1,803	0·45
1979	2,100	0·51
1980	1,378	0·34
1981	1,678	0·42
1982	1,483	0·37
1983	1,457	0·35
1984	1,402	0·33
1985	1,479	0·33
1986	1,430	0·31
1987	1,331	0·28
1988	1,591	0·32
1989	1,578	0·31

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday April 18.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Prime Minister, further to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, columns 3–4, on what considerations the Government based their decision not to recognise East Timor's right to self-determination.

The United Kingdom supported United Nations Security Council resolution 389 of 22 April 1976 which confirmed the right of the people of East Timor to self-determination. Since 1982 the United Kingdom, in company with most other member states of the European Community, has supported the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to promote discussions between Indonesia and Portugal with a view to reaching a solution acceptable to all parties.

To ask the Prime Minister, further to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, columns 3–4, what guarantees he has received or what monitoring has been undertaken to ensure that Tornados sold to Indonesia have not and will not be used against the civil population of East Timor.

There has been no sale of Tornado to Indonesia.

To ask the Prime Minister what the Government are doing to promote United Nations resolution 35/27 of 1980 on East Timor's right to independence.

The United Kingdom abstained on United Nations resolution 35/27 of 1980. We took the view that by so doing, in company with most European Community partners and others, we could help to promote reconciliation and the search for a diplomatic solution by Indonesia and Portugal. Since 1982, the United Kingdom has supported the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to find a solution to the problem which is acceptable to all parties.

To ask the Prime Minister, further to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, columns 3–4, on what consideration the Government based their decision to recognise the right of Indonesia to self-determination.

My earlier reply referred to the right of self-defence under international law. All states have the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been received from the Irish Prisoners' Support Group concerning prisoner Paul Holmes; what reply has been sent; and if he will make a statement.

The Irish Prisoners' Support Group has written a number of letters referring to Mr. Holmes's request for a transfer to a prison in Northern Ireland. The most recent was on 25 January. A reply was sent on 14 March explaining the criteria under which Mr. Holmes's request was refused.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 March, Official Report, column 70, what is the reason for the increase in the second half of the 1980s in the percentage of incidents, involving children injured in fires related to bedding, where the outcome was the death of the child.

The available information given in the following table suggests the main source and cause is playing with matches. However, the number of deaths are

Supposed cause and source of accidental dwelling fires attended by local authority fire brigades, where the material first ignited was bedding1and children aged under five died, 1981–89 (United Kingdom)
Number of deaths.
Source and cause	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Matches:
playing with fire	—	3	1	1	8	12	8	7	5
careless handling	—	2	—	—	—	—	2	2	—
Smokers' material:
playing with fire	1	2	1	—	—	—	2	—	—
careless handling	—	2	—	1	—	—	1	—	3
misuse of equipment	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Electric space heaters:
placing articles too near	1	—	1	2	2	—	1	—	1
misuse of equipment	2	—	2	—	—	1	—	1	—
cause unspecified	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	—
Gas space heaters:
placing articles too near	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Electric blanket:
misuse of equipment	1	—	—	1	—	1	—	—	—
fault in appliance	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Total	6	9	5	5	10	14	16	10	12
1 bedding is defined as all bedding on the bed including mattress covers, but not beds or mattresses, or cases where the electrical insulation of an electric blanket was recorded as first ignited.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table for England and for each region in England, giving actual expenditure on prison education departments, and expenditure required by these departments, for each year from 1986–87 to 1990–91, and their plans for 1991–92, and 1992–93, in current prices, in constant prices, and an index of constant price expenditure where 1986–87 = 100.

Table showing expenditure on Prison Service Education Departments 1986–87 to 1992–93
(£000)
Region	South East		South West		North		Midland		Total
Price Level	Current	Constant	Current	Constant	Current	Constant	Current	Constant	Current	Constant
1986–87
Actual	4,714	4,714	2,371	2,371	4,778	4,778	2,943	2,943	14,806	14,806
Planned	4,447	4,447	2,077	2,077	4,124	4,124	2,337	2,337	12,985	12,985
1987–88
Actual	5,008	4,754	2,682	2,546	5,666	5,379	3,454	3,279	16,809	15,958
Planned	5,196	4,933	2,514	2,387	5,532	5,252	3,329	3,160	16,571	15,732
1988–89
Actual	5,970	5,275	3,237	2,860	6,359	5,619	3,942	3,483	19,508	17,236
Planned	6,037	5,334	3,176	2,806	6,467	5,714	3,971	3,509	19,651	17,362
1989–90
Actual	7,233	6,008	3,661	3,041	7,268	6,037	4,360	3,622	22,523	18,708
Planned	7,100	5,897	3,704	3,077	7,428	6,170	4,829	4,011	23,062	19,155
1990–91
Actual1	6,946	5,355	3,890	2,999	7,638	5,888	5,073	3,911	23,547	18,152
Planned	7,778	5,996	4,208	3,244	7,598	5,857	5,424	4,181	25,008	19,278
1991–92
Actual	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Planned	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	29,137	20,984
1992–93
Actual	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Planned	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	234,000	23,440

The table shows the information available. It relates to England and Wales. A regional breakdown is available only up to 1990–91 when the Prison Service was reorganised. The information relating to 1991–92 and 1992–93 is therefore presented in totals. The table shows expenditure on teaching services and education materials.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he has had about the future of the two-year working visa for Commonwealth citizens with (a) New Zealand and (b) Australia; and what representations he has received from each Government on the issue;(2) what proposals he has for the future of the two-year working visa for Commonwealth citizens after 1992.

We have no present plans to amend the working holidaymaker arrangements for young Commonwealth citizens set out in paragraph 37 of the "Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules"—HC251. No recent discussions on the future of this scheme have taken place with either the New Zealand or Australian Government; nor have they made representations to us about this subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library guidelines issued to the courts dealing with rape cases regarding sentencing and the relevant factors to be taken into account.

Guidance was given by the Court of Appeal in R v. Billam (1986). The judgment is in the All England Law Reports for 1986, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which lire brigades have not yet fully implemented Home Office technical bulletin 1/89; and if he will give the time scale for implementation for each fire authority.

We are satisfied that all fire brigades in England and Wales have adopted the principal features of the guidance on breathing apparatus contained in Home Office technical bulletin 1/1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what items of equipment, and at what cost, Kent fire brigade has purchased for use solely for firefighting and rescue in the channel tunnel and its associated sites;(2) what contributions have been made by Eurotunnel Ltd. and Transmanche Ltd. to Kent county council for equipment provided by Kent fire brigade for training, firefighting and rescue in the channel tunnel and its associated sites;

Operational men and women firefighters employed in each fire authority/FCDA in England as at 1 January 1991
	Wholetime			Retained
Authority	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total
Avon1	—	—	641	—	—	190
Bedfordshire	309	—	309	131	2	133
Berkshire	392	1	393	154	1	155
Buckinghamshire	320	1	321	220	2	222
Cambridgeshire	245	—	245	370	3	373
Cheshire	582	—	582	204	3	207
Cleveland1	—	—	647	—	—	75

Kent fire brigade has provided six uniformed and one civilian staff for channel tunnel site liaison and specialised training during the construction phase at a cost of £141,500, and 24 additional posts at a cost of £399,100 to maintain manning levels on fire appliances in the absence of those undertaking training. Equipment purchased specifically to meet its commitments consists of 40 long-duration breathing apparatus sets, and personal protective clothing, heavy duty lifting jacks and cutting tools at a cost of £565,600. Total contributions made by Eurotunnel plc to Kent county council amount to £628,400 to date, in accordance with the statements made by the concessionaries to the Select Committee on the Channel Tunnel Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which organisations he has received comments on the "Victims Charter", published by his Department on 22 February 1990; and if he has plans to issue a revised edition in the light of such comments.

Comments on the charter were received from the following bodies:

• Victim Support
• Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges
• Justices' Clerks' Society
• Lord Chancellor's Department
• Crown Prosecution Service
• Metropolitan Police
• Hampshire Constabulary
• Staffordshire Police
• Association of Chief Officers of Probation
• Northumbria Probation Service
• Merseyside Probation Service.

Many of the standards of service set out in the charter for the criminal justice agencies are already being met. Others are under discussion with the agencies concerned with a view to implementation as soon as practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many operational (a) men and (b) women firefighters are employed in each fire authority/FCDA in England.

The information requested is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which fire brigades have yet to provide full A26 specification firefighting uniforms to all (a) whole-time and (b) retained firefighters; and if he will give the timescale for issue to (a) and (b) and the estimated cost for each fire authority.

The purchase of firefighters' uniforms is a matter entirely for fire authorities. A recent survey indicated that 33 fire brigades in England and Wales issue firefighting tunics providing protection to specification A26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce regulations to ensure that cars are designed to better standards in respect of their vulnerability to theft.

My Department is pressing for the adoption, as a European Community directive, of requirements for mechanical locking systems in passenger cars, as contained in British Standard AU 209 part 1. We are also supporting an international standard on motor vehicle alarms which could when completed form the basis of another EC directive. We hope to incorporate the provisions of such directives in national regulations at the earliest opportunity. In addition, we are pressing vehicle manufacturers to improve car security by voluntary means without waiting for regulation. During national crime prevention week we are emphasising that there is ample scope for improvement here.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to improve the safety of mainline railway stations in the light of recent terrorist bomb attacks;

British Rail is responsible for the safety of mainline railway stations, and has taken a number of steps to improve security measures following the explosion at Victoria. These include a heightened police presence, the withdrawal of left luggage locker facilities, removal of litter bins, sealing of letter boxes and more regular cleaning of station concourses. Security at bus and coach stations is the responsibility of the owner and operators, and increased security measures again include a heightened police presence. Continuing vigilance by both staff and passengers is also vital, and regular reminders are issued by operators about suspicious packages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce regulations to improve the safety and security of vehicles by stipulating higher standards of glass in cars.

A proposal for a European Community directive which requires windscreens to be made of laminated glass is being considered in the Council of Ministers. If this is adopted, it will be included in our national type approval requirements for new vehicle models and will eventually apply to all new vehicles.Work is in hand for a British standards code of practice on windscreen glass repair which may be incorporated into the MOT test.Although laminated glass may improve vehicle security, we are not intending to require it for other windows because it can increase the risk of entrapment in a vehicle following an accident. We are, however, pressing for agreement in the European Community on other measures for improving vehicle security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether his Department makes comparisons of accident statistics on lit and unlit sections of Britain's motorways;(2) what recent studies his Department has engaged in regarding the effect on accident statistics of lighting Britain's motorways.

A study by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory "Light on Motorway Accident Rates" was published in 1987. Accident statistics are continually monitored, including comparisons of lit and unlit sections of motorways.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received over the past three years in support of the lighting of Britain's motorway networks.

Those who have made representations over the past three years include the National Chamber of Trade, the editor of the Sunday Mercury, various Members of Parliament, a small number of police authorities and individual members of the public. We also receive representations against further lighting of the motorway network from other interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to let the contract for each of the remaining stages of the A14 in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.

All remaining contracts are programmed to be let by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if pedal cyclists are part of the London area transport survey currently being undertaken by his Department.

Yes. Pedal cyclists are being covered in both major components of the 1991 London area transport survey. The household survey includes questions about the ownership of cycles and the use made of them and the roadside surveys treat cycles as a separate vehicle category.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tourist signs are located on the M1 motorway between Leeds and exit 34; and which tourist attractions they relate to.

There are four tourist signs on the M1 motorway between Leeds and exit 34; two northbound and two southbound at junction 38, relating to the Yorkshire sculpture park.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties on the line of the abandoned Al Archway road widening scheme are owned by his Department; and what plans he has to sell them.

[holding answer 16 April 1991]: The Department owns 54 dwellings including some flats and 24 business premises. We are currently considering a proposal from the Archway Road tenants association for the purchase of the residential units. We are also arranging to dispose of the business premises as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) by what date at the rate currently envisaged for 1992 under the current assumptions indicated in the oral statement by the Minister of State, Official Report, 14 January, column 644, payment for the Severn bridge will be completed; and what annual toll income would be in the final year at constant prices;(2) on the basis of current assumptions about traffic growth on the second Severn bridge and toll levels for 1992 indicated in the oral statement by the Minister of State on 14 January,

[pursuant to his answer, 15 April 1991, c. 2–3]: The costs of the two Severn bridges, including the outstanding deficit on the existing Severn bridge, are due to be paid by the end of the concessionaire's tolling period. If the concession begins on 1 January 1992, then, on the basis of the concessionaire's traffic forecasts and the tolling regime for 1992 and subsequent years set out in the Severn Bridges Bill, it would end on 30 June 2013.On these assumptions, the concessionaire's forecast toll revenues, in 1989 prices, are as follows:

	£ million
1992	29·6
1993	32·4
1994	35·4
1995	38·8
1996	39·7
1997	40·6
1998	41·6
1999	42·6
2000	43·7
2001	44·6
2002	45·6
2003	46·6
2004	47·6
2005	48·7
2006	49·7
2007	50·8
2008	518
2009	52·9
2010	54·0
2011	55·1
2012	562
2013	28·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of pupils attending schools in a different district from their home within the same local education authority;(2) what is his policy on securing equitable funding arrangements for schools such as Bushloe high school, Wigston Magna, Leicestershire which draw a high proportion of pupils from outside their catchment areas;(3) what assessment he has made of the effect of Leicestershire county council's formula for funding schools on the loss of teachers for schools such as Bushloe high school in the Oadby and Wigston area; and if he will make a statement;(4) what representations he has received about the effect of local management of schools on the number of teachers at Bushloe high school, Wigston Magna, Leicestershire;(5) if he will now list the budget allocation per unit for local management of schools in

I refer my hon. Friend to my replies of 22 March and 17 April, Official Report, columns 234 and 137. Under local management, schools are funded principally on the basis of the numbers and ages of pupils on roll. Schools are not penalised for attracting pupils from outside the home local education authority; they receive funds in respect of those pupils through the LMS formula. In this way pupils of the same age are funded at the same level, irrespective of where they live and which school they attend within the authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning opting out of schools in the Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston areas in view of the underfunding of schools which draw up to a quarter of their pupils from outside their catchment areas.

My right hon. and learned Friend's predecessor received a number of representations from schools in these areas, some of which referred to the possibility of seeking grant-maintained status.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research is being undertaken into the effect of the summer heat in Kuwait turning oil lakes into tar, hampering plans to suck oil into tankers.

None of the research councils is currently undertaking any research in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the official visits he has made since his appointment to schools, sixth-form colleges, further education colleges, univer-sities, polytechnics and other educational establishments, with the dates, name of the establishment, its area and the purpose of the visits, in each case.

My official visits have been as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in full the organisations with which Ministers or officials in his Department plan to hold meetings with regard to establishing the proposed Foundation for Sport and the Arts; and on what dates such meetings will take place.

My right hon. and learned Friend and the Minister for Sport are due to meet the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 24 April to discuss the establishment of a Foundation for Sport and the Arts. I envisage discussing the foundation with a variety of sports organisations over the coming months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in full the organisations with which Ministers or officials in his Department have held meetings with regard to establishing the proposed Foundation for Sport and the Arts; and on what dates such meetings took place.

Officials from the Department of Education and Science met officials from Her Majesty's Treasury on 21 March to discuss the establishment of the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. Officials have also spoken, informally, to a number of sporting organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many meetings of the Birmingham city action team in 1990 and the first three months of 1991 were attended by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education.

I attended the meetings on 12 March 1990 and 30 January 1991 to agree the annual action plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will update the information provided in his answer of 18 December 1989, Official Report, columns 35–36, to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) relating to the pay received by further education lecturers.

I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on electricity prices.

Electricity prices are a matter for the regional electricity companies subject to their statutory and licence requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on his future plans for onshore petroleum licensing; and if he will make a statement.

The Petroleum (Production) (Landward Areas) Regulations 1991 (SI 1991 No. 981) were laid before the House today. These regulations are in substantially the same form as the previous regulations which provide for separate licences to cover the conduct of each of the exploration, appraisal and development stages. Operations under the licences are subject to the normal planning process. The new regulations, which follow discussions with the industry, incorporate a number of small changes and are designed to facilitate the conduct of operations. They will come into force on 9 May and will govern the arrangements for the next onshore licensing round.As soon as possible, I will publish in the London and Edinburgh

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the Government buildings currently using combined heat and power technology.

The Office of Electricity Regulation—OFFER—is in the process of compiling a database of CHP projects operating in Great Britain which will include the Government estate. The information requested by the hon. Member will start to become available when the OFFER database becomes operational this autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has supplied a union flag to the vehicle inspection and driving test centre, Hamiltonsbawn road, Armagh; if the centre has been advised of the dates on which the union flag is to be flown; why no union flag was flown at these premises on St. Patrick's day and on Easter day; what steps are being taken to arrange for the union flag to be flown on 12 July; and if he will make a statement about future arrangements to fly the union flag at these premises.

A union flag has been supplied to the vehicle inspection and driving test centre, Hamiltonsbawn road, Armagh and the centre has been advised of the prescribed days on which the union flag is to be flown. The union flag was not flown on St. Patrick's day and Easter Sunday due to an oversight by the staff at the centre. This oversight has been drawn to the attention of the staff and they have been instructed to ensure that the union flag is flown on all appropriate dates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many operational (a) men and (b) women firefighters are employed in each fire authority/ FCDA in Northern Ireland.

The Fire Authority for Northern Ireland which serves the whole of the province employs 1,792 male and one female firefighters.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received from Mr. James Nichol, lawyer for Mr. Colin Wallace.

I have received no representations from Mr. Nichol, and have no reason to anticipate any.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will take steps to ensure that a decision is taken this week as to whether to proceed with the prosecution of the skipper of the dredger the Bowbelle.

The decision whether to seek a re-trial rests with the Director of Public Prosecutions; he is reviewing the case. His decision will be taken with the maximum expedition consistent with thorough consideration. I have drawn the hon. Member's concern to his attention.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the training provided to judges to enable them to deal adequately with rape cases.

The Judicial Studies Board is responsible for the provision of training and information for judges. The policy with regard to the proper conduct of trials and appropriate levels of sentence in the Crown Court are laid down in decisions of the Court of Appeal criminal division.The board has produced guidance for trial judges in summing up to juries and a volume of sentencing guidelines, which includes sentences for rape. Copies have been distributed to each judge.At seminars run by the board judges are reminded that it is their duty to be sensitive to the difficulties of all those who come to court, including complainants in cases of alleged rape or other sexual assaults, who are often under considerable strain and may suffer distress whilst giving evidence.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he contemplates any action against British companies named by the US Government who have allegedly been trading in weapons with the Iraqi Government.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 April by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Field), Official Report, columns 30–31. The list published by the United States Department of the Treasury concerned a number of companies and individuals whom the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control had determined to be owned or controlled by or to be acting or purporting to act directly or indirectly on behalf of the Government of Iraq. I am informed that the US authorities have not alleged that those on the list have broken sanctions or controls on the export of arms. A very few cases concerning persons or companies in the United Kingdom where possible breaches of restrictions on exports to Iraq have come to light are being investigated by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

To ask the Attorney-General how many women judges are currently appointed; and what was the percentage of women judges for each of the last 10 years appointed to the High Court and equivalent in criminal cases.

There are currently 22 women judges—4·3 per cent.—out of a total of 517 High Court and circuit judges. High Court and circuit judges are not generally assigned exclusively to criminal or civil work and most sit in the Crown Court at some time. Figures for appointments to the High Court and circuit bench over the last 10 years are as follows:

	Numbers appointed	Women appointed	Percentage
1981	23	1	4·3
1982	28	—	—
1983	31	2	6·5
1984	35	—	—
1985	35	2	5·7
1986	59	3	5·1
1987	29	—	—
1988	44	1	2·3
1989	39	1	2·6
1990	41	4	9–8
11991	15	2	13·3
1 To 17 April.

To ask the Attorney-General what proposals the Lord Chancellor has to improve the qualifications and training of the judiciary.

The Courts and Legal Services Act was considered and approved by both Houses prior to receiving Royal Assent on 1 November 1990. Section 71 and schedule 10 of that Act revised the qualifications for appointment to all levels of the judiciary. The new arrangements, which have effect from 1 January 1991, mean that higher judicial appointments are now open to solicitors as well as barristers who obtain the required qualifications, and posts are open generally to those who obtain the required rights of audience before the courts whether they are solicitors, barristers or otherwise qualified. My noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor has no plans to change the qualifications for judicial appointment again in the near future. In addition, to ensure a well-qualified judiciary, appointments to part-time posts are normally made from candidates with standing and experience in the relevant field of law. In making or recommending appointments to a full-time judicial post the Lord Chancellor normally requires the candidate to have served in a similar post in a part-time capacity. Both before and during this part-time service the Lord Chancellor assesses the candidate's work and abilities to establish his or her competence and suitability for judicial posts.The training of newly appointed judicial officers and the provisions of continued judicial studies for the experienced judiciary is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board. Originally the training provided by the board was confined to the criminal field but in recent years its role has been extended to cover judicial studies in the civil and family jurisdictions and also the stipendiary magistrates and certain legal chairmen and members of tribunals.In addition to its regular programme of induction courses and refresher seminars the board organises training in respect of new legislation, such as the Children Act and on specialist subjects such as fraud.Despite the fact that the volume and range of training provided by the board has already increased significantly improvements will continue to be made. The content and format of seminars will be reviewed regularly as will the range of topics covered. The publications produced by the board are also being revised and consideration is being given to issuing further volumes and other material such as video or audio tapes.The board and the four committees have produced a strategy document to cover the next five years. It will be included in the Judicial Studies Board report which will be published during autumn 1991.

To ask the Attorney-General what financial support the Lord Chancellor's Department plans to give for the provision of conciliation services.

The Government have no immediate plans to provide financial support for conciliation services. The Government are presently reviewing all aspects of divorce reform and conciliation is under consideration as part of that review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set up a public inquiry into the gas surge in Royston on 8 March; and if he will make a statement.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive are currently investigating the gas incident on 8 March in Royston. I do not propose to set up a public inquiry since this would be unlikely to identify any causes or contributory factors which will not be identified by the HSE investigation. The results of HSE's investigation will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the actions he has taken since the gas surge in Royston on 8 March in order to prevent a recurrence of this event.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive are carrying out a full investigation into the gas incident at Royston on 8 March. The HSE will decide what action, if any, is appropriate when the investigation is completed.I understand that British Gas has replaced approximately 4,000 m of pipeline as a result of the incident.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the dates of the contacts he has had, whether by telephone, letter or meetings, on the lessons of the gas surge in Royston on 8 March with (a) Royston town council and (b) British Gas.

The Health and Safety Executive has had contact on the following dates with Royston town council and British Gas about the gas incident in Royston on 8 March:

(a) Contact with Royston Town Council	(b) Contact with British Gas
15 March	11 March
21 March	12 March
25 March	27 March
28 March	11 April
10 April 1991	12 April
	16 April 1991

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will visit Royston as part of his assessment of the implications of the gas surge on 8 March.

The Health and Safety Executive is keeping me informed of progress with its investigation into the gas incident in Royston on 8 March. I have no plans to visit Royston.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received reports from the Director General of Fair Trading under part II of the Companies Act 1989 on the effect on competition of the rules and guidance of qualifying and supervisory bodies for auditors; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The director general has submitted reports on the rules and guidance of all the applicants for recognition under part II of the Companies Act 1989, and I have placed copies of his reports in the Library. Further copies can be obtained from his office. Copies of the applications can be obtained from the applicants on request.The director general discerns no significant anticompetitive effects in the rules and guidance of the qualifying bodies which have applied for recognition. He finds that a number of rules of some of the supervisory body applicants relating to the ownership and control of audit firms are likely to restrict or distort competition to a significant extent.I would welcome comments on the director general's findings, and in particular on whether the rules he finds anticompetitive are nevertheless reasonably justifiable having regard to the purpose of part II of the 1989 Act. I should be grateful if any comments reached me by 15 May. Comments on any other aspects of the applications made under part II should also reach the Department by that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from Liverpool polytechnic about it wrongly being on the United States Treasury list of blacklisted organisations; what action his Department has taken; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 17 April 1991]: Liverpool polytechnic has made a number of approaches to my Department. As a result, the British embassy in Washington has raised the matter of the inclusion of the polytechnic's name in the United States Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control list of "specially designated nationals".

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many laboratory technicians are employed in each local education authority in Wales.

In September 1990 the number of laboratory technicians employed in secondary schools was as follows:

	Full-time	Part-time	Total
Clwyd	61	42	103
Dyfed	61	28	89
Gwent	81	22	103
Gwynedd	30	12	42
Mid Glamorgan	116	19	135
Powys	25	10	35
South Glamorgan	69	25	94
West Glamorgan	93	13	106

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on absenteeism in (a) primary schools and (b) high schools in Wales.

It is important to tackle truancy more vigorously to ensure that the national curriculum and other education reforms benefit all pupils. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and Science and the Secretary of State of Wales have this week issued for consultation a draft circular on school attendance, together with draft regulations about pupil registration and the publication of information about rates of attendance. We expect schools to give the highest priority to maximising rates of attendance, and to work with parents, local education authorities and others to achieve that objective.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average cost of processing applications under section 121 of the Housing Act 1988 by the rent officer service.

I estimate that the average cost of each application is about £25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications the rent officer service in Wales is handling under section 121 of the Housing Act 1988.

During the year ended February 1991 the rent officer service received an average of 2,670 cases per month under section 121 of the Housing Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiative he has taken, for each local education authority in Wales, individually, to enable them to prepare their educational systems for the single European market in 1992.

It is for local education authorities to prepare programmes to meet changing needs and policies. I understand that the Welsh Joint Education Committee is offering active and specific assistance to LEAs in Wales and through them to all their education institutions to help them develop their responses to European Community initiatives. In addition, the Department is investigating the need for a unit to provide advice and guidance about European Community education programmes for further and higher education institutions in the Principality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he plans for each of the local education authorities in Wales individually, to enable them to obtain more (i) foreign language teachers and (ii) Welsh teachers.

We have introduced a series of measures designed to improve the supply of modern foreign language teachers and teachers of Welsh. These include:

i. adding modern foreign languages and Welsh to the shortage subject Trainee Teacher Bursary Scheme for students entering eligible courses in the autumn of 1990. At the same time the value of the bursary was increased to £1,500;

ii. making £134,000 available under the Grants for Education Support and Training programme (GEST) to support Articled Teacher schemes. Clwyd is the one Local Education Authority in Wales to apply for support and the school-based training scheme will aim to attract graduates in shortage areas identified by the authority which include modern foreign languages and Welsh;

iii. approving, also under the GEST programme, local authority expenditure of some £228,000 in 1991–92 on recruitment measures which will seek to attract former teachers and mature entrants to teaching. Each scheme will seek to address local recruitment need including teachers of modern languages and Welsh where these are identified as shortage areas;

iv. investing heavily in in-service training to increase the supply of Welsh language teachers. In 1990–91 we made available £1 million to help existing teachers of other subjects to gain the necessary expertise to teach Welsh as well. For 1991–92, £1.8 million is to be spent on such training. In addition students at initial teacher training institutions in Wales will have the opportunity to learn the language while they are training to become primary school teachers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the safety of the boundary fencing adjacent to the Brossley housing estate, Garden City and the A494 Queensferry bypass; and if he will inspect the fencing.

There is no trunk road boundary fencing adjacent to the Brossley housing estate. It was a condition of the planning consent imposed on the developer of the Brossley housing estate that a solid barrier not less than 4ft 6in. high must be erected along the existing trunk road frontage of the site. This fence has nver been erected. Fences exist at the top of the embankments on each side of the A494 trunk road. These have been inspected and temporary repairs effected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will repair deficient fencing on the A494 Queensferry bypass where it borders the Garden City Brossley estate.

The agent authority, Clwyd county council, has effected temporary repairs to the fencing which lies within the highway at this location.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he plans to take to ensure that safety is a first priority in all future organised fell-running events in Wales.

This is a matter for the organisers of future fell-running events.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he hopes to issue his draft guidance to local authorities on renewable energy; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North-West (Mr. Bellingham) on 28 March, Official Report, columns 543–44.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to avoid smoke hampering aerial surveys in Kuwait.

I am not aware of any action that would be open to my right hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment has been made of the extent to which sulphur dioxide from oil wells after they are lit is less toxic than the hydrogen sulphide produced from the same wells before ignition.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 15 April 1991 at 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 if he has launched an internal investigation into the leaking of correspondence between his Department and the Zoological Society of London; and if he will make a statement.

The correspondence was not leaked from my Department. We had never seen the zoo's internal memorandum quoted in the press.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what latest information he holds regarding figures for annual public subsidies to zoos by EC nations; and if he will make a statement.

Such information is not collected by the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet received the advice commissioned from Arup Associates on possible remedial work on Government offices at 2 Marsham street; and if he will make a statement.

Arup Associates has now provided its advice on possible remedial work on Government offices at 2 Marsham street. The report now needs to be studied in relation to the accommodation requirements of the two Departments which currently occupy the building and in the context of overall future demand for Government offices in central London. Until this further work has been carried out, it would not be sensible to attempt to take investment decisions in respect of the building at 2 Marsham street alone.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will issue the consultation paper, announced in the Environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance", Cm. 1200, on amendments to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

A consultation paper has been issued today, for circulation in England, Scotland and Wales. The document puts forward a number of suggested improvements, including clarifying the definition of damage to an ancient monument and making it an offence to remove objects from scheduled sites. Copies of the document have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses—consultees have two months within which to respond. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales will be consulting similarly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dwellings each local authority has sold under the right-to-buy legislation or voluntarily since April 1979; and what percentage of the total local authority stock they represent.

I have placed in the Library a table giving available information on local authority sales up to December 1990. It shows year by year information for each authority since 1985–86 together with cumulative figures since April 1979 and the proportion of their stock sold since April 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to modify his direction to water companies specifying the uses of water which may be restricted by means of drought orders made under section 131 of the Water Act 1989.

My right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, have today given a fresh direction, the Drought Direction 1991, to water companies under section 131 (4)(b) of the 1989 Act. The direction prescribes the uses of water which a company may be authorised to prohibit or limit under Drought Orders made by the Secretary of State.The 1991 direction replaces the Drought Direction 1989, with the following modifications:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table showing, for each financial year from 1978–79 to 1990–91 inclusive, in constant price terms (a) total grants from central Government to local government, (b) total housing benefit, or its predecessors, rent and rate rebates, (c) other social security benefits paid in respect of rates or the community charge and (d) the total of the above support.

[holding answer 16 April 1991]: The available information is as follows:

	Government grants at 1989–90 prices1	Rent rebates at 1989–90 prices	Rent allowances at 1989–90 prices	Rate/community charge rebates at 1989–90 prices
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
1984–85	20,409	2,208	755	1,545
1985–86	19,480	2,260	868	1,621
1986–87	20,315	2,289	1,006	1,725
1987–88	20,730	2,250	1,003	1,754
1988–89	19,189	2,150	949	1,368
1989–90	18,719	2,147	1,023	1,299
1990–91	19,603	2,178	1,262	1,785
1 Government grants consisting of rate/revenue support grant, specific grants and capital grants. These include rent rebates, rent allowances and rate/community charge rebates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the third world countries receiving funding and technical cooperation from the United Kingdom in order to improve technologies in the production of safe and good quality food.

Third world countries currently receiving United Kingdom funding and technical co-operation for improving the safety and quality of the food they produce are listed below. The Natural Resources Institute at Chatham, through its ODA-funded food sciences and crop utilisation programmes, plays a leading role in this field of assistance. Many of the other research and development programmes on renewable natural resources funded by ODA, including its suppport for the international agricultural research centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, also contribute to the quality of food products.

Bangladesh	Mozambique
Bolivia	Nigeria
Brazil	Pakistan
Cote dTvoire	Philippines
Dominica	St. Helena
Ecuador	St. Kitts/Nevis
Egypt	St. Lucia
Ethiopia	St. Vincent
Ghana	Solomon Islands
Honduras	Sri Lanka
India	Tanzania
Indonesia	Thailand
Jamaica	Uganda
Kenya	Yemen
Madagascar	Zaire
Mali	Zambia
Malawi	Zimbabwe
Montserrat

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department is making to the preparations to the United Nations conference on the environment and development which is due to be held in Brazil in 1992.

We continue to work to make the conference a success. ODA and diplomatic wing officials played a full part in the second meeting of the preparatory committee for the conference in Geneva in March and will continue to do so at future meetings. We have offered £32,000 to the voluntary fund established to finance participation by developing countries in the preparations for the conference. We are helping finance the preparation of national reports from Indonesia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe for the conference. Together with the Department of Trade and Industry we have financed a study on technology transfer to help developing countries address environmental problems, with a focus on global warming.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much United Kingdom development aid was distributed to (a) the Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, (b) Ethiopian church organisations and (c) the Ethiopian Red Cross (i) last year and (ii) in the current year; what proportion of total aid that represents for each; amd what are the reasons for the extent of the distribution to each.

Since the beginning of 1990 we have committed more than £30 million in humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia. Our assistance is channelled through international and British relief agencies, who work closely with Ethiopian non-governmental organisa-tions, including churches and other bodies. Our bilateral Government-to-Government technical co-operation pro-gramme is worth about £3 million a year and is concentrated on education and training, agriculture, and disaster prevention and preparedness.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has had any communication with the Turkish Cypriots about the Cypriot Government's application for Cyprus to join the European Community; if he supports the application; and what progress has been made by this application.

Cyprus applied to join the EC in July 1990. The Commission is producing an opinion on the application, which will be submitted to the member states for their consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Cypriot Government have accepted United Nations resolution 649 calling for a bizonal federal Cyprus; when the United Nations approved resolution 649; and if he will make a statement on political progress within the island of Cyprus.

The UN Secretary-General's efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the intercommunal dispute in Cyprus continue with our full support. The way forward is mapped out in UN Security Council resolution 649 of 12 March 1990, which both communities have accepted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the United Kingdom Government have received as a guarantor power concerning the purchase of arms by the Government of Cyprus.

We are aware of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot concern at the purchase of arms by the Government of Cyprus. It is our long-standing policy to sell weapons neither to the Greek Cypriot National Guard nor to the Turkish Cypriot armed forces.