To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his answer of 29 April in relation to expenditure on higher education in the form of mandatory awards, if he will provide the information on expenditure per student on fees and expenditure per student on maintenance in real terms with 1978–79 = 100.

The data requested are given below and cover expenditure made by local education authorities in England and Wales in bestowing mandatory awards under the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations.

	Expenditure per student (real index)
Academic year	Fees	Maintenance
1978–79	100	100
1979–80	94	104
1980–81	101	104
1981–82	104	98
1982–83	57	93
1983–84	54	91
1984–85	52	80
1985–86	53	73
1986–87	52	74
1987–88	52	73
1988–89	51	72

The real index has been calculated using the retail prices index. The 1982–83 expenditure on fees is affected by a reduction in the rate set for first degrees and diplomas from £900 to £840 with compensating increases in the direct funds paid to institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much expenditure he intends to support in the 1992–93 grants for education support and training programme; and if he will make a statement.

I propose a grants programme for 1992–93 supporting total spending by local education authorities of £377 million. This compares with a programme of £346 million in 1991–92.The proposed programme will target resources to help implement the Government's key education reforms. It includes over £80 million to improve school management and £146 million for the national curriculum. Within these areas, I propose to increase the level of support for key priorities compared with last year: there would be £10 million for governor support; £14 million for teacher appraisal; £15 million to help meet the equipment needs of schools implementing the national curriculum; and £45 million for training and other support for national curriculum assessment.

To ask the Attorney-General what assistance his Department gives to the Cleveland family conciliation service.

No direct or specific central Government funding is or has ever been available for Cleveland family conciliation service. Indirect help is provided through the courts, the probation service and the legal aid fund in some cases. The Government are reviewing the future of, and funding for, conciliation services as part of their consideration of proposals to reform the divorce law.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the Government's policy on the funding of family conciliation services.

I refer the hon. Member for Stockton, South to the reply given to the question from my hon. Friend, the Member for Chislehurst (Mr. Sims) on 18 April 1991, at column 221.

To ask the Attorney-General what is the period which currently elapses between the lodging of an appeal against a refusal of leave to enter the United Kingdom which is lodged at an overseas diplomatic post and the time when the immigration appeals organisation at Thanet house notifies the appellant or its representative that the appeal has been lodged giving them a choice for an oral or written appeal; and if he will provide this information in respect of each country from which such appeals are lodged.

The information requested is not available in respect of individual countries. However, it is estimated that the period which currently elapses between the lodging of an appeal against refusal of entry clearance to the United Kingdom at a diplomatic post overseas and its arrival at the Immigration Appellate Authorities, IAA, at Thanet house is on average one month for visit visa appeals and three months for settlement appeals.Once the IAA has received an appeal, it is on average able to dispatch the case papers to the appellant or his representative in this country within one week for cases to be heard at Thanet house, and two to three weeks for cases to be heard at other hearing centres. At this stage, the IAA notifies the appellant or his representative that the appeal has been lodged and gives him a choice for an oral or written appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will discuss with representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the secured by design group ways of raising standards and specifications in house and office buildings to make them more secure from illegal entry;(2) if he will now consider introducing higher specifications and standards in the construction of houses in order to ensure a greater level of security from illegal entry;(3) if he will discuss with representatives of British police authorities the standards of doors and windows fitted in new and existing houses and the vulnerability to illegal entry of such doors and windows.

My Department is currently funding research into the effectiveness of security measures in buildings and the results will be made available to the British Standards Institution, which is the forum through which interested parties can contribute to the debate on the development of British standards and the United Kingdom's input to European standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make it his policy to broaden the definition of substantial demolition as part of the Building Regulations (part M) to cover (a) classification or determining the independence of an extension to a building, (b) that material alterations are taken into account and (c) that part M regulations cover the curtilage of the construction site so that concerns such as car parking space can be taken into account.

My Department is conducting a review of part M of the Building Regulations as part of a wider review of the regulations as a whole. The issues raised by the hon. Member are being thoroughly considered by my Department and the building regulations advisory committee, together with other responses to the recent consultation exercise. I expect the revised guidance on part M to be published later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total expenditure by the Countryside Commission on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

The following table gives the available information. No figures are available prior to 1 April 1982.

Year	Expenditure on press and public relations £
1982–83	24,644
1983–84	72,264
1984–85	171,668
1985–86	159,318
1986–87	162,164
1987–88	147,628
1988–89	176,543
1989–90	225,138
1990–91	1215,027
1991–92	2256,000
1 Estimated.
2 Budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total expenditure by Ordnance Survey on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

Records in sufficient detail to provide the information requested are held for seven years only. The available information is as follows:

Total expenditure on press and public relations
	£000
1984–85	696·2
1985–86	833·2
1986–87	751·3
1987–88	820·8
1988–89	737·1
1989–90	825·5
1990–91	1,119·4

This 1991–92 budget for press and public relations activities is £1,320,500. The increase in expenditure in the years 1990–92 is attributable to additional publicity for the Ordnance Survey bicentenary in 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total expenditure by the Nature Conservancy Council on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

Direct expenditure on information and publicity is listed in the table. For 1989–90 onwards the figures are net of receipts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is his intention to sell Wellington house following the closure of the Crown Suppliers; and what is the latest valuation of Wellington house.

No: it is not intended to sell Wellington house; the building is to be used to house other Government Departments. The latest valuation of Wellington house is £24 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what limits he has set, or plans to set, for authorities capped for 1991–92; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend decided on 3 April to adopt principles for designating authorities for capping in 1991–92 which gave effect to the provisional criteria announced on 31 October 1990 by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Mr. Patten). Applying these principles, he has designated authorities and proposed caps for them as set out in the table. Under the status these authorities had 28 days ending on 30 April in which they could either challenge or accept their proposed caps.Six authorities—Somerset, Iangbaurgh, Milton Keynes, Reading, Greenwich and Middlesbrough—accepted and my right hon. Friend has therefore in each case confirmed the caps for these authorities at the level he originally proposed.Eight authorities—Basildon, Bristol, Ipswich, Lambeth, Norwich, Stoke-on-Trent, Warwickshire and Wirral—challenged their proposed caps and suggested alternatives as set out in the table. My right hon. Friend will consider their cases and all other relevant information before he decides on the level of the final caps, which may be the same as or different from the amounts he originally proposed.My right hon. Friend will set out his final caps for challenging authorities in a draft order which he intends as soon as possible to lay before the House. If the House approves the draft he will set the final caps at levels specified in the order.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to change the financial arrangements for short-term leases acquired by local authorities.

The Department has today issued a consultation paper to all local housing authorities on the future of short-term leasing. We believe that this form of accommodation has a useful role to play in helping homeless families. We are proposing that, from 1992–93, new leases acquired by local authorities for a term of three years or less should be accounted for outside the housing revenue account. This will put them on a common financial footing with other property used by housing authorities as temporary accommodation for the homeless, but in which they have no long-term interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of public swimming pools that have closed each year since 1979.

I have been asked to reply.This information is not held centrally. The overall number of public swimming pools has increased from just over 1,000 in the early 1980s to nearly 1,200 now.

To ask the Prime Minister what procedures he has established for co-ordination between the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and agencies of the United States Government regarding the levels of attack preparedness and the length of warning times applicable to future civil defence provision in the United Kingdom.

Procedures governing coordination on warning times and related matters involve many Government Departments and there are a number of arrangements to which the United Kingdom and the United States of America are party—the most important being those established with our NATO partners. All 16 NATO nations are currently discussing revisions to our mutual defence arrangements in the light of the substantial changes that have occurred in Europe.As for the United Kingdom specifically, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will be making an announcement about changes in our arrangements, including the planning assumptions that will underlie civil defence planning, in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the role of the Crown Agents in providing emergency relief for Kurdish refugees.

The Crown Agents are playing an important part in procuring and delivering relief supplies to the relief organisations working in the region. They are currently supplying blankets, tents, clothing and food to a total value of just under £1 million on behalf of the European Community, the Overseas Development Administration, the British Red Cross and other charitable organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total expenditure by the ODA on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply he received from my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 30 April, column 140.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what position Her Majesty's Government took on the suspension of negotiations for an EC-Namibia fisheries agreement; and whether he is taking any action to promote a resumption of negotiations.

The matter was raised in a recent meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the European Community. Along with other partners, we sought an explanation from the Commission, which has subsequently informed the Namibian Government that the suspension was purely temporary. We look forward to the resumption of negotiations. I shall he taking this up at the ACP ministerial meeting in Brussels next week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements his Department is making to send out to Turkey and Iran British volunteer medical teams.

We are sending out early on 6 May, 90 medical and other volunteer relief workers to help Iraqi refugees on the mountains in the Cukurca region of Turkey and as they move back to their homes in Iraq. These initial teams will be under the direct supervision of the ODA's humanitarian aid co-ordinator, and will work in close co-ordination with British and allied forces in Turkey and Iraq. The operation is being co-financed with the European Community, as part of the Community's emergency aid programme announced on 8 April.The Iranian authorities have not requested medical volunteers. We are however financing the provision of two field health centres in West Azerbaijan province.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure by the Office of Data Protection Registrar on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

The Data Protection Registrar was first appointed in September 1984. I understand that his office incurred no significant promotional expenditure until the financial year 1985–86. Expenditure on press and public relations is shown in the table:

	£
1985–86	32,492
1986–87	50,212
1987–88	64,624
1988–89	44,780
1989–90	48,822
1990–91	54,163

The estimated expenditure for 1991–92 is £65,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has decided to withdraw Home Office funding from the Latchmere-Haslar project for refugees.

The Home Office has never provided core funding to the Latchmere-Haslar project. The payments made to it were exceptional and for one year and were intended to reflect the additional and transitional costs to the project arising from the transfer of detainees from Latchmere house to Haslar prison. The project's application last December for long-term core funding was turned down, on the grounds that the Government already make a substantial grant-in-aid to the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service to provide advice and representation and that, with limited resources, departure from the established practice of funding a single organisation in this way was not justified. My right hon. Friend is considering that decision further in the light of a substantial number of representations which we have received.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will undertake to refund local authorities the cost of any compensation which they may be required to pay in consequence of injunctions obtained in regard to Sunday trading, pending final determination of the issue by the House of Lords in consequence of the decision of the Court of Appeal; and if he will make a statement.

No. Local authorities receive a substantial contribution to their costs generally through the revenue support grant system. We have no plan to increase this contribution specifically for their enforcement duties under the Shops Act 1950.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the error made by his Department in deporting the wrong Paul Brown to Kingston, Jamaica; what steps he has made in contacting him and informing him of his Department's error; what has been the result of the appeal made by the other Paul Brown; and what steps he has made to ensure such an error cannot recur.

[holding answer 22 April 1991]: A Mr. Paul Brown was removed to Jamaica on 7 July 1989 in the mistaken belief that he was subject to a deportation order which had been made against another person of the same name. Both men were Jamaican, both had been convicted of offences, and both had been recommended for deportation by a court. The Paul Brown removed on 7 July 1989 made no representations against his removal. If he wished to return to the United Kingdom he would have to qualify for entry under the immigration rules. Those rules provide that where a passenger has been convicted of an offence included in the list of extradition crimes leave to enter is to be refused unless the immigration officer considers admission to be justified for strong compassionate reasons. Mr. Brown had been so convicted and no steps have been taken to trace him in Jamaica.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government are taking on asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 23 April 1991]: In view of the increase in the number of people coming to the United Kingdom to seek asylum, the Government have been reviewing arrangements for dealing with asylum seekers. On 26 March, at columns 347–48, I announced the introduction of a visa requirement for Ugandan nationals, who account for a significant proportion of asylum applicants in the United Kingdom. On 26 April, at column 566, my right hon. Friend announced a nearly fivefold increase in staff resources for asylum determination and commensurate increase in other parts of the asylum system. The review is continuing and further announcements will be made as necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the evidence that decontamination of the former chemical defence establishment at Nancekuke, Cornwall has not been wholly effective.

	Officers			Service men
	RN/RM	Army	RAF	RN/RM	Army	RAF
1989
January—March	34	103	54	560	1,042	900
April—June	56	194	101	627	1,051	981
July—September	80	238	70	724	1,018	884
October—December	60	138	107	633	990	757
1990
January—March	38	142	67	670	1,002	648
April—June	79	220	103	716	963	713
July—September	69	180	74	814	1,020	785
October—December	56	122	57	737	755	623

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the Government assessment of claims made by the Iraqi authorities at the Baghdad fair 1990 that they possessed fuel air explosive weapons.

We are not aware of a "Baghdad fair" in 1990. However, the Iraqis displayed what they claimed were fuel air explosive weapons of Iraqi origin at the Baghdad international military production exhibition in 1989. We cannot comment further on this matter.

This is a matter for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, CBDE. under its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive of the CBDE, Dr. G. S. Pearson to reply direct to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many refits will he undergone by each Resolution class submarine.

The future refit programme of resolution class submarines is classified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the number of service married quarters which are illegally occupied by otherwise homeless service families.

There were 1,672 service married quarters irregularly occupied as at 31 December 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, columns 35–36, if he will list in the Official Report, for each of the armed forces, the number of (a) male officers, (b) female officers, (c) service men and (d) service women, who have taken premature voluntary release in each quarter since January 1989.

No premature voluntary release, PVR, figures for females are available at present. The remainder of the information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of defensive measures to protect soldiers under attack from fuel air explosive weapons.

Fuel air weapons, FAE, are but one of a range of threats which are routinely examined when considering defensive measures for the British soldiers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nuclear arms capable, or nuclear-powered vessels and submarines of the Royal Navy have been (i) completely scrapped, (ii) are in store or (iii) are in active service at the present time.

It is not our practice to define Royal Navy ships as being nuclear-capable or non nuclear-capable. Four nuclear-powered submarines have been taken out of service, and are awaiting final disposal. Of these, one is stored afloat and three are being, or are about to be, decommissioned. There are currently 18 nuclear-powered submarines in service with the Royal Navy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many square metres of floorspace used for the storage or maintenance of Royal Navy nuclear facilities have been (i) completely decommissioned and ready for alternative use, (ii) are held in reserve or (iii) are in active service at the present time.

The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the investment in farm machinery in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what were the figures in 1980 and 1975, all figures in cash and in real terms taking 1975 as 100.

The information requested is as follows:

Investment inform machinery1
	In cash prices	In real terms2 (index 1973 = 100)
	£ million
1975	20	100·0
1980	33	84·3
1986	43	75·7
1987	42	69·9
1988	52	83·2
1989	58	85·4
31990	59	79·7
1 Tractors, vehicles and equipment (including plant).
2 Calculated by deflating by the retail prices index.
3 Forecast.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the gross profit in agriculture in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and in 1980 and 1975 in cash and real terms, taking 1975 as 100.

The information requested is an follows:

Value of gross output of agriculture
	In cash prices £ million	In real terms1 (index: 1975 = 100)
1975	286	100·0
1980	546	97·6
1986	752	91·9
1987	776	91·0
1988	817	91·4
1989	866	89·8
21990	853	80·7
1 Calculated by deflating by the retail prices index.
2 Forecast.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the gross value of the output of the agricultural industry in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and in 1980 and 1975 in cash and real terms, taking 1975 as 100.

The information requested is as follows:

Year	Farmers		Agricultural workers
	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
1975	125,500	17,700	10,800	7,500
1980	27,600	10,900	7,900	5,700
1986	25,100	10,800	6,000	5,200
1987	24,600	10,800	5,800	5,200
1988	24,600	11,100	5,500	5,100
1989	23,200	11,800	5,300	5,400
1990	22,700	11,900	5,100	5,500
1 Excludes 4,700 female owners, partners and directors for whom information is not available on whether they worked full-time or part-time in agriculture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) farmers (full-time), (h) farmers (part-time), (c) agricultural workers (full-time) and (d) agricultural workers (part-time), were engaged in agriculture in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and in 1980 and 1975 in cash and real terms, taking 1975 as 100.

Gross profit data are not available. The following data relate to "total income from farming" which is the closest measure that equates.

Total income from farming
Year	In cash prices £ million	In real terms1 (Index: 1975 = 100)
1975	51	100·0
1980	48	48·8
1986	106	73·1
1987	156	103·0
1988	181	114·2
1989	212	123·7
21990	169	90·0
1 Calculated by deflating by the retail prices index.
2 Forecast.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in statistical form the staff-student ratios in Northern Ireland universities for the last five years, and whether additional capital funding will be made available to Northern Ireland universities to meet the need for additional residential accommodation and other physical resources, arising from increased student enrolments.

The aggregate figures for the two universities in Northern Ireland are:

Year	Student/staff ratio
1985–86	11·9
1986–87	12·0
1987–88	13·0
1988–89	13·9
1989–90	14·2

Government funding of £5·5 million has recently been approved for a 3,000 sq m extension to the university of Ulster's Jordanstown campus. In addition, the Department of Education is considering a recommendation from the Universities Funding Council that the Department should provide grant aid for a further 1,700 sq m extension to the university's Magee campus.No Government funding is at present being made available for additional residential accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of agricultural land in Northern Ireland is owned by overseas investors; and if he will list (a) the countries concerned and (b) the percentage of land owned by each.

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what proportion of herds suspected of being treated with clenbuterol is only a random sample of the whole herd tested; and if he will make it his policy to test all animals in a suspected herd.

[holding answer 1 May 1991]: (I am considering the details of an on-farm testing regime under the powers available when the food safety order comes into effect on 21 May. On-farm testing for clenbuterol cannot be currently carried out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give separate figures for the spending by his Department on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what are his latest estimates for 1990–91 and budgets for 1991–92.

[holding answer 25 April 1991]: The information could not be made available in the form requested except at disproportionate cost. The figures for spending on all advertising and other promotional material are:

	£
1979–80	468,972
1980–81	487,393
1981–82	613,464
1982–83	1,550,896
1983–84	2,853,451
1984–85	2,699,659

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

[holding answer 30 April 1991]: The totals are as follows:

	£
1979–80	Nil
1980–81	Nil
1981–82	Nil
1982–83	Nil
1983–84	Nil
1984–85	Nil
1985–86	52,380
1986–87	4,298
1987–88	2,411
1988–89	1,549,937
1989–90	3,194,988
11990–91	3,413,313
21991–92	1,726,000
1 Estimate
2 Budget

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total expenditure by the Forestry Commission on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

The total expenditure by the Forestry Commission on information services, shows, exhibitions and publications, including technical publications, is given in the following table. The figures include staff costs and overheads and have been rounded to the nearest £100,000. A more precise breakdown is not available.

Year ended 31 March	Expenditure £
1980	700,000
1981	800,000
1982	700,000
1983	700,000
1984	900,000
1985	1,200,000
1986	1,200,000
1987	1,200,000
1988	1,600,000
1989	1,900,000
1990	1,700,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by the Forestry Commission in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

The total expenditure by the Forestry Commission on advertising, legal fees, estate agent fees, and so on, in connection with the disposals programme is given in the following table. The disposals programme started in July 1981, so no expenditure was incurred in the two years ended 31 March 1981. The figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000.

Year ended 31 March	Expenditure £
1982	500,000
1983	500,000
1984	800,000
1985	800,000
1986	700,000
1987	700,000
1988	600,000
1989	600,000
1990	800,000
1991	1600,000
1992	2700,000
1 Estimate.
2 Budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by the Scottish Development Agency in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92;(2) what was the total expenditure by the Scottish Development Agency on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

These are operational matters for Scottish Enterprise, which succeeded the Scottish Development Agency on 1 April 1991, and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the matrix system on the M4 operates on GMT throughout the year.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what was the total expenditure by the Welsh Development Agency on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92;(2) what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by the Welsh Development Agency in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on Wednesday I May 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the contracted through-put targets for each of the three all-Wales treatment centres for orthopaedic surgery, general surgery and ophthalmic surgery.

Throughput targets for 1991–92 are yet to be agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report, for 1990–91, for each of the three all-Wales treatment centres for orthopaedic surgery, general surgery and ophthalmic surgery, the contracted throughput targets, separately distinguishing the numbers by resident health authority.

The contracted throughput targets for the three all-Wales treatment centres in 1990–91 were:

	Number
a. Ophthalmic treatment centre, Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor
Cataract operations	315
Other operations	29
Total	344
b. Orthopaedic treatment centre, Prince of Wales hospital, Rhydlafar, near Cardiff
Hip replacements	233
Knee replacements	57
Other procedures	73
Total	363
c. General surgery treatment centre, Bridgend general hospital, mid Glamorgan
Varicose vein and hernia operations	800
Total	800

Not more than 20 per cent. of the throughput at the orthopaedic and general surgery centres was intended for South Glamorgan and Mid Glamorgan residents respectively whilst at the ophthalmic centre, 20 per cent. of the throughput was aimed at non-Gwynedd residents. Throughput targets for 1991–92 are yet to be agreed, but are not expected to fall below the maximum throughput levels achieved in 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what purchase price will have to be paid by Swansea city council to repurchase prefabricated reinforced concrete houses; what formula is applicable; and what account is taken of the market price and presumed knowledge of the defects by the purchasers.

Eligible properties would be repurchased by the authority at 95 per cent. of the defect-free value.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the job description of the consultant radiologist approved for Singleton hospital.

This is a matter for the district health authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new representations of substance he has received since the right hon. Member for Swansea, West presented a petition for the retention of the Singleton casualty unit; and what considerations were raised by the petition which required consultation beyond that already encompassed by his review.

The right hon. Gentleman presented his petition on 12 February. In the light of the right hon. Gentleman's representations, I visited the unit on 25 March and met a deputation of local residents, who handed me further letters. Three additional petitions, including another from the right hon. Gentleman, have been received.In the light of these representations and my personal visit to the unit, I have consulted further within my Department. I am considering all matters put to me and hope shortly to announce the result of the review.

	Expenditure £ million		Percentage change in real terms	Cumulative percentage change
	Cash	1990–91 prices
1978–79	16,602	41,882	—	—
1979–80	19,616	42,412	1·27	1·27
1980–81	23,751	43,396	2·32	3·59
1981–82	28,963	48,260	11·21	14·80
1982–83	33,000	51,240	6·38	21·18
1983–84	36,881	54,842	6·82	28·00
1984–85	39,949	56,533	3·08	31·08
1985–86	43,488	58,359	3·25	34·33
1986–87	46,841	60,763	4·10	38·43
1987–88	48,939	60,270	- 0·81	37·62
1988–89	49,721	56,989	-5·44	32·18
1989–90	52,661	56,742	-0·43	31·75
1990–91	59,001	59,001	3·98	35·73

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the total amounts of social security benefits paid in each year since 1978–79 in respect of (a) council rents, (b) rates and (c) the community charge.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state the latest figure he has available for the cumulative loan debt of the social fund and his estimate of what proportion is likely to be written off.

The cumulative social fund loan debt as at 31 March 1991 was £142 million. No social fund loans have been written off. All social fund loans are recoverable. Although there may be some circumstances where recovery is abandoned, this may be only temporary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for review by a social fund inspector were outstanding for more than one month at the most recent date for which this information is available.

On 30 April 1991, there were 1,243 applications for review by a social fund inspector which had been outstanding for more than one month. Additional inspectors have been recruited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for review by a social fund inspector were outstanding at the end of February, March and April.

The information requested is as follows:

	Number
February 1991	1,709
March 1991	1,923
April 1991	2,223

Additional inspectors have been recruited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 17 April, Official Report, column 192–93, regarding social security expenditure, if he will give the same information including expenditure on the unemployed.

Details of total social security spending from 1978–79 to 1990–91 are given in the table.

Data on help with housing costs are not readily available for years prior to 1983–84. The available information is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to issue for consultation his guidelines for visiting doctors on the care component of disability living allowance for (a) the under two-year-olds and (b) disabled people over the age of two; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans for consultations on the largely procedural guidelines for visiting doctors—examining medical practitioners. We will, however, be consulting disability organisations and specialist groups in the near future on the guidelines for adjudication officers and the doctors who advise them, about the care and mobility effects likely to arise from different medical conditions. We shall also be consulting organisations about the self-assessment claim pack for disability living allowance which should enable many claims to be determined without the need for an examination by an EMP.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the value of the 20 per cent. poll tax compensation within income support in 1991–92 (a) for individual claimants and (b) in total.

The current value of the amounts which were included in income-related benefit levels in 1989 towards 20 per cent. of the community charge is equivalent to an average community charge for all claimants of £367. This compares with an estimated net average community charge for all income support claimants in 1991–92 of £210 across Great Britain as a whole, taking no account of capping. The estimated total cost of including these amounts in income-related benefit levels in 1991–92 is £540 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to bring forward proposals to use the powers contained in the Social Security Act 1990 to restrict self-investment by pension funds.

	Level at which housing benefit ceases		Level at which community charge benefit ceases
	Gross earnings £ per week	Total net income £ per week	Gross earnings £ per week	Total net income £ per week
Single householder	87	77·02	76	74·64
Married couple	118	107·49	146	123·05
Married couple with two children aged 4 and 6	105	147·89	169	158·05
Lone parent with one child aged 3	91	131·76	62	128·37

Because of the possible double jeopardy to job and pension that can be caused by a pension scheme investing in a related employer, broad powers were taken in the Social Security Act 1990 to restrict the practice. Messrs. Ernst and Young were asked to report on the overall extent of self-investment and any implications there might be in imposing restrictions. A copy of their report, "Study of Self Investment by Pension Fund", is being published and I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library.Draft regulations have been referred for consideration by the Occupational Pensions Board. We propose that the overall proportion of a scheme's resources that may be self-invested should be limited to 5 per cent. Schemes that are currently above the limit will be required to take steps to reduce their level of self-investment, but only in respect of certain types of investments. A period of two years will be allowed for loans and equities listed on the stock exchange, and five years for equities traded on the unlisted securities market.Most small self-administered schemes and individual insured schemes will be exempted from the regulations where written agreement by all the members is provided to each act of self-investment. Where schemes currently have holdings of property or equity in private companies, they will not be required to take action to disinvest. In such circumstances no further self-investment may be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the level of gross earnings in April at which (a) a single householder, (b) a married couple, (c) a married couple with two children aged four and six years and (d) a single parent with one child, aged three years, will lose in housing benefit, assuming full take-up of family credit, average rent and rates and other assumptions, as in his reply to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Clay), Official Report, 1 December 1987, column 566.

[holding answer 30 April 1991]: The answer is set out in the table. It should be noted that the results in the table remain arbitrary. They cannot reflect, except by chance, the actual circumstances of particular people and cannot claim to be representative of the population at large. The table uses hypothetical rents so it does not reflect the full range of housing costs which people can pay. The table sets out separately the cut-off points for housing benefit, which, in the earlier reply to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Clay) included rate rebate, and community charge benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the achievements since 1987 and the present objectives of Her Majesty's Government's policies for caring for pensioners.

Since 1987, the Government have maintained the value of the state retirement pension and have continued to pursue the sound economic policies which have been the essential catalyst for the growth in pensioners' income during the 1980s. In addition, the abolition of the earnings rule in 1989 has allowed older people to remain in employment without reducing their state pension. The increased prosperity which these policies have brought to an expanding number of older people means, for example, that over 70 per cent. of pensioners now live in homes which are centrally heated and 86 per cent. have access to a telephone.At the same time, we recognise that there is still a need to protect the position of those who are less well off. As part of the April 1991 uprating of income-related benefits, the ordinary pensioner premium (for those aged 60 to 74) was increased by an extra £1 per week for single people and £1·50 for couples at a cost of some £80 million. This is in addition to a previous measure, taken in October 1989, which directed extra resources to older and disabled pensioners through income related benefits at a cost of £200 million in the first full year.There have been significant increases in the help available towards fees for those pensioners living in residential care and in nursing homes—a total of £1,270 million went to some 189,000 recipients in 1990 of whom the vast majority are elderly.The Government have also assisted those who wish to remain independent within their own homes. We have established, or helped to fund, a number of schemes, such as the minor works assistance grant, the disabled facilities grant and the home improvements agencies which provide independent advice and practical help for elderly people who wish to undertake repairs.Of equal importance to the maintenance of independence is the support given carers in the community. The Department has taken its own measures to improve their lot both by increasing financial provision through the extension of invalid care allowance to married women and the recently introduced carer premium in the income-related benefits. The number of carers receiving ICA has increased from 11,000 in 1985–86 to an estimated 125,000 in 1990 and estimated expenditure is now £213 million.Over the last 12 months we have introduced other measures which will help carers further. The amount a carer can earn without removing entitlement to ICA was increased from £12 to £20 in April 1990 and by a further 50 per cent, to £30 from April this year. A new carer premium was introduced into the income-related benefits in October 1990. Together with the abolition of the six-month qualifying period for attendance allowance for people with a terminal illness, this measure will cause a greater take-up of ICA. Finally, from October this year the carer premium will be extended to eight weeks after caring ceases.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on Treasury revenues in 1991–92 and in a full year of introducing an upper limit on all income tax allowances and reliefs of (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000 and (c) £20,000 a year.

It is estimated that at 1991–92 levels of income the introduction of the upper limits specified would yield about (a) £700 million, (b) £250 million and (c) £150 million in a full year. The estimates do not take account of any behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of such a limit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total expenditure by the department for national savings on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

Estimated figures for expenditure in the years 1984–85 to 1991–92 on press and public relations, including sales information units, established 1989, but excluding staff costs, are as listed below. No figures are available for the years prior to 1984–85.

Year	Press and public relations £
1991–92	87,950
1990–91	75,650
1989–90	41,525
1988–89	20,000
1987–88	22,830
1986–87	17,500
1985–86	15,500
1984–85	15,500

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total expenditure by the Inland Revenue on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

Information relating to the financial years 1979–80 to 1985–86 inclusive is not readily available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. The spend on press and external public relations activities for the remaining years is estimated to be as follows:

Year	£000
1986–87	580
1987–88	650
1988–89	610
1989–90	820
1990–911	7,728
1991–922	890
1 Forecast oulturn.
2 Budget.

The figure for 1990–91 includes expenditure of £6·95 million on an advertising campaign to increase public awareness of the new arrangements, for non-taxpayers to register for payment of bank and building society interest without the deduction of income tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total expenditure by HMSO on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

HMSO has commissioned no press and public relations work.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total expenditure by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise on press and public relations in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

Total expenditure by HM Customs and Excise on press and public relations is as follows:

	£
1984–85	63,000
1985–86	87,000
1986–87	85,000
1987–88	89,000
1988–89	126,000
1989–90	92,000
1990–91	102,000
1991–92	186,000
1 Estimated expenditure.

The figures for 1979–1984 are not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in 1979–80 and in each following year; and what is his estimate for 1990–91 and budget for 1991–92.

Nothing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each local authority that deposited money with the Chancery Banking group, and the amount deposited by each.

The information requested is confidential and is not available to the Treasury.