To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the records available in the Public Records Office relating to military activity in Antarctica; and how many papers relating to Antarctica have been withheld for more than 30 years.

No list is maintained of records available in the Public Records Office relating specifically to- Antarctica or military activity there. To compile such a list, or to enumerate all related papers withheld for more than 30 years could be done only at disproportionate expense.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to his answer of 23 April, Official Report, column 417, whether he will publish and publicise the telephone numbers of the Department of Transport area departments dealing with complaints about smoky vehicles, subject to operator licensing; what checks operators of allegedly smoky vehicles will be required to undertake in order to satisfy his Department that the vehicle is not smoky; and what follow-up action his Department will take if an unsatisfactory reply is received.

The telephone numbers of the Department of Transport's traffic area offices are:

	telephone number
Birmingham	021 631 3300
Bristol	0272 297221
Cambridge	0223 358922
Cardiff	0222 394027
Eastbourne (covers London)	0323 21471
Edinburgh	031 225 5494
Leeds	0532 499433
Manchester	061 872 5077

Telephone numbers are in telephone directories or available from directory inquiries. The Department's new leaflet 'Traffic Areas—the New Boundaries and Offices' gives addresses, telephone numbers and boundaries of traffic area offices. It will shortly be available, free of charge, from the public inquiry unit of the Department in London, telephone 071 276 0800.All operators subject to operator licensing must have adequate arrangements for vehicle maintenance. They will have to diagnose the cause of the excessive smoke and report back on what, if any, action has been taken. If the response from the operator is unsatisfactory, the vehicle inspectorate will review the adequacy of the operators' maintenance arrangements and inspect the vehicle if necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the proposed Mll link road, as planned, could safely be used by (i) pedestrians and (ii) cyclists.

The A12, Hackney Wick-M11 link road will be an all-purpose urban trunk road and will be heavily trafficked. The link road will remove motor traffic from existing roads and these will become safer alternative routes for pedestrians and cyclists when linked by the footpaths and cycletracks which are part of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if construction drawings in connection with the M11 link road for the Lea interchange have yet been made.

I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 23 April, at columns 415–16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what evidence was given on 8 January 1990, before the compulsory purchase order public inquiry in connection with the M 11 link road, by the Department of Transport's representative on proposed restrictions on cycling on the road;(2) if he will review the implications of paragraph 80 of the decision letter dated 2 August 1988 concerning the M11 link road, in respect of safety considerations and the use by cyclists of the M 11 link road in the light of his representation to the EC Commission that the road will be available for use by all classes of traffic.

The evidence referred to previous proposals to restrict the use of the link road by cyclists and to provide alternatives which would be more attractive. It acknowledged that a prohibition might be necessary ultimately, but pointed out that this would not be inconsistent with the classification of the link road as an all-purpose trunk road. This is in accordance with both the intentions of paragraph 80 of the decision letter of 2 August 1988 and the Department's response to the EC of November last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what undertakings Her Majesty's Government has given in connection with the M11 link road to the Commission of the European Communities on availability for use by all classes of traffic.

The Department has informed the European Commission that, on opening, the link road will be available to all classes of traffic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct British Rail to prepare proposals to develop the rail network on routes helpful to the tourist industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The commercial development of rail services in tourist areas was among the objectives set by my right hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Parkinson) in writing to the then chairman of British Rail on 19 December 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the channel tunnel rail link report from British Rail; if he will now make the report public; and if he will make a statement on the Government's decision.

I received the report on 3 May, but still await some of the supporting material. It is too soon to say when it will be possible to announce a decision. Publishing the report now could cause blight on all the routes that were studied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has ordered an investigation into the incident in which dangerous chemical containers drifted on to the north Norfolk coast; and if he will make a statement.

The marine accident investigation branch has appointed an inspector to investigate the incident. The containers appear to be part of the cargo of a Swedish registered vessel, the Nordic Pride, which reported the loss of four deck cargo tanks in bad weather on Friday 3 May 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out a timetable for improvements to the facilities at Gloucester prison.

Work costing just over £1 million will start this year on a two-year programme to provide

Police authority	Declared establishment	1986 strength	Declared establishment	1987 strength	Declared establishment	1988 strength	Declared establishment	1989 strength	Declared establishment	1990 strength
Dyfed Powys	934	929	935	929	935	927	935	934	943	939
Gwent	978	973	978	977	995	989	1,007	1,000	1,009	1,001
North Wales	1,316	1,268	1,316	1,307	1,326	1,304	1,330	1,332	1,351	1,334
South Wales	3,109	3,099	3,109	3,120	3,109	3,114	3,137	3,118	3,168	3,125

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes in policy he intends to make to allow men and women serving custodial sentences to produce and market communally items produced within the prison or prison farm; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 25 April 1991]: We have no plans for any general changes. However, in the recent "Report of the Inquiry into Prison Disturbances 1990"—Cm 1456—it was proposed that there should be schemes to enable a prisoner to contribute to society by making goods for charitable causes. The prison service is currently discussing with representatives of the Koestler Award Trust plans which the trust has to set up a prison charity shops scheme. The trust has been invited to submit a thorough feasibility and cost-benefit analysis of its proposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the individual appointments excluding casual vacancies he is scheduled to make to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations in (a) 1991 and (b) 1992 indicating in each case the title of the post, the salary if any and the duration of the appointment.

The readily available information about the appointments for which I am responsible, a number of which will fall to be made in 1991 and 1992, is given in "Public Bodies 1990" and "Public Appointments: A Handbook for Women's Organisations", copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each police authority in Wales, the number of police officers authorised by his Department, the number of police officer posts in the authority's establishment and the number actually in post for each of the past five years.

[holding answer 2 May 1991]: The information requested is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Spanish Government concerning cruelty to animals; and if he will make a statement.

The treatment of animals in another country is a matter for that country, except where provisions are laid down by EC legislation. However, pending confirmation that Spain has implemented the directives on the transport and slaughter of farm animals, the United Kingdom does not license the export of such animals to Spain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the representations he has received concerning cruelty to animals in Spain.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received 11 letters this year concerning cruelty to animals in Spain. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has received many more representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to propose legislation to give effect to the outcome of the Madrid conference on the future of the Antarctic; and if he will make a statement.

We expect the draft environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty that emerged from Madrid to be concluded at a further meeting in Madrid in June. It would be premature to consider legislation until a final text is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has yet reached a decision on the future of the procurement executive airfields at Bedford, Boscombe Down and Farnborough; and if he will make a statement.

We announced in September 1990 our preliminary view that research and experimental flying should be collocated at Boscombe Down. Since then we have undertaken extensive consultations with a wide range of interested parties, including trades unions, local authorities, the Society of British Aerospace Companies, the Farnborough Airfield Development Corporation, local amenity groups and individuals. We are grateful for all the responses that have been received.We have now considered carefully the results of these consultations, together with further work that we commissioned from independent consultants. We have concluded that it would be right to confirm the decision to base flying at Boscombe Down, as the most suitable airfield. Detailed planning to implement this decision will now be set in hand. The move to Boscombe Down will take a number of years to complete and there will be further close consultation with interested parties as work proceeds. We also intend to commission an independent environmental impact assessment at Boscombe Down to assist us in planning the move.The airfields at Bedford and Farnborough will no longer be required for defence purposes and will accordingly become available for disposal. We recognise that decisions on future use could have a major impact on the local areas and stress that we shall want to continue to work closely with the local planning authorities and other interested parties in accordance with normal planning procedures in determining the use to which these sites will be put. Our preliminary assessment is that Bedford could have potential as a commercial, non-passenger, airfield and that options for Farnborough could range from business/commercial aviation, with some associated commercial development of the site, to more extensive development. In considering them, we shall take account of the part the airfield plays in the Government's business aviation policy. No decisions have been made and these options for Bedford and Farnborough will be considered in detailed work now to be set in hand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to provide a dedicated headquarters for the Ministry of Defence police.

The Ministry of Defence police headquarters and training school, currently located with other Ministry of Defence branches in Empress State building, London and at Medmenham in Buckinghamshire respectively, will move to the site of the former RAF station at Wethersfield in Essex. Planning to this effect is now in progress, and it is expected that these moves will take place during 1992. It is also intended that the operational support unit will move from RAF Wittering to Wethersfield.As a result of these moves, the Ministry of Defence police will have their own dedicated headquarters, satisfying the recommendation made by Her Majesty's inspector of constabulary in 1989. At the same time, the Ministry of Defence police will be provided with improved and up-to-date instructional facilities on a larger and more versatile site which will offer a greater capacity for both recruit and in-force continuation and specialist training.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the increase in the average price of freehold dwelling homes in Yorkshire and Humberside in (a) 1989 and (b) 1990.

The available information does not distinguish between freehold and leasehold sales and includes sales to sitting tenants. The increases in 1989 and 1990 were 28 and 13 per cent. respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 13, to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, if he will specify in which band the average value of homes is for the illustrative calculation setting a council tax for a band D property occupied by two or more people at a standard level of service; and what the figures quoted in his reply would be if the average value home was (a) in band A, (b) in band B, (c) in band C and (d) in band D.

With the seven bands which we have proposed, a home with the national average value will always be in band D.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 13, if he will give the council tax for band A, B, D and G properties for a council when the county council spends four per cent. over its standard spending assessment and the district council 32 per cent. but where the majority of properties are in (a) band A, (b) band B, (c) band C and (d) band D.

I have nothing to add to my earlier answer to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what weighting is given in the standard spending assessment for people aged over 85 years; and what proportion of people are over 85 years old in (a) Grimsby, (b) Eastbourne, (c) Harrogate and (d) Scarborough.

The number of people aged 85 years and over is used in the calculation of the standard spending assessment for social services for the elderly. A full description of the weight given to this factor is contained in the Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England) as amended by the Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) Report (England), copies of which are in the Library.

Proportion of the resident population aged 85 years and over
	Per cent.
Grimsby	1·4
Eastbourne	3·6
Harrogate	1·7
Scarborough	2·4

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many measures and directives have been sent from central Government to Norfolk county council which have required Norfolk county council to (a) increase its activities and (b) employ extra staff; and if he will list each one since 1979.

The information is not available. Since 1984, however, the Department has closely monitored all central Government initiatives with resource implications for local authorities generally. Estimates of costs are made as accurately and as early as possible and are then taken into account, with all other relevant factors, when the annual local authority finance settlement is made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 14, on the workload of the drinking water inspectorate, how the figure of 120 days breaks down into hours per person.

Approximately 53 hours per person on average.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 14, if he will publish the report of the outbreak control team into the outbreak of cryptosporidia in Hull in 1990.

The outbreak control team published the report by sending it to the relevant local authorities and district health authorities, to the regional health authority, the Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and the drinking water inspectorate. It is available to the public via the town clerk's office, Hull city council at a cost of approximately £10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on rent levels for local authority housing in England.

Information on local authority rents is collected from a number of sources including surveys of authorities by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and claims submitted to the Department for housing revenue account subsidy. Drawing on both sources we estimate current rents as follows:

Region	April 1991 average local authority rent £ per week
North	22·60
Yorkshire and Humberside	21·54
East Midlands	23·17
Eastern	27·66
Greater London	35·74
South Eastern	31·36
South West	27·49
West Midlands	26·19
North West	24·50
England	27·29

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

No such fees have been paid during the period in question and the budget for 1991–92 contains no such provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the number of days which have elapsed since toxic waste arrived in Wath upon Dearne near Rotherham.

I understand that the waste arrived at Wath on 9 June 1989 and has therefore been present for 700 days.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many visits have been paid to the premises of Wath Recycling by officials of his Department in connection with the toxic waste held at these premises since this material arrived in the summer of 1989.

Three visits have been made by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution inspectors since the summer of 1989 in connection with the consignment of wastes received at that time. Visits have also been made by the Health and Safety Executive which has advised that it will be making a separate representation on this question.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that international trade in wildlife does not threaten the survival of species.

This Government have always been active in ensuring that trade in wildlife is controlled so that it does not threaten the survival of any species. Because of growing concern about the effects of trade on some wildlife populations, we have asked our scientific advisers—the royal botanic gardens at Kew and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee—to undertake a wide-ranging study. They will review the evidence as to whether the trade in wild-taken plants and animals is compatible with maintaining species at satisfactory levels. Following this review, they will make recommendations to be taken into account when considering proposals to change current controls under the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora—CITES.The United Kingdom was one of the founder members of CITES, which is based on the principle that wildlife should be used only at levels which can be sustained. We have always been in the forefront of promoting and supporting necessary changes to the convention and complementary measures in this country and the European Community. The study—which is to be completed by the end of July—will make a significant contribution to the conservation of wildlife by ensuring that Government action continues to be based on a sound scientific foundation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has commissioned or published in the last five years on the potential effects of global warming on London.

[holding answer 8 May 1991]: The report of the Department's climate change impacts review group, published in January of this year, considers a wide range of possible impacts, some of which are relevant to London. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the revenue cost assumed for 1991–92 in respect of individuals' capital gains tax allowance.

The total revenue cost of the capital gains tax annual exempt amount for individuals and trusts is estimated to be about £350 million at 1991–92 levels. This estimate does not allow for the effect on yield of the behavioural changes which would occur if the annual exempt amount were removed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what would be the capital gains tax yield for the latest available year if all equity transactions where a gain was taken within 12 months were taxed at 40 per cent;(2) what amount of capital gains tax was paid reflecting holdings of less than one year in

Information is available about the distribution, by length of period of ownership of assets, for net chargeable gains realised in 1987–88. A detailed analysis is provided in table 11.7 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1990". This analysis suggests that about 5 per cent. of net chargeable gains for 1987–88 were attributable to assets owned for less than one year. The figures exclude gains realised by companies which are chargeable to corporation tax.If capital gains tax on equities were restricted to disposals of equities within one year of acquisition with gains on equities held for more than one year exempted from tax, it is likely that, after taking account of behavioural effects, the total capital gains tax yeild from equities would be small.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the revenue cost for 1990–91 of the capital gains tax indexation provisions.

I regret that it is not possible to provide a sufficiently reliable estimate of the cost of indexation relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give details of the number of persons employed in the United Kingdom in (a) the civil service, (b) local government, (c) the national health service, (d) the armed forces and (e) public corporations, for each of the years 1961, 1979, 1985 and 1990;(2) how many persons were employed in the entire public sector in the United Kingdom

The information requested can be found in appendix 1, table 2 of the article on "Employment in the public and private sectors" which appeared in the December 1990 edition of the Central Statistical Office's "Economic Trends" publication. A copy is available in the Library. The percentage increase in the number of persons employed in the public sector in the United Kingdom over the period 1961 to 1990 was 3 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update, to take account of the 1991 Budget, the information on tax changes contained in the answer to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher), of 21 October 1986, Official Report, columns 812–14.

Latest estimates of the annual change in income tax liability resulting from the changes in tax rates, allowance, and thresholds are in the table. The 1978–79 income tax regime has been indexed to 1991–92 levels by reference to the statutory formula, and allowing for independent taxation.For the purposes of these calculations the indexed regime of 1978–79 has been applied directly to the income base of 1991–92. In practice, retention of the 1978–79 regime, indexed as appropriate, for the intervening years would have led to changes in the income base.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update to 1991–92 the information on real net earnings provided in the answer to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) of 10 April 1986, Official Report, columns 193–94.

The information is given in the tables.

Income Tax and Income Tax and NIC1 as percentages of gross earnings
	Multiples of average earnings2
	2/3	1	2	5	10
Single people
1956–57
Tax	10·4	16·6	24·8	40·5	55·2
Tax and NIC	14·0	18·9	26·0	41·0	55·4
1978–79
Tax	21·0	25·0	29·5	50·5	66·6
Tax and NIC	27·5	31·5	33·7	52·2	67·5
1991–923
Tax	17·9	20·3	26·0	34·4	37·2
Tax and NIC	25·3	28·2	30·7	36·3	38·1
Married men
1956–57
Tax	5·1	11·2	22·0	38·9	54·2
Tax and NIC	8·6	13·5	23·1	39·4	54·4
1978–79
Tax	15·4	21·3	27·2	48·8	65·7
Tax and NIC	21·9	27·8	31·4	50·5	66·5
1991–923
Tax	14·2	17·8	24·0	33·6	36·8
Tax and NIC	21·5	25·7	28·7	35·5	37·7

Changes in real net earnings after Income Tax and NIC (1956–57 = 100)
	Multiples of average earnings
	2/3	1	2	5	10
Single people
1978–79	124·9	125·3	132·8	120·1	108·3
1991–923	176·1	179·5	189·8	218·8	281·4
Married men
1978–79	126·8	123·9	132·4	121·1	109·0
1991–923	174·1	174·2	188·1	215·7	277·0
1 At the contracted-in rate
2 Full time adult males (all occupations)
3 Provisional

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage change in the United Kingdom gross domestic product for the last financial year.

Preliminary estimates of the gross domestic product at constant factor cost for the first quarter of 1991 and the 1990–91 financial year will be published by Central Statistical Office on 22 May 1991. Estimates at current market prices will be available on 24 June.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the size of mortgage interest payable in respect of domestic property in the northern region in 1985 and each subsequent year and the stock of mortgages and the average size of mortgage interest payable in the northern region for each year since 1985.

[holding answer 8 May 1991]: Readily available estimates, based on regional information from family expenditure surveys, are as follows:

Mortgages in the Northern Region
	Gross interest payable	Number of mortgages	Average amount of gross interest
	(£ million)	(thousands)	(£)
1986	690	440	1,550
1987	720	420	1,800
1988	940	510	1,850
1989	1,280	530	2,400
11990	1,630	560	2,900
1 Provisional.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action has been taken in the last six months with regard to the indexation of public sector pensions; what plans he has for determining future increases in public sector pensions; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: Public service pensions are uprated annually in April in line with the movement in the retail prices index in the 12 months to the previous September. Accordingly, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security on 24 October 1990, at column 348, public service pensions as well as state retirement pensions and other benefits were increased by 10·9 per cent. from 8 April 1991. There are no plans to change the current indexation arrangements by which public service pensions are increased.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the United Kingdom banking industry of the House of Lords decision in the case of the district auditor v. Hammersmith and Fulham council involving swaps.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: The Government are conscious of the strength of feeling about this issue among the banking community. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I have discussed it at length with the president of the British Bankers Association on two occasions, and the Governor of the Bank of England has kept us informed of City opinion. Officials have had long and detailed discussions with the BBA. We have been particularly anxious that all possible options for mitigating the consequences of the judgment should be fully explored.As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 7 May, at columns 402–3, after careful consideration, the Government have concluded that it is best not to seek to alter the existing obligations of the parties.This problem is specific to local authority swaps and has no implications for the vast majority of financial transactions or for local authority borrowing.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he proposes to take action to end the uncertainty caused to local authorities and the banking industry by the House of Lords decision in the case of the district auditors v. Hammersmith and Fulham council involving swaps.

Current Expenditure1
£ million
	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89	1989–902
District council expenditure3of which expenditure on structural maintenance of roads and other highways maintenance4	2·9	2·9	4·1	4·0
	n/a	n/a	n/a	1·6
County council expenditure3of which expenditure on structural maintenance of roads and other highways maintenance4	94·0	105·9	111·1	119·8
	n/a	n/a	n/a	92·6
1 Net of local income, but gross of relevant specific Government grants.
2 Provisional.
3 Includes all highways and bridge maintenance, street cleaning for highways purposes, lighting and associated professional and technical services. Includes net expenditure incurred on behalf of other local authorities under agency agreements.
4 Excludes net expenditure incurred on behalf of other local authorities under agency agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice he offers to general practitioners who wish to refer their patients direct to the treatment centre for cataract surgery funded by his Department at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, on whether consultant surgeons at Bangor will accept patient referrals in circumstances other than where the patient's area health authority consultant refuses to co-operate.

:. General practitioners should contact the treatment centre which will discuss with the patients' consultant whether re-referral will be in the clinical interests of the patient.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on 7 May, at columns 402–3.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 13, on safety measures in children's play areas, if he intends to provide additional funding for local authorities to put into practice the advice being drawn up on play area safety.

In framing local authority revenue settlements for 1992–93 and subsequent years, allowance will be made for any new burdens imposed on local authorities by central Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates his Department has of the expenditure on the repair and maintenance of roads and pavements under the responsibility of county and district councils in Wales in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990.

The information available is given in the table. Prior to 1989–90 figures are available on a consistent basis only for the broad category shown.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list his Department's current and planned renewable energy programmes in Wales by type, cost, site, location and capacity;(2) how many applications for renewable energy projects have been submitted for Wales up to date; and if he will list them by site, district council, type and capacity.

My Department supports an extensive programme of research, development and demonstration of sources of renewable energy where those sources show the potential for economic viability and are environmentally acceptable. In 1990–91 total expenditure was over £20 million. Expenditure is distributed throughout the United Kingdom. There is no specific allocation for Wales. However, there are currently 17 renewable energy projects which have a contractor or site located in Wales. They comprise:

Technology	Projects	Contract value £ million
Wind	7	4·9
Solar	4	0·6
Tidal	6	1·9

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state Her Majesty's Government's position on current discussions within the European Community to develop standards for high definition television, D2 MAC and HD-MAC

The Government welcome the consultations initiated by the European Commission with a view to securing consensus between broadcasters and manufacturers on the best route to high definition television. The Government will take a position when the Commission makes its proposals known. The Government have made known their views that the MAC family of standards should be given a fair chance to succeed in the market for wide screen TV transmissions by satellite but this should not entail the enforced cut-off of existing transmission standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the individual appointments excluding casual vacancies he is scheduled to make to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations in (a) 1991 and (b) 1992 indicating in each case the title of the post, the salary if any and the duration of the appointment.

The readily available information about the public appointments for which my right hon. Friend is responsible is given in the current edition of "Public Bodies" and in "Public Appointments: A Handbook for Women's Organisations", copies of which are in the Library. A number of these appointments are expected to be made in 1991 and 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the representations he received regarding the proposals to permit one further round metric quantity of 35ml and of extending the requirement to use prescribed measures to cover other spirits as announced in the answer to the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) of 3 May 1990, Official Report, column 612; and when he expects to lay orders on these matters.

I am considering the replies to my Department's consultation paper. No decision has yet been made on whether to implement the proposals nor on when any order on these matters would be laid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, further to his answer of 22 January, Official Report, column 119, when he expects to announce the outcome of the Director General of Fair Trading's investigation into malpractice by companies in the Eurocopy Group; and if he will make a statement.

As the hon. Gentleman is aware, the responsibility for investigations under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 is the responsibility of the Director General of Fair Trading. I have asked him to inform the hon. Gentleman of the report of the investigation in question when it becomes available.My statement to the House on 18 March in reply to the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. French), at columns 23–24 reflects the Government's general position on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will draw up a code of practice for photocopying companies to prevent the malpractices now under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.

As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 18 March, at columns 23–24, the code of practice of the Equipment Leasing Association already requires members to "behave with integrity" and not to

"misrepresent facts to a lessee concerning any aspect of a leasing transaction".

This is the standard that the Government would expect of the industry and the only way for the industry to retain the confidence of its customers.I understand that the Equipment Leasing Association is currently in the process of reviewing the provisions of their code to take into account commercial developments since it was originally published.In addition to this code of practice, both the CBI and the Association of British Chambers of Commerce have written to their members emphasising the need to consider carefully photocopier leasing agreements and the possibility of malpractices by some operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he intends to make any changes to the location of the inner-city task forces; and if he will make a statement.

Inner-city task forces have always been part of a rolling programme, tackling difficult areas and then moving on. I have decided to establish three new task forces: one in Hackney, one in Hull and one in South Tyneside. These task forces will work closely with the business community, the training and enterprise council and with the local authority to improve the job and training opportunities for those in the area. They will all be starting their work by the end of the year. The three new task forces, like the existing ones, are not intended to be permanent. One of their aims is to foster the development of local organisations which can capitalise on the task forces' work when the task forces themselves leave.The task forces in Leeds, Hartlepool and Spitalfields have now made significant progress in meeting these objectives, and I have consequently decided that they should close in the autumn. In the meantime, they will continue to build up the capacity of local bodies to take over their work in the future, and they will continue to welcome new proposals until the end of June 1991. Funding will also continue to be provided for a limited number of projects after the closure of the task forces.Task forces have proved highly successful in creating jobs, encouraging training opportunities and stimulating enterprise in the country's most deprived areas. Since they began, task forces have committed some £73 million to over 2,700 projects to help the people of inner city communities. A recent independent evaluation of the task force initiative by PA Cambridge Economic Consultants concluded that task forces are successfully and cost-effectively meeting their objectives and helping to achieve the Government's aim of regenerating the inner cities. A copy of this report is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets have been set for the Companies House executive agency.

In making available information about companies, Companies House promotes enterprise and contributes substantially to open and informed markets. Executive agency status has produced very significant improvements in efficiency and the standard of service provided to Companies House customers. Details of performance against the agency's original two-year targets will be available when the Companies House annual report is published.The chief executive of Companies House has been set the following quality of service and financial performance targets:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional funding would be provided for the Rotherham area in each of the next three years if it were to receive its share of the total sum available from EC funds under the Community's regional support arrangements; and what is his estimate of the funds which this area will receive in each of the next three years.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: Decisions on the future level of funding for the United Kingdom's objective 2 regions will be made by the Commission shortly. For the Community's RECHAR initiative the Commission has already announced the level of funding for Great Britain.It is not, however, possible to estimate what funding any particular area will receive since project selection is a matter for programme co-ordinating committees to consider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he is now taking to ensure that areas affected by contraction of the mining industry receive the benefit of the funds which are available from the EC.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: The United Kingdom Government submitted their applications under the RECHAR programme for coalmining areas on 26 July 1990. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, for Northern Ireland, for Wales and for Scotland, and other Ministers met Mr. Bruce Milian, EC Commissioner for regional policy, on 25 April when, among other EC structural fund issues, the Commission's approval of these programmes was discussed. Discussions are continuing at official level to resolve any outstanding questions so that early approval to these programmes may be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to enable Bradford Task Force to support training provided by the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders and other training centres facing closure, and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: All applications to Bradford task force for assistance for training projects are considered on their merits. The task force will continue to support schemes, in partnership with other funding organisations, which help local task force area residents obtain the skills needed to obtain employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will direct Bradford task force to provide training places for those with special needs to replace those which will no longer be offered by the Bradford TEC; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 7 May 1991]: The Bradford task force already supports a range of training initiatives aimed at disadvantaged, unemployed task force area residents. Many of these are being carried out in partnership with the Bradford and district training and enterprise council.

	Kingshurst	Tyneside	Bradford	Leigh	Britschool	Djanogly	Macmillan College
Site	Kingshurst School site	St. John Fisher School site	Newby Square, Bradford	Downs School site	Site of Selhurst Tertiary Centre	Sherwood Rise, Nottingham	St. Michael RC School, Middlesbrough
LEA	Solihull	Gateshead	Bradford	Kent	Croydon	Nottinghamshire	Cleveland
Opening dates	1988	1990	1990	1990	1991	1989	1989
Planned number of pupils	1,100	900	980	1,250	720	990	1,100
Total capital cost1	£9·71m	£8·609m	£9·162m	£8·95m	£7·001m	£9·71m	£8·450m
Exchequer contribution	£7·598m	£6·887m	£7·330m	£7·16m	£4·201m	£8·191m	£6·744m
Sponsors' contribution
i) committed2	£2·112m	£1·722m	£1·832m	£1·79m	£2·800m	£1·519m	£1·706m
ii) confirmed	£2·787m	£1·600m	£2·864m	£1·519m	£2·213m	£1·887m	£1·509m
Principal Sponsors	Hanson Trust	Peter Vardy	Dixons plc, Mr. Hakim Wong	Mr. G. Leigh	The British Record Industry Trust	Mr. Harry Djanogly	BAT Industries
Contracts awarded to sponsors	None	Building contract—Laings Northern	None	None	None	None	None
School closure involved	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Has a ballot of parents been held and with what result	No	No	No	3No	No	No	No

	Harris	Bacon's	Haberdashers'	Corby	Derby	Telford	Wandsworth	Bristol
Site	Sylvan school site, Croydon	Bacon's school site, Southwark	Haberdashers' Aske's, Hatcham, school site	Great Oakley, Corby	Wood Street, Derby	New build	Mayfield School	Kingswood Borough Council
LEA	Croydon	Southwark	Lewisham	Northants	Derbyshire	Shropshire	Wandsworth	Avon
Opening dates	1990	1991	1991	1991	1992	1991	1991	1992
Planned number of pupils	1,100	1,100	1,100	900	900	1,000	1,000	900
Total capital cost1	£8·662m	£14·279m	£8·945m	£9·95m	£10·200m	£10·751m	£11·116m	To be determined
Exchequer contribution	£6·93m	£11·423m	£5·500m	£7·96m	£8·160m	£8·399m	£8·893m	Not more than 80 per cent, of cost
Sponsors' contribution
i) committed2	£l·732m	£2·856m	£3·445m	£l·99m	£2·040m	£2·352m	£2·223m	At least 20 per cent, of cost
ii) confirmed	£l·708m	4£2·500m	5£4·445m	£l·99m	£2·000m	£2·352m	£2·223m	At least 20 per cent of cost
Principal Sponsors	Philip and Pauline Harris Charitable Trust	Philip and Pauline Harris Charitable Trust/ Southwark Diocesan Board of Education	Haberdashers' Company as Trustees of Robert Aske Charity	Mr. Hugh de Capell Brooke	The Landau Foundation	The Mercers Tarmac plc	ADT plc	Wolfson Foundation and Cable and Wireless
Contracts awarded to sponsors	None	None	None	None	None	None	None	None

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will update the table given in his answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn, Official Report, 25 July 1990, columns 280–84, giving the latest available information in respect of each city technology college or proposed and planned city technology college.

The table covers announced CTCs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to provide a guarantee that the debt charges on capital expenditure to provide new accommodation for Cambridge regional college will not remain the responsibility of the local education authority should the college be accorded corporate status.

[pursuant to the reply, 22 April 1991, c. 322]: From April 1993 the council that will be established to fund the new sector will take responsibility for meeting the cost of servicing debts arising from contracts for new capital spending in sixth form colleges and LEA-maintained colleges of further and higher education. The council will take responsibility only for the costs of debts relating to contracts entered into after 1 April 1991 which have a value in excess of £50,000 and to which I have consented under the arrangements I announced on 21 March this year.The maximum amount of each local education authority's debt for which the council will take responsibility will not exceed the level allowed within the authority's annual capital guidelines for relevant institutions in 1991–92 and 1992–93. These arrangements will be reflected in an appropriate adjustment to revenue support grant for future local authority finance settlements.The servicing of debt arising from contracts entered into before 1 April 1991 will remain the responsibility of local education authorities. It will continue to be supported through annual local authority finance settlements as now.Given this assurance, I expect authorities to wish to continue with their existing capital programmes and to undertake further appropriate capital spending on the colleges.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 9 May.

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 whether his statement concerning the growing aid programme, Official Report, column 163, 30 April 1991, referred to the aid level in real or nominal terms; and if he will provide the figures on which the claim was based.

Over the three-year public expenditure survey period to 1993–94 the aid programme is planned to increase to £1,860 million. Compared with the original planning figure for 1990–91 this represents continued real-terms growth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state the number of patients treated in acute hospital beds for each year since 1979; and what proportion were over pensionable age.

The information requested is given in the table.

Estimated number of cases1 treated, acute sector2 NHS hospitals, England 1979 to 1988–89
(Thousands)
	Total (all ages)	Over 65	Percentage age over 65
1979	4,750·2	1,137·3	23·9
1980	5,024·9	1,222·8	24·3
1981	5,153·5	1,280·9	24·9
1982	5,090·0	1,315·9	25·8
1983	5,443·7	1,387·5	25·5
1984	5,633·6	1,426·4	25·5
1985	5,802·9	1,511·9	26·0
1986	5,922·0	3—	3—
1987–88	5,921·0	1,513·0	25·6
1988–89	6,006·0	1,590·8	26·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, further to his answer of 12 March, Official Report, column 497, he has now found a suitable legislative vehicle for annulling section 155 of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Sir D. Steel) on 12 March at column 497.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of persons eligible for exemption from national health service charges by virtue of the low-income scheme actually claimed that exemption in the three most recent years for which figures are available;(2) what percentage of people eligible to claim under the national health service low-income scheme made a claim in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

Figures are not available for the potential number of people who may have benefited from the NHS low income scheme had they made a claim for remission of charges. Between May 1988, when revised methods of collecting statistical information were introduced, and March 1989, a total of 972,637 claims were received and a total of 689,945 awards of either full or partial remission of charges were made. For the financial year 1989–90 the corresponding figures were 900,509 and 813,671 and for 1990–91 1,01 7,7 3 9 and 957,886. Claimants may make more than one claim in any 12-month period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the gross annual cost of administering the low-income scheme for health benefits and the cost per claim in the three most recent years for which figures are available.

The NHS low income scheme is administered by the Department of Social Security on behalf of the Department of Health, on a repayment basis. Figures are available only for the two years 1989–90 and 1990–91 when the repayments were £8·107 million and £7·180 million respectively.The average cost per claim was £6·76 in 1989–90 and £7·65 in 1990–91. No figures are available for earlier years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the rate of incidence of hip fractures in (a) the total population, (b) the male population, (c) the female population and (d) the female population over 75 years in each year since 1980.

[holding answer 30 April 1991]: The information is given in the table.

Estimated Numbers of Discharges and Deaths (1980-–985) and Finished Consultant Episodes (1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90 where principal diagnosis was ICD 820: Fracture of Neck of Femur and Incidence per 10,000 Population NHS Hospitals, England
	Total	Male	Females
	All Ages	All Ages	All Ages	Over 75
1980	39,261	8,750	30,511	21,874
incidence per 10,000 population	8	4	13	120
1981	39,574	8,904	30,670	22,409

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he is supporting to ensure more local participation in preparation, appraisal and implementation of World bank forest projects.

It is already World bank practice to consult widely on all of their projects, including those in the forestry sector. The bank welcomes and encourages discussion with local interest groups and nongovernmental organisations on aspects of project preparation, appraisal and implementation. As part of its wider forest policy review the bank is looking again at its practice. The British Government support these efforts to strengthen local participation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to press for a World bank forest policy that clearly states that the bank will no longer lend to projects which degrade or destroy tropical forests.

A major objective of the world bank's new forest policy will be to help ensure that tropical forests are managed on a sustainable basis. The British Government fully support that principle and has so informed bank management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the timetable for approval and adoption of the revised World bank forest policy; and what assessment he has undertaken of whether the new policy will affect proposed World bank loans already under consideration.

World bank executive directors, management and staff are scheduled to discuss forest policy in a seminar on 31 May. Depending on the outcome of this discussion, the present intention is for management to seek formal board approval of the new policy by the end of June. No forestry sector loans currently under consideration will come to the board before the policy is finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many proposed World bank loans that include plans for use of forested land, reafforestation, or the timber industry, are currently in the process of being approved.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evaluation he has made of the implementation by the International Tropical Timber Organisation of its guidelines on sustainable management of tropical forests; and what recommendation Her Majesty's Government are making on how the World bank could implement the International Tropical Timber Organisation's guidelines.

Progress with implementation of ITTO guidelines on sustainable management of tropical forests will be discussed at the ITTO council meeting in Quito from 27 May to 6 June. The ITTO is organising a conference of foresters in Yokohama in July to promote further the guidelines. The ODA has made it clear to the authors of the World bank's forest policy that the bank should incorporate the guidelines into its overall strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Kingdom's executive director at the World bank will be putting forward the concerns expressed by United Kingdom non-governmental organisations to Her Majesty's Government concerning World bank forest policy.

In discussing the new forest policy with World bank officials, the United Kingdom executive director and his staff have drawn extensively on material and comments prepared by British non-governmental organisations. International and developing country NGOs had an opportunity to discuss the new policy directly with bank staff on 23 and 24 April in Washington.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what way existing Overseas Development Agency policy on support for forestry differs from the draft World bank forest policy currently under discussion.

The World bank draft policy paper has been revised four times since early March. Work on this will not be complete until the summer. Until it is, the Government are in no position to say how, if at all, respective policies will differ.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support the recruitment, by the World bank, of a substantial number of staff with experience of community participation in forestry, and support substantial training programmes for other World bank operational staff in practical implementation of forestry policy.

The United Kingdom executive director has already stressed the need for the World bank to develop an appropriate range of skills to support implementation of the new forest policy. The bank must decide on the mix of new recruitment and internal training required to fulfil this obligation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in establishing a comprehensive pilot project for forest conservation in Brazil, as proposed at the Group of Seven Houston summit in July 1990.

The Government of Brazil have been preparing a project proposal in cooperation with the World bank and the European Community. Draft proposals are being discussed at a further meeting of the three parties in Brazil on 9 and 10 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Minister for Overseas Development, during her recent visit to Brazil, discussed Brazilian law No. 7.827 of 9 September 1990 creating the constitutional fund for financing the north, and the reactivation, on 17 December 1990, of the fund for investment in the Amazon with the Brazilian Government; and if he will make a statement.

I discussed with Brazilian Ministers reports about the reactivation of schemes which earlier resulted in ranching and unnecessary deforestation in northern Brazil. I was assured that, although schemes to promote sustainable development in Amazonia were being reactivated, detailed arrangements had still to be worked out and care would be taken to ensure that the incentives would not result in needless deforestation or unsustainable logging.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place a statement of the Overseas Development Agency's forestry policy in the Library.

The Overseas Development Agency's forestry policy is set out in the memorandum and evidence given to the Environment Committee's inquiry into the climatological and environmental effects of rain forest destruction last year. Also in the Library are copies of the Overseas Development Agency's booklet "Environment and the British Aid Programme" and the Government's White Paper "This Common Inheritance", both of which have sections on tropical forests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the size of the ODA's contingency reserve, the disaster relief budget and the food aid budget for financial year 1991–92; whether any changes have been made to each of those since the start of the financial year; and how much of each has so far been allocated and for what purpose.

For 1991–92 the contingency reserve was initially set at £70 million. Allocations totalling £22·727 million have been made—£19·5 million for Iraqi refugee relief, £3·0 million towards Bangladesh cyclone relief, £0·227 million in respect of other emergencies.Parliamentary approval for expenditure arising from these dispositions will be sought as appropriate through the estimates.Within the contingency reserve £10 million was set aside initially for disaster relief. Of this £9 million was provided for in subhead A3(7) of the supply estimates, of which £2,827,000 has been spent, as follows:

	£
Iraqi refugees (Kurdish crisis)	2,600,000
UNDRO: Afghanistan earthquake	7,000
World Vision: Malawi floods	46,000
SCF: Malawi floods	114,000
SCF: Uganda displaced persons	60,000

Assistance for the Bangladesh cyclone and further assistance for the Iraqi refugees will be charged to this subhead, supplemented as necessary by transfers from the unallocated section.The remaining £1 million was provided for in subhead B3(9) and has yet to be spent.Provision for food aid in 1991–92, under subheads A3(8) and B3(8) in the supply estimates, totals £19·5 million. Allocations are made in terms of tonnes of cereals, as this is the basis of the United Kingdom's obligation under the food aid convention. The following allocations have been made:

Subhead A3(8) Bilateral Food Aid
Country	Quantity tonnes
Ethiopia	25,000
Mozambique	10,000
Sudan	25,000
Total	60,000
Subhead B3(8) Multilateral Food Aid
Angola (fulfilment of 1990–91 pledge to special UN programme which has been delayed due to local difficulties)	2,200
World food programme regular programme	25,000
Protracted refugee operations:
Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia	5,000
Mozambican refugees in Malawi	5,000
International emergency food reserve	10,000
Total	47,200
Plus cash contribution to WFP administrative expenses	£500,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish tables showing (a) the expenditure per capita of population of each local authority in Scotland and (b) the level of central Government support per capita of population to each local authority.

The information, based on local authorities' budget estimates and the aggregate external finance settlement for 1991–92, is set out in the table.