To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lorry action areas have been established in line with recommendation 50 of the Armitage report; and at what cost.

None. Since the Armitage report was published there have been substantial improvements. Today's lorries are quieter, and safer and emit less smoke. There are also fewer of them in urban areas, due to the continuing improvement of the road network, particularly by provision of bypasses. A major focus of attention has been the Department's lorry management scheme which produced guidance last year illustrating the range of measures available to local authorities in promoting effective lorry management and reducing the adverse effects of lorries on local communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how often each year the M6 in Warwickshire is cleared of litter; and when was the last time.

Warwickshire county council, which acts as the Department's agent on this stretch of the M6, is responsible for clearing the motorway of litter as often as is required to maintain the standards laid down in the code of practice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The frequency of clearance in any location will therefore depend on particular circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the titles of the video recordings purchased by his Department during the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92 to date.

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the expenditure covered by his Department's hospitality fund for the financial years (a) 1989–90, (b) 1990–91 and (c) 1991–92 to date.

Expenditure on official hospitality by the Department is as follows:

	£
1989–90	114,016
1990–91	144,023
11991–92	22,040
1 To date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the full-time and part-time public appointments for which his Department was responsible for each of the past five years together with the salary and the date when each appointment is due for renewal.

The majority of these appointments for each of the last five years are listed in the annual editions of "Public Bodies" published by the HMSO or "Public Appointments: A Handbook for Women's Organisations" produced by the Women's National Commission, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The appointments which are not listed in these documents are:

Acting Conservator of the River Mersey (£7,667 per annum)

Four Delegates to the Central Rhine Commission (unpaid)

Chairman and six Members of the Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Diabetes (unpaid)

Chairman and five Members of the Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Cardiovascular Disorders (unpaid)

Chairman and eight Members of the Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Disorders of the Nervous System (unpaid) and

Chairman and two Members of that Panel's Sub-Committee on Mental Health/Drug and Alcohol Misuse

The further information sought by the hon. Member could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the British Rail board will announce its decision on the tenders it has received for class 165 electrical multiple unit four-car sets for the class 341 carriages and the 471 carriages.

This is a matter for the British Railways Board. However, I understand that 180 class 165 and 59 class 165/2 diesel vehicles are on order for the Network SouthEast lines into Paddington and Marylebone. The first of these vehicles will enter regular service in October. It is not envisaged that any further orders for class 165 vehicles will be placed in the near future. No tenders have yet been invited for class 341 or class 471 electric multiple units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the nature of the current repair works to the Thornbridge viaduct of the M6 motorway in Birmingham; and how long the work will last.

Two contracts are currently under way for the installation of cathodic protection systems on the viaduct substructure. The first, involving work to crossbeams between Beeches road and Thornbridge avenue should be completed by mid July. This is slightly later than previously anticipated because of the need for unforeseen additional works. A second similar contract south of Thornbridge avenue commenced in April and is due to finish next March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the outline timetable for roadworks on the East India Dock road/Canning Town bridge and flyover on the A13 and its junctions with Leamouth and Abbot roads; if he will publish maps or diagrams of the proposed phases of the works; and what steps are being taken to ensure that maximum traffic flows consistent with safety of pedestrians are maintained.

The Department's consultants are finalising their recommendations for this scheme which would involve the widening of Ironbridge and the Canning Town flyover. The intention is to hold a public exhibition later this summer in the Mayflower centre, Newham, at which the proposals will be on display allowing comments from all interested parties. This will be followed by the announcement of a preferred scheme, leading to the publication of draft orders under the Highways Act next year. Construction is currently programmed to commence in 1994. The contract will include requirements about maintenance of traffic flows and provision of safe crossing points for pedestrians during construction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a date for the implementation of the Draft Regulation of April 1990 on the orange badge scheme for disabled drivers.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 21 March at column 212.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to his answer of 1 March, Official Report, column 625, if he will list the projects of research and data collection on the environmental implications of transport policy decisions (i) currently under way and (ii) commissioned or published since 1979.

The Department makes use of a wide range of data sources to inform transport policy decisions with environmental implications. The principal statistical series used are set out in annex B of the environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance"—Cm. 1200. Many research projects involve the collection of data specific to the problem being studied.The following list details projects in the Department's current research programme with a substantial environmental element. Information on research covering the whole of the Department's responsibilities commissioned or published since 1979 could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Title	Expected year of completion
Alternative to Full Scale Discharge of Halon in Fire Protection Test	1991
Recycled Bituminous Materials	1992
Use of Concrete Pavements for Motorway Widening and Strengthening	1992
Noise Barrier Construction	1992
Operational Assessment of Urban Traffic Management Schemes	1992
Low Noise Road Surfaces	1992
Impact of Aircraft Emissions on Local Air Quality	1992
Study of the Climatic Effects of Water Vapour from Aircraft	1992
Effects of Traffic Change on Nuisance	1992

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he can now name a date when the Severn bridge will become fully operational following completion of repairs and maintenance work.

The resurfacing work is due to be completed by November 1991. As with all structures, further works will be necessary from time to time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West on 22 April, if he will give special attention in his advertising to highlight important sections of the Highway Code;(2) if he will take special action to advertise the information contained in paragraphs 50, 65, 105 and 108 of the Highway Code.

All the rules in the Highway Code contain important safety advice which road users should follow. In promoting the safety measures in the code, my Department will continue to stress the need for drivers of all vehicles to leave a safe gap for stopping, to give way to pedestrians at road junctions and to take care when making any manoeuvre at a road junction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what new proposals he has to promote the introduction of bus priority schemes; and if he will make a statement;(2) what is his most recent assessment of the value of bus priority schemes.

Bus priority schemes have an important role to play in keeping buses moving in congested areas. It is for local authorities to introduce such measures. I have recently set up a working group, including representatives from the industry, local authorities and the police to consider ways to promote bus use. A sub-group is considering new guidance for local authorities to assist them in adopting appropriate schemes. We hope to be able to provide support for some bus priority measures in 1992–93 if suitable proposals are put forward by local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider the design of prohibiting traffic signs, to ensure a consistent pattern to avoid confusion between those carrying a diagonal red bar and those without a bar, particularly for those affecting cyclists.

There are no plans to change the design of prohibitory traffic signs. The red circle around a sign barring particular categories of road user indicates the prohibition. Red bars are used only on signs banning left, right or U-turns. This is consistent both internally in the United Kingdom and with the European convention on road signs and signals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning delays to parts of the West Yorkshire rail electrification scheme.

[holding answer 17 June 1991]: Since the middle of May we have received four letters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that all parts of the West Yorkshire rail electrification scheme proceed as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 17 June 1991]: Credit approvals have already been reserved for the infrastructure costs of this project, and we shall be considering resources for the rolling stock as a matter of urgency when decisions are taken on the allocation of credit approvals for 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the result of the meeting of the maritime safety committee of the international maritime organisation to discuss the report of its specialist sub-committee on the stability of roll on/roll off ferries in May.

[holding answer 17 June 1991]: One of the many subjects given detailed consideration by the maritime safety committee was the residual stability standards of existing roll on/roll off passenger ships. After two weeks discussion the committee agreed that:

(a) the standard of residual stability applicable to new passenger ships should be applied to existing roll on/roll off passenger ships;

(b) the implementation of that standard should be phased-in, dealing first with those ships having the lowest standard of survivability and that the starting date of the first phase should be October 1994;

(c) the length of the phasing-in period would depend to a significant extent on the results of calculations undertaken to determine the survivability standards of individual ships but it should not exceed 5 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he was notified by Trinity House in advance that it was its intention to notify Alnwick district council that it proposed to erect a Loran C mast at Amble as a permitted development which did not currently enjoy permitted development status.

[holding answer 17 June 1991]: My right hon. and learned Friend was aware that Trinity House intended to consult Alnwick district council, as the local planning authority, and others about the proposal to erect a Loran C transmitter mast near Amble as a permitted development in advance of its having powers to

Incident number	Date	Risk	Aircraft	Aircraft	Latitude	Longditude	Altitude (ft)
81/230	25 November 1981	C	Friendship F27	F4/Phantom	5342N	00006W	12,000
82/189	8 December 1982	C	Model 727	One-Eleven (BAC)	5342N	00011 E	35,700
89/042	24 April 1989	A	Jet Provost	Jet Provost	5340N	00023W	06,000
90/131	31 July 1990	C	Super King Air 200	Super Jet 747	5344N	00001W	27,000

The findings of the Joint Airmiss Working Group were as follows:81/230 Unauthorised entry into Airway Bl by the Phantom.82/189 Prescribed horizontal separation not maintained by air traffic control.89/042 Very late sighting by the pilots of both Jet Provosts.90/131 Prescribed separation not maintained by air traffic control.Risk Category A (incident 89/042) denotes an actual risk of collision. Category C (incidents 81/230, 82/189 and 90/131) denotes no risk of collision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer on 3 May, Official Report, columns 360–62, to the hon. Member for Don Valley, about air misses, what was (a) the height, (b) the risk category and (c) the findings of the joint air miss working group for the incidents on (i) 28 April 1988, (ii) 21 June 1988 and (iii) 16 February 1990; and if he will make a statement.

The information requested by the hon. Gentleman is as follows:

Date of incident	Height (ft)	Risk category	Findings of joint airmiss working group
28 April 1988	3,000	C	No risk of collision.
			Both pilots fulfilled their lookout responsibility.
21 June 1988	1,500	C	Sighting report without risk.
16 February 1990	2,000	C	The Buccaneer pilot flew close enough to the Sikorsky S76 to cause concern.
			However, there was no risk of collision, and the Buccaneer pilot underook his responsibility to avoid collision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer 3 May, Official Report, columns 360–62, to the hon. Member for Don Valley, what was (a) the height, (b) risk category and (c) the findings of the joint air miss working group for any incidents that were reported and which were above 5,000 ft.

The information requested by the hon. Gentleman, with other details to identify the incident, is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the reasons why the M56 has worn out and needs to be comprehensively relaid at its junction with the M53.

[holding answer 17 June 1991]: Because the amount of traffic using it—now 68,000 vehicles every day, with 20 per cent. of them heavy goods vehicles—proved to be far higher than forecast when the motorway was designed in the 1970s. The road surface is being replaced to new higher standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the public inquiry into the side road and compulsory purchase orders in relation to the A326 Totton Western bypass stage 3 is now complete; and when he expects to announce his decisions.

[holding answer 3 June 1991]: The public inquiry into these orders is complete and the inspector's report is currently being considered by my Department as a matter of priority. I hope that it will be possible to announce a decision before the end of July.

To ask the Attorney-General how many cases are currently under consideration by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, broken down by year of application.

I have been asked to reply.The number of applications under consideration at the end of May 1991 was 58,834. A further 10,876 cases were awaiting the applicant's response to an award offer, and 11,324 were awaiting decision on appeal.The board does not record the age of applications in the form requested, but the percentages of cases resolved within certain periods from the date of registration are shown in the board's annual reports, copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the average sentence for assaults on police officers in each of the last five years for each constabulary; and what consideration he has given as to the adequacy of the range of sentences available;(2) how many assaults on police officers have resulted in successful prosecutions in each of the last five years for each constabulary.

Statistics on court proceedings for violence against the person do not distinguish the occupation of the victim. We are planning to carry out a survey of the sentences given for assaults against police officers later this year. We shall consider in the light of the results whether any further action is needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been assaulted in the course of their duty in each of the last five years, for each constabulary.

The available information is for 1990 and is given in the table.

Numbers of police officers assaulted in the course of their duty England and Wales 1990
Police force area	Number of officers assaulted
Avon and Somerset	437
Bedfordshire	241
Cambridgeshire	176
Cheshire	651
Cleveland	ֵ

Caribbean citizens refused leave to enter and removed from the United Kingdom 1979 to 1990
	Barbados		Guyana		Jamaica		Trinidad and Tobago
Year	Total refused leave to enter and removed	Removal rate1	Total refused leave to enter and removed	Removal rate1	Total refused leave to enter and removed	Removal rate1	Total refused leave to enter and removed	Removal rate1
1979	9	0·1	26	0·3	48	0·1	20	0·1
1980	10	0·1	23	0·3	82	0·3	17	0·1
1981	7	0·1	10	0·1	54	0·2	17	0·1

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of people from each Caribbean country not permitted to enter the United Kingdom, for each year since 1979; and what percentage this represents in each case of the known number of entrants from each country.

The available information is given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have (a) applied to enter the United Kingdom from India on the basis of marriage in each of the last five years and (b) been refused under the primary purpose rule.

The information requested is given in the table.

Applications for an entry clearance for settlement, by spouses and fiance(e)s in India
Number of persons
	Applications
	Newly received1	Refused solely because of primary purpose rule2	Refused partly because of primary purpose rule2
1986	3,240	670	60
1987	3,450	600	60
1988	2,910	550	70
1989	3,310	400	50
1990	3,300	520	60
1 Including applications subsequently withdrawn. Many wives who applied before August 1988 were not required to satisfy the primary purpose rule, because they were covered by section 1(5) of the Immigration Act 1971.
2 Applications refused initally minus applications granted on appeal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) applied to enter the United Kingdom as visitors from Caribbean countries and (b) were refused entry in each of the last five years.

The available information for 1986 to 1989 is published in table 1 of the annual Home Office Command Papers "Control of Immigration Statistics, United Kingdom"—Cm 166, 415, 726 and 1124 for each year from 1986 to 1989 respectively—copies of which are in the Library. The available information for 1990 is given in the table.

Caribbean visitors admitted to, and Caribbean passengers refused leave to enter and removed from, the United Kingdom in 1990.
Nationality	Total visitors admitted	Total passengers refused leave to enter and removed
Barbados	5,160	36
Guyana	3,740	57
Jamaica	18,200	580
Trinidad and Tobago	9,780	131

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many exemptions have been granted to the requirements in section 10(3) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in each year since 1987; and if he will list the suppliers of non-purpose bred animals in each case.

Section 7 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which required the designation of breeding and supplying establishments, came into effect on 1 January 1990. A number of exemptions were granted at that time to project licence holders to obtain animals from non-designated sources until animals from designated sources became available. Many of these have now lapsed because of the subsequent increase in availability of purpose bred animals. The remaining exemptions are principally for those types of primate and dog which are not available from designated breeders. No statistical information is held centrally about the granting of exemptions, which is done on a case-by-case basis.It is not our practice to publish the names of suppliers of animals for use in scientific procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether papers relating to scientific procedures on animals performed by Professor Wilhelm Feldberg while not holding a valid project licence in respect of those procedures are to be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration of a prosecution under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

We are currently considering a number of documents received on 16 April from the Medical Research Council together with further correspondence received yesterday.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are currently taken by the Home Office inspectorate to ensure that experimentation using non-purpose bred animals does not contravene the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

[holding answer 14 June 1991]: The controls applied by the inspectorate to the use in scientific procedures of animals obtained from non-designated sources are exactly the same as the controls which are applied to the use of animals obtained from designated sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to stop the supply of non-purpose bred animals for experimentation.

[holding answer 14 June 1991]: No. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 provides that the most commonly used laboratory species, mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, together with dogs, cats and non-human primates may be used in scientific procedures only if they have been bred at a designated breeding establishment or obtained from a designated supplying establishment. However, exemptions to this requirement may be granted under section 10(3). Exemptions to obtain animals from non-designated sources are rare. All requests for exemptions are carefully examined. For less commonly used species there may well be no alternative other than to obtain them from non-designated sources.

Prisoners held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales under prison rule 43 and young offender institution rule 46, 31 December 1990
	Males		Females
	Aged under 21	Adults	Aged under 21	Adults	All
Own interests	140	1,629	3	17	1,789
Good order or discipline	42	210	2	8	262
All	182	1,839	5	25	2,051

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what details about the ethnic background of rapists and their victims are collected by his Department; and whether he will publish the most up to date facts and figures available to him.

Neither victim details nor ethnic origin of defendants are recorded in the national criminal statistics system. Information on a sample of offenders from six prisons and their victims was given on pages 15–17 and 54 of "The imprisoned rapist and rape" by D. Grubin and J. Gunn, published by the Home Office on 4 March 1991, a copy of which is in the Library. The latest readily available information about offenders serving custodial sentences for rape is published in table 1.12 of "Prison statistics England and Wales 1989"—Cm. 1221—a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibilities his Department has for (a) conservation, (b) transport and (c) the welfare of imported wild birds.

The Home Office has responsibility for general legislation relating to the welfare of domestic, captive and performing animals and to pet shops. In addition, scientific work concerned with conservation, the development of veterinary techniques and the prevention and treatment of disease is conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give the latest available figures for the total number and percentage of detected

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims for political asylum were outstanding for people giving as an address any residence in the constituencies of (a) Tottenham and (b) Hornsey and Wood Green as at (i) 31 December 1988, (ii) 31 December 1989 and (iii) 31 December 1990.

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of (a) men and (b) women on rule 43 in prisons in England and Wales on 1 June.

The latest readily available information is given in the table.offenders in England and Wales broken down by

In England and Wales in 1989 the peak age of offending for males was 16 to 18 years and for females 15 years, respectively. The other information requested, excluding data on race and ethnic background which is not collected centrally, is published in the Command Paper "Criminal statistics England and Wales 1989", tables 5.2, 5.12, 7.4 and 7.6 to 7.13, a copy of which is in the Library. Data for 1990 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest available figures and percentages for the total numbers of people receiving custodial sentences broken down by (a) type of sentence, (b) gender and (c) ethnic background.

The information requested is not recorded centrally. The readily available information is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide statistics on the total number of prisoners between the years 1978 to 1990 broken down by (a) gender, (b) ethnic background and (c) type of offence; and of these how many had (i) no previous convictions, (ii) one conviction and (iii) two or more convictions.

An extensive analysis of the ethnic origins of prisoners was published in "The ethnic origins of prisoners: the prison population on 30 June 1985 and persons received July 1984-March 1985". This included analyses by previous convictions and type of offence, table

Sentenced population1in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 30 June: by ethnic origin and previous convictions, 1985 and 1990
Number of persons
	Ethnic origin
Number of previous convictions	White	West Indian Guyanese African	Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi	Chinese Arab Mixed origin	Other, not recorded (including refusals)	All persons
MALES
All males
1985	30,322	2,657	821	763	1,084	35,647
19902	27,829	3,505	980	614	598	33,526
Not recorded
1985	4,607	603	225	145	222	5,802
19902	8,885	1,402	408	230	354	11,279
All previous convictions
1985	25,715	2,054	596	618	862	29,845
19902	18,944	2,103	572	384	244	22,247
No previous convictions
1985	1,050	146	192	72	63	1,523
19902	1,625	445	209	63	67	2,409
One previous conviction
1985	1,387	167	96	52	46	1,748
19902	1,081	126	77	26	18	1,328
Two previous convictions
1985	1,630	168	81	42	53	1,974
19902	1,071	125	64	35	13	1,308
Three and over
1985	21,648	1,573	227	452	700	24,600
19902	15,167	1,407	222	260	146	17,202
FEMALES
All females
1985	915	132	18	26	43	1,134
19902	812	294	24	33	65	1,228

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest available figures for (i) the total numbers of people employed in the police service broken down by (a) occupation, (b) grade, (c) gender and (d) ethnic background, (ii) the percentage increase of women employed in the service between 1978 and the latest available figures broken down by occupation and grade and (iii) the percentage increase of ethnic minorities employed in the service between 1978 and the latest available figures broken down by occupation and grade.

The percentage increase in the number of women police officers between 1978 and February 1991 was 71.6 per cent. The percentage increase in the ethnic minority representation in the police service between 1985, when records were first kept, and February 1991 was 92·5 per cent. The tables show what is available from central records. To provide figures by occupation, by rank and gender, could be done only at disproportionate cost.

(i) Police strength as at 28 February 1991
	Police strength1	Ethnic minorities
Male Ranks
Chief Constable	48	0
Deputy Chief Constable	59	0
Assistant Chief Constable	136	0
Chief Superintendent	593	0
Superintendent	1,521	2
Chief Inspector	2,322	1
Inspector	6,790	16
Sergeant	19,259	74
Constable	82,003	1,076
Total male ranks	112,731	1,169
Female Ranks
Chief Constable	0	0
Deputy Chief Constable	0	0

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing for each constabulary in England and Wales (a) the number of shotgun certificates held, (b) the number granted, (c) the number renewed, (d) the number of shotguns surrendered or handed over to the police, (e) the number of certificates cancelled by the police and (f) the number of certificates not renewed and of the guns covered by them handed over to the police in each of the last four years; and what became of any shotguns handed in.

The available information, relating to England and Wales, is published annually in Home Office statistical bulletins as follows: "Statistics on the Operation of the Firearms Act 1968", issue 2/88, issue 33/88, and issue 18/89, for the years 1986 to 1988 and "Statistics on the operations of the Firearms Acts 1968 to 1988", issue 26/90, for 1989. Home office statistical bulletins are held in the Library.These bulletins contain the information by police force area on the number of shotgun certificates on issue at 31 December each year, the number of new certificates granted, the number renewed and the number revoked during these years. For revocations in 1986, some limited information is given for England and Wales as a whole in paragraph 6 of bulletin issue 2/88.Statistics on the number of certificates not renewed and on the number of disposal of shotguns surrendered or handed over to the police are not available.In 1989, the Home Office published guidance to the police urging them not to destroy a shotgun of an unusual type if it was of interest to a museum or the government's forensic science laboratories.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under which provisions of the Firearms Acts or other provisions, chief constables are empowered to require persons seeking the grant or renewal of a shotgun certificate to give details of the shoots the applicant attended during the preceding 12 months, and as to whether the shoots were organised or otherwise.

Under section 28 of the Firearms Act 1968, as amended by section 3 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, a chief officer of police may refuse to grant or renew a shotgun certificate if he is satisfied that the applicant does not have a good reason for possessing, purchasing or acquiring a shotgun. The Act does not specify the inquiries that a chief officer may make when considering the good reason requirement, but where a chief officer has genuine doubts about an applicant's reasons for possessing a shotgun it is for him to make such inquiries as he reasonably considers necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list such information he has as to which police forces in England and Wales require applicants for the grant or renewal of a shotgun certificate to give details of (a) the shoots the applicant attended during the preceding 12 months and (b) the lands over which they have shot during the preceding 12 months.

Under the Firearms Acts 1968 to 1988 the administration of the firearms licensing system is a matter entirely for local chief officers of police. To help to ensure consistency of practice where appropriate the Home Office published "Firearms Law: Guidance to the Police" in 1989. A copy was placed in the Library. The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the compilations of statistics on dog attacks on humans to make them nationwide and more detailed; and if he will make a statement.

We shall continue to monitor nationally criminal offences under the appropriate legislation including the new offences created by the Dangerous Dogs Bill. No central records are kept of those attacks by dogs which do not lead to criminal proceedings, except in the context of an annual sample survey of home and leisure accidents involving dogs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East of 13 June, at column 624, if he will make a statement on the progress of the review.

The review is under way and the results should be available by the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the projected staffing levels agreed under "fresh start" for Her Majesty's prison Wakefield for 18 June; what is the actual staffing figure for the same date; and what are the reasons for any difference.

The present target staffing level for prison officers at Wakefield, including principal and senior officers and specialists, is 462. There are currently 462 officers at Wakefield, 10 of whom are on detached duty from other establishments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times hospitals have been visited by television detector teams; and if he will list the hospitals;

Under the Broadcasting Act 1990 responsibility for issuing TV licences and enforcing the licensing requirement was transferred to the BBC with effect from 1 April 1991. It also now controls the TV licensing records. Such questions therefore fall to be answered by the BBC.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) former and (b) serving officers of the Metropolitan police are currently under investigation but not charged, following complaints of alleged malpractice in the course of criminal investigations.

Figures are not collected in a form that enables the information requested to be readily obtained, and it can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the terms of the revised agreement with the International Social Service of the United Kingdom to continue operating the Government's voluntary repatriation scheme.

A small scheme providing financial assistance in certain circumstances from public funds for non-British citizens settled in this country who wish to return permanently overseas to a non-European country has been administered since 1971 on behalf of the Government by International Social Service (UK), under section 29 of the Immigration Act 1971.I have placed in the Library a copy of the recently revised agreement with International Social Service (UK), together with an information sheet on the scheme. Some minor changes have been made to an earlier 1984 agreement, to update and refine the scheme's criteria and procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits by Home Office inspectors were made to the laboratories of Charing Cross and Westminster medical school within the last year.

[holding answer 14 June 1991]: During the past 12 months the establishment has been visited by the inspectorate on five occasions involving 15 visits to departments with the establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the number of subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1984 which have been dealt with by the National Identification Bureau, by police force area, for the years 1988, 1989 and 1990; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 11 June 1991]: information requested is as follows.

Requests submitted to NIB by:	1988	1989	1990
Avon and Somerset	29	47	369
Bedfordshire	47	336	311
British Transport Police	3	1	1
Cambridgeshire	21	17	26
Cheshire	163	225	391
City of London	8	5	15
Cleveland	8	6	49
Cumbria	3	92	7
Derbyshire	1	4	953
Devon and Cornwall	70	245	543
Dorset	5	10	28
Durham	4	2	3
Dyfed Powys	6	65	61
Essex	13	241	187
Fife	1	2	9
Gloucestershire	6	46	143
Grampian	6	8	5
Greater Manchester	68	138	236
Gwent	37	117	174
Hampshire	40	55	99
Hertfordshire	23	33	48
Humberside	157	755	697
Jersey	2	7	2
Kent	51	63	396
Lancashire	248	932	776
Leicestershire	7	13	32
Lincolnshire	9	14	207
Lothian	0	2	3
Metropolitan	395	1,094	1,609
Merseyside	24	43	47
Norfolk	4	15	33
Northumbria	55	62	77
Northamptonshire	8	7	11
Northern Constabulary	3	7	7
North Wales	2	1	10
North Yorkshire	20	382	212
Nottinghamshire	15	47	89
RUC	4	4	15
South Wales	152	1,294	1,892
South Yorkshire	219	565	780
Staffordshire	295	813	1,295
Strathclyde	12	12	15
Suffolk	7	58	210
Surrey	56	378	419
Sussex	49	130	175
Tayside	1	3	1
Thames Valley	103	176	276
Warwickshire	6	44	114
West Mercia	18	24	19
West Midlands	9	25	567
West Yorkshire	51	94	189
Wiltshire	4	18	36
Yearly totals	2,628	8,758	13,848