To ask the Attorney-General what guidelines cover the circumstances in which official files held by Departments may be destroyed; and what changes have taken place in these guidelines in the last 20 years.

The framework within which records of Government Departments are selected for permanent preservation is that recommended in the report of the Grigg committee in 1954 (Cmd. 9163) and accepted by the Government in 1955. The Public Record Office issues guidelines to Departments on the procedures to be followed and on the general criteria for selection. These guidelines are kept under review by the Public Record Office and were last updated in 1983.Section 3(6) of the Public Records Act 1958 provides that records that have been rejected as not required for permanent preservation shall be destroyed unless the approval of the Lord Chancellor has been obtained for their disposal in some other way.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total Government expenditure on funding under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 for 1990–91, itemised by borough and district and identifying for each borough and district the amount of education expenditure for that financial year.

The following local authorities received grant, at the rate of 75 per cent. of salary costs, under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 in the financial year 1990–91.Precise figures for the amount of grant paid for education expenditure to each authority are not available. It is estimated, however, that education provision accounts for approximately 80 per cent. of total grant.

ENGLAND
	£
County Councils
Avon	899,403
Bedfordshire	2,462,492
Berkshire	1,648,953
Buckinghamshire	1,365,268
Cambridgeshire	1,161,520
Cheshire	23,539
Cleveland	643,796
Derbyshire	1,186,688
Devon	11,640
Essex	12,692
Gloucestershire	386,154

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the total amount paid out by police authorities for civil damages since 1982.

Compensation paid out by police authorities for civil damages under section 48 (2) b of the Police Act 1964 is a matter for the police authority concerned and there is therefore no central record of the total amount paid out by police authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to improve the machinery that exists for paying compensation to people who have been wrongly imprisoned and are subsequently released; and whether he has any plans to provide compensation to people whose close relatives are wrongly imprisoned.

We have no plans at present to amend the existing arrangements under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, or under the ex-gratia scheme, for the payment of compensation to those who have been imprisoned as a result of a wrongful conviction.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the topics of each television advertising campaign to be carried out by his Department and any other publicity campaign costing more than £100,000.

By the end of the current financial year, my Department expects to have spent £1 million on television advertising for fire safety and £2·2 million on television advertising for crime prevention.Non-television publicity campaigns costing more than £100,000 are:

	£
Electoral Registration	520,000
Absent Voting	650,000
Civil Protection Magazine (Publication)	100,000
Police Recruitment: Graduate/Ethnic	338,000
Police: Special Constable Recruitment	1,488,000
Crime Prevention	3,900,000
Fire Prevention and Safety	2,064,000
Passports	132,000
Prison Service Recruitment	1,036,000

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he has made arrangements to meet representatives of the Association of London Authorities and London Boroughs Association to discuss arts funding in London.

I have made arrangements to meet the Association of London Authorities on 25 July. The London Boroughs Association has asked to explore the issues with my officials, and a meeting has been arranged for 8 July.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what is his most recent assessment of the effects of admission charges to museums introduced in the past four years.

Those museums where admission charges have been introduced have reported that, after dropping initially, attendances have generally picked up, and in many cases, have returned to previous levels. Figures recorded before the introduction of admission charges cannot however be regarded as wholly reliable.

To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will meet local authority leaders to discuss arts provision in Wales.

I have no plans to do so. However, I met the chairman and senior officers of the Welsh Arts Council in Cardiff recently, and they hold annual meetings with representatives of the local authorities in Wales.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what is the average spending on the arts across London boroughs during the current year; and if he will make a statement.

Local authority arts funding is discretionary and there is no central reporting requirement. I am afraid that the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he is proposing to take to improve morale in the civil service.

Our aim is to have an efficient, effective and well-motivated civil service.

Millions
	Taxpaying individuals with earnings subject to NIC above the UEL			Taxpaying individuals with total earned income above the UEL
	Basic rate only	Higher rate	Total	Basic rate only	Higher rate	Total
Taxpayers aged under 65:
Husbands	1·4	1·1	2·5	1·5	1·1	2·6
Wives	0·1	0·1	0·2	0·1	0·1	0·7
Single men	0·3	0·2	0·5	0·3	0·2	0·5
Single women	0·2	0·0	0·2	0·2	0·1	0·3
Taxpayers aged 65 and over	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·0	0·1	0·1
Total	2·0	1·4	3·4	2·1	1·6	3·7

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate for 1991–92 the number of top rate taxpayers with (a) gross and (b) taxable incomes within the following income ranges (i) £23,700 to £27,700, (ii) £27,000 to £30,000, (iii) £30,000 to £35,000, (iv) £35,000 to £40,000, (v) £40,000 to £45,000, (vi) £45,000 to £50,000, (vii) £50,000 to £55,000, (viii) £55,000 to £60,000 and (ix) over £60,000.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he is taking to increase the number of United Kingdom secondees to Community institutions.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington).

To ask the Prime Minister if he will meet Mr. Kenneth McGinley, chairman of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association; and if he will make a statement.

No. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Worthing (Mr. Higgins) on 18 April 1991 at column 568.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate for 1991–92 the number of basic rate and higher rate taxpayers with earned incomes above the national insurance contribution upper earnings limit, giving figures separately for (a) husbands, (b) wives, (c) single men and (d) single women and distinguishing between pensioners and non-pensioners.

The latest estimates in respect of 1991–92 are given in the table on two bases depending on the scope of earned income. The first basis compares the annual equivalent of the NIC upper earnings limit—UEL—with the total of earnings from employment and self-employment for those subject to NIC. The second basis compares the UEL with total earned income, including pensions and taxable benefits in kind, for all individuals.

Since mortgage interest is not to be deductible at the higher rate for 1991–92 it is appropriate to analyse higher rate taxpayers by range of income after deducting allowances and reliefs excluding mortgage interest.The latest estimates are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of taxpayers in 1991–92 who have taxable incomes of less than £2,000, giving figures separately for single people, husbands and wives.

The latest estimates of taxpayers with taxable incomes in 1991–92 of less than £2,000 are as follows:

	Million
Single people	1·9
Husbands	1·2
Wives	1·6
TOTAL	4·7

Taxable income is income subject to tax from all sources after deducting allowances and reliefs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith), of 2 May, Official Report, column 301, if he will publish the figures on the same basis showing separately average allowances and reliefs claimed against tax due under (a) schedule E and (b) schedule D.

Taxpayers can be analysed according to whether they have a main source of income taxed under schedule E. Latest estimates for 1990–91 are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the same basis as his answer of 3 May, Official Report, column 354, concerning the effect of an upper limit on all income tax allowances and reliefs, if he will estimate the net effect of these options, assuming that all reliefs and allowances are limited to the basic rate of income tax.

It is estimated that, at 1991–92 levels of income, restricting all allowances and reliefs to the basic rate of income tax would yield about £2·2 billion. The additional yield from introducing upper limits of £10,000, £15,000 and £20,000 would be about £450 million, £150 million and £100 million, respectively, in a full year. The estimates do not take account of any behavioural effects which might result from the changes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated lost revenue to the Exchequer from employers not paying tax and national insurance contributions for (a) 1988, (b) 1989 and (c) 1990.

The amounts of PAYE tax and class I national insurance contributions remitted or written off as irrecoverable in the accounts years to the end of October were as follows—

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications the Public Records Office has received in each year since 1977 for the file T160/763/ F14755; and if he will make a statement.

The Public Records Office does not hold records of aplications for files which are not in its keeping.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 20 June, Official Report, column 313, what information he has on the means by which file T160/763/F14755 was destroyed.

Treasury records show only that the file was reviewed in 1977 and destroyed.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) employees and (b) self-employed people have earned income above the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions, distinguishing between basic rate and higher rate taxpayers.

[holding answer 27 June 1991]: Latest estimates for 1991–92 are as follows:

Individual taxpayers aged under 65 with annual earnings1above the UEL
(millions)
Main source of earnings of:	Basic rate taxpayer	Higher rate taxpayer	Total
Employment	1·9	1·1	3·0
Self-employment	0·1	0·3	0·4
Total	2·0	1·4	3·4
1 Earnings subject to NIC from employment and self-employment.

The main source of earnings is as indicated in Inland Revenue administrative records for tax collection purposes. Taxpayers with substantial income from both sources are included in the "employment" category.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage the development of regional airports.

Our liberalisation policies, both in the European Community and in bilateral negotiations, are increasing the scope for regional air services and we are facilitating development at local authority airports by issuing credit approvals, particularly for the first phase of Manchester's second terminal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on investment approval for railway electrification.

We welcome worthwhile proposals for investment, including electrification, from British Rail. Proposals naturally have to be good value for money and affordable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he plans to meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss the establishment of freight terminals for onward transport of freight to the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement.

The establishment of freight terminals for channel tunnel traffic is a commercial matter for British Rail, and does not require the Government's approval. British Rail keeps the Government fully informed of progress in preparing for the commencement of channel tunnel freight services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his present proposals are for the deregulation of buses in London.

The Government's proposals for the deregulation of buses in London were set out in the consultation paper "A Bus Strategy for London" issued in March. We have received more than 200 responses to that paper which are currently being assessed. An announcement on the Government's conclusions following the consultation exercise will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative changes he proposes following his recent speech on the future of British Rail; and if he will make a statement.

We shall be working with British Rail and the private sector to identify further practical measures to encourage rail freight that could be brought forward without legislation. Our plans to give new operators a right of access to British Rail track will need legislation in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received a request to meet representatives of the London channel tunnel group; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. We are well aware of the support from this group of London boroughs for an easterly approach to Stratford for the rail link. My right hon. and learned Friend has told the group that he is not undertaking consultations himself, but that it will be for British Rail to consult once a preferred route is announced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss British Rail's investment plans on the Chelmsford to Liverpool Street line.

My right hon. and learned Friend has regular meetings with the chairman of British Rail at which they discuss a wide range of issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he proposes to make any representations to his French counterpart on the operation of air traffic control on flights between London and Paris; and if he will make a statement.

Industrial action by air traffic controllers in Paris has caused substantial delays to flights recently. The United Kingdom national air traffic services are in daily contact with their French counterparts to help relieve the situation. It is for the French authorities to resolve their own industrial relations problems.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by how much spending on road and rail increased (a) since 1979 and (b) between 1974 and 1979.

Since 1979 investment on road and rail in Great Britain has increased by about two thirds in real terms. Between 1974 and 1979, it fell by about a third in real terms.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal injuries have been recorded on the M4 in each of the last 10 years.

The number of people killed each year on the M4 motorway during the seven years 1983 to 1989, the period for which figures are readily available, was respectively: 29, 19, 24, 39, 33, 28 and 24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which country he proposes to take as a model for his proposals in railway privatisation; and if he will make a statement.

We believe that the privatisation of British Rail will be the model for other countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the cost of transport delays due to congestion, roadworks or breakdowns during 1990.

We are taking a wide range of measures to deal with congestion, including substantial investment in public transport, roads and traffic management. There are no reliable estimates of the total costs of congestion, but they are clearly large.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to improve road links between north-east England and Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has a number of schemes in the current road programme which will improve links between north-east England and Scotland.On the A1 north of Morpeth there are dual carriageway proposals at Brownleside and Marshall Meadows to the Scottish border.Improvements to the A66 and A69 which link with the west coast routes to Scotland are also planned. These are at Temple Sowerby, Stainburn to Great Clifton and Stainmore to Banksgate on the A66 and the Haltwhistle on the A69.Work on a dualling scheme between Bowes and the Durham/Cumbria boundary on the A66 is due to be completed by autumn 1992 and the A69 Brampton bypass was opened on 18 April 1991.The preferred route for the extension of M6 Carlisle to near the border with Scotland was announced on 13 June 1991. Together with proposals by the Scottish Office, it will complete a motorway link to Glasgow.All of these schemes have made, or will make a significant contribution to improving road links between the north-east and Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the liberalisation of European air services in the last six months.

The EC Transport Council in March agreed a proposal introducing a mechanism to enable swift action to be taken in cases of predatory practices by airlines. This is a vital ingredient of the single market. Two other EC regulations have also now taken effect: one which further liberalises arrangements for Community air cargo services, and one which sets minimum levels of denied boarding compensation for passengers. We now await the Commission's proposals for the final stage of liberalisation, which we understand will be put forward shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the rates and trends of European countries' road deaths and serious injuries since the beginning of 1987.

The definition of serious injury varies considerably between different countries. It is therefore not possible to make meaningful comparisons. The table gives information on road deaths in European Community countries taken from the United Nations Economic Council for Europe—ECE—publication "Statistics of road traffic accidents in Europe" for 1987, 1988 and 1989. The standard international definition of a fatality is where death occurs within 30 days of a road accident. Figures for those countries which use a different definition have been adjusted according to scaling factors used by the ECE.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current rear seat occupancy rate by children in cars in traffic.

Observations from a Transport and Road Research Laboratory survey of seat belt wearing carried out in April indicate that 10 per cent. of cars contain rear seat passengers under the age of 14 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will be represented at the seminar, "Transport; Roads for Development or Exploitation," organised by Transport 2000 at Westminster Central hall on 13 July.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of his plans to monitor the effectiveness of compulsory rear seat belt wearing for adults which comes into effect on 1 July.

The roadside surveys of seat belt wearing carried out at six-monthly intervals by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory will monitor the change in wearing rates following introduction of the new law. In addition, the quarterly analysis by my Department of data from the road accident report forms completed by the police will reveal how effective the new law has been in reducing the number and severity of casualties among rear seat passengers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further advice he will give to motor cyclists following the publication of "Your Driving Test and Driving".

I am pleased to announce that the Driving Standards Agency has produced an official reference book for motor cycle riders which will be published today. It covers a wide variety of subjects including all aspects of riding technique with particular emphasis on defensive riding, equipment, legal requirements, details of compulsory basic training, the motor cycle test and basic maintenance. The book will cost £6·95 and will be available from HMSO agents and high street bookstores. I am placing copies in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many buses are currently being operated in the Greater London area; what the figures were 10 and 15 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

London Transport tells me that, excluding Green Line routes, there are currently 4,910 buses in the Greater London area operated by London Buses Ltd. or under agreement with, or under contract to, London Transport. The figures for 10 and 15 years ago were 5,094 and 5,611 respectively. The figure of 4,910 does not include buses operated under London local service licences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the study, "The Hex Connection: Some Problems and Hazards Associated with the Transportation of Uranium Hexafluoride", by Dr. Miles Goldstick, published by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, in April.

This publication is currently on order.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department has conducted a recent survey on the effect of the Transport Act 1985 on off-peak and Sunday services.

There has been no recent survey of off-peak and Sunday services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on London Transport.

None. I have however received one letter supporting an article which appeared in the Financial Times of 6 June about the MMC report, which called for more investment in the underground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those counties in England for which there are no motorway or trunk road signs to their principal towns.

The Isle of Wight is unique among English counties in this respect.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been undertaken by his Department to evaluate the effectiveness of corporate average fuel efficiency standards for motor vehicle manufacturers; and if he will introduce such standards in the United Kingdom.

[holding answer 24 June 1991]: The Department has examined the impact of the United States corporate average fuel efficiency scheme. Although the scheme has improved overall fuel economy within the vehicle fleet in the United States of America, it is generally acknowledged to be a regulatory measure made necessary by the very low gasoline prices in the United States of America.The Government are working with the EC to ensure that if any measures are taken to regulate fuel economy, they are sensible and effective.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the European Commission about the environmental impact of the east London river crossing; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 27 June 1991]: My right hon. and learned Friend has had no discussions with the European Commission about the east London river crossing. An official response to a letter from the Commission about the scheme was sent in December 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the nearest proposed red route to Leyton and Leytonstone.

[holding answer 27 June 1991]: The priority red route network will be based largely on the primary route network in London, as indicated in the discussion document "Traffic in London". Copies of this document were placed in the Library in December 1989.It is likely therefore that the nearest routes to Leyton and Leytonstone will be the A106 and A 11, but decisions will be taken only after consultation in accordance with the provisions of the Road Traffic Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investment proposals he has received from British Rail to improve services on the Pontypool to Newport line.

British Rail has not proposed any investment for the Pontypool to Newport line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress there has been towards approving investment in the new Networker express rolling stock for the Kent coast services of British Rail.

Investment priorities are a matter for British Rail. It has recently submitted a strategy document for this rolling stock to my Department. My officials are discussing it with the board. More work needs to be done by BR before a formal investment case can be presented.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the functions of the recognised supervisory bodies to be created under the Companies Act 1989 in respect of disciplining (a) auditing firms and (b) individual partners in auditing firms.

Under paragraph 10(1) of Schedule 11 to the Act, a recognised supervisory body must have inter alia adequate arrangements and resources for the effective enforcement of compliance with its rules. This could entail disciplinary action against individual partners as well as against the audit firm itself.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the names of the bodies to which complaints may be made about the behaviour and conduct of the recognised supervisory bodies.

Complaints should be made to the body itself. Paragraph 12 of schedule 11 to the Companies Act 1989 requires a recognised supervisory body for company auditors to have effective arrangements for the investigation of complaints against the body in respect of matters arising out of its functions as a supervisory body. I would expect such arrangements to include independent or lay involvement in the investigation.In addition, under the Act the Secretary of State will have a continuing role in ensuring that recognised supervisory bodies satisfy the criteria for recognition, and he would therefore have an interest in complaints about their behaviour and conduct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will propose legislation, specifying the time limit within which the financial reporting review panel will be required to respond to a complaint.

It was one of the preconditions for authorising the financial reporting review panel under section 245C of the Companies Act 1985 for the purposes of section 245B of the Act that the panel appeared to my right hon. Friend to have satisfactory procedures for receiving and investigating complaints. The panel's procedures were published on 27 June and a copy has been placed in the library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to introduce regulations under which all the members of the accountancy profession would have equal access to information relating to the Auditing Standards Board.

It is for the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies and the Auditing Practices Board, as appropriate, to determine their policy on access to information about the board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will meet the Federation of Catering Equipment Suppliers.

I would consider sympathetically any such request.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases the Insolvency Service has investigated in Yorkshire in the last 12 months for which statistics are kept; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement.

Although statistics are not kept on a county basis, all cases except summary administrations are inquired into by official receivers of the Insolvency Service and where the circumstances of the insolvency require are subject to further investigation. As a result of those investigations, during the year ended 31 March 1991, official receivers covering the Yorkshire area, which would also include parts of adjoining counties, submitted 209 reports alleging either the commission of possible criminal offences or recommending application be made for the disqualification of directors whose conduct appears to make them unfit to be concerned in the management of limited companies. As at 30 June 1991, there were 191 cases under investigation by those official receivers.