To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, following the meeting of European Community Finance Ministers on 24 June, it remains his intention to continue the existing VAT zero rating of printed matter.

The Economic and Finance Council has agreed that, for a transitional period to December 1996, member states that currently apply zero rates of VAT will be able to retain them provided they are in accordance with current Community law. United Kingdom zero rates are therefore safeguarded.While this agreement is without prejudice to what happens after the transitional period, the Government have always stressed the importance of the existing United Kingdom zero rates and will continue to oppose any proposals which would not allow for the permanent retention of our ability to apply them.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the public expenditure in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively, for each year since 1985.

Data on identifiable general Government expenditure in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the years 1985–86 to 1989–90 are given in table 2.7 of the "Statistical Supplement to the 1990 Autumn Statement"—Cm. 1520.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis it is determined what amount of new money should be allocated to Wales when new money is made available for Government expenditure in England; and if he will make a statement on the policy for allocation of such resources which has been followed by the Government over the past five years.

Provision for central Government expenditure in Wales falls into two main categories: programmes within the so-called Welsh block and those outside it. Provision for programmes outside the block —agriculture, fisheries and food, industry and employment—is a matter for negotiation in the public expenditure survey in the normal way. Provision for programmes within the block is largely determined by the application of a formula to the increments accruing to comparable programmes in England. Decisions about the allocation of resources within the overall total are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the tax raised by the transitional regulations on building societies appears in each of the financial years in the published Inland Revenue statistics.

The following amounts were included in published Inland Revenue statistics. They do not reflect credit allowed under regulation 12.

	£ million
1986–87	79
1987–88	21
1988–89	1
1989–90	13

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will calculate for a building society starting business on 1 May 1982, paying or crediting interest in the period between 1 January and 5 April, up to April 1986, the total period of business, the total period on which interest would be taxed if clause 50 is enacted and the excess period of taxation.

[holding answer 1 July 1991]: I am not aware of any building society starting business on 1 May 1982.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the revised cost estimates of the new Nottingham headquarters building for the Inland Revenue; and what are the anticipated annual savings to the Treasury.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: The project to build a new Inland Revenue centre in Nottingham is currently being reappraised. Until a decision on the future of the project has been taken, revised cost estimates are not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will review the circumstances whereby payments made in respect of training supplied by a person who is not under direct contract with a training and enterprise council or local enterprise company are subject to value added tax; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: I have no current plans to do so. Vocational training supplied by persons not contracted to training and enterprise councils or local enterprise companies is exempt if it is provided otherwise than for profit; otherwise it is chargeable with the standard rate of VAT. This has been the tax treatment of vocational training for many years.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service (1) how many staff were in post on the date that the Occupational Health Service was established as an executive agency; and how many staff are in post now;

I am advised that the chief executive of the OHS has replied to the hon. Member.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will state the maximum salary payable to the chief executive of the Occupational Health Service, including any performance-related element, and the length of time of the chief executive's contract.

The chief executive of the Occupational Health Service is on the standard civil service grade 3 pay range and is eligible for the performance-related element appropriate to that grade. His contract is for three years.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what further initiatives he is planning to raise morale in the civil service.

Our aim is to have an efficient, effective and well-motivated civil service. Managers in departments and agencies continually work to achieve this.

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants, at what grades and identified by United Kingdom departments, are (a) currently and (b) in each of the last three years on secondment to European Community institutions.

In April 1991, the latest comprehensive figures, 91 civil servants were on secondment. At 1 April 1990, the number was 52. Information on the two previous years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The grades of the secondees were:
Grade	Number
	April 1991	April 1990
5	10	4
6	6	3
7	40	19
SEO	9	9
HEO/HEO(D)	14	9
EO	3	—
Other (specialists etc)	9	8

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many outstanding objections exist to the present line of the A470 Pentrebach to Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil.

We have not yet published the draft orders that will invite objections to the proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list the outstanding statutory procedures and preparation required before the construction of the A470 Pentrebach to Cefn Coed can begin.

Line, side roads and compulsory purchase orders have to be drafted and published in the local press and London Gazette. Any objections received are considered and invariably on schemes of this size, a public inquiry held. Following receipt of the inspector's report, the orders may be made, at which stage, tenders for the construction works may be invited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will outline the current timetable for the completion of procedures and preparation for the construction of the A470 Pentrebach to Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil.

As indicated in the February 1991 supplement to "Roads in Wales", construction is scheduled to begin before April 1994, subject to completion of the statutory procedures and the availability of finance. We anticipate that draft orders will be published later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what criteria his Department specifies that community dental officers should employ to decide as to whom in the general dental service patients should be referred.

Criteria and arrangements for referrals by the community dental service are a matter for local determination.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many students are enrolled on Business and Technical Education Council engineering courses for Methyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

In 1989–90 there were 23 students at Merthyr college and 78 students at Ystrad Mynach college following Business and Technical Education Council engineering courses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the current waiting lists for admissions in each of the main specialties in West Glamorgan and Neath hospitals respectively; and what are the comparable figures in each of the last three years.

Information on the numbers of patients waiting for in-patient admissions in five specialities, general surgery, including urology, ear, nose and throat, traumatic and orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology, and gynaecology, at Neath general hospital and West Glamorgan as a whole is published in the "Welsh Hospital Waiting List Bulletin" series. Neither of the other two hospitals in Neath, Cymla and Tonna, treat patients in these specialties. The bulletins are published twice a year giving figures as at March and September and copies are in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the current waiting lists for patients to have their final consultation with consultants in each of the main specialties in West Glamorgan and Neath hospitals respectively; and what are the comparable figures in each of the last three years.

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department assesses which developing countries are using their resources most effectively to tackle poverty; and if he will make a statement.

The relevant criteria are whether there is economic growth in which poor people are sharing and which is creating income and livelihoods for them; whether policies and institutions are conducive to private sector and individual development and to employment and self-employment for the poor. Recipient Government priorities, as demonstrated by the pattern and effectiveness of public expenditure, are also important. Expenditure on basic social and economic services should enable sustainable progress to be made in providing a wide spread of the population with access to basic schooling, health and family planning services, safe water and access roads.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he intends to assess, when implementing his policies on good governance, whether developing countries have excessive military expenditure.

The Government will assess the level of military expenditure in individual developing countries in the context of their domestic and regional situations and taking account of their public expenditure and wider economic policies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department monitors the performance of countries on the criteria set out for good government.

The Government refer to a range of information on individual country policies and performance including reports from British diplomatic posts, reports by non-governmental organisations and assessments by international and regional organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have received more support from Her Majesty's Government because they have improved their performance on good government criteria.

Countries that are receiving increased support include some of the world's poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, which are implementing reform programmes relating to economic policy and the organisation of government. We also intend to increase support to some of the emerging democracies of Latin America.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions have been proceeded with by British Telecommunications, OFTEL or ICSTIS against operators of premium rate overtly sexual telephone message services.

ICSTIS—the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services—has taken effective action by closing down more than 350 premium rate telephone services so far this year because of their offensive nature. There have been no prosecutions against providers of such services so far.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many reports and complaints of the unfit conduct of directors were submitted to the Insolvency Service in 1990; in how many cases legal proceedings were undertaken; and how many disqualification orders against directors were made in 1990.

During 1990 the Insolvency Service received 4,062 reports alleging aspects of unfit conduct by directors of insolvent companies. Proceedings were commenced in 488 cases, disqualification orders were made against 286 persons and at 31 December 1990 a total of 527 cases were waiting to be heard by the courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many court cases the Insolvency Service has been successful.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 20 June, Official Report, columns 283–84. I would point out however that the figure of 672 given in the second line of the second paragraph of that answer was wrongly printed and should have been 627.In addition to the criminal matters detailed in that answer the Insolvency Service had, at 30 June 1991, obtained 1,009 disqualification orders against individual directors of failed companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 177, what examination the Director General of Fair Trading has made in respect of companies in the retail grocery sector of (a) gross and net margins relative to overall retail margins in the United Kingdom and to retail grocery sector margins in other EC countries, (b) prices paid to suppliers, and (c) return on capital employed and on net assets, relative to the figures for the overall retail sector in the United Kingdom and for the retail grocery sector in other EC countries.

In keeping the retail grocery sector under review the director general has regard to all the factors set out by the right hon. Member. He last examined the position earlier this year. As I said in my answer of 4 July, he has no evidence at present of abuse that would justify a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was learned from his Department's inquiry into Barlow Clowes about the use made by Barlow Clowes of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International and about the properties of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International's role in that case.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: The Companies Act inspectors appointed to investigate the affairs and membership of James Ferguson Holdings plc and the affairs of Barlow Clowes Gilt Managers Limited have not yet submitted their report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has drawn to the attention of the Accountancy Standards Board the treatment of merger and acquisition costs in company accounts and the opportunities for comparison between company performance in this matter to be made by investors.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: No. The treatments of the costs in acquisitions and mergers are covered by two exposure drafts issued by the Accounting Standards Committee in 1990. In due course, the Accounting Standards Board will be considering the exposure drafts and the comments received in formulating its own proposals. If the hon. Member has any observations to make, I suggest that he provides them to the board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Director General of Fair Trading has completed his report on the application of bodies to become qualifying and supervisory bodies under part 1 of schedule 14 to the Companies Act 1989.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) on 18 April, (Official Report, column 222). I expect to receive shortly the director general's reports on the amendments which the applicants have made to their rules and guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to introduce legislation to require auditors to declare in company reports to shareholders whether they also offer tax advice to the company.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it has been the practice of his Department to refer criticisms of auditors in his inspectors' reports to the Auditing Practices Committee and its successors.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: No. The Auditing Practices Committee had no regulatory functions in respect of auditors whose conduct was criticised by inspectors, nor does its successor body the new Auditing Practices Board.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will ensure that the forthcoming White Paper on the citizens charter addresses the resource implications for advice agencies.

The White Paper on the citizens charter will be published later this summer, but I would remind my hon. Friend that the Government already provide considerable funding for advice agencies.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 16 July.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is hosting the economic summit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the turnover, in the last year before privatisation, of each of the electricity distribution companies.

This is a matter for the companies. However, this information is contained in the companies' annual reports and accounts for the year ending 31 March 1990, copies of which were placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what record he has of or what representations he received from the electricity supply and distribution industries, before their privatisation, about their inability to recruit the most suitable applicants for posts in top and middle management or skilled scientific and professional grades, owing to inadequate or non-competitive salaries.

In the run-up to privatisation I received representations that, in order to recruit the most suitable applicants, certain appointments of PLC designate directors were necessary at salaries above the then existing scales in the industry, and a number of appointments were so made. The salary entitlements of executive directors were set out in the prospectuses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement about North sea developments.

I have today agreed to make a royalty refund under certain circumstances to the Columba—Ninian B and D terraces—licensees, making the first use of my discretionary powers under section 41(3) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipeline Act 1975 to facilitate North sea development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the annual cost of maintaining a post in Gabon; and what is the estimated net savings of closing it.

The total cost of maintaining a post in Libreville, Gabon was approximately £420,000. Estimated annual net savings of closing the post are £330,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the flags, and the countries they represent, which were flying on 10 July on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building, Whitehall, in order from the left hand side of the Whitehall elevation.

The flags displayed on the FCO building in Whitehall on 10 July were national flags and the union flag. In order from the left hand side of the Whitehall elevations they were:

Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total	Commercial vehicles	Private vehicles
1980	—	4	—	4	—	5
1981	—	1	6	7	3	9
1982	1	1	5	7	1	13
1983	—	2	9	11	1	19
1984	—	3	9	12	6	19

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the European countries which require rear seat belts to be worn in taxis where these are fitted.

Information is not available about seat belt wearing requirements in all European countries. Six of the twelve European Community countries require rear seat belts to be used, but no details are available of specific requirements for vehicles used as taxis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints he has received in the last six months of cross-channel ferries leaving port with their stern doors open.

Only one complaint referring to cross-channel ferries leaving port with their stern doors open has been received in the past six months. That complaint referred to observations made prior to March 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish a system of monitoring the timetable of long distance motor coaches and their actual times of departure and arrival.

No. Long-distance coach services were deregulated by the Transport Act 1980 and their times of arrival and departure are a matter for the operators concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of (a) accidents, (b) fatalities and (c) injuries and the factors for the accidents, if known, on the A167 between the Cock o' the North roundabout and the Sniperley roundabout for each year since 1980; and the number of commercial and private vehicles involved.

The accident figures for the period 1980 to 1990 are listed in the table. It should be noted that traffic using this section of road has increased by over 30 per cent. during the period. The information requested about the factors leading to each individual accident can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents for the last 12 months for which figures are available were tyre related; and if he will make a statement.

The Department does not have comprehensive information on traffic accidents in relation to tyre defects. However, during the year 1988–89 the vehicle inspectorate investigated some 1,600 accidents. Tyre defects were considered to have contributed towards less than 1 per cent. of these accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his evaluation of the effect on traffic speeds, volume, road safety, pollution and small businesses, of the priority route scheme on the Archway road, Holloway road and Upper street since January; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 3 June 1991, Official Report, column 116.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the original estimate of contributions towards payments to former registered dock workers made redundant under the terms of the Dock Work Act 1989; what has been the total cost to date of such contributions; what is the current estimate of the final total cost; in how many cases payments of 100 per cent. have been made consequent upon a liquidation and at what cost; and what recoveries have been made from liquidators.

[holding answer 15 July 1991]: The explanatory and financial memorandum to the Bill which became the Dock Work Act 1989 estimated that the dockworkers' compensation scheme might cost £25 million over three years. It also made clear that no precise forecast could be given. To date, the actual cost to the Government has been £128 million. The final cost is not expected to exceed £141 million. In 18 cases, where employers were in liquidation or receivership, the Department has met the full cost of compensation at a total cost of £33 million, of which nearly £0·5 million has so far been recovered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what change in the number of Government-sponsored places there has been for retail, computer, office skills and information technology training in 1990–91 and 1991–92 in east London.

Provision of training in east London is a matter for East London training and enterprise council. I understand that the number of training places available in these occupational areas is about the same in 1991–92 as the previous year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what sums of money have been contributed from the European social fund towards employment training for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991; and what percentage contribution to the total costs of ET this represents for each year.

European social fund contributions towards ET were as follows:

	£ million
1989	81·7
1990	144·5
1991	161·48

Employment training expenditure is determined by financial year and a direct comparison is therefore not possible. The most recent figures are as follows:

	£ million
1989–90	1,097
1990–91	1,066
11991–92	915
1 Estimated

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the average unit cost is for employment training per trainee/week.

It is estimated that the overall gross Exchequer unit cost for employment training in Great Britain in 1991–92, including trainee allowances, will be some £119 per trainee per week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what average unit cost is assumed for the additional employment training places which were announced on 19 June.

Changes to training and enterprise council and local enterprise company business plans, including payments per trainee week and per output, as a result of the additional £35 million made available for employment training on 19 June are currently the subject of renegotiation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration has been given to uprating employment training allowances in line with increases in the retail prices index; and if he will make a statement.

The training allowance paid to non-employed employment training—ET—trainees is equivalent to their previous entitlement to benefit plus a training premium of £10. The benefit element of the ET trainee allowance is increased each year in line with increases in social security benefits which are linked to the retail prices and Rossi indices.Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies are also responsible for other trainee allowances, such as travel, lodging and child care.Since its beginning in September 1988, more than 1 million people have been trained on ET. The Government are satisfied that the allowances paid to trainees offer sufficient incentive for individuals to take up training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of sites licensed under the procedures of the Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification; what is the distribution of these sites by region; and what is the number of visits carried out each year by the Health and Safety Executive to these sites.

There are currently 372 active centres that have notified the Health and Safety Executive of their intention to undertake work on genetic modification. The distribution of these centres by HSE regions is as follows:

	Number
Midlands	48
Wales and South West	24
North East	36
North West	25
Scotland	51
Home Counties	72
London and South West	116

During the calendar year 1990 inspectors from HSE's technology division visited 100 of these centres to carry out site inspections. The number of centres visited in calendar years 1989 and 1988 were 77 and 89 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects the guidance of the Health and Safety Executive on pop concerts and similar events to be available.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 7 February, Official Report, column 238. Regrettably, there have been some delays in the preparation of this guidance, but it is now hoped that a draft will be available for consultation in the early autumn this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the value of orders placed by the Crown Suppliers with Remploy factories in each of the past three years of the Crown Suppliers' existence; and what currently is the annual value of orders placed by Government Departments and agencies, previously purchased through the Crown Suppliers, with Remploy factories.

The value of orders placed by Crown Suppliers with Remploy factories in each of the last three years of Crown Suppliers' existence was

Year	£ million
1988–89	7·4
1989–90	6·6
1990–91	3·6

No figures are available either centrally or in Remploy itself on the annual value of orders placed by Government Departments and agencies with Remploy factories, which would previously have been purchased through the Crown Suppliers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he proposes to introduce the regulations to transfer jurisdiction from courts to industrial tribunals over claims by dismissed employees in respect of alleged breaches by their employers of their contracts of employment.

Further consideration will be given to this matter when the House of Lords has given its decision in a case which is expected to clarify existing industrial tribunal jurisdiction under the Wages Act 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what change in the number of places for construction industry training on employment training in east London has taken place in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

Provison of ET in east London is a matter for East London training and enterprise council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Employment Service guarantees the funding of the Holloway job club.

Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he received the statement on youth training schemes by the British Printing Industry Federation; what assessment he has made on its implications for training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State for Employment, has received no formal notification of future withdrawal from YT from the British Printing Industry Federation, the BPIF. I am however aware of the British Printing Industry Federation's letter to the Financial Times of 8 July in which it expressed its intention to cease operating as a YT managing agent in 1992. Responsibility for contracting for youth training in England and Wales rests with the training and enterprise councils, which have the authority and resources to apply local solutions to local needs. The implications for TECs if BPIF withdraws from YT would be a matter for individual TECs to address in the light of local demand for training in printing occupations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what research projects have been undertaken or funded by the Health and Safety Executive since 1975 in relation to emphysema, chronic obstructive airways disease, asthma and chronic bronchitis and in particular to the incidence of each disease amongst (a) coal miners and ex-coal miners and (b) foundry workers and ex-foundry workers.

The majority of research into emphysema, chronic obstructive airways disease, asthma and chronic bronchitis in coal miners, ex-coal miners, foundry workers and ex-foundry workers in the United Kingdom has been sponsored by the relevant industry in collaboration with the European Coal and Steel Community which is now conducting its fifth programme of medical research into occupational ill health. The HSE is consulted about the contents of this research and is closely following the programme's progress. On this basis the HSE has not directly funded any separate research projects.However, the HSE has recently undertaken a review of research on chronic non-malignant respiratory disease in ferrous metal manufacturing and production workers and has also commissioned a wider ranging review of the health effects of airborne substances in the ferrous foundry industry. The results are expected to be available early next year.Full details of HSE's research are listed in their "Programme of research and related services" which is published annually. Copies are available from the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to regionalise the management and development of the vocational training programmes which are supported by the European social fund; and if he will make a statement.

The training and enterprise councils—and the local enterprise companies in Scotland—already have responsibility for the delivery of vocational training programmes such as employment training and youth training and they carry out this task so as to take full account of local circumstances and needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether travel costs for individuals who participate in employment action will be reimbursed.

Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies will have the discretion to offer travel costs to participants on employment action. The arrangements will be similar to those that apply for employment training.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to identify the relevant tax years for the purposes of processing a claim for any contributory benefit.

For unemployment, sickness and invalidity benefit, the relevant tax years are the last two complete tax years before the start of the benefit year. The benefit year which starts on the first Sunday in January is determined by the first day of a period of interruption of employment.For retirement pension, the relevant tax years are those in the working life from the year in which age 16 is reached to the tax year ending immediately before pension age which is 65 in the case of a man and 60 in the case of a woman.For widows' benefit, the relevant tax years are those in the working life of the late husband which run from the year in which he reached age 16 to the tax year ending immediately before he died or reached age 65 whichever is the earlier.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines he has issued to medical practitioners on the use of RU486 in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 8 July 1991]: None. The product licence recently granted in respect of the drug known as RU486 does not extend to Northern Ireland, and therefore it will not be available in the Province.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the names of new members of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland were the subject of consultation with the Government of the Republic of Ireland in accordance with the provisions of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

[holding answer 12 July 1991]: It is policy not to disclose whether any views have been put forward under article 6 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement on the composition of public bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many foreign national prisoners who have been granted home leave have returned to prison after home leave in the last five years;(2) how many foreign national prisoners have

This information is not readily available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who makes the decision on home leave for foreign national prisoners.

As in the case of other applications for home leave, it is for the governor to decide, on the recommendation of the home leave board, whether the request can be approved.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to increase resources available for electoral registration in October.

Central Government support for local authority expenditure on electoral registration is provided through the revenue support grant system. There is no provision for increasing that level of support in the current financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his policy on the future role of retained firefighters; and if he will make a statement;(2) what proposals he has to ensure that retained firefighters play a part in the overall provision of fire and rescue services.

We are committed to the continuation of the retained fire service in England and Wales. Retained firefighters perform a vital and extremely cost-effective role in the provision of fire cover, particularly in the more rural areas. We have encouraged fire authorities to make arrangements for whole-time firefighters to undertake retained duties in their spare time if they so wish. This will help to ensure that the retained fire service continues to play an important part in the provision of fire cover in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to ensure that all prisoners are able to exercise their entitlement to a fortnightly visit.

This is being monitored by area managers—who have to seek my right hon. Friend's approval for any temporary reduction in the visiting allowance—as part of their line management responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prisons which do not allow prisoners more than one visit a month.

Convicted prisoners are normally able to receive at least two visits every four weeks, and sometimes more, at all establishments except Swansea.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the letter from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North concerning the request of Mr. Gabrielle Purendea, currently held in Exeter prison, for political asylum.

I shall be writing to the hon. Member shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why rest days are now counted for the purpose of assessing whether a prison officer has suffered more than 365 days of absence through illness over a period of four years; and whether the counting of rest days in this way is applied retrospectively to the period before the introduction of fresh start.

The rules governing sick absence and pay for civil servants, including prison officers, are detailed in the civil service pay and conditions of service code. Under these rules, the first six months of sick absence—182 days —during any period of 12 months are on full pay thereafter pay drops to half rate. This is subject to a maximum of 12 months—365 days—sick absence in any period of four years or less.During a period of sick absence, all days, including Saturdays, Sundays, public and privilege holidays and rest days, count. However if they occur at the beginning or end, they are not included or reckoned.These rules were not altered in any way by the introduction of fresh start pay and working arrangements in 1987.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the timetable for full implementation of each of the measures announced in his statement on 25 February following publication of the Woolf report on prison disturbances.

My right hon. Friend's response to the Woolf report, in the form of a White Paper on the future direction of the prison service in England and Wales, will review the progress of all the measures referred to in his statement of 25 February. The extension of arrangements for financially assisted visits was introduced on 1 April; opportunities for home leve were increased from 7 May; the abolition of routine censorship in all except dispersal prisons came into force on 16 May; the increase in the level of visits for convicted prisoners took effect from 17 June; and the programme for installing cardphones in all establishments which do not already have them is scheduled to be completed in May 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to recommend stronger penalties for those who steal cars and then use the vehicle recklessly.

We have no plans at present to increase the maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment for taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. When those who have taken a car are convicted of reckless driving, they are liable to up to two years' imprisonment, or five years, if they have caused a death.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) by what date he expects homosexual activity to be decriminalised in the Isle of Man;

The Isle of Man Government sent the Home Office drafts of its Sexual Offences Bill, including clauses providing for the decriminalisation of homosexual activity between consenting adults in private, as part of the usual consultative procedures. The Bill remains subject to possible amendment in Tynwald, where consideration is expected to resume after the island's general election in November.If the island were demonstrably to refuse or to fail to amend its law satisfactorily, Her Majesty's Government would have no alternative but to introduce the requisite legislation in Parliament at the earliest suitable opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement concerning the case of Mr. Karamjit Singh Chahal.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 25 June at columns 405–6.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the growth of illegal shop squatting and the speed of repossession procedure; and what response he is making.

We have received a number of representations from hon. Members and others about squatting in vacant shops and problems with the speed of repossession. The effectiveness of the remedies available under the civil law is a matter for my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor, but I understand that accelerated procedures are available to deal with squatters.We are currently reviewing the criminal law as it affects the unlawful occupation of premises, including shops, and my right hon. Friend will announce the outcome of this review in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were convicted of child sex offences in the last year for which figures are available; and, of these, how many were allowed bail prior to trial, how many pleaded guilty and how many pleaded not guilty.

Information on the number of persons convicted of child sex crime in England and Wales is given in the table. It is only possible from the information held centrally to identify sex offences where the victim is know to be aged under 16. Reliable information is not available centrally on the numbers given bail prior to trial or how they pleaded.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he proposes to reply to recent correspondence from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central about the sentence of Mr. Paul Vickers;(2) when he expects to conclude his review of the further medical evidence on Paul Vickers's sentence submitted by Mr. Vickers solicitors in October 1990;(3) whether he has concluded his inquiries into the review of the sentence of Paul Vickers referred to in the answer given to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 1 November 1988,

Dr. Vickers' solicitors made representations on his behalf in August 1988 suggesting that his conviction was unsafe. I wrote to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central on 6 August 1990 informing him that these representations did not provide sufficient ground to justify my right hon. Friend intervening in Dr. Vickers' case. The further representations made by Dr. Vickers' solicitors in October 1990 are under consideration and my right hon. Friend hopes to reach a decision on Dr. Vickers' case shortly. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as a decision has been reached.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the scale rate of fees for pathologists and other medical advisers called in to advise his Department in the years 1988–89 to 1990–91, and currently; what sums have been expended by his Department on this in these years; what internal audit procedures there are to ensure timeliness and value for money in the tendering of such advice; and whether any such audit procedures were put into action in these years.

The information is not available centrally in the form requested. I shall write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regions the police service in England and Wales is divided into; what area is covered by each region; and if he will publish a map showing the relevant areas.

There are eight regions, divided along force boundaries. A map is being placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regions the fire service inspectorate in England and Wales is divided into; what area is covered by each region; and if he will publish a map showing the relevant areas.

Brigade inspections in England and Wales are carried out by four regionally-based territorial inspectors. Details of the inspection areas covered by each region are given in the table. I have placed a map showing these areas in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regions the civil defence service in England and Wales is divided into; what area is covered by each region; and if he will publish a map showing the relevant areas.

For many civil defence purposes England and Wales are divided into nine regions. These cover, broadly, north-east England, the east midlands, East Anglia, London, south-east England, south-west England, Wales, the west midlands and north-west England. I am placing a map in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regions the prison service in England and Wales is divided into; what area is covered by each region; and if he will publish a map showing the relevant areas.

The regional tier of the prison service of England and Wales disappeared as part of the reorganisation of management structures which took place on 25 September 1990. The service is now divided into 15 geographical areas each including seven to nine prison establishments. A copy of a map depicting these areas has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review security arrangements under which category A inmates are held in prisons.

I have asked Mr. G. H. Lakes CB MC, former deputy director general of the prison service and Mr. R. Hadfield QPM, Chief Constable of the West Midlands, to conduct a security audit of arrangements for holding and managing category A prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons and to report to me as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure the reduction of pentachlorophenol concentrations in rivers in the constituency of Rossendale and Darwen.

Environmental quality objectives have been set for all inland waters in relation to discharges of dangerous substances, including pentachlorophenol and its compounds. So far as is practicable, those objectives must be achieved at all times.Applications and reviews relating to consents for trade effluent discharges containing PCP to sewers have to be referred to me for my determination. On the advice of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, conditions are being set requiring the use of the best technical means available to minimise as soon as practicable the adverse effects of such discharges.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how the level of letting in public and private rented sectors is estimated; and if he will provide a breakdown of the constituent components of the total flow of lets on a yearly basis from 1980 to 1990;(2) how many estimated private dwelling lets there were in each year from 1980

Total lettings of local authority dwellings, including transfers by existing tenants, are reported each year by local authorities in their housing investment programme returns.Since 1986–87 housing associations have reported lettings annually to the Housing Corporation. For earlier years they can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey.Lettings by other private landlords are also estimated from the Labour Force Survey.Estimates of the number of lettings in England are given in the table:

thousands
	Local authorities	Housing associations1 2	Other private1
1980–81	3440	65	380
1981–82	415	4‥	4‥
1982–83	439	70	420
1983–84	429	60	470
1984–85	429	65	430
1985–86	437	80	410
1986–87	430	77	480
1987–88	426	70	520
1988–89	410	72	480
1989–90	390	76	540
1 Source of housing associations estimates (for years prior to 1986–87) and other private lettings (all years) is the Labour Force Survey. LFS is a sample survey, and so some of the year-to-year fluctuations in numbers may be the result of sample variability. The LFS will tend to understate the number of lettings by private landlords because what is recorded is whether the household had been at the address for under 12 months; the estimate does not allow for any multiple moves in the previous 12 months.
2 Housing association lettings from 1986–87 onwards are based on returns to the Housing Corporation. Internal transfers by tenants have only been reported from 1989–90 and figures for 1986–87 to 1988–89 include estimates of these lettings.
3 For 1980–81 includes estimate of non-secure and mobility lettings which were not included on local authority returns.
4 ‥ Not available.

For information about Scotland and Wales I refer the hon. member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the assets sold or used to reduce the closure costs of Crown Suppliers contract furnishing.

The following assets were sold during the closure of Crown Suppliers Contract Furnishing.

• Freehold Property—Wellington House
• Surplus Computer Equipment—Microcomputers, Terminals and Printers
• Stores Equipment—Fork Lift Trucks
• Contract Furnishing Stocks
• Miscellaneous Office Furniture and Equipment
• Two Antique Clocks
• Intellectual Property rights—IKON range

The published costs of closure include only the differences between amounts realised and the book value of the assets.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps the London Docklands development corporation is taking to ensure employment of local people at Canary Wharf.

LDDC, in conjunction with the London borough of Tower Hamlets and London East TEC, is developing a programme of customised training to develop the skills of local people to match identified employment opportunities. Schemes like the Tower Hamlets construction training centre are specifically aimed at helping local people to gain employment in construction schemes in London docklands.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish for each of the last 10 years the number of complaints he has received on the Property Services Agency from (a) hon Members, (b) members of the public and (c) registered companies.

Such statistics are not available centrally and could not be brought together without disproportionate costs. PSA Services investigates any complaint received and, where appropriate, takes action to improve the quality of services it offers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for an auditor's report to be prepared for him on the payment practices of the accounts department of Property Services Agency Services, Heol Pentre, Felen, Morriston, Swansea.

No. The payment systems of all PSA offices are subject to regular cyclical audits by both the Comptroller and Auditor General and by the Department's own internal audit division. Reports of internal audits are available to the Comptroller and Auditor General.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to reduce delays before the Property Services Agency Swansea office sends the invoices from creditors to the Property Services Agency accounts office at Hastings.

From the autumn of 1991, it is planned for the payment of all PSA Building Management creditors in South Wales to be made by the Manchester office. This represents the implementation of the new decentralised bill payment and accounting system to improve the bill payment service offered.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that the Property Services Agency pays interest to any creditor when payment has been delayed beyond 28 days from the receipt of an invoice for work completed.

There is no general entitlement in law to interest on the late payment of contract debts, and it is not the normal practice of the Government to pay interest in respect of such debts unless the circumstances of a particular case give rise to a legal entitlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of civil actions for damages initiated against the Property Services Agency for non-payment and delays in meeting its liabilities to clients.