To ask the Attorney-General whether any discussion has taken place between representatives of Her Majesty's Government and Her Majesty's Attorneys General for Gibraltar regarding the affairs of International Investments Ltd., Gibraltar, in liquidation; and if he will make a statement.

I can answer only on behalf of my own Department and those whom I superintend. The company to which the hon. Member refers has been the subject of a criminal investigation leading to one person being charged in Belfast. During the course of that investigation, investigators and lawyers have liaised as necessary with their counterparts in Gibraltar including the office of the Attorney-General.

To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions since 1979 the judicial review process has been invoked in a pollution incident involving facilities protected from prosecution by Crown immunity.

The information requested is not available in the form required and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are included in the specification for the waste incinerator proposed for the Maydown, Londonderry site to prevent gases and material being exposed to temperatures between 250 deg C and 400 deg C during combustion.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 12 July, Official Report, column 500.Such details are not yet available and can be provided only if and when Du Pont (UK) Ltd. submits a planning application and accompanying environmental statement for a toxic waste incinerator at its Maydown site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what specific design requirements apply to the incinerator proposed for the Maydown, Londonderry site to deal with halon and silicon compounds which (a) result from paint manufacture or (b) which may be offered for incineration in the furnace.

Specific design details are not yet available, but it may be that the information sought can be provided if and when Du Pont (UK) Ltd. submits a planning application and accompanying environmental statement for a toxic waste incinerator at its Maydown site. The design requirements set by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland will ensure that the wastes to be disposed of at the plant are clearly specified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his policy on the selection of methods of disposal of toxic and hazardous waste to be employed at incinerator plants in Northern Ireland.

The selection of a waste disposal method is based on the determination of the "best practicable environmental option" for a particular category of waste, a process which is designed to ensure that neither public health nor the protection of the environment are endangered. High temperature incineration is one of the current options for the disposal of toxic and hazardous waste and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Foyle (Mr. Hume) of 27 February, Official Report, column 511, how much of the special wastes are toxic wastes which require incineration to render them harmless; at what temperatures they are incinerated; and how much are wastes arising from the production of synthetic fibres.

The amount of toxic wastes requiring incineration included in the figure of 8,000 tonnes which I specified in my answer to the hon. Member for Foyle (Mr. Hume) can be identified only at disproportionate cost. However, an independent consultant's report issued in 1990 estimates that 60 per cent. of special waste arisings are landfilled directly, with the remainder being dealt with by chemical treatment, incineration or reclamation.The temperatures at which such wastes are incinerated vary from 900 to 1200 deg. C., depending on the time period involved and combustion conditions within the incinerator.Statistics for the amount of special wastes arising from the production of synthetic fibres can also be identified only at disproportionate cost, but the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has authorised the movement of 1,000 tonnes of lycra polymer waste to Finland for high-temperature incineration during the 12-month period commencing October 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the new forms of working patterns introduced into each agency in his Department since its establishment; and if he will break-down by grade the numbers of staff taking up each new working pattern;(2) how many staff were in post on the date that each agency in his Department was established; and how many staff are now in post;(3) what group bonus schemes are in operation in each agency in his Department;(4) if he will list those new facilities for staff which have been introduced in each agency in his Department since establishment;(5) whether any appointments from the private sector have been made to any agency in his Department at grade 7 or above since its establishment.

The information requested is a matter for chief executives of agencies. I have asked them to write to the hon. Member. Copies of their replies will be placed in the Library and Public Information Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the last annual report for each agency in his Department was published; and when the next are due.

The Training and Employment Agency, established on 2 April 1990, intends to publish its first annual report in September 1991.The Rate Collection Agency, established on 1 April 1991, intends to publish its first annual report after 31 March 1992.The Social Security Agency, established on 1 July 1991, is not due to publish its first annual report until after April 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the maximum salary payable to the chief executive of each agency in his Department; and what is the length of each chief executive's contract.

The chief executives of the Training and Employment Agency and the Social Security Agency are paid on the standard civil service pay scale for grade 3 and the chief executive of the Rate Collection Agency as a grade 6. The chief executive of the Training and Employment Agency is a permanent appointment and the other two chief executives are appointed for three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on events and publicity surrounding the launch of each agency in his Department.

The amounts spent on the launch of the Training and Employment Agency and the Rate Collection Agency were £65,216·66 and £9,898·15 respectively.The information regarding the launch of the Social Security Agency which took place on 24 June 1991 is not yet available. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member as soon as the figures are known and copies of his reply will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what first degree was obtained by the chief executive of each agency in his Department; and from which institution.

As the information requested is of a personal nature, I have asked the chief executives of the agencies to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the quality of service performance indicators adopted by each agency in his Department since its establishment as an executive agency; and if he will separately identify those quality of service performance indicators already operative prior to agency status.

The quality of service performance indicators are:The Training and Employment Agency:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he proposes to increase day service provision for the mentally handicapped in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

The management and delivery of services at local level are the responsibility of health and social services boards. Boards are expected to determine the level of service to be provided in their respective areas.Day care is recognised as a fundamental component of community services for people with a mental handicap. The importance of day services was stressed in the Health and Personal Social Services Regional Strategy for Northern Ireland (1987–1992); in the policy paper on community care for the 1990s, "People First"; and in the draft Regional Strategic Framework (1992–1997) which was issued recently for consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will carry out a review of the social fund system.

There are no plans to review the scheme at present, but the Government will carefully consider the implications of research findings expected to become available at the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what response he has made to the report of the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network, a copy of which has been sent to him.

The Secretary of State and other Northern Ireland Office Ministers have received for information copies of a report entitled "Poverty in Northern Ireland—Establishing an Anti-Poverty Network" The report, which records the process involved in setting up the Northern Ireland anti-poverty network, does not require a formal response but it is being read with interest and its receipt will he acknowledged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people made applications for family credit in the constituency of South Down in each year since 1 April 1988 until 31 March 1991; and, of these, how many were approved and how many were refused.

This is now a matter for the chief executive of the Social Security Agency, but I understand that the information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of income support hardship claims by claimants whose benefit had been suspended for not actively seeking work; and what were the numbers of such claims for each social security office since September 1989.

[holding answer 18 July 1991]: Social security operational matters are the responsibility of the chief executive of the Social Security Agency. He will write to the hon. Gentleman and place copies of his reply in the Library and the Public Information Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many social security appeals there were by claimants who had been disqualified from benefit for (a) not actively seeking work and (b) for refusing suitable employment; and what figures are available in respect of the social security appeals tribunals' findings and any subsequent appeals to the social security commissioners since September 1989.

[holding answer 18 July 1991]: Social security operational matters are the responsibility of the chief executive of the Social Security Agency. I understand, however, that there have been no appeals to the social security commissioners on these subjects since September 1989 and that the other information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many claimants in each social security office (a) received warning letters regarding actively seeking work, (b) have had their benefit suspended, (c) have had their claims allowed on referral to the adjudication officer and (d) have had their claims disallowed on referral since 1989;(2) how many claimants in each social security office

[holding answer 18 July 1991]: Social security operational matters are the responsibility of the chief executive of the Social Security Agency. I understand, however, that the information requested is not available.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received from Oxfam on the present state of malnutrition and risk of epidemic disease in Iraq.

I have received no direct representations from Oxfam. I am aware of its concerns, which were discussed by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development during a visit to Oxfam on 10 July.

To ask the Prime Minister what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to curtail the trade of wild-caught birds into (a) the United Kingdom and (b) EC countries.

We have asked our scientific advisers, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to review the evidence as to whether the trade in wildlife is compatible with maintaining the populations of species at satisfactory levels. We will consider, in the light of their findings, whether any changes in existing conservation controls are required. Negotiations are continuing on Community proposals for the protection of animals during transport.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith), Official Report, 27 June, column 512, what factors he took into account in reaching his assessment that the introduction of Trident in the mid-1990s will provide the minimum capability necessary to maintain an effective independent deterrent into the next century; and what weight he gave in making this assessment to the United Kingdom obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

I refer the hon. Member to Defence Open Government Documents 80/23, 82/1 and 87/01 available in the Library.

To ask the Prime Minister further to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) of 16 April, Official Report, column 162, what legal advice he has sought on the genocide convention in respect of Saddam Hussein.

[holding answer 17 July 1991]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 7 May at column 390.

To ask the Prime Minister if the Government has any plans to provide any special assistance to local authorities, housing associations or other providers of housing to meet the housing needs of service men and their families returning to civilian life as a consequence of "Options for Change".

The details of the force reductions required as a result of "Options for Change" are still being examined. We are considering how to deal with the housing implications as part of this work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped from the Mount since its opening, giving the relevant dates.

A total of 13 prisoners have escaped from the Mount since its opening on 15 March 1988. The chronological details are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to prohibit the taking of exit polls on polling days during elections.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers of 1 May, Official Report, column 178, and 11 July, Official Report, columns 436–37, relating to the case of Paul Cleeland, what precautions he is taking to prevent misleading comments from being inserted into similar Home Office documents in future.

I am satisfied that every care is taken in considering representations concerning possible miscarriages of justice and all possible efforts are made to ensure that all documents relating to the case are prepared accurately.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of dedicated energy managers and the number of person-years devoted to energy management in the latest year in the Prison estate.

There are three dedicated energy managers in the Home Office. In 1990–91 a total of about 4½ person-years was devoted to energy management.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that appropriate measures continue to be fully taken to safeguard the British citizen who is under threat of death from abroad.

Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were by the central drug squad in 1988, 1989 and 1990, respectively.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the figures for arrests made by the central drug squad were as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost of keeping an inmate in Her Majesty's prison, Walton.

The average weekly cost per inmate held in HM prison Liverpool during 1989–90 (the latest information available) was £260.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether income support is payable to a person who is on home leave from prison; and if he will make a statement.

Income support may be payable in these circumstances, depending on the terms of the prisoner's licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will specify (a) the number of students currently receiving education or training in the further education sector and (b) the number of students with special educational needs currently receiving education or training in further education.

In 1989–90 (the latest year for which data are available) there were 1·8 million students in further education; of these 32,000 were students with special educational needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list the names of all governors so far appointed to Bacon CTC, and the dates of their appointments;(2) when he approved the articles of government for Bacon CTC; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

My right hon. and learned Friend has received a revised version of the memorandum and articles of association of the college for his agreement: when agreed it will be placed in the Library. Governors have not yet been appointed.

To ask the Secretary of Slate for Education and Science (1) at what per pupil rate, for pupils (a) under and (b) over school leaving age he has agreed to pay annual per capita grant to city technology colleges (i) in and (ii) outside London for the 1991–92 academic year;(2) what is the estimated or final amount of

The amount of recurrent grant available to each established city technology college in the 1991–92 academic year has yet to be finalised. However, provisional figures at financial year 1991–92 prices, derived from actual LEA out-turn expenditure in financial year 1988–89, the latest year for which this information is available, has been made available to these colleges. The information that the hon. member requested is based on these provisional figures and is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will set out the additional revenue related to start-up costs, for each of the city technology colleges;(2) if he will set out the sum allowed for central administration in the budget of each of the city technology colleges, and the calculation behind the sum in each case;(3) if he will set out

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply of 31 October 1990, Official Report, columns 517–18, at what per pupil rate, for pupils (a) under and (b) over school leaving age, annual capitation grant has been paid during the 1990–91 academic year to city technology colleges operating in the London area; and what has been the total amount of annual per capita grant paid to each of these colleges for this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his answer of 26 June, Official Report, columns 466–67, to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett), if he has yet reached a decision as to whether any redundancy payments are to be made to teaching and non-teaching staff at Bacon Church of England secondary school who have not been offered equivalent employment at the new Bacon city technology college.

I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) on 26 June 1991 at columns 466–67.

The table sets out the recurrent grant available to each of the existing city technology colleges in the current academic year. The grants comprise an annual per capita grant (APG) in respect of each pupil; and earmarked annual grants (EAG) covering initial stocks of consumables and IT software, and continuing requirements for school meals, pupil support and INSET. The basic per capita grant this year is £2,075 for pupils under school leaving age, and is weighted in respect of those pupils over school leaving age. It is derived from actual LEA out-turn expenditure in financial year 1988–89, the latest year for which such information is available. An allowance of 7 per cent. has been added to the LEA figure to cover central administration costs, and the figure is repriced to 1990–91 values.Provision is made within annual per capital grant for diseconomies of scale during college's start-up period, reflecting good practice in respect of new schools within the LEA maintained sector. The annual per capital grant for colleges in the London area contains a further enhancement to reflect necessarily higher operating costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he has issued on admissions policy for city technology colleges in respect of admission of siblings.

None. It is for colleges to determine such details of admission procedures in accordance with funding agreement requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children who were tested as seven-year-olds in the summer term of 1991 were (a) in mixed-age classes and (b) in classes of 30 or over.

The information requested is not available nationally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make it his policy to ensure that all education authorities and maintained schools make provision for the teaching of swimming.

The national curriculum working group on physical education has considered questions concerning the teaching of swimming. My right hon. and learned Friend is currently considering the working group's final report. The Government's response to the group's report will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the future of adult education centres, consequent on the publication of his White Paper "Education and Training for the 21st Century"; and if he will make a statement.

We have received several hundred such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to ensure that class sizes in primary schools are not above 30; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 13 June 1991 at column 642.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made with the motorway bridge numbering scheme.

Instructions to begin implementing the motorway bridge numbering scheme will be issued to the Department's regional offices and agent authorities by the early autumn. The work should be completed in two to three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his timescale for reviewing agreements amongst user groups concerning new regulations for the orange badge scheme for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

I have had further helpful discussions with representative organisations and hope to make an announcement shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his written answer of 15 July, if he will give the number of route options which will be open for public consultation in the autumn, in respect of the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road.

This is a matter still to be decided. Information on the form of public consultation will not be given until the start of that process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a specific category on police accident fault report forms to enable the identification of whether the use of a mobile phone may have been a factor in the accident.

[holding answer 18 July 1991]: The police complete a STATS19 accident report form for each personal injury road accident that occurs in Great Britain. This form records 70 different items regarding the attendant circumstances of the accident and the vehicles and casualties involved. It does not record the cause of accidents or attempt to apportion blame or find fault, as this is often difficult and sometimes impossible to determine objectively. Some police forces record additional information on injury road accidents for local purposes, but this is not collected centrally.The content of the STATS19 form is the responsibility of the Standing Committee on Road Accident Statistics, which meets twice a year and includes representatives from the police, local authorities and central Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to upgrade the M11 link road through Leyton and Leytonstone in the light of his Department's document entitled "Transport and the Environment";(2) if he will reissue the booklet "Transport and the Environment", with a case study on the M11 link road through Leyton and Leytonstone.

[holding answer 18 July 1991]: I have no plans for a further reissue of the booklet "Transport and the Environment" as the latest edition was published only a few weeks ago. The booklet is descriptive and does not prescribe standards to mitigate environmental impact. There are no plans to change the design of the A12 Hackney-M11 link road consequent upon publication of the latest edition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each health authority in Wales the number of general dental practitioners on whom the Dental Practice Board has placed prior approval by targeting.

No general dental practitioner in Wales has been placed on prior approval by targeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the areas of Wales which family health services authorities have identified as being in need of more dentists.

Family health services authorities have notified to our Department the following areas, as being in need of dentists, for the purpose of meeting the qualifying criteria for payment of grants under the location incentive scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was his original target for the publication of the "Review of the All Wales Strategy for the Development of Services for People with a Mental Handicap"; what is the latest estimated date of its publication; and if he will make a statement.

The original target date for publication of an analysis of responses to our November 1990 paper on key issues together with our outline proposals for the future was the end of April 1991. We have received almost 120 responses which, taken as a whole, are particularly detailed, thoughtful and helpful. We have been concerned to do full justice to these comments in our consideration of the programme of action from 1993. Our proposals will be published shortly, and comments invited on them by the end of November, with the aim of having as much time for responses as the original timetable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dwellings have (a) been draught proofed and (b) had loft insulation carried out under the home energy efficiency scheme in Wales, and in each county: and what are the estimated numbers of properties which qualify under the scheme.

The information on dwellings which have been draught-proofed is not collected.A total of 238,900 homes have been included in the homes insulation scheme, since its introduction in September 1978 up to the first quarter of 1991. The scheme came to an end in April 1990.A county breakdown is available only from 1984 to 1991. The county totals for this period are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new measures he intends to take in schools in Wales to assist children who suffer severe hearing loss.

Local education authorities have the responsibility for securing appropriate provision in schools for children with special educational needs, including those with a severe hearing loss. The Welsh Office has made support available to local education authorities under the grants for educational support and training programme for the in-service training of teachers of children with a hearing impairment. This support will also be available in 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many children there are in Wales by each county and by category who suffer hearing difficulties;(2) how many unfilled vacancies there were in Wales for teachers of children suffering hearing loss in January 1991 and January 1990;(3) how many qualified teachers employed in each of the local education authorities in Wales are engaged in teaching those who suffer hearing difficulties.

The information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he has so for taken to assist children with severe hearing loss.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave him on 6 June 1991. It is the responsibility of the relevant statutory authorities to provide services which meet the needs of all those with disabilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has received any complaints about tipping at the Dark lane, Rossett, Clwyd infill site; and if he will make a statement.

A number of representations have been made by the hon. Gentleman to the Welsh Office in the past year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had concerning the future of British Airways in south Wales with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency.

I have regular discussions with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency about a range of matters concerning the development of the Welsh economy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many veterinary officers are employed in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food earlier today.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies in the wollen textile industry in West Yorkshire have been notified for 1991 to the most recent practicable date; and if he will make a statement.

The number of redundancies confirmed as having taken place in the textile industry in the Yorkshire and Humberside region during the first four months of 1991 is 584. Information is not available for the woollen textile industry, nor for West Yorkshire county.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Factories Act 1961 and associated subordinated legislation have been undertaken so far to the most recent practicable date in 1991; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not available in the form requested. The table shows the number of informations laid by Health and Safety Executive inspectorates and local authorities for the period January 1975 to March 1990. Figures for the period April 1990 to March 1991 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those countries in the EC which have minimum wage legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Belgium, France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have statutory national minimum wage laws, though in Belgium the legal minimum applies only to those not covered by local sector-led agreements reached by both sides of industry. In the United Kingdom and Ireland minimum wage rates are set for some industries. Statutory wage fixing destroys jobs and should have no permanent place in the labour market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions for breaches of the minimum wages legislation have been undertaken so far to the most recent practicable date in 1991; and if he will make a statement.

Up to 17 July, eight employers have been prosecuted for offences under wages council legislation during 1991. The policy of the wages inspectorate under all Governments has been to seek compliance by advice and persuasion and to consider prosecution only where there is deliberate or repeated disregard for the law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of Britain's gross national product is attributable to tourism for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991 to date.

The latest available estimates show that about 5 per cent. of the gross national product of the United Kingdom was attributable to the tourism industry in both 1989 and 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many job search seminars have been held in each of the counties of Wales.

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 Defence what will be the impact on the future staffing of the directorate general of defence quality assurance of his Department's decision to rely on NACCB—National Accreditation Council for Certification Bodies—certification rather than carrying out its own routine assessments of potential contractors.

The contractor assessment branch has been disbanded and the work has been passed to DGDQA's regional directors. The number of full-time staff engaged on assessment has been reduced from 60 to 30 and it is expected that a further 10 full-time posts will be saved. DGDQA staff will continue to assess contractors' capabilities where access to highly classified records or material is involved or where no NACCB accredited organisation is able to cover the full scope of the contractor's work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 July to the hon. Member for Wakefield, whether the recently advertised post of youth development officer for the Royal Naval Rugby Union is to be funded from within his Department's budget for the Royal Naval Rugby Union.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the full cost to his Department of (a) the Armed Forces Rugby Union and (b) the Royal Air Force Rugby Union; and how many full or part-time posts there are within both organisations.

The Armed Forces Rugby Union (in fact the Combined Services Rugby Football Committee) and Royal Air Force Rugby Union are run by executive committees, who provide their services on a voluntary basis. There are no full or part-time posts funded by the Ministry of Defence solely dedicated to the support of these organisations. MOD does provide financial assistance with both sports equipment and travel costs for officials and players but these costs are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will announce his decision on whether the avionics department of RAF Carlisle 14 MU is to be transferred to RAF Sealand.

This is a matter for the chief executive of the RAF maintenance group defence support agency. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research is being carried out by his Department into the possible causes and sources of contamination of congenital toxoplasmosis; and if he will make a statement.

The Scottish Office Home and Health Department is not currently supporting research into the possible causes and sources of contamination of congenital toxoplasmosis but favourable consideration would be given to any application for funding for soundly based research projects on this topic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on proposals for a new health centre in Kinross.

The chairman of Tayside health board has written to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Perth and Kinross, in whose constituency the health centre is located, indicating that the provision of a new health centre for Kinross is high on the list of Tayside health board's capital priorities, and I understand that it has recently purchased some land for the new centre.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what hospitals in Scotland participate in the European Private Patients Group.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the way in which the hospital infection manual is being implemented in Scotland by hospitals both in the national health service and the private sector.

The hospital infection manual, which has been made available for use both in the national health service and the private sector in Scotland, includes valuable advice on the control of infection and on procedures for dealing with outbreaks of infection in hospitals. The manual is highly regarded and its advice widely implemented, usually under the direction of the chief administrative medical officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many veterinary officers are employed in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken by his Department to promote awareness among parents of their statutory rights under section 30 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to educate their children at home.

[holding answer 17 July 1991]: The hon. Gentleman needs to distinguish between a right and a duty. It is for a parent to carry out his statutory duty under Section 30 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to provide efficient education for his child suitable to his age, ability and aptitude either by ensuring that he attends a public school or by other means.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in view of the human rights record of Indonesia, he will oppose the granting of an export licence to British Aerospace to sell to Indonesia Hawk trainer/fighter aircraft.

No application has yet been received by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the signatories to the United Nations nuclear non-proliferation treaty to the most recent practicable date.

To date, there are 142 states parties to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Taiwan and North Korea, not recognised as states by Her Majesty's Government, have also deposited instruments of ratification and accession to the treaty.The list of states parties to the non-proliferation treaty is as follows:States party to the non-proliferation treaty

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during the last six months, he has met any of his counterparts from the member countries of the Rio Group.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, met the Argentine and Chilean Foreign Ministers on separate occasions in April. I attended the first meeting of the institutionalised dialogue between EC and Rio Group Ministers in Luxembourg on 26–27 April. The meeting covered a wide range of political and economic matters. I have also had bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Brazil and Chile and with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Colombia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of India's nuclear weapons capability.

We are concerned about the unsafeguarded nuclear programme in India. We have always encouraged all non-parties to accede to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; this would engage them in an undertaking not to manufacture or acquire nuclear weapons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of forms still have to be collected, nationally for the 1991 census; and what percentage still need to be collected in the London borough of Lambeth.

Virtually all 1991 census forms have now been collected. There were problems in contacting householders to collect completed forms, particularly in city areas, and special measures were introduced to deal with this. Initially a letter, a reply paid envelope, and another form were left at such households with a request that they post a completed form to the local census manager. This was followed by the setting up of a census freepost facility; and, in selected areas, where the proportion of households from whom a return had still not been received was reported to be substantially higher than the national average, a postal reminder was issued by the census office.The estimate of the number of addresses where no household had been contacted was made by local field staff. The follow-up action, particularly the postal reminder issued by the census office, has indicated that some of this accommodation was not occupied on census night. However, the measures described above, have reduced the initial estimate of the proportion of households which were not contacted to two-thirds of 1 per cent. for England and Wales as a whole. In the London borough of Lambeth, some 3,600 households were sent a postal reminder, and about 1,000 replies have already been received back. The overall percentage of addresses classified as non-contacts will be available only after the returns for Lambeth have been processed early next year.A full evaluation of under-coverage, nationally and for inner London, will be possible in summer 1992 once the computer processed statistics and the results from the census validation survey are both available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the general practitioner contract in respect of (a) the extra workload on general practitioners required for assessment activities, and (b) the deprivation allowance to general practitioners so that it is more closely related to the Jarman deprivation index.

We do not see a need to review the general practitioner contract in these areas.Any extra workload resulting from assessment activities is taken into account by the Doctors and Dentists Review Body when making its annual recommendation on general practitioners' pay.The Government already use the Jarman index as the basis for delivery of deprivation payments to general practitioners. Our objective is to target payments on those practices that serve areas with the highest levels of deprivation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to require the exclusion of community health service observers from district health authority or family health service authority meetings to be permitted only in exceptional circumstances and on the submission of explicit reasons.