To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount which has now been raised from privatisation issues of shares in the last decade.

Total privatisation proceeds in the decade to 1990–91 are £33 billion.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will detail the changes recently made on proposals for the Central Statistical Office to improve the accuracy and reliability of its work.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 13 May 1991 at col. 19.The Central Statistical Office is continuing to implement the package of measures to improve the reliability of economic data which the then Chancellor of the Exchequer announced to the House of Commons on 17 May 1990.Latest economic statistics are benefiting from the inclusion of results from the following new inquiries:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the average annual rate of growth of GDP, excluding North sea oil and gas, over the periods 1969 to 1979, 1970 to 1980, 1973 to 1979, 1979 to 1989, 1980 to 1990 and 1983 to 1989.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 18 July, Official Report, column 251–52, on mortgage payments, if he will update the table and give the information on a monthly basis.

The current costs net of basic rate relief for average new building society mortgages in the second quarter of 1988 are shown in the following table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his estimate of the number of (i) private surveyors and (ii) valuers required to work on the new council tax; and if he will make a statement;(2) what is his estimate of the cost of employing private valuers for the new council tax in Wales;(3) what is his estimate of the cost of employing private surveyors to work on the new council tax in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

By arrangement with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, the Inland Revenue's Valuation Office Agency has invited private sector valuers to register an interest in tendering for council tax valuation work for 50 per cent. of domestic properties in Wales. Over 220 firms in Wales have applied. The remaining 50 per cent. of council tax valuations in Wales will be undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency, which will deploy some 10 staff years of valuers on the work, supported by experienced technical and clerical staff.Competitive tenders for work allocated to the private sector will be invited from suitable applicants on 25 October. The arrangements are designed to ensure good quality valuations and best value for money. Until tenders have been considered it is not possible to give a reliable estimate of the cost of private sector assistance.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the liability of (a) local authority schools and (b) grant-maintained schools to pay value added tax in respect of trading activities incidental to the schools' educational purposes.

Educational materials supplied in class to school pupils, whether at local authority or grant-maintained schools, that are incidental to their education, and supplied by the providers of that education, are generally relieved from VAT. Where the educational establishment provides other goods which compete with similar supplies made by VAT registered traders then the normal VAT rules apply, otherwise distortion of competition could arise. However, generally such activities are mounted by individuals in schools so that tax is not payable until the VAT registration limit of £35,000 is exceeded.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of European Ministers at the Budget Council in July.

The Budget Council met in Brussels on 25 July. I represented the United Kingdom. The Council established a first reading draft budget for 1992 totalling 65·6 becu (£45·7 billion) in commitment appropriations and 62·4 becu (£43·5 billion) in payment appropriations, respectively 986 mecu (£687 million) and 834 mecu (£581 million) below the relevant financial perspective ceiling. The draft budget is 35 mecu above the Commission's preliminary draft budget for commitments and 207 mecu below for payments.The 1992 budget is the last under the current inter-institutional agreement (IIA) between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. The 11A incorporates expenditure ceilings for 1988–1992, the "financial perspective". The following table shows that the first reading draft budget respects all the financial perspective ceilings:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, for each financial year from 1979–80 to 1989–90, inclusive, the amount of overfunding in (a) £M3 terms and (b) M4 terms.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: In-year overfunding from 1979–80 to 1989–90, inclusive, is shown in the following table. Figures for 1979–80 to 1987–88, inclusive, are shown in M3 terms and figures for 1988–89 to 1989–90 are shown in M4 terms:

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what Departments and executive agencies do not have a give-as-you-earn payroll scheme; and what proportion of staff have joined schemes that do exist.

I have been asked to reply.Arrangements exist for individuals to avail themselves of the give-as-you-earn payroll scheme operating at their payroll centres. No central records exist of Departments and agencies which have not joined the schemes and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information we have indicates that approximately 8,500 staff have contributed some £1·4 million since November 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the draft codes of practice for minimising noise currently being considered by his Department for approval under section 71 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974; when he intends to approve these codes of practice; and whether he intends to consult on any further codes of practice.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside to the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor) on 18 June, Official Report, column 126.Since then, comments on the draft code on noise from clay pigeon shooting have been analysed, interested parties have been consulted on the draft code on noise from off-road motorcycle sport and the Health and Safety Executive is preparing comprehensive draft guidance on pop concert safety which includes advice on environmental noise. The Health and Safety Executive is expecting to issue this for public consultation later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further assistance his Department proposes to give to relieve the problem of single homelessness in south London.

Single homeless people in south London will benefit from the Department's financial support to the Housing Corporation which will nearly double from £1·1 billion in 1990–91 to £2 billion in 1993–94. Housing associations expect to complete 100,000 new homes over the next three years—some 9,000 in south London—and about half the new homes for rent will be targeted at homeless people. Single homeless people will also benefit from the Department's single homelessness initiative which has already provided 116 direct access hostel bedspaces in south London and will provide a further 576 places in permanent accommodation by the end of 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of disposal of disposable nappies.

The Department does not have adequate information on which to base such an estimate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what applications were made by Lambeth borough council for estate action schemes for 1992–93.

The London borough of Lambeth has submitted eight estate action bids for 1992–93 for the following schemes:

• Birrell House
• Clapham Park Estate
• Kelvedon House
• Myatts Field North Estate
• Myatts Field South Estate
• Penwith Manor Estate
• Thorlands Estate
• York Hill Estate

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to encourage the separation of household waste and the delivery of this to recycling centres.

My Department, together with the Department of Trade and Industry, is pursuing a range of policies designed to meet the Government's target of recycling 25 per cent. of household waste by the year 2000. Our latest progress report is in chapter 11 of "This Common Inheritance: The First Year Report" (September 1991, Cm. 1655).Our policies include assistance to pilot recycling schemes, including those in Britain's recycling county, Devon. £40 million in supplementary credit approvals will be available over the next three years to enable local authorities to invest in recycling. £12 million has already been distributed for 1991–92.We are monitoring pilot schemes to provide information on the most effective ways of recycling in different parts of the country. The results of that monitoring will inform further decisions on recycling, at local and national government level.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to issue invitations for the first tranche of bidding under the greenhouse programme for the financial year 1992–93.

In June all local housing authorities in England were invited to bid for the resources available in 1992–93, the second year of the Greenhouse programme. By the closing date for bids, 27 September, I had received over 350 separate applications for resources. These are now being considered with a view to announcing the names of successful authorities in December.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that the Metropolitan police, the British Transport police, London Underground, London Buses, the London fire service, the London ambulance service, the St. Johns Ambulance, London district, the City of Westminster safety officer, the Health and Safety Executive, Westminster city council and the hon. Members for the City of London and Westminster, South (Mr. Brooke) and for Westminster, North are consulted as to safety, the use of resources and the wider public interest before the royal parks in central London are considered for use for profit or non-profit making public events.

There are more than 200 events each year in the central royal parks. Many of them are attended by relatively small numbers of people and it is not necessary to consult on every occasion on the scale suggested. My Department is discussing with the Home Office future arrangements for dealing with large events in the parks including consultation with other parties. I will write to my hon. Friend when proposals have been prepared.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent planning guidelines he has issued in respect of the building of golf courses in greenbelt areas.

The planning policy guidance note on sport and recreation (PPG17), published in September 1991, gives guidance on outdoor sport in green belts and on golf courses. Advice in PPG2, green belts, which was published in January 1988, is also relevant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has approved the draft code of practice in non-rented housing submitted to him by the Commission for Racial Equality.

I have approved the draft code of practice and it has been laid before both Houses with effect from yesterday.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the outcome of the EC Environment Council on 1 October 1991.

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment and I represented the United Kingdom at this Council.The Council agreed a directive to introduce new standardised reporting arrangements into a large number of existing environmental directives. Member states will be required to submit information to the European Commission in a prescribed format every three years on the implementation of each directive concerned, with one exception. The Commission in turn will publish reports every three years, based on this information. The exception is the bathing water directive, where reports will be produced annually. The United Kingdom has strongly supported these proposals, which should help to ensure that existing environmental legislation is properly implemented and enforced throughout the Community.The Council formally adopted a directive tightening emission limits from large diesel-engined vehicles, which was agreed in principle earlier this year. The new controls will come into effect in 1995 and 1996.Considerable further progress was made towards agreement of the proposed directive on protecting the habitats of wild flora and fauna. Very few issues remain outstanding, and on these proposals were advanced which were acceptable to the large majority of member states, including the United Kingdom. The Presidency envisaged that final agreement should be possible at the next Environment Council in December.The Council also discussed the proposed regulation establishing a new Community Environment Fund ("LIFE"), and the proposed regulation to control the movement of waste into, out of and within the Community. Brief reports were delivered concerning the progress of discussions on regulations about evaluating and controlling the risks posed by existing dangerous substances, about controlling the import and export of dangerous chemicals, and about establishing a Community eco-labelling scheme. The Commission introduced new communications to the Council on preparations for the 1992 United Nations conference on environment and development, and on measures to combat climate change, including the possibility of taxes on energy and the carbon content of fuels.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where, and in what form, it is possible for members of the general public to examine in respect of each water region in the United Kingdom or purchase, respectively, factual statements concerning use of, and consents for, industrial, agricultural, or other uses of ground water, together with documentations of the effect of all such statistics on the level of major water tables.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: Information on all groundwater abstraction licences in England and Wales is held by the National Rivers Authority and is available on public registers at its regional offices. The authority also holds information on the levels of water tables.The position in Scotland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.At present there is no groundwater abstraction licensing system in Northern Ireland, but the position is currently under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research he has commissioned concerning the development or discovery of scents or essences that can be used as attractants to dogs and so localise the locations of their waste.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: None. The Government believe that owners should keep their dogs under control and if necessary clear up after them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources will he made available to the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice for the purpose of commissioning independent research.

It is for the chairman of the Royal Commission to decide how to apportion the resources available to the commission. I understand that it is intended to allocate up to £0·5 million to independent research over the lifetime of the commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to examine information flows between the police and the Government.

I have decided that an efficiency scrutiny should be carried out with the following terms of reference:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the level and quality of training provided by the road transport industry; and what role is envisaged for the road transport industrial training board.

The road transport industry has a wide range of training available, much of it to a high standard and leading to recognised qualifications.The road transport industry training board is expected to be succeeded by RTITB Services Ltd. next year. This company will assume responsibility for all the training functions of the present board except those transferred to the two standards councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the current repair and renewal work on the Severn bridge will be completed; and when the bridge will be fully operational.

Resurfacing work is planned to be completed within the week and at that time the alignment of the two traffic lanes in each direction will be straightened. Other work including modification and erection of the central reserve safety barrier and improvements to the toll plaza will continue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his current projection of future expenditure on road schemes in Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: It is currently projected that the Department's expenditure on trunk road schemes solely in Wiltshire, as detailed in the White Paper "Trunk Roads, England into the 1990s", is £39·8 million (estimated works costs, November 87 prices). Also three schemes in adjoining counties (total cost £60·7 million) include sections of trunk road in Wiltshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's current legal position visà vis the European Commission regarding the environmental implication of his proposals to complete the M3 at Winchester between Bar End and Compton.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: Earlier this year the European Commission asked the Government for their informal comments on a complaint which the Commission had received in respect of the proposed M3 at Winchester. The basis of the complaint was that the M3 decision announced in March 1990 should have been preceded by an environmental impact assessment in accordance with EC directive 85/337/EEC. The Government have replied to the Commission.The next step for the Commission to take, if it intends to pursue the complaint future, is to issue a formal letter under article 169 of the treaty of Rome and to consider the Government's comments on it. The Commission would then decide whether to issue a reasoned opinion.No formal letter under article 169 has been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to protect the tenancies of residents on the Archway road, London N6, in view of the proposed sale of Department-owned properties; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: The Archway Road Tenants Association made an offer in May 1991 for the Department's surplus properties on the Archway road. This was unacceptable because the ARTA's offer was well below the district valuer's valuation with sitting tenants. Subsequently two housing associations expressed an interest in buying the properties on a tenanted basis. Exploratory talks between the housing associations and the district valuer are continuing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he will ensure that the traffic director for London will consult organisations representing people with disabilities before placing priority route plans before him.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: The Road Traffic Act 1991 provides that when the traffic director prepares or varies a priority route local plan, he must consult such organisations representing the interests of people with a disability who may be affected by the plan as appear to him to be appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to appoint the traffic director for London and the traffic commissioners for London as envisaged in the Road Traffic Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: I hope to announce the appointment of the traffic director for London shortly.Traffic commissioners are appointed by the Secretary of State under separate legislation with a different role. They license operators of public service and heavy goods vehicles, register local bus services and license local bus services in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will initiate feasibility studies concerning methods for routine maintenance and renewal of the south bound bore of the Blackwall tunnel that can be used (a) maintaining a single line of traffic and (b) requiring a complete closure to traffic during the night hours at weekends, in a manner unlikely to precipitate significant congestion in east London.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: Following my visit to the Blackwall tunnel last month the Department, together with the London borough of Greenwich, have reviewed the programme of annual maintenance closures for the southbound tunnel. A revised programme has been drawn up, which will allow for a number of night time closures over a period rather than the present method of closing the tunnel for three weekends. We are hopeful that this programme can be implemented and details are now being finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian authorities about their failure to grant an exit visa to Iosef and Alla Rajinsky of Leningrad.

Alla Rajinsky was given permission to leave the Soviet Union earlier this year. We made representations to the Soviet authorities about Josef Rajinsky in March. We understand that he has been notified orally that he has permission to leave, but that he still awaits formal confirmation of this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian authorities about their failure to grant an exit visa to (1) Dmitri Yakubovsky of Kiev; and (2) Leah Yusofova of Dzhez Kazgan.

Details of the exit visa applications of Dimitri Yakubovsky and Leah Yusofova were included in a list of cases handed over by the British embassy in Moscow to the Soviet authorities on 29 August. During the CSCE conference on the human dimension in Moscow (10 September to 4 October) the United Kingdom delegation strongly urged the Soviet authorities to implement freedom of travel for all Soviet citizens.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by Her Majesty's Government to ensure that there is adequate protection of fish stocks around the dependent territories.

We have been examining the fishing regimes of our dependent territories. We are about to approach other Governments in the Caribbean with a view to delimiting zones of maritime jurisdiction by agreement for our dependent territories. On 1 October we introduced a 200-mile fisheries zone around the British Indian Ocean Territory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the Overseas Development Administration's evaluation work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Overseas Development Administration evaluation work.

As I told the House during oral questions on 14 October, I have written in the following terms to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) about the evaluation work of ODA:

"On 19 September you issued a Press Release headed "Secret Report shows Government hid the truth about Aid from Parliament". This contained allegations that the report had been "doctored" by removing many critical evaluation statements. I owe it to the public, Parliament and, not least ODA officials who administer the ODA's evaluation programme and who cannot defend themselves, to set the record straight.

Though it will no doubt be obvious to anyone who read your Press Release, I should emphasise that what came into your possession was not a secret report but an early draft of a published report.

I attach a note explaining ODA's ex post evaluation procedures which are considered by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD to be a model of their kind. I would like to stress that ODA's evaluation programme is administered by officials with the purpose of learning lessons from the past and thereby improving future aid funded activities. The evaluations are published so that, in addition to disseminating their lessons throughout the ODA, those same lessons can be shared with others outside ODA who have an interest in these matters.

As Minister I have no involvement in this process beyond ensuring that a vigorous evaluation programme is under-taken. ODA evaluation reports are published, unless there are particular reasons to the contrary concerning commercial or diplomatic sensitivities. A quick read of our published evaluation reports would reveal that there has been no hesitation in publishing reports which are critical of the work of the Department. It is quite absurd to suggest that ODA has sought to prevent proper scrutiny of the aid programme by Parliament or international bodies.

I also attach an analysis prepared by my officials on your Notes to Editors. You will see from this that your allegations of doctoring and misleading Parliament are wholly unfounded. That the final published report should differ from an early draft is hardly surprising, particularly as great care is taken to ensure that the final report is of a high quality and of as much value as possible in feeding back lessons learnt. Had you taken as much care in the preparation of your Press Release, what you eventually published might have been very different.

It was most unfortunate that you chose to repeat some of your allegations in the BBC's 'Today' programme on 20 September, including the charge of providing environmentally unfriendly aid to the Third World. You cited the Botswana Power Project co-financed by the World Bank and approved in 1981, alleging that a reference relating to emission levels had been omitted from the published version of the report. But you will see from paragraph 49 of the published report that this is not the case. More important, however, you chose to misinterpret what was said. The point is that the plant did meet European standards (as well as the World Bank's and Botswana's guidelines) at the time the plant was designed and approved in 1981, although by the time the evaluation was undertaken some six years later, environmental standards for new plant had been further strengthened.

In commenting on the project in West Bengal, India, you refer to a passage as 'going to the heart of the ATP controversy'. But that project was not financed under ATP arrangements; it was funded under a power sector grant which, as was the practice in the 1970s and early 1980s, gave the Indian authorities considerable discretion over individual projects. This arrangement has now been discontinued. You should understand that the UK firm concerned won the order against international competition. There was nothing wrong with the basic technology; gas turbines can be a cost-effective way of meeting peak demand, but an important lesson we learned from this project is that, in the absence of properly-structured electricity tariffs, management may have a disincentive to use the equipment and may instead allow power cuts.

You also appear, in some important respects, completely to misunderstand the OECD's rules. The 'minimum test of development soundness' is a phrase inherited by this Administration from the last Labour Government. It has since been abandoned in favour of more rigorous appraisal. We have also taken the lead in the DAC to seek agreement to adopt more rigorous and comprehensive project appraisal guidelines for DAC members.

As the Note points out, you also fail to understand the meaning of the 35 per cent. rule which relates to the nature of the financing arrangements, not the UK content of what is supplied.

I very much regret that you should seek to call into question what is an important and valuable part of the professional work of the Department, simply in the hope of scoring party political points. I trust that you will now withdraw your allegations.

In the best interests of clear and unequivocal evaluation and of the staff and independent consultants who are involved in this, I am sending this letter and its attachments to the press."

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any new proposals concerning the work of his Department in organising trade fairs; and if he will make a statement.

Changes in the structure and operations of the Department's fairs and promotions branch are being considered in the light of the recommendations in the scrutiny report on FPB published in June 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bed-and-breakfast businesses registered for the uniform business rate have gone into liquidation during the past 12 months (a) in England and (b) in Torbay.

This information cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to encourage effective, competitive waste management in trade and industry.

Primary responsibility for waste management rests with the Department of the Environment. We work closely with it to ensure that UK and international policies and regulations take full account of the legitimate interests of business, encourage competition, and promote best practice in waste management.We will also continue to promote business awareness and technology transfer in the field of waste management. Grants are available to companies with innovative ideas and new technologies which could be demonstrated to Other potential users.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received the annual report and accounts of British Shipbuilders for 1990–1991.

In accordance with sections 17(9) and 18(6) of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, on 23 August 1991 I laid before each House copies of British Shipbuilders' annual report and accounts for 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the launch of the Accounts Services Agency.

The Accounts Services Agency was launched as the 10th executive agency in the DTI on 1 October. The Accounts Services Agency is the DTI's first central service supplier to become an executive agency. Agency status will assist Accounts Services Agency further to improve the quality and efficiency of its services.I have set Accounts Services Agency the following performance targets for the 1991–1992 financial year:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of annual imports from Hungary; and what are the major items imported.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: United Kingdom imports from Hungary for the eight months ended August 1991 were £67·1 million. The three main items were (1) articles of apparel and clothing accessories; (2) electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances not elsewhere specified and electrical parts thereof; and (3) non-ferrous metals.Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of United Kingdom exports to Hungary; and what are the major items exported.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: United Kingdom exports to Hungary for the eight months ended August 1991 were £86·9 million. The three main items were (1) general industrial machinery and equipment not elsewhere specified and machine parts not elsewhere specified; (2) machinery specialised for particular industries; and (3) organic chemicals.Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his latest estimate of the annual exports from the United Kingdom to Czechoslovakia; and what are the major items exported.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: United Kingdom exports to Czechoslovakia for the eight months ended August 1991 were £75·1 million. The three main items were (1) office machinery and automatic data processing machines; (2) machinery specialised for particular industries; and (3) miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified.Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his latest estimate of the annual imports from Czechoslovakia; and what are the major items imported.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: United Kingdom imports from Czechoslovakia for the eight months ended August 1991 were £83·5 million. The three main items were (1) road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles); (2) textile yarn, fabric, made-up articles not elsewhere specified, and related products; and (3) miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified.Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of United Kingdom annual exports to Poland; and what are the major items exported.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: United Kingdom exports to Poland for the eight months ended August 1991 were £193·1 million. The three main items were (1) medical and pharmaceutical products; (2) machinery specialised for particular industries; and (3) miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified.Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of the annual imports from Poland; and what are the major items imported.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: United Kingdom imports from Poland for the eight months ended August 1991 were £206·7 million. The three main items were (1) coal, coke and briquettes; (2) iron and steel; and (3) non-ferrous metals.Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the variations of invisible trade for Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, the USA and the United Kingdom, for each year since 1974.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: The information is in the table. Data for 1974 were not readily available.

To ask the Prime Minister when the functions of lord lieutenants were last reviewed; and what current action resulted from that review.

I have been asked to reply.The principal functions of lord lieutenants, who hold an ancient office, is to act as the sovereign's personal representative in the county concerned. Their duties include support of the armed forces, the magistracy and voluntary organisations, as well as certain civic and social functions. I understand that the lord lieutenants themselves keep their responsibilities and practices under constant review, referring to the Royal Households for advice as necessary.

To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has to review the selection and method of appointment of lord lieutenants of counties and their deputies.

I have been asked to reply. None.

To ask the Prime Minister how many lord lieutenants and deputies there are and when each was appointed.

I have been asked to reply.The following are currently in office:

To ask the Prime Minister if he will obtain a copy of the Institute for Public Policy Research report on a written constitution for his office's library.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is aware of the document and its contents.

To ask the Prime Minister when the intra-departmental guide for civil servants on green decision-making was completed and distributed to each Government Department; and what has been the cost to date of producing this guide.

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the names of those civil servants whom Her Majesty's Government have authorised to volunteer statements to the media whose substance is the prerogative and responsibility of Ministers, together with their names, post and annual salary.

[holding answer 14 October 1991]: I have been asked to reply.No. Many senior civil servants give occasional interviews to the press.

To ask the Secretary State Education and Science if he will publish a table giving the total budget for his Department for (a) publicity and publications and (b) press for each year from 1979 to date and the planned allocation for future years, in current, and constant prices.

The expenditure figures for publicity and publications and for press advertising for each year from 1979–80 are given in the table. The figure for 1991–92 is estimated expenditure. The Government's expenditure plans for 1992–93 and the following two years will be announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Statement. The rise in expenditure since 1989–90 is the result of the teachers' recruitment campaign and the parents charter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total cost of the launch of the parents charter, with a breakdown of these costs.

The total cost of the launch of the parents charter was £36,500. A total of £22,000 was paid for staging and display material, most of which will be reused for other events. The remainder was spent on the hire of the venue and fees for related services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated total gross cost of the publication of the parents charter; how many of each document has been printed; and how they are to be distributed.

The parents charter has so far cost £214,000 to produce; this includes £60,000 for the translation into ethnic minority languages which will be available shortly.Three million copies of the English language version were printed initially; the number of requests for copies has meant that a reprint is now in hand. The charter will be available in libraries and post offices, and can be obtained through freephone and freepost arrangements advertised in the national press and in magazines. Copies are also available for schools to distribute to parents. Over 40 per cent. of schools have already requested copies for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn, Official Report, 8 May, column 469, when the thorough internal review of the structure and role of Her Majesty's inspectorate was completed; what were its conclusions; and whether any summary of the review is to be made available to honourable Members;(2) whether the proposals concerning the future inspection arrangements announced as part of the parents charter on 27 September were considered as part of the thorough internal review of Her Majesty's inspectorate; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether he intends to issue any consultations on other documents elaborating his proposals for the future inspection arrangements of schools as announced by him on 27 September.

The internal review of Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools was completed in July. It considered both local and national arrangements for school inspection. As I told the hon. Member on 6 June at column 298, I shall not publish the report of the review, which was intended to provide confidential advice to Ministers. I announced my decisions on the structure and role of HMI, and on future arrangements for school inspection, at the launch of the parents charter on 27 September. I have invited views on my proposals from a wide range of education interests.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what part his Department is taking in the review of the law governing the use of lethal force; what are the terms of the review; and what arrangements have been made to collect evidence from other interested parties.

No formal arrangements have yet been made for a review of the law, but the Government are willing to consider the possibility of a change in the law, together with other propositions that have been made relating to the general use of force and the subject is receiving close scrutiny.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average length of time taken to obtain forensic reports in cases involving scheduled offences.

The Northern Ireland Forensic Science Laboratory makes no administrative distinctions between cases involving scheduled and non-scheduled offences. The average time taken to report in cases of all kinds completed during the last three months was 74 days.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what budgetary controls there are on the obtaining of forensic reports in cases involving scheduled offences.

Like other public agencies the Northern Ireland Forensic Science Laboratory is expected to work within an annual budget. All casework submitted to the laboratory, therefore, competes for available resources. Casework relating to the most serious crimes is, however, invariably given the highest priority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many payments of compensation for (a) unlawful arrest and (b) false imprisonment were made as a result of (i) decisions of the courts and (ii) out-of-court settlements during 1990; and if he will list any conditions which were placed on out-of-court settlements made during 1990.

The statistical information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Out-of-court settlements are arrived at by mutual consent of the parties concerned, any terms which may be part of a settlement are for them to decide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many major capital projects have been approved since 1982 in the Barnet health authority area.

There have been seven major capital projects approved in Barnet health authority since 1982. Six have been completed; preparatory work began in October 1991 on the redevelopment of Barnet general hospital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last discussed with the Data Protection Registrar the matter of health record confidentiality and non-statutory guidance.

We have not held any such discussions with the Data Protection Registrar. The Department is working on guidance on the confidentiality of personal health information in the NHS. This will shortly be issued in draft form for consultation, and the Data Protection Registrar will be one of many whose comments will be sought.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set up a working party to study the packaging most effective in protecting and preserving food products.

I have been asked to reply.It is for manufacturers to decide, within the requirements of the relevant legislation, the appropriate packaging for food products. The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, which advises Ministers on packaging among other issues, has set up a working group to review the potential hazards of vacuum packing and associated processes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list for each area in England and Wales the level of investment, profitability and manpower for the coal industry from 1979 to the latest available date, at today's prices.

These are matters for British Coal and the licensed coal producers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if his Department has received a copy of the report of the initial feasibility study by British Nuclear Fuels into the possibility of building new nuclear power stations; and if he will make a statement.

In January this year, British Nuclear Fuels plc announced the outcome of its initial feasibility study into the possibility of building new nuclear power stations at Sellafield and Chapelcross. Since then, the company has made a presentation to my Department on the conclusions of the study.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with the chairman of Nuclear Electric concerning the impact of the deal with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. announced on 4 September on the future levels of the nuclear levy.

None. The "fixed price contracts" between NE and BNFL will have no impact on the future level of the levy, which is largely determined by movements in the retail prices index and the value of leviable sales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the cost of creating new administrative posts in Wales in 1990–91 to implement recent national health service changes.