To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he received the letter dated 24 January from Mr. Noon, the solicitor to Mr. Malde Modhwadia; and when he will be in a position to award compensation.

The application for compensation was received on 27 January. A decision will be reached as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will authorise police officers to wear on their uniforms the national service medal issued by the Royal British Legion.

I will write to my hon. Friend.

Financial Year	Number of staff employed by the Board (average in post during year)	Number of Board Members (including Chairman)	Number of applications resolved	Total compensation paid (£ millions)	Total administration costs (£ millions)
1979–80	156	18	21,113	15·7	1·9
1980–81	155	20	26,277	21·5	2·9
1981–82	163	20	22,557	21·9	3·2
1982–83	163	21	26,098	29·4	3·7
1983–84	182	20	29,705	32·8	3·8
1984–85	189	22	27,450	35·3	4·2
1985–86	203	29	29,965	41·5	4·4
1986–87	214	29	29,605	48·2	5·5
1987–88	267	31	29,150	52·1	6·8
1988–89	312	38	38,830	69·4	7·5
1989–90	332	39	38,620	72·7	9·1
1990–91	368	43	53,384	109·3	10·3
1991–921	380	44	61,000	144·6	13·1
1All estimated figures.

Most of the board's staff are seconded civil servants graded from administrative officer to higher executive officer, and engaged in the preparation of applications for decision by the board and associated administrative tasks. There are also small numbers of senior managers and legal and secretarial staff.Plans for funding for the board for the next three years are as follows:

£ million
	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95
Compensation	143·5	157	161
Administration	15·3	17·4	17·4
Total provision	158·8	174·4	178·4

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the number of recorded incidents per uniformed police officer in (a) the Metropolitan police area, (b) Surrey and (c) the Northumbria police authority area in 1991.

The latest available figures, in terms of notifiable offences recorded by the police, per police officer, in the 12 months to September 1991 are (a) 32 offences in the Metropolitan police area, (b) 30 offences in Surrey, and (c) 63 offences in Northumbria.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been employed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and in what capacity for the past 12 years;(2) what are his future plans for funding the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board;(3) how many claims the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board has dealt with on an annual basis, for the past 12 years;(4) what has been the cost incurred by the operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board expressed annually, for the past 12 years.

The available information for the last 12 financial years is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to review immigration procedures for Polish people; and if he will make a statement.

As with other nationalities, Polish nationals must meet the requirements of the immigration rules for entry to the United Kingdom. In common with the citizens of 81 other countries or territorial entities, Polish nationals are subject to a United Kingdom visa requirement.A recent review of the visa requirement has led my right hon. Friend to conclude that it is too soon to assess the experience of some of our European partners who have abolished visas for Polish nationals. My right hon. Friend has decided therefore to look once more at the need for this requirement in the summer when the impact of visa abolition on other member states of the Community may have become more apparent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total Government expenditure on funding under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 for 1991–92, itemised by borough and district identifying for each borough and district the amount of expenditure; how much of that expenditure was for education itemised by borough and district; and how much was for each of the other service areas eligible for grant, itemised by borough and district.

The figures for grant to be paid in 1991–92 are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Northumbria as to what proportion of the crime clear-up rate for 1990–91 in Northumbria is accounted for by voluntary admission made by convicted criminals; how many detectives were employed to obtain these admissions; and when the practice ceased.

The available information, for 1990, shows that, of the 77,000 notifiable offences cleared up by the police in Northumbria, 29·4 per cent. were cleared up by an interview of convicted offenders in custody. It is estimated that the equivalent of 40 officers were engaged in such interviews. The practice ceased at the beginning of December 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of the Disqualification for Caring for Children Regulations 1991 on police practice on disclosure of criminal records.

The police continue to disclose criminal records for the purpose of protecting children in accordance with Home Office circular 102/88. The regulations do not require a change of police practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the increase in the authorised establishment of police officers in Hampshire in each year since 1987.

The information requested is set out in the table and is provided on the basis of financial years:

Year	Increase approved
1987–88	Nil
1988–89	23
1989–90	20
1990–91	25
1991–92	27
1992–93	67

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the standard of service which will be expected of a private sector company contracted to operate the court escort service in the area comprising the east midlands and Humberside.

Work has now been completed on the specification for the operation under private sector management of the court escort service in the east midlands and Humberside. This forms part of the invitation to tender being issued to potential contractors today and a copy has been placed in the library. Subject to the receipt of satisfactory tenders, and value for money considerations, we would aim to award a contract in the summer; with the service in the area becoming operational under a private sector contractor early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to increase fees for civil proceedings in the magistrates courts.

I have today laid before Parliament a draft order varying the fees now prescribed in part I of schedule 6 to the Magistrates Courts Act 1980. The increases proposed are in many cases substantial because the present fees have not been varied for a substantial number of years and fall far short of recovering the full economic costs of the services provided in accordance with general Government policy on fees and charges. It is our intention that the new fees should be kept under regular review in future to avoid the need for major variations of this kind.We recognise the need to ensure that access to magistrates courts is not closed off for financial reasons, and the draft order therefore makes it clear that no fees are chargeable from any person who is a legally assisted person within the meaning of section 2(11) of the Legal Aid Act 1988 or is in receipt of income support or family credit. Nor do the new fees affect the discretion of magistrates courts to remit fees conferred by section 138 of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980 where they judge this to be appropriate.We have also taken the opportunity to simplify the current schedule of fees and to abolish those which are no longer in general use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what considerations he has given to the representations of Jesmond Residents Association, Newcastle upon Tyne, about the public safety considerations of a further postponement in the restoration of the listed structure known as the Armstrong bridge.

The Department's northern regional office has asked Newcastle city council, which owns the Armstrong bridge, for information about its current state of repair and its plans for carrying out work to it. Once the council's response has been received, consideration will be given as to whether intervention by the Secretary of State is necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the councils which transferred their housing stock to new housing associations in 1989–90 and 1990–91.

In 1989–90, Newbury borough council and Swale borough council transferred their housing to new housing associations. In 1990–91, 11 councils completed transfers. These were

• Broadland District Council
• North Bedfordshire District Council
• Medina Borough Council
• Rochester City Council
• South Wight Borough Council
• East Dorset District Council
• Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council
• Ryedale District Council
• South Bucks District Council
• Christchurch Borough Council
• Mid Sussex District Council

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many councils have been required to transfer funds from their housing revenue account to the general fund.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning to the hon. Member for Sheffield Brightside, on 16 January 1991, Official Report, column 647.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the highest amount paid by any council to the general fund in 1989–90 and 1990–91.

The highest amount transferred by an English local housing authority from its housing revenue account to its general rate fund in 1989–90 was £30,023,050 by Rochester upon Medway city council. The highest amount transferred by an English local housing authority from its housing revenue account to its general fund in 1990–91 was £7,299,863 by the London borough of Barking and Dagenham.The figures are taken from housing subsidy claim forms and are not audited.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of his Department's funding of the Housing Corporation (a) nationally and (b) in the south-west region, for each year from 1989–90 to 1992–93.

These are as follows:

£million
	The Housing Corporation	Corporation's west region
1989–90	935	n.a.
1990–91	1,063	73
1991–92	1,614	136
1992–93	1,770	178

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he is giving to local authorities to assist them in avoiding becoming victims of cartels in the field of sports and leisure management; and if he will make a statement.

General advice on ways of promoting competition for services subject to compulsory competitive tendering is contained in Departmental circulars 19/88 and 1/91. Local authorities that suspect that there may be cartels operating in any area of activity should refer to the guidance note "Cartels: detection and remedies—A guide for local authorities", published by the Office of Fair Trading and describing the steps that authorities should take.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the outcome of the consultation exercise on giving effect to his commitment to publicity for all planning applications.

I am pleased to announce today arrangements for compulsory publicity for all planning applications. The new procedures will ensure that interested parties have the opportunity to comment on all planning applications affecting them.The new arrangement will allow local planning authorities the maximum possible discretion to continue using the procedures which many of them have had in place for a long time. They are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to respond to the seventh report of the Environment Select Committee (HC-263) on the EC draft directive on the landfill of waste.

I have today laid before the House copies of the Government's response to the seventh report from the House of Commons Select Committee on the Environment; the EC draft directive on the landfill of waste. Copies are also available in the Library. The Government broadly welcomes the Committee's report, which makes a number of useful points both about the draft EC landfill directive and about the management of waste in general. However, the Government take issue with the Committee on some points, most notably concerning a suggested strategic role for the proposed environment agency and the adequacy of the Department of the Environment's programme for waste-related research. Command Paper 1821, which is published today, seeks to clarify the Government's position on these and other issues raised by the Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much he estimates will be raised from standard community charges on empty properties and second homes in England in 1992–93.

[holding answer 4 February 1992]: This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to temporarily halting the process of compulsory competitive tendering in local authority sports and leisure management; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 4 February 1992]: There is no evidence to suggest that the vast majority of local authorities have not been able to meet the statutory timetable. However, my right hon. Friend is prepared to consider any requests which he might receive from individual authorities to defer in exceptional circumstances the relevant dates for compliance with the legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those qualifications required by port and sea-going general purpose staff employed as crew members of a catamaran.

No qualifications are required for port staff engaged in the operation of catamarans. The qualifications required by the operating crew of a sea-going catamaran carrying more than 12 passengers are deck and engineer officer certificates of competency and qualified category 1, 2 or 3 seamen. Other general purpose staff are classified as "adult seafarers", in addition to attending an approved basic sea survival course and periods of sea service they also undertake in-house company training on vessel familiarisation and emergency procedures. The appropriate number of persons practised in the handling and operation of liferafts must be carried.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on proposals for direct access from the north-west region to the channel tunnel.

British Rail plans to run passenger and freight services between the channel tunnel and the north-west. It has announced that there will be freight terminals at Trafford Park in Manchester and Seaforth in Merseyside. A substantial programme of major road improvements, which will improve access between the north-west and the tunnel, is also under way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to standardise seat belt design for all passengers; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will require vehicle manufacturers to replace straps with standard seat belts.

Seat belt design is already standardised under European Community directive 77/541/EEC as amended and adapted by directives 81/576/EEC, 82/319/EEC and 90/628/EEC. These standards do not specify three-point belts in all cases since for many in-board seating positions it is only technically possible for two anchoring points to be fitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research his Department is carrying out into the potential dangers of the wearing of single strap seat belts;(2) what statistical information he has on injuries associated with the wearing of single strap seat belts.

Statistics on injuries caused by the wearing of lap belts in the United Kingdom are not available, but research in the United States indicates that lap belts reduce death and serious injury by 25 to 40 per cent. and three-point belts by 40 to 50 per cent. Although there is no current research specifically into this topic, the Department is monitoring the effectiveness of all seat belts, in its accident crash investigations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions class 158 trains have failed to activate track circuits; what the reasons were; on how many of these occasions they also failed to activate automatic signals; and if he will make a statement on the safety implications of these incidents.

British Rail has informed me that its record show 52 occasions on which class 158 trains have failed to activate track circuits. It has no information on how many of these related to track circuits controlling automatic signals. A build-up of leaf mulch on the train wheels is the principal cause. BR assures me there has been no equipment failure.The problem causes a momentary loss of indication of the train on signalbox panels, but because the loss is apparent to the signalman, safety is not jeopardised. BR is addressing the matter urgently and the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate is keeping closely in touch with developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with representatives from the railways inspectorate concerning accidents caused due to falls from high-speed trains.

Her Majesty's railway inspectorate is leading a Health and Safety Executive investigation into the pattern of falls from passenger trains at the request of the Health and Safety Commission. I expect to receive advice from the commission on this matter when the report of the investigation is published in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent British Rail has implemented the recommendations made early last year by Knight Wendling Consultants in the report of its investigations into BR slam-shut doors.

The Knight Wendling report made seven recommendations calling for further action or investigation by the British Rail Board. I understand from British Rail that action has been taken as follows:

Recommendation 1	which called for a thorough statistical review has been acted upon and is nearing completion.
Recommendation 2	called for revised safety notices. New notices have been designed for Mark II and Mark III stock and the programme of installation is largely completed.
Recommendation 3	which called for a computer simulation, has been undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive in co-operation with the BR Board. The results of this will be published in the report of the: HSE investigation.
Recommendation 4	required BR to consider and evaluate various engineering steps to improve safety. Much work has been done on this already and further work is being undertaken.
Recommendation 5	which called for BR to undertake a thorough examination of all locks and doors has been fully implemented.
Recommendation 6	which required BR to provide a special gauge for checking locks has been implemented.
Recommendation 7	which called for a safety campaign has been implemented through the provision of posters at stations and spoken announcements on trains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 27 January, Official Report, column 405, if he will ask the Health and Safety Executive to release their early findings on the reliability of slam-shut doors to enable British Rail to take urgent interim measures before the production of the final Health and Safety Executive report in the spring.

The Health and Safety Executive intends to publish its report on the investigation into the pattern of falls from train doors as soon as it is ready. In the meantime the executive is maintaining close liaison with British Rail about the investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the content and purpose of the proposals to strengthen international nuclear safeguards that were submitted by the European Community to the International Atomic Energy Agency earlier in the current year.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 18 October 1991, at column 298, and 13 January 1992, at column 478, to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn). I have nothing further to add to these.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to ensure that the population groups most at risk from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. plants at (a) Capenhurst and (b) Sellafield in the case of an emergency are correctly identified; and if he will make a statement.

The population groups potentially at risk from an emergency at a civil nuclear plant in the United Kingdom are identified as being within a planning zone surrounding each plant. The boundary of this zone is defined in relation to the accident with the greatest off-site consequences which can reasonably be predicted given the design of the plant, its protective systems and its operating limits. Within the zone, detailed emergency plans are prepared to protect the public.Documents outlining the emergency arrangements at Sellafield and Capenhurst have been placed in local public libraries. Population groups within the planning zone for Sellafield have also been informed of the action they would be advised to take in the event of an emergency in a leaflet prepared and distributed to them by the local community liaison committee for the Sellafield site. A similar leaflet will shortly be distributed within the zone for Capenhurst.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on progress of the home energy efficiency scheme.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1991, c. 773-74]: Experience of the home energy efficiency scheme—HEES—over its first year of operation has shown that the scheme has been well received and meets a real need. I am therefore increasing funding available in 1992–93 by some 50 per cent. However, it has also indicated that some changes are desirable to offer further protection to low-income households, promote higher standards of workmanship and encourage improved access to the scheme through a more uniform pattern of work. I will therefore shortly be introducing new regulations which will allow a package of changes from 1 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Snowdonia national park committee concerning the designation of Snowdonia as an environmentally sensitive area; and if he will make a statement.

The chairman of the committee has written to me proposing that Snowdonia national park be considered for designation as an environmentally sensitive area. I shall be meeting him, and the chairmen of the Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons national parks, in the near future to hear their views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce a scheme whereby additional financial resources can be made available to local housing authorities in Wales to overcome problems of condensation or dampness in their council housing stock; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans to make additional resources available for this specific purpose. It is for individual authorities to decide what priority to give to measures to reduce condensation and dampness, which could include advice to their tenants on maintaining adequate heating and ventilation.Local authority housing estates with particular problems may however be eligible for support under my proposed estates partnership scheme. Details of the programme will be announced in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table of housing for each of the district councils for Wales showing (a) the total number of houses and flats currently owned by the council and (b) the number of these which were built prior to 1940.

Estimates of dwellings built before 1940 are not available: however, data are provided in the table from the 1986 Welsh inter-censal survey showing the proportion of the 1986 local authority stock built before 1945.

Local authority stock1
	Local authority stock of houses and flats at 1 April 1991	Estimated percentage built prior to 19452
Aberconwy	2,516	36
Alyn and Deeside	4,883	30
Arfon	4,800	41
Blaenau Gwent	9,777	14
Brecknock	2,652	15
Cardiff	18,816	26
Carmarthen	3,357	16
Ceredigion	3,193	11
Colwyn	2,450	30
Cynon Valley	4,924	11
Delyn	4,512	20
Dinefwr	2,398	16
Dwyfor	1,398	22
Glyndŵr	2,822	25
Islwyn	5,807	19
Llanelli	6,580	25
Lliw Valley	4,850	33
Meirionnydd	1,962	21
Merthyr Tydfil	6,453	11
Monmouth	4,698	18
Montgomery	4,164	15
Neath	5,219	24
Newport	12,784	7
Ogwr	9,041	14
Port Talbot	5,483	20
Preseli Pembrokeshire	5,333	14
Radnorshire	1,124	12
Rhondda	4,797	12
Rhuddlan	2,608	27
Rhymney Valley	9,508	13
South Pembrokeshire	2,672	10
Swansea	16,300	29
Taff-Ely	6,766	18
Torfaen	12,936	13
Vale of Glamorgan	5,808	20
Wrexham Maelor	14,908	26
Ynys Môn	5,277	13
TOTAL	223,576	20

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many powered wheelchairs issued by his Department are currently in use by disabled people in Wales; and how many such wheelchairs were issued to new applicants in 1991.

In Wales, the responsibility for the issue of wheelchairs—both powered and non-powered—lies with the artificial limb and appliance service. Since April 1988, the day-to-day management of the service has been undertaken by the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, WHCSA. The information requested is not held centrally, and so I have asked the WHCSA to write to the hon. Gentleman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales in what circumstances his Department issues powered wheelchairs; and what changes there have been in the eligibility rules for such wheelchairs during the past five years.

Decisions on such matters are for the management of the artificial limb and appliance service, taking into account the specialist clinical advice available to it. I have asked the Welsh Health Common Services Authority to write to the hon. Gentleman on these matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to institute a system of routine testing of indigenous fish in the rivers and lakes of Wales to monitor for the absorption of persistent poisons; and if he will make a statement.

The chemical safety and nutritional value of the food supply are monitored to protect the consumer. This surveillance system includes an extensive programme covering fish caught commercially. It is impractical to monitor effectively fish caught for sport in freshwater, but, as a precautionary measure, the Government have issued advice to anglers not to consume fish from waters which the National Rivers Authority considers to be polluted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will indicate, in respect of the grant money in 1991–92 for agencies in Wales which provide services to combat alcohol misuse mentioned on page 42 of the Lord President's report on alcohol misuse (a) how much has been given to Alcohol Concern Wales, (b) Youthlink Wales and (e) local agencies.

The amounts allocated in 1991–92 are as follows:

	£
Alcohol Concern Wales	68,079
Youthlink Wales (including Council for Wales Voluntary Service)	54,660
Local Statutory and Voluntary Agencies	290,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the local agencies in Wales which have received grant aid from the grant money referred to on page 42 of the Lord President's report on alcohol misuse in 1991–92; and what was the figure granted in each case.

Not all allocations have been finalised. However, provisional allocations are as follows:

Funding initiative combating alcohol misuse in Wales
	£
Clwyd/Gwynedd
Development Officer; Alcohol Information Centre (Rhyl); Administrative Officer; North Clwyd Alcohol Misuse Team; Counsellor Co-ordinator	66,000
Dyfed
Development Officer and secretarial support	21,421
Dyfed Alcohol Advisory Service rental of accommodation	8,000
Appointment of Team Leader and secretarial support in Development of Local Alcohol Team, Pembrokeshire DHA	19,360
Regrading of Drugs Team Leader to substance abuse service manager. Pembrokeshire DHA	2,000
Gwent
Development Officer	24,700
Ty Palmyra, part costs of Alcohol Project Worker	8,300
Powys
Development Officer; Training Course for Nurse; Appointment of Nurse Specialist; Additional clerical staff	37,000
Mid Glamorgan
Development Officer	1—
Social Service Sessions	1—
South Glamorgan
Development Officer	11,452
1 Community Psychiatric Nurse	21,548
West Glamorgan
Development Officer Counsellor, West Glamorgan Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse	15,626
1Details not yet submitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which (a) theatres and (b) concert halls in Wales he has visited in his official capacity in the last 12 months.

In my official capacity I visited St David's hall on 1 March 1991 and Theatr Clwyd, Mold, on 3 May 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what are the present proposals in relation to the removal of the ecclesiastical exemption from listed buildings control.

The Welsh Office, along with the Department of the Environment, has today issued a consultation paper inviting comments on the proposal that the current exemption from listed building control should be removed from external works to listed ecclesiastical buildings of all denominations except those who can demonstrate that their internal administrative systems include adequate controls over such works. The paper also proposes clarification of the present arrangements relating to controls over buildings within the curtilage of listed ecclesiastical buildings. The consultation paper has been sent to ecclesiastical, local authority and conservation interests in Wales; a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss human rights in Peru when he meets President Fujimori of Peru on 5 February.

I look forward to wide-ranging discussions with President Fujimori about matters of mutual concern including human rights.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all interviews he has given to the press and broadcasting media since 26 January on nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament.

The information is as follows:

BBC World Service, London	29 January 1992
Press Conference in Downing Street with President Yeltsin	30 January 1992
BBC TV/Radio, Sky TV, ITN—en route to New York	30 January 1992
Doorstep interview on arrival in New York	30 January 1992
CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC in New York	31 January 1992
Press Conference in New York with Mr. Boutros Ghali, United Nations Secretary General	31 January 1992
ITN in New York	31 January 1992

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 111, if the United Kingdom plans to submit any of its nuclear arms to multilateral nuclear arms reduction and disarmament talks over the next year.

When I met President Yeltsin in London he accepted that Trident would be a minimum deterrent, and that the focus of arms control negotiations should be on the arsenals of the United States and Russia. We have already announced plans to cut the United Kingdom's stockpile of sub-strategic nuclear weapons by about half.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many inspectors or other officials are engaged in or connected with the safety of offshore oil operations in the North sea; and at what annual cost.

The number of staff employed in the Health and Safety Executive's offshore safety division on 1 February 1992 was 192. The budget allocated to the division for its payroll costs in 1991–92 is £5,726,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will publish a table showing the September 1991 estimates of number of employess in employment in Britain, and in each standard region for the overall total, male, part-time and full-time female employees and showing in each case how this differs from the equivalent original and revised estimates for September 1989;(2) if he will publish a table showing

As the answer contains several statistical tables, I will write to the hon. Gentleman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the average hourly (a) rates of pay and (b) average number of hours worked weekly by private security guards.

It is estimated from the April 1991 new earnings survey that average hourly earnings excluding overtime for "security guards and related occupations" were £5·07, and average total hours were 48·9 per week, of which 7·1 were overtime. The figures relate to full-time employees on adult rates whose pay was not affected by absence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will define the precise standing of spending on central and eastern European projects within the provisions of the Overseas Development Administration budget; and for what reasons central and eastern Europe are not included in the statistical appendix of the publication "British Overseas Aid—the 1991 Review";(2) if he will include a direct comparison between British overseas aid spending and the spending of other OECD Development Assistance Committee members in GDP percentage terms in future editions of the British overseas aid annual review.

The programme of assistance to central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union is additional to, and separate from, the official United Kingdom aid programme for developing countries. The statistical appendix in the publication "British Overseas Aid—1991 Review" is concerned only with aid to and for the benefit of developing countries. The format of the next edition of the annual review is currently under discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much Britain contributed financially to UNIFEM, in cash and real terms, for each year since 1979 to the present date.

UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1984. The United Kingdom has made annual voluntary contributions since 1985 as follows:

£'000s
	Cash Terms	1991 prices
1985	100	143
1986	50	69
1987	50	66
1988	50	62
1989	50	58
1990	100	107
1991	100	100

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the research institutes operated for, or on behalf of, his Department and the total employment thereat.

The Department does not operate any research institutes directly, institutes, centres and units are operated by the research councils, with DES funding, as shown in the table. Some establishments are jointly operated with universities and other bodies; in these cases the numbers employed refer to research council employees only.The list includes some centres and units operated by the research councils within higher education institutions. It does not cover other research undertaken in universities and other higher education institutions with funding from the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and from the research councils.

Research institute	Number of staff (full-time equivalent)
Agricultural and Food Research Council	Institute of Arable Crops Research (IACR)
Rothampstead, Harpenden, Hertfordshire	422·0
Long Ashton, Bristol	207·5
Brooms Barn, Bury St. Edmunds	48·0
Total IACR	677·5
Institute of Animal Health (IAH)
Compton, Newbury	206·5
Houghton, Huntingdon	112·0
Pirbright, Guildford	167·0
Neuropatogenesis Unit, Edinburgh	46·0
Total IAH	531·5
Institute on Animal Physiology and Genetics Research (IAPGR)
Babraham, Cambridge	291·0
Roslin, Edinburgh	246·5
Total IAPGR	537·5
Institute of Food Research (IFR)
Reading	159·0
Norwich	244·0
Total IFR	403·0
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER)
Welsh Plant Breeding Station, Aberystwyth	251·0
Hurley, Maidenhead	184·0
North Wyke, Devon	40·5
Total IGER	475·5
Institute of Plant Science Research (IPSR)
John Innes Centre, Norwich	321·5
Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory, Brighton	60·5
Total IPSR	382·0
Silsoe Research Institute
Silsoe, Bedfordshire	288·0

Research institute	Number of staff (full-time equivalent)
Total AFRC	3,325
Medical Research Council
National Institute for Medical Research, London	541·5
MRC Collaborative Centre, Mill Hill, London	30·5
MRC Blood Group Unit, London	11·0
MRC Cognitive Development Unit, London	13·0
MRC Child Psychiatry Unit, Denmark Hill, London	9·5
MRC Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London	112·0
MRC Dental Research Unit, Newark Street, London	16·0
MRC Human Biochemical Genetics Unit, University College, London	22·0
MRC Human Movement and Balance Unit, Institute of Neurology, London	17·0
MRC Experimental Embryology and Teratology Unit, Tooting, London	21·5
MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit, Northwich Park Hospital, Harrow	37·5
MRC/LRF Leukaemia Unit, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London	10·0
MRC Mammalian Development Unit, University College, London	13·5
MRC Neurological Prostheses Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London	7·0
MRC Muscle and Cell Motility Unit, Kings College, London	22·0
MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London	12·5
MRC Toxicology Unit Carshalton, Surrey	131·0
MRC Tuberculosis and Related Infections Unit Hammersmith Hospital, London	17·0
Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex	414·5
MRC Biochemical and Clinical Magnetic Resonance Unit, Oxford	9·0
MRC Cellular Immunology Unit, Oxford	16·5
MRC Immunochemistry Unit, Oxford	14·5
MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, Oxford	14·0
Institution of Molecular Medicine, Headington, Oxford	12·0
MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, Oxford	16·5
MRC Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford	18·5
MRC Radiobiology Unit, Didcot, Oxfordshire	143·0
MRC Cell Mutation Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton	21·5
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Southampton General Hospital, Hampshire	23·5
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge	43·0
Molecular Immunopathology Unit, Cambridge	21·0
Molecular Genetics Unit, Cambridge	15·5
Molecular Neurobiology Unit, Cambridge	19·5
Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge	75·0
Clinical Onocolgy and Radiotherapeutics Unit, Cambridge	46·5
Protein Function and Design Unit, Cambridge	8·0
Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge	63·0
Biostatistics Unit	16·5
Cambridge Centre for Protein Engineering (IRC),	14·0
Social and Applied Psychology Unit, Sheffield	30·0
Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham	39·5
Meurochemical Pathology Unit, Newcastle	27·5
MRC Blood Pressure Unit, Glasgow	28·0
MRC Medical Sociology Unit, Glasgow	23·5
MRC Virology Unit, Institute of Virology, Glasgow	54·0
MRC Brian Metabolism Unit, Edinburgh	36·5

Research institute	Number of staff (full-time equivalent)
MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General
Hospital, Edinburgh	155·0
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit, Edinburgh	65·5
Total MRC	2,529·5
National Environment Research Council
British Geological Survey
Exhibition Road, London	3·0
Wallingford, Oxfordshire	51·0
Exeter, Devon	13·0
Hartland Point, Devon	1·0
Keyworth, Nottinghamshire	501·0
Newcastle	14·0
Eskdalemuir, Scotland	3·0
Edinburgh	220·0
Aberystwyth	13·0
Belfast	8·0
Total BGS	827·0
Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Directorate
Unit of Aquatic Biochemistry, Stirling, Scotland	5·0
Culture Centre for Algae and Protozoa, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban, Scotland	55·0
Institute of Oceanographic Science Deacon Laboratory, Wormley, Surrey Rennell Centre, Southampton	192·0
Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Bidston, Merseyside	91·0
Plymouth Marine Laboratory/Marine Biological Association, Plymouth	159·0
Sea Mammal Research Unit, Cambridge	17·0
Total Marine and Atmospheric Sciences	519·0
Terrestrial and Freshwater Sciences
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology
Banchory, Scotland	23·0
Bush, Edinburgh	60·0
Merlewood, Cumbria	61·0
Bangor, Wales	18·0
Monks Wood, Huntingdon	79·0
Furzebrook, Wareham, Dorset	26·0
Institute of Hydrology
Balquidder, Scotland	2·0
Plynlimon, Wales	6·0
Wallingford, Oxfordshire	155·0
Institute of Virology and Environmental Microbiology, Oxford	61·0
Institute of Freshwater Ecology	4·0
Bush, Edinburgh	26·0
East Stoke, Wareham,, Dorset	26·0
Monks Wood, Huntingdon	6·0
Windermere, Cumbria	66·0
Culture Centre for Algae and Protozoa, Windemere, Cumbria	6·0
Total Terrestrial and Freshwater Sciences	599·0
Scientific Services
Banchory, Scotland	1·0
Bush, Edinburgh	1·0
Murchison House, Edinburgh	10·0
East Kilbridge, Glasgow	3·0
Bangor, Wales	1·0
Barry, Wales	78·0
Merlewood, Cumbria	3·0
Bidston, Wirral	4·0
Keyworth, Nottingham	39·0
Monks Wood, Huntingdon	8·0

Research institute	Number of staff (full-time equivalent)
Cambridge	2·0
Deacon Laboratory, Surrey	3·0
Millbank, London	1·0
Reading	4·0
Wallingford, Oxfordshire	20·0
Rennell Centre, Southampton	5·0
Wareham, Dorset	6·0
Plymouth	28·0
Swindon	46·0
Total Scientific Services	236·0
Total NERC	2,181·0
Science and Engineering Research Council
Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, Cheshire	596·5
Royal Greenwich Observatory, Cambridge	135·0
Royal Greenwich Observatory, Edinburgh	123·0
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot	1,319·0
Total Science and Engineering Research Council	2,173·5
Total all research councils	10,209·0

In addition the following AFRC employees are seconded to Horticultural Research International.

	Number of staff (full-time equivalent)
Littlehampton, West Sussex	205·0
East Malling, Kent	163·5
Wellesbourne, Stratford-upon-Avon	150·5
Total	579·0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what timetable he intends to follow in devising value-added indicators to be applied to examination results in the selection of schools to provide classroom-based teacher training.

My right hon. and learned Friend issued a consultation document about the Government's proposals for school-based secondary postgraduate certificate in education courses on 28 January. This explained that the Government intend to move to as soon as possible towards the use of performance indicators for the choice of partner schools—such as academic results, staying on rates, truancy rates and the destination of pupils in terms of employment or further and higher education; and that value-added factors could well be applied to examination results and national curriculum assessments, because it will be important for student teachers to experience schools that are successful in difficult circumstances.The consultation period will last until the end of March. In the light of the outcome of the consultation, my right hon. and learned Friend will ask the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education to prepare detailed guidelines for the operation of partnerships between higher education institutions and schools, including appropriate performance indicators for use in the selection of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now approve the reorganisation of Devonport schools in Plymouth.

My right hon. and learned Friend expects to make a decision on these proposals shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the average amount of occupational pension received by retired public servants.

Information about average pensions for all retired public servants is not kept centrally. The latest information which is available centrally is as follows:

Scheme	Year	Number of pensioners	Average annual pension £
Civil Service	1991–92	392,800	3,811
NHS (England and Wales)	1991–92	263,600	3,604
NHS (Scotland)	1991–92	44,200	3,236

	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Deutschmark	3·7842	3·1828	2·9413	3·1236	3·0795	2·8759	2·9254
US Dollar	1·2976	1·4672	1·6392	1·7796	1·6383	1·7864	1·7685
Japanese Yen	307·08	246·80	236·50	227·98	225·66	257·38	237·56

Using 1985 as a base of 100 these exchange rates give the following index of year on year changes:

	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Deutschmark	100	84	78	83	81	76	77
US Dollar	100	113	126	137	126	138	136
Japanese Yen	100	80	77	74	73	84	77

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects the implementation of the citizens charter proposals to cost; and if he will provide an analysis of this figure Department by Department.

The Government have made extra resources available to priority public services whenever money can be afforded. The latest public expenditure plans were set out in the 1991 autumn statement, and in more detail in departmental reports—Cm 1901 to 1919. The citizens charter, however, is about finding better ways of converting the money that can be afforded into even better public services. I therefore expect citizens charter proposals to be implemented within the public spending plans already announced.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of employees he expects will, in April 1992, have an income in excess of £23,000.

It is estimated that approximately 10 per cent. of employees will have annual earnings of £23,000 in 1992–93.

Scheme	Year	Number of pensioners	Average annual pension £
Teachers (England and Wales)	1991–92	280,000	5,900
Teachers (Scotland)	1991–92	29,000	5,801
Local Government (England and Wales)	1988–89	482,500	2,169
Local Government (Scotland)	1989–90	81,600	2,010
Armed Forces	1991–92	255,000	3,886

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the average value of the pound against the deutschmark, the US dollar and the yen in each year since 1985; and the year on year changes as an index with 1985 as the base.

The annual average foreign exchange rates for the pound against the deutschmark, the US dollar and the Japanese yen in the years 1985 to 1991 were as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the number of people who are more than six months in arrears on their mortgage repayments.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State on 17 October 1991, Official Report, column 211. Statistics on arrears and repossessions for the second half of 1991 are to be published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the gross amount he expects to be raised by the community charge in 1992–93 in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland;(2) what estimates he has of the costs in 1992–93 of

[holding answer 4 February 1992]: A forecast of the net amount expected to be raised by the community charge for Great Britain in 1992–93 will be included in the Financial Statement and Budget Report. Figures for planned spending on community charge benefit and community charge reduction scheme are shown in table 5.3 of the "Supplement to the Autumn Statement", Cm 1920.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated effect, according to the Treasury model, on (a) growth in 1992–93 and (b) inflation, of a six-month cut in VAT starting on budget day of 1 per cent., 2 per cent., 2·5 per cent., 3 per cent., 4 per cent. and 5 per cent., respectively; and what would be the estimated net cost to the Exchequer allowing for increased revenue through growth in each case.

[holding answer 4 February 1992]: It has not, since 1978, been practice to provide results from the

Local authority gross capital expenditure in the United Kingdom by economic category, 1986–87 to 1991–921
£ million
	1986–87 outturn	1987–88 outturn	1988–89 outturn	1989–90 outturn	1990–91 outturn	1991–92 estimated outturn
Cash
Land and buildings	614	706	837	1,089	583	601
Construction	4,887	5,460	6,369	8,576	6,552	6,553
Vehicles, plant and machinery	825	798	897	1,055	617	628
Capital grants	828	925	963	1,121	992	976
Net lending	222	208	176	188	-50	10
Total	7,377	8,097	9,242	12,029	8,695	8,769
Real terms2
Land and buildings	801	874	967	1,181	583	561
Construction	6,380	6,760	7,358	9,304	6,552	6,125
Vehicles, plant and machinery	1,078	988	1,036	1,144	617	587
Capital grants	1,081	1,145	1,113	1,217	992	913
Net lending	290	257	204	204	-50	9
Total	9,630	10,025	10,677	13,050	8,695	8,195
1 The data given are consistent with figures published in the Statistical Supplement to the 1991 Autumn Statement (Cm. 1920).
2 Cash figures adjusted to 1990–91 price levels by excluding the effect of general inflation. The deflator used is that for GDP at market prices adjusted to remove the distortion caused by the abolition of domestic rates.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the current level of the wild population of the red fox; and whether there have been any significant recent changes in that population.

The wild red fox population fluctuates depending on the time of year, with an estimated 500,000 foxes in England, Scotland and Wales at the end of the summer, falling to 250,000 by the end of winter. I have no details of any significant changes in this population in recent times.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing local authority capital spending, both gross cash investment and gross real investment, for each of the years from 1986–87 to 1992–93 and the annual percentage change.

Information on local authority gross capital spending in the period 1986–87 to 1991–92 in both cash and real terms is given in the table. Corresponding information is not available for 1992–93, but the Government's illustrative projection is that, if local authorities were to spend from usable capital receipts and revenue contributions at a rate broadly similar to the current year, total gross capital spending would be of the order of £8½ billion.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of slaughterhouses that used papain as a meat tenderiser, the regions in which such slaughterhouses are located and the number of cattle involved in each year since 1986.

The information is not available.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will announce the date when a decision will be given on the future of the Exeter and Truro MAFF divisional offices.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 21 January, Official Report, column 123.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the total number of BSE confirmed cases in the United Kingdom in each year since 1986.

There were 847 cases of BSE confirmed in the United Kingdom prior to the disease becoming notifiable on 21 June 1988. Since then the following cases have been confirmed in each year:

	Number
1988	1,316
1989	6,895
1990	12,928
1991	22,770

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many wild birds have been imported into the United Kingdom during the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Information on the number of captive birds, other than poultry or homing pigeons, imported into Great Britain is as follows. The figures do not distinguish between wild-caught birds and those which may have been bred in captivity. 1991 figures are not yet available.

Year	Number
1986	176,745
1987	163,699
1988	184,577
1989	184,601
1990	175,967

Sources: 1936–87: Annual return of proceedings under the Animal Health Act 1981. 1988–90: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food statistics.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what submissions he has made to the European Commission concerning new European legislation on food supplements; what consultations he has had with representative organisations for nutritionists; and if he will make a statement on the main recommendations of the Denner report.

The Department issued a statement on the recommendations in the Denner report on its publication on 27 March 1991. A copy was placed in the Library of the House. We subsequently consulted over 160 organisations on the report including those representing nutritionists. The European Commission have recently issued a discussion paper on dietary supplements which we have circulated to all those who commented on the Denner report. We will be making a submission to the Commission once views on the discussion paper have been received.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which countries in the EC have milk marketing schemes.

Under Community law member states may be authorised to grant organisations representing at least 80 per cent. of the number and 50 per cent. of the production of milk producers in their area exclusive rights to buy from them milk which they produce and market without processing. This is subject to the fulfilment of conditions relating to consumption and compliance with rules designed to prevent abuse of a dominant market position. The United Kingdom is the only member state authorised in this way.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) which measures he is considering to help the milk marketing board produce a more competitive and successful United Kingdom dairy industry;(2) if he will make a statement on the results of his discussions with the dairy trade, the milk marketing board and the European Commission regarding the future of the milk marketing arrangements have had so far;(3) if he will make a statement on his policy on the future of the milk marketing scheme;(4) if the Government will support the milk marketing board's proposals for the transition to new arrangements for the milk marketing scheme.

The United Kingdom's statutory milk marketing arrangements, which have served producers well, cannot be sustained in the face of growing commercial and legal pressures. Nor are they sufficiently flexible to enable the United Kingdom industry to compete efficiently in an increasingly diverse market place. The Milk Marketing Board for England and Wales began considering the options open to it to meet these challenges in 1989 and the Government's approach has been to encourage the industry to come forward with its own proposals for change.Rapid, but orderly, change to new non-statutory arrangements is essential. The Government are therefore looking to all five United Kingdom milk marketing boards to put forward detailed proposals for their replacement by Easter. The recent announcement by the Milk Marketing Board for England and Wales outlining the successor voluntary arrangements which it would like to see introduced follows discussion with Government, the EC Commission and the dairy trade and is a welcome step in this process. Both the Government and the EC Commission will wish to examine carefully the boards' detailed proposals when they are presented.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he intends to set a final date for the notification of milk quota transfers in England and Wales in 1991–92; and if he will make a statement.

Following consultations with the industry and in exercise of powers provided by the Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations I have decided that transfers of unused milk quota notified after 24 April will have no effect on the calculation of supplementary levy liability for 1991–92, even if they are notified as having occurred during that year.Similar deadlines have operated for the past three years. These have encouraged producers to notify quota transfers in good time and have thus assisted in the smooth running of the quota system.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the figures on a county basis in England for each year since 1988 of (a) the number of serious irregularities of the set-aside scheme, (b) the number of minor breaches of the scheme and (c) the number of cases where payments were witheld in full or in part; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 December 1991]: This information is set out in the table, which includes updated figures of payments recovered in full or in part. Payments have not been recovered or withheld where detection of the infringement led to the participant leaving the scheme or

	1988–89			1989–90			1990–91
County	Serious irregularity	Other infringement	Payments recovered/withheld in full or part	Serious irregularity	Other infringements	Payments recovered/withheld in full or part	Serious irregularity	Other infringements	Payments recovered/withheld in full or part
Avon	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Bedfordshire	—	2	2	—	2	2	—	4	2
Berkshire	—	3	3	—	8	8	—	7	3
Buckinghamshire	1	1	2	1	10	10	—	17	13
Cambridgeshire	—	3	3	—	3	3	—	6	5
Cheshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Cleveland	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	1
Cornwall	—	—	—	—	2	1	—	3	3
Cumbria	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Derbyshire	—	—	—	1	—	1	—	—	—
Devonshire	3	3	4	1	—	1	—	—	—
Dorset	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Durham	—	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
Essex	—	1	—	—	3	1	—	3	2
Gloucestershire	—	—	—	1	—	1	—	—	—
Greater London	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Greater Manchester	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hampshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hereford and Worcester	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hertfordshire	—	—	—	—	2	1	—	—	—
Humberside	—	—	—	—	2	1	—	—	—
Isle of Wight	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kent	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	1	—
Lancashire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Leicestershire	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	2
Lincolnshire	1	—	1	—	3	3	—	1	1
Merseyside	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
West Midlands	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Norfolk	—	5	—	—	9	5	—	2	2
Northamptonshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	9	9
Northumberland	—	1	1	—	1	1	—	—	—
Nottinghamshire	—	—	—	1	—	1	5	—	5
Oxfordshire	—	3	2	1	10	10	1	14	10
Shropshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Somerset	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Staffordshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2
Suffolk	—	—	—	—	1	1	—	2	1
Surrey	1	—	1	—	—	—	1	—	1
East Sussex	—	—	—	—	2	—	—	2	—
West Sussex	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tyne and Wear	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Warwickshire	5	—	4	—	—	—	2	—	2
Wiltshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
North Yorkshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
South Yorkshire	—	—	—	1	—	1	1	4	1
West Yorkshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	1
TOTAL	12	23	24	8	59	51	15	86	68

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration has been given to providing risk guarantees to commercial enterprises in the United Kingdom in respect of tourism projects in eastern Europe.

The normal range of Export Credits Guarantee Department facilities are, in principle, available for capital projects in the tourism sector. The actual availability and terms of such support for individual countries and projects are subject to ECGD's normal underwriting criteria. This applies to the countries of eastern Europe, as it does to all other countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the number of cars imported from (a) South Korea, (b) Malaysia, (c) Yugoslavia and (d) Czechoslovakia since 1986.

The available information is given in the table.

United Kingdom Imports of Cars1(numbers)
	South Korea	Malaysia	Yugoslavia	Czechoslovakia
1986	5,353	47	8,549	13,173
1987	5,860	6	8,489	14,792
1988	9,292	20	9,061	12,580
1989	15,281	9,590	8,038	13,501
1990	4,690	11,605	5,045	2,477
19912	9,827	11,436	1,250	4,664
1Cars are defined as items 781·0 and 782·1 of the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 2 for 1986 and 1987, and item 781 of SITC, Revision 3 for 1988 onwards.
2 January-November

Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries he has launched into potential insider dealing under section 177 of the Financial Services Act 1986 in each six-monthly period since April 1988.

The number of investigations under section 177 of the Financial Services Act 1986 since April 1988 are as follows:

	Number
April 1988 to September 1988	6
October 1988 to March 1989	7
April 1989 to September 1989	9
October 1989 to March 1990	3
April 1990 to September 1990	3
October 1990 to March 1991	1
April 1991 to September 1991	1
October 1991 to date	1

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions for insider dealing the stock exchange has instituted since it was given the powers to do so under the Companies Act 1989.

There has been one prosecution by the stock exchange for insider dealing offences. Both defendants in the case were convicted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the value of footwear imports under the generalised system of preferences—GSP—scheme from Indonesia so far this year for (a) leather uppered footwear, (b) textile uppered footwear and (c) rubber and plastic uppered footwear.

GSP import figures for these products from Indonesia, for the month of January 1992, are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received from United Kingdom manufacturing industry about future business prospects.

I have received the excellent report by the CBI's manufacturing advisory group which showed that recent years have seen a transformation in Britain's manufacturing base. United Kingdom-based manufacturers are well placed in some of the key growth markets of the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government have taken to provide financial assistance to the Royal Commonwealth Society library.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I have been following closely the efforts of the Commonwealth Trust to safeguard the Royal Commonwealth Society library. The Government support these efforts which we understand show some prospect of succeeding. We have made it clear, however, that public funds will not be made available to help the Commonwealth Trust overcome its present financial difficulties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Uruguay.