To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet representatives of the Building Employers Federation to discuss the effects of the recession on the industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet representatives of the construction industry to discuss the effects of the recession on the industry.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Ministers in the Department have regular meetings with representatives of the construction industry to discuss matters of mutual interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his final legislative proposals to increase local planning controls over the unnecessary demolition of dwelling houses by developers prior to any redevelopment activity.

My hon. Friend will recall that we published proposals for public consultation in July last year. We have carefully considered the responses to the options we proposed. In the light of these responses, we have decided how to proceed. In about two months' time, we hope to make the instruments needed to commence the new controls, comprising a commencement order for the relevant parts of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991; a direction which makes clear which types of building are to be subjected to the new controls over demolition; and a general development amendment order, designed to ensure that the new controls operate in an efficient way, and without undue burden on either local authorities or potential developers.The main effect of the new system will be that those who wish to demolish a dwelling-house, or a building attached to a dwelling-house, will first need to notify the local planning authority and give 28 days for the authority to decide whether to call for details of the demolition, which it would then consider in the same way as a planning application—the right to demolish, subject to complying with the conditions, would not be removed or to make an article 4 direction, which would require a full planning application to be made, in which case there might be a requirement to pay the owner compensation. We do not expect the new system to result in a substantial number of planning applications for demolition, since in practice most of the details are likely to be sorted out in negotiation between the local planning authority and the developer in the context of his planning application for replacement buildings on any site.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration was given to inviting Devon's hon. Members to participate and give evidence to the public examination of the Devon county structural plan on 24 March; and if he will make a statement.

It is normal practice to invite MPs to participate in an examination in public only if they had expressed an interest in the submitted proposals for alteration. Any request to participate will be considered by the panel chairman.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the criteria on which the participation list for the public examination of the Devon county structural plan on 24 March was drawn up; and who was consulted.

In selecting participants for an examination in public, the basic criterion will be the significance of the contribution which, from their knowledge or the views they have expressed, they can be expected to make to the discussion of the matters to be examined. The examination is not directed to hearing objections, and it is not intended that all those who have objected should be invited to attend.The list of selected matters and invited participants was produced in consultation with the panel chairman, as is normal practice. It was advertised by Devon county council on 16 January. The four-week period during which representations could be made ended on 13 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration was given to including voluntary amenity and environmental groups from Devon localities in the public examination of Devon county structural plan; and if he will invite the South Hams Amenity Federation to give evidence.

In drawing up the list of participants for an examination in public, the aim is to select particpants who between them represent a broad range of viewpoints. A number of local environmental and amenity groups, including the Council for the Protection of Rural England, Devon Green party, Devon Friends of the Earth and Devon Conservation Forum have been invited to participate. It was decided that those participants invited to the examination, along with the written representations already received—including those of the South Hams Amenity Federation—would provide sufficient information for a decision to be reached on the alteration proposals.No further representations were received from the South Hams Amenity Federation during the four-week period for comments to be made about the published draft list of selected matters and invited participants. However, the chairman of the panel has assured me that any late request by the federation will be treated sympathetically.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the number of empty (a) public and (b) private properties for each district of Devon.

Local authorities report the number of their own dwellings which are empty and estimates of empty dwellings owned by housing associations, by other public sector landlords, and by the private sector in their annual housing investment programme—HIP1—returns. "Other public sector" includes dewllings situated in the local authority area but owned by another local authority.The latest available figures, for April 1991, are in columns A71, A72, A73 and A74, respectively, of the "1991 HIP1 All Items Print". A copy is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the list of local authorities which have debts which are not taken account of in their standard spending assessment, with the amount of those debts individually.

The capital financing element of standard spending assessments is based on an assessment of interest charges flowing from a notional debt figure. There are a number of reasons why notional debt may differ from actual debt. No records are kept of individual items of excluded capital expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to issue a consultation paper on the implementation of the urban waste water treatment directive and the nitrates directive; and if he will make a statement.

We have today issued a consultation paper outlining the Government's proposals in England and Wales for criteria and procedures for identifying sensitive areas and less sensitive areas—urban waste water treatment directive—and "polluted waters"—nitrates directive. As far as I am aware the United Kingdom is the first member state to consult publicly on the way we intend to implement these directives. This, I believe, demonstrates the Government's commitment to openness in environmental decision making and to the proper implementation of these directives which will make an important contribution to improving our environment. A copy of the consultation paper has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any changes to announce to his Department's cash limits for 1991–92.

Yes. I propose to make the following changes:

(i) The non-voted cash limit for DOE/OES will be increased by £478,000 from £93,894,000 to £94,372,000. This results from the provision of additional supplementary credit approvals to enable local authorities to raise finance to fulfil their obligations to contribute part of the cost of certain roads built by the Commission for the New Towns and new town development corporations in England. The increase will be wholly offset by a counterbalancing new towns receipt (see (iii)(b) below).

(ii) The non-voted cash limit for DOE/LACAP will be increased by £89,260,000 from £3,019,202,000 to £3,108,462,000. This results from the provision of additional supplementary credit approvals to enable Milton Keynes BC and The Wrekin DC to raise finance to purchase housing stock from Milton Keynes Development Corporation and Telford Development Corporation respectively. This increase is also wholly offset by counterbalancing new town receipts (see (iii)(b) below).

(iii) The non-voted cash limit for DOE/NT (New Towns) will be increased by £95,262,000 from minus £449,800,000 to minus £354,538,000. This net increase is the result of the following individual changes:

(a) an increase of £185,000,000, reflecting the effect on receipts of the present state of the property market. This increase will be charged to the reserve and will therefore not add to the planned total of public expenditure;

(b) reductions of £478,000 and £89,260,000 respectively resulting from additional receipts from local authorities financed by the cash limit increases described in (i) and (ii) above.

(iv) The external finance limit for Letchworth Garden City Corporation will be increased by £231,000 from minus £500,000 to minus £269,000. This reflects changes in the corporation's financing profile as a result of the continuing depression in the property market.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the proposed Manchester concert hall.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today announced a grant of up to £22 million to Central Manchester development corporation towards the cost of the Manchester concert hall, which is part of the Great Bridgewater initiative. The concert hall will provide a much needed new home for the Hallé orchestra and is central to the Great Bridgewater regeneration initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether agreement has been reached on the appointment of an Irish sea science co-ordinator.

I am glad to report that my Department and the Departments of the Environment and of the Marine of the Republic of Ireland have agreed to commission EOLAS, the Irish Science and Technology Agency, to provide the services of Mr. Richard Boelens for three years as Irish sea science co-ordinator. Mr. Boelens will act as secretary of the co-ordination group to be set up to review existing and proposed monitoring and research programmes in the Irish sea and to assess priorities for further work to improve our knowledge of environmental issues affecting the Irish sea.In the course of this work he will prepare an inventory of Irish sea research and monitoring, identify gaps in these programmes and needs for co-ordination and prepare, in liaison with the relevant agencies, proposals for meeting these needs. Consideration will also be given to the timing, content and research requirements of a further quality status report on the Irish sea.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government support proposals before the conference of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora—CITES—in Kyoto aimed at strengthening controls on trade in wild caught animals and birds.

The Government have made clear their determination to work within CITES to ensure that wildlife species are not exploited by trade. The United Kingdom delegation to the CITES conference has played a leading role in negotiating proposals aimed at improving consultation with wildlife exporting countries and providing for tough action to crack down on trade which is being conducted at unsustainable levels. These proposals have been supported by the conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities will consider visiting the Liverpool 1 area to look at the Charterhouse Estates Ltd's involvement in the inner-city area.

[holding answer 5 March 1992]: During my visit to Liverpool on 6 March, I met the managing director of Charterhouse Estates Ltd and toured the Liverpool 1 area with him.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the housing associations, building societies and local authorities within Derbyshire who are involved in negotiations with the Council of Mortgage Lenders to provide mortgage rescue schemes.

[holding answer 10 March 1992]: Nine members of the Council of Mortgage Lenders have so far announced details of their mortgage rescue schemes, some of them involving agreements with housing associations; others are still being negotiated. I hope that borrowers in Derbyshire will benefit from these schemes, and from the other measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 19 December, as will borrowers in other parts of the country. I understand that Amber Valley district council is intending to introduce a mortgage rescue scheme in conjunction with Walbrook housing association. Derby city council has said that it regards the introduction of a mortgage rescue scheme as a priority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) on 2 March, Official Report, columns 45–46, if he will produce three tables listing percentage figures for the 1992–93 settlement for (a) each district council, (b) each metropolitan district and (c) each shire county in England and Wales, based on the criteria used in that answer, in each case listing authorities in descending order according to the percentage size of the Government grants.

[holding answer 10 March 1992]: The information requested is not available for individual authorities for 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants are employed in his Department on matters relating to (a) the heritage and (b) archaeology.

[holding answer 10 March 1992]: The heritage division of my Department has 41 staff, 12 of whom deal with archaeology. They are supported by English Heritage who are my statutory advisers on conservation matters. My Department's conservation unit, which advises on the good management of the Government's own historic estate, has five staff. In addition, staff in this and other Departments who are engaged on building construction and maintenance programmes recognise and discharge responsibilities for heritage conservation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what expenditure was made by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available on (a) the heritage and (b) archaeology.

[holding answer 10 March 1992]: The Department's expenditure on the heritage in 1990–91 was £148·4 million. The estimated outturn for 1991–92 is £176·5 million. Expenditure on archaeology, within the heritage total, is funded through English Heritage and the Royal Commission on the historical monuments of England, whose archaeology expenditure in 1990–91 was £8·1 million and £1·8 million respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what funds are being made available through the Housing Corporation in 1992–93 to provide revenue funding for housing associations providing permanent housing for mentally ill homeless people ready to move out of specialist short-term hostels in central London;(2) how many permanent places for mentally ill homeless people currently living in specialist short-term hostsels in central London will be provided by housing associations in 1992–93.

I have been asked to reply.The Department revenue funds the specialist short-term hostels set up under the homeless mentally ill initiative at the rate of £14,630 per place per annum—1992–93 costs. Permanent accommodation for those moving on from the hostels is being provided via the Housing Corporation. In 1992–93 it expects to make available 150 new units and 150 units from housing association relets. The corporation monitor this provision regularly. The social care of people moving on from the short-term hostels is the responsibility of local social services authorities. To ensure that the transition takes place smoothly the Department has included within the homeless mentally ill initiative £500,000 per annum for the three years 1992–93 to 1994–95 to provide resettlement support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to restrict benefit entitlement for people who currently study part time under the 21-hour rule.

We have no such plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will evaluate the performance of the independent living fund since its inception in 1988.

We are proud of the many achievements of the ILF since it was founded nearly four years ago. It has played an important role in the run-up to community care and is currently helping nearly 12,000 people to live independently in their own homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review his decision to abolish the independent living fund in March 1993.

A successor body will be established to take over all the cases where beneficiaries of the independent living fund are receiving help at the end of March 1993. This new body will continue to make cash payments to its beneficiaries in the same way as the fund does now.It is planned that from April 1993, people needing such help will be dealt with under the mainstream arrangements for community care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what provision will be made available to the independent living fund for 1992–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if it remains his policy to ensure that the independent living fund can help existing beneficiaries and admit new people during 1992–93;(2) how much his Department has allocated for funding the independent living fund for 1992–93; and if he will take steps to ensure that the independent living fund has sufficient funds to meet new applications throughout 1992–93.

In addition to the £82 million already proposed for the independent living fund in 1992–93, the Government have decided to grant a further £15 million, bringing a total provision to £97 million. The trustees assure me that this will be sufficient—in conjunction with other steps they are taking—to enable the fund to continue operating until April 1993.Parliamentary approval for the additional sum, which will be met from the reserve without adding to the planning total for public expenditure, will be sought in the usual way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many young people in (a) Coventry, (b) the west midlands and (c) nationally have had their benefit cut as a result of coming off the youth training scheme prematurely or because they refused a place when offered one.

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the percentage increase since 1979 in the real value of (a) retirement pension, (b) invalidity benefit and (c) widows' pension; and if he will give the latest figures for the numbers of people receiving each benefit.

Basic retirement pension, invalidity benefit and widows pension have each increased by 2·8 per cent., in real terms, after allowing for inflation between the two complete uprating years ending November 1979 and April 1990.The estimated average numbers of people, in thousands, in receipt of these benefits at any one time are in the table.

	'000
Retirement pension	10,000
Invalidity benefit	1,209
Widows' pension	285

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes he has recently made to benefits for disabled people and their carers.

We have already issued a quarter of a million disability living allowance claim packs—to people who are currently not entitled to benefit and to those who can now claim extra benefit. Our extensive TV and press advertising campaign has resulted in over 250,000 inquiries from people who want information about the new benefits. To them we have issued a specially designed colour-coded guide which not only explains the two new benefits but also covers the many other benefits available to disabled people.We have also begun to take claims for the new benefit, disability working allowance which is aimed at disabled people who are able to work, but have limited earnings' potential. The first awards of the benefit have already been made.We are shortly to make several other changes which will help disabled people and their carers.We have today laid regulations that raise to £40 the limit on the weekly amount that a carer can earn without it affecting their entitlement to invalid care allowance. This means that the limit will have increased by over 200 per cent. in the last two years.We have also laid regulations which will, from April, raise from 12 to 21 the number of hours of study that someone claiming invalid care allowance can undertake without it affecting their entitlement to that benefit.Other regulations will be laid shortly to bring the residence and presence conditions for severe disability allowance into line, from April, with those which we have introduced for disability living allowance. This means the removal of the long-criticised "10 in 20 years" residence test.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans for technical adjustments to the system of national insurance contributions and credits which would assist people to qualify for contributory benefits.

We propose to lay regulations shortly which will amend the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 to provide that people who receive a payment in lieu of notice or certain other compensatory payments will no longer be prevented from obtaining unemployment credits for the period covered by the compensatory payment.This will assist people to qualify for contributory benefits by covering potential deficiencies in their contribution records.We are also laying the Social Security (Contributions) Amendment (No. 5) Regulations 1992, which will further assist people to qualify for contributory benefits by the reallocation of national insurance contributions—NICs —paid in one tax year to another tax year.Those who will benefit are employed earners who commence employment towards the end of the tax year and whose first payment of earnings from that employment is made in accordance with the employer's normal pay practice in the following tax year. If the NIC record in the first tax year is deficient for contributory benefits, the class 1—employed earners—NICs paid for the first payment of earnings can be treated as paid in respect of the tax year in which the employment began if that would enable the employee to satisfy the contribution conditions for benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for attendance allowance were received in 1990–91.

In 1990–91, there were 445,000 claims for attendance allowance. This is a correction to the figure of 395,000 in table 10 of the "DSS Departmental Report", Cm 1914.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of (a) women and (b) men in 1980 and in the latest year for which the figures are available reached retirement age with entitlement to (i) the full basic state pension, (ii) some state earnings-related pension or additional pension, (iii) an occupational pension and (iv) a personal pension.

[holding answer 12 February 1992]: information is not available in the precise form requested, however such information as is available is given in the tables:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in meetings with representatives of the coach and tourist industries, London local authorities, the police and other Government Departments to alleviate coach parking problems in central London.

I have today announced a series of initiatives which will help to improve the central London coach parking situation. The measures include the provision of more than 160 new coach parking spaces in or close to central London; the lifting of evening coach parking restrictions on the Victoria embankment and Park lane; the relaunch of the Bus and Coach Council code of conduct for the operating and parking of tourist coaches; arrangements for distribution of the revised code of conduct to coach drivers at continental channel ports and Dover; a new pay and park facility for coaches at the North Mall coach park; Sunday morning opening at the Tower of London; the freezing of charges at the Tower coach park for a third consecutive year and a feasibility study for a radio call back experiment in the area close to Westminster abbey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements have been made to fund the London dial-a-ride service.

I am pleased to announce that the grant to London dial-a-ride services for 1992–93 will be £10·5 million. It has been most encouraging to see the rapid expansion of the scheme in recent years, and this announcement will allow London Transport to improve the services still further in 1992–93: increasing the number of dial-a-ride trips from some 740,000 in the present year to more than 800,000 next year. It will also enable the completion of the planned regionalisation of the service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the bonuses to be paid to British Rail board members in relation to the passengers charter performance standards.

For 1990–91 BR board members could have earned a maximum 25 per cent. bonus on salary for meeting a series of targets, including up to 7 per cent. for quality of service. Members actually received a maximum of 4 per cent. which included 1 per cent. for quality of service.Details of a revised BR board bonus scheme for 1992–93, including quality of service targets based on the passengers charter, are currently being developed. On the basis of a possible maximum 10 per cent. bonus for quality, the actual bonus in 1991 would have been less than 2 per cent. of salary if the charter standards had applied, equivalent to around £4,000 for the chairman.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has yet approved any order for freight wagons to equip British Rail's proposed channel tunnel freight services.

I have authorised British Rail to invest in initial builds of 450 intermodal wagons and up to 550 automotive wagons for channel tunnel freight services, at a total cost of up to £65 million. The intermodal wagons will be used to carry standard containers and swap bodies in terminal to terminal services between BR's network of regional freight terminals in Britain and key destinations on the continent. The fully enclosed automotive wagons will enable BR to offer high quality services for the delivery of finished cars for import and export, minimising the risk of damage to vehicles en route.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the A650 Airedale route strategy; and if he will make a statement.

The Airedale strategy will eventually provide a high standard dual carriageway road from Skipton in the north-west, via Bradford, to the M62. Good progress has been made on a number of sections. I am today announcing preferred routes for the Shipley eastern bypass, which would link to a tunnel on section 4, and for the Hard Ings road improvement, which improves a section of single carriageway in Keighley to dual two-lane carriageway standard.We are also pressing ahead with the preparation of main works for section 3 of the route, with advance works at Park road in Bingley currently out to tender and expected to start soon. We are well advanced in the preparation for inviting consultants to bid for the commission to carry out the preliminary design work for the tunnel option for section 4 and will invite bids soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he proposes to take to combat the clocking of vehicle mileages.

We are working closely with the private sector in the development of effective and practical proposals to combat this abuse. Some companies already offer mileage check information services for the public and the motor trade, and the introduction of more comprehensive schemes is being actively considered. To provide the fullest possible data to underpin these services a "mileage box" is to be included on the vehicle registration document. Vehicle mileages at both the time of sale and of purchase will be collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and passed to companies running mileage check services. I believe that this development will prove to be a significant step forward in our drive to stamp out the fraudulent alteration of vehicle odometers and will be welcomed by the motoring public and motor dealers alike.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will introduce a scheme to compensate scheduled airline passengers for financial loss arising from the failure of an airline in the light of the Civil Aviation Authority's advice to him published in 1991.

I have considered the Civil Aviation Authority's advice and have decided in principle that it would he desirable to introduce such a scheme, to provide financial protection for passengers who book tickets on United Kingdom airlines. I envisage that, in line with the CAA's advice, a fund would be set up from which any compensation would be paid, financed by a levy on United Kingdom airlines. I do not expect the levy to have a significant effect on fares. It would be of short duration —a matter of months—and should not exceed £1 per traveller. The scheme would complement the financial protection arrangements which already exist for people who hook charter holidays by air.I am asking the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority to develop detailed proposals along these lines, and to consult as appropriate. Primary legislation would be necessary to implement such proposals and an opportunity to introduce such legislation will be sought in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be in a position to make public the full analysis of the survey of the red route pilot scheme carried out last autumn; and if he will make a statement.

I have today published the results of the autumn monitoring of the pilot scheme independently designed and assessed by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory. Copies are being placed in the Library, and I am writing to all London MPs about them. The report shows that red route measures bring shorter, more reliable journey times for existing traffic, notably for buses, ease the flow of traffic and greatly improve safety on and off the route. London Buses is planning to introduce a new, limited stop, bus service on the pilot route taking advantage of the benefits to buses being produced. The environment is enhanced through the reduction of stopping and starting on the route, the improvement of roadside conditions, and the attraction of traffic away from residential side roads. Improvements are being achieved in spite of an increase in the volume of traffic now using the route, nearly all of which appears to be coming from side-roads in the corridor. Variations in trading activity are recorded but they seem to depend more on the type of business being conducted and the economic climate than on red route measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will issue his draft traffic management and parking guidance for London for consultation under the Road Traffic Act 1991.

I have published draft traffic management and parking guidance for London for consultation, as required by the Road Traffic Act 1991. Copies are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses and are being sent to each London Member.The draft guidance explains London's transport needs and the Government's approach to meeting them. It refers to the Government's desire to maximise the use of public transport where it offers a realistic alternative to the car and to see a coherent approach to the management of traffic and parking, so that public and private transport can move efficiently, smoothly and reliably on the main routes and supporting action can improve conditions throughout London. In particular, it explains how the Government propose that the major traffic management initiatives in the Road Traffic Act 1991; red routes and the new system of local authority enforcement of "decriminalised" on-street parking controls, should contribute to the approach and tackle the problems of congestion in the short term. It will help the London traffic director to start planning the introduction of the red routes and the local authorities, the introduction of their new parking system.Comments on the draft have been invited by 12 June 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government financial assistance was given in relation to each train kilometre in (a) France and (b) Britain, over the last five years.

International comparisons of railway subsidy cannot be made with precision because of differences in accounting practice. For instance, past debt write offs mean that British Rail pays significantly less interest that SNCF. Comparative information is published by the International Union of Railways in "International Railway Statistics". I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library.The following figures are available for Great Britain.

£ per train kilometre
	BR (Great Britain)
1985	2·2
1986	2·0
1987	2·1
1988	1·3
1989	1·4
1990	1·5
1 1991	2·1
1:Estimated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail concerning the improvement of the design of railway stations with the aim of reducing injury in the event of a terrorist bomb.

My right hon. and learned Friend met the chairman of British Rail and London Transport and the chief constable of the British Transport police on 3 March to discuss security arrangements for BR and London Underground. The design of railway stations is primarily a matter for British Rail. I understand that BR has produced a code of practice for its architects, on future station design changes and security implications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with British Rail over improvements to Kent services and the placing of the order for the class 465 Networkers.

I meet the chairman of BR regularly to discuss current issues, including improvements to Kent rail services. A total of 486 Kent link Networkers are already under construction at a cost of £364 million. BR is not yet in a position to say when the order for a further 188 Networkers will be placed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the results of the consultation on the proposal to direct London Transport to dispose of the Docklands light railway to the London Docklands development corporation.

Having considered the comments received in the consultation I have concluded that the strength of the case for uniting the DLR with the LDDC remains undiminished. I have, therefore, today directed London Regional Transport to dispose of the DLR to the LDDC for a nominal sum with effect from 1 April 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons his Department is withholding £330,000 in compensation and interest charges from Bassetlaw district council as the final payment for land for the A57 Worksop bypass; and when he expects the payment to be made.

[holding answer 10 March 1992]: The Department is not withholding compensation and interest payments from Bassetlaw district council. Agreement was reached in March 1990 on the compensation due and in December 1990 a 90 per cent. advance payment was made to the council—this was the maximum allowed by the legislation in force at the time. Under the new provisions of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 payment of accrued interest is also required to be made, and a payment in respect of that amount will reach the council shortly. The outstanding balance and any further interest due will be paid on completion of the land ownership transfer procedures, in the usual way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out (a) the level of investment by Network SouthEast in each year since 1962 at current prices and (b) the total operating grant paid to (i) British Rail and (ii) Network SouthEast in each year since 1962 at current prices.

[holding answer 6 March 1992]: The information is as follows:

NSE Investment (£ million at 1991–92 prices) (Capital and revenue)
	£ million
19821	192
1983	181
1984–852	168
1985–86	162
1986–87	183
1987–88	305
1988–89	381
1989–90	414
1990–91	323
1991–923	380
1 NSE was formed in 1986. Previous comparable figures are available only from 1982.
2 1984–85 was a 15-month period. The figure quoted is the 12-month equivalent.
3 Estimated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider the statementing of children of exceptional ability.

It is for LEAs to make appropriate provisions for gifted children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what proportion of the resources made available for children with special needs is made available for the education of gifted children;

This information is not available centrally. It is for individual local authorities and schools to determine the deployment of their resources to meet additional educational needs, including the needs of exceptionally able pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what account he has taken of the Education Act 1986 and the European convention on human rights in considering implementation of the recommendations of his pamphlet, "HIV and AIDS: a Guide for the Education Service"; and if he will make a statement.

The purpose of my Department's publication "HIV and Aids: A Guide for the Education Service" is to present, for education professionals, the basic facts about HIV, draw attention to ways in which the education service can contribute to the dissemination of knowledge about HIV and AIDS, and give guidance on standard hygiene practices which educational institutions should adopt to guard against the risks of accidental transmission. My right hon. and learned Friend consistently made it clear, in line with section 46 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986, that sex education, including education about the sexual transmission of HIV, should be given in such a manner as to encourage pupils to have due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life; and that detailed decisions about how such education is delivered in the classroom should take full account of local circumstances, the particular needs of pupils, and the views of parents. This approach is consistent with the requirements of the European convention on human rights on the need to respect the right of parents to ensure that their children's education conforms with their own religious and philosophical convictions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to confirm the Government's proposals for teachers' pay for 1992.

After careful consideration of the representations I have received from associations representing teachers and their employers, I have decided to accept all the recommendations of the School Teachers' Review Body. The order I have signed today will bring into effect the provisions in the 1992 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document from 1 April 1992. This will make it possible for all school teachers to receive the pay increases recommended by the review body in full and on time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities in England have distributed copies of the parents charter to parents in their areas; which local education authorities have refused to do so; and what alternative arrangements have been made for distributing copies of the parents charter to parents in those areas where local education authorities are not doing so.

Sample copies of the charter were sent to headteachers and chairmen of governors at every school, together with an order form for further copies. More than 16,400 schools—66 per cent.—requested some 4 million copies to distribute to parents. The charter was widely advertised in the national press with a freepost coupon or a freephone number for ordering copies. It is also available in public libraries and post offices. Some 1·9 million copies have now been distributed through these means.We are aware that a few local education authorities actively discouraged their schools from distributing copies of the charter, but we do not have comrehensive information about local authority attitudes. This is essentially a matter for schools, and the great majority have requested copies for distribution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the provisions for the teaching of sex education in schools.

School governing bodies are responsible, under the provisions of the Education (No 2) Act 1986, for deciding whether their schools should provide sex education beyond those aspects required by the national curriculum; and for maintaining a written record both of that decision and of their policy on the content and organisation of any six education they decide should be provided. Schools are required to ensure that any sex education they may provide encourages pupils to have due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life. The circular "Sex Education at School", issued by the Department in 1987, offers guidance on these provisions.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 27 February, Official Report, columns 612–14, what proportion of funding for the proposed decommissioning scheme for the fishing industry has been allocated by (a) the European Community and (b) Her Majesty's Government over the period concerned, giving these sums both as a percentage and as a capital sum.

My right hon. Friend has explained that expenditure on decommissioning will be limited to £25 million. Assuming that all expenditure is eligible the Community will reimburse between 50 and 70 per cent. depending on the method of withdrawal. However, the EC budget is funded in such a way that the United Kingdom taxpayer will have to meet 73 per cent. of the Community contribution as well as all the national contribution. The net result of this is that the United Kingdom taxpayer will have to contribute about £20 million of the £25 million available for decommissioning or in percentage terms about 80 per cent. of the total.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to lift immunity of Crown premises for food safety; what progress has been made on implementing this provision; when he intends to issue the code of practice in connection with this measure; and if he will make a statement.

The Food Safety Act 1990 extends food safety law to Crown premises with effect from 1 April this year.Crown premises will need to be registered before 1 July 1992 in accordance with the Food Premises (Registration) Regulations 1991.A code of practice on the enforcement of the Food Safety Act 1990 in relation to Crown premises will be issued under section 40 of the Act later this month.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in 1992–93; and if he will make a statement.

The chief executive of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate—VMD—has submitted his proposals to me and I have agreed that the VMD should be set the following performance targets for 1992–93:

• full cost recovery for the three business activities of licensing, policy work and residues monitoring;
• 100 per cent. of new licence applications to be issued within 210 clock days; 80 per cent. within 120 days;
• an overall efficiency gain of 2 per cent.

These are challenging targets, which will build on the improvements already made in efficiency and quality of service by the directorate since its establishment as a next steps agency, and for which I commend the chief executive and his staff. In addition, I have agreed with the chief executive that the VMD's corporate plan 1992–93 to 1994–95 should be published. Copies are being placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to make any changes to his Department's cash limits for 1991–92.

Yes. The cash limit for Class III Vote 4 (other agricultural and food services, support for the fishing industry, arterial drainage, flood and coast protection) will be reduced by £2,000,000 from £267,044,000 to £265,044,000. Within this limit expenditure will be reduced by £1,900,000 on emergency and strategic food services reflecting a reduction in the size of the emergency food stockpile and by £100,000 on extensification to reflect a reduction in demand under these schemes.The reduced cash limit will offset an increase in the financial ceiling for United Kingdom hill livestock compensatory allowances.

To ask the Attorney-General when the relevant provisions of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 will be implemented to establish the authorised practitioner scheme.

The consultation document on the draft Authorised Practitioner Regulations which was published last April produced a large number of responses representing a wide variety of views. Last December a further consultation was undertaken involving those bodies with a principal interest in the conveyancing market. Responses to the further consultation have confirmed that there is insufficient demand for authorisation to justify the implementation of the relevant provisions of the 1990 Act at the present time. In addition, the Law Commissioners and the Securities and Investments Board are presently reviewing aspects of the regulation of commissions in the financial services market, the outcome of which may affect the approach taken

Public Record Office key performance targets—1992–93
Indicator	Target
1. Efficiency
Cost of selecting and accessioning records per unit quantity (foot-run).	To establish a baseline cost for the year 1992–93 with a view to setting a target for 1993–94.
Unit costs of providing record storage space, document productions and reader services.	To increase the cost of providing records storage space per linear foot by no more that 5·5 per cent. from £0·90 to £0·951.
	To decrease the cost per cost per document produced to readers by 18 per cent. from £1·71 to £1·40.
	To decrease the total reader service costs per reader visit (Census microforms) by 10 per cent. from £2·18 to £1·96.
	To decrease the total reader service cost per reader visit (other records) by 8 per cent. from £6·85 to £6·28.
Backlog of records awaiting review.	To reduce the backlog of records over 30 years old which have not been reviewed, by 500 ft.
Provision of acceptable storage conditions.	The store 81 per cent. of records to an acceptable standard.
Management efficiency in running services and projects.	To establish systems to permit specific targets to be set for 1993–94.
2. Quality of Service
Hours during which the office is open to the public.	To run a pilot scheme from 4 July 1992 to 31 December 1992 of opening the census reading rooms on a Saturday and to continue the service if customer demand is great enough.
Provision of finding aids	To produce a new edition of the "Current Guide' and to begin work on a single set of finding aids for all the records.
Public availability of staff.	On 90 per cent. of days on which the office is open to the public there will be a minimum of four staff available to assist the public at Kew, four staff in the census rooms and four staff in the other rooms at Chancery lane.
Response time for answering correspondence	Replies to letters requiring a response to stock letter will be sent within one week and those to other letters will be sent within three weeks.
Speed of producing reprographic copies.	Copies of records will be provided within the following periods:
	Electrostatic copies: Same day service: up to a stated maximum number of copies per person.
	Other orders: five working days.
	Prints from film (from existing microfilm): eight working days.
	Bromide prints: three weeks.
	A self-service copying service will be available at Kew and in the census rooms at all times.
Quality of copies made.	No more than 5 per cent. of copies to require to be re-taken.
1 The cost of storage has been increased by the cost of installing the new records information system, which will enable longer term efficiency savings to be made.

To ask the Attorney-General when the Public Record Office is to be established as an agency.

Further to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel) on 23 January, at column 181, I am pleased to confirm that the Lord Chancellor will establish the Public Record Office as an executive agency on 1 April 1992. I will arrange for a copy of the Public Record Office's framework document to be placed in the Library.The table sets out the key performance targets that the Lord Chancellor has set for the Public Record Office for 1992–93.

To ask the Attorney-General whether the small claims procedure in the county courts will he extended to cover lower value personal injury claims.

The small claims arbitration procedure provides an accessible, informal and inexpensive means of resolving straightforward money claims through the county courts. The level at which claims are automatically referred to arbitration on receipt of a defence was doubled last year from £500 to £1,000. Plaintiffs claiming unspecified amounts, as is often the case where people claim compensation for personal injuries, are at present free to limit their claim to £1,000 if they wish to benefit from the advantages of the informal procedure. It is the intention of my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor to encourage more personal injury litigants to benefit from these advantages, in a way which would safeguard equally the interests of both parties to a claim. The responses to a consultation paper published last year have suggested that provisions for costs should be part of the scheme. The Lord Chancellor is considering further what can be done to meet this suggestion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement concerning the amount of grant aid being made available under the special grants (environmental) programme in 1992–93 to voluntary bodies in Scotland working in the environmental field.

I am pleased to announce that grant aid totalling £303,125 has been offered to voluntary bodies to assist them in carrying out environmental conservation, improvement or educational work in Scotland. The special grants (environmental) programme offers two different types of funding: core funding to help organisations with their centralProject funding has been allocated to 12 organisations as follows:

Organisation	Project	Grant £
Age Concern (Orkney)	Inter-island glass recycling project	3,225
CSV Media Green Action	Aberdeen media action video project	3,700
Council for Scottish Archaeology	Archaeological action information packs	3,000
Friends of the Earth (Scotland)	Consumer awareness information pack	5,000
Lothian and Edinburgh Environmental Partnership	Edinburgh and Lothians car sharing project	3,550
Scottish Native Woods Campaign	Growing up with trees project pack	4,000
Scottish Wildlife Trust	Wildlife information network	5,000
Skye Forum	Salmon ensilage project	3,750
Slide Workshop	Model school grounds information dissemination project	900
Sustrans Scotland	Rutherglen bridge project	5,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to issue a consultation paper on the implementation of the urban waste treatment directive and the nitrates directive.

We have today issued a Scottish consultation paper outlining the Government's proposals for the criteria and procedures to be used to identify sensitive areas and less sensitive areas in terms of the urban waste water treatment directive and "polluted waters" in terms of the nitrates directive. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.Similar papers are being issued for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he proposes to make any changes to the extended fixed penalty system for road traffic offences.

In the light of consultation with representative organisations, my right hon. Friend proposes to increase fixed penalty levels to £20 for non-endorsable offences and £40 for endorsable offences from 1 April 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people are employed in Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools; and what increase or decrease is being proposed for Scotland.

[holding answer 12 December 1991]: At the beginning of April, Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools in Scotland will consist of 107 professional and 65 support staff. Little change to these numbers is foreseen in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the average number of staffed beds for all NHS hospitals in Scotland was represented by psychiatric specialties in each year since 1980.

[holding answer 6 March 1992]: The information requested is shown in the table. During this period the percentage of psychiatric beds fell as the Government's care in the community policy took effect.

National health service hospitals in Scotland—available staffed beds; psychiatric specialties as a percentage of all specialties; for years ending 31 March
	per cent.
1980	29·4
1981	29·2
1982	28·9
1983	29·0
1984	28·7
1985	29·0
1986	28·9
1987	28·6
1988	28·5
1989	28·0
1990	27·6
1991	27·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to appoint a chief executive for the Scottish Higher and Further Educational Funding Council; and what civil service grade the successful applicant will have.

[holding answer 2 March 1992]: We intend to commence the recruitment process, through open competition, as soon as the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill receives Royal Assent. The terms and conditions of service for the post will be announced later.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give gross spending for his Department in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms using April 1979 as 100 both (i) as a percentage of gross domestic product and (ii) per 100,000 of the population for each year 1978–79 to the latest available year.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of Slate for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost of benefit expenditure on the unemployed and the administration costs of unemployment benefit arid redundancy payments in 1991–92.

The information requested is as follows.

Estimated Benefit Expenditure on Unemployed People—1991–1992
Type	Expenditure £ million
Unemployment Benefit	39·4
Income Support	189·0
Redundancy Payments	2·0
Total	230·4
Estimated Administration Costs—1991–1992
Benefits	12·7
Redundancy Payments	0·2

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many offices, providing public access for the purpose of claiming benefit, including unemployment benefit, were in operation on 1 April 1979, and at the latest available date;(2) how many home visits, excluding specialist visits, including those for the purpose of investigating suspected fraud were made per 1,000 claimants in the latest available year; and how many were made in 1978–79.

Social security operational matters are the responsibility of Mr. Alec Wylie, chief executive of the Social Security Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies of his reply will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to maintain the principle that all innocent victims of violence are entitled to fair compensation, within a reasonable time, following the introduction of new minimum levels of compensation for personal injury and mental injury or shock.

The existing statutory criminal injuries compensation scheme in Northern Ireland provides fair and reasonable compensation to the innocent victims of violence. The scheme contains two thresholds or lower limits on compensation—one in respect of physical injuries and the other in respect of mental injury.Thresholds have been a feature of the scheme for many years. Their purpose is to exclude lower value claims from compensation and to set a limit which the Government believe that it would be reasonable to expect those criminally injured to bear themselves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of married women in Northern Ireland who would need to produce their marriage certificate as proof of identity in order to cast their ballot in the forthcoming general election.

The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of people in Northern Ireland who hold each of the documents necessary to identify themselves at the forthcoming general election.

This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, one of the documents concerned, the medical card issued by the Central Services Agency, is available to all electors in Northern Ireland free of charge. There is, therefore, no need for any elector to be without their vote.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of households in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland.

I understand from the chief electoral officer that the number of households in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland is approximately as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the present term of appointment of the chairman of the Northern Ireland tourist board ends; and when he will announce the name of the chairman for the next period of office.

The NITB chairman's appointment ends on 30 June 1994; the name of a chairman for the next period will be announced at an appropriate time before that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide details about the launch of the Government's next steps agency administering the Ordnance Survey for Northern Ireland.

The Ordnance Survey executive agency will be formally established on 1 April 1992.Its performance targets for the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide details about the launch of the Government's "next steps" agency for administering the vehicle inspection and driving test centres in Northern Ireland.

The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency will be formally established on 1 April 1992.The key performance targets set for the agency for 1992–93 are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about progress towards the establishment of a "next steps" agency in the Northern Ireland Office to administer the compensation schemes.

The Compensation Agency will be formally established on 1 April 1992. I have made arrangements for copies of the agency's framework document to be placed in the Library. I have set a number of key performance targets for the agency to achieve in its first year. These are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to issue a consultation paper on the implementation of the urban waste water treatment directive and nitrates directive.

We have today issued a consultation paper outlining the Government's proposals for Northern Ireland for criteria and procedures for identifying sensitive areas and less sensitive areas—urban waste water treatment directives—and "polluted waters"—nitrates directive. As far as I am aware, the United Kingdom is the first member state to consult publicly on the way it is intended to implement these directives. This, I believe, demonstrates the Government's commitment to openness in environmental decision making and to the proper implementation of these directives which will make an important contribution to improving our environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people have lost their jobs in Clwyd, South-West over the last (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months.

In the 12-month period to December 1991 there were 23 notified redundancies in Clwyd, South-West. None of these was in the last six months. These figures are the latest available and are still provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will respond to the sixth report of the Welsh Affairs Committee, Session 1990–91, on elective surgery, House of Commons paper 390.

I am pleased to announce that the response has been published today as Command Paper 1863.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to develop cancer treatment services for the people of north Wales.

Having carefully reviewed all the options set out in the Deloitte, Haskins and Sells report I have decided that cancer patients in north Wales will best be served by the establishment of a dedicated cancer centre in north Wales itself. I have consequently, commissioned a detailed investment appraisal of this option. Provided the conclusions of this are satisfactory I am hopeful that a start on such a centre can be made in 1993.The remaining recommendations of the DHS report are primarily for health authorities in north Wales to consider in the light of their local strategies for health and the development of cancer services in the areas concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to establish a community initiative fund to promote the development of neighbourhood facilities and amenities.

[holding answer 26 February 1992]: EC Community initiatives and associated funding are the responsibility of the European Commission. The Commission's mid-term review of the last reform of the EC structural funds, which is to include a chapter on "Guidelines for the Future", is expected to issue later this month. One of the issues under consideration is the case for modifying objective 2 areas—areas of industrial decline, in Wales, Industrial South Wales and Clwyd—to give greater emphasis to urban regeneration. During the review, we will be pressing for designation of as many eligible areas as possible within Wales.Both the EC RECHAR and LEADER programmes, for industrial south Wales and rural mid-Wales respectively, have recently received European Commission approval and will make European regional development and European social fund grant assistance available for a wide range of measures in coalfield and rural areas, including social infrastructure and local community based developments.The Community Development Foundation—CDF— has set up an office in Wales with the aim of promoting greater understanding of the value of community development and assisting specific community projects in the Principality. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales was pleased to launch this initiative formally in October 1990—one of the many community initiatives under the programme for the valleys—and provide urban programme aid to run two pilot schemes in Rhondda and Ogwr.The Welsh Development Agency is providing support for a community enterprise initiative within the valleys programme area, which is aimed at stimulating a range of community self-help projects offering economic benefit— for example, community businesses—encompassing the provision of advice as well as financial assistance. Some £200,000 per annum has been provided under this initiative by the WDA since the programme started."Landscape Wales", the WDA's land reclamation and environmental programme, aimed at the restoration of the Welsh landscape, includes schemes which assist in the provision of local amenities—for example, sports fields, recreation facilities, country parks, picnic sites, cycle ways, the external improvement of redundant buildings in order to bring them into reuse for the benefit of the community, and so on. In 1991–92 the budget for Landscape Wales is £31 million.Last December, my right hon. Friend announced, as a further stage of the rural initiative, a fresh series of measures to strengthen and carry forward rural programmes across the economic, environmental and social fields. These measures include an annual competition of local authority capital projects designed for the benefit of rural communities. We are particularly keen that the community councils are allowed full opportunity to put forward proposals on behalf of their local communities, and that social as well as economic and environmental schemes are adequately represented. For 1992–93, the Secretary of State has allocated £6 million to fund the competition.The Development Board for Rural Wales is also actively involved in the social development of its area. In 1991–92, £1 million has been made available to launch the board's social development action programme, which covers youth, community, sports, arts and cultural development. Emphasis will also be placed on improving the environment, better entertainment and cultural provision, and enhancing activities which promote the Welsh language and culture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid Britain currently gives to Fiji; and whether the United Kingdom's assistance has been reconsidered in the light of the Harare declaration.