To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the increases in the powers of the European Parliament embodied in the treaty of European unity signed at Maastricht and specify the consequential restrictions on the powers of (a) the Commission, (b) the Council of Ministers and (c) national parliaments.

The treaty on European union increases the role of the European Parliament in a range of ways, both legislative and non-legislative. In some cases these are new. In others, they are extensions of existing procedures to new articles.All of these provisions are clearly set out in the treaty on European union. Together they represent no basic change in the existing institutional structure. The Parliament will have greater powers to scrutinise the Commission, but the Council of Ministers will remain the ultimate decision-making body in the Community and its members will remain accountable to their national parliaments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which European Community Governments make state contributions to the European Movement in their countries; and if he will list these and the amounts.

The Government phased out direct funding to the British council of the European Movement in 1985. Where possible, we continue to support its work through other means. We have no information about Government funding to the European Movement in other Community member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many students studying English at Polish universities were refused visas to visit the United Kingdom in the past 12 months; and what reason there was for each refusal.

A total of 44,684 visas were issued at Warsaw in 1991; 2,642 applications were refused. Of those applications refused, 1,269 were from persons under 25 requesting a visa for a single entry into the United Kingdom. Statistics are not readily available to provide the further information requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current average waiting time for Polish citizens waiting at the British consulate for interview on their application for a visa for admission to the United Kingdom.

Provided that all supporting documentary evidence is available, a personal applicant for an entry clearance at Warsaw would currently be interviewed, if necessary, on the same day as the embassy receives the application.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what competences, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, Mr. Delors, on behalf of the European Commission, has announced that he is ready to renounce.

Mr. Delors has made no such announcement. However the Commission's work programme for 1992 stressed the importance of the principle of subsidiarity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual leave entitlement of each of the governors of the remaining colonies; how many home leave journeys are allowed each year; and what is the annual cost.

Those governors on diplomatic service terms are entitled to 42 days annual leave plus 14 days local leave, which must be taken at post. The governors of Montserrat, St. Helena and Turks and Caicos are entitled to 35 days plus seven days local leave. Entitlements to leave passages to the United Kingdom, and current costs, including costs for spouses, are as follows:

	£
Anguilla:
Mid-tour leave after 18 months	3,190
One recreational journey in three complete years of service	1,528
BVI:
Mid-tour leave after 18 months	1,601
One recreational journey in three years	690
Falkland Islands:
Mid-tour leave after one year	RAF flights
One recreational journey in three years
Montserrat:
Mid-tour leave after one year	1,610
One recreational journey in three years	784
St. Helena:
Mid-tour leave after one year	5,108
One recreational journey in three years	3,150
Turks and Caicos:
Mid-tour leave after one year	5,128
One recreational journey in three years	1,068

Average costs over one year are £11,901.Leave entitlements and passages for governors of Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Hong Kong are met by their respective Governments.Leave entitlement and the cost of passages for the governor of Gibraltar are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual cost of running the official residencies of each of the governors of the remaining colonies.

Of the 15 dependent territories there are resident governors in only ten. The upkeep of their residences is the responsibility of each territory's Government, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does on occasions assist with these expenditures. As a result, the overseas estate department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has, during the 1991–92 financial year, financed running costs in three of these: Anguilla —£30,000; Grand Turk—£6,000; and Montserrat—£40,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the current salary and (b) the proposed salary for the next financial year for the governors of the remaining British colonies.

The governors of Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands are diplomatic service grade 4 officers—salary scale £37,928 to £42,870. The governor of the Falkland Islands is a senior grade diplomatic service officer—salary point 5, £51,300. The governors of Montserrat, St. Helena and Turks and Caicos are paid a partial salary by their respective Governments and their salary is "topped up", to the mean of the DS4 scale£40,399—by Her Majesty's Government. Current topping up costs are £13,368, £14,040, and £22,860 respectively. The governors of Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Hong Kong are paid entirely by their respective Governments and there are no salary costs falling to Her Majesty's Government. The governors/commissioners of the British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Pitcairn Henderson Ducie and Oeno Islands, and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands are non-resident and there are no direct salary costs. The governor of Gibraltar is paid by the Ministry of Defence.Salary costs for the next financial year are dependent on salary increase settlements for the civil service, which will be negotiated in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official travelling arrangements by means of ship, plane or car are provided for each of the governors of the remaining colonies; and what is the annual cost for each governorship.

Her Majesty's Government provide the following:

Place	Transport	Cost
Falkland Islands:	Land-Rover	£16,000
Turks and Caicos Islands:	Taxi	£15,700
Montserrat:	Range Rover	£21,500
Anguilla:	Range Rover	£24,400

Other costs are met by the Governments of the respective dependent territories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to support the call by European Community Commissioner Ripa di Meana that European Community financial and technical assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States should be dependent on the shut-down of certain nuclear reactors.

Her Majesty's Government strongly support international efforts to improve the safety of nuclear power installation in eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. We recognise, however, that the unconditional closure of nuclear power stations is not a feasible option until practical alternative supplies of energy exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the names of Her Majesty's Government's delegates to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development; and if he will make a statement.

The Prime Minister has already announced his intention to attend part of the Earth summit. I also propose to attend part of the summit, as do my hon. Friends the Under-Secretary of State responsible for overseas development and the Minister for the Environment and Countryside. Officials from the Departments most closely involved will also be included in the delegation. Her Majesty's Government have offered around 12 places as observers on the delegation to environment and development groups, local government, business and trade unions, the scientific community and youth.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of new home completions by housing associations in 1991–92; and what is the expected level for 1992–93.

In 1991–92, the Housing Corporation's approved development programme produced an estimated 27,100 housing association homes available for occupation —2,000 more than its original target. Final figures are expected towards the end of May. The corporation's target for 1992–93 is 43,400 homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council tenants he expects to convert rents into during the coming year; and if he make a statement.

Rents to mortgages—RTM—will provide a valuable new low-risk route into owner-occupation, by allowing tenants to use the money they would otherwise have paid as rent to service a mortgage which gives them a stake in their own homes. At present the English pilot scheme for RTM is available only to new town tenants in Basildon, but we will legislate to extend it to local authority tenants.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the reports published by the Local Government Boundary Commission regarding the boundaries of London boroughs including the dates of

Timetables of published local government boundary commission reports on the London boroughs
Published reports	Report number	Date of first draft proposals	Date by which comments were to be received	Date of further draft proposals	Date by which comments were to be received	Date of publication of final report
Barnet—boundaries with Harrow and Hcrtsmere	594	11 July 1988	12 September 1988	—	—	25 January 1991
Bexley—boundaries with Barking and Dagenham, Thurrock and Dartford	598	11 July 1988	12 September 1988	—	—	28 February 1991
Bromley—boundaries with Bexley, Tandridge, Sevenoaks and part of Bexley's boundary with Dartford	620	29 May 1989	24 July 1989	20 March 1991	15 May 1991	26 February 1992
City of London—boundaries with City of Westminster, Camden, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Southwark and Tower Hamlets	636	5 March 1990	I May 1990	17 May 1991	12 July 1991	23 April 1992
Croydon—boundaries with Bromley, Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge	615	23 January 1989	20 March 1989	20 March 1991	15 May 1991	22 November 1991
Croydon—boundary with Lambeth	623	21 June 1991	16 August 1991	—	—	12 February 1992
Crystal Palace Area—boundaries of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark	632	19 August 1991	14 October 1991	—	—	22 April 1992
Greenwich—boundaries with Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Newham and Tower Hamlets	622	1 October 1990	10 December 1990	2 August 1991	27 September 1991	31 January 1992
Harrow—boundaries with Ealing, Hillingdon, Hertsmere and Three Rivers	610	23 October 1989	18 December 1989	—	—	4 October 1991
Islington—boundaries with Camden, Hackney and Haringey	638	11 June 1990	6 August 1990	15 May 1991	12 June 1991	22 April 1992
Lambeth—boundary with Southwark	624	30 April 1991	25 June 1991	—	—	19 February 1992
Southwark—boundaries with Lewisham and Tower Hamlets	637	20 March 1991	15 May 1991	4 December 1991	12 February 1992	29 April 1992
Tower Hamlets—boundary with Hackney	634	12 April 1991	7 June 1991	—	—	13 April 1992
Waltham Forest—boundaries with Enfield, Hackney, Haringey and Epping Forest and part of Enfield's boundary with Epping Forest	618	19 September 1988	14 November 1988	26 April 1991	21 June 1991	28 Februarry 1992

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to make orders implementing the various final reports of the Local Government Boundary Commission into the boundaries of London boroughs; and if he will make a statement.

The first order is expected to be made by the end of June; others where the proposals have been accepted should have orders made later this year.

The information is set out in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the Local Government Boundary Commission to have completed its examination of the boundaries of all London boroughs.

By 31 October 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if there are any proposed boundary changes in London for which the Local Government Boundary Commission has yet to issue first draft proposals.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the legislative measures that govern the work of the Local Government Boundary Commission and the criteria it uses to review local government boundaries.

The Local Government Boundary Commission is required under section 48(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 to carry out local government reviews as directed by the Secretary of State.The commission must have regard to the need for effective and convenient local government.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Local Government Commission for England is to carry out an examination of the structure of local government in London; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans to change the general structure of local government in London. The Local Government Act 1992 provides for changes to local government structure to be made only where unitary authorities do not already exist—that is, in the shire counties of England. The new Local Government Commission will, however, have the power to recommend changes to local government boundaries and electoral arrangements in any area, including London.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what ways he intends to support the criminal justice services; and if he will list the services he intends to support and the resources which will be available to them.

The main aims of the criminal justice system are detailed in paragraph 4.1 of the Home Office annual report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.My right hon. and learned Friend will continue the Government's support for the criminal justice services for which he has responsibility by ensuring that they can operate within an appropriate legislative framework, supported where necessary by administrative guidance, and by making appropriate financial provision. The criminal justice services for which he has statutory responsibility are prisons, for which the Home Office is directly responsible, and the police and probation services. In addition, the Home Office provides funding for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. In the current financial year, the Home Office will provide the following financial resources in the discharge of these responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking relating to the allocation of the various responsibilities of the police and others, in relation to anti-terrorist activities on the British mainland.

I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on Friday 8 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Boundary Commission to publish its findings for parliamentary seats in the county of Essex.

I understand that the Boundary Commission for England has not yet decided when it will publish its provisional recommendations for the county of Essex, although it is likely that this will be towards the end of the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the parliamentary boundary commission to begin consultation on the review of parliamentary boundaries in London; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the Boundary Commission for England has not yet decided when it will publish its provisional recommendations for London boroughs, although it is likely that this will be towards the end of the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the legislative measures which govern the work of the parliamentary boundary commission and the criteria it uses to review parliamentary boundaries.

The legislation that governs the work of the parliamentary boundary commissions is the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986. The criteria used to review parliamentary boundaries are set out in schedule 2 to that Act which gives the rules for the redistribution of seats.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales will be working on the basis of the existing local government boundaries or the eventual government proposals for new boundaries.

The local government boundaries which will be used by the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales in its next general review of constituencies will depend upon the timing of that review. This has yet to be decided.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish legislation arising out of the consultation paper dealing with the law on squatting; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are committed to improving remedies against squatting. A consultation paper setting out various options was published last October, requesting comments by 31 March. A wide variety of individuals and organisations responded.These comments will be valuable in guiding work by ourselves and other Government Departments in determining how best to improve law in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what forms he holds information on the numbers of postal, proxy and expatriate votes issued and used during the 1987 and 1992 general elections.

The number of electors on the postal voters list and the number of postal ballot paper covering envelopes returned at the 1987 general election were published in "Election Expenses, a Return of the Expenses of each Candidate"—HC426—by HMSO. The statistics for the 1992 general election are currently being compiled from returns made by acting returning officers and will be published in due course. Information about the number of proxy voters voting in person—whether on behalf of United Kingdom residents or overseas electors—is not collected centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on Monday 11 May 1992, at column 20, for information about overseas electors.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to institute an inquiry into the activities of ticket touts at this year's Football Association cup final.

No. The distribution and sale of tickets for this event is a matter for the Football Association. The investigation of any criminal offences which may have been committed is an operational matter for the police. There is no role here for the Home Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department last conducted a survey of the ethnic origin of its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

A survey of the ethnic origins of staff was undertaken in 1990 since when our data base has been continuously updated as new staff join the Department. In addition in 1990 this Department launched its own programme of action to achieve equality of opportunity for people of ethnic minority origin. We have already achieved the objective to establish ethnic origin data on 98 per cent. of our staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and overall in his Department are members of ethnic minorities.

We do not hold information on the ethnic origin of all our staff but of those who have responded to the ethnic monitoring survey—98 per cent.—those from ethnic minorities at 1 May 1992 are:

	Number	Percentage
Grade 1–4	0	0
Grade 5–6	6	1
Grade 7	7	4
Overall	199	8

The survey was conducted on the understanding that anonymity would be preserved. Any further breakdown of the figures could identify individuals and cannot therefore be provided. The figures provided for each grade are on a head count basis and include grade equivalents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.

Recruitment of grades above administrative officer is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services agency on behalf of the Civil Service Commissioners. Various steps have been taken by the agency to aid recruitment of members of ethnic minorities including the increase of contacts with minority communities and extending links with universities, polytechnics and tertiary colleges to attract a wider range of applicants generally and specifically from ethnic minorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what advice has been given by his Department to local education authorities on how to deal with bullying in schools;(2) what representations he has received about the incidence of bullying in secondary schools;(3) how many cases of bullying have been drawn to the attention of his Department over the past five years.

The report of the committee of inquiry into discipline in schools, chaired by Lord Elton and published in 1989, contained advice on bullying. Copies of the report were sent to all schools and local education authorities in England and Wales. The Department is currently funding research to identify successful intervention strategies in order to provide practical advice to all schools when the project is completed in August 1993. There are no central records on bullying.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received about automatic membership of the National Union of Students.

During the course of the consultations initiated by the Government on student unions, my right hon. Friend has received a variety of representations on the membership of campus unions and the National Union of Students. Students' membership of the NUS is indirect: it is a confederation of those campus unions which choose to affiliate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the access funds;(2) what plans exist to increase the size of the access funds;(3) what representations he has received about the adequacy of the access funds.

The present access funds are adequate for their purpose if properly targeted. The Government will consider future provision in this year's public expenditure survey. This will take into account representations received from various organisations and institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the current size of the access funds; what is the total number of students eligible for those funds; and what were the size of the funds and the number of students when the access funds were first introduced.

This year £25.8 million is available for England, Wales and Scotland and an estimated 863,000 higher and further education students are eligible for the access funds. For 1990–91 the figures were £25 million and 768,000 students. It is for institutions to decide which students should receive payments from their funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total number of outstanding inquiries received about obtaining grant-maintained status.

There is no official record of inquiries about obtaining grant-maintained status; however, there are 43 outstanding proposals published by governors of schools seeking to obtain grant-maintained status.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary schools have become grant-maintained.

There are 34 grant-maintained primary schools in England, with a further seven so far approved to begin in September 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what action he intends to take to facilitate grant-maintained schools becoming city technology colleges.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear his commitment to extending the benefits of city technology colleges to schools wishing to become grant-maintained technology colleges. The Government will be setting out their proposals for this and other measures to extend parental choice and the diversity of schools in a White Paper to be published by the end of the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total number of grant-maintained schools.

There are 217 GM schools operating in England, with a further 31 so far approved to begin in September 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the current average length of time taken to determine grant-maintained status.

The current average length of time from publication of proposals to decision is approximately 4·5 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many denominational schools have obtained grant-maintained status; and how many inquiries are outstanding from such schools for grant-maintained status.

There are 17 denominational grant-maintained schools. Proposals for a further four have been approved. Proposals from two further schools will be determined in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to encourage greater co-operation between police and schools.

Under the Education (No. 2) Act 1986, school governing bodies are required to report annually to parents on steps taken to strengthen links with the community, including the police. Advice on good practice in police/school liaison was contained in HM inspectorate's publication "Our Policeman" published in 1989. The Elton report on "Discipline in Schools", distributed to all LEAs and schools in March 1989, also gave advice on links with the police. The Department is currently funding a research project by the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders on the role of the education service in youth crime prevention. My right hon. Friend will wish to review the general question of links between schools and the police in the light of the outcomes of that project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to reduce the incidence of truancy in schools;(2) what is the estimated level of truancy in secondary schools

Truancy is a serious matter. It undermines the educational process and contributes to the juvenile crime rate. Figures are not collected centrally, but truancy is known to be particularly prevalent in the latter years of secondary schooling, where as many as one in five pupils in some schools truant. The Department is currently supporting through the grants for education support and training—GEST—programme projects in a number of LEAs designed to improve school attendance.My right hon. Friend intends to make truancy a priority for the Department. In order to establish the full extent of the problem, maintained schools are required, from August 1992, to publish their rates of unauthorised absence. From this school year reports to parents on individual pupils will also record instances of truancy. In accordance with the parents charter commitment, the Government intend to require the collection of truancy information for local comparative tables from 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward plans to reform teacher training to provide for greater time to be spent on the practical as distinct from the theoretical aspect of teaching.

The Government issued in January a consultation document with proposals for the reform of the training of secondary school teachers. My right hon. Friend is studying the responses to those proposals and the advice he has recently received on the proposals from the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. It remains our intention to see a start made this September in the introduction of reforms on the lines we have proposed. The Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education has also been asked to advise on the reform of training for primary school teachers, taking account of the report on curriculum organisation and classroom practice in primary schools which was issued in February. The council has been asked to provide its advice by June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the disciplinary measures available to teachers in secondary schools.

Effective learning can take place only in an orderly atmosphere. Headteachers are responsible for maintaining discipline within their schools on a day-to-day basis in accordance with any general principles set out by the governing body. Within the policies of individual schools teachers are free to adopt a range of disciplinary measures other than corporal punishment, which is prohibited in maintained schools and for certain categories of pupils in some independent schools. The Elton report on "Discipline in Schools", distributed to all LEAs and schools in March 1989, gave practical advice on action at school and classroom level to promote good behaviour and tackle bad behaviour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement about his plans regarding league tables of schools by examination results; and if he will make it his policy to broaden such tables to take account of a range of other factors including socio-economic, regional and ethnic mixes.

New regulations governing the publication of comparative tables of schools' performance in 1992 will be published later this month, together with a circular setting out the Government's policy.The Department will continue to examine ways of improving the tables in future years, including the possible use of measures of pupils' progress through the national curriculum when the necessary information is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of non-teaching staff employed by local education authorities and the Department of Education, full-time equivalents.

In December 1991, a total of 364,500 full-time equivalent staff other than teachers and lecturers were employed in local authority education in England. A further 2,400 full-time equivalent staff are currently employed in the Department for Education and Her Majesty's inspectorate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the number of teachers in local authority-funded schools, full-time equivalents.

In January 1991, a total of 392,500 full-time equivalent—FTE—teachers were employed in the LEA-maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools sector in England. A further 2,400 FTE teachers were employed in grant-maintained schools in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the implementation of the Education (Schools) Act 1992.

I have decided to recommend to the Queen in Council that Her Majesty should appoint Professor Stewart Sutherland, Vice-Chancellor of the university of London, as Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in England for five years in the first instance with effect from I September 1992. I am delighted to have been able to secure Professor Sutherland's services for this important new job. I should like to thank the university of London for having accepted that he should take on this responsibility concurrently with the balance of his term as Vice-Chancellor of London university and indeed to be available immediately to help with the preparations for the new office.The new schools inspection arrangements which we enacted in the last Parliament are a key component of the parents charter published last autumn. Professor Sutherland will bring just the right blend of academic distinction, administrative experience, authority and commitment to ensure the success of this initiative.So as to be able to receive advice on matter relating to the strategic planning of the new office I have today appointed Professor Sutherland as a part-time consultant to the Department on the creation of the office of Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he intends to make for national curriculum assessments in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

I have today published for consultation draft orders to govern the assessment under the national curriculum in 1993 of seven-year-olds in the core subjects —English, mathematics, science—and technology, history and geography, and of 14-year-olds in the core subjects and technology. I am placing copies of the draft orders, together with drafts of the accompanying circulars, in the Libraries of both Houses.Next year's assessment of 14-year-olds will be the first under statutory arrangements. They will apply to all maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and such independent schools as choose to participate. The key main features will be:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what contribution his Department has (a) made to date and (b) plans to make to the revision of waste management paper No. 6 on technical guidance on the treatment and disposal of polychlorinated byphenel wastes.

Waste management papers are produced by the Department of the Environment who will be consulting other Government Departments including the Welsh Office on the revision of waste management paper No. 6.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he intends to make for the national curriculum assessment arrangements in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I have today published for consultation, in parallel with the Secretary of State for Education, draft orders to govern next year's arrangements to assess 14-year-olds in Wales, and those for seven-year-olds will be published later this week.Next year's assessments will be the first statutory arrangements for 14-year-olds and will cover the core subjects, technology and, where taught, Welsh second language. The arrangements are intended to be rigorous and informative and will comprise:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there has been any change in the unions recognised to represent the crews of RMS St. Helena.

Recognition of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers—RMT—was withdrawn by the St. Helena Government with effect from 1 January 1992. The St. Helena Government will recognise the St. Helena General Workers Union or any other local body or group selected by the crew to represent them in negotiations with the employers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent arrangements have been made about the salaries of the officers and crew of RMS St. Helena.

These arrangements are a matter for the St. Helena Government, as employers, and the officers and ratings and not for Her Majesty's Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those companies qualifying to tender for the new RMS St. Helena contract.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: The closing date for companies to express an interest in tendering for the new contract for the management of RMS St. Helena was Friday 8 May. The indications are that there has been a very substantial response. A decision on those who will be invited to tender will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether copies of the full report, or a salient summary, of the Overseas Development Administration's report "Children by Choice not Chance" will be made available by the British delegation to the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in June.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: Yes, copies of "Children by Choice not Chance" will be made available by the British delegation at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in June. Copies of the booklet were also distributed to participants at a preparatory meeting for the conference last August.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Overseas Development Administration was represented at the lecture on wise forest management by Don Cleary at the recent Oxford tropical forest conference; and what action is being taken in the area of forest management.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: The ODA was represented at the Oxford Forestry Institute tropical forestry conference. Promoting the sustainable management of tropical forests is the prime purpose of ODA-funded activities in this field. It includes taking full account of relevant social issues.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any plans to change the way in which his Department collects data on the agricultural industry; and if he will make a statement.

The ways in which my Department collects statistical data on the agricultural industry are kept under continual review, including through the survey control system. I have no plans at present for significant changes.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances his Department sends in its veterinary services to investigate cases of salmonella poisoning in cattle; what charges are then payable by the farmers concerned; and whether these arrangements differ depending upon whether farmers are involved in milk or meat production.

The Zoonoses Order 1989 requires isolations of salmonella to be notified to a veterinary officer of the Ministry. The action taken by the Ministry on receipt of a salmonella report depends on the circumstances of the case and in particular whether it is considered to be primarily an animal health matter or a human health risk.The responsibility for dealing with animal health matters rests with the farmer's veterinary surgeon since the animals are under his care. If the veterinary surgeon requests further advice from the Ministry's state veterinary service, on an animal health matter, an advisory visit to the farm would be provided on a chargeable basis.The charge for an advisory visit is based on the time spent by the veterinary investigation officer on the farm with possible additional charges for any laboratory examinations carried out on samples taken during the visit.Where the Ministry considers that there are significant human health risks associated with the case the matter is investigated free of charge by the state veterinary service in collaboration, where appropriate, with the local medical and environmental health authorities. The farmer's veterinary surgeon is informed of the action to be taken.These procedures apply irrespective of whether a farmer is involved in milk or meat production.

To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy on measures to supplement European Community requirements for fisheries conservation.

The EC Fisheries Council agreed in October 1991 on a significant package of technical conservation measures which take effect from 1 June 1992. United Kingdom fishermen made it clear that they were willing to go further in some respects in order to help conservation. After consulting the industry we have decided to apply the following additional and complementary measures on a national basis from 1 June.For all United Kingdom vessels we shall operate a minimum landing size for whiting maintained at 27 cm rather than reduced to 23 cm as allowed for by the EC; an anti-ballooning provision for whitefish fisheries which is designed to prevent closure of meshes by requiring the circumference of the cod end of the net to be no greater than that of the adjacent part of the net.In the North sea and west of Scotland area where the EC's minimum mesh size is to increase to 100 mm for roundfish fisheries the EC's further measure to permit the optional use of a square mesh panel will be adopted. While we shall no longer require a 90 mm square mesh panel in a 90 mm diamond mesh net, mesh selectivity will be enhanced by the EC provision to limit the number of meshes round the cod end and our own anti-ballooning provision.To complement the increase in the EC's minimum mesh size in the Irish sea from 70 to 80 mm we shall increase our present unilateral requirement for a square mesh panel from 75 to 80 mm for all whitefish nets with meshes between 80 and 89 mm inclusive in the Irish sea—area VIIA—and also apply the same requirement in area VI south of 56° N to remove the anomalous position of this area and to assist enforcement.We shall continue to require the use of an 80 mm square mesh panel when fishing for nephrops in areas IV and VI. We shall retain the present requirement for a 75 mm square mesh panel for nephrops nets with meshes of between 70 and 85 mm inclusive in the Irish sea—area VIIa—and introduce it for all nephrops nets in the rest of area VII. In this way the discards of young whitefish from all nephrops fisheries undertaken by United Kingdom vessels should be reduced.Further, from 1 June all licensed fishing vessels will be subject to a one net rule, designed to improve the enforcement of minimum mesh size nets, and we intend to apply it to smaller vessels when licensing is extended to them.The necessary regulations will be laid shortly.I greatly welcome the constructive response of the United Kingdom fishing industry to the need for national measures to supplement the new Community measures being applied from 1 June because as a significant fishing nation we have a strong interest in making conservation work. We will continue to work for agreement on similar measures and further improvements in the EC technical conservation measures, but in the meanwhile the national measures which we are introducing will make an important additional contribution to conserving the stocks, including hard-pressed haddock and cod stocks in the North sea, of which United Kingdom fishermen take 89 per cent. and 46 per cent. respectively. These conservation measures are vital to our fishermen's long-term future and to our consumers.We are very pleased that the Irish Government too intend to maintain the minimum landing size for whiting for Irish vessels at 27cm. We regard this joint move in the Irish sea as very important and we are exploring ways of taking this collaboration further.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when traffic calming measures are being considered, what discretion exists for local authorities to decide the distance between humps installed on urban roads.

Local highway authorities are required to comply with the Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1990 which state, in regulation 2, that road humps forming a series of two or more shall be spaced so that not less than 20 m nor more than 150 m lies between one hump and the one next to it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints the Department has received from road users about the installation of road humps.

There have been some complaints, but no central record is kept of the number of these and it would not be economic to produce such figures. Most representations received by the Department about road humps are positive and relate to practical advice on siting and installation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations the Department has received from the Road Haulage Association, bus users' associations and other similar trade bodies about road humps.

Comments were received from a wide range of interested organisations including the Road Haulage Association and bus users' associations who were consulted when the road humps regulations were made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how much the port of Tilbury was sold; and what was the valuation of the port of Tilbury, as advised to him or the Port of London Authority, prior to the sale.

The port of Tilbury was sold to International Transport Ltd, a management and employee buy-out team, at a price of £32 million. Prior to the sale the Port of London Authority, as the vendors, were advised of benchmark valuation ranges for the sale of the port of Tilbury of £27 million to £37 million for a trade sale and of £25 million to £34 million for a leveraged buy-out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to meet a deputation from the Stockport metropolitan borough council to discuss the line of route of the Stockport north-south A6(M) bypass.

Arrangements for a meeting will be put in hand shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has received to improve services on the northern line of London Underground.

The service has already improved significantly. London Underground Limited has a number of proposals to improve it further, not all of which require Government approval. LUL's intention is to undertake full modernisation of the Northern line following the modernisation of the Central line which is currently under way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will carry out an integrated transport study before making a decision to proceed with either of the proposed routes for the M1-M62 link road; and if he will make a statement.

No. The proposed M1-M62 link road is designed to overcome road traffic problems which already exist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to assist Essex county council to bring forward funding for road projects in south-east Essex; and if he will visit the area to assess the need for himself.

I shall give careful consideration to any proposals which the county may wish to make as part of their bid for transport supplementary grant and credit approvals for capital spending on local roads in 1993–94.I have no plans at present to visit south-east Essex. There are regular meetings between Department of Transport officials and officers of the county council, and the Department is kept well informed about the county's needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the annual rate of death and serious injury on the roads for each quarter from 1986 and show index figures, using the latest quarter as 100.

The information requested is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce his decision following the most recent public inquiry into the junction of the A664 with the M66.

The inspector's report is expected shortly. I shall make an announcement as soon as I have considered it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will discuss with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis the designation of High street north, Katherine road, Green street and Upton lane in the London borough of Newham as streets for wheel clamping for unlawfully parked vehicles.

It is for local highway authorities to apply to the Secretary of State to authorise wheelclamping in their area. The police would then be consulted. No such application has been received from the London borough of Newham.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the regulations governing major transport projects under the Transport and Works Act 1992; and when guidelines affecting the new procedures might be made available.

A draft of the rules to govern applications for, and objections to, orders was issued on 2 January. A revised draft will be circulated for comment in the next two to three weeks. A draft of the rules on procedures for public inquiries will be published shortly. We shall consult on the administrative guidelines when the application and inquiries' rules have been settled in principle.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if a date during 1992–93 has yet been established for the installation of emergency telephones on the Al2; and if he will make a statement.

Detailed design work for the installation of emergency telephones on the A 12 Chelmsford bypass is currently being carried out. Once the design has been finalised the programme for installation will be drawn up. Only then will a specific date for completion be available.Funds have been set aside for completion of the work in this financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will carry out an inquiry in his Department to assess the role of the Department at the time when the late Robert Maxwell acquired British International Helicopters; and if he will make a statement about what he now intends to do to help British International Helicopters staff.

I see no need for an inquiry. British International Helicopters—BIH—formerly British Airways Helicopters Limited—BAHL—a subsidiary of British Airways, was sold in September 1986. The decision to sell BAHL and the details of the negotiations were commercial matters for the British Airways Board.British International Helicopters is presently in joint administration and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on how the administrator is pursuing his responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect on road accident figures was recorded following the introduction of speed calming humps on the M4 approach to the Wye river bridge.

These rumble strips, which were not humps, were installed as part of a comprehensive scheme of traffic management during the strengthening and resurfacing work on the Severn crossing. It is not possible to say what effect they alone had on the accident rate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the mid-1991 estimates by the Register-General of Populations of those aged 17 years and over, plus 63 per cent. of those aged 16 years for each district council area and parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland, together in each case with the 1992 electoral registration figures.

Estimates of those aged 17 years and over, and of those aged 16, are not available in the form requested. The 1992 electoral registration figures, however, are as follows:

United Kingdom Parliamentary Constituency Totals for 1992
	Total
Belfast East	53,375
Belfast North	55,587
Belfast South	52,556
Belfast West	55,280
East Antrim	63,739
East Londonderry	76,912
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	71,472
Foyle	75,970
Lagan Valley	73,688
Mid Ulster	70,410
Newry and Armagh	68,716
North Antrim	70,217
North Down	69,604
Strangford	69,855
South Antrim	68,292
South Down	77,371
Upper Bann	68,422
Total	1,141,466

(ii) Northern Ireland district council totals for 1992
	Total
Derry	63,309
Limavady	19,282
Coleraine	37,138
Ballymoney	17,610
Moyle	10,509
Larne	22,318
Ballymena	42,091

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what forms he holds information on the numbers of postal, proxy and expatriate votes issued and used during the 1987 and 1992 general elections.

The chief electoral officer for Northern Ireland holds information, defined by parliamentary constituency, on the number of postal votes issued and the number of postal votes returned. He also records the number of proxies appointed and the number of overseas voters registered but not the number of proxy or overseas votes cast.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and overall in his Department are members of ethnic minorities.

The information requested in respect of grades 1 to 7 in the Treasury is shown in the table. Ethnic origin data is held for 87 per cent. of Treasury staff and of this total 8 per cent. are from ethnic minorities. Figures reflect the position as at 1 January 1992 and are for non-industrials only, including agency staff.

Ethnic minorities
Grade	Number	Per cent.
1 and 1A	—	—
2	—	—
3	—	—
4	—	—
5	—	—
6	—	—
7	2	1

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at Her Majesty's Treasury and other departments within his responsibility.

Recruitment to senior grades of the civil service is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services agency on behalf of the Civil Service Commissioners. Various steps have been taken by these bodies and by the Chancellor's departments to aid recruitment of members of ethnic minorities including increasing contacts with minority communities including image-building publicity in the ethnic minority press; extending links with polytechnics, universities and tertiary colleges to attract a wider range of applicants generally and specifically from ethnic minority communities; increasing representation of ethnic minorities among career liaison staff and on selection panels; ensuring that recruitment brochures reflect a multi-racial work force; organising equal opportunities training for those involved in selection; and using validated selection procedures to ensure that selection is fair and non-discriminatory.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department last conducted a survey of the ethnic origin of its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

A survey of members of Treasury staff for whom no ethnic origins information was held was undertaken in December 1990. The total proportion of Treasury staff for whom ethnic origin data is held now stands at 87 per cent. Consideration is being given to whether a further survey should be conducted to try and increase the coverage of the Department's ethnic origin database.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the number of (a) Spanish and (b) Dutch vessels registered as British whose skippers and crews pay income tax and national insurance contributions in the United Kingdom.

I regret that this information is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will remove VAT from sanitary towels and other related products;(2) if he will make a statement on the reasons for the maintenance of VAT on sanitary towels and other related protection.

VAT was designed as a broad-based tax on consumer expenditure, including many essential goods and services, and reliefs have to be firmly restricted. In any event, EC VAT law prohibits the introduction of any new zero rates.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the level of investment in manufacturing industry in 1979; and what it is currently.

Estimates of manufacturing investment at constant prices may be obtained from the CSO database which is accessible through the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the current share of Government spending in gross domestic product;(2) if he will set out the share of Government spending in gross domestic product in each year since 1978.

Figures for general Government—central Government plus local authorities—total expenditure on goods and services as a percentage of the expenditure-based measure of gross domestic product, both at current market prices, from 1978 to 1991, are given in the table.

Year	Percentage
1978	22·5
1979	22·2
1980	23·5
1981	23·4
1982	23·2
1983	23·5
1984	23·6
1985	22·8
1986	22·6
1987	22·0
1988	21·0
1989	21·2
1990	22·3
1991	22·3

Figures for financial years for the ratio of general Government expenditure excluding privatisation proceeds to gross domestic product were set out in the 1992–93 "Financial Statement and Budget Report", table 2A.1.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps will be taken to reduce the share of national income taken by the public sector as outlined in the Queen's Speech; and what services are targeted for reduction.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: Decisions on public spending plans for the next three years will be announced, in the usual way, in the autumn statement.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what date is laid down in the time limit contained in article 7a of the treaty of Rome referred to in the revised article 99 in paragraph 20 of article G of the treaty of European union.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: The date specified is 31 December 1992.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the significance of the reference to article 7a in the revised article 99 under paragraph 20 of article G of the Maastricht treaty; and which articles of the treaty of Rome are amended by the provision.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: Article 7a is article 8a of the treaty of Rome as amended by the Single European Act as it is proposed to be renumbered by the Maastricht treaty. A consequence of this proposed renumbering is that the reference to article 8a in article 99 of the treaty of Rome also needs to be changed. The change is therefore one of numbering with no further practical significance.It does not amend any other articles of the treaty of Rome.