To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to eliminate favourable tax treatment of company cars.

The Government's policy is that, so far as possible, there should be broad neutrality in the tax treatment of remuneration paid in cash and in kind. In keeping with that policy, the aim has been to ensure that the statutory income tax scale charges realistically reflect the value to an employee of the benefit of the availability of a car for private use. That has involved substantial increases in the level of the scales since 1979.With a view to further improvements in the neutrality and fairness of the car scales, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget statement that he proposes to introduce price-based scale charges for company cars as soon as practicable. The Inland Revenue will be publishing a consultative document on this in the summer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what have been both the revenue produced by capital gains tax and the cost of raising that tax in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

The most recent published figures of capital gains tax yield and the cost of administration for years up to 1990–91 are set out in the table.

£Million
	1987–88	1988–89	11989–90	11990–91
Cost of administration2	25·1	26·6	34·3	39·0
Yield	1,379·0	2,323·0	1,854·0	1,852·0
1 Manpower usage and costs of administration for 198–0 have been adjusted to reflect a new basis of costing. Direct comparison of these and later figures with those of earlier years may be misleading. More detail regarding this adjustment is given in the board's report for the year ending 31 March 1991.
2 Costs are based on total departmental expenditure.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had in respect of the removal of VAT from all electronic aids for blind and visually disabled people; and what plans he has to remove VAT from such aids.

Treasury Ministers receive occasional individual representations about the liability to VAT of a variety of electronic aids for blind and visually disabled people. There is already relief from VAT for goods designed solely for use by the blind, but there are no plans to extend this relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed to the tax rules for life assurance companies.

A few life assurance companies are contesting the long-standing interpretation of the law which allows the Inland Revenue to tax the investment return accruing for the benefit of policy holders when the company makes a trading loss. Income and capital gains taxed in this way are reflected in benefits which are received, by most policy holders, without any further tax charge.If the challenge were successful, the Exchequer cost in the current year would be around £450 million because tax liabilities for a number of past years have not been finalised. The ongoing Exchequer cost would be up to £100 million a year.Recent reforms of the taxation of life assurance have been designed to remove distortions and differential distributions of the tax burden between companies. The Government believe that the interpretation put forward by the life assurance companies concerned would lead to an uneven incidence of taxation between companies and in the benefits going to policy holders; and awaiting the outcome of the companies' challenge would result in considerable uncertainty, possibly over a period of years.The Chancellor therefore proposes to bring forward in the forthcoming Finance Bill legislation which will have retrospective effect to confirm the existing long-standing basis of taxing proprietary life assurance companies. It is the Government's intention to introduce a new clause in Committee together with any necessary Ways and Means resolution.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any changes are proposed to the tax treatment of multinational companies.

A recent decision of the special commissioners ruled that certain payments made under equity notes—perpetual debt instruments where the loan is not repaid—were interest for tax purposes.The two main grounds on which the special commissioners gave their decision were that the particular wording of the relevant double taxation agreement did not prevent such payments being interest for the purposes of that agreement and that section 209 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 did not treat such payments as distributions.If no action were taken there could be a loss to the Exchequer of up to £150 million a year. The Government therefore propose to bring forward legislation in the forthcoming Finance Bill.The legislation will have two components. First, it will restore the general understanding of certain of the United Kingdom's double taxation agreements to what it was before the decision. Second, it will establish the relevant domestic law to include payments made under equity notes in the definition of distributions. The legislation will apply to all payments made from midnight tonight.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what examination his Department has made of the treaty of European union signed at Maastricht for incompatibility with existing EEC law; and what discrepancies have been discovered.

[holding answer 11 May 1992]: My Department examined the treaty on European union very thoroughly throughout the negotiations leading to its signature, but since the purpose of the treaty is to add to or amend the provisions of the treaty of Rome, which is the basis of all Community law, the issue of incompatibility with existing EC law does not arise.

Parliamentary electors registered in each constituency in Greater Manchester, 1983 to 1987
Parliamentary constituency	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
Altrincham and Sale BC	66,838	67,330	67,591	67,775	68,407	68,531	68,284	67,838	67,135	66,985
Ashton under Lyne BC	59,568	59,611	59,217	59,140	59,019	59,168	59,071	59,320	59,221	59,170
Bolton North East BC	59,719	60,286	60,340	59,939	60,149	59,841	59,490	59,782	59,997	59,209
Botlton South East BC	68,394	67,676	67,170	66,879	66,803	66,564	66,117	66,471	66,671	66,245
Bolton West CC	68,221	69,081	69,739	70,208	70,722	70,699	71,448	72,526	72,820	72,067
Bury North BC	66,960	67,553	67,899	68,170	68,830	69,390	69,612	70,411	70,172	70,313
Bury South BC	65,642	65,607	65,681	65,672	65,785	66,154	65,641	66,157	66,122	66,456
Cheadle BC	67,334	67,810	68,456	68,876	69,137	69,434	68,995	68,085	67,276	66,934
Davyhulme BC	65,790	66,153	66,060	66,227	66,331	66,017	65,221	64,449	63,695	63,279
Denton and Reddish BC	69,430	69,612	69,457	69,735	70,218	70,586	70,303	70,041	69,462	69,048
Eccles BC	68,016	67,977	67,502	67,639	67,529	67,179	66,466	66,334	65,760	65,326
Hazel Grove CC	64,348	64,896	65,046	65,499	66,506	66,635	66,309	66,003	65,344	65,034
Heywood and Middleton CC	60,348	60,973	61,204	61,008	60,111	59,451	58,175	58,112	57,697	57,796
Leigh BC	68,764	69,056	68,954	69,407	69,925	70,236	70,257	70,708	70,492	70,706
Littleborough and Saddleworth CC	64,660	65,490	66,257	66,597	66,795	66,446	66,134	66,564	66,316	66,304
Makerfield CC	69,935	70,308	70,850	71,289	71,549	71,637	71,316	71,798	71,803	72,034
Manchester, Blackley BC	60,861	60,814	60,769	60,482	59,799	58,521	56,100	55,669	55,902	55,701
Manchester, Central BC	70,088	68,637	66,903	65,767	64,000	61,374	57,296	56,319	57,176	56,907
Manchester, Gorton BC	65,394	65,183	64,991	65,023	65,221	64,613	62,290	62,380	62,710	62,848
Manchester, Withington BC	65,354	65,407	65,297	66,178	66,295	65,846	64,103	64,054	64,138	64,313
Manchester, Wythenshawe BC	61,876	61,234	60,646	60,314	59,403	57,982	55,903	55,061	54,807	54,045
Oldham Central and Royton BC	67,818	67,309	67,214	66,630	65,845	64,041	62,960	62,840	62,177	61,902
Oldham West BC	58,077	58,428	58,507	58,228	57,698	56,694	55,474	55,252	54,779	54,519
Rochdale BC	67,456	68,158	69,169	69,019	69,477	69,309	69,875	70,127	70,301	70,297
Salford East BC	64,649	63,506	61,089	59,687	58,518	56,925	55,007	54,271	53,199	52,928
Stalybridge and Hyde CC	68,654	68,679	68,405	68,638	68,720	68,452	68,177	68,491	68,739	68,772
Stockport BC	59,389	59,904	59,806	60,292	60,618	60,654	60,219	59,920	58,997	58,558
Stretford BC	58,108	58,593	58,432	58,419	58,246	57,188	55,567	55,013	54,903	54,874
Wigan BC	73,100	72,888	72,584	72,472	72,842	72,989	73,274	73,680	73,506	73,381
Worsley CC	72,941	73,616	73,608	73,721	73,918	74,062	73,660	73,917	72,974	72,841
Total	1,967,731	1,971,775	1,968,843	1,968,929	1,968,416	1,956,618	1,932,744	1,931,593	1,924,291	1,918,792

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-patients were waiting for a first out-patient appointment on 31 March in each individual health authority in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the number of overseas voters registered for each constituency on the electoral register currently in force.

The information requested has been placed in the Library. It will be included in the publication "1992 Electoral Statistics", series EL No. 19, in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total number of electors registered in each constituency in Greater Manchester (a) on the current electoral register and (b) on the registers in force for each of the years 1983–84 to 1991–92.

The information requested is given in the table:

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

Under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, I understand that arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 22 to 26 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she has identified any further candidates for agency status under the next steps initiative within her Department.

Following a detailed feasibility study, we have identified the Department's NHS superannuation branch as a candidate for executive agency status.We are confident that the move to agency status will be beneficial, enabling the agency to operate with greater freedom and clearer responsibility within an agreed framework of objectives, performance targets and resources, thus improving the service provided to the pension scheme members.Detailed discussions on an agency framework document have been set in hand with a view to establishing NHS Pensions as an executive agency in the second half of 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to control the current epidemic of shigella sonnei infection in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Reports of shigella sonnei have recently shown a marked increase in some localities, as previously occurred in 1977 and 1984. Action for dealing with local outbreaks of such diseases is the responsibility of both the environmental health department and the district health authority's consultant in communicable disease control. An environmental health officer will normally visit the school or other establishment affected and provide on the spot advice.The Public Health Laboratory Service also provides advice and assistance for the control of outbreaks of shigella sonnei via its 52 area and regional public health laboratories. A working group has been established by the PHLS to determine whether further steps might be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she now expects to table a motion to the House on the proposed ban on tobacco advertising in EC document 6748/91.

The House's scrutiny of this document was not completed before the Dissolution. It will be for the Select Committee on European Legislation, when established, to decide what further scrutiny is required in this Parliament.

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

The home civil service is fully committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all applicants, including any from ethnic minorities. The Northern Ireland Office is an equal opportunity employer and this is emphasised in all our recruiting campaigns and advertising. If direct recruitment for certain senior posts in the Northern Ireland Office were to be necessary, it would be conducted with guidance from the Civil Service Commission. The Northern Ireland civil service has not taken any specific action to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment. All recruitment is on the basis of merit in fair and open competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applicants are on the priority waiting list for homes in the boroughs of (a) Ards and (b) Castlereagh; and how many new homes are planned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in each of the boroughs in 1992, 1993 and 1994, respectively.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive whose chief executive has advised me that at 30 April 1992 there were 140 applicants in the priority category on the executive's waiting list in the borough of Ards and 109 in Castlereagh. The number of new homes planned by the executive is as follows:

	Ards borough	Castlereagh borough
1992–93	146	30
1993–94	133	25
1994–95	129	5

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will institute an inquiry into the Seekers estate agency franchise business.

I cannot comment on the affairs of individual companies or persons. I am prepared to consider any information the hon. Member may provide which might warrant an inquiry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade 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.

Voluntary surveys were last conducted in 1988 (DTI) and 1990 (Department of Energy). The resulting databases have been continuously updated with information on new staff and leavers. As part of departmental initiatives for action on race, an exercise aimed at improving the positive response rate was conducted in both Departments during 1991–92. A total of 88 per cent. of staff currently employed by the Department —including its executive agencies and the former Department of Energy—have declared their ethnic origin.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade 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 figures for the Department, including its executive agencies and the former Department of Energy, as at 1 January 1992 are—from an 88 per cent. positive response rate to ethnic survey:

Grade level	Number of respondents	Percentage of staff
Grade 1–4	Nil	—
Grade 5	2	1
Grade 6	6	3
Grade 7	25	2
All respondents, including industrial grades	1,287	9

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to set a target to ensure that 10 per cent. of total electricity supply stems from renewable sources by the year 2000 within the United Kingdom.

Targets for the exploitation of renewable energy are under consideration as part of the current review of the Government's renewable energy programmes.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for each year from 1982 to 1992 what financial contribution has been made by industrial sources to the research, development and demonstration programmes for renewable energy run by the energy technology support unit; and if he will break down these figures for each of biofuels, wind power, solar power, small scale hydro, geothermal, tidal power and wave power.

Annual external contributions to the renewable energy research, development and demonstration programme from the private sector, generating boards and the European Commission are listed. A breakdown of the figures by technology is not available.

	Per cent.
1981–82	1·9
1982–83	3·2
1983–84	2·0
1984–85	3·3
1985–86	2·1
1986–87	3·1
1987–88	3·9
1988–89	4·7
1989–90	5·3
1990–91	7·0

A figure for 1991–92 will be available shortly.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives he intends to make to increase the public access to information on radioactive substances.

It is the Government's policy to assist Parliament and the public by being as open as practicable in relation to information about civil radioactive substances, subject to considerations of security, commercial confidentiality and the costs of preparing the information.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the defuelling of the Berkeley nuclear power station will be complete; what additional radiation exposures to the work force were incurred during the defuelling; how many fuel rods remain in the spent fuel cooling ponds at the Berkeley site; and what plans exist for the decommissioning of the spent fuel cooling ponds at the site.

This is an operational matter for Nuclear Electric plc.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy on the future of the consultation process begun in August 1991 by the Department of Energy, on the review of nuclear research and development programmes.

The consultation process on the review of the nuclear research and development programmes of the Department of Energy—now the Department of Trade and Industry—was completed in October 1991. I intend to publish a strategy for these programmes in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has any plans to make an agreement with the Russian Federation to help clean up radioactive contamination at nuclear facilities along the lines of the co-operation agreement signed by his German and Russian counterparts in mid-March.

During a visit to Russia in March, my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal put in hand negotiations with the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation for a framework agreement to encourage technical cooperation on civil nuclear energy. The exact scope has yet to be decided.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assessment he has made of development of new technologies in coal burning power stations, including combined heat and power, in reducing carbon dioxide emissions over the next 10 years;(2) what assessment he has made of the contribution of renewable energy over the next seven years towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions;(3) what assessment he has made of the contribution of gas fired power stations towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions over the next 10 years.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish the background paper concerning the revised forecast of carbon dioxide emission in the United Kingdom for the years 2000 and 2005.

[holding answers 13 May 1992]: On 6 December 1991 the then Secretary of State for Energy provided the House with the results of further work on scenarios for United Kingdom carbon dioxide emissions. This took account of helpful developments such as proposals for more efficient gas-fired electricity generation and improvements in energy efficiency. Details of these scenarios, including their underlying assumptions, will be published in the near future.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to support a ban on whaling for commercial purposes on a permanent basis at the forthcoming Earth summit.

The Earth summit has a full agenda on a range of environmental issues; it will not be the place for detailed consideration of whaling. The United Kingdom has taken a lead in protecting whales and strongly supports the moratorium on commercial whaling, agreed by the International Whaling Commission, which has operated since 1985. The IWC is the proper place to consider the future of the moratorium; it will be discussing the matter at its next meeting in June.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those Ministers in each Department responsible for considering the environmental implications of his or her Department's policies and spending programmes; and if he will make a statement.

An updated list is currently being prepared and will be published as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister what correspondence he has received from Mr. Frank Machon regarding the alleged breach of export control restrictions over the sale of military sensitive materials to Iraq by British companies; and what response he has made.

As far as I am aware, the last correspondence from Mr. Machon was February 1991 and a reply was made on 26 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will now give the names and composition of all Cabinet committees and sub-committees.

A full list of ministerial Cabinet committees, with their terms of reference and membership, will be published shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister when the annual report of the commissioner appointed under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 will be laid before the House; and if he will make a statement.

A copy of Lord Justice Lloyd's sixth and final report, covering 1991, has been laid before the House today in accordance with section 8(7) of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. The confidential appendix to the report has been excluded from that copy in accordance with section 8(8) of the 1985 Act. I am grateful to the commissioner for his work since 1986 in reviewing the issue of warrants. I note in particular his observations that the Secretaries of State take great care to satisfy themselves that the warrants are necessary for the purposes stated in the Act, and that the system for the issue of warrants is working as intended by Parliament.Careful consideration is being given to both parts of the commissioner's report.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 May.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans his Department has as to the issue of new community radio station licences; and if he will make a statement.

The Broadcasting Act 1990 created a framework for the development of a wide range of types and sizes of new independent radio services. Licences are awarded by the Radio Authority.I am pleased to see that so far the authority has awarded 14 local radio licences and aims to continue to advertise about two further licences each month. During 1991 the authority also issued 178 short-term restricted radio licences, which a number of community groups used for special local events and to gain experience and assess audience reaction to their programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage whether he will meet representatives of pensioners' organisations to discuss free television licences.

My right hon. and learned Friend and I consider that no useful purpose would be served by a meeting with representatives of pensioners' organisations to discuss free television licences. Our policy is clear and well-known to the hon. Member. We have no plans to change the present concessionary arrangements.Free licences for pensioners, irrespective of ability to pay, would deprive the BBC of over £500 million a year. If the remaining licence holders had to make this up, they would face an increase of over 50 per cent. to more than £120 per annum for a standard licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the proposed restructuring of the Sports Council to form a United Kingdom sports commission and sports council for England, and on the chairmanships of these bodies.

In the policy statement "Sport and Active Recreation", published on 19 December 1991, the Government announced their intention to replace the Sports Council of Great Britain with a United Kingdom sports commission and a sports council for England, subject to the approval, by the Queen in Council, of the royal charters for the two new bodies.Following the transfer of responsibility for sport and recreation to the Department of National Heritage, the Government remain fully committed to this restructuring. I intend to appoint Peter Yarranton as chairman of the United Kingdom sports commission, and Ian Beer as chairman of the sports council for England. Mr. Yarranton is presently chairman of the Sports Council of Great Britain and will continue in that capacity until the transition to the new arrangements has been effected.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he plans to outline his strategy for science; and if he will make a statement.

The creation of the Office of Science and Technology by the Prime Minister underlines the Government's commitment to a strong science and technology—S and T—base in the United Kingdom. Its establishment will enable me to take an overview of S and T policy from the heart of government. I look forward to taking stock of the United Kingdom's fine record of scientific and technological achievement and of how we might best sustain and develop that in the future.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he received the interim report from the Institute of Psychiatry about the fatigue aspects of myalgic encephalomyelitis; and what action he is taking.

[holding answer 12 May 1992]: I have received no such report. The Medical Research Council is funding this research. It is not its normal practice to request interim reports from project grant holders and I understand that it has not done so in this case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review his decision to sell the former Royal Fleet Auxilliary supply ship, the Green Rover, to Indonesia.

The RFA Green Rover is a replenishment ship for fresh water, fuel and refrigerated goods. She has no offensive capability. There are no grounds for reviewing the decision to sell the ship.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will close the Defence Export Services Organisation in Indonesia.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British service personnel have been deployed with the United Nations peace-keeping force in Yugoslavia; and what other units have been deployed with this force.

At the United Nations' request, the United Kingdom is providing three military observers and a field ambulance unit of some 260 personnel for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Yugoslavia. Of these, 41 personnel, including the three military observers, are already in theatre; the main United Kingdom contingent is expected to be deployed by the first week in June. Additionally a platoon of some 40 Royal Engineers may deploy with the field ambulance for about the first two months, to prepare accommodation and services. The total United Nations force of around 14,000 should comprise 12 infantry battalions, 100 military observers, 500 civilian police monitors and service and civilian support personnel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional pay or allowances service personnel deployed on United Nations duties in (a) Yugoslavia and (b) Cambodia will receive.

Military personnel deployed in support of the United Nations do not receive additional pay and allowances other than the standard daily separation payment for those married unaccompanied personnel who qualify under normal service regulations. It is normal practice for the United Nations to meet service men's in-country costs direct but where this cannot be done, a United Nations mission subsistence allowance is paid either to the unit or, as in the case of Cambodia, direct to the individual to meet the extra cost of living in-theatre. The daily United Nations subsistence rate for Cambodia is US$110 per man.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to acquire further information about the costs of (a) ceremonial duties and (b) ceremonial uniforms.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy relating to the release of information on in-service dates for equipment currently on order.

The forecast in-service date of equipment will normally be unclassified. Although it is my Department's policy to be as open as possible about these matters, there are two categories of exception to this rule. The first is when the release of a forecast in-service date may constitute an intelligence advantage to a potential enemy. The second is when the release of the in-service date of equipment procured collaboratively is the subject of an international agreement with our partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his United States counterpart regarding the strengthening of the European contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

My right hon. and learned Friend met his United States counterpart in Washington on 11 and 12 May. They discussed a wide range of current defence topics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's review of the policy relating to ethnic monitoring within the armed forces has been completed; and if he will make a statement.

The armed forces are equal opportunity employers under the Race Relations Act 1976 and have undertaken a range of measures to increase recruitment from ethnic minority communities. To underline our commitment to equal opportunities for all ethnic groups, we have now decided to extend to serving personnel our present practice of monitoring the ethnic origins of applicants to join the armed forces. The information gathered will be used solely for monitoring our equal opportunity policy and individual's ethnic records will be guaranteed confidentiality. We have set further work in hand to draw up detailed proposals for a monitoring scheme. We intend that this will be implemented as soon as practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what response he has made to the report of the Engineering Council on technology within the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

I welcome the Engineering Council's report as a useful contribution to the monitoring and review of the implementation of the national curriculum order on technology.The National Curriculum Council keeps all the national curriculum subjects orders—including that for technology—under review and advises the Secretary of State accordingly. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will consider any such advice and make a statement in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that school cleaning is not compromised by the local management of schools; and if he will make a statement.

I see no reason why school cleaning should be compromised by local management of schools. Local education authorities are required to delegate funds for cleaning by April 1993 or as initial contracts expire, using a formula which is clear and objective. It will then be for governors to decide the level of cleaning they wish to have at their school. Some LEAs have already delegated those funds to schools and I am aware of no evidence to suggest that the quality of school cleaning is being adversely affected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to tighten the laws preventing the exploitation of the natural assets and wildlife of the seashore by private extraction companies.

The general principles which the Government pursue in relation to environmental issues are set out in the White Paper on the Environment "This Common Inheritance" (Cm 1200). The Government memorandum to the Environment Committee of the House of Commons, Session 1991–92, sets out the comprehensive nature of the present arrangements for protection of the coast.The second report of the Environment Committee on coastal zone protection and planning (No. 17) is still under consideration and the Government response will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made over the last decade of the damage to estuaries, its implications for estuarial flora and fauna, as well as adherence to international wildlife conventions; and whether he has any proposals for the protection and improvement of estuaries.

[holding answer 13 May 1992]: The general principles which the Government pursue in relation to environmental issues laid down out in the White Paper on the Environment "This Common Inheritance" (Cm. 1200). The Government memorandum to the Environment Committee of the House of Commons, Session 1991–92, sets out the comprehensive nature of the present arrangements for protection of the coast.The second report of the Environment Committee on Coastal Zone Protection and Planning (No. 17) is still under consideration and the Government response will be made in due course.In 1991, the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC), the Government's adviser on nature conservation issues, published a major report "Nature Conservation and Estuaries in Great Britain". Scottish Natural Heritage—the successor organisation to the NCC in Scotland with effect from 1 April 1992—is taking forward the report's findings and proposals at local level to identify priority estuaries and action required. It is for Scottish Natural Heritage to consider which estuarial sites require to be notified as sites of special scientific interest and to make recommendations to my right hon. Friend for the designation of sites in fulfilment of the United Kingdom's international nature conservation obligations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to improve the protection of the coastline and offshore waters; and when he expects to implement them.

[holding answer 13 May 1992]: The general principles which the Government pursue in relation to environmental issues are set out in the White Paper on the Environment "This Common Inheritance" (Cm 1200). The Government memorandum to the Environment Committee of the House of Commons, Session 1991–92, sets out the comprehensive nature of the present arrangements for protection of the coast.The second report of the Environment Committee on coastal zone protection and planning (No. 17) is still under consideration and the Government response will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his policy towards the release of official information relating to the Lockerbie air explosion investigation in cases where the information has already become public.

It is generally for the Lord Advocate to determine, after consultation with any relevant Minister in the case of official information, whether information from the criminal investigation relating to the Lockerbie disaster should be released. The question whether public interest immunity restrains the giving of evidence when material relating to the Lockerbie investigation has become public or has apparently become public is one which is expected to be considered in proceedings currently before the High Court of Justice arising from the civil litigation in the United States in the Lockerbie case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the police inquiring into the Lockerbie bombing incident have taken to seek information on the lie detecting tests undertaken by Kilin Tuzcu and Roland O'Neill at Frankfurt airport in January 1990; and if he will make a statement.

The circumstances of this matter were investigated by the German and United States authorities in consultation with the police and Crown Office. It would not be proper for any comment to be made on behalf of the Lord Advocate on the outcome of these inquiries, in particular while criminal proceedings are active. However, it has been established judicially in Scotland that the results of so-called lie detector tests are wholly inadmissible in criminal proceedings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the criteria on which his office and the Lord Advocate will base a decision to issue a public interest immunity certificate in relation to proceedings before the courts.

Public interest immunity is claimed where the Secretary of State or the Lord Advocate considers that it would be injurious to the public interest for particular matters to be the subject of evidence. The particular interest to be protected will vary according to the particular circumstances of the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he intends to take capping action against any Scottish local authority in the current year.

I have now analysed the 1992–93 budget estimates of all Scottish local authorities. All authorities have budgeted at or below the expenditure limits implied by the provisional capping principles which I announced on 14 October 1991. In these circumstances, I do not propose to take capping action against any Scottish local authority this year.Overall, authorities plan to increase their expenditure in 1992–93—as compared with the budget estimates for 1991–92—by 5·6 per cent. and the excess of budgets over grant-aided expenditure (GAE) has been reduced from 2·1 per cent. in 1991–92 to 1·2 per cent. this year. This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of my strengthened capping powers in constraining the growth in local authority expenditure and it is my intention to issue later this year provisional capping principles for 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans there are for improving the environmental representation on the Home Grown Timber Advisory Committee.

The Home Grown Timber Advisory Committee (HGTAC) is the principal statutory body responsible for advising the Forestry Commissioners on forestry matters in Great Britain. The HGTAC already has two members representing environmental interests, and I am pleased to announce that it has now decided to set up a sub-committee to provide a wider forum for informed and constructive consideration of the environmental aspects of forestry. The HGTAC has invited leading representatives from environmental organisations and the forestry industry to become members of the sub-committee. We greatly welcome this initiative, which should further improve understanding between the interests concerned and assist the Forestry Commissioners in fulfilling their statutory duty to balance the needs of productive forestry with those of the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many environmental impact assessments have been presented with planning applications in each of the last three years; and what assessment has been made of their compliance with the European Community directive on environmental impact assessment.

[holding answer 13 May 1992]: The number of environmental statements which have been notified to the Scottish Office is as follows:

	Number
15 July 1988 to 14 July 1989	7
15 July 1989 to 14 July 1990	17
15 July 1990 to 14 July 1991	26

The planning authority to which the planning application is made is the competent authority for the purposes of European Community directive 85/337/EC on environmental assessment. It is the responsibility of that authority to ensure that an environmental statement meets all relevent requirements as part of the process of considering the associated planning application. Where an application is the subject of an appeal, or is called-in, the responsibility transfers to my right hon. Friend.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.

Recruitment to senior grades is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency on behalf of the Civil Service Commissioners. Recruitment to all posts in the Civil Service is conditioned by the principle of fair and open competition. Steps have been taken in publicising opportunities and through making recruitment rules more flexible to help tap the ethnic minority work force.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he received proposals from Wildlife Link on environmentally based forestry policy for the 1990s.

I received a copy of Wildlife Link's report "Future Forestry: A New Direction for Forest Policy" at the end of April.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what standards he will press the EC to adopt in relation to (a) keeping of battery hens, particularly with respect to size of cage and (b) care of animals in transit, particularly with respect to feeding and watering intervals for such animals; and if he will make a statement.

The Government believe that the current Community minimum standards for battery cages are unacceptable. We shall be arguing for a substantial increase in space allowances for each hen and other improvements to the cages together with the highest possible standards for alternative systems. We are now awaiting the report and conclusions of the Commission's review of egg-laying systems.On transport of animals, we will be pressing for the excellent rules which apply in the United Kingdom to be reflected in the further decisions to be taken by the Community.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to press for the amendment of the common fisheries policy to ensure that all decisions taken under the policy take into account the prevention of effects of ecosystems and marine wildlife.

The Government are most concerned to seek the avoidance of incidental catches of marine mammals. In the context of the new agreement under the Bonn convention, we shall be seeking to monitor further the small cetacean populations in the North sea and the Baltic and the impact of fisheries.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the length of time that will have to pass before there will be no restriction on the movement of farm animals arising from high levels of radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

While it is not possible to say when all restrictions on sheep from the parts of Cumbria affected by the Chernobyl accident will finally be lifted, considerable progress has been made since 1986. Only 138 of the 1,670 holdings originally subject to controls remain under restriction. We are continuing our monitoring and research efforts with the aim of releasing the remaining area at the earliest opportunity consistent with the need to ensure that the food chain remains fully protected.I will be reviewing the results later this year and considering the possibility of further relaxation of restrictions. In the meantime, we shall continue with our "mark and release" and compensation arrangements which allow normal farming practices with minimum disruption.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will outline the provisions relating to the circumstances in which proceedings in the High Court may be held in camera.

The hearing of civil or family proceedings to which the public would normally be admitted may be held in camera only where, in the opinion of the court, a public hearing would defeat the ends of justice. In criminal proceedings, a prosecutor or a defendant may apply to the court for all or part of a trial to be held in camera for reasons of national security or the protection of a witness or other person.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consideration the Lord Chancellor has given to the book "On the Trail of Terror," a copy of which has been sent to him; and what assessment he has now made of the Adjournment debate of 20 January, Official Report, column 153, initiated by the hon. Member for Linlithgow, in respect of the references to the documents referred to in the book.

The Lord Chancellor has not yet received a copy of the book "On the Trail of Terror", and has not therefore had an opportunity to consider it. The Adjournment debate, to which the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, replied, does not appear to raise issues within the Lord Chancellor's responsibility.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Lord Chancellor will take steps towards the appointment of a social security commissioner resident in Wales.

No. The Cardiff office of the social security commissioner was closed in 1986 as there were insufficient hearings to justify its full-time status. The present arrangements for regular hearings in Cardiff by a visiting commissioner adequately meet present demands.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will restore the income support entitlement of young people aged 16 and 17 years.

The Government's policy of providing a guarantee of a youth training (YT) place to all young people who want one, instead of their depending on social security benefits, is the most effective way of encouraging young people to make the most of their opportunities. However, income support is available to those vulnerable groups of young people who are unable to participate in YT and to those seeking a YT place who would otherwise be at risk of severe hardship. We have no plans to restore general entitlement to income support, but we are monitoring closely the operation of these rules with a view to streamlining their administration where possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for the disability living allowance have been received by his Department; and if he will provide a breakdown by (a) the number and percentage of these that resulted in an award, (b) the number and percentage that were refused and (c) the number and percentage refused by grounds for refusal.

The total number of new claims received by 30 April 1992 was 130,262.

	(i) Number	(ii) As percentage of new claims decided per cent.
Number of new claims decided1	29,453
Awards and refusals made on new claims
Awards	17,562	59·6
Refusals	11,891	40·4
Grounds for refusal
Disability conditions not satisfied	3,853	13·08
Other2	8,033	27·27
1 Excluding claims from people already in receipt of mobility allowance or attendance allowance.
2 Includes age and residence and presence conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications have been received for the disability working allowance; and if he will provide a breakdown by (a) the number and percentage of these that resulted in an award, (b) the number and percentage that were refused and (c) the number and percentage refused by grounds for refusal.

Disability working allowance is a new benefit introduced in April for some disabled people who work but have limited earning capacity. Up to 8 May, 9,017 claims had been received. Of these, 588, or 6·5 per cent. resulted in an award and 7,188, or 79.7 per cent. were unsuccessful. The grounds for refusing benefit in the unsuccessful cases were as follows:

	Number	Per cent.
Claimant not in remunerative work	4,230	58·8
Earnings above limit	471	6·6
No "qualifying" benefit	2,000	27·8
Claimant receiving family credit	173	2·4
Other reasons	314	4·4

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown by (a) average hourly earnings, (b) average hours worked, (c) average age, (d) sex, (e) type of disability and (f) qualifying benefit of (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful applications received for disability working allowance.

Not all the information is available. Such information as is available is in the table and is derived from a provisional analysis of the claims received up to 12 May.

	Recipients	Unsuccessful claims
Average number of hours worked	29	Not available
Average age	35	42
Sex-men	332	4,658
women	276	2,774
Qualifying benefits:		Not available
Invalidity benefit	60
Severe disablement allowance	32
Income support with disability premium	88
Housing benefit with disability premium	52
Disability living allowance	64
Mobility allowance, attendance Allowance and other benefits	492

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number and outcome of applications received for (a) the lower rate care component or (b) the lower rate mobility component of the disability living allowance broken down by (i) people previously in receipt of either attendance allowance or mobility allowance and (ii) people not previously in receipt of either of these two benefits.

In general, claims for disability living allowance are made for the benefit as a whole, rather than for individual rates of components—although customers may choose to supply details about only one of the two components if they wish. An adjudication officer then determines whether there is entitlement to the benefit and, if so, at which rate or rates.Initial statistics show that by 30 April 1992 the number of people who were not previously in receipt of either mobility allowance or attendance allowance and had been awarded either one or both of the new lower rate components was 10,392. In addition, there were respectively 4,786 lower rate mobility awards and 1,406 lower rate care awards made to people previously in receipt of attendance allowance and mobility allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for the mobility component of the disability living allowance were received in February, March and April 1992 (a) from people aged 66 years or over and (b) in respect of children under five years of age; and how many applications for the mobility allowance were received in February, March and April 1991 (i) from people aged 66 years or over and (ii) in respect of children under five years of age.

The requested information about the number of applications received for the mobility component of disability living allowance is not available.The number of claims for mobility allowance received in February, March and April 1991 from people aged 66 and over and in respect of children under five is in the table:

Month	Number of claims
February 1991	967
March 1991	1,084
April 1991	1,256
Total	3,307

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for the care component of the disability living allowance have been received from people aged 66 years or over.

In general, claims for disability living allowance are made for the benefit as a whole, rather than for individual components—although customers may choose to supply details about only one of the two components if they wish. An adjudication officer then determines whether there is entitlement to the benefit and, if so, at which rate or rates. The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what number and proportion of all applications for the disability living allowance were either (a) from a claimant who has requested a medical examination in preference to completing the self-assessment claim form or (b) where the adjudication officer has required a claimant to undergo a medical examination.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, as at 1 May 1992, out of a total of 29,453 disability living allowance claims decided, 1,305, or 4 per cent., included, as part of the evidence before the adjudication officer, a report by an examining medical practitioner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to replace the independent living fund after June 1993; and if applications to the fund will continue to be accepted up to and including June 1993.

The independent living fund will continue to make new awards until the end of the current financial year. From April 1993 local authorities, which are best placed to assess need and allocate local resources, will be responsible—in conjunction with users, carers and other interested agencies—for assessing individual needs and arranging flexible and innovative care packages under the community care arrangements. We are, however, committed to maintaining after that date a fund which supports the most severely disabled people. Details of these arrangements will be announced in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was the average waiting time for appeals to the social security appeal tribunal in (a) 1989, (b) 1990 and (c) 1991;(2) what was the average waiting time for appeals from

Administrative statistics for social security appeal tribunals are not available for areas smaller than a former social security region. The relevant information for the former Scotland region and Great Britain is in the table. For both, the latest information available is for the first six months of 1991.Average waiting time from lodgement of an appeal to the date of hearing for all appeals to social security appeal tribunals:

Year	Great Britain weeks	Scotland weeks
1989	25·4	28·4
1990	23·1	20·4
January to June 1991	23·6	22·3

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the frequency of sittings of the social security appeal tribunal in (a) Kirkwall and (h) Lerwick in (i) 1989, (ii) 1990 and (iii) 1991.

Responsibility for the administration of social security appeal tribunals lies with the president of the independent tribunal service, His Honour Judge Holden, and the hon. Member may wish to contact his office direct to obtain this information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what increases are to be paid to pensioners annually.

We are committed to uprating retirement pensions annually in line with price increases. Additionally, pensioners in receipt of income support and some other benefits will find these reviewed annually.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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.

My Department carried out a survey of the ethnic origin of its employees in May 1988. The ethnic origin of all new entrants and leavers is monitored and there is no need for another survey. Since 1990, my Department has concentrated on the implementation of a programme of action to consolidate the equality of opportunity offered to people of ethnic minority origin.

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

The Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency, acting on behalf of the civil service commissioners, is responsible for most recruitment into senior grades in my Department. It has taken a number of steps to encourage applications from and aid recruitment of members of ethnic minorities. Those include increasing contacts with minority communities; extending links with polytechnics, universities and tertiary colleges to attract a wider range of applicants generally, and specifically from ethnic minority communities; increasing ethnic minority representation among careers liaison staff and on selection panels; ensuring that relevant recruitment literature reflects a multiracial work force; 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 Secretary of State for Wales 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 details, based on staff in post figures at 31 March 1992, are given in the table:

	Number	Per cent
Grades 1–6	—	—
Grade 7 (1)	2	1·2
Department Total (2)	32	1·3

(1) Includes equivalent professional grades(2) Includes agency and industrial staff. Part-time staff each count as one unit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what emergency provisions exist for south Wales in the event of a total breach of containment taking place at (a) reactors and (b) spent fuel cooling ponds at (i) Berkeley, (ii) Oldbury and (iii) Hinkley Point nuclear plants.

The rigorous safety arrangements at United Kingdom nuclear sites render extremely unlikely the kind of nuclear emergency postulated. Co-ordinated plans based on the worst case scenario which can reasonably be predicted have been devised by the operators of the nuclear sites on Severnside in consultation with the police, local authorities and other emergency services, and also involve liaison with central Government Departments, including the Welsh Office. Those procedures, which are regularly tested in simulated exercises, entail measures to safeguard public health and to protect food and water supplies on both sides of the Severn estuary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will support appeals by Preseli Pembrokeshire district council and Dyfed county council to give Fishguard and Haverfordwest travel-to-work areas development area status.

The Government announced before the election that a review of the assisted area map would be conducted in this Parliament. We are now considering how to take that forward. The needs and problems of all areas will be fully taken into account during the course of the review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to ensure that the application form and all information concerning student loans are available in the Welsh language.

The responsibility for student support matters rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education. I am in touch with him about producing more of the literature on student support matters, including student loans, in the Welsh language.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any new proposals for protecting the countryside.

Any new proposals for protecting the countryside will be announced at the appropriate time. "The Rural Initiative", which was published by my right hon. Friend last December, included a number of relevant proposals, including plans for a countryside stewardship scheme "Tir Cymen", being developed by the Countryside Council for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many new youth training places he is providing and if he will make a statement.

The numbers of youth training places provided are the responsibility of the training and enterprise councils. Under the terms of their operating agreements and contracts TECs are obliged to offer a training place to every 16 and 17-year-old not in full-time education who seeks one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps are being taken to meet the target of recycling 25 per cent. of all household waste by the end of the century; and if he will make a statement outlining the present percentage of household waste that is recycled in Wales and by how much it has changed since 1990.

The measures being taken nationally to promote recycling are outlined in the first year report on the Environment White Paper, "This Common Inheritance" (Cm 1655).

guidance to local authorities on devising and implementing recycling strategies in the form of waste management paper No. 28; a request to authorities to submit recycling plans by 1 August in accordance with section 49 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; the introduction of a system of recycling credits under section 52 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 together with associated advice and guidance to authorities on the scheme in the form of Welsh Office circular 10/92.Reliable estimates of the percentage of household waste that is recycled in Wales are not available, but steps are being taken nationally to obtain more accurate data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new policies he intends to adopt to ensure that school leavers without a job obtain employment.

The careers service and the employment service offer help to school leavers who wish to take up employment. School leavers need the opportunity to acquire skills and qualifications if they are to take their place successfully in the labour market, and all 16 and 17-year-olds leaving full-time education are entitled to a youth training place. By 1996, all such 16 and 17-year-old leavers will be able to claim a training credit, and the value of the training credit will be an incentive to employers to engage them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects his detailed radiotherapy facilities appraisal for north Wales to report; who are the members of the appraisal committee; and if he will make a statement.

The investment appraisal of the options available for the establishment of a dedicated cancer treatment centre, including radiotherapy facilities, in north Wales is to be conducted by independent consultants. I expect them to report their conclusions by the end of 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he has taken to recover from the INMOS company, Newport sums of money paid to them by the Welsh Office or the Welsh development agency.

Such information must be treated as commercial in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the length of time that will have to pass before there will be no restriction on the movement of farm animals arising from the high levels of radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

It is not possible to estimate how long radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident will require the maintaining of controls on the sale of and movement of sheep from the restricted area of Wales. However, our "mark and release" arrangements and associated compensation payments are designed to ensure the minimum disruption to normal farming practices while controls remain in force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will order a full public inquiry into the proposals to change from the burning of oil at Pembroke power station to the burning of orimulsion; and if he will make a statement.

National Power requires two separate approvals in order to proceed with its plans—from the Department of Trade and Industry for planning permission to extend the power station, and from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution for authorisation to burn orimulsion fuel. Those applications are under consideration. The planning procedures allow for the holding of a public inquiry and this is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he intends to charge-cap any Welsh authorities for 1992–93; and if he will make a statement.

I have carefully scrutinised all Welsh local authority budgets for 1992–93. I have decided in all the circumstances not to exercise my capping powers.Most authorities have repaid the confidence which I placed in them by budgeting in line with the settlement. A few authorities could have done better. I therefore intend to announce provisional capping criteria in the autumn, in advance of the 1993–94 local government budgetary round. This will assist authorities as they take their budgetary decisions next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made by the working group, chaired by his Department, which is taking forward the Civil Aviation Authority's advice on south-east runway capacity in the longer term.

The working group is making good progress. It was established to consider the wider implications of runway development at 10 airports which had been identified by the Civil Aviation Authority, in its report CAP 570 published in July 1990, as potentially able in air traffic control terms to handle growth in south-east air traffic forecast after 2005, and to consider the regional airport contribution. It draws its membership widely from industry, environmental, local authority and consumer interests, as well as from central Government.The working group has carried out a substantial volume of work but has a considerable amount remaining and does not expect to be in a position to offer advice before the end of this year. Its report will be published. Runway Capacity to Serve the South-East—RUCATSE —is not a decision-making body or an alternative to the normal planning processes, and it is not preparing actual development proposals. Before there could be a major runway development at any airport, a promoter would need to work up a specific detailed proposal and apply for planning permission in the usual way, with opportunity for anyone wishing to comment to do so.By July the group expects to have taken a view on which options should be taken forward for detailed study in its further work. At that point it proposes to undertake further consultation on the notional runway alignments which would appear most suitable for those sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the resolution passed on the sea transport of irradiated nuclear fuel at the marine safety committee of the International Maritime Organisation at its 60th annual conference in London in April.

The maritime safety committee of the International Maritime Organisation did not pass a resolution on the sea transport of irradiated nuclear fuel at its 60th session. The draft code on the carriage of INF is subject to consultation between the IMO and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the numbers of (a) Spanish and (b) Dutch vessels registered as British and the ports of registration.

For ships and large pleasure craft the information requested is as follows:

(a) Three, at Yarmouth, London and Poole;

(b) Four, at London (2), Harwich and Southampton.

Some 46 Spanish and about 15 Dutch owned fishing vessels have been registered since the European Court judgment referred to in my answer to the hon. Member on 11 May,

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign fishing boats are registered as nationals in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Denmark, (d) Holland and (e) France.

Some 65 since the European Court judgment; seven in Scotland, the remainder in England and Wales.I have no information on registration in other EC countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representation he has received from the London tourist board concerning his proposals to privatise and deregulate London bus services.

Like many other bodies, the London tourist board responded to the consultation paper "A Bus Strategy for London" last year. I am not aware of any subsequent representations from it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any radioactively contaminated rubble or spoil has been used as aggregate for the construction of roads in the United Kingdom.

I have been asked to reply.The disposal of radioactive waste or material of any kind contaminated with radioactivity in England and Wales is subject to authorisation by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. There have been no cases where this authorisation process has permitted disposal of such waste for use as road building materials. The control of radioactive material and waste in Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the respective Secretaries of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what means he intends to notify the appropriate authorities of the ratification of titles I-VII of the draft treaty on economic union; and if he will list the relevant means and authority in respect of each of those draft titles and the subsequent protocols and declarations.