To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the practicability of developing HM prison Dartmoor as a community prison, or as a national resource for prisoners with special needs; and if he will make a statement about the future of the prison.

Dartmoor is too large to become a community prison in the way HM chief inspector of prisons has recommended. However, as the only category B prison in the south-west of England, it fulfils the needs of those prisoners from that part of the country requiring that level of security. The sex offender unit provides a national resource as an integral part of the recent initiative concerned with such prisoners. It incorporates both the assessment and treatment of sex offenders and will continue to develop as part of the national programme.Major refurbishment is under way at a cost of £25 million and substantial efforts are being made to develop a positive regime for inmates, an example of which is the new intensive therapy unit.It is the Government's intention that Dartmoor will continue to provide secure accommodation for category B prisoners in the region.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the criteria for assessing areas of urban population in calculating police manpower figures; and if he will make a statement.

We shall be reviewing the allocation formula used for approving increases in police force establishments later this year in order to take account of the 1991 census data. Part of this review will involve a close scrutiny of the definition of urban areas used in the formula.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further plans he has to stop the use of animals for testing cosmetics.

The Government have discussed with industry how best to eliminate the testing of cosmetics on animals without putting the public at risk. There has been some progress made in developing alternatives to skin and eye irritancy tests. The Government have called on the European Community to set 1998 as the target date for the replacement of all skin and eye irritancy tests, subject to there being validated non-animal alternatives.The Government will continue to support work carried out by charitable bodies, academic institutions and industry to develop alternatives to animal testing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the report to him by the Security Service Commissioner, pursuant to paragraph 7(3) of schedule 1 to the Security Service Act 1989 relating to retention of records.

No. It would not be in the interests of national security to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether records compiled by the Security Service kept in temporary files for which a permanent file is not subsequently set up are destroyed within three years.

I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 22 to 24 of the Security Service Commissioner's annual report for 1991 where he describes the Security Service's policy in relation to temporary records which are not converted into permanent files. Except where no inquiries have been made since the Security Service Act 1989 came into force, such temporary records are now retained so that they can be investigated, if necessary, by the complaints tribunal. The commissioner agreed that this policy was correct in law.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of civilian fatalities were caused by road traffic accidents involving stolen motor vehicles in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for assistance under section 66 of the Race Relations Act 1976 the Commission for Racial Equality has received during the past 12 months; how many applications it supported by providing legal representation during that period; and from how many applicants for whom it initially provided legal representation it later withdrew legal support or funding before the case went to industrial tribunal or county court.

The information requested for the year 1991 is as follows. The number of applications received for assistance under section 66 of the Race Relations Act 1976 received by the Commission for Racial Equality was 1,655.The number of applications for which the commission's complaints committee agreed to provide legal representation was 388.The number of applicants for whom the Commission for Racial Equality initially provided legal representation, but from whom on review it later withdrew legal support or funding before the case went to industrial tribunal or county court or was otherwise settled or withdrawn by the complainant was 24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants who received legal representation provided through the Commission for Racial Equality or its funded solicitors were represented at tribunals or county courts in the last 12 months.

The number of applicants represented at tribunals or county courts who received legal representation through the CRE in 1991 was 54.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his response to the Morgan report on safer communities from the standing conference of crime prevention; and what action he proposes to implement any of the recommendations.

The recommendations in the Morgan report ranged wider than had been expected under the working group's terms of reference.The consideration of the report is now being undertaken but it is taking longer than anticipated because of the additional material to be evaluated. I hope to be able to make an announcement in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences have been committed with stolen shotguns in each police force area in each year from 1985.

The information requested is not available.

Notifiable offences of burglary and theft in which shot guns were stolen (a) from domestic premises
England and Wales				Number of offences
Police force area	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990
Avon and Somerset	9	21	16	18	5	15
Bedfordshire	8	8	6	2	4	12
Cambridgeshire	11	13	9	6	—	4
Cheshire	12	11	7	4	7	6
Cleveland	—	1	1	1	2	3
Cumbria	2	2	8	4	3	6
Derbyshire	2	12	7	6	6	3
Devon and Cornwall	11	12	11	22	14	22
Dorset	4	4	4	4	2	1
Durham	5	16	13	5	6	4
Essex	19	23	31	11	20	16
Gloucestershire	6	3	3	2	2	3
Greater Manchester	2	1	6	2	1	—
Hampshire	21	20	16	21	21	14
Hertfordshire	12	3	8	3	7	2
Humberside	6	12	16	6	4	8
Kent	35	35	49	43	30	38
Lancashire	16	25	18	26	12	9
Leicestershire	9	8	6	7	9	6
Lincolnshire	7	10	9	9	8	4
London, City of	—	1	—	—	—	—
Merseyside	9	10	8	5	9	4
Metropolitan	44	32	33	21	25	14
Norfolk	14	21	26	14	16	18
Northamptonshire	6	10	13	6	2	8
Northumbria	17	17	9	11	15	16
North Yorkshire	16	22	18	10	5	8
Nottinghamshire	1	2	5	6	2	3
South Yorkshire	15	7	9	13	8	9
Staffordshire	8	7	2	7	1	1
Suffolk	15	8	8	14	3	8
Surrey	11	16	12	16	6	14
Sussex	9	10	9	18	9	8
Thames Valley	16	43	35	23	15	20
Warwickshire	13	10	12	3	4	3
West Mercia	19	13	14	9	8	1
West Midlands	23	21	9	8	5	8
West Yorkshire	14	15	13	5	11	9
Wiltshire	2	5	3	1	3	1
Dyfed-Powys	12	8	6	3	2	2
Gwent	2	5	5	2	5	3
North Wales	6	11	10	7	6	3
South Wales	6	3	—	2	1	1

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) shotguns, (b) firearms and (c) rounds of ammunition have been yielded as a result of each gun amnesty declared since 1962.

The information is given in the table.

Year of amnesty	Shotguns	Firearms	Rounds of ammunition
1965	2,761	37,739	1,694,000
1968	9,400	15,688	795,000
1988	11,254	31,471	1,511,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many thefts of shotguns there have been in each police force area in each year from 1985 (a) from domestic premises and (b) from all premises.

The number of notifiable offences in which shotguns were reported to have been stolen from (a) domestic premises and (b) all premises, in each police force area in each year from 1985 to 1990 are given in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider declaring a firearms amnesty; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans at present to declare a firearms amnesty. The last one was held in 1988 in conjunction with the introduction of major new legislation on firearms. We would not wish to encourage people to think that if they hold weapons illegally or use them for criminal purposes, they will be given regular opportunities to dispose of them without the risk of prosecution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of (a) shotguns and (b) other firearms held in the United Kingdom.

Estimates of the number of shotguns and firearms held on licence in England and Wales at the end of 1990 were published in Home Office statistical bulletin 23/91—paragraphs 3 and 7. A copy of this bulletin is in the Library.The information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the relevant Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what circumstances condoms are issued to prisoners on release from (a) women's and (b) men's prisons;(2) if he will make it his policy to offer condoms to all prisoners on their release from prison.

Procedural guidelines issued to prison governors in November 1991 advised that the period leading up to release is an important time for educational measures and for individual counselling of HIV-infected prisoners and others with lifestyles which suggest that they may themselves be at risk or that they may be a risk to other people. The guidelines also recommended that governors consider introducing schemes under which all prisoners released—and perhaps those going on home leave—have discrete access to a small supply of free condoms. Several establishments—including at least one for women—operate such schemes. We are reviewing prisons HIV/AIDS policy generally, including policy on the issue of condoms.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been (a) the total funding and (b) the established number of full-time officers of the West Yorkshire police force in each of the past five years; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding to meet the public demands of this service.

Over the last five years expenditure and the police establishment of the West Yorkshire police have been increased as follows:

Year	Expenditure £ million	Establishment
1987–88	129.1	5,204
1988–89	149.4	5,227
1989–90	167.0	5,259
1990–91	1193.7	5,281
1991–92	2218.5	5,295
1992–93	n/a	5,295
1 Because of change in capital financing arrangements in 1990, some caution should be used in comparing 1990–91 and 1991–92 with earlier years.
2 Estimated.
n/a = Not available.

The Government are satisfied that the West Yorkshire police authority is able to meet its obligations to provide an efficient police force.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted prisoners were held in places other than prisons for each year since 1979.

The annual averages for convicted prisoners held in police cells, who, but for the lack of available places should otherwise have been in prison custody, for each year since figures have been available are as follows:

	Annual average
1981	0
1982	0
1983	0
1984	0
1985	0
1986	0
1987	0
1988	99
1989	7
1990	213
1991	385

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis into the investigations by the Metropolitan police into potential sanctions breaking trade between British and Danish companies and Iraq before, at the time of, or since the Gulf war; and if he will make a statement.

The Metropolitan police has carried out no investigations into potential sanction-breaking trade between British and Danish companies and Iraq.The Metropolitan and City police company fraud department was involved in discussions with the Department of Trade and Industry, HM Customs and Excise and others. It was decided that allegations of sanction breaking would be referred to HM Customs and Excise for investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown by constabulary of the amount of money raised in the last financial year by charging for a police presence at sporting, social and other functions and events.

This information is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement outlining his policy on the allocation of funds raised by charging for a police presence at sporting, social and other functions, indicating whether such funds must be allocated to the police budget, or whether they may be used by a local authority for other purposes.

Section 8(1) of the Police Act 1964 requires all receipts of the police authority to be paid into the police fund. It is for the police authority, subject where appropriate to the approval of the county council, to decide how the financial resources available to it should be applied.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to withdraw passports from British citizens under investigation in connection with the Maxwell pension funds.

Withdrawal of passport facilities would be considered in certain circumstances, for example, where a warrant for arrest has been issued in the United Kingdom or where a person was wanted by the police on suspicion of a serious crime.The courts also have certain powers to require the surrender of a passport pending trial and in connection with certain civil actions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ensure that bail is not available to those previously convicted of rape if they are brought before a court on a subsequent charge of a crime involving violence.

At present we have no plans to introduce legislation for this purpose. The Bail Act 1976, as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1988, already makes special provision for cases in which a defendant is accused of murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, rape or attempted rape. It requires a court which grants bail to such a defendant in the face of prosecution objections to give its reasons for so doing. This provision is intended to ensure that the court addresses the issue fully.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about his meeting with Mr. Paulo Melo, the president of the Brazilian parliamentary commission inquiring into the killing of South American street children; what representations he made to the Brazilian authorities about the killings and sale of Brazilian children into sex slavery; and if he will take diplomatic and economic measures against Brazil until the Brazilian authorities bring the perpetrators to justice.

I refer the hon. Member to my statement on 15 June 1992, Official Report, columns 649-64.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 16 June.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 16 June.

This morning I 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 Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his representations in Washington about the sale of United States A4s to Argentina.

[holding answer 12 June 1992]: We are in close touch with the United States Government on the question of arms sales to Argentina. The United States Government understand our concerns about arms sales which might affect our security interests in the Falk land Islands as do our other allies.

To ask the Prime Minister what has been the level of expenditure in each of the last 10 years on the civil list; how the rate of change annually has compared with the annual changes in the retail prices index; and what payments have been made and to whom in each of these years.

[holding answer 11 June 1992]: I have been asked to reply.The information on expenditure for the period 1983 to 1990 is contained in the report of the royal trustees laid before the House of Commons on 15 October 1990 (HC629). As the report explains, the pre-1991 system required voted supplements to be paid annually to the standing services on the Consolidated Fund. It was thought more consistent with the dignity of the Crown and better financial practice to replace that system from 1 January 1991 with a payment fixed at £7.9 million a year for 10 years to cover Her Majesty's statutory expenses; the arrangements enable any surplus in the early years to be accumulated to meet any subsequent deficit. During the same period, the increase in the retail price, index averaged 5.8 per cent. a year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the responsibilities and duties of his Department and any agency which reports to his Department in relation to inshore waters, intertidal areas and maritime land; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the Government's memorandum on this subject which was submitted to the Environment Committee of this House in the previous Session. It has now been published by HMSO as part of the Environment Committee's report on coastal zone protection and planning, volume II, minutes of evidence and appendices.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration his Department has given to the environmental implications of the disposal of the ash residue from burning orimulsion at power stations; and if he will make a statement.

Applications have been made to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to burn orimulsion at four power stations. None of these has been determined. In determining these applications, Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will consider the environmental implications of all releases from the process to all three media: air, water and land. Ash produced by burning orimulsion is classed as a release to land.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the total amount of local authority capital receipts set aside which have not as yet been applied to debt redemption.

Local authority returns indicate that their stock of unapplied capital receipts set aside as provision for credit liabilities at 31 March 1991 was £5.1 billion. It is estimated that at the same date local authorities' outstanding debt stood at around £47 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to set minimum standards for fuel use efficiency.

It is already the Government's policy to press for agreement in the European Community on minimum efficiency standards for a wide range of equipment. A directive setting minimum standards of energy efficiency for gas and oil-fired boilers has already been adopted.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to set standards for acceptable loss of energy or fuel in distribution, and to ensure that losses above test standard be charged against the profits of the industry.

No. We have created a competitive environment for fuel suppliers and it is in their own interest to reduce losses in transmission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to set standards of fuel use efficiency for the energy-generating industry.

No. We have created a competitive environment for energy generators such that it is in their own interest to use fuel more efficiently. An indication of this is the electricity industry's plans for new electricity generating stations of considerably higher efficiency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are being undertaken by his Department to promote the co-generation of heat and power.

The Government fully recognise the environmental and energy efficiency benefits of combined heat and power—co-generation—and seek to ensure that CHP faces no unnecessary legislative or institutional barriers to its implementation. The Energy Efficiency Office—EEO—of the Department, in conjunction with technical staff at energy technology support unit and building research energy conservation support unit, is responsible for promoting the wider use of the technology, in cost-effective locations. It manages this through the best practice programme which provides independent and authoritative advice and information on energy use and efficiency in industry and commerce as well as in the public sector and in housing. In addition to the project profiles and publications produced, there is a continuing programme of CHP seminars and site visits.The EEO also works closely with the Combined Heat and Power Association, the representative body of the CHP industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what public information campaigns are currently being undertaken by his Department to promote energy conservation among the general public; and how much funding has been allocated to each information campaign.

The Department is currently running the "Helping the Earth Begins at Home" campaign, launched last November and expected to operate for a minimum of three years. The campaign, which has a budget of at least £10 million, aims to encourage householders to make their homes more energy efficient and thereby help combat global warming.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what specific changes will be implemented on energy policy by his Department in the light of the policy to stabilise carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies that I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) on 13 May at column 136 and to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. Hargreaves) on 15 May at column 237.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what efforts are currently undertaken by his Department to deal with the conservation and sustainable management of shared seas.

The United Kingdom plays a very active role in the work of the Oslo and Paris conventions, the London dumping convention, the North sea and Irish sea conferences, the International North Sea task force, the Irish Sea co-ordination group, the International Maritime Organisation, the European Community as it bears on maritime matters such as the common fisheries policy, and the small cetaceans agreement under the Bonn convention on migratory species. Most recently, it has participated actively in the drafting of the oceans chapter of Agenda 21 for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and has, jointly with the Republic of Ireland, appointed a scientific co-ordinator for work to review the state of knowledge of the Irish sea.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward proposals to oblige manufacturers to monitor and publish the energy efficiency levels of their processes and the energy costs of their products.

I have no plans to bring forward proposals to oblige manufacturers, either of imported or home produced goods, to publish the energy efficiency levels of their processes or the energy costs of their products. Although gathering meaningful information for comparative purposes is possible and is done in certain processes, for the majority of finished products the complications and cost of obtaining the data outweigh the benefits.However, my Energy Efficiency Office through its best practice programme publishes energy consumption guides, where these are meaningful, on specific processing steps. The best practice programme also promotes energy efficiency at all steps of manufacture.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the contribution of energy efficiency measures over the next seven years in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), column 200.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to issue low interest loans to urban and rural community organisations, small businesses and individuals involved in community environmental action programmes.

The new rural action scheme which we recently announced as part of our action for the countryside package will provide grants in support of a wide range of local environmental initiatives in England at parish level. This is in addition to £4.054 million awarded by the Department for environmental projects through the environmental grant fund and the special grants programme in 1992–1993. We have no plans for low interest loans for environmental programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action is currently undertaken by his Department to ensure the environmental impact assessments are conducted as early as possible in a project cycle.

Where a project which is the subject of a planning application requires environmental assessment, the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 require the applicant to prepare and submit with the application an environmental statement setting out the applicant's own assessment of the likely environmental effects of the proposed development. This ensures that the environmental information —the applicant's environmental statement and any representations from statutory consultees and the general public—is taken into account in the decision making process.DOE circular 15/88 and the Department's booklet "Environmental Assessment—A guide to the procedures" advise developers to discuss with the planning authority the scope of the environmental statement before its preparation is begun and to approach statutory consultees and other bodies concerned with environmental issues at an early stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to allow public access to environmental impact assessments, environmental audit data and monitoring results and to information about the production, use and disposal of hazardous substances.

It is my Department's policy to continue to work towards the maximum freedom of public access to environmental information, subject to commercial, personal, confidentiality and national security considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department is taking to implement the EC flora, fauna and habitats directive.

The United Kingdom's current nature protection provisions give this country a firm basis for implementation of the directive. We are considering what further provisions are necessary to enable the directive to come fully into force within the two years prescribed.At the same time the Government's scientific advisers are working on the criteria for site selection as the first step towards compiling the United Kingdom's national list of candidate sites to be considered as sites of Community importance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he received copies of the consultation documents published by BAA plc in respect of its wish to build a fifth terminal at Heathrow airport; and if he will make it his policy to call in the intended formal planning application and hold a public inquiry.

My right hon. and learned Friend was given notice of BAA plc's consultation proposals for a fifth terminal at Heathrow airport. He is aware that a planning application may be made later in the year for the terminal, associated link roads to the M25 and connecting rail access to central London.In the absence of any formal application, it would not be right for my right hon. and learned Friend to decide now whether to call in the application for his own decision. He will consider this carefully when any application is made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what controls or incentives, such as might be incorporated into the grant system, his Department offers to the authorities responsible for places of worship to assist them in undertaking the necessary work to make their premises accessible to disabled people.

Part M of the Building Regulations requires reasonable provision to be made for access and facilities for disabled people to and within new and extended places of worship. The provisions are for the benefit of disabled people, including those with impaired sight or hearing. The approved document, which accompanies part M, provides guidance on how the requirements might be satisfied.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of whether plants and incinerators proposed for London will breach (a) World Health Organisation standards and (b) EC standards; and if he will make a statement.

None. Assessment of the environmental effects of these installations is for the appropriate local planning authority or my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to take into account in their consideration of whether to grant consents and for Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to consider before authorising the relevant processes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department will take a strategic look at the location of plants and incinerators in London.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration his Department is giving to the consequences new plants and incinerators in London will have upon rates of respiratory illness in their locality.

None. These are for the appropriate local planning authority or my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to take into account in their consideration of whether to grant consent for the proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to establish United Kingdom-wide surveys on species and eco-systems.

Such surveys are carried out by the three country conservation agencies and co-ordinated by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee for the purposes of the quinquennial review of species and the designation of sites of special scientific interest within Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, the Environment Service of the Department of the Environment (NI) carries out similar surveys for site and species protection.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licences are currently issued to falconers; and what are the terms and conditions of the licences.

To date, no licences have been issued to falconers this year. In 1991, 65 licences were issued in England, Scotland and Wales to fly birds of prey at blackbirds, skylarks, song thrushes, meadow pipits and black-headed gulls.Licences are subject to conditions restricting them to the period 1 September to 28 February; imposing a limit of 50 on the number of quarry which may be killed; requiring that the bird of prey to which the licence refers is properly ringed and registered; and requiring that a return showing the birds killed be made by 31 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the cost of supervision of falconers, including keeper's time, in the New Forest for 1991 and to date for 1992;(2) how many animals and birds, and of which species, were taken by falconers in the New Forest in 1991 and to date in 1992.

Licences issued to fly birds of prey at quarry do not require falconers to be supervised. No information is available on the costs of any local requirements that may apply in the New Forest.Falconers' returns show only the total numbers of each bird species killed under licence; no details are available on the areas from which quarry is taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Her Majesty's Government have any plans to propose legislation relating to regulation of the conduct of car boot sales; and if he will make a statement.

Several existing statutory controls are relevant to the regulation of car boot sales. Thus, although the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988—the GDO—gives a general grant of planning permission for the temporary use of land for markets, including car boot sales, for up to 14 days in total in any calendar year, use for more than 14 days requires specific planning permission. A local planning authority may make a direction under article 4 of the GDO which withdraws this general permission and so requires a specific planning application.The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 enables local authorities to require the market operator and the site occupier to give them not less than one month's notice of a forthcoming market. The notice gives the authority time to make any necessary provision to avoid disturbance.The Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires local authorities to ensure that their land is kept clear of litter and refuse. Since 1 July 1991 authorities have been able to extend this duty to the owners of land used for markets, if there is a problem of persistent littering, by designating the land concerned a litter control area.I do not consider that further legislation is needed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new lets have been created as a result of the assured tenancy scheme introduced in the Housing Act 1980.

By 1 April 1988, a total of 6,700 tenancies had been created by the assured tenancy scheme introduced in the Housing Act 1980. No new tenancies could be created under this scheme after 15 January 1989. After that date, new assured tenancies would be of the type introduced by the Housing Act 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent initiatives have been taken by his Department to alert the public to the dangers of summertime smog.

On 22 May, my Department published a leaflet entitled "Summertime smog—how to help prevent it". This gives a practical guide on what individuals can do to limit the emissions of air pollutants which cause summertime smog. It also contains details of how to obtain information on the levels of air pollution in the United Kingdom and associated health advice. This is available to the media, on Ceefax, and, since 6 May, on a free telephone line, 0800 556677.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made by his Department in developing an integrated approach to pollution prevention.

Integrated pollution control was introduced by part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and became effective from 1 April 1991. Implementation is being phased in over a five-year period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the precise terms of reference of his monitoring exercise in respect of the effectiveness of mineral planning guidance 3 in relation to opencast mining; and if he will give the start date and last date of this consultation exercise.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 2 June, at column 377.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent initiatives have been taken by his Department to raise public knowledge of ozone-depleting substances and actions the public can take to mitigate their unintended release to the atmosphere.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Wallace), at column 266.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent CFCs are still needed by the refrigeration and air conditioning industries in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Following a proposal by the United Kingdom, the European Community decided earlier this year that it should seek to tighten the controls in the Montreal protocol so that CFC production and consumption had to be phased out by the end of 1995, subject to any exemptions for essential uses. We now need to consider whether an earlier phase-out is possible within the community, and whether production for essential uses is likely to be necessary. To assist in this, the Department has commissioned a study by March Consulting Group on CFC use within the United Kingdom refrigeration and air conditioning industry. The study will consider the pattern of CFC used by the industry and the extent to which substitution by other refrigerants is taking place; how the pattern of use is likely to change between now and the end of the century; and the quantities of CFCs that industry will need in that period and the extent to which this can be met from recycled material.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will allow Stockport to use the capital receipts it has accumulated through sale of council houses to invest in housing.

An increase in spending financed from local authorities' capital receipts would be an addition to public expenditure in just the same way as an increase financed by credit approvals to permit additional borrowing. However, by placing constraints on spending from receipts, the Government are able to issue a greater amount of credit approvals to those local authorities where housing needs are greatest and where resources can be put to best use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the top 10 performing housing authorities in each of the past two years; and what position in the rank order is held by Stockport.

The Department has made no ranked assessment of the performance of housing authorities. However, in the context of the housing investment programme allocations published last December, the previous Secretary of State issued a list of 51 authorities judged to be well ahead of the field in comparison with others in their DOE region. Stockport was included in the list for north-west region.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the Audit Commission benchmark for empty properties; and what is the level of empty properties in Stockport.

The latest discussion by the Audit Commission of options open to local authorities for the better use of their housing stock is contained in the report "Developing Local Authority Housing Strategies", which was published on 28 May. In the report, the commission refers to benchmarks for void turn-around times for local authorities of six weeks in London and three weeks elsewhere. The commission suggests that if long-term voids were held to 1 per cent. of stock nearly all authorities with void intervals within these benchmarks would achieve a void level of less than 2 per cent.The latest available information on Stockport's empty council dwellings relates to 1 April 1991 and was provided by the council in its 1991 housing investment programme return, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average figure for metropolitan authorities of debt in relation to housing stock; and what is the figure for Stockport.

No information is now collected by the Department on debt relating to housing stock. However, figures published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy suggest that outstanding debt relating to housing at 31 March 1991 was £61 million for Stockport, or £210 per head of population, and £6.2 billion for all metropolitan districts, or around £560 per head.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people are on the waiting list for council accommodation in Stockport.

The latest available information on the number of households on the waiting list relates to 1 April 1991 and was provided by Stockport metropolitan district council in its April 1991 housing investment programme return, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the position of the application by 3D Ltd. for a city grant in connection with the west end scheme in Bradford.

My Department received a revised application for City Grant from 3D on 15 October 1991, for a first phase of the west end scheme, comprising offices in Aldermanbury, and a European pavilion with a multi-storey car park. The developer had to be asked to supply additional information and the application is now under appraisal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of licences granted for taking and the numbers of birds so taken from the wild, for each species of avian predator in each year since 1987.

Details of licences issued to take birds of prey from the wild are given in the United Kingdom's annual derogation reports to the European Commission under the terms of the EC directive 79/409 on the conservation of wild birds. Copies of each report for the years 1987 to 1991 have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when transitional arrangements for RECHAR funding in 1992–93 will be announced.

The transitional arrangements for 1992–93 for the provision of public expenditure cover for European regional development fund grants to be received, including those under the European Community's RECHAR initiative, will be announced very soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 9 June, Official Report, columns 155-56, if he will extend the policy of strict control over development proposals for sites of special scientific interest to one of complete protection unless a question of public safety is at stake.

No. I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 24 September 1991 announcing additional safeguards for SSSIs which are now incorporated in DOE circular 1/92.I also refer the hon. Member to the consultation draft of the planning policy guidance note on nature conservation.I will arrange for these documents to be sent to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 9 June, Official Report, column 154, if he will publish figures on the increase in black smoke concentrations in the Greenwich area in recent years.

The annual mean black smoke concentrations measured at the Greenwich site in u.g/m³ were as follows:

Year
1985–86	7
1986–87	13
1987–88	11
1988–89	14
1989–90	18
1990–91	20

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to agree a corporate plan with the Waltham Forest housing action trust.

A corporate plan has not yet been received from the Waltham Forest housing action trust. It will be agreed as soon as possible after receipt.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on how many home owners threatened with repossession by banks and building societies have been assisted in each London borough in 1991 and 1992.

Figures are not available in the form requested. The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that the combined effect of measures taken by the Government and lenders since December 1991 will save some 55,000 repossessions in the United Kingdom this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who appoints members of mineral planning authorities; to whom they report; and what are their terms of reference.

[holding answer 15 June 1992]: Within the shire counties, London and the metropolitan districts, the members of the mineral planning authorities are not appointed but are elected through the local government elections. In national parks, the Secretary of State appoints one third of the members of the mineral planning authority, the remaining two thirds are appointed by the local authorities involved.Members of mineral planning authorities would normally report to the chairperson of any committee on which they sit; in national parks they would normally report to the chairman of the board or committee of the park.There are no fixed terms of reference for mineral planning authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how emission levels from the Ferro-Alloys chimney in Glossop will be monitored by his Department to ensure there is no breaching of the limits laid down by it.

[holding answer 12 June 1992]: Emissions from the chimney at Ferro-Alloys, Glossops, will be monitored continuously using recording instruments. The records will be scrutinised by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many private and public sector properties are currently vacant in the city of Liverpool; what incentives he will provide to Liverpool city council to introduce homesteading schemes; what penalties he will impose on private and public sector landlords who fail to let properties; what is the estimated annual rent and community charge lost on empty private and public sector properties (a) throughout the United Kingdom and (b) in Liverpool; if he will meet leaders of Liverpool city council to discuss a plan of action; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his answer, 3 June 1992, c. 542]: At 1 April 1991, the number of vacant properties in Liverpool was 5,733 local authority, 843 housing association and 7,908 privately owned.As far as local authority stock is concerned, the housing subsidy rules penalise those councils that have more than 2 per cent. of their stock empty and reward those who do better. To further encourage best use of housing resources the Department will be introducing a pilot scheme to promote homesteading of local authority stock, linked with the estate action programme. For private homes, we do not believe that property owners should be forced to let accommodation against their will but our policies are geared to creating the conditions to encourage landlords to let their properties.The estimated rent loss, for 1991–92, on empty public sector properties was over £136 million for England and £6.4 million for Liverpool. There are no figures available for the private sector.There are no personal community charge losses on empty properties although the council can levy a standard community charge on most unoccupied domestic properties. This can act as an incentive for landlords to find tenants.My right hon. and learned Friend will be replying shortly to an invitation from Councillor Harry Rimmer, leader of Liverpool city council, to visit the city. The estate action programme and the vacant dwellings initiative and the prospect of a housing action trust are examples of joint initiatives tackling the city's housing problems. In addition, the council's success in round one of city challenge will lead to a major transformation in the city centre with substantial benefits for its residents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any further changes to announce his Department's cash limits for 1992–93.

[pursuant to his answer, 4 June 1992, c. 608]: In addition, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate the DOE/UA non-voted cash limit will be increased by £159,492,000 from £829,603,000 to £989,095,000. This includes £22,992,000 transferred from the Department of Trade and Industry for inner cities task forces' projects.It also includes an increase in grant in aid of £49,300,000 to the London Docklands development corporation for the eastern extension of the docklands light railway and capital expenditure relating to the railway.Also, £81,800,000 is transferred from the Department of Transport to enable the corporation to take over operational responsibilities for the railway.A net figure of a further £5,400,000 is required for setting up the Birmingham development corporation, progressing the Bristol spine road, supporting the Manchester Olympic bid committee's preparation of the bid for the 2000 Olympics and transferring inner cities research to the Department's housing vote.All these changes are either claims on the reserve or are offset elsewhere and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what efforts are being made by his Department to bring into force the United Nations convention on the law of the sea.

I have been asked to reply.We are working towards the achievement of a universally acceptable convention. While many of the provisions of this convention are helpful, there are serious objections to part XI, concerning sea-bed mining.On 16 and 17 June my officials will be participating in informal consultations chaired by the United Nations Secretary-General in order to seek solutions to the problems in part XI.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what controls or incentives, such as might be incorporated into the grant system, his Department offers to the managers of sub-post offices to assist them in undertaking the necessary work to make their premises and services accessible for disabled people.

I have been asked to reply.There is no Government scheme for offering grants to sub-postmasters to assist them in making their premises and services available for the disabled. The provision of premises to an acceptable standard for carrying on Post Office Counters business is a matter for the sub-postmaster, usually at his or her own expense, as laid down in the sub-postmasters' standard contract conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if there have been any items accepted in lieu of tax or allocated since his announcement on 3 June.

Since my announcement on 3 June, Official Report, column 570, I am pleased to inform the House of the acceptance of a further six offers: a painting, "Up and Out" by Richard Hamilton in lieu of £7,000; Hambledon cricket club account book in lieu of £39,120; two paintings, "John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset" by Sir Joshua Reynolds and "Lady Frances Cranfield" by Sir Anthony Van Dyck in lieu of £404,544; two busts by Rysbrack in lieu of £418,920; a painting "Lady Charlotte Bonham-Carter" by Peter Greenham in lieu of £8,500; and land known as Nolands farm in lieu of £57,920.The paintings "Up and Out" and "Lady Charlotte Bonham-Carter" have been allocated to the Tate gallery. The two paintings by Reynolds and Van Dyck "John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset" and "Lady Frances Cranfield" are to remain at Knole house, and the Rysbrack busts are to remain at Hagley hall. Nolands farm has been allocated to the National Trust. No decision has yet been taken on the allocation of the Hambledon cricket club account book.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received about the situation within and around the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 12 June 1992]:: I am in close touch with the Arts Council about the situation and shall be seeing the chairman of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society on 16 June.I am anxious that the current high artistic standing of the Royal Liverpool philharmonic orchestra under its music director, Libor Pesek, should not be jeopardised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all those functions and areas in his Department and associated agencies that have been identified for market testing in the wake of the White Paper "Competing for Quality".

The programme for market testing activities within the Department and the Teachers' Pensions Agency in 1992–93 and later years has yet to be finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will now repeal DES regulation 909; and if he will make a statement.

The Department is currently reviewing the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981, SI No. 909, as amended, in conjunction with the Welsh Office. While the review is in progress, the 1981 regulations will remain in force. The results of the review are expected to be available later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his estimate of the consequence of DES regulation 909 so far as the upgrading of school playing fields is concerned.

The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981, SI No. 909, introduced new quality and suitability requirements for playing fields in addition to minimum area standards. In the 1986 survey of school buildings, local education authorities reported that 5 per cent. of primary and 6 per cent. of secondary schools in the sample needed resources to bring their playing fields up to the 1981 regulation standards. The national estimate of cost, based on the figures reported, is £60 million at November 1985 prices, or £66 million at first quarter 1992 prices.The survey did not identify the type of improvements in quality and suitability which may have been required. Some of the deficiencies will have been dealt with since 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the funding arrangements for adult education; and what representations he has received about the future of non-vocational education provision.

There is no need for a review. Funding arrangements in 1993–94 will reflect LEAs' changed duties under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. In calculating the transfer of funds from local authorities to the new further education sector, the Government will leave within local authority standard spending the resources attributable to those courses which fall to LEAs' responsibilities.My right hon. Friend has received a small number of representations about LEA expenditure on the further education of adults.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to fund the sixth forms of grant-maintained schools through the Further Education Funding Council; and if he will make a statement.

The Further Education Funding Council will not be responsible for funding sixth-forms of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make his policy to require local education authorities to complete statutory special educational needs assessments within a six-month time period; and if he will make a statement.

On 11 June my noble Friend the Minister of State announced in another place the Government's wide-ranging proposals to legislate on special educational needs. They include regulating the time scales within which assessment procedures must be completed. We shall consult widely on the detail of our proposals.