To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that the complaint of Mr. G. F. Burrows, details of which have been sent to him, made to the London fire and civil defence authority, was dealt with in accordance with regulation 5 of the Fire Services (Discipline) Regulations 1985; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the London fire and civil defence authority gave full consideration to the allegations which were made to it by Mr. G. F. Burrows that certain senior officers had committed breaches of the Fire Services (Discipline) Regulations 1985. I have no reason to believe that the authority failed to comply with the procedures set out in the regulations for the investigation of alleged disciplinary offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are currently employed per head of population (a) in England and Wales, (b) by the Thames Valley force and (c) in the Milton Keynes police area of the Thames Valley force.

The table shows the ratio of police officers to population. These ratios are calculated on the basis of population figures as at June 1990 and police strength as at 31 March 1992.

	Police-population ratio
England and Wales (provisional forces)	1:450
Thames Valley Police	1:526

In addition to officers posted to the Milton Keynes division, other police units, such as child protection and traffic units, contribute in part to the policing of Milton Keynes. It is not therefore possible to provide a precise estimate of the police-population ratio for Milton Keynes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding the death of Lee White, aged 18, of Canvey island and the subsequent deaths at Feltham remand centre.

I share the widespread concern which has been expressed about the tragic deaths of four young prisoners at Feltham young offender institution and remand centre between August 1991 and March 1992, including the suicide of Lee White. That concern is also deeply felt by the management and staff of Feltham., and we are deeply conscious of the sadness caused to the families concerned. My reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 17 June, at column 520, described a number of measures which are being taken at Feltham to control acts of bullying, improve the care of vulnerable prisoners and so reduce the risk of any further tragedy occurring.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now answer as a matter of urgency the letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East dated 15 April regarding the case of Piara Lal.

I expect to reply to the hon. Member in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he is considering to bring about a settlement in Yugoslavia.

We fully support the efforts of the United Nations, of Lord Carrington's conference and of the EC monitoring mission to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Yugoslavia.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what issues he expects to discuss at the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.

The agenda for the 20 July Foreign Affairs Council is likely to include the following items:

follow up to the Lisbon European Council, including enlargement and future financing;

Uruguay round;

relations with former Soviet Union and central and eastern Europe;

EC/Turkey;

Yugoslavia

In the margins we intend to hold an EC/Egypt Co-operation Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the conflict in Sri Lanka.

We have long urged all sides to reach a negotiated settlement. We condemn the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for breaking off talks and resorting again to violence in June 1990. We support the Sri Lankan Government in their efforts to defeat terrorism, while pressing for its counter-insurgency campaign to be conducted responsibly and with full respect for human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy with regard to, and extent of, the commissioning of research projects in universities and polytechnics by Government communications head-quarters.

GCHQ, in common with other Government Departments and private industry, commissions research from universities or polytechnics when they are able to offer a particular area of expertise. Research is confined to unclassified subjects and the results may be published by the university or polytechnic if it wishes for the benefit of the academic community as a whole. Over the last four years, research projects totalling £506,953 have been placed by GCHQ with seven institutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of the People's Republic of China on the recent deaths in police custody of Roman Catholic bishops Joseph Fan Xueyan, Paul Shi Chunje and Paul Li Zhenrong, and on the continued imprisonment of bishops Chen Jianzhang, Peter Liu Guandeng, Liu Shuke, Shi Enxiang, Julius Jia Zhigino, Liu Difen, Casimir Wang Milu, Yang Libo and Joseph Li Side; and if he will make a statement.

In our dealings with the Chinese authorities on human rights issues we have stressed that Chinese attitudes towards religious believers are of particular concern. Several of the individual cases raised by my hon. Friend were mentioned in the Prime Minister's revised list handed over during his meeting in January with Chinese Premier Li Peng in New York. Others were included in the list of 40 Roman Catholic cases of concern handed over by my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) during his own visit to China last year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he has had with Mrs. Scrivener, member of the European Commission responsible for economic policy, concerning the decision of the Commission of 13 May to introduce a minimum rate of carbon/energy tax effective from 1 January 1993 on a tax-neutral basis; and what provision he will make for compensatory alterations in (a) public expenditure and (b) other taxes to achieve tax neutrality.

None. Mrs. Scrivener is the Commissioner responsible for taxation policy. The Commission have recently prepared a draft directive on carbon/energy taxation for the Council's consideration. No new agreement on tax policy can be made without the unanimous agreement of all 12 member states.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he consulted trade unions before deciding to eliminate NEDO and NEDC.

No, but of course the normal courtesies were observed by informing the General Secretary of the TUC and the Director General of the CBI of my decision.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when NEDO or NEDC were last involved in pay bargaining.

NEDC and NEDO have never been directly involved in pay bargaining. Pay issues have been discussed regularly in the NEDC throughout its history.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how often he meets trade union leaders.

My right hon. Friend has not met trade union leaders recently other than at meetings of the NEDC. The existence of NEDC may have inhibited greater informal contact between Government and unions.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the changes in the car scale charge for diesel-run cars, as stated in the March 1992 Budget, will take effect.

The new income tax scale charges for the benefit of diesel fuel provided by employers for private use by employees in company cars are included in the current Finance Bill. On enactment the new scales will apply from the beginning of this tax year. Matching scales for VAT purposes were brought into force by Treasury order from 6 April 1992.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, on the commencement of the European single market on 1 January 1993, he will continue regularly to publish statistics on the balance of trade with EC member states.

Yes. But there will be some delay initially while the new collection system, Intrastat, becomes established. Further information about Intrastat has been deposited in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account is taken by his Department of payments received by landowners, including those for management agreements for sites of special scientific interest or set aside, in assessing the suitability of land for inheritance tax exemptions; and if he will make a statement.

The heritage advisory agencies take all relevant factors into account when considering the eligibility of land for conditional exemption from inheritance tax.Entitlement to payments under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1991 management agreements or for environmentally sensitive areas under the Agriculture Act 1986 may be affected if land is conditionally exempted.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria his Department uses to assess the benefits of inheritance tax exemptions for the granting of public access to land; and if he will make a statement.

In return for conditional exemption from inheritance tax, landowners are required to give undertakings to maintain the heritage property, preserve its character and give reasonable public access to it. The heritage advisory agencies advise the Inland Revenue as to what constitutes reasonable public access: each case is considered individually on the basis of its own facts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the procedure by which his Department informs local planning authorities of land where inheritance tax exemptions have been agreed for the granting of public access to land; how planning authorities are expected to take this into account when dealing with planning applications; and if he will make a statement.

Where inheritance tax exemption is being considered, a land management plan is prepared by the landowner. The appropriate heritage advisory agency consults the local authority or national park authority on the proposed plan. The planning authority is, therefore, aware of the exemption.Planning applications are considered by the planning authority in the normal way, but the landowner is required to inform the heritage advisory agency of any proposed development of land which has received inheritance tax exemption. If the proposed development would lead to a breach of the undertakings given in return for the tax exemption, the agency discusses the position with the landowner and if a satisfactory outcome—for instance appropriate revised arrangements for public access—is not secured, a deferred inheritance tax charge will be triggered. To date, there has been no occasion on which such a tax charge has arisen.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation report covering Bishopsgate Investment Management; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 22 June 1992]: It is for the Securities and Investments Board to consider IMRO's review in the first instance.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who has been appointed as a consultant to his Department for market testing.

[holding answer 22 June 1992]: In accordance with the policy set out in "Competing for Quality" a review of the scope for market testing services in the Treasury has been carried out. Touche Ross provided the private sector input to that review.

To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps he is taking to (a) maximise the recycling of envelopes received by lion. Members and (b) provide that hon. Members' parliamen-tary question forms are recycled after use.

It is understood that all non-confidential waste paper collected in the Palace of Westminster is sent for recycling; and that the appropriate domestic Select Committees include among their responsibilities advice on measures to increase the use of stationery containing recycled paper and on its disposal. In addition, I am advised that the Serjeant at Arms' stores holds stocks of economy labels designed to facilitate the reuse of envelopes. These labels are listed on Members' stationery order forms.It is also understood that investigations are being carried out into the feasibility of introducing reusable packets for the transmission of quantities of Members' mail. If these studies are successful, the Administration Committee will be invited to consider their introduction to the range of House of Commons stationery.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on his plans to allow solicitors rights of audience in the higher courts.

The Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct has recently given the Law Society its initial advice on its application for extended rights of audience for solicitors. It is now for the Law Society to decide how to take the application forward in the light of that advice. When the application is sent formally to the Lord Chancellor, he will seek the advice of the advisory committee and of the Director General of Fair Trading. The decision whether to approve the application is taken in the light of that advice by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the President of the Family Division and the Vice-Chancellor.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many members of social security appeal tribunals are from the visible minority communities.

Responsibility for the recruitment of people to serve as members 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 directly to obtain this information.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to extend legal aid to industrial tribunals.

There are no plans to extend legal aid to industrial tribunals. Advice and assistance, but not representation, are already available under the legal aid "green form" scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those hospitals in Wales that carry out surgery for the removal of nasal polyps.

The following NHS hospitals have carried out surgery for the removal of nasal polyps during the last two years:

• Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
• Ysbyty Maelor
• Bronglais General
• West Wales General
• Royal Gwent, Newport
• Ysbyty Gwynedd
• Bridgend General
• East Glamorgan
• Porth and District
• Prince Charles
• University Hospital Wales
• Children's ENT, Ely
• Singleton

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the toxic waste disposal sites in Wales.

This information is not held centrally. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the district councils, which are responsible for licensing such sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) children and young people, (b) adult and elderly volunteers and (c) residents are not precluded from participation in catering and cooking at residential homes and sheltered accommodation for the elderly in Wales when such participation is aimed at creating a homely or community atmosphere for the residents.

Nobody in residential or sheltered accommodation is precluded by food hygiene legislation from taking part in the preparation of food. The extent to which they actually do so is a matter for them and for those directly responsible for their care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his best estimate of the number of elderly people currently living in non-registered residential homes (a) in Wales, (b) in each county in Wales and (c) in each district in Wales.

Information on elderly people living in non-registered residential homes is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide a separate estimate for the appropriate allowance for price inflation in civil engineering for each year since November 1988 for the construction of each of (a) the Cardiff bay barrage, (b) the foreshore promenade beneath Penarth Head, (c) the outer harbour, (d) the breasting dolphins and (e) the alternative feeding grounds for wading birds specified as works 1–5 in the Cardiff Bay Barrage Bill.

The appropriate allowance for price inflation in civil engineering, according to the PSA civil engineering cost indices, for each year since November 1988 is:

	Per cent.
November 1988—November 1989	9.2
November 1989—November 1990	7.6
November 1990—October 1991	5.5

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the new plans for recycling at 10 Downing street he announced during his recent visit to Rio de Janeiro.

I gave a pledge, as part of the Tree of Life initiative that bottles at No. 10 would be recycled. A collection point for bottles has been established, from where they will be taken to a bottle bank as necessary.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23 June.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 23 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 Secretary of State for National Heritage what record is kept of paintings donated to the nation in lieu of capital transfer or inheritance tax but left in their previous location in the care of their previous owner; what public access to the paintings is made available; what sums of tax have been forgone as a result of such donations during each of the past 10 years; and if he will list the paintings donated in this way during each of the last 10 years.

The records of all acceptance in lieu cases, including those accepted "in situ" are kept centrally by my Department. One of the conditions of items accepted in lieu of tax in situ is that public access must be available for a minimum of 30 days a year. The total amount of tax forgone in the last 10 years on in-situ paintings are as follows:

	£
1981–82	702,635
1982–83	—
1983–84	138,423
1984–85	—
1985–86	—
1986–87	—
1987–88	—
1988–89	260,717
1989–90	—
1990–91	20,000
1991–92	404,544

The paintings accepted in this way are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) if he will outline his Department's policy on recovery and recycling of ozone-depleting chemicals;(2) what is his Department's policy on purchasing ozone-depleting chemicals and goods manufactured with these substances; and in which year his Department expects to cease using, purchasing or releasing ozone depleting substances, controlled by the Montreal protocol, and HCFCs.

[holding answer 22 June 1992]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on 22 June, Official Report, column 95.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions his Department is having with the Sports Council or others on restricting the use and trading of anabolic steroids in gymnasiums for sporting or other purposes; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 19 June 1992]: My Department has regular discussions with the Sports Council and other Government Departments about the misuse of anabolic steroids in sport. Anabolic steroids are prescription-only drugs in the United Kingdom and it is already an offence, under the Medicines Act 1968, to sell steroids or to possess them for the purpose of sale without a licence. The Government plan to introduce legislation at the earliest parliamentary opportunity to prohibit the supply of steroids to minors, and the Department of Health is currently conducting research into the extent of anabolic steroid use.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total number of occasions on which the Minister for Overseas Development appeared at the Dispatch Box in Foreign Office questions to answer questions relating to overseas development and assistance to developing countries during the 1987–92 Parliament.

The Minister for Overseas Development appeared on 48 occasions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports have been received about the effects of the civil war in the Sudan and the number of refugees who have left the country; what arrangements have been made by the Government to assist with the relief effort; and if he will make a statement.

The civil war has had a devastating effect on southern Sudan. United Nations reports indicate the cash economy is non-existent; infrastructure, including communications systems, has broken down and transport is not available. Access to clean water, health and sanitation services is very limited. There are large numbers of internally displaced people.Refugee movements in the south are complex. Last year 300,000 Sudanese refugees returned to southern Sudan from Ethiopia. This year about 20,000 refugees have crossed into northern Kenya.Since 1989 we have provided £17.8 million to Operation Lifeline Sudan, the United Nations programme to provide relief assistance to the south. This year, Sudanese refugees will benefit from the £7 million we have pledged to help refugees in the Horn of Africa.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much official development assistance was given to developing countries in 1991 as a percentage of gross national product.

United Kingdom official development assistance in 1991 was £1,841 million, which represented 0.32 per cent. of GNP. This maintains our average aid-GNP over the last five years at 0.30 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what evidence he has of the existence of deliberate discrimination in Northern Ireland employment.

The Fair Employment Tribunal is the body charged with the determination of cases of alleged discrimination in employment on the grounds of religious belief or political opinion. Similarly, industrial tribunals determine cases of alleged sex discrimination. The findings of these tribunals are a matter of public record.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners were charged with disciplinary offences and which offences following disturbances at Her Majesty's prison Maghaberry on 23 March.

There were no disturbances at Her Majesty's prison Maghaberry on 23 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of strip searches made on female prisoners at Her Majesty's prison Maghaberry monthly since July 1971; what was the number of persons involved and the number of times each person was searched; what prison contraband, smuggled items, or illegal correspondence were discovered in any search; in how many cases prisoners refused to be searched and had to be restrained while the search was being conducted; and what were the reasons for each search.

The hon. Member's question is incapable of answer, since Her Majesty's prison Maghaberry was not opened until March 1986.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to make the RRS James Clark Ross, the RSS Discovery, the RSS Charles Darwin and the RRS Challenger environmental research programmes available to schools.

Agency	Launch date	Staff1
Accounts Services Agency	1 October 1991	90
ADAS Agency	1 April 1992	2,500
Building Research Establishment	2 April 1990	700
Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments)	1 April 1991	230
Central Office of Information2	5 April 1990	670
Central Science Laboratory	1 April 1992	370
Central Statistical Office	19 November 1991	1,090
Central Veterinary Laboratory	2 April 1990	590
Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment3	1 April 1991	600
Civil Service College	6 June 1989	230
Companies House2	3 October 1988	1,070
Compensation Agency4	1 April 1992	150
Defence Research Agency	1 April 1991	12,150
Directorate General of Defence Accounts3	1 April 1991	2,130
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency	2 April 1990	4,580
Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency4	1 April 1992	250
Driving Standards Agency	2 April 1990	2,080
Duke of York's Royal Military School	1 April 1992	100
DVOIT	1 April 1992	590
Employment Service	2 April 1990	38,400
Fire Service College2	1 April 1992	160
Forensic Science Service	1 April 1991	600
Historic Royal Palaces	1 October 1989	330
Historic Scotland	1 April 1991	630
HMSO2	14 December 1988	3,250
Hydrographic Office3	6 April 1990	860
Insolvency Service	21 March 1990	1,470
Intervention Board	2 April 1990	980
Laboratory of the Government Chemist	30 October 1989	340
Land Registry	2 July 1990	9,800
Medicines Control Agency	1 July 1991	300
Meteorological Office	2 April 1990	2,390
Military Survey3	1 April 1991	1,300
National Engineering Laboratory	5 October 1990	390
National Physical Laboratory	3 July 1990	830
National Weights and Measures Laboratory	18 April 1989	50
Natural Resources Institute	2 April 1990	440
Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation3	1 April 1992	1,510
NHS Estates	1 April 1991	120
Occupational Health Service	2 April 1990	100
Ordnance Survey	1 May 1990	2,380
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland4	1 April 1992	210
Patent Office2	1 March 1990	1,080
Planing Inspectorate	1 April 1992	630
Public Record Office	1 April 1992	440
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre	6 July 1989	60
Queen Victoria School	1 April 1992	60
Radiocommunications Agency	2 April 1990	520
RAF Maintenance3	1 April 1991	13,300
Rate Collection Agency4	1 April 1991	270
Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency	1 April 1991	240
Registers of Scotland	6 April 1990	1,280

The Natural Environment Research Council arranges guided tours for school parties around its research vessels, during the limited time they are in United Kingdom ports. The tours include an introduction to the environmental research programmes supported by the particular vessel.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names, date of creation and numbers of staff employed by the independent executive agencies.

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Government response to the Transport Select Committee's second report, Session 1991–92, "Preparations for the Opening of the Channel Tunnel" N.C. 12–1, will be published; and if he will make a statement.

The Government welcome the Committee's report. My right hon. Friend has today published the Government response—Cm. 1987. Copies have been tabled in the Journal Office and the Clerk of the Parliaments' Office. Copies have also been placed in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what forecasts have been made of the likely growth in (a) commuter traffic and (b) tourist traffic using river passenger services on the Thames; and what discussions his officials have had about an application for section 56 grant to invest in piers and vessels to accommodate growth in demand.

Forecasts provided to us by the Riverbus Partnership showed a projected growth in demand for Riverbus services from 400,000 per annum in 1991 to a peak of 750,000 per annum in 1993 with a gradual decline thereafter until 1997, when the demand is forecast to level off at about 400,000 per annum. I know of no forecasts of tourist traffic using other river services.Ministers and officials have had several meetings with the Riverbus Partnership to discuss a possible application for a section 56 grant. Preliminary discussions were also held with another company contemplating setting up a service. Both have been told that grant would not be available in 1993–94.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy in respect of encouraging the development of river passenger transport in London; and what action he has taken in the last year to promote river passenger transport.

I should like to encourage greater use of the River Thames for both freight and passengers. I should welcome proposals from operators and others to develop services, including the means of financing them.My officials have had discussion with river users and their representatives to explore the potential of the River Thames and its associated facilities. I intend that such discussions should continue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he plans to take to safeguard the Riverbus services in the light of the impending withdrawal of its operating subsidy by Olympia and York; and what information he has on the numbers using the service daily (a) overall and (b) to London city airport.

I have looked at the possibility of providing an operating subsidy to Riverbus. I have concluded that such a subsidy would not represent good value for money in transport terms. I understand that 228,000 passengers used Riverbus in the first five months of 1992. Of these, 14,000 travelled to the London City airport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received and what discussions he has had about the future of the Riverbus services.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have received representations from the owners of the London City airport, from the airport's managing director, from two airlines, from the Riverbus Partnership, from the Port of London Authority, from the Chelsea Reach Association, and from 14 hon. Members enclosing a letter from the chairman of Mowlem, owners of the London City Airport. There have been no formal discussions about Riverbus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the planned start on site and finish dates for the A205, south circular. Catford town centre relief road.

Until land acquisition is completed. it would be premature to forecast the timing of construction work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve consultation arrangements between his Department and the London borough councils through which the A205, south circular road passes, regarding all types of highway work and pedestrian safety.

I consider the present arrangements satisfactory. Frequent contact takes place between officials of the Department and individual boroughs on matters of mutual interest, including improvements to the roads for which the Secretary of State is responsible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state (a) the current projected cost of the Jubilee line in current and 1989 prices, (b) the length of time over which private sector contributions are to be paid and from what source, (c) the proportion of the current cost, and 1989 cost that is now proposed to be covered from such contributions when discounted to a common base year and (d) the methods and assumptions on which the private sector contributions have been discounted.

The current projected cost of the Jubilee line extension is £1,420 million in 1989 prices and £1,828 million in current—cash—prices. Private sector contributions were promised by Olympia and York—O and Y—Heron Quays Developments Limited—HQDL—and British Gas—BG.O and Y was to have contributed £400 million cash, comprising £40 million on 31 March 1992; £60 million on 31 March 1993; and a stream of payments over 24 years, or a single discounted payment, once the extension was opened. At the time the company went into administra-tion, it had not completed its funding agreement with London Underground Limited—LUL—setting out the terms under which its contributions were to have been made.HQDL was to have made a single payment of £2.4 million at November 1989 prices, uplifted by 10 per cent. per annum and payable in June 1992. The company, which is a joint venture company owned partly by O and Y and partly by Regalian Homes Limited, has told LUL it cannot proceed now that O and Y has gone into administration.BG is to make contributions in cash and kind, estimated in 1989 to be worth £24.7 million. Some of those contributions are to be uplifted at 12 per cent. per annum to the dates on which they are paid. The detailed terms under which the contributions are to be paid, including the length of time over which they would be paid, is to be specified in the funding agreement with LUL, which is still to be negotiated.We continue to look to the private sector to make these contributions so that the line may proceed. If the contributions were all forthcoming, the proportion of the extension's total cost covered would be just over 12 per cent. in 1989 prices or 24 per cent. of the current—cash—price. The HQDL and BG contributions have not been discounted as they were originally expressed in 1989 prices. The O and Y contribution has been discounted at 8 per cent. per annum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions his Department is having concerning the most appropriate criteria to include in league tables when measuring schools' effectiveness.

Comparative tables will this year cover public examination results; next year we plan to include national curriculum assessment results, truancy rates and information about the educational and other routes taken by older pupils. We consulted widely on plans for 1992 and will do so again for 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the Butlers Hill infant school, Hucknall.

Nottinghamshire LEA has submitted a bid for a supplementary credit approval to enable the school to be replaced. My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement soon about SCAs for the current year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has had regarding the number of teacher posts for September 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has had regarding teacher redundancies for September 1992.

My right hon. Friend has received letters from a number of sources relating to the employment of teachers; a proportion of these refer to changes in numbers of teacher posts for September 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the National Association of Head Teachers regarding standard assessment tasks at key stage 1.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects standard assessment tasks to be taken in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

We are currently consulting about the arrangements for assessing both seven and 14-year-olds in 1993, including about the timing of the national tests. My right hon. Friend expects shortly to reach final decisions about the testing arrangements for 1993 in the light of the consultations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from the National Curriculum Council regarding the content of the English national curriculum.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the National Association of Advisers in English and the National Association for the Teaching of English following their recent report on the English curriculum.

My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the subject of grant-maintained status from primary and secondary schools.

My right hon. Friend continues to receive views from numerous bodies and individuals on grant-maintained status.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what modifications he has sought to the proposed admissions policies of schools seeking grant-maintained status in Essex; and what are the reasons in each case for the modifications.

I will write to my hon. Friend with the information she has requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the impact of local management of schools on local authority-wide music provision: and if he will make a statement on the Government's future plans in this respect.

There is no direct relationship between the introduction of local management of schools and the level of music provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce the outcome of his Department's inquiry into student unions; and if he will make a statement.

I plan to bring the current consultations on student unions to a close in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the relationship between spending by local education authorities and examination results.

There is no straightforward relationship between spending by local education authorities and examination results; higher spending does not, of itself, guarantee better results.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils applied to enter Hendon grant-maintained school in 1992–93 and in 1988–89.

The Department does not collect centrally information on applications for admissions to grant-maintained schools. However, I understand from Hendon school that it has received 420 applications for admission in September 1992. The school admitted 103 pupils in 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he plans to review the arrangements for the assessment of pupils in the light of the proposals for Scotland.

No, we have no intention of abandoning a system that works.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps are being taken to encourage parents to stand for election as school governors.

The Department is playing its part in efforts to attract new school governors this autumn, including parents. My right hon. Friend launched the "Schools Need Governors" campaign on 28 April. I have followed this up at a number of events designed to raise awareness of school governor issues and the satisfaction which membership of governing bodies can bring. We have appointed Mrs. Ann Holt to support and co-ordinate local authorities' recruitment plans. We have paid for the production of a leaflet and poster—translated into eight ethnic minority languages—for distribution to all schools and libraries in England and Wales. We are spending around £300,000 on the campaign, which I am confident will be successful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals he has to ensure that adequate resources will be made available for nursery education provision throughout England and Wales for 1993–94.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Burden) on 19 May, Official Report, column 107.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many copies of the parents charter have been distributed to parents.

Some 5.3 million copies, in English and ethnic minority languages, were requested by individuals and by the two thirds of schools which distributed copies direct to parents. More than 1 million further copies were distributed through main post offices and public libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the average pupil:teacher ratio since May 1979; what was the October 1974 to May 1979 average: and if he will make a statement.

The average overall PTR for the period January 1980 to January 1991 inclusive, the latest date for which full information is available was 17.7. For the period January 1975 to January 1979 inclusive the average overall PTR was 19.6.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what study he is making of the number of Scottish students attending English universities after the establishment of higher education funding councils.

My Department is making no such study. Places for home students at higher education institutions in England will be funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England irrespective of domicile. The same principle will apply to funding for places at institutions in Scotland and Wales by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of children of school age receive single-sex education in (a) Romford, (b) the London borough of Havering and (c) England and Wales generally; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which this provides adequate choice for parents in the state sector.

Information for schools in Romford is not available centrally. Information on schools in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales. In January 1991, the percentages of children of compulsory school age receiving education in maintained single sex schools in Havering local education authority and England as a whole are 9.2 and 4.7 respectively. It is for each local education authority to determine the demand for single sex education in its area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the arrangements for the statementing of children with special education needs; and what discussions he has had on the provision of medical services to children attending special education establish-ments in the Wigan metropolitan borough.

On 11 June my noble Friend the Minister of State said in another place that the Government had undertaken a fundamental review of the Education Act 1981. and announced the Government's proposals to legislate to improve present arrangements for assessments and statements. We shall consult widely on the detail of our proposals.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has ministerial responsibility for the provision of medical services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children in (a) Barnsley, (b) Doncaster and (c) Rotherham are currently diagnosed as suffering from dyslexia;(2) how many curriculum support assistants are currently employed for special needs children in

This information is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the local education authorities who have claimed grant for education, support and training at 65 per cent. on the full cost of funding the initial training of an educational psychologist in circumstances where the individual involved in such training has contributed 35 per cent. of the costs.

Local education authorities may only claim grant under the grants for education support and training programme in respect of eligible spending which they themselves incur. They may not claim grant in respect of costs met by the individual being trained. The Department has asked local education authorities to confirm that their claims have been prepared on this basis, but has not yet received all replies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many educational psychologists are employed in (a) Barnsley, (b) Doncaster and (c) Rotherham expressed as a specific figure and as a percentage of the national average.

The table gives in column 1 full-time equivalent numbers of educational psychologists em-ployed by the local education authorities in question in January 1992. Column 2 expresses these as a percentage of the average number employed per English LEA. The figures are provided in the form requested, but are not weighted to take account of variations between LEAs in the numbers of children of school age for which they are responsible.

Shire counties 1989–90
	Net institutional expenditure per secondary pupil 1989–90(£)	Percentage of leavers with five or more GCSE/O/CSE grades A to C	Rank (passes)
Derbyshire	1,975	26.9	33
Nottinghamshire	1,955	24.7	38
Cleveland	1,915	27.3	31
Hertfordshire	1,900	36.1	6
Leicestershire	1,900	28.4	27
Shropshire	1,855	32.4	12
Buckinghamshire	1,850	41.2	1
Cumbria	1,845	29.6	23
Suffolk	1,820	26.6	34
Bedfordshire	1,815	27.3	31
Lancashire	1,810	29.4	25
Oxfordshire	1,810	29.8	21
Norfolk	1,810	27.8	29
Essex	1,800	30.9	17
Avon	1,800	30.2	19
Hampshire	1,790	32.8	11
Staffordshire	1,790	26.6	34
Warwickshire	1,770	30.9	17
East Sussex	1,765	36.5	5
North Yorkshire	1,760	37.6	4
Humberside	1,760	23.4	39
West Sussex	1,745	39.6	3
Somerset	1,745	31.4	16
Gloucestershire	1,735	34.3	7
Berkshire	1,735	32.4	12
Durham	1,735	26.3	37
Cheshire	1,715	33.3	10
Devon	1,710	29.5	24
Wiltshire	1,700	30.1	20
Cornwall including Scilly	1,690	33.8	8
Northamptonshire	1,685	27.8	29
Surrey	1,675	40.7	2
Northumberland	1,645	33.4	9
Cambridgeshire	1,640	29.8	21
Hereford and Worcester	1,635	32.1	14
Dorset	1,635	31.5	15
Lincolnshire	1,630	26.6	34
Isle of Wight	1,575	28.1	28
Kent	1,570	28.9	26
England	1,855	28.6

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list in rank order the shire county education authorities' spending per pupil in secondary schools, relative to the proportion of secondary school pupils achieving five GCSEs at grades A to C, and the national averages for the most recent year available.

The table shows school-based spending per-secondary pupil in shire counties in financial year 1989–90, and the average percentage of school leavers obtaining five or more grades A, B or C at GCSE in 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the metal specification of the Gulf medal; when it was authorised to be made; when the first issue to recipients was made and when the issue will be completed; if he will make a statement about the quality of the production and speed of issue; and whether he intends to seek competitive tenders for future issues of medals and awards.

The Gulf medal is made of cupro-nickel. The Command Paper for the Gulf medal was approved by Her Majesty the Queen on 10 August 1991, and it was published and laid before Parliament on 20 August 1991. The order for the manufacture of the medals was placed later that month; the first medals were produced by the Royal Mint in October 1991 and the first issues made in November 1991. The initial dispatch rate of 1,000 medals per week has now been more than doubled, and it is expected that the bulk of issues of the medal will be completed by the end of July 1992. The Government have been satisfied with the quality of the medal produced by the Royal Mint. The possibility of seeking competitive tenders for future medal issues is under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a study of cataracts in British nuclear test participants will be undertaken.

The National Radiological Protection Board considers it to be impracticable to undertake a study of cataracts in all 20,000 test participants. It has, however, agreed to carry out an investigation on a small group of volunteers from the test veterans associations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will commission a study into potential genetic effects of nuclear contamination in the families of British nuclear test participants.

A study is to be undertaken by the National Radiological Protection Board in conjunction with the Childhood Cancer Research Group, and other organisations into cancer in the children of radiation workers included in the National Register for Radiation Workers. In the light of this study MoD will consider whether to commission such a study for British test participants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many body scans have been undertaken by the National Radiological Protection Board as part of its follow-on survey dealing with British nuclear test participants.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what period the Blue Books, recording radiation exposure in British nuclear test participants, have been compiled.

The Blue Books record radiation exposures of test participants in the United Kingdom nuclear weapons test programme, both atmospheric and underground, for the period 1952–67.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what authorisation has been given by individuals, who served as participants in British nuclear tests, for their Blue Book entries to be made available to the National Radiological Protection Board.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efforts have been made to inform British nuclear test participants of their Blue Book entries and of their rights to access these personal records.

As the vast majority of test participants received a zero dose, it would be inappropriate to contact each service man individually. Test participants are entitled under suitable privacy arrangements to receive the information on their dose records. held in the Blue Books.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will halt the use of the air weapons range at RAF Tain by USAF F-111E aircraft until such time as he has received and published the findings of the inquiry into the recent inadvertent dropping of five practice bombs.

United States Air Force F-111E temporarily ceased using RAF Tain range from the afternoon of 11 June, after an incident in which four practice bombs were irregularly released. This followed the irregular release of one practice bomb on 4 June. USAF investigations into the two incidents found that they had been caused by unrelated technical malfunctions. All F-111E aircraft were checked for both types of fault and were cleared to begin using the range again on 17 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual salary range applicable to the Head of the Defence Export Services Organisation.

The present Head of Defence Export Services, Mr. Alan Thomas, is on secondment from Raytheon Europe, Ltd., which pays his salary and is reimbursed by the Ministry of Defence. His current salary is £123,220 a year, subject to annual review, and Mr. Thomas is eligible for a performance bonus within an annual maximum of £30,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the budget for development of Battlefield IFF for each of the last five years; and what is the budget for each of the next five years.

We have funded a number of technology programmes within the Defence Research Agency which are applicable to a range of potential equipments, including Battlefield IFF, although the expenditure applicable solely to Battlefield IFF cannot be separately identified. The Defence Research Agency is now undertaking a research programme aimed at assessing short-term solutions as well as options for the longer term for such a system.We have not commenced the development of a Battlefield IFF because it has not yet been possible to identify a secure and effective solution which would match the complexities of the modern battlefield. As far as our budget for the next five years is concerned, it is not our practice to reveal the details of our forward programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total debt in the housing account of the Harrogate borough council and the servicing costs for the 1991–92 financial year.

No information is held centrally on a split of total authority debt which relates to housing, nor of the split of servicing costs. Local housing authorities are however required to maintain a housing revenue account where debt servicing costs are charged for housing. These costs are based upon debt figures calculated by formula.The estimated average debt used in the formula for charging servicing costs to the housing revenue account of Harrogate borough council for 1991–92 is about £18.1 million. The provisional debt servicing costs for the same year are £2.46 million.

Table A—running costs at current prices
CAT	1987–88 (£000's)	1988–89 (£000's)	1989–90 (£000's)	1990–91 (£000's)	1991–92 (£000's)
Nottingham/Leicester/Derby	n/a1	183	183	183	271
Liverpool	204	204	204	204	223
London	190	254	226	226	299
Tyne and Wear	132	132	165	242	242
Leeds/Bradford	n/a1	121	146	176	215
Birmingham	40	106	127	137	177
Manchester/Salford	127	124	118	155	191
Cleveland	40	38	62	71	90
Table B—running costs at 1987–88 prices
Nottingham/Leicester/Derby	n/a1	119	119	119	186
Liverpool	140	140	140	140	150
London	125	171	150	150	198
Tyne and Wear	90	90	113	166	166
Leeds/Bradford	n/a1	83	100	121	147
Birmingham	27	73	87	87	121
Manchester/Salford	87	85	81	106	131
Cleveland	27	26	43	48	60
1 Leeds/Bradford and Nottingham/Leicester/Derby CATs were launched in March 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table of expenditure on each city action team by his Department for each year from 1987–88 (a) at current prices and (b) 1987–88 prices.

Responsibility for city action teams transferred from the Department of Trade and Industry to the Department of the Environment in December 1989. City action teams expenditure from 1989 has been as follows:

TABLE A
Current prices
City action team	1989–90 £'000s	1990–91 £'000s	1991–92 £'000s
Nottingham/Leicester/Derby	870	895	888
Liverpool	1,356	1,118	1,234
London	1,057	1,230	1,129
Tyne and Wear	1,372	1,118	1,298
Leeds/Bradford	800	1,006	846
Birmingham	690	895	982
Manchester/Salford	572	1,006	908
Cleveland	784	1,342	1,442

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 12 June, Official Report, column 342, whether he will publish the recommendations of the report by Cambridge Economic Consultants into the south and west Cumbrian economies.

No.