To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the speed limits for each aircraft type while low-flying over the United Kingdom at (a) 100 ft and (b) 250 ft; and if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which these speeds may be exceeded during interceptions or the run-up of simulated targets.

For military aircraft flying at 250ft in the United Kingdom low-flying system the normal maximum cruising speed is 450 knots, except for F-111s which, for aircraft handling reasons, are allowed to fly at speeds up to 480 knots. At this height aircraft may increase their speed to maxima ranging from 480 knots to 550 knots, depending on aircraft type, in special circumstances such as the run-up to simulated targets or during mock interceptions. The maximum speeds for aircraft flying at 100 ft above ground level are as follows:

	Knots
Jaguar	520
Tornado	500
Hawk	480
Harrier GR 5/7	420

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Household Cavalry will receive from Anglia TV for the assistance it is giving to that company's forthcoming television production "Riders"; and if he will make a statement.

Costs are still being collated and formal charges will be raised by MoD in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of maintaining British armed forces in the Falkland islands in each of the last 10 years; and what is the estimated cost for the current year.

The cost of maintaining British armed forces in the Falkland islands in each of the last 10 years (at outturn prices) was as follows:

	£ million
1982–83	780
1983–84	637
1984–85	644
1985–86	572
1986–87	402
1987–88	229
1988–89	102
1989–90	68

	£ million
1990–91	66
1991–92	72

The estimated costs for 1992–93 are £67 million at 1992–93 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he received a report from the United States Air Force into an incident on 5 June, when a practice bomb was dropped 8 miles off target by a United States Air Force jet into a site of special scientific interest near Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland; what compensation is being negotiated for the damage by fire to the rare lichen moss destroyed in this incident; and if he will make a statement.

The incident referred to took place on 4 June. A written report detailing the cause was received from the United States Air Force by the Ministry of Defence on 12 June. Full details of claims for compensation have not yet been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to make available to interested United Kingdom citizens and organisations, aerial photographs of such United Kingdom defence facilities as are permitted to the Russian military forces under the Helsinki "Open Skies" treaty of 24 March.

The purpose of the "Open Skies" treaty is to establish a reciprocal confidence-building regime which will help us build trust with other parties to the treaty. Under the treaty, information gathered during "Open Skies" flights may be used only for treaty-related purposes. We would not want to see this provision waived, not least because aerial photographs from "Open Skies" flights could be of use to terrorist organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met representatives of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association to discuss compensation; when he next plans to meet them; and if he will make a statement.

I have discussed this matter with a number of hon. Members. I have not met and have not received any request to meet representatives of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association. The position on compensation remains as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in his answer of 5 June, Official Report, column 655.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of personnel accommodation are vacant in each county in England and Wales, and in each region in Scotland.

Records are not maintained by counties in England, but at 31 March 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 9,002 MoD-owned service married quarters and civilian residential dwellings vacant in England, Wales and Scotland out of a total stock of 69,841. This excludes barrack and mess accommodation.

Region	Vacant
England
Yorkshire	596
Northern	88
North West	126
South East	3,715
South West	1,617
East Anglia	566
East Midlands	700
West Midlands	322
Wales
Clwyd	45
Dyfed	19
Gwent	17
Gwynedd	31
Powys	17
South Glamorgan	105
Scotland
Borders	19
Dumfries and Galloway	1
Fife	117
Grampian	277
Highlands	15
Western Isles	48
Shetlands	6
Lothian	174
Strathclyde	318
Tayside	63
Total	9,002

Many of these properties were undergoing major works or modernisation, some were already allotted to service families who were due to move in shortly, and others were being considered for disposal. In addition, some 1,850 properties were in the process of being sold.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement about redundancies in the Army.

A total of 3,338 Army personnel, comprising 838 officers and 2,500 soldiers, were selected in February 1992 for the first phase of redundancy. Of the total, all but 143 officers were volunteers.As foreshadowed in my answer to the hon. Member for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neil) on 8 November 1991,

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the extent of his responsibilities in Scotland.

I have general responsibility for transport policy throughout Great Britain, which I exercise in association with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales. My specific responsibilities for Scotland cover matters other than those for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is directly responsible. These are Scottish roads policy and legislation, including the construction, maintenance and management of motorways and trunk roads; capital allocations and grants to local authorities for local roads and public transport; some aspects of bus policy; subsidies to some local ferry, airport and air services; Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd; transport piers and harbours other than ports, freight facilities grants; toll bridge regulation; and civil emergencies planning. There is very close consultation between my Department and the Scottish Office over all aspects of transport policy affecting Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was the average daily vehicular flow on the A420 between Swindon and Oxford in (a) 1980, (b) 1985 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available;(2) what was the average daily vehicular flow on the A417 between Cirencester and Gloucester in

The latest available estimates are for 1990 when the average daily traffic flow was 17,000 vehicles on the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester, 25,000 on the A419 between Swindon and Cirencester and 14,000 on the A420 between Swindon and Oxford. The Department's national traffic surveys do not allow changes in traffic levels between years to be estimated for particular roads.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those directors of airports, operated on behalf of municipal authorities by companies, who are also councillors on the authority or subject to appointment by them and give the percentage of the non-independent directors in each case.

The information relating to airports owned by public airport companies is as follows:

Airport	Local authority members	1Other non-executive directors	Executive directors	Total
Birmingham	9	1	4	14
Blackpool	5	1	2	8
Bournemouth	6	—	2	8
Bristol	5	—	2	7

Airport	Local authority members	1Other non-executive directors	Executive directors	Total
Cardiff-Wales	9	3	3	15
East Midlands	18	—	3	21
Exeter	5	1	2	8
Humberside	12	1	3	16
Leeds Bradford	15	—	3	18
Luton	6	4	3	13
Manchester	18	—	3	21
Newcastle	24	—	3	27
Norwich	6	2	3	11
Southend	8	—	1	9
Teesside	11	1	3	15
1 Includes former local authority member, local authority officers, businessmen and worker directors.

Under section 17(1) of the Airports Act 1986 it is the duty of the controlling authority of a public airport company to exercise its control over the company so as to ensure that at least three of the directors of the company, or at least one quarter of their number—whichever is the less—are full time employees of the company with experience in airport management. Southend airport, which is managed on behalf of its owners by a management company, is currently exempted from this duty (under section 17(2) of the 1986 Act).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to provide lighting on any section of the M4 between junctions 7/8 and 15 which is not presently lit.

Work is currently taking place to light the M4 between junctions 10 and 11. We have no plans at present to light any other unlit sections of the motorway between junctions 7 and 15. The provision of lighting along these sections will be considered in conjunction with planning for widening the M4 presently in hand.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid by the general lighthouse authorities to the Commissioners for Irish Lights in each of the last 10 years.

Nothing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, following the publication of the British Rail annual report, he will prepare and publish an equivalent document for British roads, listing all the costs and benefits.

The Department of Transport report, published annually in February, includes details of the Government's expenditure on trunk roads and on transport supplementary grant for local authority roads in England. It also outlines expenditure plans for the next three years. Schemes in the road programme were last set out comprehensively in "Trunk Roads, England—into the 1990s" published in February 1990. Trunk roads in Wales and Scotland are the responsibility of the respective Secretaries of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to bring civil air transport seating up to the most up-to-date safety and fire precaution standards.

The Civil Aviation Authority has the statutory responsibility for the safety regulation of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. I have drawn the hon. Member's question to the attention of the authority and asked it to write to him direct to inform him of the latest position on the safety of air transport seating.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to replace those directors of trust ports appointed by him whose port authority has refused to make its annual report and accounts available to the public.

So far as I am aware, this situation has not arisen at any of the small number of trust ports where the Secretary of State appoints some or all members of the authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the remit and membership of the transport working group; and how it will contribute to the development of the Government's policies for transport in London.

I will be chairing the transport working group whose broad remit will be to advise me on issues affecting public transport in London and to help improve transport co-ordination. The membership, selected for its practical experience, will be the managing directors of London Underground Ltd., Network SouthEast and London Buses Ltd.; the chief executive of the LDDC; the South East and Metropolitan traffic commissioner; the chairman of the London Regional Passengers' Committee; and representatives of the private sector bus operators, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the London tourist board and the London planning advisory committee. Sir George Young from the Department of the Environment will also be joining the group. I will be calling a first meeting in early autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to publish his input into the conference on tourism in November.

The English tourist board plans to publish the proceedings of the conference towards the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment he has made of the impact on tourism of the EC proposals for VAT on ferry fares, train tickets and air fares in the United Kingdom.

I have made no assessment of any such impact. An agreement reached by Finance Ministers enables us to maintain our existing zero rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to visit those educational establishments offering courses in tourism-related subjects.

I have no engagements of this kind planned at the moment, but I look forward to seeing tourism-related courses in action in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he last met the chairmen of the regional tourist boards.

My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State frequently meets representatives of all sectors of the tourism industry on engagements around the country. My noble Friend Lord Astor attended the annual meeting of the regional tourist board chairmen held at the Belton Woods hotel near Grantham, on 1 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made in setting up a trust fund for the transfer of assets from the Cardiff Bay development corporation for the purpose of accumulation of capital assets.

Cardiff Bay development corporation has considered a number of options for meeting the costs of operating the barrage and the inland bay after its dissolution. A trust fund was one of the options considered by the corporation but the Government have not yet taken a final decision on the preferred choice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his most up-to-date estimate of the cost of the mitigation works for the provision of alternative feeding grounds for wading birds on the south Wales foreshore on an out-turn cost on the comparable timing of construction basis to the £167·4 million cost of the barrage in his answer of 26 June, Official Report, column 340.

The out-turn cost of the mitigation works will depend on the method and phasing of construction, which will not be known before the feasibility study is completed in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what is the level of unemployment among 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales and by county; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many persons aged 16 and 17 years who are not in employment or education are not currently on youth training programmes in each county in Wales and in total; and if he will make a statement.

The 1988 Social Security Act changed the benefit entitlement of under 18-year-olds. It coincided with the guaranteed offer of a place on a youth training programme. Information is not centrally available on the numbers of 16 and 17-year-olds who are neither employed nor in education and who have chosen not to take a place on a youth training programme. However, among these are some who, due to exceptional social or domestic circumstances, are entitled to claim income support and are therefore included in the unemployment count. The numbers of these are shown in the following table:

Number as at April 1992
	Number
Clwyd	73
Dyfed	28
Gwent	47
Gwynedd	46
Mid Glamorgan	158
Powys	15
South Glamorgan	31
West Glamorgan	26
Wales	424

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the expenditure on regional assistance in each assisted area in Wales for the most recent available year.

The information is as follows:

Regional assistance: Estimated payments 1991–92
TTWA	Forecast outturn1 (£ thousands)
Aberdare	515
Bangor and Caernarfon	681
Blaenau Gwent and Abergavenny	5,014
Bridgend	10,795
Cardiff	3,133
Cardigan	352
Haverfordwest	78
Holyhead	311
Lampeter and Aberaeron	66
Llanelli	730
Merthyr and Rhymney	4,619
Neath and Port Talbot	4,501
Newport	4,830
Pontypool and Cwmbran	926
Pontypridd and Rhondda	16,842
Porthmadog and Ffestiniog	76
Shotton, Flint and Rhyl	8,773
South Pembrokeshire	104
Swansea	1,736
Wrexham	6,454
Old-style regional development grant2	836
Total	71,372
1 Comprises regional selective assistance, old-style and revised regional development grants and regional enterprise grants.
2 Expenditure on the basis of individual TTWAs is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes in the management of the fire services in Wales he envisages will follow the introduction of unitary authorities.

This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament: and if he will make a statement.

Over the next 12 months I will continue to progress the commitments made in respect of Wales in the Environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance" (Cm. 1200) and in the follow-up report—"The Environment in Wales" published by the Welsh Office last September. I will also be publishing a further report in the autumn on our environmental programme in Wales and future plans. This will include an account of progress made by the Welsh Office in integrating environmental concerns into policies and programmes, including internal housekeeping practices, which will be developed further in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning the home care service in Wales; what extra resources he plans to allocate concerning this service; if he will meet directors of social services from each of the counties in Wales to consider this service; and if he will make a statement.

The Government attach great importance to the development of all forms of care, including home care services, which will help enable people to be cared for in their own homes and communities, rather than in institutions.The management of the home care service is the responsibility of social services authorities. It is a matter for those authorities to decide on a level of provision within the resources available to them. The proper assessment of need to make sure that services are optimally targeted to meet the needs of individuals is clearly essential, and indeed is required by Government policy on commumity care provision. It is for each authority to determine how best to go about this, but the Welsh Office has issued clear guidance on assessment and the provision of social and community care to help them. The "Caring for People" White Paper sets out our commitment to provide adequate resources for local authorities in the exercise of their wider responsibilities from April 1993. I have no present plans to meet directors of social services to discuss their management of the home care service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the spread of water-borne viruses in Wales.

The Government are funding an ongoing epidemiological study to assess the minor risks to health of sea bathing. The first two interim reports of the study are available in the Library of the House and I look forward to receiving the final report and recommendations next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases there are of swimmers contracting water-borne viruses in Wales since April; what were the comparable figures for 1990 and 1989; and if he will make a statement.

This information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of hydatidosis were reported in Wales in 1991; how many related diseases in children were reported; what were the comparable figures for each year since 1987; and if he will make a statement.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, the number of deaths and discharges from NHS hospitals in Wales for which a diagnosis of hydatidosis—ICD9 code 122—was recorded, in each of the years 1987–90, is given in the following table:The figures show:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of first-year teachers in (a) Wales and (b) the United Kingdom in 1991; what were the comparable figures for the previous two years; and if he will make a statement.

The number of full-time, qualified teachers in their first year of service is given in the following table:

	1989	1990	1991
Wales1	516	575	861
England1	12,857	13,790	14,449
Northern Ireland2	407	331	343
Total	13,780	14,696	15,653
Scotland3	—	719	—
1 Source: Form 618G.
2 Source: Teachers Payroll and Personnel System, Department of Education.
3 Source: Scottish School Census, this is a biannual return therefore figures for 1989 and 1991 are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the expenditure on regional development grants in each assisted area in Wales, for the latest available year.

The information is as follows:

Regional development grants: Estimated payments 1991–92 Revised regional development grants
TTWA	Forecast outturn (£ thousands)
Aberdare	182
Blaenau Gwent and Abergavenny	1,117
Cardigan	18
Holyhead	95
Lampeter and Aberaeron	17
Merthyr and Rhymney	1,588
Neath and Port Talbot	753
Pontypridd and Rhondda	2,642
Shotton, Flint and Rhyl	6,404
South Pembrokeshire	18
Wrexham	1,171
Total	14,005
Old-style regional development grants1	836
Total	14,841
1 Expenditure on the basis of individual TTWAs is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was (a) the expenditure on regional enterprise grants and (b) the number of offers, in each assisted area in Wales for the latest available year.

The information is as follows:

Regional selective assistance—1991–92
TTWA	Forecast outturn 1(£000's)	Number of offers	Forecast number of new jobs	Forecast number of safeguarded jobs
Aberdare	296	2	10	19
Bangor and Caernarfon	681	7	165	267
Blaenau Gwent and Abergavenny	3,792	17	553	97
Bridgend	10,795	18	2,331	712
Cardiff	3,133	30	712	484
Cardigan	275	1	9	0
Haverfordwest	78	2	12	0
Holyhead	112	5	301	25
Lampeter and Aberaeron	15	—	—	—
Llanelli	730	16	316	102
Merthyr and Rhymney	2,889	20	602	717
Neath and Port Talbot	3,643	12	396	248
Newport	4,830	9	372	683
Pontypool and Cwbran	926	13	796	735
Pontypridd and Rhondda	14,099	23	637	387
Porthmadog and Ffestiniog	76	2	22	0
Shotton, Flint and Rhyl	1,897	18	701	308
South Pembrokeshire	44	3	104	0
Swansea	1,736	14	660	443
Wrexham	5,053	13	619	490
Total	55,100	225	9,318	5,717
1 Expenditure does not relate to offers of assistance made in 1991–92 but to offers made in previous years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the accounts of each of the non-departmental public bodies under his responsibility are audited by (a) the National Audit Office, (b) private accountants or (c) another body; if he will name the private accountants or other bodies used: and if he will make a statement.

The Comptroller and Auditor General audits the accounts of all but two of the executive

Regional enterprise grants estimated payments and offers made 1991–92
TTWA	Forecast Outturn (£ 000s)	Number of offers
Aberdare	37	6
Blaenau Gwent and Abergavenny	105	12
Cardigan	59	9
Holyhead	104	4
Lampeter and Aberaeron	34	4
Merthyr and Rhymney	142	13
Neath and Port Talbot	105	20
Pontypridd and Rhondda	101	23
Shotton, Flint and Rhyl	472	41
South Pembrokeshire	42	7
Wrexham	230	30
Total	1,431	169

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was (a) the expenditure on regional selective assistance, (b) the number of offers and (c) the associated number of (i) new jobs (ii) safeguarded jobs, for each assisted area in Wales for the most recent available year.

The information is as follows:non-departmental public bodies in Wales in existence at 31 March 1992, either certifying separate accounts or as part of the Welsh Office appropriation accounts.The Cardiff Bay development corporation's accounts are audited by Ernst and Young and those of Housing for Wales by KPMG Peat Marwick.The accounts of the Welsh National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting are audited and laid before Parliament by the Comptroller and Auditor General, but a primary audit is carried out by Touche Ross and Company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his Department's response to the recommendations of the Audit Commission report "Getting in on the Act" on provision for pupils with special educational needs.

I welcome the publication of this report which will help to stimulate valuable discussion about educational provision for children with special educational needs. The Government have already promised legislation in this area later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he supports the initiative taken by the Assembly of Welsh Counties to bring together the Sports Council for Wales and the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales to seek agreement on the future organisation and funding of participation in the games in Canada and beyond.

The Sports Council for Wales is responsible for ensuring that public funds made available to it are used effectively. I understand that the Sports Council for Wales has indicated its willingness to participate in the meeting proposed by the Assembly of Welsh Counties and I hope that this will be helpful in resolving the matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether it is his intention that the new unitary authority based on Cardiff will have an eastern boundary based on the current boundary between the present Cardiff—south Glamorgan area and the present Newport—Gwent area.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him 6 July 1992 at columns 7–8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list by country what aid his Department is currently giving to countries suffering from famine; and what was the position 12 months ago.

Commitments of aid to relieve famine (in some cases compounded by civil strife) are:

Bilateral Assistance	£ million 1992 to date	£ million 1991
Horn of Africa (Regional)	9·00	4·l
Ethiopia/Eritrea	14·00	24·5
Somalia	2·00	5·4
Sudan	9·00	23·4
Kenya	2·00	0·2
	36·00	57·6
Southern Africa Drought (Regional)1	2·72	—
Lesotho	0·03	—
Malawi	9·56	—

Bilateral Assistance	£ million 1992 to date	£ million 1991
Mozambique2	11·40	—
Republic of South Africa	0·10	—
Swaziland	0·04	—
Zambia	10·27	—
Zimbabwe	10·28	—
UNICEF/WFP Operations (Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia)	1·50	—
Reallocations from Country Programmes to Drought Relief (Uncommitted)	2·30	—
	48·20	—
TOTAL (Horn + southern Africa	84·20	57·6
1 For technical assistance and NGO activities in the region—remains to be allocated.
2 Includes food aid for Mozambique refugees in Malawi (£3·9 million) and food aid intended mainly for Mozambique (£5 million).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Over the next 12 months my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development will continue to follow up commitments made in the White Paper Cm 1200—"This Common Inheritance"—and its successor Cm 1655—"The First Year Report". She will also contribute to the second anniversary White Paper in the autumn. The ODA will continue to examine the environmental implications of all the activities it finances for developing countries, and to finance a wide range of measures which directly help tackle environmental problems in developing countries.A particular priority for the ODA for the next year and beyond will be helping developing countries implement the agreements reached at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much Britain's contribution to the earth increment to the International Development Association will be; and if he will make a statement.

The question of an earth increment, which was proposed by the president of the World bank at UNCED, is one of the issues being discussed in the context of the 10th replenishment of the resources of the International Development Association (IDA). The negotiations on the replenishment are likely to be completed sometime this coming winter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to improve world-wide access to family planning and education; and if he will make a statement.

We are continuing to increase our support to population programmes in developing countries, focusing particularly on strengthening family planning services and support for the purchase of contraceptives. We are on course to achieve the goal which we announced in August 1991 of establishing at least 15 new bilateral population projects over the following two years. New contraceptive supply projects have been initiated in four African countries.We are also looking for opportunities to increase our support for adult education, particularly in women's literacy which has a close relationship with the demand for family planning advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Iran concerning the well-being of the 3,000 members of the People's Mujahedin who were arrested at a protest in Mashad on 30 May.

As I told the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 3 July at column 758, we continue to make clear to the Iranian Government our serious concern at their human rights record, both bilaterally and together with our EC partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has received from Amnesty International concerning mass executions carried out throughout Iran; and what response he has made;(2) what representations he has made to the Government of Iran concerning the practice of carrying out mass executions in the country.

We receive reports from Amnesty International on the situation in Iran on a regular basis. We continue to make clear to the Iranian Government our serious concern at their human rights record, both bilaterally and with our EC partners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the British diplomats who visited Lhasa and Shigatse in the Tibetan autonomous region from 16 to 25 May had about the proposed special economic zone in Lhasa; what discussion there was about British participation; and what results were achieved.

During their visit to Tibet in May the two British diplomats called on the local authorities, including the Economic Planning Commission. They were told of plans to establish a light industrial development zone and a high technology development zone in Lhasa, both intended to increase foreign trade and investment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the United Nations Secretary-General to intervene personally to solve the current stalemate in holding a referendum in western Sahara by talking directly with the Moroccan and Saharawi leaders.

The Secretary-General's special representative, Mr. Yaqub Khan, has been pursuing talks with all parties to the western Sahara dispute. The Secretary-General hopes that substantial progress will have been made by the end of August.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his office has made to the Spanish Government regarding the instances of Spanish nationals being charged and convicted of fishing illegally in Scottish waters; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has made no representations to the Spanish Government on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he holds on which nation's delegations to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development were comprised only of Government representatives.

Our information is incomplete. A copy of the final list of delegates to UNCED will be placed in the Library as soon as it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for a new knives campaign; how he proposes to publicise it; and if he will make a statement.

It is for chief officers of police to consider whether publicising facilities for the disposal of knives would be a worthwhile crime prevention initiative in their force area. I understand that the Metropolitan police have recently launched a publicity campaign, which will run until 16 August, and that a similar campaign is planned for Greater Manchester in September.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Information is not yet available on the number of prosecutions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which did not come into force until August 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations authorised to carry out telephone interception since 1986.

Warrants authorising the interception of communications may be issued following application by the police, HM Customs and Excise and the security and intelligence agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims of unauthorised interception of telephones were investigated since 1985; and how many have been prosecuted.

Information held centrally shows that there were four prosecutions under section 1 of the Interception of Communications Act 1985 in England and Wales in 1988 and one in 1990. There are no centrally held records of the number of investigations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will propose amendments to the Interception of Communications Act 1985 to make explicit that it is illegal to monitor or eavesdrop on domestic and industrial telecommunications unless a warrant is authorised, notwithstanding that a physical tap has not been put on the line.

Under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 the intentional interception of communications in the course of transmission by means of a public telecommunications system is an offence unless carried out under the authority of a warrant issued by the Secretary of State or there are reasonable grounds for believing that one of the parties to the communication has consented to the interception. I have no proposals to amend the Act.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking over the disturbance at Wolds remand centre, Everthorpe on 27 to 28 June; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a report on the incident from the Home Office controller based in the prison. I am satisfied that it was handled in a calm and professional way by the contractor.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with his EC counterparts on the harmonisation of gambling policy within the EC; and what is the position of each member state on this subject in the context of the European single market.

This subject has not yet been discussed at ministerial level. As part of its consideration of gambling in the single market, officials of the European Commission met officials from all member states on 2 and 3 April to discuss the issues. We understand that there is wide support amongst other member states for our view that gambling policy should remain a matter for national authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State will continue to ensure that the policy and work of my Department take full account of environmental concerns, in accordance with the principles set out in the White Paper "This Common Inheritance" Cm 1200 and the first year report, Cm 1655. Current initiatives include the reclamation and development as wildlife conservation areas of land adjoining new and existing prisons; a wide range of measures to reduce pollution arising from the activities of prison service industries and farms; the cessation of incineration in the disposal of waste at prison establishments; a review of departmental policy on the purchase and use of ozone-depleting chemicals; and a continuing programme of energy efficiency measures in Home Office buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics his Department holds on the incidence of injury to animals from fireworks; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.No information is collected on the incidence of injury to animals from fireworks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of offences recorded in each police authority area in 1991–92; what was the percentage change compared with the preceding year; how many offences were notified for each uniformed officer in each police authority area for 1991–92; and what was the percentage change compared with the preceding year.

The requested information on notifiable offences recorded by the police is published in table 2 of Home Office statistical bulletin 14/92, a copy of which is in the Library. The figures for the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police per police officer and the percentage change are contained in the following table:

Notifiable offences recorded by the police per police officer
Police force area	Notifiable offences per officer in 12 months to March 1992	Percentage change from previous 12 months
Avon and Somerset	49	10
Bedfordshire	53	-5
Cambridgeshire	49	25
Cheshire	37	22
Cleveland	55	9
Cumbria	39	25
Derbyshire	47	30
Devon and Cornwall	37	10
Dorset	39	1
Durham	48	15
Essex	39	13
Gloucestershire	50	31
Greater Manchester	56	12
Hampshire	47	18
Hertfordshire	34	16
Humberside	60	12
Kent	49	33
Lancashire	40	17
Leicestershire	50	17
Lincolnshire	38	11
London, City of	9	-1
Merseyside	33	9

Police force area	Notifiable offences per officer in 12 months to March 1992	Percentage change from previous 12 months
Metropolitan Police	34	11
Norfolk	47	16
Northamptonshire	52	15
Northumbria	65	11
North Yorkshire	38	12
Nottinghamshire	67	13
South Yorkshire	43	16
Staffordshire	40	19
Suffolk	35	10
Surrey	31	13
Sussex	38	13
Thames Valley	52	24
Warwickshire	41	20
West Mercia	37	14
West Midlands	45	15
West Yorkshire	59	25
Wiltshire	33	6
Dyfed-Powys	30	26
Gwent	40	20
North Wales	34	15
South Wales	52	12

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been released on home leave in 1992; and how many of these prisoners failed to return to custody.

The information required is not held centrally at present but arrangements are being made for its future collection and publication.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long he normally expects to take to respond to letters from hon. Members.

The aim is to reply to letters from hon. Members as quickly as possible. The time required in each case is influenced by factors such as the need to search records or to make inquiries outside the Department. Work is presently in hand to further improve the service to hon. Members.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be in a position to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Stretford of 18 May regarding Mr. R. H. (Reference R 303898/2).

I replied to the hon. Member on 24 June.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were recruited in 1991; what were the comparable figures for the previous two years; and if he will make a statement.

During 1991, 5,338 police officers were recruited in England and Wales. The figures for 1989 and 1990 are 7,364 and 5,560 respectively. Recruitment figures for 1991 reflect the fact that establishment increases did not come into effect until October.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any proposals to enable mothers of young children who are serving prison sentences to keep their children with them; and whether he will make a statement.

Facilities already exist in three prisons for mothers to keep their young children with them. At present there are a total of 37 places in mother and baby units; 15 places are at Askham Grange, 12 are at Holloway and 10 are at Styal. At Askham Grange and Styal children may remain until the age of 18 months, while at Holloway the age limit is nine months.Plans have already been drawn up to extend the number of places. Ten more places will be provided at Styal by the end of the year, and work will start on a purpose-built unit at New Hall during the winter months, to provide a further nine places.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will immediately make available the draft European Community regulation relating to European Community border controls.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) on 7 July 1992 at column 132.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans for the future funding of the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service.

My hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr. Lloyd) announced on 29 January at column 566 that although the Government had a high regard for the service which UKIAS staff provided to its clients we were not satisfied with the manner in which the general council and executive committee oversaw the organisation.The Government and the London representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have since transferred the funds available for refugee work from UKIAS to the new refugee unit. This unit was formerly part of UKIAS. It is, however, now a separate independent voluntary body supervised on an interim basis by a board chaired by Mrs. Usha Prashar which is devising proposals for a long-term constitution for the unit.My hon. Friend also gave UKIAS notice in January that continued payment of the grant for the service's general immigration work depended on its making changes to meet the standards expected of an organisation receiving grant-in-aid. The necessary changes have not been made and the Government have now decided to terminate the grant to UKIAS.The Government attach importance to the provision of satisfactory counselling services and representation for people with rights of appeal under immigration legislation. We wish to apply the funds which have hitherto been applied to UKIAS under section 23 of the Immigration Act 1971 to a new voluntary body which will take over the general immigration work of UKIAS. My right hon. and learned Friend has invited Mr. Humfrey Malins to lead a small planning group, outside Government, whose task will be to draw up proposals for such an organisation. Others will be invited to be members of the group, which will be encouraged to complete its work as soon as possible.In drawing up its proposals, the planning group has been asked by my right hon. and learned Friend to have particular regard to the need for the trustees of the new body to be able to meet their responsibilities under charity law and to satisfy the Home Office that there will be proper accountability for the grant paid. Provided these criteria are met, I hope that the group will then take steps to implement its proposals and establish the new body.In the meantime, the Government hope that it will prove possible for advice and representation to continue to be available to appellants. We are, however, not prepared to provide any further funds for UKIAS while it is overseen by the present executive committee. We have today written to members of UKIAS's general council explaining that we would be prepared to fund UKIAS to provide legal advice and representation during this interim period only if the executive committee were replaced by a new, separate administration acceptable to the Home Office. We hope that the general council will respond positively, so that the service to UKIAS's clients can continue while plans for the new body are being made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each police authority area in Yorkshire and Humberside and for England as a whole (a) how many bail hostel places were provided by the probation service at 31 December 1991, (b) what the average number of residents in these bail hostels was in 1991 and (c) how many convictions were recorded in 1991 of people who were resident in a bail hostel at the time of the offence for which they were convicted.

[holding answer 7 July 1992]: As at 31 December 1991 there were 26 bail and 82 probation/bail hostels in England as a whole, providing 559 bail and 1,782 probation/bail places. Of these, 19 probation/bail places were provided by Humberside, 22 bail and 122 probation/bail places by south Yorkshire, and 45 bail and 95 probation/bail places by west Yorkshire. There are currently no hostels in north Yorkshire.Statistics on the average number of residents are collected in terms of percentage occupancy. The 1991 figures, against 74·6 per cent. for England as a whole, are Humberside 64·3 per cent.; south Yorkshire 76·5 per cent.: west Yorkshire 83·0 per cent.Information on the addresses of offenders at the time their offences were committed is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in Wales that are overcrowded, the maximum number of prisoners allowed at these institutions, and the current number of inmates; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 7 July 1992]: Two Welsh prisons, Cardiff and Swansea, are overcrowded. In common with most other local prisons the operational capacity of these establishments—that is, the normal working capacity—is higher than the certified normal accommodation (that is, the uncrowded capacity). The figures for 24 June were as follows:

	CNA	Operational capacity	Population
Cardiff	325	447	437
Swansea	213	285	283

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether experiments on live animals are included in the national curriculum.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many public school teachers were trained at a cost to public funds; and what is the current cost of a three-year teacher training course.

Data on the number of teachers in public schools who were trained at a cost to public funds are not held centrally. The estimated average cost at 1991–92 prices of training a teacher in a higher education institution outside London through a three-year under-graduate course is about £19,000. The majority of undergraduate initial teacher training courses arc of four years' duration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what will be the title of his proposed White Paper on the organisation of education; and when it will be published.

As announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, we will publish the White Paper, complete with title, by the end of the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will indicate the scope and purpose of his projected White Paper on education; and if he will list any consultative paper, speech or departmental circular of relevance to its contents, either at the present time, or after its publication.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already announced the Government's intention to publish a White Paper by the end of the summer. Its scope and purpose will be made public then. The speech given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the Adam Smith Institute on 16 June made it clear that the White Paper will include proposals for new types of schools to develop, and proposals to tackle the worst inner city schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average length of time that children with special needs have to wait before being assessed; and if he will make a statement.

Information for each local education authority is not available centrally. However, there is recent evidence that some authorities are failing to meet the Government's guidelines that the procedures for assessment and the issue of a statement should not exceed six months. The Government have now decided that there should be comprehensive provisions for regulating the time and way in which the assessment and statementing procedures are carried out. My right hon. Friend is about to consult widely on the form and content of the regulations which will be required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the Audit Commission's report on the assessment of children with special needs.

A press statement welcoming the publication of the report was issued on 25 June, and was placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average cost per student per year of educating a university student in (a) Wales and (b) the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

The Universities Funding Council provides the same level of funding for teaching for funded student places in each subject in all universities, irrespective of location. Allocations for research and other factors are made separately. Details of the UFC's allocations for all universities in 1992–93 are set out in UFC circular letter 4/92, a copy of which is in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new schools opened in 1991; and what were the comparable figures for the previous two years.

Thirty-one new schools opened in 1991. This compares with 74 in 1990 and 47 in 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers retired in 1991; what were the comparable figures for 1982 and 1986; and if he will make a statement.

The number of members of the teachers' superannuation scheme for England and Wales who were awarded retirement benefits during the periods in question is as follows:

Financial year ended 31st March	Total
1982	16,462
1986	17,336
1991	21,318

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he next expects to meet representatives of the Machine Tool Technologies Association to discuss the effects of the recession on the machine tool industry.

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry met the Machine Tool Technologies Association on 8 June. I plan to meet the association later in the year.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many of the professional institutions associated with manufacturing he has met since taking up his appointment.

To date, I have had no formal meetings with the professional institutes. I have, however, had the pleasure of meeting many of the institutes' representatives during my business engagements.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations he has received about manufacturing output.

The Department receives considerable correspondence about the state of manufacturing industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the level of output of manufacturing industry (a) in the north-west and (b) in Lancashire.

In 1989, the latest year for which data are available, manufacturing output in the north-west was £14 billion. The figure for Lancashire will be published in "Regional Trends 27" on 9 July, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has recently received about manufacturing output.

The Department receives considerable correspondence about the state of manufacturing industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the operation of RECHAR.

RECHAR programmes are now ready to proceed and I look forward to their making a useful contribution to the economies of coal field areas.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if his Department will be introducing any changes to the criteria for assisted area status.

Measures of unemployment will continue to be the main criteria in the assisted areas map review now under way. The consultation paper recently issued makes clear, however, that other factors will also he considered, including future job demand, other perfor-mance measures, activity rates, urban problems, peripherality and the incidence of known major closures or rundowns.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has had with representatives of management and employees of the United Kingdom merchant shipyards on matters relating to the European Community's seventh directive on the shipbuilding intervention fund; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade and I have had a number of discussions with management and employee representatives of the shipbuilding industry during the last few weeks.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of European consumer protection legislation; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure the effective implementation of European consumer protection law.

Implementation of European Community consumer protection legislation into the national legislation of a member state is the responsibility of that member state. My Department has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of such implementation by other member states. If the hon. Member has information that they are failing to implement Community legislation effectively, he should send it to me.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the visible trade deficit for the latest available month; and if he will make a statement.

The United Kingdom had a visible trade deficit of £0·8 billion in May 1992.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 17 June, Official Report, columns 500–51, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent community directives on the profitability of small businesses.

My Department's deregulation unit monitors proposals for legislation from the European Commission and identifies those which are likely to impose significant burdens on business. In conjunction with other Departments, we seek to ensure that the costs of those directives are properly assessed and taken into account by the Commission through its fiche d'impact system. Departments also take account of compliance costs when they consult business and interested parties on proposals both during negotiations and at implementation stage.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ban the import of all animals purchased for the purpose of experimentation.

No. Imposition of an import ban was rejected by Parliament during the passage of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will next meet representatives of the northern region CBI to discuss industrial policy.

I shall be meeting representatives of the northern region CBI on 18 September.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the level of industrial investment in the west midlands.

In 1989, the latest year for which data are available, manufacturing investment in the west midlands amounted to £1·6 billion.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the number of trading standards officers in post and the number required.