To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total amount of access funds available to (a) universities, polytechnics and institutions of higher education and (b) institutions of further education, for each academic year since the inception of the scheme; and what will be available for the 1992–93 academic year.

Details of the access funds made available for higher and further education institutions in England since the inception of the scheme in 1990–91 are as follows:

	Academic year 1990–91	Academic year 1991–92
	£ million	£ million
(a) Universities, polytechnics and colleges of higher education	18·1	18·7
(b) Colleges of further education	4·2	4·31
TOTAL	22·3	23·01

Details for 1992–93 will be announced shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the access funds made available to institutions of further and higher education.

Non-departmental public body	Audit arrangements	Method of tendering contract	Duration
Executive
Business and Technical Education Council	Private firm: Binder Hamlyn	Renewal subject to AGM review	1 year
Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges	Private firms; Internal audit: Ernst & Young External audit: Knox Kropper	Competitive tender	No set period
Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research	Private firm: Buzzacott & Co.	Competitive tender	1 year
Council for National Academic Awards1	Private firm: Price Waterhouse	Not tendered	Continuous
Education Assets Board	NAO2
Further Education Unit	Private firm: Chantrey Vellocott	Renewal subject ot AGM review	1 year
National Council for Educational Technology	Private firm: Kidsons Impey	Renewal subject to AGM review	1 year
Higher Education Funding Council (England)	NAO
National Curriculum Council	NAO
National Youth Association	Private firm: Peat Marwick McLintock	Currently not tendered—from 1993 competitve tender	3 years

The present access funds will meet their purpose if properly targeted to genuinely needy students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students have applied for assistance from access funds during academic years 1990–91 and 1991–92; how many were successful; what was the average amount of assistance per individual given as (a) grant and (b) repayable loan; and what were the main criteria used.

The information is not available in the form requested. For the academic year 1991–92, the information will not be available until later in the year.Information so far available in respect of academic year 1990–91 is that approximately 70,000 higher education students, or 12 per cent. of all eligible students, received a payment from either the HE or postgraduate access funds; more than 15,500 students, or 18 per cent. of all eligible students, received a payment from the FE access funds; payments averaged just under £200 for undergraduates and about £600 for postgraduates; the average payment for FE students was just over £225.The purpose of the funds is to provide financial help to students who face real financial difficulties, for whatever reason. Institutions are free to devise their own criteria provided they are consistent with these requirements and are in line with the general guidance and conditions by the funding councils and, in the case of FE funds, the Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded; and for what duration.

The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list the numbers of people employed in each industry covered by a wages council in (a) 1970, (b) 1979 and (c) 1992.

Statistical returns of the number of workers in establishments within the scope of the wages councils are not collected but periodic estimates are made. The results of exercises conducted for the years closest to those specified are shown in the tables. The figures for 1987 exclude young people under 21 years of age for whom the councils are not empowered to fix minimum rates.

Wages Council	1973
	(All workers)
Aerated waters (E and W)	20,000
Aerated waters (Scotland)	2,500
Boot and floor polish	1,250
Boot and shop repairing	12,500
Brush and broom	8,000
Button manufacturing	4,000
Coffin furniture and cerement making	550
Corset	13,000
Cotton waste reclamation	1,000
Dressmaking and women's light clothing (E and W)	125,000
Dressmaking and women's light clothing (Scotland)	10,000
Flax and hemp	4,000
Fur	8,500
General waste materials reclamation	26,000
Hair, bass and fibre	500
Haidressing undertakings	140,000
Hat, cap and millinery (Great Britain)	7,000
Hollow-ware	1,500
Industrial and staff canteen undertakings	218,000
Keg and drum	5,600
Lace finishing	1,500
Laundry	86,000
Licensed non-residential establishment	340,000
Licensed residential establishment and licensed restaurant	390,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will increase youth training allowances; and if she will make a statement.

There are no plans to increase minimum YT allowances. I believe that the current minimum allowances are sufficient to meet the normal requirements of trainees living in the parental home. Trainees who live independently may apply for income support if they consider their income is insufficient to meet their needs. Employers benefit considerably from Government expenditure on YT and are strongly encouraged to supplement trainee incomes wherever possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by her Department; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded; and for what duration.

The non-departmental bodies currently sponsored by the Department of Employment are set out in the tables, with the information requested on their audit arrangements.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's 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.

As the green Minister, with a close personal interest in environmental matters, my priorities both for this year and for the duration of this Parliament are that the Department shall continue and intensify its efforts to improve energy efficiency; that the work already begun to maintain and, where appropriate, upgrade the historic buildings on our estate shall be sustained; that the design of new court buildings shall take full account of environmental concerns; and, in the procurement of goods and services, all reasonable steps shall be taken to use recycled and renewable resources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Education of 3 July, Official Report, column 714 if some of the know-how funds could be made available to the scouting movement in those countries of eastern and central Europe, and any other comparable youth organisation, which were proscribed, or prevented from participating in the international organisation during the period of communist rule and which now wish to rebuild or establish their domestic organisation and rebuild international links.

Limited funds are available to help rebuild the capacity of voluntary organisations in eastern and central Europe through the charity know-how scheme. A number of grants have already been made to help the development of youth organisations in the region, including scouting groups in Hungary and Slovakia. Applications for youth exchanges can only be considered in so far as they are directly linked to the development of specific voluntary organisations based in central and eastern Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide details of Her Majesty's Government's bilateral and multilateral support for development in Guyana.

[holding answer 9 July 1992]:] We have made it clear to the Guyana Government that no new pledges of capital aid or technical co-operation commitments will be made until free and fair elections have been held and a government with sound economic policies is in place. Bilateral aid commitments already made in support of Guyana's economic reform programme have been fulfilled. The main contributions have been:

• £13·7 million of programme aid in support of the balance of payments.
• a $10·5 million (£6·135 million) short-term loan to assist payment of arrears to the international financial institutions.
• technical co-operation running at about £1·5 million a year.
• a grant of about £3·4 million to meet payments due to British companies for development projects.

In addition, we have waived about £6 million and deferred about £3 million of aid debt payments, and rescheduled official commercial debts on concessional terms.We have supported Guyana's economic reform programme in the relevant multilateral fora. Britain contributes resources to the main multilateral agencies assisting Guyana, but there are no internationally agreed data on multilateral aid received by individual countries and attributable to donor countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the gross salary of the Secretary of State in his Department or its predecessor for each of the years from 1979 to 1989, inclusive, at 1989 prices.

The information is in the table.

Year	Secretary of Slate salary	Parliamentary salary	Total gross salary	Total gross salaries in 1989 prices
	£	£	£
1979	19,650	5,265	24,915	55,614
1980	23,500	6,930	30,430	59,902
1981	27,825	8,130	35,955	59,925

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that income support payments made towards the cost of residential care provided by the Ling Trust in Essex for former residents of Turner Village mental handicap hospital were made in accordance with regulations allowing such payments to be made only in circumstances where the care provider is independent of a health authority.

The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will be publishing the latest households-below-average-income figures.

The next edition of "Households Below Average Income", covering the period 1979 to 1988–89, will be published on 15 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department: which of these are audited by the National Audit Office; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded; and for what duration.

The Department sponsors the following non-departmental public bodies:

• Independent Tribunal Service
• Central Adjudication Services
• Occupational Pensions Board
• Attendance Allowance Board
• Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions
• Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
• Social Security Advisory Council
• War Pensions Committees

None of these produces separate accounts. Their expenditure is recorded in the Department's administrative vote and audited by the National Audit Office.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all the international agreements, other than the United Nations target for overseas aid, which Her Majesty's Government agreed to in 1974 but have not yet met; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.It is the practice of the Government to comply with all legally binding obligations under international agreements. There is no international agreement which we concluded in 1974 which we are not implementing, or have not implemented.

To ask the Prime Minister what proportion of the discussion time at the Group of Seven summit in Munich was devoted to environmental matters.

I have been asked to reply.The environment was one of a number of issues discussed at the G7 summit.

To ask the Prime Minister what fresh initiatives he intends to promote during the period of the British Presidency of the EC in regard to the use of grain and other foodstuffs stored by the EC as emergency food aid for third world countries.

[holding answer 9 July 1992]: The primary aim of emergency food aid must be to reach those who need it as quickly and effectively as possible. European food surpluses, being for the most part perishable, or otherwise not well suited to the purpose, are used only on a modest scale for famine relief. Emergency food aid is generally purchased from open market surpluses or from regions closer to areas in need. Third country purchases also help to encourage regional trade, ensure that food purchased is closely in line with local needs and avoid distortion of local markets. The Government will encourage the Commission to continue to provide food aid in the most efficient way possible, taking full account of local needs.

To ask the Prime Minister if he plans to convene any meetings in Wales to discuss the principle of subsidiarity during his presidency of the European Community; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 9 July 1992]: The conclusions of the meeting of the Euopean Council held at Lisbon on 26 and 27 June invited the Commission and the Council

"to undertake urgent work on the procedural and practical steps"

to implement the principle of subsidiarity. Both institutions will report to the European Council in Edinburgh. The British presidency will take forward this work.Wales will host an informal meeting of the Council of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers on 12 and 13 October. No agenda has been set for that meeting.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies involved in oil and gas production in the North sea have sought relief for reimbursement expenditure under abandonment guarantees as provided for under section 106 of part III of the Finance Act 1991.

None.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each county of or region in England, Scotland and Wales the number of landowners and estates, where there are five or more such cases, that have benefited under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.

As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member on 30 June, at columns 469–70, a detailed breakdown by county or region for conditional exemptions from inheritance tax of land and buildings is not readily available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 7 July, if he will now take steps to collect figures for Scotland and Wales on the area of land where there is exemption from inheritance tax for access purposes.

Yes. I will write to the hon. Member with this information when it is available and place a copy in the Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have taken place in the frequency of reports to the House on the civil list and the requirement for the House to approve the civil list with the cessation of annual voted supplements under the Civil List Act 1975.

The Civil List Act 1972 enables the royal trustees to report from time to time on relevant matters. In their October 1990 report—HC 629—the royal trustees indicated that they accepted the logic of the views of the 1971 Select Committee on the Civil List that 10 years was an appropriate period over which to operate. For the record, reports were made by the royal trustees in January 1975, December 1983 and October 1990.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the treatment at Heathrow airport of Judge Margaret Jackson by customs officials.

[holding answer 9 July 1992]: Ms. Margaret Jackson was questioned and searched by customs at Heathrow Airport on Thursday 11 June. She had arrived at around 10.15 am on a flight which is considered by Customs to be in the high-risk category for drug smuggling. After initial questioning, Customs officers decided to carry out a search. Ms. Jackson was offered the opportunity to see a senior officer and her rights under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 were explained. The search was authorised by the senior officer and carried out by a female officer in accordance with the standard procedures. This search, and a subsequent urine test, proved negative. Ms. Jackson was released at 12.02 pm. Throughout her detention Ms. Jackson was made aware of her legal rights and she was offered access to an on-call duty solicitor.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his financial memorandum on the updating of the costs of the proposed Cardiff bay barrage, if he will specify which sewer diversion works have already been paid for by Welsh Water and in the course of construction of the Butetown link section of the South Glamorgan county council's peripheral distributor road.

The sewers removed from the table of related expenditure in the note on the comparison of costs provided for the members of Standing Committee F on the Cardiff Bay Barrage Bill are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the most up-to-date estimate available to him of the cost of (a) the remedial drainage works and (b) basement waterproofing works to compensate for the effects of the Cardiff bay barrage arising from paragraph 7 of the Roy Stoner report published in January and costed on an outturn basis, using the same hypothesis on the timing of start and finish of construction as in his answer of 26 June, Official Report, column 340.

The £440,000 for remedial drainage works mentioned in Mr. Stoner's report would have an outturn cost of £496,000. As Mr. Stoner observed, it can be argued that since the areas involved are inadequately drained at the moment, the whole charge concerned with land drainage should not fall upon the barrage project.The cost of remedial works to property based on Hydrotechnica's most likely scenario would be £14·43 million at 1991–92 prices, which would become £17·47 million on an outturn basis. This figure was included in the £167·4 million given in my answer of 26 June. The outturn figure would be increased by a further £11·18 million if Hydrotechnica's "extreme case" of groundwater levels were to arise. However, as Mr. Stoner commented in his report,

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce provisions to enable local highway authorities to provide speed limits in areas where they deem these to be necessary on county roads irrespective of the volume of traffic or number of pedestrians crossing the road; and if he will make a statement.

Following consultation, a review is being conducted into the criteria used for setting speed limits. The new criteria will be more flexible and will allow greater weight to be given to local factors. Revised guidelines will be issued to local highway authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was (a) allocated and (b) spent by each district council in Wales for the collection of the poll tax, for the latest year for which figures are available.

The information available is given in the table:

Local authority expenditure on community charge collection1
	£ thousand
	1991–92 estimated outturn2	1992–93 budgets
Alyn and Deeside	633	685
Colwyn	316	360
Delyn	346	427
Glyndwr	342	365
Rhuddlan	413	399
Wrexham Maelor	1,044	899
Carmarthen	484	423
Ceredigion	503	566
Dinefwr	269	294
Llanelli	435	446
Preseli Pembrokeshire	327	288
South Pembrokeshire	294	292
Blaenau Gwent	436	481
Islwyn	792	722
Monmouth	420	396
Newport	987	988
Torfaen	540	431
Aberconwy	427	407
Arfon	528	535
Dwyfor	376	378
Meirionnydd	497	419
Ynys Mon	567	604
Cynon Valley	622	656
Merthyr Tydfil	375	446
Ogwr	844	576
Rhondda	717	678
Rhymney Valley	1,079	1,122
Taff Ely	804	822
Brecknock	358	364
Montgomeryshire	535	536
Radnorshire	244	229
Cardiff	2,157	2,829
Vale of Glamorgan	906	928
Port Talbot	493	498
Lliw Valley	636	595
Neath	772	707
Swansea	1,369	1,524
TOTAL WALES	22,887	23,315
1 Net current expenditure, as recorded by local authoritiese on form RA9293.
2 Includes the cost of re-billing following the £140 reduction announced in the 1991 Budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many road accident victims suffering from (a) fractures to the upper limbs, (b) head injuries, (c) fractures to the lower limbs and (d) whiplash injuries in Wales were still reporting problems one year after the accident: and if he will give a breakdown according to age category.

The information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish figures showing the average length of hospital stay for patients suffering (a) fractures to the upper limbs, (b) fractures to the lower limbs and (c) whiplash injuries resulting from road accidents in Wales; and if he will give a break-down of the figures according to age category.

The information given in the table is taken from hospital activity analysis, relating to patients treated in Welsh NHS hospitals during 1990.

Average length of stay (in days) by age and principal diagnosis
Age at discharge	Fracture to upper limb (ICD9 810–819)	Fracture to lower limb (ICD 820–829)	Whiplash (ICD 847.0)
0·14	7·5	15·2	—1
15·24	4·6	14·7	1·9
25–44	11·3	20·9	3·4

	Attendances at accident and emergency out-patient departments, 1990–91		Road traffic accident victims attending accident and emergency departments as percentage of total new attendances at accident and emergency departments, 19901
	New patients	Total attendances	Percentage
Clwyd	92,608	128,479	2·8
East Dyfed	56,939	78,812	2·3
Gwent	108,712	133,794	2·1
Gwynedd	49,097	60,293	2·9
Mid Glamorgan	145,524	212,666	1·6
Powys	26,768	41,910	n.a.
South Glamorgan	85,213	97,100	2·5
West Glamorgan	102,402	132,844	22·8
Pembrokeshire	25,586	37,708	n.a.
1 Data prodived by directors of public health medicine for annual review purpose
2 April 1990-March 1991.
n.a = not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of (a) fatalities and (b) car accidents affecting (i) car occupants, (ii) pedestrians" (iii) pedal cyclists and (iv) motorcyclists involved in road accidents in Wales in each of the last five years.

The table gives the numbers of fatalities and all casualties for the requested groups. Information on the number of car accidents affecting different road user groups cannot be derived.

	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Fatalities:
Car occupants2	101	80	110	119	109
Pedestrians	69	76	76	86	73
Pedal cyclists	10	10	10	6	9
Motor cyclists3	36	41	28	23	19
Others	4	19	7	10	17
All fatalities	220	226	231	244	227

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were admitted to casualty departments in hospitals in Wales in each health authority area last year; and how many of such admissions had resulted from road accidents in each instance.

The available information is given in the table:

	1987	1988	1989	1990	11991
All casualties:
Car Occupants2	7,908	8,830	9,552	10,182	9,526
Pedestrians	2,536	2,725	2,696	2,721	2,501
Pedal cyclists	842	805	945	873	784
Motor cyclists3	1,867	1,683	1,728	1,471	1,172
Others	1,130	1,118	1,241	1,181	1,082
All	14,283	15,161	16,162	16,428	15,065
1 Provisional.
2 Includes users of invalid tricycles, three-wheelers and purpose-built taxis.
3 Includes users of scooters, mopeds and motor cycle combinations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish an estimated figure for the economic cost of injury accidents on Welsh roads during each of the last five years.

Economic costs of injury road accidents are not calculated separately for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hospital beds are allocated per day on average in each health authority area, for victims of road accidents.

Hospital beds are not allocated specifically for victims of road accidents. Such patients are treated in beds allocated to the specialty appropriate to each case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the annual salary range of the general manager of Pembrokeshire health authority for 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92, the personnel director of Pembrokeshire health authority for 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92, the finance director of Pembrokeshire health authority for 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92; and whether those salaries and fringe benefit packages included a car purchase or lease scheme.

From 1 January 1990 salaries for district general managers have been set within three band ranges. The appropriate band range for the Pembrokeshire general manager post has been:

Inclusive of Performance Pay
	Minimum—Maximum
1 January 1990–31 August 1990	£35,000	£50,750
1 September 1990–31 August 1991	£37,980	£55,060
1 September 1991—to date	£40,260	£58,370

The two senior managers referred to have received flat rate salaries on a point on the senior managers pay spine. The spine ranges have been:

	Minimum—Maximum
1 January 1989–31 August 1990	£12,560	£39,170
1 September 1990–31 August 1991	£13,560	£42,290
1 September 1991—to date	£14,380	£44,850

Senior managers may also receive performance pay up to a maximum of 20 per cent. of salary.These salaries do not include other non-pay elements.Entitlements to a Crown car or car purchase loan would be a matter for the employing authority having regard to the application of general Whitley council rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to preserve the present Vale of Glamorgan district authority as a unitary authority, including Penarth, and to expand the vale to the west by adding Wick, Southerndown, Ogmore and Porthcawl.

The statement I made to the House of Commons on 3 March 1992 included a proposal for an authority for the Vale of Glamorgan. I am at present consulting on that and other proposals and am well aware of my hon. Friend's strong representations on this issue; those consultations include further consideration of boundaries for the new authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of patients treated at (a) the cataract treatment centre at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor and (b) the cataract treatment centre at Bridgend general hospital his Department requires to be resident in Gwynedd and Mid-Glamorgan respectively.

For 1992–93 it is proposed that 50 per cent. of patients treated at the ophthalmic treatment centre, Ysbyty Gwynedd and just over 9 per cent. of patients at the eye treatment centre, Bridgend general hospital will be from the centres' host district.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the widening of the A494 at Aston Hill, Queensferry, Clwyd; and if he will make a statement.

My Department is currently undertaking a public consultation exercise in respect of an improvement for the section of the A494 between the River Dee and Ewloe which traverses Aston hill; 331 representations have been received to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what grounds he bases his proposals for widening the Queensferry bypass; and if he will make a statement.

Based on current and projected traffic flow data additional carriageway capacity is needed along the section of the A494 from the River Dee to Ewloe which includes the section known as the Queensferry bypass, to avoid serious congestion and a deterioration in road safety. The proposal to improve the section of road is currently the subject of a public consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he expects to arrange for the publication of the annual report and account of the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded; and for what duration.

The non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Welsh Office are set out in "Public Bodies 1991", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.The Comptroller and Auditor General audits the accounts of all but two of the executive non-departmental public bodies on that list.The Cardiff Bay development corporation's accounts are audited by Ernst and Young whose appointment is for up to five years. Housing for Wales auditors are KPMG Peat Marwick whose appointment is for up to three years. Both appointments followed open competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's current policy on liquid crystal display; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry of Defence funds a research programme by the Defence Research Agency into liquid crystal displays to ensure that the DRA remains at the forefront of this fast developing technology and, consequently, is able to provide expert advice to the MOD on the development and procurement of relevant equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's current policy on electro-magnetic propulsion; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry of Defence funds a research programme by the Defence Research Agency into aspects of electro-magnetic propulsion with the aim of assessing the applicability of this technology to military requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list for the last 12 months, the fact-finding visits the chief executive of the Defence Research Agency has made; what were his findings; if he will place a copy of his findings in the Library; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he will list by grade his Department's current staffing levels at the Defence Research Agency.

These are matters for the Defence Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive of the DRA to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list for the last 12 months, the titles of scientific papers published by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment;(2) if he will list for the last 12 months, the fact-finding visits the chief executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment has made; what were his findings; if he will place a copy of his findings in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

These are matters for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive of the CBDE to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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.

During the next year my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, will oversee actions arising from the Department's environmental review and the work necessary to meet the requirements of the Montreal protocol and EC regulation 594/91 on ozone-depleting substances. Over the next year and beyond, work will continue to ensure defence activities are undertaken in a manner consistent with the Government's overall environmental policy as outlined in "This Common Inheritance", Cm 1200, that they comply with United Kingdom environmental legislation and that environmental considerations are fully integrated into defence activities, policies and forward planning. I also refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 342 to 348 inclusive of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1992".

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 26 June, Official Report, column 360, what British Telecom service has replaced the cables laid between Menwith Hill and the British Telecom relay station at Hunterstones tower.

The service previously carried on cables between Menwith Hill station and Hunterstones tower is provided by communications leased exclusively for defence purposes. None of these involves a direct link, on cable or otherwise, between Menwith Hill station and Hunterstones tower.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has from within NATO on whether Germany has engaged in negotiations with Russia for the purchase of Russian aircraft fighter technology by way of direct financial payment, debt reduction or otherwise.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded; and for what duration.

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what encouragement is being given to small Northern Ireland based non-fossil fuel generators of electricity; and if he will make a statement.

A study is currently being undertaken into the potential for the development of renewable energy resources in Northern Ireland. The study's findings are due to be published later this year, following which the Department of Economic Development plans to introduce measures to encourage such generation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made during the past 12 months to correct the under employment of Protestants within the staff of the Fair Employment Commission.

In the 12 months to 1 January 1992 the commission received 1,389 job applications, of which 57 per cent. were from members of the Protestant community; and appointed 17 staff, of whom nine were Protestant.In the 12 months to 1 January 1991 the commission received 492 job applications, of which 47 per cent. were from members of the Protestant community; and appointed nine staff, of whom four were Protestant.The commission's equal opportunity policy provides for outreach measures including positive encouragement to Protestants to apply in job advertisements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to correct the under-employment of Protestants in the Bank of Ireland since it was first investigated by the Fair Employment Agency; when the Fair Employment Commission updated the position in this company; and if he will make a statement.

At the time of the investigation by the Fair Employment Agency in 1985, 222 employees—42·1 per cent.—of the Bank of Ireland were Protestant and 305–57·9 per cent.—were Roman Catholic. In January 1991, 277–44·2 per cent.—were Protestant and 350–55·8 per cent.—were Roman Catholic.The bank is required by law to undertake a review of its employment composition and practices by 6 February 1993. If the review shows that members of one community are not enjoying fair participation, the bank must engage in affirmative action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to correct the under-employment of Protestants in the Allied Irish Banks Ltd. since it was first investigated by the Fair Employment Agency: when the Fair Employment Commission updated the position in this company; and if he will make a statement.

At the time of the investigation by the Fair Employment Agency in 1985, 164 employees—28·1 per cent.—of the Allied Irish Banks plc were Protestant and 420–71·9 per cent.—were Roman Catholic. In January 1991, 232–31·7 per cent.—were Protestant and 501–68·3 per cent.—were Roman Catholic.The bank is required by law to undertake a review of its employment composition and practices by 6 February 1993. If the review shows that members of one community are not enjoying fair participation, the bank must engage in affirmative action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to correct the under-employment of Protestants by Post Office Counters Ltd. since it was first investigated by the Fair Employment Agency; when the Fair Employment Commission updated the position in this company; and if he will make a statement.

The Fair Employment Agency began an investigation in 1987 into the Post Office in Northern Ireland. The investigation covered the three businesses within the Post Office Corporation—Royal Mail, Royal Mail Parcelforce and Post Office Counters Ltd. In 1987, 1,764 employees—53·3 per cent.—were Protestant and 1,545–46·7 per cent.—were Roman Catholic. In January 1991, 1,837–51·6 per cent.—were Protestant and 1,721–48·4 per cent.—Roman Catholic.The Post Office is required by law to undertake a review of its employment composition and practices by 1 January 1993. If the review shows that members of one community are not enjoying fair participation, the Post Office must engage in affirmative action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to correct the under-employment of Protestants by Derry city council since it was first investigated by the Fair Employment Agency; when the Fair Employment Commission updated the position within this local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Derry city council invited the Fair Employment Agency to conduct an investigation of its employment composition and practices. In March 1986, 166 of its employees—30·5 per cent.—were Protestant and 378–69·5 per cent.—Roman Catholic. In January 1991, 167–31·3 per cent.—were Protestant and 366–68·7 per cent.—Roman Catholic.The council is required by law to undertake a review of its employment composition and practices by 1 January 1993. If the review shows that members of one community are not enjoying fair participation, the council must engage in affirmative action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to correct the under-employment of Protestants by Down district council since it was first investigated by the Fair Employment Agency; when the Fair Employment Commission updated the position within this local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Down district council was not subject to a formal investigation by the Fair Employment Agency.The council is required by law to undertake a review of its employment composition and practices by 1 January 1993. If the review shows that members of one community are not enjoying fair participation, the council must engage in affirmative action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made to correct the under-employment of Protestants by Newry and Mourne district council since it was first investigated by the Fair Employment Agency; when the Fair Employment Commission updated the position within this local authority; and it' he will make a statement.

When the Fair Employment Agency began its investigation in October 1986, 50 employees—11·7 per cent.—of Newry and Mourne district council were Protestant and 378–88·3 per cent.—were Roman Catholic. In January 1991, 29–9·5 per cent.—were Protestant and 276–90·5 per cent.—Roman Catholic.The council is required by law to undertake a review of its employment composition and practices by 1 January 1993. If the review shows that members of one community are not enjoying fair participation, the council must engage in affirmative action.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Social Security Agency's targets for 1992–93 will be published.

The targets are included in the agency's 1992–93 business plan which was published today and a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The targets present a demanding challenge for the agency and fully support the next steps principles. They are as follows:1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has completed his consideration of the final recommendations of the Local Government Boundaries Commission in respect of local government district and ward boundaries in Northern Ireland.

Yes. An order under section 50(4) of the Local Government Act (NI) 1972 giving effect to the commissioner's recommendations without modification, was made on 6 July 1992. A copy of the commissioner's report and final recommendations is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) customs clearance staff work and (b) customs clearance firms operate in Northern Ireland; how many are based in each parliamentary constituency; and what is the estimated annual turnover generated by the customs clearance industry in Northern Ireland.

Information from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise indicates that there are 75 businesses in Northern Ireland which provide customs clearance services. However, many of these businesses also have other activities and it is not possible to determine, from the available information, the staff numbers or turnover attributable solely to customs clearance work. The distribution of the 75 businesses by parliamentary constituency is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to settle the dispute with dentists practising in the national health service.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to a private notice question from the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 6 July at columns 21–25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide a breakdown by health region of the annual running cost of salaried dentists operating within the national health service; and if she will provide a breakdown by health region of the annual cost to the national health service of dental treatment.

For the year ending March 1991 the annual cost of general dental services and the running costs of national health service salaried dentists in each health region are shown in the table.

Region	Cost of GDS	Cost of salaried dentists
	£000	£000
Northern	41,935	8·056
Yorkshire	53,209	25·585
Trent	63,435	30·599
East Anglia	27,323	23·741
North West Thames	52,538	58·355
North East Thames	54,304	524·161
South East Thames	53,390	238·918
South West Thames	43,265	41·071
Wessex	38,703	29·340
Oxford	32,455	8·178
South Western	49,675	71·389
West Midlands	67,381	124·706
Mersey	36,987	115·541
North Western	63,567	56·105
ENGLAND	678,167	1,355·745

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advisory criteria her Department issues to family health service authorities in England by which cross-infection rates in dental surgeries are measured in both absolute and relative terms.

Family health services authorities may arrange for the inspection of dental surgeries which includes consideration of cross-infection control. The Department has not issued guidance on measurement of cross-infection rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received about the incidence of toxic shock syndrome and other tampon-related illnesses; and if she will make a statement.

In recent months, we have received a number of letters about toxic shock syndrome. TSS is a rare condition which sadly proves fatal in one or two cases each year. The Government are fully committed to reducing the risk of TSS associated with tampon use to the absolute minimum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified clinical psychologists are employed by the NHS to work in (a) adult mental health services, (b) services for the elderly, (c) services to children and adolescents, (d) services to people with physical disability and (e) services to people with learning difficulty; and how many unfilled vacancies there arc in each of these areas of work.

A total of 2,089 whole-time equivalent clinical psychologists were employed in the national health service in England as at 30 September 1991. Information about the numbers employed within particular areas of work and the number of unfilled vacancies is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical psychologists are employed by local authorities to work in (a) adult mental health services, (b) services for the elderly, (c) services to children and adolescents, (d) services to people with physical disability and (e) services to people with learning difficulty; and what information she has on the number of unfilled vacancies in each of these areas of work.

The information requested is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set up a royal commission to consider how the physical and mental well-being of the elderly could be met by statutory and voluntary organisations; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards there will be for the physically disabled who may choose to have residential care but who may be designated by a local authority as suitable for care in the community.

From April 1993 local authorities will be responsible for assessing with people their need for community care and arranging packages of care. Whether these services should be in the form of residential or non-residential care will depend on the outcome of the assessment. Both assessments and subsequent care plans should take full account of people's preferences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the provision of continuing care beds within the national health service; when she expects to reach a decision about these; and if she will make a statement.

A number of representations have been received. The points raised will be taken fully into account in setting priorities for the health service and in monitoring health authorities' continuing provision of services for elderly people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by her Department; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded; and for what duration.

I refer the hon. Member to pages 33–37 of "Public Bodies 1991", HMSO, 1991, a copy of which is available in the Library. Since publication, additional non-departmental public bodies have been established as follows:

• Youth Treatment Centre Advisory Group
• Medical Manpower Standing Advisory Committee
• The London Enquiry
• Steering Committee on Pharmacy Postgraduate Education
• Aids Action Group
• National Disability Information Project Steering Group

The Department no longer sponsors the following bodies:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about recent disturbances at Her Majesty's prison, Wolds; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my replies to the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) on 6 July, at column 38, and the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 8 July, at column 199.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the statutory provisions that relate to the holding of rave parties in rural areas; whether he has any plans to revise the existing legislation; and whether he has any plans to introduce further measures to control such events.

Provisions of the London Government Act 1963, the Private Places of Entertainment (Licensing) Act 1967 or the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, all as amended by the Entertainments (Increased Penalties) Act 1990 may, depending on the circumstances of each case, require the licensing of places used for such events. Other, more general, provisions of the criminal and civil law may also apply in particular cases. We have no present plans to amend these provisions or to introduce any new legislation to control events of this kind, but we keep the matter under review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986.

We shall be further considering whether any changes need to be made to the public order law in consultation with other government departments and chief officers of police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 July, Official Report, column 553, in what form information is held on accidents involving Metropolitan police.