To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners presently serving life sentences have been in prison (a) over 20 years, (b) over 25 years and (c) over 30 years.

The latest available information is given in the table:

Life sentence prisoners held under their original sentence1 in Prison Department establishments in England and Wales on 31 March 1988: by time spent under sentence in such establishments
Years spent under sentence2	Number of prisoners3
Up to 20 years	2,354
Over 20 up to 25 years	30
Over 25 up lo 30 years	6
Over 30 years	3
Total	2,393
1 Excluding 84 prisoners recalled following an earlier release on licence.
2 Excluding any time spent on remand in custody or in non-Prison Department establishments.
3 The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate: detailed checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in his consideration of proposals for a fifth or sixth terrestrial television channel, it is envisaged that such channels should be capable of being transmitted to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

It may be technically feasible for additional television services to be provided on UHF in these areas, subject to more detailed assessment of the implications for other broadcasting and non-broadcasting services. Decisions on whether additional television services should be authorised, and, if so, under what conditions, have yet to be taken, and the Government's proposals on this will be included in a White Paper in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department's circular instruction 3/1987 is currently being implemented at Risley remand centre; who is responsible for ensuring that this instruction is followed at Risley remand centre and who was responsible for implementing this instruction at Risley remand centre during 1987.

Circular instruction 3/1987 on suicide prevention is now being implemented at Risley remand centre. Responsibility for ensuring that circular instructions are implemented in an establishment lies with the governor.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prevent reports in the media publishing names of individuals held by the police before they have been charged with any offence.

We have no plans to do so. Disclosure by the police is already prohibited by standing orders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many aliens are registered as students at New college, Cardiff; and how their educational progress and attendance is monitored.

Applications for overseas nationals for leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom as students are considered on an individual basis and normally no record is maintained by the Home Office of the numbers of overseas students at individual educational establishments.When a student applies for further leave to remain to continue studies, an attendance check may be made. In many cases a student's educational progress is evident from the courses being followed, but where there is cause to doubt a student's progress he may be asked for evidence of examination results.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted prisoners at Her Majesty's prison Armley, in Leeds, have been transferred to training establishments in each of the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

The information is as follows:

	YPs	Adults	Total
1987
June	98	201	299
July	123	240	363
August	89	185	274
September	105	187	292
October	122	253	375
November	94	229	323
December	83	87	170
1988
January	119	212	331
February	132	251	383
March	121	230	351
April	72	151	223
May	94	276	370
	1,252	2,502	3,754

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many remand prisoners have been sent to Her Majesty's prison Armley, in Leeds, for each of the past 12 months.

The readily available information is given in the table:

Prisoners1 initially received on remand into Leeds prison: by type of initial remand and month of reception, 1 June 1987–31 May 1988
	Type of initial remand
	Untried	Convicted unsentenced	Total
1987
June	253	19	272
July	225	29	254
August	253	17	270
September	257	31	288
October	261	32	293
November	295	23	318
December	242	34	276
1988
January	257	31	288
February	285	34	319
March	274	21	295
April	280	27	307
May	298	10	308
1 The figures, which are provisional, are those recorded centrally and are approximate.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many remand prisoners have been transferred from Her Majesty's prison Armley, in Leeds, for each of the past 12 months.

Such information is not separately recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to meet prison officers at Her Majesty's prison Armley, in Leeds, to discuss the problem of overcrowding; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no present plans to do so. He visited the establishment in May last year and had wide-ranging discussions with management and staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to whether police interviewed during the course of their inquiry into the death of the Carlisle baby (a) the doctors who signed the abortion certificate, (b) the doctors who diagnosed Ehlers Danlos syndrome, (c) the consultant involved, (d) the registrar involved, (e) each nurse involved, (f) the senior houseman involved, and (g) the hospital chaplians; and if each person interviewed made a written statement.

The conduct of this investigation was an operational matter for which the chief constable of Cumbria had full responsibility. Disclosure of information about it is not a matter for the Home Department.

To ask the Prime Minister what support Her Majesty's Government are giving to moderate black leaders in South Africa in their opposition to apartheid.

Our policy is to encourage all those who are working for a peaceful, negotiated end to apartheid. To this end, we maintain contact with a wide cross-section of South African opinion. We also provide practical assistance to black South Africans through our substantial aid programme.

To ask the Prime Minister what information she had about the route of the Iranian Airbus when she made a statement about its shooting down.

We were in touch with the United States throughout 3 July and took full account of the information available at the time and of the statements of President Reagan and the chairman of the American joint chiefs of staff.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she will publish in the Official Report the text of the Government's statement on the shooting down of the Iranian airliner by the United States navy.

The statement of 3 July is as follows:

"The British Government profoundly regret the loss of life on the Iranian airliner and extend their deep sympathy to the bereaved. This has been a tragedy for all concerned.

We have been in touch with the United States and they have kept us informed of their investigations.

We understand that, in the course of an engagement following an Iranian attack on US forces, warnings were given to an unidentified aircraft apparently closing with a US warship, but these warnings received no response. We fully accept the right of forces engaged in such hostilities to defend themselves.

This tragic accident underlines the urgent need for an early end to the Iran/Iraq conflict including an end to all attacks on shipping."

To ask the Prime Minister what information was passed to Her Majesty's Government, from British naval vessels operating in the straits of Hormuz, concerning the flight path and altitude of the Iranian Airbus at the time it was shot down.

There were no Royal Navy ships in the immediate vicinity and they have no direct information as to the Iranian Airbus's flight path.

To ask the Prime Minister what contact Her Majesty's Government have had with the United States Government concerning the information received by the USS Vincennes before the Iranian airbus was shot down in order to ensure that similar errors cannot be made by Her Majesty's ships operating in the area.

We remain in close touch with the United States and await the results of the naval investigation which they have set in hand. We shall consider carefully whether there are any lessons to be learnt with regard to the operations of the Armilla patrol.

To ask the Prime Minister whether she will make it her policy to dissociate the United Kingdom from the consequences of United States intervention in the war between Iran and Iraq.

The United States Government have stated that their policy towards the Iran-Iraq conflict is impartial. The tragic accident in which an Iranian Airbus was brought down on 3 July in no way constitutes intervention in the conflict.

To ask the Prime Minister if she is satisfied that officers of the Royal Navy are trained to be capable of distinguishing in all circumstances between a large civil aircraft approaching at less than average speed on a scheduled flight, and a fighter aircraft making an attacking run.

Royal Navy personnel are fully trained to do any tasks that are likely to be required of them.

To ask the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government were consulted by the United States Government before they relaxed their rules of engagement for the United States naval vessels operating in the Persian Gulf; and what representations she made to President Reagan concerning the likely outcome of this change.

National rules of engagement are a matter for the countries concerned.

To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has had from Oxfam in regard to tax threats to charities and, in particular, the effect of the Local Government Finance Bill and the proposal to levy value added tax on the sale of donated goods by charities; what reply she is sending; and if she will make a statement.

I received two letters from Mr. Frank Judd, director of Oxfam, dated 17 and 29 June, to which I replied on 8 July.

To ask the Prime Minister to what extent the maintenance of political neutrality by civil servants is a matter of internal management by each Department; and if she will make a statement.

The maintenance of political impartiality by civil servants is the responsibility of Ministers, senior Civil Service management, and individual civil servants.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss progress on the further police inquiries into telephone calls made by Dr. Frank Skuse while giving evidence at the Birmingham pub bombings appeal.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last discussed with the Director of Public Prosecutions the progress of the further inquiries by the City of London police into telephone calls by Dr. Frank Skuse during his appearance as a witness at the Birmingham pub bombings appeal.

I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer that I gave today to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin).

To ask the Attorney-General if the Director of Public Prosecutions has yet received a report from the City of London police regarding their further inquiries into telephone calls made by Dr. Frank Skuse in relation to the Birmingham pub bombings case.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has received regular reports of the progress made in those inquiries.

To ask the Attorney-General when he next expects to meet the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss the further police inquiry into telephone calls made by Dr. Frank Skuse during the Birmingham pub bombings appeal.

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer that I gave today to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin). I do not expect to discuss the matter with the Director again, unless evidence to substantiate the allegations against Dr. Skuse and others should emerge.

To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 16 June, Official Report, column 201, when the expects the Association of District Councils to respond to his request for information regarding the enforcement of the Sunday trading provisions of the Shops Act 1950; and what other steps he is takiing to ascertain the scale of such enforcement.

My Department was informed by the association in mid-June that the association hoped to write to me

"within the next few days".

It has no doubt taken longer than expected to collate the results of the association's survey of its member authorities. I expect that survey to provide the most authoritative information on the scale of the enforcement effort since the association can call upon the resources of all the local authorities concerned.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Director of Public Prosecutions; and what matters were discussed.

I last met the Director of Public Prosecutions on Friday, 8 July 1988. We discussed the outcome of the investigation by the City of London police into allegations made against Dr. Frank Skuse and others by the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) and other matters relating to the Crown Prosecution Service.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a further statement about the implementation of extradition from the Irish Republic.

Section 6 of the Irish Extradition (Amendment) Act 1987 provides that the Irish Government shall, as soon as may be after the first day of January in each year beginning with the year 1989, make a report to each House of the Oireachtas on the operation in the preceding year of part III of the Extradition Act 1965. The Irish Minister of Justice has stated that it has been the Irish Government's intention from the start that the review would identify any shortcomings that may exist, and he has reaffirmed the Irish Government's commitment to introduce amending legislation, should that prove necessary. This commitment was stated to extend to all aspects of the extradition arrangements with the United Kingdom.The Government will continue to address these matters with the Irish Government in the context of that Government's review. For my part I have corresponded with, and spoken to, the Irish Attorney-General on a number of occasions since the McVeigh decision, with a view to securing the important mutual objective of enabling extradition between our two countries to proceed effectively. In addition, Mr. Murray and I have agreed to meet in the near future for further discussion of these matters.

To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received about the administration of the Gloucester United Schools' Charity.

I have received written representations from my hon. Friend to which I hope to be in a position to reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Attorney-General when he last reviewed prosecution policy in relation to breaches of security by Government employees; and if he will make a statement.

Prosecution policy in relation to all criminal offences is kept under review by the Director of Public Prosecutions and his senior staff. I reviewed the policy in relation to alleged breaches of security by Government employees in November 1987.

To ask the Attorney-General when the Lord Chancellor plans to reply to the responses to his consultative document on the introduction of a family court.

The Lord Chancellor hopes to make an announcement about a family court by the autumn, after having considered the recommendations of the report of the inquiry into child abuse in Cleveland.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will now bring section 2 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1986 into force.

Yes. The Lord Chancellor intends to bring both section 2 and section 3 of this Act into force on 1 August 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, following the signing of the Esquipulas peace accord by the Central American nations, he will now urgently consider a substantial rise in bilateral aid to Nicaragua.

We have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan Government as to future aid projects; and if he will make a statement.

My most recent discussions with the Sri Lankan Government took place during my visit in March of this year, when I signed an agreement for the provision of £20 million in reconstruction aid. Last month I met the Sri Lankan Minister of Transport in London to discuss our assistance to the transport sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement on British aid to Sri Lanka.

I recently signed an agreement to provide £20 million in reconstruction aid to Sri Lanka. Our programme also includes funding for new projects for the rehabilitation of roads and power facilities in Colombo, and a substantial technical co-operation programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation has made in engendering economic and social development in developing Commonwealth countries since its establishment.

At their meeting in Vancouver last November Commonwealth Heads of Government expressed their appreciation of the effective way in which the fund was meeting urgent needs for expertise and training in a wide variety of fields.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to which Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries' aid budget as a proportion of gross national product exceeds 0·28 per cent.

In 1987, member countries of the OECD's development assistance committee whose net official development assistance as a proportion of gross national product exceeded 0·28 per cent. were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in the light of Vietnam's undertaking of 25 May to withdraw half its troops from Kampuchea by the end of the year, he has arranged a meeting with representatives of the Phnom Penh Government to discuss the resumption of United Kingdom aid to Kampuchea.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's current priorities for granting aid assistance.

Our policy on the allocation of bilateral aid to developing countries is set out in Command Paper 225, "Bilateral Aid: Country Programmes", published in October 1987. As this explains, the fundamental objective of the aid programme is to promote sustainable economic and social progress and alleviate poverty in developing countries. Priorities are decided accordingly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement on British aid to Afghanistan.

I am sufficiently encouraged by progress on the co-ordination of arrangements for resettlement to allocate the £10 million which was pledged for Afghan refugees earlier this year. Our assistance will be channelled through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee for the Red Cross, UNICEF and British voluntary agencies including Afghanaid as follows:

£ million
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees	6·75
International Committee for the Red Cross	1·50
UNICEF	0·25
British voluntary agencies	1·50

Our early release of funds will enable these agencies to take action before the onset of bad weather restricts operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what would be the cost of United Kingdom membership of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in the current financial year; and how much of this money has been reallocated to aid projects since the United Kingdom left the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The cost would depend on the terms on which we rejoined the organisation. In 1985, the last year of our membership, it was £6·4 million. This amount has all been reallocated to educational, scientific and cultural programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution Her Majesty's Government are making to the international relief effort in Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement.

Since the beginning of 1987 we have committed more than £45 million of assistance in support of the international relief effort in Ethiopia. This figure includes the cost of some 95,000 tonnes of bilateral food aid, donations totalling £3 million towards the cost of the United Nations airlift operation and our share of the cost of European Community food and emergency assistance. We stand ready to contribute further to the relief effort as the situation develops.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department has been doing to encourage export diversification in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Many ACP states are adopting internationally agreed structural adjustment programmes which provide for improved incentives for exports, both traditional and new. We are supporting such programmes with our bilateral aid and our contributions through the International Development Association, the regional development banks and the European development fund. We support the Community's aid for export promotion by ACP and other development countries, and we fund our own agency in Britain (the Developing Countries Trade Agency) to do similar work directly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government are giving to Tanzania's economic development; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister last month announced a further £10 million :in support of Tanzania's economic recovery programme. This brings to over £80 million the new aid pledged since Tanzania reached agreement with the International Monetary Fund in August 1986.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to enhance the effectiveness of European Community aid; and if he will make a statement.

I attach great importance to working with our EC partners and the EC Commission to achieve this. Notable advances have already been made, not least the reform of Community food aid during our presidency in 1986. But there is scope for further improvement. In particular, the Lomé convention is about to be renegotiated. When I spoke to the Royal Commonwealth Society on 3 May, I outlined ways in which I feel the trade and aid provisions of the Lomé relationship could be made more effective. A copy of my speech has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department has been doing to encourage agricultural diversification in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

In the Pacific, we are helping the islands diversify away from coconuts, for example, in Vanuatu, with the Commonwealth Development Corporation, by supporting cocoa and coffee projects and livestock and forestry programmes; in the Solomon Islands by supporting forestry and spice development; and in the smaller atoll islands by providing expertise to increase self-sufficiency in meat and vegetables.In the Caribbean, we are supporting a range of activities to help countries diversify away from sugar and bananas into other tropical fruit, coffee, spices and annual food crops, for example, yams.Agricultural diversification is less important in Africa than in the Caribbean and Pacific as there are fewer countries dependent on single export crops. Our assistance focuses on developing food crops, agro-industries and commodity exports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on the United Nations international children's emergency fund global immunisation programme to eradicate the six preventable diseases, and the United Kingdom contribution thereto.

The amount committed to immunisation projects had risen at 4 March—the latest date for which figures are available—to $215 million. The United Kingdom has contributed a further £4–43 million to five UNICEF country projects which include immunisation and mother and child health care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to assist in the improvement of the economic infrastructure of the world's poorest countries.

In the allocation of our bilateral aid resources, most of which go to the poorest countries, we fully recognise the importance of efficient infrastructure. For example, we are involved currently in support for the power, coal and railway sectors in India, roads in Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania, water in Ghana and power generation in the Sudan. The substantial funds we provide through multilateral institutions, particularly the International Development Association, the regional development banks and the European Development Fund are used extensively to improve the economic infrastructure of the poorest countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure was allocated in 1987 to renewable natural resources projects; and what was the nature of the projects.

In 1987 financial aid expenditure on renewable natural resources projects totalled £61·6 million. Of this, 61 per cent. was allocated to agriculture and livestock, 20 per cent. to land development and irrigation, 12 per cent. to forestry and the remainder to a range of subject areas, including fisheries and rural development. In addition, some £12·4 million was spent on research and development. There was additional expenditure under technical co-operation programmes which it would be disproportionately expensive to collate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid in total under the third Lomé convention has been allocated so far by the European Community; and what proportion of this amount the United Kingdom's share represents.

At 31 March 1988, total commitments under the third Lomé convention were 2·6 billion ecu, about £1–74 billion. The United Kingdom share of this amount is £288 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the average percentage of gross national product given in aid in 1987 by donor nations, excluding the United Kingdom which are members of (a) the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations, (b) the European Community and (c) the development assistance committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

In 1987 net aid as a percentage of GNP, excluding the United Kingdom, averaged 0·32 per cent. for the Group of Seven; 0·5 per cent. for those members of the European Community for which the Development Assistance Committee has published figures; and 0·34 per cent. for all development assistance committee members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much bilateral aid has been allocated for this financial year to developing Commonwealth countries.

Provision for developing Commonwealth countries from the country programmes and budgetary aid sub-heads of the Supply Estimates 1988–89 amounts to £339,705,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of the United Kingdom's contribution to the Commonwealth youth programme; and what were the comparable figures in earlier years.

Over the past three financial years the figures are:

	£
1987–88	306,000
1986–87	290,000
1985–86	360,000

These amounts represent 30 per cent. Of the programme's actual expenditure each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the proportion of the total income of non-governmental organisations provided through Government grants in the most recent years for which figures are available; and what is this proportion for each of Oxfam, Save the Children Fund, Catholic Fund for Overseas Development and Christian Aid.

My Department does not hold figures centrally on the total income of the non-governmental organisations involved in overseas aid and development. By no means all of these organisations seek assistance from my Department and many are not solely engaged in work in developing countries but also engage in field work in the United Kingdom.The proportion of total income provided through grants of all kinds from my Department to the four charities named for the 1986–87 financial year, the latest for which figures are available, are:

	Per cent
Catholic Fund for Overseas Development	113·0
Christian Aid	8·4
Oxfam	9·4
Save the Children Fund	14·7
1 approximate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will increase his Department's support for the overseas aid activities of Britain's voluntary agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Decisions on spending under the aid programme for the next financial year have yet to be made. However, this year's budget for the joint funding scheme now stands at £10·5 million which is a 75 per cent. increase on the original allocation for last year. I hope to be able to continue to provide substantial support through the joint funding scheme for the work of British voluntary agencies in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department is making in conjunction with international agencies with their action to contain the spread of the AIDS pandemic.

International co-operation in efforts to combat AIDS is essential. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is leading the international effort. It has developed a global strategy, and over 75 plans for national AIDS control programmes are now being implemented with WHO assistance. Her Majesty's Government have committed over £12 million so far in direct support of this work. £4·6 million of this is in the form of contributions to WHO-backed national programmes in four African countries. In addition we have provided a grant of £1·6 million over three years to support the work of the International Planned Parenthood Federation which is helping family planning associations overseas to introduce information and counselling services on AIDS. Other international aid agencies to which we contribute in support of their general operations have programmes under way in collaboration with the WHO aimed at containing the spread of HIV. In the case of the European Community, the United Kingdom share of their aid commitments to combat AIDS is about £4·2 million.Her Majesty's Government take every opportunity to encourage open debate and exchange of information about the AIDS problem and have co-sponsored resolutions on AIDS at world health assemblies and at the United Nations General Assembly. The United Kingdom has played an active role in discussions of the problem in the European Community, the Commonwealth and the Council of Europe and has supported the establishment of a mechanism for Communitywide information exchange.The Government organised jointly with the WHO a world summit of Ministers of Health on programmes for AIDS prevention in London in January. The 148 countries represented adopted unanimously a declaration which stressed the importance of information and education in national AIDS control programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the United Nations' current target figure of gross national product to be allocated to Third world aid; and what percentage of gross national product the United Kingdom's contributions represent.

The UN target for official development assistance (ODA) as a proportion of gross national product (GNP) is 0·7 per cent. In 1987 Britain's net ODA represented 0·28 per cent. of GNP. The aid programme is now growing in real terms. In the current financial year we plan to spend about £1,307 million, some £97 million more than the likely outturn for last year. The programme is planned to rise by some £70 million in 1989–90 and by a further £45 million in 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit Somalia to discuss the provision of food aid.

I have no such plans at present. While Somalia has some requirement for food aid, there are more acute needs elsewhere in Africa and I believe that these should be given priority in the allocation of our food aid.

To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has received from bodies, including community councils, about the implications of the Green Paper, "Financing our Public Library Service"; and what consideration he is giving to the concerns expressed.

I have received about 5,300 responses so far, including many from library authorities and other local organisations. The task of categorising, analysing, and considering the responses will begin shortly.

To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will specify the allocations made to public institutions in

Items allocated since 1 January 1988
Item	Conditions or wishes expressed	Recipient institution
Twenty Vignettes by Turner	Conditional	National Galleries of Scotland
"Stratford Mill" by Constable	Wish expressed—to go to National Gallery	National Gallery
Nine drawings by Henry Moore	Conditional	British Museum
Nine portrait miniatures	Wish expressed—to go to Victoria and Albert Museum	Victoria and Albert Museum
Portrait miniature of Mary Sidney		National Portrait Gallery
"Captain Wade" by Gainsborough	Conditional	Bath City Council
Raeburn portrait	Wish expressed—to go to museum or gallery in Scotland	Aberdeen District Council

Items awaiting allocation
Item	Conditions or wishes expressed	Date of acceptance
Portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence	Conditional on its remaining in situ at Sledmere House	9 April 1986
Portrait by Sir William Beechey	Conditional on its remaining at Norton Conyers	23 July 1986
Clark Archive	Wish expressed—to go to Tate Gallery	14 July 1987

A press notice is being issued.

To ask the Minister for the Arts when he intends to put the drawings of the new British Library on public display; and what steps he has taken to ensure that there has been adequate opportunity for consultation as to the architectural merits of the scheme.

[holding answer 7 July 1988]: Camden council gave planning permission for the building in June 1978 after architectural plans had been lodged with it since December 1975, and a model of the proposed building had been exhibited in Camden town hall in 1977. The Royal Fine Art Commission gave its approval to the project in January 1978 and made the comment

"a brilliant solution to an extremely complex problem".

An artist's drawing of the exterior of the new building will shortly be displayed in the entrance hall of the science reference section in Southampton building, Chancery lane. Later this year it will be shown in the British Library galleries at the British museum building, together with a new model of the building. A copy of the artist's drawing showing the exterior of the new building will also be displayed on the Euston road hoarding in front of the new building. Information leaflets due to be published this the United Kingdom during the half-year ended 30 June of individual works of art and museum objects pre-eminent for national scientific, historic or artistic interest have been accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax or capital transfer tax, together with information where applicable as to conditions or wishes expressed by testators or executors in the matter of allocation; whether he will list the works of art or museum objects which are still awaiting allocation, with the respective date of their acceptance in satisfaction of inheritance tax or capital transfer tax; and whether the customary press notice will be issued from the Office of Arts and Libraries covering the information given in his reply.

The information is as follows:autumn will show recent progress photographs of the new building and of the artist's impressions of the finished building.The Property Services Agency, which is managing construction of the project, is proposing to erect a public viewing platform at the south-west corner of the site during the autumn.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's progress in implementing the debt initiative for the most debt-ridden countries put forward by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, following the recent Group of Seven meeting in Toronto.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further measures are being taken to ease the situation of Third world indebtedness in the light of the Toronto economic summit and the discussions there relating to the debts of the lesser-developed nations; and if he will make a statement.

The Toronto summit agreed that very poor, heavily indebted countries which are following approved adjustment programmes, should be offered debt relief. Official creditors will choose between offering concessional interest rates, longer repayment periods, partial write-off or a combination of these options. The Paris Club has been asked to work out the technicalities by the end of the year. Its first meeting began today.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what initiative Her Majesty's Government are taking along with other nations to resolve the debt problem as it affects Latin American debtor nations.

Countries meeting at the Toronto economic summit agreed that the problems of the middle income debtor countries, the majority of which are in Latin America, should continue to be tackled by the growth-led, market-oriented strategy based on the case by case approach. They endorsed recent initiatives at the IMF to provide increased support to medium-term structural adjustment by the middle income debtor countries and the general capital increase at the World Bank. They also supported the increasing use of the "menu" approach in agreements reached with the commercial banks.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual increase in the productivity of the whole United Kingdom economy since 1980.

Since 1980 output per head in the whole economy has grown at an average rate of 2¾ per cent. per year, about the same as Japan and faster than any other major industrialised country.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had on the availability of consumer credit; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of such representations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the end of each year from 1979 to 1986 the totals for the public corporations which were at the end of 1986 classified as still being within the public sector for (a) tangible assets, (b) financial assets and (c) financial liabilities, as shown in table 11.6 of the "United Kingdom National Accounts" 1987 edition, breaking down the figures for financial assets and liabilities between (a) claims on or liabilities to central Government and (b) other claims or liabilities.

The components of each series are not readily available broken down by individual corporation. It would therefore be disproportionately costly to identify totals for 1979 to 1985 covering those corporations still classified as being in the public sector in 1986.

To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. Members have taken up the offer by the Fees Office to arrange payroll-giving to a nominated charity; and how much total revenue will be provided for charities as a result.

Thirty-nine right hon. and hon. Members have so far availed themselves of the Fees Office facility for payroll giving to charities. The total amount of the gifts to charity from this source in 1988–89 is estimated as £5,220. Members who also hold ministerial office are known to be contributing through their departmental schemes; other Members may be giving through organsations from which they receive regular emoluments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list those sites which he is considering as locations for new nuclear power stations; and if he will make a statement.

None. but the Central Electricity Generating Board has submitted an application, under section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909, seeking consent to construct a pressurised water reactor (PWR) at Hinkley Point.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the value of the electricity supply industry.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths) on 23 November 1987. The accounts for the electricity supply industry for 1987–88 have not yet been published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will meet Llay community council, Wrexham Maelor borough council and Clwyd county council to discuss the impact upon the locality of the tipping of contaminated soils and other poisonous substances from abroad and from within the United Kingdom in the locality of Chapel lane and Dark lane, Rosseth, Clwyd; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will seek to ensure a permanent presence of the inspectorate at the tipping site near Dark lane and Chapel lane, Rosseth, Clwyd; if he will convene a meeting of members of the pollution inspectorate, local residents, the owners of the tipping site and local authority planning officers; and if he will make an official visit to the tipping site.

Responsibility for the supervision of these sites rests with Wrexham Maelor borough council as the waste disposal authority.It is for the council to consider whether meetings with the local residents and their representatives are necessary and to seek any advice required from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.My right hon. Friend has no plans to visit the sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will strengthen the inspectorate of pollution in Wales; and how many of the inspectorate are based in (a) Wales, (b) north Wales and (c) north-west England.

The staffing of the inspectorate is kept under continuous review. At present one controlled waste inspector based in Cardiff covers the whole of Wales. The question of cover for the north-west of England is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of times in 1987 and 1988 when the pollution inspectorate visited the Dark lane/Chapel lane tipping site at Rosseth up to and including 1 July; and if he will make a statement.

Two visits were made during 1987 and there have been two during 1988 the more recent of which took place on 24 June. Additionally the sites have been subject to surveillance on a number of occasions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will furnish local residents with full documentation instancing their rights concerning the tipping of contaminated soils and other dangerous substances in the Rosseth locality; and if he will make a statement.

It is the duty of Wrexham Maelor borough council, as waste disposal authority, to ensure that licensed waste disposal operations in its area do not cause pollution of water, danger to public health of become seriously detrimental to the amenities of the locality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning his policy on the importation of contaminated soils and dangerous substances into Wales from abroad and from within the United Kingdom.

The Government believe that the provision of waste disposal services is a legitimate and proper element of domestic and international trade provided that adequate safeguards are in existence to ensure that there is no danger to public health or the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish details of the ownerships of the tipping site near Chapel lane, Rosseth, Clwyd; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for licensing these sites rests with the Wrexham Maelor borough council to which I would refer the hon. Gentleman for the information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report showing, for each year from 1979 until the latest year for which figures are available, the total number of children with special educational needs who (a) left education, (b) took further education or training, or (c) followed other careers, after the age of 16 years.

Information is not available in precisely the form requested. Available data are given in the tables. Table A shows the numbers of leavers from special schools/departments in Scotland for each session from 1978–79 to 1986–87. Information on the post-school destination of such leavers, which has only been collected since 1984–85, is presented in table B.

Table A
Year
1978–79	1,625
1979–80	1,585
1980–81	1,444
1981–82	1,303
1982–83	1,332
1983–84	1,378
1984–85	1,227
1985–86	1,187
1986–87	1,398

Table B
Destination	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87
Open employment	58	78	103
MSC provision	188	177	255
Adult training centre	235	199	225
Further education centre	254	313	296
Other work or education	47	44	49
Neither in work nor education	210	162	205
Destination not known	235	214	265
All leavers	1,227	1,187	1,398

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the number of golden eagles killed by poisoned bait in Scotland over the past five years; and how many have been killed on Islay.

In the period from 1 January 1983 to 30 June 1988 12 golden eagles are known to have been killed by poison in Scotland. Two of these were killed on Islay.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the number of wild birds killed by the use of poisoned bait in Scotland since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Comprehensive information on the numbers of wild birds killed in Scotland by poison is not available because precise numbers are not always recorded in the case of multiple deaths involving corvids, gulls and some passerine species. Between 1 January 1979 and 30 June 1988, 546 birds are known to have been killed by the use of poisoned bait.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has concerning the death of two sea eagles in Scotland caused by poisoning; and if he will make a statement.

There is positive evidence of one sea eagle having been killed by the poison mevinphos in Caithness in April 1981. Another sea eagle found on Skye in November 1981 may have been killed by poison. By the time that the carcase was found it was almost completely decomposed and no analysis for pesticide residues could be undertaken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many birds of prey have been reported poisoned each year over the past five years; and how many successful prosecutions for poisoning birds of prey there have been each year over the past five years.

Over the period from 1 January 1983 to 30 June 1988 the numbers of birds of prey reported as having been poisoned in Scotland were:

	Birds
1983	20
1984	8
1985	13
1986	220
1987	11
11988	12
1 To 30 June.
2 Including 6 herons.

No statistics of successful prosecutions by category of offence under the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about a hooded crow destruction scheme being carried out on Islay; and if he will make a statement.

Hooded crows are not a protected species. We have no first-hand information about action that may have been taken on Islay to control their numbers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the will make a statement about the future role of the Scottish Health Service Planning Council.

A consultation paper on the future of the Scottish Health Service Planning Council was issued in October 1987 and by the end of March 1988, 80 bodies had submitted replies. The responses are being analysed at present and consideration is being given to the recommendations. A statement will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of places per 10,000 women at women's refuges in Scotland.

Information is not available centrally on the total number of refuges or the number of places provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies he is undertaking or commissioning into the effects of pollution in the Scottish coastal waters; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 28 June 1988]: The Scottish Office is currently funding research, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, into the effects of contaminants in waste deposited at sea, the incidence of fish diseases from dumping operations and the possible effects of mariculture on the environment resulting from the addition of nutrients and specific chemicals to water.Research on local marine pollution matters is normally carried out by the river purification boards which are statutorily responsible for promoting the cleanliness of coastal waters in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider amending building regulations to provide for the mandatory installation of smoke detectors in all new domestic homes and in properties that are renovated and improved; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 6, July 1988]: I recently sought the advice of the building standards advisory committee on this question. The committee drew attention to a number of technical problems which must be resolved for effective regulation to be possible and I have asked for these to be examined as quickly as possible within the context of the current review of the fire-related regulations north and south of the border.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will issue advice to the Forestry Commission to assist it in implementing the Environmental Assessment (Afforestation) Regulations 1988; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 6 July 1988]: My right hon. and learned Friend will issue advice to the commission, if necessary, in the light of experience gained in the implementation of the regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of his departmental budget he intends to spend on advertising in the current year and 1989; and what sums will be spent on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) pamphlets.

Planned expenditure by my Department on information campaigns, including advertising, in 1988–89 will be approximately 0·03 per cent. of total expenditure shown in the class XVI Scotland Supply Estimates 1988–89. Since the form of the campaigns has not yet been settled, it is not possible to give the breakdown requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library the terms of reference of his Department's review of student finance; and if he will make a statement.

The terms of reference of the student support review are:

To review the present arrangements for the financial support of students studying at first degree level or equivalent in Great Britain and to consider the future basis for such support, having regard to:

i. the situation and/ the maintenance needs of students, and the extent to which it is appropriate that those needs should be supported from public funds;

ii. other actual and possible sources of support which would allow the removal of students from the social security system—including the case for a system involving loans as well as grants, and the contribution of sponsorship to the needs of students on vocationally oriented courses;

iii. the Government's stated policies for higher education and access to it; and

iv. arrangements made in other countries with developed systems for the financial support of students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what number of persons was proposed for membership of each of the national curriculum working groups on mathematics, science and English by educational organisations of professional bodies; if he will describe which educational organisations or professional bodies proposed persons for membership; and if he will make a statement;(2) what number of persons was considered for potential appointment to each of the national curriculum working groups on mathematics, science and English;(3) if he will publish a table, showing for each of the national curriculum working groups on mathematics, science and English, the number of members appointed who had been proposed for membership by

Members were appointed to the national curriculum working groups on mathematics, science and English as individuals, for their personal expertise and experience, not as representatives of particular educational organisations and professional bodies. My right hon. Friend considered persons reflecting a wide range of interests and expertise, whose names were suggested by a variety of educational and other relevant organisations. The appointments to these three working groups were made from a shortlist of over 200 such persons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Yeovil of 27 June, Official Report, column 7, whether discussions with members or potential members of the English working group were held before or after appointment was offered to the person concerned; what number of persons with whom such discussions were held were not offered appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Discussions were held with potential members of the English working group before appointments were offered. It would not be appropriate to comment further on cases where appointment may not have been offered following discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to be in a position to decide whether any action is necessary in the light of the inquiry into the unauthorised leak of information and briefing in relation to correspondence between the Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Gray, and Mr. Tom Jeffrey of his Department.

My right hon. Friend will take whatever action is considered necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it is now his intention to make any additional funding available to meet the cost of implementation of the comparative standing of university technicians' pay; and if he will make a statement.

It is for universities to manage their own affairs within the total resources at their disposal. The amount available for the public funding of universities is about to be reviewed in the annual public expenditure survey.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list, by local education authorities, the total number of free school meals served (a) January to March inclusive and (b) April to June inclusive.

The information requested is not available. Data on the number of free school meals are collected annually by means of a census taken in October which is published in March the following year. Data for 1987, the latest date for which they are available, are in the Library.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many applications have so far been received under the farm woodland scheme; and what acreage is covered by such applications.

None. This scheme does not come into effect until 1 October 1988.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current level of wheat in store in the United Kingdom; and what is the anticipated level after the 1988 harvest.

On 1 July 830,000 tonnes of wheat were held in intervention stores in the United Kingdom. At this stage it is not possible to predict the outcome of the 1988 harvest level of cereal intervention stocks in the 1988–89 marketing year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement explaining the origin of the clauses relating to intervention for beef under which some member states maintained a buying in price 2·5 per cent. above the market price; whether this procedure was followed in the United Kingdom, and what has been the effect on this procedure of the recent farm price review.

The buying-in price for any category or quality of beef fixed by the Commission is the same in all member states in which intervention in that category and quality of beef is open. Prices are fixed in European currency units on the basis of rules agreed by the Council of Agriculture Ministers in December 1986 at part of the package of measures to reform the support regime for beef.These rules provide for the calculation of buying-in prices on the basis of a weighted average of the market prices prevailing in those member states for Which intervention is open, excluding prices above the intervention trigger-point. However, in the discussions which led to the December 1986 agreement, concern was expressed that in gearing intervention prices to market prices at a time when market prices were expected to be weak in the face of cuts in milk quotas, the system might encourage a downward spiral of prices. Two safeguards were therefore introduced. The first of these is a flat-rate additon of 8·6 ecus/100g (£61·11 tonne), equivalent to 2·5 per cent. Of the institutional intervention price for beef of R3 quality. The second provides that if the weighted average plus the flat-rate addition is less than any of the market prices which have been taken into account in calculating the average, the highest of those prices shall be the buying-in price applied.Modifications to the system of calculating buying-in prices were established on the basis of a consensus reached at the Council of Agriculture Ministers at its meeting in Luxembourg on 13–17 June. In the absence of the adoption of the 1988–89 price-fixing regulations by the Council, the Commission, acting under its own powers, has adopted a measure on these lines which allows it to suspend or restrict the application of one or both of the two safeguards in certain market conditions. The exact effect of this measure depends on the level of market price, as compared with the institutional intervention prices set. For the week beginning 11 July, the new rules have resulted in buying-in prices being fixed about 3 per cent. lower than they would have been under the unmodified system.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what percentage the proposed expenditure on the common agricultural policy, excluding fisheries, in the 1989 preliminary draft budget exceeds the actual outturn of spending in this area in 1987.

Expenditure proposed for agriculture in the 1989 preliminary draft budget, excluding exceptional items, is 5 per cent. greater than the underlying level of expenditure for the calendar year 1987.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if in the light of the Prime Minister's comments in the House or 19 May, Official Report, column 1087–8, in regard to New Zealand's butter exports to the United Kingdom, he will make a statement on the steps he is taking to encourage the European Commission to put forward proposals that are likely to be acceptable to New Zealand.

I will ensure that the Government's views on this issue are communicated to the European Commission at the appropriate time.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been adopted by his Department to limit the spread of monomorium pharaonis.

[holding answer 8 July 1988]: None, but chargeable advice on the measures available to control this ant can be obtained from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service's Slough laboratory.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when and by what means monomorium pharaonis was introduced into the United Kingdom; and what information he has about its current distribution and habitat.