To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each of the past 10 years, how many tonnes of radioactive material were (a) imported and (b) exported through the ports of (i) Barrow, (ii) Dover, (iii) Felixstowe, (iv) Harwich, (v) Liverpool (vi) Portsmouth, (vii) Southampton and (viii) Workington; and, in each case, what method of transport was used to convey the material to or from the port.

The Department does not collect this information, and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by year for the last 10 years (a) the sources and (b) the destinations, of radioactive material (i) imported and (ii) exported through the port of Immingham-Hull.

The Department does not collect this information on a routine basis and it can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will arrange for the publication of the safety requirements of the Channel tunnel design together with the supporting calculations.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Mr. Hargreaves) on 15 January, Official Report, column 45, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampshire, North-West (Sir D. Mitchell) on 19 December, Official Report, column 195. The general characteristics of the Channel tunnel are specified in the concession agreement (Cmnd 9769). It is for Eurotunnel to prepare detailed designs and submit them for approval by the Channel tunnel intergovernmental commission. On safety matters, the commission is advised by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, which has recently published its annual report for 1988–89. I understand that the authority intends to publish further reports in due course. The commission's recent decision on the non-segregation of passengers from their vehicles was accompanied by a number of binding safety requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the current amount allocated for the development of light rapid transit systems for the financial year 1990–91, excluding London;

Total provision of about £50 million in 1990–91 and £40 million in 1991–92 has been made for the Manchester Metrolink project. No decisions have yet been taken on resource allocations for any other light rail schemes outside London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends announcing details of the proposed study of a second road crossing of the Tamar estuary as outlined in his May 1989 "Roads for Prosperity" strategy; and if he will make a statement.

I aim to invite tenders this spring from consultants experienced in this kind of study. I shall make an announcement when an appointment has been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to construct a road of motorway standard north of the existing A27 in East Sussex.

We have no present plans to do so but we are putting in place a major study into the need for an east-west strategic route running from Kent to Hampshire within a corridor between the M25 and the south coast.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy not to allow construction to begin on a new roundabout at the junction of the A27 and A26 at Beddingham until such time as a projected route has been announced for the proposed improvements to the A27 between Lewes and Polegate, and a full public consultation period has elapsed.

No. Provision of this roundabout is considered good value for money in the medium term and will not pre-empt consideration of options for improving the A27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy not to approve a final route for the A27 Folkington link until such time as a projected route has been announced for the proposed improvements to the A27 between Lewes and Polegate, and a full public consultation period has elapsed.

The issue about which the hon. Member is concerned has been raised by others in the context of public consultation on our Folkington link proposals and will be considered before we decide how the matter should be taken forward. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide details of traffic flows along the A27 between (a) Lewes and Beddingham, (b) Beddingham and Alfriston and (c) Alfriston and Polegate for any of the last 15 years for which figures are available; and if he will indicate the division between HGV and other traffic.

The annual average daily traffic flows for the years 1985 to 1988, for which information is readily available, were as follows. Percentages of heavy goods vehicles are shown in brackets:

	1985	1986	1987	1988
Lewes to Beddingham	17,500 (8·3 per cent.)	18,600 (8·3 per cent.)	18,800 (9·7 per cent.)	20,300 (9·6 per cent.)
Beddingham and Alfriston	11,600 (7·5 per cent.)	12,300 (7·4 per cent.)	12,700 (6·6 per cent.)	13,200 (10·3 per cent.)
Alfriston and Polegate	9,400 (9·2 per cent.)	10,000 (9·0 per cent.)	10,200 (7·9 per cent.)	11,000 (7·8 per cent.)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer in the Official Report, 16 January, column 154, what the possible option identified by East Sussex county council involved with regard to (a) the dualling of the present A27 road, (b) the demolition of houses along the A27 and (c) the construction of a flyover.

It is not our policy to release information from scheme identification studies in advance of public consultation. To do so could be misleading and cause unnecessary planning blight for which there might not be a satisfactory recourse under existing legislation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last corresponded with East Sussex county council in respect of projected improvements to the A27; and if he will make a statement.

There is regular contact between my Department and East Sussex county council about our four major A27—and seven A259—schemes in addition to a number of other schemes in our regional programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which European Community states the installation of rear seat belts is mandatory; and from what date this took effect in each case.

The table gives the available information on the mandatory fitment of rear seat belts in cars for each European Community member state.

Member state	Rear belt requirement/Date
Belgium	First registered from January 1987
Denmark	First registered from April 1989
France	First registered from October 1978
Federal Republic of Germany	First registered from May 1987
Greece	None
Italy	First registered from April 1990
Ireland	None
Luxembourg	First registered from 1988
Netherlands	First registered from January 1990
Portugal	First registered from January 1992
Spain	First registered from October 1990
United Kingdom	First registered from April 1987

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of fatalities and injuries occurring in the United Kingdom if rear seat belts were worn in all vehicles.

Our latest estimate is that if all rear seat car passengers wore seat belts, some 200 deaths and 9,000 injuries would be prevented each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current position of draft European Community legislation 9228/88; and when the wearing of rear seat belts will become mandatory.

Member countries have not yet taken a decision on this Commission proposal. In the United Kingdom it is already mandatory for children to wear available rear restraints where appropriate for their use. In the case of adults we have no plans to introduce mandatory wearing before a sufficient proportion of cars has the equipment fitted as standard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has considered responses to the environmental statement for the widening of the M40 motorway between High Wycombe and Stokenchurch; and if he will make a statement.

We have carefully considered the responses to the environmental statement issued on 15 September 1989 containing proposals for widening the M40 motorway. The Department has made various changes to the design of the scheme, in particular to take account of the interests of the environment in this attractive area. The improvements will make the best use of established planting and minimise the effects on wildlife. "Cut-off" lighting will be used to avoid unnecessary glare away from the highway. We shall be making full use of our discretionary powers to provide noise insulation for residential properties. The Department is about to invite tenders for the work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had concerning the proposal by the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education to set up a national standing conference for educational responses to child abuse; and if he will made a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce new proposals arising from the review of the disabled students' allowance.

My right hon. Friend hopes to announce the outcome of his review of the disabled students' and other supplementary allowances in the spring, in time for any changes in the mandatory awards regulations to take effect from 1 September 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the response of Her Majesty's Government to resolution A2-327/88 of the European Parliament on genetic engineering known as the Rothley report and resolution A2-372/88 of the European Parliament on artificial insemination known as the Casini report.

The Government have noted these resolutions, but have not responded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to ensure that there are sufficient teachers to teach the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael) on 12 December 1989 at column 553.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the budget allocation to the Medical Research Council for 1990–91.

My right hon. Friend announced his decision on the science budget allocations for 1990–91 including that for the Medical Research Council in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Amos) on 10 January at columns 623-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance is given by his Department as to supply teachers' salaries; whether local education authorities are required to pay supply teachers additional increments in accordance with years of service; and if he will make a statement.

Teachers employed on short-notice contracts are paid for the duration of each contract at the rate the LEA considers appropriate in the light of local needs and circumstances. In circular 12/89 the Department drew local education authorities' attention to the interim advisory committee's views on the dangers of setting a standard low point on the main scale and endorsed the suggestion of the IAC that such teachers should always be offered the opportunity of being involved in other duties as well as teaching pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many letters he has received from parents of children with special learning difficulties, including dyslexia, on the issue of assessment and provision of statements under the Education Acts; and how many of these were in respect of children in Essex.

I regret that it is not possible to identify this information from the Department's records.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what would have been the extra money required by each research council to have funded all the alpha-rated research projects in the financial year 1988–89; and how much money was spent by each research council on alpha-rated projects in that financial year.

The additional amounts that would have been required to fund all alpha-rated research grant applications in the academic year 1988–89 were as follows:

	£ million
Agricultural and Food Research Council	0·3
Medical Research Council	17·9
Natural Environment Research Council	0·7
Science and Engineering Research Council	63·6
Economic and Social Research Council	5·0
	87·5

In the 1988–89 financial year the councils' spend on alpha-rated research projects was as follows:

	£ million
Agricultural and Food Research Council	9·1
Medical Research Council	44·5
Natural Environment Research Council	4·6
Science and Engineering Research Council	123·0
Economic and Social Research Council	4·3
	185·5

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in acquiring premises for the Student Loans Company, and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 November 1989, column 5]: The Student Loans Company Limited has reached agreement with landlords on the terms of a lease on premises at 100 Bothwell street in Glasgow. I have been requested by the landlords to guarantee the company's obligations under that lease. I have considered the lease and the terms of the guarantee requested. I have concluded that I should give such a guarantee in accordance with the departmental minute laid before Parliament on 22 November 1989 and have indicated to the Student Loans Company that I will do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the decision will be taken on the exact location in Glasgow of the headquarters for the Student Loans Company; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the pursuant reply that my right hon. Friend gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley). The headquarters of the Student Loans Company Limited will be at 100 Bothwell street, Glasgow.

To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were heard by the social security commissioners in the last year for which statistics were available; how long on average each hearing took; and on what number of occasions the Department of Social Security and the appellant, respectively, was legally represented.

A total of 442 cases were heard by the social security commissioners in 1989. On average, each hearing took 2·25 hours. Statistics on the representation of parties are not kept.

To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements will be made to obtain evidence and advice from the solicitors' profession on legal aid, for the purposes of the review of the financial conditions for legal aid announced on 13 November 1989.

The solicitors' profession will be consulted as appropriate for information and for its views.

To ask the Attorney-General (1) what is his estimate of the percentage of the population now potentially eligible on income grounds for legal aid for non-matrimonial cases; what was the equivalent figure obtaining in 1979 and each successive year; and whether he will place a summary of relevant calculations of the data used in the Library;(2) what progress has been made in the study of family expenditure survey data and the conclusions to be drawn from it in relation to eligibility for legal aid since his answer of 20 March 1989,

Estimates indicate that at present about 56 per cent. of the population is eligible on income grounds alone for civil legal aid in non-matrimonial cases. This estimate does not take account of the improvements announced on 13 November 1989, Official Report, column 3, which will be introduced in April. It was based on data obtained from the family expenditure survey—in relation to income for each household type and deductions for housing costs, tax and national insurance payments and allowances for dependants—grossed up and uprated to current level equivalents through a computer model. Such calculations cannot be made for earlier years except at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Attorney-General whether he will take immediate steps substantially to increase the capital limit of £890 which applies to the legal advice and assistance green form scheme.

The capital limit for a single person for legal advice and assistance will be increased to £935 in April.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met the chairman of Nuclear Electric; and what matters were discussed.

My hon. Friend has met the chairman of Nuclear Electric on a number of occasions to discuss aspects of the nuclear industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will set out those guarantees which were sought by the private sector in regard to nuclear stations in the negotiations over electricity privatisation.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 14 November 1989 at column 139.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to ensure that the operational expertise of the electricity supply industry in running its nuclear plants will be retained when the non-nuclear sector of the industry is privatised.

Nuclear Electric will inherit all the CEGB's nuclear-related assets, expertise and support, including its expertise in health and safety. The chairman of Nuclear Electric has stated that safety is a paramount priority of Nuclear Electric.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what payments have been made by his Department to British Nuclear Fuels plc over the past five years in regard to post-operational decommissioning work on facilities at Sellafield used to carry out contracts for his Department; what proportion of the work required arose from the pre-1971 period when Sellafield was operated by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority; and over what period of time negotiations were entered into over the payments for the work.

None. My Department has no liabilities to British Nuclear Fuels plc for decommissioning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to obtain a copy of the recently published study "Energy Policy in the Greenhouse" prepared by the international project for sustainable energy paths.

My Department already holds a copy of this study.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will make it his policy to promote methane extraction for useful energy generation of all controlled waste tips of over 1 million cu m of refuse;(2) what is the most up-to-date estimate available to him of the minimum size, measured by cubic metres, of controlled household refuse tips, to sustain viable commercial methane extraction.

As I explained to the hon. Member in answer to his question of 18 January, my Department has a substantial programme to promote exploitation of methane from landfill sites. This work is not limited to sites with more than 1 million cu m of waste capacity. Landfill gas exploitation is being encouraged at all landfill sites containing a large proportion of biodegradable refuse providing such exploitation can be shown to be economic.The minimum size of landfill sites for viable commercial methane extraction does not depend on volume alone. Factors such as locality of potential users are also important. For example, a small-scale greenhouse scheme could be supported by a site of only a few thousand cubic metres in volume. Hence, it would not be appropriate to suggest a minimum value, in terms of cubic metres of refuse on a landfill site, to sustain a viable extraction project.

To ask the Scretary of State for Energy when he expects to receive British Coal's second annual report on its administration of the system for subsidence compensation and repair.

I have today placed copies of this report in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list for each local authority district the number of outstanding subsidence claims lodged with British Coal.

British Coal has no operational need to compile details of subsidence damage claims on a district council basis. Details of claims broken down by British Coal area are contained in British Coal's annual report to the Secretary of State for Energy. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary announced today in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart), copies of the most recent report were today placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The provision of further information is a matter for British Coal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list proposals for opencast working made by the Opencast Executive of British Coal to the appropriate planning authorities, giving the name, location and proposed capacity in each case'(2) if he will list the applications for licences to operate opencast mines presently being considered by British Coal, giving the name, location and capacity in each case;(3) if he will list the names, locations and capacities of each opencast mine being operated by the Opencast Executive of British Coal;(4) if he will list the names, locations and capacities of each opencast mine being operated by a private company under licence from British Coal;(5) on how many occasions in each of the past 10 years British Coal has withheld repayment of a bond it held from licensed opencast operators; and what were the reasons in each case.

These are matters for the British Coal Corporation, and I have asked the chairman to reply to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will now provide the information given in his answers of 9 November 1989, Official Report, column 767, 19 December 1989, Official Report, columns 118-19 and 12 January, Official Report, columns 768-69, relating to fuel exports and imports at 1990 constant prices.

I regret that the information requested (on the basis of 1990 constant prices) is not available. The procedure used to provide figures at 1985 constant prices in the previous answers referred to in the question was to apply the 1985 unit value for exports and imports to the relevant volumes for the years concerned. The equivalent export and import unit value figures for the whole of 1990 will not be available until February 1991 at the earliest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the examples of economic production of nuclear power abroad, referred to in his statement of 9 November 1989, Official Report, column 1182; and what information he possesses on how the cost of such nuclear electricity is calculated in each case.

My right hon. Friend's remarks were informed by the IEA/NEA study "Projected costs of generating electricity from power stations for commissioning in the period 1995–2000", which gives information on the economics of nuclear power in a number of countries. The study will be published shortly.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's mechanisms for the monitoring of cults in the United Kingdom.

The Government are aware of the distress that can be caused to individuals and families as a result of involvement with certain cults, particularly where young people are concerned. Provided these groups operate within the law, however, it would not be right., in the Government's view, for us to place restraints on freedom of expression or freedom of religion and belief. Any evidence of illegal activities should he referred to the police who will take appropriate action.The Government believe that the best way of dealing with these cults is through public exposure of their true nature. For this reason the Home Office has been providing start-up funding since October 1987 over three years for INFORM—Information Network Focus on Religious Movements. Its work is supported by the major churches. Under the terms of its grant, INFORM is required to produce a report annually on its activities. The report for the calendar year 1988 was received in May 1989, and the report for 1989 is expected in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to discuss the future of the scheme for student loans with the chairman of Barclays bank.

No.

To ask the Prime Minister if she will dismiss the Secretary of State for Education and Science for his conduct in relation to the banks' decision to pull out of the student loan scheme; and if she will make a statement.

No. I was very disappointed that the banks decided to react to external pressure and withdrew from the memorandum of understanding with the Government to administer the student loans scheme. It is the students themselves who will now not have the benefit of access to the banks' branch networks to obtain the loans. But the banks' withdrawal does not affect in any way the objectives, principles or funding of the scheme. Preparatory work is well in hand.

To ask the Prime Minister if the Government have any plans to take fiscal or other action against those banks which pulled out of the Government scheme for student loans; and if she will make a statement.

The Government have expressed strong disappointment at the banks' withdrawal from the memorandum of understanding: at no stage has there been any question of action against the banks.

To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons responsibility for the Hong Kong ivory stock rests with the Foreign and Commonwealth office.

Matters related to the CITES Convention are the prime responsibility of the Department of the Environment. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible for questions arising from the administration of Hong Kong as a dependent territory.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he intends to take to reduce the current imbalance of tariff and non-tariff barriers in footwear trade with (a) Thailand, (b) Brazil, (c) Australia, (d) India and (e) Japan.

Table 1
Trade balances in manufactures1
United States $ billion
	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989 January to November
Japan
With:
World	134·7	160·3	163·4	176	n/a
EC	12·7	20·1	22·7	27	n/a
United Kingdom	3·4	4·7	6·0	7	n/a
Federal Republic of Germany
With:
World	67·5	89·4	104·9	113	n/a
EC	24·5	38·1	50·6	60	n/a
United Kingdom	7·4	9·9	12·9	15	n/a
United States of America
With:
World	-112·9	-144·9	-152·1	-146	n/a
EC	-22·5	-29·0	-27·4	-20	n/a
United Kingdom	-1·3	-3·0	-1·9	—	n/a
United Kingdom
With:
World	-7·5	-11·8	-16·1	-30·8	-31·0
EC	-12·3	-15·9	-18·2	-23·9	-23·0
1 Standard International Trade Classification, sections 5 to 8.
n/a—Not available.

We and our Community partners fully support the objectives of the Uruguary round of multilateral trade negotiations in GATT, which include the specific aim of reduction or elimination by all participants of high tariffs and non-tariff measures.The European Commission negotiates for the Community in GATT. It has details of all the concerns expressed to us by the United Kingdom footwear industry, and these will be carefully taken into account in formulating the Community's position in these negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report, a table showing in dollars for each year since 1985, and for 1989 to the latest available date at an annual rate, the trade surplus in manufactures and the balance of payments surplus for Japan, Germany, the United States of America and the United Kingdom with the world, the EEC and the United Kingdom.

The available information is in the tables. Care should be exercised in comparing trade balances in manufactures with current account balances because of inconsistencies in valuation. The figures for 1989 relate to the periods shown because annualised figures can be unreliable as a guide to the outturn for the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether he has asked the accountancy profession to develop any standard on price level accountancy;(2) whether he has any plans to introduce a system of current value accounting for company accounts.

The Government support the new accounting standards arrangements recommended by the Dearing committee in 1988, including the creation of a Financial Reporting Council and an Accounting Standards Board. In determining the work programme of the board, the council will no doubt take note of the existing commitment of the Accounting Standards Committee to explore effective means of developing a standard on accounting for the effects of changing prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy not to appoint inspectors from firms of accountants which have been criticised in inspectors' reports.

No. My right hon. Friend will continue to appoint competent inspectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will supply figures for spending by his Department on export services, in constant prices, for each year since 1979.

The following figures show gross and net expenditure by the Department on export services in constant price terms:

£ million (1979–80 prices)
Year	Gross expenditure	Net expenditure
1979–80	25·7	21·2
1980–81	19·5	15·8
1981–82	19·4	15·4

Year	Gross expenditure	Net expenditure
1982–83	21·0	16·6
1983–84	20·8	15·5
1984–85	124·6	118·8
1985–86	224·6	217·4
1986–87	24·6	15·5
1987–88	323·4	314·7
1988–89	425·4	416·6
1 Expenditure on publicity and promotion was transferred from the COI budget with effect from 1984–85. On a constant price basis, the expenditure amounted to £1·4 million in 1984–85.
2 Export Intelligence Service revenue was transferred to the exports budget from another DTI budget with effect from 1985–86. On a constant price basis this reduced net expenditure by £0·3 million in 1985–86.
3 Includes expenditure on publications for the then Statistics and Market Intelligence Library previously treated as part of general library expenditure (value £0·2 million on a constant price basis).
4 Figures for 1988–89 include grant-in-aid to the International Customs Tariff Bureau (value £0·038 million on a constant price basis), and the "New Products from Britain" service transferred from the FCO in the second half of the year (value £0·2 million on a constant price basis).

All figures have been converted using the implied GDP factor cost deflator.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received assurances from each member state of the EEC that they will permit the import, without restriction, of cars produced in the United Kingdom by firms in Japanese ownership; and if he will make a statement.

The European Commission received an assurance from the French Government in April last year that cars produced in Sunderland by Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK Ltd. would be allowed to enter France without restriction and quite independently of the level of car imports into France from Japan.No member state currently restricts in any way the import of cars produced in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the purpose of the voluntary restraint arrangement which limits Japanese car imports to 10·8 per cent. of the United Kingdom market; when it was introduced; and if he will now take steps to remove it.

The voluntary restraint arrangement on imports of cars from Japan came into operation in 1975 following discussions between the vehicle industries of the United Kingdom and Japan.The Government will consider the future of the arrangement within the context of Community-wide moves toward liberalisation of the European car market.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what restrictions are imposed on the import of Japanese cars by each member of the EEC; and if the EEC has any plans to remove these restrictions.

In addition to the United Kingdom industry's arrangement, France has an unofficial limit on Japanese penetration of the market. There are formal quotas in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Although the Commission has not yet put forward detailed proposals, it envisages that restrictions should be phased out progressively over a transitional period which would extend beyond 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the directives on financial services which have been issued by the European Communities in the last year and the directives that are still required to be issued during the next six months to achieve a fair competitive environment in such services in the member countries.

The second banking co-ordination directive, the solvency ratios directive, the own funds directive, the insider dealing directive, the bank branches directive and the prospectus directive have been adopted by the Council of Ministers in the last year.The investment services directive, the life insurance services directive, the directive on the annual accounts of insurance undertakings, the motor insurance services directive, the third motor insurance directive and the mutual recognition directive (of stock exchange listing particulars) might be adopted by the end of 1990. The Commission has indicated its intention to submit to the Council of Ministers during 1990 texts of a capital adequacy directive for investment business, a non-life insurance framework directive and of a life insurance framework directive.Adoption by Council of these further directives would represent important progress towards completion of the single market through a fair competitive environment in financial services. The investment services and insurance directives are especially important to British businesses wanting to do business on the continent of Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to meet the Ministers for Planning and the Environment of the Soviet Union to discuss opportunities for the sale of environmental clean-up and pollution abatement technology developed in the United Kingdom.

[holding answer 19 January 1990]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is planning to visit the Soviet Union in the near future and will discuss all the main commercial opportunities available with Soviet Ministers during his visit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has indicating the percentage of the population supporting a change in legislation to strengthen consumer protection.

[holding answer 19 January 1990]: No such information is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received from bodies opposed to the definition of a consumer guarantee in legislation; and how many of these bodies did not give evidence on the subject to the National Consumer Council.

A formal public consultation exercise has not been undertaken, but, following publication of the National Consumer Council report "The Consumer Guarantee", representations have been made both for and against the proposed overall approach and on various detailed aspects. It would be inappropriate to quantify the bodies involved in the same way as it would be to name them, since their views have been expressed in confidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will outline progress in raising funds for the Juno project; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 19 January 1990]: The Juno project is being financed entirely by the private sector. While I wish it every success, Her Majesty's Government are not a sponsor and the hon. Member will need to seek the information he wishes from the project organisers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the visit to Brazil of Dr. Synott of the Oxford Forestry Institute in November/December 1989, to discuss details of projects in sustainable forestry management and genetic resources of forests; and when such projects are likely to begin.

During this visit a number of possible projects were discussed with Brazilian institutions. These included the Tapajos forest management project, a tropical forest research project, a project to assist biological research in the Ducke reserve and a Varzea (floodplain forest) management study. Project proposals are currently being prepared for ODA consideration which will need to be cleared with the Brazilian Government. Implementation of these projects could begin in the second quarter of this year. Proposals for further projects are awaited from Brazil.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether work has begun on the joint five-year project by Brazilian scientific institutions and the Institute of Hydrology to improve knowledge of the critical effect of rainforests on climate; and if he will make a statement.

We have submitted a detailed proposal for this project to the Brazilian Government for their agreement. While we understand that the proposal is generally acceptable to the Government, we still await confirmation of their agreement to proceed. We hope to receive this within the next few weeks, in time to allow the participating institutions to start the first field season in July as planned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent visit to Cambodia by officials of the Overseas Development Administration.

During their visit to Cambodia officials identified a number of areas for potential ODA support, in co-operation with British non-governmental organisations and multilateral agencies. These included priority sectors such as food production, primary education and health care. There are also increasing opportunities for NGOs to extend their activities beyond Phnom Penh into the provinces. Severe skill shortages among Cambodians could be alleviated by the provision of volunteer experts (VSO) and by appropriate technical training. The ODA is actively discussing possible projects with the NGOs. In addition, as I announced in answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang) on 8 January, I am making available a further £1 million to multilateral agencies for their programmes inside Cambodia in 1990–91.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest situation on the famine in Ethiopia; and what steps the Government have taken to alleviate starvation.

The international relief effort continues to be hampered by the civil conflict in northern Ethiopia. The most pressing need is to secure free access for relief supplies across the battle lines. We have been active in recent diplomatic efforts to try and secure this. It was reported on 18 January that agreement had been reached between the Ethiopian Government and the joint relief partnership of local church organisations on the necessary arrangements, but further details are awaited. We are meanwhile continuing to provide food and other emergency aid via British non-governmental organisations. The total value of our food and emergency aid in 1989 was nearly £18·5 million, including our share of the cost of assistance provided by the European Community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the proportion of gross national product given in aid by British Governments to developing countries, excluding commercial aid packages, in 1975, 1978, 1983, 1985 and 1989.

The aid and trade provision has been an integral part of Britain's aid programme since its inception. However, excluding aid reported to the development assistance committee of the OECD under the heading "Grants and Loans included in Associated Financing Packages", the figures are:

	per cent.
1975	10·35
1978	0·45
1983	0·33
1985	0·31
1 No associated financing was reported in 1975.
The figure for 1989 is not yet available.

Britain's bilateral aid programme finances sound development projects and programmes of benefit to the recipient country. The bulk of it is tied to the procurement of British goods and services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits he plans to make in order to evaluate the effectiveness of Britain's support for sustainable forestry projects.

I plan to visit East Africa and India in the spring. I expect to discuss our ongoing and planned forestry assistance during both these visits. The subject will also be covered during other visits later in the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the overall expected change in rateable values in Wales as a result of the publication of the provisional list of revised valuations for the uniform business rate.

Rateable value of business properties in Wales have increased by a factor of 8·4 overall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the operation of the uniform business rate in Wales and its effect upon small business.

I have received a number of representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a further statement on the arrangements for the incineration of toxic waste at the Rechem plant.

My right hon. Friend has been assured by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution that the plant is operating to current requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what reponse he has made to the proposals of the Welsh Language Board for a new Welsh Language Act.

My right hon. Friend is considering the proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from bodies concerned about river pollution in (a) Clwyd and (b) Wales.

We have received a number of representations from organisations through Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to meet the chairmen of the health authorities; and what matters he proposes to discuss.

The date and agenda for the next meeting have not yet been agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met representatives of the ambulance services in Wales; and when he plans to meet them again.

My right hon. Friend met a group of ambulance men during a visit to Merthyr on 7 November, while I talked to members of the Clwyd service in December. There are no plans for any further meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the shares in the recently privatised Welsh Water share flotation was allocated to applicants resident in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on Tuesday 19 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the decision to transfer Ronald Greedy to Whitchurch hospital, the basis on which he was accommodated, the physical security arrangements and his subsequent escape.

My officials have already instituted inquiries of the district health authority into the discharge of the conditions which attached to Mr. Greedy's transfer to Whitchurch hospital. I shall write to my hon. Friend when I have considered its advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what steps his Department has taken to promote research aimed a reducing the dangerous substance content and increasing the use of less-polluting substitute substances in batteries and accumulators, and into methods of recycling;(2) what steps his Department has taken to reduce the volume of spent batteries and accumulators in household waste.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the replies given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs on Friday 19 January, at column 444.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what factors changed during the previous six months which led him to announce his new north Wales initiative in early December.

I announced in the Welsh Grand Committee in December 1988 that I had asked the Minister of State to discuss with local authorities and other bodies in north Wales how the opportunities presented by the upgrading of the A55 could best he grasped. These discussions resulted in the document "A55—The Road of Opportunity" which sets out the developments which will take place in the next few years and indicates the decisions and activities required to maximise the potential brought by the road. As I said to the hon. Gentleman in my answer on 26 May a formal initiative for north Wales is unnecessary as existing mechanisms are adequate to allow continued improvement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report the attendance figures for 1989 reported by the National Museum of Wales, including its outstations, with the percentage increase or decrease on the attendance figures for 1988.

A total of 482,080 people visited the National Museum of Wales during 1989—42 per cent. fewer than the attendance reported for 1988. The difference is largely accounted for by the lower recorded numbers at the main Cathays park museum and, in this connection, I draw the hon. Gentleman's attention to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Members for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) and for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 6 November 1989. The transfer of responsibility for the former national museum outstation, Yr Hen Gapel, Tre'r Ddol, from 1 January 1989 has also affected the totals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons are employed in Welsh local government and what were the corresponding figures for 1970 and 1980.

The numbers of persons employed in Welsh local government in 1980 and 1989 are shown in the table. Corresponding information is not available for 1970.

Number of employees as at September
	1980	11989
Full-time	107,135	99,108
Part-time	46,646	55,670
Total full-time equivalents	126,100	121,753
1 Provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what number of patients in each county in Wales had to travel distances of (a) over 10 miles, (b) over 20 miles and (c) over 30 miles in order to attend hospital out-patient clinics in 1988 and 1989;(2) what percentage of patients in each county in Wales had to travel distances of

The information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) holdings and (b) sheep, remain subject to post-Chernobyl movements and sale restrictions in north Wales.

Approximately 416 holdings and 300,000 sheep.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether his Department has received any correspondence from the Friends of the Earth's radiation monitoring unit about post-Chernobyl contamination in north Wales; and if he will make a statement.(2) whether his Department will review its sheep monitoring programme in the derestricted area between Bala and Lake Vyrnwy.

No correspondence has been received by the Department from the Friends of the Earth's radiation monitoring unit about its recent report about post-Chernobyl contamination in north Wales.The area between Bala and Lake Vyrnwy referred to in the report was derestricted in 1986 and monitoring then and subsequently has shown that radiation levels in sheep are well within the action level of 1,000 bq/kg.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the new Llanelli general hospital will open.

East Dyfed health authority advises that, on current programming expectations, the new Llanelli hospital should be open for out-patients at the end of February 1990 and for in-patients towards the end of April 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the general managers of family practitioners committees, their qualifications and their date of appointment.

All eight family practitioner committees have now appointed general managers. The table indicates the dates on which appointments were or are to be taken up.

Family Practitioner Committee	General Manager	Date of Appointment
Gwent	Mr. H. T. Watkins	10 November 1989
Gwynedd	Mr. R. A. Thomas	10 November 1989
Mid Glamorgan	Mr. M. V. Jenkins	1 January 1990
Powys	Mr. R. G. T. Phillips	10 November 1989
South Glamorgan	Mr. B. A. Ruddy	10 November 1989
West Glamorgan	Mr. G. Plunkett	1 December 1989
Clwyd	Mr. C. N. Last	1 May 1990
Dyfed	Mr. J. P. French	1 May 1990

Information about the academic, professional or other qualifications of individual general managers is a matter for each family practitioner committee as the employing body.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to meet the statutory wages councils to discuss the rates of pay set for categories of workers; and if he will make a statement.

No. Statutory wages councils are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research he has commissioned to investigate the causes of cerebral palsy.

None, but results of research funded by the Department of Health are available to Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to monitor trends in cerebral palsy.

The Welsh Office does not maintain a central statistical record of the incidence of this condition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of children born in Wales, in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, who have been diagnosed as having cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is not necessarily diagnosed at birth, so information on the number of children born in Wales each year and diagnosed with this condition is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has received any representations from teachers in West Glamorgan about the county council's policy of reducing the salary of supply teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Representations have been received from the West Glamorgan supply teachers' association. The pay of supply teachers is a matter for local education authorities to decide in the light of local circumstances and within the guidelines we have issued. LEAs have discretion to pay supply teachers at any point on the main scale provided that it is no lower than the minimum entitlement appropriate to the teachers' qualifications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will publish in the Official Report the attendance figures for 1989 reported by the Ulster museum, including its outstations, with the percentage increase or decrease on the attendance figures for 1988.

In 1989 a total of 270,100 people visited the Ulster museum and the Armagh county museum—a decrease of 24 per cent. on the attendance figure for 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to amend the electoral registration form A so that persons registering can indicate if they are willing for the information to be available for sale by the registering authority.

No. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 15 January at column 27.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ban the advertising, importation and sale of replica firearms in the United Kingdom.

The sale in England and Wales of any replica gun which can be readily converted to fire live ammunition is, under the Firearms Act 1982, subject to the same stringent controls as those imposed on actual firearms by the Firearms Acts 1968 and 1988. In addition, it is already an offence to use an imitation firearm to commit a crime or resist arrest the maximum penalty for which is life imprisonment.Advertising on independent television and radio is, under the Broadcasting Act 1981, the responsibility of the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The authority has a duty to draw up and maintain a code of advertising standards and practice, and from time to time to consult me about the kind of advertisements which must not be broadcast. My right hon. and learned Friend has no power to take such a decision unilaterally. However the policy of independent television and radio companies is not to accept advertising for firearms whether replica or otherwise. Advertising in other media is a matter for the Advertising Standards Authority.The importation of imitation firearms is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.We have no plans to introduce further controls on the sale of replica firearms in England and Wales.Responsibility for firearms legislation elsewhere in the United Kingdom rests with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to his answer of 14 December, Official Report, column 789, to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central, when he now expects to write with further details about the Middlesbrough-Leeds United game on Sunday 9 December, and whether the reply will refer to any safety agreement between Middlesbrough football club and Cleveland police.

I hope to be able to write to the hon. Member within the next few days. I do not think that I can usefully comment in advance on what the letter will say.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the earliest date after which the men convicted of the Birmingham pub bombings will be eligible for parole.

Life sentence prisoners are not eligible for parole, but may be released on life licence at the discretion of the Home Secretary if this is recommended by the Parole Board. In accordance with our policy that no life sentence prisoner should be detained for more than 17 years without an independent review, consideration of these cases will begin in November 1991. However, such a review does not necessarily mean that the board will recommend release or that my right hon. and learned Friend would accept such a recommendation if it were made.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an independent judicial inquiry, with full powers to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence, into the circumstances surrounding those matters concerning Mr. John Stalker, the former deputy chief constable of the Greater Manchester police, and Mr. Kevin Taylor, and into the wider implications of those matters.

I see no grounds for instituting a judicial inquiry into matters relating to Mr. John Stalker or Mr. Kevin Taylor as a result of the failure of the recent prosecution of Mr. Taylor. It will be for the chief constable of Greater Manchester to consider whether the proceedings indicate any misconduct on the part of officers of his force and if so to institute appropriate disciplinary or criminal investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to change the regulations governing video surveillance; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans, at present, to change the guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations. Our information is that the guidelines work well and that the police service accept that they provide a clear statement of operational policy, with strict safeguards for the public. In the absence of evidence of abuse of the use of video surveillance, we have no plans to introduce regulations governing its general use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about concessionary television licences for retirement pensioners.

In 1989 we received 212 letters and four petitions calling for reduced price or free television licences for pensioners. One hundred and one of the letters were from hon. Members and three of the petitions were submitted through them.