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Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the Government's proposed intake for teacher training for modern language specialists for 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92.

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 12 December 1988] : My right hon. and learned Friend prescribes each year the total number of postgraduate students to be accepted by colleges of education for secondary teacher training ; intakes are not set for specific disciplines. The Government will ensure that colleges are made aware of their projections of the number of foreign languages teachers required in forward years. It is then for each college to consult its local education authorities about their detailed requirements, taking full account of the pool of trained teachers already available, and to determine its intake of language graduates accordingly.

Salmonella

Sir Nicholas Fairbairn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases of illness in Scotland can be reliably related to eggs in the last year for which figures are available ; what form the illness took in each case ; how many cases of illness in Scotland resulted from eating other items ; how many deaths have resulted from eating eggs ; and what reduction in the sales of eggs has occurred since 2 December.

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 12 December 1988] : As at 2 December, 2,847 cases of food poisoning in

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Scotland have been reported in 1988 by general practitioners. It is not always possible to identify the precise cause, but in some 641 cases 99 were attributable to salmonella in egg or egg-based products and 542 to other food, including poultry. Typical symptoms of food poisoning include diarrhoea and dehydration. No deaths from the consumption of eggs have been recorded during this period. Information on the sale of eggs is not held centrally.

SOCIAL SECURITY Family Credit

Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if there is a specific target for clearing claims for family credit for people who have moved into paid work.

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Mr. Peter Lloyd : Special arrangements have been made with the Department of Employment's claimant adviser service for family credit claims made by families of people assisted into work by them to be dealt with through a streamlined procedure. The target is for 90 per cent. of these claims to be cleared within five working days. This target is being met and 95 per cent. are cleared within 10 working days. Other claimants resuming work after claiming income support are sent a specially marked family credit claim form so that, if necessary, their claims can be given prority. The target is to clear these claims, as other family credit claims, in an average of 18 working days. in November a clearance rate of just under 23 days was achieved.

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