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Mr. Portillo : InterCity services are a commercial matter for British Rail. Any new investment would need to earn a proper return. British Rail introduced improved services on the midland main line, with faster and more frequent trains, on 2 October.
Ilfracombe (Incident)
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many minutes elapsed between the first reporting of an incident involving a child or children in difficulties in the sea at Ilfracombe on 16 August before the coastguard (a) was dispatched to the scene and (b) arrived at the scene.
Mr. McLoughlin : The first notification to Swansea MRCC of an incident at Ilfracombe on 16 August was by 999 telephone call at 1620 local time. The auxiliary coastguard at Ilfracombe was tasked at 1624, and arrived on scene at 1641. This first notification, from two sources, was of a person "on the rocks, cut off by tide". Swansea MRCC was subsequently advised at 1635 that a person was in the water, the helicopter was tasked, and was on scene within 10 minutes.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement explaining the reasons for any delay on the part of the coastguard in responding to the incident at Ilfracombe on 16 August in which Mark Woodward was drowned.
Mr. McLoughlin : It is not considered that there was any delay on the part of Her Majesty's coastguard at Swansea in acting on the information received regarding this tragic incident.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many personnel were scheduled to be on duty at Swansea coastguard station on 16 August.
Mr. McLoughlin : There were five persons detailed to be on watch on 16 August, comprising three regular coastguard officers, and two auxiliary coastguards.
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Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the normal establishment of Swansea coastguard station.
Mr. McLoughlin : Swansea coastguard has a complement of 18 watchkeeping officers and a three-man district management team.
Emergency 999 Service
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had any discussions with British Telecom about ways of improving the emergency 999 service since 16 August.
Mr. McLoughlin : There is a continuing programme of discussions between Her Majesty's coastguard and BTI in South Wales, on the 999 emergency service. Any problems encountered are the subject of an immediate reporting procedure, with follow-up discussion at subsequent meetings between BTI and senior members of the coastguard staff from Swansea coastguard region.
A69
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake a new survey of traffic flows on the A69 west of Hexham ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : At present the Department has two permanent traffic counters west of Hexham on the A69 trunk road. One of these is east of Haltwhistle where regular counting takes place. The other is close to Greenhead village, and operates on alternate months.
A further two sites are proposed, one is to be located close to the Cumbria border, the other to the east of Haydon Bridge. The intention is to monitor and count these sites every alternate month. The length of the A69 west of Hexham to the Cumbria border is approximately 20 miles and the Department considers that with all these counters in operation sufficient information will be available to keep a close check on the use of this section of the trunk road.
Merchant Navy Reserve
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current strength of the Merchant Navy Reserve.
Mr. McLoughlin : On 25 October 1989, membership of the Merchant Navy Reserve stood at 188.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Areas of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many areas of special scientific interest have been declared under the terms of article 24 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Twenty four.
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland intends to declare the freshwater lagoon within the Belfast harbour estate known as BP1 (or D1) an area of special scientific interest.
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Lagoons
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland issued the written consent for the infilling of the two lagoons known as BP1 and BP2.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Written consent under article 25 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 to the infilling of the two lagoons known as BP2 and BP3 (not BP1 and BP2) was issued by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland on 16 March 1988. It was a condition of the consent that such infilling should not commence before 1 March 1993.
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland received an application to infill the two lagoons in the Belfast harbour estate known as BP2 and BP3.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Following lengthy discussions, formal written application was received on 16 March 1988.
Mr. Charles Haughey (Security)
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many (a) soldiers of the regular Army, (b) members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and (c) members of the Ulster Defence Regiment were deployed to provide security for the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October ; (2) how many man hours were required in respect of (a) the regular Army, (b) the Ulster Defence Regiment and (c) the Royal Ulster Constabulary to provide security for the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October ;
(3) if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show the roads closed off by the security forces in the provision of security cover for the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October, showing the periods for which each such road was closed off.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : No ; it is not considered appropriate in the interests of security to give this information.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how may people live in the area covered by the security measures taken during the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : This information is not available.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if any members of the civic guards were at Eglinton airport on 19 October.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : It is not considered appropriate in the interests of security to give this information.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what restrictions were placed on the free
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movement of people in the Eglinton area due to the security measures taken during the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October.Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : There were no restrictions on the movement of people in the Eglinton area ; however, some traffic disruption may have been experienced in the area as a result of the security operation which was mounted.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost of the security measures taken on 19 October to cover the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport, broken down as far as is possible, into costs for (a) the regular Army, (b) the Ulster Defence Regiment and (c) the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : For security reasons, it is not considered appropriate to provide this information.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what was the total cost to (a) the Government of the United Kingdom and (b) the Londonderry council in relation to the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October ; (2) whether any council employees were given advance notice of the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport on 19 October ; (3) whether councillors known to be members of Sinn Fein were given advance notice of the visit of Mr. Charles Haughey to Eglinton airport.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : The arrangements for the event were made by the company which funded and organised it. Therefore, apart from the cost of the security operation, no other public moneys were involved.
Gerard Conlon
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will call for a report from the chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary on the questioning and holding of Gerard Conlon in Belfast on Tuesday 24 October.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 30 October 1989] : No. This is a matter for the chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary ; if a complaint is made to him, it will be investigated.
THE ARTS
Exports Review
Mr. Cormack : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he is able to announce the publication date of the report of the reviewing committee on the export of works of art for the year ended 30 June.
Mr. Luce : I have today presented the 35th report of the reviewing committee on the export of works of art for 1988-89. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. I am particularly pleased such a prompt publication date has been achieved and I draw the attention of the House to the concise treatment given in the report to the role of the reviewing committee in the issue of export licences.
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PRIME MINISTER
Public Holidays
Q24. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received concerning the pattern of public holidays.
The Prime Minister : A number of differing views have been expressed about the pattern of public holidays, including the position of the first Monday in May, which are under consideration.
Local Government Finance
Q60. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government have any proposals to deduct poll tax payments directly from payments of income support ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc (Scotland) Act 1987 was amended by the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to provide this additional power for the enforcement of community charge debts. The Community Charges (Deductions from Income Support) (Scotland) Reglations 1989 (SI 1989 No. 507) made under this power enable the social security adjudicating authorities to authorise deductions to be made from income support in Scotland to pay community charge debts. Deductions can only be made at the request of a charging authority which must first obtain a warrant from a court to prove the debt. Parallel regulations will apply in England and Wales from April 1990.
British Telecom
Q65. Mr. Hayes : To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received requesting that British Telecom be renationalised ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : None. The public generally and British Telecom's 1.2 million private shareholders have benefited substantially from the 60 per cent. increase in investment, the 2,000 digital exchanges which have been installed and the increase in profitability and efficiency since British Telecom was privatised.
Law and Order
Q83. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Prime Minister what has been the real term increase in Government expenditure on law and order since 1979.
The Prime Minister : In the current financial year spending on law and order services in England and Wales was increased in real terms by 73.5 per cent. over expenditure in 1978-79.
GATT
Q85. Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the use of the general agreement on tariffs and trade as an arbitration in resolving disputes between the EEC and other trading groups.
The Prime Minister : The British Government, like our Community partners, strongly believe that the general
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agreement on tariffs and trade provides the best route for the resolution of trade disputes. We have pressed for improvements to its dispute settlement procedures in the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations and an initial package of such measures is now in force following the December 1988 ministerial meeting in Montreal. We take all appropriate opportunities for reminding our Community partners of the importance we attach to GATT dispute settlement procedures, and the need to improve them still further.Metropolitan Police
Q93. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received requesting that responsibility for the Metropolitan police be removed from the Home Secretary and placed in the hands of an elected authority.
The Prime Minister : I have received no such representations. I have every confidence in the present system. The Home Secretary, as police authority, is answerable to Parliament.
Prevention of Terrorism Act
Q95. Mr. Hayward : To ask the Prime Minister whether she has received any recent representations requesting the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The Prime Minister : I have received no such representations. We need to have firm measures to combat terrorism and the Prevention of Terrorism Act will remain in force for as long as necessary.
Labour Statistics
Q97. Mr. Brazier : To ask the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement about the levels of unemployment since 1979.
The Prime Minister : In September 1989 the number of unemployed claimants, seasonally adjusted, in the United Kingdom was 1,695,000. Unemployment has been falling for 38 consecutive months. It is now at its lowest level for nearly nine years, and well below the European Community average.
Corporate Taxation
Q100. Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Prime Minister what estimates she has made about the likely consequences for British industry and commerce of a rise or fall in the level of corporate taxation.
The Prime Minister : A change of one percentage point in the full rate of corporation tax from 1 April 1989 is estimated to have a full-year effect on tax payments of £580 million. An equivalent change in the small companies' rate is estimated to have a full-year effect of £50 million.
National Health Service
Q102. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received about the National Health Service.
The Prime Minister : Since the publication of the White Paper, "Working for Patients", my right hon. and learned
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Friend the Secretary of State for Health has received some 12,000 representations making suggestions or seeking further information about our proposals.House of Lords
Q114. Mrs. Roe : To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received seeking the abolition of the House of Lords.
The Prime Minister : The Government receive representations from time to time advocating abolition or reform of the House of Lords.
Independent Schools
Q116. Sir Michael Shaw : To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received in the past year seeking to abolish the assisted places scheme and withdraw charitable status from independent schools.
The Prime Minister : I have received no recent representations on these matters. This year the assisted places scheme will make available up to 33,000 places at 278 independent schools throughout England. The scheme continues to provide an important means by which parents who would not otherwise be able to afford to do so can receive financial help towards sending their children to independent schools.
Import Controls
Q118. Mr. Ken Hargreaves : To ask the Prime Minister whether she has received any requests for import controls to be imposed.
The Prime Minister : I have received very few requests to impose import controls. It is the Government's policy to promote free and fair trade and it is not generally to the United Kingdom's advantage to impose import restrictions.
Steel Industry
Q.120 Mr. Nelson : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on progress made in rationalising the steel industry since 1979.
The Prime Minister : During the period since 1979 the Government promoted the Phoenix joint ventures involving private sector steel companies and the then nationalised British Steel Corporation and also a private sector steel scheme. These initiatives have now ceased, but they reduced product overlap between the private and public sectors and contributed towards rationalisation within the industry as a whole. British Steel itself was then returned to the private sector in December 1988 and recently announced record profits of £593 million compared with substantial losses while nationalised. Productivity in the United Kingdom steel industry rose by 151 per cent. between 1979 and 1988.
Further mergers and acquisitions have taken place within the industry as it adjusts and responds to the challenge of a competitive market.
Immigration
Q159. Sir William Clark : To ask the Prime Minister what representations she has received seeking repeal of the primary purpose rule and the Immigration Acts of 1971, 1981 and 1988.
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The Prime Minister : The Home Secretary and I receive many representations from Members of Parliament and others about the operation of immigration and nationality legislation, including the primary purpose rule. The Government have no plans to remove the primary purpose test which is an important safeguard against abuse of the immigration rules.
Ethiopia
Q187. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to Ethiopia.
The Prime Minister : I have no plans to do so.
Correspondence
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Prime Minister what information she has on the length of time taken to respond to letters from hon. Members.
The Prime Minister : I receive an enormous number of letters each week from Members of Parliament and others. It is not possible for me to deal with all these letters personally and I must accordingly refer most of them to the Minister and the Department with the responsibility for the policy in question. All correspondence is dealt with as quickly as possible.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Jack : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the implementation of the community charge and the uniform business rate.
The Prime Minister : Following the successful introduction of these arrangements in Scotland, I understand that most local authorities in England and Wales are making excellent progress in preparing for the new community charge and uniform business rating arrangements. Registration for the charge is proceeding smoothly and on time. I have every confidence that all authorities will wish to ensure that bills, with any necessary adjustment for transitional relief and rebates, will be issued to chargepayers on time next April.
Engagements
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 31 October.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 31 October.
Mr. Pike : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 31 October.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 31 October.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an Audience of Her Majesty the Queen.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Chernobyl
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what compensation has been sought from the Soviet Union to offset payments made to
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United Kingdom farmers for losses resulting from radioactive fallout contaminating land and animals after the Chernobyl accident in 1986.Mr. Sainsbury : The position remains as stated in the reply given to the hon. Member on 21 July 1986.
Paris Conference
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who were the United Kingdom's representatives at the recent Paris conference on the future of the Antarctic ; what papers were presented by the delegation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : The United Kingdom delegation at Paris consisted of Dr. J. A. Heap, Foreign and Commonwealth Office ; Mr. N. Bonner, one time deputy director and head of life sciences division of the British Antarctic Survey ; Mr. R. Cummins, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr. P. Hancock, Hydrographic Department, Ministry of Defence, and Mr. I. Hendry, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Of about 89 working papers submitted to the meeting, the United Kingdom delegation was sole or joint author of 26. The papers dealt with aspects of environmental protection, encouragement of scientific research and operational safety in the Antarctic.
Human Rights
Mr. Molyneaux : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those Commonwealth Governments which have not yet acceded to or ratified international covenants on human rights.
Mr. Sainsbury : Thirty Commonwealth countries have not yet acceded to or ratified the international covenant on civil and political rights or the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights : Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Kiribati, Lesotho,
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Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Swaziland, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and Zimbabwe.The Solomon Islands and Uganda have ratified the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights but not the international covenant on civil and political rights.
Cambodia
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance has been provided by Her Majesty's Government to Cambodian resistance groups ; and if he will make a statement.
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