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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 18 April 1991

PRIME MINISTER

Overseas Aid

Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Prime Minister when the United Kingdom first agreed to give official overseas aid equivalent to 0.7 per cent. of annual income ; and if he will list the amount in real terms and the percentage for each year since then.

The Prime Minister : The United Nations target for official development assistance to developing countries of 0.7 per cent. of GNP was accepted in principle by the British Government in 1974, although no date was set for meeting it. The United Kingdom has provided net official development assistance since then as follows :


Year              |Net official     |Official                           

                  |development      |development                        

                  |assistance       |assistance as                      

                  |£ million      |percentage of GNP                  

                  |(1989 prices)                                        

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1974              |1,348            |0.36                               

1975              |1,395            |0.38                               

1976              |1,469            |0.39                               

1977              |1,679            |0.44                               

1978              |1,803            |0.45                               

1979              |2,100            |0.51                               

1980              |1,378            |0.34                               

1981              |1,678            |0.42                               

1982              |1,483            |0.37                               

1983              |1,457            |0.35                               

1984              |1,402            |0.33                               

1985              |1,479            |0.33                               

1986              |1,430            |0.31                               

1987              |1,331            |0.28                               

1988              |1,591            |0.32                               

1989              |1,578            |0.31                               

Engagements

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday April 18.

The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

East Timor

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Prime Minister, further to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, columns 3-4, on what considerations the Government based their decision not to recognise East Timor's right to self- determination.

The Prime Minister : The United Kingdom supported United Nations Security Council resolution 389 of 22 April 1976 which confirmed the right of the people of East Timor to self-determination. Since 1982 the United Kingdom, in company with most other member states of


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the European Community, has supported the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to promote discussions between Indonesia and Portugal with a view to reaching a solution acceptable to all parties.

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Prime Minister, further to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, columns 3-4, what guarantees he has received or what monitoring has been undertaken to ensure that Tornados sold to Indonesia have not and will not be used against the civil population of East Timor.

The Prime Minister : There has been no sale of Tornado to Indonesia.

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Prime Minister what the Government are doing to promote United Nations resolution 35/27 of 1980 on East Timor's right to independence.

The Prime Minister : The United Kingdom abstained on United Nations resolution 35/27 of 1980. We took the view that by so doing, in company with most European Community partners and others, we could help to promote reconciliation and the search for a diplomatic solution by Indonesia and Portugal. Since 1982, the United Kingdom has supported the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to find a solution to the problem which is acceptable to all parties.

Indonesia

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Prime Minister, further to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, columns 3-4, on what consideration the Government based their decision to recognise the right of Indonesia to self- determination.

The Prime Minister : My earlier reply referred to the right of self- defence under international law. All states have the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Paul Holmes

Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been received from the Irish Prisoners' Support Group concerning prisoner Paul Holmes ; what reply has been sent ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold : The Irish Prisoners' Support Group has written a number of letters referring to Mr. Holmes's request for a transfer to a prison in Northern Ireland. The most recent was on 25 January. A reply was sent on 14 March explaining the criteria under which Mr. Holmes's request was refused.

Bedding Material

Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 March, Official Report, column 70, what is the reason for the increase in the second half of the 1980s in the percentage of incidents, involving children injured in fires related to bedding, where the outcome was the death of the child.

Mr. John Patten : The available information given in the following table suggests the main source and cause is


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playing with matches. However, the number of deaths are relatively small and subject to considerable year to year variation, making the interpretation of any changes difficult.


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Supposed cause and source of accidental dwelling fires attended by local authority fire brigades, where the material first ignited was                                                              

bedding<1>and children aged under five died, 1981-89 (United Kingdom)                                                                                                                               

Number of deaths                                                                                                                                                                                    

Source and cause          |1981            |1982            |1983            |1984            |1985            |1986            |1987            |1988            |1989                             

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matches:                                                                                                                                                                                            

playing with fire         |-               |3               |1               |1               |8               |12              |8               |7               |5                                

careless handling         |-               |2               |-               |-               |-               |-               |2               |2               |-                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Smokers' material:                                                                                                                                                                                  

playing with fire         |1               |2               |1               |-               |-               |-               |2               |-               |-                                

careless handling         |-               |2               |-               |1               |-               |-               |1               |-               |3                                

misuse of equipment       |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |1                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Electric space heaters:                                                                                                                                                                             

placing articles too near |1               |-               |1               |2               |2               |-               |1               |-               |1                                

misuse of equipment       |2               |-               |2               |-               |-               |1               |-               |1               |-                                

cause unspecified         |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |2               |-               |-                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Gas space heaters:                                                                                                                                                                                  

placing articles too near |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |1                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Electric blanket:                                                                                                                                                                                   

misuse of equipment       |1               |-               |-               |1               |-               |1               |-               |-               |-                                

fault in appliance        |1               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |-               |1                                

                          |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------                          

Total                     |6               |9               |5               |5               |10              |14              |16              |10              |12                               

<1>bedding is defined as all bedding on the bed including mattress covers, but not beds or mattresses, or cases where the electrical insulation                                                     

of an electric blanket was recorded as first ignited.                                                                                                                                               

Source: Home Office Fire Statistics-(They are based on reports from fire brigades).                                                                                                                 

Prison Education Departments

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table for England and for each region in England, giving actual expenditure on prison education departments, and expenditure required by these departments, for each year from 1986-87 to 1990-91, and their plans for 1991-92, and 1992-93, in current prices, in constant prices, and an index of constant price expenditure where 1986-87 = 100.


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Mrs. Rumbold : The table shows the information available. It relates to England and Wales. A regional breakdown is available only up to 1990-91 when the Prison Service was reorganised. The information relating to 1991- 92 and 1992-93 is therefore presented in totals. The table shows expenditure on teaching services and education materials.


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Table showing expenditure on Prison Service Education Departments 1986-87 to 1992-93                                                            

(£000)                                                                                                                                        

Region       South East              South West              North                   Midland                 Total                              

Price Level |Current    |Constant   |Current    |Constant   |Current    |Constant   |Current    |Constant   |Current    |Constant               

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1986-87                                                                                                                                         

  Actual    |4,714      |4,714      |2,371      |2,371      |4,778      |4,778      |2,943      |2,943      |14,806     |14,806                 

  Planned   |4,447      |4,447      |2,077      |2,077      |4,124      |4,124      |2,337      |2,337      |12,985     |12,985                 

                                                                                                                                                

1987-88                                                                                                                                         

  Actual    |5,008      |4,754      |2,682      |2,546      |5,666      |5,379      |3,454      |3,279      |16,809     |15,958                 

  Planned   |5,196      |4,933      |2,514      |2,387      |5,532      |5,252      |3,329      |3,160      |16,571     |15,732                 

                                                                                                                                                

1988-89                                                                                                                                         

  Actual    |5,970      |5,275      |3,237      |2,860      |6,359      |5,619      |3,942      |3,483      |19,508     |17,236                 

  Planned   |6,037      |5,334      |3,176      |2,806      |6,467      |5,714      |3,971      |3,509      |19,651     |17,362                 

                                                                                                                                                

1989-90                                                                                                                                         

  Actual    |7,233      |6,008      |3,661      |3,041      |7,268      |6,037      |4,360      |3,622      |22,523     |18,708                 

  Planned   |7,100      |5,897      |3,704      |3,077      |7,428      |6,170      |4,829      |4,011      |23,062     |19,155                 

                                                                                                                                                

1990-91                                                                                                                                         

  Actual<1> |6,946      |5,355      |3,890      |2,999      |7,638      |5,888      |5,073      |3,911      |23,547     |18,152                 

  Planned   |7,778      |5,996      |4,208      |3,244      |7,598      |5,857      |5,424      |4,181      |25,008     |19,278                 

1991-92                                                                                                                                         

  Actual    |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-                      

  Planned   |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |29,137     |20,984                 

                                                                                                                                                

1992-93                                                                                                                                         

  Actual    |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-                      

  Planned   |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |-          |<2>34,000  |23,440                 

<1>Some expenditure is not yet recorded in the accounts.                                                                                        

<2>Provisional allocation.                                                                                                                      

Working Visas

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he has had about the future of the two-year working visa for Commonwealth citizens with (a) New Zealand and (b) Australia ; and what representations he has received from each Government on the issue ;

(2) what proposals he has for the future of the two-year working visa for Commonwealth citizens after 1992.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : We have no present plans to amend the working holidaymaker arrangements for young Commonwealth citizens set out in paragraph 37 of the "Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules"--HC251. No recent discussions on the future of this scheme have taken place with either the New Zealand or Australian Government ; nor have they made representations to us about this subject.

Rape

Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library guidelines issued to the courts dealing with rape cases regarding sentencing and the relevant factors to be taken into account.

Mr. John Patten : Guidance was given by the Court of Appeal in R v. Billam (1986). The judgment is in the All England Law Reports for 1986, a copy of which is in the Library.

Fire Brigades

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which fire brigades have not yet fully implemented Home Office technical bulletin 1/89 ; and if he will give the time scale for implementation for each fire authority.

Mr. John Patten : We are satisfied that all fire brigades in England and Wales have adopted the principal features of the guidance on breathing apparatus contained in Home Office technical bulletin 1/1989.

Channel Tunnel

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what items of equipment, and at what cost, Kent fire brigade has purchased for use solely for firefighting and rescue in the channel tunnel and its associated sites ;

(2) what contributions have been made by Eurotunnel Ltd. and Transmanche Ltd. to Kent county council for equipment provided by Kent fire brigade for training, firefighting and rescue in the channel tunnel and its associated sites ;


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(3) what provisions in terms of (a) staff and (b) equipment and at what financial cost have been made by Kent fire brigade in order that they may fulfil firefighting and rescue commitments in the channel tunnel and associated sites.

Mr. John Patten : Kent fire brigade has provided six uniformed and one civilian staff for channel tunnel site liaison and specialised training during the construction phase at a cost of £141,500, and 24 additional posts at a cost of £399,100 to maintain manning levels on fire appliances in the absence of those undertaking training. Equipment purchased specifically to meet its commitments consists of 40 long-duration breathing apparatus sets, and personal protective clothing, heavy duty lifting jacks and cutting tools at a cost of £565,600. Total contributions made by Eurotunnel plc to Kent county council amount to £628,400 to date, in accordance with the statements made by the concessionaries to the Select Committee on the Channel Tunnel Bill.

Victims Charter

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which organisations he has received comments on the "Victims Charter", published by his Department on 22 February 1990 ; and if he has plans to issue a revised edition in the light of such comments.

Mr. John Patten : Comments on the charter were received from the following bodies :

Victim Support

Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges

Justices' Clerks' Society

Lord Chancellor's Department

Crown Prosecution Service

Metropolitan Police

Hampshire Constabulary

Staffordshire Police

Association of Chief Officers of Probation

Northumbria Probation Service

Merseyside Probation Service.

Many of the standards of service set out in the charter for the criminal justice agencies are already being met. Others are under discussion with the agencies concerned with a view to implementation as soon as practicable.

Firefighters

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many operational (a) men and (b) women firefighters are employed in each fire authority/FCDA in England.

Mr. John Patten : The information requested is given in the table.


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Operational men and women firefighters employed in each fire authority/FCDA in England as at 1 January 

1991                                                                                                   

                                  Wholetime                     Retained                               

Authority                        |Men      |Women    |Total    |Men      |Women    |Total              

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Avon<1>                          |-        |-        |641      |-        |-        |190                

Bedfordshire                     |309      |-        |309      |131      |2        |133                

Berkshire                        |392      |1        |393      |154      |1        |155                

Buckinghamshire                  |320      |1        |321      |220      |2        |222                

Cambridgeshire                   |245      |-        |245      |370      |3        |373                

Cheshire                         |582      |-        |582      |204      |3        |207                

Cleveland<1>                     |-        |-        |647      |-        |-        |75                 

Cornwall                         |154      |-        |154      |410      |-        |410                

Cumbria                          |296      |-        |296      |403      |1        |404                

Derbyshire                       |513      |2        |515      |376      |2        |378                

Devon                            |480      |-        |480      |695      |2        |697                

Dorset<1>                        |-        |-        |282      |-        |-        |331                

Durham                           |418      |-        |418      |177      |-        |177                

Essex<1>                         |-        |-        |858      |-        |-        |452                

Gloucestershire                  |211      |-        |211      |271      |2        |273                

Hampshire                        |689      |-        |689      |686      |2        |688                

Hereford and Worcestershire      |344      |2        |346      |308      |2        |310                

Hertfordshire<1>                 |-        |-        |497      |-        |-        |242                

Humberside                       |734      |-        |734      |313      |3        |316                

Kent                             |812      |-        |812      |786      |3        |789                

Lancashire                       |963      |-        |963      |418      |2        |420                

Leicestershire<1>                |-        |-        |434      |-        |-        |226                

Lincolnshire<1>                  |-        |-        |186      |-        |-        |445                

Norfolk                          |246      |1        |247      |441      |1        |442                

Northamptonshire                 |298      |1        |299      |245      |1        |246                

Northumberland                   |256      |-        |256      |159      |1        |160                

Nottinghamshire                  |574      |-        |574      |329      |2        |331                

Oxfordshire<1>                   |-        |-        |199      |-        |-        |271                

Shropshire                       |205      |-        |205      |262      |3        |265                

Isle of Scilly                   |-        |-        |-        |34       |-        |34                 

Somerset                         |145      |-        |145      |382      |-        |382                

Staffordshire                    |465      |-        |465      |386      |-        |386                

Suffolk                          |221      |-        |221      |399      |2        |401                

Surrey                           |697      |-        |697      |-        |-        |120                

East Sussex<1>                   |-        |-        |395      |-        |-        |239                

West Sussex                      |332      |-        |332      |314      |2        |316                

Warwickshire                     |324      |1        |325      |218      |-        |218                

Isle of Wight                    |49       |-        |49       |161      |2        |164                

Wiltshire                        |183      |1        |184      |297      |1        |298                

North Yorkshire                  |403      |-        |403      |409      |2        |411                

                                 |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------            

Total                            |11,860   |10       |16,009   |9,958    |48       |12,597             

                                                                                                       

Fire and Civil Defence Authority                                                                       

Greater Manchester               |2,201    |2        |2,203    |40       |-        |40                 

Merseyside                       |1,400    |1        |1,401    |9        |1        |10                 

Tyne and Wear                    |1,085    |-        |1,085    |32       |-        |32                 

West Midlands                    |2,095    |1        |2,096    |13       |-        |13                 

South Yorkshire                  |1,012    |-        |1,012    |129      |-        |129                

West Yorkshire                   |1,967    |2        |1,969    |241      |1        |242                

London                           |6,329    |47       |6,376    |-        |-        |-                  

                                 |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------            

Total                            |16,089   |53       |16,142   |464      |2        |466                

                                 |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------  |-------            

Total                            |27,949   |63       |32,151   |10,422   |50       |13,063             

<1> Totals only are shown for these authorities as they do not record the gender of their employees.   

Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which fire brigades have yet to provide full A26 specification firefighting uniforms to all (a) whole-time and (b) retained firefighters ; and if he will give the timescale for issue to (a) and (b) and the estimated cost for each fire authority.

Mr. John Patten : The purchase of firefighters' uniforms is a matter entirely for fire authorities. A recent survey indicated that 33 fire brigades in England and Wales issue firefighting tunics providing protection to specification A26.

TRANSPORT

Vehicle Security

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce regulations to ensure that cars are designed to better standards in respect of their vulnerability to theft.


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Mr. Chope : My Department is pressing for the adoption, as a European Community directive, of requirements for mechanical locking systems in passenger cars, as contained in British Standard AU 209 part 1. We are also supporting an international standard on motor vehicle alarms which could when completed form the basis of another EC directive. We hope to incorporate the provisions of such directives in national regulations at the earliest opportunity. In addition, we are pressing vehicle manufacturers to improve car security by voluntary means without waiting for regulation. During national crime prevention week we are emphasising that there is ample scope for improvement here.

Public Transport (Safety)

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to improve the safety of mainline railway stations in the light of recent terrorist bomb attacks ;


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(2) if he will introduce measures to make the physical environment of coach, bus and railway stations safer in the event of terrorist bomb attacks.

Mr. Freeman : British Rail is responsible for the safety of mainline railway stations, and has taken a number of steps to improve security measures following the explosion at Victoria. These include a heightened police presence, the withdrawal of left luggage locker facilities, removal of litter bins, sealing of letter boxes and more regular cleaning of station concourses. Security at bus and coach stations is the responsibility of the owner and operators, and increased security measures again include a heightened police presence. Continuing vigilance by both staff and passengers is also vital, and regular reminders are issued by operators about suspicious packages.

Vehicle Safety and Security

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce regulations to improve the safety and security of vehicles by stipulating higher standards of glass in cars.

Mr. Chope : A proposal for a European Community directive which requires windscreens to be made of laminated glass is being considered in the Council of Ministers. If this is adopted, it will be included in our national type approval requirements for new vehicle models and will eventually apply to all new vehicles. Work is in hand for a British standards code of practice on windscreen glass repair which may be incorporated into the MOT test. Although laminated glass may improve vehicle security, we are not intending to require it for other windows because it can increase the risk of entrapment in a vehicle following an accident. We are, however, pressing for agreement in the European Community on other measures for improving vehicle security.

Motorways (Lighting)

Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether his Department makes comparisons of accident statistics on lit and unlit sections of Britain's motorways ;

(2) what recent studies his Department has engaged in regarding the effect on accident statistics of lighting Britain's motorways.

Mr. Chope : A study by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory "Light on Motorway Accident Rates" was published in 1987. Accident statistics are continually monitored, including comparisons of lit and unlit sections of motorways.

Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received over the past three years in support of the lighting of Britain's motorway networks.

Mr. Chope : Those who have made representations over the past three years include the National Chamber of Trade, the editor of the Sunday Mercury, various Members of Parliament, a small number of police authorities and individual members of the public. We also receive representations against further lighting of the motorway network from other interested parties.


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A14

Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to let the contract for each of the remaining stages of the A14 in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.

Mr. Chope : All remaining contracts are programmed to be let by the end of the year.

Cyclists

Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if pedal cyclists are part of the London area transport survey currently being undertaken by his Department.

Mr. Chope : Yes. Pedal cyclists are being covered in both major components of the 1991 London area transport survey. The household survey includes questions about the ownership of cycles and the use made of them and the roadside surveys treat cycles as a separate vehicle category.

M1 (Tourist Signs)

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tourist signs are located on the M1 motorway between Leeds and exit 34 ; and which tourist attractions they relate to.

Mr. Chope : There are four tourist signs on the M1 motorway between Leeds and exit 34 ; two northbound and two southbound at junction 38, relating to the Yorkshire sculpture park.

Archway Road, London

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties on the line of the abandoned A1 Archway road widening scheme are owned by his Department ; and what plans he has to sell them.

Mr. Chope [holding answer 16 April 1991] : The Department owns 54 dwellings including some flats and 24 business premises. We are currently considering a proposal from the Archway Road tenants association for the purchase of the residential units. We are also arranging to dispose of the business premises as soon as possible.

Severn Bridge

Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) by what date at the rate currently envisaged for 1992 under the current assumptions indicated in the oral statement by the Minister of State, Official Report, 14 January, column 644, payment for the Severn bridge will be completed ; and what annual toll income would be in the final year at constant prices ;

(2) on the basis of current assumptions about traffic growth on the second Severn bridge and toll levels for 1992 indicated in the oral statement by the Minister of State on 14 January, Official Report, column 644, what at constant prices, is the forecast annual income from tolls for each year from 1992 until the bridge is paid for.

Mr. Chope [pursuant to his answer, 15 April 1991, c. 2-3] : The costs of the two Severn bridges, including the outstanding deficit on the existing Severn bridge, are due to be paid by the end of the concessionaire's tolling period.


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If the concession begins on 1 January 1992, then, on the basis of the concessionaire's traffic forecasts and the tolling regime for 1992 and subsequent years set out in the Severn Bridges Bill, it would end on 30 June 2013.

On these assumptions, the concessionaire's forecast toll revenues, in 1989 prices, are as follows :


            |£ million            

------------------------------------

1992        |29.6                   

1993        |32.4                   

1994        |35.4                   

1995        |38.8                   

1996        |39.7                   

1997        |40.6                   

1998        |41.6                   

1999        |42.6                   

2000        |43.7                   

2001        |44.6                   

2002        |45.6                   

2003        |46.6                   

2004        |47.6                   

2005        |48.7                   

2006        |49.7                   

2007        |50.8                   

2008        |51.8                   

2009        |52.9                   

2010        |54.0                   

2011        |55.1                   

2012        |56.2                   

2013        |28.6                   

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Leicester Schools

Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of pupils attending schools in a different district from their home within the same local education authority ;

(2) what is his policy on securing equitable funding arrangements for schools such as Bushloe high school, Wigston Magna, Leicestershire which draw a high proportion of pupils from outside their catchment areas ;

(3) what assessment he has made of the effect of Leicestershire county council's formula for funding schools on the loss of teachers for schools such as Bushloe high school in the Oadby and Wigston area ; and if he will make a statement ;

(4) what representations he has received about the effect of local management of schools on the number of teachers at Bushloe high school, Wigston Magna, Leicestershire ;

(5) if he will now list the budget allocation per unit for local management of schools in (a) Wigston, (b) South Wigston and (c) Oadby ; what is the average budget allocation per unit for schools in the city of Leicester ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Fallon : I refer my hon. Friend to my replies of 22 March and 17 April, Official Report, columns 234 and 137. Under local management, schools are funded principally on the basis of the numbers and ages of pupils on roll. Schools are not penalised for attracting pupils from outside the home local education authority ; they receive funds in respect of those pupils through the LMS formula. In this way pupils of the same age are funded at the same level, irrespective of where they live and which school they attend within the authority.


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We have received a small number of representations from schools in Leicestershire which serve the 10 to 14 age range, including Bushloe high school.

I shall write to my hon. Friend to explain the situation in more detail.

Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning opting out of schools in the Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston areas in view of the underfunding of schools which draw up to a quarter of their pupils from outside their catchment areas.

Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend's predecessor received a number of representations from schools in these areas, some of which referred to the possibility of seeking grant-maintained status.

The Gulf

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research is being undertaken into the effect of the summer heat in Kuwait turning oil lakes into tar, hampering plans to suck oil into tankers.

Mr. Alan Howarth : None of the research councils is currently undertaking any research in this area.

Official Visits

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the official visits he has made since his appointment to schools, sixth-form colleges, further education colleges, universities, polytechnics and other educational establishments, with the dates, name of the establishment, its area and the purpose of the visits, in each case.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke : My official visits have been as follows : 26 November 1990 :

Ribston Hall GM Grammar school

(Gloucestershire)

30 January 1991 :

Stockingford First school

Stockingford Middle school

Alderman Smith High school

(Warwickshire)

8 April 1991 :

The Open University

(Buckinghamshire)

I have also made informal and political visits to universities and colleges, and attended conferences and meetings with teachers and lecturers.

Planned official visits to LEA-maintained schools in

Gloucestershire and Lancashire were cancelled at a late stage due to urgent ministerial business. My plans before the end of the summer term include visits to maintained schools and FE colleges in the following local education authorities : Cambridgeshire, Camden, Devon, Essex, Hereford and Worcester, Kent, Liverpool, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Sheffield ; to two GM schools ; to one CTC ; to colleges of the universities of Oxford and London, and to the university of Nottingham ; and to the polytechnics of Liverpool and Sheffield.


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