asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will invite the Schools Council to examine the criticism of the teaching of mathematics in schools made by the Engineering Industry Training Board, regarding the lack of competence of craft apprentices in basic arithmetic and algebraic skills.

My right hon. Friend has recently made clear his concern about the effective teaching of mathematics in schools. The Schools Council shares this concern and is currently sponsoring six development projects in this field at a cost of over £450,000. More generally the problems of developing mathematical skills and relating schools courses to later requirements including those of apprenticeship have been discussed by professional bodies and are receiving continuing attention. Other relevant work is being undertaken under the auspices of the Department's Assessment of, Performance Unit, and the national survey of secondary schools on which Her Majesty's Inspectors are engaged will devote attention to mathematics in the wider context of the secondary curriculum.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps are being taken to monitor GCE results in relation to the marks expected of the examinees by their teachers in the light of the Schools Council report, "The Reliability of Examinations" at 16-plus.

The whole question of monitoring GCE O-level examinations is at present being considered by the Schools Council in consultation with the GCE examining bodies and the National Foundation for Educational Research.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of examinations at GCE and CSE level are currently based on continuous assessment rather than terminal examinations.

CSE examinations often include forms of assessment other than terminal examinations, but normally in addition to terminal examinations. GCE examinations sometimes make similar provision, but to a smaller extent. I have, however, no exact information as to the use made of particular forms of assessment and it could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools in the United Kingdom have replaced conventional, terminal examinations with systems of continuous assessment.

The great majority of secondary schools hold terminal examinations, but it is not unusual for the teacher's assessment of coursework —the work done by pupils during the year—to be combined with the examination results to produce final assessments. The extent to which coursework assessment has replaced terminal examinations is believed to be small. Schools are not required to provide my Department with this information and exact details could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps are being taken more closely to involve persons engaged in industry and commerce in the devising of examination and assessment procedures in schools and colleges.

There is already a considerable degree of involvement. Industry and commerce are represented on the Schools Council and its committees which keep national school examination procedures under review on behalf of my right hon. Friend. They are also represented on all the CSE examining bodies. They are represented on a minority of the GCE examining bodies, but this is a matter for determination by those bodies.Further education examining bodies normally enlist the aid of industrial and commercial interests in formulating examination procedures.Other assessment procedures are determined locally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department employs any representatives or staff outside the United Kingdom and at what total cost on an annual basis.

My Department does not employ representatives or staff outside the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees were in short-time working in the textile industry at the latest available date.

In November 1975 there were 29,400 operatives in Great Britain working short-time in the textiles industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the level of unemployment in the textile industry at the latest available date.

In December 1975 there were 26,300 unemployed people in Great Britain who last worked in the textile industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department employs any representatives

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment in the Skelmersdale New Town, as distinct from or staff outside the United Kingdom and at what total cost on an annual basis.

My Department employs two staff outside the United Kingdom at a cost of approximately £20,000 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of vacancies for males and females currently notified to his Department in the Bedfordshire, South parliamentary constituency; and what were the figures 12 months ago.

In December 1975 there were 76 vacancies for males and 50 vacancies for females held at the Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard employment offices, and 12 vacancies for males and 27 vacancies for females held at careers offices in the area. The comparable figures for December 1974 are not available owing to industrial action at local offices of the Employment Services Agency, but in November 1974 the figures were 434, 135, 45 and 55, respectively. The figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices and are not a measure of total vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of people, divided into males and females, currently registered as unemployed in the Bedfordshire, South parliamentary constituency; how this compares with the national average; and what were the figures 12 months ago.

Following is the information available:the rate in the Ormskirk travel-to-work area.

Rates of unemployment cannot be calculated separately for the Skelmersdale New Town for the reason explained to my hon. Friend in answer to a Question on 12th December 1975—[Vol. 902, c. 427–8]. The numbers unemployed at 11th December 1975 in the Skelmersdale employment office area were 2,100.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the number of people who have taken advantage of the resettlement transfer scheme in each of the regions since September 1975;(2) how many people, since September 1975, have taken advantage of the resettlement transfer scheme in the light of the Government's special measures to reduce unemployment on Merseyside.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the information requested is not yet available. I will circulate it in the Official Report when it becomes available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much money he estimates has been spent in pursuance of the resettlement transfer scheme during the current year.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the amount spent on grants and allowances under the Employment Transfer Scheme in the financial year 1975–76, to December 1975, is estimated at £4,550,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will monitor the number of families moving from areas of high unemployment as a result of the

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will upgraded resettlement transfer scheme announced in his September statement.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that arrangements are being made to monitor the new rehousing grant provided as an emergency measure for certain house buyers with families whose moves originate in an assisted area and who start a job during 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the comparative cost per unit of electricity of coal-fired, nuclear, and hydro-electric power sources at the latest date for which figures are available.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) on 30th June 1975.—[Vol. 894, c. 1009–10.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are now the stocks of all the main grades, including smokeless fuels and solid fuels, respectively, and in total; how this figure compares with a year ago; what is the rate of production of each grade and in total; and how this compares with use and consumption.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th January 1976; Vol. 903, c. 1], gave the following information:publish in the

The Chairman, Miss Betty Lockwood, and Deputy Chairman, Lady Howe, are full-time members of the Equal Opportunities Commission; they receive salaries of £10,600 and £7,000 respectively. The remaining 13 members are part-time; they are entitled to a fee of £16 for each day's attendance at meetings of the Commission. The names of 12 of these part-time members were given in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr. Bidwell) on Friday 19th December—[Vol. 902, c. 860]; the name of the other member was given in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Houghton-le-Spring (Mr. Urwin) on Tuesday 13th January.—[Vol. 903, c. 92].

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the extent of work for women, or within individual women's movements, undertaken by each individual Commissioner appointed by him to the Equal Opportunities Commission, prior to such appointment.

The members of the Equal Opportunities Commission were chosen for their general experience and knowledge of the fields covered by the Sex Discrimination Act. The majority of them have also had special experience in organisations concerned with various aspects of equality of opportunity for women.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what arrangements he has made for dealing with accidents to offshore installations; and whether these arrangements have been tested.

Following the loss of the drilling barge "Transocean III" in January 1974 officials of my Department set up an inter-departmental working party to assess the risks of accidents to offshore installations, and to define the procedures to be followed to deal with such incidents.An exercise to test the lines of communication in these procedures was drawn up by my Department with the full cooperation of British Petroleum, the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association, the General Council of British Shipping, British Airways and Bristows Helicopters, the Chief Constable of Grampian Region, the Ministry of Defence, Her Majesty's Coastguard and the Department of Trade. This exercise, which took place on 27th November last, was the first to be held since the procedures were defined. It showed that the lines of communication are adequate and that they work in practice. Some lessons have been learnt from the exercise which will enable the procedures to be streamlined without loss of efficiency.It is intended that a further exercise, designed to test the procedures in greater depth, be held later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers of vehicles have been convicted under the Construction and Use Regulations, during each of the past five years for which records are available, as a result of driving vehicles which have been found by testing centres to be defective.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many car owners have been convicted. during each of the last five years for which records are available, for not having one or other or both stop lights in proper working order; and what were the amounts of such fines.

I regret that these figures are not available since information about stop light offences is not separately collated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost of repairs to (a) prison roofs, and (b) prison property in general caused by prisoners during the year ended 31st December 1974 and for the latest convenient date in 1975.

The cost of repairing damage caused by prisoners to prison roofs in England and Wales in the years 1974 and 1975 was £13,000 and £25,000 respectively. The cost of repairing other damage to prison buildings caused by prisoners during these years was £103,000 and £114,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost and number of people employed in his Department in 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the numbers and salaries of the extra public relations and information officers recruited by his Department, and agencies for which it is responsible, between 1970–71, 1973–74 and 1974–75.

Between 1st April 1970 and 1st April 1974 there was a net increase of four in the number of officers in the Information Officer Group in the Home Office and in agencies for which the Department is responsible. There was a further net increase of four between 1st April 1974 and 1st April 1975 in addition to two officers transferred to the Home Office from the former Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. The eight extra staff are paid on various national salary scales, ranging from £2,395 —£3,670 to £7,750—£9,350.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take during the forthcoming year to encourage the planting of trees.

My Department will continue within existing financial constraints to encourage the planting of trees directly by example, by publicity and in certain circumstances by financial assistance, and indirectly through the Countryside Commission and by support for the Tree Council. The latter are organising their second National Tree Week 6th-14th March, the main objects of which include promoting the replacement of trees dying of Dutch elm disease, and I shall personally be participating in this, as I hope will other hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of any charge upon the Consolidated Fund expected during the current financial year deriving from (a) any expense met directly by his Department and (b) central Government payments to local authorities occasioned in each case by New Commonwealth immigration and the problems resulting from it.

None. Any expenditure incurred by local authorities because of New Commonwealth immigration would be relevant expenditure for rate support grant purposes, but the total of any such expenditure cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will fix a date for a public hearing to take place about the proposed second runway for Manchester Airport.

Arrangements for the public hearing of objections to planning applications for a second runway will be made as soon as possible after the applications have been called in for my right hon. Friend's decision. No planning applications have yet been made, however.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which trunk roads in England and Wales he proposes should cease to be trunk roads; and when he expects this change to take place.

We are asking local authorities to take over a number of roads whose trunk function has been lost to other roads. The total mileage which will be deleted from the network and the timing of such detrunking will depend on the outcome of current discussions.Trunk roads in Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the current procedure for giving loan sanction to applications to purchase property by housing associations; and, if not, what proposals he has to improve the situation.

I am broadly content with the project approval procedures worked out by the Department, in consultation with the Housing Corporation and the National Federation of Housing Associations. But, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 7th January, there has been a steep rise in the number of applications for grant and loan approvals for housing association schemes financed by local authorities, and it is necessary to control the number of approvals in order to contain public expenditure within the provision and to ensure that resources are directed in to the areas of greatest housing stress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost of, and number of people employed in, his Department in 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will arrange the provision of some central Government financial aid to those local authorities compelled to increase their staff in order to deal with the additional administrative work involved in separate unit rating for caravans and in order that the authorities may be enabled properly to control their expenditure and limit rate increases;(2) if he will list each of the local authorities in England and Wales that will need to increase their staff, indicating in each case the number of additional staff required, in order to deal with the additional administrative work required to render a separate rating demand in respect of each holiday caravan instead of one demand in respect of each holiday caravan site;(3) whether, in order to assist local authorities to control their administrative expenditure and to limit the number of staff that they need to employ, he will introduce legislation to obviate the separate rating of individual holiday caravans, and to return to the previously recognised system whereby one rate demand was made in respect of each holiday caravan site.

The Rating (Caravan Sites) Bill, which was introduced in another place on 19th December, makes provision for the valuation and rating as a single unit of leisure caravans, their pitches and sites. If enacted the Bill will avoid the increases in the staff of rating authorities which would be necessary if the present system continued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he anticipates he will be in a position to give a decision on the development of the St. Paul's Field site at Hammersmith; and whether he is satisfied he has all the correct information before him relating to this matter and that no suitable alternative sites exist.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a wealth of information on this subject, including the matter of alternative sites. He hopes to take a decision soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of persons over the age of 65 years in each metropolitan district and non-metropolitan county.

I would refer my hon. Friend to Table 3(b) of the Registrar General's "Annual Estimates of the Population of England and Wales and of Local Authority Areas 1973 and 1974" (HMSO). Estimates for 1975 are expected to be published in February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has received from local authorities concerning the increase in mortgage repayment arrears among those holding local authority mortgages.

Local authorities are not required to notify the Department of levels of mortgage repayment arrears, and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Details of arrears in some areas which have come to my notice incidentally as a result of inquiries into other matters suggest that, whilst arrears have risen in recent months, they do not at present give cause for serious concern.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he plans to introduce legislation to prohibit the use of bus lanes by traffic other than buses during specified hours.

There are no such plans. Legislation already exists under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967 for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had with local authorities in London who are considering whether or not to allow council tenants to sublet; and if he will make a statement.

The conditions of tenancy which housing authorities adopt, such as those relating to sub-letting, are matters for the authorities to decide. There have been no special consultations between my Department and local authorities in London on this subject, but advice given by my Department to local authorities generally has stressed the advantages which may be gained from sub-letting in areas of under-occupation. In particular we have pointed out the value to single people and small families of encouraging lodgers in under-used council properties.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the conditions that have to be met before local authorities may seek his Department's consent to make grants towards roof insulation for elderly and disabled persons who could not meet the cost without hardship.

There are no formal conditions apart from the normal requirements applicable to all grant applications under the Housing Act 1974; but my right hon. Friend would expect local authorities to include a statement of their grounds for considering that the applicant could not reasonably meet the cost without grant aid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment for what reasons Her Majesty's Government oppose the EEC measure relating to the compulsory fitting of laminated windscreens to all new cars manufactured within the EEC.

The United Kingdom has concurred with the view of the majority of member States that there is insufficient evidence to justify such a step. Laminated and toughened glass windscreens alike can cause severe injury in accidents; but most of the injuries from windscreens would be avoided if people wore their seat belts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the allocations to local authorities in England for council house improvement in 1976–77 under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1974.

The allocations are listed below. Priority was given to existing commitments; to conversions for housing gain; to the improvement of substandard acquired dwellings and of purpose-built council dwellings lacking standard amenities; to measures aimed at combating homelessness and to bring uninhabited dwellings back into use; and to remedy conditions likely to be injurious to health or safety.