asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the instructions given to immigration officers and entry certificate officers for the application of immigration rules.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the standing orders and circular instructions to prison governors.

Standing orders and circular instructions are management instructions issued for official purposes. Copies of the orders and all amendments to them are made available to the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the full report of the working party set up to review changes in British nationality laws.

No. The Green Paper on British Nationality Law—Cmnd. 6795—is based largely on the work of the group set up shortly after the Government took office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the last two years for which statistics are available, how many single prisoner journeys were made between prisons and remand homes to and from Bodmin Crown Court; and what was the cost of these journeys including the estimated cost of providing escorts.

Defendants remanded in prison department custody to appear at Bodmin Crown court are normally held at Exeter prison in the case of males, and at Pucklechurch remand centre in the case of females. The in- formation that is readily available at these establishments shows that in the period since January 1977, 115 single prisoner return journeys were made from Exeter and 17 from Pucklechurch. The current cost of a return journey from Exeter to Bodmin is about £21, and of a return journey from Pucklechurch to Bodmin about £35, but these costs have fluctuated since January 1977, and the actual cost of these journeys and of providing escorts is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Reportthe Home Office report on the report of the Metropolitan Police on black crime in London.

It is assumed that the hon. Member is referring to the Home Office research unit's study of arrest rates of various ethnic groups in relation to demographic and socio-economic factors. The report, which is nearing completion, is expected to be published later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigation he has made of the case when on the night of 3rd January persons, many elderly and some over 80 years, mostly from the Dorset area, arriving at Hurn airport from a holiday in the tropics on an aircraft four hours late were, at 1 a.m., detained in a queue in a draughty unheated hall with open doors for some 40 minutes with a temperature of minus 2°C, awaiting a passport control officer; what was the interval of time which elapsed between the time of the arrival of the first passenger and the examination of his passport; what was the cause of this delay; if he accepts responsibility for any ill health that may follow; if he will direct his officers in the future to avoid such delays; and if he will make a statement.

No time was spent awaiting the arrival of, the immigration officer. He was at his desk when the first passenger entered the hall at 23.35 hours and examination of passports began immediately. Clearance of the 94 passengers on board, who included a number of non-patrials, was completed in 29 minutes at 00.04 hours.The small amount of traffic at Hurn airport does not justify the provision of more than one immigration officer on duty at a time.I am sorry if the passengers had to wait in uncomfortable conditions but this is a matter for the airport authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has had about picketing at Tilbury docks.

I understand that picketing at Tilbury docks has been peaceable. There have been no reports of disorder and no arrests.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for naturalisation have been refused in each of the last three years; and if he will list his most common reasons for refusal.

For 1976, 1977 and 1978, refusals were respectively 450, 343 and 222. The most common reasons for refusal are that the applicant has not been resident for the statutory period, that he is unable to comply with the statutory requirements as to intentions about future residence, that the husband or wife of the applicant is resident abroad, that restrictions are still attached to his stay here, that his knowledge of English is inadequate or that he has unspent criminal convictions of a serious nature.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reasons are divulged to people seeking naturalisation if their applications are refused.

Section 26 of the British Nationality Act 1948 expressly relieves the Secretary of State of any obligation to give reasons for the grant or refusal of an application for naturalisation. But in practice an unsuccessful applicant may, in certain circumstances, be given the reason for refusal, for example if he has not been resident for the statutory period or if his knowledge of English is not adequate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the longest and most convenient period, how many persons of alien birth and how many British passport holders have been admitted or barred from entry into Great Britain from the United States of America, the respective Arab countries and the countries of the Asian subcontinent; and what are the reasons for the disparity in these figures.

The published control of immigration statistics show, by nationality, citizenship or country of issue of passports, the numbers of passengers given or refused leave to enter.The differences between the figures for one nationality and another reflect the individual circumstances of the passengers concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why General Oneissi, an Iranian citizen, was allowed to enter Great Britain; and, during the week of his entry, how many citizens from the Indian sub-continent were admitted and prevented from entering Great Britain.

I have no information that General Oneissi is in the United Kingdom.It would involve disproportionate expense to ascertain how many people were admitted or refused entry during any one week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the number of members of local fire brigades who have undertaken training in civil defence during 1978.

No. The training of members of fire brigades for home defence is a matter for individual fire authorities and the information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost. The training of all whole-time recruits to the fire service, however, is carried out in accordance with a syllabus of training prescribed by the Home Office, which provides for a period of training on emergency fire service planning; and in general the continuation training which all members of brigades undergo on a regular basis is designed to fit them to deal with all types of emergency situations which they may be required to attend.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when Her Majesty's Government proposes to ratify the protocol adopted in 1978 by the Inter-Governmental Marine Consultative Organisation which would ensure that all crude oil tankers of 20,000 tons or over should be equipped with inert gas safety systems.

We envisage ratifying the protocol in 1978 relating to the international convention for the safety of life at sea of 1974 once we have the necessary powers, which we are seeking in the Merchant Shipping Bill currently before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why no help has been given to the East Anglian tourist authority under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969.

Because funds are limited, assistance under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 is at present confined to the assisted areas, which have the greatest need of its economic benefits. My right hon. Friend has, however, undertaken to review the eligible areas in two to three years' time. Nevertheless, the major part of Government financial aid to tourism is spent on publicity, marketing and research to the benefit of the country as a whole, including East Anglia. From these funds, the English Tourist Board also contributes to the income of the non-statutory regional tourist boards. In the last financial year the East Anglia regional tourist board received over £50,000 from the ETB.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how much help has been given under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969; where this help has gone; and for what specific purposes.

Section 4 assistance approved or recommended for approval since the start of the scheme amounts to £10,217,000. The regional breakdown is:

£000
Cumbria	2,915
North-West	402
Northumbria	2,671
West Country	2,472
Yorkshire and Humberside	1,732
East Midlands	25

The types of projects receiving aid include serviced and self-catering accommodation, restaurants, conference facilities, tourist attractions, sporting facilities and amenities.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why he has decided to end the experimental arrangement with Liverpool library for access to microfiche copies of company records; what use has been made of this facility; whether he intends restoring the arrangement in the near future; and what plans he has for providing improved access to company records for people living outside the London and Cardiff areas.

The experiment was a pilot exercise designed initially to operate for three months to assist the Registrar of Companies in judging the extent to which it might be possible to supply microfiche copies of company records by post to provincial centres.Demand over the period of the experiment averaged 150 requests a month. It is not possible at present to put these arrangements on to a permanent basis because of the substantial increase in search of company records by traditional means towards the end of 1978.My right hon. Friend is anxious to improve public access to company records and consideration will be given to a resumption of the arrangement when the necessary staff and equipment are available.The main problem in introducing a postal service lies in estimating the net additional demand so that improved facilities can be introduced without jeopardising the efficiency of the present search facilities at the company registration offices in London and Cardiff. Further surveys will probably be necessary before a full scheme can be launched.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that the total tonnage of mackerel at present being taken from the South-West Approaches falls within sensible tolerance level when related to conservation.

After a thorough reassessment of the stock, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea recommended total allowable catches—TAC—for the western mackerel stock of 450,000 tonnes for 1978 and 435,000 tonnes for 1979. I believe that in 1978 United Kingdom vessels caught a reasonable share of the recommended TAC; this will be our objective in operating our mackerel licensing arrangements this year. I hope that, as part of a settlement of the common fisheries policy negotiations, we shall soon have arrangements which provide for foreign fishing from this stock also to bear a reasonable relationship to the TAC.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest figures for the tonnage of mackerel fished in the South-West Approaches.

The latest available figures show a United Kingdom catch of mackerel off the south-west coast of England in 1978 of 206,000 tonnes. No reliable figures are available for foreign catches in the south-western approaches.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available local area level information from the census of employment to enable employment problems in local labour markets to be identified.

Summaries from the census of employment showing the total number of male and female employees in employment analysed by eight broad industrial groupings are prepared for 1,000 local employment office areas and are freely available.More detailed summaries showing the numbers employed in each industry—the minimum list headings of the Standard Industrial Classification (1968)—may be disclosed in confidence in approved cases under the provisions of section 4(3)(

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in theOfficial Reportpapers his Department has prepared on an alternative price index for low income households.

Work done by my Department on the impact of prices on a range of households with different incomes and other characteristics was published on page 781 of the July 1978 issue of theEmployment Gazetteand will be updated on an annual basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make available the background papers presented to the National Council on the Employment of Disabled People.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will name all the members of wages council and name the organisations which they represent.

Members of wages councils represent employers and workers respectively in the industries or trades concerned.I am sending a copy of a list of names and the nominated organisations which appoint them, together with the independent members who are appointed by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are taken to ensure that individual employers offer jobs to the disabled; and whether he will publish an annual report showing the numbers of registered disabled people employed by each firm with a work force of over 100.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the quota scheme, established under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, requires all employers of 20 or more workers to employ a quota—at present 3 per cent. of registered disabled people. To be below quota is not in itself an offence, but employers who are below quota must obtain a permit from the disablement resettlement officer if they wish to recruit workers who are not registered disabled. Such a permit will be issued only if suitable registered disabled people are not available. In addition to the quota scheme, there is provision for the designation of specified occupations, entry into which is to be reserved for registered disabled people. Two occupations have been designated to date: passenger electric lift attendant and car park attendant.Employers are encouraged to adopt an enlightened attitude towards the employment of disabled people whether they are registered or not. The booklet "Positive Policies ", a guide to the employment of disabled people, was issued to over 55,000 employers in May 1977 and its message is being emphasised through a programme of visits by disablement resettlement officers. These efforts will be boosted by a major promotional campaign in the autumn. In addition, certain aids and grants are available to help improve employment opportunities for disabled people. The employment and training services available in support of disabled people and proposed developments over the next 5–10 years are described in the MSC's programme "Developing Employment and Training Services for Disabled People" which was issued in February 1978.Information about the numbers of registered disabled people employed in individual firms is obtained by the MSC in confidence and I am unable to give any undertakings as regards its publication. However, with the agreement of the employers concerned, it has been the practice since 1976 to publish tables showing the numbers of registered disabled people employed by a wide range of major public sector employers, and the proportions of total staffs represented by these numbers,

in the November issue of the Department of Employment Gazette. In addition, as a special exercise, similar information about certain private sector employers, who can be regarded as "opinion formers ", was published in the

asked the Secretary GI State for Employment what was the average monthly total of men in full-time employment in 1977; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of them that were employed by enterprises which showed a profit in the same year.

The latest information about men in full-time employment is from the June 1976 census 01 employment. This shows that 12,398,000 male employees in Great Britain were normally employed for more than 30 hours per week. I have no information about the proportion employed by enterprises which showed a profit.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to ensure that the lessons of the disaster at Bantry Bay on 8th January are learned and applied in relation to the trans-shipment of oil, gas and chemicals much closer to residential areas, as at Canvey.

Full information on the causes of the Bantry Bay accident is not likely to be forthcoming until the results of the inquiry which, I understand, is to be carried out by the Irish Government, are available. The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission tells me that the working party on conveyance and storage of dangerous goods in port areas set up by the Commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances is taking into account all available information in the preparation of new proposals for regulations controlling ship-to-shore trans-shipments of dangerous substances. These proposed regulations would supplement or replace existing port byelaws controlling the loading or unloading of petroleum spirit.

asked the Lord Advocate if he will immediately circularise all chief constables to advise them to lay any evidence they may discover before procurators fiscal, with a view to criminal prosecution, if pickets are asking for contributions to strike funds, or other union or non-union funds, in return for allowing persons carrying goods to pass the picket lines.

I have already instructed regional procurators fiscal to refer to the Crown Office any allegations arising out of the present picketing situation which might lead to charges of extortion or attempted extortion. Chief constables have been asked to report such allegations as a matter of urgency. No report has yet been received.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will publish in theOfficial Reportthe criteria used for deciding that a parliamentary Question will not be answered because of disproportionate cost.

It is difficult to prescribe general criteria by which to determine whether a Minister should decline to answer a parliamentary Question on grounds of disproportionate cost. Inevitably, the assessment depends upon the circumstances of each case. The question whether the cost of providing information which is not readily available appears to outweigh its value is bound to be a matter of judgment for the Minister concerned.

asked the Lord President of the Council to what level a Member's salary would now have to be increased to be worth the same as in September 1964.

The parliamentary salary in September 1964 consisted of a basic figure of £1,000 plus a payment of £750 in lieu of the old-style Sessional allowance. Increasing this total figure in line with the movement in the index of retail prices between September 1964 and December 1978 produces a figure of £6,358. The parliamentary salary was, however, increased to £3,250 p.a. on 16th October 1964 and updating this figure by the RPI rise between October 1964 and December 1978 produces a figure of £11,788.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish in theOfficial Reporta list of prescriptions made by the Lord Chancellor under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958, giving in each case the number of class, the pieces in class description, the person whose approval has been given and the prescribed period.

Copies of the instruments containing this information may be seen at the Public Record Office. The cost of publication would not be justified.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions with a view to prosecution under section 11 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1976 the disclosure in the interview with Mgr. Buckley in the programme "Weekend World" at 1 p.m., Sunday 17th December 1978.

I understand that the programme to which the right hon. Gentleman's Question refers was "The World This Weekend". I am making inquiries into this matter.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish in theOfficial Reportthe number of inquiries undertaken by the Queen's Proctor in each of the last three years for which returns have been made, and the cost per annum over this period of the Queen's Proctor's staff.

The total numbers of suits referred to the Queen's Proctor for inquiries, intervention, or, at the request of the court, the instruction of

				1975–76	1976–77	1977–78
				£	£	£
Staff costs (including superannuation)	…	…	…	17,000	18,000	19,000
Cost of accommodation and common services			…	6,000	8,000	10,000
Costs, fees and other disbursements	…	…	…	1,000	2,000	1,000
				24,000	28,000	50,000

The Queen's Proctor also recovered during the three financial years sums in spect of costs awarded to the Queen's Proctor in interventions as follows:

£
1975–76	124
1976–77	280
1978–78	1,588

The Queen's Proctor also represents the Crown in maritime matters, principally prize. The cost of this work is negligible.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list the locations of new purpose-built crown courts constructed since 1976 with the cost of each of these projects; and, if new judges' lodging houses had to be built, together with their cost of construction.

No new purpose-built permanent courthouses for the crown court have been completed since 1976. There are six under construction. These are:

	Current estimate of total cost of construction (£ million)
Burnley	1·5
Leeds	8·2
Leicester	align="center">3·5
Liverpool	26·8
Nottingham	9·4
Portsmouth	4·7

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reprint Command Paper Number 4864, "The Treaty of Rome ", and Command Paper Number 4865, "Euratom"; and from what date the stocks of each document were unavailable.

The treaty establishing the European Economic Community—Treaty of Rome—has been sent for reprinting. The new version will incorporate amendments introduced since signature in 1957. It is expected that printing will be completed at the end of January 1979. Amendments to the treaties establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Atomic Energy Community —Euratom—and the Treaty of Accession have been similarly made and these three volumes will be printed as soon as possible after the first one.Stocks of Command Paper 4864—Treaty of Rome—were exhausted in February 1973; stocks of Command Paper 4865—the Euratom Treaty—on 24th November 1978. Both treaties are still available in Command Paper 5179, parts I and II, although stocks are now low. Whilst stocks are also low the Treaty of Rome is still available in an unofficial version published on 1st January 1973 by Her Majesty's Stationery Office for the convenience of Parliament and the public—Her Majesty's Stationery Office reference SBN 11 590122 1.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many special quota vouchers have been issued to no-patrial United Kingdom passport holders in India in the current year.

It is not the Government's practice to reveal special voucher figures for individual countries. The reasons for this were described in the Government's answer to recommendation 12 of the report of the Select Committee on Race Relations and Immigration (Cmnd. 7278).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Nigerian authorities about the increasing delays in payments by public sector purchasers for imports from the United Kingdom, and the corresponding delays by the Nigerian Central Bank in handling foreign exchange applications.

We have brought these delays to the attention of the Nigerian authorities on a number of occasions in recent months, both in Lagos and in London. My right hon. Friend recently raised the issue with a member of the Federal Military Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a complete list of safety reports prepared by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.

It would be impracticable to publish a list of all the reports on safety matters that have been prepared by the authority. However, lists of authority publications have been published annually by Her Majesty's Stationery Office since 1956 which include reports published on health and safety matters. The 1978 list has not yet been published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, but monthly lists are published by the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell and I have arranged for the lists for January to December 1978 to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish the complete account of the power reactor operating experience including details of planned and forced outages, and their causes, since 1962.

Details of the operating experience of United Kingdom nuclear power stations in terms of average load factors and units supplies are published annually by the statistical office of the European Communities in "Operation of Nuclear Power Stations ". A copy of the 1977 edition is available in the Library of the House.Details of outages have been given annually since 1970 in the International Atomic Energy Agency publication "Operating Experience with Nuclear Power Stations in Member States ". Copies of the 1974 and 1976 editions are available in the library of the House, and I am arranging for copies of the other issues to be deposited there as soon as possible.I am asking the chairmen of the Central Electricity Generating Board and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to write to the hon. Member giving details of outages between 1962 and 1970.Nuclear power stations owned by the South of Scotland Electricity Board are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a complete list of reports prepared or commissioned by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate relating to(a)the safety of Magnox reactors and advanced gas-cooled reactors, (b)the safety of pressurised water reactors and fast-breeder reactors, (c) the storage of spent nuclear fuel, and (d)the treatment and disposal of radioactive waste.

I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that since it was formed in 1959 the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has produced or commissioned thousands of reports relating to the aspects of nuclear safety mentioned, and that it would involve a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort to no practical purpose to publish such a list. However, the inspectorate publishes details of its technical reviews and activities with the aim of keeping the public informed on questions of nuclear safety.If the hon. Member has any problems in acquiring information about these reports, I would be glad to know about it.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) in how many opencast coal mining operations in the United Kingdom fireclay is associated with coal measures; and in how many instances it has been provided that coal should be worked only providing provision has been made for the recovery of associated minerals;(2) what steps he proposes to take to ensure that valuable fireclay reserves associated with coal measures in opencast sites are preserved; and what representations have been made to him on this on this subject by the National Federation of Clay Industries and other associations;(3) if he will give a general direction that the National Coal Board should consult clay users before authorising opencast mining sites in order to avoid irreparable loss of finite and valuable reserves of fire-clay during opencast mining operations and while separate planning applications are being processed by county councils;(4) whether, in mining coal measures which are associated with fireclay reserves, it is his policy that the National Coal Board should ensure that fireclay is worked in conjunction or simultaneously with the extraction of coal thus making both mineral resources available for the benefit of the national economy;(5) what is the Government's policy on the working of coal in association with fireclay resources under the provisions of section 10 of the Coal Industry Act 1977; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that fireclay reserves should not be abandoned during coal extraction in opencast mining operations.

A total of 44 opencast sites authorised by the Secretary of State and currently producing coal have provision in the contract for the winning of fireclay.In the case of deep mining, I am informed by the National Coal Board that fireclay does sometimes exist near coal seams but that present mining methods do not make it possible to extract it with the coal.I am writing to the hon. Member on the procedural issues which he raises.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the preliminary safety report on the Torness nuclear power station.

I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the Torness preliminary safety report cannot be made available for publication because it contains commercially sensitive material which is the property of the design organisations concerned, and information which cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what tests are being planned prior to the census of population to be taken in 1981.

A census test will be held on 1st April 1979 and will cover 16,000 households in Montrose, the Lochgilphead and Annan areas and the Woodside area of Glasgow. The purposes of the test will be to improve field procedures and other census processes and to try out redesigned forms which, it is hoped, will be easier for the householder to answer and to assess public reaction to the questionnaire. The test is a voluntary one, but I hope that everyone approached to take part will do so. The answers given in this test, as in the census itself, will be entirely confidential and will not be used for any other administrative purpose. Specimen forms have been placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the effect of the transport and lorry drivers' strikes on the Scottish economy and if, in particular, he will comment on the effects on the fishing and agriculture industries.

The road haulage dispute is having widespread effects on Scottish industry. The flow of essential supplies is being seriously impeded, the degree of interruption varying considerably as between different areas, industries and companies.The main effects on agriculture have been in intensive production sectors, where supplies of animal feeding stuffs have been reduced. Liquid milk supplies are satisfactory. Store and fatstock markets have continued to operate but some animals have been held back from sale or slaughter. The export market is greatly reduced.Virtually all landings of fish have been sold but at lower prices than normal. Although markets have been cleared, merchants and processors who use road haulage contractors are experiencing difficulties. A few processing plants have closed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to ensure the delivery of essential supplies to industry, commerce, hospitals and food stores during the lorry drivers' strike.

The Government have established a priority list of essential supplies and services, including food, animal feedstuffs, medical and pharmaceutical items and fuel, and such other supplies essential to the life of the community as may be identified in individual cases. The Transport and General Workers' Union has recommended to its local committees that the movement of such essential goods should not be impeded. To offer advice and help as necessary, where problems arise in the working of these arrangements, I have set up emergency duty rooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which companies and public bodies may contact.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence has been drawn to his attention of hauliers, carrying food and other supplies to Arran and other Scottish islands, making financial contributions of £26 or other sums to pickets before being permitted to pass the pickets.

I have seen press reports about these matters but I understand that no complaint has been made or evidence submitted to the police or the procurator fiscal, who are the proper authorities to deal with any alleged breach of the law.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many full-time officials of small business representative bodies have been appointed to positions in his gift in each year since 1974; and if he will list them.

There have been no such appointments, but my right hon.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what agreement has been made with the Transport and General Workers' Union about letting overseas surface mail through picket lines in the current industrial dispute; and whether he is satisfied with the working of such agreements.

I understand that no formal agreement has been reached, but efforts are being made by both the Post Office and the Union of Post Office Workers to resolve current problems affecting non-European overseas surface mail.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give details of the consultations he has had with shipbuilding industry unions over British Shipbuilders' corporate plan.

My right hon. Friend and I met the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions on 13th December prior to receiving the corporate plan at the end of that month, and the trade unions will be consulted when the Government have proceeded further with their review.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will state for each industrial sector working party since it was set up the changes in the index of output, and the penetration of home and overseas markets and employment, stating the standard industrial classification minimum list headings covered by each working party.

The information in the following table relates to standard industrial classification groupings that correspond as closely as possible to the coverage of the sector working parties. Information about the penetration of overseas markets is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in theOfficial Reportthe number of prosecutions brought by each local education authority(a)in respect of disciplinary offences by pupils and(b)in respect of truancy.

The information is as follows:

These figures are not collected by my Department. Statistics published by the Home Office show that in 1977 there were 3,705 prosecutions in England for offences under the Education Acts, the great majority concerning non-attendance at school. This total cannot readily be broken down to local education authority areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in theOfficial Reportthe amounts spent on education services by each local education authority in England and Wales in the years 1974–75, 1977–78 and 1978–79.

My Department does not prepare figures of expenditure for each local education authority, but analyses of their total expenditure are contained in the education statistics published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, copies of which are available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the grant for students attending courses of higher education in London and living away from home from 1963–64, giving also an index adjusted for changes in the retail price index.

The mandatory rates of maintenance grants payable by local education authorities to students attending courses in London and living away from home are shown below, together with an index obtained by dividing these values by the retail price index for September at the start of each academic year.

	Value (£)	Index adjusted by retail price index
1963–64	335*	100
1964–65	335*	96
1965–66	370	101
1966–67	370	97
1967–68	370	96
1968–69	395	97
1969–70	395	92
1970–71	420	92
1971–72	65	92
1972–73	480	89
1973–74	520	88
1974–75	665	96
1975–76	810	93
1976–77	955	96
1977–78	1,145	99
1978–79	1,315	106
*The grant for student living in colleges or hostels; the grant for students in lodgings was £330.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Reportthe conclusions of the social policy research unit of York University regarding: (a)the severity of the mobility problems of children under five years compared with those of children over five years and (b) the severity of the mobility problems of handicapped children under five years compared with those of non-handicapped children of the same age.

With his agreement, I have made arrangements for a copy of the personal paper which Mr. Jonathan Bradshaw has prepared on the subject to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish the T, U, R and V codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(2)if he will publish the SB, SS and Supp B aide-m érnoire codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(3)if he will publish the PL, PP, PR Manual, RC, and RE codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(4) if he will publish the MB, ME, Mob A, OA and OS codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(5) if he will publish the ICA, IL, IP(A), IP(B), IP(C), L, LP and LR codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(6) if he will publish the F, FI, FL, FP, and FIS codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(7) if he will publish the DG, DI, and EN codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(8) if he will publish the BQ, CA, CAT, CB, CC, CHIB, CN, CP, CR, and CS codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(9) if he will publish the AA, A(ADP), ABC, Ag, AP, AT, and AX codes, respectively, used by officers working in local social security offices;(10) if he will publish the A code used by officers working in local social security offices;(11) if he will publish the circulars issued to Department of Health and Social Security local offices in the past year as additions to the existing codes used in the administration of social security.

No. These codes contain largely procedural instructions which would not be helpful to the public in their present form. It would also not be advisable to publish some instructions, for example, some of those dealing with the prevention and detection of fraud and recovering benefit overpayments. My Department, with the Supplementary Benefits Commission, has already published a great deal of information about supplementary benefit policies and entitlement and will continue to publish as much as possible. But the extraction of material from all Departmental codes, or their revision to make them suitable for publication, would be a heavy task requiring substantial staff resources.However, arising from the supplementary benefits review, it would be our desire to publish as much information as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the current criteria for making appointments to hospital boards; what are the qualities required of members thereof; and if he will make a statement.

The chairmen and members of health authorities are appointed in accordance with the provisions of schedule 5 to the National Health Service Act 1977. My right hon. Friend appoints the chairmen and members of regional health authorities and the chairmen of area health authorities after wide consultations. Members of area health authorities are appointed in part by the regional health authorities and partly by matching local authorities. Certain places are reserved on each authority; one-third are occupied by local authority members and places are set aside also for at least two doctors and one nurse, two other staff members, one TUC nominee and at least one nominee of the appropriate university.Members are expected to have a close interest in the Health Service, to be able to identify themselves with the region or area, and to play a full part in the working of their authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by what date full diagnostic X-ray facilities will be restored for general practitioners in north and east Northumberland.

I am not yet able to give a date. I understand that the regional and area health authorities are urgently considering proposals which would enable full diagnostic X-ray facilities to be made available. I will write to the hon. Member when I have a report from the regional health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the papers by his Department on standing charges and tariff tilting presented to the working party on economic pricing and long run marginal cost pricing in the fuel industry.

No

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make available in the Library copies of papers prepared by his Department showing costings and estimates which led to the calculation that the number of disabled married women applying for the non-contributory invalidity pension would result in a yearly cost of £23 million.

The figure of £23 million is based upon the Government Actuary's calculation that the number of women receiving housewives' non-contributory invalidity pension, which was 34,000 in April 1978, would rise to 45,000 in the last quarter of 1979 and would have risen to 42,750 by March 1979. He also calculated that the average number in payment during the 1978-79 year would be 39,000 and that, between the up-rating of benefits in November 1978 and the end of the year, the average would be 41,500.Applying these figures to the appropriate benefit rates-33 weeks at £10 ·50 per week and 19 weeks at £11.70 per week—and making allowances for the arrears which are due with most awards, it was calculated that housewives' noncontributory invalidity pension would cost £23 million in 1978–79.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will give his estimate of the annual number of heart transplants likely to be done under the National Health Service;(2) if he will list the hospitals offering heart transplant operations under the National Health Service.

I am not aware of plans for any further cardiac transplants in this country at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost of a heart transplant operation under the National Health Service.

It is not possible from the accounts of National Health Service authorities to identify the cost of treating patients suffering from specified diseases. In any case too few heart transplants have been undertaken in this country to enable an assessment of the average cost of the operation here.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the evidence he has on the detrimental effect of fluoridation, and in particular that reported in the trial in the Court of Common Pleas, Allegheny Court, Pennsylvania, including the judges' opinion of 16th November 1978.

I do not have evidence which I accept as showing a detrimental effect and I continue to endorse fluoridation as a safe and effective means of protecting the community against dental decay. As to the Allegheny County Court case mentioned by the hon. Member, I refer him to my reply to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown Mr. Bowden on 14th December 1978.—[Vol. 960, c. 344.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received regarding the special case for salary increases for nurses and midwives; and what response he has made.

I described the representations which I had received, and my response, in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton) on 7th November. In more recent exchanges, the nurses have been assured that the Government will reach a decision on their claim as soon as possible, on the basis that their next pay settlement is due on 1st April 1979—[Vol. 957, c.103.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of the need for increased primary health care in the Somerstown area of Camden, he will now agree to the building of the Polygon health centre; and whether he will give first priority to the long-term health requirements of the local people.

The decision on the proposed health centre in Somerstown is a matter for the North-East Thames regional health authority. The authority has not included the scheme in its building programme because of the lack of interest among local general practitioners. I understand that the authority has, however, in its strategic plan for 1978–1988, given as one of its objectives increasing the resources available for primary care.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) to what extent admissions for operations are being delayed at Withington hospital, Manchester; and what categories of surgery are affected;(2) how many operating theatres at Withington hospital, Manchester, are out of action; and at what date they are due to be restored.

Ten operating theatres at Withington hospital are currently closed while they are being upgraded. Their re-opening is scheduled for 5th February, subject to the delivery of floor covering materials. Admissions have been reduced from approximately 300 per week to 200. All surgical specialties are affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish the definitions of the descriptive titles "community hospital ", "support hospital ", and "district general hospital ", indicating differences by specific provision in each speciality and bed provision for stated purpose and such other details as are included in the Department's definitions.

The functional content of acute general hospitals and community hospitals is set out in circulars already published by my Department. These are DS85 / 75, HSC(IS)75, HC(78)12 and "The Way Forward ". I shall write to my hon. Friend about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to meet the strictures passed upon his Department by the Examiner of Statutory Rules on page 5 of his Tenth Report presented in July 1978.

The Examiner's suggestion was, as always, carefully considered but the procedure followed, as a matter of routine by my Department already includes, and goes much further than, that suggestion.When my Department prepares a statutory instrument to which Northern Ireland will need a corresponding statutory rule a copy of the first and each successive draft is sent to the Northern Ireland Department as soon as it is produced. As soon as a proof is received from the printer a copy of that is sent. As soon as the instrument is made, normally by a Minister signing the corrected proof, and allocated a number by the Statutory Publications Office, a copy of it is sent; at the same time a copy goes to the printer. If, however, the Northern Ireland Department indicates in any particular case that it wishes to have the final text even before the instrument has been numbered, a copy is sent immediately on signature and information as to the number is given by telephone. In the nature of things, it is several days after copy goes to the printer before the final prints are available and at least one more—depending on the post—before a copy arrives in Northern Ireland. Exactly the same procedure is followed with draft instruments laid for affirmative resolution.According to the Examiner's report the difficulty arises because the Northern Ireland Department considers it inadvisable to proceed until it receives a copy of the final print. His suggestion that an advance copy of the final draft be sent, which is already part of the established procedure, does nothing to meet that difficulty. Consultation with the Northern Ireland Department has disclosed no way in which our procedure could be revised to give information on which that Department could act at an earlier stage than now happens, but if the Examiner or the right hon. Gentleman has any suggestion to make I shall gladly consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made by the regional medical committee in preparing proposals for the future location of the cardio-thoracic, neurology and neuro-surgical units now based at the Brook hospital, Woolwich.

The neurological and neurosurgical sub-committee of the regional medical committee is examining the costs and feasibility of possible options for the siting of units for these specialties. The regional medical committee has deferred further consideration of the location of cardio-thoracic units until the views of the London health planning consortium are available. The committee will not make recommendations to the regional health authority on the future pattern of provision of any of these regional specialties until it has had an opportunity to consider the conclusions of the consortium, which has established independent study groups to advise on the provision of these services in the Thames regions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the approximate cost in outturn prices in 1977–78 in England and Wales of(a)supplementary benefit to pay for the rents of council tenants, neglecting the effect of item(d)below,(b)supplementary benefit to pay for rents of private tenants,(c)supplementary benefit to pay for the rates of council tenants, and(d)payments by local authorities to reimburse the Department of Health and Social Security for the amount local authorities would have had to pay in rent rebates if the recipients had not been on supplementary benefit.

Because supplementary benefit brings a claimant's other income, if any, up to a specific level, it is not possible to say how much of total benefit expenditure is attributable to rent and rates. It is estimated that at August 1978 there were 1 ·3 million local authority tenants in England and Wales receiving supplementary benefit and that the average weekly amount included for rent and rates in the calculation of their requirements was £7 ·50; there were 0 ·5 million tenants of private landlords with an average weekly amount included for rent and rates of £6 ·20. In the financial year 1977–78 my Department received £169 million from local authorities in England and Wales under the central accounting arrangements in respect of supplementary benefit claimants who would otherwise have been entitled to a rent rebate.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the saving on staff to his Department if the collection of maintenance for lone parents on supplementary benefit were taken over by another agency for(a)all, (b)90 per cent., (c) 75 per cent., (d)60 per cent. and(e)50 per cent. of all existing cases where his Department currently collects payments.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th December 1978; Vol. 960, c. 469],gave the following information:In the absence of detailed information as to the functions to be carried out by another agency it is not possible to estimate what the overall staff savings to my Department would be. Certainly, if the responsibilities of the agency did not include guaranteeing payment in cases where the liable relative defaulted, the staff numbers in my Department might well increase in consequences of such a change.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the amount of transport supplementary grant for 1979–80 per head of population in each of the metropolitan counties and in the counties of Bedfordshire, Cleveland, Durham, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire, Staffordshire and West Sussex.

I shall answer this Question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in theOfficial Reportthe list of garages which are blacklisted from Ministry of Transport testing.

Garages authorised to test vehicles are indicated by a well-known symbol, and this Department will always confirm, if asked, whether a particular garage is currently so authorised. I do not think that protection of the public interest in this respect necessitates publicising a general list of garages from which authorisations have been withdrawn. Such action could gratuitously damage the general standing of firms and individuals concerned, even though withdrawal of authorisation does not necessarily imply that a garage is unfit to carry out repair or other work.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport on the basis of the publicly funded product testing research data available to his Department, whether he will publish in the Official Reportdetails of motor car accident statistics analysed by model.

Details of the model of cars involved in road accidents have not been recorded on a nationwide basis since 1976.For that year, the only information available is the total number of cars of each make and model in road accidents involving personal injury; since corresponding estimates of the mileage travelled by each type of car are not available, comparable accident rates cannot be obtained.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will summarise in theOfficial Reportthe exact terms of agreement between himself and the Transport and General Workers' Union regarding the movement of essential foodstuffs for both animal and human consumption.

The agreement I published on 12th January has been updated by the code of practice issued by the TGWU which says in relation to the essential foodstuffs for both animal and human consumption that pickets should not seek to prevent, hinder or delay vehicles from entering or leaving premises if they are carrying supplies, including livestock, for the production, packaging, marketing and distribution of food and animal feeding stuffs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in his discussions with the Transport and General Workers' Union, it was agreed that fresh fruit and vegetables should be included in the category of food within the terms of agreement for permitted movements.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the cost of commuter rail services to central London is covered by passenger fares; and what proportion is defrayed by subsidy.

The information is not available. The costs of British Rail commuter services are not identified separately in the British Railways board's accounts. Under section 3 of the Railways Act 1974, grant is paid to the British Railways board in respect of passenger services generally, and is not attributed to specific areas of operation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land and land used for colliery spoil have been reclaimed during the last four years or are in the process of reclamation at the present time in the Rother Valley constituency; and what contribution from Government funds has been or will be provided to secure this advance.

A total of 304 acres for which Government grants totalling £959,000 have been approved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now forecast the number of housing starts in the public sector for the year 1979.

In their latest housing investment programme submissions, local authorities, who provide the greater part of the English public sector programme, indicated their intention to make 75,000 starts in 1979–80. However, the number of dwellings in tenders accepted in 1978, which form the basis of starts in the first half of 1979, suggests that unless the new build programme accelerates in the next few months, local authorities will fall short of that figure. Housing associ- ations and new towns are expected—together with a small amount of building by Government Departments—to contribute about 30,000 starts to the 1979 programme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now place in the Library a copy of all housing action area declaration reports which are available by law in council offices.

There are over 300 of these documents and further reports continue to be compiled. The documents are preliminary working papers, compiled locally for consideration by local authorities. Each relates to a relatively small area; and its function is to bring together information for the local authority on the physical and social factors relating to housing conditions in the area concerned to enable the authority to decide whether to declare it a housing action area and, if so, how best to take action. For full understanding, maps may be required and also information on the decisions made by authorities following the report. Copies of the reports are available for inspection at the offices of the authorities concerned, who can also supply any further explanations necessary. In all the circumstances I do not consider I should undertake to place copies of these documents in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what help is available under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 or from other Government sources in the case of seaside amenities such as piers that have suffered damage in the recent storms.

If the local authority for the area in which such damage has occurred incurs additional expenditure under section 138 of the Local Government Act 1972 in excess of a 1 prate product it will be eligible for 75 per cent. special Government assistance in respect of that excess. I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade that assistance is not available under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 in these circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish working and background papers on the homes insulation programme.

In developing the homes insulation programme we drew mainly on data publicity available from Audits Great Britain Ltd. and on the results of the English house condition survey. The main survey report has already been published; further papers on particular aspects will be published in due course. There are no specific background papers available, but we shall certainly consider publishing any future papers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the report of the National Building Agency on the effect of different insulation standards on pensioners and low income families.

This report was an internal working document and was not in a suitable form for publication. The report does, however, contain much material of interest which could be made available, and I am considering how this can best be done.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to assist the Castle Point district council to meet the heavy financial implications for local ratepayers of the recommendation of the Health and Safety Executive that there shall be no new development within a radius of 1 km. of the Canvey methane gas terminal, which is designated as a major industrial hazard; and whether, in view of the serious problems this recommendation is causing to both residents and the local authorities, he will state a date by which he will announce his proposals.

I met the hon. Member with representatives of the Castle Point district council on 11th December to discuss these matters. The council has since sought assistance from the Department with the preparation of a development control policy for the island and a central Government contribution towards compensation which might be payable as a result of any planning restrictions which may be imposed.In reaching a conclusion about their development control policy my Department and the Council will want to take the latest advice of the Health and Safety Executive which advises my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment on the safety aspects of installations in the area. The financial implications of any such policy would relate to possible future claims under the purchase notice procedure if land became incapable of reasonably beneficial use. The basis for compensation has, therefore, yet to be established.It is proposed to arrange a meeting shortly between officials of the Department and the district council, and to invite representatives of Essex county council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to allow maintenance payments to be taken into account when calculating rate rebates; and, if so, when the scheme will be implemented.

I am aware of the problem, and am considering how best to deal with it in the rebate scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Reportthe total amounts received by each local authority in England and Wales by way of the needs element of the rate support grant in 1974–75, 1977–78 and 1978–79.

I shall arrange for the information requested, the corresponding information for the intermediate years, and the amounts at main order for 1979–80, to be deposited in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment under what statutory powers water authorities are able to add artificial fluoride to the public water supplies.

There are no express statutory powers to fluoridate, but the view has been taken by successive Governments that the addition of fluoride to water at the request of a health authority is consistent with the water authorities' duties under what is now section 11 of the Water Act 1973 and under schedule 3 of the Water Act 1945.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will express in constant prices the housing allocations for each region in England for (a) 1978–79 and (b) 19798–80 and if he will also express in constant prices the total housing allocations for England as announced in the January 1978 public expenditure White Paper and as announced on 30th November 1978.

All figures given for allocations in the information set out below are on the price base of the latest Expenditure White Paper Cmnd. 7439—that is, 1978 survey prices—and have been revalued to that price base where necessary:

Region	£m. Allocations 1978–79	£m. Allocations Region 1979–80
Northern	154	159
Yorkshire and Humberside	189	191
North West	289	299
East Midlands	177	164
West Midlands	242	245
Eastern	168	155
South East	200	203
Greater London	788	814
South West	118	111
	2,325	2,341

The public expenditure White Papers give information for Great Britain as a whole. Cmnd. 7049 included provision for housing allocations for England of £2,325 million for 1978–79 and £2,376 million for 1979–80.The new White Paper, Cmnd. 7439, includes provision for £2,285 million for 1979–80 as compared with the amount allocated of £2,341 million on 30th November 1978. The over-allocation is designed to encourage local authorities to take up in full the resources available.