asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will ensure that in the training of law enforcement personnel and prison officers, and in written instructions issued to them, mention is made of the prohibition against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as provided by the declaration on the protection of all persons from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 3452 (xxx) of 9 December 1975.

The Prison, Borstal and Detention Centre Rules and the Police (Discipline) Regulations and all other codes and instructions governing the professional conduct of prison officers and police officers are entirely consistent with the United Nations' declaration, and training of staff reflects this fact.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a study of the proposals of the Swedish committee on the abolition of youth imprisonment, providing among other things for close supervision in community where required, and consider whether some of these proposals might be suitable for dealing with young adult offenders in the United Kingdom.

We are at present reviewing the whole question of the sentencing of young adult offenders. The proposals of the Swedish committee, which bear a close resemblance to suggestions made here during the past decade, will certainly be taken into account in the course of this review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has to suggest that the absence of adequate non-custodial resources and the consequent increase in the imposition by the courts of custodial sentences leads to an over-estimate of the demand for prison places and an under-estimate of the demand for non-custodial facilities.

Although there has recently been a small proportionate increase in custodial sentences, there is no evidence to suggest that this is due to an absence of adequate non-custodial resources. While we intend to make every effort to improve and develop the non-custodial alternatives available to the courts, it must be recognised that the demand for prison places is determined largely by the number of crimes which the courts consider merit a custodial sentence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from the chief constable of Gwent and South Wales on the operation and cost of policing the matches held at Llanelli and Newport on 24 and 27 October in which the South African Barbarians took part.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what approaches he has had regarding the publication and implementation of the May report on the prison service, from organisations representing people employed in that service; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a small number of representations, mostly passed to me by hon. Members about an apparent delay in the publication of the report of the committee of inquiry into the United Kingdom prison services. These appeared to be founded on a confusion between the date of delivery of the report by the committee to me and the date of its publication, which I expect to be 31 October.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards refugees from Latin America.

I have reviewed the policy relating to refugees from Latin America. The programme, which was introduced by the Conservative Government in 1973 following events in Chile, has resulted in the admission of over 3,000 refugees. The number of applicants and people admitted under the programme has dwindled over the past year and other pressing demands on our capacity to absorb refugees have grown, in particular with our commitment to resettle a large number of Vietnamese refugees.I am therefore closing the special programme for Latin American refugees. But I will continue to consider individual cases where there is a strong indication that the United Kingdom is the natural choice of country for resettlement and the Government will continue to pay close attention to the question of human rights in Latin America.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to implement the changes in the disciplinary arrangements for chief constables set out in the consultative document issued by the Home Office last December; and whether he will make a statement.

Having taken account of the comments which have been received from the Association of County Councils, the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, I am not convinced of the need for legislation on the lines indicated in the consultative document. I am, however, asking the associations to let me know of any changes or improvements in the disciplinary arrangements for chief constables which they would regard as desirable within the existing statutory framework.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to exclude severely handicapped children from the effects of actual and projected cuts in educational spending; and if he will make a statement.

It is for each local education authority to decide on the allocation of available resources both as between the services they provide and between the different sectors of the education service. My right hon. and learned Friend has no say in this. I am confident that, as in the past, authorities will be sensitive to the special needs of severely handicapped children in reaching their decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will review those items included in the assessment of eligibility for free school meals to include the cost of travel to school of the pupil concerned.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in respect of how many maintained schools with more than 40 pupils he has approved proposals for closure since 4 May, in cases where the schools were not being replaced by new buildings on alternative sites.

Since 4 May 1979 my right hon. and learned Friend has approved proposals to cease to maintain 17 schools with more than 40 pupils on roll, in cases where the schools were not being replaced by new buildings on alternative sites.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many school crossing wardens there are in the area covered by Mansfield and district council; and if he will list those that are to be affected by the Nottinghamshire county council's proposals to cut expenditure.

I have been asked to reply.Arrangements for school crossing patrols in Nottinghamshire are entirely at the discretion of the county council. The service is a valuable safety measure for young children and I am confident that the council will bear this in mind in making any changes. The patrols likely to be affected by, expenditure cuts could best be ascertained from that authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of grants for universities, polytechnics and all other purposes, given by all metropolitan education authorities, and give comparative expenditure figures for these grants per head of population for each of the metropolitan education authorities.

Following is the information, which covers all mandatory student awards and other awards designed to cover the full cost of maintenance and fees in the academic year 1977–78.

Authority	Number of awards	Expenditure per head of population (maintenace and fees) £
WEST MIDLANDS
Birmingham	6,672	8·3
Coventry	2,464	9·7
Dudley	1,641	6·8
Sandwell	1,221	5·6
Solihull	1,970	11·2
Walsall	1,487	7·1
Wolverhampton	1,764	8·4
MERSEYSIDE
Knowsley	892	6·2
Liverpool	3,769	9·7
St. Helens	1,394	9·0
Sefton	3,097	13·5
Wirral	3,349	12·6
GREATER MANCHESTER
Bolton	1,991	9·9
Bury	1,563	10·9
Manchester	3,379	9·2
Oldham	1,245	7·1
Rochdale	1,448	8·6
Salford	1,488	7·3
Stockport	3,005	13·0
Tameside	1,231	7·1
Trafford	2,614	14·2
Wigan	1,740	7·0
SOUTH YORKSHIRE
Barnsley	1,139	6·5
Doncaster	2,023	8·4
Rotherham	1,298	6·5
Sheffield	3,626	7·9
WEST YORKSHIRE
Bradford	3,752	9·7
Calderdale	1,371	9·2
Kirklees	2,851	9·8
Leeds	5,051	8·8
Wakefield	1,840	7·4
TYNE AND WEAR
Gateshead	1,168	6·6
Newcastle upon Tyne	2,323	9·9
North Tyneside	1,677	10·3
South Tyneside	1,112	8·6
Sunderland	1,649	7·0

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion and how many 16-year-olds stay on at school in the East Flint constituency; and what proportion enter full-time further education in the county.

Figures are not compiled on a constituency basis. In September 1978 there were 1,529 pupils in maintained schools in Clwyd who had attained school leaving age in the immediately preceding academic year, a staying on rate of approximately 27 per cent.On the basis of a sample survey it is estimated that about 13 per cent. of 16-year-olds who left maintained schools in Clwyd in the academic year 1977–78 went on to full-time further education, not necessarily in Clwyd.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the proportion of the population who live in (a) owner-occupied properties, (b) council accommodation and (c) privately rented accommodation, respectively, for each of the 37 district authorities in Wales.

The information on an all-Wales basis is contained in the Digest of Welsh Statistics No. 24 1978, table 2.33, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the total replacement value of the council-owned public housing stock in Wales.

Probably between £4 billion and £4·5 billion.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now make a statement on the route of the new Seiont bridge at Caernarfon.

I expect to announce my decision in mid-November.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what precise locations in Wales are currently being considered as possible sites for the dumping of nuclear waste.

There are no proposals for sites for the dumping of nuclear waste in Wales. The Government have announced a geological research programme into the possibility of disposing of radioactive waste underground. After any necessary preliminary reconnaissance, and subject to the grant of planning permission, this will involve drilling test boreholes, including some in Wales, but it is too soon to identify precisely where these will be. An announcement will be made of the sites before any reconnaissance takes place.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons were employed in public sector administration in Wales on 1 May 1979, or the nearest available date; and what is the latest figure for employment in this sector.

The number of non-industrial civil servants in post in Wales at 1 July 1979, the latest date for which information is available, was 31,750; and at June 1979, some 6,800 administrative and clerical staff were employed by the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales approximately how many petrol stations have closed down since the commencement of the year 1978 in the counties of Clwyd, Gwynedd, Powys and Dyfed; and approximately what proportion of those closures occurred in the rural areas of those counties.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how long he expects the stock of North Sea oil to last.

The current estimate, as published in the 1979 Brown Book, is that recoverable oil reserves originally in place on the United Kingdom continental shelf lie between 2,400 and 4,400 million tonnes. Production from the UKCS is expected to continue into the twenty-first century.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has received an application for permission to construct a pressurised water reactor at Druridge Bay, Northumberland.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the increased supply of electrical power from pressurised water reactors.

The Government believe that we must develop the option of adopting the pressurised water reactor system in the early 1980s.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate his Department has made of the possible contribution of solar energy to the United Kingdom's total energy requirement by the year 1995.

My Department's latest energy projections to the year 2000 do not incorporate any contribution to United Kingdom energy supplies from solar energy or other renewable sources. This is because, on present evidence, they are unlikely to make a significant contribution or be economically preferable to other fuels over that period. However, if the Government's solar energy research and development programmes are successful in accelerating the development of cost effective systems, solar energy might be contributing a few million tons of coal equivalent annually by the end of the century.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the percentage change in (a) industrial and (b) domestic consumption of oil over the past six months compared with the previous year.

In the six-month period ending July 1979, compared with the same period last year, the figures for inland deliveries show an increase of about ½ per cent. in the industrial sector, including deliveries to power stations, and an increase of 4 per cent in the domestic sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the role of nuclear energy in the United Kingdom's long-term energy programme.

We believe that nuclear power has a vital role to play in our energy policy and that nuclear power station orders are essential for meeting this country's long-term energy requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a further statement on energy conservation.

We shall continue to pursue vigorous policies to promote greater energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy, and to emphasise the positive aspects of energy conservation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the present position in regard to the development of advanced technology in the use of coal: and if he will make a statement.

Advanced coal technology developments are taking place in the fields of fluidised bed combustion, gasification to yield substitute natural gas and fuel gas, and in the production of oil from coal. In fluidised bed combustion, the NCB and private industry are pressing forward with the development of industrial boilers and furnaces; my Department is supporting NCB participation in the IEA pressurised combustion project at Grimethorpe aimed at power generation applications. In gasification, British Gas is developing processes to manufacture substitute natural gas, and the NCB is working on fuel gas production for use in advanced power generating systems. Design and feasibility studies for the pilot plant development of two NCB oil-from-coal processes are being supported by Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average dollar price per barrel at which the British National Oil Corporation has been selling oil during 1979.

This is a commercial matter and I shall ask the chairman of the British National Oil Corporation to write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will seek to place on the agenda at the next meeting of the European Economic Commission Energy Ministers the question of coal, oil and gas prices, with a view to obtaining comparable energy prices throughout the Community.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals he has for modifying the dual role of the British National Oil Corporation.

As my right hon. Friend previously announced to the House, the Government have decided that the Corporation's statutory role as adviser to the Government should be ended. As to the Corporation's commercial activities, the trading activity is to continue, with the Corporation's access to oil through participation options retained. We intend also that the British public should be given the chance to participate directly in BNOC's oil producing business. A statement will be made in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, in view of the difficulties caused to prospective new industries intending to build plant on industrial estates, such as that at Grundwell Farm, Wiltshire, of the derogation of the British Gas Corporation's statutory duty to supply industrial customers, he will bring forward proposals to end the derogation.

There has been no derogation of the British Gas Corporation's statutory obligation to supply. It intends to continue to meet its statutory obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the review by Urenco, promised in June, of its detailed security arrangements; what action the Governments of Great Britain, Holland and West Germany, as partners in the centrifuge project, are taking to strengthen the tripartite arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

As requested by the joint committee of the three Governments at their meeting in June, Urenco has reviewed its security procedures; and has made a number of recommendations. In addition the implementation of existing Troika security procedures in the United Kingdom has been reviewed and an assurance given to the joint committee that they are being fully observed.The joint committee considered the Urenco report at its meeting on 19 September. The joint committee concluded that the existing tripartite security rules and procedures were in principle adequate, but agreed on a number of detailed points on which improvements needed to be considered. It has arranged for these to be studied urgently by security experts of the three Governments.The joint committee also noted that effective security depended on the thorough and continued application of the present tripartite rules and procedures. It agreed to reinforce the arrangements for monitoring the application of these rules, and for the submission to the joint committee of regular reports by the appropriate security authorities of the three countries of the results of such monitoring.A report from the Netherlands authorities on their investigation of the Khan incident was not available to the joint committee at its last meeting. The joint committee is due to meet again on Friday 16 November and will again review Urenco security in the light of any further information then available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the amount per tonne and method of support given by each of the members of the EEC to their respective steel industries in respect of coking coal.

We are not aware of any aid which member States pay to their steel industries in respect of coking coal. But ECSC decision 287/73 allows member States to pay a production subsidy to the coal producers to cover the difference between cost of production and either the selling price or an indicative price whichever is the higher. The indicative price is the average price of imports on term contracts from Australia and the United States; it reflects world price. Thus the directive aims to allow Community coal to compete with third country coal but does not allow member States to subsidise sales of indigenous coking coal to the Community's steel industries at prices below the indicative price.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will bring forward legislation to seek to provide for regulation of contracts between the British Gas Corporation and industrial users, and to provide for the publication of the terms of such contracts.

No. The regulation of contracts for the sale of gas is a matter for the British Gas Corporation. The terms of individual contracts are commercially confidential and it would be inappropriate to publish them.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much is being spent by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in (a) 1979–80 and (b) 1980–81 on information and public relations on behalf of the nuclear industry; and what share of these sums is being spent in Scotland.

The UKAEA estimates that its expenditure on the distribution of information about nuclear power to the public will amount to about £350,000 in 1979–80 and about £650,000 in 1980–81. It is not possible to say how much of these sums will be spent in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report, from information available to him, the range of prices expressed in pence per therm at which heating oil, gas and coal are available to domestic and industrial users, respectively, in the United Kingdom and each other EEC country, indicating the element in the prices accounted for by taxation.

Information on the range of prices for heating oil, gas and coal is shown in the following table.The figures for heating oil relate to the United Kingdom while those for gas and

	Pence per therm and consumption in therms
	Heating Oils (1)
	Standard Grade Burning Oil
	Including (2)		Excluding
	Hydrocarbon oil duty		Hydrocarbon oil duty
	Inner (3) zone	General zone	Inner zone	General zone
		Deliveries of about 1,000 litres
Domestic Consumers	35·4	35·7	34·8	35·1
		Deliveries of 12,500 litres
Industrial Consumers (4)	34·6	34·1	34·0	34·1
	Gas Oil
	Including (2)		Excluding
	Hydrocarbon oil duty		Hydrocarbon oil duty
	Inner zone	General zone	Inner zone	General zone
		Deliveries of about 1,000 litres
Domestic Consumers	34·4	34·6	32·6	32·8
		Deliveries of 12,500 litres
Industrial Consumers (4)	33·5	33·7	31·7	31·9
	Gas (2)		Coal(2)
	Great Britain
	Consumption in Therms per annum
Domestic consumers	80(5)	25·7–31·7	House Coal (7)	14·4–22·6
			Group 2
			Anthracite
			Grains 1A	19·4–24·0
	1200	17·8–18·6	Anthracite
			stove nuts	22·3–27·7
Industrial consumers (4)	1200(6)	25·5–25·7	Scotland (8)	12·1–14·3
			Lancashire	11·3–13·3
	100,000	24·0	Elsewhere in England	11 13
Sources:
Scheduled prices of oil products, BGC tariffs and information from the NCB.
Notes:
(1) These are typical prices for the deliveries stated and were applicable as from early July 1979.
(2) There is no value added tax on these fuels.
(3) The "inner zone" includes areas within 40 miles or so of refineries while the "general zone" covers less accessible areas usually from a 100 miles or so of refineries. There is also a " special zone " covering the North West of Scotland and various Scottish islands where prices are somewhat higher than those shown in the table.
(4) Subject to market conditions many medium and large scale consumers can often obtain substantial "discounts" from the scheduled prices. Standard grade burning oil (kerosene) is not extensively used in industry; where appliances permit fuel oils are burnt but these are rarely purchased for domestic consumption. The following table indicates the influence of rebates and similar agreements on prices. Deliveries to large industrial consumers are also influenced by contracts made in earlier periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the Government's view on the return to the country of origin of foreign nuclear waste which has been reprocessed in Great Britain.

The Government, endorsing a requirement introduced by the previous Administration in 1976, has agreed that BNFL should, in negotiating new processing contracts with overseas utilities, ensure that these contain an option enabling BNFL to return the highly active waste remaining after reprocessing to the customer. This option also has to be supported by an intergovernmental exchange of notes in which the customer Government agrees to facilitate this option. Copies of notes already exchanged have been placed in the library of the House.BNFL has some reprocessing contracts which do not contain such an option because they were concluded before the Government introduced this requirement. The waste from these contracts will therefore remain in the United Kingdom. However, the amount of waste involved is small in comparison to that arising from the United Kingdom civil nuclear programme and its relative significance in terms of quantity will reduce over time.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects the Central Electricity Generating Board to announce its plans for the siting of the next series of nuclear power stations.

The CEGB is considering a number of sites to assess their potential for nuclear power stations but any announcement about its intentions is a matter for the Board to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied with the safety record of the existing nuclear power stations; and if he will publish details of any fatal accidents which have taken place since the first station came into operation.

The safety record of nuclear power stations in England and Wales is and has been throughout the period of their operation an excellent one. I am satisfied that continuing effort on safety is being maintained.Three fatal accidents have occurred in CEGB nuclear power stations since they started operating in 1962. These have been due to non-nuclear causes; two involved falls and the third, scalding by steam. They were reported by the CEGB to the Health and Safety Executive.Power stations in Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the sites under consideration as possible locations for further nuclear power stations in Wales.

The Central Electricity Generating Board has applied to renew planning permissinn for an advanced gas-cooled reactor power station at Portskewett, Gwent. No other sites in Wales are currently under consideration for early development.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the supply of fuel such as petrol and paraffin to garages.

Provided that there is no further disruption of oil supplies, supplies of petrol and paraffin to all retail outlets should be adequate to meet requirements this winter.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the Government are moving towards the parity rating of fuel prices.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins) on Monday 9 July (Official Report, c. 21–22).

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will authorise the Central Electricity Generating Board to invest in pumped storage electricity generating capacity in advance of requirement for such capacity, in order to take advantage of the technical and physical infrastructure currently available at locations of construction of such projects.

Identification of prospects for hydroelectric pumped storage projects in England and Wales is in the first instance a matter for the Central Electricity Generating Board.

NEW ORDERS PLACED FOR UNITED KINGDOM REGISTRATION MERCHANT SHIPS (100 gross tons and over)
	1978	1979
	Total	First half	Quarter 3
In United Kingdom Yards
'000 gross tons	100	68	48
'000 compensated gross tons	128	127	52
In Overseas Yards
'000 gross tons	125	233	N.A.
'000 compensated gross tons	179	188	N.A.
Total'000 gross tons	225	301	N.A.
Total '000 compensated gross tons	307	315	N.A.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what assistance has been

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) whether he intends to publish the contents of the Government working party on the effects on the public of the lead content of petrol; and if he will give in the Official Report a summary of its conclusions.(2) what is the lead ingested from (

I have been asked to reply.I intend that the working party's report shall be published and its contents made known to Parliament in the most appropriate way.I understand that the working party expects to be in a position to make a final report before the end of this year. I expect the report to include an up-to-date evaluation of evidence on the relative importance of food, water and the atmosphere as sources of lead which might be ingested.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he was consulted prior to British Leyland making its decision to spend £1 million on the promotion of its new model.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he was consulted by the management of British Leyland Ltd. prior to the announcement of its intention to spend £1 million on a cruise from Merseyside to promote its new model; and if he will make a statement.

No. This is a matter for the BL management.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will provide special assistance for the textile industry in West Yorkshire, in view of the serious decline which is taking place in the industry.

While I appreciate that the industry has its problems, with varying causes, I am not satisfied that special assistance would be the right means of dealing with them so soon after the ending of the schemes of assistance under section 8 of the Industry Act. Firms can apply for assistance within the general rules for regional assistance under the Industry Act. Modernisation by the industry and the success of the Government's economic policies provide the best means of checking further decline.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what payments by the National Enterprise Board and the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies he expects to receive in reduction of their respective public dividend capital in (a) the year 1979–80 and (b) the year 1980–81; and if he will make a statement.

There is at present no statutory authority for any reduction in the NEB's public dividend capital, although a limited power is proposed in clause 3(1) of the Industry Bill. When the Bill is enacted the NEB will make payments reducing its public dividend capital consequent upon the share disposals it makes. My right hon. Friend has asked that these should be to the value of £100 million in 1979–80, but he has as yet made no stipulation as to the amount in 1980–81.The affairs of the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the capital structure of British Shipbuilders.

The Government have decided, subject to the approval of a Supplementary Estimate, that British Shipbuilders will be financed by public dividend capital, and that advances will be made to allow the Corporation to repay loans drawn from the national loans fund on a temporary basis, presently standing at £135 million. The Corporation will not pay dividends on public dividend capital until they are profitable.As I announced in my statement of 23 July, the Corporation has been given a nil commencing capital debt.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the date already announced for the withdrawal of regional development grants in intermediate assisted areas will be extended for those companies whose building development will only be partially completed.

There is no intention to vary the transitional arrangements for the withdrawal of regional development grant from the intermediate areas.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has that French farmers are dumping low grade apples within the United Kingdom to the detriment of home producers.

I have no evidence that French farmers are dumping low grade apples in the United Kingdom, but I would immediately examine any evidence of dumping by any country.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the Farmers Union of Wales, and the National Farmers Union in Wales regarding a sheepmeat regime; and if he will make a statement.

Through my colleague the Secretary of State for Wales I am in regular contact with the Farmers Union of Wales and the National Farmers Union in Wales. I am fully aware of their concern about the effects of the French restrictions on exports of United Kingdom sheepmeat, which have been condemned by the European Court, and I am naturally concerned that any sheep-meat regime should meet the essential interests of our producers, as well as of our consumers and our New Zealand suppliers of frozen lamb.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what retaliatory action the Government are considering in the event of French nonobservance of the recent decision of the European Court, declaring illegal the French ban on sheepmeat imports from the United Kingdom.

I do not believe that retaliatory action by the United Kingdom is the right response if France continues to ignore the judgment of the European Court. The European Commission is responsible for upholding the treaties of the European Communities, and I am pressing the Agriculture Commissioner to take immediate action with the French Government to ensure that the judgment of the European Court is respected.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will order an investigation into sheepmeat distribution margins.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to persuade the French Government to abide by the decision of the European Court and allow the import of Welsh lamb into France.

I have received a letter from the French Minister of Agriculture about imports of United Kingdom sheepmeat into France. The letter does not state clearly or categorically that the French Government propose to comply with the recent decision of the European Court. I have asked the Minister whether he intends permanently to allow free access to the French market free of all levies and restrictions. From the information I have received it appears that this is not the case and, if so, the Community remains in a situation of crisis. I wrote to Commissioner Gundelach on 26 October asking him to intervene again to seek French compliance with the court's ruling. I shall continue to press this matter by every possible means.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the lead in food regulations have not yet been implemented; and if he will make a statement.

The Lead in Food Regulations 1979, SI 1254, for England and Wales, were laid before Parliament on 12 October and come into operation six months later on 12 April 1980. This is in accordance with usual practice which allows time for those affected to make any arrangements necessary in order to comply with the law. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland will shortly be laying similar regulations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much agricultural land in Essex has been acquired by Dutch and other foreign purchasers during the past five years.

The purchase of land by foreign nationals was one of the matters which were considered by the Northfield committee of inquiry into the acquisition and occupancy of agricultural land.The committee concluded that foreign ownership accounted for just over 1 per cent. of the total area of agricultural land in Great Britain but it did not give any figures for Essex.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether he will make available to farmers of marginal land compensatory allowances in a fixed proportion to those currently available to hill farmers;(2) what is his policy with regard to marginal land, with particular reference to compensatory allowances and capital grants.

My right hon. Friend's study into the possibility of further help for the marginal land farmer outside the hills is continuing.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of vivisection.

The law relating to the performance of experiments on living animals, as contained in the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department.The cost of animal experiments that arise in the course of the diagnostic and research work of my Department forms part of the total cost of that work and is not separately identifiable. The same is true of work commissioned by the Ministry with external contractors.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why Turkey has been allowed to exceed the import quota of yarn by importing 3,540 tonnes to the end of June when the agreed ceiling was 2,940 tonnes.

I will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he hopes to be in a position to make a statement concerning the future of the Registry of Business Names.

When we have completed our review of functions to determine the scope for reductions in the size of the Civil Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what he estimates will be the level of trade between the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1979; and how this compares with the level of trade between France and Russia.

Details of United Kingdom and French exports to, and imports from, the Soviet Union at the latest available dates are shown in the tables below. I prefer not to venture estimates for 1979 as a whole.

I. TRADE BETWEEN UNITED KINGDOM AND THE SOVIET UNION IN THE PERIOD JANUARY-AUGUST 1979*
	£ million
Imports (cif)	473·4
Exports (fob)	260·9

II. TRADE BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE SOVIET UNION IN THE PERIOD JANUARY-JULY 1979†
	million	£ million
	US dollars	equivalent
French Imports (cif)	875·3	419·5
French Exports (fob)	1148·0	551·0
Source	(*) Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.
	(†) OECD Series A—Statistics of Foreign Trade.

NOTE: the trade figures so far in 1979 have been distorted by disruptions in the flow of information on which they are based, resulting in understatement of both imports and exports. They must therefore be interpreted with caution.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement concerning the effect of operating cuts by his Department on work undertaken by the Department's marine surveyors.

Various proposals to reduce the functions and staffing of the Department of Trade—and other Government Departments—are being considered but no decisions on these proposals have yet been reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in view of the difficulties created for British bath manufacturers resulting from the current policy of an EEC manufacturer, which appears to contravene article 86 of the EEC Treaty, he will investigate this matter with a view to taking action in the Community.

The United Kingdom industry concerned has submitted an application under article 86 of the Treaty of Rome to the European Commission, which is investigating the complaint.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many mothers of children under 5 years there are in the United Kingdom; and how many of these mothers take paid employment outside the home (a) for 12 hours or fewer per week, (b) for 12 hours up to and including 20 hours, (c) for 20 hours up to and including 30 hours and (d) for more than 30 hours.

It is estimated that in Great Britain in 1978 there were some 2¾ million mothers with children under 5 years of age. About ¾ million of these were in paid employment, of whom fewer than 200,000 worked full-time, that is 30 hours or more a week, and nearly 600,000 worked part time, that is fewer than 30 hours a week. A more detailed breakdown of those working fewer than 30 hours a week is not available. Comparable information for Northern Ireland is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to revise thoroughly the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act in relation to agriculture.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will propose giving homeworkers employee status.

My Department is engaged in a programme of research into homeworking, and I shall be reviewing the matter as more information becomes available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will appoint a commission of inquiry into The Times newspaper dispute.

I welcome the ending of the dispute. I have no plans to appoint an inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in rank order from lowest to highest the wages councils' awards currently in operation, as they apply to the main categories of workers in each trade.

It is not possible to list all current rates laid down for the large number of categories of workers covered by wages councils without disproportionate cost. However, for typical adult grades—for example shop assistant in retail trades, "other workers" in other trades—the current weekly rates are shown in the following table. Where area rates are set, the rates shown are for large towns outside London.

Council	Current statutory minimum
	£
Fur	27·50
*Hairdressing undertakings—other worker	31·35
*Hairdressing undertakings—operative hairdresser	37·00
*Ostrich and fancy feather, etc.	38·00
Rope twine and net	39·50
Cotton waste reclamation	40·00
Made-up textiles	40·00
Lace finishing	40·00
*Licensed residential establishment and licensed restaurant	40·40
Laundry	41·00
Licensed non-residential establishmen—bar staff	41·00
Hat, cap and millinery	41·20
Aerated waters—England and Wales	41·60
†Retail newsagency tobacco and confectionery—Scotland	41·70
Corset manufacture	42·00
Dressmaking and womens light clothing—England and Wales	42·00
Dressmaking and womens light clothing—Scotland	42·00
Linen and cotton handkerchief, etc.	42·00
†Retail bread and flour confectionery—England and Wales	42·00
†Retail bread and flour confectionery—Scotland	42·00
†Retail food trades—England and Wales	42·00
†Retail food trades—Scotland	42·00
Ready-made and wholesale bespoke tailoring	42·00
Rubber-proofed garment making	42·00
Sack and bag	42·00
Shirt manufacture	42·00
Wholesale mantle and costume	42·00
‡*Retail bookselling and stationery	42·50
‡*Retail furnishing and allied trades	42·50
Licensed non-residential establishment—club stewards	43·10
General waste materials reclamation	43·20
†Retail newsagency, tobacco and confectionery — England and Wales	43·20
Boot and shoe repairing	43·50
Retail bespoke tailoring	43·50
Toy manufacturing	43·60
Unlicensed place of refreshment	44·00
Pin, hook and eye and snap fastener	44·50
Coffin furniture and cerement making	44·80
‡*Retail drapery outfitting and footwear	45·00
Flax and hemp	45·73
Perambulator and invalid carriage	46·00
Button manufacture	46·00
Aerated waters—Scotland	48·00
*These councils have issued proposals for increased rates.
†These councils have been amalgamated into one council as from 1 September 1979. The

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of the number of adults, distinguishing between men and women, with a basic wage of less than (a) £50 and (b) £45.

The following estimates relate to gross weekly earnings—excluding overtime earnings.

Number of full-time employees whose pay in April 1979 was not affected by absence
Gross weekly earnings (excluding overtime earnings) of men aged 21 and over:
	Millions
Less than £45	0·2
Less than £50	0·3
Gross weekly earnings (excluding overtime earnings) of women aged 18 and over:
Less than 45	0·9
Less than £50	1·5

Source:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the purpose of the circulation of the form W150 by the Wages Inspectorate; in what way this additional work is of assistance to small business men who may be required to complete the form; and whether he intends to make any changes therein.

The form W150 is sent to employers in the retail distributive trades who have not previously been known to the Wages Inspectorate to inquire whether they employ workers within scope of whichever wages council applies. In appropriate cases the employer's name is added to the list for the receipt of wages notices issued by the wages council concerned. If such inquiries were to cease many employers would not be aware of their obligations and would be in breach of the law. I have no plans to change the system.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to tighten up regulations surrounding the job experience scheme in order to avoid the scheme being used by employers to obtain publicly subsidised cheap labour.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that all employers are required to declare that their trainees on work experience schemes are not taking the place of permanent employees, and there are arrangements to make periodic visits to a proportion of schemes. The MSC has recently reviewed its arrangements for monitoring schemes and will continue to keep them under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have been notified since the beginning of May 1979 by firms in the United Kingdom as a whole, and in Scotland.

The number of proposed redundancies which have been notified to my Department in the period May-September 1979 is as follows:

Great Britain	Scotland
196,631	28,514
—3,251 establishments—404 establishments

The provisions do not apply to Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in how many instances his Department's local offices have been notified of (a) industrial redundancies and (b) factory closures in Wales since 1 May 1979; and how many employees have been affected by these notifications, respectively.

Separate figures on industrial redundancies are not available. The total number of proposed redundancies in Wales notified to my Department in the period May to September 1979 was 13,773–204 establishments. For the same period the number of redundancies, where closure of the establishment was involved was 8,678–101 establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration he is giving to the results of the recent investigation by a working party into growing unemployment among the blind, particularly machine operators; and if the Manpower Services Commission will be making efforts to follow up some of the proposals.

I welcome the report and the careful work which has gone into it. I have asked the Manpower Services Commission to examine its recommendations and senior officials are to meet officials of the Royal National Institute for the Blind—RNIB—to discuss the report in more detail. I am informed by the MSC that it is in agreement with the vast majority of the recommendations in the report and welcomes the emphasis in the report on continuing the close co-operation that has developed between the MSC and the RNIB in their joint efforts to promote employment opportunities for blind people. I shall be watching with interest the MSC's further consideration of the report within the overall context of its policies for disabled people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the proposed expansion of jobcentres to a total of 800 by 1981–82 will affect current cash limits for the Manpower Services Commission.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that, following the reduction of £1 million in expenditure on the jobcentre programme in the current financial year, the programme now aims to have approximately 1,000 jobcentres operational by 1985–86. Of this number, approximately 662 will have been completed by the end of the current financial year and 800 by the start of 1981–82.The Government are reviewing expenditure on the jobcentre programme in the light of their plans and priorities on public expenditure generally. The MSC confidently expects that expenditure on the jobcentre programme will be held within agreed cash limits.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that the Government's public expenditure restrictions will in no way limit the compensation payable under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979.

No single item of public expenditure can be uninfluenced by the overall availability of resources; but there is no intention to reduce the provision already made for those payments in my Department's estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he has requested the retail prices index advisory committee to examine any changes in, or weighting of, the matters affecting the make up of the retail price index since 3 May; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will publish in the

The retail prices index advisory committee is convened and its membership established at such times as the Secretary of State for Employment wishes to seek its advice on matters relating to the index. Since 3 May 1979 there have been no plans to change the method of constructing the index and therefore no matters to put to the committee. When it was last convened in November 1977 the membership was:

Mr. A. R. Thatcher, CB—Director of Statistics, Department of Employment (Chairman).

Mr. S. H. Ainsworth—Co-operative Union Ltd.

Professor Sir Roy Allen, CBE—Professor of Statistics, London University.

Professor A. J. Brown—Professor of Economics, Leeds University.

Mr. R. F. Fowler, CBE—Former Director of Statistical Research, Department of Employment.

Professor A. R. Ilersic—Professor of Social Studies, London University.

Alderman Mrs. P. Jacob, JP—National Federation of Women's Institutes.

Mr. D. E. Lea—Trades Union Congress General Council.

Lady Morris, OBE.

Dr. J. F. Pickering—Consumers' Association.

Mr. B. T. Ramm—Retail Consortium.

Mr. T. A. Swinden—Confederation of British Industries.

Professor Brinley Thomas, CBE—Director, Manpower Research Unit, University College, Cardiff.

Mr A. H. J. Baines—Chief Statistician, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Miss M. P. Brown—Under Secretary (Economics), H.M. Treasury.

Mr. A. G. Carruthers—Deputy Director of Statistics, Department of Employment.

Mr. P. Duncan—Statistician, Scottish Office.

Mr. J. Hibbert—Assistant Director, Central Statistical Office.

Mr. O. T. Hooker—Senior Economic Adviser, Welsh Office.

Mr. M. Neifield—Chief Statistician, Department of Trade, Industry and Prices and Consumer Protection.

Dr. A. T. Park—Director, Statistics and Economics Unit, Department of Finance. Northern Ireland.

Mr. A. R. Smith—Director of Statistics and Research, Department of Health and Social Security.

Mr. W. H. Stott—Chief Statistician, Department of the Environment and Transport.

Mr. E. Hunter—Secretary, Department of Employment.

Mr. D. J. Sellwood—Assistant Secretary, Department of Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment to what extent his Department is assisting the 1979 campaign to inform employers of how to meet their responsibilities for the employment of disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1979, c. 335]: My Department is giving its fullest possible support to the Manpower Services Commission's 1979 "Fit for Work" campaign. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment formally launched the campaign and the MSC's new award scheme when opening the mobile train exhibition on 17 September at Marylebone, and my noble Friend the Minister of State closed the exhibition at Leicester on 18 October after it had successfully completed its five-week tour of 12 major cities. The Department issued press notices publicising and supporting the campaign. I am glad to say that the campaign has also had the personal support of my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Industry and the Minister of State with responsibility for the disabled.The object of the campaign is to promote constructive attitudes by employers, trades unions and workers towards the employment and career development of disabled people and to encourage the use of MSC's facilities to help them in this. The campaign already has the support of a wide range of influential people and the MSC is seeking to ensure the co-operation of employers and trade unionists to make it a success in the short term by getting them to look afresh at their policies and practices, and in the long term by providing a climate in which equal opportunities are given to disabled people at work, both in respect of the numbers in jobs and, through promotion and career developments, in the quality of the work they do.I am informed by the MSC that the campaign has been widely publicised in the press and on radio and television and that over 200 local presentations to employers and trade unionists throughout the country will also be taking place to help promote its theme that "disabled workers are good workers". The MSC is also hoping to arrange a display in the Upper Waiting Room of the House for the benefit of hon. Members.The MSC's new award scheme for firms who do most to implement exemplary employment policies towards disabled people has secured the patronage of 19 leading employers and trade unionists, including the director general of the CBI—Sir John Methven—and the general secretary of the TUC, Mr. Len Murray.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will seek to establish a system of public commendation to employers who pursue successful policies in the employment of disabled people and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1979, c. 335]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 4 July, which announced the intention of the Manpower Services Commission to establish a scheme of annual awards to firms for exemplary policies and practices in the employment of disabled people. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment formally opened the award scheme when he launched the MSC's "Fit for Work" campaign on 17 September.I am informed by the MSC that the purpose and scope of the award scheme, which has secured the patronage of 19 leading employers and trade unionists, has been widely published in the course of its current "Fit for Work" campaign on behalf of disabled people in the employment field. In particular, full details, together with guidance on the application of positive policies on the employment of disabled people and information on how the services available through MSC can help, have been sent to over 75,000 firms nationwide.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will initiate discussions with representatives of all parties in the House with a view to implementing the recommendation of the Select Committee on Procedure that the House should sit on Fridays from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm.

There will be an opportunity for the House to come to a decision on this matter on Wednesday during the debate on procedure.