asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers are in section 2 employment; how many are on the waiting list, and what is the number of vacancies.

On 31 March 1979 there were 13,899 registered severely disabled people in sheltered employment. Information on the number of people on the waiting list and the number of vacancies is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the names and addresses of all the sheltered workshops, known to his Department, in the United Kingdom.

I will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new places in sheltered employment are planned for the next five years; and whether any programme expansion has been stopped or delayed because of the government's policy of cutting public expenditure.

The Manpower Services Commission (MSC), which is responsible for sheltered employment, announced in 1978 that it planned to provide an additional 200 places annually over the next few years, economic circumstances permitting.I have been advised by the MSC that it has not changed those plans but, because of financial constraints, some new workshops, some of which are partially financed by local authorities and voluntary bodies, could be deferred.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the per capita cost per annum for persons in sheltered employment.

In the financial year 1977–78, the latest year for which full information is available, the cost per severely disabled person in all forms of sheltered employment was £2,460.