asked the Lord Privy Seal whether the allocation of seats in each of the common roll districts in the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia will be based on a method of greatest remainders or of greatest divisors.

The former.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what, for the longest and most convenient stated period of time, have been the numbers of refugees landing in Hong Kong either annually, monthly, or weekly and the numbers of Hong Kong citizens leaving to enter the United Kingdom.

Since 1975, the annual totals of refugees arriving in Hong Kong from Vietnam—the only place from which they have arrived in significant numbers—have been:

1975	3,743
1976	191
1977	1,001
1978	6,609
1979(to 10 December)	73,305

The monthly total for 1979 were:

January	5,395
February	5,552
March	3,114
April	6,143
May	18,688
June	19,651
July	8,046
August	3,247
September	2,581
October	572
November	282
December (1-10)	34

Since 1973 the annual totals of former residents of Hong Kong admitted for settlement in the United Kingdom have been:

1973	1,561
1974	1,990
1975	2,089
1976	1,930
1977	1,676
1978	1,284
1979 (January to June)	671

These figures do not include refugees settled in this country from Hong Kong.

Price asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will instruct the Governor on arrival in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia to lift those exclusion orders placed by the illegal regime on journalists and others who are United Kingdom citizens and, in particular, that imposed on Mrs. Judith Acton.

All prohibited immigrants and persons on the stop list, including Mrs. Judith Acton, are free to reapply for entry and their cases will be given sympathetic consideration. The Governor has taken steps to lift restrictions on British journalists.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will ask the Governor of Zimbabwe to submit as soon as practicable a report on the health of the population and, in particular, on the effect of the war on preventive measures.

The Governor's main task is to provide conditions in which free elections can be held. The implementation of a ceasefire should contribute to the resumption of normal medical services, including preventive medicine.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report full details of any plans that he may have to reduce the size of the Civil Service in Ulster, including the extent of the financial saving that might be gained by such a reduction.

Details of the Northern Ireland Office contribution towards the reduction in the cost of the United Kingdom Civil Service were published in the Official Report for 6 December 1979.—[Vol. 975, c. 639.]The Northern Ireland Civil Service will make a contribution broadly in line with that of the United Kingdom Civil Service. I hope to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland, how many persons have died each year since 1970 in Scotland whilst detained in police custody as a result of, respectively (a) natural

								(a)	(b)	(c)
								Natural causes	Non-natural causes	Suicide
16 May 1975 to 31 December 1975					…	…	…	2	1	0
1976	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	4	7	1
1977	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	4	5	2
1978	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	5	8	2
1979 to date (provisional)				…	…	…	…	2	3	1

All the non-natural deaths apart from one, presently the subject of inquiry, involved the effects of excessive consumption of drugs of alcohol or both. Deaths in police custody include any death in police custody—for example, en route to hospital in an ambulance.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he is taking to encourage the search for substitutes for polyurethane foam which would be less hazardous for the consumer in the event of a fire.

Proposals for developing new forms of polyurethane foam or substitutes for the material could be eligible for assistance under the product and process development scheme or by the requirements boards. The industry is itself undertaking substantial safety work in this area and I see no present need for the Department to take further specific action to encourage research of the kind suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much Government money has been paid to Adamson Containers of Reddish, Stockport; and how much of that money would have to be repaid if the factory closed permanently.

Government assistance has been given to Adamson Containers of Reddish, Stockport, under the Industry Act 1972 by way of regional development and interest relief grants. Although normally the amounts of grant causes, (b) non-natural causes and (c) suicide.

I do not have the figures prior to 15 May 1975 but the figures from that date are as follows:paid are regarded as confidential between the applicant and the Department, the company has been consulted and has agreed to the disclosure of the following total amounts of grant paid:

Regional development grants	£315,791
Interest Relief Grant	£485,100

Conditions are attached to the payment of regional development grant which ensure that the grant becomes repayable in whole or in part if, within a period of four years, the premises concerned cease to be used wholly or mainly for qualifying activities or the asset ceases to be used there. The proportion of each grant that would have to be repaid if the factory in question closed permanently would normally relate to the period of eligible use and cannot therefore be assessed in advance. So far as interest relief grant is concerned, there are no equivalent conditions and although much would depend upon the circumstances, it is doubtful whether the grant would be repayable.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations have been received from United Kingdom trade unions about the proposed dropping of planning agreements from the Government's industrial policy.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations: planning agreements have never formed part of the Government's industrial policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much money was recovered during the past 12 months from civil servants who reimbursed his Department following private use of the telephone, in accordance with the Civil Service code of conduct.

Recoveries from staff for private telephone charges in London buildings in the past 12 months were approximately £440. It is not possible to provide this detail for all the Department's establishments without a disproportionate amount of staff effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will circulate in the Official Report a list of the manufacturing industries whose profits have fallen significantly as a result of increased competition from overseas suppliers in the United Kingdom and in third markets during the past two years, together with an estimate of the amount by which employment in each case has been reduced.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what estimate he has made of the impact on home production of pig iron imports over the next two years.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 December 1979]: None. Imports of pig iron from non-EEC countries are covered by the Community's anti-crisis measures.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what are the current levels of all types of allowance payable to A Grade personnel of the EEC Commissions and to United Kingdom members of the EEC Assembly, respectively, for a 24-hour stay in London.

Officials of the EEC Commission in grades A1-A3 receive an allowance of £15·26. In addition they are reimbursed the cost of their hotel room, including service and taxes but excluding breakfast, up to a maximum of £18·60. Those in grades A4-A8 receive an allowance of £25·76. All these amounts are currently under review.I understand that a United Kingdom Member of the European Parliament would not receive an allowance for a 24-hour stay in London.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service, of the 40,000 Civil Service jobs to be cut over the next three years, how many are, respectively, administrative, executive and clerical jobs in each Department; and what percentage these represent of the number currently in staff in each Department in each of those grades.

This information is not yet available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list all the functions which it is proposed shall be transferred to the private sector as a result of the 40,000 jobs cutback in the Civil Service.

Some of the work in the areas listed below is expected to be transferred to the private sector as a result of the manpower reductions announced on 6th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he proposes to make it a condition of offer for exploration areas in the next round that the companies will subsequently place orders with Scottish yards for any production platforms required.

No. Such a condition would not be consistent with our international obligations. The proper course is to ensure that licensees give the fullest regard to affording United Kingdom industry full and fair opportunity to compete for offshore orders and services; and that is the course I will continue to take.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied with the effectiveness of the planning process for important technical developments in the energy field, especially nuclear; if he is satisfied that the public have adequate information before any decisions regarding technical developments in the energy field are made; if he is satisfied that the public are adequately consulted before any such decisions are made; and whether he proposes to make any changes to the planning processes for important technical developments in the energy field, especially nuclear.

Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 and the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972, the responsibility for planning matters in relation to most energy developments lies with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Scotland or Wales, depending on the location. In the case of electricity generating stations and overhead transmission lines—except in Scotland, and opencast coalmining, however, I have the responsibility for giving deemed planning permission and for imposing appropriate conditions at the same time as giving other statutory consents under section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909, section 10(b)of the Schedule to the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899 and section 1 of the Opencast Coal Act 1958 respectively. In Scotland the Secretary of State for Scotland has these responsibilities in relation to power stations and overhead lines. In the case of nuclear power stations, safety clearance in the form of a nuclear site licence must also be obtained from the Health and Safety Executive, under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish immediately the safety case documents relating to the American-designed pressurised water reactors in line with the Health and Safety Executive's request to the Central Electricity Generating Board.

The Central Electricity Generating Board—CEGB—would have to submit a safety case for consideration by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate in support of any application the Board might make to the Health and Safety Executive—HSE—for a licence to construct and operate a pressurised water reactor—PWR—in this country. No such application for a PWR has been made and no safety case has been submitted. Preparation of a formal safety case would not commence until commercial licensing arrangements had been finalised.It is the policy of the Government, the CEGB, and all concerned with the nuclear industry to make as much information available on nuclear safety as is reasonably possible and the appropriate safety documentation supporting the initial licensing of the first PWR will be prepared with this in mind.The HSE published a summary of its assessment of the generic safety issues of PWRs in July 1977 and a more detailed report of this work has recently been made available. A substantial summary of the Marshall report on the integrity of PWR pressure vessels, one of the inputs to the HSE's exercise, has also been released.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will publish a Green Paper before introducing any legislation for an assisted places scheme for fee-paying schools in Scotland.

No, but I have placed in the Library of the House copies of a consultative paper on this subject which was issued yesterday

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider introducing a special supplement to the rate support grant that will give extra assistance to areas like Dundee that are suffering from high unemployment.

Assistance is already available to help provide new employment in companies with a prospect of viability in the long or short term where such assistance is necessary to ensure that the relevant projects proceed. I believe this is a better way to channel resources into areas of high unemployment than to operate through the rate support grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list every different circumstance in which officials of his Department, and of all public bodies ultimately answerable to himself, have search and entry powers into either the homes or the business premises of British citizens with, in each case, reference to the appropriate statutory authority and the number of such inspectors.

The most comprehensive information readily available about powers is contained in the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for East-leigh (Mr. Price) on 21 June 1976.—[Vol. 913, c. 379–381.] The information sought about the numbers of officials is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the report of the Programme Planning Group, set up by the Advisory Council on Social Work and the Scottish Health Service Planning Council on Service for the Elderly in Scotland, will be published.

I am arranging for this report to be published as soon as possible. The press will be notified at the time of publication, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House. Health boards and local authorities will be notified of the publication so that they may be aware of its recommendations when considering the future planning of relevant services. I am not committed to accepting the recommendations, which will have to be considered in the light of the Government's general strategy in relation to elderly people and of the plans set out in the Government's White Papers on public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the percentage breakdown of the defence budget so far as it is expended on (a) wages and salaries, (b) pensions, welfare, etc., (c) conventional weapons and (d) the nuclear deterrent.

Some 37 per cent. of Estimates, as presented to Parliament in February this year, relates to Service and civilian pay and allowances, 51½per cent. to Service pensions—civilian pensions are not a charge to the defence budget—and 37 per cent. to sea, land and air equipment systems. £126 million, or about 1½per cent. of the defence budget, is devoted to the nuclear deterrent. £372 million, or 4½ per cent. of the defence budget is devoted to education—mainly of Service children, married accommodation and medical services. The figures of£126 million and £372 million are on a functional basis and thus include personnel costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportions of British soldiers serving in Northern Ireland since 1969 have been killed, maimed or injured.

The following table shows the number of soldiers who have been killed, injured or medically discharged as a result of terrorist action in Northern Ireland, expressed as a rate per thousand of the force level in Northern Ireland for each year from 1969to 1978.No comparable figures are yet available for 1979.

Year	Deaths	Injuries	Medical discharge
1969	—	5·9	—
1970	—	8·4	0·1
1971	4·0	20·0	0·3
1972	6·2	29·4	0·6
1973	3·5	18·1	2·4
1974	1·6	14·1	3·3
1975	1·0	5·0	1·8
1976	1·0	9·2	1·3
1977	1·0	8·5	1·2
1978	0·9	5·0	0·9

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers from Wales have been injured, maimed or killed in Northern Ireland since 1969.

I cannot add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley) on 19 November—[Vol. 974, c. 52.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will open negotiations with the other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to reduce the United Kingdom's share of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military and civil budgets on the grounds that the United Kingdom contributes more than any other European member and that this contribution is based on an out-of-date calculation of ability to pay.

These matters are kept under review and I shall bear in mind what the hon. Member says.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Armed Forces have been recruited in Wales for every year from 1969 onwards; and how many have served in Northern Ireland.

The number of Service personnel recruited through careers information offices in Wales is readily avail able only from the 1970–71 financial year. Figures for this and subsequent years are listed in the table below; they do not include officers or QARNNS Service women since they are recruited on a central basis and regional figures are not readily available.

1970–71	2,228
1971–72	2,526
1972–73	2,124
1973–74	1,667
1974–75	2,272
1975–76	2,573
1976–77	2,123
1977–78	1,986
1978–79	2,477
1979–80*	1,434
* April-November.

It would require disproportionate effort to determine how many of these personnel have served at any time in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that those British troops sent to Zimbabwe-Rhodesia contains substantially the same racial balance as that which pertains for the British Army as a whole.

No records are kept of the racial balance within the British Army. It is, therefore, not possible to give the assurance requested about the British contingent of the monitoring organisation which is on standby for deployment to Southern Rhodesia. I can, however, give an assurance that no special selection on grounds of race has been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to introduce the airborne warning and control system; what purchases are planned for such a system; if he intends to purchase the German or the United States model; and what will be the cost.

There are no plans for the United Kingdom to introduce the airborne warning and control system known as AWACS. Our contribution to the NATO airborne early warning force will be the Nimrod Mk 3 aircraft under development by British Aerospace and Marconi Avionics Ltd.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances his Department passes on information to the Home Office about a hospital patient or social security claimant; and if the person's consent is obtained in all such cases beforehand.

The Home Office may ask my Department for a report from the medical adviser of anyone applying for an extension of stay, or appealing against refusal of an extension or a deportation order, if the continuing receipt of medical treatment is material to the case and if permission is given by the person concerned.My Department may seek information from the Home Office about the length and conditions of stay of a visitor from abroad who seeks non-emergency NHS treatment and about whose eligibility for that treatment there is some doubt: for this purpose minimum identifying information is given to the Home Office. The visitor's consent is not sought in these cases.Medical inspectors appointed by the Department advise Home Office immigration officers on the fitness of a person for entry or repatriation, and such a person may be referred to a hospital for treatment.Information about special hospital patients is passed to the Home Office to enable the Home Secretary to discharge his responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1959 and the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964. The patient's consent is not sought in these cases.Information relating to social security claimants may be given to the Home Office with the consent of the person concerned in circumstances where it is desirable to do so. Information may also be given, without consent, where someone from abroad admitted for a temporary period and subject to immigration conditions is receiving supplementary benefit in circumstances which may have a bearing on his eligibility to remain.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now consider improving the position of a working wife below the age of 60 years for whom the earnings rule remains at £45 per week.

No. As my right hon. Friend explained during the debate on the Second Reading of the Pensioners' Payments and Social Security Bill on 29 June 1979, it does not seem sensible to increase the earnings limit for dependent wives at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Social Services whether, in view of the fact that contributory retirement pensions could be increased considerably if the annual sums now being expended on the indexing of public servants pensions were used for this purpose, he will take whatever action may prove necessary to achieve this fairer method of allocation of public funds to retired persons.

No. The Government have no plans to take any such action.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to increase the sum of five shillings per head awarded in 1948 for hospital patients, including mental patients, for Christmas festivities, in view of the value represented by the equivalent sum of 25p today.

Expenditure of this type is totally within health authority discretion.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 5 December on fundings of projects for alcoholism, what representations he has had, and from whom, requesting that funding remain with his Department and not in future with local authorities; and if he will reconsider the decision to make local authorities responsible for funding and maintain his Department's support.

Representations have been received from hon. Members, voluntary organisations, individuals and two deputations led by the noble Lord, Lord Soper, which included members of CHAR—the Campaign for Single Homeless People—the Federation of Alcoholic Rehabilitation Establishments—FARE—and NACRO—National Association for the Care of Offenders—and Prevention of Crime. While there have been some requests for permanent central funding of hostels for alcoholics, many have been for an extension of the pump-priming scheme under the Department's circular 21/73 for a further two years.I hope to make a further statement before the Christmas Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Service how many people have died or suffered injury as a result of unnecessary smallpox vaccinations in the current year; and how many in each year since 1970.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will issue guidance to doctors advising them to consider the issue of waived letters to travellers to those countries still requiring smallpox certificates stating that the risks of such vaccinations are medically unjustifiable.

Whether to vaccinate in a particular case is for the doctor to decide. There is, however, no guarantee that a waiver letter would be acceptable in those countries which still require certificates of vaccination against smallpox. As the Department's "Notice to Travellers" points out, where vaccination is contra-indicated it is advisable to confirm with the appropriate embassy or mission before leaving that a doctor's letter to this effect will be acceptable.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the reduction in employment in manufacturing industry in the principal industrial countries between 1970 and the latest available date in terms of numbers and as a percentage.

The latest available data which are shown in the following table relate to employees in manufacturing, that is, they exclude self-employed workers. It is important to note that there are differences between countries in coverage and definitions used in compiling these statistics, and they are therefore not fully comparable.

EMPLOYEES IN MANUFACTURING
Changes between 1970 and second quarter 1979
	Approximate numbers(thousands)	Percentage
France*	-200	-4
Germany (Federal Republic)	-900	-11
Japan*†	-600	-4
United States	+1,600	+8
United Kingdom	-1,100	-13
*Not seasonally adjusted.
†Including self—employed.
Sources:
OECD—
Main Economic Indicators.
Labour Force Statistics.
ILO—Bulletin of Labour Statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what notification and representations he has received concerning Firestone Tyre and Rubber Company's decision to close its plant at Brentford; and if he will make a statement.

The intended closure of its establishment at Brentford, due on 15 February 1980, was announced by Firestone Tyre and Rubber Co. on 14 November 1979. On that day, the company, in fulfilment of its obligations under section 100 of the Employment Protection Act 1975, notified my Department.This closure will involve some 1,500 jobs. The Manpower Services Commission has been informed, and has arranged with the company's personnel department for a job centre to be set up on site. This will operate from 9 January and will provide both a self-service and an advisory service on employment prospects and training opportunities. Redundancy payments and benefit office staff will be available to give advice. All employees are being advised in writing about these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to institute periodic checks of coal miners with regard to hearing; and if he will consider instituting biannual hearing tests in the mining industry.

The Health and Safety Executive is considering, in the light of the wide range of comments received on its discussion document "Audiometry in Industry" what action should be taken on the question of periodic checks of the hearing ability of workers generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans there are in the mining industry to enforce the code of practice that recommends an upper limit of 90dB(A) for eight hours per day, or an equivalent exposure, for workers not wearing ear protection.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 5 July 1979–[Vol. 969 c. 727.] As I explained then, when enforcing the requirements of section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Her Majesty's inspectors of mines and quarries have regard to the guidance given in the code of practice for reducing the exposure of employed persons to noise.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions have been brought on indictment and how many at magistrates' courts under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and other relevant statutory provisions in each six-month period since 1974, in respect of which records are available; how many and what percentage of such prosecutions in each category have been successful; how many convicted persons have been sentenced to prison; how many convicted persons, companies or authorities, respectively, have been fined; and what has been the average and the range of fines concerned.

Information in the precise form required by the hon. and learned Member could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.I am asking the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission to write to the hon. and learned Member as soon as possible, giving such information about prosecutions taken by the Health and Safety Executive as is readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much money was recovered during the past 12 months from civil servants who reimbursed his Department following privatae use of the telephone, in accordance with the Civil Service code of conduct.

The sum of £294·62 was recovered during the past 12 months from civil servants who reimbursed my Department for the cost of private telephone calls made on official telephones in our headquarters offices. The cost of extending the inquiry to local offices would be disproportionate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much was cut from the budget of the Manpower Services Commission as a result of the review of public expenditure in 1980–81; and in which precise areas cuts are to be made in the work of the commission as a result of this overall reduction.

The Manpower Services Commission has been asked to reduce its forward forecast 1980–81 by £150 million. I am informed that the commission has not yet considered the application of the cuts in the work of the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the numbers and percentages of Civil Service posts which are to be cut in the Manpower Services Commission, detailing in which precise areas the work of the commission is to be restricted as a result of these cuts.

I have asked the Manpower Services Commission to reduce the number of posts by 3,400 by 1 April 1983, equivalent to 12·8 per cent. The commission will shortly consider how this reduction should be apportioned among its various operational programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of young people who have participated in the youth opportunities programme went on to permanent empolyment, broken down (a) by each component of the programme and (b) by region; and if he will decribe the way in which this information was collected.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that comprehensive statistics relating to young people leaving the youth opportunities programme are not available. However, a recent postal sample survey, of young people who entered the programme in September and October 1978, has shown that the following percentages of young people entered normal employment immediately on leaving the work experience elements of the programme:

Work experience on employers' premises	70 per cent.
Project-based work experience	56 per cent.
Training workshops	60 per cent.
Community service	47 per cent.
All work experience elements	68 per cent.

Regional analyses of results of this survey have not yet been completed. I shall write to the hon. Member when these analyses are completed early in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in productivity by sector over the past 10 years.

The following table gives percentage increases in output per person employed for the whole economy, index of production industries, manufacturing industries and certain industry groups.

PERCENTAGE INCREASE 1968–78
	Actual	Annual rate
Whole economy
(a)	18·9	1·7
(b)	16·5	1·5
Index of production industries*
(a)	28·8	2·6
(b)	22·8	2·1
of which
Mining and quarrying
(a)	147·4	9·5
(b)	-1·3	-0·1
Manufacturing industries of which	24·2	2·2
Metal manufacture	4·5	0·4
Mechanical, instrument and electrical engineering	36·1	3·1
Vehicles	-4·2	-0·4
Textiles	30·4	2·7
Gas, electricity and water	71·3	5·5
* Comprising all manufacturing industries, mining and quarrying, construction and gas, electricity and water.
(a) Including exploration for and extraction of petroleum and natural gas.
(b) Excluding exploration for and extraction of petroleum and natural gas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what have been the levels of youth unemployment and the general levels of unemployment for each of the past 20 years.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest available estimate of the percentage of the unemployed who have been without work for (a) six months or more and (b) 12 months or more.

At 11 October, the latest date for which the quarterly duration analysis is available, the proportions of the registered unemployed in Great Britain who had been unemployed for over 26 and up to 52 weeks, and for over 52 weeks, were 14·9 and 25·9 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest available estimate of the percentage of unemployed under 25-yearolds who have been without work for (a) six months or more and (b) 12 months or more.

At 11 October, the latest date for which the quarterly age and duration analysis is available, the proportions of those under 25 years of age registered as unemployed in Great Britain who had been unemployed for over 26 and up to 52 weeks, and for over 52 weeks, were 12·7 and 11 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is his estimate of the proportion of the work force in unskilled employment for each year over the past 10 years;(2) what has been the proportion of the work force in unskilled employment by sector for each of the past 10 years.

Information is not available in the form requested. However, from the 1971 census of population

			Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing; Mining and Quarrying. (Orders I and II of the Standard Industrial Classification, 1968) per cent.	Manufacturing Industries (Orders III-X1X) per cent	Other industries and services (Orders X X-XXVII)per cent.
June 1960	…	…	6·9	38·4	54·7
June 1961	…	…	6·5	38·4	55·1
June 1962	…	…	6·2	37·7	56·1
June 1963	…	…	6·1	37·0	56·9
June 1964	…	…	5·7	37·0	57·2
June 1965	…	…	5·3	37·1	57·6
June 1966	…	…	5·0	36·9	58·1
June 1967	…	…	4·8	36·5	58·7
June 1968	…	…	4·4	36·4	59·2
June 1969	…	…	4·1	36·9	58·9
June 1970	…	…	3·9	37·1	59·0
June 1971	…	…	3·8	36·4	59·8
June 1972	…	…	3·7	35·2	61·2
June 1973	…	…	3·5	34·6	61·9
June 1974	…	…	3·4	34·6	62·1
June 1975	…	…	3·3	33·0	63·7
June 1976	…	…	3·3	32·2	64·5
June 1977	…	…	3·3	32·5	64·2
June 1978	…	…	3·2	32·2	64·5
June 1979	…	…	3·1	31·7	65·3
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people have undergone apprenticeship training, by sector, over the past 10 years.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that it is estimated that in Great Britain 7·3 per cent. of the work force were unskilled manual workers. The corresponding proportion in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying industries combined was 1 per cent., in manufacturing industries 7·4 per cent., and in other industries and services 7·7 per cent. Later information by industrial sector is not available but data from the general household survey up to 1977 suggest that, in aggregate, the percentage of the work force who are unskilled manual workers has changed little since 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the proportion of the work force employed in each industrial sector over the past 20 years.

The following table gives for employees in employment in Great Britain at June each year the proportions in three broad industrial sectors.there are no statistics available to indicate how many school leavers commence apprenticeships.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment which of the services currently carried out by his Department he proposes to transfer to the private sector as a result of proposed cuts in the Civil Service; how many staff will be saved in each case, and at what cost; and how much it will cost to have those services carried out by the private sector.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 December 1979]: I have no plans to transfer any work for which I am responsible to the private sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment to what extent public expenditure cuts are affecting the recruitment of factory inspectors.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 December 1979]: As a result of the statement on Civil Service manpower

AVERAGE GROSS WEEKLY EARNINGS* OF THOSE AGED UNDER 18‡ AS A PERCENTAGE OF THOSE AGED 18 AND OVER
			April 1970†		April 1979
			Manual employees	Non-manual employees	Manual employees	Non-manual employees
Men	…	…	36	26	45	34
Women	…	…	69	46	70	54
Source: New Earnings Survey.
* Full-time employees whose earnings were not affected by absence in the survey periods.
† Comparable figures are not available prior to this date
‡As the minimum school leaving age was raised to 16 from 1 September 1972, for April 1979 "under 18" will mean 16 and 17 years and for April 1970 "under 18" will mean 15 to 17 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the investments made with moneys from the redundancy fund, giving details of rates of interest, maturity dates and yield.

Title and rate of interest									Maturity date	Nominal £k
Treasury Stock 9½%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1980	15,600
Exchequer Stock 13%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1980	15,000
Treasury Stock 9¾%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1981	12,400
Exchequer Stock 8¼%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1981	15,000
Exchequer Stock 12¾%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1981	2,600
Treasury Stock 8½%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1980–82	9,300
Treasury Stock 14%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1982	4,920
Exchequer Stock 9¼%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1982	15,000
Exchequer Stock 8¾%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1983	9,200
Treasury Stock 12%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1983	6,900
Treasury Stock 9¼%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1983	10,150
Exchequer Stock 10%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1983	9,900
Treasury Stock 12%			…	…	…	…	…	…	1984	5,100
Local Authority Loans 16¼–17½ %				…	…	…	…	…	Within one year	3,815
Ways and Means @ 15 9/16%				…	…	…	…	…	—	1,330
Cash Balance	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	—	4
										136,219

									£k
(a) Purchase price of stock	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	132,000
(b) 1 year's income on the nominal stockholdings at the rates of interest shown above									14,093

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the relative change in wage differentials for the 16 to 18-year-old age group, compared with the average adult wage over the past 10 years.

Separate figures for employees aged 16 to 18 years inclusive are not readily available.The available figures relating to those under 18 are as follows:

[pursuant to his reply, 13 December 1979]: The following table lists the investments held in the redundancy fund investment account at 30 November 1979:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many man days were lost in industrial disputes in each year since and including 1970, to date: in 1979, how many man days were lost up to 3 May; and how many from 4 May.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 December 1979]: Following is the information:

WORKING DAYS LOST IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
	Million
1970	11·0
1971	13·6
1972	23·9
1973	7·2
1974	14·7
1975	6·0
1976	3·3
1977	10·1
1978	9·4
1979–
1 January-30 April	6·5*
1 May-31 October	20·7*
* Provisional.
Figures for parts of a month are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will refer the bid for Highland Distilleries by Hiram Walker-Gooderhan and Worts of Canada to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

My right hon. Friend will announce his decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, further to the reply of the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Official Report, 19 June, c. 505, if he has had any representations from brewers concerning price increases after 1 January 1980.

None. I would remind the hon. Member that the assurances referred to in my earlier reply were given by two companies only and expire at the end of the year. Firms generally are not now obliged to pre-notify price increases either to the Price Commission or to my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the total British cargo turnover per annum at Stockholm, Hälsingborg and Gothenburg, respectively.

The information is not available from national or published international sources. However, total cargo turnover at each of the ports—all imports, exports and domestic coastal traffic—for 1976, the latest year readily available, was as follows:

	Million tonnes
Gothenburg	20
Helsingborg	7
Stockholm	6
All Swedish ports	105
Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Sweden.

Total United Kingdom seaborne trade between the United Kingdom and Sweden in 1978 was as follows:

	Million tonnes	£ million
United Kingdom seaborne exports to Sweden	6·3	1,082
United Kingdom seaborne imports from Sweden.	5·3	1,282

The ports most used in this trade will not necessarily follow exactly the pattern shown above for overall turnover.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what volume of Scotch whisky was exported in each of the last 10 years; and if he will give break-downs for each year according to bulk malt, bulk blended and bottled whisky.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he now expects the United States Government to abolish the wine gallon assessment of tax on imports of Scotch whisky from 1 January 1980 in the context of the recent GATT negotiations.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why he put on the banned list the export of uranium hexafluoride, pressure gauges and other equipment used in the manufacture of ultra-centrifuge plants in November; and if this was a consequence of the failure of the Dutch partners in URENCO to inform the British Government of Dr. Abel Qader Khan's activities until the summer of the current year, over three years after he had left Holland.

:The addition of uranium hexafluoride, pressure gauges and other equipment to the schedule of goods prohibited to be exported was made in the light of a continuous technical review which takes account of nuclear non-proliferation considerations and not as a consequence of the matter to which the hon. Member referred

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the adequacy of staffing levels at the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in view of recent extensions given to the Commission to complete earlier directions.

Yes. As my right hon. Friend has made clear, the Commission is being strengthened to enable it to carry out its new tasks swiftly and effectively and also to aid it in carrying out its current tasks.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, pursuant to his reply of 30 November to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East, when he expects to remake the regulations under the Consumer Safety Act 1978; and which bodies he will consult.

A draft directive amending the adopted EEC directive on cosmetics—76/768/EEC—at present being considered by an economic questions working group of the Council of Ministers, is expected to be adopted during 1980. In implementing this directive I intend to remake the Cosmetics Products Regulations 1978 under the Consumer Safety Act. All interested bodies will be consulted, including consumer and safety organisations, manufacturers and trade associations, medical bodies and the local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the Government's strategy to arrest the decline of the Welsh language.

The Government provide and will continue to provide substantial support for the Welsh language. Discussions on this matter are proceeding between the Welsh Office and various national organisations. But the decline in the numbers speaking Welsh cannot be stopped by Governments. It can only be arrested by a conscious effort by those in Wales who wish the language to survive.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many schoolchildren in Wales are entitled to free school meals; what proportion of the total school population in Wales this represents; and if he will give the numbers and proportion of schoolchildren in Wales entitled to free school meals within each education authority.

Information on entitlement to free school meals is not available. The number of children receiving a free school meal on a chosen day in October 1978 was as follows:

	Number of pupils	Percentage of school population
Clwyd	10,778	14
Dyfed	9,718	16
Gwent	14,721	16
Gwynedd	10,372	24
Mid Glamorgan	15,437	14
Powys	2,781	14
South Glamorgan	12,132	16
West Glamorgan	9,080	13
WALES	85,019	16

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what effect in terms of numbers he anticipates as a result of the White Paper proposals on immigration for each of the next five years:

It is not possible to be precise about the effect on numbers in individual years

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what precautions are taken against a male sponsor who dishonestly applies for an entry clearance certificate for a second or subsequent purported wife where either the male may have changed his identity within the United Kingdom or alternatively made the application at a different post; and if he is satisfied that there is no evasion of immigration controls in such cases.

A woman seeking entry clearance as the wife of a man settled in the United Kingdom would normally be interviewed. Entry clearance officers must be satisfied that a marriage subsists. They make close checks—when necessary consulting other posts—on records of earlier applications in the names of both parties and are on their guard against the production of forged marriage certificates. In countries where a marriage certificate is not a legal requirement it is the usual practice to seek other evidence from the man in this country—who might be interviewed—or from the woman. All reasonable precautions are taken against evasion. Where it is discovered after entry that no marriage existed and deception had been practised, the removal of the woman as an illegal entrant would be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost to public funds since 1 January of the policing of all demonstrations in the Metropolis.

Substantial, but I regret the precise cost could be calculated only at disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the frequency of Boun dary Commission reports in view of their importance to the democratic structure.

I shall consider this matter in the light of the outcome of the commissions' present general reviews which are only the second to be undertaken under the arrangements agreed in 1958.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether cuts in Civil Service manpower will include a reduction in staff at the Boundary Commission.

There is no intention to reduce the staff of the Parliamentary Boundary Commissions for England or for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his latest estimate of the date on which the Boundary Commission will report.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Marks) on 4 December.—[Vol. 975, c. 104–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to allow police forces to treat women police officers differently from men in respect of recruitment and pay; and what differences in treatment currently exist.

We have no plans to change the present arrangements, which provide for equal treatment in respect of both pay and recruitment, apart from the differing minimum height qualifications prescribed by police regulations.

Janner asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young men at the punishment centre within the borstal system at Reading which was run on military lines and closed down in about 1967 committed suicide and how many attempted to commit suicide; and what account of this experiment was taken in the formulation of the present policy of tougher régimes at selected detention centres.

The Reading borstal, which combined the functions of a recall centre and a correction centre, was not run on military lines nor was it an experiment. The experiences at Reading are being taken into account in devising the more rigorous régimes for the pilot scheme. Information is not readily available about suicides and attempted suicides at Reading.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will state the name of every person who has died from non-natural causes whilst detained in police custody since 1970, and in each case the date of death, the name of the police station where the death occurred, and the cause of death as stated on the death certificates;(2) if, pursuant to his answer,

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State wrote to the hon. Member on 12 December giving such information as is readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the law to include hospitals and old people's homes in the provisions of the Fire Precautions Act 1971.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury) on 13 December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what annual payment he will now receive from Westminster Cathedral for the licence for the device now installed to enable deaf persons to hear the services;(2) if he will introduce regulations to relieve churches and other religious assembly halls of the obligation to pay an annual licence fee for the installation of an electrical loop to enable the hard of hearing to hear.

The licence fee for radio induction communication systems used to assist the hard of hearing in such places as churches and halls is £5·60 for five years. There are difficulties in exempting any particular category of user from the licensing requirement but we are looking at the wider possibility of exempting low power devices generally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of Welsh language programmes will be broadcast on television by the end of 1982.

I am discussing this with the broadcasting autthorities and hope that there will be an increase to at least 20 hours of Welsh language programmes by the end of 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an inquiry into the case of Mr. George Wilkinson.

I called for reports on this case as soon as I heard about Mr. Wilkinson's death but we must now wait for the results of the inquest.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the case of Mr. George Wilkinson.

Mr. Wilkinson, a prisoner at Manchester prison, began to refuse food and drink on 19 November. He was seen by the medical staff at the prison and by a consultant psychiatrist and he was warned of the consequences of failing to take food or drink. He was transferred to the hospital wing of Liverpool prison on 4 December and died on 5 December. An inquest into Mr. Wilkinson's death opened on 10 December and was adjourned until 16 January 1980.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that the Public Expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 7746, allows for increased expenditure on motorway maintenance, yet according to his parliamentary answer, Official Report, 16 November, c. 851, expenditure on motorway and trunk road maintenance will decline from £94 million to £93 million, whether maintenance spending on other non-motorway roads is to be reduced; and, if so, what effect this will have on safety and riding quality on non-motorway roads.

The Government's expenditure plans 1980–81, Cmnd. 7446, announced a reduction in central Government expenditure on the motorway and trunk road programme from the level previously planned—that is, £440 million down to £405 million—with a switch within this programme to permit increased expenditure on motorway maintenance—that is, £88 million to £93 million. The figure of £94 million for 1979–80 is the latest estimated of the outturn figure for the current year. There is no question of any reductions in maintenance being made to affect the safety of any trunk roads.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that 2½ per cent. of all accidents are attributed to deficiencies in the road environment and in a further 25½ per cent. road deficiencies were a contributory factor, how many: (a) fatal, (b) serious and (c) total accidents have occurred in each of the last five years where deficient roads have been: (i) solely to blame and (ii) a contributory factor; and what steps he is taking to minimise accidents arising from deficient roads in the future.

The findings of the research exercise to which the hon. Member refers showed that 2½ per cent. of accidents were due to road conditions. However, that project was complete in itself and has not been repeated.The Department and local highway authorities will continue to secure improvements in the road environment wherever defects capable of physical remedy are identified.

asked the Minister of Transport how many people were killed, and how many people injured, in road accidents where a dog was reported to be on the highway or involved. in each of the last five years.

The information is as folows:

GREAT BRITAIN: 1976–78
	Killed	Number Injured
1976	4	1,915
1977	13	1,879
1978	11	1,850

Casualties in accidents in which a dog was reported to be on carriagewayThe additional years' information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards town development schemes for expanding towns in partnership with the Greater London Council.

:We have been considering the future of expanding towns in the light of comments received and discussions held following the publication of the previous Government's consultation document^* and our own regional, industrial and inner cities policies.Expanding towns played an important part in alleviating the problems of overpopulation and congestion in major conurbations and complemented the new towns programme. The majority of expanding town schemes still in operation were intended to take their incoming population and industry from London. In recent years, changed population forecasts, changing demands and the importance of revitalising London's docklands and other inner city areas inevitably point to the reversal of emphasis to which the Government are now firmly committed. Resources, which are going to be severely limited over the next few years, will now be concentrated in areas of greatest need.In view of the changed situation In London the Greater London Council has entered into discussions with receiving authorities with a view to bringing outstanding expanding town schemes to an end. The Government agree that such schemes should be terminated as quickly as practicable and have decided to support the Greater London Council's efforts to achieve this objective.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the number of general improvement areas, stating how many houses there are in each of them in the following cities: Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Doncaster, Darlington, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester, Derby and Southampton; and what progress has been made within each to rehabilitate the houses there;(2) how many housing action areas there are in each of the following cities: Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Doncaster, Darlington, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester. Derby and Southampton; how many houses there are in each; and what progress has been made within each to rehabilitate the housing there.

The number of housing action areas and general improvement areas declared in the cities referred to up to 30 June 1979, and the number of dwellings in each such area are shown in the following table.about progress in both housing action areas and general improvement areas for the year 1977–78 is contained in table 10 of Local Housing Statistics—Vol. 48—a copy of which is available in the Library. A further analysis, covering progress in 1978–79, is expected to be similarly published in February 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the outcome of the vehicle test programme undertaken by the Property Services Agency into the economies to be gained from the use of low-viscosity lubricants, SAE 10.

The results of tests are now being analysed. I shall let my hon. Friend know the outcome as soon as possible.

Town/beach (County)									District Council
BOURNEMOUTH (Dorset)		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Bournemouth BC
BRIDLINGTON (Humberside)—
North Bay*	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	North Wolds BC
South Bay*	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…
CHRISTCHURCH (Dorset)		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Christchurch BC
MARGATE (Kent)	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Thanet DC
NEWQUAY (Cornwall)—
Fistral Beach	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Restormel BC
Town Beach	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…
PAINGTON (Devon)—
Broadsands Beach		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Torbay BC
Goodrington Beach		…	…	…	…	…	…	…
Paington Beach	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…
PENZANCE (Cornwall) (near) Sennen Beach					…	…	…	…	Penwith DC
POOLE (Dorset)	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Poole BC
RYDE (Isle of Wight)	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Medina BC
ST. IVES (Cornwall)—
Porthmear Beach		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Penwith DC
Porthminster Beach		…	…	…	…	…	…	…
SANDOWN (Isle of Wight)		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	South Wight BC
SCARBOROUGH (North Yorkshire)—
North Bay*	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Scarborough BC
South Bay*	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA (Essex)		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Southend-on-Sea BC
SWANAGE (Dorset)	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Purbeck DC
TORQUAY (Devon)—
Meadfoot Beach		…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Torbay BC
Oddicombe Beach		…	…	…	…	…	…	…
Torre Abbey Sands		…	…	…	…	…	…	…
WESTON-SUPER-MARE(Avon)			…	…	…	…	…	…	Woodspring DC
WEYMOUTH (Dorset)	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	Weymouth and Portland BC
* Subject to final confirmation.

It is not expected that the joint exercise will bring forward major changes. I shall, however, keep the House informed. Detailed technical information relating to samples taken from these waters during the 1979 bathing season will also be sent to the Commission. I will arrange for copies of this to be placed in the Library in due course.