asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether those people who were unable to renew their television licences on Friday 23 November and were told that they were unable to obtain them through lack of supply will be entitled to a licence at the old rate.

Anyone who was unable to renew his licence on Friday 23 November, because the post office to which he applied had run out of validations stamps or application forms, should write to the national television licence records office at Bristol BS98 ITL explaining the position. Subject to a check, a licence will be issued at the old fee or if, in the meantime, a licence at the new fee has been obtained, a refund of the difference between the old and the new fee will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the consideration he is giving to the collection of television licence fees by direct debit includes collection by automatic debit transfer where the licence holder has a National Giro account.

Yes, but the two systems are not at present compatible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he regards as primary immigration the admission of a Commonwealth citizen one of whose grandparents was born in the United Kingdom who wishes to take or seek employment in the United Kingdom.

The relevant paragraph of the immigration rules provides that a Commonwealth citizen one of whose grandparents was born in the United Kingdom will be admitted to take or seek employment and those so admitted are given indefinite leave to enter. They would therefore normally be counted as "primary" immigrants. However, those accepted for settlement in this way do not necessarily settle here.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government will still be prepared to consider on the basis of the present immigration rules applications made before the date of publication of Cmnd. 7750 where the applicant subsequently leaves the United Kingdom and re-enters after a brief absence.

I am not prepared to give any specific undertaking to persons who leave the United Kingdom with an application still outstanding, but sympathetic consideration will be given to such cases in the light of all the relevant facts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government will be prepared to consider on the basis of the present immigration rules not only the next applications but all future applications for future stay from people already given leave to remain for work, to set up in business or self-employment, or as persons of independent means, until they have had their conditions of stay removed.

Yes, provided that the application is for further stay in the same capacity as that for which leave to enter or remain has already been given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the new immigration rules proposed in Cmnd. 7750 will be drafted in such a way that those applications which the Government will be prepared to consider on the basis of the present rules will also, if refused, be subject to a right of appeal under the present rules.

We are considering this suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, following the announcement in. Cmnd. 7750 that the Government intend to continue the special voucher scheme, the annual quota will remain 5,000; and whether that quota will be more fully utilised than in 1978 and the first half of 1979 so as to reduce the waiting period for United Kingdom passport holders in India.

The Government have no plans at present for altering the size of the global quota or its allocation between countries, although these matters remain under continuing review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will be prepared to consider on the basis of the present immigration rules applications for further stay from the wives of people already given leave to remain for work, to set up in business or self-employment or as persons of independent means; and whether any extensions granted in those circumstances would continue to be without restriction on the wife's employment.

The answer to both parts of the question is "Yes".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether instructions have been given to immigration officers authorising them to record in the passports of passengers admitted to the United Kingdom undertakings as to the purpose or duration of stay which are not restrictions or conditions within the meaning of section 1(4) of the Immigration Act 1971.

No special instructions have been issued. Such undertakings are normally recorded by immigration officers on passengers' landing cards or in a separate report to the Home Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each year since 1965 section 44(2) of the Prison Act 1952 has been used to transfer a borstal trainee to prison; and in how many cases since 1965 this has resulted in prisoners serving longer sentences, as a result of lost remission, than they would have served had they not been so transferred.

Transfers from borstal to prison under section 44(2) of the Prison Act 1952 are infrequent and regular statistics are not kept. Since the beginning of 1978 there have been eight such transfers. I am making inquiries about the periods spent in custody by the offenders concerned and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of the annual number of deaths of prisoners in police custody for each police district over the course of the last 10 years, indicating in each case the number who were deemed to have died from natural causes.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people are currently detained under section 53(1) and (2) of the Children and Young Persons Act.

The information available is given in the following table.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the Government policy on juvenile offenders, he is considering taking over secure accommodation places provided in the community home system.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis regard- ing the anti-National Front march from Shoreditch church to the town hall, Mare Street, Hackney, on the evening of 3 December 1979; how many police were involved in escorting the march; and what was the cost of policing this event (a) to the local authority, and (b) to central Government.

My right hon. Friend does not propose to call for a report, but I understand from the Commissioner that 1,631 officers were deployed to police this event, of whom 783 escorted the march. The cost, which ranks for grant in the normal way, could be calculated only at disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report on the number of times the police have dealt with incidents at or near the National Front headquarters in Great Eastern Street, London EC2, during its occupation of these premises.

No. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate allegations of ill-treatment of prisoners in E wing of Dartmoor prison, details of which are being sent to him by the hon. Member for Plymouth, Drake.

Allegations of this nature are always investigated. I am now studying the details sent to me by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons have intensive care units; how many intensive care ambulances are available for the transfer of prisoners needing such facilities; and why, in the case of a prisoner needing such care, he is transferred to the nearest prison intensive care unit rather than to the nearest National Health Service hospital.

There are no intensive care units in prison, although four prisons have surgical units where a high standard of medical and nursing care is available for prisoners who require it. When ambulances are required to move prisoners they are provided by the local ambulance service. The choice of a prison surgical unit rather than an outside hospital depends upon the circumstances of the individual case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions his Department gives to ensure that the next-of-kin of prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons are informed when any such prisoner takes action, such as a hunger strike, which in the opinion of the prison medical service, is likely to endanger his life.

Paragraph 66 of section 14 of prison standing orders, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, provides for the relatives or next-of-kin to be informed when a prisoner becomes seriously ill.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a panel of consultant physicians and psychiatrists drawn from outside the prison medical service to monitor the use of long-term sedation for difficult prisoners.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the cost of the nuclear power programme already approved or planned; and what is the planned expenditure on the development of new sources of energy.

I expect to make a statement shortly on the nuclear programme.The CEGB estimates the cost of constructing the Heysham II AGR with a capacity of 1,320 MW to be £900-£1,000 million. The AGR at Torness is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.On the basis of an updating of the NPC's thermal reactor assessment the CEGB also estimates the cost of a PWR of 2,200 MW capacity to be £1,500 million, this capacity having been chosen only for the purposes of economic assessment.In 1979–80 my Department expects to spend about £7 million on alternative energy sources and the UKAEA expects to spend £16 million on nuclear fusion R and D, including expenditure on the Joint European Torus.All figures are at 1979 prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate, for each of the years since 1974, of the approximate percentage reduction in Great Britain's primary energy requirements which can be attributed to conservation measures, including the effects of pricing and publicity.

An account of the issues associated with the measurement of national energy savings is contained in written evidence submitted by the Department of Energy to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities. For convenience, copies of this evidence are now available in the Library of the House. Subject to the qualifications given in the main text of the evidence the national savings estimates on present methods of estimation are given at annex I of the submission.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what he estimates will be the impact of the British Steel Corporation plan for Wales upon the "Plan for Coal" and upon coking coal produced in Wales.

I am asking the chairman of the National Coal Board to write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the amount of energy used in the manufacture of methanol and ammonia from coal as compared with that from natural gas.

A similar amount of energy is required to manufacture either methanol or ammonia. Typical plants now operating require 430 therms of natural gas per tonne of product, or if based on coal 590 therms per tonne. New plants, incorporating the latest process developments, might reduce the total energy consumption to 290 therms of natural gas or 440 therms of coal.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the percentage of oil used in each of the following EEC countries: the United Kingdom, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and the Netherlands (a) for chemical feedstock and (b) as a fuel.

Following are the figures for 1977:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the average output of coal per manshift in deep coal mines in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and what were the comparable totals for the deep mining industry 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 years previously, respectively.

Information relating to the average output of coal per manshift is recorded only from deep mines operated by the National Coal Board. For these mines the figures, including the latest information available for a 52-week period, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish details of the number of wells drilled for exploration and production purposes in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea since 1970; and if he will give details of companies which have yet to complete their drilling obligations for rounds three to six.

Provisional figures of wells started on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf during the first 11 months of 1979 are 31 exploration, 13 appraisal and 95 development, a total of 139. The numbers drilled in earlier years are published in the "Development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom 1979", the Brown Book.There are no outstanding drilling obligations in respect of third and fourth round production licences. Obligations under three fifth round licences have so far been met, but none yet under sixth round licences; they are not required to be completed at the earliest until 1984 and 1986 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the deep-drilling programme planned for the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.

During the summer of this year a feasibility study, to investigate the environmental, engineering and geological problems involved in drilling a well in the deep water part of the Rock all Trough, was carried out in which 12 organisations (drawn from my Department, BGC, BNOC and nine private companies) participated.Following the results of this study the operator—BNOC—is now seeking to put together a consortium to drill the well in the spring of 1980.If the venture proves successful further wells may be drilled in other areas in subsequent years.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he intends to make further use of his power to require the royalties due to him under petroleum production licences to be paid in oil rather than in money.

After consulting the licensees concerned and considering their representations, I have decided to take the bulk of the royalty due to me in the second half of 1980 and subsequent chargeable periods in oil rather than in cash.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department contributed the United Kingdom figures on consumer prices included in table 111 of "Basic Statistics of the Community" published

The figures are prepared by the statistical office of the Community based on the component information of the retail prices index (RPI) compiled by my Department. The figures are an incorrect recombination of the components of the RPI and the statistical office of the Community has agreed to present them in future publications on a basis consistent with the RPI.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many directors, managers, company secretaries, individual employees and safety officers, respectively, have been prosecuted in each year since the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 came into effect; and how many and what percentage of such prosecutions has led to convictions.

The information is not available in the exact form requested, but the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission has supplied the figures in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment which nuclear installations in the past three years have been without a permanent inspector of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate; over what period; and if he will make a statement.

I am advised by the Health and Safety Executive that in the past three years all licensed nuclear installations, and those operated by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, have had a Nuclear Installations Inspectorate inspector designated to cover the site, supported as necessary by specialist staff of the inspectorate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the average weekly earnings in the EEC member States in their national currencies and in £ sterling at the latest date for which comparable figures are available. available.

The following table gives the latest available information. Corresponding figures for Italy and Denmark are not available.Owing to differences in national definitions and methods of compilation, the figures are not fully comparable. Moreover, international comparisons of earnings statistics are not meaningful unless account is taken of (i) differences in taxation and social benefits, (ii) differences in internal purchasing power which are not reflected by market exchange rates, and (iii) in the case of weekly earnings, the differences in the average number of hours worked.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in the construction industry have been either killed or injured by accidents on building sites in both Dundee and Scotland in the past three years; and what steps he is taking to improve safety measures at building sites.

I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that figures for workers in the construction industry who have been killed or injured in Scotland are as follows:(

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many representations he has now received asking him to seek to abolish the closed shop; and how many of those were from small businesses.

Several hundred representations have been received asking for the closed shop to be abolished. Only a small proportion of these have come from small businesses.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will introduce legislation to enable employers to employ non-unionised sub-contract labour despite the existence of a closed shop in the employer's own organisation.Mr. Mayhew: There is nothing in the law to prevent any employer using non-unionised sub-contract labour, and I accordingly have no plans for legislation on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the statement of the Chief Inspector of Factories in November to his 21 area directors calling for fewer inspections was made with his authority.

I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that no such statement was made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to receive the report from Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service on a proposed wages council for the contract cleaning industry.

I understand that ACAS expects to submit its report about the middle of next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what warnings the Health and Safety Executive has issued about the dangers of the disposable type of butane lighter for persons working in welding areas.

The Health and Safety Executive knows of no serious accidents involving disposable butane lighters which have occurred in the United Kingdom. Reports of two serious accidents involving lighters of this type which are reputed to have occurred in the United States of America have been circulating for some time but it has proved impossible to identify the firms involved and the authenticity of the reports is now in some doubt. Tests were carried out by the research and laboratory services division of the Executive on some types of disposable lighters which indicated that they were not likely to be dangerous under normal industrial conditions provided that they were used sensibly. The tests indicated that in some circumstances hot welding slag could penetrate the plastic case of the lighter and ignite the contents. In view of the possibility of ignition of the contents of the lighter it would be inadvisable to have such a lighter in one's clothing when engaged in welding and Her Majesty's inspectors of health and safety have been advised to draw this to the attention of firms where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to keep his Department in touch with developments in microelectronics and their possible employment consequences.

:A study group, set up in my Deptartment in July 1978, published this week its report on the manpower implications of microelectronic technology. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House of Commons. My Department will continue to monitor developments in this area. To this end my noble Friend the Minister of State has been asked to take special responsibility for the Department's interest in microelectronics and to consider what further Government action is

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the savings which he expects to make from computerisation.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 December 1979, c. 742]: Progressive savings have resulted from the use of computers in my Department since they were first introduced in 1960. These savings are being extended from time to time when adding new items of work to established systems.The recent development of new computer systems for small firms employment subsidy and job release scheme payments are now producing savings around £72,000 and £400,000 per annum respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what percentage of the average industrial wage was represented by the retail price of a bottle of whisky, a pint of beer, and 20 cigarettes in 1945, respectively; and what percentage of the average industrial wage is represented by the retail price of each of these items at the most recent date for which figures are available;(2) what would be the average retail price of a bottle of whisky, a pint of beer and 20 cigarettes if they had increased at the same rate as average industrial wages between 1945 and the present time.

The information is as follows:The payment of unemployment benefit by computer on behalf of DHSS has been introduced progressively since 1969 and extension of this system to the whole country by 1982 will produce further savings in my Department's costs of the order of £2 million.The Manpower Services Commission is developing SPECTRUM, a scheme for processing management and statistical information by computer in respect of special programmes which it administers. This is expected to produce savings of £180,000 per annum by 1984–85.Within the DE group several pilot computer schemes are under way. These include CAPITAL (Computer Assisted Placing in London), the payment of training allowances to trainees and JUVOS a joint DE-MSC project for the computerisation of the collection and compilation of unemployment and vacancy statistics. Until evaluation of these pilot schemes has been completed no firm estimates of eventual savings are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will specify the activities of the Health and Safety Executive which are to be reduced as a result of the Civil Service review.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 December 1979]: As a result of the statement on Civil Service manpower reductions, made in the House on 6 December, the Health and Safety Commission and its Executive will be reviewing the allocation of resources to future programmes of work. Any decisions will be made by them, and it is too soon to say what reductions are planned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will specify the categories, posts and grades of the 260 civil servants employed in the Health and Safety Executive whose jobs will disappear as a result of the review of the Civil Service.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 December 1979]: As a result of the statement on Civil Service manpower reductions, made in the House on 6 December, the Health and Safety Commission and its Executive will be reviewing the allocation of resources to future programmes of work. Any decisions will be made by them, and it is too soon to say what reductions are planned.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects the completion of the Mold and Buckley community hospital; what the current stage of construction is; what is the latest estimate of the cost of the building, the number of professional and ancillary staff likely to be employed in the new hospital and the number of beds proposed as compared with the existing number; what role local practitioners will play in the new hospital; and if he will make a statement.

:The hospital is still in the planning stage. A date for the start of construction has not yet been settled. The latest estimate of cost is £1·5 million. It is expected that 47 professional staff and 21 ancillary staff—whole-time equivalents—will be employed. The number of beds proposed is 40 compared with the present 19. Local practitioners will have responsibility for all beds, the day hospital and the minor casualty unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Clwyd health authority, Polish representatives and the local community about the future of Penley Polish hospital, Clwyd; how many patients there are; how many ancillary and professional staff there are; what amount of investment in new wards and equipment there was in the period after the National Health Service reorganisation to 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The Welsh Office, the Clwyd health authority and representatives of the Polish Ex-Combatants Association have consulted about the problems of maintaining services at Penley hospital. The hospital is experiencing difficulty in recruiting sufficient staff, and in particular Polish-speaking staff. Some restraint on admissions is needed, at least as a temporary measure.Ninety-three patients are currently being cared for at the hospital. The staff number 57 full-time and 37 part-time professionals and 23 full-time and 23 part-time auxiliaries. Approximately £26,000 was spent on equipment and improvements between 1 April 1974 and 31 March 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the purchase of second homes in Wales.

The sale and purchase of private property for primary or secondary occupation is a matter of individual choice. In the context of the "right to buy" provisions of the Housing Bill, we have declared our intention of taking appropriate steps to protect certain areas in Wales vulnerable to outside purchasers.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants are currently employed in his Department on cleaning and catering; when he expects to put a proportion of these jobs out to contract; and what estimate he has of the number of jobs in this area which will remain in the Civil Service.

There are some 18,400 Civil Service cleaning and catering posts in Ministry of Defence establishments throughout Great Britain. Detailed examination of the practicability of contracting out more cleaning and catering work will be phased over the next two years or so. This will determine the balance of advantage on a case by case basis and will lead where appropriate to the placing of contracts. There will be full consultation with the staff interests involved. I am not yet able to give an estimate of the number of jobs which will remain in the Civil Service, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects reductions in this area to contribute significantly to the savings of 7,500 staff, already announced, which he intends to make by 1 April 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many major units of the Army have served in Ulster since August 1969; and how many have served more than once, twice and so on up to the maximum number of times.

Including Royal Marine commandos serving in the infantry role, 102 major units have served in Northern Ireland:6 units have served one tour.17 units have served two tours.18 units have served three tours.22 units have served four tours.17 units have served five tours.11 units have served six tours.6 units have served seven tours.5 units have served eight tours.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the basis of the policy in applying a fixed 2·6 per cent. discount on Civil Service wages and salaries for pension benefit in the light of the fact that comparability assessments with the private sector can produce widely varying pension benefits

The figure of 2·6 per cent. is that assessed by the Government Actuary for use in the1 April 1979 pay research negotiations for the non-industrial Civil Service. It allowed for the extent to which superannuation benefits of civil servants are, on average, more valuable than those in comparable employments and took account of any variation of pension benefits between those employments.The Government Actuary's assessment is of course only one of a number of adjustments made to the salaries of non-industrial civil servants to take account of the superannuation benefits they receive. On average these adjustments lead to a reduction in salary of about 7 per cent. A copy of the Government Actuary's report on the 1979 assessment is available in the Library.The Government believe that the valuation of pensions in determining Civil Service pay should be subject to independent outside scrutiny and discussions are now taking place with the staff side about how this can best be done.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he can now announce the composition of the Civil Service posts to be located at Bootle referred to in his statement of 26 July.

The Government have decided to send to Bootle some 850 posts from the Health and Safety Executive, 300 from the Home Office computer centre (150 already announced), and 100 from the Property Services Agency (already announced). The bulk of the posts will be located in the accommodation at present occupied by staff of the Inland Revenue who will move to St. John's House.There may be a requirement for a number of additional short-term posts in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in connection with the 1981 census. The Government's intention is that, subject to the sufficiently early completion of St. John's House, the majority of such posts would be located in Bootle.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) if he is satisfied that employees working for contract cleaning companies working in Government offices earn wages and enjoy conditions of service equal to or better than those directly employed;(2) in each year since 1974, how many cleaners have been employed by Government Departments, directly, and indirectly via contract cleaning companies.

Under arrangements made by the last Administration, contract firms used to carry out the cleaning of Government offices are required to pay their employees rates of pay and to observe conditions concerning paid holidays which are not less favourable than those applied to workers in group A of the wages group structure established by agreements reached on the National Joint Council for Local Authority Services (Manual Workers). A schedule of the current local authority wage rates and holiday entitlement should be displayed by the contractor.Responsibility for ensuring that the conditions attaching to Government cleaning contracts are being observed by the contractor rests with the employing Department. I have no evidence to suggest that contractors are not complying with these conditions.The table below gives the number of directly employed cleaners in post at 1 April in the years specified. Part-timers have been counted as half units:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many computer installations there are in the home, non-industrial, Civil Service.

Information, including a broad indication of location, on the computers installed in Government Departments is published annually with the May edition of "Management Services in Government". This is available in the Library.The exact information requested by the hon. Member, however, is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) which local education authorities have (a) made assessments of reading standards in the schools for which they are responsible, during the last two years, and (b) made the results of the assessments available to parents and to the public;(2) if he will publish such information as has been obtained during the last two years by the local education authorities and by his Department, regarding reading standards attained in school, distinguishing between the different age groups, and also showing the different standards reached, including the lowest levels of attainment, and the number of children who are illiterate.

My Department does not collect information in the form requested. As the recent report on local authority curricular arrangements indicated, however, replies to the Department's circular 14/77 suggested that systematic diagnostic testing of primary school pupils' literacy, usually including reading ability, was undertaken in many authorities. The survey by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of primary education in England showed that the results from reading tests administered to a national sample of 11-year-old pupils were consistent with a rising trend in standards between 1955 and 1976–77. Reading tests were not included in the inspectorate's survey of aspects of secondary education in England, which concluded that schools needed to give greater attention to reading skills, especially for less able pupils in the later secondary years. My Department's assessment of performance unit started its programme of national monitoring of performance in English language this year; the first results will be published in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many students have enrolled to date in the adult literacy scheme;

The Department does not collect this information. Returns made by local education authorities and voluntary organisations to the adult literacy unit show that in February 1979 in England and Wales all local education authorities were providing tuition in adult literacy; that 69,470 adult literacy students were at that time under tuition; and that over 155,000 students in total had come forward for tuition since 1975 when the adult literacy campaign started.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of the proportion of students enrolling in the adult literacy scheme who completed a full course or attended classes for a full year.

Students in the adult literacy scheme enter and leave tuition in the light of their individual needs and circumstances. The information necessary to produce an accurate and meaningful estimate of the proportion completing a particular period of tuition is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of reading progress by students taking part in the adult literacy scheme, and what records of attainment are maintained.

Some local record of attainment of reading progress by individual adult literacy students may be kept but there is as yet no widely accepted method of assessment on the basis of which a standardised central record could be maintained. A National Foundation for Education Research project funded by the Department of Education and Science, which was completed this spring, estimated that over a year 25 per cent. of students made rapid progress and a further 50 per cent. made measurable progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what his estimate is of the number of school teachers in the public sector without either O-levels or CSEs in (a) English, and (b) mathematics.

Information held by the Department does not permit a reliable estimate to be made for the teacher force as a whole. However, it is known that, since 1967, some 95 per cent. of each year's intake to teacher training have held an O-level in English and some 60 per cent. an O-level in mathematics.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what allowance has been made in the financial provision of the University Grants Committee in 1979–80 in respect of the 7 per cent. increase in value added tax.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a similar question from the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Hardy) on 19 December.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what allowance has been made in the financial provision of the University Grants Committee for inflation in the current year, and what this represents in percentage terms.

Within the total recurrent grant payable to universities by the University Grants Committee in the financial year 1979–80, a total of £121 million has been provided for price increases and pay settlements. This represents an allowance of 15 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what allowance has been made to the University Grants Committee for 1980–81 to offset inflation.

The grant for 1980–81 has not yet been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met representatives of the trade unions covering ancillary staff from institutions funded largely by the University Grants Committee.

At the request of my right hon. and learned Friend I met representatives of trade unions covering non-teaching staff in universities on 26 November this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many people are employed in institutions funded under the University Grants Committee in 1978–79; what is his projection for 1980–81 and 1981–82; and if he will indicate the numbers in (a) academic and (b) ancillary grades.

In 1978–79 the number of people so employed, whether or not financed from general university funds, was about 110,000. 40,800 of these were

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the institutions under the University Grants Committee, together with the number of academic staff, ancillary staff and students in each.

Details of the numbers of academic staff, whether or not financed from general university funds, and of full-time and part-time students at each of the universities on the UGC's grant list in the academic year 1978–79, are given below:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the number of children who left full-time education in (a) 1978, and (b) the current year, with reading and writing abilities insufficient to enable them to cope with the requirements of everyday life.

My Department does not have information which would enable such estimates to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the number of children who left full-time education in (a) 1978, and (b) the current year, without either O-levels or CSEs in (i) English, and (ii) mathematics.

I regret that information is not readily available on the numbers of school leavers in England who had not obtained a graded result at O-level or CSE in English and mathematics. However, in 1977–78 the numbers of school leavers who had not attempted O-level or CSE in English and mathematics were 135,420 and 178,740 respectively. Information for the current year is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the cost of educating a pupil in secondary education in England and Wales, including capital with current costs.

In the financial year 1978–79 the net recurrent cost per pupil at maintained secondary—including middle deemed secondary—schools in England and Wales was £564 at 1979 survey prices. The average capital cost for each new place was just over £3,000, representing an approximate annual cost equivalent of £300.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards local authorities who reduce existing nursery education provisions.

It is for local education authorities to determine the level of their nursery education provision, having regard to their obligations under section 8. Education Act 1944.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received regarding the effect of the proposed increases in overseas students' fees upon Commonwealth citizens and upon Great Britain's future influence abroad, especially in connection with Commonwealth countries which have no university.

My right hon. and learned Friend has received numerous representations from institutions, organisations and individuals in the United Kingdom about the Government's policy regarding overseas students' fees. A number have referred to the effect on students from Commonwealth countries and on Great Britain's influence abroad. In addition, my right hon. and learned Friend has received a deputation from the Council for Education in the Commonwealth and I have received one from the United Kingdom Council for Overseas Student Affairs.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers successfully completed retraining courses in the shortage subjects in the summer of 1979; how many people completed initial training courses in shortage subjects with assistance from the Manpower Services Commission; and how many of the total have found jobs teaching the shortage subjects.

Informal inquiries of colleges providing retraining courses in mathematics, the physical sciences and craft, design and technology indicate that a total of 377 teachers successfully completed such courses in the summer of 1979. Financial support was provided through the Manpower Services Commission for over half of the teachers on these courses; in addition, it provided awards or grants to enable an estimated 357 people to pursue courses of initial training in the shortage subjects.Colleges providing retraining courses have reported that 348 of their students obtained positions teaching shortage subjects. It is estimated, on the basis of a survey of Manpower Services Commission award-holders, that about 270 of those taking initial training courses quickly found jobs teaching their new subject, while 17 others were already employed as teachers and would have had jobs to return to. The training and retraining scheme has thus contributed some 635 additional specialist teachers this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers have, during the autumn, enrolled on courses of retraining in shortage subjects; and how many people are on initial teacher training courses in these subjects with support from the Manpower Services Commission.

Recent inquiries of colleges providing special retraining courses in mathematics, the physical sciences, craft, design and technology and business studies reveal that 344 teachers enrolled on these courses this autumn.By the end of November a total of 204 awards or grants had been made to or in respect of teachers on these courses under the scheme operated by the Manpower Services Commission. The scheme had also provided 239 awards or grants for suitably qualified people taking courses of initial training in the shortage subjects this year.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 18 December.Sir Ian Gilmour: At the Foreign Affairs Council on 18 December, the United Kingdom was represented by my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Industry, and myself.The Council reviewed the follow-up to the European Council. There was a brief procedural discussion of the United Kingdom budget problem, energy and telematics.The Council agreed that it would examine the report of the Committee of Three Wise Men on Community institutions at a special, informal meeting in February.A new mandate was agreed for negotiations for voluntary restraint of exports of textiles and clothing by Greece to the Community during 1980.The Commission reported on its continuing discussions with the United States Administration about the problems of imports of United States synthetic fibres, and informed the Council of its intention also to make direct contact with the United States industry and to introduce import surveillance. My hon. Friend the Minister for Trade stressed the urgency for British industry and the need for proposals for action to be put forward in sufficient time for Ministers to take decisions at the 4–5 February Council. The Council agreed.There was agreement to renew the steel anti-crisis measures for 1980 with some relaxations. Mandatory minimum prices will be applied in the first instance only to hot rolled coil. On the external side, fewer restraint arrangements will be concluded than in 1979, although there will be provision for more if requested. Agreement was also reached on a decision for regulation of aids to the steel industry.Agreement was reached on arrangements for the existing coking coal sales aid scheme to run until the end of 1981.Commission proposals for the utilisation of the non-quota section of the regional fund were discussed. There was no decision. The proposals have been referred back to permanent representatives for further discussion. Both we and another delegation objected to the present proposals because they take insufficient account of the needs of areas in Britain affected by shipbuilding and steel closures, and would not help to achieve convergence or reduce our net budget contribution.There was agreement in principle on Commission proposals for an ad hoc decision to fund certain projects which would reduce capacity in the textile industries of some member States. A working group will now examine the list of projects. I made it clear that the United Kingdom would expect to receive a substantial allocation of funds of this kind.The Council approved, without discussion, directives for negotiation of a transitional protocol to the EEC/Cyprus association agreement. The protocol will establish the interim trading arrangements to apply in 1980, pending negotiation of the arrangements which will apply under the second stage of the association agreement.The text of a co-operation agreement with ASEAN was approved. Signature of the agreement is expected to take place early in 1980.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what has been the cost to date of the Lancaster House conference; and how much is attributable to hospitality to the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and Patriotic Front delegations, respectively.

It is too early to finalise the accounts, but the Lancaster House conference costs are now estimated at £512,447, including £176,835 and £184,933 attributable to the costs, including accommodation and air fares, of Bishop Muzorewa's delegation and the Patriotic Front delegation respectively.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what election material he will issue to explain to the electors of Southern Rhodesia the electoral and polling processes.

Election arrangements are the responsibility of the Governor and his advisers. The Election Commissioner has considered and approved publicity material to explain voting procedures and the secrecy of the ballot to the electorate, and he will be considering further appropriate material in due course.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what provisions he intends to make to control the use of Southern African funds to influence the outcome of the Southern Rhodesian elections.