asked the Minister for the Civil Service, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 27 November concerning reductions in the numbers of civil servants, how he intends to make the reductions he outlined in his Department; and what criteria he will use.

The CSD will make the necessary reductions by natural wastage so far as possible. Should compulsory redundancy become unavoidable, the processes already agreed with the unions will be closely observed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to receive the report of the committee of inquiry into local government in Scotland.

I received the report yesterday and it is today being sent to the printers. I hope that it will be ready for presentation to Parliament and publication by the end of January 1981.I should like to put on record now my thanks to the chairman, the right hon. Anthony Stodart and his colleagues for the time and effort they have devoted to discharging, their remit and completing the report within the time required by their terms of reference.After publication I intend inviting comments from all interests on the recommendations before indicating the Government's views on them.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it is now the Government's policy to allow the media to interview hunger strikers and other convicted prisoners in Northern Ireland.

It has been the Government's practice to allow media interviews with sentenced prisoners in certain circumstances. So far as prisoners in Northern Ireland are concerned, I refer my hon. Friend to what was said to the House by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Tuesday 25 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give an assurance that when the report of the Boundary Commission on extra seats for Northern Ireland is published, the transcript of the evidence to the Commission will also be published.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take to assist local authorities in controlling council tenant rent arrears.

This is essentially a matter for the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what statistics are available to his Department regarding (a) the number of local authorities in England and Wales which are likely to underspend on their allocation for insulation grants 1980–81 and (b) the sums of money involved; and if he will make a statement.

Reliable information about underspends will only become available after the end of the financial year.

asked the Minister of Transport what percentage of road accidents involved farm vehicles during the most recent year for which figures are available.

Farm vehicles are not distinguished in accident reports to my Department.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage of failures at the driving test centre in King's Lynn compared with the percentages of failures at the other driving test centres in East Anglia.

The percentage failure rate of candidates taking an L-test at King's Lynn during the three months to the end of September 1980 was 55 per cent. The average failure rate for all L-test centres in the Eastern Traffic Area for the same period was 53 per cent.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage of driving test failures for East Anglia compared with the other regions of England and Wales.

Driving tests are administered on a traffic area basis. Average failure rates for traffic areas in England and Wales are:

Traffic area	Average failure rate (per cent.)
Eastern	53
Northern	54
Yorkshire	54

Traffic area	Average failure rate (per cent.)
North Western	52
West Midland	52
East Midland	55
South Wales	51
Western	49
South Eastern	52
Metropolitan	54

These figures are for the three months to the end of September 1980, the latest period for which figures are available.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will take steps to halt the growing practice of departmental Ministers making appointments to public boards and authorities of Members of the House of Lords who already hold more than one similar type of appointment, and receive more than one public service pension, and instead arrange for the appointment of persons who have no other employment or payment from public funds.

No. Ministers will continue to base their choice on suitability for the appointment vacant.

asked the Prime Minister if she will raise with the leaders of France and China their respective countries' failure to sign the 1963 test ban treaty.

The Governments of France and China are well aware of our view that it would be desirable for all States to adhere to the 1963 treaty banning nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water, of which we are a depository Government.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the findings of the International Commission on Radiological Protection that 150,000 o people have been killed or will die from radiation caused by nuclear tests.

The recent United Nations Secretary-General's report on nuclear weapons noted that

	£(millions*)
	1975–6	1976–7	1977–8	1978–9	1971–80
1. Gas standards	0·1	0·1	0·16	0·2	0·27
2. Offshore oil and gas technology	6·4	9·6	13·9	12·2	16·8
3. New sources, conservation, R&D strategy
(a) Energy, technology support Unit	0·4	0·7	1·1	1·5	1·9.
(b) Other non-nuclear contracts	0·1	0·3	1·2	2·5	7·0
4. International non-nuclear projects (mainly through International Energy Agency agreements)	0·1	0·5	2·1	1·1	2·5
5. Nuclear R & D other than UKAEA
(a) Gas centrifuge	15·2	17·0	8·8	Nil	Nil
(b) Euratom programme	0·3	0·1	Nil	Nil	Nil
6. (a) UKAEA direct R & D	96·3	107·5	116·3	131·9	139·6
(b) UKAEA contracts with industry	7·6	10·5	12·2	18·5	24·9
*Figures given in September prices for the relevant year.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he will list those reports from Royal Commissions, official departmental committees or from ad hoc advisory groups established by his Department which have been published during the past 10 years by his Department—either totally or jointly with other Departments—and which have yet to be debated in the House.

The only report of a departmental committee established by my Department—in conjunction with the Scottish Office—which has not been debated in the House is the first report of the Stewart committee on alternatives to prosecution entitled "The Motorist and Fixed Penalties" published on 4 December 1980 as Cmnd. 8027.The report recommends an extension of the fixed penalty system to a wider range of minor road traffic offences than are contained in the present fixed penalty System.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each of the past five years the amount of expenditure by his Department on research and development, itemising by expenditure on nuclear, conventional and novel sources of electrical generation, conservation and other expenditure.

The figures requested are given in the table below. The major part of R & D on nuclear energy is conducted by the UKAEA and is paid for from the nuclear energy Vote, overall responsibility for which lies with the Secretary of State for Energy.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the present amount of usable proven oil reserves for which oil production equipment is either installed or planned in billions of barrels.

The latest information is given in table 1 of my report to Parliament in June 1980 on "Development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom"—the Brown Book. Estimated proven oil reserves on the UKCS refuted to fields in production or under development are 1,0175 million tones—just over 8 billion barrels.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many registered gas-producing platform installations there are in the North Sea.

There are 32 registered gas-producing installations in the British sector of the North Sea, including one on the Anglo-Norwegian Frigg field. In addition, one oil installation is piping associated gas to shore.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough as representing the House of Commons Commission what increase there has been in the number of staff employed in the House of Commons since May 1979; what increase there has been in annual expenditure on the administration of the House of Commons in the same period; and what are the principal reasons for these increases.

The number of staff employed in the Departments of the House for whom the Commission is responsible has increased by 291 since 1 Mar 1979, but of this increase 223 were existing posts in the Refreshment Department, which became a Department of t le House on 1 April 1980.The remaining increase, 68, arose mainly from the need to provide staff for additional Select Committee work (Clerk's Department), to deal with increased work arising from changes in payments to Members and their secretaries (Fees Office), for setting up a technical and computer services section in the Library, arid for additional work dealing with the increased volume and complexity of personnel administration (Establishments Office).Expenditure on the administration of the House of Commons amounted to £5,927,033 in 1978–79 and £10,743,254—including a once-for-all payment of some £2¾ million for the writing-off of the deficit of the Refreshment Department—in 1979–80. The estimated expenditure for the year 1980–81 is £11,232,000.The principal reasons for the increased expenditure are attributable to:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when last he met representatives of the National Union of Students; if he will make a statement regarding that meeting specifying whether the visit by the Under-Secretary to the United States of America to investigate methods of student financing was discussed; and, if so, what views the representatives of the National Union of Students put forward.

My right hon. and learned Friend last met, the National Union of Students on 23 January 1980. I last met its representatives on 18 November to discuss the new arrangements for financing student unions. My visit to the United States to investigate methods of loans for students was not discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place about the ordering of the advanced lightweight version of the Seawolf anti-missile missile system for the Royal Navy; and when a decision is expected.

I have nothing further to add to the reply my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Navy gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) on 13 November. —[Vol. 992, c. 396].

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Seawolf anti-missile missile systems have been ordered for the Royal Navy; in what vessels they will be installed; what is the estimated unit cost; and what is the expected in-service date.

Twenty-three Seawolf systems have been ordered to date; 12 double-headed systems and 11 single-headed systems. Double headed systems are to be installed on Type 22 frigates and single-headed systems are to be fitted into "Leander" class frigates. The unit cost of these systems is still subject to negotiation. The in-service date for Seawolf is October 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act has had upon the provision of training facilities for the Armed Services; and what is his estimate of the additional annual cost involved as a consequence of the legislation.

Health and safety matters are of continuous concern to the Ministry of Defence for training facilities as much as all other defence business, but the costs of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act attributable to training facilities cannot be identified separately.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether a Rapier system has been sent to Japan for evaluation.

No, but the Japanese have seen the Rapier system of the United Kingdom on a number of occasions and have been provided with ample information for a proper evaluation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress the Japanese Government have made in their evaluation of the Rapier; and whether their decision to order their new SAM system instead is final.

I understand that the Japanese Government have decided finally to procure a Japanese-manufactured equipment to meet their requirement for a surface-to-air missile system.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list those reports from Royal Commissions, official departmental committees or from ad hoc advisory groups established by his Department which have been published during the past 10 years by his Department—either totally or jointly with other Departments—and which have yet to be debated in the House.

The information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with legislation regarding the security arrangements on airports controlled by the British Airports Authority.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will arrange for an exhibition relating to the maritime services of the corporation of Trinity House to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I was glad to support this proposal when it was put to me by my hon. Friend and I understand that the exhibition has been arranged for the period 9–12 December.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the joint air miss section of the National Air Traffic Services into the near miss between an Air United Kingdom F27 and a German Canberra aircraft on 16 July near Aberdeen airport.

No. Reports of investigations undertaken by the joint air-miss section of the National Air Traffic Services contain references to information obtained from pilots, air traffic control officers and others closely concerned. In order that the greatest possible safety benefit can flow from such investigations it is essential that those involved provide full and frank descriptions of the circumstances which led to the air-miss.To achieve this objective, statements are given in confidence and contributors are aware that this degree of protection is provided. It is considered by NATS that the release of these reports would prejudice the working of the system and could lead to a future lack of co-operation from pilots, air traffic control officers and others without which the development of air safety measures would be hampered.The conclusions of JAS investigations are already made known to members of the aviation community.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what percentage by volume and by value of the British market in ball and roller bearings is estimated to be supplied by (a) British manufacturers and (b) Japanese manufacturers.

It is estimated that in the 12 months ended September 1980, the share by value of the British market in ball and roller bearings supplied by British manufacturers was 60 per cent.; the corresponding figure for Japanese manufacturers—that is, imports from Japan—was 5 per cent.Information on which to base an estimate of the corresponding shares by volume is not readily available, but it is believed that they are of similar magnitudes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has studied the implications of the recent judgment of the United States Customs Court in the Ferris Wheel case which could cause all garments made in the United Kingdom with epaulettes, simulated buttonholes, pockets and pocket flaps, belts and belt segments, to be regarded in future as decorated or ornamental products, to attract higher rates of import duty; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of the judgment of the United States Customs Court in the Ferris Wheel case and of the consequent proposals by the United States Customs Service to increase rates of duty on certain classes of garment. The judgment of the Customs Court is subject to appeal and a final ruling is expected early in 1981.The Government are concerned at the possible implications of the proposed increases in duty and both they and the European Commission have made their views known to the United States authorities. The United States Customs Service has agreed not to implement its proposals until the result of the appeal is known.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what action he is taking to restore British trading relationships with Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister for Trade discussed all aspects of bilateral trade with Mr. Sumarlin, the Indonesian Minister of State, last June, and had further discussions with the Indonesian Ambassador in London in October. Further consultations on the textile questions are to take place in Brussels and it is hoped very shortly to have bilateral discussions on the wider issues of the United Kingdom's economic relations with Indonesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the balance of trade between the United Kingdom and Japan; and what difference to this balance would be made by a purchase of the British Rapier surface-to-air weapon. system.

The United Kingdom had a deficit on bilateral visible trade with Japan of £944 million in the period January to October 1980; this is likely to be offset slightly by a small balance on invisible trade in favour of the United Kingdom. The deficit would have been reduced by a sale of Rapier to an extent depending on what was purchased.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement regarding his recent discussions with his counterparts in the European Economic Community Council of Foreign Ministers with reference to the continuing dumping of cheap manufactured clothing in the United Kingdom from the COMECON group of countries.

The particular case of the pricing of Romanian wits has been taken up with the Romanian authorities, and we are still in contact with them. The master has riot however been on the agenda of any recent meeting of the EC Council of Foreign Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to prevent the petrol companies from marking petrol pumps in litre sales as opposed to gallon sales.

Whilst I have every sympathy with motorists and others who may be opposed to the sale of petrol by the litre, I do not believe that it would be in the public interest: to take steps now to restrict the industry's freedom to make the change at a time which is boat of its own choosing and when it should be able to contain its costs.The major oil companies, with the support of the Motor Agents Association, which represents independent garages, gave wide publicity in November 1979 to its decision to embark on a voluntary programme of change. My understanding is that it had reached the decision that a change was inevitable and that it had been hastened by technical problems because the design of some pumps made them incapable of accommodating higher gallon prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the number of air transport movements between Glasgow and Aberdeen and Edinburgh and Aberdeen in the five years ended July 1980.

The Civil Aviation Authority has provided the following information:

Air Transport Movements Between Glasgow (Abbotsinch) and Aberdeen and Edinburgh and Aberdeen, January 1975-July 1980
	Edinburgh to Aberdeen	Aberdeen to Edinburgh	Total	Glasgow to Aberdeen	Aberdeen to Glasgow	Total
1975	746	784	1530	707	716	1423
1976	600	615	1215	786	827	1613
1977	938	980	1918	748	837	1585
1978	984	862	1846	1094	1343	2437
1979	1740	1457	3197	1044	1202	2246
1980*
(Jan-Jul)	1224	1027	2251	1091	1136	2227

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will give details of air misses recorded over Scotland in the five years ended July 1980

The collection of air-miss data is the responsibility of the CAA, which publishes statistics covering the whole of the United Kingdom in its annual reports. The authority informs me that the number of air misses involving civil aircraft which occurred over the mainland of Scotland, including the Western Isles, in the period 1 August 1975 to 31 July 1980 was 93. Because of the difficulty in determining the precise location of air misses any which occurred over water up to 5nm from the coast are included in this figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what was the increase in United Kingdom imports of textile products from the United States of America expressed as a percentage for the first nine months of 1980 compared with the same period in 1979 and 1978;(2) what was the rise or fall in the value of textile and clothing products imported into the United Kingdom, expressed as a percentage, in July, August and September 1980 as compared with those months in 1979; and by what percentage the volume rose or fell in the same quarter of 1980 as compared with the same period in 1979;(3) what was the increase, in value of exports of textile products from the United Kingdom expressed as a percentage for the months of July, August and September 1980 in comparison with the same three months in 1979; and by what percentage the volume exported in the three months had risen or fallen on the figure for the three months in 1979;(4) what was the increase in value of exports of textile products from the United Kingdom expressed as a percentage on the 1979 figure for the first nine months of 1980; and what was the percentage increase on 1979 for volume, in the same period;(5) what was the increase in value of exports of clothing products from the United Kingdom expressed as a percentage on the 1979 figure, for the first nine months of 1980; and what was the percentage increase on 1979 for volume, in the same period;(6) what was the rise or fall in the value of textile and clothing products imported into the United Kingdom, expressed as a percentage, in the first nine months of 1980 as compared with the comparable period in 1979; and by what percentage the volume fell or rose in the first nine months of 1980 expressed as a percentage compared with the same period in 1979.

[pursuant to the reply 28 November 1980]: The information is given in the table below. Volume figures have been derived on the basis of weight.

United Kingdom Overseas Trade in Textiles and Clothing, 1980
I. Percentage increase or decrease compared with the same months of 1979
	By Value	By Weight
(a) Textiles and Clothing
Imports, January-September	-2½	-8
Imports, July-September	-12	-20
(b) Textiles (excluding clothing)
Exports, January-September	+7½	-½
Exports, July-September	-3	-9½
(c) Clothing (including Knitted clothing)
Exports, January-September	+13	+9
II. Percentage increase or decrease imports from the USA in January-September 1980 (by value)
	By Value	By Weight
Textiles (excluding clothing)
Compared with January-September 1978	+85	+126
Compared with January-September 1979	+19	+26
Source:
United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics—"Clothing": SITC/R2 Division 84, excluding group 848 and item 847.11; "Textiles (excluding clothing)"; SITC/R2 Division 65, groups 266, and 267, and items 268.7 (part) and847.11.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, under existing arrangements and without making allowances for inflation, what will be the total emoluments and allowances of Commissioner Jenkins since his appointment and until he reaches his 80th birthday.

It would not be possible to provide a figure for emoluments up to Mr. Jenkins' 80th birthday. Such a figure would depend not only on inflation, but on exchange rate fluctuations and would be entirely hypothetical.On the basis of the current exchange rate of B Frs 72=£1, the present salary of the President of the Commission is £62,376; he also receives a lump sum allowance of £5,700 for representational purposes and residence and household allowances of 15 per cent, and 5 per cent, respectively of his basic salary.On retirement, Mr. Jenkins will be entitled to a transitional allowance of up to 50 per cent, of his basic salary for three years, and a pension from his 65th birthday of 18 per cent. of his salary. This pension could be paid at a reduced rate from the date when payment of the transitional allowance ceases.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when he last had discussions with the Australian High Commissioner or Prime Minister; and whether he will invite Mr. Fraser to visit Great Britain in June or October 1981.

My right hon. Friend last had discussions with Sir James Plimsoll on 14 October.Mr. Fraser is a welcome guest in the United Kingdom at any time, although there has been no specific invitation to him for either of the dates mentioned in the question.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what was the outcome of the meeting on 1 December with officials of the Government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the delineation of the continental shelf between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

There was further discussion of the terms of an arbitration agreement on the basis of proposals we had earlier put forward. A further meeting has been scheduled for February.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the date on which he proposes to end notional pricing by wholesalers of pharmaceutical products used by the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that at present I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member on 28 October.—[Vol. 991, c.260–62.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice is given to local authorities about the provision of the contraceptive pill to girls in council care and about the state of the law on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

The Children and Young Persons Act 1969 confers normal parental powers and duties on local authorities in respect of children who are the subject of care orders. Where a child is 16 or over, section 8 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969 applies and she can, under that Act, consent to her own treatment.The Department has not given specific advice to local authorities about the provision of contraception; but takes the view that the authority should have regard, when medical treatment for a child under 16 is in question, to the wishes of the parents.The final decision on whether contraception should be prescribed in the circumstances of any individual case

must, however, be a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned. In this regard I would draw the attention of my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-West (Mr. Colvin) on 6 May.—[Vol. 984, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department plans to issue a leaflet to all claimants explaining their rights to single payments under the new supplementary benefit scheme; and if not, why not.

Everyone claiming supplementary benefit or whose benefit changes significantly in amount will receive a copy of leaflet SB8 or SB9. These contain a list of the main items for which single payments may be made and a reference to leaflet. SB16 ("Lump Sum Payments for Special Needs") for further information. In addition, anyone enquiring about single payments will be given a copy of SB16.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost of (a) unemployment benefit and (b) supplementary benefits for unemployed claimants and their families in (a) the West Yorkshire region, (b) the Greater Manchester region, (c) the Oldham area and (d) the Huddersfield area at the latest available date.

I regret that the information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement itemising the components of the public expenditure decisions referred to in the Official Report, c. 220, 24 November 1980 under "Health (withdrawal of some proposals for new charges)" +£121 million.

Of the£121 million at November 1979 prices cited, £100 million represents increased net expenditure on the NHS in England and within my responsibilities. This arises from our decision not to pursue proposals for raising additional income for the NHS in various ways, such as by making a charge for most sight tests and by other measures such as those instanced in Cmnd. 7841.Instead we intend to increase the NITS contribution as a fairer and more acceptable way of maintaining planned spending on the Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidelines are issued to doctors regarding obtaining patients' consent before psychosurgery, is carried out.

No guidelines have been issued by the department but the medical defence societies publish guidelines on consent to treatment from time to time for the benefit of their members. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 4 December, consent to treatment on the part of patients detained under the Mental Health Act raises difficult issues which we are examining in the context of the review of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the saving if maternity allowance were taxable.

In the current financial year, the potential tax yield would be £255 million which includes £5 million in respect of earnings-related supplement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mothers are expected to claim a maternity grant during the next financial year.

It is estimated that about 670,000 mothers will receive maternity grant in the year ending 31 March 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many families he estimates would have the right to opt for weekly payments of child benefit under the proposals contained in the draft Green Paper on payment of social security benefits.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) on 1 December and ask the hon. Member to await the consultative document.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportions of families currently cash their child benefit at intervals of (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four weeks or more.

In June 1980 estimated proportions for all families were (a) 45 per cent., (b) 19 per cent., (c) 8 per cent. and (d) 28 per cent. If large families and those receiving child benefit (increase), family income supplement and supplementary benefit are excluded the estimates for weekly encashment drop significantly.Encashment patterns are only an approximate guide to the appropriate period for paying benefits; and market research carried out in August 1979 indicated that nearly 70 per cent. of mothers would find it "very easy" or "fairly easy" to manage if child benefit were paid four-weekly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he intends to make to ensure that any blood donor not wishing his or her blood to be sold for private profit and use by non-National Health Service organisations can be so assured prior to their donation of blood.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing increases in long-term and short-term benefit rates in percentage terms for each year from 1976 to 1981, the rise in the retail price index in the 12 months to

Percentage increase since date of previous up-rating
	Short-term benefit rate*	Long-term benefit rate†	Index of retail prices	Index of average earnings	Real value of short-term benefit rate	Real value of long-term benefit rate
November 1976	16·2	15·0	15·0	13·2‡	1·1	0
November 1977	14·0	14·4	13·0	8·6§	0.8	1·2
November l978	7·1	11·4	8·1	13·3§	-0·8	3·1
November 1979	17·5	19·5║	17·4	19·1§	0·05	1·8
As for the 1980 up-rating, from 24 November, the short-term benefit rate was increased by 11·6 per cent, and the long-term benefit rate by 16·5 per cent.
The remaining information for 1980 is not yet available. Decisions as to the 1981 up-rating have not yet been taken.
* Standard rate of unemployment benefit for a single person.
†Standard rate of retirement pension for a single person.
‡Older series.
§Whole economy.
║Includes amount to make good 1·9 per cent, shortfall in relation to earnings in 1978

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions firemen were called to fires in England and Wales in 1979; how many people were killed in such fires in 1979; how many people were killed or injured in such fires in 1979; and what estimates he makes of the number of persons saved from death or injury by the presence of firemen at such fires in 1979.

The report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services 1979 gave an estimate of 308,000 fires attended by local fire brigades in England and Wales in 1979. Fuller information on numbers of fires, and details of the fatal and non-fatal casualties involved, are published annually in Fire Statistics United Kingdom—tables 14 and 15 in the volume for 1978. Copies of volumes for 1978 and earlier years are in the Library of the House; the 1979 volume will be published in early 1981.No estimates are available of the number of persons saved from death or injury by the presence of firemen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those reports from Royal Commissions, official departmental committees or from ad hoc advisory groups established by his Department which have been published during the past 10 years by his Department—either totally or jointly with other Departments—and which have yet to be debated in the House.

It is not possible without disproportionate cost to provide completely reliable information on November in each year from 19776 to 1981, the rise in index of average earnings in each year from 1976 to 1981 to November, and the percentage increase in the real value of both short-term and long-term benefit each year from 1976 to 1981.

The information requested for the years 1976–1979 is as follows:this matter, but departmental records show that the following reports have not been the subject of a debate in the House.Working Party on Habitual Drunken Offenders. (Chairman: T. G. Weiler) 1971.Review of Procedures for the Discharge and Supervision of Psychiatric Patients subject to Special Restriction. (By Sir Carl Aarvold, Professor Sir Denis Hill and Mr. G. P. Newton) (Cmnd. 5191) 1973.Working Party on Adjudication Procedures in Prisons (Chairman: T. G. Weiler) 1975.Committee on Mentally Abnormal Offenders. (Chairman: Rt. Hon. Lord Butler of Saffron Walden) (Cmnd. 6244) 1975Advisory Group on the Law of Rape. (Chairman: Hon. Mrs. Justice Heilbron) (Cmnd. 6352) 1975.Working Party on Vagrancy and Street Offences (Chairman: A. J. E. Brennan) 1976.Committee on Feasibility of an Experiment in the Taperecording of Police Interrogation. (Chairman: W. N. Hyde) (Cmnd. 6630) 1976.Return to an Order of the House of Commons dated April 26 1976, for Report to the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the Departmental Committee on Evidence of Identification in Criminal Cases. (Chairman: Rt. Hon. Lord Devlin) 1976.Working Party on Water Safety. (Chairman: J. McIntyre) 1977.Committee on Data Protection. (Chairman: Sir Norman Lindop) (Cmnd. 7341) 1979.Committee of Inquiry on the Police. Report III. The structure and Role of Police Staff Associations. (Chairman: The Rt. Hon. Lord Edmund Davies) (Cmnd. 7633) 1979.Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship. (Chairman: Professor Bernard Williams) (Cmnd. 7772) 1979.Two studies concerning the British Broadcasting Corporation. (Financing of the BBC). 1. The BBC's forward planning. 2. Methods of payment of the television licence fee 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to improve the poor state of television reception in the area of Llangernyw, Abergele, Clwyd.

The development of the television transmitter network is primarily the responsibility of the broadcasting authorities, who are currently undertaking phase II of the UHF engineering programme which is de signed to extend UHF television coverage to communities with permanent populations of 500 or more.In reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Mr. Wall) on 20 May, my right hon. Friend announced his approval to phase HI of the programme which is intended to extend coverage to groups of less than 500 wherever it is reasonably practicable for this to be done.I understand that a new UHF television relay station is planned under phase III to supplement the existing television coverage in the Llangernyw area. Planning is at an early stage, and it is not yet possible to say when this new station might come into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is considering or will now consider introducing legislation to ensure that those who organise public demonstrations or marches have to bear a portion of the costs of such activities.

This is one of the possibilities being considered in the current review of the Public Order Act 1936 and related legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which counties he has so far received reports from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for new electoral arrangements; and for which counties so far he has made orders introducing new electoral arrangements.

We have received reports from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on its re views of electoral arrangements for the following counties: Cheshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Surrey and Wiltshire.Of these, the following have had orders made giving effect to the commission's proposals, with or without modifications, at the elections to be held in May 1981; Cheshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire and Surrey.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics he has relating to the total value of illegal drugs seized by the police in England and Wales in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

The only statistics available on drug seizures by the police relate to the number of seizures and the weight of drugs seized.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were needed to keep order during the recent campaign for nuclear disarmament meeting held in Trafalgar Square, and what was the cost to public funds of the police operation during this meeting.

One thousand three hundred and forty-six; £116,346. These figures apply to the march to and the meeting in Trafalgar Square.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested under the Prevention or Terrorism Act in each month since March 1980; and how many of this number were charged.

The information readily available is given in the following table. It is planned to issue in the second half of January a Home office statistical bulletin giving figures for the fourth quarter of 1980.

Persons detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976
Great Britain, 1980	Number of Total Detained	Persons Subsequently charged with a criminal offence
March	55	6
April	60	1
May	59	2
June	74	19
July	52	2
August	46	—
September	45	—
	391	30

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been killed outright or fatally injured in the course of their duty so far in 1980.

Five, of whom four died as a result of traffic accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been forced to retire from the police force as a result of injuries sustained in the course of their duty so far in 1980; and what was the compensation paid to each police officer sustaining such injuries.

I regret that this information is not available centrally: these matters are within the responsibilities of individual police authorities, subject to the provisions of the police pensions regulations.The regulations entitle an officer who has to retire as a result of injury on duty to an ill-health pension and a gratuity. He is also entitled to an injury pension based on a minimum income guarantee under which, taking into account three quarters of his ill-health pension, and certain social security benefits, he receives not less than a specified proportion of his pensionable pay before he retired.This proportion rises to 85 per cent. in cases of very severe disablement—that is, where the loss of earning capacity is more than 75 per cent. He may also qualify for an award under the criminal injuries compensation scheme which would take account of the police pension benefits payable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what currently are the lowest and highest rates of prisoners' weekly earnings.

Prisoners' weekly earnings vary between nil and £3·85 a week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for the latest date for which figures are available, how many prisoners were unable to work because work could not be provided;(2) what is the rate currently paid to prisoners unable to work because work cannot be provided.

Before the prison officers' current industrial action there was no significant lack of work to give to prisoners, but for various reasons, for example, shortage of staff, many inmates normally required to work were unemployed. The precise number of these is not readily available. Unemployed inmates are normally paid at the rate of 95p a week, but during the industrial action are being paid the average of their previous earnings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much is the current grant paid to prisoners on release;(2) under what rule prisoners' discharge grants can be reduced if they save during their sentences; and whether he has any plans to amend the rule so as to provide a greater incentive to save.

The current rates of grant are £46·65 for a homeless prisoner and £19·20 for a prisoner who does not have to find accommodation. The amounts are not reduced if a prisoner saves from his earnings during sentence as the purpose of the grant is to replace the supplementary benefit which he would otherwise be entitled to claim from the Department of Health and Social Security for the first week after release. There are no plans to change the present arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made with his review of section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966; and if he will make a statement.

Considerable progress has been made in examining the future arrangements for grants paid under section 11 of the 1966 Act. It will not be possible to reach any conclusion, however, until the implications of the grant related expenditure system developed for local authorities under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 have been considered; in considering these full account will also be taken of any views expressed by the Sub-Committee on Race Relations and Immigration of the Select Committee on Home Affairs and by the committee of inquiry into the education of children from ethnic minority groups.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the medicinal additives which may be included in poultry and other farm livestock feedstuffs under EEC directive 70/254/EEC; and of these which he either does not allow or desire to be included in such feedstuffs in the United Kingdom.

The following medicinal additives are listed in directive 70/524/EEC for possible inclusion in livestock feeds, subject to conditions specified in annexes to the directive:

amprolium	monensin sodium
avoparcin	nicarbazine
carbadox	nifursol
decoquinate	nitrovin
dimetridazole	nosiheptide
dinitolmide	olaquindox
ethopabate	pyrimethamine
flavophospholipol	robenidine
halofuginone	ronidazole
ipronidazole	spiramycin
lasalocide sodium	sulphaquinoxaline
lincomycin	tylosin
methyl-benzoquate	virginiamycin
meticlorpondol	zinc bacitracin
mocimycin

In the United Kingdom, the use of none of these substances has been disallowed or discouraged. So far, licences have been issued for products containing all but the following additives:

• iproidazole
• mocimycin
• nosiheptide
• olaquindox

Spiramycin has been licensed only in water soluble form.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much public money has been spent in the current financial year directly and indirectly on promoting exports, including tourism; and if he will provide an estimate of the increase in the exchange rate which has resulted therefrom.

Total expenditure on export services in 1980–81, including both staff and direct costs in all Departments except for the Ministry of Defence, is estimated at £85·6 million net of charges. This excludes public expenditure in support of export credit.Grant-in-aid provision from Government funds for the four national tourist boards and the British Tourist Authority amounts to £28·6 million in 1980–81.It is not possible to say what effect, if any, expenditure on promoting exports and tourism may have had on the exchange rate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any means of preventing, employers from getting a tax credit on value added tax paid on petrol used for private purposes in company owned cars; and if, to prevent abuse, he will replace the value added tax by an equivalent increase in excise duty.

Employers are allowed to take credit for value added tax on all the petrol they buy for use for the purpose of their business. The independent VAT tribunal decided in the case of Pye of Cambridge Ltd. v. Commissioners of Customs an.' Excise (1977 VATTR 33) that this included petrol bought for the private use of an employee.Supplies of petrol to employees for private use are, however, chargeable with value added tax on no less than the cost of the petrol supplied. The employer must therefore account for an amount of tax which is at least equal to the tax credit he obtained on buying the petrol.As to the last part of the question, I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to exempt all horse show entry fees from value added tax; and if he will also take steps to exempt from value added tax horse sales and allow this to be attributed only to the profit on the sale of a horse.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980]: The position on the liability to VAT of entry fees to horse shows which are competitive events is the same as that for fishing contests, which I explained in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Golding) on 13 November—[Vol. 992, c. 435]. As to the second part of the question, I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion and will Dear it in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the relative prices in table 1 of the Economic Progress Report for July 1977; and haw these compare with the latest figures.

The relative prices given were those of a broadly comparable "basket" of consumer goods and services in domestic currencies in each of the EEC capitals expressed as a percentage of the price—in foreign exchange—of an equivalent purchase in London. The estimates were based on a five-yearly survey of consumer prices, last carried out in 1975, by the Statistical Office o the European Communities.As the 1980 survey is not quite completed, later results are not yet available. However, the following table gives approximate up-dates for September 1980 derived by the Department of Employment by adjusting the 1975 data with reference to subsequent changes in respective consumer prices indices.

Consumer purchasing power parities as a percentage of market exchange rates.
	October 1975	September 1980* (provisional estimates)
London	100	100
Bonn	129	102
Paris	131	102
Rome	101	78
Amsterdam	119	96
Brussels	122	90

	October 1975	September 1980* (provisional estimates)
Luxembourg	113	90
Dublin	98	88
Copenhagen	147	122
* Exchange rates for September 1980 relate to end of month.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the relationship between movements in the public sector borrowing requirement and money supply growth on an annual basis between 1972 and 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Movements in the PSBR and £M3 between 1972 and 1979 are shown in the following table:

£ millions
	PSBR	Increase in £M3
1972	2050	4927
1973	4191	6702
1974	6437	3255
1975	10480	2331
1976	9128	3565
1977	5995	4130
1978	8331	6772
1979	12569	6615

The relationship between fiscal policy and £M3 is discussed in a Treasury paper, entitled "Background to the Government's Economic Policy", submitted recently to the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee. A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the Treasury index of relative normal unit labour costs for each of the past four quarters.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him today giving the text of the letter I sent him on 29 August about the publication of indices of competitiveness.The IMF has now revised the estimates of trend productivity growth it uses in calculating its indices of relative normal unit labour costs; revised figures for the United Kingdom for this series have been published in the November issues of International Financial Statistics, Economic Trends and the Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics. These revised figures are very close to those produced by the Treasury index.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply dated 3 November 1980 to written questions from the hon. Member for Grimsby concerning the effect of changes in the real exchange rate, whether the figures quoted are consistent with those given in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Lamont) in April 1976; and, if not, whether he will publish in the Official Report his reasons for the changes made.

The reply dated 3 November to the hon. Member's earlier questions quoted estimates for the long-run cost competitiveness elasticities for exports and imports of manufactures derived from the most recent version of the Treasury model.The economic relationships in the Treasury model are the object of continuous research, which lead to revisions from time to time in the estimates of the parameters of those relationships.It should therefore come as no surprise to the hon. Member that the figures given in my earlier reply were not the same as those given in a previous reply to a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Lamont) four and a half years ago.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the budgetary cost per head of maintaining a Member of the European Assembly; how this compares with the cost of maintaining a Member of the House of Commons; and if he will provide a breakdown to enable the difference to be accounted for.

No precise comparison is possible between the budgetary costs of the European Parliament and those of the House of Commons. The following table shows the main categories of expenditure covered by the budget of the European Parliament and the Votes for House of Commons expenditure.

	£ million
	European Parliament*	House of Commons †
Members of the Institution
Salaries and pensions	‡—	9·1
Travel and subsistence	7·8	4·6
Secretarial expenses	8·9	2·9
Other	0·7	—
Supporting Staff
Salaries, allowances, pensions, etc.	║62·7	║7·4
General expenses	4·1	2·0
Accommodation
Rent	4·3	§—
Operating costs	3·3	3·8
Security	0·6	1·8
Other Administrative Costs
Stationery, office equipment, etc.	6·1	3·3
Publications	3·6	3·8
Payments to Parliamentary bodies	3·8	0·6
Other Expenditure	¶13·0	—
Total	118·9	39·3
Number of Members	410	635
* The figures for the European Parliament have been taken from the 1980 Community Budget and converted to sterling at the Budget rate of £1=1·49 EUA.
† The figures for the House of Commons have been taken from the 1980–81 Estimates.
‡ Salaries of Members of the European Parliament are paid by national Governments and are not included in the Budget.
§ Rent is not payable in respect of the
║ The Budget of the European Parliament covers the cost of 2573 posts of which approximately one-fifth are employed in the language service. The House of Commons administration vote covers the costs of 772 staff.
¶ Includes £10·4 million to reserves.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the substance of the reply sent to the hon. Member for Grimsby by the Financial Secretary on 24 September in answer to the four written questions on monetary policy tabled at the end of the last Session.

The text of the reply sent to the hon. Member on 24 September was as follows:

"On 7 August you asked four parliamentary questions on monetary policy. I replied by saying that I would write to you. I shall answer the questions in the order in which your questions appeared on the Order Paper.

You asked Geoffrey Howe whether he would circulate in the Official Report the occasions since 1960 when the banks have been required to place special deposits with the Bank of England; how long the deposits lasted; and what was the reduction in liquidity in the system as a result. A list of the occasions between 1960 and the end of 1969 when calls for special deposits were made is shown on page 17 of the Bank of England Statistical Abstract No. 1 (1970). A similar list for the period 1970–74 is shown on page 72 of the Bank's Statistical Abstract No. 2 (1975). More recent figures are given in Table 6.4 of the CSO's Financial Statistics (Table 6.2 until November 1979). The impact of special deposits calls on the liquidity of the banking system will depend on how banks adjust their balance sheet structure. However the special deposits made by banks are shown in Tables 9(1) and 9(2) of the Bank of England Statistical Abstract No. 1 (1970), Tables 8.2, 8.3 and 9 of the Bank of England's Statistical Abstract 1975, and Tables 6.16 of the CSO's Financial Statistics for most recent period (Tables 6.3 until November 1978).

Your second question asked for the reasons why bank lending to the private sector only responds slowly to changes in the interest rates, as stated in the Green Paper on Monetary Control. There are, no doubt, a number of reasons why bank lending to the private sector appears to respond only slowly to change in interest rates. The following are probably among the more important:

(i) A significant proportion of bank lending to the private sector as on fixed interest-rate terms. An interest rate increase will only affect borrowers when they come to roll forward their loans.

(ii) It takes time and there are costs involved for companies to adjust their operations to changes in their costs, including interest costs.

(iii) Companies may initially believe that the change in interest rates will be quickly reversed.

(iv) Changes in nominal interest rates may both reflect and themselves have an impact on the other factors inluencing the demand for credit, such as output and inflationary expectations. The relationship is therefore not straightforward.

(v) Movements in relative interest rates could be important. If long rates rise relative to short rates, companies may come to rely increasingly on bank borrowing.

You also asked whether the assertions made in the article on monetary policy in Economic Progress Report 123 about the relationship between money and prices are equally valid whatever the intensity of the utilisation of the country's resources of labour and capital. Over a period, money is broadly 'neutral', in the sense that any reduction in the money stock will eventually be reflected largely in the price level. Output and capacity utilisation, on the other hand, are in the long run determined mainly by non-monetary factors. Therefore, the assertions made in the article are equally valid whatever the intensity of the utilisation of the country's resources of labour and capital. However, the timing of effects of changes in the money stock will depend on the initial situation in the economy, including the level of capacity utilisation.

Finally, you asked for the growth of domestic credit expansion in each year since 1970 as a percentage of the money stock; how this compares with the growth in the money supply; what was the reason for the difference in each year; and what is the significance of the variation in terms of: (a) the money economy and (b) the real economy. Figures for DCE and changes in the money supply are given in Table 7·3 of CSO's Financial Statistics. Money stock figures are given in Table 7·1 of the same publication. The difference between DCE and changes in sterling M3 is accounted for by the external and foreign currency transactions which may be interpreted approximately as the surplus on balance of payments current account and non-bank private sector capital account taken together (to the extent that it is converted into sterling). This relationship is shown, as far as existing statistical sources allow, in 'Financial Statistics' Tale 7·4, which was introduced in July this year.

A persistent discrepancy between DCE and changes in the money supply will only occur if there is a sustained difference between changes in the demand for sterling by the UK (non-bank) private sector (on the one hand) arid in the demand for sterling by other holders (on the other). Whether such a difference exists will depend on the exchange rate policy which is being followed. If the exchange rate is being kept down by the authorities, DCE will tend to be lower than the growth in sterling M3; conversely, if the authorities are intervening to keep the rate up, DCE will outstrip the growth in sterling M3. Where the exchange rate is freely floating one would expect, other things being equal, to see little difference between DCE and the growth in sterling M3, since any divergence between DCE and the underlying growthin the demand for money will be offset by changes in the exchange rate. However despite our policy of allowing the exchange rate to find its own level there has in recent months been a tendency for DCE to outstrip the growth of sterling M3, with continuing net outflows from the non-bank private sector. This is associated, in large measures, with the once-for-all effect of the abolition of exchange controls, which produced a temporary shift in the balance between resident and non-resident demand for sterling While the gap between DCE and the growth in sterling M3 is not absolutely congruent with the effect of removing exchange controls, it was only to be expected that the net result would be a period in which sterling M3 grew rather more slowly than DCE.

It is not however the Government's view that DCE should be ignored: indeed, we made it clear o n the Green Paper on monetary control that we intend to monitor DCE as well as the main monetary aggregates. But it is the growth of the money supply that has the closer relationship to the growth of money incomes

	Market vale of owner-occupied housing in Great Britain: End-year	Whole economy gross capital stock	Whole economy net capital stock	Net personal wealth	Value of ordinary shares held by individuals at market prices	Assets owned by manufacturing imlustries
						Gross capital stock	Net capital stock
End-year (at current replacement cost)					End-year (at current replacement cost)
1952	10·1	61·5	35·4	n.a.	n.a.	13·0	7·4
1953	9·7	62·7	36·2	n.a.	n.a.	13·5	7·7
1954	10·0	66·3	38·4	n.a.	n.a.	14·4	8·2
1955	10·7	71·9	41·9	n.a.	n.a.	15·7	9·0
1956	11 8	76·5	44·9	n.a.	n.a.	16·9	9·9
1957	12·3	80·2	47·6	54·8	8·7	18·0	10·8
1958	13·2	82·3	49·3	61·5	11·8	18·6	11·3
1959	14·0	84·3	50·9	70·6	18·0	191	11·7
1960	16·1	88·9	54·1	72·0	16·7	20·3	12·5
1961	18·0	94·6	58·2	77·4	18·0	21·8	13·6
1962	19·9	100·7	62·5	85·6	17·2	23·0	14·5
1963	23·6	107·0	66·9	92·4	19·1	24·3	15·3
1964	26·5	113·9	71·8	94·9	15·7	26·0	16·4
1965	28·7	122·4	77·7	102·8	16·0	28·1	17·7
1966	31·5	130·0	83·1	112·3	17·9	29·8	18·8
1967	34·3	138·4	89·1	123·6	22·1	31·3	19·7
1968	38·2	150·5	97·6	188·1	28·3	33·6	21·2
1969	41·0	165·9	108·1	140·5	24·2	37·0	23·4
1970	45·8	188·1	122·9	147·0	22·5	42·3	26·8
1971	55·3	216·2	141·5	174·8	29·8	47·9	30·4
1972	85·8	257·8	169·1	212·7	36·3	54·6	34·5
1973	107·2	327·2	215·7	246·2	25·5	66·7	42·1
1974	111·3	417·9	275·7	243·7	13·0	83·8	52·7
1975	121·2	505·3	332·6	286·9	24·0	101·3	63·2
1976	135·1	582·1	381·8	312·3	22·0	119·1	73·7
1977	148·4	663·1	432·4	365·1	30·4	137·5	84·5
1978	187·4	775·5	504·6	430·2	31·9	158·4	96·9
1979	252·2	932·6	605·4	n.a.	n.a.	186·8	113·8

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury index of relative normal unit labour costs is the only index of competitiveness used in forecasting in the Treasury model.

No. The index referred to is used to forecast exports of manufactures. Six further competitiveness indices are constructed—two based on relative labour costs, and four based on relative prices—for use in the equations for manufactures imports volumes and for exports and imports of services. Details of the construction of these other measures, and of the equations in which they enter, are available in the Treasury macro-economic model technical manual a copy of which is in the Library. An updated equation and variable listing will be published shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the table showing the estimated value of owner-occupied housing compared with the total stock of assets enclosed with the letter sent by the Chief Secretary to the hon. Member for Grimsby on 21 December 1979; and if he will now update these figures to include estimates for 1979.

The figures requested are given in the table below including revisions and estimates for 1979.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the substance of the letter sent by the Financial Secretary to the hon. Member for Grimsby on 29 August in reply to four written questions concerning the published indices of labour cost competitiveness.

The text of the letter was as follows:"Just before the recess you put down four questions about the publication of indices of labour costs competitiveness. It was not possible to answer these in the time available, and I said that I would write to you (OR Written Answers 8 August, c.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total estimated value, by type, of the drugs seized by Her Majesty's Customs at British ports, airports and elsewhere in each of the past 10 years.

The total estimated value of the drugs seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in each of the past nine years is contained in the following table. There are no figures available prior to 1972.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he expects will be the yield, during the current financial year, of the excise duty paid by industrial consumers on oil products.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 December 1980]: The amount of duty on hydrocarbon oil, including road fuel, borne by businesses is estimated to be about £2,000 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the excise duty on fuel oil to bring it into line with the levels applying elsewhere within the European Economic Community.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 December 1980]: I cannot anticipate my right hon. and learned Fiend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he is taking within the European Economic Community to eliminate or reduce the unfair competition arising from the level of excise duly on oil products applying elsewhere in the Community being less than half than that in the United Kingdom;(2) what estimate he has made of the price disadvantage suffered by United Kingdom industry compared with industries elsewhere in the European Economic Community as a result of the extra excise duty on oil products borne in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 December 1980]: There are no proposals current in the Community fog harmonisation of the rates of excise duty on oil products. Rates of excise duty vary considerably throughout the Community: details are given in my reply, 3 December 1980, to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet). United Kingdom rates of duty are by no means uniformly higher than in other member States. On petrol, for example, the United Kingdom rate is among the lowest in the Community.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, since the meeting of the Energy Council of the European Economic Community on 13 May 1980, at which all member States endorsed the need for economic energy pricing, there has been any adjustment of excise tax by any member country to reduce the excessive differential suffered by United Kingdom manufacturers.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 December 1980]: As far as I am aware, there have, since May 1980, been changes in the duties on oil products in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, and on electricity and gas in Denmark. As I explain in my reply to other questions by the right hon. Member, rates of excise duty vary considerably throughout the Community, and the United Kingdom rates of duty on oil products are by no means uniformly higher than those in other member States.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to prevent contractor finance arrangements being set against petroleum revenue tax by oil companies.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) on 1 July.—[Vol. 987, c. 523-5].

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the allowances made to oil companies before petroleum revenue tax is due, what has been the total allowed to cover interest repayments on loans in each year since 1975.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980]: None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many oil companies have applied for a waiver or refund on the amount of petroleum revenue tax they pay; how many have been granted; and what is the estimated cash value of such waivers or refunds.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980]: There are no provisions in the petroleum revenue tax legislation akin to the royalty refund provisions of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipelines Act 1975.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many oil companies have applied for a waiver or refund on the amount of corporation tax they pay; how many have been granted; and what is the estimated cash value of such waivers or refunds.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980]: There are no provisions in the corporation tax legislation akin to the royalty refund provisions of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipelines Act 1975.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's estimate of the current cost of financing each additional 100,000 unemployed in the United Kingdom including the loss of tax, income and insurance contributions.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980]: The current cost of financing each additional 100.000 unemployed depends on the cause of the initial increase in unemployment and on the characteristics of the unemployed. Without making specific assumptions on these and other factors, it is not possible to provide estimates of the cost.

asked the Attorney-General if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 6 November, Official Report, c. 629, he will publish in the Official Report the information about the reasons for the referral of cases involving shoplifting to the Director of Public Prosecutions in the year ended 30 October 1980.

I have written to the hon. Member in the same terms as I wrote to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 6 November.

asked the Attorney-General what proportion of criminal cases and civil cases, respectively, were conducted with the help of legal aid in each year since 1970.

The information requested is not available for civil cases. Figures of the proportion of defendants and appellants who were legally aided in various types of criminal proceedings in the years 1970–77 were published in tables 7.1–7.3 of Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1977 (Cmnd. 7289). Figures for 1978 and 1979 are given in the table below.

Proportion of defendants and appellants who were legally aided, by type of proceedings
England and Wales	Percentage
Type of proceedings	1978	*1979
Magistrates' courts proceedings
Trial of adults for:
indictable offences	58	—
indictable/triable-either way/offences*	—	59
non-indictable offences	2	—
summary offences*	—	2
Proceedings relating to committal for trial	70	67
All criminal proceedings at juvenile courts	22	27
Crown Court proceedings
Trials at the Crown Court	96	96
Appearance for sentence following conviction at a magistrates' court	98	98
Appeals against a decision of a magistrates' court	62	64
Proceedings at the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)	86	88
* Indictable/triable-either way and summary offence categories apply in 1979.