asked the Attorney-General why the Lord Chancellor will not make it his practice that no person be appointed a judge until such time as he can prove that he has resigned from and taken no part in the activities of any known political organisation for 10 years at least prior to such an appointment.

If the Lord Chancellor were to follow the practice suggested by the hon. Member, the effect would be to deprive both Houses of Parliament and the political parties of the valuable services of members of the legal profession who hope eventually to serve on the Bench and to deprive the Bench of able practitioners who can bring to it valuable parliamentary and other political experience.

asked the Attorney-General what are (a) the qualifications, (b) the salary, (c) the date of apppointment and (d) the due date for the retirement of Mr. Registrar Dewhurst of the London bankruptcy court.

Mr. Registrar Dewhurst was in practice as a barrister for over 10 years before being appointed a registrar in bankruptcy of the High Court on 6 January 1981; his salary is £21,837 a year and the date on which he is due to retire is 5 January 1993.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what further references he intends to make to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission under section 11 of the Competition Act 1980.

My right hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, announced to the House on 30 November last that the Government intended to strengthen the role of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in scrutinising the efficiency of nationalised industries and other public sector undertakings. The number of investigations was to be increased, with each year's programme being announced in advance.The references to be made this year are of :

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why the provisional import quota for undergarments from South Korea has been fixed at 1,500,000 pieces when imports into the United Kingdom in 1980 were 399,000 pieces.

[pursuant to the reply, 2 March 1932 c. 74.]: The provisional quota took into account a level of actual imports of 1,776,000 pieces during the seven months of 1980 (January-March and September-December) for which United Kingdom import statistics were available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the balance of trade in office equipment between the United Kingdom and the other member States of the European Community in each year since 1970; if he will express this in both money terms and by giving the export to import ratios; and by how much British office equipment exports to the Community have grown in real and notional terms in this period.

The available information is as follows:

United Kingdom Trade with the rest of the European Community in Office Machinery
	Crude Balance (£ million)	Export: Import Ratio (per cent.)	Exports (£ million fob)
1970	-9	78	31
1971	+6	120	38
1972	-9	70	20
1973	-20	54	24
1974	-18	63	30
1975	-17	67	35
1976	-15	76	46
1977	-18	74	50
1978	-25	70	58
1979	-36	62	58
1980	-20	75	61

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the balance of trade in clothing between the United Kingdom and the other member States of the European Community in each year since 1970; if he will express this both in money terms and by giving the export to import ratios; and by how much British clothing exports to the Community have grown in real and notional terms in this period.

The available information is as follows:

United Kingdom trade with the rest of the European Community in clothing
	Crude balance (£ million)	Export-Import ratio (per cent.)	Exports(£ million fob)
SITC (Rl)
1970	+3	108	37
1971	-2	95	41
1972	-3	93	49
1973	-7	91	67
1974	-7	92	88
1975	-14	89	110
SITC (R2)
1975	-14	89	110
1976	+18	111	184
1977	+51	123	269
1978	+54	119	333
1979	+49	114	396
1980	+111	133	448

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, pursuant to his written answer to the hon. Member for Orpington on 1 February, Official Report, c. 3, he will place in the Library a copy of Sir Derek Rayner's report on the Patent Office.

Copies of the Rayner report on the Patent Office have been placed in the Library today.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will publish a table in the Official Report showing (a) the increase since the fourth quarter of 1976 to the latest available date in (i) the terms of trade for manufactures and (ii) relative export prices for manufactures, and (b) to what extent the difference between the two figures is due to an increase in profit margins on imported motor vehicles and other imported manufactures.

The latest available comparable data can be found in tables D2 and F3 of the Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, copies of which are in the Library. There is no evidence to suggest that the difference between the series is due to an increase in profit margins.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing at an annual rate the balance of trade with (a) the EEC six and (b) the rest of the world since September 1981 for (i) manufactures, less precious stones and (ii) visible trade less crude oil and precious stones.

For (a) and (b) respectively the figures are (i) -£5·0 billion and +£7·3 billion and (ii) -£5·8 billion and +£1·8 billion. However, these figures are unrepresentative of trade in a full year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what assessment he has made of the man-made fibre industry sector working party report published in November 1981; and, in particular, of its judgment that the industry in the United Kingdom is being severely adversely affected by an acceleration of dumped or subsidised imports, particularly from the United States of America, by unfair subsidies to the industry elsewhere within the European Economic Community, and by the inadequacy of the present General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade rules on anti-dumping.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1982, c. 74.]: Full United Kingdom statistics are not yet available but there is clear evidence of a decrease in imports of man-made fibres from the United States in 1981.The report of the sector working party indicates that the European Commission has actively pursued all well-founded complaints of dumping by United States or other non-Community suppliers presented to it by the Community's man-made fibre industry. The Community's anti-dumping legislation is based on the GATT code agreed in the multilateral trade negotiations; we believe that the code represents the best achievable balance between the need to protect industry from unfair trade and the need to protect exporters from unduly protectionist action by others.Within the Community the Commission, which administers the competition rules of the Treaty of Rome on behalf of the Community as a whole, needs firm evidence of possible treaty breaches before action can be taken. If the hon. Member or the United Kingdom industry has any evidence that might assist Commission investigations, my Department would be happy to help with its presentation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) whether he will seek to amend the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-Lines Act 1975 by repealing section 2 (1)(a) in view of the fact that under the new arrangements the British National Oil Corporation will cease to operate upstream on the United Kingdom continental shelf;(2) whether he will seek to repeal section 2 (2)

I refer my hon. Friend to my statement on the future role of BNOC after privatisation during the third sitting of Standing Committee E, c. 91.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will consider the introduction of a maximum price for the retail sale of petrol in order to bring the United Kingdom into line with other countries belonging to the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.

No. Retail petrol prices in the United Kingdom are already among the lowest in the European Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the policy of his Department towards the development of a common policy on petrol pricing within the member States of the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's Government continue to participate in discussions within the European Community on harmonisation of pricing principles and taxes on oil products, with the broad objective of developing measures to reduce Community dependence on oil. The market-determined petrol prices in the United Kingdom are likely already to be consistent with any agreement that might emerge from this exercise. The tax per gallon of petrol in the United Kingdom is rather below the average in other EC member States.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what consideration he has given to the proposals of the Electricity Consumers Council with regard to fuel debts, disconnections and the avoidance of hardships; and if he will make a statement on the proposals.

These proposals concern the gas and electricity industries' code of practice on the payment of bills and are in the first instance a matter for them. I expect to receive shortly from the industries the response I have requested from them to the recent review of the code by the Policy Studies Institute. The Electricity Consumers Council has, I understand, discussed its proposals with the Electricity Council in this context.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what fee was charged by the Government's commercial advisers on the sale of shares in Amersham International Ltd.

The commission retained by N. M. Rothschild & Sons Ltd. and Morgan Grenfell & Co. Ltd., which were the issuing houses for the flotation of Amersham International, was £310,000, excluding VAT, of which Her Majesty's Government paid £230,000; Rothschilds will receive no other fee for their advice in connection with the issue.

Lewis asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the growing practice of some newspapers of publishing alleged factual information that the majority of muggings and attacks upon people in the streets is being carried out by black people, whether, to counteract this, he will publish a monthly statement of convictions with details of race and colour where known.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young prisoners allocated to borstal centres have been reclassified as adults and admitted to Strangeways prison, Manchester; and if he will make a statement.

1,471 sentenced young prisoners were received at Manchester during 1981, and 232 were reclassified to adult status. Young prisoners are held in the young prisoner section of the young offender wing which also contains the borstal allocation unit. If young prisoners are reclassified to adult status they are moved to the adult wings of the prison before being transferred to adult training establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will arrange to deport Mr. Robert Cheung, a manager of a restaurant in Esher, Surrey, due to his illegal entry into the United Kingdom by means of a marriage of convenience to Helen Ventress of Lansdown Road, Falmouth.

Mr. Cheung's position is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a reply will be sent to the letter dated 6 January and addressed to the Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Raison), by the hon. Member for Goole, enclosing another letter from a constituent about citizens band radio.

I wrote to the hon. Member on 1 March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the return to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of Dr. Vladimir Marmalyou, who arrived on the "Nizhnevartoesk" at Liverpool East Canada dock at 4 am on 9 February; and if he will outline the circumstances in which he left the United Kingdom on 17 February.

Dr. Marmalyov arrived in Liverpool on 7 February as the ship's doctor of the m. v. "Nizhnevartovsk". On 9 February he asked for asylum in the United Kingdom and after interview by an immigration officer, he was given leave to enter for a period of six months. The British Refugee Council agreed to look after Dr. Marmalyov, and it arranged accommodation and also provided an interpreter and counselling. On 16 February Dr. Marmalyov asked a British Refugee Council official for directions to the Soviet consulate in London and these were given to him.On 17 February Dr. Marmalyov presented himself to an immigration officer at Heathrow for embarkation on the Aeroflot flight to Moscow. He spoke to the immigration officer and there were no indications that he was not returning to the Soviet Union of his own free will.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the increases in salaries of officers of the Commission for Racial Equality; whether the commission is advised of the Government's pay guidelines; and whether the commission is expected to adhere to those guidelines.

The pay of the staff of the commission is firmly linked to that of the Civil Service, and commission staff salaries are increased or restricted in line with Civil Service pay settlements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how much he estimates the total cost of the Metropolitan Police will increase during the year 1982–83 as against the cost for the year 1981–82; what proportion will be paid by the London local authorities; and whether the increase is subject to the restraints and cash limits set by the Government for other local authority services.

The approved estimate of net expenditure by the Metropolitan Police for 1982–83 exceeds the revised estimate for 1981–82 by £49 million—8·4 per cent. This increase allows for the growth of about 1,000 in the strength of the force. About 50 per cent. of the cost of the force is met by precept levied by the receiver on the boroughs and districts in the Metropolitan Police district, but this is partly offset by block grant paid to the authorities through the rate support grant system. On the basis of the rate support grant report for 1982–83, this would be 44 per cent. of the precept for that year.The force's budget is not subject to a cash limit, but in approving the budget I have due regard to the Government's public expenditure policies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of robbery and other violent theft, burglary and armed robbery were reported in each month of 1980 and 1981 in the Metropolitan Police districts which cover the area of the London borough of Newham.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 February 1982, c. 121]: Provision of the detailed information requested would involve disproportionate cost. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the available quarterly information is as given in the following table.

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the fact that the reasons given by Her Majesty's Government for the introduction of the compulsory use of car seat belts was that it would mean a saving of life, and since there are more losses of life and greater costs to the National Health Service by people smoking and drinking, Her Majesty' Government will examine the extent to which a similar system of prevention or cure can be introduced in respect of those who smoke and drink.

The Government are continuously pursuing more effective ways of preventing the disease and death which results from smoking and from misuse of alcohol.

asked the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government consider that the visit of 12 England cricketers to South Africa is in breach of the Gleneagles agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Although described as a "private tour" the composition of the tour party and the fact that a series of four-day and one-day test matches are planned is such that the tour cannot be regarded other than as a major sporting link with South Africa. As such it is contrary to the principles of the Gleneagles agreement to which the Government are committed. My hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for sport has made clear Her Majesty's Government's view of the tour and the secrecy under which the arrangements were made. Both the Government and the Test and County Cricket Board were unaware of this tour.I must pay tribute to the Test and County Cricket Board for all it has done to uphold the principles of the Gleneagles agreement. No test matches have been played against South Africa here or in that country since 1965. The ramifications of this tour could affect the financial structure of cricket in this country and jeopardise the future of multi-racial internationl cricket; it could also have implications for international sport generally. I deeply regret that the Government were not given the opportunity to discuss the matter beforehand.My hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for sport has already discussed the tour with the chairman and secretary of the Test and County Cricket Board with whom any action must lie.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer given by her to the Leader of the Opposition on Thursday 25 February, if, in the light of the events surrounding the sale of shares in Amersham International, she will, before Britoil shares are offered for sale, review the system whereby professional financial advisers are appointed by Her Majesty's Government.

We shall continue to keep our procedures under review in the light of experience.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will take steps to ensure that financial assistance from the European Economic Community in respect of inner city deprivation includes the Greater London area.

The European regional development fund is at present devoted to assisted areas and areas adversely affected by other Community policies. Whilst limited assistance to other areas may become theoretically possible in future, it would be unwise of me to suggest that London would necessarily benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firms in manufacturing industry employ 10 or more workers; and what is the distribution between sectors.

Estimates for establishments employing 11 or more—which are the basic reporting units used for the annual census of production—are shown in the following table. Corresponding estimates for establishments employing 10 or more could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Order; Standard Industrial Classification (Revised 1968)	Number of establishments employing 11 or more
III—Food, drink and tobacco	3,718
IV—Coal and petroleum products	137
V—Chemicals and allied industries	1,605
VI—Metal manufacture	1,829
VII—Mechanical engineering	7,280
VIII—Instrument engineering	1,120
IX—Electrical engineering	2,472
X—Shipbuilding and marine engineering	563
XI—Vehicles	1,548
XII—Metal goods not elsewhere specified	6,221
XIII—Textiles	3,101
XIV—Leather, leather goods and fur	661
XV—Clothing and footwear	3,870
XVI—Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc.	1,653
XVII—Timber, furniture, etc.	3,975
XVIII—Paper, printing and publishing	5,099
XIX—Other manufacturing industries	2,758
All manufacturing	47,610

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, what is the current estimated departmental cost of the provision of Concorde aircraft services up to 31 December 1984; and if he will make a statement.

The latest estimate of future net costs of in-service support of Concorde aircraft and engines to be borne under the Department of Industry's Vote are those shown in the Department's Memorandum of 2 December 1981, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. The forecasts of net project expenditures, at September 1981 prices, were:

	£ Million
1982/83	17·6
1983/84	9·1
1984/85	6·8

As indicated in the memorandum, these figures show substantial reductions on estimates previously given by the Department to the Select Committee on Industry and Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what is the total amount of money spent by the United Kingdom and France on (a) research and development and (b) net running costs on Concorde;(2) what is the total expenditure to date by

The final figures for British and French development expenditures and the latest available figures for British and French in-service support expenditures and receipts are those reproduced in annex B to "Concorde—The Government's Reply to the Second Report from the Industry and Trade Committee for the Session 1980–81" Cmnd. 8308. The latest available figure for expenditures at British Government research establishments was given in my reply of 18 January 1982 to my hon. Friend the member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Ancram)—[Vol 16, c. 31.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if there are any plans for industrial training schemes in the Northern region following the abolition of the Chemical Industry Training Board.

Employers' associatons have prepared and are developing national training organisations as successor bodies to the Chemical and Allied Products Industry Training Board. There are no proposals relating specifically to the Northern region.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial training places for instrument artificers have been lost in the Northern region following the abolition of the Chemical Industry Training Board.

I know of no industrial training places for instrument artificers lost in the Northern region as a result of the proposed abolition of the Chemical and Allied Products Industry Training Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the likely shortage of instrument artificers in the Northern region for the years 1985 and 1986.

I have at present no evidence that there will be shortages of instrument artificers in Northern region in 1985 and 1986. The position will be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the approximate number of visits made by wages inspectors to an individual firm during a 10-year period.

Under the present arrangements, establishments within scope of the Wages Councils Act 1979 can expect wage rates to be checked once during a 10-year period. However, establishments at which underpayments have been found are likely to be inspected more frequently.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to implement visits by wages inspectors at least once every four years; and if he will make a statement.

No. I regard the present level of inspection as adequate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now introduce legislation to include full coverage of those industries which are partially covered by wages council orders; and if he will make a statement.

I am currently considering a recommendation to extend the scope of one council. Extensions to the scope of other councils would be considered in the light of the circumstances in the trade or industry concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people registered as unemployed in the London borough of Lambeth are aged under 21 years; and how many are black.

The quarterly age analysis for all unemployed people relates to January and the yearly age analysis for unemployed ethnic minority group workers is for February. Figures are not collected for the precise age group specified. The following is the available information for the area covered by the Brixton, Streatham, Stockwell and West Norwood employment offices, which corresponds closely to the London borough of Lambeth.

Age	All unemployed January 1982	Unemployed ethnic minority group workers February 1982 (provisional)
Under 18 years	1,349	354
Aged 18 years	1,167	486
Aged 19 to 24 years	5,579	930

The youth opportunities programme exists to help young people with employment difficulties through appropriate courses of work experience and training.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are now registered as unemployed at careers offices and employment offices in the London borough of Lambeth.

At 11 February the provisional number of people registered as unemployed at employment offices and careers offices in the London borough of Lambeth was 18,648. The figure relates to the area covered by the Brixton, Streatham, Stockwell and West Norwood employment offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were employed in the machine tool industry in 1979, 1980 and to the nearest available date in 1981.

At December 1981 the number of employees in employment in Great Britain in the manufacture of metal-working machine tools—minimum list heading 332 of the Standard Industrial Classification—was 48,400. The corresponding numbers at December 1979 and December 1980 were 63,500 and 56,400 respectively. The figures are provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many additional places were sponsored by Allerdale district council under the youth opportunities programme and the CEP separately for the last month for which statistics are available; and what is the total number of places now being supported by that authority under each scheme.

Allerdale district council sponsored 16 new places for unemployed young people under the youth opportunities programme, and no new places for unemployed adults under the community enterprise programme in February 1982.The authority now supports a total of 186 places on the youth opportunities programme, and 97 places on the community enterprise programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of persons unemployed, the percentage rate of unemployment, and the total number of vacancies for (a) the Workington travel-to-work area and (b) Cumbria.

At 11 February the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the Workington travel-to-work area was 5,713 and the unemployment rate was 18·2 per cent. The corresponding figures for Cumbria were 23,458 and 11·9 per cent.At 5 February the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at employment offices and careers offices in the Workington travel-to-work area were 121 and 8, respectively. The figures for Cumbria were 1,116 at employment offices and 46 at careers offices. Vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and careers offices should not be added together. The number of vacancies unfilled at a particular date takes no account of the flow of vacancies being notified, filled or withdrawn which would reflect activity more closely. For example, during the 12-month period to December 1981, 9,923 people were placed in jobs by employment offices in Cumbria. It is estimated that the public employment service accounts for about one in four of all placings.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of young people who have registered at careers offices in each of the travel-to-work areas in Cumbria in the last month for which statistics are available.

The following is the provisional information at 11 February.

Carlisle	644
*Furness	329
*Kendal	101
Keswick	29
Penrith	181
*Whitehaven	288
*Workington	351
* Travel-to-work area comprising two or more employment office areas.

The youth opportunities programme and the community industry scheme exist to help unemployed school leavers and others with appropriate courses of work experience, training and temporary employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons, both male and female, were placed in employment by the Workington jobcentre in the last month for which statistics are available.

Workington jobcentre placed 156 people—85 males and 71 females, in the four-week period ending 11 February 1982, the latest for which statistics are available.There is likely to have been a substantial number of people who found jobs in the area otherwise than through the Jobcentre. Nationally, the commission has estimated from a 1977 survey that about a quarter of all placings are made through its offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were registered unemployed for six months or more or for 12 months or more in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the Yorkshire and Humberside area and (c) the Hull travel-to-work area in May 1979; and what were the comparable figures at the latest available date.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 March 1982, c. 40.]: The numbers registered as unemployed are analysed by duration of unemployment in January, April, July and October. The following table gives the information at April 1979 and January 1982 for the areas specified.

	Unemployed for over 26 and up to 52 weeks		Unemployed for over 52 weeks
	April 1979	January 1982	April 1979	January 1982
United Kingdom	262,851	698,465	366,711	905,105

	Unemployed for over 26 and up to 52 weeks		Unemployed for over 52 weeks
	April 1979	January 1982	April 1979	January 1982
Yorkshire and Humberside region	22,515	64,154	32,728	85,226
Hull travel-to-work area	2,940	5,854	4,942	9,358

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, further to his written reply of 23 February listing the co-ordinating posts, he will list the additional new posts that will be created when Dyfed health authority is split later this year into East Dyfed and Pembroke health authorities.

The determination of management structures below the level of the district team posts will be a matter for the East Dyfed and Pembrokeshire health authorities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what study he has made of the Danish proposal to introduce index-linked mortgage bonds; and if he will consider a comparable system to finance house-building and other construction projects in the United Kingdom.

If my hon. Friend believes that the Danish proposal has potential application to the United Kingdom I should be happy to consider his suggestions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by each Department of State and in respect of any bodies for which Ministers are directly responsible (a) the number of employees engaged on trade union activities (i) full-time, (ii) more than 50 per cent. but less than 100 per cent. of their time and (iii) less than 50 per cent. of their time and (b) the cost (i) in salaries, wages and direct benefit, (ii) in salaries, direct benefits and overheads; and if he will express the cost as a percentage of each Department's total salaries and wages.

Current estimates of the numbers of Civil Service non-industrial union representatives engaged on industrial relations duties and trade union activities in the main Government Departments are as follows, together with estimates of the salary cost of the approved paid time-off.The figures are based on a survey carried out in 1978, but take account of further information obtained from some Departments since the answers given on 10 February—[Vol.17 c. 970]—11 February—[Vol. 17 c. 1112]—and 16 February—[Vol. 18, c. 69]. The cost of other minor facilities covered by overheads is not separately available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the cost to the Treasury in a full year of (a) increasing tax allowances by 12 per cent. and (b) increasing child benefit by £1.

The costs would be as follows:

(a) £1, 760 million at 1981–82 income levels. This is the cost of increasing by 12 per cent. those allowances—including the aged income limit—covered by the indexation provisions in section 24(5) of the Finance Act 1980. In calculating the cost, the allowances have been rounded up, where necessary, as specified in those provisions.

(b) About £550 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the growing practice of highly paid persons within the entertainment industry settling in overseas countries with low or non-existent taxes, who then come to the United Kingdom to work on a tax-free basis, whether he will take action in his Budget to stop this practice.

Non-resident entertainers who work in the United Kingdom are already liable to United Kingdom tax on their income from that work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in his forthcoming Budget, he will propose to reduce the scope of or eliminate the provisions whereby companies may claim tax relief on items such as cars, yachts or houses even though such items may be for the personal use of directors.

Relief is available to a company only to the extent that expenditure is incurred for the purposes of its trade.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of companies which made a trading loss in each of the past three years before deduction of any allowances and the estimated total of such losses.

Statistics are not available centrally about trading losses, as these terms are commonly understood for commercial purposes. The figures below related to "gross case I" losses from trading, before deduction of depreciation, but after deduction of short-term interest.

	Number (000)	Losses (£ million)
1978	130	1,300
1979	150	1,700
1980	170	2,900

These estimates are derived from a small sample and are very tentative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will review the basis on which Her Majesty's Government assess the cost of each person who becomes unemployed in terms of unemployment benefit, social security benefit and lost tax revenue; and if he will make a statement.

I am at present considering the basis on which estimates of the Exchequer cost of each person who becomes unemployed are prepared.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of employed persons make an annual tax return each year.

For the year ending 5 April 1981, the figure was about 33 per cent. of employed persons and pensioners within PAYE. This figure does not include cases where returns were issued to employed taxpayers following a major change of circumstances; the number of such cases is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of tax lost through moonlighting by employed people; and if he will take measures to ensure that all employees declare their full annual income.

No reliable estimate can be made of the tax lost. It has already been announced that the Inland Revenue is to redeploy some 400 staff to counter tax evasion, including moonlighting, whether by employed, unemployed or self-employed people. It is hoped by this redeployment to learn more about moonlighting.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Her Majesty's Stationery Office regard the Board Out of Children (Scotland) Regulations 1959 as a spent publication and therefore unavailable; for how long the regulations have been out of print; and if he will consider reissuing a revised version of these regulations.

These regulations are listed in the Statutory Publications Office table of Government orders as spent. They have been out of print since 1971; but photocopies may be obtained through Her Majesty's Stationery Office bookshops. The last part of the question is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will extend the requirements relating to T15 certificates for the self-employed in the building industry to other areas of self-employment; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1982, c. 112]: We have no plans at present to extend the construction industry scheme to other areas of self-employment. A proposal of a similar kind however was included amongst the possibilities discussed in the Inland Revenue's consultative paper issued last November on the taxation of agency workers operating through companies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will set out in tabular form for each year since 1962, taking 1962 as 100, the constant real price, including excise duties of (a) beer, (b) spirits, (c) wine and (d) cigarettes.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1982, c. 111]: Index numbers of mid-year typical prices relative to the average retail price index (all items) are as follows:

Year	Beer*	Spirits†	Wine‡	Cigarettes**
1962	100	100	100	100
1963	104	98	98	98
1964	111	102	104	102

Year	Beer*	Spirits†	Wine‡	Cigarettes**
1965	111	106	116	110
1966	112	109	111	106
1967	109	107	108	103
1968	108	92	103	103
1969	111	92	132	106
1970	113	87	124	99
1971	106	76	113	91
1972	107	72	103	85
1973	106	63	95	79
1974	111	58	91	82
1975	110	63	97	87
1976	117	63	89	80
1977	116	61	86	84
1978	117	58	81	78
1979	123	55	75	82
1980	118	53	71	77
1981	122	55	70	84
1982††	125	53	70	84
* Draught beer in a public bar
† Bottle of whisky at an off-licence
‡ 70cl bottle of table wine at an off-licence
** Packet of 20 standard tipped cigarettes
†† January price and RPI used

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any estimate of the amount of crude oil and petroleum products being traded on the spot market.

I have been asked to reply.There is no satisfactory way of estimating the volumes traded on the spot market; for instance the same cargo could be traded in the market several times. However, the trade journals suggest that recent activity has been very thin, covering probably less than 250,000 tonnes of crude per day, and perhaps 1 million tonnes of product per week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will seek to establish a national lottery, or nationwide lotteries, under the Art Union Act 1846 with regard to the arts, particularly to ensure the retention of works of art within the United Kingdom and assist further purchases by museums and galleries, to help to subsidise such places, as well as theatres, ballets, concert houses and operas and national fine arts institutions;(2) if he will seek to establish a national lottery or nation-wide lotteries to support financially sports and recreational activities of all traditional and legitimate kinds.

I have been asked to reply.I have no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will review the core curriculum in schools to examine whether a higher minimum requirement should be made in respect of the teaching of "civic subjects".

"The School Curriculum", published in March 1981, gives guidance to schools, but it does not set minimum requirements for any subject. Schools should aim to prepare children and young people for all aspects of adult life, including their responsibilities as citizens.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what basis or criteria he has constructed the further funding element in allocation of approved expenditure for polytechnics; and if he is satisfied that these or other calculations ensure that these institutions, where part-time students comprise a larger than normal proportion of students, are not placed at a disadvantage.

The further funding element of authorities' allocations from the 1982–83 advanced further education pool is added to the unit cost based common funding element by reference to actual spending in 1980–81, thereby providing for a realistic rate of reduction in each authority's expenditure within a framework of increasing financial pressure on those with the highest unit costs.The allowances made for part-time and other students in the common funding calculation were based on observation of their relative costs and intended to be fair to all institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it has at any stage been the policy of his Department since May 1979 that postgraduates studying for the certificate or diploma of education should be expected to repay any of the student grant they receive from public authorities if they subsequently decide to teach at an independent school on successful completion of their course.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether any guidance in any form has been given by his Department since May 1979 to university departments of education, whether directly or by implication, that (a) diplomas or certificates of education should not be granted to otherwise successful students who wish to teach during their probationary year in independent schools or (b) that students should not be permitted to undertake their teaching practice during their year of training at independent schools; and what is his policy on this matter.

No such guidance has been given. The award of post-graduate certificates, diplomas, or other teaching qualifications is not related to a period of probation. Probation is a requirement for teachers who wish to teach in the maintained sector and is served when a qualified teacher is first appointed to a maintained school. The selection of schools for teaching practice is a matter for teacher training institutions and their validating bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children resident in the London borough of Kingston-upon-Thames have taken up places under the assisted places scheme at the ages of 11-plus years, 12-plus years and 13-plus years since the inception of the scheme.

Information on the place of residence of assisted pupils is not collected by the Department. The only Kingston school offering assisted places is the Kingston grammar school. In January 1982 it had 27 assisted pupils. It is improbable that all these will be children from the borough. At the same time, it is unlikely that no Kingston child has taken up an assisted place in another school.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list in the Official Report the universities which have not received (a) a major capital grant for building purposes for the last 10 years and (b) a minor capital grant for the adaptation, extension or exchange of property in the last five years; if he will list those universities which have received such grants; and for what purpose.

There is no university which has not received a capital grant from the University Grants Committee's main building programme during the last 10 years. As the list of grants is substantial I am sending it to the hon. Member. Details of capital works funded from universities' recurrent income are not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any further examples of teachers' salaries being paid for partly or wholly by parental contributions since his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 21 October, Official Report, column 144.

No further examples have come to the Department's attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the rates of grant for postgraduate studentships for the academic year 1982–83.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have now decided on the rates of grant for 1982–83 for postgraduate studentships awarded by the Education Departments and the research councils. They will be increased as follows:

For students living away from home and attending an establishment in London, from £2,770 to £2,880. For students living away from home and attending an establishment outside London, from £2,245 to £2,335. For students living in the parental home, from £1,640 to £1,705.

The rates for 1982–83 will be about 4 per cent. higher than those for 1981–82. The increases are in line with those announced on 3 December 1981 for undergraduate students.The older students' allowance payable by the research councils to students who have supported themselves by full-time employment for a total period of at least two years will also be updated by 4 per cent. So, too, will the postgraduate experience allowance payable by the research councils to students who have obtained at least two years of responsible experience including at least one year since graduating by working full-time in an approved professional capacity.The rates of grant for postgraduate and adult education bursaries will be the same as for undergraduate students.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the crash of a Royal Air Force trainer aircraft at Radernie on Saturday 20 February.

The aircraft, an RAF Bulldog from St. Andrews university air squadron, RAF Leuchars, was on a training flight, performing various normal manoeuvres. It was crewed by two experienced pilots. Having performed and recovered from one practice spin quite normally, they entered a second. This time the aircraft failed to recover and the crew bailed out at 4,000 ft, one pilot suffering a broken nose. The aircraft crashed in a seeded field. Representatives of our claims commission have visited the scene and compensation for seed damage is being arranged.An RAF board of inquiry is already investigating the accident to determine the cause. When this investigation is complete, which will not be for several months, I shall, in accordance with normal procedures, place a summary report in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to speed up the issue to those entitled of Service medals earned in the 1939–45 war.

Certain steps have already been taken to reduce the delay in processing applications for Second World War medals. The delay which was some two years in 1980 is now down to about 18 months. I regret that I see little prospect of making additional resources available for dealing with applications for these medals that are being made some 36 years after the event.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent by his Department during 1981–82 upon structural conservation measures for buildings under his control; and what savings have accrued and are expected to accrue from these investments.

I regret that the information is not available in this form.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution is being made by Her Majesty's ships and aircraft to the suppression of piracy on the high seas.

None of Her Majesty's ships or aircraft are currently engaged in anti-piracy operations. However, in accordance with the 1958 Geneva Convention, they are empowered to do what they can to prevent piracy should they encounter it on the high seas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now able to make a further statement on the progress of his discussions with the tobacco industry on a new voluntary agreement for the sponsorship of sport.

I have reached agreement with the tobacco industry on its continuing sponsorship of sport. The main features are:

(a) the agreement to run until at least 31 December 1985;

(b) the existing expenditure ceiling, namely the actual expenditure in 1976, adjusted for inflation, to be maintained;

(c) Government health warnings to appear on press and poster advertising for, and on agreed static promotional signs at, sponsored sporting activities;

(d) the Minister with responsibility for sport to be informed by the companies of their sponsorship plans and any changes in those plans;

(e) the companies to consult with the Minister with responsibility for sport on any proposal to sponsor a sport not previously sponsored by the industry;

(f) activities in which the majority of the participants are under 18 years of age not to be sponsored by the companies;

(g) the companies to continue to sponsor non-televised, minor and amateur activities;

(h) the companies to use their best endeavours to keep expenditure on media advertising and promotional activities within a reasonable proportion of total sports sponsorship expenditure.

Some minor practical details have yet to be finalised and the full text of the new agreement will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to make a decision on St. Edumundsbury borough council's application for his consent under the listed buildings regulations for demolition, under certain conditions, of the White Lion yard as part of its plan for the redevelopment of the Halford area, Brentgovel Street, improvement of Eastern Counties bus station and closure of Brentgovel Street.

The St. Edmundsbury borough council has been notified that the application is one that it can determine itself. I have already written to my hon. Friend to inform him of this decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to give housing association tenants residing in properties which are leasehold the right to buy their homes.

I refer to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 11 February 1982—[Vol. 17, c. 1111]. The extension of the right to buy those living in properties where the landlord does not own the freehold, which is under consideration, would apply to secure tenants of all landlords subject to the right to buy, which includes some housing associations. Housing associations like local authorities already have a discretionary power to sell to sitting tenants where their interest is leasehold, subject to the terms of the lease and to the consent of the Housing Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many existing homes have loft or cavity wall insulation installed to the standards laid down in the 1982 building regulations.

It is estimated that at December 1980 about 2 million homes in Great Britain had loft insulation installed to the standard laid down in the building regulations effective from 1 April 1982. (Source: Audits of Great Britain Ltd). Corresponding information about cavity wall insulation is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Macclesfield, Official Report, 22 February, c. 314, which particular matters within the responsibility of his Department are concerned with race relations;(2) if he will list the matters concerned with race relations within his Department's field of activity.

Many of the responsibilities of the Department of the Environment affect the lives of ethnic groups, and hence have implications for race relations. Of particular importance are the urban programme, which supports over 350 projects designed to help members of ethnic minorities, and housing policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth, Official Report, 22 February, column 312, whether he will list in the Official Report each of the 189 local authorities which have not yet furnished his Department with details of their vacant land holdings in preparation for the national land register to be published on 1 April; and what steps he intends to take to ensure that they do so.

Since my reply of 22 February further returns have been arriving, and I am satisfied that authorities generally are making good progress in assembling the information requested. It would be misleading to list at this particular stage those who have still to complete their returns.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Melton on 15 May 1981, Official Report, column 379, he will now outline the purpose and duties of his central unit for the built environment; what is the current number of staff in post; what is its annual cost; what publications it has produced; and what its programme of work is for the current year.

I have decided in the current MINIS round that the unit need no longer continue as a separate organisation. However, the senior architect, housing, will act as chief architect and will advise on architectural matters generally in the Department of the Environment (central).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) which local community projects have been funded in Liverpool from partnership funds in each of the past two years; how much money was provided; what schemes will be funded in the next financial year; and what the estimated amount of funding will be;(2) which local community projects in Liverpool have been funded by the urban aid programme over the past two years; how much money was provided; what schemes will be funded in the next financial year; and what the estimated amount of funding will be.

About 130 projects have received about £1·7 million per annum urban aid through the partnership in the last two years at 1981–82 outturn prices. I shall write to the hon. Member about the details. The amount to be paid to organisations receiving further funding in 1982–83 is under review by Liverpool city council. Up to £½ million may be made available for new projects.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what has been the total amount allocated to Liverpool in the past three years under the inner city partnership programme; what will be the allocation for the next financial year; and if he will make a statement;(2) how much financial assistance has been given to Liverpool under the urban aid programme over the past three years; what the allocation for the next financial year will be; and if he will make a statement.

The allocations of urban aid through the Liverpool partnership were:

• 1979–80—£11·176 million
• 1980–81—£18·0 million
• 1981–82—£17·935 million

The Liverpool inner city partnership allocation proposed for 1982–83 is £22·8 million. This does not include the further sums available to the Merseyside development corporation.The overall level of funding has thus more than kept up with increases in costs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the average time in the current Session before hon. Members have received replies to letters addressed to his Department.

No distinction is made in our records between letters from hon. Members and other correspondence receiving a ministerial reply. However, samples taken from those records indicate that the average time taken to reply to hon. Members' correspondence in the current Session is approximately three weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received representations from the Charles Wooton centre, Liverpool, concerning cuts in its budget; what is its present level of funding from local and central Government; and if he will make a statement on the future of inner city partnership funding.

I have received representations about the proposal to withdraw grant aid from the Charles Wooton centre. Funding for the centre in 1981–82 amounts to £23,000 from Liverpool city council's main programme and £4,000 from the inner city partnership. I understand that the city has not yet taken a final decision about funding of the Charles Wooton centre in 1982–83. Under the partnership, I can make funds available only in respect of expenditure proposals put forward by the local authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will agree to meet officials of the Vauxhall Neighbourhood Council, Liverpool, and local councillors to discuss environmental matters which have been brought to his attention by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange.

Members of the Merseyside task force have already met representatives of the Vauxhall Neighbourhood Council on two occasions. Officials at the task force will be glad to meet officials of the neighbourhood council and other interested parties again should the council so wish.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take further steps to expedite the sale of council houses in Sheffield.

My Department wrote to the city council yesterday giving formal warning that my right hon. Friend is contemplating giving it notice of his intention to use his powers of intervention under section 23 of the Housing Act 1980 to enable tenants of the authority to exercise their right to buy and their right to a mortgage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will bring up to date his answer to the hon. Member of Melton on 12 December 1980, Official Report, c. 828, regarding the size and cost of his Department.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 March 1982, c. 117]: On 1 February 1982 the total number of non-industrial and industrial staff in post in the Department of the Environment including the Property Services Agency was 40,526. This is a reduction of 19·1 per cent. since the general election.The net cost to public funds of running the Department during the financial year ending 31 March 1982 is estimated to be some £466·9 million made up as follows—at outturn prices:

	million
Wages and salaries	204·1
General administrative expenditure	89·9
Accommodation and HMSO	57·0
Pay etc. of PSA industrials	115·9
TOTAL	466·9

As in previous answers to my hon. Friend, the staff numbers in this answer exclude casually or seasonally employed staff and PSA staff locally engaged overseas. They also exclude the Ordnance Survey.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which trunk road schemes expected to start in 1981–82 for which provision was made in the Supply Estimates will not now start before the end of the financial year.

The schemes are:

• All—Attleborough bypass, Norfolk
• A34—Newbury-Litchfield stage 1 (Whitway Diversion), Hants
• A51—Tarwin south/west bypass, Cheshire
• A56—Accrington eastern bypass (Southern Section), Lanes
• A63—South Docks Road, Hull, Humberside^*
• A69—Greenhead diversion, Northumberland
• A590—Levens bridge diversion, Cumbria†

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why he has suspended preparation work on more than 100 schemes in the trunk road programme; whether he will resume work on these schemes; and whether he Ls satisfied with the operation of the reserve pool of schemes to make use of available funds.

Work was temporarily suspended in 1980 on some schemes as there was no prospect of funds being available in the near future for their construction. Work will be resumed as soon as resources are likely to become available. Nine schemes have already been restarted. The policy of having a reserve list has proved its worth and the size of the list has been increased for the period 1982 and 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what annual provision would be required to carry out all the schemes listed in the roads White Paper in (a) the main list of schemes for 1982 and 1983 and (b) the main and reserve lists of schemes for 1982 and 1983; and how this compares with the planned budget for those years.

It would be unrealistic to assume that all schemes could start in the years shown in the White Paper even if funds were unlimited. Some degree of over-programming is deliberately included to cover unexpected difficulties with individual schemes.Some information about provision made for trunk road construction and maintenance is set out in para. 18 of the recent White Paper on roads, Cmnd. 8496. More detailed information will be contained in the White Paper on the Government's expenditure plans to be published shortly. I expect to have sufficient funds to enable all schemes which will be ready to start during 1982–83 to do so, including reserve list schemes unless costs rise much faster than we have assumed. I shall be reviewing the position for later years in due course.