asked the Minister for Trade if he will list all those merchant ships which have been requisitioned or chartered in relation to the Falkland Islands operation.

Yes. The following vessels have been requisitioned:

• "Canberra"
• "Elk"
• "Salvageman"
• "Irishman"
• "Yorkshireman"
• "Uganda"
• "Stena Seaspread"
• "Cordella"
• "Farnella"
• "Junella"
• "Northella"
• "Atlantic Conveyor"
• "Pict"
• "Norland"
• "Europic Ferry"
• "Saxonia"

The following vessels have been chartered:

asked the Minister for Trade whether procedures exist for requisitioning British-owned merchant ships now flying flags of convenience should they be needed in future to support military operations; and if he will set out such procedures in the Official Report.

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

asked the Minister for Trade (1) when he will bring into force the provisions of the Estate Agents Act requiring an agent who takes deposits, whether contract or pre-contract, to be insured;(2) when he will bring into force the provisions of section 18 of the Estate Agents Act;

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for Trade when he expects the Director General of Fair Trading to report on the takeover of Redpath Dorman Long by Trafalgar House.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when his Department received from North Thames Gas its report into the gas explosion in Richbell, Boswell Street, London WC1, on 6 October 1981; whether it will publish the report; whether it intends to prosecute for negligence; and if so when.

My Department received on 23 October 1981 a copy of the North Thames Gas report into this incident. The question whether to institute a prosecution under the gas safety regulations is under consideration. Publication of the North Thames Gas report is a matter for the British Gas Corporation. I shall ask the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he will publish his next report on oil and gas development in the United Kingdom.

I have today arranged for the publication of my annual report on the development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom, the "Brown Book", and have placed copies in the Library of the House and the Vote Office stores. The report is a detailed account of developments in 1981.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give in tabular form the trend in crude oil prices over the past 10 years down to the recently posted figure of $31·00 a barrel for the United Kingdom compared with the level of oil taxation.

The first prices for North Sea oil were available in 1975 when the first fields came on stream. The following table shows average oil price and total Government take for each fiscal year since then.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information is available to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise about the numbers of live animals exported for vivisection from the United Kingdom.

None. Exporters are not required to declare for what purpose exported animals are to be used in the country of destination.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what loss of stamp duty revenue in 1982–83 would occur as a result of the implementation of each of the following changes: (a) an increase of £5,000 in each of the thresholds for stamp duty applicable to house purchase, (b) an increase of £10,000 in each of the thresholds for stamp duty applicable to house purchase, (c) raising each of the thresholds for stamp duty applicable to house purchase by an amount which would restore them to the real value held in 1974, by comparison with (i) the retail price index and (ii) the Building Societies Association and Department of the Environment house price index, (d) replacing the present system with a system whereby stamp duty is levied at the appropriate rate only on that part of the house price which exceeds each threshold and (e) implementing changes (c) and (d) together.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what responsibilities he has for fiscal and monetary matters in relation to the Cayman Islands.

None, Sir.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill on 21 April, if he will show separately the increases for personal taxation and local rates over the same period of the last three years.

Using the same definitions and conventions as those employed in the reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mr. Craigen) on 21 April, the information is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to provide appropriate Customs and Excise clearance facilities at the airport, Wick, Caithness, to enable the scheduled air service between Wick and Vagar, Faroe Islands to commence on 4 May in accordance with the arrangements otherwise approved by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Danish authorities.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he is giving to the extension of the additional age tax allowance to women at the age of 60 years.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the question from the hon. Member for the Isle of Ely on 20 April Official Report, c. 61.

A reply has now been given.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the meeting of the European Community Finance Council in Luxembourg on 26 April.

I represented the United Kingdom at this Council. The main item discussed was preparation for the forthcoming OECD export credit consensus negotiations in Paris. A package of proposals for the Commission to put forward at these negotiations was provisionally agreed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the effect upon the number of Inland Revenue staff employed as a result of the indexation of the capital gains tax

[pursuant to his reply, 28 April 1982, c. 277]: The staffing effect of indexation cannot be readily distinguished from that of increasing the threshold for capital gains tax. The combined effect of the two measures will be a staff cost of about 20 units in 1983–84, but thereafter staff savings will rise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue saving to the Exchequer is expected in a full year when mortgage interest tax relief is given by deduction at source instead of by tax allowance.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 April 1982, c. 278]: There will be a small increase in expenditure in giving full relief to borrowers who at present do not get it through the tax system because their incomes are too low. This will be partly offset by revenue savings to give a net increase in the cost of mortgage relief in a full year, estimated at £5 million at 1982–83 levels of income, interest rates, and so on. There is unlikely, however, to be any net cost to public funds because this increase will be offset by the reduction in Inland Revenue staff costs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the yearly cost of the black economy; and what percentage of the total economy this represents.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 April 1982, c. 278]: The nature of the black economy is such that it is not possible to make any firm estimate of its size or of the yield of taxation forgone.

asked the Attorney-General if he has considered the comments made by one of the defence lawyers, Mr. Narayan, during the recent trial of a number of youths on charges, including affray, at the Old Bailey, that the Director of Public Prosecutions, together with others connected with the trial, were biased and racially prejudiced; and whether he will make a statement.

I have indeed considered the comments made by Mr. Narayan about both the Director of Public Prosecutions and myself. They are extremely defamatory and totally untrue. However, I take the charitable view that the strain of the trial in which Mr. Narayan had been appearing and to which the hon. Member refers, must have affected his judgment. I do not propose to make any further statement about this matter.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish in the Official Report the figures for the total return on the capital fund managed by the Public Trustee for the investment of funds held by the court; whether there is any comparison made between these charges and the movement of prices generally or with the retail price index; and if he will now consider legislation which would enable the Public Trustee to invest other moneys, for which he is responsible, in the capital fund.

The capital fund is one of three common investment funds for money in court and the following table compares returns on the capital fund with the retail price index for the years 1976 to 1981. The Administration of Justice Bill now in the House of Lords contains provisions enabling the Public Trustee to invest private trust money under his control in the common investment funds.

Comparison of Total Return from Capital Fund on £1,000 Invested to 31 December 1981 with Retail Price Index
	Capital fund per cent.	Retail price index per cent.
Increase from January 1976	115	110
Increase from January 1977	116	80
Increase from January 1978	78	64
Increase from January 1979	67	50
Increase from January 1980	55	27
Increase from January 1981	15	12

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislative provisions govern the health and safety of staff and prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons.

The Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 is binding on the Crown—and therefore on to prison service—subject only to such exceptions, exemptions and qualifications as are provided in the Act. The Act's main obligations, which apply to the prison service are:

1. Section 2, which requires employers to safeguard so far as is reasonably practicable the health, safety and welfare of the people who work for them.

2. Section 3, which requires employers to have regard so far as is reasonably practical for the health and safety of persons not in their employment—for example, prisoners—who may be affected by their activities.

3. Section 4, which requires each person who has, to any extent, control of premises where people work who are not in their employees—for example, inmates—to ensure, so far as is reasonably practical, that the premises are safe, and without risks to health.

4. Sections 7 and 8, which require employees to take reasonable care to avoid injury' to themselves or to others by their work activities and to co-operate with employers and others in meeting statutory requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether prisons are treated differently from schools, hospitals and other residential establishments in respect of the legislation governing health and safety at work, public health and fire precautions.

The requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 apply to prisons as they do to other places of work. However, as with all Crown establishments, the enforcement provisions do not bind the Crown.Acts concerning public health do not bind the Crown, but it has always been policy for the Crown to conform with their requirements where reasonably practicable.All the types of premises to which the question refers are within the scope of the Fire Precautions Act 1971 but certain of its provisions do not apply to premises occupied by the Crown, including prisons and hospitals within the National Health Service. An additional limitation in the case of prisons is that a fire certificate cannot be required in respect of any premises constituting, or forming part of, such an establishment.

Number of prisoners* held overnight in police cells, 1–22 April 1982; by holding force
Date	Metropolitan		Surrey	Sussex	Essex	Herts	Thames Valley	Total
1 April	†66B	12W	1W	10W	—	1W	—	90
2 April	113B	17W	1W	7W	—	1W	—	139
3–5 April*	136B	18W	1B 1W	8W 4L	—	3B 1W	—	172
6 April	132B	22W	1W	8W 4L	—	3B	—	170
7 April	144B	24W	1W	8W 3L	—	2W	4W	186
8·12 April	86B	8w ¶7L	—	—	1W	—	—	102
13 April	65B	8W	—	—	—	—	—	73
14 April	28B	7W	—	—	—	1W	—	36
15 April	—	—	—	—	—	2W	—	2
16–18 April	23B	—	—	—	—	4W	—	27
19 April	23B	5W	—	—	—	—	—	28
20 April	12B	1W	—	—	—	—	—	13
21 April	14B	4W	—	—	—	—	—	18
22 April	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make it the practice for each year's annual return to show species, numbers, country of destination and the purpose of the experiments in which live animals exported for vivisection are used.

No. My right hon. Friend's statutory responsibilities extend only to experiments on living animals performed in Great Britain and we have no powers to collect information about animals exported for such purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many widows and divorcees of Commonwealth citizens have applied for registration as citizens of the United Kingdom, under the provision of the British Nationality Act 1981.

None.The registration provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 have not yet come into force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners, by age and sex, were contained in police cells on each night in April 1982 and why; where they were held; how many in each case were remand and sentenced prisoners; and which prison should have been accommodating them.

The need to use police cells during April has primarily resulted from industrial action by members of the Prison Officers' Association at Wandsworth prison. The only information that can be made available without disproportionate cost and is relevant to that circumstances is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Her Majesty's Government will estimate the cost to public funds of the demonstration at Porton on 24 April; and whether he will invite the organisers to contribute a proportion of this sum.

We are unable to estimate the cost referred to which is a matter for the local force and police authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received since January 1982 concerning lower television licences for pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1 January 1982, 45 representations have been received from hon. Members and about 80 direct from members of the public. In addition, my right hon. Friend has received a petition forwarded to him by the all-party parliamentary group for pensioners—of which the hon. Member is joint chairman.The Government have no plans to introduce reduced television licence fees for pensioners. Our views of this matter were explained to, and endorsed by, the House of Commons on 16 December.—[Vol. 15, c. 322–61.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the percentage increase in council house rents in Wales since May 1979; and how this compares with the percentage increase in the general cost of living over the same period.

On the basis of returns made to the Welsh Office, it is estimated that the average percentage increase in unrebated council house rents between 1979–80 and 1981–82 was 76 per cent. Information about rent levels in 1982–83 is not yet available. The general index of retail prices showed an increase of 29.1 per cent. between September 1979 and September 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to improve opportunities for further and higher education in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's policy is to ensure that opportunities for further and higher education in Wales are improved to the greatest extent consonant with the resources available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will extend the trunk road network to Llandudno.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if it is still his intention to implement the Food Labelling Regulations 1980 on 1 January 1983;(2) what representations he has received, and from whom, concerning possible difficulties in the implementation on 1 January 1983 of the Food Labelling Regulations 1980;(3) what information he has about steps taken by the Federal Republic of Germany concerning implementation of the European Community food labelling directive.

I have received representations from manufacturing and retailers about possible difficulties in the implementation by 1 January 1983 of the Food Labelling Regulations 1980. I have written to the European Commission asking how it intends to deal with the problem of ensuring that all member States comply with the Community's food labelling directive by a common date, and I shall decide what further action is needed in the light of the Commission's reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many projects in total were brought into the United Kingdom to the knowledge of the Invest in Britain Bureau; where the projects went; and how many jobs were created region by region.

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

asked the Secretary of State if, in the interests of public accountability, he will introduce legislation to make the sale of substantial assets by nationalised industries, such as the sale of Redpath Dorman Long by the British Steel Corporation, subject to the approval of Parliament.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what financial assistance has been given by his Department to Christian Salvesen Ltd. or any subsidies over the past five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 April 1982, c. 279]: It is not the practice to disclose details of financial assistance given to individual companies other than in accordance with the arrangements announced by the then Secretary of State for Industry on 31 July 1974.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 April.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 29 April.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall have further meetings later today.

asked the Prime Minister if she sees any prospect of the rate of inflation in the current year being lower than that anticipated in the Budget Statement.

Yes. The rate of inflation is continuing to fall, and I expect that it will be in single figures well before the end of the year.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list in the Official Report the executive non-departmental public bodies that have been the subject of overall reviews in accordance with the requirement set out in section 7 of "Non-departmental Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments" since the guide was published in October 1981; and if she will make a statement on the progress to date.

Such bodies are reviewed on the basis of an annual programme which ensures that all are examined at least once every five years. In 1981 the following 65 executive bodies were reviewed, in accordance with the procedures in the guide. The responsible Ministers decided to abolish the South Bank Theatre Board and 16 of the 23 industrial training boards; and to make significant changes to the six bodies asterisked, mainly in respect of their managing boards. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science announced the Government's decisions on the Schools Council on Thursday 22 April.—[Vol. 22, c.429.]

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the Falkland Islands.

I shall be bringing the House up-to-date on the situation when I speak in the debate this afternoon.

asked the Prime Minister what information as to the level of provision for the under-fives by different local authorities is available to Her Majesty's Government; how this information is taken into account in fixing the level of rate support grant; and whether the results of any monitoring of the subsequent level of under-fives provision actually made is available to Her Majesty's Government.

Information is available to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services about personal social services provision for the under-fives as follows:

(a) Number of children under five in the care of local authorities.

(b) Numbers of children moved to a place of safety.

(c) Numbers of day nurseries and pre-school play groups, places in them, take up of places and waiting lists.

(d) Numbers of childminders and places available. Numbers of children placed and paid for by local authorities with childminders not provided by them.

(e) Numbers of children placed for adoption.

(f) Current expenditure on mother and baby homes and pre-school playgroups. Capital and current expenditure on day nurseries.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science additionally receives information about educational provision for pupils under five in maintained nursery and primary schools. Figures for January 1981 are contained in the DES Statistical Bulletin, 4/82.The assessment of the grant-related expenditure of authorities in respect of services for the under-fives is described in "Grant-Related Expenditure; How the Expenditure Needs of Local Authorities are Assessed for Block Grant 1982–83".Copies of both these publications are in the Library of the House.The Government continue to monitor the level of provision for the under-fives.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people, male and female, were placed in employment by jobcentres in the area covered by the Wakefield metropolitan district council in the last months for which statistics are available.

Jobcentres in the Wakefield metropolitan district placed 553 people—291 males and 262 females—in the four-week period ending 11 March 1982, the latest date 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 Manpower Services 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 if he will ensure the retention in Kirkby of the annexe to the St. Helens skillcentre.

The Manpower Services Commission is consulting local interests about a proposal that the adult training classes now running at the Kirkby annexe should be transferred to other skillcentres on Merseyside and at Preston. The transfer would achieve savings which could be used to increase the total training activities on Merseyside. The intention would be to make better use of the resources available for training and not to reduce them, and the Commission is considering possible alternative uses of the annexe—for example, to provide training on other employment related measures for young people or adults. The Commission expects to consider responses to this consultation at its meeting on 21 May.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs in total are being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme for (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands as a whole for the last month for which figures are available.

The number of potentially redundant jobs covered by applications current in March 1982 in the Wolverhampton employment office area was 2,020. The figure for the West Midlands as a whole was 24,167.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average percentage unemployment rate in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands for each of the last 10 years and for the current year.

The following table gives for the Wolverhampton travel-to-work area and the West Midlands region the annual average percentage rate.; of unemployment from 1972 to 1981 and the averages for the first four months of 1982.

	Wolverhampton travel-to-work area per cent.	West Midlands region per cent.
1972	4·6	3·6
1973	2·5	2·2
1974	*2·4	*2·1
1975	†5·0	4·1
1976	‡6·9	5·8
1977	6·3	5·8

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) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands at the latest available date.

The following is the provisional information at April 1982 for the Wolverhampton travelto-work area and the West Midlands region.

Wolverhampton travel-to-work area		West Midlands region
Number registered as unemployed	23,510	346,392
Percentage rate of unemployment	16·1	15·2
Number of vacancies remaining unfilled
At employment offices	282	6,673
At careers offices	36	598

The vacancy statistics relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and 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.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out for each quarter in 1981 and the first quarter of 1982 (a) the lowest and (b) the average (i) male (ii) female and (iii) overall unemployment rates in travel-to-work areas (i) with intermediate area status and (ii) with development area status in England.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish statistics for the numbers unemployed in each Greater London Borough showing these as a percentage of the economically active population.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend and to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals have been put forward by voluntary bodies and the Manpower Services Commission concerning the plan to give £12 million in grants to help the long-term unemployed; and when he expects to reach a decision on the use of this money.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Foulkes) on 4 February 1982—[Vol. 17, c. 181–82]—and 9 February 1982—[Vol. 17, c. 316.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any progress has been made in persuading the United States Government to allow the supply of small arms from the United States of America for use by the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated on 7 April in her reply to the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. Ross), the Government have left the United States Administration in no doubt of their views on this matter. However, I understand that the Royal Ulster Constabulary has adequate weapons to carry out its present duties and that its needs are kept under constant review.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the text of Her Majesty's Government's report to the Security Council of the action in South Georgia required under article 51 of the United Nations charter; and when and in what manner the report was made.

The British permanent representative at the United Nations wrote to the President of the Security Council on 26 April 1982 concerning South Georgia. The letter has been circulated as a Security Council document, reference S/15002. I have arranged for a copy of the text of this letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he undertakes before appointing a Governor, Speaker and three members of the Legislative Council for the Cayman Islands.

After seeking advice from departments within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend consults my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on the selection of a Governor and then advises the Queen on the appointment. The Governor normally acts as Speaker of the Legislative Council. He recommends to my right hon. Friend the appointment of three official members, the Chief Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Attorney-General.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to introducing direct elections for all members of the Cayman Islands Legislative Council.

None. Twelve members of the Cayman Islands Legislative Council are already elected in accordance with the provisions of the Cayman Islands (Constitution) Order 1972 and in the manner provided by laws in force in the islands. My right hon. Friend would not wish to relinquish his responsibility for approving the selection of the three official members while the Cayman Islands remains at its present constitutional stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the duties and responsibilities of the Governor of the Cayman Islands.

The Governor of the Cayman Islands is responsible to my right hon. Friend and through him to the Queen, the Government and the Parliament of the United Kingdom. His duties are those confered upon him in accordance with the provisions of the Cayman Islands (Constitution) Order 1972 and local legislation. These include special responsibility for defence, external affairs, internal security and the police.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current strength of the police force on the Cayman Islands; and to whom it is ultimately responsible.

The current strength of the police force on the Cayman Islands is 140 officers and men. It is ultimately responsible, through the Governor, to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what responsibility he has for the fiscal and monetary matters of the Cayman Islands.

My right hon. friend has ultimate responsibility for the fiscal and monetary matters of the Cayman Islands. A very large measure of initial responsibility has, however, been delegated to the local Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the rate increases already announced for district councils in East Anglia.

Following is the available information for authorities in the standard East Anglian region and Bedfordshire:

	Increase in general rate per cent.	Increase in domestic rate per cent.
Cambridge
Cambridge	2·3	2·7
East Cambridge	-0·1	-0·1
Fenland	4·3	5·0
Huntingdon	3·8	4·5
Peterborough	-0·7	-0·8
South Cambridgeshire	4·1	4·8
Norfolk
Breckland	10·9	13·0
Broadland	11·0	131
Great Yarmouth	10·0	11·5
North Norfolk	9·7	11·4
Norwich	13·4	15·4
South Norfolk	13·1	15·6
West Norfolk	10·6	12·5
Suffolk
Babergh	8·8	10·2
Forest Heath	6·5	7·5
Ipswich	8·4	9·7
Mid-Suffolk	8·6	10·0
St. Edmundsbury	7·8	9·0
Suffolk Coastal	8·8	10·3
Waveney	7·8	9·1
Bedfordshire
North Bedfordshire	18·5	21·4

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East on 29 January, Official Report, c. 460, what progress is being made in his discussions with the Board of Deputies of British Jews on the possibility of the Government making a site available to them for commemorating the holocaust; and whether he will widen the basis of his consultations.

The right hon. Member has also written to me on this matter. I shall be replying to his letter very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the Property Services Agency consults the Nature Conservancy Council before undertaking potentially damaging works upon a site of special scientific interest; and whether, in the light of the provisions of section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, he intends to review existing procedures;(2) in what ways the procedures of the Property Services Agency take account of section 11 of the Countryside Act 1968.

The Property Services Agency's procedures take account of the desirability of conserving the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside under section 11 of the Countryside Act 1968 in respect both of land held in the name of my right hon. Friend and of that held in the name of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence for whom the PSA acts in an agency capacity. As part of normal estate management, the PSA's procedures provide for positive conservation measures to be adopted, consistent with the operational purposes for which the land is held.The procedures emphasise the importance of establishing close relationships through informal contact whenever possible between officials of the PSA and the Nature Conservancy Council.Provided that the PSA has been made aware of the location of a site of special interest by the NCC, the PSA would normally consult the NCC before carrying out any potentially damaging operations on that site. The PSA's procedures have already been reviewed in the light of section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and in the light of the other sections of that Act which may affect the PSA's operations in relation to Crown land.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the difference in price per tonne for transporting Government supplies by private contractors compared with the costs when carried by the Property Services Agency.

An average of £21 per tonne less.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the monthly average percentage rate of council house sales, by authority, in England during the last financial year.

Information in the form requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the table of latest available statistics for individual authorities of council sales and dwelling stock which was placed in the Library on 6 April 1982 by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State in connection with his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Paddington (Mr. Wheeler).—[Vol. 21, c. 321.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made on the transfer of community-related assets by the New Towns Commission; and if he will make a statement.

A limited transfer of assets has already taken place at Stevenage and the Commission for the New Towns has put forward proposals for a more extensive transfer at Welwyn and Hatfield. The Commission is engaged in detailed discussions with the local authorities concerned in other towns, including Bracknell. My right hon. Friend is considering the important principles involved in achieving transfer on terms that are equitable as between the Commission and the local authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will remove Mr. Norman Baker, joint chief executive of Taylor Woodrow, from the Property Services Agency advisory board, in view of the fact that Taylor Woodrow has been awarded a £32 million contract to build a new underground headquarters for the Royal Air Force near High Wycombe.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on Wednesday 7 April, he is now able to announce details of his review of the Property Services Agency's internal procedures for safeguarding against financial misconduct.

I have commissioned Sir Geoffrey Wardale, former second permanent secretary of the Department of the Environment, together with a senior partner of Touche Ross, chartered accountants, to carry out a review with the following terms of reference:

"To investigate the circumstances of recent cases of fraud and corruption in PSA and to recommend what changes in procedures or organisation are desirable in the light of your findings."

As I said in my answer on 7 April—[Vol. 21, c.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the highest rents charged (a) by the Greater London Council and (b) by the London borough of Chelsea.

I do not have this information. I suggest that my hon. Friend seeks it from the authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn, Official Report, 23 April, c. 162–3, why he is unable to provide any later estimate of rate payments by manufacturing industry in £s million and as a proportion of manufacturing costs, excluding rates and taxes, than for 1979.

Figures on rate payments by manufacturing industry and manufacturing costs are obtained from the business statistics office annual censuses of production. Information for 1980 is expected to become available before the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many communications he has received from residents of the London borough of Greenwich complaining about the increase in council house rents.

I have received 1,650 communications in the form of identical cards from residents of the London borough of Greenwich about increases in council house rents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what authority Burghfield Royal ordnance factory was removed from the 1980 revised second edition of the 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey map, when it was previously shown in the 1973 first edition, and still exists; on whose authority it has been replaced on the 1980 map by two non-existent streams flowing down to the Thames; and whether any other Ministry of Defence establishments which still exist have been removed from Ordnance Survey maps in the last 10 years.

Where matters of national security are involved the Ordnance Survey complies with Government requirements. Where these require the removal of previously mapped detail it is the policy of the OS to reinstate for cartographic reasons any relevant topographical information which appeared on earlier maps of the areas concerned. It would not be in the public interest for me to disclose the number of such cases that have arisen in the last 10 years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) on 21 April, Official Report, c. 115–16, he has issued any further advice to the Sports Council about sporting contacts with Argentina.

I have today advised the Sports Council, and shall be advising the governing bodies of sport, that it is the Government's policy to discourage all sporting contact with Argentina in the United Kingdom or in Argentina at representative, club or individual level.The Government currently see no objection to British teams and individuals competing in international events held in other countries where Argentina may be represented. The position is being kept under constant review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated periods of time as much detailed information as may be readily available showing at various stated dates how the wages and salaries of workers in the National Health Service have increased or depreciated in relative purchasing power with other stated groups of workers in public services.

The comparison is not possible or sensible on such a broad basis without some indication of the particular groups of workers in the public services that the hon. Member has in mind. There is no exactly comparable group in terms of responsibility, security of employment or almost any other criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures he is taking to ensure that the regulations made under the Social Security Act 1980 concerning the immigration status of would-be supplementary benefit claimants are applied consistently as between different social security offices.

The existing instructions to staff in supplementary benefit offices on the handling of claims to supplementary benefit from people from abroad have recently been revised. The advice they contain on immigration status has been clarified, and this will help to ensure consistency of approach at local level.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons in the Carlisle area entitled to receive sick pay in the last three weeks have not received any payment for that period; and if he will make a statement.

The Department's Carlisle local office receives rather over 300 sickness benefit claims each week and ordinarily four-fifths of these are cleared within four days. Over Easter the link between the local office and the records computer at Newcastle upon Tyne failed, and this resulted in delays in deciding entitlement to claims. I regret it is not possible to say exactly to how many or for how long. I apologise to the hon. Member's constituents for the temporary decline in the standards of service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now list in the Official Report for each of his Department's local offices serving the Newton constituency the current number of non-pensioner and pensioner claimants; and if he will give comparable figures for 1979, 1980 and 1981 where available.

The information requested is as follows:

Number of non-pensioner and pensioner claimants at offices dealing with the Newton constituency
	16 March 1982	17 March 1981	18 March 1980	20 March 1979
Supplementary
Benefits Office
Warrington
Non-pensioners	8,642	5,575	4,119	3,928
Pensioners	5,888	5,557	5,713	5,886
Leigh
Non-pensioners	4,623	3,047	1,976	2,099
Pensioners	3,437	3,331	3,363	3,361
Contributory Benefits
Office
Warrington
Non-pensioners	3,223	3,747	4,764	5,374
Pensioners	558	509	623	424
Leigh
Non-pensioners	2,213	2,397	3,060	3,708
Pensioners	325	331	361	337

Figures for supplementary benefits are the number of cases in action on the dates shown. Figures for contributory benefits are the number of claims received in the four-week period ended on the date shown.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services during the last five years for which figures are available, what has been the ratio of nurses and midwives per 10,000 population for each of the regional health authorities.

The information is set out in the following table:

Nursing and Midwifery Staff* Ratio of wte† to 10,000 managed population
	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980
1. Northern RHA	70·6	71·4	74·1	77·5	81·7
2. Yorkshire RHA	71·5	73·6	74·7	75·4	78·6
3. Trent RHA	64·5	66·1	67·7	72·0	72·4
4. East Anglia RHA	65·6	65·8	66·8	68·8	70·7
5. NW Thames RHA	78·1	76·0	77·0	77·5	78·4
6. NE Thames RHA	78·8	79·5	86·3	83·8	83·5
7. SE Thames RHA	79·6	81·4	82·5	82·0	84·2
8. SW Thames RHA	79·2	77·9	76·9	80·2	82·2
9. Wessex RHA	67·0	68·7	67·6	72·3	73·4
10. Oxford RHA	64·1	62·3	63·6	64·5	67·4

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the estimated number of trained paediatric nurses required for (a) Hammersmith and Fulham district health authority and (b) North Kensington and Paddington district health authority for the years 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986; and whether this will be adequate to cover present requirements;(2) how many trained paediatric nurses are in post for

This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member should seek the information from the district health authorities concerned.