asked the Minister for Trade what representations he has received from manufacturers of domestic electrical appliances concerning imports of such goods; and what response he has given.

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

asked the Minister for Trade how many individual complaints were handled by each area or regional nationalised industries consumer council; and how many were received by the relevant national consumer council direct during the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Not all complaints are recorded, nor do all councils compile their complaint statistics on a uniform basis. The available information is as follows:

Transport Users Consultative Committees (Calendar Year 1982)
East Anglia	85
Yorkshire	373
East Midlands	103
West Midlands	90
North-East	110
North-West	427
Scotland	225
South-West	109
Wales	115
London	677
South-East	202
TOTAL	2,516

Post Office Users' Councils (Year Ending 31.3.82)
POUNC	14,386
POUC Scotland	1,071
POUC Northern Ireland	357
POUC Wales	658
TOTAL	16,472

The National Gas Consumers' Council, Electricity Consumers' Council, Domestic Coal Consumers' Council and Central Transport Consultative Committee do not with individual complaint cases.

Gas Consumers' Councils (Year ending 31.3.82)
Eastern	2,954
North-Eastern	544
East Midlands	1,870
West Midlands	3,825
Northern	3,486
North Thames	2,576
North-West	3,125
Scotland	2,487

asked the Minister for Trade whether he will take steps to ensure that British companies operating in Saudi Arabia observe the employment laws of that country; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many mentally handicapped children in Suffolk were receiving education in special schools and classes for the years 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The numbers of educationally sub-normal pupils in special schools and special classes in Sufflok for the years requested are as follows:

January of each year	1979	1980	1981
Special schools	530	541	573
Special classes in maintained primary and secondary schools	174	171	236
Total	704	712	809

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations he had with interested bodies before announcing his decision to revoke regulation 6(3) of the Education (Assisted Places) Regulations 1980.

The revocation proposed in the draft amending regulations currently before the House was the subject of consultations with the assisted places committee of the Independent Schools Joint Council under sect ion 17(8) of the Education Act 1980 as representing the participating schools and with the local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will exempt Cypriot students from the payment of overseas student fees.

Concessionary levels of fees for Cypriot students were recommended in the overseas students trust study, "A Policy for Overseas Students", now under consideration by the Government. A statement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when public access was first given to reports of formal inspections by Her Majesty's Inspectorate in accordance with his announcement of 16 November 1982. Official Report, c. 116–7.

Four reports were released today. I am arranging for copies of these, of all subsequent reports, and of the short appraisals of issues arising from such reports as Her Majesty's Inspectorate proposes to publish at six-monthly intervals to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. In accordance with the arrangements I have introduced for following up reports by Her Majesty's Inspectorate on its formal inspections of all maintained schools and those further education establishments providing full-time education for students aged 16 to 18 inclusive, the Department has written to the local education authorities concerned requesting them to inform it within three months of actions taken and proposed as a result of each report.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the value of the basic student grant at constant prices for each of the last 10 years.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 January 1983, c. 477]: The value of the minimum maintenance award for the academic years 1972–73 to 1982–83 measured at current and 1981–82 prices is as follows:

Academic	Current	Constant
Year	Prices	Prices
	£	£
1972–73	50	186
1973–74	50	170
1974–75	50	145
1975–76	50	115
1976–77	50	101
*1977–78	80	139
1978–79	200	323
1979–80	335	464
1980–81	385	460
1981–82	410	440
1982–83	410	410
* From 1977–78 academic year the minimum maintenance payment was increased to take account both of the effects of inflation and to compensate parents for the reduction of child tax allowances in the 1977–78 financial year, following the introduction of child benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the print run for each of the forms, R, W1, AN, MNI and B, in connection with the coming into force of the British Nationality Act 1981; how many have been distributed; and what is the average delay in responding to requests for the forms from advice agencies and ethnic minority organisations.

The information is as follows:

Form	Number ordered	Number distributed
R	80,000	12,000
WI	35,000	5,000
AN	50,000	6,000
MNI	25,000	4,000
B	20,000	2,000

The time taken to despatch orders to outside organisations is about a fortnight.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis concerning incidents of public disorder which occurred outside Stoke Newington police station on Monday and Tuesday 17 and 18 January 1983; and if he will make a statement.

We understand from the Commissioner that on Monday 17 January about 80 people took part in a demonstration outside the police station calling for a public inquiry into the death of Mr. Colin Roach at the station on 12 January. There was some disorder, and 19 people were arrested and charged with offences of assault, obstruction or the use of insulting behaviour. One police officer was injured. The Commissioner has no reports of disorder outside the station on Tuesday 18 January. An inquest into Mr. Roach's death has opened.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will conduct a publicity campaign to encourage those who hold arms legally to keep them secure to prevent theft; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is not persuaded that such a campaign would be justified. The British Shooting Sports Council has already issued a leaflet setting out a voluntary code of practice for the safe custody of privately-held firearms when not in use. Certificate-holders are responsible citizens and are well aware of the need to keep their weapons and ammunition secure when not in actual use. This is one of the prescribed conditions under which a firearm certificate is issued. Both firearm and shot gun certificate holders must report at once to the police the loss or theft of any weapon. It is an offence not to comply with these or any other conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) on 8 March 1982, Official Report, c. 288, what progress has been made in the establishment of new guidelines controlling the use by police and security services of bugging devices; and if he will make a statement.

The review of the current guidelines on the use of surveillance equipment by the police has not yet been completed. I will inform the House of my conclusions as soon as practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation similar to the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 governing the sale and availability of alcohol at and relating to football matches in Scotland to apply to football grounds in England and Wales.

At present my right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to bring forward any reform of either section 1 or 2 of the Official Secrets Act.

I have no present plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of Lord Jellicoe into the workings of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Lord Jellicoe gave my right hon. Friend his report on 12 January. We expect it to be published on 9 February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to lay the reports of the parliamentary Boundary Commissions for England, Wales and Scotland before the House.

The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 requires the Secretary of State as soon as may be after receiving the report of a boundary commission to lay it before Parliament together with the draft of an order in council for giving effect, whether with or without modifications, to the recommendations contained in the report. My right hon. Friend received the third periodical report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales on 24 January. He has not yet received the report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England. The report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Scotland will be a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary is responsible for inspecting the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary have no statutory responsibility for inspecting the Royal Ulster Constabulary. When requested, inspection of the RUC is normally carried out by Her Majesty's inspector of constabulary responsible for forces in north-west England, at the expense of the Northern Ireland authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reintroduce the special visa programme for Latin American refugees which was closed in 1979, with a view to aiding the victims of the repressive regime at present in power in Argentina.

No. My right hon. Friend is prepared to consider individual applications for asylum from those who establish a case for it and whose most appropriate country of resettlement is the United Kingdom. This applies to all nationalities including those of Latin America.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to know the results of his general review of electoral law, which commenced in 1980.

The conclusions of the re view of electoral law and procedures are reflected in the evidence submitted to the Select Committee on Home Affairs' inquiry into the Representation of the People Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sessions in the dental clinic at Her Majesty's prison, Brixton, should have been held in December; and how many sessions were cancelled.

Eight sessions of the dental clinic at Brixton prison were arranged for December 1982. None was cancelled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the transcript of the coroner's inquest into the death of Jim Heather-Hayes last July at Ashford remand centre, he will now make a statement about its implications for prison procedures and in particular about the adequacy of procedures for monitoring suicide risks; and whether he proposes to make any changes in the light of this case.

We are consulting Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons about the possibility of his examining the adequacy of procedures in this field and we hope to make a statement soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the resolution submitted to him in December by the Cypriot community workers action group concerning the status of Cypriot refugees; and if he will make a statement.

A resolution passed by the Cypriot community workers action group and the Cypriot refugee action group on 22 November 1982 was forwarded to us by a number of right hon. and hon. Members. It was carefully considered but we have made it clear in reply that there will be no further general concessions. We shall, of course, continue to look at individual cases sympathetically.

asked the Prime Minister whether, following the publication of the Franks report, she will now make a statement on her future practice in answering parliamentary questions about Committees of the Cabinet and their proceedings.

Annex B to the Franks report included certain information about the membership, attendance and meetings of the Defence and Overseas Policy Committee, the establishment of which I reported to the House in answer to a question by the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) on 24 May 1979, and about the membership of the Joint Intelligence Committee.As I indicated to the House in my statement on 18 January, the Government accepted that certain information of a kind which would not otherwise be divulged was included in the report and was essential to a full understanding of the matters into which the Franks committee was asked to inquire, and agreed that on this occasion the normal rules on what is said publicly and in Parliament on these matters should be waived.That does not invalidate the reasons for the practice that has otherwise always been followed on these matters, and in answering parliamentary questions I do not propose to add to my earlier replies to questions on these matters and what I said about the chairmanship of the Joint Intelligence Committee in my speech in the House on 25 January.

asked the Prime Minister, in view of the uncertainty about the future of the railway network arising from the Serpell report, if she will announce when she expects to make a considered response to it and announce her intended course of action.

When all the facts have been considered and the necessary public debate has been completed.

asked the Prime Minister if she will give the reasons why she will not seek an early meeting with the President of France to discuss with him his new year's declaration of France's intention of increasing its nuclear missile capacity and the possibility of manufacturing the neutron bomb, in view of the danger to the United Kingdom that such actions will cause.

I shall not request such a meeting because I disagree completely with the hon. Member's assumption. I see absolutely no danger to Britain in the nuclear defence policy of France.

asked the Prime Minister for what purpose Mr. Bernard Ingham, an official on her staff, telephoned Mr. Alan Protheroe of the BBC during her visit to the Falkland Islands.

To persuade the BBC to make its radio and television coverage of my visit generally available in the interests of fair play.

asked the Prime Minister (1) pursuant to her answer of 24 January, Official Report, c. 277, what repair facilities at Port Stanley were requested by the crew of the Argentine air force Hercules aircraft which landed there after a distress call and was seen to be leaking fuel;(2) what steps were taken by the authorities at Port Stanley to satisfy themselves that the Argentine air force Hercules aircraft seen to be leaking fuel after it landed following a distress call was in a fit state to take off again;(3) what fire and other precautions were taken while the Argentine air force Hercules which made an emergency landing at Port Stanley on 12 March was on the runway there and was seen to be leaking fuel.

The Governor's report of the Hercules landing did not include these incidental details. I have asked the civil commissioner to look into the matters raised, and will write to the hon. Member when I have received his reply.

asked the Prime Minister pursuant to her answer of 18 January, Official Report, c. 110, how many staff of the Comptroller and Auditor General are qualified to audit a company under the provisons of the Companies Acts.

Of the 66 staff of the Comptroller and Auditor General who are qualified as members of accountancy bodies, 14 staff are members of bodies of accountants recognised by the Secretary of State for the purposes of paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 161 of the Companies Act 1948.

asked the Prime Minister whether any request was received from the Franks committee for Sir Nicholas Henderson to give evidence to it.

It was for the Franks committee to decide whom it should invite to give evidence. Those who did so are listed in its report.

asked the Prime Minister if she will appoint Sir Nicholas Henderson as an additional personal adviser on foreign affairs.

I have no plans to make such an appointment.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government will seek to have restrictions placed on International Monetary Fund loans to Argentina such that money advanced may not be used for the purchase of arms.

The rules of the IMF do not allow such restrictions to be placed on its loans. The conditions which the fund may attach to its lending are set out in decisions adopted in 1979 (Selective Decisions of the International Monetary Fund, pages 20–22), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. They are normally confined to setting limits on broad economic indicators, such as public sector borrowing, external borrowing, and the lifting of debt arrears.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Keighley of Thursday 20 January, Official Report, c. 229, what stage the inquiries have reached into George Mercer & Son (Butchers) Ltd., Good Afternoon Ltd. and Europa Meats Ltd.

I have nothing to add to my previous reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, in view of its recently announced intention of concentrating its operations in the United States of America, he is satisfied that public funds provided to Inmos are being used in accordance with the basis on which they were approved.

Yes. This is a matter for the British Technology Group but I understand that the recent reports in the press were misleading. Progress is being made towards building up the INMOS factory at Newport, and in transferring this important technology to the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many prosecutions have been brought for non-compliance with the Telecommunications Apparatus (Marking and Labelling) Order 1982; and how many warnings have been given for non-compliance.

No prosecutions have been brought by the Department of Industry for non-compliance with the Telecommunication Apparatus (Marking and Labelling) Order 1982, nor am I aware of prosecutions brought by others. It is open to anyone to take such action if they see fit. Enforcement of the above order, and of the parallel order relating to advertisements, is primarily in the hands of local authority trading standards officers who have the relevant power under section 19 of the British Telecommunications Act 1981, and the Department is aware that they have been following up complaints about infringements reported to them.I am urgently considering what further action should be taken. The main focus initially will be to increase consumer awareness of the significance of the marks by appropriate publicity but I am not ruling out the bringing of prosecutions by the Department of Industry where I am convinced that such action might prove to be effective in ensuring more widespread compliance with the orders. To date, the Department has written to ten retailers and five publishers of magazines or journals, where apparent contraventions of the Orders had been brought to its attention, in order to remind them about their legal obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many worker co-operatives there were in each of the past five years.

According to figures produced by the Co-operative Development Agency there were 305 and 498 worker co-operatives in being in the years 1980 and 1982 respectively. No information is available for the years 1978, 1979 and 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what are the main areas of economic activities covered by worker co-operatives; and what information he has as to the number of people working in them.

The main areas of economic activity covered by worker co-operatives, together with the approximate number of people working in them, are as follows:

	Numbers
Distribution	1,630
Printing and Publishing	820
Chemicals	510
Textiles	500
Footwear	490
Building	420
Engineering	370
Electronics	350
Catering	130

The total number of people in these sectors is 5,220 which represents 82 per cent. of the total number of people engaged in worker co-operatves.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has completed his inquiries into the subsidy or aid arrangements offered by the French Government to the company owning the Timex organisation in Dundee in connection with the transfer of operations to France; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Newham, North-East (Mr. Leighton) on 25 January.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) whether, and in what circumstances, payments are made by the European regional development fund to inner city areas in any of the countries of the European Community when these cities are not located within the assisted areas designated by the regional policy of the respective member states;(2) what grants under the European regional development fund are payable to inner city areas by virtue of their inner city status, as opposed to their being within a development area;

Article 3 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 724/75 provides that aid from the European regional development fund may be given in respect of projects in

"aided areas established by Member States in applying their systems of regional aids, and in which state aids are granted".

The term "assisted area" is peculiar to certain parts of the United Kingdom and is an example of one such type of "aided area".In the Government's view the districts designated under the Inner Urban Areas Act, which was approved by the Commission under article 93 of the Treaty of Rome, come within the definition given in the regulation. Applications for grant from the ERDF towards eligible projects are submitted by the public authorities concerned. The decision on whether to grant such aid rests ultimately with the European Commission, after consultation with its fund management committee and, in certain cases, the European Community's regional policy committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he will make it his policy that, in approaching the European regional development fund for the inclusion of inner city areas for assistance from that fund in 1983–84, he will seek to ensure that such funds are additional to the existing help that comes from the European regional development fund to the United Kingdom and not a redirection of assistance currently being given to depressed regions;(2) what is the amount of finance his Department is seeking from the European regional development fund in 1983–84 for use in the inner city areas; and if he will estimate the percentage reduction in the cash available for other areas from the European regional development fund arising from the redistribution proposed by his Department.

The United Kingdom's share of the quota section of the fund is fixed by the regulation. The proportion of that share which is awarded in respect of projects in inner urban areas will depend in the first instance on what eligible applications are received, and in the second on whether or not they are approved by the Commission. In practice, I expect there to be enough funds available in 1983 to meet all eligible and worthwhile applications.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the ports whose names have been submitted by his Department to the Commission of the European Community in the current year with a view to receiving financial assistance from the European Community towards their development.

I have been asked to reply.In the current year two projects, from the Forth and Inverness port authorities, have been submitted to the Commission for assistance from the European regional development fund.In 1982 projects for ERDF aid were submitted to the Commission from the following ports:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will issue a general directive to the Post Office requiring it to maintain the present facilities to affix stamps to postal orders.

This is a matter for the commercial judgment of the Post Office in which it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene. I understand, however, that the Post Office is currently reviewing the decision it had made to withdraw this facility.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what information he has as to the value-added performance of foreign-based multinational companies in the United Kingdom compared with United Kingdom companies.

Estimates of gross value added at factor cost by foreign controlled manufacturing enterprises in the United Kingdom are compiled biennially for manufacturing enterprises. The latest figures relate to 1979 and are published along with data for all United Kingdom manufacturing enterprises in table 19 of Business Monitor PA 1002, 1979 Report on the Census of Production, Summary Tables; a copy of which is in the library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he will take steps to control imports of rear cycle lamps which do not conform to British standards;(2) if he will take steps to protect and maintain the jobs of workers producing rear cycle lamps, a product under threat from imported lamps which do not conform to British standards.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 January 1983, c. 180.]: Legal requirements for rear cycle lamps are a matter for the Department of Transport. I welcome any steps taken to curtail the supply of lamps which do not comply with the legal requirements. Meanwhile it is open to any British manufacturer to seek support from this Department under its various assistance schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each of the past three years the number of meetings (a) of the Welsh water authority and (b) of committees and sub-committees of the Welsh water authority to which the public has had a statutory right of access in whole or in part under the provisions of the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960.

The provisions of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 extend to all meetings of the Welsh water authority and its committees, but not to their sub-committees. I understand from the Welsh Water Authority that the number of meetings of (a) the Authority and (b) their committees were 6 and 121 respectively in 1979–80,9 and 109 respectively in 1980–81 and 6 and 90 respectively in 1981–82. The newly-constituted Welsh water authority was established on 1 April 1982 and, although final figures will not be available until the end of the financial year, it is understood that there has been a considerable reduction in meetings of committees of the authority during this current year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions his Department has had with the Post Office concerning the use of the Welsh language on postmarks that serve the Gwynedd and Clwyd areas.

I understand that the Post Office is considering suggestions put to them recently on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of co-operation by community nurses in several areas of Wales; and if he will state on whose instructions such nurses are acting in refusing to carry out tasks requested by doctors to whose practices they are attached.

I am not aware of any instances of withdrawal of co-operation by community nurses working in primary health care teams attached to general medical practices.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the forms, leaflets and pamphlets, which his Department is responsible for issuing, which are available either in the Welsh language or in a bilingual format.

West Midlands Region
	Total number aged under 20 registered as unemployed	Percentage change	Number aged under 20 registered as unemployed for over 52 weeks	Percentage change
January 1979	22,549	+4·2	1,777	-191
January 1980	23,486	+105·9	1,437	+102·6
January 1981	48,348	+22·5	2,912	+219·1
January 1982	59,237	—	9,292	—

I shall write to the hon. Member and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when the last road programme document for Wales was published; and when the next is due.

"Roads in Wales" was last published in December 1980. The next edition is in an advanced state of preparation and will be published as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the intended dates of start and completion of motorway and dual carriageways to the west of Baglan.

The position is under review and the outcome will be reported in the next edition of "Roads in Wales".

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what would be the numerical result of applying the Government's new method of collating unemployment statistics to those of other members of the European Community.

Information on which to base an estimate is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the number of the unemployed under 21 years of age in the west midlands; what were the figures in January 1979, January 1980, January 1981 and January 1982, respectively; and if he will express the differences in percentage terms;(2) what is the number of the unemployed in the west midlands under 21 years of age who have been unemployed for over 12 months; what were the figures in January 1979, January 1980, January 1981 and January 1982, respectively; and if he will express the differences in percentage terms.

The following is the information for those aged under 20 years (under 21 not available) at the dates specified and at October 1981 and October 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by age and duration of unemployment is available. The figures are on the old (registration) basis of the unemployment count.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the total number of unemployed claimants in Suffolk with the percentage rate of unemployment, for each jobcentre area.

The following table gives the total number of unemployed claimants at 9 December 1982 in each of the jobcentre areas in Suffolk. It also gives the percentage rates of unemployment for the areas, either singly or grouped to form travel-to-work areas.

Jobcentre area	Number	Percentage rate
Beccles	723	*10·0
Bungay	282
Bury St. Edmunds	2,185	7·7
Felixstowe	672	*9·3
Ipswich	7,693
Stowmarket	802
Woodbridge	897
Halesworth	429	10·7
Haverhill	1,192	11·1
Leiston	731	14·7
Lowestoft	4,495	15·5
Mildenhall	492	*7·4
Newmarket	792
Subbury	1,242	9·4
Brandon	428	*14·4
Swaffham†	1,022
Thetford†	1,415
* The rate relates to the combined jobcentre areas, ie the travel-to-work area.
† Swaffham and Thetford jobcentre areas are in Norfolk, but, together with Brandon jobcentre area, from a complete travel-to-work area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the current rates of unemployment among the seven major industrialised countries.

The latest available seasonally adjusted standardised unemployment rates estimated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are as follows:

Unemployment as percentage of total labour force
		percentage
Canada	November	12·6
United States of America	November	10·6
Japan	November	2·4
France	November	8·3
Germany	November	7·2
Italy	July	8·6
United Kingdom	November	12·9

These unemployment rates have been adjusted by the OECD to conform to definitions recommended by the International Labour Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of unemployed persons is under 25 years of age.

At 14 October 1982, the latest date for which an age analysis is available, 39·5 per cent. of all registered unemployed people (the old basis of the unemployment count) in the United Kingdom were under 25 years of age.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 to 19-year-olds are unemployed at the nearest available date.

At 14 October 1982, the latest date for which an age analysis is available, there were 655,295 young people aged under 20 years registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom. The figure is on the old (registration) basis of the unemployment count.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many in (a) the west midlands, (b) the black country area and (c) the Walsall travel-to-work area have now been unemployed for over 12 months; and if he will give the figures for January 1979, January 1980, January 1981 and January 1982, respectively, and the differences in percentage terms.

[pursuant to his reply, 27 January 1983, c. 509]: The following is the information at the dates specified and at October 1981 and October 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available. The figures are on the old (registration) basis of the unemployment count.

	Number registered as unemployed for over 52 weeks	Percentage change
West Midlands Region
January 1979	32,489
		+3·7
January 1980	33,685
		+44·8
January 1981	48,766
		+142·8
January 1982	118,428
October 1981	99,451
		+56·6
October 1982	155,741
Dudley and Sandwell travel-to-work area
January 1979	3,293
		+9·1
January 1980	3,593
		+63·1
January 1981	5,861
		+177·1
January 1982	16,242
October 1981	13,478
		+61·7
October 1982	21,790
Wolverhampton travel-to-work area
January 1979	2,407
		+8·1
January 1980	2,603
		+46·2

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will invite trade union leaders to meet him to discuss such matters as union disciplinary procedures.

My right hon. Friend is always willing to meet trade union leaders at any time to discuss matters of public concern such as union disciplinary procedures. Proposed guidance on the use of such procedures is contained in the draft of the revised code of practice on the closed shop which the Government recently published for public consultation. Regrettably, the TUC has declined to offer any detailed comments on the provisions of the Code.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether research has been carried out by his Department into the cost to employers of implementing the European Community draft directive on voluntary part-time work.

A number of organisations, including the TUC, EOC and CBI, were consulted by this Department when the draft directive was issued. Most employers' organisations, especially those representing small firms, expressed concern about the likely cost of implementation. Further enquiries of these organisations made by this Department produced evidence of varying costs, according to the proportion of part-time employees in the workforce and other factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been received under section 2 of the Employment Act 1982 relating to compensation for certain dismissals; how many claims have been approved; and how much has been paid out in settlements.

362 formal applications had been received as of 28 January. On the basis of reports made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State by the assessor appointed under schedule 1 to the Employment Act 1982, payments of compensation have already been made in 6 cases.The amount paid in compensation to the 6 applicants concerned totals £29,881·89. The vast majority of the applications so far received are still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now publish the Gennard report on the inquiry into the closed shop commissioned by his Department.

Professor Gennard is still considering the detailed comments he has received on the initial draft of his report but I understand that he expects to submit a final report to this Department shortly. The report will form the basis of a book to be published by Professor Gennard and his fellow authors and will also be made public by this Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to his recent correspondence with the hon. Member for West Stirlingshit about the case of Mrs. Hamilton, 30 Hillview crescent, Kilsyth, he will now instruct the wages inspectorate to expedite a settlement in Mrs. Hamilton's favour.

Action is already in hand to bring this case to a conclusion in a matter of days.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the changes in legislation recommended to him by the Health and Safety Commission.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 January 1983, c. 339]: The changes in legislation recommended to this Government by the Health and Safety Commission consist of 53 sets of regulations. Of those, the following were recommended to my right hon. Friend:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consult the Museums and Galleries Commission in connection with his forthcoming Budget over fiscal legislation in relation to the United Kingdom's artistic inheritance of works of art, bearing in mind the recent devaluation of the pound against other currencies and its effect on the purchasing power of national museums in relation to overseas competitors.

My right hon. and learned Friend keeps under regular review the fiscal legislation in relation to the arts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the aims and scope of his review of ways of stopping the growing incidence of fraud in the financial community.

Financial fraud is a matter of serious concern to the Government. We keep the means for detecting and dealing with it under regular review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to allow individuals to set any unused income tax allowances against any capital gains tax liabilities.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of (a) allowing stock relief for the first £2,000, (b) allowing training costs to be set against any tax payable under schedule D base I or II assessment rather than against profits, (c) allowing capital expenditure similarly and (d) extending the industrial building allowance to all business premises.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 24 January, Official Report, c. 283–84, what response has been made by the Argentine authorities to representations made through the Bank of England and the European Community that Argentine official observers or supervisors put into overseas British firms in Argentina during the Falklands conflict should be withdrawn.

The official observers or supervisors have still not been completely withdrawn.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will outline the new arrangements for tax relief against bad and doubtful international loans to countries rescheduling debts; whether these new tax relief arrangements will apply to British firms also affected by non-payment of debts by rescheduling countries; what estimate he has made of the cost of this new scheme for 1982–83 and 1983–84; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors have led him to conclude that the figure of £180 million given in paragraph 2.25 of the autumn economic statement is an appropriate amount by which to reduce the social security budget; and if such a reduction took place across the broad range of benefits, approximately what percentage adjustment this would entail.

This represented a judgment on the part of the Government in the context of their public expenditure programme as a whole of the amount that should be taken into account in settling the size of the social security programme, having regard to the overshoot at the 1982 uprating. If such a reduction took place across the broad range of benefits, this would entail a percentage adjustment of about 1·7 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for the latest years now available, identifiable public expenditure by programme in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Great Britain and the United Kingdom expressed (a) in cash terms, (b) as a percentage of United Kingdom total public expenditure, (c) as a amount per capita and (d) as an amount per capita expressed as a percentage of the United Kingdom amount per capita.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) for single persons, (b) married persons with one earner and (c) married persons with two earners, each aged: (i) under 65 years and (ii) 65 years and over, the estimated number of incomes in each income range in 1982–83 starting at a lower limit of £1,500, and the total tax, excluding family income supplement as a proportion of total income.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 January 1983, c. 392]: The latest estimates for the information requested are given in the following tables. Total income includes only those forms of income liable to tax, before the

Number of incomes and estimated average rates of income tax payable by range of total income 1982·83 (i) Single people or married couples both under 65
	(a)		(b)		(c)
	Single people		Married couples without wife's earned income		Married couples with wife's earned income
Range of total income (lower limit)	Number of incomes	Income tax as proportion of total income	Number of incomes	Income tax as proportion of total income	Number of incomes	Income tax as proportion of total income
£	millions	per cent.	millions	per cent.	millions	per cent.
1,500	0·6	3·3	0·2	—	0·03	—
2,000	1·5	10·8	0·3	1·6	0·1	0·2
3,000	1·5	16·1	0·3	8·8	0·2	1·3
4,000	1·5	18·9	0·5	12·9	0·2	4·9
5,000	1·0	20·9	0·7	15·6	0·3	9·1
6,000	0·7	21·8	0·7	17·3	0·5	12·1
7,000	0·5	22·2	0·6	18·1	0·6	14·1
8,000	0·3	23·1	0·6	19·2	0·6	15·4
9,000	0·2	23·5	0·4	19·3	0·7	16·4
10,000	0·2	24·1	0·4	20·7	1·0	17·9
12,000	0·1	24·7	0·3	21·9	0·9	19·2
15,000	0·08	28·9	0·2	25·0	0·7	22·1
20,000	0·01	35·0	0·03	31·5	0·06	27·3
30,000	0·01	44·9	0·05	41·1	0·07	37·2

Number of incomes and estimated average rates of income tax payable by range of total income 1982-83 (ii) Single people or married couples over 65
	(a)		(b)		(c)
	Single people		Married coluples without wife's earned income		Married coluples without wife's earned income
Range of total income (lower limit)	Number of incomes	Income tax as proportion of total income	Number of incomes	Income tax as proportion of total income	Number of incomes	Income tax as proportion of total income
£	millions	per cent.	millions	per cent.	millions	per cent.
1,500	0·19	—	0·03	—	—	—
2,000	0·47	4·7	0·11	—	0·01	—
3,000	0·19	11·8	0·40	2·0	0·07	0·9
4,000	0·16	16·1	0·19	8·0	0·10	2·1
5,000	0·08	17·4	0·14	12·0	0·06	4·9
6,000	0·08	20·1	0·09	14·8	0·06	8·2
7,000	0·03	23·2	0·06	17·6	0·04	13·4
8,000	0·04	25·1	0·03	19·4	0·03	17·3
9,000	0·03	25·2	0·02	20·7	0·02	18·2
10,000	0·02	27·9	0·03	21·9	0·03	20·3
12,000	0·01	30·4	0·02	26·2	0·03	21·0
15,000	0·03	35·3	0·03	30·3	0·02	25·6
20,000	neg	46·6	0·01	41·1	0·01	35·8

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the terms of the charter of the Swedish ship the Linne.

The Linne was engaged by the Crown Agents, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, to transport materials and equipment from Sweden and the United Kingdom for rehabilitation work in the Falkland Islands. The engagement started when the vessel commenced loading at Helsingborg on 11 November 1982 and ended with final discharge of all cargo at Port Stanley on 5 January 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what medical qualifications are necessary for a person who administers a general anaesthetic in the course of dental surgery.

All doctors and dentists receive instruction in general anaesthesia as part of their undergraduate training. No additional formal qualification is required before members of either profession can administer a general anaesthetic in the course of dental surgery. However, the desirability of postgraduate training for the administration of general anaesthesia has been widely recognised by both professions and I am glad to say that its implementation is currently being studied by an inter-faculty committee of the Royal College of Surgeons.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Government will provide adequate funds to keep the Anthony Nolan bone marrow tissue-typing laboratories at St. Mary Abbot's hospital open.

The Anthony Nolan laboratory is supported principally by the Anthony Nolan trust. However, we have made annual grants to the running costs of the laboratory over the past four years and we are at the moment considering a request from the trust for a further grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the price rises in the agreement with the ophthalmic prescription industry that are to take effect from February 1983, in £ sterling and as a percentage of previous prices; and if he will list the previous prices.

After consultation with representatives of the ophthalmic profession, I have decided to introduce revised rates of reimbursement from 1 February 1983 for lenses supplied by opticians under the National Health Service. The revision affects 258 separate reimbursement prices, ranging from £1·35 to £25·00, contained in the General Ophthalmic Services Statement. There are decreases in reimbursement rates in the 12 lower priced lenses ranging from 1·9 per cent. to 5·6 per cent. (glass) and 17·9 per cent. to 21·9 per cent. (plastic). There are increases in respect of 243 prices ranging from 1·7 per cent. to 69·4 per cent. The prices for 3 lenses remain unchanged. Overall these adjustments represent a weighted average increase of 6·2 per cent.I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the relevant pages of the statement showing the revised rates from 1 February 1983 and the pages which they replace. A copy of the statement is in the House of Commons library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any restrictions have been placed on the proposed increases in prices for work done for the National Health Service by the ophthalmic prescription industry.

Prices charged by the ophthalmic prescription industry to opticians for lenses and frames have generally, after consultations, formed the basis of reimbursement rates paid to opticians for NHS work. We recently decided to revise the reimbursement rates from 1 February 1983 after discussion with the ophthalmic prescription industry and statutory consultation with the ophthalmic profession.The department is preparing to conduct a direct enquiry into the prices paid by opticians for lenses and frames supplied for the NHS in order to establish an up-to-date factual base for reimbursement rates.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) under what circumstances the Committee on Safety of Medicines may exercise its powers to control the sale of substances which it is within its terms of reference to consider;(2) how a drug is defined for the purposes of the work of the Committee on Safety of Medicines;

The Medicines Act 1968, confers on Ministers the power by order to extend the controls exercised over medicinal products to the sale of other products such as B17 (Laetrile or amygdalin) if they appear to be sold for a medicinal purpose. Whilst I am not aware of any reports of adverse effects attributed to the consumption of B17 (which I understand is not a vitamin) in the United Kingdom, in view of reports of deaths in the United States, the Department has been reviewing the evidence on the safety of this substance.In the light of that review, I am seeking the advice of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines on the safety of B17 (Laetrile or amygdalin). One of the functions of the CSM in these and similar circumstances, is to advise Ministers with regard to the safety of any substance or article to which any provision of the Medicines Act is applicable, including any substance which it is proposed to control. The committee itself does not have powers of control.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to the concentration of unemployment in families.

The information readily available relates to the proportion of unemployed male claimants receiving unemployment benefit and/or supplementary benefit which includes allowance for one or more children. That proportion is estimated to be about 25 per cent., on the basis of two sample surveys carried out in December 1981 and February 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to the effect of unemployment on family relationships.

A number of studies have looked at or touched on, the relationship between unemployment and family relationships. Although the majority of studies do however report an increase in stress, it is very difficult to conclude from them what changes are caused directly by unemployment or the fall in living standards that generally accompanies it as opposed to other contributory factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will institute a departmental inquiry into the total resources spent by health authorities in advertising vacancies for employment of nurses and its cost-effectiveness.

Recruitment and advertising are primarily a matter for health authorities as employers of staff. We require authorities to decide on the most cost effective way of advertising vacancies for nursing staff. East Anglia are however, the sponsoring Region for a Rayner study in arrangements for advertising for staff which will begin in March and is expected to last about three months. The study should produce information which will be useful to the rest of the NHS.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many brand name drugs are used in the family practitioner service of the National Health Service in each of the categories known by generic name of chloramphenicol, chlorpromazine, chlorpropamide, cimetidine, clonidine, and cloxacillin.

The number of brand name products used in the Family Practitioner Services with the same formulation of active ingredients as those listed is as follows:

	Number
Chloramphenicol	4
Chlorpromaxine	1
Chlorpropamide	2
Cimetidine	1
Clonidine	2
Cloxacillin	1

This information is based on prescriptions written in England and Wales during 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there is any machinery for pre-sales testing of foods claiming to be health foods.

Except in the case of foods which are licensable as medical products, there is no statutory provision for such testing. However, to sell for human consumption any food which is injurious to health or otherwise unfit is an offence under the Food and Drugs Act, for which the local authorities have enforcement responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the board and lodgings allowance for bed and breakfast facilities for the single homeless paid by each Department of Health and Social Security office in Wales at the most recent available date.

The amount of board and lodging included in the supplementary benefit assessment of a single homeless person who has obtained bed and breakfast accommodation is decided in the same way as for any other boarder. Provided that the charge for the accommodation, together with the appropriate additions for mid-day and evening meals, does not exceed the amount the supplementary benefit officer estimates to be the reasonable charge for full board and lodging of a suitable standard for that area, it is allowed in full. The amount payable, therefore, varies from case to case and from area to area and no information is held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the total cost of the national dental service in Suffolk and the income from charges over the past five years.

The total cost over the last five years of the general dental services paid for by the family practitioner committee for Suffolk and the related income from charges are given as follows:

Financial year	Total cost	Income from charges
	£ million	£ million
1977-78	2·801	0·691
1978-79	3·471	0·766
1979-80	4·134	0·946
1980-81	5·158	1·276
1981-82	5·978	1·595

The additional costs of both the dental treatment provided by the hospital and community health services and of the administration of the general dental services are wholly excluded as they cannot be separately identified in full.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest available neonatal, perinatal and infant mortality rates for East Anglia; and if he will provide a breakdown according to socio-economic groups.

The latest available neonatal, perinatal and infant mortality rates for East Anglia are for 1981:

	Per 1,000
Neonatal mortality rate*	5·7
Perinatal mortality rate†	10·4
Infant mortality rate*	9·9
* Per 1,000 live births.
† Per 1,000 total births.

Rates are not routinely available for socio-economic groups and could only be produced at disproportionate cost. Rates by social class for regional health authorities, 1980, were published in OPCS Monitor DH3 82/3 (July 1982).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Ormskirk on 24 January, Official Report, c. 291, he will indicate the nature of the additional work necessary following from the report "National Voluntary Organisations and Alcohol Misuse".

Correspondence and telephone calls were generated by the publication of the report in April. Comments, many of them extensive and detailed, from over 70 organisations were studied and scheduled as they arrived from May until early August. The Department's policies in relation to prevention, services and training to deal with alcohol misuse had then to be reviewed, in the light of these comments and the report itself, before the proposals announced on 26 October could be formulated.