asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what formula is applied to counties in allocating the grant aid for village halls and community centres.

The allocation to each local education authority is determined by reference to the programme for which it bids.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will be attending the next meeting of the Lambeth partnership committee.

I hope to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she will meet next representatives of the National Association of Head Teachers.

I met representatives of the association on 20th June. There are no arrangements at present for another meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she hopes next to meet the vice-chancellors of the Scottish universities.

My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to meet representatives of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, of which the vice-chancellors of Scottish universities are members.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the take-up of the EEC subsidy on school milk and milk products.

All local authorities which provide free milk for schoolchildren are eligible to claim the EEC subsidy. My Department has so far paid out just over £3 million to English authorities for milk provided during the period from May 1977 to the end of the 1978 spring term, and a further £500,000, not all of which has yet been claimed, remains to be paid out for that period. Payment of the EEC milk subsidy to Welsh authorities is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, under the general arrangements drawn up for the United Kingdom as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total strength of the Schools inspectorate; and how many are women.

There were 395 of Her Majesty's inspectors of schools employed in England at 1st July. They included 75 women.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her estimate of the number of 16 to 18-year-olds who will stay at school as a result of her grant proposals.

Both my right hon. Friend and the local authorities expect a significant increase in numbers staying on in full-time education. But exactly how many must depend on the details of the eventual awards scheme, especially the rates of grant. These have not yet been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many more 16 to 18-year olds she estimates will stay on at school as a result of her new grant proposals; and how many extra she estimates will enter further education courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science hew many schoolchildren she estimates would be persuaded to stay on at school beyond the age of 16 years by the provision of a means-tested allowance.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent discussions she has had concerning minimum educational requirements for school leaver trainees in the mining industry.

My right hon. Friend has had no discussions recently about school leaver entrants to the mining industry. She is, however, much concerned that our schools should prepare young people properly for working life; that is and remains a main thrust of education policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps she is taking to increase private sources of finance for the arts.

Private support for the arts is primarily a private matter. The increase in the standard of living, which has been made possible by the Government's success in the fight against inflation will leave private individuals with more money to spend on the arts. My right hon. Friend has provided finance to launch the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts, which is proving increasingly successful.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the response of schools to her circular of 1977 on the need to keep school uniform requirements to the level of grants available to low-income families to buy school uniforms.

The circular letter of 26th May 1977 was sent to local education authorities in response to a suggestion that some of them would welcome my right hon. Friend's views on school uniform. It stressed the importance of avoiding situations where the additional cost involved in providing a uniform greatly exceeded the help available. I am not satisfied that all schools take sufficiently into account the burden placed on families by the clothing lists they prepare, nor that all local education authorities provide grants to low-income families commensurate with the additional cost of meeting schools' requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she will next meet the director of the British Council.

I have no plans to do so at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will make a statement as to progress being made towards introducing a scheme for charging for school transport generally and without resort to statutory distances.

My Department is continuing its efforts to develop proposals that without significantly increasing public expenditure will both avoid some of the anomalies that arise under the existing provisions and also command more support than the proposals for a new scheme canvassed in 1973 and 1975. This is a very difficult problem to solve, and some form of distance criteria may have to be retained.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers with qualifications for teaching the under-fives are now employed by local education authorities.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to her Question on 19th June and to my letter to her dated 7th July, which gave information about trained nursery teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study she has made of the Waddell Report; and if she will now take steps to combine the O-level and CSE examinations.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Grocott) on 14th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied that the mathematics tests used by her Department's assessment of performance unit are adequate to assess pupils' competence.

Yes. A combination of written and practical tests has been designed to reflect the range of mathematical activities going on in classrooms up and down the country with pupils aged 11 and 15, and to cover the full range of their abilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will re-examine the charter of the Arts Council in the light of Government policy and having regard to devolution.

The charter in its present form is consistent with Government policy. It would be wrong to anticipate the decisions of the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies on the organisation of arts support after devolution.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what talks she has had recently with the teaching unions about pupil-teacher ratios in infant and junior schools.

My right hon. Friend has had no recent discussions with teaching unions specifically on this topic.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent discussions she has had with the governing bodies of independent schools and others about these schools' charitable status.

Charitable status is naturally a matter of close concern to the independent schools, but I have not discussed it recently with their governing bodies or other representatives. The Government are considering the matter and the definition of charitable purposes in general in the light of the tenth report from the Expenditure Committee in the Session 1974–5, and of the report of the committe on charity law and voluntary organisations set up by the National Council of Social Service under the chairmanship of Lord Goodman.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the take-up of the free milk scheme.

Although only about a dozen authorities have so far informed my Department of their decisions the indications are that a substantial number may reject the favourable financial arrangements offered for supplying free milk to junior pupils. I find this very disappointing.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will take action under section 68 of the Education Act 1944 to stop the closure this summer of Wetton and Bradnop Schools in the Staffordshire, Moorlands area of the Leek parliamentary constituency.

My right hon. Friend has recently been asked to determine a complaint under section 68 of the Education Act 1944 regarding the closure of these schools. She is currently considering the matter and when she has reached her decision she will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations she has received about the supply of school books in the primary and secondary maintained sector.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from the National Union of Teachers and the National Book League, which are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further consideration she has given to the appointment of a standing advisory committee to make recommendations on the level of capitation allowances and the provision of books in schools as recommended by the Bullock Committee on Literacy.

I understand that a working party on the use of books in schools has been established by the National Book League, and is expected to report early next year. I would wish to take this, and the demand made upon my Department's resources, into account before making a final decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the progress of her negotiations with local education authorities on means-tested grants for 16 to 18-year-olds who remain in full-time education.

My right hon. Friend has now met representatives of the Council of Local Education Authorities and the Welsh Joint Education Committee on two occasions to discuss the question of financial support for 16–18 year-olds in full-time education. These discussions have resulted in agreement on the desirability of improved financial support arrangements and reaffirmation of the ability of schools and colleges to provide appropriate courses for young people of all abilities and aspirations. Other matters so far considered include the possible rate of grant and the general shape of a mandatory means-tested awards scheme. Discussions are continuing at official level.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she intends that local education authorities should have a discretionary right to select the courses for which they would provide grants under the system of educational maintenance allowances which she has proposed for 16 to 18-year-olds.

The question whether any improved financial support arrangements for 16–18-year-olds in full-time education should be limited by reference to particular courses has received attention in the discussions which my right hon. Friend has been holding with the local authorities. The provisional view emerging is that this would be neither desirable nor practicable, having regard to the wide range of young people's educational needs and to the ability of schools and colleges to provide appropriate courses for young people of all abilities and aspirations. But no final decisions on this have yet been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has any plans to resume the financing of Fircroft College, Selly Oak, Birmingham, for the academic year 1978–79.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in devising her plans for the future of education, what account she has taken of likely changes in patterns of employment.

The Department tries to gain advance warning of surpluses and shortages of particular types of skilled manpower—through liaison with the industrial training boards and the Department of Employment's unit for manpower studies and by means of its own work on such things as rate of return analysis and graduate first destination statistics. The Department responds to such indicators principally by trying to ensure that prospective students are kept aware of developments in the job market, and that those responsible for courses, curricula and examinations bear these factors in mind. In addition, training and retraining schemes are mounted to meet particular requirements or shortages.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received from the National Union of Teachers regarding class sizes in primary schools.

My right hon. Friend has had no recent representations from the National Union of Teachers on this topic.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied with the progress of nursery education in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend will not be satisfied until nursery education is available for all children whose parents want it. The progress which has been made since 1974 has nevertheless been substantial given our economic difficulties in this period. More than £50 million has been made available in nursery education building programmes and grants are also being made available this year for nursery projects through the urban aid and inner cities programmes. Between 1974 and 1977 the number of children in nursery education in England has risen by over half to 187,000 and there are a further 245,000 under-fives in ordinary infant classes in primary schools. This means that a total of 33 per cent. of 3 and 4-year-olds are receiving education and compares with the Plowden targets we have endorsed of providing nursery education for 50 per cent. of 3-year-olds and 90 per cent. of 4-year-olds.Nursery education in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the co-operation between her Department and local education authorities in England in relation to future developments in the school curriculum.

Yes. Such co-operation is part of the continuing relationship between all of the partners in the education service. Within that framework, future developments in the school curriculum will be a matter for further consultation in the light of the review initiated by my Department's circular 14/77. More than half the local education authorities have already responded to the circular and the rest are expected to reply shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she has received the plans for reorganisation of secondary education from the Liverpool education authority; and if she will make a statement.

Liverpool county secondary schools are all reorganised on comprehensive lines with the exception of the institute schools, for which proposals to eliminate selection with effect from September 1979 are awaited. Roman Catholic secondary schools continue to operate in a selective basis although a scheme for comprehensive reorganisation has been submitted and consideration is at present being given to the implementation date.My right hon. Friend understands that the rationalisation of non-Roman Catholic secondary provision is currently being discussed locally and looks forward to receiving proposals in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she met last representatives of the National Association for Gifted Children.

My right hon. Friend has not done so, but I met the present director of the association in August 1976 to discuss the possibility of a renewed grant from my Department. A grant of £5,000 a year is at present being made to the association.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied that there will be a fair share for education in the inner city partnership schemes.

The inner city partnerships are still at an early stage of development, and their long term plans have yet to be settled. Nevertheless, I am satisfied that the partnership arrangements allow the educational case to be expressed effectively and that the programmes will include many educational schemes relevant to the regeneration of inner cities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will reconsider giving those graduates of the Open University who have received no assistance from public funds during their first degree course at the Open University the right to mandatory awards for second degrees at other universities.

No. The mandatory awards arrangements are intended to provide the opportunity for students to obtain an initial qualification at first degree level. Local education authorities have discretion to make awards to graduates who wish to obtain a second first degree. Open University graduates are eligible to compete for awards for higher degrees on the same terms as other graduates.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations she has received from industrialists about the standard of literacy and numeracy of school leavers; and if she will make a statement.

I have received comments from industrial interests and others in response to the Green Paper "Education in Schools", published in July 1977, which indicate a wide measure of agreement about the importance of basic standards of literacy and numeracy. I have asked local education authorities, in reviewing their curricular arrangements, to report on their policies for English and mathematics, and announced my intention to set up a committee of inquiry into the teaching of mathematics in primary and secondary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the educational authorities where she has evidence that party political considerations enter into the appointment of governors; and what is the appropriate evidence.

The appointment of the managers and governors of county schools and of the local authority representatives on the managing and governing bodies of voluntary schools is a matter for the local authorities concerned and my Department acquires information on their practices only incidentally. In particular, press reports have appeared on the practice of certain local authorities indicating that party political considerations have been taken into account in appointing governors. The most recent systematic review of appointment practices was carried out between 1965 and 1969. It was published in "The Government and Management of Schools" by George Baron and D. A. Howell (Athlone Press 1974), but does not give details for individual authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice she is giving local education authorities whose teaching staff are refusing admission to schoolchildren on the ground that their classes are oversize.

None. There is no statutory definition of maximum class size. Although my right hon. Friend very much regrets the development of disputes of the kind to which the hon. Member refers they are essentially matters between the employing authority and the teachers concerned, and there is no basis on which my right hon. Friend could intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she received a letter of complaint from Mr. Gerald Henebery of St. Helens about the failure of the system of education grants and support in the case of his son; and what advice she was able to offer.

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the reply sent by my Department to Mr. Henebery's letter of 28th June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that non-British relatives of constituents of the hon. Member for Newham, North-West have been debarred from entering the United Kingdom from Asia and America, for purposes such as honeymoons, and that King Hussein and his wife have been allowed into the United Kingdom for this purpose, he will publish in the Official Report the criteria which he employs in deciding on individual applications for admission for such purposes.

Any bona fide visitor, whether coming on a honeymoon or otherwise, is admitted to this country if he fulfils the requirements set out in the immigration rules for control on entry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many circulars his Department has issued to local authorities (a) in England and (b) in England and Wales, in each year since 1974; and how many issued instructions increasing the statutory duties of local authorities.

Apart from circulars addressed exclusively to police, fire and other special authorities, the number of circulars addressed to the chief executives of local authorities, in the normally accepted sense, by the Home Office since 1974 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many returns of information are made by (a) non-metropolitan counties, (b) non-metropolitan districts, (c) metropolitan counties and (d) metropolitan districts to his Department each year.

The numbers of regular returns of information made by the specified authorities each year are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available the latest comparative figures of the number of visas issued for Chileans fleeing the oppressive regime in their country under the scheme set up in 1974, and for Argentinians fleeing the oppressive regime in Argentina.

Up to 30th June last, 1,710 applications involving 4,462 people to come to the United Kingdom as refugees from the present Chilean regime had been granted.Up to the same date, 214 applications involving 654 people had been granted in respect of refugees from the present regime in Argentina. Of these, 11 cases (14 people) were in respect of Argentinian nationals, and 183 (600 people) were in respect of refugees from the Chilean regime included in the figures above.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why there has been such a prolonged delay in announcing a visa programme for Argentinian political refugees similar to the scheme set up in 1974 for Chilean political refugees;(2) when he intends to complete the review of the establishment of a visa programme, similar to that available to Chilean political refugees, for those fleeing the repressive policies of the Argentinian regime.

I announced the outcome of the review of our policy on the admission of refugees from Latin America in the reply I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton) on 22nd June—[Vol. 952, c. 268–9.] The review took longer than I had hoped, but there was no interruption of the scheme for Chilean refugees and we continued to consider applications from people in special danger in Argentina, although we had already accepted more than the 75 we had agreed to receive in response to the appeal of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many convictions there were for motoring offences in England and Wales in each of the past five years;(2) how many motoring offences were heard in magistrates' courts in England and Wales in each of the past three years; and what proportion of all cases heard these figures represent;(3) how many prosecutions were made and how many convictions were obtained of owners of vehicles causing excessive exhaust pollution in each of the past five years;(4) how many convictions there were for dangerous driving in England and Wales in each of the past three years.

The numbers of prosecutions and convictions for the various types of motoring offence in England and Wales are shown in the annual publication "Offences relating to motor vehicles"; the issue relating to 1977 is not yet available.For the period 1974 to 1976, the proportion of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts whose charges included motoring offences were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in the light of the lack of substantial control upon the entry and settlement of Arabs into the United Kingdom, especially of those wealthy Arabs from the oil States, why these persons are given preference over persons from other countries who wish to enter on a temporary or permanent basis; and whether he will ensure that the immigration laws are universally applied irrespective of the persons' social standing or country of origin.

There is no foundation for the suggestion that there is a lack of substantial control upon the entry and settlement of Arabs. The immigration rules are applied to them as to everyone else who is subject to immigration control.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the dates and places he has visited during the past four years where there are known racial and immigration problems; whether such visits included the areas where racial disturbances have occurred; and when he next expects to visit the East End of London, an area with large numbers of immigrants, to discuss their problems with them.

I visit many parts of the country in the course of my duties, and I take the opportunity to discuss problems of race relations and immigration. I have no immediate plans to visit the East End of London, but I deplore the activities of those who are responsible for the recent violent incidents there.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give a breakdown of the £3,400 expenses drawn and paid to the members of the Advisory Council on the Penal System.

£2,500 covered the travel and subsistence expenses incurred by members of the council in attending meetings over three years: the remaining £900 was spent on a residential week-end meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will refer to the Boyle Committee the wages and conditions of firemen.

No. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a Question by him on 13th July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the growing practice of immigrant shopkeepers who keep their shops open virtually all day and night and on every day of the week, contrary to the Shops Acts, that other shopkeepers object to this unfair competition which adversely affects their incomes and that local authorities, being short of staff, are unable to enforce the Shops Acts; and whether, in view of the need to improve race relations, he will ask some of the various organisations for which he is responsible to take action in connection with these matters.

Enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 is a matter for local authorities, which have a general duty to carry out their functions with due regard to the need to promote good race relations. I agree that local authorities cannot themselves detect every breach of the Act, but I see no reason why a local authority should be unable to take action where anyone persistently disregards the Act's provisions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have already completed sufficient years of service to enable them to retire on a full pension.

This information is not available centrally and could be obtained only with disproportionate effort and cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons aged between 60 and 65, 65 and 70 and over 70 years are at present serving sentences in Her Majesty's prisons.

The latest available information is given in the following table:

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will introduce legislation to seek to debar Members of the House of Lords who hold offices of profit under the Crown from holding outside private connections on the same basis as Members of the House of Commons generally and Ministers in particular.

No such legislation is proposed. Ministers who are Members of the House of Lords are subject to the same rules with regard to their private financial interests as Ministers who are Members of this House.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will again make a statement reminding hon. Members of the rules relating to smoking in the Division Lobbies.

Smoking is not allowed in the Division Lobbies. I appeal to right hon. and hon. Members to observe this regulation.

asked the Lord President of the Council how many Government information officers are currently in possession of Press Gallery passes.

Six named Government information officers are issued with tickets which admit to the Reporters' Gallery, and 31 Government information officers have been issued with passes which admit to the Reporters' Gallery refreshment rooms only. In addition, Government information officers may apply to the hon. Secretary of the Press Gallery for day passes which admit to the Reporters' Gallery for that day only.

asked the Attorney-General if he will consult with the judiciary with a view to securing a court practice direction to end the practice whereby criminal charges dismissed by magistrates at committal proceedings may nevertheless be reinstated as counts in the subsequent indictments even where no additional evidence comes to light relevant to the charges concerned.

No. The practice has the authority of both statute law and common law, and legislation would be required to end or amend it.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will publish in the Official Report as much detailed information as may be available giving for the longest and most convenient period of time the number of hon. Members to whom he has awarded or who have had Government briefs or legal work, giving their names and the fees or payments received.

No such information is available. Members of Parliament, who are practising members of the Bar, are nominated to undertake work for the Crown according to their experience and abilities on the same basis as other barristers, and separate records are not kept.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will publish in the Official Report a detailed list of the actual or notional benefits received by judges in general and those on circuit in addition to their salaries; whether these are taxed; and whether when travelling to and from their homes and courts or lodgings and courts they have to pay tax on the notional benefits of such travel concessions.

A judge is given assistance towards the necessary cost of his robes on appointment, to a current limit of £1,216 for a High Court judge and up to £994 for a circuit judge. A High Court judge is reimbursed the cost of his travel on judicial business to and on a circuit; he is usually provided with transport for journeys to and from court. While on circuit, a High Court Judge is provided with accommodation, and receives a daily sum of between £17·50 and £21·50—depending on the number of judges in residence—to cover his own subsistence costs and those of the lodgings staff.

asked the Attorney-General if he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions, with a view to prosecution for breaches of sanctions against Rhodesia, the activities of British Petroleum Ltd.

An investigation is being conducted into the supply of petroleum and petroleum products to Rhodesia under the provisions of article 15 of the Southern Rhodesia (United Nations Sanctions) (No. 2) Order, 1968, and a report will be submitted in due course to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. It would not be appropriate at the moment for the director to conduct inquiries independently.

asked the Attorney-General if, in view of the fact that one of Her Majesty's judges, who has been trying a heavy commercial case in the High Court, has been obliged to change courts no fewer than 10 times, involving great inconvenience not only to the the court but to everyone concerned in the case and the transport of a large quantity of papers and books, he will make sure that an adequate number of courts in the Royal Courts of Justice are available by the beginning of the next legal term.

My noble Friend regrets the inconvenience, but because of the shortage of accommodation in the Royal Courts of Justice it is inevitable that, on occasion, judges are asked to move from one court room to another. Two further court rooms have recently been made available. It is hoped that four extra sets of chambers can be provided by a reallocation of office accommodation. This will result in the release of four court rooms currently being used for chambers work.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will state his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he wil list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.

I refer the hon. Members and my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Litterick).

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech concerning wages and inflation made to the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions at Eastbourne on 30th June.

I did so on 6th July.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes next to meet TUC leaders.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the TUC.

I hope to meet the members of the TUC General Council later today. Further meetings will be arranged as necessary.

asked the Prime Minister when next he will meet the TUC and CBI.

asked the Prime Minister when he expects next to meet the TUC and CBI.

I hope to meet members of the TUC General Council later today and of the CBI tomorrow. Further meetings will be arranged as necessary.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Bonn Summit.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made to the House earlier today.

asked the Prime Minister if he will give an assurance that in any future pay policy the same rigid controls will be applied to the private sector as that applied in the public sector in the current round of pay negotiations.

It is necessary for both the public and the private sectors to follow policies that will contain inflation.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to pay an official visit to Staffordshire.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister in what ways he intends to follow up the proposal, made in his recent speech in the United States of America, for a Marshall Plan type of economic action to draw the world out of recession.

The discussions in Bonn, on which I made a statement to the House earlier today, centred on plans to improve the performance of the world economy, including the need for action in a number of related areas such as bringing to a successful conclusion the present negotiations to improve capital flows to developing countries and increasing multilateral and bilateral aid from the developed countries. The Government will continue to work for this.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Welham Green.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister what plans he has to pay an official visit to Frankfurt.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to visit Kettleshulme.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Sydenham.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will visit Elsecar, Hoyland.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is likely to announce the result of his consideration of the appeal by British Caledonian on the Civil Aviation Authority's decision regarding a second British carrier to Los Angeles before the summer adjournment.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the Government have yet received the Commercial Court committee's report on the law relating to arbitration.

The Government have received the report, which will be laid before Parliament and published tomorrow, Wednesday 19th July.I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the report on the Government's behalf, and to thank the Commercial Court committee for its useful and timely recommendations about the need to revise the special case procedure and to enable it to be excluded in certain international arbitration agreements. Because of the importance to the economy of maintaining this country as a centre for international arbitrations, the Government are giving the committee's recommendations immediate consideration, with a view to introducing legislation as soon as practicable. The Government would welcome comments on the report from those interested.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what was the amount of malt Scotch whisky exported in bulk to Japan for the period from January 1978; and what was the comparative figure for 1977;(2) what was the amount of malt Scotch whisky exported in bulk to the following countries in the period from January 1978 and what were the comparative figures for 1977 and 1976: Brazil, Argentina, Canada, the United States of America and Venezuela;(3) what were the amounts of malt Scotch whisky exported in bulk to Japan for the 12-month periods 1977, 1976, 1975, 1974 and 1973, respectively;(4) what was the amount of Scotch whisky exported to the United States of America for the period from January 1978, inclusive, for bulk blended whisky and for bottled whisky; and if he will compare this with the similar period for 1977.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give an assurance that the implementation of the Boyle Committee recommendations for top salaries in the Civil Service will in no way inhibit further salary improvements for lower, and middle-grade civil servants.

The pay of lower and middle grade civil servants is settled in negotiation with the appropriate unions according to the principle of fair comparisons with what is paid for similar work elsewhere. For non-industrials the Government haxe agreed that pay research evidence should be collected for the settlement from 1st April 1979 and for industrials that there should be a fair comparisons exercise for the settlement from 1st July 1979, both subject to any national pay policy at the time. The settlement for industrials from 1st July 1978 is still being negotiated.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now announce a timetable for the construction of a bypass for the villages of Llanllyfni and Peny-

Following is the information for Scotch and Northern Irish whisky, which are not separately identified in the Overseas Trade Statistics:groes by redirecting the A487 trunk road along the nearby disused railway line.

A possible route is being protected for planning purposes, but the scheme is not of sufficient priority to justify inclusion yet in the preparation pool.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made in Wales in mortgage advances under the building society support lending scheme.

The most recent returns from building societies indicate that offers have been made amounting to £2·8 million out of the £15 million allocated to Wales in the current financial year. This compares favourably with the corresponding period last year, when offers of £1 million had been made out of an allocation of £8·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any immediate plans to give extra financial aid to Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth; and if he will make a statement.

No. It is for Dyfed health authority to decide, within its financial allocations, how much money should be spent on each hospital for which it is responsible. My right hon. and learned Friend approves capital schemes costing more than £150,000 and certain projects of relevance to the whole of Wales; he has no proposals before him for immediate expenditure at Bronglais hospital in these categories.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further progress has been made in the implementation by the Soviet Union and its allies of the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act, in all its aspects, since the publication of the Government White Paper, Command Paper No. 7126 of March 1978, at the conclusion of the Belgrade meeting.

There has been little progress in the implementation by the Soviet Union and its allies of the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act since the publication of the Government White Paper, Command Paper No. 7126 of March 1978 at the conclusion of the Belgrade meeting. Agreements have been concluded with Romania in the fields of cultural relations and scientific and technical contacts, and a number of outstanding personal and family reunification cases have been settled. As can be seen from the outcome of recent trials of members of Helsinki monitoring groups, there has been a marked deterioration in the implementation of principle VII, "The Respect of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms", in the Soviet Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects that the British chargé d'affaires will be allowed to visit Cecil Carl Fortuin, Kettering, Northants, who is serving a 24-year prison sentence in Angola.

The British chargé d'affaires in Luanda visited Mr. Fortuin and other British prisoners in Luanda on 12th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what improvement has occurred in the speed of processing of passports, following the steps that he has taken to improve processing of passport applications at the Peterborough office; and if he will make a statement.

The main steps to ease the problems at Peterborough have been the recruitment within the last week of 25 extra temporary staff and the transfer of blocks of work to the less-pressed Newport office. These measures have prevented the situation deteriorating, but the accumulated backlog of applications is so heavy that there can be only a gradual return to normality over a period of some weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the figures for the number of passport applications received in recent months compared with similar periods in previous years; and what improvements have taken place since reallocation of work between offices took place.

The table below shows the number of passport applications received in the months January to June in the years 1976–78 inclusive: