asked the Lord President of the Council what is the maximum secretarial allowance now payable to hon. Members ; and how this figure compares with the cost, including employers' national insurance contributions and fringe benefits, of the lowest paid shorthand typist and the highest paid secretary in the private office of a Secretary of State.

The maximum secretarial allowance payable to hon. Members is £4,200. The cost of the lowest paid shorthand typist in the private office of a Secretary of State is £2,383 ; and that of the highest paid secretary—senior personal secretary—is £5,415 ; including employers' national insurance contributions in both figures. Both grades would also have pension rights under the principal Civil Service pension scheme. No fringe benefits are paid.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will take steps to alter the system of payment of travel expenses to hon. Members so that they receive allowances on a basis no less favourable than that for Members of the House of Lords.

No. The rules concerning the payment of travelling expenses are broadly the same in both Houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Home Department how many men and how many women were charged with shoplifting during the months of December during each of the past five years for which records are available ; how many pleaded guilty and how many not guilty ; and of those who were tried in magistrates' courts and in Crown courts, respectively, and who pleaded not guilty, how many and what percentage were convicted.

Information on the date of the offence is not collected centrally. Annual information on shoplifting is published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"; tables 1(a) and 4·5 of the volume for 1977 (Cmnd. 7289), are relevant to this question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of overtime is spent by prison officers on escort duties at court; and what the cost in overtime payments was during the latest convenient 12-month period.

I regret that information on the proportion of prison officers' overtime related to escort and court duties as such is not available centrally, and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislation to resolve the problems in the present law on Sunday markets and to increase the powers of local authorities to regulate or prohibit such markets.

We have no plans at present for legislation to amend the law affecting Sunday markets.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if it is the practice for disabled defendants appearing in court who require the services of a sign-language interpreter to be charged the costs of such a service;(2) if he is aware that a person who is handicapped by deafness and a lack of speech has been ordered by the court at Chorley, Lancashire, to pay for the services of a sign-language interpreter, when he appeared as a defendant ; and if he will make a statement.

Courts are empowered by section 17 of the Administration of Justice Act 1973 to pay interpreters for defendants in criminal proceedings from central funds where the interpreter is required because of the defendant's lack of English. I do not know what the general practice is where the defendant is deaf and dumb, but the Department is prepared to meet such expenditure where the section otherwise applies.I have made inquiries of the court at Chorley and have been informed of the case which I believe my hon. Friend has in mind. Arrangements will be made for the expenditure on the interpreter to be met from central Government funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in conjunction with the agreement which has been reached on the 42-hour week for the fire service, any conditions relating to manning systems have been agreed.

The agreement which has been reached on the introduction of the 42-hour week in the fire service includes guidance on the day manning system of duty and on the arrangements to be followed when a duty system at a station is changed from the day manning to the shift system or from shift to day manning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are proposed for the inspection of the Metropolitan Police.

With my agreement, the commissioner has decided to strengthen arrangements for the inspection of the Metropolitan Police with effect from 1st January 1979.The following details of the arrangements are being promulgated in police orders today:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the public statement by the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester about recruiting male police officers under the height of 5ft. 8in., he will refer the question of the height and other physical standards of police recruits to the Police Advisory Board ; and, after hearing its views, if he will make known national policy on this matter.

Physical standards of entry to the police, including minimum height requirements, are prescribed in police regulations on the advice of the Police Advisory Board. It is open to any of the bodies represented on the Board to raise the question of these standards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charges of being drunk and incapable resulted in convictions for each of the years 1970 to 1977, respectively.

The number of findings of guilt for offences of drunkenness in England and Wales in each of the years 1970 to 1977 is shown in table 3 of the publication "Offences of Drunkenness 1977 England and Wales "(Cmnd. 7317).

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will state his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 12th December.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Montgomery).

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the CBI.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Atkinson) on 7th December.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the Trades Union Congress.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when last he met the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met leaders of the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the leaders of the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when last he met the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Members to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Rodgers) on 7th December.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC and CBI.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave him on 7th December.

asked the Prime Minister when last he met the TUC and the CBI.

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

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. Corbett) on 7th December.

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

No.

asked the Prime Minister if he will visit Sheffield.

I hope to visit Sheffield on 7th February to receive the freedom of the city.

asked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to visit the United States of America.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, East (Mr. Lamond) on 30th November.

asked the Prime Minister when he expects to make an official visit to the People's Republic of China.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will visit Newport, Gwent, in the near future.

I have at present no plans to do so.

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will discuss with President Carter the development, production and deployment of the neutron bomb and the Cruise missile.

I maintain contact with President Carter about all aspects of United States defence policy of importance to our common security interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she intends to have any further discussions with local education authorities about the proposed new examinations in secondary schools before any final decision is taken about their introduction.

The Government decided, following consultations in the Schools Council and the Waddell steering committee on which the local authorities were represented, that a single system of examining should be introduced. The Education Departments will, of course, be having discussions with many interests, including representatives of the local authorities, about preparations for the new system as set out in the White Paper "Secondary School Examinations at 16+" (Cmnd 7368).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has any plans for inspection of schools in the private sector by Her Majesty's Inspectorate; and if she will make a statement.

The statutory requirements under parts III and IV of the Education Act 1944 relating to the registration and inspection of independent schools are unchanged. Her Majesty's inspectors make numerous routine visits to these schools. In addition, they maintain a programme of formal inspections which in the current year, beginning April 1978, includes 31 independent schools, 13 of which are independent schools wholly or mainly for the handicapped.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what policy conclusions she has reached from the report entitled "Mixed Ability caching in Comprehensive Schools ".

"Mixed Ability Work in Comprehensive Schools" is one of a series of discussion papers by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools, and was published to promote wide consideration within the education service. It is not designed to lead to national policy conclusions as such. The issues examined in it are primarily for individual local education authorities and schools to consider in the light of their own circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations she has received concerning educational maintenance for secondary school children over 16 years of age.

My right hon. Friend has received very many representations on this subject—over 70 in writing during the five weeks from 1st November, all but four of which were in favour of improved arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to complete her consultations over the implementation of section 10 of the Education Act 1976 relating to the integration of handicapped children.

Last year my Department consulted over 100 bodies concerned with the education of handicapped children, including the local authority associations, teachers' associations, professional organisations and voluntary interests, on the implementation of section 10 of the Education Act 1976. In all, 69 responses were received and the respondents' views were taken into account by the Warnock committee in preparing its report.The Warnock committee's report considers the implications of section 10 in great detail as well as other aspects of integration and points out that acceptance of the new statutory structure of special education which it advocates would call for consequential amendment of the wording of section 10.The committee's report is currently the subject of widespread consultations, including a range of interests in the education, health and social services. As I made clear soon after it was enacted and have since repeated on a number of occasions, it is my intention to await the outcome of consultations on the report before deciding what action to take on section 10.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why she approved Bedfordshire county council's decision to close Eggington School.

Bedfordshire county council's proposal to cease to maintain Eggington infant school and to transfer the pupils to Standbridge first school was approved because in the Secretary of State's view this would be in the best educational interests of all the children in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied that rural counties will be able to satisfy the assumptions she made about educational expansion in the rate support grant settlement without either exceeding the Government's recommended limit in rate increases or significantly reducing other services.

The assumption of modest growth in current expenditure on education of about 3½ per cent. between 1977–78 and 1979–80 underlying this year's rate suport grant settlement is directed to the national picture and, as I made clear in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dewsbury (Mr. Ginsburg) on 24th November, each local authority will need to consider its budget for next year in the light of its own local needs and circumstances. There has been an increase of £95 million in the total needs element grant available for distribution this year and the settlement ensures that all groups of authorities will benefit, including non-metropolitan counties which get £37 million more in real terms, two-thirds of them gaining individually.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she plans next to meet representatives of local education authorities.

I last met representatives of the Association of County Councils and of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities on 30th November. I have at present no plans for an immediate further meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy in regard to corporal punishment in State schools.

I am opposed to the use of corporal punishment and hope to see its disappearance from all maintained schools in this country. My Department last year consulted a wide range of interested bodies to determine whether there is any common ground on this question, and I recently chaired a series of informal discussions involving a number of those who responded to the consultative document. We are now considering the position in the light of all the views which have been expressed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement about the latest EEC Commission proposals for harmonisation of higher education admissions procedures.

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a draft resolution which was deposited in Parliament last month and of a covering explanatory memorandum. Before the draft had reached its final form, the meeting of the EEC Education Ministers at which it would have been discussed was cancelled by the Presidency and no new date has yet been fixed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children below the statutory school age are in either part- or wholetime attendance at nursery schools or in similar establishments:and how this compares with the position five years ago.

In January 1978 the number of children under five in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes of primary schools in England was 201,337; in addition, there were 231,807 children under five in ordinary classes in primary schools. The corresponding figures for 1973 were 110,315 and 245,495 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made by the Redbridge borough council towards the full implementation of comprehensive secondary education in its area as required by the Education Act 1976.

Following a direction under section 99 of the Education Act 1944, the authority submitted proposals with an implementation date of 1986. My right hon. Friend considered that this date was unsatisfactory and required the authority to submit further proposals for implementation in 1981. The authority has now proposed 1984. My right hon. Friend has again required further proposals to be submitted for the ending of selection in 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the latest revised allocations for capital expenditure on new schools in the Sheffield metropolitan district; and how this will affect new schools in the Concord and Eccleshall areas.

The allocations to the Sheffield metropolitan district for capital expenditure starts on school building, at 1978 prices, are as follows:

Financial year	Allocation
1978–79	£866,000
1979–80	£549,000
1980–81	£392,000
1981–82	£375,000

The allocations for 1979–80 will be increased shortly by the inclusion of additional resources for improvement and replacement work. The allocations for 1980£81 and 1981£82 will be increased next year. It is for the Sheffield metropolitan district to determine which projects to finance from these allocations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what use she has put the money saved by ending the circulating exhibitions of the Victoria and Albert museum.

The reduction in Civil Service manpower was not made to produce savings for use elsewhere in the public service. The financial provision for the V & A has been scaled down to take account of the reduction in costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what approaches she has made to national museums about providing a new system of circulating exhibitions to the provinces to replace the service no longer provided by the Victoria and Albert museum; what financial support she has offered for the administrative and insurance costs of such exhibitions ; who will co-ordinate the arrangements ; and what response has been received.

After discussions on this subject with the national museums, in which the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries participated, a number of national institutions have increased their activities and plans for a further increase are being discussed. The Government have given a substantially increased grant this year to the area museum councils, in the expectation that this will help towards improving local arrangements for circulating exhibitions. These measures have been well received.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will give details of the total cost involved in the publication and distribution of the book "Assessment of Performance Unit—Monitoring Mathematics".

The total cost involved in the publication of 55,000 copies of the Assessment of Performance Unit pamphlet "Monitoring Mathematics" and its distribution by the Department of Education and Science was £5,662, that is approximately 10p each.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps she is taking to encourage the teaching of environmental studies in schools.

Her Majesty's inspectors offer advice and guidance on environmental studies as on other subjects, and have recently published a discussion document on "The Teaching of Ideas in Geography "which places the study of geography in a wider social and environmental context. My Department has also made available to local education authorities papers prepared for the international conference on environmental education held at Tbilisi in 1977; published a number of papers on various aspects of environmental education in a recent issue of DES "Trends" ; and intends to publish early next year a resource handbook on environmental education. The curriculum in schools, however, remains a matter for individual local education authorities and the schools themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of school buildings currently in use has been brought into use since 1945.

From the sample survey of school building undertaken by the Department of Education and Science in 1975, it is estimated that 66 per cent. of places in permanent accommodation in maintained primary, middle and secondary schools in England and Wales were built after 1945. No more recent information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in how many multi-site comprehensive schools, the creation of which was approved by her Department, it is necessary within the routine timetable for pupils regularly to travel more than 1,000 metres between classes.

According to a sample survey of school buildings, it has been estimated that about 20 per cent. of all maintained secondary schools in England and Wales, or 1,000 in all, were on two or more sites in 1976 ; 350 were estimated to have a distance of at least half a mile between the sites. But as each school is responsible for its own time-tabling arrangements I regret that the precise information sought by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information she has regarding those education authorities in England and Wales, which, against a national background of a falling secondary school population, are expecting an increase in the number of secondary school pupils in their county or in certain areas within their county over the next five years; and if she will publish a list of the places so affected.

pursuant to her reply [Official Report, 4th December 1978; Vol. 959, c. 501], gave the following information:My Department does not collect comprehensive details of the forecasts made by local education authorities for their areas. However, against a background of a 3 per cent. fall in secondary pupil numbers in England between January 1978 and January 1983, trends in the age distributions of pupils suggest that the following authorities might experience a net increase:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies were notified in the Sunderland travel-to-work area in the last 12-month period; and how this compares with the previous corresponding period.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that in the Wearside travel-to-work area, which comprises Houghton-le-Spring, Seaham, Southwick, Sunderland and Washington 3,416 redundancies were notified as due to occur during the period October 1977 to September 1978. 3,729 redundancies were notified as due to occur in the previous corresponding period. Comparative figures for more recent periods are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are taken against employers who do not display the wages council rates so that they are readily available to workers, despite the legal requirement to do so.

They are required to display them in future and in appropriate cases prosecution is considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether there is any comparative monitoring of accident rates in the two largest baking companies as compared with the remainder ; and, if so, what results are shown.

I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that comparative monitoring of accident rates in the two largest companies against the remainder has not been carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the accident rate in the baking industry has improved in the last 10 years.

I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the incidence rate per 100,000 employed in the "bread, flour and confectionery" section of the baking industry has increased whereas the rate in the "biscuit" section of the industry has declined in the last 10 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has yet received the final draft of the report relating to unemployment in West Cornwall; and, if he will indicate the date by which he anticipates receiving it.

I hope to receive the report on unemployment in West Cornwall early in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will indicate the date, or the approximate date, on which he will be meeting a deputation from Cornwall county council and the Cornwall Association of District Councils to discuss solutions to Cornwall's problems of unemployment.

I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has suggested that such a meeting should take place after the results of my Department's study on unemployment in West Cornwall are available. I hope to receive the report of this study early in the new year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many members of the Homeworker Advisory Committee have direct experience of homeworking; and what consultations he had with organisations representing the self-employed or small businesses before setting up the committee.

All members are knowledgeable about homeworking. I had no consultations with organisations other than the TUC and CBI.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied with the safety measures taken at the Shell oil terminal off Anglesey and the composition of the terminal committee.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th December 1978 ; Vol. 959, c. 397], gave the following information:Yes, I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the Anglesey Marine Terminal Authority commissioned an independent survey into the cause of the oil spillage which occurred on 10th October 1978 whilst the Shell tanker "Litiopa" was discharging at the terminal.The survey report states that the spillage was caused by the rupture of a floating hose from the single point mooring. Safety measures recommended by the report include the inspection, testing and replacement of hoses at specified intervals. The terminal authority intends to implement the safety measures recommended in the survey report and the Health and Safety Executive agrees that these measures should help to reduce the risk of a similar occurrence in the future.Although the incident was not reported to the Health and Safety Executive, nor investigated by the Factory Inspectorate, I understand that the incident did not represent a danger to shore-based workers or to members of the public.As regards the composition of the terminal committee, which has accepted the recommendations contained in the independent, survey report, the total of 15 seats are allocated as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all wages councils stating:(a) how many members serve on each council and their composition, (b) the number of persons employed in each profession covered by these wages councils, (c) the total annual cost of administration and (d) the total payments to members of each council.

(a) I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 4th December 1978—[Vol. 959, c. 476–7]. (b) The estimated number of workers in each wages council trade on industry is given below:

APPROXIMATE*NUMBER OF WORKERS COVERED
Wages Council
Aerated Waters (England and Wales)	15,000
Aerated Waters (Scotland)	1,000
Boot and Shoe Repairing	10,000
Button Manufacturing	2,000
Coffin Furniture and CerementMaking	500
Corset	16,000
Cotton Waste Reclamation	750
Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing (England and Wales)	125,000
Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing (Scotland)	9,000
Flax and Hemp	2,000
Fur	7,000
General Waste Materials Reclamation	20,000
Hairdressing Undertakings	125,000
Hat, Cap and Millinery (Great Britain)	7,500
Lace Finishing	1,000
Laundry	55,000
Licensed Non-residential Establishment	350,000

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library the full reports of a survey on technology and employment 1977 to 1982 conducted by PA Management Consultants for the Manpower Services Commission and delivered to the Commission on 30th May 1977.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th December 1978 ; Vol. 960, c. 13], gave the following answer:I am informed by the Manpower Services Commisison that the full report of the survey Technology and the Workforce 1977–87 contains information given in confidence by companies and cannot therefore be made public. The main findings of the report have been published in Training for Skills a copy of which I am lodging in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will publish in the Official Report a detailed list of actual persons or grades who have at any time during the Government's various incomes policies received salary or expenses increases in excess of the scales laid down or recommended in income policy controls.

I can only answer for the Civil Service. I am informed that in all three phases of the Government's pay policy the Civil Service has received increases within the provisions of the policy.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what public money was spent in entertaining Mr. Richard Milhous Nixon; and for what reason the money was spent.

As far as I am aware, no public money was spent on entertaining Mr. Richard Milhous Nixon. The Government hospitality fund was in no way involved in this visit.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when he expects to receive the report of the committee of inquiry set up to examine the relevance of the Edmund-Davies Report to other police forces in the public sector, including the docks police.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Molloy) on 24th November—[Vol. 958, col. 771–72]—in which I said that the committee has been asked to report as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many mature entrants there have been to the principal grade in the Civil Service for each year from 1967 to 1978.

The number of men and women taking up appointment in the prinicipal grade of the Home Civil Service through the competitions run by the Civil Service Commission for those aged 28 and over in each of the years 1967 to 1977 is shown in the following table. It is not possible to give a similar figure for the competition held in the autumn of 1978 as those appointed will take up duty at varying dates during the course of 1979. However, 29 successful candidates have been offered appointment.

1967	48
1968	46
1969	41
1970	37
1971	21
1972	27
1973	56
1974	30
1975	32
1976	15
1977	7

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the terms offered recently to Greece for her accession to the Common Market by the Council of Ministers were less favourable than those offered in October ; and whether this represents a policy to keep out poorer countries.

The Community recently presented proposals to Greece covering agriculture, the transitional period, and social affairs. Proposals in these sectors had not previously been presented by the Community so that comparisons do not arise. There is no change in the Community's policy of seeking to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion, although specific points of difficulty have still to be resolved in some sectors.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed sales of defence equipment by France to the Chinese People's Republic in so far as it affects the interests of the Western European Union.

A stable and secure China should be a factor for peace, and this is in the interests of the West including members of the Western European Union. My right hon. Friend cannot comment on hypothetical questions about the sale of particular items by individual countries: but France as a member of COCOM shares the interests and responsibilities of all COCOM members.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many applications for financial assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 have been rejected on the grounds of the applicant's non-compliance with Government incomes policy.

A company's pay settlement is only one of a number of factors which are considered before financial assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act can be offered, and an application can fail for a variety of reasons.Records of the reasons for applications failing are not kept centrally and the information requested is, therefore, not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the membership of the Northern Industrial Development Board and their declared financial interests;(2) if he will publish in the

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

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Keighley of 5th December, if he will list the experience under the Industry Act 1972, facilitated by the requirements of the Employment Protection Act 1975 which meet the circumstances of the proposed appointment of an official trustee ; and how these two Acts assisted in preventing the closure or proposed closure of Moderna Limited, Thorn's television factory at Bradford, or Seel House Press Limited, Liverpool.

The requirements for advance notification of redundancies under the Employment Protection Act 1975 and the powers to provide assistance under sections 7 and 8 of the Industry Act 1972 have enabled us to re-establish a considerable number of companies, in financial difficulty, on a sound and viable basis.In the cases referred to by my hon. Friend, neither Thorn nor Moderna applied for assistance. The application in respect of Steel House Press did not meet the criteria of viability.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what proportion of the £400 million invested by the State in microelectronics is invested in Wales ; and what proportion of the further £100 million announced by the Prime Minister to encourage the industrial use of microelectronics is likely to be invested in Wales.

The measures to encourage the application of microelectronics, announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 6th December, comprised measures costing in the region of £100 million. Of this sum £40 million was for the extension of the existing £15 million microprocessor applications project; the remainder represents the cost of promoting training for microelectronic applications and, subject to further study, of various relevant improvements in educational provision. In addition to these measures, the Government have previously established the microelectronics industry support programme—£70 million—to encourage the production of microelectronic components and equipment and assistance will continue to be given through other existing schemes, for example, RDGs. The NEB, with Government approval, is to invest some £50 million in INMOS which will manufacture "chips". This whole programme should

£'000
	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977
Financial aid
Government grants	1,580·7	2,465·1	1,265·2	668·9	3,061·4
Government loans	140·1	27·5	112·7	40·0	Cr. 40·0
Total	1,720·8	2,492·6	1,377·9	708·9	3,021·4
Technical Co-operation	539·2	676·3	899·7	1,040·1	1,254·0
of which:
United Kingdom training	141·7	125·9	165·8	244·0	224·6
Wholly financed experts	166·1	226·1	251·7	293·2	329·3
Research	1·9	28·0	89·1	53·1	6·5
Consultancies	54·9	24·2	44·7	83·9	55·8
Equipment	171·1	266·9	346·6	355·9	625·0
Surveys	—	1·7	—	—	—
Advisers	0·3	1·3	—	1·0	0·9
Volunteers	—	—	—	4·1	6·9
Other	3·2	2·2	1·9	4·9	5·1
Total Public Expenditure	2,260·0	3,168·9	2,277·6	1,749·0	4,275·5

No debt relief arrangements have been entered into, but it was announced on 31st July 1978 that Nepal would be one of the countries benefiting from the measures to remove the burden of past aid loans known as Retrospective Terms Adjustment (RTA). The amount of aid debt outstanding from Nepal was approximately £2·1 million on 31st March 1978.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development how much aid has been supplied to Nepal in each of the last five years and in what form; and whether any debt relief arrangements have been entered into.

The figures for gross United Kingdom aid expenditure to Nepal in the calendar years 1973–77 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the growth in imports of the various categories of textile goods, by volume and by value, from other member States in the EEC, to the latest available date in 1978, compared with the same period for 1977.

The information is as follows

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will undertake a review of the concept of "free circulation" in relation to the burden-sharing policy within the multi-fibre arrangement; and if he will make a statement.

Goods in free circulation and subject to the multi-fibre arrangement account for only a very small proportion of our total low-cost imports of clothing and textiles. In only one of the eight most sensitive categories have imports under free circulation exceeded 1 per cent. of all low-cost imports, and these imports will at least in part have been offset by exports, though the latter cannot be quantified.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many domestic washing appliances have been imported into the United Kingdom in the past year ; what this represents as a proportion of total sales ; and if he will give similar figures for the previous four years.

The information requested is as follows:

United Kingdom imports of domestic washing machines (thousands)
1973	425
1974	365
1975	431
1976	466
1977	461
1978*	243

United Kingdom imports of domestic washing machines as a proportion of the domestic market (per cent.)
1973	30·0
1974	32·1
1975	29·5
1976	30·7
1977	33·9
1978*	32·8
*To 30th June.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what consideration he has given to the need for a marine radar interrogation transponder system for the identification of vessels at sea, and, in particular, large tankers ; and whether he will make a statement.

The use of marine radar interrogation transponders has been under consideration for some time but so far there has been little national or international support for their introduction. However, I recognise the urgent need to examine all measures, including transponders, that may provide greater safety of navigation and consequently protection of our coasts and my Department's safety of navigation committee is again reviewing the advantages claimed for this system.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the estimated weekly sum taken from the taxpayer for medicines supplied by the National Health Service irrespective of whether he is supplied or requires no medication at all has dropped from 57p each week in 1977–78 to 56p per week in 1978–79.

I am not able to identify the figures quoted by my hon. Friend, possibly because of differing definitions of the taxpayer. Taking the term to mean direct taxpayers, excluding companies, the number for both 1977–78 and 1978–79 is 213 million. Applying this figure to the estimated final expenditure on the pharmaceutical services for 1977–78—£700·5 million net of prescription charges, Great Britain—produces a sum of 63p a week. A similar calculation against the Budget estimate for 1978–79—£765·7 million, net—increases the cost to 69p a week.