asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many schoolboys were in (a) local prisons and (b) remand centres on unruly certificates on the latest available date.

A boy aged 14 to 16 who is awaiting trial, or aged 14 when convicted but unsentenced, may be remanded in custody in a prison or remand centre in England and Wales only if a court certifies that he is so unruly that he cannot safely be committed to the care of a local authority. On 31 January 1979, 103 such boys were in remand centres and I was in a local prison. In addition, a boy who is aged 15 or 16 who is convicted but unsentenced may be remanded in custody in a prison or remand centre only with a certificate of unruliness unless committed under section 28 of the Magis-

TABLE 1: INDICTABLE OFFENCES RECORDED BY THE POLICE IN WHICH AIR WEAPONS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN USED, BY AGE OF PRINCIPAL SUSPECT
England and Wales							Number of offences
					Age of principal suspect
Year	…	…	Total	Under 14	14 and under 17	17 and under 21	21 and over	Age not known
1973	…	…	1,642	..	..	..	..	..
1974	…	…	1,859	185	475	237	131	831
1975	…	…	2,489	247	628	296	184	1,134
1976	…	…	3,171	297	700	320	181	1,673
1977	…	…	3,671	288	742	317	203	2,121
.. Ages of suspects are not available for 1973.

The information relating to part (

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted persons, now serving gaol sentences, are currently in Her Majesty's prisons despite the fact that the trial judge recommended that they should be detained in mental hospitals or institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a statistical breakdown showing over the past five years, year by year (a) the number of offences committed in which air weapons were involved, (b) an age distribution of the offenders and (c) the number of fatal and other injuries to other people.

The information available relating to parts (a) and (b) of the question is given in the following table:volume for 1977, Cmnd. 7289. Figures for earlier years are given in the table below:

Information in the form requested is not recorded centrally. On 31 December 1978, however, which is the latest date for which figures are available, there were 389 persons serving sentences in prison department establishments who were considered by prison medical officers to be suffering from mental disorder of a nature or degree warranting their detention in hospital for medical treatment under the Mental Health Act 1959.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether, in view of the trial and conviction of the youth for raping a 92-yearold woman and the judge's comments at the trial, he will introduce legislation to make it possible for more severe sentences to be imposed in cases such as this;(2) whether in view of the comments made by the judge at the trial of the man who raped a 92-year-old woman, he will seek to amend the Criminal Justice Act 1961 so that the normal age of 18 years applied to all other matters shall apply to all criminal offences.

The Government have made proposals in the Green Paper "Youth Custody and Supervision—A New Sentence"—Cmnd. 7406—which would lead to the revocation of section 3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1961.No legislation is needed for the purpose indicated by my hon. Friend in his second question. The maximum sentence for rape is life imprisonment. In the case in question a penalty up to that maximum was available to the court.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of the constituencies for (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland, in order of their size according to the 1979 electoral register, indicating in each case the extent to which the constituency exceeds or falls short of the electoral quota for the region.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Ward) on 21 March.—[Vol. 964, c. 604.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce amending regulations to ensure that in the case of arranged marriages involving Pakistani girls and Indian girls already in the United Kingdom they should not be allowed to apply for fiancés in Pakistan or India to join them, in view of the fact that in towns like Huddersfield there are already approximately 12,000 Pakistanis and Indians; and if he will make a statement to the effect that there is now a sufficient number of potential husbands in the United Kingdom at present.

I have no such proposals in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to avoid the loss by fire authorities in the current year or in 1984, as the result of section 262 of the Local Government Act 1972, of the powers which they at present have by virtue of local acts in the field of fire precautions and prevention.

The need for the retention of existing local Act powers relating to fire precautions and prevention requires to be considered against the background of extensions since made in the scope of public general Act powers for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest estimate of the number of television licence evaders.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to a question by my hon. Friend, the Member for Sowerby (Mr. Madden) on 13 December.—[Vol. 960, c. 201–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what would be the average annual cost to the taxpayer if the television licence were abolished.

The abolition of the television licence fees would have involved the addition of about £350 million to public expenditure in the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated additional cost, at current prices, of holding elections in 1980 in the 30 metropolitan and 55 non-metropolitan districts not yet covered by electoral arrangement orders following recommendations of the Local Government Boundary Commission; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Rathbone) on 5 February.—[Vol. 962, c. 4.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give details of the approved programme of refurbishing and redevelopment at Winson Green prison, Birmingham;(2) if he will give details of current major building works to improve facilities at Winson Green prison and an outline of the other major schemes planned for future years.

The current six year programme of major works for the years 1979 to 1984 includes 13 major projects for Birmingham prison. These projects are expected to cost at least £4 million. They include improving the hospital, upgrading the sanitation, a new pre-release hostel, new staff mess, new bachelor accommodation and a new complex of gate/visits facilities and administrative offices. In addition, there are the usual local programmes of maintenance and repair, together with any allocations for refurbishing and development which are made to Birmingham under the annual regional programme for projects costing not more than £30,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the salary of a warden of a 17-bed hostel run by the probation and after-care service compares with the salary of a warden in similar circumstances employed by a voluntary organisation partly funded by his Department; and if he is satisfied with this comparison.

Salaries of hostel wardens are not generally related to the size of the hostel. Wardens of approved probation or bail hostels are paid on salary scales within a range from £3,624 to £5,850 a year if they are probation officers, or from £3,585 to £5,136 if they are not. Salaries of wardens of grant-aided voluntary hostels, which range from £455 to £7,689 a year, are determined by the voluntary bodies and it is not for me to assess their adequacy. In any event, direct comparison is difficult. Some voluntary hostels, for example, are staffed by religious bodies whose members receive little or no salary; other wardens in the voluntary sector are allowed free board and lodging, which is reflected in their salaries. There are also differences in the roles of hostels varying from those which engage the skills of professional social work to those which simply provide supportive accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to encourage the introduction of insurance schemes to cover risks of accident to firemen in the course of their duties.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for radiac instruments currently held in central Home Office stores to be held by county councils.

No, for the reason given in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 22 February.—[Vol. 963, c. 251–52.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the following classes of radiac instruments are currently serviceable and ready for issue within six hours (a) dosimeters, (b) survey meters and (c) lightweight survey meters.

The information is as follows: (a) 99 per cent.; (b) 98 per cent.; (c) 98 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the control of immigration statistics for 1978.

In 1978, the total number of Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals accepted for settlement, at 72,350, was 5 per cent. higher than in 1977—when 69,300 were accepted—and 10 per cent. lower than in 1976—when 80,750 were accepted. The increase between 1977 and 1978 was in acceptances on removal of time limit, which arose mainly because of the postponement of acceptances of men on marriage, brought about by a change in the immigration rules in March 1977.The total number of citizens of New Commonwealth countries and Pakistan accepted for settlement in 1978, at 42,950, was 1,200 lower than in 1977 and the lowest annual number since 1974. The main statistics on the control of immigration for the fourth quarter and year 1978 are published today in the second of a new series of Home Office statistical bulletins, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Detailed figures by citizenship and nationality will be published shortly in the annual Command Paper "Control of Immigration Statistics".

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will list the States in receipt of bilateral United Kingdom aid which do not impose restrictions on the inflow of British private investment.

Almost all such countries impose controls on inward investment by foreign nationals—including British nationals—but the severity of these controls varies from country to country. The analytical appendix to the International Monetary Fund's annual report on exchange restrictions, which is available in the Library, lists the principal features of member countries' restrictive systems. A fully comprehensive survey would be expensive and time consuming.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development what principal projects are expected to be financed by the additional £32·5 million United Kingdom aid committed to Tanzania in 1978, by the additional £29·25 million United Kingdom aid committed to Zambia in 1978, by the additional £25·5 million United Kingdom aid committed to Jamaica in 1978, and by the additional £91·15 million United Kingdom aid committed to Bangladesh in 1978, respectively.

New commitments to Zambia and Jamaica in 1978 were entirely in respect of programme aid. In addition to programme aid to Tanzania, new commitments there included projects in grain storage, rural health, dairying and water supply. In Bangladesh, where the revised figure for new commitments in 1978 is £77 million, provision was made for both programme aid and projects in railway rehabilitation and the tea sector.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will pay whatever percentage increase is awarded to the civil servants to hon. Members of Parliament.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 21 March 1979.—[Vol. 964, c. 603].

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that any trade in textiles with China does not result in additional import penetration of the United Kingdom market.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) on 23 March 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that any trade in footwear with China does not result in additional import penetration of the United Kingdom market.

The United Kingdom/China economic co-operation agreement, which was signed recently by the Secretary of State for Industry, envisages a significant expansion of two-way trade over the next few years. In considering the practical implementation of this agreement, the British Government will keep in mind the interests of individual domestic sectors which face problems as a result of the level of import penetration, but must also consider the country's commercial interests as a whole and the potential export opportunities in China.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when it is intended to issue the new note for the guidance of firms on the Arab boycott.

The note is available today. I have placed copies in the Library.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he is satisfied with the level of labour turnover of executive and clerical staff in Civil Service offices in Birmingham.

No. Turnover in Birmingham is disappointingly high and, as in some other large cities, is higher than the national average. Wastage rates are affected by a number of different factors, but probably the main cause of the high turnover in Birmingham, and other cities, is that there are more employers competing for experienced staff. However, recruitment in Birmingham is better than in London and the Home Counties, and similar to that in other big cities.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will make a statement about the restoration of comparability and the reintroduction of Civil Service pay research in the light of the current dispute involving Civil Service unions.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer today to the hon. Member for Bromsgrove and Redd itch (Mr. Miller).

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will make a statement on his discussions held on Tuesday 20 March with the Civil Service unions concerning increases in the pay of the Civil Service.

My right hon. and noble Friend, the Lord Privy Seal, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection and I met the national staff side at its request on 20 March to discuss the Civil Service pay settlement due on 1 April. The Lord Privy Seal invited it to meet him again today to begin substantive negotiations.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what are the functions of the Pay Research Unit board in connection with comparability studies and in the subsequent negotiations on Civil Service pay.

The Pay Research Unit Board was set up to safeguard the independence and impartiality of the unit in all its work. It oversees the work of the unit and will, in due course, submit an annual report to the Prime Minister, which is to be published. The board takes no part in subsequent negotiations on Civil Service pay. For a full statement of the Pay Research Unit Board's terms of reference I refer the hon. Member to the 1977 Civil Service pay agreement, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many jobs for young people have been created within the Civil Service under the work experience scheme.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what progress has been made in introducing work experience programmes in Government Departments.

About 200 posts have been designated for work experience schemes but I am for from satisfied with the progress that has been made in introducing work experience places in Government Departments under the youth opportunities programme. There has been an increase in the number of places available since last December. Most of the Civil Service unions are cooperating fully, and I appreciate this, but the CPSA has up till now opposed the introduction of the scheme. I hope that the CPSA will change its policy at its 1979 annual conference.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement regarding the suspension of civil servants employed by the Scottish Office.

The Government's position is that where civil servants are in breach of a substantial obligation under their conditions of service such as would entitle an employer to dismiss for the breach the Government will not be prepared to accept this situation and, rather than exercise their power to dismiss them, will refuse them their pay and exclude them from their place of work accordingly. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland decided that this action should be taken in relation to 50 staff of the Scottish Office who refused to undertake the manual work appropriate to their grades which was necessary to prevent hardship to retired teachers, dependants of deceased teachers and others who would normally receive payments from the Scottish Office computer.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the number of visits which she personally has made to stated areas in Great Britain which are known to have large immigrant populations for the specific purpose of dealing with racial matters connected with education; what engagements she has already arranged for the next six months for the same purpose; and whether, in both instances, these include the London borough of Newham.

I often visit multiracial areas and try to see as many aspects as possible of the education service, including provision for ethnic minority groups. My most recent such visit was to Brent on 23 March. I last visited Newham in July 1977. I have no plans at present to make a further visit.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the gross amount to be disbursed by her Department on the study in schools of microprocessors.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey, North-West (Mr. Grylls) on 12 March.—[Vol. 964, c. 58.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will define full-time education within the meaning of the Education Act 1944; and whether training in adult workshops can be regarded as falling within this definition.

The Education Acts neither define the expression "full-time education" nor empower me to define it.It would seem, however, that "full-time education" must derive its particular meaning from the context in which it is used. For example, it is reasonable to assume that it means something rather less in section 8(1)(

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are her plans for reconstituting the Advisory Committee on the Supply and Training of Teachers.

My consultations on this matter are now complete. I have decided to reconstitute this committee for a further period of five years as the Advisory Committee on the Supply and Education of Teachers. I am grateful to Sir Arthur Armitage for agreeing to continue to act as chairman for an initial period.The reconstituted committee's terms of reference will be:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will estimate, in the case of each quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation for which she is responsible the total expenditure for each year since its establishment.

There is no official definition of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations. Information regarding all bodies for which I am responsible could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give as much information as may be readily available, showing in any form the amounts of moneys spent upon the implementation and running of matters connected with incomes policies.

I regret that it is not possible to identify from the expenditure outturns the amount of moneys spent on incomes policies. However, it is estimated that in the 1977–78 financial year expenditure on staff and general administration expenses within my Department on matters connected with pay questions was about £2·3 million. This figure includes the cost of staff engaged on wages council inspections and other similar tasks which are carried out irrespective of incomes policy. It does not include items provided as allied services by other Departments such as accommodation, stationery and superannuation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the reasons why it is not yet possible to indicate the groups which possess the necessary pre-conditions for reference to the Standing Commission on Pay Comparability.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has received the report from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service on whether a wages council should be established for the contract cleaning industry.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in respect of how many firms and how many employees (a) temporary employment subsidy and supplement, (b) the small firms employment subsidy and (c) the job release scheme has been paid in the Blackburn area; and at what cost.

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

asked the Secretary State for Employment when he expects to make a statement on compensation for slate quarry men suffering from dust disease.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Anglesey (Mr. Hughes) and the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley) on 22 March.—[Vol. 964, c. 741–42.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what extra efforts he is making to improve employment opportunities for disabled people.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that in January 1979 there were 139,700 unemployed disabled people, 9,000 fewer than a year earlier and that placings of disabled people by DROs in 1978 rose to nearly 59,000, an increase of over 10 per cent. compared with the previous year. These welcome figures can be seen in part as an indication of the effectiveness of the measures being taken to improve employment opportunities for disabled people.Last year the Commission published its programme for developing employment and training services for disabled people over the next 5 to 10 years. The programme is designed to help create more employment opportunities for disabled people and to give them the support they may need. It re-affirms the Commission's commitment to providing and improving specialist services to help disabled people choose, train for, get and keep worthwhile jobs. Many of its proposals are now being implemented. To help improve employment opportunities for severely disabled people, the Commission plans to expand the total number of sheltered employment places by an annual average of up to 200 places over the next few years. It also hopes to improve the arrangements whereby sheltered workshops obtain work from public sector purchasing organisations.The Commission is also carrying out a long-term campaign encouraging employers to adopt positive policies on the employment of disabled people. This campaign was launched in 1977 by issuing guidelines to 55,000 employers on how to adopt constructive policies and practices in the employment of disabled people. Since then, many employers have ben visited by disablement resettlement officers to discuss practical employment opportunities and there have also been presentations to groups of employers. I myself have written to remind my ministerial colleagues of the need to increase the number of jobs for disabled people in the nationalised industries and public boards for which they have responsibility, and I shall be keeping in touch with developments. My right hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for the disabled has written in parallel to health authority chairmen, and local authorities have been approached through their associations. I have also had discussions with my ministerial colleagues who have responsibility for the Civil Service. Local recruitment boards for the Civil Service are being encouraged to give due consideration to the employment needs of disabled applicants when local panels are convened, and discussions will continue about further measures which might be taken to encourage recruitment of disabled people.Research into the effectiveness of the positive policies campaign emphasises the need for continuing follow-up, and a major national publicity initiative is being planned for this autumn to boost the impetus of the campaign.These initiatives have been taken with the advice and support of the National Advisory Council on Employment of Disabled People. The Council is also making a detailed study of certain key issues affecting the employment of disabled people in particular the resettlement of mentally ill people and liaison between employment, health and social services and the role of disablement advisory committees in helping MSC promote the employment of disabled people locally. Together with the MSC, I am looking forward to receiving the Council's advice on these important isesues.The Comimssion, as undertaken in its development programme, is also preparing a discussion paper reviewing the operation of the quota scheme. The discussion paper will be circulated widely by about the end of April and, in the light of comments received by the end of October, the Commission will consider making recommendations to the Secretary of State early in 1980. In reviewing the quota—and possible alternatives to it—the over-riding consideration will be how best to ensure effective protection of employment opportunuities for disabled people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the take-up of special schemes available to help resettle disabled people into employment.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of special aids issued to severely disabled people to enable them to undertake employment increased from 639 in 1976–77 to 669 in 1977–78, and in the first six months of the current year numbered 377. There has been a significant increase in the number of aids issued to the sighted disabled people from 95 in 1976–77 to 148 in 1977–78 and to 106 in the first six months of the current year.In the first six months of the revised fares-to-work scheme, introduced in July 1978, 280 new applications from severelys disabled people unable to use public transport to get to work have been approved, compared with 103 and 72 in the comparable periods in 1977 and 1976. The increase is in line with that estimated by the MSC when planning its revised scheme.In the first six months of the extended job introduction scheme, 756 people have been assisted through short trial periods with employers. This compares with about 700 who were helped in the whole of the first year of the experimental scheme up to July 1978. Encouragingly, almost 80 per cent. of those who were given trials remained in employment afterwards.Since the capital grants scheme for adaptations to premises and equipment was introduced in August 1977, about 70 disabled people have been helped. Take-up has been slower than expected by the MSC which is now examining what steps should be taken to encourage greater use of the scheme by employers.In addition, the extended job release scheme gives preferential treatment to disabled men by reducing the age of eligibility to 60 as compared to 62 for the able-bodied. This scheme not only gives some disabled men the opportunity to seek early retirement, if they so wish, but also aims to provide fresh employment opportunities for unemployed disabled people. We would ensure that, when a disabled person takes advantage of the job release scheme, the replacement should be an unemployed disabled person whenever this is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what response he has had from secondary schools to his "Safety Pack on Dangers and Disasters"; and what plans he has for similar aid for primary schools.

It is too soon to assess the extent to which the safety pack will be used in schools but the preliminary indications are that teachers are welcoming the range of material which it contains. We have received numerous requests for additional copies and in consequence a reprint has been ordered. The original production was a special contribution to the international year of the child. There are no plans at present to produce a similar pack for primary schools, but ROSPA will shortly produce a new publication suitable for use in primary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will refer to the Price Commission any further increase in the price of potatoes.

Both retail and wholesale prices for potatoes are monitored regularly by the Price Commission under its standing reference on fresh food prices. Its findings do not suggest that closer scrutiny would be justified at present.

the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether he will estimate, in the case of each quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation for which he is responsible, the total expenditure for each year since its establishment.

I shall reply to the hon. Member shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to give extra financial aid to the Development Board for Rural Wales: and if he will make a statement.

On the basis of present planning I would expect the Board's financial allocation for 1979–80 to be about £1· million higher than the figure for the present year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will lift the time limit imposed as a condition on the £7,500 grant to the North Wales Council on Alcoholism so that its work is not constrained by such restriction.

There is no time limit, but grant aid will be given only to supplement assistance obtained by the council from statutory authorities and voluntary and other sources in North Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been disbursed under the special tourism projects scheme in each of the three tourist areas of Wales in each year of the scheme's operation; and what is the total number of schemes involved.

The information is as follows:

Financial year	North Wales area	Mid Wales area	South Wales area
	£	£	£
1971–72	47,752	57,339	60,038
1972–73	66,668	41,687	133,390
1973–74	156,292	151,879	158,846
1974–75	165,052	155,157	250,333
1975–76	187,993	243,298	295,150
1976–77	226,712	198,357	416,633
1977–78	143,270	227,971	420,057
1978–79*	183,440	220,133	467,033
* To 28 February 1979.

The total was number of schemes involved was 351

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many inquiries about section 8 grants were received by his Department in each year since 1974; how many led to firm applications; and with what result.

The information is as follows:

Year	Number of inquiries	Applications received
1974	—	—
1975	3	1
1976	6	3
1977	12	6
1978	8	5
1979(to date)	1	—

Four schemes have been completed.Seven schemes have been approved but are not completed.Two applications withdrawn. have been rejected and one withdrawn.One application is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have so far been created by the special temporary employment programme and by the youth opportunities programme in Barry and in South Glamorgan, respectively.

The Manpower Services Commission estimates that, in Barry, there have been 72 and 400 placements on these programmes respectively. Comparable figures for South Glamorgan are 250 and 1,200.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the average increase in rates in Wales in the coming year; and by what average amount such rates increased in each of the past four years.

At this stage not all authorities have sent in the returns from which the average increase in the coming year can be calculated. The percentage increases in general rate poundages in the previous four years were as follows: 1975–76, 26 per cent.; 1976–77, 8 per cent.; 1977–78, 8 per cent.; 1978–79, 7 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the latest available numbers of those unemployed in Barry and in South Glamorgan, respectively; and if he will give the comparable figures for 1973 and 1974, respectively.

At mid-March 1979, there were 1,886 and 13,686 persons unemployed in Barry and South Glamorgan respectively. Comparable figures were 919 and 5,834 in 1973, and 756 and 5,084 in 1974. The 1973 figure for South Glamorgan has been calculated on the basis of the county as presently constituted.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration is being given to the democratisation of the nominated bodies in Wales.

This is one of the matters which could be discussed in the talks proposed by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in his statement last Thursday.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, as he has never visited any areas with large immigrant populations to discuss racial matters connected with health and social security matters, he will reconsider his decision not to make such a visit in the future and include among his itinerary the London borough of Newham.

Many matters of local interest are discussed during ministerial visits, including, on occasion, racial matters and my hon. Friend will be aware of my own interest in such matters. We shall bear the London borough of New-ham in mind when planning future ministerial visits but I can make no promises.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated annual cost of a common retiring age of 62 and 63 years for both men and women.

On the assumption that the pattern of retirement in the five years after the new pension ages would be the same as it is now in the five years after the present pension ages, it is estimated that the additional annual cost to central Government funds of a common pension age for men and women of 62 years would be about £1,450 million at current benefit and contribution levels. The cost of a common pension age of 63 years would be about £800 million. With present levels of unemployment these costs would be substantially lower.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimate of the annual cost if the retiring age for men is reduced to 61, 62, 63 or 64 years.

On the assumption that the pattern of retirement among men in the five years following the new lower pension ages would be the same as the present pattern among men aged 65 to 70, the estimated additional cost to central Government funds of a reduction in pension age for men is as follows:

Reduction of Pension age to	Cost £ (million)
61	2,200
62	1,600
63	1,000
64	500

These estimated costs would be substan tially lower if account were taken o savings in benefit resulting from some o the vacancies created by men retiring earlier being filled by the unemployed beneficiaries.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the Official Report the salaries and expenses as paid to the 1( highest paid employees in his Depart ment and similar details regarding the 10 lowest paid, together with their pension: comparisons.

The following are the annual salaries of the highest paid employees in my Department—the top 16 are given, because, following the four highest salaries there are 12 staff on the same salary:

Permanent secretary (1)		£20,772
Second permanent secretaries	(2)	£19,122
Medical superintendent (1)		£18,696
Deputy secretaries (12)		£15,629

The 10 lowest paid employees are 16-year-old clerical assistants, who receive £29·68 a week—£1,549·30 a year.All these employees are entitled to receive expenses which reimburse actual travelling costs incurred on official business. They also receive a fixed rate of subsistence allowance—which is higher for the top grades—to cover hotel and additional costs necessarily incurred when absent on duty from their permanent stations. The total cost of such expenses paid to the 16 highest paid employees in the calendar year ended 31 December 1978 was £3,462·38. Information about expenses paid to the lowest paid employees is not readily available, but the amount would be small because they would seldom be required to be absent on duty from their permanent stations.Service in all the grades concerned is pensionable under the principal Civil Service pensions scheme. The pensions which the individuals concerned will receive on retirement depend so much on personal factors such as length of service, the final grade reached within the service, the salary received in the final three years of service etc. that it is impossible to make comparisons at this stage. But the rules of the principal Civil Service pensions scheme lay down the same basis for accumulating pension for all the grades concerned, that is a lump sum on retirement equal to 3/80ths X pensionable pay X reckonable service and pension equal to l/80ths X pensionable pay X reckonable service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number of elderly people currently being cared for (a) in local authority homes, (b) in hospitals and (c) in private old people's homes.

Information in the form requested is not available. In England and Wales, at 31 March 1977, people aged 65 and over in local authority homes numbered 108,000 and in private homes 24,000. At 31 December 1976 there were 50,300 in mental illness and mental handicap hospitals and the average number of beds used daily in all non-psychiatric departments by this age group in 1976 was 99,900.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the standard of accommodation, nursing and medical care available to people in private homes for the elderly; whether he is satisfied with the regulatory powers at his disposal over such homes; and if he will make a statement.

Private residential accommodation for the elderly is subject to registration and inspection by the local authority for the area in which it is situated. These arrangements are at present under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take steps to improve the supervision of the standards of cleanliness in food shops.

Cleanliness in food shops is governed by the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970 which are enforced by local authorities. I have no evidence that this legislation is not generally complied with but, if my hon. Friend knows of particular difficulties, perhaps he would let me know of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the retirement pension for a single person and a married couple in the United Kingdom, each of the other EEC member States. Canada, Australia and New Zealand expressed in £ sterling.

Standard rates of pension exist in only four member States of the EEC: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands. In the other member States pensions are calculated as a proportion of past earnings over widely differing reference periods—e.g. whole working life, last 10 years—and with widely differing rules relating to the dynamisation of past earnings for calculation purposes. The United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands are the only EEC countries to have a "married" rate of pension.The weekly equivalents of current standard rates of pension are:

	Single person	Married couple
	(£ sterling)	(£ sterling)
United Kingdom	19·50	31·20
Denmark	37·34	42·44
Ireland	16·05	28·15
Netherlands	52·58	76·91
Canada	16·24	32·48
Australia	29·50	49·20
New Zealand	35·36	58·93

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received about restrictions in the range of National Health Service frames on display at opticians; what steps he is taking to ensure that opticians make known to customers the full range of National Health Service frames; and if he will make a statement.

The Price Commission's 1976 report on the prices of private spectacles and contact lenses included a recommendation that the full range of National Health Service frames should be regularly stocked and displayed. A subsequent report by the Consumers' Association expressed a similar view and a number of community health councils and other local bodies have also made representations.My Department shares the concern of these organisations and a proposal to include in opticians' statutory terms of service with the National Health Service a requirement to display or show the

NUMBER OF PERSONS RECEIVING SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT WHERE IT WAS NECESSARY TO PURSUE THE QUESTION OF LIABILITY TO MAINTAIN, THE COST OF THE BENEFIT PAID AND THE YEARLY VALUE OF PAYMENTS MADE BY THE LIABLE RELATIVES
Category 1975		Number*	Yearly rate* of benefit expenditure £ million	Yearly value* of payments received by claimants from liable relatives £ million	Yearly value of payments received by Department from liable relatives £ million
Separated wives	…	139,000	135	11	18½
Divorced women	…	85,000	95½	6
Single women	…	54,000	50½	2
Others	…	23,000	24½	1
1976
Separated wives	…	152,000	174	13½	22
Divorced women	…	103,000	133	8½
Single women	…	58,000	63½	2½
Others	…	24,000	3l½	1
1977
Separated wives	…	145,000	186	12½	29¾
Divorced women	…	112,000	162	13
Single women	…	58,000	72½	3
Others	…	30,000	43½	1½
* Estimates revised from the annual statistical enquiry. Actual receipts (provisional figures).
As indicated, column 5 showed provisional figures and the final figures for the yearly value of payments received by the Department from liable relatives were £20¼ million (1975), £24¼ million (1976) and £28¾ million (1977)
The rate of supplementary benefit expenditure shown in those tables is not the same as the"amount of maintenance not received"because in many cases there is not liability for all of the persons whose requirements are included in the assessment of benefit. Information about the benefit expenditure arising solely from non-receipt of maintenance is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set National Health Service range of frames is under consideration. Additionally, the recently issued information leaflet for general ophthalmic service patients illustates the National Health Service range of frames.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what amount of money has been paid in each of the past three years by the Supplementary Benefits Commission in lieu of maintenance payments not received by divorced, separated and deserted spouses.

I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. My hon. Friend may wish to know that the following tables have been published in the Supplementary Benefits Commission annual reports 1975–77. These tables also include information about single women and others where liability to maintain persons for whom supplementary benefit was payable was an issue.out those Health Service responsibilities which are duplicated by regional health authorities, area health authorities, and boards of governors; what analysis his Department has made of the cost of such duplication; and if he will make a statement.

The functions of regional health authorities are specified in the National Health Service Functions (Directions to Authorities) Regulations 1974—SI 1974, no. 24. Most are delegated to area health authorities under regulation 5. Regional health authorities have an overall monitoring role even for delegated functions, and there is undoubtedly the risk of some duplication of effort, but I have no means of assessing its extent or cost. There is no duplication of responsibility between health authorities and boards of governors whose functions are specified in the National Health Service (Functions of Regional Hospital Boards, etc.) Regulations 1969—SI 1969, no. 297. I shall review the structure of the Service, including the functions of the different levels of authority, in the light of the report of the Royal Commission on the National Health Service, due later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will hold an inquiry into the extent to which private practice is being carried out at Mansfield orthopaedic hospital, Northampton;(2) if he will hold an inquiry into the extent of private practice within the Oxford regional health authority and its effect upon the waiting lists for National Health Service patients who cannot afford to pay.

No. I do not know of any information which would suggest that an inquiry is necessary. If my hon. Friend will tell me what concerns her, I shall look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now make a statement about future hospital development in the Cannock Chase district.

I understand that proposals for future hospital development in Cannock will be included in the imminent 10 year strategic plan of the West Midlands regional health authority. Additionally, the Staffordshire area health auth- ority is going ahead with the conversion of the former White Lodge psychiatric unit to a community unit for up to 14 mentally handicapped people; minor building alterations are almost complete and the unit should be in operation in the near future. The AHA has also reached agreement with the Staffordshire county council to provide, through joint finance, a 40-place day unit for the elderly at Chase hospital; work on this project should start in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will institute an inquiry into the special problems of deaf and blind children and adults;(2) how many interpreters there are for deaf and blind people;(3) what steps he proposes to take to set up a specialist service for deaf and blind people;(4) how many deaf and blind children and adults there are in the United Kingdom; what proportion of these is totally deaf and blind.

At 31 March, 1977, the latest date for which information is available, some 1,990 adults were registered as being both deaf and blind in England and Wales. A further 2,224 adults were notified as suffering a combination of blindness and physical, sensory or speech handicaps. For children under 16, the figures were 45 and 355 respectively. These figures do not include people who were registered as either hard of hearing or partially sighted. Figures are not available in respect of Scotland and Northern Ireland.My Department is not aware of any authority which employs staff solely to act as interpreters for people who are both deaf and blind. As part of their wider responsibilities, however, I would expect social services departments to be able to arrange for a service, most probably by using a voluntary body as agent.Health and local authorities have a duty to make appropriate provision to meet the special needs of people who are both deaf and blind, as they have for other groups of disabled people. The duty is part of their statutory responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the Speakman committee report has not yet been published; and what the Government intend to do about the implementation of its recommendations.

I understand that Mr. Speakman expects to report shortly to the National Health Service Whitley councils, which will be primarily concerned with publication and implementation of the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what date he agreed to set up a tribunal to investigate the complaints of chemist contractors on the issue of their current terms; by what date the panel was due to report; if the membership of the panel was agreed between the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee and himself; how many such persons have agreed to serve; and when he now expects the panel to report.

I reached an agreement with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee on 14 November last that an independent panel should be set up to advise on the profit which should be paid in respect of National Health Service dispensing; the terms of reference were agreed on 12 February. It is hoped that the panel will report within three months of its first meeting. Joint approaches have been made, in the name of the Department and the PSNC, to persons who might be willing to serve on the panel but I am not yet in a position to announce its composition or the date on which it will begin work.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what estimate his Department has made of losses on the HS146 and A310 programmes.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Members on 19 March.—[Vol. 964, c. 424.]

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he is taking to speed up payments on Government or nationalised industry contracts with small firms; and what representations he has received on this subject.

I have received no requests to speed up payments on Government or nationalised industry contracts, nor have I received any representations on this subject. Payments on contracts by the nationalised industries come within their commercial competence.Access to public sector contracts to small firms is a matter currently under consideration in my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what facilities exist or are planned to provide an information bank to allow domestic and foreign buyers to identify United Kingdom and Scottish sources of supply in the small business sector.

The comprehensive services of the British Overseas Trade Board are available to both foreign buyers and small businesses. Commercial trade directories contain details of the capabilities of a large sample of small firms. The small firms service of my Department maintains an information bank giving details of services and assistance available to small firms, including sources of supply.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what provision he has made for research, development and marketing assistance for small firms; where these are located; and at what cost.

The main vehicle for providing management assistance to small firms is my Department's small firms service. The counselling arm of the service is able to advise on problems connected with research, development and marketing. If the experienced business men who conduct the counselling cannot themselves assist, the service will direct the client to the most appropriate source of help.

						Government assistance under Industry Act 1972
	Number of projects	Estimated total project cost £ million	Estimated employment created	Average cost per job £	Offers of regional selective assistance£million	Estimated associated regional development grant paid under Part I £million	Average contribution per job £
Firms employing 200 or less	1,923	489·5	55,900	8,753	35·4	43·6	1,412
Other firms	1,442	2,900·1	154,500	18,771	171·2	303·7	3,073

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what studies he has undertaken or are available to him showing the availability of equity funding in the small business sector; and if he is satisfied with the present funding situation for small businesses.

No, I am not satisfied with the present funding situation for small businesses and we are considering ways in which it can be improved. The Government have just received an interim report from the Committee To Review the Functioning of Financial Institutions on the financing of small firms and this is being studied very carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is satisfied with the present trends in the figures for the collection and recycling of waste paper by the United Kingdom paper and board industry; if he will publish the most

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what figures he has to show the cost per job created in the small and large industry sectors.

Statistics relating to offers of regional selective assistance made under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 in the period from 1 March 1974 to 31 December 1978 are set out in the table below.recent figures, comparing them with previous years; and what Government encouragement is being given in this connection.

Statistics of usage of waste paper by the paper and board industry are published in Business Monitor PM481. Statistics of actual collections are not available but approximations are given in the following table:

	United Kingdom mill consumption of waste paper (million tonnes)	Approximate United Kingdom collections (million tonnes)
1972	1·9	1·9
1973	2·1	2·1
1974	2·1	2·2
1975	1·7	1·8
1976	2·1	2·0
1977	2·1	2·1
1978	2·1	2·1

Bearing in mind the slow recovery in consumption of paper and board since 1975, the industry's recycling of waste paper, now representing 50 per cent. of its total fibre usage, is a very commendable achievement.My Department is providing £23 million of financial assistance to encourage the industry to invest in new plant and technology to use still more waste paper. The projects being assisted will at full capacity use an additional ½ million tonnes or more of waste paper per year. Most have yet to come into full operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry which countries are producing and marketing the device 64K RAM or will be doing so in 1980.

Manufacture of 64K RAMs has been announced in the USA and in Japan, but these products are not yet in stable, high volume production. During 1980 the United Kingdom, France and the Federal Republic of Germany may achieve a similar position.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give details of the awareness campaign at present being conducted by his Department on microelectronics.

The Government's awareness campaign has four strands: a workshop programme aimed at the top 3,000 managers of the leading 1,000 companies; co-operation with the TUC on supporting the TUC's own programme of awareness; support for the CBI proposal for joint CBI/TUC visits abroad on a pilot basis; co-ordination with conference organisers and others, such as local groups, including TUC groups, holding general awareness seminars.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he proposes to sanction the acquisition by the British Steel Corporation of Cindu Chemie NV; and if, in view of the deficits of the corporation, he proposes to give assistance towards the purchase.

My right hon. Friend has agreed to the acquisition by British Steel Corporation (International) Limited of a majority in Cindu Chemie. All the purchase money will be found by BSC (International), from the proceeds of disposals of other overseas investments.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he proposes to sanction the purchase of the steel stockholders, Dunlop and Ranken Ltd. by the British Steel Corporation; and how the acquisition is to be financed.

My right hon. Friend has given consent under section 3(3) of the Iron and Steel Act 1975 to this acquisition. The purchase is being financed out of sums received by the corporation under section 18 of the Act within the agreed cash limit for 1978–79.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects a decision to be reached on the various options proposed in British Shipbuilders' corporate plan; what recent discussions he has had with (a) unions and (b) management on the proposals; and on how many occasions he has had meetings with Scottish shipbuilding interests on these matters.

A statement on the shipbuilding industry will be made as soon as possible. We have had discussions with relevant trade unions and British Shipbuilders about the corporate plan. We also have met two Scottish delegations on shipbuilding matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish a table showing the numbers employed, respectively, in the National Coal Board, in South Wales and the British Steel Corporation in Wales in March and June each year from 1970 to the present date.

These figures are not available in the form requested. The British Steel Corporaton publishes figures for employment in its Welsh Division in the BSC annual statistics. While my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy is responsible for the National Coal Board, I understand the National Coal Board publishes annual employment figures for the Welsh coal industry in the statistical tables attached to its annual reports.These documents are laid before Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the Official Report the total sums of money awarded to individual British shipyards under the provisions of the intervention fund since its inception.

Details of assistance to individual yards are commercially confidential.

					At July 1977	At February 1979
Ailsa Shipbuilding Co. Ltd	…	…	…	…	376	531
Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd	…	…	…	…	854	870
Austin and Pickersgill Ltd.:
Southwick	…	…	…	…	1,986	2,982
South Dock	…	…	…	…	934
Brooke Marine Ltd.	…	…	…	…	876	873
Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd	…	…	…	…	5,283	4,496
Govan Shipbuilders Ltd.:
Govan	…	…	…	…	4,251	4,022
Scotstoun	…	…	…	…	1,375	1,384
Hall Russell and Co. Ltd	…	…	…	…	736	770
Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd.:
Dundee	…	…	…	…	1,015	1,047
Leith	…	…	…	…	585	725
Scott Lithgow Group Ltd.:
Bowling	…	…	…	…	204	226
Cartsburn and Cartsdyke	…	…	…	…	2,888	2,941
Glen/Kingston	…	…	…	…	2,767	2,706
Port Glasgow	…	…	…	…	362	405
Smith's Dock Co. Ltd.:
Haverton Hill	…	…	…	…	1,747	1,343
South Bank	…	…	…	…	2,049	2,289
Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd.:
Deptford	…	…	…	…	1,649	1,696
North Sands	…	…	…	…	1,604	1,474
Pallion	…	…	…	…	1,329	1,308
Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd.:
Clelands	…	…	…	…	490	522
Goole	…	…	…	…	423	442
Hebburn Dock	…	…	…	…	1,427	813
Hebburn Yard	…	…	…	…	2,189	1,005
Neptune	…	…	…	…	2,690	2,434
South Shields	…	…	…	…	95	—
Walker	…	…	…	…	1,789	1,718
Wallsend	…	…	…	…	3,041	4,190
Vickers Shipbuilding Group Ltd	…	…	…	…	9,540	9,089
Vosper Thornycroft (UK) Ltd.:
Paulsgrove	…	…	…	…	723	1,066
Woolston	…	…	…	…	3,490	3,609
Yarrow (Shipbuilders) Ltd	…	…	…	…	5,350	5,557
					64,117	62,533
Figures are not available for privately owned yards.