asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the number of children whose parents are presently paid an allowance towards the cost of their travel to and from school; what is the total cost of these allowances and the criteria by which they are made; and whether their criteria apply equally to children attending fee-paying schools.

This information is not collected by my Department. The circumstances in which children not entitled to free home-to-school transport may be given financial assistance with travel costs,

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to give local education authorities the freedom not to provide a school dinner service.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans for such a change which would in any case require legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what he anticipates will be the level of school meal c00arges in 1979–80 and 1980–81.

The charge for the school meal in the financial year 1979–80 will be 30p from the start of the autumn term. The question of the charge for 1980–81 has not yet been considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the qualifying level for free school meals as a percentage of (a) gross and (b) net average earning for a one, two and four child family for each year since 1970.

, pursuant to his reply, [Official Report, 21 June 1979], gave the following information:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total Government grant made available to Derby county council for educational purposes; and whether he will make additional moneys available for new school buildings and provisions of inside toilets.

The Government pay rate support grant in support of local authority expenditure as a whole: no part is earmarked for education or other services. School building programme allocations are not grants, but are authorisation for raising loans to finance the capital expenditure involved. Building allocations have had to be reduced to curtail public expenditure; Derbyshire education authority's school building allocation for 1979–80 has been reduced by £90,000 to £2,693,000. I understand that the authority had programmed work on 24 toilet improvements in 1979£80; it is for the Derbyshire authority to decide how many of these projects will be included in its revised programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children are suffering from dyslexia in each of the Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley educational areas; what are the present facilities being offered for the education of these children.

My Department does not collect information of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations are proceeding through the Council of Europe to bring about harmonisation of national legislation in respect of the sale and possession of firearms; and if he will make a statement.

The Council of Europe has given some consideration to possible ways of working towards this. Its discussions, which at this stage are confidential, are expected to continue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that the term "firearm" as defined in appendix I of the Council of Europe European convention on the control of the acquisition and possession of firearms by individuals is comparable with the definition of "firearms" provided for in section 57 of the Firearms Act 1968.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library all proposals by the Council of Europe for tighter laws on firearms in Europe; and if he will report on the present position of any relevant negotiations.

A copy of the European convention on the control of the acquisition and possession of firearms by individuals is in the Library of the House. The convention was signed by the United Kingdom on 28 June 1978 subject to certain reservations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the votes cast in each constituency in the United Kingdom in the general election were postal votes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. Ross) on 27 June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (1) in view of the fact that under Government proposals the Members of the European Assembly from the United Kingdom will receive in salaries and expenses, on either a gross or taxed basis, some three times as much as hon. Members, for about one-third of the periods of attendance in any given year, what action he proposes to take to rectify these anomalies;(2) whether he will publish in the

The European Assembly (Salaries and Pensions) Bill now before this House proposes that those United Kingdom representatives to the European Assembly who qualify for a salary should receive the same basic salary as Members of the House of Commons. Representatives will not, however, receive any of the allowances payable to Members of this House—which are listed in annex A of report No. 12 of the Review Body on Top Salaries, Cmnd. 7598. The allowances paid to representatives are a matter for the European Assembly, but they will be subject to the normal rules of United Kingdom taxation, including the provision that any excess of allowance received over moneys actually expended is taxable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many vacant beds there are at present available in open prisons;(2) how many open prisons have been closed or have ceased to be used as such over the past five years.

On 10 June 1979, 463 places in open prisons for males were unoccupied. Three open prisons for males were closed in December 1974; one was, however, re-opened as an open prison for females in October 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will appoint an overall co-ordinator for refugees in Great Britain.

No. I am satisfied with the current arrangements for co-ordinating work in this field both at Government level, for which I am responsible, and at that of the voluntary organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men are now living three in a cell in closed prisons.

On 10 June 1979, 4,563 men were sleeping three to a cell.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now detail the preparations that have been made in the interests of public safety against the possibility of Skylab debris falling on any part of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

The latest forecast is that Skylab will fall to earth between 10 and 14 July, most likely on 12 July.As the satellite approaches the earth, friction with the air will cause it to break up, probably into some thousands of pieces. Most will be burnt up before they reach the earth's surface, but it is possible that several hundred pieces could survive and be scattered over a wide area. The United States authorities estimate that not more than three pieces should fall in any area of 160 square miles. It will not be possible to predict in what part of the world this might happen until a few hours in advance, if at all.Skylab's orbits just cross the southernmost part of Cornwall, but pieces might be scattered up to about 50 miles each side of the final orbit. The area in which fragments might conceivably land includes most of Cornwall, southern Devon and Dorset, the Isle of Wight and the coastal areas of Hampshire and Sussex. It is very unlikely, however, that any debris will land in this country and, even if it should, the odds are that it would fall comparatively harmlessly in open country. The risk of personal injury or damage to buildings is therefore extremely remote.Since it is quite impossible to say where any particular piece of Skylab might land, special advance measures are not practicable. In the unlikely event of an incident occurring, the emergency services—fire, ambulance and police—should be able to handle the situation within their normal resources. Any claim for compensation arising from Skylab's fall would be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate international convention under which the launching State would be responsible for settling claims.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the oral answer given on 28 June by the Minister of State to the supplementary question by the hon. Member for Goole, any request has been received from the Parliamentary Boundary Commissions for assistance; and what he regards as a reasonable time for the completion of their current reviews.

I have received no requests for assistance from either the

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of persons arrested and proceeded against for being suspected of frequenting a public place with intent to commit an arrestable offence, by Metropolitan Police division and ethnic appearance, for the last quarter of 1978 and the first quarter of the current year.

, pursuantto his reply [Official Report, 25 June 1979]. gave the following answer:The information for the first quarter of 1979 is given in the following table:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service why pay research unit findings have not been honoured in the settlement proposed for professional and technical grades in the Civil Service, while they have been honoured for comparable administrative grades.

The professional and technical grades in the Civil Service have been offered pay increases based on the findings of the pay research unit and calculated in precisely the same way as the offers made to and accepted by other groups of civil servants subject to pay research this year. There is no question of their not being treated in the same way as all other staff.The Institution of Professional Civil Servants, which represents the professional and technical grades, has not accepted this offer and disputes my Department's interpretation of the pay research evidence. The simplest and most obvious way to resolve this dispute—if the IPCS cannot accept the offer—is to refer the matter to the independent Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal whose findings the Government will accept. I hope they will do so as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether it is possible for a professional civil servant to be appointed to an open post in which he would receive a salary £1,000 less than a civil servant from a comparable administrative grade would have received had he been appointed to the same post; and what effect the Government's present offer for the professional and technical grades would have on this situation.

There are a number of posts in the Civil Service—known as "opportunity posts"—which are open to suitably qualified and experienced staff from different Civil Service groups. A civil servant selected for such a post remains in his parent group and continues to be paid as a member of that group. This practice is laid down in an agreement made with the national staff side in 1971.Since the pay of each occupational group is determined separately on the basis of fair comparisons, internal Civil Service pay relativities change year by year to reflect the changing values which society generally attaches to different types of work. Thus the pay of different potential candidates from different groups for an opportunity post can and does vary significantly.For example, the salary scales—which were payable before the recent pay settlement—for the principal, principal scientific officer and principal professional and technology officer were all different. Many opportunity posts are open to members of all three grades and the difference between the salary of the individual on the lowest scale point of, say the principal scientific officer, and that of the individual on the top scale point of the principal professional and technology officer, both of whom might be equally eligible for the same opportunity post, was more than £2,000.The Government's present offer for the professional and technical grades will alter the internal Civil Service relativities. It will still be possible for two potential candidates for an opportunity post from different groups to receive different salaries.Salaries are determined on the basis of fair comparisons for the whole group. In the case of the professional and technology group, only a small minority are in opportunity posts.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the rate of return on stock market investment assumed by the Government Actuary for the purpose of computing the actuarial value of the index-linked public service pension.

I refer my hon. Friend to the Government Actuary's recently published report on "The 1979 review of the adjustment for differences in superannuation benefits" which explains, in section 6, his most recent assumptions. A copy of this report is in the Library.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he has considered placing the contract for printing the Official Report and other essential House of Commons papers with an organisation that does not employ trade union labour.

I am at present reviewing with the controller the printing arrangements of Her Majesty's Stationery Office but, having regard to the complexity of the issues involved, I have yet to reach a conclusion.The criteria for purchases in the public sector do not differentiate between firms employing trade union labour and those who do not.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he is taking to ensure the prompt delivery of Government mail during the current difficulties encountered by the Post Office.

This is primarily a matter for each Department to consider. So far it has not been necessary to issue any special instructions centrally.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what aid is currently being given to the African front-line States; and by how much he proposes to reduce it over the next 12 months.

It is estimated that aid disbursements to the African frontline States, which reflect commitments entered into under the previous Government, will total about £60 million in 1979–80. Future levels of aid are still under consideration.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will cancel the £4½ million grant of overseas aid to the People's Socialist Republic of Vietnam for purchase of three cargo vessels from British Shipbuilders.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained to the House on 3 July, because we found that it would cost us much more to cancel these contracts than to continue them, we have decided to pay all the grant promised by the Labour Government towards the cost of four British-built ships for Vietnam. But we shall give no new aid to Vietnam while present circumstances continue. The aid instalments for the ships are being paid, at various stages of construction, through the Crown Agents straight to the shipbuilders in Britain.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what grants have been paid in the past year to the Drum Arts Centre, Covent Garden, for the commissioning and rehearsal of plays; what application has been received for a further grant to stage plays; and whether that application will be approved.

Drum Arts Centre Ltd. (Trust) was awarded an accountable grant of up to £10,000 in December 1978 for research work on theatrical presentations in support of development education, and for four plays/documentary presentations on associated themes. No grant has been given covering rehearsals. No further application has been received for the staging of plays.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether the Government advised the United Nations Commission for Refugees of the total number of Vietnamese immigrants the United Kingdom is prepared to allow entry to Great Britain for the purpose of settlement, in order to facilitate the operation of the recently concluded agreement between the United Nations Commission for Refugees and the Government of Vietnam on the orderly departure and resettlement of Vietnamese emigrants; and if so, what number has been defined.

No such number has been communicated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement outlining the role Her Majesty's Government propose to play within the terms of the agreement reached between the United Nations Commission for Refugees and the Government of Vietnam for the orderly departure and subsequent settlement of emigrants from Vietnam.

The Government are not called on to play any role. The agreement covers only refugees who have already been offered or are likely to be eligible for resettlement on grounds of family ties. We shall consider any requests for settlement in the United Kingdom in the normal way.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will place in the Library a copy of the text of the recent agreement concluded between the United Nations Commission for Refugees and the Government of Vietnam defining the terms of joint United Nations-Vietnamese responsibility for the orderly departure of emigrants from Vietnam.

I have done so.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will give, for the latest year for which the figures are available, the total cost of running the passport offices and the total revenue obtained in application fees for full passports.

The cost of running the passport offices in the United Kingdom during the financial year 1978–79 was £7,022,774. In the same period the revenue obtained in fees for the issue and servicing of standard passports amounted to £18,744,487.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, and if so when, he intends to bring forward proposals designed to reduce or modify those provisions of the Southern Rhodesian (Immigration Act 1971) Order 1972 as restrict entry into the United Kingdom of such persons as are mentioned in the order; and if he will make a statement about the nature of the proposals that he intends to bring forward.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 20 June, but we are proceeding as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what percentage of children (a) primary and (b) secondary in each of the four education areas of the county of Dyfed are receiving full-time education in prefabricated buildings;

Detailed information on the quality and age of school premises is not held by the Welsh Office. Data for Wales as a whole, given in the 1977 publication "A Study of School Building", were derived from a sample inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is taking to ensure more single person accommodation is made available within the Ogmore constituency area.

It is for the Ogwr borough council to determine the local need and to act as it considers appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will consider the funding of local authority and other projects for after-school care and school holiday play schemes.

Holiday play schemes in urban areas—whether provided by local authorities or voluntary organisations—may be grant-aided by the Welsh Office under the urban programme. There are no plans to fund schemes outside the urban areas, or after-school care projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is taking to ensure the availability of extra finance for the expansion of the social services within the Ogmore constituency.

The level of expenditure on social services in the Ogmore constituency is a matter for the Mid Glamorgan county council.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of factories developed by the Welsh Development Agency since its inception: and how many of these are sited within the Ogmore constituency area.

As at 31 May 1979, the Welsh Development Agency had completed 154 advance factories totalling 1,309,000 sq. ft. A further 188 units totalling 1,288,000 sq. ft. were under construction. In the Ogmore parliamentary constituency, 15 units totalling 84,000 sq. ft. had been completed and two units, each of 5,000 sq. ft. were under construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the number of long-term unemployed in the Bishop Auckland constituency, male and female, categorised by age group.

The following table gives, for 5 April, the latest date for which the quarterly analysis is available the numbers of people who had been registered as unemployed for more than 52 weeks at the Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle employment offices, which together closely correspond to the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency, analysed by age group and sex.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish his estimate of the number of long-term unemployed in the Northern region in the following age groups: under 35 years and under 25 years.

At 5 April, the latest date for which the quarterly analysis is available, the numbers of people in the Northern region who had been registered as unemployed for more than 52 weeks were 6,754 aged 24 years and under and 6,577 aged 25 to 34 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of staff in his Department; and what is the current cost to public funds, including salaries, pensions and overheads, of running it.

At 1 April 1979 the total number of staff in post in the Department of Employment group, including casual staff, was 55,344.The total cost of the group to public funds in the current financial year is estimated to be £1,098 million, of which £399 million is attributable to salaries, pensions and overheads.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish further details of the implications of his decision to reduce funding to the industrial training boards by £9·8 million.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the information is not yet available. The industrial training boards are currently considering the matter and have yet to decide what activities will be affected by the reduction in financial support from public funds in the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the effects in the Northern region of his decision to reduce the training opportunities scheme expenditure by £22·3 million this year.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the effect in the Northern region will be to reduce the number of trainees starting courses from the previous target of 8,210 to 7,490 during the current financial year with a consequent reduction in the regional TOPS budget of £1·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to his answer of Thursday 21 June about the operation of the small firms employment subsidy, he will divide the numbers of firms and jobs into manufacturing and non-manufacturing.

Of the 203 applications from small firms in the Lambeth inner city partnership area which had been approved 117 were from manufacturing firms and 86 from non-manufacturing firms. 184 of the extra jobs had been provided by manufacturers and 139 by non-manufacturers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Manpower Services Commission plans to reduce the number of courses in colleges of further education for youth opportunities programme participants.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there is no planned intention to reduce the number of courses in colleges of further education for youth opportunities programme participants. The off-the-job learning element of the youth opportunities programme should fulfil the individual needs for the young person and can be given by any competent provider. At the present time 23 per cent. of YOP participants undertake some form of off-the-job learning. The Manpower Services Commission is planning to increase this percentage as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of participants in the youth opportunities programme from 1 April 1978 to 31 March 1979; and what proportion of participants progressed to a second module of the programme.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28 June 1979], gave the following answer:I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 162,200 young people entered the youth opportunities programme during its first year of operation. It is estimated that, nationally, about a fifth of all young people entering the programme progress to a second or subsequent opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report for each Manpower Services Commission special programmes division area (a) the number participating in youth opportunity programmes from 1 April 1978 to 31 March 1979, (b) the proportion progressing to a second module in the programme and (c) the total number eligible to leave school at the age of 16 years during 1978–79.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28 June 1979], gave the following answer:I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of young people entering the youth opportunities programme in each special programmes area during the year 1 April 1978 to 31 March 1979 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report for each local education authority area (a) the number participating in the youth opportunities programme from 1 April 1978 to 31 March 1979, (b) the proportions progressing to a second module of the programme, and (c) the total number eligible to leave school at the age of 16 years during 1978–79.

, pursuant to his reply[Official Report, 28 June 1979], gave the following answer:I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the information requested under (

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the number of redundancies caused by the liquidation of Staflex International Ltd.

Staflex International Ltd. was a parent company with 53 subsidiaries of which 31 were based overseas. Only nine of the United Kingdom companies had employees. 208 employees were made redundant from 5 of these companies. Figures for the other 4 companies are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many individuals were covered by the special employment and training measures of the Manpower Services Commission for the 12 months ended April.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the statistics are as given in the table below.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when the homeworking advisory committee will meet next.

I am currently considering the future of this committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to remove the energy-related costs from the retail prices index or make any other variation in the factors used in its compilation.

,pursuant to his reply[Official Report, 3 July 1979], gave the following answer:I have no plans to change the coverage or the method of compilation of the retail prices index.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he will be taking to exempt people in Scotland with a severe visual handicap frog payment of optical charges; and if he will make a statement.

I refer to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes to take in order to carry out his stated intention of restoring the value of the grant to the grant-aided schools; and if he will make a statement.

I propose to lay before Parliament as soon as possible amending regulations that will have the effect of raising the grants to a level that will cover approximately 20 per cent. of the approved maintenance expenditure of the schools in their financial years 1979–80. So far as future years are concerned, my intention is to discuss with the schools a change in the basis of the grant, with a view to making assisted places available in suitable fee paying schools to pupils from families with smaller incomes. The level of grant in future years will be considered in the light of the progress of these discussions and of the Government's policy on public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many vacancies for employment there currently are in Dundee; and how are these distributed throughout the following sectors (a) primary, (b) manufacturing, (c) construction, (d) services.

Information on the total outstanding labour requirements of all employers in Dundee is not available. The number of vacancies in Dundee in each sector notified to the employment service division and the careers office and remaining unfilled on 4 May 1979 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of those currently unemployed in Dundee are registered as unemployed in each of the following sectors (a) primary, (b) manufacturing, (c) construction and (d) services.

At 10 May 1979 the latest date for which the information requested is available, the numbers registered as unemployed in Dundee in each sector were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of school leavers in Dundee who have obtained apprenticeships and Government training awards in each year since 1974.

The information requested is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the estimated total number of Christmas cards produced in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which were imported into the United Kingdom in 1976, 1977 and 1978.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what study he has made of the subsidised export of Christmas cards from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many representations have been received by his Department during the last three years on the subject of whales and whaling.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will institute an investigation under the Companies Acts into the conduct of Staflex International Ltd.

Staflex International Limited went into creditors' voluntary liquidation on 29 December 1978. There are joint liquidators. Insolvency is not regarded as a ground for an investigation but section 334(2) of the Companies Act 1948 requires the voluntary liquidators to report to the Director of Public Prosecutions forthwith, if it appears in the course of the voluntary winding up that any past or present officer, or any member, of the company, has been guilty of any offence in relation to the company for which he is criminally liable. I understand that no such report has been submitted to the DPP. My Department will keep in touch with the joint liquidators on this aspect of their administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in view of the correspondence between the Lancashire Footwear Manufacturers'Association and the Office of Fair Trading, he is satisfied with the effectiveness of existing methods for monitoring faulty footwear from imported sources.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has yet received the report of the Wilson committee on the British film industry; and if he will make a statement.

I am now considering the Interim Action Committee's second report

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what action he intends to take in the light of the interim action committee's report on the payment of Eady moneys to "soft porn" films.

I am aware of the concern expressed about the character of some films that now receive Eady levy. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) today, I expect to have shortly the Cinematograph Films Council"s recommendations on the distribution formula.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade on how many occasions

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has any proposals to introduce alterations to the Eady levy; and if he will make a statement.

I am expecting to receive shortly a report on the effect on cinemas of paying levy at the current rate, as well as recommendations from the Cinematograph Films Council on the distribution formula, which I shall then consider.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish a table showing the number of passenger movements of Gatwick Airport in each of the last 10 years, divided betwen chartered and scheduled flights with an estimate for the current year.

The following is the information:in its period of existence the Price Commission required companies to provide confidential information; where such information was stored; and what will happen to the information after the abolition of the Commission.

It would not be possible to answer the first part of the question without disproportionate expenditure. Confidential information in the possession of the Commission is stored under secure conditions. When the Commission is abolished, records considered to be of permanent value will be retained and will become the property of the Secretary of State. They will not be available for public inspection until 30 years have elapsed in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will ensure that the Price Commisison either destroys or returns the confidential information made available to it by brewing companies during the Commission's investigation of beer prices.

The Secretary of State has no power to direct the commission to do this.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the global ceilings agreed under the current Multi-Fibre Arrangement are being breached; if so by which countries; and in which commodities and by how much the quotas have been exceeded in each commodity.

, pursuant to his reply[Official Report, 2 July 1979], gave the following answer:I do not know of any case in which imports have exceeded global ceilings in the current year. Where suppliers are under quota, import licences are not issued in excess of the quota limit.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the excessive price increases by traders in the North-East as a result of recent increases in VAT.

, pursuant to her reply [Official Report, 4 July 1979], gave the following answer:I am conscious of a great deal of public concern that the recent changes in VAT have led to other and unrelated price increases being presented by some traders as solely occasioned by the VAT increase.Of course there will have been price increases which coincided with the change in VAT. Where this has happened it would be unfair to criticise traders. But those traders who have misrepresented the price increase necessary to cover the increase in VAT could be prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act. I hope that trading standards officers are keeping a careful watch on what is happening; and I urge consumers who have specific examples of the minority of unscrupulous traders who cheat in this way, to let their local trading standards departments have full details.I am sure, however, that, for the few traders who have engaged in this practice, there is a larger number who have borne the VAT increase themselves and have not raised prices.I have had recommendations from the Director General of Fair Trading and from the Consumer Protection Advisory Committee in relation to VAT inclusive prices. I am examining these to see whether it is possible to ensure that shoppers are not misled about the amount of VAT included in the selling price of goods.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place the next order for a nuclear powered submarine.

An order for the fifteenth nuclear powered fleet submarine was placed with Vickers Shipbuilding Group Ltd. today. This will be the third submarine of the Trafalgar class. The total cost of the vessel, including weapons and equipment, is expected to be about £125 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what ranks in Her Majesty' Forces are entitled to have the cost of boarding education for their children met from public funds; and what is the basis on which particular ranks have been made eligible for this benefit.

Service families are subject to frequent postings at home and abroad. Boarding school allowance was therefore introduced for the Armed Forces in 1955 to assist Service parents in providing a continuity of education for their children. The allowance is not intended to cover the full cost of a boarding education but is available to Service men, regardless of rank or location. Payment is made within maximum rates which are updated periodically by reference to the movement of fees at a representative sample of schools. Current maximum annual rates, effective from September 1978, are: for the first and second child—£1,182; for the third child—£1,407; and for the fourth and each subsequent child—£1,464.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangement exists for the briefing of press correspondents by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

A variety of methods are adopted for keeping members of the press and media informed on defence matters. These arrangements take account both of the requirements of the press and of the interests of the Services and the Ministry of Defence as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department is considering acquiring air defence aircraft from the United States of America by leasing, or any other arrangement; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 11 June.—[Vol. 968, c. 13.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what respect controls and restrictions at the border between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic differ from those which apply at the frontiers between other member States of the European Community.

Detailed information about Customs clearance formalities and restrictions throughout the Community is not available. There is no reason to believe, however, that there are substantial differences in controls at frontiers between member States as these tend to be standardised by the application of Community transit procedures. Member States are free to impose their own national restrictions, for example on grounds of public morality, health and safety.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of exempting from income tax old-age pensions.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider zero rating value added tax on solar heating for all purposes, not just domestic use.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider zero rating value added tax on thatching.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what relief the Government intend to give to organisations which have issued tickets and publicity information for value added tax inclusive prices at the level of value added tax ruling before the Budget.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the impact on the launderette industry and its many poor customers of the increase of value added tax.

Careful consideration has been given to a number of representations seeking relief from VAT made on behalf of the launderette industry, following the Budget Statement, but it would not be appropriate to single out launderette services for special treatment in the context of a broadly based tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the numbers of prosecutions of payers of value added tax for intent to deceive over the last five years, in each of the following categories of alleged underpayment of tax: £0 to £1,000, £1,000 to £2,500, £2,500 to £5,000, £5,000 to £10,000, £10,000 to £50,000 and over £50,000.

The records of prosecutions do not distinguish between registered persons who normally pay VAT and those who regularly claim repayment of the tax. The prosecutions of registered persons for fraudulent evasion of VAT or false declarations during the five years ending 31 March 1979 can be categorised as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many refunds to businesses from the VAT office at Southend have been delayed due to the dispute involving staff; and what were the amounts involved in each calendar month since the strike began.

Some 400,000 VAT repayment claims accumulated during the period from 23 February to 15 May when the VAT computer in Southend was completely shut down by industrial action. It is estimated that a further 450,000 repayment returns will eventually have been subject to some delay during issue and repayment which could be attributed, directly or indirectly, to the industrial action.By the end of June, £699 million of delayed repayments had been made. It is not possible to allocate this sum precisely by months but it is estimated that, but for the strike, about £50 million would have been repaid in February, about £225 million in March, £175 million in April and £250 million in May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement on the dispute involving staff at the VAT central computer at Southend and the effects of the delay to the payment of refunds due to businesses.

The Customs and Excise VAT computer at Southend was shut down by industrial action from 23 February to 15 May. The normal processing of some 400,000 repayment returns which accumulated during this period was completed by 31 May the great majority of the claims being cleared by credit transfer through the banks and National Giro or by payable orders.During the period of industrial action the issue of blank return forms to taxable persons also had to be suspended but since the full return to work on 16 May everything possible has been done to rectify the position. Customs and Excise has now completed the issue of VAT return forms for the tax periods ended 31 March, 30 April and 31 May, and the issue of return forms for the tax period ended 30 June has commenced. As explained in a "Notice to all persons registered for VAT" published in the national press on Wednesday 23 May, the dates by which these returns are to be furnished have been extended.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of exempting female sanitary goods from value added tax; and whether he will make such an exemption.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 3 July 1979, gave the following answer:The cost of relieving female sanitary goods from VAT would be about £8 million in a full year. However, in a broad based tax these goods should bear VAT in common with other toilet requisites, many of which are regarded as necessities either by men or by women.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Building Societies Association concerning the proposed increase in mortgage interest rates; and if he will make a statement.

Treasury Ministers and officials have regular contacts with building society representatives.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the consequences for the retail price index and the economy generally of an increase in the mortgage interest rate of 1 per cent., 1¼ per cent., and 1½ per cent., respectively.

The direct effect of increases in mortgage interest rates of the sizes stated would be to add about ¼ per cent.,⅓per cent. and 2/5 per cent. respectively to the RPI.It is not possible to provide estimates of the effects on the economy generally. Such estimates could, in any case, only be made using assumptions about the other economic circumstances in which the mortgage rate changes occurred: and they would inevitably be subject to a wide margin of error.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to put into effect his decision announced in his Budget speech to allow United Kingdom resident merchants to use the pound sterling to finance third country trade.

The Bank of England has today published the exchange control notices which put this relaxation into effect.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to introduce legislation to enable the pilots' national pension fund to be approved for taxation purposes under the Finance Act 1970.