asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the value of the grants allocated to Wales from the European regional development fund since 1975.

The sum of £44·8 million.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that these grants have brought great benefit to the people of Wales that they might not otherwise have had? Does that not confirm how advantageous membership of the Community is to Wales?

I agree with my hon. Friend, and took the opportunity to say so in the presence of the President of the Commission at a dinner in Cardiff on Thursday night. The total of grants and loans now received in Wales is about £500 million.

Does the Secretary of State not agree that these grants would have been of much greater benefit to Wales if all the money that came from the EEC went to Wales and was not taken up by the Treasury setting off these against existing grants? Does he agree that these grants will be even more important in the future in view of the impending chop of regional development programmes by the Government?

These grants assist in lessening the interest burden of local authorities and contribute to the financial resources available to the Government for regional development policy. However, one must also take account of the need to control public expenditure in this area.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what retraining facilities presently exist in Wales for persons unemployed or who need to be redeployed; and if he will ensure that greater emphasis is given to retraining in the future.

Training is primarily the responsibility of industry; but the training opportunities scheme, which is operated by the Manpower Services Commission, also provides for training of young people and adults in skill-centres, colleges and firms throughout Wales. Much of this assistance goes to retraining persons who have lost their jobs.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in my constituency of Anglesey about half the unemployed are unskilled? Is he aware that the nearest Training Services Agency skillcentre is at Wrexham? Is he also aware that the Manpower Services Commission proposed bringing a mini-skillcentre to Bangor, which would have been of direct benefit to my constituents, and will he do everything in his power to see that that proposal is safeguarded?

I am aware of the importance that is attached to the project for the Gwynedd technical college which is currently under review by the Commission. I am seeing the chairman of the Commission tomorrow and intend to draw to his attention the importance that is attached to this project.

Will the Secretary of State bear in mind that, as a result of a decision by the Department of Industry, 6,000 workers in the Shotton area will find that their skills will be of no use to them? What programme does he have in mind for crash retraining of these workers?

That is another of the questions that I intend to discuss tomorrow with the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission. I share the concern of the right hon. Gentleman about the problems that will arise at Shotton, and I am aware of the need to provide adequate training facilities.

Can the Secretary of State give a categorical assurance to the House that none of the training programmes at present in hand by the Manpower Services Commission in Wales, including those funded and located in further education colleges, will be reduced under his regime?

How it operates is the responsibility of the Manpower Services Commission. However, any cuts that have been made have been in very low occupancy and duplicated courses. The training of technicians in skills which are in short supply has been safeguarded, and the Commission expects to train more people this year than it did last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what could be the cost saving to the National Health Service in Wales if the wearing of seat belts were made compulsory.

Separate Welsh data are not available, but on the basis of 1975 data for Great Britain a broad assessment has been made that if all drivers and front seat passengers wore seat belts the saving to the NHS in Wales might be of the order of £350,000 a year at November 1978 prices.

If enactment of the Road Traffic (Seat Belts) Bill led to a wearing rate of about 90 per cent., as in Australia, which is close to the 100 per cent. figure assumed by my hon. Friend, can he estimate the number of lives that would be saved, the number of serious injuries that would be prevented annually, and the effect on hospital waiting lists in Wales?

If 85 per cent. of drivers and front seat passengers wore seat belts, the data suggest that in Wales about 40 lives a year might be saved and 400 serious injuries avoided. This would have a relatively small effect on the very long waiting lists for specialities previously affected by road accidents.

Is it not the case that, if the number of accident victims in NHS hospitals were reduced, there would be more scope for treating people from the ordinary waiting lists, more beds and resources would be available and, therefore, by definition, those waiting lists would be shorter?

There can be no question but that the waiting lists would be shorter. If one takes the estimated 400 serious injuries that would be avoided and sets those against the general surgery waiting list of 10,200, one gets some idea of how much difference there would be.

In assessing these figures, is account taken of the fact that some drivers, fortified by wearing a seat belt, drive differently—perhaps at greater speed? Is any assessment made of cases such as those that have aroused the comment of one or two coroners in the Cardiff and Newport areas, where there has been some evidence of serious accidents as a consequence of wearing seat belts and where there might not have been loss of life had there been no seat belt?

I do not think that any such calculation has been made. The efficacy of seat belts in reducing death or serious injury to drivers and front seat passengers is considered about 50 per cent.—that is, that half the fatalities not wearing belts might have survived with serious injuries and half the seriously injured might have been only slightly injured.

In view of the agonies through which the NHS will go to meet the financial limitations imposed on it by the Government, how on earth can the Government ignore the savings that are available to them through this measure?

I have illustrated the effect on shortening the lists in the hospitals, and one can gauge the savings. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport. Of course, the Government advise passengers and drivers to wear seat belts.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he plans to meet parents to discuss the future of Welsh language nursery schools.

My right hon. Friend has no present plans to hold such a meeting, but I hope shortly to meet a number of hon. Members with an interest in Welsh nursery schools.

Will my hon. Friend ensure that in the reviews of educational budgets that are carried out by the local authorities special regard will be paid to the interests of the Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin because of the great importance of promoting bilingual education in Wales?

My hon. Friend's interest in Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin is well known to us. I can assure him that the Welsh Office regards the work of this organisation as extremely important. We give a small grant in aid, and we hope that this will continue.

Does not the Minister agree that the Government's present policy towards Welsh language nursery education is not acceptable to the majority of parents in Wales? Since many Opposition Members and Welsh parents are not satisfied, what must we do to change the Government's policy?

I do not accept what the hon. Gentleman has said. Of course, it is for the local authorities to decide. Our commitment to the Welsh language will find expression in the second of our education Bills, in which we will be seeking power to pay a specific grant towards the cost of bilingual education in Wales.

While it is for the local authorities to decide, must not the local authorities have the money in order to provide the nursery schools? Is it not a fact that under this Government nursery school education in Wales will suffer a great deal, and that already one authority in Clwyd is talking of stopping nursery school education?

It is because we want to ensure bilingual education that we are making a specific grant. I want to make it perfectly clear that it is the role of the local authorities to decide, and if hon. Members are not satisfied with the way in which their local authorities make decisions about the 3 per cent. rate support grant cut it is their job to make representations to their local authorities. I will be interested to see what constructive suggestions they make.

I welcome the belated statement by the Minister that the Government are proposing to revive the specific grant. However, can he explain to the House what use this specific grant will be if general education expenditure is cut back by the Government's edict to county councils in Wales?

It is for the local authorities to decide what cuts they will make. No doubt they will make ample use of the bilingual grant. I cannot accept for a moment that this is a belated announcement.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether these specific grants will be aimed at nursery schools, be they Welsh speaking or English speaking?

I can give the House no specific information as to whether the bilingual grants will be given only to nursery schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many schools in Wales will lose the facility to teach the Welsh language as a result of the Government's public expenditure cutbacks.

There need be no such loss, but it is for local authorities to decide how to achieve the expenditure savings called for by the Government.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that he is acting like a Pontius Pilate in this matter, by washing his hands of the whole question of the impact of Government cuts on education in Wales? Is he aware that in Clwyd alone 52 out of 56 nursery schools are being chopped as a result of the Government's policy, which means that nursery education which is critical to the teaching of the Welsh language in non-Welsh speaking areas is virtually being axed? Is he also aware that the other major area of cutbacks is peripatetic teachers, which are a major factor in the teaching of the Welsh language in many schools? Will he contact education authorities in all parts of Wales and tell them to go easy on these cuts which result from the Government's policy?

The local authorities are responsible bodies. It is their role to decide where the cuts will be made. The hon. Gentleman is not accurate when he says that nursery schools have been chopped. The truth is that a proposal has been made, and this will be considered by the authority later. In view of that, I hope that those who regard the question as so damaging and serious for nursery children and for the Welsh language will make representations to the local authorities and suggest other cuts.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will seek to ensure the maximum use by the National Health Service of existing hospital buildings and facilities in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

National Health Service hospital buildings and other facilities in Wales are managed by the area health authorities. It is their responsibility to ensure that the best use is made of the assets available to them.

In view of the expensive nature of new hospital building, is it not rather strange that at the present time there are rumours of plans which may involve the closure of the Prince of Wales hospital near Cardiff. that the splendid hospital building at Sully in my constituency is not being properly used and that the purpose-built Glossop maternity hospital in Cardiff has not been used for several years? Is not this an absurdity at a time when the building of new hospitals is beyond the financial resources of most health authorities?

I agree completely with my hon. Friend that the best possible use should be made of the many excellent local hospitals that already exist, but the relative advantages of continuing to use old premises or providing new buildings will have to be weighed in each case. This is the job of the area health authorities, but I think that there should be acceptance of the need to close some old hospitals even though they may be dear to local communities. New hospitals, which are being built at great cost, are specifically designed to replace the old.

The hon. Gentleman says that the best possible use should be made of these hospitals, such as the Prince of Wales hospital. Will he explain how it is possible for AHAs to make the best use of them? When they are now facing wage increases and a near doubling of VAT by the present Government, how can they possibly do it? Surely these rising costs are more likely to effect a reduction in the use of facilities and a reduction in health standards of patients.

The right hon. Gentleman knows very well that we have not cut the NHS budget in Wales. My right hon. Friend has allocated all the resources that had been set aside by the previous Government.

Will the Under-Secretary give an assurance to the Welsh people that none of the small cottage hospitals and our small hospitals will be closed during the next five years?

I have already said—I repeat it—that hon. Members must not forget that new hospitals are being built, and we have a substantial programme of new hospital buildings. Those new hospitals are intended to replace—and must, indeed, replace—the old hospitals in many cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from local education authorities in Wales regarding the impact of cuts in the rate support grant on educational provision.

The Welsh Joint Education Committee has asked my right hon. Friend to receive a deputation and arrangements for a meeting are being made.

Does my hon. Friend agree that. if cuts must be made, they should preferably be made in such a way as not permanently to damage nursery education and, still more, remedial education? Is he aware, however, that of the preferable cuts, such as reducing the swollen administrative bureaucracy, or charging more for school meals, or imposing a charge for nursery education, or reviewing the school leaving age, these are all excluded by the law as it now stands? Will my hon. Friend initiate urgent discussions with local authorities to seek a way out?

I do not believe that in the present situation it would be helpful for me to initiate discussions with individual authorities about their priorities, although, as I have said, arrangements are being made for a meeting with the Welsh Joint Education Committee. I can understand my hon. Friend's concern to protect crucial areas of the education service. I would expect authorities, in approaching this exercise, to have very much in mind their statutory duties as well as the special needs of particular groups of pupils.

Is it not typical, however, of a crafty Tory Party that in a general election campaign it offers us the prospect of tax cuts, but afterwards it sets about attacking nursery education, remedial education and Welsh language teaching?

Admittedly, the election campaign is two months behind us, but I should have thought that the hon. Member would have remembered that part of our policy was cuts in public expenditure. The cuts in public expenditure have been placed as a responsibility on the local authorities. It is for the hon. Member to tell his people in Clwyd what he thinks they should do with the 3 per cent. cut. I look forward to seeing his views in the Liverpool Daily Post.

Did I understand the Minister aright as having told the House that he had no interest in the priorities in education policy laid down by local authorities in Wales?

No, I certainly did not say that.

The hon. Gentleman did.

I think that the hon. Member will have to look in Hansard tomorrow to resolve this dispute.

Does not the hon. Gentleman realise, however, that it is an act of political cowardice by the Government to impose these cuts and then to say that where they fall must be decided by the local authorities and that the Government will accept no responsibility for them? Is he aware that at a headmasters' conference last week these cuts were denounced as the most vicious of the post-war period? In West Glamorgan, the equivalent of 100 jobs may go, and teachers in Wales have indicated that the cuts are so massive that they may mean changes in the character of our education.

The right hon. Member was not talking about the cuts that have been imposed, nor were the headmasters. They were talking about the options which are now being discussed between the local authorities and the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which part of the education service is to be cut in Wales to achieve the 3 per cent. reduction in the volume of local authorities current expenditure in the current year.

It is for local authorities to determine how to achieve the necessary savings in their current expenditure.

Does not the hon. Gentleman agree that he has some responsibility to the people of Wales who, at this moment, are alarmed at the stories from North, South, East and West Wales of the likely effect of cuts in the education service? It is really nonsense for the Government to seek to impose a 3 per cent. cut and to say " You cut, and we shall just walk away from it."

It is a perfectly reasonable proposition for the Government to say, as we have said, that we are cutting the rate support grant by 3 per cent., and then to turn to those authorities which have the best ability to assess the needs of their areas—the local authorities—and ask them to make the decision. The right hon. Gentleman is right when he says that there is alarm and despondency. However, I should like to point out that not one firm decision has yet been made by any county local education authority on education. Therefore, it is alarm and despondency before final decisions have been made.

Does not the Minister agree that a considerable part of the basis of the present Administration's cuts is based on falling school rolls? Would the Minister care to suggest to areas such as Dyfed, where the projected populations are static for the next few years, how they will be able to cope with these cuts in expenditure, which are little short of Draconian, causing the closure of establishments and the discontinuance of essential services and provisions? Perhaps I may quote one example. [HON. MEMBERS: " No."]. The youth services in Dyfed—

Order. The hon. Gentleman must be fair to other hon. Members.

The decision on the 3 per cent. cut in the RSG is not based on the falling rolls in our schools, because it is not specifically designed for schools. If authorities direct all the saving into the schools, that is their decision. I appreciate the point that the hon. Member makes about his own constituency.

The Minister cannot get away with that. Surely he is aware that two-thirds of local government expenditure is on education. Therefore, inevitably, cuts such as these are bound to land on education. Is he aware that, although final decisions have not yet been rubber-stamped, the county of Gwynedd has announced an £800,000 cutback on education and West Glamorgan announced a £1·6 million cut only last week?

I appreciate that education takes about 52 per cent. of the expenditure on rate fund services. Therefore, an element of the cut inevitably must fall on the education service. Obviously, in education authorities which have a falling roll, that will be taken into consideration. But it is for local authorities to decide how best they can administer a 3 per cent. cut with the minimum of damage to their services.

Does not my hon. Friend welcome the shift away from central Government involvement in local government finance by the cut in the RSG, and does not this indicate a transference back to local authorities of greater autonomy, for which Opposition Members have been clamouring for ages?

It is certainly the role of the local authority to deal with this matter. I think that local authorities are the bodies best suited to make these judgments.

Will the hon. Gentleman now answer the second part of my question—will the Government give a guarantee that they will not introduce legislation to prevent local authorities acting responsibly and so levying rates instead of accepting the cuts?

I can give no such guarantee.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what studies he has made of the effect of the closure of major industrial plants on towns in Wales where the local economy, emloyment prospects and local services of which depend on such industries.

No formal studies have been made but there is experience based on closures in the time of the previous Government in steel making areas in Wales.

Will not the right hon. Gentleman need an economic miracle to find over three or four years the 7,000 jobs required to replace the proposed loss of Shotton steelworks? Will he not agree that his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry is exacting a pitiless, brutal and somewhat savage price from the steel men at Shotton in an attempt to obtain steel solvency? How hard has the Secretary of State pressed his right hon. Friend with regard to the weakest link in the case against Shotton? It is folly to try to support year in and year out the movement of over 1½ million tons of sheet steel each year from Scotland to Shotton. Will he assure me that he is fighting that battle?

On the hon. Gentleman's last point, it is a management decision primarily for the British Steel Corporation whether it is practical to shift steel. I do not underestimate the scale of the problem that will result in the locality. My noble Friend Lord Trenchard has said that we are examining ways of tackling the problem and the upgrading of the Shotton travel-to-work area to special development area status is being considered. We shall be considering plans for factory building in the area and will do everything in our power to deal with the problems that arise.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it is generally accepted in North Wales that nationalisation has allowed Shotton to reach the state where it is facing these problems today? Is he further aware that the intensity and concentrated nature of the unemployment that will occur as a result of the closure requires urgent and specific measures in North-East Wales?

I note that no substantial investment in the steel making end of Shotton was authorised by the previous Government. Without that investment, the tears that Labour Members are weeping are a little suspect. I entirely agree about the scale of the action that is called for, and we are considering that urgently.

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that in politics it is not an honourable posture to seek to put at the door of other authorities, be they local authorities in education or the British Steel Corporation in the industrial sector, responsibility for policies that are properly the responsibility of the Government? Is he not sacrificing the steel men in Shotton and educational provision throughout Wales for the tax cuts that the Government have made for the more prosperous members of our society?

The hon. Gentleman should understand that the steel industry is international. Our industry must compete with other countries and there is an urgent need to improve its competitiveness and efficiency. It would be quite wrong for the Government to stand in the way of the British Steel Corporation taking action to that end. If Llanwern and Port Talbot in South Wales are to play their part, they must also look to increased efficiency and competitiveness.

Will the Secretary of State explain why, if nationalisation is part of the problem in Shotton, that is not so in many parts of the European steel industry which are also suffering? If his noble Friend Lord Trenchard is considering action, would it not be more sensible and fairer to those concerned to delay closing Shotton until the Government have at least produced plans to create new jobs and full employment in that area?

Whatever may have happened had the steel industry not been nationalised, the previous Government were forced to authorise similar closures in Ebbw Vale and East Moors. They allowed those closures to go ahead while urgent consideration was being given to alleviating unemployment, and that is what we are doing.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from local authorities in Wales on the Government cut of capital spending and the proposed 3 per cent. reduction in the amount of spending projected for 1979–80.

One, from Clwyd county council.

Has not the hon. Gentleman had correspondence from the Cynon Valley borough council? That council is disturbed about the effect of the cuts and the fact that it will not be able to take on apprentices and train them for future jobs. On Friday I met representatives of the Mid-Glamorgan authority, which intends to write to the Government deploring the cuts that will have a severe effect on the services to the people of Mid-Glamorgan.

I am grateful for the information about the Cynon Valley council, but so far I have not received such representations.

Has not the hon. Gentleman misread the question, which includes district and county councils? Is he aware of the letter from Dwyfor council that was sent to the Welsh Office several weeks ago on that matter? Does he intend that Gwynedd county council should increase rates to make up for the massive loss of resources for the county and district?

We hope that all councils will make real savings, and it is important that they should. If the hon. Gentleman is encouraging local authorities to raise rates, I am sure that the ratepayers will be interested to know that.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many pupils aged three to five years attend local education authority nursery classes in Wales.

About 20,000.

Would the Minister care to project how many pupils there will be in such classes in two years?

That is impossible until I hear what the local authorities intend to do. In addition to those 20,000, there are 20,000 pupils under the age of five attending primary schools and about 18,500 in playgroups.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the implications for Wales of the current review of regional policy.

Regional policy is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry, who will be making a statement in the House tomorrow afternoon.

How does the right hon. Gentleman reconcile the pledge that he made on television prior to the election that there would be no cuts in regional support for Wales with the fact that there has already been a cutback in the Welsh Development Agency finances, and an announcement about the abandonment of the office development permit and that tomorrow we shall hear of further cuts in regional policy? The right hon. Gentleman will not be answering questions again until November. Will he therefore consider changing Wednesday's Welsh Grand Committee debate from a discussion on the highly important issues of the Welsh water authority to one on the repercussions of tomorrow's announcement on regional policy for Wales?

I have never given a pledge that there will be no cuts in regional policy and the right hon. Gentleman is wrong to suggest that I have. It is likely that there will be an opportunity to debate these issues on the Floor of the House next week, which would be the appropriate time.

Will my right hon. Friend have discussions with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry to try to ensure that special development areas such as my constituency of Anglesey will receive favourable treatment?

I do not propose to anticipate the statement that will be made tomorrow by my right hon. Friend.

In view of the announcement about Shotton and other serious employment problems in Wales, has the right hon. Gentleman made any representations to the Secretary of State for Industry concerning cuts in regional help for Wales?

I have drawn to the attention of my right hon. Friend the particular problems facing Wales and we have announced that special consideration is being given to upgrading the Shotton area.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will issue a circular to local authorities in Wales about the need to revise structure plans in the light of oil shortages.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

Has the hon. Gentleman seen the recent memorandum of the Transport Users Consultative Committee for Wales about the implications for county structure plans of the oil crisis? Does he accept its conclusions that availability of public transport should be increased at a reasonable cost, that in any future oil crisis major significance should be given to electrification of rail passenger services and that the provision of rail connected industrial sites should be a major priority?

The planning authorities which submit the structure plans to the Welsh Office are aware of the need to plan with a view to achieving fuel economy. If there is a change—as there has been because of the oil shortage—there are procedures by which they can modify the plans submitted, and alter those that have been accepted.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Can you give guidance to Welsh Members—

Order. Would the right hon. Gentleman wait until the end of questions before raising a point of order?

On a point of order. Mr. Speaker. In answer to question No. 13, the Secretary of State for Wales said, understandably, that he could not give a substantive answer about the impact of the regional review of Wales because there is to be a statement tomorrow afternoon. We accept that priority. Nevertheless, Welsh Members now face the predicament that there will be no opportunity to question the Secretary of State for more than four months. The Welsh Grand Committee meeting on Wednesday was due to be devoted to the work of the Welsh water authority. However, as the Leader of the House is present, I wonder whether it would be appropriate to ask him to change the subject—

Order. Question Time is over.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the total financial support to be provided from Government sources for opera, ballet, concerts and theatre in London in the current financial year.

Arts Council support for these activities will amount to about £14 million.

As London is the musical and theatrical capital of the world, and our live arts attract a great many foreign visitors, thus bringing in foreign currency, will the Government encourage industrial and commercial sponsorship of the arts?

I certainly accept the remarks with which my hon. Friend prefaced his question. It is the policy of the Government to encourage private sponsorship of the arts and steps have already been taken in the Budget which should be conducive to that end.

What steps in the Budget are conducive to this end? Do the Government intend to leave the sponsorship of the arts to Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola and the beer barons? Does not the right hon. Gentleman realise that the Cabinet should rescind immediately the monstrous and philistine VAT at 15 per cent, which will clobber every theatre in London and elsewhere in Britain?

My reference was to the general reduction in income tax which will enable private individuals to devote more of their resources to sponsorship of the arts. It is immaterial to me where the money comes from, as long as extra money is provided for the arts. It is our policy to maintain a balance between public and private support.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that we have a very strong provincial tradition both in music and the theatre in this country? In this we differ very strongly from France. Will he do everything he can to encourage support for the provincial theatre and provincial music, as well as for arts in the capital?

I agree that we have a very strong tradition of regional arts in this country and the Arts Council has now devoted a major part of its efforts to supporting those arts.

Since 8 per cent. VAT on the arts was attacked by both the right hon. Gentleman and myself when the Labour Government were in power, how is it that suddenly 15 per cent, is acceptable to the right hon. Gentleman now?

It is a question of balance. The increase in the rate of indirect taxation is what has enabled the rate of direct taxation to be reduced.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the question from the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington of 18 June concerning export of preserved steam railway engines, what steps he has now taken to implement the extension of export control.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he hopes to complete his review, promised on Monday 18 June, during parliamentary questions, into matters of industrial archaeology; and if he will make a statement.

As I promised on 18 June, I have looked into the matter further. I find that the case of the Pendennis Castle, then referred to by my hon. Friend, the Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) would be covered by the rules as they now stand, and I do not think that any further extension would be justified.

Is my hon. Friend aware that this is an unsatisfactory answer? Many of the preserved steam engines which could be exported are less than 50 years old. What on earth is the objection to taking, this step in these wholly exceptional circumstances where our industrial heritage is threatened?

I have looked into the matter but I have not found any examples, other than the one to which my hon. Friend referred. That occurred before the revision of the rules took place. We must guard against making an unlimited number of special categories which could undermine the whole system.

Will the Chancellor of the Duchy now answer question No. 24 and tell us when this review will take place?

I have never promised a review as such. The hon. Gentleman was kind enough to elevate my " looking into the matter " to a review. I have looked into the matter, and I am satisfied that the system is working well.

So there is no review of industrial archaeology?

I declare an interest in that I have five £10 shares in the Keighley and Worth Valley Light Railway Company which is a co-operative enterprise. Has the Chancellor of the Duchy investigated the possibility of lowering the lower limit of £8,000 because there are many items of industrial archaeology, not just steam locomotives, but more mundane items such as carriages, which could be exported as they become more and more scarce as time goes by?

I am aware of the hon. Member's detached interest in this matter. As the lower limit has just been lowered, it would be premature to change it again unless there is some evidence that it is not working satisfactorily. I will keep the matter under continuous review. I congratulate the hon. Member on at last reconciling the capitalist and co-operative systems.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to restrict the availability to members of the public of specifications for nerve gases and other toxic substances in patent libraries under his control.

In previous years the libraries which hold patent collections have withdrawn certain specifications from their open shelves. The hon. Member has written to me asking for further action and I am considering the matter with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Home Department, Defence and Trade.

While acknowledging that the right hon. Gentleman has not had long to deal with this matter, may I remind him that I have provided his Department with disturbing information about accessibility to these patents some months ago? May we have an assurance that anyone who goes to the libraries seeking such information will attract the kind of attention from the security services that is likely to be a deterrent to so doing?

I would be the last person to encourage security services to pounce on people who may be making innocent inquiries in the cause of research. The difficulty here is one of censorship. Another point is the disadvantage to science and industry which may result from any interference with the free flow of information on these matters.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give an absolute assurance that, contrary to suggestions that have been made by the joint consultative council, there will be no charges for loans from public libraries? Also, will he assure us that there will be no postponement of the public lending right? Will he not funk the question?

The hon. Member for Warley, East (Mr. Faulds) is his usual vigorous self, but he is being frightened by bogies. I have no plans to introduce library charges, and I trust that we shall make better progress with the introduction of PLR than the Labour Government did.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of the Arts Council's expenditure is devoted to the artistic activities of young people.

Separate statistics are not available. Arts Council support is given on the basis of artistic merit, irrespective of the age of those involved, and many young people benefit from attending or participating in the activities made possible by Arts Council support.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that there is a danger that some activities supported by the Arts Council are overused by tourists from abroad and are not so much available, because of their high cost, to young people without much money? Will he at least ask the Arts Council to try to ensure that the grants paid to community arts, if they must be cut, are cut no more than those to Covent Garden or the Royal Ballet?

I do not understand the relevance of the hon. Gentleman's reference to the tourist trade. Tourists are young as well as old. I agree that the community arts movement should have its fair share of support, but that is a matter for the Arts Council and not for me.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many young people are interested in industrial archaeology? In the light of his previous answer, will he agree to meet a deputation of people who might be able to persuade him to change his mind on the answer he gave to question No. 16?

I am always willing to listen to the voice of youth, in however unlikely a guise it appears. I should be delighted to see a delegation from my hon. Friend and his associates.

Had the Minister been able to take time off from his onerous duties to attend the recent public forum on drama held by the Arts Council, he would have heard the interesting statistic that over 50 per cent. of young people throughout the countries of Britain have no access to any form of live theatre. Will he ensure that in the course of the savage reduction in public expenditure on the arts community theatre and access theatre are not reduced by the Arts Council?

I would not presume to dictate to the Arts Council what it should do. Furthermore, I do not agree that the recent cuts in the arts budget could be fairly described as " savage ". The arts grant for this year has not been substantially reduced. I am aware of the need for new theatre, and I shall do what I can to encourage it.

May I ask the Minister whether he realises that in addition to the damage caused by Arts Council cuts, the Government's cuts in public expenditure are likely to lead, according to the secondary heads' association, to the dropping of music and art from school curricula—Is he proud of that philistine achievement?

I think that the hon. Gentleman is seeing more bogies. A declaration by secondary heads of what they fear might happen is not evidence of what is happening. I have seen no evidence of the unfortunate results which the hon. Gentleman seems to be adumbrating with some relish.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will make a statement on the effect of increased value added tax on the arts.

The effect cannot be predicted because it cannot be separated from the effect of the Government's reduction in general taxation and depends on people's personal choice. This change in the balance of taxation could be beneficial to the arts.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his answer will be regarded as complacent and inadequate, particularly by arts and theatre administrators who have already made calculations and realise that the effect of increased VAT on ticket prices and accessibility will be very great? This will affect not only commercial theatres but companies such as the Royal Shakespeare, at the Old Vic in Lambeth, and many community theatres. How can he speak of balance in the Budget when arts enterprises have to face, on the one hand, the certainty of cuts which are substantial and savage and, on the other hand, the certainty of the increased cost of VAT? Does he not appreciate that such enterprises are having to balance those factors against the possibility that people who may have more money in their pockets as a result of the tax changes give some towards the arts?

The hon. Gentleman must wait and see the effects of the Budget before passing a premature judgment.

Is it not the case that it Parliament takes a decision, as it rightly did, to move the balance from direct to indirect taxation, theatre tickets have to take their place in the priorities?

I appreciate that point. I regard the increase in VAT as, at the most, a necessary evil.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what effect he expects the introduction of cash limits will have on the perfoming arts.

Cash limits have been applied to arts expenditure since 1976–77. The effect of those set for 1979–80 for expenditure on the performing arts will depend on how pay and prices affect these arts during this year.

Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that, under the Labour Government, Arts Council support generally was increased? Does he recall that when he was appointed to his office he said that under the Tory Administration more money would be spent on the arts? Is he not concerned about going back on that promise? As for waiting and seeing, may I ask him whether he is aware that shows are closing down because of the increased cost of VAT and the rising cost involved in buying all the materials needed for a production? What does he intend to do to keep the promise made when he was appointed?

I did not make any promise when I was appointed that more public money would be spent on the arts.

The right hon. Gentleman did.

In fact, at the Royal Academy banquet I made a quite different prognostication. I hope that the amount of private sponsorship for the arts and the amount of private money coming into it will be substantially increased. As for the matter of cash limits, if the hon. Lady examines the arts Estimates block, she will find that the amount has increased from £68 million to £70 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to pay a visit to the Duchy of Lancaster.

I have already visited the Duchy Office and the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, both of which are " in the Duchy ". I shall be visiting the North-West in the parliamentary recess.

When the right hon. Gentleman visits the North-West, will he ascertain where the much-admired painting of Cardinal Newman, which was on the wall of the Committee Floor, has been moved to? When he has discovered the answer to that question, will he have the painting transferred to its original position, where it was once much admired by many hon. Members and visitors?

I do not see how that matter arises from the original question. However, since the hon. Gentleman has raised the point, I would point out that the portrait of Cardinal Newman belongs to the National Portrait Gallery and not to this House. It is at present hanging in my room, where it appears to be very happy. I should welcome the hon. Gentleman and any other hon. Member who wishes to pay a pilgrimage to see it.

Before my right hon. Friend goes to the North-West, will he discover and let us know what are the boundaries of his jurisdiction between the county of Lancaster and the Duchy of Lancaster and as between the county of Lancaster and the counties of Merseyside and Greater Manchester? Does that jurisdiction extend over the whole of those three counties in such matters, for example, as the appointment of justices of the peace?

The Duchy of Lancaster is more a metaphysical than a geographical concept. It is not confined to any one single area. I shall continue my researches into the topic which my hon. and learned Friend has raised and will communicate with him.

With regard to the appointment of justices of the peace in the North-West, for which I understand the right hon. Gentleman is responsible, will he examine the recently published list for the Oldham metropolitan borough, which is causing great dissatisfaction because it appears to be completely unbalanced geographically, politically and socially?

I have examined the list within the last few days. I recognise that there is interest in the House in these appointments, and indeed I am seeing an hon. Member on the subject later today. I act on the advice of the advisory committees which are appointed, but naturally I try to see that the various balances to which the hon. Gentleman referred are kept.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for which public appointments to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations within the Duchy he is responsible.

None, Sir.

In view of the Prime Minister's declared intention to abolish all unnecessary public appointments, why not start with the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster and other Cabinet sinecures? Why not scrap the entire Cabinet? Most of the lackeys in it seem to be dispensable and irrelevant to the Prime Minister's new style of autocratic government.

Naturally, I defer to the hon. Gentleman's intimate knowledge of what goes on inside the Cabinet. No doubt he has culled that knowledge from the Sunday Telegraph. I assure him that the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster is not a sinecure. It is a post that has onerous duties, which I spend a considerable amount of my time discharging. I should be happy to give the hon. Gentleman a list of those duties if he needs further convincing.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I should like to raise a matter relating to the submission of priority written questions. I tabled four priority written questions on 5 July to the Secretary of State for Scotland, all of which were latterly transferred to the Secretary of State for Industry. They were for answer on Monday 9 July, but on that date I received a holding answer that the Secretary of State would reply as soon as possible. On Thursday 12 July I telephoned the private office of the Secretary of State and asked why I had not received answers to the priority written questions and I was told that inquiries would be made. After a long interval, an explanation was given to the effect that I would be supplied with an answer on Friday 13 July. I have now received replies to the questions. The questions related to the cost and impact of the deferment of regional development grants to Scotland and Wales. In view of the fact that there has been widespread publicity in the press over the weekend about a statement that we hear is to be made tomorrow by the Secretary of State for Industry, I wonder why there was such a delay in the answers to four priority written questions. Clearly, the matter had been under constant review by the Minister. Is it right and in order that a Secretary of State should take so long to answer priority questions?

The hon. Gentleman was kind enough to give me notice of this point of order. His dispute is with the Minister, and it is not a point of order for me. How and when Ministers answer questions is their concern, and I advise the hon. Gentleman to contact the Minister.