asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bottomley), as representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps have been taken consequent upon the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978 in respect of a grading review covering the staff of all the Departments of the House of Commons.

The report of the Committee of Members, which it was my privilege to chair, proposed—paragraph 4.4—that the new House of Commons Commission should be the employers of all the staff in the five Departments of the House. It was recognised, however, that this arrangement could give rise to problems in connection with the grading structure and the Committee therefore recommended—paragraph 5.17—that a full grading review of the whole staff should be undertaken. This has now been put in hand by the Commission and will take place over the next nine months. It will be carried out by a firm of management consultants—INBUCON Limited—and this method as well as the scope of the inquiry have been agreed by all those involved.

asked the Prime Minister, if she will raise the annual pension payable to the holders of the Victoria Cross, last increased in 1959 to £100.

I have no proposals to alter the present arrangements whereby an unconditional tax-free annuity of £100 is payable to all ranks to whom the Victoria Cross has been awarded.

asked the Prime Minister what guidance she has given to members of the Cabinet in giving permission for civil servants to sign letters on their behalf to hon. Members when these letters contain statements or clarifications of the policy of Her Majesty's Government; and if she will ensure that such letters are signed personally unless there is a stated reason for not doing so.

I have not issued any guidance on this subject. However, I would expect letters from hon. Members to receive a reply signed by a Minister under all but exceptional circumstances.

asked the Prime Minister if she will give the reasons why the names and composition of Cabinet committees are confidential.

I named the standing committees of the Cabinet, and their chairmen, in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, East, (Mr. Thomas) on 24 May. To go beyond this would be damaging to the principle of collective responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the timing, participation and nature of European collaboration leading to the development of a new tactical combat aircraft and the date by which the aircraft should be brought into service.

Discussions have been taking place with France and Germany to establish whether there is a basis for a collaborative solution to meet the nations' requirements for a tactical combat aircraft. The industries of the three countries are now involved and, when their Defence Ministers met in Hamburg earlier this month to review progress on collaborative projects, the tactical combat aircraft was an important topic of discussion.The Royal Air Force needs an aircraft to enter service in about 1990.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what use is currently made of computer processes in maintaining the records of Royal Air Force pilots under training.

The Royal Air Force personnel management centre holds computer personal records of all Royal Air Force officers, including pilots under training. A study has been commissioned to examine a range of methods, including the application of computer processes, for maintaining progress records of pilots undergoing flying training.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he is giving to making Farnborough airfield available to general aviation traffic.

We have no plans to make Farnborough airfield available for general aviation use.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are his intentions for the future of the land which he still owns at the former RAF, Stradishall, giving details of the numbers and types of exercises of armoured fighting vehicles he plans to arrange, and the safeguards that he is proposing to protect local people and the environment from nuisance.

It is intended to use the 550 acres still owned by the Ministry of Defence at the former Royal Air Force station at Stradishall as a local training area for Army units.Planning clearance has been sought from the St. Edmundsbury district council in the normal way to cover this use.Under current plans about six vehicles, some of which would be rubber-tracked Scorpion light armoured vehicles, would use the site daily and on about eight occasions each year it is planed to use Stradishall for major exercises. These would be of approximately 48 hours duration and on these occasions up to 100 vehicles could take part.There will be no live firing although blank ammunition, smoke and flares will be used periodically during exercises. Because of the small number of troops using the site at any one time it is extremely doubtful whether any of those living in close proximity to the area will be inconvenienced by its use as a training area. It is planned to establish clumps of woodland and to seed down to grass some 200 acres of the airfield, while a further 300 acres will be licensed for arable cultivation.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Government are satisfied with the rate of progress of work on the Brecon bypass; what was the original date of anticipated completion; and what is now expected to be the completion date.

Yes. The original contract completion date was 16 April 1980. The completion date has since been extended to 20 May 1980, because of adverse weather. Given favourable conditions during the winter the bypass should be ready for opening in May.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he proposes to provide financial assistance for the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Subject to the approval of Parliament I propose to offer the Eisteddfod council financial assistance of up to £70,000 in the current financial year and up to £120,000 in 1980–81. Furthermore, I propose to tell the Eisteddfod authorities that they can plan for the future in the expectation of limited financial assistance from the Welsh Office on an annual basis subject to advance approval of their proposals and to public expenditure constraints. I hope that this will enable them to formulate long term plans so that the Eisteddfod can continue on a realistic and financially sound footing.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why it was not possible to keep his Department's arrangements for a follow-up meeting with representatives of university teaching staff in relation to their pay claim during the month of August; and when he expects this matter to be concluded.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 October to a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mr. Rhodes James) I would only add that there was no commitment by the Department to hold a meeting in August.—[Official Report, Vol. 972, C. 255.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he has not yet made a pay offer to Committee A of the university teachers national negotiating machinery in respect of a pay settlement due on 1 October 1979; and when he expects to be in a position to do so.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mr. Rhodes James) on 25 October—[Official Report Vol. 922, c. 255.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his plans for State-assisted places in private schools; whether any such expenditure will be deducted from grants to the relevant local education authority; and if these authorities can use the scheme at their own discretion.

Provision for the establishment of a scheme of assisted places at independent schools is included in the Education (No. 2) Bill which is published today. Government support for the scheme will be provided independently of the rate support grant to local authorities. My right hon. and learned Friend hopes that there will be co-operation between local education authorities and participating schools, and he will take account of the views of authorities concerning the operation of the scheme in their area, but the scheme will be established and operated through agreements between the Secretary of State and participating schools and will not be under the control of local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the proportion of children taking up places at university, divided into those from areas with selective schools and those from areas without selective schools, for each of the last 10 years.

I regret that information is not available to answer the question in precisely the form asked. However, the proportions of leavers from comprehensive schools and from selective schools—that is grammar, secondary modern, technical and other secondary schools added together—in England and Wales entering degree courses at universities for each of the last 10 years are given below:

	Comprehensive schools Per cent.	Selective schools Per cent.
1978	4·2	7·0
1977	3·9	6·2
1976	3·9	6·6
1975	3·5	5·6
1974	3·5	5·2
1973*	5·5	7·8
1972	3·6	5·0
1971	3·6	5·3
1970	3·8	5·0
1969	3·4	4·9
* The percentages for 1973 are not comparable with those for other years as the total number of leavers was reduced by the raising of the school leaving age.

As the information is based upon a 10 per cent. sample of school leavers each year, the percentages are subject to sampling error and undue reliance should not be placed upon the figures after the decimal points.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in view of the £140,000 grant made available from funds in the United States of America for research into the causes of retinitis pigmentosa, with reference to possible links between the eyes and the ears, he will make similar funds available from his Department for research in the field.

Although some research on retinitis pigmentosa is independently supported by charitable and voluntary organisations, the medical research council is the main source in the United Kingdom of public funds for research in this field. The council is always prepared to consider supporting any soundly-based projects of potential value for the effective treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, but it is not its practice to allocate specific funds until detailed scientific proposals have been scrutinised. The council's current grant support for work in the field totals some £135,000, and a further £39,000 per annum is being provided for work at the council's clinical and population cytogenetics unit on a search for genetic markers for the condition.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many electricity consumers claimed discounts under the 1979 scheme; at what total cost; what was the average discount; and how these figures compare with those for 1978.

Electricity Board	1979	1978
London	109,199	35,025
South Eastern	141,641	33,062
Southern	140,673	31,326
South Western	100,585	28,206
East Midlands	102,466	24,765
Eastern	196,212	53,153
Midlands	160,875	43,979
South Wales	46,968	15,768
North Western	146,070	42,327
Yorkshire	134,571	42,981
North Eastern	79,395	22,999
Merseyside and North Wales	91,583	28,322
South of Scotland	187,078	53,623
North of Scotland	51,101	15,666
TOTALS	1,688,417	471,202
In addition some 70,000 consumers claimed the discount in Northern Ireland (41,377 in 1978) and some 491,000 cash discounts were paid by post offices (206,000 in 1978).

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received about proposals to increase gas prices; and if he will make a statement.

I have received representations from a number of individuals and organisations on the question of gas prices. The Government are studying these in the context of overall energy policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which did not take up their full financial allocation under the Homes Insulation Act during the financial year 1978–79.

Some 2¼ million consumers claimed the electricity discount at a total cost of £18 million, and the discount averaged £8. This compares with 718,000 discounts claimed in 1978 at a cost of £5·3 million, with an average discount of £7·44. The 1978 scheme did not extend as in 1979 to recipients of rate or rent rebate or rent allowance.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many consumers claimed electricity discounts in each board area under the 1979 scheme compared with the corresponding figures for 1978.

Following is the information:

This information is not available, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the financial allocations made for each London borough under the Homes Insulation Act during the current financial year.

These were made available in the Library on 5 September as part of the revised housing capital programme allocations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the total sum allocated for grants under the Homes Insulation Act during the current financial year; and how many dwellings are expected to be insulated as a result;(2) how the average grant made under the Homes Insulation Act related to the

estimated cost of providing adequate loft insulation in an average three-bedroomed house in (

The allocation for 1979–80 is about £25·4 million at 1979–80 outturn prices. This is sufficient to provide grants for about 500,000 dwellings. The average grant paid between September 1978 and June 1979 was £38, and the cost of insulating the loft of an average three-bedroomed house with a contractor was (a) £58–£63 and (b) £71.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total sum allocated for grants under the Homes Insulation Act during the financial year 1978–79; how much of this was taken up; and how many dwellings were insulated as a result.

The allocation for 1978–79 was about £22 million of which £8·4 million was taken up in grants for insulating about 220,000 dwellings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what specific proposals he has for bringing small plots of undeveloped inner city land into use.

The partnership and programme authorities have powers, including those in the Inner Urban Areas Act, to encourage development. Urban programme resources can be used to support local authority action, and derelict land grant is also available in suitable cases for the prepartion of sites.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had or intends to have with the British Paraplegic Sports Society following the organisation's decision to ban from all international competition Mrs. Maggie Jones of Edinburgh for distributing antiapartheid leaflets at the European paraplegic championships.

It is not for me to intervene in disputes between individual sportsmen and sportswomen and their governing bodies, and I have no plans to do so in this particular instance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what Government support is currently being given to the British Paraplegic Sports Society; and if he will consider his Department's position in this respect in light of the recent ban from international competition of Mrs. Maggie Jones of Edinburgh.

All Government funds for sport are disbursed by the Sports Council, an independent body under its Royal Charter. It gives no administrative grant to the British Paraplegic Sports Society, although it gives financial assistance in the preparation, training and travel to international paraplegic sports meetings. I understand that the level of financial support for the current year has not yet been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the cost of the abolition of the domestic rate element on residential properties; and how much the rate of (a) value added tax or (b) the standard rate of income tax would need to be increased to provide an equivalent sum to compensate local authorities.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mr. Craigen) on 4 July 1979 and to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Worcestershire, South (Mr. Spicer) on 10 July.—[Vol. 969, c. 613, and Vol. 970, c. 149–150.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with Derbyshire county council regarding the road B6042 which passes Creswell Crags; and whether he will ensure that the historic site of Creswell Crags is reopened to all the public at the earliest opportunity.

The B6042 has had to be closed because of the danger from rocks falling from the Crags. The only solution would seem to be to realign the road. Earlier this year, the East Midlands regional director of the Departments of the Environment and Transport discussed with the county council, whose responsibility the road is, ways of financing this work. No source of funds has yet been discovered

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report on the future of Witley Court, Worcestershire, commissioned from Mr. Donald Insull.

I referred to the difficult technical problems posed by Witley Court in answer to a previous question from my hon. Friend on 18 June 1979. The consultant expects to complete an interim appraisal of these problems by December. The Department will not publish this appraisal. It will form the basis for more detailed assessments and plans, including consultations with interested parties.—[Vol. 968, c. 443.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in the light of the concern among council tenants throughout the United Kingdom over the non-implementation of the Housing Bill of the previous Administration, whether he intends to introduce similar provisions; and whether the cost of a further "Tenants' Charter" can be justified.

Yes. The Government will introduce a tenants' charter as part of their forthcoming Housing Bill. The proposed provisions of the tenants' charter are set out in a consultation paper, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. We consider the cost to be fully justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will carry out an inquiry into the effectiveness of his Department's East Midland's region (planning) office at Cranbrook House, Nottingham, in the light of the fact that no inspection was carried out within six months, under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, of the Oadby (Beaumont Street) Tree Preservation Order 1978 site, despite proper notification having been given, resulting in the lapsing of the order and the felling of the trees in question by a developer.

I am writing to my hon. Friend about this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of operating rent assessment committees in the most recent annual period for which figures are available: and what were the comparable totals for each of the previous five years.

No separate costs for the operation of rent assessment committees are available because the committees are drawn from rent assessment panels which also provide rent tribunals. The cost of rent assessment panels in England for the last financial year and the five preceding financial years are shown below:

	£ million (outturn figures)
1978–79	1·7
1977–78	1·7
1976–77	1·8
1975–76	1·9
1974–75	2·1
1973–74	1·3

It should also be noted that in the years 1974–75 and 1973–74 the panels were charged with functions in respect of local authority housing under the Housing Finance Act 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many cases were considered by the rent assessment committees in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and what were the comparable totals in each of the previous five years.

Following is the information requested:

Cases referred to rent assessment committees in England
October 1978—September 1979	7,787
October 1977—September 1978	9,547
October 1976—September 1977	12,045
October 1975—September 1976	12,089
October 1974—September 1975	9,997
October 1973—September 1974	7,186

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will investigate the mysterious death of thousands of birds in the Mersey estuary; and what steps he is taking to trace the source of the pollution causing these deaths.

An exhaustive investigation is being carried out by the North-West Water Authority in co-operation with local industry and other statutory and voluntary bodies. The Department is keeping in close touch with progress.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is satisfied with the system whereby individual number plates can be retained; and whether he has plans to facilitate their transfer.

We have called for a review of the present arrangements. This is bound to take time, but we shall announce our conclusions as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is satisfied that the legal requirement of at least 1mm. of rubber on the tread of a tyre is enough to encourage safety.

I am satisfied that this is a reasonable standard. Research by the transport and road research laboratory suggests that there would be no significant safety advantage in increasing the minimum tread depth.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has completed his review of the orange badge scheme; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet) on 24 October.—[Vol. 972, c. 203–4.]

asked the Minister of Transport if, in view of the recent level of accidents involving motor coaches and taking into particular account the number of accidents where no other vehicles were involved he will set up a public inquiry into coach safety.

All coach accidents resulting in injury are investigated by the police, and where deaths occur they are the subject of examination by a coroner's court, the findings of which are made public. If there is any suspicion of a vehicle defect, there is also a thorough investigation by one of the Department's vehicle examiners, and the results of these investigations are made available to coroners. They are also closely monitored by the Department which keeps the relevant regulations under review and, through its vehicle examiners, conducts regular inspections of public service vehicles. Strict penalties can be and are imposed if a coach operator fails to comply with the licensing requirements to maintain vehicles in a safe condition. Despite some recent very regrettable accidents the general trend in coach accidents is downwards. All in all, therefore, I do not consider that a special public inquiry would be justified.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider the need for another Severn bridge.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided to put in hand an initial study to look at the potential need for a further Severn crossing and the form this might take. We have set up an official working party to examine the likely development of traffic flow and the capacity of the existing crossings—i.e. by road via the Severn bridge and Gloucester, and the railway tunnel—and the access routes. The working party will also consider the terms of reference for a full feasibility study in the light of its initial findings and of wider planning considerations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table of charters and Orders in Council which currently apply to the Channel Islands.

I regret that this information cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of sales of firearms, shotguns and air weapons, for each year since 1974.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the national total of gun licences issued for the year 1966–67, and the national total of firearms and shotgun certificates issued for the year 1967–68; and how these figures compare with those for the last year for which figures are available.

The issue of firearms and shotgun certificates is a matter for individual chief officers of police, and the full information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost. I shall, however, send to the hon. Member such information as is available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a statutory requirement for gun dealers to retain their records for a specified length of time.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions he has given to the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis concerning consultations with locally elected representatives and Members of Parliament in respect of proposals to close police stations.

The Commissioner has conducted a study of local policing arrangements, including such matters as the distribution of work between police stations. Proposals for change have been the subject of consultations with various local interests. Since operational considerations are primarily involved these are matters for the Commissioner rather than me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to issue a statement of his policy on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on gambling; and if he will defer his statement until the report has been debated by the House.

I made a statement of policy on the Royal Commission's recommendation for a British horse racing authority in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond. Yorks. (Sir T. Kitson) on 19 July. Proposals to implement some of the recommendations on lotteries are contained in a consultative document issued on 22 October. As announced in the Business Statement on 25 October, the House is to debate on 29 October a motion to take note of the Royal Commission's report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total sum which has been raised from the public for charitable and sporting purposes by pools operated under the Pool Competition Act 1971; and what proportion of the total has accrued to charitable and sporting organisations, respectively.

I understand that between 1971 and 1978 £26·8 million out of a total revenue of £178·6 million was applied for the benefit of charities and sport. £21·2 million—79 per cent.—went to charitable organisations and £5·6 million—21 per cent.—to sporting organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from charitable and sporting bodies operating pools under the Pool Competition Act 1971 about the proposals contained in the Royal Commission report on gambling; and if he will make a statement.

Representations have been made to the effect that the Government should not accept the Royal Commission's recommendation that the Act should be allowed to lapse, and that a decision ought, in any case, not to be taken separately from decisions on other recommendations, such as those on lotteries. The Government have taken no decision yet on the future of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish the entitlement of citizens of the Irish Republic to vote in United Kingdom elections in his forthcoming nationality Bill.

I would not think it appropriate to deal with any voting entitlements in a nationality Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of citizens of the Irish Republic who voted in the United Kingdom general election of 3 May.

None; citizens of the Irish Republic are not separately identified on the electoral register and information is not available to make a reliable estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date he expects his policies on immigration to be fully implemented.

I shall be publishing a White Paper on changes in the immigration rules in a few weeks' time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further consideration he has given to the possible introduction of citizens band radio in the United Kingdom: and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Scunthorpe (Mr. Brown) on 22 October.—[Vol. 972, c. 7.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the annual cost of operating the Equal Opportunities Commission; and what estimate he has made of the cost in 1980.

In the present financial year, the expenditure of the Equal Opportunities Commission is expected to be £2,588,000. Estimated expenditure for 1980–81 is currently being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement of his policy on the future of the Equal Opportunities Commission.

I have reviewed the future of the Equal Opportunities Commission and am satisfied that it has a continuing role.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if his Department has access to EEC accounts; what recommendations his Department has made about the way in which such accounts are kept and audited; and if he will make a statement.

Questions relating to the keeping and auditing of EEC accounts are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. On the substance of this question, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him yesterday by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, and to that given by my right hon. and learned Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, today.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what funds have been made available in the past three years for the development of technology appropriate to Third world countries; and if he envisages any changes in the future pattern of any such aid.

It is estimated that total spending on intermediate technologies from the aid programme amounted to £1·5 million in 1976–77, £1·9 million in 1977–78, and £2·7 million in 1978–79.Of this expenditure, ODA's programme to promote intermediate technologies through the intermediate technology development group, which began in 1977, accounted for £0·1 million in 1977–78 and £0·4 million in 1978–79.The future size and form of ODA's support for appropriate technologies is currently under review.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement covering the agreements reached concerning the second Lomé convention; where and when these details have been published by Her Majesty's Government; and if he will state in the Official Report the principal changes made in the existing arrangements.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave on 29 June to my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Whitney) and on 11 July to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara).Following the EEC-ACP negotiating conference held in Brussels from 25–27 June the ACP re-opened discussions with the Community on a number of points, nearly all of which have been resolved. Provisional agreement has meanwhile been reached on the date for signature of the new convention, which is due to take place in Lomé on 31 October. After signature the text of the new convention will be presented to Parliament, in the normal way, as a Command Paper, together with all the related documents, and the necessary steps will then be taken with a view to ratification.The main features of Lomé II are as follows:(

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list each Commonwealth country whose citizens' or male citizens' children born in the United Kingdom are entitled under the law of that country to citizenship.

Citizenship laws of Commonwealth countries appear to provide for acquisition of citizenship by a legitimate child born overseas to its citizens who are themselves citizens by birth in the following circumstances:

If both parents are citizens by birth: Ghana, Nauru.

If either parent is a citizen by birth: Australia, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu.

If only the father is a citizen by birth: Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, Fiji, The Gambia, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierre Leone, Singapore, Southern Rhodesia, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, Western Samoa, Zambia.

Where the parent or parents are citizens by descent, the position is more complex.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many refugees from the Far East have been accepted for settlement since 1 January by each European nation, including the Soviet Union, by Libya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Cuba.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the numbers of refugees from Indo-China accepted for resettlement between 1 January 1979 and 30 September 1979 are as follows:

Austria	196
Belgium	486
Denmark	702
Finland	100
France	10,965
Federal Republic of Germany	5,552
Greece	52
Republic of Ireland	109
Italy	1,399
Luxembourg	45
Netherlands	734
USSR and other Eastern and Western European countries	No figures available
Libya
Nigeria
Tanzania
Cuba
Canada	12,011
Australia	9,594
New Zealand	580
Norway	504
Sweden	689
Switzerland	1,707

The number accepted into the United Kingdom in the same period was 2,799.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what are his reasons for reducing the size of the deputy high commission staff in Madras; and what are his current plans for representation in that port.

The reduction in the staff of the Office of the British Deputy High Commissioner in Madras forms part of a wider package of economy measures affecting our representation overseas. These have involved the closure of some posts and reductions in others.The exact future staffing level of the Office in Madras has still to be decided.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the proposed international regime for controlling the exploitation of resources of the deep sea bed.

At the resumed eighth session of the United Nations law of the sea conference, held in New York from 19 July to 24 August, further progress was made towards reaching agreement on an internationally acceptable regime for the exploitation of the mineral resources of the deep sea bed. Details are given in the conference document A/Conf. 62/91, which is being placed in the LibraryThe remaining issues will be discussed at the ninth session of the conference, starting on 3 March 1980. It remains Her Majesty's Government's objective to reach agreement on a regime which would allow for assured access to deep sea bed minerals by States, public corporations and private companies as well as the proposed international mining enterprise.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he has any evidence that the East German troops in Angola, particularly near Ongiwa, and in Mozambique are being deployed in connection with offensive actions against Rhodesia; and if the numbers and types of units deployed constitute a threat to that country.

We have no evidence to suggest that East German personnel in Angola and Mozambique are engaged in offensive action against Rhodesia or constitute a threat to that country.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what restrictions have been placed by the Governments of Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, respectively, on the transmission of profits to Great Britain by British-owned companies; and if he will make a statement.

As regards Nigeria, there are no restrictions on the remittance of dividends. For management and technical fees the maximum remittance allowed is 3 per cent of net profit. There are also restrictions on the remittance of proceeds of indigenisation: only 300,000 naira may be remitted every six months from the proceeds of the sale of shares. A maximum of 30 per cent of consultancy fees may be remitted.There are no particular restrictions on transmission of profits from Ghana and Tanzania. But in both cases remittance of funds is subject to foreign exchange being made available.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will take steps to raise standards of safety, employment protection and trade union rights in Hong Kong to those of the United Kingdom.

These are matters for the Hong Kong Government. The progress being made in these fields is illustrated by the steadily increasing number of International Labour Organisation conventions being applied in the territory. Hong Kong's record compares favourably with that of any country in the region.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many British companies have been affected by the policy of the Nigerian Government to nationalise a percentage of foreign-owned companies; and if he is satisfied with the arrangements for compensation and for the transmission of such compensation to the United Kingdom.

A list of 993 foreign enterprises affected by the Nigerian enterprises promotion decree of 1977 was published by the Nigerian authorities on 6 April 1978: a copy has been placed in the Library. I regret that information on which of the companies listed involves British interests is not readily available, and could not be provided without disproportionate cost. The decree required all foreign-owned companies to sell a proportion of their shares to Nigerian citizens. So far as I am aware, nearly all the firms involved have now complied with the decree, and in no case have we been asked to make formal representations.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he proposes to set up a fund to compensate landowners in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia; what would be its purpose; and what would be the estimated cost to public funds of the British contribution.

No. If the future Government of a legally independent Zimbabwe should establish an institution to plan, finance and implement an agricultural settlement and development programme which might include the purchase of land, we would be prepared to contribute to the programme from within the overseas aid budget.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when health and safety regulations affecting homeworkers will be finalised by the Health and Safety Commission.

I am informed by the chairman that the Health and Safety Commission expects to begin consultations on draft regulations early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications for compensation under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 have been received by his Department so far; how many of these have been accepted for further investigation: and how many have been rejected.

2,179 applications have so far been received; 149 applicants have been told that they do not appear to satisfy one or more of the basic entitlement conditions. The remaining 2,030 applications are still under consideration, but a number of these applicants also will almost certainly fail to satisfy the entitlement conditions, in particular because not every relevant employer will have ceased to carry on business.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) to what extent his Department is assisting the 1979 campaign to inform employers on how to meet their responsibilities for the employment of disabled people; and if he will make a statement:(2) if he will seek to establish a system of public commendation to employers who pursue successful policies in the employment of disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Dunbartonshire, East on 12 July, if he will give the reasons why the Health and Safety Executive has no plans to publish a full list of known and highly suspect cancer agents based on human experience and animal experimentation, having regard to its published statement in December 1977 that there was a growing list of substances and processes to which varying degrees of suspicion of causing cancer were attached.

I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that various lists of substances suspected of causing cancer in animals or man have already been published. A very extensive list covering several thousands of chemicals for which there is any evidence at all of carcinogenic activity in animals has been published by the National Insurance of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States.In Great Britain, the Health and Safety Executive has already published a short list of 40 chemicals and processes which have been proved to cause, or are highly suspect of causing, cancer in man or animals in its Guidance Note EH 15/73, "Threshold Limit Values for 1978".In addition, the Health and Safety Executive is considering, as part of the proposed carcinogenic substances regulations, the inclusion, as schedules to the regulations, of lists of carcinogenic substances to which the regulations would apply.The Health and Safety Executive considers therefore that no useful purpose would be served by the publication of yet another list similar to or identical with that published in the United States of America and referred to by the hon. Member in his question of 12 July 1979.—[Vol. 970, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now repeal all or part of the Baking Industry (Hours of Work) Act 1954.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 22 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Scunthorpe (Mr. Brown).—[Vol. 792. c. 25.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will review his policy of reducing the Manpower Services Commission budget in the light of representations he has received regarding the discontinuation of OUTSET's surveys of the disabled, especially in the North of England.

[pursuant to his reply 23 October 1979, c. 22]: No. There has been no general policy decision to exclude OUTSET surveys of the disabled.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the heavy losses sustained by hill farmers, in particular during the earlier part of 1979, he will now increase hill livestock compensatory allowances to their current permissible maximum of £33·92 per breeding cow and £5·08 per hardy breeding ewe with immediate, retrospective effect.

The review of hill livestock compensatory allowances is in progress, and my right hon. Friend intends to announce the Government's decision before the end of November.

asked the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (1) to what purposes apples taken out of commercial supply under the EEC intervention scheme in Suffolk since its inception have been put;(2) what quantity of apples has been destroyed in Suffolk under the EEC intervention scheme in each calendar month since the scheme began.

Records are not kept on a county basis, and I regret that to extract figures for Suffolk could be done only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what quantities of skimmed milk powder have been denaturised in Suffolk under the EEC intervention scheme in each calendar month since the scheme began;(2) what is the approximate value, at current prices, of skimmed milk powder denaturised under the EEC intervention scheme in Suffolk since the scheme's inception.

Records are not kept on a county basis, and I regret that to extract figures for Suffolk could only be done at disproportionate cost.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will seek to ensure that the European Community will not sell further butter to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics at reduced prices and that any butter surplus will be made available to Community members at the reduced rate in order that the butter can be sold to those in need and in low-income groups.

My right hon. Friend raised the question of butter sales to Russia at the meetings of the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 18 September and 15–16 October and made clear his opposition to such sales. As a result of his initiative, an export licensing system for butter, which will enable the position to be monitored more closely, has been introduced, and consideration is being given to the disposal of old butter stocks rather than fresh butter. He emphasised, however, the need to eliminate surpluses so as to make such sales unnecessary and has asked for a general review of surplus disposal arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give an estimate of the proportion of patients that is treated in the smaller cottage and community hospitals compared with that treated at district and general hospitals; and if he will give the proportions of surgical operations performed in each group and the percentage of acute beds in each group.

The hospital classification scheme under which statistics are collected by the Department does not identify hospitals as "cottage", "community" or "district general". Using available classifications, some estimate could be made of the number of patients treated in hospitals in particular size ranges, but the cost involved would be considerable.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds are available for the treatment of psycho-geriatric patients in each of the area health authorities per 1,000 population.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the mortality and incidence statistics for myeloid leukaemia in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Barrow-in-Furness, Glasgow and Exeter for each year since 1969.

Available statistics are as follows:

DEATHS FROM MYELOID LEUKAEMIA
NUMBERS AND RATES PER MILLION POPULATION 1969–77
NUMBERS	Greater London	Birmingham	Liverpool	Manchester	Barrow in Furness	Exeter	Glasgow
Males
1969	122	17	8	9	—	2	7
1970	113	17	13	4	1	1	9
1971	124	18	11	6	—	2	12
1972	134	13	11	8	1	1	8
1973	147	19	11	11	2	1	10
1974	125	21	11	6	4	3	10
1975	134	22	10	9	2	2	13
1976	122	13	11	4	1	4	17
1977	132	20	12	10	1	4	17
Females
1969	116	18	8	6	—	2	3
1970	115	18	14	7	—	2	5
1971	141	8	7	2	2	4	10
1972	140	19	9	8	—	5	8
1973	140	24	8	9	1	—	12
1974	119	17	15	7	1	3	12
1975	126	23	16	7	—	2	8
1976	140	19	12	13	—	2	14
1977	141	12	11	4	—	1	17