asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will make a statement about his Department's cash limits for the financial year 1979–80 and, in particular, the effect on grant available to universities in that year.

I have reviewed the cash limit for Vote 4—Universities etc—announced in the Government's White Paper on cash limits (Cmnd. 7604) to take account of the revised forecast cost of pay settlements in the financial year 1979–80. The cash limit has been increased to £872.730 million. Subject to parliamentary approval, the recurrent grant available to the University Grants Committee for distribution to universities will be increased by £31.85 million. This announcement should enable delayed pay negotiations to be resumed soon. The only other change is in the cash limit on DES/LAI—value of building projects started—which is being revised from £234.6 million to £201.6 million to reflect the reduction in the education building programme for 1979–80 announced in June.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will institute a programme of collecting accident statistics in educational establishments.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cutback in school supervisory staff; and if he is satisfied that adequate safeguards against playground injuries will remain.

My Department's estimates for educational expenditure in 1980–81 do not assume any cutback by local authorities in midday supervisory staff, though it will be for individual authorities to decide how to make the required reduction in expenditure. I am confident that local authorities will continue to ensure that pupils are safeguarded against playground accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list his Department's responsibilities relating to children and the statutes from which these arise showing which branch or division within his Department and which Minister deals with each of these responsibilities; who is responsible for co-ordinating the various responsibilities relating to children within his Department; and who is responsible for co-ordinating his responsibilities for children with those of other Departments.

My Department is concerned with the education of children from the age of 2 and its responsibilities arise from the Education Acts 1944–1979. My noble Friend, the Minister of State has special responsibility for school and pre-school matters. There are three schools branches which have responsibility for questions relating to pupils in primary and secondary education. The branch with the main interest in the subject matter assumes a co-ordinating role. My colleagues and I discuss matters relating to children with Ministers of other Depart- ments whenever necessary and there is day-to-day contact between Departments at official level.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received and what personal meetings he or any of his colleagues have had with those responsible for providing further and higher education concerning the interrelated interest of overseas students, Her Majesty's Government and institutions of higher and further education.

My right hon. and learned Friend has received representations from about 160 organisations and individuals including the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, the Trades Union Congress, the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, the United Kingdom Council for Overseas Student Affairs and the National Union of Students. He has had meetings with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the difficulties experienced by the parents of children attending denominational schools who find that the cost of travel is high on account of the distance to these schools, if he will make special provision for these children; and if he will make a statement.

There is provision within the Education Acts empowering local education authorities to assist parents by paying all or part of the reasonable home to school travelling expenses of their children, and authorities make use of these powers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which are the two schools for which he has, since 4 May, declined to approve proposals submitted under section 13 of the Education Act 1944 for cessation of maintenance by local education authorities; and, in each case, what were the grounds for his decision.

The two schools concerned were Spring Park upper school, Bromley and Park Street CE (aided) primary school, Cambridge.In considering closure proposals generally, my right hon. and learned Friend has to weigh a whole series of factors—the fall in rolls in a particular area; the quality of education in the schools and in the alternative schools; the condition of the buildings; the savings to be made, the weight of objections; the value of the school to the community and other factors. He concluded in these cases that the balance lay in favour of rejection.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with the Medical Research Council on its research programme; and how he expects the research programme to be affected by the cut in the grant to the Medical Research Council.

The Advisory Board for the Research Councils—ABRC—advises my right hon. and learned Friend on the distribution of the science budget after considering the forward plans of the research councils and other bodies financed from the science budget, and in conjunction with them. The medical research council, like the other research councils, is free to deploy the funds thus provided amongst its research programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he is satisfied with the numbers of qualified physics teachers in schools; what were the numbers of physics teachers entering secondary schools for the years 1974 to 1979; what percentage of those teaching physics in secondary schools are unqualified in the subject; and what percentage of physics classes in secondary schools are taken by unqualified teachers;(2) what were the numbers of chemistry teachers entering secondary schools for the years 1974 to 1979; what percentage of those teaching chemistry in secondary schools are unqualified in the subject; and what percentage of chemistry classes in secondary schools are taken by unqualified teachers.

My right hon. and learned Friend is not satisfied with the number of qualified physics teachers in schools. Some of the information is not available in the form requested. The most recent information on shortage comes from the 1977 secondary school staffing survey which showed:

	Percentage of teachers teaching subject without a qualification in it	Percentage of all tuition given in the subject by unqualified teachers
Physics	32	22
Chemistry	21	10

The number of physics and chemistry teachers entering secondary schools between the years 1974 and 1979 is not held by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to increase the number of qualified teachers of physics and chemistry in secondary schools.

Teacher training institutions have been asked to give priority to the shortage subjects, including physics and chemistry, within the reduced training system. Retraining courses continue to be available for qualified teachers, as do Manpower Services Commission awards and grants for training and retraining mature people with appropriate backgrounds and experience to become teachers of these subjects.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has made any estimates of the number of courses that will have to close down, the number of staff redundancies and the number of universities that will close if there is a fall in student numbers of 5 per cent., 10 per cent., 15 per cent. or 20 per cent in the current year over 1978.

No. It is estimated that the number of full-time and sandwich course students in universities in the current academic year exceeds that for 1978–79 by about 1 per cent., so the various percentage reductions in student numbers hypothesised in the question are not pertinent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he has any proposals to extend the basic adult education to assist the long-term unemployed to acquire marketable skills.

It is for local education authorities to determine how far they can extend the provision they make to help adult students improve their standards of literacy and basic mathematics, and their ability to find jobs. My right hon. and learned Friend is studying the case for some continued central support for work in adult literacy and in work related to the basic skills needed for employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will make a statement on the current state of negotiations regarding the university teacher's pay settlement; whether he will allow the university employers to restore the value of the Leggatt arbitration award; and whether he will consider, with the agreement of the parties, referring this matter to the Clegg Commission on pay comparability.

Negotiations are to be resumed next week. My right hon. and learned Friend will undoubtedly consider referring the university teachers to the Standing Commission on pay comparability. If such a reference were made, it would rest with the Commission to recommend the appropriate pay levels at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the level of public expenditure on the provision of school meals in Great Britain and in each of the EEC member nations.

[pursuant to his reply 21 November 1979, c. 189] gave the following revised information: Net expenditure on the school meals service in England and Wales in 1978–79 was £400 million. The school meals service in Scotland is the responsibility of my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland. I have no information about expenditure on the school meals service in other EEC countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to ensure that jobs available match the numbers of people in the work force within the next decade.

No Government can ensure that the number of available jobs will equal the number of people in the work force. It is the Government's aim to provide the economic climate which will enable and encourage industry and commerce to expand and create the jobs which are likely to be needed in many parts of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will invite a member of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers to become a member of the Standing Commission on pay comparability.

No. I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave her on 16 November—[Vol. 973, c. 792.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the latest numbers of long-term unemployed by regions, sex and age group.

The following tables give for 11 October, the latest date for which the quarterly analysis is available, the number of people who had been registered as unemployed for more than 52 weeks, analysed by region, sex and age group:

MALES
			Under 18	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	60–64	65 and over	Total all ages
South-East		…	122	234	551	3,435	3,764	3,693	6,437	3,496	4,583	7,082	13,715	536	47,648
East Anglia		…	20	17	48	254	343	335	613	412	599	972	1,838	24	5,475
South-West		…	50	84	174	1,202	1,299	1,295	2,300	1,309	1,778	2,959	5,856	133	18,439
West Midlands		…	239	304	590	2,709	2,360	2,285	4,098	2,316	2,906	3,552	5,915	156	27,430
East Midlands		…	52	76	187	1,136	1,089	1,043	2,171	1,301	1,653	2,153	5,461	161	16,483
Yorkshire and Humberside			86	136	349	1,886	1,703	1,683	3,259	2,061	2,726	3,586	7,097	92	24,664
North-West		…	496	646	1,278	5,419	4,881	4,454	7,943	4,016	4,735	5,208	7,100	299	46,475
North	…	…	163	208	517	2,439	2,235	2,194	3,686	2,227	2,866	3,745	6,033	49	26,362
Wales	…	…	79	98	272	1,630	1,732	1,654	2,675	1,348	1,701	2,342	4,056	110	17,697
Scotland		…	358	322	796	3,669	3,202	3,075	6,137	3,354	3,601	3,979	5,666	115	34,324
Great Britain		…	1,665	2,125	4,762	23,779	22,658	21,711	39,319	21,840	27,148	35,578	62,737	1,675	264,997

FEMALES
				Under 18	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	60–64	Total all ages
South-East	…	…	…	114	201	395	1,768	1,140	844	1,445	1,117	1,707	2,775	155	11,661
East Anglia	…	…	…	21	26	56	182	135	93	186	138	216	395	11	1,459
South-West	…	…	…	85	106	173	849	535	343	582	444	689	1,170	56	5,032
West Midlands		…	…	256	308	552	1,964	899	589	1,008	692	953	1,311	67	8,599
East Midlands		…	…	72	93	232	695	410	316	539	374	507	709	38	3,985
Yorkshire and Humberside			…	154	171	410	1,313	598	422	667	581	872	1,222	38	6,448
North-West	…	…	…	441	526	878	2,714	1,385	954	1,403	934	1,187	1,800	93	12,315
North	…	…	…	163	166	451	1,405	760	421	666	532	753	972	40	6,329
Wales	…	…	…	122	150	283	1,106	683	478	659	418	512	691	20	5,122
Scotland	…	…	…	338	235	632	2,296	1,486	847	1,521	947	1,201	1,500	83	11,086
Great Britain		…	…	1,766	1,982	4,062	14,292	8,031	5,307	8,676	6,177	8,597	12,545	601	72,036

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ask the Manpower Services Commission to bring forward proposals to assist the long-term unemployed to acquire marketable skills and to become more mobile and adaptable.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the amount of mortgage assumed for the purpose of the retail price index; what weight is given in the index to the payment of mortgage interest; what is the assumed rate of interest; what effect each 1 per cent. change in interest rates has on the index; and whether account is taken of changes in taxation rates when calculating the effect of interest changes on the index.

The weight for mortgage interest, as with other items in the retail prices index, is calculated from actual payments by households in the family expenditure survey. It is based on average payments of mortgage interest after deduction of income tax relief, and in January 1979 was 31 in 1,000. The interest rate used is that recommended by the Building Societies Association; an increase of 1 per cent. in the mortgage interest rate would add about one quarter of 1 per cent. to the current level of the retail prices index. Changes in the basic rate of income tax are taken into account in the calculation of changes in mortgage interest payments.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are engaged in community industry.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that on 8 November 1979 there were 6,062 young people and 1,004 adults engaged in community industry in Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what redundancies have been notified to him under the 90-day rule with regard to the closure in November 1979 of the firm of Thomas Hadden of Edinburgh, craftsmen in metals and other materials.

I understand that Thomas Hadden employed less than 10 employees, and therefore was not required to notify redundancies to the Department of Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of people engaged in the special temporary employment programme.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that on 2 November 15,642 people were in employment supported under the special temporary employment programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish details in the Official Report of the qualifications and professional status of the members of the Clegg Commission.

I refer the hon. Lady to the replies which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Carlton (Mr. Holland on 10 July. I understand that as from 1 October Professor Clegg is a research fellow with the title of professor at Warwick university.—[Vol. 970, c. 135–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to enforce the 3 per cent. rule for the employment of disabled workers; how many prosecutions have been taken under the appropriate legislation; what was the number of offending firms; and if he will make a statement.

It is not an offence for an employer to have less than the 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled people. However, employers in this situation have certain obligations concerning the recruitment and retention of registered disabled workers. Infringement of these obligations is an offence under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and details of prosecutions under the Act were given on 12 November in my reply to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field).—[Vol. 973, c. 497–8.]I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) that an annual inquiry is made of employers subject to quota, that is, those with 20 or more workers, to determine their quota positions. Those employing less than 3 per cent. of registered disabled people are reminded of their obligations under the 1944 Act. The Act requires employers subject to quota to keep records, which are liable to inspection by officers authorised by the MSC. MSC's disablement resettlement officers are able to advise employers about the recruitment and retention of both registered and unregistered disabled people.Quota figures only reflect the employment of a minority of disabled people—those who choose to register and are employed in firms subject to quota. The number of registered disabled people is now insufficient to enable all employers subject to quota to satisfy the 3 per cent., although the majority of such employers would probably do so if all their disabled workers could be counted. The present quota scheme is therefore no longer fully effective as a method of protecting the employment prospects of disabled people generally. The MSC is therefore to review the scheme next year, and is at present considering comments on future policy options, expressed by a wide range of interested organisations and individuals in response to a discussion document which was issued in May.In the meantime, the MSC will continue to emphasise the importance of giving full and fair consideration in all aspects of employment to disabled people, whether registered or unregistered, in particular through its current "Fit for Work" campaign and award scheme, the response to which has so far been encouraging.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how the figure of £1,400 paid to the United Ulster Unionist Coalition in 1979 was calculated.

In accordance with the resolution of the House of 20 March 1975, as amended by the resolution of the House of 13 February 1978, the formula for calculating the amount of financial assistance to Opposition parties is as follows: £550 for each seat won by the party concerned plus £1·10 for every 200 votes cast for it at the preceding general election.The figure of £1,400, which is within the maximum allowance calculated in accordance with this formula, is the amount of expenses claimed by the United Ulster Unionist Coalition for the quarter ending 31 March 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has completed his review of the functions of Welsh local authorities; and whether he will make a statement.

After consulting the local authority organisations, I have decided that the present arrangements in relation to planning and highways functions should be improved in ways similar to those proposed for England by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Environmental Services in his statements on 18 July and 23 November.—[Vol. 970, c. 761–3; Vol. 974, c. 383–5.]The responsibility for development control will be placed entirely with district councils except for applications for the development of minerals, including rail aggregate depots, marine aggregate wharves and aggregates processing plants, and applications straddling the boundaries of national parks: these cases will be determined by county councils. Development control arrangements within the national parks will remain as at present. The county councils will have no formal powers of call-in or direction except for highway purposes. Districts will have the following statutory duties: to have regard to the provisions of structure plans; to adhere to prescribed departure procedures; and to consult county councils on strategic applications. Guidance on what should be regarded as strategic matters will be given in a code of practice which is being developed by a joint working party of the local authority associations and Government. We do not propose to change county or district councils' powers to acquire deemed planning permission for their own developments. In Wales, district councils will continue to determine private planning applications for waste disposal sites, since, unlike district councils in England, they are waste disposal authorities.As regards local plans and concurrent planning powers, the Government accept in principle, for Wales as well as for England, the proposals agreed by the local authority associations. We also propose to apply to Wales the same rationalisation of concurrent planning powers as is proposed for England.As regards arrangements for highways and traffic management, we have concluded that there are no grounds for transferring responsibilities to district councils; but we will look for ways of improving the operation of agency agreements between counties and districts, on the basis of the code of practice referred to by my right hon. Friend in his statements.I believe that these changes will result in an improvement in the service that Welsh local authorities give to the public. I am not proposing other changes at this time, because local government now needs a period of stability free from any major upheaval.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the effects in Wales of the public expenditure cuts for 1980–81 upon the job opportunities of those employed in the building and construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

The plans for capital programmes set out in the White Paper on public expenditure will alter the pattern of demand on the building and construction industry. The effect on employment in Wales, which depends on a variety of factors, cannot be estimated in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the planned capital expenditure on mining in Scotland for the current year; what proportion this represents of overall capital expenditure; and what proportion of coal pledged to the South of Scotland Electricity Board is being produced.

This is a matter for the National Coal Board and I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the average output per man over the last five years among miners employed by the National Coal Board.

Information on the average output per man year at NCB collieries is published in the Department's annual "Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics", copies of which are available in the Library of the House. For convenience, the figures for the past five financial years are given below:

	Output per man year* (tonnes)
1974–75	475
1975–76	463
1976–77	448
1977–78	442
1978–79	449
*Output of saleable coal divided by the average number of men on colliery books.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to encourage the oil companies to implement schemes similar to the disabled drivers checkpoint scheme introduced in Northampton by the Total Oil Company.

This socially responsible initiative is much to be commended and is an example to others in the industry. I trust that this question and answer will themselves encourage others to follow suit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many remands in custody are occasioned arising from the fact that the defence is unable to proceed.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much Mr. Anthony Blunt was paid by the KGB for spying.

I have nothing to add about the facts of this case to the statement of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 15 November and her speech in the debate on the Adjournment on 21 November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was allocated in the last financial year to each individual local authority for tackling various forms of racial disadvantage under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966; and what estimates he has of allocation under this section in the current financial year.

Under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 grants are paid to local authorities to meet 75 per cent. of eligible expenditure. The grants advanced to local authorities in respect of expenditure under section 11 in 1978–79, and the grants expected to be advanced in respect of this expenditure in 1979–80, are as follows:

	1978–79	1979–80
County Councils:	£	£
Avon	293,727	357,436
Bedfordshire	662,835	664,410
Berkshire	284,601	387,429
Buckinghamshire	209,876	227,179
Cambridgeshire	109,384	132,462
Derbyshire	309,150	416,644
Gloucestershire	41,917	42,525
Hampshire	51,403	51,473
Hertfordshire	117,590	119,040
Kent	56,229	63,680
Lancashire	516,037	523,665
Leicestershire	1,217,345	1,154,186
Northamptonshire	51,216	59,241
Nottinghamshire	429,990	445,114
Oxfordshire	47,534	55,215
Salop	4,163	4,206
Staffordshire	23,509	24,024
Suffolk	10,260	10,348
Warwickshire	187,070	197,653
West Sussex	3,229	3,388
Districts:
Aylesbury Vale DC	360	306
Birmingham, City of	1,718,968	1,959,502
Blackburn Borough	5,791	6,450

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research findings there are on the reconviction rates of offenders who have received attendance centre sentences.

There were two early studies of the reconviction rates of boys given attendance centre orders in the late 1950s and early 1960s and the report of the Advisory Council on the Penal System on "non-Custodial and Semi-Custodial Penalties" gave reconviction data on youths passing through the senior attendance centres in 1962 to 1965. The most recent information on reconviction rates relates to offenders given senior attendance centre orders in 1973. This was published in chapter 10 of "Prison Statistics, England and Wales 1977" (Cmnd. 7286). Some information about reconviction rates for offenders given attendance centre orders in January 1971 will be included in chapter 3 of "Previous Convictions, Sentence and Reconviction", No. 53 in the Home Office "Research Studies", which is due to be published in December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be signing the order for the ward boundary changes in the borough of Walsall.

PERSONS SERVING SENTENCES IN DEFAULT OF PAYMENT OF A FINE, THOSE COMMITTED FOR NON-PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE AND THOSE HELD UNDER THE IMMIGRATION ACT 1971 IN PRISON DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHMENTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES ON 30 JUNE 1979
Number of persons
Type of prisoner			Adult	Young Prisoners	Total
Prisoners under sentence—Fine defaulters	…	…	744	180	924
			Aged 21 and over	Aged under 21
Non-criminal prisoners*—Maintenance defaulters		…	170	—	170
Persons held under the Immigration Act 1971		…	170	16	186
* Within a total of 496 non-criminal prisoners after conviction for a misclassification of 90 criminal prisoners as non-criminal prisoners, which affected the answers to three questions on 8 November 1979.—[Vol. 973, c. 245–46.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adults and young offenders in prison department custody on 30 June, including fine defaulters, had been convicted of (a) drunkenness, (b) offences

An order implementing, with modifications, the new electoral arrangements proposed for Walsall by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England was made on 14 November 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the direction issued by the then Home Secretary (Sir David Maxwell Fyfe) to the director-general of the security services on 24 September 1952.

I have nothing to add to the speech of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in the debate on the Adjournment on 21 November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adults and young offenders in prison department custody on 30 June were imprisoned for (a) fine default and (b) maintenance defaults; and how many were imprisoned under the immigration laws.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 November 1979, c. 247]: The following table provides the information requested for fine defaulters. As the distinction between young offenders and adults applies only to sentenced prisoners, the information on maintenance defaulters and those held under the Immigration Act 1971 is divided between those aged under 21 years of age and those aged 21 or over.relating to prostitution, (

[pursuant to his reply, 8 November 1979, c. 247]: Information is not available in the form requested: several of the offences specified are not separately recorded centrally and separate statistics for adults and young offenders could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Provisional figures for those offences for which information is available are shown in the attached table.

PERSONS SERVING SENTENCES IN PRISON DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHMENTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES ON 30 JUNE 1979: BY TYPE OF OFFENCE*
All offences	35,702
Violence against the person:
Murder	1,090
Other homicide and attempted homcide	664
Wounding	3,631
Assaults	522
Cruelty to children	23
Other violence against the person	578
Sexual offence:
Buggery and indecency between males	293
Rape	577
Gross indecency with children	122
Other sexual offences	701
Burglary	10,352
Robbery	2,361
Theft, handling, fraud and forgery:
Theft of a motor vehicle	47
Taking and driving away	2,545
Other thefts	5,481
Handling stolen goods	758
Fraud	1,313
Forgery	170
Other offences:
Arson	328
Criminal damage	424
Drugs offences	772
Immigration Act 1971	25
In charge or driving under the influence of drink or drugs	136
Other motoring offences	524
Offences relating to prostitution	74
Drunkenness	124
Begging, sleeping out	10
Other	1,063
Not known	994
* Provisional estimates after correction for a misclassification of 90 criminal prisoners as non-criminal prisoners which affected the answers to three questions on 8 November 1979.—[Vol. 973, c. 245–46.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in prison department custody on 30 June were first, second, third, fourth, fifth and more than fifth time offenders.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 November 1979, c. 247]: Persons serving sentences in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 30 June 1979 by number of known previous convictions (1):

No previous convictions	2,090
One previous conviction	1,701
Two previous convictions	1,966
Three previous convictions	2,214
Four previous convictions	2,161
Five or more previous convictions	19,909
No information available	4,737
Total sentenced population (2)	34,778

(1) Provisional estimates after correction for a misclassification of 90 criminal prisoners as non-criminal prisoners which affected the answers to three questions on 8 November 1979 [Vol. 973, c.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the report of the Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship.

I am arranging for the report to be published today I would like to thank Professor Williams and his colleagues for the clear and incisive way in which their arguments are presented. The Government will want to make a careful study of the committee's proposals, and to take account of parliamentary and public opinion.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether the Government contemplate any changes in the financial arrangements for Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

Following the views expressed by the Public Accounts Committee in 1978 and the Expenditure Committee in 1977, the Government have decided that, subject to the approval of Parliament, Her Majesty's Stationery Office will be financed by means of a trading fund with effect from 1 April 1980.This decision continues the steps which have been taken in recent years to place the operations of the Department on a more commercial basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the statutory duties of regional authorities regarding the provision of individual subjects in Scottish secondary schools.

Under section 1 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1962, education authorities are required to secure that adequate and efficient provision is made for the teaching of Gaelic in Gaelic-speaking areas; and under section 8 of the Act an education authority may not discontinue religious

ROAD EXPENDITURE £'000—SCOTLAND
		New construction and improvements		Maintenance
	Total expenditure on public roads	Trunk roads	Other roads	Trunk roads	Other roads	Administration All roads
1976–77—
Tayside	32,615	22,158	2,470	1,285	2,621	2,426
Scotland	192,332	43,850	47,781	10,617	48,206	13,258
1977–78—
Tayside	34,812	22,762	1,569	1,043	4,549	2,302
Scotland	230,493	57,693	42,425	12,243	70,708	19,383
1978–79—
Tayside	*	19,828	*	1,570	*	*
Scotland	*	58,285	*	14,131	*	*
* Not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the amounts awarded last year by the Scottish Sports Council to organisations in Dundee.

Information about grants is in the Council's annual report for 1978–79, a copy of which has been sent by the council to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total expenditure on public roads in Tayside and Scotland in each year since 1976; and if he will provide a breakdown showing the amount spent on new construction and improvements, maintenance and administration.

The information for financial years 1976–77 and 1977–78 is set out below.For 1978–79 figures are shown for expenditure on trunk roads which are the responsibility of the Secretary of State; details of expenditure by local authorities on principal and other roads are not yet available.have been convicted of drunken driving in Dundee in each year since the introduction of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976.

The number of persons convicted of drunk driving in Dundee in the years 1976 to 1978 is as follows:

Year	Number of persons in Dundee1 convicted of drunk driving
1976	378
1977	395
1978	418
1The figures include offences of driving or being in charge of a motor vehicle when unfit to drive through drink or drugs; driving or being in charge of a motor vehicle when the

proportion of alcohol in the blood exceeds the prescibed limit; failing to provide a specimen of breath or urine for testing.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if private contractors carrying out reimbursable cost contracts for his Department will be subject to the cash limit constraints which apply to public sector employers, and in what way, or if such contractors will be automatically reimbursed for extra labour costs irrespective of the level of wage and salary settlements they may enter into.

There is a limit on the funds available in any one financial year to meet expenditure on contracts placed by Northern Ireland Departments. Any unexpected increase in the cost of existing contracts would reduce the volume of other work which could be undertaken in that year.Contractors carrying out reimbursable cost contracts, understood to mean prime cost contracts, will not be reimbursed automatically for extra labour costs irrespective of the level of their wage and salary settlements. Reimbursement of operatives' wages is in accordance with the conditions of contract which provide for increases only in accordance with the appropriate working rule agreement. The conditions for Northern Ireland Departments set by the Department of Finance exclude reimbursement of any increased costs in respect of salaried staff. Reimbursement is therefore controlled by the conditions of contract.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the advice given or instructions issued by the Department of Education regarding the closure of schools for the visit of His Holiness the Pope to the Irish Republic in 1979; and what discretion was given to schools principals.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1979, c. 551]: The Department of Education for Northern Ireland advised all schools authorities that any school which wished to close on 1 October might do so and that this closing should be regarded as exceptional and therefore additional to those holidays which are otherwise authorised under the Department's regulations for schools.It was a matter for individual school authorities to decide how much discretion should be given to school principals.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by the Northern Ireland Boundary Commission in the delineation of the new parliamentary constituencies; and whether he will make a statement.

The Boundary Commission informs me that it hopes to publish its draft proposals shortly after Christmas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many fishermen have been killed or seriously injured when boarding or leaving their vessels for each year since 1976; and what proportion occurred in British harbours.

The information as regards deaths is set out below. Figures for serious injuries are not available.

	Number of deaths on boarding		Number of deaths on going ashore
Year	British harbours	Other harbours	British harbours	Other harbours
1977	8	0	1	0
1978	1	0	0	0

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many British fishermen have died by accidental death in British-registered fishing vessels for each of the years since 1976.

The information is as follows:

Year	Total accidental deaths on United Kingdom registered fishing vessels
1977	25
1978	45

Information for 1979 is not yet available. The above figures cover trawlers and inshore boats and include deaths due to casualties to vessels and to missing at sea. Deaths due to disease, homicide and known suicides are excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the injuries and fatalities which occurred during fishing operations on seine net vessels for the current year and for each year from 1955 to 1978.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 November 1979, c. 529]: I regret that the information is not available in the detailed form requested. From 1958 onwards data as to fatal and non-fatal accidents were collected only in respect of deep sea trawlers and are available in the final report of the committee of inquiry into trawler safety (Cmnd. 4114) (1958–1967 inclusive) and in the Department of Trade publications "Deep sea trawlers—Casualties to vessels and accidents to men" (1967 to 1971 inclusive) and "Casualties to Vessels and Accidents to Men" (1972 to 1976 inclusive). The latter publication includes additionally data on fatal accidents on fishing vessels

			1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978
England and Wales	…	…	3	3	2	4	5	4	4	9	2	2
Scotland	…	…	—	—	—	—	—	—	5	21	3	6

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many members of the Price Commission are still holding office; and at what annual salary.

The membership of the commission was reduced to three on 1 August 1979 following the expiry of all but two of the member's appointments. The appointments of Mr. Leslie Pincott and Mr. Roger Opie were continued, but their annual salaries were scaled down to £3,856 and £2,670 respectively in order to reflect the reduced time which they now devote to the commission's work. Sir Nick Larmour was reappointed to the commission as the third member and has elected not to receive a salary.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what duties are currently being performed by (a) members and (b) staff of the Price Commission.

Members and staff are arranging for the orderly rundown of the commission's activities, fol

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish a table showing, for each of the last 10 years, the number of concerns in England, Scotland and Wales which have transferred their registration from the Companies Acts to the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts.

Separate statistics in respect of each country are not available. Figures for England and Wales together and for Scotland are published in the Department's annual report on companies. Details for the last 10 years are as follows:lowing my right hon. Friend's announcement on 15 May. The commission's report for the period 1 August to 31 October will be laid before Parliament shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the increase in the United Kingdom's deficit with the EEC Six in manufactured goods, less precious stones, in each year since 1970 and 1979 to date, in terms of 1978 prices; and to what he attributes the deterioration.

Information on the volume of United Kingdom trade is available only in aggregate and by broad commodity group in the United Kingdom statistics; information by market is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the meeting held with representatives of the Datsun Dealers' Association on 15 November; and if he will give details of any undertakings he may have made to them.

I met at their request representatives of dealers in Japanese cars, including Datsun, on 15 November 1979 to exchange views. The dealers drew attention to certain commercial problems which were causing them concern. I emphasised that these were not a matter for the Government but for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) to discuss with its Japanese counterpart.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) how many persons were disqualified from being directors by order of court pursuant to section 188 of the Companies Act 1948 in each of the years 1970 to 1978 and in 1979 to date;(2) how many persons were disqualified from being directors by order of court pursuant to section 28 of the companies Act 1976 and section 9 of the Insolvency Act 1976 in 1977, 1978 and 1979 to date.

The information available to the Department shows that the yearly figures of disqualification orders made are as follows:

(1) Under section 188 of the Companies Act 1948:
1970	13
1971	14
1972	13
1973	7
1974	20
1975	7
1976	8
*1977 (1 January to 31 May)	2
1977 (1 June to 31 December)	9
1978	28
1979	16
	(to date)
(2) Under section 28 of the Companies Act 1976:
None
(3) Under section 9 of the Insolvency Act 1976:
None
* Under section 29 of the Companies Act 1976 which came into operation on 1 June 1977 a register of disqualification orders made by the Courts is maintained at the Companies Registration Office, Cardiff, and the information is also available at Companies Registration Office, Edinburgh, Companies Registration Office, London, and the bankruptcy search room at the Royal Courts of Justice. The registers are open to inspection by members of the public on payment of a small fee.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many appeals have been made against adverse decisions for compensation for vaccine damage; and how many of these have so far been heard.

A total of 1,158 applications have so far been made for review by tribunals under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act. 68 of these have been heard. In 13 cases awards have been made; in 45, negative decisions have been given and in the remaining 10 a conclusion has not yet been reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the degree of under-finance to the Northern regional health authority as established by the Resource Allocation Working Party for 1980–81 under his current spending plans.

Target allocations for 1980–81 have yet to be calculated but on present assumptions the region is likely to be between 6 and 7 per cent. below target.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what response he has received from local authorities regarding the eight recommendations contained in chapter 16 of the report of the committee of inquiry into the death of Darryn Clarke.

None. The Department will be discussing the report with the agencies concerned in Liverpool, and examining with them what action they propose to take in the light of the findings of the committee of inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions he is having with the British Medical Association concerning collection of the records of all mothers and children up to five years for inclusion on a central computer; whether he can give assurances that confidentiality is safeguarded; whether he will ensure that no records of mothers and children up to five years are collected for inclusion on a central computer until safeguards regarding confidentiality have been agreed with those concerned; and if he will take steps to destroy any information which has been collected in advance of such agreement.

There is no proposal to collect records of mothers and children on a central national computer.A third part is being developed of a computer system to assist in the health surveillance of children. The first two parts, introduced in 1975, provide a register of children by area health authority, appointments for courses of immunisation and the recording of results. Provision is also made for the recording of information about the child's birth—for example, the birthweight—and any significant medical information that might contra-indicate certain immunisation procedures. The authorities who have adopted these computer procedures use computer facilities at their respective regional health authorities.The development of the third part, known as the pre-school scheme is under the guidance of a NHS committee, the Child Health Computing Committee, whose membership comprises NHS medical, nursing and administration representatives as well as representatives of the British Medical Association, the British Paediatric Association and the Royal College of Ostetricians and Gynaecologists and the Department. The Child Health Computing Committee has agreed procedures for safeguarding the confidentiality of personal medical information held in the system. British Medical Association and British Paediatric Association representatives were members of the subcommittee which formulated these safeguards. Notwithstanding this, it now appears that the BMA has remaining doubts about the acceptability of the safeguards and the Chief Medical Officer has invited the BMA to co-ordinate the views of the medical professional interests and give an assurance that they are satisfied with the arrangements proposed to the chairman of the Child Health Computing Committee—an area medical officer—and the Department before trials of the pre-school scheme are introduced. These cannot begin before the late sum- mer of 1980 and an important aspect of them would be a practical testing of the confidentiality safeguards.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set up an inquiry by his Department into the possibility of miscarriages in humans resulting from the agricultural application of the chemical 2,4,5-T in the light of the suspected case on 21 November submitted to him by the hon. Member for Sudbury and Woodbridge.

No. I know of no substantial evidence of a possible link between the agricultural application of the herbicide 2,4,5-T and human miscarriages, either from this country or the various studies conducted abroad. The use of this herbicide in the United Kingdom is controlled by the pesticides safety precautions scheme. Any evidence of adverse health effects from its use would be referred for expert examination and assessment to the Government's advisory committee on pesticides on which the Department is represented.I am looking into the case which my hon. Friend referred to me on 13 November and will write to him about the matter; I have no trace of a relevant letter from him dated 21 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussion he has had with the Parkinson's Disease Society regarding care and rehabilitation services available for the victims of Parkinson's disease, if he will publish in the Official Report what advice his Department gives to local authority social service Departments regarding this disease; if he will indicate where successful rehabilitation training is given for this disease; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend and I attended the society's tenth anniversary celebrations on 21 November at which these matters were discussed. About two years ago officials of the Department had a meeting with the society at which it was agreed that both parties should keep in contact on matters of mutual interest and officials have visited the society's offices for a further discussion. No advice specifically about Parkinson's disease has been given to local authority social service departments. As regard rehabilitation any programme for an individual patient needs to be geared to his individual needs and circumstances, and this is a matter for the doctor in charge.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations he has had concerning the uprating of child benefit next April and from whom.

I have received a small number of representations, including those from the right hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) and the Child Poverty Action Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by how much child benefit would have to be increased to maintain its value as at April 1979 if uprated in April 1980.

The answer depends on the movement of prices over the period.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that the exhibit of his Department at the next national aids for the disabled exhibition and conference will be more practical and realistic than the present one; if he will allow visitors to the exhibition to handle and try out the exhibits; if he will ensure that the exhibits show the great varieties of aids and appliances available under the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

There are obvious constraints on the scope and functions of the Department's stand, including the need to provide circulation space for people in wheelchairs, but I am having inquiries made about the hon. Member's points and shall write to him shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now increase the Christmas bonus for pensioners to compensate for the increase in television licence fees.

No. But the increase in television licence fees will be reflected in the general index of retail prices and will therefore be taken into account when pension rates are next reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider turning down the temperature of heating in Norman Shaw North and South.

Following checks of temperatures in both these buildings the flow temperatures have been reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is normal practice for Government buildings to be heated at weekends.

No. It is not normal practice for Government buildings to be heated outside working hours. If overtime is necessary at night or at weekends heating is provided as economically as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what has been the percentage take-up to date of the Government's home insulation grants in the region of West Yorkshire and the Kirklees district; and how these statistics compare with those for the rest of England and Wales;(2) what has been the percentage take-up to date of the Government's home insulation grants in the Greater Manchester region and the area of Oldham; and how these statistics compare with those for the rest of England and Wales.

The information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the number of domestic leaseholders in the Greater Manchester region and the Oldham district; and how these statistics compare with those for the rest of England and Wales;(2) what is the number of domestic leaseholders in the West Yorkshire region

DOMESTIC LEASEHOLDERS: OWNER OCCUPIED HOUSEHOLDS: 1977
					Households owning their accommodation leasehold* (thousands)	Percentage of all owner occupied households in area
Oldham	…	…	…	…	34	67
Greater Manchester			…	…	359	67
Kirklees	…	…	…	…	25	31
West Yorkshire		…	…	…	35	9
England	…	…	…	…	1,391	15
Source: National Dwelling and Housing Survey.
* The original lease was for a period of more than 21 years, or was extended to more than 21 years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many homes in the Greater Manchester region and the Oldham district are currently without the basic amenities of inside toilets or bathrooms; and how these statistics compare with those for the rest of England and Wales;(2) how many homes in the West Yorkshire region and the Kirklees district are currently without the basic amenities of inside toilets or bathrooms; and how these statistics compare with those for the rest of England and Wales.

This Department does not have precise figures, but estimates derived from the national dwelling and housing survey indicate that the position is broadly as shown in the table below. Comparable figures including Wales are not available.

	Households without sole use of inside toilet	Households without sole use of bathroom
	Per cent.	Per cent.
Greater Manchester	9	6
Oldham	11	7
West Yorkshire	7	6
Kirklees	6	6
England	7	6

Because the national dwelling and housing survey was a sample survey, the degree of confidence which can be placed in the results varies according to the size of the sample; the sample for Oldham was particularly small.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his

Following is the available information:written answer to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Browne) on 23 October, under what circumstances he would consider exemption from the proposed ban on the use of snares.

Exemption from the proposed ban on the use of snares would be allowed for landowners, occupiers of land, or persons authorised by either who may continue to use snares against pests such as rabbits and foxes. Should they consider it necessary to use one of the prohibited methods of killing or capture to control a local infestation of a species not specified as exempt from the general prohibitions in the Bill, a licence could be sought for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the fact that building societies have increased their share of British residents' sterling deposits from 20 per cent. in 1962 to 41 per cent. in 1978, he will broaden the terms of reference of the committee which he has set up to examine ways of securing an adequate and a stable flow of funds to include a study of the financial and economic impact of devoting an increasing proportion of national resources to housing.

No. The allocation of national resources to housing raises broad issues of Government policy which it would be inappropriate for this committee to examine.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a date for the public inquiry on the second Trent bridge at Burton-upon-Trent.

I cannot forecast a date for the inquiry because the associated side roads and compulsory purchase orders, which are to be considered concurrently, have not yet been submitted by Staffordshire county council to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport for his consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the existing statutory provisions on stray dogs with a view to introducing further measures to reduce their number.

Existing legislation relating to dogs was examined by the interdepartmental working party on dogs, whose recommendations were to a large extent aimed at reducing the numbers of strays. I explained the present position about the Government's consideration of the working party's report on 22 November in my reply to the question from the hon. Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett).—[Vol. 974, c. 339.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of dog licences issued in 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974 and 1978; what were the estimated numbers of unlicensed dogs in each of those years; and how many stray dogs were seized under the provisions of the Dogs Act 1906.