asked the Minister for the Civil Service if there has been any increase in the cash limit of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

HMSO's cash limit has recently been increased by £7·5 million to £114·3 million. This increase reflects substantial increases in prices for supplies purchased by HMSO, partly offset by reductions in departmental demands for HMSO's goods and services.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what change is proposed in the WO2 cash limit to enable financial assistance to be provided for the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales.

The WO2 cash limit has been increased by £70,000 to £441,971,000, which takes into account the adjustment of an error in Cmnd. 7604. This change involves no additional public expenditure as the amount has been met from within the planned total of public expenditure within my responsibility. As I indicated in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Hooson) on 26 October, a Supplementary Estimate will be presented to Parliament in due course.—[Vol. 972, c. 314.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what it will cost at the present rate to keep in prison the four men recently sentenced at Stafford crown court for the murder of Carl Bridgewater; and, on the assumption that the average increase costs of keeping a prisoner in prison during the past five years continues in the future, to what extent the costs will rise on the assumption that in each instance these men are imprisoned for the full period of their sentence.

Two men and a youth were convicted of the murder of Carl Bridgewater; one man was convicted of manslaughter. The two men were sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that they be detained for a minimum of 25 years; it cannot be assumed that they will be released in 25 years' time. The youth was sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.Based on an estimate of the total expenditure in England and Wales on prisons in 1978–79, the average annual cost of keeping a person in prison is about £5,800. The average annual rise in these costs over the past five years has been around 17 per cent. But bearing in mind the preponderance of fixed costs in a prison service dealing with a population of some 42,000 it would not be meaningful to use this figure—with or without any hypothetical assumptions on inflation—as a basis for calculating the additional cost of keeping four extra prisoners for any specific period.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if all records of convicted criminals are kept at Scotland Yard; who has access to them and under what circumstances; if any records are kept at local police stations; and, if so, who has access to them and under what circumstances.

The national criminal record office at New Scotland Yard maintains the only complete record of all persons in the United Kingdom who have been convicted of a recordable offence—broadly, an offence for which an adult could be sentenced to imprisonment. Records are also kept by police forces: depending on local practice, they may be held at force headquarters, local police stations or the regional criminal record office. Direct access to criminal records is confined to police officers and civilian staff employed in the police service, and information is disclosed primarily to assist in the prevention and investigation of crime and in the sentencing of offenders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will recommend a pardon for the Italian tourist who was attacked by three hooligans and fined £25 for carrying a defensive gas canister which he had brought from Italy where it is legal to use such weapons for self-defence; and whether he will consider introducing a law to permit such a defence to be carried by peaceful citizens in the United Kingdom.

"No", to both parts of the question; such canisters can too easily be used for offensive purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what increase or decrease there has been in the past year in the county of Staffordshire in (a) crime generally, (b) crimes of violence, and (c) burglary, distinguishing between crimes committed by juveniles and those committed by adults.

The numbers of indictable offences recorded by the police by type of offence and by police force area, including Staffordshire, are published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales", table 32 of the volume for 1978, Cmnd. 7670, but the age of offender is known only for those who are found guilty or cautioned. Information on persons found guilty or cautioned by age group, offence group and police force area is also given in the publication for 1978 (tables 3(b), 3(c), 7(b), 7(c). 35(b) and 35(c)).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the maximum sentence that can be served at Her Majesty's prison, Wymott, Leyland; and if he will consider extending this period to cover sentences of up to three years.

Wymott prison is expected to be fully used accommodating prisoners serving up to 18 months' imprisonment and it is not proposed to exceed that period.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners Her Majesty's prison, Wymott, Leyland, can house; how many are at present in occupation there; and why it is so grossly underoccupied.

The certified normal accommodation figure is 816; on 16 November the population was 243. The build-up of population in a new prison is a gradual process which has been extended at Wymott primarily by the general shortage of prison officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any of those prison officers convicted of assaulting prisoners at Hull have been reinstated in the prison service; and, if so, where.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the recent incident concerning the murder of Carl Bridgewater, he will introduce legislation to seek to make it an offence, punishable by life imprisonment, to have a gun or sawn-off shotgun without a current licence.

No. As the law stands, the maximum penalty for possession of a sawn-off shotgun is five years' imprisonment; for possessing a firearm with criminal intent, 14 years' imprisonment; and for carrying a firearm with intent to resist arrest or with intent to injure, life imprisonment. The tragic death of Carl Bridgewater resulted in two sentences of life imprisonment and one of detention during Her Majesty's pleasure for murder; and a sentence of 12 years' imprisonment for manslaughter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the numbers of (a) new certificates, (b) certificates cancelled, (c) applications refused (d) certificates in force at the end of the year in relation to (i) firearms and (ii) shotguns as issued for each police area in England and Wales for the years 1976, 1977 and 1978;(2) if he will publish in the

Such information is not recorded centrally for England and Wales, and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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.

Several of the Department's responsibilities, such as immigration, licensing laws, and safety regulations, affect children as well as adults. Those which primarily concern children and the main statutes under which they arise are as follows:

Constitution powers and procedures of juvenile courts—

Children and Young Persons Acts 1933, 1963 and 1969.

Setting up and management of junior attendance centres—

Criminal Justice Act 1948.

Guardianship, affiliation and matrimonial proceedings in magistrates' courts—

• Guardianship of Minors Acts 1971 and 1973.
• Affiliation Proceedings Act 1957.
• Matrimonial Proceedings (Magistrates' Courts) Act 1960.
• Domestic Proceedings and Magistrates' Courts Act 1978.

Enforcement of maintenance orders in Commonwealth countries and South Africa—

• Maintenance Orders (Facilities for Enforcement) Act 1920.
• Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972, Part I.

Processing of maintenance claims with certain United Nations countries—

Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972, Part II.

Implementation of the Domestic Proceedings and Magistrates' Court Act 1978 and parts of the Children Act 1975.

Magistrates' courts legislation relating to children and young persons.

The Criminal law in relation to offences by or against children.

Precaution at sea and airports to prevent the unlawful removal abroad of children.

These matters are all dealt with in the criminal justice and policy departments which come under my general responsibility. In addition, the prison department is responsible for borstals and detention centres in which young persons under 17 years may be detained and for the allocation of those detained under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The responsibility for co-ordination varies according to the particular matters at issue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the boat people have been received to date into Great Britain from Hong Kong (a) into the reception centres and (b) into permanent homes; how many he expects to receive in November and December; and when he now estimates that the Government will have received into the United Kingdom the full quota agreed at the Geneva conference.

I understand from the joint committee for refugees from Vietnam that during the months February to October inclusive the refugees from camps in Hong Kong received into reception centres in this country numbered about 1,530 and the number of such refugees who went direct to permanent homes on their arrival here was about 30. About 1,500 refugees are expected to have arrived from Hong Kong during the period 1 November end December. It is not yet possible to say when the quota agreed at the Geneva conference will all have arrived.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how successful the Bedfordshire police force has been in recruiting since the Edmund-Davies award.

Average monthly recruitment to the Bedfordshire police since 1 September 1978 has been 40 per cent. above the average before that date. The force's strength has increased by 55 to 904 on 31 October 1979, leaving 43 vacancies on its authorised establishment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to implement the May committee's recommendation of shorter sentences for non-violent criminals.

I have welcomed and will continue to support, for non-violent offenders, the committee's advocacy of shorter sentences. Implementation of the recommendation must primarily be for the courts in determining individual sentences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the present procedures for dealing with allegations of maltreatment of prisoners by prison staff.

These procedures are kept under constant review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number of civil servants employed in the nationality division of his Department, giving comparable figures for the previous three years.

Following is the information:

STAFF IN POST ON 1 NOVEMBER
1976	200
1977	186
1978	190
1979	194

The 1976 figure includes staff who had been added temporarily to the division to consider applications for registration as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies from nationals of Pakistan under the provisions of the Pakistan Act 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the review of medical examinations in connection with immigration control to be completed.

I cannot yet give a date. I shall inform the House when conclusions are reached.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the high proportion of prisoners who have mental illness records, he will take steps to ensure that prison officers have some form of training in psychiatric nursing.

Prison officers' initial training includes advice and instruction on handling difficult and disturbed prisoners. Where further training is necessary this is arranged on an ad hoc basis by governors and prison medical officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which recommendations of the Finer report his Department has implemented to date.

Of the recommendations listed in pages 492–519 of the Finer report which touch on my Department's responsibilities, those numbered 41, 52 and 225 have been implemented either in whole or in part. Recommendation 53 has been accepted in principle and will be implemented when resources permit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to bring pay-outs on amusement-with-prizes machines in public houses more in line with the pay-outs available on gaming machines in working men's clubs.

The Royal Commission on gambling recommended that machines in public houses should be able to offer prizes in cash to the value of £1. I shall bear this recommendation in mind when there is an opportunity for legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the Government's intentions with regard to the Jubilee line.

The examination of the lower cost options is continuing and I expect to make a statement in due course.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) whether he will give the reasons why he will not agree to set up an independent inquiry into all aspects of the movement of nuclear waste through highly industrialised and populated areas such as London, and to ascertain to what extent the present safety precautions are satisfactory:(2) whether, in view of the recent events which occurred at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, details of which have been supplied to him, he will review the whole question of the transport of nuclear waste through Stratford, East London, due to the danger in the event of an accident; and whether he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my answers to his previous questions given on Thursday 8, Friday 9 and Thursday 15 about the safety precautions taken in the transport of irradiated nuclear fuel. [Vol. 973, c. 2723, 340–1 and 774–5.] The Government will certainly be considering what lessons may be learnt from the Mississauga accident which did not, of course, involve radioactive material. But I see no justification for a special review of the present arrangements for transporting irradiated nuclear fuels in this country.

asked the Minister of Transport what advice he has given to the British Railways Board about the future size of the railway network in Scotland.

I have written to the chairman to make it clear that it is my firm policy that there should be no substantial cuts in the passenger rail network. A copy of that letter is in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister of Transport what effect the proposed introduction of the tachograph will have on vehicle operators in rural parts of Scotland where the narrow roads and heavy traffic restrict the vehicle speed, causing additional costs to the vehicle owners.

The introduction of tachographs will simply alter the method of recording drivers' hours of work and rest, and should not therefore affect the position of vehicle operators.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is now proposing to take following his consultations with the industry on the introduction of the tachograph.

I have now completed my consultations with the industry on the draft proposals which were published by my Department on 26 September. I shall very shortly be laying my final proposals before Parliament. These will take account of the views expressed on the consultation draft. In particular, within the two-year period which I have agreed with the European Commission for implementing the judgment of the European Court of Justice in this matter, the phasing programme will be modified as follows:

asked the Minister of Transport if he will meet the representatives of all parties interested in the Buchan freight line with a view to discussing aid for the retention of this line under the Industry Act 1972.

No. Rail services provided by the British Railways Board do not qualify for financial assistance under the Industry Act 1972; the Buchan line is therefore ineligible for grant under this Act.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the 23 per cent. underspending in the English motorways and trunk road construction programme in 1978–79, what proportion of the budget is expected to be underspent in (a) the current year and (b) 1980–81.

For 1979–80 the cash limit, which applies to construction and maintenance expenditure together, will be the controlling factor. I have no reason at this stage to expect that expenditure will fall short of it or of the 1980–81 provision for these items in Cmnd. 7746. But I am keeping the balance between construction and maintenance under review.

asked the Minister of Transport what estimate has been made of the effects of cuts in road spending in current and future financial years on unemployment in the construction industry.

The employment effects of the revised figures for roads expenditure should not be measured against the previous Government's plans, which were not realistic. The present provision for motorway and trunk road construction and maintenance expenditure should lead to small increases in employment this year and next compared with 1978–79. It is too early to be certain what levels of local authority expenditure will be but if there is any fall in employment on local roads I would not expect it to do more than broadly offset the increased expenditure on this Department's roads.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion of total expenditure on programmes the roads and transport budget represents.

Public expenditure on roads and transport in 1980–81 is expected to be between 4 per cent. and 5 per cent. of total expenditure on programmes.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion the reduction in the roads and transport programme in 1980–81, as compared with 1979–80, represents of the total reduction in expenditure on programmes in those years.

The reduction in roads and transport expenditure in 1980–81 as compared with 1979–80 represents about 20 per cent. of the total reduction on programmes in those years. Since the Government's expenditure plans for 1980–81 provide for growth in some programmes, more than proportionate reductions have to be made in other services, including transport.

asked the Minister of Transport, since 28 per cent. of all road accidents are caused by deficiencies in the road environment, what effect the reduction in road maintenance standards on trunk roads, other than motorways, is likely to have on accident involvement of goods vehicles.

The hon. Member appears to have misinterpreted the results of a Transport and Road Research Laboratory study. What it showed was that while only 2½ per cent. of accidents were caused solely by road conditions, when road user and vehicle condition were added these three factors then combined to cause 28 per cent. of accidents.I assure the hon. Member that road safety will continue to be a major consideration in determining the level of investment in the maintenance of trunk roads.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has had from disablement organisations about the problems of long delays in securing driving tests, particularly for those changing from the invalid tricycle to a four-wheeled car; and if he will take steps to alleviate this situation.

We can trace no representations from organisations for the disabled on this matter. But special arrangements are made to give disabled people priority in obtaining driving test appointments. If an explanatory letter is sent with the application, a disabled candidate is fitted into the earliest suitable appointment which arises as a result of a cancellation.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) for how long a section of the M4 motorway was left without signals or emergency telephones following the power failure commencing on Sunday 11 November;(2) what arrangements for alternative power supplies are available to ensure the continued functioning of motorway signals and emergency telephones when the primary power source fails.

The telephones were out of order, not because of a power failure, for a period of about 58 hours which included Sunday 11 November. Arrangements do exist for an emergency power supply but it will not necessarily operate all signals. I shall write to my hon. Friend with further information dealing with this failure and the emergency procedures available.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what instructions he is giving to the procurator fiscal service regarding prosecution policy in the light of the Scottish crime figures for 1978.

As the hon. Member will be aware, the trend in crime rose to a peak in 1977 but fell over the next year. There are at present no plans to give fresh instructions to the procurator fiscal service regarding prosecution policy in the light of the Scottish crime figures for 1978. However, it should not be thought that the procurator fiscal service is complacent as a result of these figures. There will be no slackening of the effort to bring offenders to justice.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average annual cost per pupil for materials and tools, respectively, in the craft subjects of woodwork, metal work and pottery in primary and secondary schools.

This information is not available as the returns of annual expenditure which local authorities are required to submit to central Government do not differentiate between materials and equipment used for different subjects.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his analysis of the reasons for the discrepancy between the percentage of school leavers from selective and from non-selective schools who enter university, as given in the reply to the hon. Member for Northampton, North, Official Report, 26 October, column 316.

There are many factors underlying the differences between the figures given to my hon. Friend recently. For example, the widening difference in the percentages over time, in part, could be due to the fact that the changeover to comprehensive schools has proceeded at a slower rate for grammar schools, particularly those which are voluntary-aided, than for modern schools, with the result that the spread of abilities in selective schools taken together—that is, both grammar and modern—has become

ENGLAND AND WALES: TEACHING STAFF EMPLOYED BY LOCAL FDUCAIION AUTHORITIES IN THE MAINTAINED SCHOOL SECTOR (FULL-TIME AND FULL-TIME FQUIVALENT OF PART-TIME)
Thousands
			Nursery, primary & secondary school sector	Special school sector*	Total: maintained school sector
(Feb)1960	…	…	279	5	284
(Feb) 1970	…	…	354	8	362
(Jan) 1977	…	…	462	18	480
(Jan) 1979	…	…	471	19	490
* Because of the transfer of responsibility in 1971 for the teaching of mentally handicapped children from local health authorities to local education authorities the figures for 1960 and 1970 in this column are on a narrower basis than those for 1977 and 1979.

Available information for teaching staff is as follows:
NON-TEACHING STAFF EMPLOYED BY LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES IN THE MAINTAINED SCHOOL SECTOR* (FULL-TIME AND FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT OF PART-TIME IN JANUARY 1977)
Advisers	Admin. & Clerical ‡	Educational support	Premises related	Kitchen staff and mid-day supervisors	Other†	Total
3,600	47,200	49,300	79,300	139,400	16,500	335,300
* Including staff dealing with the administration and inspection of sectors of education other than schools (notably further education). Excluding (a) the local authority administration and technical staff who work in departments other than education; and (b) certain other staff such as groundsmen and some premises maintenance staff in respect of whom expenditure may be charged to educational departments.

† Including 1,700 catering staff in Boarding Special Schools.
‡ Employed in central offices	22,650
Employed in schools	22,250
Employed in the school meals service	2,300
	47,200

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish figures to 1960, 1970, and the latest year available, showing the total number of people employed in the maintained school sector, and distinguishing between teaching staff, administrative or clerical staff, kitchen staff/mid-day supervisors and other workers.

Information on both teaching and non-teaching staff is available for January 1977 at which time there were 815,000 people—full-time and full-time equivalent of part-time—employed by local education authorities in the maintained school sector in England and Wales. This includes 480,000 teaching staff and 335,000 non-teaching staff.Available information for non-teaching staff is as follows:

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.

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 right 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 Education and Science how many school meals were served in each of the last five years, and to date in 1979; and what percentage of their costs was paid out of public funds.

Thousands
	Total teachers (full-time and full-time equivalent of part-time)	Head teachers (included in total)
Nursery, primary and secondary sector	470·6	28·8
Special education sector	19·5	1·6
Total (maintained school sector)	490·1	30·4
Notes:
1. The total numbers of teachers are obtained from the Form 618G return which is completed by local education authorities. The numbers of head teachers are taken from returns by individual schools to my Department and to the Welsh Office.
2. The numbers of teachers on a head count basis, i.e. not reducing part-time teachers to a full-time equivalent basis, are:

Thousands
	Full-time	Part-time	Total
Nursery, primary and secondary sector	453·7	37·6	491·3
Special education sector	18·7	2·0	20·7
Total (maintained school sector)	472·4	39·6	512·0
3. Special education includes unattached special units for handicapped children and education provided otherwise than at school under section 56 of the Education Act 1944 as well as special schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, how many overseas students are studying at each Scottish university; and what are their countries of origin.

The information for England Wales is as follows:

Year	Meals (millions)	Percentage of cost met from public funds
1974–75	1,151	69·9
1975–76	1,203	69·7
1976–77	1,166	74·1
1977–78	1,034	69·6
1978–79	1,101	67·1

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, excluding further and higher education, what is the total number of teachers and head teachers employed in the service in the current year.

Information about the number of teachers employed in the current school year will be available shortly. Excluding further and higher education, the number of teachers employed by LEAs in England and Wales in January 1979 was:

The attached table gives the total number of overseas students at each Scottish university for 1977–78, the latest year for which information is available.The table lists countries for which there was a minimum of 10 students at at least one university.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is his policy on the inclusion in the school curriculum of training in swimming, cycling and life-saving; and whether these are likely to be affected by cutbacks in educational expenditure;(2) whether lessons in road and home safety and accident prevention are being restricted as a result of cuts in educational expenditure.

My right hon. and learned Friend regards adequate provision of appropriate physical education and safety education as important, but the curriculum in individual schools is a matter for local decision. It should be possible for the bulk of the necessary savings in educational expenditure to be made in areas not directly concerned with teaching.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the overall effect that cuts in public expenditure will have on safety in schools.

Reductions in planned expenditure by local education authorities will not affect their statutory responsibility to ensure safe working conditions for pupils and staff in schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to amend the Education Act 1944 so as to place a duty on local' authorities to provide nursery education for those who request it.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many nursery schools and classes he expects will close in 1980.

Any figures given would be pure speculation. It is a matter for each local authority to determine how best to effect the necessary reductions in expenditure across the whole range of services it provides. Although the rate support grant settlement for 1980–81 assumes that expenditure on nursery education provision will be maintained broadly at the present level, provision has been made for a small nursery education building programme to provide about 2,000 places enable those authorities who wish to do so to increase their nursery education provision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will issue guidance to those local authorities who have no nursery schools or classes available but who are responsible for children who have been recommended for nursery places for special reasons.

No. My right hon. and learned Friend has no present plans to issue such guidance. Many local authorities which have little or no nursery education provision as such nevertheless make other arrangements for the care of pre-school children by providing various kinds of centre or by support to voluntary groups.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has held discussions with the Society of Education Officers on the subject of absenteeism in schools generally; what was the level of absenteeism in Staffordshire schools for the years 1976, 1977 and 1978 in percentage and real terms; whether the trend for 1979 on the figures thus far available show an upward or downward trend; and what is the percentage of absenteeism in (a) Lichfield, (b) Tamworth and (c) Burntwood for the current year.

My right hon. and learned Friend met representatives of the Society of Education Officers in August, but absenteeism in schools was not on the agenda. Detailed information on absenteeism is not collected by this Department. My hon. Friend, however, might like to get in touch with Staffordshire local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 9 July, whether he is satisfied that sufficient supervision and guidance is given to the long-term unemployed; and if he will consider introducing more frequent interviews, with more emphasis on training or retraining as well as increasing the job opportunities under the special temporary employment programme.

The Manpower Services Commission has recently published a comprehensive review of the aims, objectives and priorities of the public employment service in which proposals are made for improving advisory and guidance services for unemployed people and other job seekers. These proposals are now being considered.Great emphasis is placed by the public employment service on bringing training opportunities to the attention of all job-seekers including the long term unemployed. Trained employment advisers identify potentially suitable applicants and this is backed up by extensive marketing and publicity. Over 90 per cent. of applicants for courses under the training opportunities scheme are made through jobcentres and employment offices. The special temporary employment programme is now being concentrated on the areas of greatest need and more exclusively on helping the long term unemployed. Provisions under this programme for 1980–81 is now being reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what purposes wages councils now serve; and if he will reconsider their relevance to present conditions.

Wages councils, which were first set up in 1909, make statutory wage orders determining minimum pay, holidays and other terms and conditions for workers they cover, in industries where there is no adequate machinery for collective bargaining. Councils are merged or abolished from time to time and I am always prepared to consider the case for this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total numbers of employees and how many are estimated to be on short-time in the Lancashire cotton, man-made fibre, spinning textile sector, taking cotton and man-made fibres separately.

At June 1976, the latest date for which employment figures are available for these areas, there were 32,000 employees in employment in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the spinning and doubling on the cotton and flax systems industry—minimum list heading 412 of the Standard Industrial Classification. The corresponding figures for Great Britain is 51,200.Statistics of short-time working in single industries are available only for the whole of Great Britain. At 4 August 1979, there were 42,600 employees in employment in the industry and the number on short-time during the week ending 4 August was 200.Separate figures for cotton and man-made fibres are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many mills have closed down in the Lancashire cotton, man-made fibre, spinning textile sector, taking cotton and man-made fibres separately.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a total of 12 mills, 8 cotton and 4 man-made fibre, classified under minimum list heading 412 of the Standard Industrial Classification confirmed their intention to close between 1 November 1978 and 31 October 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees have been made redundant in the Lancashire cotton, man-made fibre, spinning textile sector, taking cotton and man-made fibres separately.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that during the 12-month period to the end of October 1979, 3,669 redundancies were confirmed as having occurred in Great Britain in the sector covered by minimum list heading 412 of the Standard Industrial Classification—spinning and doubling on the cotton and flax systems. 1,223 of these redundancies were in the cotton sector and 2,446 in man-made fibres.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers have experienced short-time working during 1979 in the Lancashire cotton, woven fabric industry, taking cotton and man-made fibres separately.

Statistics of short-time working in particular industries are available only for the whole of Great Britain and for a selected week in each month. During the period January to August 1979 the average number on short-time in those weeks in the weaving of cotton, linen and man-made fibres industry—minimum list heading 413 of the Standard Industrial Classification—was about 150. Separate figures for cotton and man-made fibres are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage increase in the average net weekly earnings of manual and non-manual workers in Great Britain would be necessary to raise them to the average net weekly earnings of (a) the highest paid director among the United Kingdom's top 100 companies, (b) a field marshal in the Army and (c) the members of the EEC Commission; and what are the total numbers of directors to the 100 top companies, field marshals, in the Army and members of the EEC Commission.

Figures on the basis set out in the notes below are as follows:

Percentage increase to bring the average net (1) weekly earnings of (a) manual and (b) non-manual employees to the corresponding earnings of:
	(a)	(b)
The highest paid director (2)	3,030	2,551
A field marshal of the Army (3)	350	281
A member of the European Commission (4)	684	564

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the right to privacy is sufficiently protected in the present law in so far as it permits officials to enter premises under section 135 of the Factories Act 1961.

Yes. The number of cases covered by this section is minimal and it has not been necessary to use these powers since January 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the right of privacy is sufficiently protected in the present law in so far as it permits officials to enter premises under the Baking Industry (Hours of Work) Act 1954.

Yes. There have been no routine inspections since 1970 because practically all firms have been subject to exemption under section 9 of the Act. During that period a very small number of complaints have been investigated under section 6(2) for the purpose of establishing the facts.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were benefiting from each of the various employment subsidy and short-time working schemes in West Yorkshire, classified by industry of employment, at the latest available date.

The information requested is given in the schedule below, for 31 October 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were benefiting from the short-time working compensation scheme in West Yorkshire in each month since May.

The number of persons benefiting from the temporary short time working compensation scheme, in West Yorkshire, in each month since May was as follows:

Month	Number of jobs at risk of redundancy	Number of employees working short-time to cover the redundancies
May	733	2,555
June	1,447	3,821
July	1,849	4,931
August	1,919	4,480
September	3,024	7,141
October	4,012	8,962

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many days were lost in industrial disputes in the six months ended 1 May; and how many days were lost in the six months period ended 31 October.

8·9 million working days were lost in industrial stoppages in the six months ended 30 April 1979. For the five months ended 30 September 1979, the figure is 17·2 million, three-quarters of which is accounted for by the recent engineering strike. Figures for October are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out the ratio of people going into employment on completion of training on courses under schemes for retraining.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the employment position of course completers under the training opportunities scheme is the subject of a regular sample survey undertaken three months following course completion.Of adults completing TOPS training during the 1978–79 fiscal year. 70 per cent. were in employment three months following their course completion. The ratio differs quite substantially as between regions of Great Britain and as between types of training and training institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in how many cases of death which appeared to have arisen out of industrial employment were coroners' inquests held in England and Wales and sheriffs' inquiries held in Scotland during the period 1976 to 1978; how many such deaths were attributable to (a) industrial accidents, (b) industrial poisonings, (c) industrial diseases, other than cancer, and (d) industrial cancers; and how many inquests and inquiries were attended by one of Her Majesty's inspectors of health and safety.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 October 1979, c. 265–57]: I am advised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department that statistics are not available for the number of inquests held in England and Wales for the period 1976 to 1978 in the cases of deaths arising out of industrial employment. The only statistics available relate to the number of inquests held in cases of deaths arising from all types of industrial disease and are as follows:

Year	Number of inquests*
1976	784
1977	784
1978	764
* Deaths arising from all types of industrial disease.

My hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General for Scotland advises me that there are no figures available for the number of sheriffs' inquiries, arising out of industrial employment, held in Scotland in the period 1976–78, and I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to his earlier question on 12 July 1979.—[Vol. 970, c.