asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish figures showing the total number of civil servants employed in each year since 1960, together with the main departmental totals.

The number of civil servants in post, analysed by Department, and at 1 January for each of the years 1969 to 1979, is published in "Civil Service Statistics 1979" (table 2). Figures for each of the years 1965 to 1968 are shown in "Civil Service Statistics 1975". Copies are available in the Library. For 1960 to 1964, the number of civil servants in post at 1 January in each year was as follows:

1960	…	…	…	…	…	656,400
1961	…	…	…	…	…	654,800
1962	…	…	…	…	…	662,400
1963	…	…	…	…	…	670,900
1964	…	…	…	…	…	672,200

There have been numerous organisational changes in the Civil Service since 1960 and consistent series of figures for individual Departments could not be derived without disproportionate cost.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total cost of the provision and use of telephones in the Civil Service during the past 12 months; and how much money was recovered from civil servants who reimbursed their Departments following private use of the telephone, in accordance with the Civil Service code of conduct.

Provision in main Supply Estimates 1979–80 for telephone services is approximately £130 million. Information is not available centrally on the amount of money recovered from civil servants who reimbursed their Departments following private use of the telephone.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many retired civil servants of assistant secretary and above have joined the boards of companies on retirement since 1970; after what period of retirement; and if he will give their names.

The information is not available as requested. My Department has records only of applications referred to it under the business appointments rules. A copy of these rules is available in the Library. They require senior civil servants and some others to obtain the Government's assent before accepting within two years of resignation or retirement offers of employment in business and certain other bodies.The records available do not distinguish between offers of employment at board level and below board level. Nor, once assent has been given to an appointment, is there any obligation to inform my Department whether or when it is actually taken up. A table based on the available information is shown below. It covers the period from 1975, when the rules were last revised. It is not the practice to disclose names.APPLICATIONS FROM HOME CIVIL SERVANTS AT ASSISTANT SECRETARY LEVEL AND ABOVE FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE UP BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS WITHIN TWO YEARS OF RESIGNATION OR RETIREMENT

			Number of applications	Number of officers
1975	…	…	17	12
1976	…	…	33	21
1977	…	…	25	16
1978	…	…	26	19
1979 to date	…	…	16	11

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland on how many occasions prosecutions have been brought in Scotland in respect of the offence of being a suspected person and loitering with intent to commit an arrest-able offence since section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 was extended to Scotland.

I regret that statistics are not kept in relation to this offence. However, I am able to advise the hon. Member that prosecutions under this section are brought only occasionally.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what proportion of the total grant in aid to African countries has been allocated to each of the following: Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, in the current financial year.

In 1978–79 the figures for disbursements of capital aid and technical co-operation and for such disbursements as a proportion of total such aid to African countries were:

			£million	Proportion Percent.
Kenya	…	…	21·930	13·3
Malawi	…	…	8·875	5·5
Tanzania	…	…	18·308	11·0
Zambia	…	…	34·498	20·9

It is not the practice to give detailed forecasts of anticipated expenditure in respect of individual countries, but disbursements for 1979–80 are expected to be broadly comparable.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make it a criterion for the granting of overseas aid that no such aid shall be given from public funds to one-party, Marxist or Communist States.

I can give no such absolute assurance, which would, for example, exclude relief aid to the people of Kampuchea. But I can confirm that the political conditions in particular developing countries are taken into account when deciding upon our aid programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total number of children of statutory school age, and the numbers of teachers employed to teach those children, in the years 1976, 1977 and 1978; and how many of the teachers so employed were married women teachers.

The total number of children of statutory school age in all schools in England and Wales at January 1976, 1977 and 1978 was 8,967,645, 8,983,749 and 8,912,684 respectively. The second part of the hon. Member's question relating to the teachers employed to teach the above children raises a number of technical problems which would take up an excessive amount of space in theOfficial Report to explain and can be explained more fully in a letter. I shall therefore write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North,Official Report, 30 October, c. 451, if he will consider taking the necessary steps to ensure that in future the annual returns made by the local authorities identify the different categories of people, for instance teachers and administrators, employed by their education departments.

Information on teaching staff employed by local education authorities is identified in the Department's annual returns and published, for example, in Statistics of Education, volume 4 1977 teachers and DES statistical bulletin 2/79 "Teachers in Service September 1978".A special survey of the different categories of non-teaching staff was carried out in 1977 with the agreement of the local authority associations and a summary of the results relating to primary and secondary schools is published in DES statistical bulletin 1/79 "Non Teaching Costs in Schools", which is available in the Library. For the present at least my right hon. and learned Friend is not proposing that authorities should be required to submit such data annually.It might be helpful to add that, as indicated in an answer on 14 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Dart-ford (Mr. Dunn)—[Vol. 973, c. 1327–28] —my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has invited the local authority associations to discuss the publication by individual authorities of data regarding their performance.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many scholarships have been awarded under the Jubilee scholarship scheme for students on special high level engineering courses.

62 national engineering scholarships were awarded in 1978 and a further 159 this year. They are no longer restricted to students taking special engineering courses at selected universities; from 1979 scholarships are tenable on any full-time degree course recognised by the Council of Engineering Institutions for exemption from its professional examinations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list to the latest available date the number and percentage of pupils having school meals in (a) comprehensive schools, (b) voluntary aided secondary schools and (c) controlled secondary schools; and if he

			On Payment		Free		Total
			000's	As percentage of pupils present	000's	As percentage of pupils present	000's	As percentage of pupils present
Primary	…	…	2,469	60·6	618	15·2	3,087	75·8
Secondary	…	…	1,496	42·0	422	11·9	1,918	53·9

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effects the rising rates of inflation are having upon his economic policies.

The rising rate of inflation which we inherited has increased the Government's determination to pursue appropriate fiscal and monetary policies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current rate of inflation; what was its level in November 1978: and if he will make a statement.

The retail prices index rose by 17.2 per cent. in the 12months to October 1979. The tax and prices index, which is probably a better guide to changes in taxpayers' costs over the year, rose by 14.8 per cent. in the 12 months to October. The RPI rose by 7.8 per cent. in the 12 months up to November 1978.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with

This information is not available centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list at the latest available date the number and percentage of pupils taking school dinners in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools; and if he will be subdivide these data into those children paying for and those receiving free school meals.

Latest available data relate to October 1978–the returns for the October 1979 census of school meals are not yet complete—and the information, for children attending maintained schools in England, is as follows:the current rate of inflation; and if he will make a statement.

I will not be satisfied until we have squeezed inflation out of the economy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is now his estimate of the rate of inflation over the next 12 months.

The forecast which the Government published on 22 November indicated that the retail prices index would rise by 14 per cent. in the year to the fourth quarter of 1980.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from industrialists in regard to the current rate of interest; and if he has assessed the effects it will have on plant renewal.

I have in recent weeks received a number of representations from business men on the current levels of interest rates. High interest rates reflect the need to bring money supply under control. The impact of this policy on investment will depend on how quickly people realise that, if pay bargains are reasonable, then inflation, and with it interest rates, can be brought down with no substantial loss of output and jobs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he proposes to take steps to alleviate the effects of the level of interest rates charged by building societies.

The effects will be alleviated, to some extent, by the tax relief on mortgage interest, and the subsidy on option mortgages. I am sure the building societies will also do what they can to help borrowers who are hard pressed. However, home owners cannot be totally insulated from the general level of interest rates in the economy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he hopes that economic circumstances will permit a reduction in minimum lending rate.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave today to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to bring down interest rates; and what plans he has to reintroduce Government intervention in economic matters to assist in solving the problems of the economy.

On interest rates I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave today to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick). As regards the second part of the question, the needed improvement in industrial performance—which is at the root of our economic problems—will necessarily have to come mainly from action by both sides of industry.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the personal disposable income per head in Scotland and the United Kingdom.

The latest estimates of personal disposable income in Scotland is £1,704 per head in 1977. The comparable figure for the United Kingdom is £1,750.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that sterling M3 is the appropriate main measure of money supply.

Yes. Sterling M3 has the advantage that it relates to a range of Government policies. Of course, we continually monitor the behaviour of other aggregates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Treasury has completed the review of the experiment in the exchange of information between local branches of the Inland Revenue and the Customs and Excise; and if he will make a statement.

The review of the experiment has not been completed. We have undertaken to review the enforcement powers of the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise. It would be premature at present to decide future policy about exchanges of information between the two Departments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now cease to publish the Government's tax and prices index.

No. The tax and prices index is important as a guide to changes in taxpayers' costs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he plans to introduce to reduce tax evasion.

These matters are under constant review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in theOfficial Report the economic assumptions implied in the Chief Secretary's statement on 1 November that unemployment would rise from 1.35 million in 1979–80 to 1·65 million in 1980–81.

The figures quoted were broad working assumptions used in the social security programme in Cmnd. 7746.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the proportion of index-linked earnings in the public sector as a percentage of (a) overall public expenditure and (b) overall earnings in the public sector.

I regret that this information is not available centrally and that obtaining it would require a disproportionate expenditure of time and money.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied that value added tax is an efficient, effective and fair form of taxation.

I would not claim that value added tax, any more than other forms of indirect taxation, is without its disadvantages, but it is effective in raising a large amount of revenue at relatively low cost to the Exchequer. In view of the widespread reliefs which it provides by zero-rating and exemption, it is also, I think, reasonably fair in its application.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to zero-rate for value added tax babies' feeding bottles.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received concerning repayments of value added tax being made quarterly instead of monthly; and when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the timing of repayments.

Representations have been received from, or on behalf of, the Confederation of British Industry, the National Chamber of Trade, the National Federation of Building Trades Employers, the Federation of Master Builders, the National Farmers Union, the Provincial Wholesale Newspaper Distributors Association, the National Pharmaceutical Association, the General Council of British Shipping, and a number of individuals.No decision on the change has yet been made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the present value added tax threshold limit.

I am satisfied with the limit at the present time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the present range of essential household goods upon which value added tax is charged.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on his monetary policy.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made on 15 November.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gross domestic product is taken by public expenditure in each of the fiscal years 1978–79, 1979–80 and projected 1980–81, respectively.

Public expenditure expressed as a proportion of gross domestic product at market prices was 42 per cent. in 1978–79. A similar ratio is expected for 1979–80. No estimates for 1980–81 are available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount in £ sterling to be paid in 1979 to the European Economic Community from United Kingdom value added tax; and what proportion of 1 per cent. of the total yield it will represent.

The United Kingdom contributions of value added tax own resources are paid from the Exchequer and not from the proceeds of particular taxes. The basis of these payments was explained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mr. Craigen) on 30 October. It is now estimated that in 1979 the United Kingdom payment of value added tax own resources to the Community budget would be about £820 million; this would represent about 14·6 per cent. of the resources available to the Community from VAT and GNP-based contributions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has now completed his departmental review of life assurance tax relief; and if he will make a statement.

This issue is one of a number relevant to studies of the effect of tax provisions on the pattern of personal savings. No timetable has been set for the completion of these studies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the progress of the economy.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 8 November to the hon. Member for Chester-le-Street (Mr. Radice).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when next he expects to meet the Comptroller of the Royal Mint.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor sees the Comptroller of the Royal Mint from time to time as necessary for official business.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the increase in inflation due to the recent increase in mortgage rates.

The increase in the mortgage rate from 11¾per cent. to 15 per cent. on 1 January will add about 0·9 per cent. to the retail prices index.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Gov- ernment have to link taxes and spending decisions together in future Budget Statements as recommended by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and others.

The Government take account of the relationship between expenditure and taxation in framing fiscal policies. No major changes are proposed for the presentation of the 1980 Budget. I shall be interested to see the conclusions, expected next year, of the committee on this subject set up by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the money public sector borrowing requirement as a constant percentage of gross domestic product in 1980–81 on the basis of the assumptions regarding gross domestic product and the price deflator incorporated into the Treasury's latest short-term forecast.

Because of the many uncertainties about economic developments and the decisions still to be made about policies, I do not wish to go beyond the statement in the Industry Act forecast that the prospect for the PSBR in 1980–81 is for little change from the 1979–80 level as a percentage of GDP.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he now has to tax certain social security benefits.

Social security benefits of an income nature should in principle be taxed in the same way as other forms of income. Exceptions to this general rule arise for a variety of reasons, but, as our pre-election manifesto made clear, it is our aim to bring unemployment and short-term sickness benefits within the tax system. We are actively considering ways to achieve this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will circulate in theOfficial Report a table showing the increase in wage rates and earnings of oil-tanker drivers, petroleum refinery operatives and workers in the coal, electricity and gas industries over the past 12 months and over the past seven years.

I am afraid that the information requested with respect to oil-tanker drivers is not available from official sources.The available information is as follows:PERCENTAGE INCREASE

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if any submissions had been made to his Department prior to 7 November with regard to the proposed transfer of responsibility for the underwater training school for divers at Fort William from the Shenley Trust Limited to the petroleum industry training board; and if so, on what date such submission was made, and from whom.

Following a review of the underwater training centre, the Manpower Services Commission made a recommendation to my Department on 3 September that the petroleum industry training board should be invited to take responsibility for the centre on termination of the existing arrangements for the centre's management. We attach importance to the work of the centre but the present total dependence on public funds cannot be justified and must be changed. We shall therefore be having discussions with the industry to secure more financial support from it for the centre and will be considering the proposed new management arrangements. In the meantime we have asked the MSC to arrange for the present management contract for the centre to be extended for six months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the most recent estimate available from current data of the total number of deaths annually from occupationally related diseases, and in particular those estimates relating to lung cancer, heart disease and bronchitis.

Deaths from diseases attributed to occupational causes are only recorded as such in cases where industrial death benefit is paid (the "prescribed" diseases) or where notification is made under the Factories Act 1961 (the "notifiable" diseases). The most recent currently available figures are 899 deaths in 1977 and 707 (provisional figure) in 1978 from prescribed diseases, and three and nil deaths in the respective years from notifiable diseases (excluding deaths caused by gassing accidents).Heart disease and bronchitis are not prescribed or notifiable diseases although each may be a contributory factor to death from some disease that is prescribed. Lung cancer is only a prescribed disease in respect of the limited range of occupations liable to contract prescribed disease 37(

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what studies are currently being undertaken into the percentage of all cancer cases which may be related to carcinogens in the work place in (a) the United States of America and (b) Great Britain; and what significant factors, if any, there may be in such percentages of cancer cases between the two countries.

A study was published in the United States of America in 1978 entitled "Estimates of the fraction of cancer in the United States related to occupational factors." This was prepared by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The methodology of this study has been severely criticised by scientists in the United States and in the United Kingdom, and I am informed that, in the view of the Health and Safety Executive, no reliable estimate of the percentage of deaths from cancer that are due to occupational factors can be determined. There is no pathological distinction between non-occupational and occupational cancers, and in many instances a combination of contributory factors exists.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimates he has of the percentages of workers who are fully informed of occupational health risks to which they are exposed.

I can form no estimate of the percentage of workers who are fully informed of occupational health risks to which they are exposed. However, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 employers have a statutory duty to provide such information as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of their employees; to prepare a written statement of their general policy with respect to health and safety at work; and to bring the statement to the notice of their employees.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available enough copies of "The Redundancy Payments Scheme" for all redundant workers who may ask for a copy.

The booklet "The Redundancy Payments Scheme" is a comprehensive guide produced primarily for employers. Most of the information it contains would be of no interest or use to employees, for whom a separate leaflet is available. Copies of the booklet are freely available to workers' representatives on request.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, whether he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing the average weekly earnings of face workers and of all workers in the coal mining industry in 1948, 1958, 1968 and 1978 compared with the average for all workers.

The available figures are as follows:

A. AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS* OF MALE MANUAL WORKERS IN OCTOBER
		Coal mining	All industries covered by Department of Employment survey†
		£	£
1948	…	8·47	6·90
1958	…	15·41	12·83
1968	…	24·12	23·00
1978	…	111·99	83·50
Source: Department of Employment Gazette, May 1978 and February 1979.
* Including overtime and earnings of employees who worked for only part of the survey week
†Manufacturing, mining and quarrying (except coal mining), construction, gas, electricity and water, transport and communication (except railways and sea transport), certain miscellaneous services and public administration

The survey from which the above figures are taken does not distinguish face workers. However, since 1970 the new earnings survey has distinguished the earnings of underground workers (and latterly face-trained miners) each April and the figures are:B. AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS OF FULL-TIME MANUAL MEN AGED 21 AND OVER WHOSE EARNINGS WERE NOT AFFECTED BY ABSENCE IN APRIL

		Underground workers	Face-trained miners	All manual employees in coal mining
		£	£	£
1970	…	27·2	..	26·2
1978	…	109·2	109·7	104·1
Source: New earnings survey, 1970 and 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures, for the latest dates available, comparing the number of people in each of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Sweden who were (a) undergoing vocational training or retraining and (b) were also in receipt of a Government-financed training allowance.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the latest figures available on a comparable basis of the numbers undergoing vocational training relate to the year 1975 and are as follows:

	United Kingdom	France	Germany
Population undergoing vocational training	1,487,500	1,497,300	1,723,400
Percentage of total population between 14 and 65 undergoing vocational training	4·2 per cent.	4·6 per cent.	4·3 per cent.

Data on the number of these who were also in receipt of a Government-financed training allowance are not available.Comparable figures for Sweden are not immediately available, but if they can be obtained I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in theOfficial Reportthe industries and services in which there is in existence a legally enforceable minimum wage; and in which either party is allowed to contract out of the agreement.

The list is as follows:

• Aerated Waters
• Agriculture
• Boot and Shoe Repairing
• Button Manufacturing
• Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making
• Corset
• Cotton Waste Reclamation
• Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing
• Flax and Hemp
• Fur
• General Waste Materials Reclamation
• Hairdressing
• Hat, Cap and Millinery
• Lace Finishing
• Laundry
• Licensed Non-residential Establishment
• Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed Restaurant
• Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household Goods and Linen Piece Goods
• Made-up Textiles
• Ostrich and Fancy Feather and Artificial Flower
• Perambulator and Invalid Carriage
• Pin, Hook and Eye and Snap Fastener

			£1·10	£1·30	£1·40
Approximate cost	…	…	£200 million	£700 million	£150 million
Percentage increase in wages bill	…	…	0·2 percent.	0·7 percent.	1·2 percent.

The estimates do not include part-time workers who work fewer than 30 hours a week. Reliable information about their earnings, on which sum an estimate could be based, is not available. In so far as such part-time workers would be covered by a minimum wage at these levels the estimates given above understate the likely cost.Separate estimates for the public sector can be made only for men aged over 21

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the cost of introducing a national minimum wage at £1·13 an hour, £1·25an hour and £1·38 an hour, applicable to all workers aged 18 years and over; how much in each case would be added to the total wages bill; and of this total how much would be attributable to the public sector.

Estimates of the cost of a national minimum wage at the precise levels for which my hon. Friend has requested them could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The following table gives estimates, based on the new earnings survey for April 1979, of the direct addition to the national wage bill caused by raising the pay of full-time workers (defined as those working over 30 hours a week or more) over 18 who are paid less than £1·10 an hour, £1·30 an hour and £.1·40 an hour up to those levels.and women aged over 18. The direct costs of a national minimum wage for all such full-time workers in the public sector are estimated, on the basis of the NES for April 1979, as approximately:

£1·10	£1·30	£1·40
£25 million	£110 million	£210 million

The estimates given above make no provision for the indirect or repercussive effects of a minimum wage on workers paid above the minimum. Higher paid workers could react in a variety of ways, and estimates of the additional costs are therefore very uncertain. But in as far as higher-paid workers maintained their differentials costs would be increased, and the increase could be very great.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, further to the replies given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North,Official Report, 21 February, column 190, and 29 October, column 402, what progress has been made with the review of pay statistics; and whether it is possible to produce figures showing the number of adults with a basic wage in April of less than (a) £45 and (b) £50 on a comparable basis, with the same starting age for both men and women, either 18 or 21 years.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the replies given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North dated 26 October, 30 November and 17 December 1977, showing the net cost of employing all the registered unemployed at weekly wages of £45, £50 and £55 (a) after taking into account increased revenue from income tax and national insurance contributions, and (b) after also deducting the estimated savings on social security benefits and tax refunds.

(a) After taking into account increased revenue from income tax and national insurance contributions, it is estimated that to pay every adult person at present unemployed in Great Britain a wage of £45, £50 or £55 per week would cost approximately as follows for one year:

			All ages	18 and over
	…	…	£million	£million
£45	…	…	2,370	1,942
£50	…	…	2,565	2,102
£55	…	…	2,750	2,252

There would be additional costs for administration, materials, and so on, which would depend upon the types of projects involved.(

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the reply given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North,Official Report, 23 May 1978, column 496, showing each of the employment and training measures to alleviate unemployment now in operation, the date when each scheme commenced, the gross and net costs, the main purpose of the scheme, the age groups covered, the number of jobs and training places provided, the weekly wage or allowance paid and whether or not the latter is taxable.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the proportion of members of each trade union with a membership of 100,000 or more who have contracted out of the political levy; and what representations he has received recommending the replacement of contracting out by contracting in.

The information may be ascertained from appendix 5 of the certification officer's annual report for 1978, which has been published and is also available in the Library. I have received about a dozen letters from individuals suggesting that the statutory rights to give notice of objection to contributing to a political fund should be replaced by a provision that a member wishing to pay the levy must formally state his desire to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what effect the increase in minimum lending rate will have on local authority housing revenue accounts and council house rents in general in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 27 November by myhon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Dean).—[Vol. 974, c.611.]

ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will bring forward proposals to improve the profitability of small businesses in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Barry (Sir R. Gower) on Monday 3 December.—[Vol. 975, c.7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to assist the several Welsh local authorities which have already fully committed the funds available for grants under the Homes Insulation Act.

Yes. My right hon. Friend is prepared to consider applications for additional allocations from local authorities which can demonstrate a need.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received following the publication of the report of the Williams committee on obscenity and film censorship.

I have so far received 12 letters about the committee's pro- posals, but most were written before the report was published.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iranians entered the United Kingdom from (a) Iran, (b) the United States of America and (c) elsewhere in each of the past five years and also in the past 10 months.

I refer my hon. Friend to my replies to questions from my hon. Friends the Members for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) and Epping Forest (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 4 December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Minister of State's reply to the hon. Member for Ilford, North on 29 November, if he will give the reasons why he has not been able to provide an estimate of the number of Iranians who have entered the United Kingdom illegally from Iran and the United States of America.

The provision of an estimate is rendered impossible by the nature of the offence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the budget of the Voluntary Services Unit in the current financial year; and what is the budget planned for 1980.

The amount included in the revised Estimates for the current financial year for grants to voluntary bodies from the Voluntary Services Unit is £2,739,000. The estimates for grants to be made in the financial year 1980–81 will be included in the Supply Estimates which will be presented to Parliament in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Local Government Boundary Commission on the proposed county council electoral districts in the county of Cheshire.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has not yet published its draft proposals for the future electoral arrangements for the county of Cheshire and I cannot say when my right hon. Friend is likely to receive its report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will look sympathetically at applications for admission to this country by political refugees from Latin America who are adopted by well established human rights groups in the United Kingdom.

Applications for resettlement as refugees from Latin American nationals will be considered on the same criteria as those made by potential

		1 December1976–30 November 1977	1December 1977–30 November 1978	1 December 1978–30 November 1979
Arrived	…	581	491	64
Refused prior entry clearance	…	954	269	299

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of refugees seeking entry to the United Kingdom from each of the Latin American countries, with comparable figures over the past two years.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested by the hon. Member.During November 1979, five applications involving 15 people for resettlement in the United Kingdom as refugees were received from nationals of Latin American countries. At the end of November 1979, 104 cases involving 234 people were awaiting decision.The comparable figures for November 1978 were 28 applications involving 55 people and 108 cases involving 259 people respectively; and for November 1977 there were 26 applications involving 71 people and 135 cases involving 370 people respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he will be taking with regard to the revision of ward boundaries in the city of Manchester, and if he will indicate the likely effective date of the revision.

I have directed the Local Government Boundary Commission refugees from other parts of the world. The interest of a human rights group in a case will be taken into account, but it will not, of itself, constitute a sufficient indication that the United Kingdom is the natural country of resettlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing the number of refugees from Latin America who have been allowed into the United Kingdom in the past three years and the number refused entry, detailing their countries of origin.

The table below contains the available information. I regret that the information in respect of countries of origin is not available.for England to conduct a further review of the electoral arrangements for Manchester. As soon as I have received and considered its report, I shall make an order implementing the Commission's proposals, with or without modifications. I am unable to say at this stage when the new arrangements will come into effect.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to implement the recommendations contained in the report "Sentencing Practice in Magistrates' Courts" by issuing greater guidance on sentencing policy to magistrates; and if he will make a statement.

The report to which the hon. Lady refers has been published in the series of Home Office research studies, and the findings and comments it contains are thus available to magistrates and others. It does not recommend that the Government should issue more guidance to magistrates on sentencing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, under paragraph 39 of the immigration rules, White Paper, Cmnd. 7750, an artist or writer would not be allowed an entry clearance to perform in Great Britain if the fee for his performance or appearance was paid partly or wholly from public funds, such as the Arts Council.

Payment of fees or remuneration from public funds such as the Arts Council, would not disqualify an applicant for an entry clearance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish as much detailed information as may be available giving the total number of applicants now awaiting clearance for immigration and the countries from which these immigrants are emigrating.

I will reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to announce his conclusions on the findings of the Lindop committee on data protection.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 November to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton (Mr. Forman).—[Vol. 974, c. 587.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in theOfficial Report a detailed breakdown of the expenditure involved in compiling the report of inquiry into the prison services.Mr. Brittan: The information requested is as follows:

	£
Staff costs	158,725·50
Travelling and subsistence etc, costs	41,113·08
Estimated cost of production of Government evidence	5,995·16
Estimated cost of printing and publication	23,100·00
	228,933·74

The figures for staff costs includes the cost of the full-time services of the chairman of the committee of inquiry, Mr. Justice May, and Sheriff C. G. B. Nicholson as well as that of the members of the committee's secretariat.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what working papers have been published by his crime policy planning unit since 1974.

A working paper compiled by the unit and entitled "A Review of Criminal Justice Policy 1976" was published by my right hon. Friend's predecessor in 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce in what ways the regime at Send detention centre is to be made stricter.

The detailed planning of the pilot project at Send and New Hall detention centres is still being undertaken.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the new St. George's hospital, Tooting, is due to be completed.

The South-West Thames regional health authority plans to complete phase II of this development in 1986.