asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has figures for the costs of beet growing and processing in the United Kingdom; and how these compare with figures for other European Economic Community countries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has figures for the costs of beet growing and processing in the United Kingdom; and how these compare with figures for other European Economic Community countries.

No direct comparison of production costs is possible because of lack of recent information about the costs in other member States, but comparisons based on real prices show that the United Kingdom is amongst the most efficient producers in the Community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what figures are set by the European Economic Community for processing margins of beet sugar and for the refining margin of cane sugar.

The EEC does not set margins for beet sugar processing or cane sugar refining as part of the common price regime.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the percentage share paid by the United Kingdom of the overall cost of disposal of surplus European Economic Community agricultural commodities.

The United Kingdom contributes towards the cost of the European Community's budget as a whole and not to individual elements separately. In percentage terms the contribution to the budget is about 20 per cent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of the 1980 annual review of Agriculture.

A White Paper on the 1980 annual review is presented to Parliament today. This shows that, despite a record cereals harvest and very good sugar beet crop—which we now know will give us a record output of beet sugar—net product in agriculture in 1979 fell some 3½ per cent. below the 1978 level. A contributory factor was the harsh weather in the early part of 1979. This, and rising labour costs, also affected aggregate net income, which fell by some 5½ per cent. The volume of new fixed investment was maintained at about the level of the previous year.The results of the annual review reflect the policies adopted by the previous Government who, by their green pound policy, deprived farming of resources which it was in their power to give. After taking office in May there was not time for our policies to have much impact during 1979. Since then we have taken a number of significant steps to improve producers' incomes. We have announced three devaluations of the green pound, two increases in the price of milk and a substantial increase in the hill livestock compensatory allowances. The devaluations, combined with the strength of sterling, have removed the discrimination against British agriculture that has taken place over recent years. The industry is now in a position to compete fairly in the European market.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been any increase in the British contingent stationed at Diego Garcia following the Russian invasion of Afghanistan; and whether he has any intention to despatch British naval forces to the Persian Gulf/Indian Ocean following that invasion; and what naval forces are presently stationed there.

The size of the Royal Navy liaison party on Diego Garcia has recently been increased by one regulating petty officer. There are no plans for a further increase. We keep the dispositions of our Naval forces under constant review, but have no immediate plans to despatch warships to the Indian Ocean area. Periodic deployments will, however, continue and arrangements are in hand for a task group to pass through the Indian Ocean later this year en route to the Far East.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what units of the Royal Navy are at present stationed in the Mediterranean area; and for what purposes.

HMS "Intrepid" and a task group of three frigates and afloat support are currently deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean. They are conducting exercises and will be making a series of port visits. A fourth frigate is undertaking routine weapon training and port visits in the Western Mediterranean.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the British Armed Forces served with (a) the Australian and (b) the United States armed forces, for each year from 1965 to 1979.

It will take some time to extract this information from records. I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight, Official Report, 30 January, which Ministry of Defence airfield in the South of England it is intended to use for a short-term practice deployment by F111 aircraft during the summer, if approval for such an exercise is given.

Preliminary planning for a military exercise in May-June includes the possible use of Boscombe Down by a number of F111 aircraft to be deployed from the United States. Arrangements have, however, not yet been finalised and the airfield to be used has not been finally chosen.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight, Official Report, 30 January, if he will now list the United States Air Force main operating and standby bases which figure among the options for the location of the 160 ground-launched cruise missiles to be based in the United Kingdom.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 30 January.—[Vol. 977, c. 382.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will take action to improve the communications between the Forces Wives Association and his Department by the provision of an office and paid secretary who can deal promptly with problems as they arise.

It would not be appropriate to provide this kind of support from public funds for an independent organisation such as the Forces Wives Association. If the association has experienced any particular difficulty in communicating with the Ministry of Defence, I should be glad to have this investigated.

Short asked the Minister for the Civil Service how much money was paid to the Post Office in respect of official mail for each year since 1970; and how much discount was given by the Post Office for each year since 1970.

Total provision for postage costs in main Estimates for 1979–80 was about £100 million. Comparable figures for the years back to 1970 could only be provided at disproportionate cost. No discounts are given on official mail except those available to all other users.

asked the Minister for for the Civil Service if he will make a statement on the discount given by the Post Office in respect of official mail; and what proposals there are for discontinuing this discount.

No discounts are given on official paid or certified paid mail. Where Departments use public methods, they receive the same discounts for quantity as are available to all other users.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the export of art treasures from Great Britain is facilitated by the present operation of the Auction (Bidding Agreements) Act 1927.

I do not see how it could do so, but if the hon. Member has a particular aspect in mind perhaps he would write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the projects or programmes of work under way at United Kingdom universities, on which the research being carried out by research scientists, on the staff of universities or the Science Research Council, is being financed by grants from the United States Department of Defence; and if he will give the university and size of grant in each case.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for. Education and Science (1) whether, following the recommendations of the joint Royal Society, the Advisory Board for Research Councils and Advisory Council of Applied Research and Development report, under the chairmanship of Dr. Spinks, he will make funds available to the University Grants Committee and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors to support the expansion of a limited number of centres of excellence in biotechnology;

The Government will consider the recommendations in the report when it is received.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will allow local authorities to charge for nursery education where appropriate in order to keep open schools that may otherwise be forced to close.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Short) on 5 February.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present number of specialist religious education teachers in county secondary schools; how many such schools have no specialist religious education teachers; and what have been the relevant numbers for the past five years.

The secondary school staffing survey, carried out in the autumn of 1977, showed that there were then 14,791 full-time teachers, and 551 full-time equivalents of part-time teachers, whose qualifications included religious education. Information on the number of schools without specialist teachers of religious education is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many county secondary schools at present have specialist religious education posts unfilled; and how many teaching posts the figures cover.

In January 1979 local education in England and Wales reported 73 unfilled vacancies for teachers of religious education. The survey was repeated on 17 January and the results will be available in March. Information about individual schools is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many county secondary schools have dropped religious education from the school timetable due to staff shortages or other reasons; and what those reasons are;(2) what proposals he has to monitor future development in, or cutbacks in, the provision of religious education in budgets and the vulnerability of religious schools given the reduction in school education as an academic subject.

My Department does not collect information about curricular changes in individual schools. Her Majesty's inspectors' survey of "Aspects of Secondary Education in England", published in December 1979, indicated that religious education was generally included in the curriculum for all pupils up to the age of 14. 58 per cent. of the schools sampled continued to provide religious education for all pupils in the fourth year, and 24 per cent. for some pupils, while in the remaining 18 per cent. of schools there was no clear evidence of any provision at this stage. Religious education is one of the matters to be considered in the forthcoming discussions on the recently published consultation paper "A Framework for School Curriculum", which draws attention to the relevant provisions of the Education Act 1944.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many sixth form colleges and county secondary schools, respectively, with sixth forms offer an A-level in religious studies; and how many pupils have been entered from such schools over the past five years.

Information in the form requested is not available. The estimated numbers of pupils in England and Wales leaving school with A-level passes in religious knowledge have been:

1974–75	3,020
1975–76	3,220
1976–77	3,670
1977–78	3,430

A comparable figure for 1973–74 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he intends to take following the decision of the Leicestershire education committee to cut its careers services; and whether he will make a statement.

Under the Employment and Training Act 1973, local education authorities have a statutory duty to provide a careers service. It is for authorities themselves to determine the staffing levels which are appropriate to the needs of their own services, but the Secretary of State is taking steps to keep himself informed about the position of the careers service generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on what basis he has decided to pay compensation to applicants under the Pneumoconiosis (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 only from the date of consideration of their cases by the pneumoconiosis medical panel rather than from the date from which the panel determines that they are suffering from the disease.

As I explained during the debate on the motion to approve the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' compensation) (Payment of Claims) Regulations on 17 December, the age and assessed level of disability of the disabled person at the time of the first determination by a pneumoconiosis medical board that he was suffering from the disease have been taken for the purpose of determining the amounts of payments to be made under the Act, because records of this information are readily available in the great majority of cases. In particular, these are the only records now available for many disabled persons who died over five years ago. I have recently written to the hon. Member in more detail about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications he has received for compensation under the Pneumoconiosis (Workers Compensation) Act 1979; how many of these relate to the slate quarrying industry; how many of the slate quarrying applications are regarded as coming within the terms of the Act; how many appear to be outside the terms of the Act; how many of the slate quarrying applications have already been paid, or notified of, the compensation they are to receive; and by when he expects payment to be made to the remaining applicants who had made their application before the end of 1979.

3,038 applications have been received; 644 are from former slate workers or their dependants, 68 of the slate applicants have been informed that they appear not to satisfy one or more of the entitlement conditions. There are almost certain to be some more who are discovered not to satisfy the conditions, but I expect these to be relatively few. 121 slate applicants have been notified of the payment they will receive, and have either been paid or are about to be paid. I regret that I cannot give any date by which all payments will be made in respect of those who had made their application before the end of 1979. I have written to the hon. Member about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what progress has been made by the Commission in using the European social fund to finance the social operations in the restructuring policy for textiles and clothing; and whether a discussion document has been released which elaborates on such a role and on how it is to be implemented at the member State level;(2) what is, for each month since January 1978, the number of redundancies covered by notices under the Employment Protection Act 1975 received from employers in wool-textiles (MLH 414), carpets (MLH 419) and men's outer-wear (MLH 442) sectors in comparison with the list of actual redundancies he gave in answer to the hon. Member for Batley and Morley on 29 November 1979: and what estimate he has made of the effects of loss of jobs through voluntary redundancy, early retirement and natural wastage in West Yorkshire.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the number and percentage of registered unemployed in the Manchester travel-to-work area, and the number of vacancies for the latest available month and for the same month of each preceding year back to and including, 1970; and if he will break down the unemployment figures according to sex and, where possible, age, including those unemployed aged 18 years and under and, if the figures are available, unemployed according to ethnic origin for those aged 21 years and under and 18 years and under;

(2) how many young people 21 years and under and 18 years and under, listed separately, and if possible according to sex, and ethnic origin, are benefiting from job promotion schemes, giving the numbers benefiting from each scheme, in the Manchester travel-to-work area for the latest available date and for the equivalent date for each corresponding month in each, since the schemes were started;

(3) how many apprenticeships were made available in the Manchester travel-to-work area for the latest available month, broken down into trades and, where possible, sex and ethnic origin, and the corresponding figures for the corresponding month back to and including 1970.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to encourage factory inspectors to disclose the problems and difficulties they find in the course of their inspections to the public and the press.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1980, c. 21]: No further steps are needed, since I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that factory inspectors already do this satisfactorily, bearing in mind the limitations of section 28 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act—restrictions on disclosure of information—and the resources available to the inspectorate.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he has taken to encourage the introduction of energy stamps, on sale through gas and electricity boards showrooms and post offices, as a means of helping consumers to save for their quarterly fuel bills.

I have discussed with the industries steps they might take to make their savings stamps more widely available. They are currently exploring with the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters the possibility of electricity and gas savings stamps being sold by the federation's members.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial arrangements have been agreed for the provision of the building known as PO/THQ/OPD/EDD for the Post Office.

The accommodation is sublet by the Department to the Post Office, which pays rent for it in the normaly way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report his correspondence with J. Eden Ltd., Sutton in Ashfield; and if he will make a statement.

The correspondence referred to by the hon. Member has been passed to the Department of Industry to reply as it concerns matters which are the responsibility of that Department. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry will reply more fully to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in the light of heavy costs of accounting and administration, he will amend his proposal to fix the limit of £5,000 exclusion for equipment expenditure by local authorities from the control provisions in the Local Government, Planning and Land (No. 2) Bill by raising it to £20,000.

I appreciate my hon. Friend's concern on the need to avoid heavy accounting and administration costs. It is our intention that the new system should not result in any significant increase in such costs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in order to reduce accounting costs, if he will take steps to simplify the controls over direct labour organisations by excluding maintenance work on buildings and highways from the provisions of the Local Government. Planning and Land (No. 2) Bill.

I appreciate my hon. Friend's concern, but four-fifths of direct labour output is maintenance work. It is therefore essential for this activity to be properly regulated and accounted for. However, I share my hon. Friend's concern to establish the simplest possible controls consistent with this aim. There will clearly be opportunities to debate these provisions of the Local Government Planning and Land (No. 2) Bill during its passage through the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing the current estimated value of local authority housing stock in terms of original cost and current market value, the proceeds if all such housing were sold by the local authorities under the proposed legislation, and the balance which would remain after repayments of the capital outstanding on all borrowing.

The historic cost of the housing stock of local authorities in England and Wales is estimated to be in the order of £20 billion. For the other parts of the question reliable estimates cannot be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the amount and the level of the rate support grant allocated to the Greater Manchester county council, and each of the districts

Rate Support Grant—£ million
					1974–75	1975–76	1976–77
Bolton		…	…	…	26·007	34·961	38·452
Bury		…	…	…	15·968	20·590	22·198
Manchester			…	…	58·361	75·346	81·766
Oldham		…	…	…	22·683	30·154	33·153
Rochdale		…	…	…	22·276	30·648	33·552
Salford		…	…	…	27·486	36·715	40·462
Stockport		…	…	…	25·010	33·319	35·757
Tameside		…	…	…	22·495	30·097	33·305
Trafford		…	…	…	14·807	22·664	24·303
Wigan		…	…	…	31·050	41·768	44·995
Total					266·143	356·262	387·943
					1977–78	1978–79	1979–80

Bolton		…	…	…	40·187	42·741	48·474
Bury	…	…	…	…	24·210	28·006	30·653
Manchester			…	…	89·553	100·777	109·154
Oldham		…	…	…	36·839	40·038	45·169
Rochdale		…	…	…	35·836	39·656	44·697
Salford		…	…	…	44·391	48·864	53·793
Stockport		…	…	…	37·500	40·518	42·491
Tameside		…	…	…	35·918	39·309	42·983
Trafford		…	…	…	24·358	26·049	26·706
Wigan		…	…	…	47·150	51·747	57·643
Total					415·942	457·705	501·763

The initial calculations of the resources element for 1980–81 will depend on the authorities' estimated expenditure for the year and the first calculation of the domestic element has not yet been completed. The needs element allocations for the year under the 1980–81 main order are:

	£ million
Bolton	29·978
Bury	16·118
Manchester	87·155
Oldham	25·882
Rochdale	25·968
Salford	37·606
Stockport	25·147
Tameside	24·702
Trafford	20·936
Wigan	28·130
Total	321·622

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of housing subsidy, including mortgage interest tax relief, rent

Rate support grant is not paid to metropolitan county councils.The amount of RSG paid to each of the district councils within Greater Manchester in respect of the years 1974–75 to 1978–79 and the latest estimates for 1979–80 based on the first increase order for that year are as follows:rebates and allowances, rate rebates; what is his estimate of the total number of personnel employed in administering the entire programme; what is the overall cost of administration; and what would be the total saving if all Government involvement in housing were to cease.

The information required is as follows:

	Estimated requirement for 1979–80 at 1979 survey prices (£ million England)
Housing subsidy	1,603
Rent rebates and allowances	485
Option mortgage scheme	187

The estimated liability for rate rebates is £180 million. As to mortgage tax relief, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State, Treasury, to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Sproat) on 11 December 1979.—[Vol. 975, c. 566.] For all aspects of housing work, including staff employed in finance, statistcs, economics, regional offices and rent assesment panels, the Department has a staff of 950. The Housing Corporation has 659 staff in post in England. English local authorities and new towns have some 34,000 full-time equivalent employees allocated to housing. I estimate the total cost of these staff to be some £480 million.Cessation of all public sector involvement in housing would have implications for the economy of which the net effect on the public sector cannot readily be calculated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether further changes are being made to the cash limits set for his Department since those announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Cmnd. 7604.

£m
Cash block		Description	Change	Revised cash limit
Vote VIII, 4	…	Central environmental services	+0·450	69·549
Vote VIII, 7	…	Central administration and environmental research	-0·3	86·7
Vote XIV, 2	…	PSA: administration and miscellaneous services	+0·4	181·2
DOE/LA6	…	Urban programme	-0·450	173·050

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the future of Heveningham Hall near Halesworth in Suffolk: and if he will make a statement.

Heveningham Hall was acquired by one of my predecessors in 1970, using moneys from the national land fund, in order to secure its preservation and that of its contents and estate. It has always been intended, however, that Government ownership of this property should be temporary and should extend only to carrying out necessary repairs and finding a suitable new owner. Unfortunately, attempts to dispose of the property since 1970 have failed. The cost to the land fund of acquisition and subsequent maintenance has been in the region of £500,000.In the light of advice about the future of the hall, and consultation with the Historic Buildings Council, I have decided that, provided a suitable owner can be found, the most appropriate solution would be to sell the property and estate

Yes, two. The Government think it appropriate to increase the grant-in-aid to the Nature Conservancy Council to permit an exceptional land purchase. The necessary increase to the relevant cash limit will be offset by an equivalent saving on the urban programme.As a result of the transfer of responsibility for museums and galleries from another part of my Department to the Property Services Agency a sum of £0·3 million administration costs is being transferred from one cash limit to another; in addition the cash limit for Vote XIV.2 is being increased by £0·1 million to meet increased payments to industrial staff as a consequence of the recent pay settlement.Supplementary provision is being sought in both cases. The details of the cash limit changes are as follows:into private ownership. I have therefore instructed my officials to discuss with Strutt and Parker, chartered surveyors, the arrangements for the sale.My inclination is to sell the freehold of the house and estate but to retain ownership of the furniture and seek the agreement of a new owner to keeping it in its setting and allowing some continued public access. We are considering with Strutt and Parker how this might best be achieved.The hall will be open to the public as usual while sale negotiations are in progress.The first call on the net proceeds from the sale will be for reimbursing the national land fund for the money spent on acquisition and maintenance.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many press and public relations officers are currently employed in his Department; what is the total cost; and what are the comparable figures for June 1970, October 1974 and May 1979.

There are now 12 officers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's news department. The total cost is £140,000. The comparable figures for May 1979 were 12 and £126,000. Details for June 1970 and October 1974 are not readily available.The relevant figures for the Overseas Development Administration are as follows:

	Staff in post	Cost £
February 1980	3	37,000
May 1979	4	41,000
June 1974	3	17,000
October 1970	3	12,000
(figures for June 1970 are not available)

asked the Lord Privy Seal what newspapers are produced by his Department; what is their function; how many people they employ; to whom they are distributed; and what is the total cost to public funds per annum.

One—"Overseas Development". Its function is to provide information about the activities of the Overseas Development Administration. Three staff currently work on this for one quarter of their time each, and others contribute. It is distributed six times each year to Overseas Development Administration and allied staffs working on development, at home and overseas; overseas Governments; MPs and European MPs; educational bodies; and development groups. The total reckonable cost covering staff, printing and distribution is about £46,000 a year.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian bodies are currently being denied access to Rhodesian prisons.

The ICRC has sought access to certain categories of detainees in Rhodesia, in accordance with its role of providing protection and assistance to detainees during and after hostilities. To grant this access would in practice involve granting access to all prisoners in Rhodesia, including those convicted by the ordinary courts, since the distinction between those whose detention relates to the hostilities and those detained for other reasons can only be made on a case-by-case basis. The Governor has concluded that to grant access to all prisoners would be to prejudice a decision which should properly be left to the independent Government and has therefore informed the ICRC that he cannot agree to this request. A programme of visits by British officials has been instituted to all institutions where martial law detainees are held and to as many as possible of the institutions where convicted prisoners are held.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will instruct the Governor of Rhodesia to review the cases of all those political prisoners who have been convicted by the now suspended martial law tribunals.

The Governor is already reviewing the cases of all convicted prisoners whose offences prima facie fall within the scope of his amnesty ordinance.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many detainees are currently being held under martial law regulations in Rhodesia.

When the Governor arrived the figure stood at over 5.000; it is now under 2,000.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make publicly available the names of all those executed in Rhodesia since 1965, with the dates and places of execution.

I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Hooley) on 17 January.—[Vol. 976. c. 863].

asked the Lord Privy Seal what percentage of the popular vote an African nationalist party will need to win in order to achieve a majority in the new Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Parliament, taking account of the fact that it will not have the support of the 20 seats reserved for whites.

To win an outright majority in the House of Assembly, a party contesting the common-roll elections must win 51 of the 80 seats. These 80 seats are distributed among eight electoral districts, in each of which the seats will be allocated on a proportional basis. The percentage of total—that is national—popular vote is therefore not a critical factor.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what recent discussions have been held with the Government of Mauritius concerning the resettlement of the inhabitants evacuated from Diego Garcia.

There have been no recent discussions with the Government of Mauritius on this subject.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how much money has been disbursed to the former inhabitants of Diego Garcia; how much is still outstanding; and what is its real value in 1980 terms.

The Government of Mauritius have paid out almost £936,000 consisting of Her Majesty's Government's grant of £650,000 in 1973 and interest accrued up to disbursement. Only an insignificant sum remains undistributed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the present state of negotiations between Her Majesty's Government and the former inhabitants of Diego Garcia; and whether any offer made by Her Majesty's Government is based on receiving an undertaking from the inhabitants that they will not return to the Chagos archipelago.

In November 1979 the legal representative for the Ilois community presented to them Her Majesty's Government's offer of £1·25 million. We understand it is still under consideration.Since the main object of the offer is to facilitate the resettlement of the former islanders in Mauritius, those who accept will be required to abandon any claim to return to the Chagos archipelago.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will publish in the Official Report the list of projects initiated as a result of his Department's initiative to rehabilitate the former inhabitants of Diego Garcia in employment, housing, education, medical and social welfare.

Her Majesty's Government's grant to Mauritius was not used for new projects but was distributed in cash to the former islanders in accordance with the wishes of the majority. Help was given with reception, accommodation and employment. The islanders benefit from the full range of Mauritius Government educational, medical and social welfare services.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what further discussions he has had with the United States Government on their use of Diego Garcia's base since the Russian invasion of Afghanistan what is the present United States force on the island; what facilities there are; and what intentions the United States Government have to expand them.

My right hon. Friend has not had discussions, but talks on the facilities took place at official level in late January. At present there are approximately 1,900 United States Service personel on Diego Garcia, the majority being involved in construction work. Facilities consist of an anchorage, airstrip, support and supply elements and ancillary services, personnel accommodation, and transmitting and receiving services. Current American proposals envisage the improvement of the handling and staging capacity of the existing facilities. Details of the proposals will be subject to continuing discussion between our two Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has postponed the implementation of the Boundary Commission's recommendations in respect of Wolverhampton until 1982.

As I said in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington (Mr. Stanbrook) on 23 November—[Vol. 974, c. 359–60]—I had decided that, in order to allow candidates and others a reasonable period to prepare for the elections of district councillors to be held in May 1980, no electoral arrangements orders to come into effect at these elections would be made after 15 December 1979. As I had not by that date received from the district council all the information required to enable me to make an order, I could not bring the new electoral arrangements for Wolverhampton into effect in May this year. I have, however, now made an order implementing them at the next elections of district councillors; that is, May 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the certified normal accommodation of Her Majesty's prison at Armley in Leeds; and how many prisoners are there currently.

On 31 December 1979 the certified normal accommodation was 578 and the number of inmates was 1,070.

Cox asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what open prisons are at present in use in England and Wales.

The current situation on open prisons in England and Wales remains as published in appendix No. 3 of the "Report of the Work of the Prison Department 1978" (Cmnd. 7619):

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Patrick Joseph Conlan was removed from Hammersmith hospital back to Wormwood Scrubs prison a week or so before he died and was later transferred back to Hammersmith hospital again.

On 11 January 1980 Mr. Conlan was transferred from Hammersmith hospital to Wormwood Scrubs prison—where he was located in the prison hospital—because the consultant physician responsible for his care considered that he was fit for discharge from hospital. Following a deterioration in his condition he was returned to the Hammersmith hospital on 18 January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what stage it became known to the medical authorities either in prison or out of it that Patrick Joseph Conlan was dying.

From the commencement of his sentence Mr. Conlan was known to be in poor health and this was aggravated from time to time by serious and unpredictable attacks of the chest infections to which he was susceptible. On 18 January Mr. Conlan developed acute respiratory distress which did not respond to treatment and he was transferred the same day to the Hammersmith hospital. He remained seriously ill although it was not possible to predict with any certainty whether he would die, until shortly before his death.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals, in the light of the criticisms of the legislation made by the Royal Commission on Gambling, 1978, to amend the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976.

I intend to introduce legislation for this purpose when opportunity permits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why only one publication is available to the public about home defence; and if he will remedy this situation by issuing more positive information and guidance generally.

My current review of home defence arrangements includes the question of public information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an inquiry as to the adequacy of the Civil Defence Act 1948 and regulations there under, together with powers conferred on principal councils under the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of major accidents and natural disasters.

No. The Civil Defence Act 1948 is drawn in wide terms and I am satisfied with the scope of the regulations made under the Act. I am also satisfied that the Local Government Act 1972 confers adequate powers on county and district councils with respect to major accidents and natural disasters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes, if any, have been made to the membership of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England since 14 June 1979.

The terms of appointment of the deputy chairman and members of the Parliamentary Boundary

1					2	3	4	5
Year					Cases not referred to Director of Public Prosecutions	Cases referred to Director of Public Prosecutions	Total of cols. 2 and 3	Percentage of col. 4 represented by col. 2
1970	…	…	…	…	391	2,215	2,606	15·0
1971	…	…	…	…	423	1,857	2,280	18·6
1972	…	…	…	…	351	2,829	3,180	11·0
1973	…	…	…	…	387	2,948	3,335	11·6
1974	…	…	…	…	440	2,846	3,286	13·4
1975	…	…	…	…	554	3,362	3,916	14·2
1976	…	…	…	…	558	3,883	4,441	12·6
1977	…	…	…	…	592	3,999	4,591	12·9
1978	…	…	…	…	640	4,802	5,442	11·8
*1 A complaints case may contain a number of individual matters of complaint.
2 For the years 1970–77 the figures relate to such of the complaints cases received in the year as had been investigated by the end of the year. For 1978 the figures relate to complaints cases completed during the year whether received in that year or carried over from previous years.

The Police Complaints Board came into operation on 1 June 1977 and only complaints relating to police officers' conduct on or after that date had to be referred to the board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in full the report on the Tote written by Mr. Aglionby.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report such evidence as was given to the inquiry under Mr. Francis Aglionby relating to the pay-

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints against the police alleging assault for each year since 1970 were not referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions, but went directly to the Police Complaints Board; and what percentage each of these figures represents of total complaints against the police alleging assault which were referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions for that year.

I regret that the information is not available in relation specifically to complaints alleging assault. Information about complaints cases^* involving the alleged commission of a criminal offence—unspecified—by a police officer is as follows:out following the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot on 18 June 1976; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Whitelaw: I understand that persons giving evidence to the inquiry did so on the basis that their evidence would be treated in confidence; in these circumstances it would be wrong to publish any of it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine the report to the Home Secretary by Mr. Francis Aglionby to determine whether to institute prosecutions against certain employees of the Tote.

On the information before me, I see no need to take such action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is envisaged that the arrangements for advertising on ITV2 will provide for competition between franchise holders on both independent television channels, or whether the existing contractors will be able to operate simultaneously on ITV2, thereby creating regional monopolies for selling advertising time.

Clause 5 of the Broadcasting Bill, published on 6 February, proposes that the programme contractors for the IBA's existing television service should have the right, in consideration of payments made to the authority, to provide advertisements for inclusion in the programmes broadcast on the fourth channel in their respective areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963 so as to make a criminal offence the practice of transmitting to pools bets which bear no relation to bets received from clients and are intended to reduce artifically the dividend.

I do not think that would be appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it was deemed appropriate to increase the grant-in-aid to the Equal Opportunities Commission by 35 per cent. in the current financial year; and whether he plans to restore it to no more than its 1978–79 levels, in money terms, in the next financial year.

The grant-in-aid for the Equal Opportunities Commission in 1979–80 is £0·35 million lower than the provision made in the Supply Estimates published in March 1979 and reflects substantial savings on staff and other items. The grant is higher than that in 1978–79 because of the effects of inflation; the payment of bills submitted too late for inclusion in expenditure for 1978–79; a reduced number of staff vacancies; and the cost over a full year of staff in posts which were approved late in 1978. Figures for the next financial year will be published in the Supply Estimates in due course: they will reflect the continuing determination of the Government and the commission that its activities should be carried out with the maximum economy and efficiency.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the tax treatment of the temporary employment subsidy.

Payments of the temporary employment subsidy are, in the Revenue's view, trading receipts for tax purposes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will circulate a table in the Official Report showing for each year since 1970 and each quarter since 1 January 1976 (a) domestic credit expansion as a percentage of sterling M3, (b) domestic credit expansion as a percentage of the increase in sterling M3 and (c) a breakdown showing by value the classes of transactions on current and capital account which go into domestic credit expansion and not sterling M3.

Information from which (a) and (b) can be derived is shown in tables 7·1 and 7·3 of Financial Statistics.Regarding part (

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing for 1976–77, 1977–78 and 1978–79, the balance of payments flows by sectors as set out in table C of the appendix to Government Economic Service Working Paper No. 5 on balance of payments flows and monetary aggregates in the United Kingdom.

This information could only be provided at the cost of disproportionate time and effort.As is explained in a reply to another recent question from the hon. Member, the possibility of introducing a table in

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what heads in the budget accounts and financial statement the net payment by the United Kingdom to the EEC as estimated at £1,000 million in 1980–81 appears.

A forecast of £1,000 million at 1979 survey prices for the United Kingdom net contribution to the European Communities and the European Investment Bank was included in the "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1980/81"(Cmnd. 7746). Table 10 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1979/80 included figures for the United Kingdom gross contribution to the European Communities in 1978–79 and 1979–80 under the heading "Consolidated Fund Standing Services".

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount paid in interest on the national debt in each financial year from 1967 to date; and what is his estimate for the current year and the years to 1982.

The total amounts paid in interest on the national debt in the years 1967–68 to 1978–79 were shown in the annual Consolidated Fund and national loans fund accounts, which have been published as House of Commons Papers.The forecast for 1979–80 appears in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1979–80 (HC 98): forecasts for 1980–81 and 1981–82 will be included in the reports for those years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing how he estimates an increase of 300,000 in unemployment, as assumed for planning purposes, will be distributed between males and females, between married and single persons, and by regions.

No.

asked the Chancelor of the Exchequer what is the contribution towards gross national product by each of the regions of England Scotland and Wales, expressed as an amount and percentage of total.

Regional estimates of gross national product are not available. The latest available estimates of gross domestic product in the regions are given on page 111 of the November 1979 issue of Economic Trends.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the light of the effects of high interest rates on industry in the Ashfield constituency, if he will take action to lower the rates forthwith.

The high level of interest rates is necessary at present to ensure firm control over monetary growth. Lower interest rates will be possible as our policies reduce the rates of monetary growth and inflation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in tabular form his estimates of the number of people taken out of income tax by Budget changes in each of the past 10 years, and the total number of people who paid income tax in each of the same years, including a provisional estimate for the current year; if he will distinguish between earning wives and others; and if, for the years since 1967–77, he will show separate figures for changes due to section 22 of the Finance Act 1977.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of public expenditure for 1978–79; and as a percentage figure how much of this was approved by Parliament authorising supply and how much was incurred under statute.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether bodies other than local authorities and nationalised industries incur expenditure which is classified as public expenditure incurred under statute as opposed to that public expenditure approved directly by Parliament authorising supply.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the costs of administering the premium savings bond schemes (a) in administration and (b) in promotion; and if he is satisfied that the current interest of 11·25 per cent. below minimum lending rate remains a satisfactory incentive to investors.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 January 1980, c. 370]: Administrative costs of the premium savings bonds scheme for 1978–79 were £18·5 million. Promotion costs in that year totalled a further £494,000. The mean balance invested in premium savings bonds in 1978–79 was £1,343 million. With regard to the second part of the question, as with all national savings instruments, the terms of the premium savings bonds scheme are kept under constant review. However, the major incentive to investors in premium bonds is the prospect of a prize of up to £100,000; for those seeking an assured rate of interest a variety of other national savings instruments are available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the different considerations which cause Krugerrands to be liable to capital gains tax but to be free of value added tax.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those social security benefits which are taxable and those which are not.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received the report of the National Council of Social Services fiscal working party; what assessment he has made of its conclusions; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 February 1980]: Yes. The recommendations in the report are receiving serious consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) when the Minister of State for Health and Social Serivces in Northern Ireland will meet representatives of the staff side of the Nurses and Midwives Joint Council to discuss future strategy in old people's homes in the Province;(2) if he will include representatives of the nursing staff and representatives of the staff side of the Nurses and Midwives Joint Council on the investigating committee in respect of old people's homes in Northern Ireland.

I have arranged for a committee to be appointed to review all aspects of health and social care for the elderly in Northern Ireland, including the provision of residential facilities. There are seven members of the nursing profession among the 21 people serving on the committee and no increase in membership is envisaged. The staff side of the Nurses and Midwives Joint Council has been invited to give written and oral evidence and I do not feel that a meeting with it at this time would serve a useful purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the names of all persons who have died whilst in police custody since 1970, the police station where they died, the date of their death, and the cause of death as stated on the death certificate.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 January 1980; c. 724]: A further search of police records shows that there have been three other deaths in police custody in Northern Ireland since 1970:

(a) On 15 February 1973, Arthur Joseph O'Neill, having been brought to Donegal Pass police station, Belfast from Manchester by officers of the Drugs Squad, subsequently died in hospital from barbiturate poisoning.

(b) On 15 October 1977, William McCrory having been brought to Town Hall Street police station, Belfast charged with disorderly behavious and assault, subsequently collapsed and died of heart failure.

(c) On 24 February 1979, Hugh Patrick McKeown was found and brought to Antrim police station, where he subsequently died of alcoholic poisoning.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what agreement has been reached on the sixth replenishment of the International Development Association.

Agreement has been reached on the sixth replenishment on the basis of a total of $12 billion. This includes proposed contributions of—or equivalent to—$1,212 million from the United Kingdom,$3,240 million from the United States,$1,758 million from Japan,$1,500 million from Germany and$646 million from France. The funds are for commitment in the period July 1980-June 1983. I shall be seeking the necessary parliamentary authorisation in due course.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will initiate a campaign to give civil servants working on overseas development matters an objective appreciation of living and working conditions in West Central Scotland, in view of the proposed move to East Kilbride.

This has already been done. An information unit was specifically set up for this purpose and staff have had an opportunity to visit East Kilbride with their families to see for themselves the local facilities. Nearly 400 members of staff and their spouses made these reconnaissance visits during 1978 and 1979, but to date only 35 members of staff have volunteered to transfer there.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when he expects the dispersal of jobs from the Overseas Development Administration to East Kilbride to be completed.

It is hoped that the dispersal programme will be completed by August 1981.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when he intends to make an announcement detailing the Overseas Development Administration jobs which will be dispersed to East Kilbride.

Final details of the posts to be dispersed to East Kilbride have yet to be settled. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Paymaster General what information he has issued to the press about the inflation proofing of Civil Service pensions.

None.

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied that industrial investment projects which attract substantial grants in Northern Ireland do not have implicit in them the closure of factories and consequent loss of jobs in other development areas in the United Kingdom.

Yes. Regional aids are designed to encourage investment and this can often result in increased competition for some other manufacturer. Every resonable effort is made, however, in consultation between regional offices, to ensure that we are not simply moving jobs around the country, with no benefit to the national economy.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply to the hon. Member for West Lothian, Official Report, 31 January, column 1556, if she will list examples of action taken in regard to carrying out the nuclear non-proliferation agreement.

As a depository power the United Kingdom has worked hard to encourage wider adherence to the non-proliferation treaty, which requires parties to accept the International Atomic Energy Authority's safeguards on all activities. The Government are careful fully to observe the requirement under the treaty not to assist any non-nuclear weapons states to manufacture nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive de- vices and accordingly exercise the tightest controls on the export of designated nuclear items and materials. These controls are kept under continuous review and updated as necessary.

asked the Prime Minister whether she sanctioned a high grade nuclear alert in the United Kingdom on the week ended 26 January; and if she will make a statement.

There was no such alert.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement following her meeting with the independent steel producers.

I met representatives of the British Independent Steel Producers Association on 5 February 1980. Although there is no dispute between them and their employees, the ISTC has called a strike which is causing grave damage to their companies and could jeopardise jobs. They stressed that the law in its present state gives them no protection whatsoever. I explained that the Government shared their concern about the wide immunity the law now affords for calling secondary picketing, that the Employment Bill already contained provisions to protect employers against secondary picketing, and that the Government intended to bring forward further proposals for amending the law on immunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the percentage change in rates per head of population in each year since 1976 for each Scottish region.

The information is given in the table below. The table should not be taken to reflect increases in rates due by individual ratepayers as the percentages are derived from rates

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospital wards have been closed in each health board area since May 1979.

The information requested is given in the following table:

HOSPITAL WARD CLOSURES SINCE MAY 1979
Health board	Number of wards closed	Number of these wards re-opened May 1979 to date
Argyll and Clyde	31*	1
Ayrshire and Arran	13	12
Borders	2	1
Dumfries and Galloway	2	—
Fife	1	—
Forth Valley	7	4
Grampian	5	1
Greater Glasgow	36	34
Highland	5	5
Lanarkshire	14	13
Lothian	51	43
Orkney	1	1
Shetland	—	—
Tayside	10	2
Western Isles	—	—
Scotland	178	117
* 25 wards closed because of the opening of new accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions his Department has had with regional social work and education departments over the immediate post-school problems facing profoundly handicapped youngsters when they complete special schooling at the age of 16 years.

A survey was made last year of provision for profoundly mentally handicapped children which included discussions with educa-

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give the information available at a convenient date as to the levels of income of household heads in council houses in Scotland in comparison with average earnings;(2) if he will give the information available at a convenient date as to the levels of total household incomes in council houses in Scotland in comparison with total household incomes generally.

The information requested is shown in the table below.

MEAN ANNUAL INCOME OF LOCAL AUTHORITY TENANTS AND ALL TENURES IN SCOTLAND 1978.
	Tenure
Mean income (£pa)*	Local authority	All tenures
Head of Household	3,472	3,920
Household	5,346	5,693
Sample size	365	655
Source:
Family Expenditure Survey
* Gross income before deduction of income tax, national insurance etc.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pyscho-surgical operations were performed in the United Kingdom during each of the most recent five years for which figures are available; and how many of these were performed at the Brook general hospital, Woolwich.