asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what investigations his inspectors have carried out into conditions aboard a sewage sludge vessel operated out of Newport docks by a Greek company under contract to the Welsh water authority; and if he will publish their report;(2) what investigations have been carried out by his inspectors as to the seaworthiness of a sewage sludge vessel operated out of Newport docks by a Greek company under contract to the Welsh water authority; and if he will publish their report;(3) whether he is satisfied that the sewage sludge vessel operated out of Newport docks by a Greek company under contract to the Welsh water authority has a proper safety certificate and is insured properly.

The "Anavissos II", a sludge tanker of 568·2 GRT, is owned and registered in Greece. The vessel has been visited on three occasions by marine surveyors of my Department. A general inspection disclosed a number of deficiencies which the inspectors required to be rectified and this has been done. The vessel's manning level and certification were in order with the exception of an expired temporary radio-telephony certificate which it is understood has since been renewed. I am advised that the "Anavissos II" is in class for insurance purposes; the Classification Society has also confirmed that all safety certificates are valid and that there are no operational restrictions on the vessel.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will take steps to permit the British Airports Authority to make commercial borrowings on the security of specified assets.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle) on 6 March 1980.—[Vol. 980,c. 289.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the cost to public funds of the investigations and reports into the affairs of Darjeeling Holdings Ltd. and other linked companies.

£184,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the powers available to inspectors appointed under section 164 and 172 of the Companies Act 1948 to secure the attendance of witnesses known to be in the United Kingdom.

Powers are set out in sections 167 and 172(5) of the Companies Act 1948. In essence section 167 empowers inspectors to require the attendance of all officers and agents of the company with recourse to the court in the event of non-attendance. "Agents" includes the company's solicitors, bankers and auditors. On an application by inspectors, the court may require the attendance of any other person for examination on oath. Inspectors appointed under section 172 may additionally require the attendance of anyone thought to have financial interest in the success or failure of the company; persons able to control or materially to influence the company's policy; and persons acting on their behalf. In certain circumstances the powers are excercisable in respect of related companies or their officers and agents.

asked the Lord Privy Seal in which countries Her Majesty's Government are giving aid to raise their food production; how much is being given; how much was given in each of the last five years; if any other countries were aided in these years; and, if so, which.

Available statistics do not allow help for food production to be distinguished from other forms of assistance to agriculture and fisheries. The figures are detailed and complex and I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Prime Minister when next representatives of Her Majesty's Government will meet those from the other seven nations who attended the Venice summit to review the commercial introduction of new technologies; and if she will make a statement.

There are no plans for a meeting directed specifically at this issue although it remains an important consideration in framing economic policy here and elsewhere.

asked the Prime Minister when next her representative will meet those of the other six Western leaders who attended the Venice summit to study and review population growth, industrial expansion and economic development; and when she will make a statement concerning this review.

A meeting has been proposed for the autumn, but dates have not yet been agreed.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement about the pay of medical and dental officers in the Armed Forces.

Following their earlier acceptance in full of the recommendations of the ninth report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, and of the tenth report of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, the Government have now accepted the recommendations in the supplement to the AFPRB's ninth report for the pay of Service medical and dental officers appropriate from 1 April 1980. The supplement has been published today as Cmnd. 7956. Copies are available in the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the existing levels of unemployment and vacancies for young people in the mid-Northumberland area; and what arrangements are being made to provide work opportunities in time for the summer leaving date.

At 10 April, the latest date for which an age analysis of the unemployed is available, there were 1,030 young people under 20 years of age registered as unemployed in the area covered by Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Cramlington and Morpeth employment offices. At 2 April, there were 352 notified vacancies remaining unfilled at these employment offices and 13 at corresponding careers offices. In addition to the vacancies at the careers offices, some of those held at the employment offices may be suitable for young people. The corresponding figures for 6 June were 255 at employment offices and 11 at careers offices. Vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and careers offices should not be added together.I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the youth opportunities programme (YOP) is designed to offer young unemployed people opportunities for training and work experience that will improve their prospects of obtaining permanent employment. At present, there are over 400 unfilled opportunities in the programme for unemployed young people in the area covered by the employment offices listed above.The MSC area staff concerned are confident that the planned provision for this year, 1980–81, will be sufficient to meet the needs of unemployed school leavers in the area. Marketing initiatives aimed at potential sponsors of YOP schemes will take place as and when necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will bring forward further proposals to reduce the unemployment situation in mid-Northumberland.

I accept that unemployment in mid-Northumberland is too high. The area will continue, however, to be eligible for a range of regional assistance, despite some downgradings in assisted area status this August. Furthermore, most of our special employment measures, which are currently helping a considerable number of people in the Morpeth and Alnwick areas, will continue to be available.Ultimately, however, the health of the economy depends upon an improvement in world trade and on the degree of co-operation between both sides of industry and commerce in raising production and bargaining responsibly over pay and conditions. Only by increasing industry's ability to compete at home and abroad and so creating a genuine demand for labour can we reduce unemployment in mid-Northumberland and elsewhere in the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will convene a joint meeting of officials of the Manpower Services Commission, hon. Members representing West Midlands constituencies, representatives of industry, trade unions and local authorities in the West Midlands to determine future policy and the role of skillcentres which are established and the experimental skillcentre at Redditch.

No. It is for the Manpower Services Commission to arrange for continuing consultation with local interests about training provision in West Midlands. I understand that the MSC's district manpower committees already play a valuable part as a focus for such discussions; but the MSC's officials are of course willing to join in any broader discussions which may be suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report, the number of trainees who would be under instruction at the proposed experimental Redditch skillcentre when completed and the estimated cost of the centre.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there will be places for 252 trainees at Redditch skillcentre when it is completed; considerably more than that number will be trained each year.The total capital cost—including the purchase of the land and the expenses of the Property Services Agency—will be £3·725 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of trainees under instruction who will be transferred from the Dudley skillcentre to the proposed experimental skillcentre at Redditch.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that its present plans do not envisage the transfer of trainees currently under instruction from the Dudley skillcentre to the new skillcentre at Redditch as most will complete their courses during the expected six to nine months' overlap between the rundown of Dudley and the build-up of training at Redditch skillcentre. It is expected that any remaining trainees will transfer to Birmingham (Handsworth) and Wolverhampton skillcentre.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of occasions when consultations have taken place between hon. Members representing West Midland constituencies and top management of the Manpower Services Commission on the subject of proposed closures and new skillcentres.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) that on 7 February the chairman of the MSC wrote to all hon. Members whose constituencies could have been affected by the proposals for the rationalisation of the skillcentre network, and enclosed a copy of a consultative paper setting out those proposals. The chairman's letter stated that he had asked the regional general managers of the training services division of the commission to be prepared to supply whatever further information hon. Members might require, and a list of their names and addresses was also enclosed.On 22 January 1980 the chairman of the MSC and other MSC officials had discussions with a deputation, which included my hon. Friend the Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Hawksley) about the closure of Telford skillcentre annexe.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the dates and occasions of any consultations which have taken place between hon. Members representing the Dudley or Redditch constituencies and regional officials of the Manpower Services Commission on the subject of the closure of skillcentres or the opening of experimental centres.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that while actual dates cannot be given without disproportionately time-consuming research, regional officials have ensured that the hon. Members representing Dudley and Redditch have been kept fully in touch by correspondence and otherwise, with the proposals for rationalising the skillcentre network.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report those categories of employment in which there are still shortages of skilled workers; and what measures the Government intend to take in order to remedy the situation.

Although vacancies in skilled occupations are generally filled quickly, vacancies in a few key skills, notably in some skilled engineering trades and in computer-related occupations, are still hard to fill. Government support through the Manpower Services Commission is available where help is essential to help meet key training objections and in some cases—for instance computer skills—the MSC has expanded its training provision to alleviate critical skill shortages. But the primary responsibility for overcoming skill shortages lies with industry and employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's estimate, for the latest available date, of the number of apprenticeship places available for 16 to 18year-olds; and by what amount this figure has increased since that for 1970.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that no recent statistics on the basis sought by the hon. Member are available. The latest year for which statistics on apprenticeship are available on a consistent basis with statistics relating to 1970 is 1974. I give below figures for the number of schoolleavers entering employment as apprentices in skilled occupations in these two years:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what departmental studies have been undertaken into the scheme currently in operation in the Federal Republic of Germany whereby the German Government provide a subsidy for company in-house training and retraining schemes so as to bring their employees up to date with new schemes; and if he will make a statement on the feasibility of introducing such a scheme in Great Britain.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the MSC has made no specific studies of the subsidies for company in-house training and retraining in operation in the Federal Republic of Germany. However, as part of its current review of the Employment and Training Act, the MSC commissioned a report on vocational training in West Germany.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what would be the cost of introducing a national minimum wage at (a) £1·25 per hour, (b) £1·40 per hour and (c) £1·50 per hour; how much would be the cost to the public sector; and what percentage increases in the total wages bill and in public sector wages bill these increases would represent.

The following table gives estimates, based on the new earnings

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what review is being conducted of the record of the Manpower Services Commission; and whether he will make a statement about the future of the commission.

The Manpower Services Commission was set up under the Employment and Training Act 1973. No special review of its record is being conducted. My right hon. Friend welcomes the involvement of representatives of employers' and workers' organisations, and of local authorities and education interests, in the management and development of manpower programmes, and has no plans to seek to change the present position. However in the light of recommendations made in the "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies" (Cmnd. 7797) my right hon. Friend will be reviewing periodically all such bodies for which he is responsible, including the MSC.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list under headings the forms sent to employers under special programmes by the Manpower Services Commission; whether

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1980, c. 374]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that every effort is made to minimise the number of forms sent to employers who sponsor schemes under the youth opportunities programme. However, this objective must be reconciled with the commission's accountability to Parliament in terms of the effective and proper use of Government funds.The basic forms sent to such employers are:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects completion of the investigation into industrial tribunals.

The Government have not conducted a formal investigation into industrial tribunals, which we regard as operating satisfactorily in general. However, certain changes in the tribunals' procedure were proposed in the Government's working paper published on 25 September 1979 and these are incorporated in consolidated procedure regulations which were laid before Parliament on 8 July.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest total of unemployed people in the Manchester county area whose last employment was in the building industry.

At 8 May, the latest date for which an industrial analysis of the unemployed is available, the number of people registered as unemployed in the Greater Manchester metropolitan county who last worked in the construction industry was 9,441.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have taken place or been announced in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the city of Manchester since 4 May 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 July 1980]: From 4 May 1979 to 7 July 1980 proposed redundancies affecting 60,237 employees in Greater Manchester and 10,288 in the city of Manchester were notified to my Department in accordance with section 100 of the Employment Protection Act 1975. I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that over the same period the provisional totals of redundancies reported by its local offices as due to occur in Greater Manchester and the city of Manchester were 29,710 and 5,791 respectively. These figures should be treated with caution for reasons explained in the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hands-worth (Miss Wright) on 30 June. [Vol. 987, c. 383–4].

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the 26 per cent. reduction in unfair dismissal complaints and the 72 per cent. failure rate of unfair dismissal complaints heard by industrial tribunals, he will take steps to redress the balance in favour of dismissed employees.

No. The reduction in the number of unfair dismissal complaints is the result of the increase in the qualifying period of service from six months to one year before such complaints may be made. This change took effect on 1 October 1979. I believe the increased qualifying period of one year to be the right period. The 72 per cent. "failure rate" reflects the tribunals' judgment as to the merits of individual complaints. This percentage has not varied materially over the last seven years. I do not consider that justice requires that 50 per cent. of claims should succeed and that 50 per cent. should fail.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what information his Department has as to the prevalence of agreements between employers and trade unions on minimum ages for recruitment to the public and private sectors; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 July 1980, c. 15]: My Department does not collect authoritative data on this subject. However, some work has been undertaken on more general questions relating to age qualifications for job vacancies, and I have arranged for copies of relevant articles to be sent to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school leavers are without employment in the Ince constituency; and what steps the Government have taken or intend to take to reduce the numbers.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many women he estimates have lost their jobs as a result of the introduction of automated technology in offices and factories; and how many new jobs he estimates have been created in this process; (2) how many men he estimates have lost their jobs as a result of the introduction of automated technology in (a) offices and (b) factories; and how many new jobs he estimates have been created in this process.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 July 1980, c. 558]: It is impossible to make the estimates requested. Figures are not collected either for job losses or for job gains resulting from new technology. Causes of job losses and gains are often complex involving factors other than new technology.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the Bail Act.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson) on 3 July.—[Vol. 987, c. 650.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to members of the Horserace Totalisator Board with regard to the dec- laration of their interests when contracts are being place on behalf of the board.

No guidance has been given by the Home Office to members of the Tote Board on such matters. I understand that the tote's procedures in relation to the award of contracts are in accordance with normal commercial practice, and that where any person concerned with the negotiation or award of any contract for the tote has or might have a direct personal, material or influential interest in the proposed suppliers it would be expected that the interest would be declared.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis about the number of traffic wardens in London.

The Commissioner has made clear to my right hon. Friend his concern, which we share, at the shortage of manpower in the Metropolitan Police traffic warden service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there has been no sequel to the Minister of State's letter of 13 May to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury concerning discrepancies between the Metropolitan Police Force orders and agreed procedures whereby the Department of Health and Social Security supplies information to the police in certain cases, first raised in the hon. Member's letter of 7 January addressed to the Secretary of State; and what instructions are issued in the Home Office to avoid such an excessive delay.

It has been necessary to identify the source of the discrepancies to which he refers, and to have further consultations with the Metropolitan Police. My noble Friend is writing to the hon. Member. I regret that he has not had an earlier reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East on 23 June, of those people arrested at supermarkets and houses related to Bestway Cash and Carry Ltd. and its employees on 13 May and taken to Kensington police station, how many were patrials and how many were non-patrials whose immigration status was in order; and in the operation centred upon Kensington police station, how many police officers and how many members of the immigration service took part; and what were the ranks of the most senior police and immigration officers present.

Of the 20 people arrested in the operation on 13 May and taken to Kensington police station, four were found to be patrial and 13 were non-patrials whose immigration status was in order. The other three were illegal entrants.18 police officers, of whom the most senior was a superintendent, and nine members of the immigration service, of whom the most senior was a chief immigration officer, took part in the operation centred upon Kensington police station.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is likely to have information in the future which will enable him to make an estimate of illegal immigration and overstaying; and, in which case, what form that information will take.

We are aware of no basis on which any reliable estimate of the number of people in the United Kingdom illegally could be made. By the nature of illegal entry it is impracticable to measure its extent, but we are studying whether, when the new computer system is fully operational, it might be possible to use it to obtain information that could be used to estimate the extent of overstaying.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the London boroughs and show for each what revenue is obtained from the parking meter system; and what are the costs in each case for administering that system, so as to distinguish between meter revenue and revenue from excess and parking tickets.

I have been asked to reply.I regret that this information is not available; local authorities are not required to make separate returns to central Government of the income from parking meters and the costs of administration of the system. Fixed penalties are payable to the courts.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much in total his Department will pay in insurance during the current financial year; and if he will publish a functional breakdown of the total amount.

It is long-established Government policy not to pay a commercial insurance premium unless there is a statutory or contractual obligation or a particular advantage—such as a specialist service—over and above the possible receipt of compensation for loss. For this reason, expenditure on insurance by the Ministry of Defence amounts to only some£15,000 in the current year.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how the loan and use of Government cars to officials for private use, without payment and free of tax, contribute to efficient working.

Officials are not loaned Government cars for private use.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what steps are taken to ensure that all officials use plain English in forms, leaflets and letters to the public; if he will initiate campaigns throughout the Civil Service, using posters, memoranda and training sessions, to promote the use of plain English; and if he will ensure that libraries carry adequate supplies of "The Complete Plain Words" by Sir Ernest Gowers and "Plain English" by the Plain English Campaign.

Successive Governments have encouraged the use of plain English in the Civil Service. Continuing efforts are being made by the present Government to simplify leaflets, and to encourage the use of plain English on training courses and in every other appropriate way.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department will undertake a study of the effects on small shopkeepers of the redevelopment of tenement property by housing associations.

Some information about these effects may be expected from the report of a research project commissioned by the Scottish Development Department into the effectiveness of housing association work on tenemental rehabilitation. I expect to receive the report later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the effect of the Scottish Development Agency's efforts to assist business development and create new jobs in Tayside.

The agency is engaged in a number of important projects in Tayside, and my right hon. Friend is satisfied that it is giving a high priority to the area's needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to announce the location of any enterprise zone in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement before the recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in how many cases he has made recommendations for the use of the Royal Prerogative since becoming Secretary of State.

Since taking office I have recommended the exercise of the Royal Prerogative of mercy to Her Majesty on three occasions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the effect of raspberry and strawberry imports on Scottish producers.

I have no firm evidence that imports into the United Kingdom have seriously affected Scottish producers of raspberries. At the request of the United Kingdom Government, however, the European Community Commission has made representations to the Polish Government on their exports of strawberry pulp.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will specify the projects or areas in Scotland on which the sum saved by the cancellation of the Hampden project will be spent.

The balance of the money which the Government would have devoted to Hampden will be used to promote the regeneration of the West of Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to complete his review of the Strathclyde region structure plan; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend received the report of the examination in public of the Strathclyde region structure plan on 12 May 1980 and hopes to let Strathclyde regional council have his response in the very near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet representatives of the fishing industry to discuss problems caused by renegotiation of the common fisheries policy.

I meet representatives of the fishing industry frequently to discuss the renegotiation of the common fisheries policy and would certainly expect to do so before the next Council of Fisheries Ministers. My noble Friend the Minister of State met industry representatives most recently on 3 July to discuss the current economic problems facing them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will visit the jobcentre in Uddingston to discuss the youth unemployment situation in the constituency.

My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the district authorities within the Highland region which have made representations to him, either directly or through hon. Members, against the unrestricted sale of council houses in rural areas; and whether he is yet in a position to announce that the Government will introduce amendments to the Tenants' Rights, Etc. (Scotland) Bill in another place.

Two of the eight district councils in the Highland region, Skye and Lochalsh and Ross and Cromarty, have made such representations. My right hon. Friend and I have consistently explained that the Government have no intention of denying to tenants in rural areas the right to buy their homes which is being given to tenants elsewhere. Having already introduced the safeguard of a pre-emption right in certain specified circumstances, my right hon. Friend has no further proposals to amend the Bill in the way the hon. Member is suggesting.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in the last 12 months in the regeneration of the Scottish economy; and how soon a reduction in unemployment trends is expected.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Dunbartonshire, East (Mr. Hogg).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now make a statement about the prospects of modernising the National Coal Board houses in Denbeath, Methil.

The Scottish Special Housing Association has revised its programme in the light of the indications given to it about the future availability of resources and the priorities my right hon. Friend has asked it to observe. It has concluded that it could not start work on the National Coal Board houses at Denbeath, Methil before 1984–85 at the earliest. The condition of the houses therefore remains the responsibility of the National Coal Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many accidents have occurred in Scotland over the past three years which have involved motor cycles; and if he will make a statement.

In 1977 there were 21,678 road accidents involving motor vehicles. In 1978 and 1979 the figures rose to 22,107 and 23,064 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what answer he proposes to give to the Scottish fishermen in response to their latest request for assistance.

The Government are considering urgently the representations which they have received from the fishing industry on its financial situation and have already met the various organisations to enable them to amplify their case. At this stage I cannot anticipate the outcome. The industry is meantime continuing to benefit from the £3 million package of aid which we introduced in April.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when next he will meet the chairman of the Scottish Development Agency.

My right hon. Friend and I met the chairman of the Scottish Development Agency on 4 July. We will continue to have frequent contact with Mr. Duthie in the normal course.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report both the texts of the letter sent to him on 23 June by the chairman of the North-Western Electricity Board and his reply.

The letter from the chairman of the North-Western Electricity Board was primarily concerned with industrial trends in the North-West. The letter was therefore acknowledged and conveyed to the Secretary of State for Industry as a matter of interest primarily for him.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has made an estimate of the effect that the ending of the Post Office telecommunications monopoly would have on the ability of the business to generate sufficient funds to finance its investment programme, taking into account the consequential loss of revenue stemming from the hiving-off of some of the more profitable activities.

The financial consequences of any changes in the telecommunications monopoly have been taken into account during the course of the current review. This is now almost complete and I expect my right hon. Friend to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what proposals he has for financing future development and research projects within the Post Office.

The Post Office's research and development programme is financed out of its own resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much in total his Department will pay in insurance during the current financial year; and if he will publish a functional breakdown of the total amount.

It is long-established Government policy not to pay a commercial insurance premium unless there is a statutory or contractual obligation or a particular advantage—such as specialist services—over and above the possible receipt of compensation for loss. For this reason I do not anticipate any material expenditure during the current year.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many public officials are employed in the Business Statistics Office; what is the annual cost of the office; and what is its purpose.

968 public officials were employed at the Business Statistics Office on 1 July 1980. The cost of the office in the financial year 1979–80 was £8·9 million. The office is the main agency for collecting, processing and publishing official business statistics required for the formulation of the Government's economic policies.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the Official Report those industries and services which have shown increased output, production, or growth in the financial year ended 31 March.

Such information as is available for the production industries is published in table 7·1 of the May 1980 issue of the Monthly Digest of Statistics and for the service industries on page 28 of the June 1980 issue of Economic Trends. Both publications are available in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what proposals he has for stimulating employment prospects within the small business sector.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Thursday 3 July.—[Vol. 987, c. 687.]

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will initiate an investigation into the effect of the recent rise in gas prices on the commercial profitability and competitiveness of British companies; and if he will make a statement.

No. All energy prices, not gas alone, have risen substantially over the last year or more. Her Majesty's Government believe that it is right for prices to reflect the international market value of our indigenous energy resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations he has received from the Manchester chamber of commerce and industry concerning the effect on manufacturing industry of the high interest rate, the high value of the pound sterling and the high inflation rate; what reply he has sent; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State received a letter dated 16 June from the president of the Manchester chamber of commerce and industry concerning the problems of manufacturing industry. My noble Friend the Minister of State sent a reply on 30 June, explaining the Government's policies. Since then, MLR has been reduced to 16 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 6 May, when he now expects to announce his response to the Spinks report on biotechnology.

The Government's consideration of the Spinks report on biotechnology is now well advanced and it is hoped that our response can be announced in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the capital per employee in thousands of £ sterling at constant prices in (a) manufacturing and (b) chemicals in the United Kingdom in 1978 and 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 July 1980, c. 132]: The latest available information on the basis of the normal measure of capital stock when related to employment is:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now publish Sir Derek Rayner's study of the administration of the farm and horticulture capital grants scheme.

The report on the study of the administration of the capital grant schemes which was undertaken in consultation with Sir Derek Rayner was an internal document not intended for publication. On the basis of that study my right hon. Friends and I proposed procedural changes on which we have held consultations with a wide range of interested parties. Following these consultations a draft statutory instrument—the Agriculture and Horticulture Grant Regulations 1980—was laid before Parliament on 2 July.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report a detailed breakdown, including the period of time envisaged, of the savings of 400 staff he anticipates his proposals for changes in the administration of farm and horticultural capital grants will make.

It is estimated that the new procedures to be introduced later this year will result in 200 staff savings in 1981–82 and 100 in both 1982–83 and 1983–84.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in the light of his proposals for changes in the administration of farm and horticultural capital grants, how in future he proposes to exercise his duty under the Countryside Act 1968 to have regard to the desirability of conserving the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside in areas which are not designated as national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty or sites of special scientific interest.

Farmers will be advised to consider the conservation and environmental implications of their proposed investments; ADAS advice on these matters will, as now, be generally available to them. In considering claims for grant we shall have regard to conservation and reserve the right to reject a claim relating

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regard he had for the staffing of and financial investments to, local authorities, district councils and the Nature Conservancy Council, in drawing up his proposals for changes in the administration of farm and horticultural capital grants.

I have consulted the Association of District Councils, the Association of County Councils and the Nature Conservancy Council and have taken their views into account in preparing the agriculture and horticulture grant scheme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of chickens imported, as broilers, as semi-processed, or as henmeat, into the United Kingdom from the United States of America in 1970,1973,1977 and 1978, with the latest date in value terms.

The quantity of chickenmeat imported into the United Kingdom from the United States of America, and the value of these imports in 1978, was as follows. (The actual number of chickens imported is not recorded in Customs statistics.)cover poultrymeat of other poultry species. The total quantity of all poultry imported into the United Kingdom from the United States of America under these headings, and the value of these imports in 1978, was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost of enforcement operations under legislation for the protection of migratory trout and salmon by the armed forces carried out, on behalf of his Department in waters which come under the jurisdiction of the river Tweed commissioners in each of the past five years; how this compares with the cost of operations in other Scottish estuaries; and what plans he has for such operations during the current year.

It is not possible to give separately the cost of the enforcement in a particular area of a specific piece of legislation. Fishery protection vessels of the Royal Navy fishery protection squadron and of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland are deployed extensively throughout Scottish inshore waters on the enforcement of sea fisheries legislation generally.Unless circumstances change, enforcement operations on migratory trout and salmon this year will be at a level broadly similar to that of previous years.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff, including secretarial staff, are employed by the committee of inquiry into local government in Scotland.

Three Scottish Office staff are assigned full-time to the committee, which can also draw as necessary on Scottish Office typing and messengerial services.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up an inquiry to examine the provision of education in secondary schools in Dundee and compare the provision as it will exist in August of the current year with August 1979 in the following respects (a) the levels of staffing in individual subjects in individual schools (b) the number of periods pupils receive in individual subjects and (c) the non-provision of indi- vidual subjects at various certificate levels in individual schools.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to introduce legislation to improve the control of dogs in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend hopes to publish shortly proposals for a code of civic government in Scotland which will replace much of the Burgh Police Acts and related local legislation. Amongst the proposals will be a number of provisions relating to the control of nuisance by dogs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from companies in Scotland in the light of an approximately 50 per cent. increase in gas prices from 1 June.

I have not received any such representations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has reached a conclusion on the legalisation of the island surcharge proposed by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.

I hope to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what representations he has received concerning the future of St. Paul's eye hospital, Liverpool; and if he will make a statement;(2) what representations he has received against the proposed closure of the Liverpool women's hospital; and if he will make a statement.

The Liverpool area health authority (teaching) has been considering various measures to reduce expenditure to a level consistent with the authority's revenue cash allocation for 1980–81, present indications being of a serious level of overspending in this financial year. One set of options examined the possibility of maintaining existing levels of service in fewer buildings, with consequential savings in running costs and transfer of services from St. Paul's eye hospital and the women's hospital was considered under this heading. At its meeting on 4 July the authority decided not to proceed with closure of St. Paul's eye hospital. The long-term future of the women's hospital is one of the issues being considered by a working party of members of the AHA(T) which is studying the need for gynaecological services in Liverpool.Up to 8 July I had received letters from my hon. Friend, the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Mr. Steen), the Faculty of Ophthalmologists and two private individuals about St. Paul's eye hospital and one letter from my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science, and two from private individuals about the women's hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the regional health authorities with poor records on perinatal and neonatal mortality are allocating sufficient money to secure improvements in their special and intensive baby care units as suggested in the planning guidelines issued by his Department in 1979; and if he will make a statement.

We all want to see perinatal and neonatal mortality rates continue to fall throughout the country, but we must leave it to health authorities to decide what measures are most likely to achieve this in their own areas, in the light of local needs and the resources available. Plainly, improvements in special and intensive care will often be among these.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to vary the rights of foreigners to receive treatment under the National Health Service; which organisations he has con- suited about this matter; and in particular whether he has sought the views of the Commission for Racial Equality; and with what results.

In the absence of reciprocal agreements with other countries, people not ordinarily resident here do not have any rights to treatment under the National Health Service. Those coming here for treatment have to make arrangements for treatment as a private patient. Those here on business, holiday or other visits who fall ill while here have hitherto been treated free as a concession.We are considering ways of reducing the cost to the NHS of providing such treatment to overseas visitors. There has not yet been consultation outside Government Departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether the Committee on Safety of Medicines is satisfied with the estimated level of adverse reactions that are reported through the yellow card system; and whether any steps have been or are being taken to encourage a higher level of reporting;(2) if he is satisfied that communications from the Committee on Safety of Medicines are receiving the full attention of most doctors; whether discussions on methods of improving communications are still taking place; and whether past discussions led to any change in procedure;(3) what steps the Committee on Safety of Medicines takes to validate reports of suspected adverse reactions made through the yellow card system; what percentage of reports is further investigated by interview or by letter to the reporting physician; and what are the criteria for further investigation;(4) if he is satisfied with the feedback of information on suspected adverse reactions reported by doctors to the Committee on Safety of Medicines; and if there is any evidence that prompt and comprehensive feedback of information leads to an increased motivation to report;(5) what evidence he has that doctors are more likely to report a suspected adverse reaction to a drug to the drug company than to the Committee on Safety of Medicines; and if it is mandatory for all reports from doctors to drug companies to be passed on the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

The Department and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) are constantly seeking ways of improving the monitoring of adverse reactions to medicinal products, including the level of reporting. While the present level enables possible causal relationships between reported adverse reactions and drugs to be considered, I am aware, as is the CSM that this is an area in which improvement is always desirable and consideration is being given currently to the possibility of stimulating an increase in the level of reporting.There is some evidence to suggest that a combination of reminders to doctors to report and of feedback to those who submit reports does increase the level of reporting of adverse reactions. (The level has increased from 2,824 per annum in 1970 to over 8,000 in 1977 and 1978.) For this reason, information on reported adverse reactions to particular drugs and groups of drugs is made available to members of the medical profession on request and doctors submitting a report are offered further data about the drugs they report on. Occasional publications, such as "Current Problems", also help to promote awareness of the importance of reporting and provide information on some of the drugs on which reports have been received.I am satisfied that generally doctors do give proper attention to communications from the CSM, though I appreciate that in the past there was some evidence to suggest that busy doctors might overlook CSM material. Discussions took place in 1978 with a number of professional bodies and other organisations about proposals to minimise the difficulties but proposals to mark envelopes containing adverse reactions materials with a distinctive symbol were not pursued. No discussions are currently taking place with representative bodies on changes to the present procedures.Pharmaceutical companies are legally required to notify the licensing authority of reports they receive from doctors of suspected adverse reactions to their products. These reports account for about 25 per cent. of the total known to the CSM, a proportion which does not suggest that doctors are more likely to report suspected reactions to the company concerned than to the CSM.All reports received by the CSM are studied and evaluated by the committee's professional advisers, who may seek further information from the reporting practitioner. This may be done by telephone, by correspondence, or by asking one of the committee's part-time medical officers in the field to visit the doctor concerned. The percentage number of reports investigated is not available; action is prompted, not in relation to set criteria, but by the clinical circumstances, which may relate to a previously unreported or serious reaction to a newly introduced drug, or to any situation in which further clinical information is considered desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will give the number of medical products about which reports of suspected adverse reactions were received in (a) 1978 and (b) 1979; and for how many of these there has been no previous report of an adverse reaction;(2) pursuant to his reply of 15 April to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, how many of the 1,777 medical products about which 65,268 reports of suspected adverse reactions were received between January 1970 and March 1980 were referred by the professional secretariat of the Committee on Safety of Medicines to the sub-committee on adverse reactions for its attention; for how many of these 1,777 products (

I regret that it is not possible to provide this information without disproportionate effort and cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the recommendation of the Committee on the Review of Medicines, in its annual report for 1976, that on the data sheets which companies are legally required to provide for doctors there should be separate and distinct entries for contra indications, precautions, warnings and adverse effects, has been included in any revised regulations for data sheets.

No. The existing regulations already require that this information is included, but not the form in which it should appear. Consideration is continuing on a revision of the format and content of information that would be desirable and practical for inclusion on data sheets.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what consultations he has had on the record linkage method of post marketing surveillance of drugs;(2) what is the estimated cost of a pilot study of the retrospective assessment of drugs safety plan as suggested by the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and approved by the General Medical Services Committee in April 1979;(3) if he will give the reasons for the delay in carrying out a pilot study of the retrospective assessment of drugs safety plan which was suggested by the Committee on Safety of Medicines and approved by the General Medical Services Committee in April 1979; whether the delay is for financial reasons; or because of objections to the plan as a whole or to details of it; and if it is because of objections, if he will give the names of those organisations or bodies which are objecting.

I am currently considering a variety of measures to improve the methods of post marketing surveillance of drugs. These include proposals by the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) to establish pilot studies to test the feasibility of two schemes known as retrospective assessment of drug safety (RADS) and record linkage. No consultations have taken place on RADS since those undertaken by the CSM in 1979. I have not, nor has the CSM, held any consultations on record linkage. Both pilot studies would have substantial financial and other resource implications though these are difficult to quantify. It is estimated, however, that a pilot study of RADS might cost up to £500,000. The decision whether to carry out either scheme will be taken in the light of all the factors involved, including the cost and the outcome of the consultations pre- viously undertaken by the CSM on RADS.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 24 January to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South, if he will give the reasons for the decline in the cost of reviewing medicines from £600,000 in 1976–77, to £520,000 in 1977–78.

I regret that my hon. Friend's reply of 24 January—[Vol. 977, c. 335–36.]—was in error as to the cost for 1976–77. It had been overlooked that the figure given (£600,000) covered the 17 months from 1 April 1976 to 31 August 1977 arising from a change in accounting during this period from the financial year (April to March) to the licensing year (September to August). A comparable figure on the same basis for the 12-month period ending 31 August 1977 would be of the order of £420,000. It follows that the cost of the review did not fall but rose over the succeeding 12-month period.The figures quoted include salaries, national insurance, superannuation, allowances, on-costs, and common services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether any steps have been taken to allay the concern of the Committee on the Review of Medicines, expressed in its 1978 annual report, that attention be given to the recruitment and appointment of appropriately qualified staff;(2) whether there has been any change in the shortage of experienced medical staff in the medicines division of the Department of Health and Social Security which was reported to be handicapping the work of the division in the annual report for 1978; and if he will give the number of (

I shall write to the right hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the current annual cost of supporting the activities of (a) the Committee on Safety of Medicines and (b) the Committee on the Review of Medicines; if he will give comparable figures adjusted for the declining value of money for the last five

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will place in the Library the report of the advisory panel on serious reactions to vaccines under the chairmanship of Professor Dudgeon which was seeking to establish clinical criteria or patterns of reactions which might serve to distinguish between a vaccine-associated event and a naturally occurring one;(2) whether the advisory panel on the collection of data relating to adverse reactions to pertussis vaccine which was investigating several hundred cases of suspected reactions to vaccination, including those submitted by the Association of Parents of Vaccine Damaged Children, has reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines; and if so, if he will place a copy of the report in the Library;(3) if he will give the number of adverse reaction reports related to pertussis vaccine which were sent to the Committee on Safety of Medicines for each year from 1964 onwards; and whether the committee has any grounds for supposing that the incidence of yellow card reporting following vaccination is likely to differ widely from the average figure of 10 per cent. of

The information is as follows:suspected adverse reactions to drugs which he estimates are reported through the yellow card system.

It is proposed to publish together the reports of the two advisory panels and I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House in due course. The report of the advisory panel on the collection of data relating to adverse reactions to pertussis vaccine, however, has not yet been submitted to the Committee on Safety of Medicines.The numbers of reports of suspected adverse reactions to pertussis vaccine received by the Committee on Safety of Medicines is shown below. It should be noted that in all but a very few of these cases, pertussis vaccine was given in combination with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice has been sent to doctors concerning (a) the counselling of patients on the risks involved in immunisation and (b) ensuring that there are no contra-indications to immunisation; and whether he has produced leaflets or literature for circulation to parents giving an official view of the benefits, risks and contra-indications relating to vaccination and immunisation.

The Department's advice to doctors and nurses emphasises the importance of paying scrupulous attention to contra-indications to vaccination and draws attention to the Health Education Council leaflet which contains advice to parents on the benefits and risks of vaccination. Further guidance will be included in the memorandum on immunisation against infectious disease when it is revised shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the pertussis vaccine was not considered by the Committee on the Review of Medicines when it reviewed other vaccines in 1978.

The committee judged it necessary to defer full consideration pending the report of the Meade panel on the data supplied by the Association of Parents of Vaccine Damaged Children and other current studies relevant to assessment of the safety of these vaccines.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the sleeping pill Unison manufactured by Pfizer Laboratories in the United States of America is available in the United Kingdom.

The sleeping pill Unison is not generally available in this country and no applications for a licence to authorise its marketing have been received by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the proportion of pregnant women that suffer from (a) nausea and (b) vomiting; what evidence there is that (i) nausea and (ii) vomiting damage the foetus; and if he will indicate his sources.

While it is not possible to make such an estimate, I am advised that all standard textbooks refer to nausea, which in many instances is accompanied by vomiting, as one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy. In certain cases vomiting becomes uncontrolled and may lead to a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum which, if left unchecked, can lead to severe maternal dehydration and emaciation with consequent harmful effects on the foetus: this condition can usually be prevented by good antenatal care.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the reports of adverse reactions to drugs sent to the Committee on Safety of Medicines through the yellow card system relates to congenital abnormalities which are suspected to be due to drugs taken by the pregnant mother; and if the Committee on Safety of Medicines has any grounds for supposing that the incidence of yellow card reporting of congenital abnormalities is likely to differ widely from the average figure of 10 per cent. of suspected adverse reactions to drugs which it is estimated are reported through the yellow card system.

A total of 1·6 per cent. of adverse reactions reports from all sources received by the CSM relate to congenital abnormalities where the drug was prescribed to the mother. The precise incidence of reporting by doctors is not known. However, the Committee on Safety of Medicines is not solely reliant on this input for reporting of congenital abnormalities but also utilises data supplied by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Department of Health and Social Security or the Committee on Safety of Medicines has issued any guidelines to general practitioners and hospital doctors on the use of drugs in pregnancy; and whether the Department and the committee are satisfied that the correct level of drug use in pregnancy is no more than is necessary to safeguard the health of the mother and unborn child.

No. The decision as to drug usage in pregnancy is a clinical matter on which it would be inappropriate for the Department to issue guidelines. However, data sheets contain appropriate warnings if necessary; the Committee on the Review of Medicines regularly includes in its recommendations a statement as to use in pregnancy; and the next issue of the "Current Problems" publication of the Committee on Safety of Medicines will discuss the subject. Further, Prescribers Journal, an independent publication sponsored by the Department, has recently had a number of articles on the topic.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if there is evidence of a decline in the number of prescriptions for tranquillisers since the Committee on Safety of Medicines published tighter guidelines for their use in March.

I regret that figures are not yet available to show whether there has been any decline in the number of prescriptions for tranquillisers since the issue of the guidelines produced by the Committee on the Review of Medicines.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the percentage of pregnant women who take drugs, other than iron, in pregnancy, and if he will give the source of information for his estimate.

I regret that I have no means of estimating either the extent of self-medication by women in pregnancy or the number of complaints for which women might consult their doctor during pregnancy and properly be prescribed drugs other than iron.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made with the consideration of methods of providing patients with further information about their prescribed medicines; whether the working party to which reference is made in the 1978 annual report of the medicines division of the Department of Health and Social Security is still meeting; who are its members; and what recommendations it has made.

The provision of information to patients about their prescribed medicines is a subject on which there are a number of differing opinions. The working party consists of 12 persons with an interest in the subject including those who, as individuals, are representative of general practice and hospital doctors, dentists, general practice and hospital pharmacists, nurses, the community health councils and the patients. They last met in October 1979 and they reported to the Medicines Commission in January 1980. Proposals which they made for a pilot study, designed to assess the value to patients of improved written information, are currently under consideration together with other possible approaches to the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if any attempt has been made by the Department of Health and Social Security, the Committee on Safety of Medicines or any other body to establish levels of acceptable risk for (a) fatal reactions and (b) serious reactions to drugs used in various situations such as life saving, potentially serious cases and cases which are painful and uncomfortable but less serious.

It is not practicable to lay down generally applicable levels of acceptable risk for reactions to drugs. All potent drugs inevitably carry some risk of adverse reactions and in each case a judgment has to be made on the risk/benefit ratio in the light of the particular circumstances, including the nature of the illness and the anticipated incidence and severity of the reactions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) by what year he estimates that all product licences of right will have been reviewed by the Committee on the Review of Medicines;(2) how many product licences of right currently are awaiting review by the Committee on the Review of Medicines; and if he will give comparable figures for the end of 1979, 1978 and 1977.

The numbers of product licences of right awaiting review are of the order of:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of product licences, granted in the last year for which figures are available was for products containing new chemical entities; what percentage was primarily newer variations of drugs already having licences; and if he will give the corresponding percentages for which applications were withdrawn, returned or rejected.

During 1979, 608 product licences were granted of which 48 (7.89 per cent.) were for products containing new chemical entities. Departmental records are not kept in a way which would enable the information requested on newer variations of drugs to be obtained without disproportionate expenditure. During 1979, 922 applications were received and 352 applications (38.18 per cent.) were withdrawn, returned or rejected. Some of the 352 applications were made prior to 1979. Information about particular types of applications withdrawn, returned or rejected could not be obtained without disproportionate expenditure and these figures do not include applications received following review by the Committee on the Review of Medicines.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give monthly or quarterly figures for the last year showing the number of prescriptions for tranquillisers issued to pregnant mothers in the first three or last months of pregnancy; and

I regret that the Department has no means of identifying the information requested, since prescriptions carry no reference to the therapeutic purpose for which the drugs are prescribed, and identification of pregnant women is not possible from the prescription form itself. For the same reasons, it is doubtful whether reliable data could be ascertained by an—inevitably costly—special monitoring exercise such as the right hon. Gentleman suggests.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) pursuant to his reply of 15 April to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, if he will give, for each of the 10 studies which the Committee on Safety of Medicines considered in its review of the safety of Debendox, the number of women in each sample who had taken Debendox; whether the number includes women who took Debendox in middle or late pregnancy; and, if so, if he will give for each study, where the information is available, the number of women taking Debendox in the early stages of pregnancy;(2) if he will give the average number per year of cases of deformed babies born to women who had taken Debendox during pregnancy that were reported to his Department during the years 1963 to 1979; and if he will give the number that has been reported during 1980.

The following table gives the information requested in those instances in which the report of the study distinguishes the period at which Debendox, or its ingredients, was prescribed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence he has received that some manufacturers are undermining the pharmaceutical prices regulation scheme by introducing reduced discounts to pharmaceutical wholesalers: what estimate his Department has made of the additional cost to the National Health Service of the increase in notional prices which wholesalers are now compelled to charge in order to maintain the level of service necessary to the discharge of retail chemists of their National Health Service commitments to the public; and if he will take action to remedy the situation.

I am aware that some manufacturers have reduced the discounts they allow to pharmaceutical wholesalers, but the operation of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme, which takes into account the net value of manufacturers' sales. is not affected by such changes. The Department is not in a position to estimate the cost to the National Health Service of the introduction of notional prices by some pharmaceutical wholesalers, nor can I accept that they are compelled to charge these prices for the reasons indicated in the question. However, the Department is aware of the problems arising from notional pricing and is taking steps to attempt to restore a more orderly arrangement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if the Committee on Safety of Medicines or his Department knows of any hospitals which have banned or discontinued the use of Depo-Provera; if any reasons have been given; and if he will make a statement;(2) if the Committee on Safety of Medicines has received any inquiries or complaints from hospitals consultants regarding the adverse side effects of Depo- Provera; if such complaints would be counted as yellow card complaints; if the Committee on Safety of Medicines has followed up such inquiries and complaints; and if he will make a statement.