asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to what facilities in the House of Commons Sir Robert Cooke has been given access, and by whose authority.

As an ex-Member of the House of Commons, Sir Robert Cooke may go to the Members' Lobby.As a holder of a Palace of Westminster photo-identity pass, which is issued to certain civil servants who attend the House of Commons regularly on duty, Sir Robert may use the Strangers' Cafeteria. This pass was issued on the authority of the Serjeant at Arms.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the talks she has had with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, and what references were made to the future of Diego Garcia during the course of these.

I had a useful exchange of views on 7 July with the Prime Minister of Mauritius on political, economic and cultural matters. Diego Garcia was one of the subjects discussed. When the Mauritius Council of Ministers agreed in 1965 to the detachment of the Chagos Islands to form part of British Indian Ocean territory, it was announced that these would be available for the construction of defence facilities and that, in the event of the islands no longer being required for defence purposes, they should revert to Mauritius. This remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each of the years 1973 and 1977 to 1979 the percentage increase in average wages and salaries on the previous year and cumulatively since 1970 and 1973, respectively, together with the increase in wages and salaries per unit of output for (a) manufacturing industry, (b) the whole economy less production industries and (c) gas, electricity and water.

The following table sets out the available information in respect of each of the years 1973 and 1977 to 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of employment vacancies in the Wolverhampton travel-to-work area; and what was the number at the same time in 1979.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those local education authorities in England which have not made provision in their own establishment for the employment of careers officers with special responsibility for work with handicapped young people.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the net savings if all tax allowances were allowed only at the standard rate of tax.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied that writers and other artistic creators are treated equally for tax purposes with salaried workers, in view of their gross fluctuations of income from one year to the next; and if he will introduce a progressive averaging of professional income

Estimate
1975–1976	1976–1977	1977–1978	1978–1979	1979–1980
£769,485	£1,024,650	£902,770	£991,311	£1,315,045

This funding is not being discontinued, although cuts in the aid programme as a whole will mean that somewhat less will be available for such research over the next few years.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the level of contribution which Her Majesty's Government are making to relieve the famines in East and Central Africa.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many oil companies have appealed against the Inland Revenue's market valuation of their North Sea oil for tax purposes; and whether they were successful;(2) what is the period of time allowed between the production of North Sea oil and gas and payment of corporation tax; and how many companies currently are in breach of such agreement;(3) what is the period of time allowed between production of North Sea oil and gas and payment of petroleum revenue tax: and how many companies currently are in breach of such agreement on payments.

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

asked the Lord Privy Seal how much his Department has spent on assisting in the financing of the Tropical Medicine Research Board, at current prices, for the last five years; and why he is discontinuing such funding.

The amounts spent by the ODA on research undertaken through or with the approval or cognisance of the Tropical Medicine Research Board are at current prices:

The Government are greatly concerned about the situation, particularly in East Africa, where the effects of the continuing drought have been exacerbated by massive refugee problems. We are therefore making a substantial contribution to the international relief effort directed towards alleviating these problems. Our bilateral contributions so far in 1980 comprise:

(a) £850,000 in response to the United Nations High Commissioner for Re fugees' appeal for refugee relief in Somalia, a large part of which is taking the form of 5,000 tonnes of bilateral food aid; the balance will be in cash.

(b) £850,000 to Sudan for refugee relief and resettlement in 1980–81.

(c) £500,000 for northern Uganda to the Disasters Emergency Committee's East Africa emergency appeal.

(d) About £120,000 spent on transport for urgently needed food and medical supplies for northern Uganda provided by international organisations and British voluntary agencies.

In addition, the European Community is providing a total of nearly £23 million of food aid and emergency assistance for various East African countries. The United Kingdom's share of this is about £4·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to deal with the shortage of secondary school teachers in certain specialist subjects.

Teacher training institutions are giving priority to these subjects, although recruitment is falling short of the targets. The Government's special schemes of training, retraining and further training which have so far provided 1,600 new teachers in shortage subjects are to continue to 1982–83. The Government are shortly to discuss with representatives of the local education authorities what further measures should be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why the five-year teacher training course at Nijmegen university in the Netherlands is not accepted by his Department as a qualification for teaching in Great Britain.

Qualified teacher status in England and Wales is awarded on successful completion of an approved course of teacher training. Courses undertaken abroad can be accepted if it can be shown that their content and standard are broadly equivalent. On the information currently available, the course at Nijmegen university is not comparable, but I believe that the Depart ment's information is incomplete and that further details are being supplied. When these are available, the matter will be reviewed, but I can make no assumption about the outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the net benefit to the Exchequer of the decision to raise student grants by an average of 14·7 per cent. instead of by the 19·7 per cent. estimated by the Government as being the amount needed to compensate for the rise in students' costs.

About £14 million at 1980 survey prices in a full year in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the net cost to the Exchequer of any decision to improve conditions for student grants over and above the rate of inflation in each of the following respects (a) an increase in parental contribution limits for each percentage point more than inflation and (b) an increase in supplementary grants for child dependants for each percentage point more than inflation.

It is estimated that the additional cost to the Exchequer of adjusting parental contribution limits for one percentage point more that inflation would be some three-quarters of a million pounds for all dependent full value award holders in the academic year 1980–81 at the current grant levels. The cost of increasing supplementary grants for child dependants by one percentage point would be negligible, since relatively few students (under 2 per cent.) receive such awards. The grant most likely to apply to a student's child (for a child aged 10 years or less) was increased by 50 per cent. to £135 for 1980–81.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary schools still have outside toilets.

This information is not collected on a regular basis by my Department. The latest estimate, based on a survey of a 10 per cent. sample of schools, relates to 1976 when some 7,000 primary schools in England and Wales had outside lavatories.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will consider allowing local authorities to charge for nursery education.

No. I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. and learned Friend's statement on this matter during the debate on the Report stage of the Education (No. 2) Bill on 12 February 1980.—[Vol. 978, c. 1282–83.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary and secondary schools in the county of Derbyshire have abandoned traditional school meals in favour of cafeteria-style meals.

This information is not available in the Department. I suggest that the hon. Member consults the Derbyshire local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his forecast of the numbers who will leave school in the mid-Northumberland area in the current year.

I regret that this information is not available in my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why it has been decided to make a statement in connection with Sir Alan Marre's inquiry into the Clegg Commission, rather than make public the full report.

I invite my hon. Friend to await a statement from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about the amount of health education in secondary schools; if he is satisfied that this is adequate; and if he will make a statement.

My Department does not collect information about the amount of teaching time devoted to health education, but most secondary schools include programmes of general health education in their curriculum in one form or another. My right hon. and learned Friend indicated in his proposals for a framework for the school curriculum that health education should find a place in the education of every pupil.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the present members, and the interests they represent, on the Advisory Committee for the Supply and Education of Teachers; and if he will make a statement on the work of the committee and its future.

The majority of members are appointed by me on the nomination of particular organisations. In addition, some members are appointed directly by me and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. I attach great importance to the work of the advisory committee. Its first meeting is to take place at the earliest possible date after the summer holiday, and its precise programme of work will stem from that.The full list of members is:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what finance has been made available to the Tropical Medicine Research Board by his Department through the Medical Research Council, at current prices, for the last five years; and how much will be given in the current financial year;(2) if he will make a statement about the work being carried on by the Tropical Medicine Research Board over the past few years; and what effects he expects government spending cuts to have on this work.

The Medical Research Council receives a parliamentary grant-in-aid from the science budget, and is then free to allocate these funds as it sees fit within the terms of its charter. I under stand that the funds made available by the council to the Tropical Medicine Research Board over the last five years are as follows:

				Amount (£ million at 1980 prices)
Year				(estimated)
1975/76	…	…	…	2·4
1976/77	…	…	…	2·9
1977/78	…	…	…	3·2
1978/79	…	…	…	3·1
1979/80	…	…	…	3·8

The estimated figure for 1980–81 is £3·8 million.The work of the board covers a wide variety of tropical diseases with particular emphasis on malaria, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, filariasis, leishmaniasis, and leprosy. The work carried out overseas is undertaken in close collaboration with local medical and scientific institutions, and the council has two major centres in its laboratories in The Gambia and in Jamaica. The work in the United Kingdom is funded by long and short-term grants to applicants from various academic institutions and by the support of research in the council's own establishments.So far as can be foreseen at the present time, Government public expenditure policies already announced are not expected to have significant effects on work currently supported by the board. It is however unlikely that there will be any expansion of the board's work.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 3 July, why he has no plans to grant aid the National Association for Multiracial Education in the current financial year.

It is not my Department's general policy to provide long term financial support for the running costs of voluntary bodies. When this particular body was set up it received a three-year pump-priming grant from the Department to help it establish a firm financial base. Exceptionally, that grant was extended for a fourth year. Subsequently the association was offered grant aid for two years specifically to assist with the costs of its publications. The period of that grant has now ended.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the total cost of the pay claim lodged on behalf of the university teachers is within the rate of inflation assumed in the relevant cash limits or what is the amount of the excess in percentage terms.

The recurrent grant of £987 million settled for the universities in the academic year 1980–81 provides for pay and price rises of about 14 per cent compared with the previous year. In addition, the grant of £987 million, as well as the grant of £802 million finally settled for the academic year 1979–80, includes realistic provision for pay settlements to be made on the basis of comparability. It is for universities to decide whether or not any particular expenditure can be accommodated within these sums.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many States are known to have sent representatives to the Aldershot exhibition of defence equipment: and how many of these had fares or other expenses paid by Her Majesty's Government.

Some 85 countries were represented at the exhibition. The majority of these attended at their own expense. The full cost of those cases where fares and other expenses were paid is recovered through the charges levied on exhibitors with no residual cost to the taxpayer.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take into account the invasion of East Timor by Indonesian forces and the deaths and suffering of the population before any further contracts are made with the Indonesian Government for the supply of armaments or defence equipment from the United Kingdom.

Political circumstances are taken into account, together with other factors, in reaching a decision on defence sales issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence by how many he intends to increase the number of nuclear-powered submarines during the next few years.

I have nothing to add to the reply given on this subject by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 11 March and to the comments that I made in the recent debate on the Royal Navy on 19 June.—[Vol. 980, c. 491; Vol. 986, c. 1816.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is in a position to report on the bids for "Ark Royal".

I hope to announce my decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the names of all voluntary bodies to which his Department gave funds in 1979 and in the current year; and how much went to each individual body last year and in the current year.

The bodies which my Department funds directly are shown, with the relevant sums, in the Department's Votes and Appropriation Accounts. It is difficult to identify the voluntary ones because the aptness of this description is a matter of taste rather than fact. While all the bodies financially supported by the Department are voluntary in some sense, the extent to which they conform to most people's notions of "voluntary organisation" varies widely.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what United Kingdom carpet manufacturers have been put into receivership since the beginning of the current year.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what discussions he has had with European Economic Community countries concerning the harmonisation of copyright laws and related matters; and if he will consider seeking to amend the copyright laws to ensure that copyright should always vest with the creator and should be inalienable from him.

There have been no discussions with other Community countries concerning the harmonisation of copyright laws. However, according to its programme for 1980, the Commission intends making proposals for directives aimed at the harmonsiation of laws on (a) the duration of copyright and (b) resale rights to ensure payment to artists of a share in any profit made on sales of their works. The Government will take part in discussions on any drafts which emanate from the Commission on these subjects. The question of ownership of copyright will be dealt with in the Green Paper which is currently being prepared following the report of the Whitford Committee on copyright and designs (Cmnd. 6732).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, following his reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hands-worth, 7 July, he will state which provisions of the Estate Agents Act 1979 he considers he will not be able to bring into operation in the second part of 1981.

The provisions which it is not proposed to bring into operation in 1981 are sections 16 and 17—insurance for clients' money—19—power to limit pre-contract deposits—and 22—standards of competence. It is also unlikely that orders under section 3 (1) (a) (iii) or (d) as to offences or undesirable practices relevant to the fitness of an estate agent to carry on business or regulations under section 18 supplementing the requirements of that section will be made until later.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many representations he has received concerning the Government's proposal to close the Registry of Business Names; and how many of these representations supported and how many opposed the proposal.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 July 1980]: About 150 letters have been received in response to the Government's invitation for comments on alternative means to allow the public to identify the ownership of business following the proposed closure of the Registry of Business Names. Of these, approximately 90 per cent, would be prepared to continue on the present system, although there was a measure of support for the alternatives.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect the dumping at sea of low level radioactive wastes has had on the commercial fishing industry of the United Kingdom; and whether he will make a statement.

I have no reason to believe that the dumping of low level radioactive waste at sea has had any effect on the United Kingdom's fishing industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of known habitual drunken offenders in the United Kingdom.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to publish the report on medical examinations as part of immigration procedures by Sir Henry Yellowlees, and if so, when.

We are considering this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what organisations are now proscribed for the purposes of section 1 of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976.

The following organisations are proscribed by schedule 1 to the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976:

• Irish Republican Army
• Irish National Liberation Army

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement as to the circumstances in which persons who are below the age of 18 years and who have been settled in the United Kingdom since before the Immigration Act 1971 came into force may be deported though they have not committed any criminal offence.

Under section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 a Commonwealth citizen of any age is exempt from liability to deportation under the powers contained in section 3(5) if he was ordinarily resident here on 1 January 1973, when the Act came into force, and had either been ordinarily resident at all times since or at the date of decision had for the last five years been so resident. However, a person who has entered the United Kingdom in breach of the immigration laws may be removed from the country as an illegal entrant under the provisions of schedule 2. The definition of an illegal entrant—in section 33(1)—as interpreted by the courts includes a person who entered in breach of the immigration laws before the coming into operation of the Act. In accordance with decisions of the courts, a person of any age whose apparent leave to enter is vitiated by deception, employed either by himself or by another, as to his identity or eligibility for admission, is an illegal entrant. Applications to benefit under the terms of the previous Administration's "amnesty" announcements regarding certain illegal entrants who last entered before 1 January 1973 had to be made by 31 December 1978.All cases involving illegal entrants are carefully considered on their individual merits, but it is the Government's normal practice, in the interest of maintaining a firm control over immigration, to send away people found to have entered illegally. An exception is made where it is considered that this is justified by compassionate considerations. These include length of residence and an assessment of ties established in this country as against those overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many doctors are presently employed in the prison medical service.

On 1 July there were in post in the prison medical service 90 full-time doctors—of whom seven are based at prison department headquarters and regional offices—and 96 part-time doctors. In addition, appointed specialist practitioners visit prison department establishments regularly.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what representations the Hong Kong Government have received from the Yaumati Six Street Owners Association concerning proposed expiration of its lease and if he will make a statement.

The association's request for re-grants of expired leases was considered by the Executive Council in October 1979. Following the Executive Council's decision not to re-grant the leases, the association appealed to the Office of the Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils in April 1980, which decided not to intervene. The association recently applied to the planning board for permission to redevelop the site. The board has rejected it, noting that the leases of the properties have already expired and have not been re-granted.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will meet a delegation from the Yaumati Six Street Owners Association to discuss a further lease of its land.

I would meet such a delegation if asked. However, I regard this as a matter which is primarily the responsibility of the Hong Kong Government.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if the Hong Kong Government will give an assurance that the land leased by the Yaumati Six Street Owners Association will be totally used for open space and that none will be used for development if the present lease is not renewed.

I understand that the site occupied by the lease-expired properties is intended for development as a district open space and a school in the Hong Kong Government's outline zoning plan. The site will be used only for these purposes.

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) what leases on land used for housing which expired in Hong Kong during the past 10 years were not renewed;(2) what is the policy of the Hong Kong Government regarding the expiration of land leases for (

The Hong Kong Government announced in 1949 that any land granted between 1870 and 1925 on 75-year non-renewable leases would be re-granted for a further 75 years subject to the payment of a premium, except where the land was required for public purposes. In such cases, the Government decided in 1952 that ex-gratia compensation would be paid for any building lawfully erected on the land. Details of individual leases which have expired in the last 10 years are not readily available. I shall write to the hon. Member about these as soon as possible.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what Department of the Hong Kong Government has authority concerning the re-leasing of land.

Applications for re-grants of the type of lease in question are processed by the Crown Lands and Survey Office in the Public Works Department. The Secretary for the Environment is responsible for matters of policy.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he is satisfied with the liaison between Government Departments in Hong Kong concerning the re-leasing of Crown land.

Yes.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the current situation concerning the Yaumati Six Street lease which has been raised with the Hong Kong Government.

On the list of April 1980 the properties in question came under the direct management of the Hong Kong Government, pending development of the planned open space and school, on the following terms:

(a) former owners in residence in the lease-expired properties become principal rent-paying tenants of the Hong Kong Government and are allowed to collect rent from existing sub-tenants;

(b) in addition, ex-gratia compensation (at the rate of HK$6,000 per floor) is paid to all former owners of property transferred to direct management;

(c) no-one has been evicted from the buildings as a result of the direct management action;

(d) all genuine occupants will be offered public housing as and when the properties are required for redevelopment, They will also receive such ex-gratia assistance as the Hong Kong Government may offer at the time of clearance.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if the Yaumati Six Street Owners Association received an assurance from a Department of the Hong Kong Government that their lease would be renewed; and if this assurance was honoured by the Government.

On 3 November 1976 representatives of the former owners received a letter from a Department of the Hong Kong Government which suggested that their leases would be re-granted. Although given in good faith, this advice was misleading since the area was already subject to the Yaumati outline zoning plan and the type of leases sought could not be re-granted. A letter clarifying the position and correcting the letter of 3 November was sent to the representatives on 17 November 1976.

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) if he raised with the South Korean authorities the question of the imprisonment of members of the Opposition in that country and the conditions under which they are held during his recent visit; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he discussed the question of human rights in South Korea with the authorities during his recent visit to that country.

During his conversations with Korean leaders my right hon. Friend drew attention to the concern in this country about recent political developments in Korea and expressed the hope that it would be possible to strengthen democratic institutions while maintaining stability. Korean leaders indicated their determination to adhere to their announced timetable for constitutional reforms.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the representations he has received from the Organisation of African States on Mauritius's claim to Diego Garcia.

Her Majesty's Government have noted the resolution about Diego Garcia adopted at the Organisation for African Unity's meeting on 4 July. No representations have been received from the organisation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on his discussions with Mauritius over the claim by Mauritius to Diego Garcia.

My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions. The Prime Minister of Mauritius called on my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 7 July. There was a general discussion which included political economic and cultural matters. Diego Garcia was one of the subjects covered.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on what reply he has made to the representations of the Organisation of African States concerning Diego Garcia.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell).

asked the Lord Privy Seal, pursuant to his replies to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds on 1 July, what were the arrangements he made to terminate the agreement with Zambia to supply Rapier anti-aircraft defence systems; when this was done; and if he will provide a breakdown of the £1·2 million which falls to be met in the current year.

Her Majesty's Government have had no agreement with Zambia to supply Rapier anti-aircraft missile systems. Zambia bought a Rapier missile system from British Aerospace as a commercial transaction in 1970 for which an export licence was granted.The equipment to be supplied and paid for in the current financial year forms the final part of the package of military assistance that Her Majesty's Government undertook to provide to Zambia in 1978. It would not be in accordance with normal practice to provide a breakdown of the £1·2 million involved.

asked the Minister of Transport how many staff are employed in each of the road construction units in England; how many of these staff are of his Department and how many are seconded from local authorities; and what are the estimated staffing figures for 1980–81 for these units.

The total number of staff employed by each of the six road construction units at 1 April 1980 was as follows:

RCU	Civil servants	Local Authority	Total
Eastern	42	393	435
Midland	20	333	353
North Western	35	330	365
North Eastern	21	411	432
South Eastern	42	526	568
South Western	29	231	260
	189	2224	2413

The 1 April 1980 figure is expected to reduce by about 150 over the year due to changes in the trunk road programme announced recently in the policy for roads White Paper.Following the Rayner scrutiny of the road construction unit organisation, I announced on 6 March my decision to phase out sub-units by transferring their work to consultants and county councils. Until the action study is complete, I cannot give an accurate estimate of further reductions.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will consider taking South Queensferry, West Lothian, off the list of his Ministry's test routes.

At present about eight heavy goods vehicle driving tests a week from the Livingston centre are conducted over routes in South Queens-ferry. Stopping these would necessitate the more intensive use of other test routes and could not be justified.

asked the Minister of Transport what consideration he has given to the document entitled"Danger for the Elderly at Pelican Crossings ", a copy of which has been sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the right hon. Member to my reply of 2 July 1980 to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Edge Hill (Mr. Alton) on this subject.—[Vol. 987, c. 616–17.]

asked the Minister of Transport what arrangements he proposes to make a deal with the on-going deficit of pension funds inherited by London country buses and coaches under the Transport (London) Act 1969; and if he will make a statement.

Report Number	Title	Date
1	Representations to Government on some problems of Agriculture: A First Statement of the Views of the Northern Ireland Economic Council.	February 1978
2	Annual Statement of Work 1977–78	September 1978
3	Recommendations on Energy Policy in Northern Ireland.	September 1978
4	The Development of Horticulture in Northern Ireland: Some Comment by the Economic Council.	January 1979
5	Statement of Views on Air Passenger Services	February 1979
6	Statement of Views on Sea Ferry Services.	May 1979
7	Economic and Social Progress in Northern Ireland: A response to the Government's Discussion Paper.	June 1979
8	Annual Report 1978–79	September 1979
9	Government Statement on Energy Policy in Northern Ireland: Comments by the Economic Council.	September 1979
10	The Availability, Supply and Development of Management for Industry and Commerce in Northern Ireland.	November 1979
11	The Clothing Industry in Northern Ireland	December 1979
12	Industrial Development Policy	April 1980
13	Energy Conservation	April 1980

It would not be meaningful to attempt to assess the individual contribution of each report to the economic future of Northern Ireland, but the hon. Gentlemen can of course read them for himself and form his own judgment.

Payments into the pension funds of the company's employees are a matter for the company, and I have no plans for any different arrangements.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will list the firms which have been awarded the contracts for bearing repairs on the elevated sections of the M5 motorway at Oldbury and the M6 motorway at Witton; and if the contracts allow for the work to be subcontracted.

I shall write to the hon. Member giving the names of the successful tenderers as soon as the contracts have been awarded. Work may be subcontracted subject to the approval of the engineer, who in these cases is the West Midlands county surveyor.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the various reports completed by the Economic Council; and what contribution he estimates each report will have on the economic future of Northern Ireland.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all the new non-governmental public bodies set up by his Department since his reply to the hon. Member for Carlton (Mr. Holland), Official Report, 24 January, columns 317–18; what the annual cost of each, respectively; and how many staff each employs, including secretarial staff.

The only new non-governmental public body which my Department has set up since 24 January 1980 is the standing advisory committee on the list D schools, which is estimated to cost £4,600 annually. Secretarial services are provided by departmental staff as part of their normal duties.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will open the major general civil engineering contracts for Torness to competitive tenders and not restrict the participants to those associated with the Nuclear Power Corporation or British Nuclear Associates.

The letting of contracts for Torness power station is a matter for the South of Scotland Electricity Board, I am, however, advised by the board that it has selected Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons Ltd. as the contractor for the main civil engineering works and that the contractor was authorised in March of this year to proceed with sections of the works.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what charges are made by each of the colleges of education for the present use of their facilities by other bodies; and what general principles are adopted in arriving at these amounts.

Detailed information about charges made by colleges of education is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In general, colleges are expected to seek the best available financial return for services provided.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the future of the Hiletron neutron therapy research project at the Belvidere hospital, Glasgow.

Hiletron neutron therapy research has been carried on in two centres in Great Britain, the Christie hospital, Manchester and the Belvidere hospital, Glasgow. Experience has shown that the supply of reliable neutron generator tubes and canisters is sufficient to ensure uninterrupted trials at only one of the clinical trial centres. It has been decided in the consultation with those involved in the project that the available equipment should be concentrated in the Manchester centre where most of the clinical trials have taken place. The future of other related research at the Belvidere hospital, Glasgow is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report, those local housing authorities offering equity sharing or shared ownership schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities are not obliged to notify schemes to this Department, but the following local authorities have reported sales under shared ownership arrangements during the first quarter of 1980:

• Birmingham
• Canterbury
• Charnwood
• GLC
• Lambeth
• North Wiltshire
• Southend
• Southampton
• Sunderland
• Swale
• Wandsworth

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now publish in the Official Report a table showing the amounts received by each local authority in England and Wales towards (a) capital and (b) current expenditure in specific grant for the urban programme in 1978–79 at outturn prices, together with provisional figures for 1979–80 and 1980–81.

In England alone some 180 authorities receive urban programme grant. The individual distribution to all these authorities for the three years from 1978–79 could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The urban programme in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now act on the inspector's reports and list the Jubilee Hall, Covent Garden, as a building to be conserved.

I have already added the Jubilee Hall to the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost, in each of the last 10 years, from voted funds for structural maintenance and external decoration of buildings housing grace and favour residences.

The costs are set out below. The figures show the cost of maintenance of the whole of the properties. Grace and favour residences form only a part of the accommodation within each of the properties concerned.

Year				Maintenance Cost
				£
1973–74	…	…	…	1,231,044
1974–75	…	…	…	2,358,478
1975–76	…	…	…	1,898,764
1976–77	…	…	…	2,526,671
1977–78	…	…	…	1,566,788
1978–79	…	…	…	2,922,792
1979–80	…	…	…	3,432,186

Figures are not available for earlier years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost, in each of the last 10 years, from voted funds for improvements to grace and favour residences in bringing the residences up to modern standards.

The cost of the works begun in each of the last three financial years is set out below, expenditure being shown in the year in which work was started.

Year				Expenditure
1977–78	…	…	…	£173,200
1978–79	…	…	…	£296,990
1979–80	…	…	…	£42,700

Figures for earlier years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if, in the cause of reducing public expenditure and pursuant to his policy of reducing the establishment of his Department, he will terminate the employment of his adviser on the Palace of Westminister, Sir Robert Cooke;(2) if he will give details of the specific benefits gained by the Palace of Westminster during the last year from the services of Sir Robert Cooke;(3) how many previous holders there have been, prior to the present incumbent, Sir Robert Cooke, of the office of adviser on the Palace of Westminster; what were their names; and what was the level of remuneration in each case;(4) for how many royal palaces he employs a personal adviser; and if he will state their names and the remuneration, including allowances, in each case;(5) whose advice he sought, or with whom he carried out consultations, before appointing Sir Robert Cooke to be his adviser on the Palace of Westminster;(6) if, prior to the appointment of Sir Robert Cooke, the post of adviser on the Palace of Westminster was advertised or otherwise made open to other applicants;(7) whether the salary of £3,000 per year paid to his personal adviser on the Palace of Westminster is subject to the increases in public service pay recently announced;(8) if the post of personal adviser on the Palace of Westminster is a permanent post on the establishment of his Department.

Sir Robert Cooke has very special knowledge and experience of the architecture, furnishing and history of the Palace of Westminster. Since his appointment in December 1979 Sir Robert Cooke has given valuable assistance to the works of art Committees of both Houses and, through my Under-Secretary of State, has also given considerable help to the Department on restoration and conservation aspects of the accommodation programme for the Palace of Westminster. His services will continue. There were no previous holders of this appointment and no advisers are employed for other Royal palaces. The post of adviser on the Palace of Westminster, which is not a permanent appointment, was not advertised. Sir Robert was offered the appointment, after consultation with the Leaders of both Houses, because of his unique qualifications. His salary of £3,000 will be adjusted in line with increases in Civil Service pay recently announced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to allocate further resources to energy conservation.

Local authorities are free to use as much of their housing investment programme allocation as they wish on insulating their houses. My right hon. Friend has urged authorities to give priority to this work in the interests of national energy conservation and we shall continue to impress upon them the need to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many employees in the mineral insulating fibres manufacturing industry have been laid off or put on short-time working as a result of the cutback in house insulating.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Midlothian (Mr. Eadie) on 23 June 1980.—[Vol. 987, c. 73–74.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance he is prepared to give the mineral insulation fibre industry, which invested £80 million to increase capacity from 124,000 tonnes in 1977 to 421,000 tonnes in 1981, and which is now having to cut back production and lay men off.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. McQuarrie) on 9 May.—[Vol. 984, c. 279.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the potential financial saving on home insulation; and what is his estimate of the financial saving that could be made by lagging household tanks.

The estimated saving per dwelling per annum at current prices is about £7 to £15 from loft insulation and £8 to £16 from tank insulation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money in grants for all matters relating to housing and land was allocated to Wolverhampton council in 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81; and if he will publish the figures involved at present prices.

Subsidy and grant payments in respect of housing and land received by Wolverhampton borough council in the years 1977–78 to 1980–81 are as follows:

£m (1979–80 outturn prices)
1977–78*	1978–79*	1979–80†	1980–81‡
8·65	9·93	12·09	12·62
* Pre-audit claims.
† Advances of subsidy on account.
‡ Estimated advances (the authority will be making further claims for housing subsidy as well as for land, for which no claim has been received, in the course of the year.)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the arrangements for the disposal of fittings, fixtures and furnishings from the Palace of Westminster; and to what extent are such disposals carried out by private transaction or open public sale;(2) if he will make a statement about disposals of furniture, fixtures and fittings from the Palace of Westminster during each of the last three years, specifying each item and naming those who acquired such items;(3) what is the basis and method of valuation of antiquities, fixtures and fittings disposed of from the Palace of Westminster.

It is the Department's policy to retain for re-use all furniture, fixtures and fittings by Scott, Pugin and others which were specially designed for the Palace. Damaged and broken items are also re-used to repair others. No "antique" furniture has been disposed of and valuation does not therefore arise. Goods that are surplus and cannot be re-used elsewhere in the Palace or Government estate consist mainly of used office furniture and worn-out carpeting. This is sold at open public auction at the Department's store at Wembley together with surpluses from other Government Departments. The sales are advertised widely in the press. Names of those who purchase goods at public auctions are not kept on record. No disposal of goods is made by private transaction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment where the display of carved ivory that formerly stood at the terrace entrance at the foot of the Tea Room stairs is at present located; and when it will be restored to public view.

This display is now located in Mr. Speaker's State Apartments where it was moved in 1972 on the recommendation of the House of Commons works of art Committee to make room for new showcases displaying medals and seals. There are no present plans for its return to public view.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many stone statues have been disposed of from the Palace of Westminster during the last three years, and to whom.

None since June 1977 when 16 statues from the Palace of Westminster were disposed of by open competitive tender. Members, peers, officials and staff of both Houses and the general public were invited to tender on equal terms.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has been spent on publicising family income supplement in the last 12 months; what the estimated sum to be spent on publicising family income sup- plement is in the following 12 months; whether there are any plans to launch a new publicity campaign; and if he will make a statement.

At the time of the November 1979 uprating, a total of £294,000 was spent advertising family income supplement on television and in the national press. The budget for a similar campaign at the time of this year's up-rating is £334,000. These figures exclude leaflet costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that savings achieved in the National Health Service as a result of the increasing emphasis on community-based care for the old, mentally handicapped and mentally ill are clearly identified and the moneys thus saved in the hospital services are switched to the authorities who have responsibility for the provision of community-based care.

The Department's policy is to continue to encourage a switch from institutional to community-based services for the groups mentioned. This involves some channelling of resources within the NHS from in-patient to community health services, while at the same time continuing to improve the quality of service for those who will still require hospital care. The policy also has implications for social services authorities' priorities and resources. Social services authorities' resources may, in appropriate circumstances, be supplemented by joint finance, and we will be gradually increasing the amounts allocated for this purpose in the next few years.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he has experienced any difficulty in obtaining supplies of Q tubes from Marconi-Elliott Advance Systems Ltd. for use with the Hiletron systems at Manchester and Glasgow;(2) if he will make a statement on the future of the Hiletron neutron therapy research project at the Christie hospital, Manchester.

Difficulties have been experienced in obtaining adequate supplies of Q tubes for concurrent clinical trials of neutron therapy at both Manchester and Glasgow. From the beginning of this year it has therefore been necessary to concentrate the available tubes in support of the Manchester trial which is now proceeding satisfactorily.A decision on the additional investment required to provide sufficient tubes for completion of the Manchester trial by autumn 1981 is to be taken later this month.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present number of men and women, respectively, who are over 70 years of age; and what percentage of the population these figures represent.

The statistics are published regularly. The most recent figures are for mid-1979 and were published in OPCS Monitor PP1 80/4, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the extra revenue raised by abolishing the ceiling on employee national insurance contributions.

If the upper earnings limit for primary class I contributions had been abolished from April 1980 then, on the assumptions used in the Government Actuary's report on the 1980–81 contribution re-rating order (Cmnd. 7771), the extra contribution income to the national insurance fund and the National Health Service for the tax year 1980–81 would be £200 million, of which £170 million would be received in the financial year 1980–81.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what would be the gross and net cost of raising child benefit to the level of the child's addition paid for (a) sickness and unemployment benefit and (b) the higher rates of national insurance benefit;(2) what would be the net cost of raising child benefit to the child addition paid to the higher rate of national insurance if the benefit was made taxable.

The full year additional cost in Great Britain of increasing the November 1980 rate of child benefit—£4.75—by the amount of:

a. the November 1980 short-term child depenency rate would be	gross	£850 million
	net	£690 million
b. the November 1980 long-term child dependency rate would be	gross	£5,100 million
	net	£4,350 million

If child benefit were increased by the long-term child dependency rate and the whole of the benefit were made taxable, the full year tax yield in Great Britain, based on 1980–81 income levels, would be of the order of £2,400 million reducing the net cost of the increase from about £4,350 million to about £1,950 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how are the maintenance budgets determined in relation to the need to maintain the National Health Service estate.

Maintenance budgets are determined by individual health authorities in the light of local circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how the Government's restructuring proposals for the National Health Service will bring about an improvement in the maintenance and long-term care of the National Health Service estate.

We expect that our proposal to establish a pattern of locally based district health authorities on the lines of existing single district authorities, will, if implemented, enable both health authority members and their officers to be more closely in touch than they can be in existing multi-district areas, with all the services—including maintenance and long-term care of the estate—for which they are responsible and the staff who provide them. This, together with the proposed strengthening of management at the operational level, should enable all services to be provided in a way which is more sensitive than at present to the needs of local populations and of the staff who serve them.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the district works officer of the new district health authority will be a member of the district management team.

My right hon. Friend expects to announce the Government's policy on the structure and management arrangements of the National Health Service later this month, and I cannot anticipate what he will be saying about the composition of management teams.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will resume annual publication of the numbers of poor families and children.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the DHSS analyses of data from the family expenditure survey—FES—on incomes relative to supplementary benefit levels. There are limits to the value of these analyses and better information should emerge from the family finances survey. These and other reasons explained in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 13 November 1979 led to our decision to compile the FES analyses biennially rather than annually. We do not consider that there are sufficient grounds for reversing that decision.—[Vol. 973, c. 565–66.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has had, and from whom, calling for the withdrawal of the leaflet"Changes to the supplementary benefit scheme and how they affect you "; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the extent of the financial commitment to date in respect of the Heysham B nuclear power station;

I am advised by the CEGB that:

(i) its financial commitment to date in respact of Heysham II is £108 million;

(ii) the amount spent to date on preliminary works is £22½ million;

(iii) in order not to prejudice its commercial position prior to the award of contracts, it is not the board's practice to publish its estimate for the cost of specific plant components such as the graphite moderator.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will provide a list of companies which have not yet agreed terms of State participation in their North Sea oil and gas production concessions.

A list of companies with which the Government have participation agreements is given in appendix 13 of the 1979 report to Parliament on development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom. Such agreements have been sought only from licensees with actual or prospective commercial oil discoveries under first to fourth round licences. A complete list of licensees is given in the annual report to Parliament under the Continental Shelf Act 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list, by percentage, the current ownership of proven oil and gas reserves in the North Sea by nation States, via companies registered in these States.

An offshore production licence entitles the holder to explore for and produce oil and gas in a specified area of the United Kingdom continental shelf. It does not confer any ownership rights over the reserves.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the details of his proposed excess profits levy on the British Gas Corporation.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 July 1980, c. 302]: I have at this stage nothing to add to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet) on 8 May 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will re-establish the insulation grants to house owners at their real level as originally introduced, in order to satisfy the intention to save fuel, stated in the communiqué of the seven leaders who met in Venice.

I have been asked to reply.I am considering the need to uprate the grant limit.