asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will increase the level of funding of the Scottish Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux to enable it to maintain parity in salary levels with staff in the National Association of Consumer Advice Bureaux.

I understand that funds are available for this purpose within the grant in aid shared by the Scottish and National Associations of Citizens' Advice Bureaux.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many (a) Acts of Parliament and (b) statutory instruments apply to the mining industry, excluding coal.

I have been asked to reply.The principal Acts administered by the Department of Industry which apply specifically to the mining industry are the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Acts 1966 and 1974; the Mineral Exploration and Investment Grants Act 1972.It would be impracticable to list all other legislation which applies in whole or in part to mining. Such legislation appears in standard works of reference, available in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many manufacturers of alcohol there are within each catchment area of each outstation of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist.

I am informed that there are 423 producers of alcohol and alcoholic drinks in the catchment area of the Liverpool outstation and 178 in the catchment area of the Glasgow outstation. These are the only two outstations that deal with these products.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many manufacturers of alcohol there are within a 100-mile radius of the Glasgow outstation of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist.

I am informed that there are 63 producers of alcohol and alcoholic drinks within approximately a 100-mile radius of the Glasgow outstation of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry why the claim, dated 30 January and 8 February of the current year, of Netaline-Air Distribution Products Ltd., St. Helens, for a regional development grant claim covering the period June 1979 to December 1979, which was acknowledged on 16 February of the current year, took four months to be met; and if he will make a statement.

Applications for regional development grant have to be examined to ensure that the rules which govern their payment are met. Since the commencement of the scheme in 1972 the average time taken to examine and approve applications has been about 13 weeks and the application from Netaline-Air Products Limited was processed within this time scale. In common with all applications made after 12 June 1979, this application is subject to the four months deferment in the payment of grant on approved claims announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Speech on that date as part of the Government's essential cuts in public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total sum paid to the KME Co-operative, Kirkby, in grants under the Industry Acts; and if he will set cut the dates on which the grants were paid.

KME received three grants under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972, totalling £4,967,000. A grant of £3,900,000, offered in December 1974, was advanced in tranches between January 1975 and January 1976 and a further grant of £860,000 was advanced in two tranches in May and July 1977.In addition, interim assistance in the form of a grant of £207,000 was advanced between October 1978 and January 1979 to cover KME's losses in the period that a working party, set up by the previous Government, considered the co-operative's future and subsequent negotiations were taking place for a possible takeover.KME also received regional development grants for expenditure on qualifying assets, but the detail of these amounts is published only if the company concerned has received payments in the previous quarter of £25,000 or more.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much money Courtaulds Limited has received in development grants in the last year.

Particulars of individual regional development grant payments are generally regarded as confidential between the Department of Industry and the applicant, but since 1 October 1974 details of grant payments in excess of £25,000 have been published quarterly in British Business—formerly Trade and Industry. The published information shows payments of regional development grant totalling £793,000 to Courtaulds Ltd. during the period 1 April 1979 to 31 March 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is satisfied that the money that Courtaulds Limited has received by way of grants in the last 10 years has been beneficially used.

Courtaulds Limited has received financial assistance under the schemes for encouraging investment and creating or preserving jobs which apply to all manufacturing industries. Offers of selective assistance are carefully monitored against the purposes for which they are made. Payment of regional development grant is subject to a four years conditions period, and recovery, or part recovery, is made if the conditions are not met.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will make a statement about the appointment of non-executive directors to the board of British Aerospace.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently appointed two new part-time members to the board of British Aerospace, Sir Jack Wellings, chairman of the 600 Group Ltd., and Mr. K. M. Bevins, a director and formerly chief general manager of the Royal Insurance Co. Ltd. In addition, he hopes to appoint two more non-executive part-time members.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what programmes are currently run by his Department to make industry aware of the implications of using robots, in encouraging the development of better robot control systems and to encourage companies to use robots; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1980]: I can confirm that the Government consider that progress in awareness, application and manufacture of robots is important. The Department has provided support to the British Robots Association which is promoting awareness of robots through seminars and also to the Production Engineering Research Association specially for its robot advisory service. The Ingersoll report on robots, commissioned by the Department, has also just been published. The development of better robot control systems and the application of robots are being encouraged through schemes such as the Department's product and process development scheme and the microprocessor applications project scheme. Assistance is similarly available to existing and new manufacturers of robots.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in the light of the 40 redundancies announced by Crompton Parkinson at its Dundee factory, he will increase the level of industrial retraining facilities in Dundee.

The provision made by the Manpower Services Commission under the training opportunities scheme in the Dundee area has been increased by 90 places in the current year and should be sufficient to meet any additional demand arising from the Crompton Parkinson redundancy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the total number of those unemployed in Scotland has been unemployed for (a) under three months (b) three to six months, (c) six to nine months, (d) nine to 12 months and (e) over one year.

The following table gives the information as at 10 April 1980, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available.

Duration of Unemployment	Percentage of total Unemployment
Under 3 months	37·0
3 to 6 months	19·7
Over 6 to 9 months	12·5
Over 9 to 12 months	7·5
Over 1 year	23·3
	100·0

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the average length of stay on the unemployment register in Scotland of those who became unemployed in the latest available year.

Information is not available in the precise form requested. On 19 April the median length of time spent on the unemployment register by persons still unemployed on that date was 22 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he is giving to the cases of David Cooper and Michael McMahon.

In 1970 Mr. David Cooper, Mr. Michael McMahon and Mr. Patrick Murphy were convicted of the murder of Mr. Reginald Stevens, a sub-postmaster in Luton, and sentenced to life imprisonment.Since then the case has come before the Court of Appeal on no fewer than five occasions, four of them as a result of a reference by the Home Secretary of the day. The outcome is that the court has quashed the conviction of Mr. Murphy after hearing fresh alibi evidence on his behalf, but has not disturbed the convictions of Mr. Cooper and Mr. McMahon.I have now considered all the circumstances of the case and I have had the benefit of the views of the Lord Chief Justice.The case is wholly exceptional and I judge that there is a widely felt sense of unease about it. I share that unease. It springs from the obscurity of the part played by the principal prosecution witness; the subsequent history of the detective in the case; and the uncertainty created for the convicted men by the number of occasions on which it has been necessary to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal.I have concluded that, in view of my responsibility for the maintenance of public confidence in our system of criminal justice, the matter should now be resolved.In all the circumstances I do not think it would be right for Mr. Cooper and Mr. McMahon to be imprisoned for many years to come. I have accordingly decided to recommend Her Majesty to remit the remainer of their sentences. The two men are being released today.The Lord Chief Justice agrees with me that the history of the case puts it in a category of its own, appropriate to be settled outside the usual system for the reasons I have indicated.My action in this case should not be taken as a precedent. It is not a signal that I will interfere with the decisions of courts in the absence of new evidence or considerations. Nor does it imply that I am satisfied that the men are innocent.I very much hope that my decision will not be used to criticise the actions of my predecessors. They acted with scrupulous regard to the constitutional conventions in referring each piece of alleged new evidence to the Court of Appeal and in acting in accordance with the court's judgments. Any general departure from that rule would clearly be disastrous. But, in the unique circumstances of this case, I believe that we have reached the point where I must say "enough is enough".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he possesses of the number of prisoners belonging to the ethnic minorities currently in prison.

Comprehensive information about the ethnic origin of prisoners held in prison department establishments is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning an alteration to the present constitution of the House of Lords so that existing bishops who sit in that House by virtue of their offices should maintain such sitting after their retirements; and whether he will undertake that he will not seek amendments to the present position until such time as there is a referendum or general election on this subject.

None. The Government have no plans to bring forward proposals for changes in the composition of the House of Lords.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current cost of accommodation per head per week of inmates of approved schools, assessment centres, borstals and young offenders institutions.

In the financial year 1978–79, the average weekly cost in England and Wales of keeping a male prisoner in a borstal or young offender centre was £119 and in a detention centre £108. Approved schools ceased to exist after the enactment of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969. They were absorbed, together with assessment centres, into the system of community homes run by local authorities, and are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to introduce legislation similar to that in the United States of America to the effect that a British subject must not be a paid representative or receive cash or payment in kind from a foreign Government or their representatives without registering his interest with his Department.

We have no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations have been made to him about extending the provisions of the domestic proceedings order so as to include co-habitees within the protection that is afforded a spouse who is subjected to domestic violence.

Four hon. Members—none of them representing Northern Ireland constituencies—and two women's rights organisations have made representations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has now informed local councils in Wales of his conclusions following receipt of their replies to his inquiry about clause 18 of the Housing Bill; and if he will make a statement.

No. We are giving careful consideration to all responses. We shall make a statement in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will standardise the forms submitted by local authorities to him regarding housing strategy appraisals.

The forms are standardised for all authorities each year but are modified from year to year in the light of experience.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which councils sold council houses in 1979; and how many were sold.

The information is given below:

District	Number Sold
Alyn and Deeside	70
Colwyn	18
Delyn	31
Ceredigion	14
Preseli	32
South Pembrokeshire	7
Monmouth	157
Newport	243
Arfon	4
Meirionnydd	8
Rhymney Valley	1
Taff Ely	82
Montgomery	1
Cardiff	186
Vale of Glamorgan	128
Afan	121
Swansea	84
Total	1,187

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether, in his request to local councils to provide information on housing, he sought to ascertain the number of empty council houses, the number of difficult-to-let dwellings and the impact of the building societies' mortgage scheme.

A copy of the Department's request to local authorities dated 18 June 1980 is in the Library. It seeks information on empty council houses and the impact of the building society support scheme but not on difficult to let dwellings.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many authorities have provided him with an independent assessment of fitness of housing; and how many have based their assumptions on the Welsh house condition survey (1976).

A total of 27 authorities have provided assessments of fitness in their 1979 housing strategy and investment programme submissions, but the basis of their assumptions is not known.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the present method of collecting information regarding the provision of housing in Wales.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of States for Wales what percentage of the total housing stock in Wales is unfit.

The most recent survey, undertaken in 1976, indicated that 9·8 per cent. of the total stock was unfit.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the unfit housing stock in Wales is accounted for by four valley authorities: Rhondda, Cynon Valley, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Valley.

Information is not available down to district level, but the county of Mid-Glamorgan accounted for 30 per cent. of the unfit housing stock in Wales in 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of houses in the valleys and in the cities of Swansea, Cardiff and Newport is fit but lacking amenities.

Information is not available down to district level, but in 1976 fit dwellings lacking amenities accounted for 8·8 per cent. of total stock in Gwent, 8·4 per cent. in Mid and West Glamorgan and 3·1 per cent. in South Glamorgan.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses in the public sector were built between 1972 and 1979 in Wales.

A total of 44,365.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of bids for improvement grants between 1979 and 1984 in Wales.

Local authorities hope that they will be able to issue about 38,000 improvement grants at a cost of £66·2 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many demolitions of houses are planned between 1979 and 1986 in Wales.

Welsh local authorities have estimated that some 9,000 houses will be closed or demolished between 1 April 1979 and 31 March 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his house purchase finance review group has completed its work; if it has yet submitted its report to him; and if he will publish it.

The group has given my right hon. Friend its preliminary views and he has asked for further advice on some aspects of its work so far. He will consider the question of publication when its work has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to disband the Housing Development Directorate; and, if so, what plans he has to ensure that the research and development of housing policy for groups with special needs, such as the elderly and handicapped, will be continued.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1980, c. 603]: My right hon. Friend and I are considering this proposal. The housing directorates would continue to be able to undertake necessary research and development for housing policy including policy for special needs groups such as elderly and handicapped.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) on the same basis as the answer given to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow), Official Report, 19 March 1979, column 409, what was the average cost per trainee of secretarial training under the Manpower Services Commission's training opportunities scheme in 1979; and how many secretaries were trained;(2) on the same basis as the answer given to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow),

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 14,792 trainees completed secretarial training in 1979–80 on courses under the MSC's training opportunities scheme. Costs for secretarial courses are not collected separately, but the estimated average cost in training fees and allowances for each of these trainees was £1,217. It is not possible to attribute an overhead cost to these trainees. It is estimated that the expenditure on training fees and allowances for secretarial training under TOPS was £18·003 million in 1979–80 and will be £17·496 million in 1980–81—both at outturn prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what grants are available to those wishing to attend industrial or technological courses more than 15 miles from their homes.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that those who are accepted on courses under the training opportunities scheme—TOPS—who live long distances from the training centre receive in addition to the basic training allowances reimbursement of travel costs if they travel daily or, if they have to leave home for the period of the course, a lodging allowance. I am sending information on the allowances scheme to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing, for each of the standard regions of England, the number of proposed redundancies notified under the Employment Protection Act for the period July 1979 to June of the current year.

The number of proposed redundancies notified to my Department under the redundancy handling provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 in each of the English regions from 1 July 1979 to 30 June 1980 is as follows:

Northern	69,600
North-West	135,300
Yorks and Humberside	103,240
Midlands	187,998
South-West	34,861
London	71,318
South-East	81,552
Total	683,869

There is no statutory requirement to notify my Department when proposed redundancies do not take place.I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of redundancies reported to it as due to occur in each of the regions from 1 July 1979 to 30 June 1980 is as follows:

Anglia	3,473
East Midlands	21,263
West Midlands	31,341
North	18,759
North-West	55,362
South-East	41,208
South-West	15,917
Yorks and Humberside	24,947
Total	212,270

These figures are provisional since some redundancies are reported late.Both Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission figures are for redundancies involving 10 or more employees.The above figures should be treated with caution for reasons explained in the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Handsworth (Miss Wright) on 30 June.—[Vol. 987, c. 383–34.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of training places made available under the Manpower Services Commission training opportunities programme for 1980–81 in the area of South Kirklees.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that it plans to provide about 148 training places in 1980–81 under the training opportunities scheme in South Kirklees. The places are available on a wide range of courses at Huddersfield polytechnic and Huddersfield technical college.In addition, outside the area but available to the residents of South Kirklees, 1,537 training places are available in the Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield skill-centres, and a further 1,603 training places in colleges of further education, private colleges and employers establishments in the rest of West Yorkshire.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of job vacancies available in South Kirklees; and whether his Department is aware of any specific skill shortages within that area.

At 6 June the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled in the Huddersfield employment office area, which covers the southern part of the Kirklees metropolitan district, were 291 at the employment office and 47 at the careers office. 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. My Department is aware of no specific skill shortages in that area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment who owns the diving barges used in the courses at the Fort William underwater training centre; what was their purchase price; and what is the current book value.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the diving barges and all the assets of the underwater training centre are vested in the operating company, Underwater Training Centre Limited, for the duration of the project management contract and are legally charged in favour of the Commission. On termination of the contract the assets revert to the MSC. The purchase prices of the air and deep diving barges were £45,594 and £1,009,531—the latter includes modification costs—and their book value in the centre's commercial accounts at 31 March 1980 was £41,935 and £621,435 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what loans are outstanding in respect of the Fort William underwater training centre; and what are the terms of the loan agreements.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a total of £486,468 in principal and interest payments was outstanding at 31 March 1980. These loans have been made at various times since the centre was established. Each is for seven years with no repayments in the first two years; the interest payments in this period are capitalised. Thereafter, equal instalments of principal and accrued interest are payable at six-monthly intervals over the outstanding term. The loans were made available at the Government lending rates appropriate at the dates of issue.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why the classrooms, administrative buildings and equipment financed by the Manpower Services Commission at £1·5 million for the setting up of the Fore William underwater training centre appear in the centre's commercial accounts on 31 March at a book value of £867,000.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that all the assets of the underwater training centre were purchased on behalf and with the agreement of MSC. The assets have been vested in an operating company for the duration of the project management contract and the MSC's interest is safeguarded through the use of a legal charge. The assets feature in the centre's commercial accounts as an element in the company's full trading position. However, the notes to these accounts explain that the company takes no credit for the assets which will revert to MSC on termination of the management contract. The current book value of the centre's assets is lower than the purchase price because of the depreciation of the plant, equipment and the prefabricated buildings, all of which have a limited operational life.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many divers have passed through the Fort William diving centre for each year since 1974, and for each month in the current year; and how many were financed by training grants.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that since August 1975, when the underwater training centre, Fort William, first began offering courses, a total of 721 divers has completed training at the centre. Of these, 679 were wholly or partly financed by training grants.

BASIC AIR DIVING
Year	No of places available	No of places filled	TOPS	Employer sponsored	Private Fee payers
1975	20	20	18	—	2
1976	110	107	103	1	3
1977	110	103	89	4	10
1978	110	89	84	2	3
1979	120	115	104	5	6
1980	40	35	33	1	1
Total	510	469	431	13*	25
*Included 6 foreign students not qualifying for grant.

MIXED GAS COURSE
Year	No of places filled	Sponsored by employer	Sponsored by M.S.C.
1976†	24	20	4
1977‡	37	37	—
1978§	40	29	11
1979	111	90	21
1980	46	30	16
Total	258	206*	52
*Included 11 not supported by M.S.C. (6 Japanese, 3 Norwegian, 2 Dutch).
†60% grant.
‡Nov77 80%grant.
§Nov. 78 100% grant.

In addition to the above figures, which are all completions, there are 30 trainees presently attending courses at the UTC These include:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to seek to alter the contractual arrangements on which the Fort William underwater training centre operates.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the contractual arrangements on which the underwater training centre currently operates will be reconsidered in the light of the outcome of the current discussions on the future of the centre.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many wages inspectors were in post on the first day of each month from 1 May 1979 to 1 July of the current year; how many staff were in post overall in the Wages Inspectorate on the same dates; and what was the agreed complement for wages inspectors and overall Wages Inspectorate staff, respectively, at those dates.

The number of Wages Inspectorate staff in post is shown below for each quarter beginning 1 April 1979. Detailed figures are not collated monthly. Staff working part-time are counted as half units.

	Outdoor inspectors	Other staff
1 April 1979	149½	137½
1 July 1979	154½	125
1 October 1979	160	129
1 January 1980	166	133
1 April 1980	164	138
1 July 1980	157	137

Throughout this period the complement was 177 outdoor inspectors and 144 other staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now seek to introduce legislation to provide paternity leave for employed fathers.

No. The Government have no present intention of introducing such legislation. While recognising the value of paternity leave, we believe that this is a matter best left to individual negotiation and collective agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish, in the Official Report, a list of travel-to-work areas, and indicate, for each, the unemployment rate in June 1979 and June 1980, together with the percentage increase in unemployment between these two dates; and what is the present assisted area status and proposed assisted area status in August 1982 of each of these travel-to-work areas.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people under the age of 19 years there are in the city of Manchester who have never had a job; if he will provide separate figures for each careers office and jobcentre at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will provide comparable figures for the same date in 1979.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what upward adjustment is now needed on the figure of £8,000 which was the figure supplied by his Department to the tripartite committee studying the Welsh coalfield in 1979 as the average cost to public funds each year of each unemployed person.

The average cost to public funds of each unemployed mineworker is now estimated to be £6,492 per worker during the first year of unemployment and £5,390 during the second year of unemployment. The estimates are based on the assumption that each mineworker remains unemployed for the whole of the two-year period. The corresponding figure for 1979 which was supplied to the tripartite committee was £6,000 for the first year and £5,100 thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the statement in his reply to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South that many workers in Stoke-on-Trent have obtained alternative employment, what is the precise number involved and over what period of time this alternative employment has been provided.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 July 1980, c 461]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission, which is responsible for the employment and training services, that the statement derived from the assessment of local staff in the light of its contacts with local employers and job seekers but that accurate figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if it is his policy that the two guarantees given to unemployed 16 to 19-year-olds ensuring the offer of a place in the youth opportunity programme, will be maintained in 1981–82 and 1982–83, without any decrease in the quality of the programme, or the amount of time young people are entitled to spend in the programme.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1980, c. 551]: I have made it clear on a number of occasions that the Government will continue to back the

	Wolverhampton employment office area	West Midlands Region
Unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks
Aged under 18 years	22	170
Aged 18–19 years	91	1,085
Aged 20 years and over	913	15,908
Unemployed for over 104 weeks
Aged under 18 years	—	7
Aged 18–19 years	21	206
Aged 20 years and over	1,029	17,243

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men, women, young people and school leavers, respectively, are currently unemployed in Wolverhampton and in the West Midlands as a whole; and how many vacancies there are for each group in each area.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 July 1980, c. 471]: At 12 June, there were 6,370 males and 3,460 females registered as unemployed in the Wolverhampton employment office area. Of these, 1,418 were school leavers under 18 years of age. The corresponding figures for the West Midlands region were 107,278 males, 51,801 females and 13,384 school leavers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many adults and young people have been unemployed for one year and for two years in Wolverhampton and in the West Midlands.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 July 1980, c. 471]: Following is the information at 10 April, the latest date for which the quarterly age and duration analysis of the unemployed is available:At 10 April, the latest date for which the quarterly age analysis of the unemployed is available, there were 1,635 young people under 20 years of age registered as unemployed in the Wolverhampton employment office area and 25,327 in the West Midlands region.At 6 June, there were 242 notified vacancies remaining unfilled at the employment office and 78 at careers offices in the Wolverhampton employment office area. The corresponding figures for the West Midlands region were 8,328 at employment offices and 2,015 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.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will provide a list of fatal and serious accident figures for men working on pipelaying barges in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea from 1969–1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 July 1980, c. 471]: Up to 15 June 1977 all such accidents have been reportable to the United Kingdom authorities, only if they had occurred on United Kingdom registered pipelaying barges, of which there were none. Since 15 June 1977 all such accidents have been reportable to the United Kingdom authorities. The numbers reported have been:

1977 (from 15 June)		1978	1979
Fatal	1	0	0
Serious	1	1	0

RELATIVE EARNINGS OF EMPLOYEES AGED UNDER 18
	Gross average "basic"* weekly earnings of full-time employees† aged under 18‡ as a percentage of those of full-time employees aged 18 and over
	April 1973§	April 1974	April 1979
Males
Manual employees	45·1	51·8	54·0
Non-manual employees	26·8	31·4	35·0
Females
Manual employees	60·1	68·6	67·7
Non-manual employees	46·1	53·0	54·2

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment amongst ethnic minority groups; how this compares with the figures for the same time in 1979; and if he will introduce special measures to reduce unemployment amongst ethnic minority groups.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1980, c. 551]: Unemployment rates for the ethnic minority groups cannot be calculated, as the number of employees by ethnic minority group is

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the change in the wage rates since the raising of the school leaving age of 16 to 18-year-olds expressed as a percentage of the adult rate, for males and females and for manual and non-manual occupations.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1980, c. 558]: The available information relates to basic weekly earnings—that is, gross weekly earnings exclusive of overtime earnings, payments by results and similar incentive earnings and shift and son on, premium payments. The following table expresses the basic earnings of full-time employees aged under 18 as a percentage of those of full-time employees aged 18 and over. Changes in this percentage may reflect changes in occupational and industrial composition of the labour force as well as changes in the rates payable.not available on any regular or consistent basis. The Government do not believe that it is either appropriate or in the interest of the ethnic minorities to seek to introduce special measures exclusively for them. However, particular attention is paid by the Manpower Services Commission to the way in which its special programmes are operated so as to ensure that the needs of the ethnic minorities are taken fully into account.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) when the draft dangerous pathogen regulations of the Health and Safety Executive will become mandatory; who will be expected to comply with them and who will be exempt; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether the Porton Down chemical defence establishment will be required to comply with the dangerous pathogen regulations of the Health and Safety Executive currently in preparation; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 July 1980, 559–61]: The Health and Safety Commission published a consultative document "Dangerous Pathogens—Draft Regulations and Draft Guidance Notes" in October 1979. Under the proposals in this consultative document, all establishments in Great Britain proposing to work with certain specified pathogens would be required to notify the Health and Safety Executive. The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission tells me that many comments have been received in response to the consultative document. The commission will want to consider these before submitting its final proposals to Ministers in the autumn.

CURRENT LEVELS OF FOODSTUFFS HELD AS INTERVENTION STOCKS IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
(thousands of tonnes)
	Public storage	Aided private storage	Total
Cereals	2,258	844	3,201
Milk Products
(i) Butter	230	110	340
(ii) SMP	178	—	178
(iii) Cheese	—	44	44
Beef	166	—	166
Pigmeat	—	46	46
Olive Oil	71	—	71

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the review of food legislation which was completed by his Department in February of the current year.

The review has been completed. The Government have concluded that major changes in the law are not necessary at present and therefore no consultative document will be issued. It would, however, be desirable to strengthen the law controlling the sale of food unfit for human consumption,

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the cost of storing foodstuffs as required by the common agricultural policy for the latest period for which figures are available; and what is the current level of foodstuffs held as intervention stocks.

The latest Commission figure for the costs of public and private storage of foodstuffs in 1979 totals 1619·2 MEUA—£1044·6 million. However, 240 MEUA—£154·8 million—of this relates to a self-financing scheme for a sugar marketing measure.The current levels of foodstuffs held in public intervention and under aided private storage measures are set out in the table below.and interested organisations are being consulted about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the examination of tenders for scrapping the "Ark Royal" has been concluded; and if he can announce the outcome.

Yes. The Admiralty Board has accepted a bid from Kitson Vickers Limited of Blyth, Northumberland, and a contract has been awarded to it.

asked the Minister of Transport, in the light of the lengthy traffic jams which frequently take place on Friday evenings on the motorway approach from the north to the Blackwall tunnel and the lack of warning signs at entry points to the motorway to instruct drivers to alternative routes, if he will take action to improve this situation.

The motorway and the Blackwall tunnel are both the responsibility of the Greater London Council. I have asked that the hon. Member's concern about the signing of alternative routes be brought to the council's attention.

asked the Minister of Transport what evidence he has to show that right-hand sidecars on motorcycles are less safe than left-hand sidecars.

Combinations of this kind are a potential hazard to their riders and other road users because of the practical difficulty of arranging the lights so that they do not mislead other road users at night or in poor visibility.

Menstrual disturbances	70 per cent
Increase/Loss of Weight	60 per cent (in most cases less than 4 Kg)
Blood pressure changes	50 per cent (changes in most cases were not significant)
Headaches	7·0 per cent
Weakness	7·0 per cent
*Contraception: May 1978, Vol 17, No 5, pp 395–406

The British Journal of Family Planning: Vol 4, No 3, October 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number of people (a) entitled to and (b) receiving each of the means-tested benefits for which his Department is responsible, including free prescriptions, milk, and so on; and what are the comparable figures for each of the past five years.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will up-

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the percentage of adverse reactions to Depo Provera; and on what statistical analysis his reply is given.

The yellow card system does not allow incidence figures to be calculated with any accuracy; nor is Depo Provera licensed for long-term use in the United Kingdom. Therefore, to answer the question, reference has had to be made to published papers. The reported incidence of adverse reactions to Depo Provera in the research literature varies considerably. The following approximate figures of the incidence of the most commonly reported adverse reactions are drawn from two different papers^*. For this reason it is important to bear in mind that they may not be statistically comparable with each other.date his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North,

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as the November 1980 needs allowances for housing benefits are known.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what levels of gross weekly earnings families with two children aged (a) 8 and 10 years and (b) 12 and 14 years wills require from the end of November, in order to have net weekly spending power equal to 120 per cent. and 140 per cent. of their new supplementary benefit entitlement levels plus free school meals, assuming weekly. housing costs of (i) £12 and (ii) £18 and weekly work expenses of £3 and £6, respectively.

I regret that I am unable to justify the cost in financial and staff resources that would be involved in supplying the information requested. As I explained to my hon Friend in my reply on 6 March 1980, the use of nonstandard assumptions adds disproportionately to the work required. [Vol. 980, c. 300–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of, the, average weekly pay-

Age	In work*	Sick or short-term unemployed†	Dependent on Supplementary Benefit
	(a)	(b)	(c)
	£	£	£
Under 5	4·75	6·00	7·30
5–10	4·75	6·00
11–12	4·75	6·00	10·90
13–15	4·75	6·00
16–17	4·75	6·00	13·10
18 and over,	4·75	6·00‡	17·05
* An increase of child benefit of £3 pert week from 24 November is payable in respect of one child in a one-parent family.
† The rates shown relate to beneficiaries who are either unemployed or sick in the short-term. A higher rate may apply in the case of long-term sickness.
‡ There is an upper, age limit of 19 for child benefit and national insurance child dependency increases.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the net weekly income, including tax rebate where applicable, in December of a married man with two children (a) when at work earning £95 per week and (b) when sick, assuming that earnings-related sickness benefit is made up to full pay by the employer, and that sickness commences at the start of December.

I regret that I am unable to provide the information requested. The needs allowances for housing benefits, which will be operative in December 1980, are not yet known. Furthermore, in order to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of earnings related supplement—ERS—payable in December 1980,

It is estimated that the average payment in the first quarter of 1980 was about £26·50 per week.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the reply given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North Official Report, 9 November 1978, column 348, comparing rates of child support from the end of November (a) when the parents are working. (b) when the parents are in receipt of national insurance unemployment or sickness benefit and (c) when they are in receipt of supplementary benefit.

Following is the information in weekly amounts payable from the end of November 1980:it would be necessary to calculate the likely level of earnings during the 1978–79 income tax year on which the ERS would be based. This would, normally be done by deflating the level of earnings in December 1980 by the change in the index of average earnings, over the intervening period. The figures needed for this calculation, are not expected to be available before April 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number of families, and the number of people living in families, with incomes (a) below supplementary benefit levels, (b) at supplement benefit levels, (c) within 120 per cent. of supplementary benefit levels and (d) be- tween 120 per cent. and 140 per cent. of supplementary benefit levels, distinguishing between families where the head is in full-time paid work and those where the head is retired, unemployed or sick, or a lone parent.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 1 November 1979, which included the latest estimates.—[Vol. 972, c. 659–70.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the recent report on the review of the Camberwell resettlement centre; and what action has been taken since he received it.

The report is of an internal review which considered improvements that might be made in the services provided for the reduced number of men who will be using the centre from now until it closes in 1985. It was made on the understanding that it would not be published, but that I would make a statement in due course. The recommendations are under urgent consideration, but I cannot yet give details of our conclusions.

Size of family	Belgium (See note 1)	Luxembourg (See note 2)	Netherlands (See notes 3 and 4)	United Kingdom (See note 5)
	£	£	£	£
One child	24·23	19·78	20·19	17·33
Two children	62·66	44·50	52·94	34·66
Three children	115·28	95·42	85·92	51·99
Four children	168·95	146·34	125·77	69·32
Five children	223·00	197·26	165·62	86·65

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will publish the report on inequalities of health care, prepared by a working party set up by his predecessor in 1977 under the chairmanship of Sir Douglas Black.

I hope that the report will be ready to be published next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table comparing the level of child allowance payable to families with one to five children, respectively, in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, in equivalent £ sterling terms.

The monthly rates of child benefit or similar family benefits payable in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as at 1 January 1980 are shown in the following table. The sterling equivalents have been obtained by applying the exchange rates current on 7 January.Child allowances comprise only part of the varying provision made by each country for the support of families with children. Moreover, a meaningful comparison of allowances cannot be made taking into account the local cost of living—especially that affecting the maintenance of children—and other factors which vary from country to country, such as general wage levels, taxation and the extent to which other provision is made through free education, housing subsidies, medical care and ante- and post-natal welfare and advice services. Fluctuating exchange rates also distort comparisons.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what representations he has received from the Royal British Legion regarding the payment of full funeral expenses for all ex-Service men and women; and if he will make a statement;

I have had no recent representations from the Royal British Legion, but I shortly expect to be asked to consider resolutions passed at its conference held in May.

asked the Secretary of State Social Services what is the incidence

	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977
Mesothelioma
Of pleura	99	105	116	103	124	136	141	166	193	204
Of peritoneum	14	15	11	12	19	25	20	19	30	22
Of pleura and peritoneum	3	3	2	4	—	3	3	4	4	6
Site not specified	38	36	65	57	66	53	66	75	81	96
Total	154	159	194	176	209	217	230	264	308	328

asked the Attorney-General how many cases were brought to court by gas and electricity boards in England and Wales for recovery of debts owed by domestic consumers during each

I have been asked to reply.Information is not available in the precise form requested, but the following table details the numbers of death certificates mentioning mesothelioma for the years 1968 to 1977, the latest year for which the information is available, within Great Britain.of the most recent five years for which information is available.

I regret that the information is not available. It could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost by asking the staff of every county court in England and Wales to check manually all of the approximately 1,400,000 plaints issued during each of the last five years.

asked the Attorney-General (1) if he will list the factors he takes into account before deciding to institute or not to institute proceedings for offences under the criminal law in cases where he has been advised that sufficient evidence is available to justify proceedings;(2) if, pursuant to his written answer to the hon. Member for Orpington on 11 July, he will give the grounds on which he decided not to institute proceedings against certain members of the staff of the BBC in respect of offences allegedly committed by them under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976; and if he will specify whether he took his decision on the grounds of insufficient evidence being available or on other grounds.

I draw the attention of my hon. Friend to the statement made to the House by the Attorney-General, Sir Hartley Shawcross, as he then was, on 29 January 1951—[Vol. 483, c. 681–88]. In that statement he set out the factors which all Attorneys-General take into consideration in reaching a decision whether to authorise or approve criminal proceedings.My consideration of the allegations under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976 against members of the staff of the BBC was in accordance with the statement to which I have referred.

asked the Attorney-General if, pursuant to his written answer to the hon. Member for Orpington on 11 July, he will publish in the Official Report his letter to the chairman of the BBC in respect of offences allegedly committed by members of the staff of the BBC under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976, and the reply thereto.

No.