asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many sheltered workshops there are in the North-West region; where they are located and how many places they provide for (a) mentally handicapped and (b) physically handicapped persons.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there are 28 sheltered workshops in the North-

Number of employees
Workshop			Mentally sub-normal	Mentally ill	Other disabilities	Total	Capacity
(a) Remploy factories
Aintree	…	…	26	7	90	123	130
Blackburn	…	…	23	9	65	97	110
Barnsley	…	…	29	3	47	79	73†
Bolton	…	…	14	6	81	101	100†
Denton	…	…	27	17	51	95	150
Manchester	…	…	10	5	52	67	60
Oldham	…	…	11	20	35	66	80
Preston	…	…	14	8	34	56	70
Radcliffe	…	…	8	12	86	106	135
Salford	…	…	12	11	69	92	110
St. Helens	…	…	18	9	67	94	95
Wallasey	…	…	5	4	59	68	85
Wigan	…	…	20	11	101	132	140
SUB-TOTALS	…	…	217	122	837	1,176	1,338
(b) Workshops for blind people*
Blackburn	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	12	30
Blackpool	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	32	36
Bolton	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	31	35
Chester	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	11	15
Liverpool	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	38	46
Manchester	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	86	86
Oldham	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	34	40
Preston	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	22	40
St. Helens	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	8	8
Warrington	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	14	15
Wigan	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	26	30
SUB-TOTALS	…	…	—	—	—	314	381
(c) Workshops for sighted people
Cheadle	…	…	—	51	—	51	66
Chester	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	30	37
Liverpool	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	49	50
Liverpool	…	…	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	96	110
SUB-TOTALS	…	…	—	51	—	226	263
GRAND TOTALS	…	…	217	173	837	1,716	1,982
Notes:
N.A.= Not available.
* May also employed sighted people.
† These workshops employ more people than they were intended to employ but finance is available to replace the Burnley factory in this financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what further steps he intends to take to relieve unemployment among 19 to 24-year-olds; and if he will make a statement.>

My right hon. Friend announced on 14 February 1980 the details of the package of special employment measures which the Government intend to pursue up to the end of the current financial year. We shall, in line with normal practice, be carrying out a thorough review, of all the special measures before announcing decisions for the next financial year. Included in that review we shall consider the needs of 19 to 24-year-olds and of other age groups.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why no small business man was appointed to the body reviewing the working of the Employment and Training Act 1973.

I am informed by the MSC that it was concerned to ensure that the membership of the review body as a whole should have a wide knowledge and practical experience of the national training arrangements rather than that it should include representatives of every group with an interest in the subject matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of people registered as unemployed in South Kirklees; and how that number compares with the figures for the same period in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.

Following is the information for the Huddersfield employment office area which covers the southern part of the Kirklees metropolitan district.

Jun-76	3,529
Jun-77	3,411
Jun-78	3,585
Jun-79	3,872
June 1980*	6,043
* The June 1980 figure is not strictly comparable with those for earlier years because

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average number of wool textile workers made redundant in each month for the last year, 1979–80, and for each month since January of the current year in the area of South Kirklees; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that its records of redundancies which were likely to occur in the wool textile industry in the South Kirklees area show that the numbers of employees involved were:

1979
January	51
February	65
March	69
April	7
May	—
June	—
July	18
August	34
September	54
October	105
November	261
December	287
1980
January	168
February	183
March	32
April	170
May (provisional)	156
June (provisional)	92

These figures are not a comprehensive measure of redundancies and should be treated with caution, for the reasons explained in the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Handsworth (Miss Wright) on 30 June.—[Vol. 987, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking regarding the employment of young blacks in the Greater London area.

The employment prospects for young blacks, as for all groups, depend fundamentally on the success of the Government's economic policies designed to bring down inflation and create an economic climate in which investment and growth will create more jobs. In the meantime, the youth opportunities programme and community industry (for young people under 19) and the special temporary employment programme, amongst other schemes, will continue to help unemployed young people, whether black or white, in the Greater London area, by providing work experience and temporary employment. Employment prospects can also be helped through training provided by the Manpower Services Commission's skillcentres and training opportunities scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, further to his answers to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, East, Official Report, 10 July, column 247, he will publish a breakdown of the total grants in each year to the Fort William underwater training centre.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a detailed breakdown of the total grants made available to the underwater training centre for each year could be given only at disproportionate cost. However, the major items of expenditure defrayed by MSC grants are given in the table below.

Item	£
Deep Diving System	1,009,531
Diving Plant and Machinery	106,056
Site Preparation and Office Construction	160,388
Boats	44,847
Air Diving Barge	46,594

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of the number of (a) men and (b) women earning less than each of £55, £65, £75 and £85 for a full working week.

The latest available estimates are in respect of April 1979 and are as follows:

				Millions
Gross weekly earnings (including overtime earnings)			Number of full-time employees aged 18 and over whose pay was not affected by absence
			Men	Women
Less than £55	…	…	0·8	1·9
Less than £65	…	…	1·7	2·9
Less than £75	…	…	2·9	3·6
Less than £85	…	…	4·4	4·0
Source: New Earnings Survey.

Estimates for April this year will be available later in the year. Because of the substantial rise in average earnings since the 1979 survey the numbers shown in the reply will now be considerably reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in 1980–81 over 1979–80 in the allocation by the Manpower Services Commission to the Wolverhampton travel-to-work area for the youth opportunities programme.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that information for the youth opportunities programme is collected by local authority district. In the Wolverhampton local authority district, which covers the Wolverhampton travel-to-work area, plans for the programme provide for an increase in 1980–81 of 40 per cent. over the entrants in 1979–81.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 1 December 1979, column 358, showing each of the employment and training measures to alleviate unemployment currently in operation, the date when each scheme commenced, the gross and net costs to date, the main purpose of the scheme, the age groups affected, the number of job and training places provided, the weekly wage or allowance paid and whether or not the latter is taxable.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action his Department is taking to see that companies in the private sector employ a proportion of disabled persons.

The Manpower Services Commission administers on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State the provisions of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, which places a duty on employers with 20 or more workers to try to employ 3 per cent. registered disabled people in their work force. The MSC's disablement resettlement officers not only conduct an annual inquiry into employers' quota positions but approach them throughout the year to find jobs for both registered and unregistered disabled people.There are difficulties associated with the operation of the present quota scheme, which is being reviewed. As stated in my reply of 30 June to the hon. Member for Wood Green (Mr. Race).—[Vol. 987, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average percentage of the disabled work force in (a) private industry and (b) public sector employment; and what is the last date for which figures are available.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that on 1 June 1979—the latest date for which information is available—1.8 per cent. of staff employed in the private sector were registered as disabled, and the comparable figure for the public sector was 1.3 per cent. These figures should be used with caution since they relate only to those disabled people—believed to be in the minority—who have chosen to register in accordance with the Disabled Persons (Employment) Acts 1944 and 1958, and who work for employers with 20 or more staff.There are no figures available which show what percentages of the total disabled working population are employed in the different sectors.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new jobs have been created in the Wolverhampton exchange area over the past 12 months; and how many he envisages will be created in the next year.

I regret that comprehensive information about the number of new jobs which have been, or are likely to be created in the Wolverhampton employment office area is not available to my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many Ministers in his Department have made journeys abroad; if he will specify the number of separate occasions (a) to EEC countries and (b) to overseas countries outside the EEC within the 12 months to 30 June; how many staff of his Department and others accompanied the individual Minister on each occasion; what was the overall cost on each occasion in respect of travel, subsistence and other expenditure involved; how many days were occupied on each visit; what was the object of each journey; and how many such visits are now planned to be undertaken from 1 July to 31 December.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will provide a list of fatal and serious accident figures for persons working on the construction of oil and gas reception facilities in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1979;

(2) if he will provide a list of fatal and serious accident figures for persons working on the construction of oil and gas production platforms and rigs in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1979;

(3) if he will provide a list of fatal and serious accident figures for persons working in yards coating and preparing pipelines to be used in North Sea oil and gas fields, from 1969 to 1979.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the reply given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 6 December 1979, column 297, showing the net cost of employing all the registered unemployed at weekly wages of £45, £50, £55 and £60 (a) after taking into account increased revenue from income tax and national insurance contributions, and (b) after also deducting the estimated savings on social security benefits and tax refunds.

(a) After taking into account increased revenue from income tax and national insurance contributions, it is estimated that to pay every adult person at present unemployed in Great Britain a wage of £45, £50, £55, or £60 per week would cost approximately as follows for one year:

All Ages
				£
£45	…	…	…	2,532 million
£50	…	…	…	2,730 million
£55	…	…	…	2,928 million
£60	…	…	…	3,126 million
18 and over
				£
£45	…	…	…	2,355 million
£50	…	…	…	2,539 million
£55	…	…	…	2,724 million
£60	…	…	…	2,907 million

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the departmental report on unemployment figures and (b) the departmental report examining the possibility of unemployed persons doing voluntary work.

My Department's review of unemployment and vacancy statistics was published in the May issue of Employment Gazette. Copies are available in the House of Commons Library.My right hon. Friend has asked the Department to consider the feasibility of encouraging unemployed people to undertake some form of voluntary work, but it is too early to say whether this will lead to a published report.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why so few men at Coalite who had had heart attacks or angina were included in the official Coalite survey in relation to workers' health.

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

asked the Attorney-General what was the number of legal aid applications refused during the periods May 1978 to May 1979 and May 1979 to May 1980; and whether the present regulations differ from those applicable in May 1979.

For civil legal aid, the available information is in respect of April 1978 to March 1979 inclusive. In this period, 24,029 legal aid applications were refused in England and Wales. Figures for 1979–80 are not yet available. For criminal and care proceedings the latest available information is for the calendar year 1978, in which period 40,896 legal aid applications were refused in England and Wales. This information is published by petty sessional division in table 25 and by Crown court centre in table 26 of "Criminal Statistics. England and Wales, 1978"(Cmnd. 7670).The most significant changes made in the civil legal aid regulations since May 1979 are the reduction in the proportion of an assisted person's disposable income which may be required as a contribution; the increase in the eligibility limits for legal aid; and the introduction of assistance by way of representation. The present regulations relating to the grant of criminal legal aid do not differ from those applicable in May 1979.

asked the Prime Minister what studies have been made of the feasibility of using civilian volunteers to replace striking workers in essential industries and services in any future period of industrial action; what industries and services would be covered by such arrangements; which Minister will be responsible to the House for these activities; and whether such civilian volunteers would be under the control of the Army.

The Government have a duty to keep under review the arrangements necessary to maintain supplies and services essential to the life of the community in an emergency. It has never been the custom to disclose details. Responsibility for implementation of plans rests with the Minister in charge of the industry or service affected.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any proposals to encourage the use of volunteers to replace striking workers in the public services.

I recognise the value of the work of established voluntary organisations in helping to maintain essential public services in an emergency, and I have no doubt about the willingness of private individuals voluntarily to help in such situations, where they can usefully do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the future development of petrochemical facilities in Scotland.

The petrochemical industry is a significant part of the Scottish economy. The plant under construction at Moss Morran and such further developments as the announcement on 19 June concerning a new gas gathering line are all portents of further growth.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of children in list D schools are released within one, two and three months, respectively, of reaching the age of 16 years; to what extent financial pressures on local government social work departments are leading to early release on the basis of the school leaving age; and if he will make a statement.

Information about the age of children on release from list D schools is not held centrally. A child subject to a residential supervision requirement may, if a children's hearing so decides, have the requirement continued until he is 18 years old. I am not aware of any cases of early release because of financial pressures on local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the numbers of absconders from list D schools in 1978–79; how many of the absconders escaped more than once in each of these years; how many secure places were available in each year and what was their occupancy rate; how many secure places are needed within the system; and is he satisfied with the present position.

Information on the incidence of absconding from list D schools is not held centrally.The secure places available in list D schools and the percentage occupancy rates in 1978–79 were:

January	1978	53)	77
November	1978	43)
	1979	43	89

Six secure places for girls were added in June 1980, and it is hoped that a further 18 places which are being provided for boys will be available for use by the end of the year. It does not seem necessary to provide further places at present, but the provision will be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the agencies which have power to refer a child in a list D school to a hearing for review of the residential requirement or of the kind of school in which the placement was made.

Section 48 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 provides for the review of a supervision requirement of a children's hearing on the recommendation of a local authority, or in certain circumstances by a child or his parent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations have been made to him regarding the advantages or disadvantages to child care of local authorities being relieved of their 17½ per cent. contribution to list D schools; what impact the financial contribution may have on numbers of boys permitted to attend list D schools as day pupils; if he will issue guidelines to regional councils or whether costs of day pupils should be met from social work or education department budgets; and if he will make a statement.

No representations have been made to my right hon. Friend on this subject. Charges for day pupils are a matter for the managers of individual list D schools, who are expected to recover costs relating to such pupils. So far as I am aware, the level of charges has not affected the placement of children as day pupils in list D schools, and I see no need to issue guidelines on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current cost of accommodation per head per week of inmates in list D schools, detention centres, assessment centres, borstals and young offenders institutions.

The latest available information is for the year ended 31 March 1979:

	Cost per head per week £
List D schools	117.51*
Detention centres	95.90
Borstals	93.10
Young offenders institutions	92.75
* Including notional loan charges on capital works

Information about the cost of assessment centres is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will investigate the landing of 600 tons of prawns by a Soviet vessel at Dundee on 17 July; if he will establish when and where they were caught; whether they are being sold for less than the cost of production; and if he will make a statement.

A vessel from the USSR landed approximately 638 tonnes of pink shrimps (pandalus borealis) in Dundee on 17 July. These shrimps were caught in the Barents Sea and frozen. I have been unable to ascertain whether they are being sold at less than the production cost.This consignment of shrimps will be processed by two Scottish factories. Both these factories buy shrimps from Scottish fishermen during the shrimp season around Scotland. These imported supplies are to maintain operations at the factories when Scottish supplies, which have been very poor this year, are not available.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the cumulative balance of outstanding promissory notes to the International Development Association in respect of past replenishments; and when he expects disbursements to be made and the likely cost in each of the next three years.

The amounts outstanding on 15 July were:

Fourth Replenishment notes	£42,846,824.60
Fifth Replenishment notes	£417,709,576.54

The rate of drawings in each of the next three years will depend on the actual rate of IDA expenditure on a large number of individual projects and programmes as they are implemented. It is not the practice to publish estimates of spending year by year on individual elements of the aid programme because these are based on intentions and assumptions which may not be realised.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what plans he has to disburse the 17.4 per cent. of the 1980–81 aid expenditure estimates which are at present unallocated; what percentages were unallocated in estimates for the previous three financial years; and how they were eventually allocated.

We expect much of the unallocated portion of the 1980–81 overseas aid Estimate to go to the bila-

OVERSEAS AID—NET CHANGE BY COMPONENT BETWEEN MAIN AND SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES PROVISION
				£ million
		1977–78	1978–79	1979–80
Multilateral capital aid	…	−1·087	−33·270	+ 15·459
Multilateral technical co-operation	…	+10·435	+20·600	−1·959
Bilateral capital aid	…	+96·074	+183·044	+71·791
Bilateral technical co-operation	…	+6·629	+5·244	+1·690
International subscriptions	…	—	−0·246	−0·310
Pensions	…	n.a.	n.a.	−10·802
Unallocated	…	−90·640	−142·935	−77·532
Shortfall or excess on Appropriations-in-Aid	…	−3·161	+1·518	+1·666
Net increase in Vote provision	…	+18·250	+33·955	+0·003
Notes:
(i) Columns are self-balancing.
(ii) 1977–78 figures exclude the £90 million Special Assistance to the Crown Agents,
(iii) n.a.= not applicable.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the cumulative balance of outstanding promissory notes to the European development fund in respect of past commitments; and when he expects disbursements to be made and the likely cost in each of the next three years.

Our contributions to the European development fund are payable in cash in January and July of each year on the basis of expenditure estimates drawn up by the Commission during the preceding autumn and revised if necessary during the year. Under the terms of the first and second Lom6 conventions respectively, the United Kingdom is committed to contribute £360 million to EDF IV and £510 million to EDF V (the amount will vary somewhat with the exchange rate). The rate of spending in the next three financial years therefore chiefly depends on the actual rate of EDF expenditure on individual projects and programmes as they are implemented. It is not the practice to publish estimates of our spending year by year on individual elements of the aid teral sections of the Vote, particularly subheads C1 andC2 (loans and grants). This pattern was followed in the previous three financial years when ther percentages unallocated in the Main Estimates were:

1977–78	14·8
1978–79	20·9
1979–80 (revised)	9·6

The table below shows how the unallocated portion, together with other net savings and increases in Vote provision, was distributed by major category of expenditure.programme because these are based on intentions and assumptions which may not be realised.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what percentage of the bilateral aid programme for 1980–81 is firmly committed to programmes and projects.

It is difficult to give a precise figure because the pattern is constantly shifting, but it is estimated that approximately 88 per cent. of the bilateral aid programme for 1980–81 is already firmly committed and only a small proportion of the remaining balance is not yet earmarked for specific programmes or projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the European Economic Community Six and for the rest of the world the value and volume based on 1975 of imports and exports of machinery in each of the STIC headings 71 to 77 for 1970, 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1980 to date.

I. UNITED KINGDOM TRADE WITH THE EC (6) BY VALUE
								(£ million)
						(a) Imports (cif)
SITC (Rev 2) Division					1975	1977	1979	January to May 1980
71	…	…	…	…	209	313	414	186
72	…	…	…	…	302	537	803	340
73	…	…	…	…	106	114	223	102
74	…	…	…	…	320	499	722	341
75	…	…	…	…	276	407	608	213
76	…	…	…	…	69	102	157	64
77	…	…	…	…	290	512	729	319
						(b) Exports (fob)
								January to May
SITC (Rev 2) Division					1975	1977	1979	1980
71	…	…	…	…	237	341	426	201
72	…	…	…	…	255	408	494	260
73	…	…	…	…	50	69	85	49
74	…	…	…	…	253	422	519	274
75	…	…	…	…	256	418	678	297
76	…	…	…	…	82	142	178	75
77	…	…	…	…	193	353	464	240

II. UNITED KINGDOM TRADE WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD BY VALUE
								(£ million)
						(a) Imports cif)
SITC (Rev 2) Division					1975	1977	1979	January to May 1980
71	…	…	…	…	246	382	439	223
72	…	…	…	…	261	344	474	231
73	…	…	…	…	89	110	190	102
74	…	…	…	…	350	492	630	305
75	…	…	…	…	267	505	723	369
76	…	…	…	…	264	442	611	247
77	…	…	…	…	288	537	682	333
						(b) Exports (fob)
SITC (Rev 2) Division					1975	1977	1979	January to May 1980
71	…	…	…	…	873	1,185	1,363	691
72	…	…	…	…	1,278	1,628	1,821	851
73	…	…	…	…	214	256	299	151
74	…	…	…	…	858	1,219	1,444	712
75	…	…	…	…	259	342	486	233
76	…	…	…	…	346	570	556	230
77	…	…	…	…	627	979	994	514

III. UNITED KINGDOM TRADE WITH THE EC (6) BY WEIGHT
									(Thousand tonnes)
				Imports			Exports
SITC (Rev 2) Division				1977	1979	January to May 1980	1977	1979	January to May 1980
71	…	…	…	80·7	1030	45·9	98·7	73·8	35·6
72	…	…	…	205·0	255·1	100·4	184·0	175·3	87·6
73	…	…	…	26·5	47·1	18·8	25·9	25·0	11·0
74	…	…	…	148·6	198·0	90·3	149·4	146·1	71·5
75	…	…	…	16·6	23·8	9·1	21·3	25·8	11·9
76	…	…	…	10·3	16·8	6·0	17·8	18·0	6·9
77	…	…	…	144·2	187·5	79·1	82·4	86·7	37·1

Estimates by volume are not available. Details of the actual value and weight of trade were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, in the light of the growing industry of firms in Indonesia and other Asian countries, exporting to the United Kingdom and other countries of the world, exact replicas, including trade names, of some of the most famous British products, if he will take action to deal with these matters.

With our EC partners we are working for an agreement in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade on measures to discourage the importation of counterfeit goods into signatory countries. Developing countries are encouraged at every opportunity to accede to the Paris International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.This convention enables British firms to take out patents and register their trade marks and additionally obliges member States to provide protection against any act of competition contrary to honest practice in industrial and commercial matters. There are 90 member States, including Indonesia, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea; Hong Kong is also bound by its provisions.British manufacturers are therefore urged to protect their products by taking out patents and registering their trade marks in overseas countries. Protection against the sale of counterfeit goods in the United Kingdom is provided through a range of domestic legislation covering trade descriptions and health and safety factors. The Government are willing to make representations through diplomatic channels in support of British companies where there is evidence that their goods are being counterfeited. I have received no such evidence in respect of Indonesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the current policy for export credit guarantee in respect of existing trade with Zambia.

ECGD cover for exports to Zambia is at present suspended because of the persistent delays in the remittance of payments from Zambia, which have resulted in substantial claims on ECGD. The situation is kept under review, and cover will be resumed as soon as this is justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the value of Hong Kong's imports of manufactured goods from the United Kingdom, France, West Germany and Italy, respectively, expressed as a percentage of total Hong Kong imports of manufactured goods.

The information is as follows:

SHARES OF IMPORTS OF MANUFACTURED GOODS INTO HONG KONG, 1979
		per cent.
United Kingdom	…	6
France	…	1½
Federal Republic of Germany	…	4
Italy	…	2

asked the Secretary of State for Tade (1) what proportion of the United Kingdom new car market was taken by German, French, Italian, Belgian and Spanish vehicles in 1977 and in the first half of 1980;(2) if a motor car, imported by a United Kingdom manufacturer and sold under that manufacturer's name counts as a home-produced or imported vehicle for the purpose of determining the share of the United Kingdom market held by foreign countries.

The information is as follows:

PROPORTION OF TOTAL NEW REGISTRATIONS OF NEW CARS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
			(Percentage)
Country of origin*		1977	January—June 1980
West Germany	…	12·1	13·1
France	…	8·7	11·4
Italy	…	6·3	3·8
Belgium	…	3·4	7·9
Spain	…	0·2	5·1
Source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
* In the analysis of new car registrations in the United Kingdom published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders the country of origin of a car is defined as the country in which it was finally assembled. Thus, if a United Kingdom manufacturer imports a car in kit form and assembles it in the United Kingdom this will be included in the analysis of new registrations as a British car; but if the manufacturer imports an assembled car and sells it in the United Kingdom (whether under that manufacturer's name or not) this will be defined as an imported car.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what action he proposes to take in respect of petrol filling stations which do not display their prices in the prescribed manner.

Enforcement of the Petrol Prices (Display) Order is the responsibility of the county council, to which any complaints should be addressed: I have not received any evidence to suggest that prices are not being properly displayed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) whether he will introduce legislation to require parties to disclose their identity where they act in concert to acquire over 5 per cent. of the shares of a public company but where individually they purchase under 5 per cent;

(2) whether he is considering any further statutory controls over foreign investment in the light of the covert purchase and "dawn raid" on shares on Consolidated Goldfields between October 1979 and 12 February of the current year;

(3) whether he is satisfied that the process by which stock jobbers can go short of significant quantities of stock in a public company which is the subject of a partial takeover bid and at a price well above the market price previously obtaining is in the interests of fair trade and small shareholders generally;

(4) what consideration he has given to the acquisition by De Beers Consolidated Mines, its Johannesburg brokers, Davis Barkum Hare, and its London brokers, Rowe and Pitman, of a 25 per cent. share in Consolidated Goldfields; if he has received a copy of the report of the Stock Exchange committee on the methods used; whether he has received reports from the Council for the Securities Industry and, following investigations by his own Department on this matter, whether he will make a statement.

I expect soon to receive the report of inspectors I appointed under section 172 of the Companies Act 1948 to investigate the membership of Consolidated Goldfields Limited, and I expect their report to deal with the process whereby De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited acquired a substantial holding in the shares of that company. The chairman of the Stock Exchange has sent me a copy of a report on this subject published last week by the Council of the Stock Exchange.I shall consider the case for statutory change, including but not confined to the changes suggested in my hon. Friend's questions, in the light of the facts revealed in these reports. The Government believe that both statutory and non-statutory methods of regulation are needed for the supervision of the securities market. The operation of the market and the rules which govern the behaviour of members of the Stock Exchange are not governed by the Companies Acts and are matters primarily for non-statutory regulation by the Stock Exchange Council.I have no doubt that the Council for the Securities Industry will wish to study as soon as possible the report of the Stock Exchange and its recommendations with the purpose of considering the adequacy of the existing rules. When it does so, I trust that it will have regard to the fact that the strength of a system of non-statutory regulation is its ability to ensure that conduct is governed by the spirit and not merely the letter of the law.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many Ministers in his Department have made journeys abroad; if he will specify the number of separate occasions (a) to EEC countries and (b) to overseas countries outside the EEC within the 12 months to 30 June; how many staff of his Department and others accompanied the individual Minister on each occasion; what was the overall cost on each occasion in respect of travel, subsistence and other expenditure involved; how many days were occupied on each visit; what was the object of each journey; and how many such visits are now planned to be undertaken from 1 July to 31 December.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has any proposals to publish a White Paper annexing draft clauses of a Bill for the reform of company law to be introduced in the next Session of Parliament.

I shall conside the possibility of publishing proposed clauses when work on the next Companies Bill is further advanced.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will investigate, under the Insurance Companies Act 1974, the situation affecting policy holders of the Underwriters' National Assurance Company; and if he will make a statement.

No. My Department is informed about the affairs of this American company which was closed to new business here in 1974. The company considers that a scheme of arrangement will be the best solution for United Kingdom policy-holders. My Department will be writing to them in the near future.

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

To list each individual organisation and the amount of grant each received would involve a disproportionate use of resources.The total sum paid by way of grant to voluntary bodies in Northern Ireland by Departments for which my right hon. Friend is responsible in the financial year 1979–80 and the latest estimated figure for the current financial year is as follows:

1979–80	£15,436,690
1980–81 (Est.)	£20,354,880

The organisations receiving grants fall into a number of categories as follows: voluntary youth and sports organisations; voluntary community, community health and community relations organisations; family and counselling services organisations, senior citizens' associations; preschool playgroup associations; children's homes; councils of social services; regional organisations of caring groups; safety organisations; environmental and amenity groups; housing organisations, disabled persons' organisations; voluntary employment organisations; organisations involved in the youth opportunities programme; training organisations; welfare organisations; agricultural organisations and the care and resettlement of offenders organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the post of deputy electoral officer in Northern Ireland is advertised when a vacancy occurs and it is intended to fill the post.

I am informed by the chief electoral officer that, when a vacancy occurs, he first looks to fill it from within his own organisation. If there are no suitably-qualified and experienced internal candidates, the vacancy is advertised.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the post of chief electoral officer for Northern Ireland was not advertised; and whether this post was advertised on previous occasions.

My right hon. Friend took the view that this post could satisfactorily be filled without recourse to public advertisement. The same view was taken on the two previous occasions since its creation when an appointment was needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, further to his answer of 24 June, if he will state how many Service men convicted of offences committed in Northern Ireland and sentenced to imprisonment have been in the past, or are now, obliged to serve their sentences there; and how many applications, from Service men convicted of an offence committed in Northern Ireland and sentenced to imprisonment to serve their sentences in Great Britain, have been refused.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements he intends to make for regular oral statements concerning forthcoming business at Council meetings of the European Economic Community.

I and my right hon. Friend are aware of the value placed by the House on regular oral statements and my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal makes such statements on forthcoming European Community ministerial business as he considers appropriate.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will move to appoint a Select Committee on procedure with terms of re- ference to include the procedure and allocation of time for Private Members' Bills and the procedures concerning questions, including the practice of open questions.

These are matters for the House, but I have no such proposals to make at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, in the light of the plans by Courtaulds to operate an extended shutdown procedure at Greenfield, Holywell mill, he will meet representatives of the Flint trades council, the Wales Trades Union Congress and Flint and Holywell town councils and other local representatives to review urgently the prospects for the textile industry locally and to plan for the urgent provision of new jobs.

No. We are well aware of the current difficulties in North-East Wales. These are part of the general problems facing the textile industry on which we have undertaken to do everything possible to help, taking account of our international obligations and our economic policies.On the matter of the provision of new jobs I refer the hon. Member to what I said in the Adjournment debate on 9 July.—[Vol. 988, c. 726–30.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report a breakdown of the 1,500 jobs in the pipeline for the Deeside travel-to-work area, indicating the number of jobs per project, the estimated date of the project beginning and the prospects for men or for women; and if he will make a statement.

The latest estimate is that there are 1,700 manufacturing jobs in the pipeline, representing some 1,300 expected opportunities for men and 400 for women, over a three to four year period. The estimate relates to about 30 projects. For reasons of commercial confidentiality I am unable to provide details of the individual projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which Welsh local authorities have put to him proposals for enterprise zones.

We have received detailed proposals from Swansea city council and Afan borough council.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he will make a further statement about the proposed cleaning of the Palace of Westminster.

I understand that the Services Committee will be making a report on the subject shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing net tax take, income tax and national insurance contribution, for each of a single-wage and a two-wage married couple, from gross weekly earnings or joint earnings of £65, £85, £105, £125, £145, £165, £185, £200, £300, £500, £700 and £1,000, assuming, where there are joint earnings, that each spouse earns exactly half, and that there are no other tax reliefs.

The figures are as follows:For calculating the national insurance contributions it has been assumed that the husband pays at the not contracted

TAX PLUS NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS
Weekly Earnings	Single Wage Married Couple	Two Wage Married Couple
£	£	£
65	11·51	2·84
85	18·86	8·91
105	26·21	15·78
125	33·56	22·66
145	40·91	29·53
165	48·26	36·41
185	54·26	43·28
200	58·76	48·44
300	93·20	84·41
500	191·58	150·02
700	307·83	237·04
1,000	487·83	391·60

out rate and that the wife has opted to pay the reduced rate.Where beneficial it has been assumed that the couple would elect for separate taxation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing net tax during 1980–81, income tax plus national insurance contribution, less child benefit where appropriate, for each of two single people sharing accommodation, a single-wage married couple, a two-wage married couple, and married couples, single-wage, with each of two and four children, assuming annual earnings of £5,500 and what, when the earnings are jointly earned, each person earns half the joint amount.

The figures for total earnings of £5,500 are as follows:

Tax plus national insurance contributions, less child benefit
		£
Two single persons	…	1,196
Single wage married couple	…	1,378
Two wage married couple	…	835
Single wage married couple with 2 children	…	933
Single wage married couple with 4 children	…	489

National insurance contributions have been calculated at the not contracted out rate except for the two-wage married couple where it has been assumed that the wife pays the reduced rate.Child benefit used in the calculation is the amount that will be received in the year 1980–81.

asked the Chancellor of the Excheqer, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 18 June, column 539, if he will summarise the case against making national insurance contributions tax-deductible once all benefits are taxable.

Making national insurance contributions tax-deductible would cost between £1,500 million and £2,000 million, would complicate the tax system and would require extra staff to administer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the number of couples at present benefiting, from the married man's tax allowance; and if he will distinguish between those with and without children;(2) if he will update the answer given to the hon. Member for Barking (Miss Richardson) on the effects on the abolition of the married man's tax allowance on 11 July 1978.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent action he has taken or intends taking to secure a substantial reduction in the minimum lending rate to invigorate investment in industry to overcome the growing unemployment problem; and whether he will make a statement.

			£ million
	1978–79	1979–80 (provisional)	1980–81 (estimated)
Value-added tax	4.832	8,179	12,450
Wages and salaries*	20,843	24,808	30,500
* General government expenditure on wages and salaries; includes employers' contributions to national insurance and to occupational pension schemes, the national insurance surcharge and pensions paid to retired civil servants and servicemen. Comparable figures for public corporations which make up the rest of the public sector are not centrally available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Miss Maynard), Official Report, 3 July, column 681, what was the source of the information that led him to conclude that 151 tonnes of 2,4,5-T were imported into the United Kingdom over the last 12 months.

Information about imports of 2,4,5-T over the period June 1979 to May 1980 was provided by the Customs and Excise statistical office and was compiled from data extracted from import entry forms prepared by importers or their agents.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Ministers in his Department have made journeys abroad; if he will specify the number of separate occasions (a) to EEC countries and (b) to overseas countries outside the EEC within the 12 months to 30 June; how many staff of his De-

MLR was reduced by I percentage point on 3 July. The Government's firm control of public borrowing is designed to enable further reductions in due course; but the timing and size of these will depend on monetary conditions and prospects.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, at current prices and for each of the years 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81 (a) total revenue and total estimated revenue from value added tax, and (b) total expenditure and total estimated expenditure on wages, salaries and pensions in the public sector.

The information requested is as follows:partment and others accompanied the individual Minister on each occasion; what was the overall cost on each occasion in respect of travel, subsistence and other expenditure involved; how many days were occupied on each visit; what was the object of each journey; and how many such visits are now planned to be undertaken from 1 July to 31 December.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the loss of competitiveness each year since 1976; and what is the breakdown of this figure for each year between high United Kingdom labour costs, spending appreciation and other relevant factors.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the total annual sum currently being sent out of the United Kingdom annually in the form of public and private aid and investment.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total estimated cost to public funds of Parliament in 1980–81; and what proportion per £100 of total public expenditure this represents.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to reduce the tax on fuel oils.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1980. c. 683]: No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he hopes to make a statement on his plans for the sale of equity shares in the British National Oil Corporation, and what consultations he has had with major oil companies on this issue.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the future of the British National Oil Corporation.

Further details of the Government's plans to introduce public participation in the British National Oil Corporation will be given in due course. I have received views concerning the future of the corporation from a number of major oil companies, as, indeed, I have had from various other sources.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the extent to which the Government's expectations of natural gas usage in the United Kingdom take account of gas from the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

The British Gas Corporation currently has under contract 5 trillion cubic feet of gas from the Norwegian sector of the continental shelf. My Department's estimates of the total amount of natural gas likely to be available to this country include an allowance for some additional imports from Norway or elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what consultations he has had with the North-Western Electricity Board regarding the reduction of energy consumption in the North-West.

My Department discusses the investment programmes of electricity boards with each board every year. This year's discussion with the North-Western board has taken place. Sales of electricity was one of the areas covered.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made since the international nuclear fuel cycle evaluation with international co-operation on the control of exports of nuclear technology.

As a first step, the International Atomic Energy Agency last month set up a committee to advise on aspects of this subject. The United Kingdom will play its part on this committee. Meanwhile, the guidelines agreed by the fifteen-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group continue to apply.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest estimate of oil extraction from the United Kingdom part of the North Sea in 1980; and how this compares with the official previous estimate.

In my report to Parliament on the development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom, published on 30 June 1980, oil production in 1980 is estimated at 80–85 million tonnes. This is lower than the estimate of 85–105 million tonnes in the report published in July 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about the investment in the Ancid process for the Phurnacite plant in Aberaman, Aberdare.

The NCB has explored with the Government the possibility of special financial assistance on noncommercial terms to enable it to replace the two oldest of the six batteries of the phurnacite plant, owned by National Smokeless Fuels Limited at Aberaman, which are now nearly at the end of their useful lives. The cost might be some £36 million, of which about £5.5 million might be met by regional development grants.After the most careful consideration, the Government have decided against giving special assistance, bearing in mind that there are other ways of securing the continued production of Phurnacite.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will review the statutory monopoly which the British Gas Corporation has of the industrial market for North Sea gas.

The British Gas Corporation does not have a statutory monopoly of the supply of offshore natural gas to industry, although it has certain statutory privileges in relation to gas purchase.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what recent talks he has had with the National Coal Board and the British Steel Corporation about the importing of coking coal.

None. I understand that negotiations are still in progress between the NCB and the BSC.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met the chairman of the Esso Oil Company to discuss petrol supplies in rural areas.

My right hon. Friend and I meet the chairman of the Esso Petroleum Company from time to time. I last dis- cussed petrol supplies to rural areas with him on 21 May.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will place in the Library copies of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy report submitted to him on fast breeder reactor development options of the Department; memorandum to the United States Administration detailing proposed co-operation in fast breeder reactor development and of memoranda sent on fast breeder reactor development to European countries.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. Steel) on 14 July 1980.—[Vol. 988, c. 451].

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussion he has had with Energy Ministers in EEC countries about imports of natural gas from outside the EEC into their own countries, particularly from the Eastern bloc; and if he will make a statement about the extent to which industries in these countries are able to purchase natural gas at prices below those available to industry in the United Kingdom.

In my various discussions on energy prospects with the responsible Ministers in other EEC countries, the availability of gas, including imported gas, has naturally featured. Only limited information about gas contract prices in other Community countries is available and it is difficult to make valid comparisons.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made in the United Kingdom with advanced technology for coal utilisation.

The National Coal Board and plant manufacturers are making good progress in the development of fluidised bed combustion for industrial use, and prototype boilers, and furnaces are demonstrating the advantages of the technology. Construction of the Grime-thorpe 80 MW (thermal) experimental pressurised fluidised bed combustion facility funded by the United Kingdom, the United States and West Germany under the auspices of the International Energy Agency is complete, and commissioning has begun.The British Gas/Lurgi slagging gasi-fier is proved and is being considered for a demonstration plant in the USA. The CEGB and NCB are making a joint study of the application of coal gasification to advanced power generation systems. Design and feasibility studies on pilot plants to develop further oil from coal processes devised within NCB laboratories have been completed, and a decision on construction will be taken shortly.