asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of job vacancies in Greater London in organisations such as the Metropolitan Police which do not advertise such vacancies through employment exchanges.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that, while it is not possible to calculate the number of vacancies in Greater London which are not notified to jobcentres and employment offices, it estimates that about one third of all vacancies in the economy are notified to them. In the course of the month ending 12 June 1980, 41,992 vacancies were notified to the three London employment service division areas.The employment service in London has effective working links with public service organisations such as the Metropolitan Police and the Post Office which regularly notify vacancies to jobcentres and employment offices. It is co-operating fully with the current Metropolitan Police campaign.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are employed by wages councils; and what is their total annual cost to the Exchequer.

None. The secretariat is supplied by my Department at an estimated cost of £200,000 for 1979–80.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage for the year ending in July of the current year the unemployed represented of the total labour force in the United Kingdom and what are the comparable figures for each member State of the EEC, Japan and the United States of America.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 July 1980, c. 171]: The available comparable unemployment rates for the year ending March 1980 are:

Great Britain	5·8
France	6·3
West Germany	2·9
Japan	2·1
United States	5·9
Source: United States Bureau of Labour Statistics. Unemployment on US definitions as a percentage of civilian labour force.

Unemployment rates for member countries are published by the European Communities, and are shown below for the year ending May 1980, but they are not directly comparable because of differences in concepts and coverage.

West Germany	3·3
France	6·3
Italy	7·7
Netherlands	4·2
Belgium	8·9
Luxembourg	0·7
United Kingdom	5·5
Ireland	7·9
Denmark	5·2
Source: Statistical Office of the European Communities. Registered unemployed as a percentage of civilian working population.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what action his Department has undertaken in overseas countries to promote and exploit the market potential of the British invention Viewdata.

The export services of the British Overseas Trade Board, which are provided by my Department, are available to promote Viewdata systems and facilities abroad. Specific action taken includes the briefing of commercial officers in United Kingdom missions overseas to advise on, and assist with, the marketing of Viewdata and the provision of support for demonstrations of Viewdata equipment at specialised international exhibitions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what have been the imports, exports and balance of trade both in manufactured goods and overall with the six most significant newly industrialised countries individually expressed and including South Korea, Hong Kong, Brazil and Taiwan for each of the last five years.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will supply the details of imported made-up footwear uppers for finishing in the United Kingdom for the years 1977, 1978, 1979 and the current year, showing the country of origin;

January-May
	1977		1978		1979		1980
	Kg	Value	Kg	Value	Kg	Value	Kg	Value
Total countries of origin of which:	28,278	104·8	34,827	131·6	26,414	124·2	5,231	36·2
Taiwan	—	—	3,260	8·0	9,512	33·3	3,832	30·2
Irish Republic	—	—	746	5·6	5,195	22·3	74	1·3
South Korea	—	—	—	—	4,654	7·6	828	1·7
Federal Republic of Germany	6,874	26·4	—	—	3,640	11–3	384	2·2
Poland	—	—	—	—	2,700	39·7	—	—
India	875	7·6	3,293	27·2	497	5·8	—	—
United Kingdom	6,540	25·5	50	2·8	109	3·4	—	—
Canada	7	0·2	—·	—	107	0·9	—	—
Italy	5,467	20·4	204	6·6	—	—	113	0·7
Austria	3,560	8·6	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hong Kong	2,831	5·9	3,158	7·8	—	—	—	—
Denmark	841	2·2	—	—	—	—	—	—
France	531	1·4	20,217	55·6	—	—	—	—
Spain	286	2·7	3,849	7·8	—	—	—	—
South Africa	256	3·2	50	0·2	—	—	—	—
Belgium-Luxembourg	200	0·6	—	—	—	—	—	—
Japan	10	0·2	—	—	—	—	—	—
Notes:
(a) Ex SITC (R1 and R2) Sub-group 612·3 (1977: 6405–0731; 1978–1980: 6405–1000).
(b) Value—£ thousand c.i.f.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has any evidence that local pilotage districts are using their powers under the Merchant Shipping Act to make byelaws in such a manner as to discriminate against sea captains of other European Economic Community countries by excluding ships of a certain size, or by other means; and if he will make a statement.

Three pilotage authorities have so far submitted draft byelaws to my Department which would impose an upper limit on the size of ships for which pilotage certificates are available. Such byelaws would apply equally to British and foreign masters and vessels. Pilotage

There are already seven separate headings against which trade in parts of footwear is recorded in the overseas trade statistics under SITC (R2) Sub-group 612·3. The weight and value of imports of assemblies of uppers—affixed to inner soles or other sole components, but without outer soles—including re-imports of articles of United Kingdom origin, were as follows:byelaws have to be confirmed by the Secretary of State after he has considered any objections to them. No byelaws on these lines have yet been confirmed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what discussions he has had or intends to have with the French pilotage authorities about their refusal to certificate new masters of British cross-Channel ferry operators; and what prospects he sees for the settlement of outstanding pilotage problems arising from the Merchant Shipping Act and previous legislation.

We keep in close touch with the French authorities about pilotage matters and would be willing to take up with them any specific items of concern.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many limited companies have a work force exceeding (a) 99 employees, (b) 149 employees, (c) 199 employees and (d) 249 employees.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 July 1980, c. 1 25]: More than 780,000 companies are currently on the companies register and I regret this information could not be extracted from the register except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what his estimate is of the current annual cost of heating a living room and providing a hot water supply (a) standard electricity tariff and (b) off-peak electricity.

Although space and water heating costs vary considerably according to individual circumstances, such as the level of insulation and draft proofing, the following annual costs may be typical for London at April 1980 tariffs.

Tariff	Annual cost of heating medium sized living room £	Annual cost of providing hot water for a family of 2 £
General Domestic	125	187
"Economy 7"(i.e. off peak)	73–79*	86–92*
* The range reflects the difference in the annual standing charge, depending on the extent to which it is or is not attributed to other off peak storage heating equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the United Kingdom share of the Slatfjord field; what proportion of contract work associated with Slatfjord A and B platforms went to Scottish companies; and what steps he is taking to ensure a fair share is obtained of Slatfjord C platform.

The United Kingdom share of Slatfjord reserves is, at present, 15·90678 per cent. I regret that information on the proportion of contract work on Slatfjord A and B awarded to Scottish companies is not available. On procurement for Slatfjord C, I have emphasised to the Norwegians, as recently as last week, the need for international competitive bidding on the project so that British industry may receive a fair chance to compete for a share of the work.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will now make a statement on the Government oil depletion policy.

We expect that from later this year United Kingdom oil production will regularly reach a level equal to United Kingdom consumption. Thereafter, on present forecasts production would rise to a peak in the mid-1980s giving a significant surplus over United Kingdom consumption in the 1980s as a whole. We are likely to become net importers of oil again about 1990.Recent events underline the fragilities of the world energy scene. The Government believe that on strategic and security of supply grounds it is in the national interests to prolong high levels of UKCS production to the end of the century. This requires action to increase exploration which we have already taken, and to defer some oil production from the 1980's. Such action accords fully with the recommendations to maximise indigenous hydrocarbon production on a long term basis and with our other international commitments including net exports of 5 million tonnes in 1985 as agreed in the Community and the International Energy Agency.There are of course, major uncertainties about future levels of North Sea production and United Kingdom consumption. There can therefore be no rigid plan. We shall continue close supervision over reservoir performance at existing fields and scrutinise new applications for field developments to ensure good oil field practice consistent with optimum oil and gas recovery in the national interest. We shall also continue to take decisions on case-by-case basis, but giving greater emphasis to the need to limit the sharpness of the peak in production. We shall of course, honour the assurances given by the right hon. Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Varley) on 6 December 1974 on the basis of which heavy investment has been undertaken by the oil companies.In particular, the Government will consider delaying the development of fields discovered after the end of 1975, which are not covered by the assurances given by the right hon. Member for Chesterfield. The Government will also continue to tighten control on gas flaring.The Government have taken no decisions on whether to have production cutbacks which, under the assurances given by the previous Administration, cannot be made before 1982.I believe that this flexible approach is the right one and takes account of both the needs of those involved in the difficult business of oil production and, more important, the long-term national interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many (a) Acts of Parliament and (b) statutory instruments apply to the industry involved in the production and distribution of natural gas.

The main relevant Acts administered by the Department of Energy are:

asked the Prime Minister which Minister authorises telephonic interceptions by the United States National Security Agency at Menwith Hill near Harrogate.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) on 17 July.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what grants are available from his Department to assist local authorities in Wales to replace inefficient and expensive heating systems on their housing estates; what criteria are used in considering applications; and how many grants have been made during each of the past five years for which figures are available.

No grants are available for this type of replacement work.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has yet completed his consideration of responses to the consultation document "Patients First", when he expects to announce his conclusions; and if he will make a statement.

I have today published a statement "The Structure and Management of the National Health Service in Wales" which sets out my preliminary conclusions following the consultations on "Patients First".It reaffirms my intention that responsibility for managing the service should be delegated as close as possible to the point at which patient services are provided by creating a new system of strong health management units at local level. I confirm also that community health councils are to be retained as are the existing arrangements for administering family practitioner services. There has not been general support for the view that it is not necessary for Wales, in its particular circumstances, to suffer the upheaval of breaking up the existing eight area health authorities in order to get the benefits of good management. It is evident, however, that many people have not understood the full implications of the proposal to delegate management authority to health units. I have therefore concluded that before I make final decisions there should be further opportunity for comment in the light of the explanations in the statement and of local consultations about the pattern of health units. I am also inviting further comment on the arrangements at all-Wales level where I propose to set up an advisory Welsh health council comprising representatives of the health authorities, the professions and the Welsh national school of medicine. My intention is that the council should meet in public, thus facilitating public awareness of debates on major health issues. I also propose to promote further co-operative working between health authorities.I wish to minimise continuing uncertainties, particularly for NHS staff, so I am asking that further comments be submitted to me by 31 December and I would then hope to publish final decisions early in 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is considering setting up an inquiry under section 99 of the Children Act 1975 into the circumstances of the death on 13 August 1979 of Angela Burns.

I have been giving careful consideration to the circumstances in the case of Angela Burns' death, for which her brother, William Burns, was subsequently sentenced to five years' detention. At the time of her death Angela Burns was staying at her mother's home while subject to a supervision requirement made by a children's hearing under section 44 (1) (b) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, and William Burns was an absconder from an assessment centre. There are, however, a number of features arising from this case in relation to the circumstances of Angela Burns' death and to William Burns' position while he was an absconder to which I wish to give further consideration before I reach a conclusion on whether I would be justified in causing an inquiry into this case to be held under section 99 of the Children Act 1975. I am also bearing in mind the public concern which has been expressed about injuries to children, particularly in the light of the death of Angela Burns and other cases which have been brought to my attention. I hope to announce my decision in this matter early in the autumn.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he intends to establish the national theatre museum which has been mooted for many years.

Detailed negotiations are still in progress, and I understand that these will take some further time to complete. I cannot therefore yet add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 5 December last.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement of Her Majesty's Government's view of the recommendation in the Drew report on the establishment of a national museums council.

I am not yet ready to do so. The recommendations in this report are under consideration in my Department and I have myself had a number of discussions about them and intend to have more. It will I think take some time before decisions can be reached on the important and difficult issues raised in the report.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the setting up of the British Library building in Somerstown and the intended time scale of the coming into service of book storage and reader and staff facilities.

I have nothing to add at present to my reply to the hon. Gentleman on 2 June [Vol. 985. c. 524].

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the setting up of a national photographic museum, first suggested by the hon. Member for Warley, East in 1973.

The Science Museum is considering proposals on this matter, but I cannot yet say when an announcement can be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether hon. Members who represent in the European Assembly constituencies including those which they represent in this House will now claim allowances in respect of travel within the latter constituencies from the European Assembly or the Fees Office or partly one and partly the other.

Reimbursement of the cost of travel within a United Kingdom constituency on United Kingdom parliamentary business should be claimed from the House of Commons Fees Office. Constituency travel on European parliamentary business should be claimed from the European Parliament.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time such information as he has available as to the extent the telephone services in the House have expanded in lines, staff, officials, new equipment and so on; and why it is not now possible for a message to be received for more than one hon. Member when this has been possible for the past 35 years.

A private manual branch exchange switchboard was installed in 1950, and this was replaced in 1972 by a private automatic branch exchange.The number of telephone extensions in the Palace of Westminister in 1950 was 619. The number of extensions has risen to 713 in 1957, to 1,167 by 1976, and at the present day there are more than 2,400 extensions available.At present, the number of messages that callers may leave at any one time must be limited, because at busy times the telephone bureau becomes overloaded.Work is already under way for the provision of a combined communications centre, where the operators will be able to deal with the message-taking, inquiry and connecting functions. It is expected that this centre will be ready for service in the first half of 1983.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will give, for any specified period of time, the total number of incoming calls for hon. Members in a given time; how this compares with the time prior to the introduction of the new plant and equipment; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how and why the service today should be worse than in the past.

Since the "direct dialling in" facility was brought into use in 1972, the total number of incoming calls could be established only by monitoring and it would not be possible to isolate Members' calls from the calls made to other extensions. The average number of telephone calls taken in September 1957 was, however, 6,051 and in September 1967 this figure had risen to 13,134. Today these figures would be much higher.The Post Office Telecommunications advisory service report of 1975 made certain recommendations to improve the telephone service and these are in hand.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will adopt as normal practice the placing on the Order Paper of the House the notices relating to Government business not later than two sitting days prior to the relevant debate.

It would not be practicable to lay down any hard and fast rule of this kind. We shall continue to follow the normal practice of successive Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the reasons why he has no plans to 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 are not persuaded that any advantages which might flow from adopting the hon. Gentleman's proposal for legislation would outweigh the problems involved in administering such legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report about the treatment of detainees at Kilburn police station on Tuesday 13 May subsequent to the raid on Bestways Cash and Carry, Park Royal; and how he proposes to make the findings public.

My right hon. Friend has received reports from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis about the circumstances surrounding the Bestway Cash and Carry operation. We have already announced that we are reviewing the procedures for carrying out joint operations of this type. Any complaints about the treatment of individuals in Bestway operation should be made to the Commissioner and will be investigated under the complaints procedure laid down by Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether passports are the only travel documents; and whether British persons with no crime or court order against them may enter or leave the United Kingdom without let or hindrance, with or without a passport, provided he shows irrefutable evidence of identity such as a House of Commons pass, or a firm's pass of a similar kind.

Under section 1 (1) of the Immigration Act 1971 all those who have the right of abode in the United Kingdom are free to live in, and to come and go into and from, the United Kingdom without let or hindrance except such as may be required under and in accordance with the Act to enable their right to be established or as may be otherwise lawfully imposed on any person. Under paragraph 3 of the immigration rules a person must, on arrival in the United Kingdom, produce on request by the immigration officer a valid national passport or other document satisfactorily establishing his identity and nationality. A passport or similar document would be the normal and most effective way of establishing a person's identity and nationality.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish his consultative document on the Open Channel.

Shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list in the Official Report, the number of prosecutions brought in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively, for the possession or operation of citizen band radios for the present financial year and the last financial year, respectively.

The numbers of prosecutions for unlicensed installation and/or use of citizens band radios operating in the 27 MHz frequency band dealt with by the courts during the relevant periods are as follows:

England	162
Wales	1
Scotland	1
N. Ireland	Nil
Current financial year (up to 18 July 1980)
England	111
Wales	2
Scotland	1
N. Ireland	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it is necessary to use Her Majesty's prison, Pentonville, for the detention of persons under Immigration Act powers in the London area, in view of his Department's statement that such persons would in future be held at Her Majesty's remand centre, Ashford.

Her Majesty's prison, Pentonville holds a small proportion of the persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 because the accommodation for them at Ashford remand centre is limited at the moment while some of the sanitary facilities are out of use for renovation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a table indicating the period of time spent in prison department establishments by persons recommended for deportation by the courts without custodial sentence on the latest convenient date, showing the numbers detained for more than one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 weeks, respectively.

The information on 18 July 1980 for England and Wales was as follows:

Length of detention	Numbers detained
Detained for more than 1 week and not more than 2 weeks	3
Detained for more than 2 weeks and not more than 3 weeks	2
Detained for more than 3 weeks and not more than 4 weeks	9
Detained for more than 4 weeks and not more than 5 weeks	3
Detained for more than 5 weeks and not more than 6 weeks	1
Detained for more than 6 weeks and not more than 7 weeks	4
Detained for more than 7 weeks and not more than 8 weeks	4
Detained for more than 8 weeks and not more than 9 weeks	3
Detained for more than 9 weeks and not more than 10 weeks	4
Detained for more than 10 weeks	10
	43

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the reasons for persons remaining in prison department establishments after discharging custodial sentences and having also been recommended for deportation and whether he is satisfied that any delay does not cause unnecessary suffering and waste public money.

The detention of a deportee after the completion of a substantial custodial sentence is usually only necessary to enable consideration to be given to representations or appeals against deportation or because there are difficulties in obtaining a valid travel document. A deportation order may not, however, be made on the recommendation of a court so long as an appeal against the recommendation is pending or until the expiration of the time for appealing; thus if the court imposes only a nominal custodial sentence the deportee may have to be detained after the completion of that sentence until any appeal has been disposed of or until the time of appealing has expired. The Home Office does all it can to keep the time spent in custody to the minimum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against deportation of immigrants to the United Kingdom have been made to him by hon. Members in each of the last three years; and how many have been granted.

I regret that the information requested is not readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals he has had from hon. Members in each of the last three years against the deportation of visitors detained at ports of entry to the United Kingdom; and how many have been granted in each year.

I regret that the information requested is not readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost to public funds of detaining a person on remand in a prison department establishment.

The cost of keeping a person in custody on remand is not separately recorded. During the financial year 1978–79 the average weekly cost of keeping a man in a local prison or remand centre was £104. The equivalent cost of keeping a woman in prison was £140.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that in future Her Majesty's remand centre, Ashford will provide facilities for Saturday visits, as in other prison department establishments.

Negotiations are continuing for the provision of facilities for Saturday visits at Ashford remand centre.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the policy of his Department of sending a stereotyped letter to applicants for leave to remain under the Immigration Act when they request the return of their passports for temporary travel and which indicates that a request for the return of a passport is taken as superseding their application, even in circumstances where the applicant indicates the contrary intention.

No. The effect of section 3 (4) of the Immigration Act 1971 is that an application for an extension of stay automatically lapses if the person leaves the country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish figures for the last 12 months for the number of cases where, respectively (a) hon. Members, (b) peers and (c) legal representatives of immigrants or would-be immigrants have made representations to the Home Office about individual cases arising from the immigration laws and rules, including deportation, refusal of entry, refusal to vary conditions of entry and so on; if he will state, as a percentage of the total, how many cases, where representations were made by an hon. Member, that Member was the constituency Member of the person aggrieved; and if he will state, for each category above in how many cases there was (i) a legal right of appeal, (ii) no right of appeal due to the House of Lords decision in the case of Suthendran and (iii) no right of appeal for any other reason.

In 1979 Home Office Ministers received about 11,800 letters from hon. Members and noble Lords on immigration and nationality matters, including personal cases. We regret that the detailed information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is currently given by him to chief constables concerning the detection and prosecution of cannabis users.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given to the possibility that cannabis might have entered the blood of a motorist through the food chain via any of the plants in the hemp family.

I understand that the active constituents of cannabis, as legally defined, occur naturally only in the plant genus cannabis. These constituents could only enter the blood in the way postulated by the consumption of the cannabis plant material, its resin, or preparations from those materials.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress there has been with the work of the working party of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to assess the current scientific evidence on the effects of the use of cannabis and cannabis resin.

The working group is at an early stage in its study. Members are now engaged in the preparation of working papers for its second meeting in August, having established a framework for its study at the first.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions of motorists there have been alleging cannabis in the blood; and what percentage of these have been contested.

The information requested is not available. The statistics collected centrally do not distinguish offences of driving whilst unfit through drugs from those of driving whilst unfit through alcohol. The latest available figures relating to prosecutions for driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs are given in tables 1, 4 and 6 of "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, 1978", Cmnd. 7687.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in respect of section 11 of the Local Govern-

				Total payment (£)	Advances (£)
County Councils
Avon	…	…	…	402,317	356,190
Bedfordshire	…	…	…	731,093	664,410
Berkshire	…	…	…	558,993	558,993
Buckinghamshire	…	…	…	230,922	196,033
Cambridgeshire	…	…	…	158,628	133,927
Derbyshire	…	…	…	347,205	347,205
Gloucestershire	…	…	…	50,929	50,929
Hampshire	…	…	…	54,505	54,505
Hertfordshire	…	…	…	124,985	107,565
Kent	…	…	…	79,346	68,256
Lancashire	…	…	…	978,297	795,352
Leicestershire	…	…	…	1,390,500	1,154,186
Northamptonshire	…	…	…	106,269	91,742
Nottinghamshire	…	…	…	468,072	468,072
Oxfordshire	…	…	…	68,512	68,512
Shropshire	…	…	…	4,807	4,408
Staffordshire	…	…	…	51,853	51,853
Suffolk	…	…	…	13,742	11,475
Warwickshire	…	…	…	315,838	268,169
Districts
Aylesbury Vale District Council	…	…	…	—	185
Birmingham, City of	…	…	…	1,756,326	1,756,326
Blackburn Borough	…	…	…	9,293	9,090
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	194,333	173,024
Bradford, City of	…	…	…	1,645,647	1,339,838
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	191,640	191,640
Coventry, City of	…	…	…	733,998	635,312
Derby City Council	…	…	…	− 128	169
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	403,141	319,962
Gravesham Borough	…	…	…	− 76	247
Ipswich Borough	…	…	…	529	634
Kirklees Metropolitan Council	…	…	…	527,682	527,682
Leeds City Council	…	…	…	582,734	548,459
Leicester City Council	…	…	…	3,183	5,493
Luton Borough	…	…	…	3,632	3,037
Manchester, City of	…	…	…	534,440	481,612
North Bedfordshire Borough Council	…	…	…	14,607	8,876
North Hertfordshire District Council	…	…	…	342	512
Northampton Borough Council	…	…	…	261	291
Nottingham, City of	…	…	…	277	378
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	292,779	292,779
Oxford, City of	…	…	…	547	1,017
Pendle District Council	…	…	…	4,825	4,827
Preston Borough	…	…	…	522	634
Reading Borough	…	…	…	11,837	11,837
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	258,006	258,006
Rotherham Borough	…	…	…	42,500	42,500
Rugby Borough	…	…	…	428	538
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	1,698,270	813,442

Details of payments made to local authorities in 1979–80 in respect of grant payable under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 are as follows:

				Total payment (£)	Advances (£)
Sheffield, City of	…	…	…	185,392	185,392
Slough District Council	…	…	…	10,123	12,051
Southampton, City of	…	…	…	4,057	2,286
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	49,093	44,371
Trafford Borough	…	…	…	87,920	94,540
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	922,756	922,756
Warwick District Council	…	…	…	716	1,063
Wellingborough Borough Council	…	…	…	50	58
Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council	…	…	…	1,144,335	1,144,335
Wycombe District Council	…	…	…	1,763	2,700
London Boroughs
Barking	…	…	…	36,072	36,072
Barnet	…	…	…	203,937	203,937
Brent	…	…	…	1,685,086	1,645,671
Camden	…	…	…	—	11,137
Croydon	…	…	…	354,675	354,675
Ealing	…	…	…	1,710,515	1,477,170
Enfield	…	…	…	125,608	116,502
Greenwich	…	…	…	18,024	19,328
GLC	…	…	…	10,407	3,809
Hackney	…	…	…	104,929	110,389
Hammersmith	…	…	…	19,374	19,374
Haringey	…	…	…	1,172,931	1,172,931
Harrow	…	…	…	159,509	136,246
Hillingdon	…	…	…	141,092	85,583
Hounslow	…	…	…	263,195	246,316
ILEA	…	…	…	7,664,611	6,651,889
Islington	…	…	…	19,483	21,816
Kensington and Chelsea	…	…	…	59,764	59,764
Lambeth	…	…	…	48,040	48,040
Lewisham	…	…	…	88,896	47,354
Merton	…	…	…	99,335	88,232
Newham	…	…	…	671,936	629,380
Redbridge	…	…	…	176,615	176,615
Southwark	…	…	…	33,874	71,446
Tower Hamlets	…	…	…	79,233	79,233
Waltham Forest	…	…	…	643,674	643,674
Wandsworth	…	…	…	53,300	54,105
Westminster	…	…	…	6,141	7,051
Total	…	…	…	33,104,849	29,507,420

The figures shown above for total payment include both sums advanced in payment of grant for 1979–80 and adjustments to payments made in previous years which were revised in the light of subsequent information. Details of the sums advanced solely for grant for 1979– 80 are given above in brackets. In two cases the adjustment to payments in previous years led to a recovery of grant from the local authorities concerned, which exceeded the amount advanced to them in grant for 1979– 80.For the purpose of determining eligibility for grants under section 11 of the 1966 Act, the reference in that section to substantial numbers of immigrants from the Commonwealth is normally construed as including both persons born in another Commonwealth country who have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for up to 10 years and the children of such persons—whether born in the United Kingdom or overseas. No distinction is therefore made, within these criteria, between those born here and those born overseas.Local authorities are required to give assurances that new posts on which grant is claimed meet the appropriate criteria; chief finance officers of local authorities certify that the information forwarded in annual claims for grant is correct; and claims for grant are also examined and certified by the district audit service of the Department of the Environment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has concerning the intentions of the receiver of the Metropolitan Police regarding the future use and plans for the old Charing Cross Hospital building; and if he will give details.

It is intended to redevelop the site to provide a new police station—to replace the existing one in Bow Street,—a hostel for single police officers and a police museum. It has been agreed in principle with the planning authorities that the facade of the listed building fronting Agar Street will be preserved.However, because of the present level of capital allocation it is unlikely that a building start will be made before 1983– 84.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the guidelines initiated by the Volunteer Centre on the dividing line between the voluntary and paid work in the public services.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the guidelines for relationships between volunteers and paid non-professional workers which were published by the Volunteer Centre, from which copies are freely available. The guidelines, which were drawn up in 1975 by a working group consisting of public sector trade unionists and personnel from statutory and voluntary organisations, revised in 1977 and are currently again under review.The Volunteer Centre is an independent voluntary agency and it would be inappropriate for my right hon. Friend to publish the guidelines in the

asked the Attorney-General if he will take steps to ensure that the new county court facilities at Caernarfon are fully utilised by ensuring that cases which can be heard at Caernarfon are not sent elsewhere.

There are no arrangements, actual or proposed, for the remission elsewhere of cases normally heard at Caernarfon county court.

asked the Attorney-General how long civil actions in the county courts take to be finally disposed of after the date at which the parties have indicated readiness for trial in the Chester and North Wales Area.

The average period between the allocation of a hearing date for a case before the judge and the hearing is eight weeks. In the exact form requested, the information is not available.

asked the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor is satisfied with the present situation where those residents of Caernarfon, such as battered wives, who need to make urgent applications for injunctions before the county court, must make application to the judge in Wrexham.

It is not correct that urgent applications for injunctions by residents of Caernarfon must be made in Wrexham. During court hours urgent applications for injunctions are taken before the judge wherever he may be sitting. Outside court hours applications are arranged at places and times mutually convenient to applicant, and judge, including the judge's private residence.

asked the Attorney-General why there has been no reply to the letter dated 18 January, addressed to his right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science but transferred to the Lord Chancellor, from the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury concerning the location of the Public Record Office.

The Lord Chancellor is not yet in a position to send a substantive reply. I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Warley, East (Mr. Faulds) on 25 April 1980—[Vol. 984, c. 275]— and the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr. Bidwell) on 10 July 1980.—[Vol. 988, c. 233.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is prepared to pay off or make a contribution to the outstanding rates for Rhodesia House which arose during the illegal regime of Ian Smith and which accrued before the creation of the new State of Zimbabwe.

No. The Government made payments in respect of Rhodesia House up to July 1969 when diplomatic privileges were finally withdrawn from the Salisbury regime on the basis, in accordance with the Dipolmatic Privileges Act 1964. that Rhodesia House was no longer the premises of a diplomatic mission. Rates on Rhodesia House after July 1969 are now a matter for the city of Westminster and the Government of Zimbabwe.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what rate tax, including petroleum tax and value added tax, is charged on fuel used by the Royal Air Force for the air defence of the United Kingdom; when such taxes were instituted; and on what basis he justifies such taxation.

Following are the rates of excise duty and VAT charged on hydrocarbon oil used by the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom:

	pence per litre
Light oils	10·00
Heavy oils for use as road fuel (DERV)	10·00
Heavy oils, including aviation turbine fuel, for use other than as road fuel	0·77
Kerosene other than aviation turbine fuel	0·22

PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR
Area						Searches	Sets seized	Charges so fur brought
Northern Ireland	…	…	…	…	…	2	13	Nil
England	…	…	…	…	…	21	194	4
Wales	…	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil
Scotland	…	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, based on the index of retail prices, is the purchasing power of the £ sterling now, taking it as 100p on 4 May 1979.

Taking the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling as l00p in May 1979, its value in June 1980, the latest period for which information is available, was 81p.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases during the current financial year and during the last financial year the Customs and Excise has carried out house searches for citizens band radios in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, respectively; how many radios were seized during such searches in each area specified in each period; and what charges were brought in respect of possession of the radios.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 July 1980, c. 683]: The information requested is as follows:

CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR
Area						Searches	Sets seized	Charges so far brought
Northern Ireland	…	…	…	…	…	7	351	Nil
England	…	…	…	…	…	4	68	1
Wales	…	…	…	…	…	1	3	Nil
Scotland	…	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil

The charges brought were of being knowingly concerned in the evasion of an import prohibition or of knowingly harbouring prohibited goods.

asked the Minister of Transport when he now expects to make a statement about the future of the regional highway traffic model.

The report on this project by the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment is being published today and copies are being placed in the Library. I have accepted its main conclusions. The project has produced a great deal of data for traffic forecasting and improved methods of modelling. This is being used to improve forecasts which will continue to be produced on a local and regional basis. But the project failed to develop a national model to forecast flows on particular roads. I am most grateful to the advisory committee for its advice.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will seek to place on the agenda at the next European Economic Community Transport Council meeting the Commission's proposals on transport infrastructure problems.

We hope that further discussion of these proposals will be possible when the Council next meets in December. We shall press for this if that then seems useful. But decisions about the agenda lie mainly with the Presidency.

asked the Minister of Transport if his Department will take steps to co-ordinate a campaign among local authorities and other operators of public service vehicles to recruit female drivers.

Recruitment of staff is the responsibility of employers, not the Government, but I hope that the recruitment of female bus drivers continues to rise.

asked the Minister of Transport in what further ways he expects private capital to participate in the work of the British Railways property board.

I announced on 14 July that the British Railways Board proposes to set up a holding company to arrange for the participation of private capital in subsidiary activities. It will be for the holding company to explore all possible ways of introducing private capital into the British Rail property board.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has yet received the proposals from British Railways for the electrification of the Bishop's Stortford-Cambridge railway line.

We expect to receive proposals shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport what consultations he has had regarding the future of road construction unit sub-units; and if he will make a statement.

Before the formal start of the action study which was announced on 9 June, we consulted the main national organisations concerned. We are consulting them, and individual county councils, on the action study. In addition, officials have visited all sub-units, meeting sub-unit staff, their union representatives and county council officials and I have asked them to give full reports to me of their discussions.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will forward proposals for a new road link between Gosport and the rest of the country.

Gosport is linked to the national road network by the A32 road, for which Hampshire county council is the highway authority. We have no proposals to construct a new trunk road to replace it.

asked the Minister of Transport, whether he has any further plans to ensure the increased use of bus travel; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. These include relaxing the outdated licensing system and allowing more competition.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received from industry concerning his decision not to proceed with the A6 (M) Stockport north-south bypass.

None, though I have had two representations from other sources. The scheme has definitely not been dropped—only deferred.

asked the Minister of Transport what recent discussions he has had with the chairman of the National Bus Company concerning the pension provisions for the staff of London country buses and coaches; and if he will make a statement.

None. I meet the chairman regularly, but the question has not been raised.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has received the inspector's report following the public inquiry into the Blythe Bridge to Uttoxeter section of the A564 Stoke to Derby link.

The report was received in June and is being considered.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will review the proposed closure of the B1093 Wimblington to Manea road.

The closure is among proposals contained in a side roads order relating to Cambridgeshire county council's scheme to construct a new road on the line of the disused railway between Chatteris and March. The order has been submitted to my right hon. Friend for confirmation. As there are objections, it may be necessary to hold a local public inquiry before he decides whether to confirm the order, but in any case we will consider all representations before reaching a decision.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations he has received on his proposals on the trunk road programme contained in "Policy for Roads: England 1980", Cmnd. 7908.

Some representations have been made about the timing of individual schemes, but comments on the programme as a whole have generally been favourable.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to make a statement on his policy for motor cycle safety.

I shall make an announcement about my proposals in detail as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport when he estimates that (a) the Potters Bar to A10, and (6) the A10 to All section of the M25 will be open to traffic.

The section between the All and the A10 is under construction and should be open by June 1981. The section between the A10 and M11 is due to be open by the autumn of 1983, subject to completion of the statutory processes.

asked the Minister of Transport if, in the interest of reducing the effects of pollution on pedestrians and cyclists, he has any plans to request or oblige vehicle manufacturers to place exhaust pipes on the offside of vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

No. I believe the right course is to control vehicle emissions. We do require buses to have exhaust pipes fitted at the rear or on the offside towards the rear, but this is to prevent fumes from entering the vehicle. The evidence suggests that the position of the exhaust pipe has no significant effect on the concentration of exhaust gases inhaled by pedestrians.

asked the Minister of Transport if he intends to introduce amending legislation in regard to drinking and driving.

I agree with the general view of those responding to my consultative document that the effectiveness of the law needs to be improved. I am determined to see that this is done and I shall be making an announcement about my policy proposals as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions he has had with the chairman of British Railways about the future financial structure of the railways.

As I explained in my statement to the House on 14 July, I have discussed proposals for involving private risk capital in the financing of certain of the board's subsidiary businesses. I have not discussed any proposals concerning the financial structure of the railways as such.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the provision of petrol at motorway service areas.

Motorway service areas do in general have higher overheads than ordinary filling stations and this affects the prices they charge. But they are in competition with each other and with filling stations just off the motorway, and the motorist can make his choice. My policy is to encourage greater competition and thus keener pricing at motorway service areas.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will set up an inquiry to review the regulations which apply to the transport of atomic waste materials by road and rail.

No. These internationally agreed regulations are kept under continuous scrutiny and are also subject to periodic comprehensive reviews by the International Atomic Energy Agency. It has one in hand at the moment.

asked the Minister of Transport what discussions took place at the recent meeting of the European Council of Transport Ministers on the subject of the Commission's proposed transport infrastructure fund.

The council heard a statement by the Presidency and a report by the Commission on progress to date. It was agreed that further discussions should continue at official level.

asked the Minister of Transport when he plans to implement the measures contained in the Transport Act 1980 that will improve inter-city bus services.

In October, when road service licences will no longer be required for many long distance bus services, and inter-city routes will therefore be open to free and fair competition between operators. The result will be an improved choice and standard of service for the travelling public.

asked the Minister of Transport when he expects to be in a position to report on the development of Carfax.

Early next year.

asked the Minister of Transport what estimate he has made of the effect which recent reductions in the road programme will have on Great Britain's future economic performance.

This Government spent more last year than in the two previous years. I, for my part, have stabilised the programme, not reduced it further, and am giving priority to schemes which will do most to aid economic recovery and development.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will now reconsider the relocation of civil servants to the city of Leicester in order to help reduce its level of unemployment.

No. I refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave him on 21 May.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will arrange to meet representatives of the Civil Service trades unions to discuss staffing levels in the Civil Service.

I am always ready to meet the Civil Service trade unions, and frequently do.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what services his Department is able to provide to other Departments to assist them in reducing Civil Service manpower to the target figure of 630,000 by 1984.

My Department is providing assistance to Departments in many ways. This includes guidance on, and participation in, staff inspections, reviews of organisation and management, computer and telecommunications schemes, cost-cutting exercises in Departments and scrutinies of particular functions. My Department is also working closely with Sir Derek Rayner in following up ways of improving efficiency and in applying these lessons as widely as possible in the Civil Service.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will review the rules governing the acceptance by civil servants of jobs in industry.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 March 1980.—[Vol. 981, c. 234–5.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will take steps to widen promotion prospects within the Civil Service.

I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Scunthorpe (Mr. Brown) on 8 July.—[Vol. 987, c. 87].

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what plans he has for introducing modern office equipment for use by clerical staff in the Civil Service.

Modern office equipment is already widely used in the Civil Service. We shall continue to introduce it when it can be used effectively, will lead to improved efficiency or will save money.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what specific measures his Department will be taking to improve the efficiency of Departments in the coming year.

My Department will control manpower and other administrative expenditure and will ensure that Departments are on course for the aim of a smaller Civil Service announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 13 May. In addition, it will continue to offer guidance on and to participate in staff inspections, reviews of organisation and management, computer and telecommunications schemes, cost-cutting exercises in Departments and scrutinies of particular functions. It will intensify the pursuit of efficiency saving by following through ideas for improving efficiency which have arisen from the scrutinies programme and applying them to other parts of the Civil Service.In collaboration with Sir Derek Rayner, officials are co-ordinating the Government-wide review of statistical services; as well as working on a number of general Civil Service issues affecting the work of departments.If my hon. Friend has any particular points in mind perhaps he will get in touch with me.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total value of data processing equipment purchased by Government Departments in the financial year 1979–80; and what proportion of this total was for equipment of foreign manufacture.

The total value of data processing equipment purchased by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency for Government Departments in the financial year 1979–80 was £45,272,164. Of this value, 39·1 per cent. was for the equipment of foreign manufacture. The cost of manufacture is normally between 30 per cent. and 40 per cent. of the purchase price of data processing equipment, whilst recovery of research and development costs is likely to vary between 12½ per cent. and 25 per cent. These elements of cost are mainly incurred in the country of origin. Most of the remaining elements of cost—support, installation and general overheads—are incurred in the country in which the equipment is installed. In addition, the equipment has to be maintained—usually for about 10 years—in the country installed. The cost of 10 years' maintenance will probably exceed the initial purchase price, and the main element in this maintenance cost is local labour. It is noteworthy that it is not only computer systems supplied by the multinationals which include equipment of foreign manufacture. These figures do not include purchases of data processing equipment by Ministry of Defence for operational purposes or for use in R and D establishments.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will now abandon plans to dismiss women cleaners in Government Departments; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans. Cleaning arrangements in Government Departments are a matter for the Minister in charge.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many school leavers were recruited to the Civil Service in each of the last five years; and how many he expects to be recruited this year and for the next two years.

Specific records of school leaver recruits are not maintained; however, about 38 per cent. of all entrants to the non-industrial Home Civil Service in the last five years were aged under 20. Figures are given below, together with the best estimate of those who have joined direct from school without an intervening job or period of unemployment.

ENTRANTS AGED UNDER 20 TO NON-INDUSTRIAL HOME CIVIL SERVICE 1975–79
Year	Total entrants aged under 20	Those within this total who entered direct from school*
1975	27,000	14,000
1976	21,000	10,000
1977	23,000	10,000
1978	29,000	12,000
1979	16,000	6,000
* Estimates.

I cannot provide a forecast for this year or the next two years but would expect the figures to be lower.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will review the practice by which Departments (a) acknowledge the receipt of letters from hon. Members by means of an individual typewritten reply instead of a standardised acknowledgement card and (b) send interim replies merely indicating that the Minister is not yet in a position to reply; and if he is able to make any assessment of the amount of secretarial time within the Civil Service which has to be devoted to such replies.

As my hon. Friend will be aware, many Departments already acknowledge receipt of hon. Members' correspondence with a standard card. I have asked my officials, however, to draw the advantage of adopting this practice to those Departments which have not already done so. Standard cards are not appropriate for interim replies which are intended to convey an explanation of the reason for the delay. An assessment of the time devoted to such replies is not available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish a table showing (a) the salary costs and (b) the pension costs of civil servants in 1960, 1970, 1975 and the latest year for which the figures are available, at current and constant prices, using the retail price index to obtain the latter figures, and distinguishing between the main Government Departments.

The tables below set out the total expenditure in current and constant prices on Civil Service pay and pensions for the years in question. No breakdown of expenditure on pensions by Department is available. It is not possible to give comparable figures for expenditure on pay by the main departments in these years because of changes in departmental organisation.

Financial year	Current prices	£million 1978–79 prices
(a) PAY
1960–61	*	*
1970–71	… 1,212	3,269
1975–76	… 2,573	3,631
1978–79	… 3,131	3,131
(b) PENSIONS
1960–61	67†	273†
1970–71	… 92	250
1975–76	… 295	417
1978–79	… 495	495
* These figures are not available centrally.
† These figures include the Post Office and are not, therefore, directly comparable with those for later years.

The reasons for the increase in pension costs at constant prices are an increase from 199,000 in 1960–61 to 339,000 in 1978–79 in the number of civil service pensioners, the decreasing proportion of pensions based on the lower pay rates of earlier decades, a substantial increase in the average length of service in pensionable employment and some improvements in scheme benefits, particularly widows' pensions.