asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will arrange for those Departments which have statements and public announcements pending to arrange for these to be made to the House before the Summer Recess.

I have drawn this to the attention of my right hon. Friends.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will move to appoint a Procedure Committee to investigate the feasibility of providing Welsh to English simultaneous translations at meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee and the Committee on Welsh Affairs.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out in detail the reasons why he does not consider that a further inquiry to examine the daily hours of sitting of the House and the periods during the year when the House should sit would be justified.

The Select Committee on Procedure (Session 1977–8) undertook in its first report a detailed examination of the present arrangements for Sessions and sittings, and concluded that a radical reorganisation of hours of sittings should not be recommended. The Committee further concluded, with regard to recess arrangements, that

"significant changes are not easy to contemplate".

The Committee's recommendations, in cluding the changes proposed in the arrangements for Friday sittings, were debated by the House on 31 October, 1979.As I previously indicated to my hon. Friend, I do not consider a further inquiry into this matter would be justified at the present time, but, as Leader of the House, I shall continue to take into account the interests of hon. Members, particularly those with family commitments.—[Vol. 989, c.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster why he does not propose to move to appoint a Select Committee on Procedure to consider the matters referred to in the question of the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West, Official Report, 21 July, c. 27–8.

It would seem inappropriate to propose any further review of procedure before the House has reached conclusions on the outstanding recommendations in the first report of the Select Committee on Procedure (Session 1977–78).

asked the Minister for the Civil Service why, in the light of the Government's present policy on the remuneration of public servants, he has, since December 1979, increased the level of fees payable to assistant commissioners to the Parliamentary Boundary Commissioners by 64 per cent.

Fees for assistant commissioners to the Parliamentary Boundary Commissions were seriously depressed under the previous Administration having been increased by only 10 per cent. between 1 January 1975 and 31 December 1979. They have been brought into line with the remuneration of judicial posts of similar responsibility.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what guidance is given to Ministers on travel and subsistence costs when travelling abroad on official business.

Ministers are normally expected to travel abroad by civil scheduled flights, using British airlines whenever possible. Exceptionally, Cabinet Ministers may authorise special flights to be made by RAF or private charter aircraft after an estimate of the cost has been obtained. Subsistence allowances are payable to Ministers on the same basis as to senior civil servants.

asked the Prime Minister what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to ensure that the International Atomic Energy Agency has the manpower and resources to carry out inspections in countries such as Iraq.

As a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Her Majesty's Government support the agency's safeguards programme by means of their financial contribution to the budget and by the secondment of United Kingdom personnel to the safeguards department of the Agency. In addition, we have recently informed the agency that we shall be providing substantial technical and financial support for the agency's safeguards development programme to meet some of its specific requirements for equipment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the light of the fact that the Government of Argentina have decided to abolish income tax on the wages and salaries of workers earning up to £537 per month and only to tax the rich, landlords, and investment income, whether he will investigate the practice to ascertain to what extent this would encourage employment, production, and a drop in inflation in the United Kingdom.

No. Increasing the tax allowances before we can afford to do so is likely to add to the problems of inflation and unemployment rather than cure them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal incentives and administrative measures would be effective in supplementing market forces to encourage energy investment to fulfil the commitments made at Venice.

I have been asked to reply.Investment in coal is already proceeding at record levels, and further investment in nuclear power was envisaged in my statement to the House on 18 December 1979. The Government are carrying out research into other energy sources, including solar power.I am confident that these programmes, coupled with the action we are taking on energy pricing and conservation, will take the United Kingdom well on the way to fulfilling the commitments made at Venice. We shall continue to keep progress, and the case for supplementary action, where necessary and cost-effective, under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is in a position to announce the result of his review of the Northern Ireland Development Agency.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Northwich (Mr. Goodlad) on 1 April 1980. The review of the agency's guidelines which I announced on that occasion is almost complete, and the revised guidelines will be published in due course.—[Vol. 982, c. 190–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if his Department has yet received a copy of "The Flame" broadsheet No. 1 of the Northern Ireland public services authorities' campaign to save the gas industry; what study has been made of it; and if he will make a statement regarding Government policy on the gas industry of Northern Ireland.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what new arrangements have been made for the application of funds secured from Government levies on defence sales overseas; and if he is satisfied that these arrangements have been adequately publicised.

Receipts from commercial exploitation levy and other Ministry of Defence charges in respect of overseas sales of defence equipment are appropriated in aid of Defence Votes, increasing the purchasing power of those Votes from which defence research, development and production are funded. Representations received on his subject have been principally from the aircraft industry. The Society of British Aerospace Companies has been informed of the current practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what steps he has taken to monitor any losses of orders and any fall-off in inquiries for British goods and services from Saudi Arabia that are known or suspected to be the result of Saudi reaction to the television programme "Death of a Princess"; and if, at some suitable occasion when evidence on this subject is to hand, he will publish in the Official Report the best evidence and judgment available.

We are keeping a close watch on the situation, but it is rarely possible to obtain firm evidence as to the reasons why orders have not been placed with British suppliers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when Gatwick airport is to be equipped with secondary radar; and why it has taken so long to equip it with such a system.

I understand that the equipment has been installed and should become operational in November. The delay in completion occurred largely in the development of suitable softwares in the associated computer processors.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the value of all imports of aluminium into the United Kingdom in 1979; from which countries it came; what was the value of all exports of aluminium from the United Kingdom; and to which countries it was exported.

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

asked the Lord Privy Seal what investigations have been undertaken in the past 10 years into the possibilities of improving agriculture on St. Helena; and what developments have been undertaken or are contemplated.

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

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will halt any further supplies of aid to Bolivia until the military junta which seized power is removed and democracy is restored.

We have taken no final decisions yet on the COMIBOL aid project but the military intervention is clearly a new factor for us to take into account. Our existing aid programme is small and directed towards developmental and humanitarian ends.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list those local education authorities which have raised adult education tuition fees for the academic year 1980–81;(2) if he will list those local education authorities which have made cuts in adult education services in 1979 and the available recorded months of the current year.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the current staff-pupil ratios in special schools for mentally handicapped children in the United Kingdom.

In January 1979, the latest date for which information is available, the ratio of pupils to teaching staff in maintained special schools for educationally subnormal children in England was 8–5: 1. The comparable ratio taking account of both teaching and child care staff was 6–0: 1. Statistical information for schools in the other three countries comprising the United Kingdom is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to encourage the provision of evening classes leading to the degree of master of business administration.

No. Most courses leading to the degree of master of business administration are offered by universities which are autonomous bodies. There is a variety of other part-time courses at all levels available in universities and at higher and further education institutions which lead to business and management qualifications; provision of this type has expanded in recent years to meet demand.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to encourage the provision of part-time courses in engineering.

The provision of part-time courses is one of many questions relating to the future pattern of engineering education raised by the report of the committee of inquiry into the engineering profession (Cmnd. 7794). They are to be discussed at the national conference on engineering education and training on 15 and 16 October. The Government will carefully consider the views expressed at that conference before taking decisions on this and other related issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set up a pilot study to monitor the nutritional standards of the school lunches eaten by children in selected parts of the United Kingdom.

No. The nutritional standard of the school meal is a matter for the individual local education authority. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services intends in due course to arrange for the nutritional effects of school meals arrangements in selected areas to be monitored.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice is available to local authorities on the nutritional standards of the school lunches they provide.

Much of the information contained in the Department's report on "Nutrition in Schools", published in 1975, remains relevant when read with the guidance given in the recent DHSS publication "Recommended Daily Amounts of Food Energy and Nutrients for Groups of People in the United Kingdom". Local authorities also have available advice from their own school meals organisers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students applied for courses in United Kingdom universities and polytechnics from the following countries for the academic year 1979–80; and how many from each country actually started the course they had applied for: Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, West Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

This information will take time to collate and I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students from each of the following countries have applied to start courses in United Kingdom universities and polytechnics in the current year; Greenland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, West Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

The information requested by my hon. Friend is not readily available nor have all applications been received. I will be writing to him during the next month with an assessment of the present position.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department gives grant aid to facilitate exchanges between teachers from the United Kingdom and other countries; and if so, what was the cost to public funds of giving such aid in 1979.

Yes. In 1979–80 the Department included £706,000 in its grants to the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges and the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers to facilitate exchanges by teachers from England and Wales. Teacher exchanges from Scotland and Northern Ireland are grant aided by the Scottish Education Department and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much is spent on the education of each child in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in the Wolverhampton education area.

The information is as follows:

Net recurrent expenditure* by Wolverhampton Local Education Authority on primary and Secondary education expressed per pupil in maintained primary and secondary schools.

	£ (outturn prices) 1978–79
Primary	385
Secondary	559
* Excluding debt charges and revenue contributions to capital outlay.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what countries with whom the United Kingdom has diplomatic relations reserve the right to submit United Kingdom diplomatic bags to electronic surveillance; and whether such rights are exercised.

No specific reservations of this character have been made by any party to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The majority of nations do not seek to impose electronic surveillance on diplomatic bags.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many Vietnamese refugees are still in Hong Kong.

On 23 July there were 38,635 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now abandon his plans to introduce a code of practice on picketing; and if he will make a statement.

No. My right hon. Friend intends to publish draft codes of practice on picketing and the closed shop for consultation as soon as possible after the Employment Bill receives Royal Assent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers registered as unemployed and the numbers of vacancies notified at the Woolwich employment office and the careers offices for the month of June.

At 12 June, there were 4,578 people registered as unemployed in the Woolwich employment office area. At 6 June, there were 253 notified vacancies remaining unfilled at the employment office and 41 at the careers offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of the numbers of full-time employees of (a) local government, (b)

Gross weekly earnings (including overtime) of £	Annual equivalent (b) £	Number of full-time adult employees (a)		Millions
		Local government	Central government	Public sector
Less than
77	4000	0·8	0·9	2·1
96	5000	1·2	1·1	3·3
115	6000	1·5	1·2	4·1
135	7000	1·7	1·3	4·7
Source: New Earnings Survey
NOTES:
(a) Males aged 21 and over and females aged 18 and over
(b) This corresponds to gross weekly earnings in April 1979 at an annual rate and will not be identical with earnings during the twelve months preceding the survey.
Estimates of weekly earnings 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 how many disabled people are registered in the last year for which figures are available; how this compares with the estimated number of those entitled to register; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 July 1980, c. 772]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that in April 1980, the latest date for which figures are available there were 470,588 people registered as disabled in Great Britain. It is not possible to determine with any precision the number of disabled people who are entitled to register, although a very rough estimate is some 1–1 to 1–2 million.The existing procedures for the registration of disabled people is an integral part of the quota scheme which is at present under review. We will be looking at all aspects of the scheme when the MSC submits its recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in tabular form details of the (a) mean,

The available information is shown below and is based on earnings in April 1979 expressed as an annual equivalent. Estimates relating to earnings in the 12 months ending March or April 1979, based on information specially collected in the new earnings survey in April 1979, will be available shortly.(

The figures in respect of each April are as follows:

GROSS WEEKLY EARNINGS OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES WHOSE PAY FOR APRIL SURVEY PERIOD WAS NOT AFFECTED BY ABSENCE.
(a) Males aged 21 and over			£
	Mean	Median	Modal range
1970	300	27·2	30–35
1971	32·9	29·8	30–35
1972	36·7	33·4	30–32·50
1973	41·9	38·4	35–37·50
1974	47·7	43·8	37–40
1975	60·8	55·9	50–55
1976	71·8	65·8	55–60
1977	78·6	72·3	60–65
1978	89·1	82·0	70–75
1979	101·4	93·9	100–110
(b) Females aged 18 and over
	Mean	Median	£ Modal range
1970	16·3	14·6	12–13
1971	18·3	16·6	20–22
1972	20·5	18·6	20–22
1973	23·1	20·9	20–22
1974	26·9	24·7	22–25
1975	37·4	34·1	32–35
1976	46·2	42·4	40–44
1977	51·0	46·9	40–45
1978	56·4	51·8	55–60
1979	630	58·4	55–60
Source: New Earnings Survey

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department has any evidence of a lower propensity of industrial action leading to strikes in smaller firms compared to larger ones; and if he will publish the latest available figures on days lost by size of firm.

I regret my Department does not have any information on the relationship of strike action to firm size.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the latest figure for the number of people on short-time working;(2) Why the number of people on short-time working has been dropped from the monthly press release on unemployment.

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

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

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

				Percentage rate of unemployment at
				Fmployment office area or travel-to-work area	June 1979 June 1980	Present assisted area status	Assisted area status at August 1982
South West Region
Barnstaple	…	…	…	5·2	5·7	DA	IA
Bideford	…	…	…	6·6	6·7	DA	IA
Bodmin	…	…	…	6·9	5·9	DA	DA
Bude	…	…	…	8·5	8·1	DA	DA
Camelford	…	…	…	10·0	10·4	DA	DA
Dartmouth	…	…	…	10·3	9·2	IA	IA
Falmouth	…	…	…	16·4	15·1	SDA	SDA
Helston	…	…	…	15·3	14·7	DA	DA
Ilfracombe	…	…	…	7·2	7·4	DA	DA
Kingsbridge	…	…	…	8·1	7·1	IA	IA
Launceston	…	…	…	7·3	9·2	DA	DA
Newquay	…	…	…	4·9	5·9	DA	DA
Okehampton	…	…	…	5·7	5·7	IA	NAA
Penzance	…	…	…	8·9	8·4	DA	DA
St. Austell	…	…	…	6·1	6·4	DA	DA
St. Ives	…	…	…	8·0	8·8	DA	DA
Truro	…	…	…	6·8	6·8	DA	DA

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why his Department has produced a new format for the official announcement of the unemployment figures; why that format excludes separate figures for adult hard core unemployment and for short-time working; and if he will revert to past practice and produce such figures in the future.

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

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

[pursuant to his reply, 18 July 1980, c. 731–2]: The following table gives unemployment rates in June 1979 and June 1980, and assisted area status now and that proposed for August 1982. Areas which are unassisted throughout the period have been excluded.The table indicates special development area (SDA), other development area (DA), intermediate area (IA) and non-assisted area (NAA) status. Travel-to-work areas, identified by asterisks, comprise two or more employment office areas. Where the assisted area status varies within a travel-to-work area, both categories are shown.