asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will undertake a campaign to persuade people to buy British whenever possible.

I certainly hope that people will buy British goods wherever possible, but British industry should aim to sell its goods on their merits and not through Government-sponsored campaigns.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether British companies, such as hotels, which sell services to foreign companies and individuals in the United Kingdom are eligible for the Queen's Award to Industry.

Yes, earnings from the provision of services to non-residents may be counted for the purposes of the Queen's Award for Export Achievement.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what progress has been made with plans to help the motorist to compare prices when the voluntary programme for metricating petrol sales gets under way.

I have today made an order which will oblige garages to indicate the equivalent price per gallon in addition to the litre price as soon as they begin to sell by the litre. Garages which voluntarily display prices at the roadside will have the option of giving price information at the pump by means of a chart. The order will become operative on 1 January 1981, which is well before the major change in retail sales is expected to take place under the trade's voluntary metrication programme, and thus make it easier for motorists to become accustomed to the new basis for petrol prices. The order, which varies the provisions of the Petrol Prices (Display) Order 1978, will also require the cash price to be clearly indicated at the pump as well as in any roadside display.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will now use his powers under the Weights and Measures Act 1979 to require that a legal pint measure of beer shall consist of liquid beer only and not a combination of liquid and gas.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has yet received the report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the proposed transfer of the newspapers owned by J. Andrew and Co. Ltd. to United Newspapers Ltd.

Yes. I received the report on 18 June and it is being published at 16–30 this afternoon. The commission concluded that a transfer may not be expected to operate against the public interests. Formal consent is being given to United Newspapers Limited today.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, following the assurances given that full use will be made of existing international arrangements, the Government intend to make use of the consultation provisions contained in many multi-fibre arrangement bilateral agreements, particularly with the major supplying countries, in the light of the substantial reduction in domestic demand for textiles and apparel items, and of the precedent established by the United States Administration in support of textile and apparel manufacturers in the United States.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1980, c. 522]: The general consultation provisions are not intended to allow the Community to demand major reviews of bilateral agreements; however, full use of them will be made in appropriate circumstances. In its negotiations with suppliers, the United States Government have not requested cutbacks in import levels.

Lewis asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West, Official Report, 23 July, he will give the results of his Department's inquiries into each of the 16 suicides which have occurred at the Risley remand centre.

It is not usual to conduct special inquiries into cases of suicide in prison department establishments in addition to the inquests conducted by Her Majesty's coroner. The findings of the inquests into the 16 cases were given in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 25 July.—[Vol. 989, c. 432–34.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the approximate planned increase in the number of probation officers during the current year and the next two years.

The rate of increase included in the Government's expenditure plans is based on the recommendations of the standing committee on probation manpower needs which has advised that some 5,620 officers could be required for all duties by the end of 1980, an increase of 90 over the year, rising to some 5,730 over the following two years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the approximate planned increase in the num- ber of prison officers during the current year and the next two years.

The planned increases in the total number of outstations' non-industrial staff in post in the prison service for the relevant years are shown in table 2–9-1 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1980–81 to 1983–84"(Cmnd. 7841). Within these totals, the increase in the number of prison officers will depend on a number of variables such as the need for increases in other grades in the prison service and the rate at which new prison accommodation and new courts come into full use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the approximate average number of prisoners per prison officer.

The number of prisoners per prison officer changes with fluctuations in the prison population and varies according to the type of establishment concerned; a high security prison would, for instance, have a higher staff/inmate ratio than a local prison. On 1 July 1980 the average ratio of prison officer class in post to prisoners in all penal establishments in England and Wales was 1: 2–68.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he is receiving from people who live in areas likely to be vulnerable in the event of a nuclear war, such as cruise missile sites and nuclear establishments, to enable him to come to a conclusion on national civil defence.

I have received a few representations from people who live in such areas, some saying that they should be treated exceptionally in the provision of shelters, and some saying that cruise missiles should not be stationed in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the operation of the fire regulations and capacity limits on numbers governing public houses.

This is a matter for the licensing justices and fire authorities in the exercise of the powers available to them under the Licensing Acts and the Fire Precautions Act 1971 respectively, but we are not aware of any general difficulty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in respect of section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, if he will specify the instrument or other authority under which he operates the said section to cover 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; how he satisfies himself that the immigrants have languages and customs which differ from ihose of the community; what records he requires local authorities to keep in order to distinguish between persons resident in their area who are eligible for such grants and those not so eligible; and what steps he takes to ensure that persons who came to the United Kingdom from Pakistan since 1972 are excluded from consideration under section 11.

The terms of section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 have always been considered to be sufficiently wide to cover the persons referred to by my hon. Friend. Local authorities, in giving assurances on new posts on which grant under section 11 is claimed, have to demonstrate that they are necessary in order to make special provision as a result of language or customs which differ from those of the community. In making claims for grant, local authorities are asked to provide information on their eligible population, but there is no requirement specifying what records are to be kept for this purpose. Local authorities are advised that, in putting forward evidence in support of claims, they should exclude Pakistanis who arrived in this country after Pakistan left the Commonwealth in January 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the level of undermanning in the West Midlands police force at the latest convenient date.

On 30 June there were 175 vacancies, 2–7 per cent. of the authorised establishment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been recommended for deportation following conviction by the courts for (a) Immigration Act offences and (b) other criminal offences during 1979 and the first half of the current year; and how many recommendations have been adopted.

The available information is as follows:

Recommedations for deportation made by the courts	Deportation orders made following court recommendations
1979	1,075 626
1 August 1980 to 30 June 1980	637	349

The nature of the offences is not separately recorded. The number of deportation orders made and the number of court recommendations made within the same period are not directly related.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportation notices he has signed during the first half of the current year, grouped according to the countries of origin of those concerned.

The number of deportation orders signed was as follows:

Algeria	28
Antigua	1
Australia	8
Austria	1
Bahamas	1
Bangladesh	12
Barbados	2
Belgium	1
Cameroons	1
Canada	7
Chile	1
China	1
Colombia	20
Cyprus	65
Denmark	1
Egypt	32
France	5
Germany	8
Ghana	120
Greece	3
Guyana	11
Hong Kong	16
India	76
Iran	34
Iraq	2

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the authorised strengths and the actual strengths of the special constabularies of each police authority area.

The number of special constables appointed is within the discretion of the chief officer of police, in consultation with the police authority. The strength of the special constabulary of each police force in England and Wales at 31 December 1979, the latest date for which figures are available, was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects the Boundary Commission to report on (a) Merseyside and (b) North-West constituencies.

I understand that the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England is likely to have completed its task of reviewing parliamentary constituencies by early 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under section 4 (2) of the Official Secrets Act 1920.

I understand that records show no cases of a prosecution under section 4 (2) of the Official Secrets Act 1920 in the period 1956 to date. Corresponding records for earlier years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of section 4 of the Official Secrets Act 1920.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the 10 persons referred to in table 4 of his Department's statistics on the Prevention of Terrorism Acts, as detained and charged under section 11 of the Act and still awaiting trial, are the same 10 persons as were reported to be awaiting trial on that charge in the previous three quarterly issues of these reports; whether the persons are free on bail; and when they were charged.

Yes. The 10 persons referred to were charged in January 1979 and are remanded on bail.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding the publication of the review by Lord Diplock of the purposes, conditions and safeguards governing the interception of communications.

I have nothing to add to my statement on 1 April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now state the conclusions he has reached following his discussions with the Brewers' Society and the National Council on Alcoholism about the disposal of the licensing compensation funds.

In August 1979 the Brewers' Society, after consulting other leading organisations in the drinks industry, put forward proposals for legislation to wind up the licensing compensation funds established under the Licensing Act 1904. After discussing the proposals with the society and others in the industry, and with other interested organisations, including the National Council on Alcoholism, I have reached the conclusion that it would be desirable, when a legislative opportunity becomes available, to adopt the following scheme for wind up the funds:

(a) 50 per cent. of the amounts now held by the county licensing compensation authorities would be paid to a new charitable trust fund, to be set up for the purpose of alcohol education and research;

(b) 25 per cent. would be paid into a charitable trust fund from which grants would be made to the licensed trade charities; and

(c) 25 per cent. would be repaid on tightly drawn criteria to certain claimants with a financial interest in licensed premises for which contributions have been paid to the funds in recent years.

The objects of the trust fund for alcohol education and research would be:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it takes on average at the moment for a visitor to obtain entry clearance from the British High Commission offices in various parts of India and Pakistan.

I have been asked to reply.At Islamabad and Calcutta applicants are usually interviewed on the day of application. At Karachi waiting time for interview is 15 days. At New Delhi only certain priority applicants are seen immediately; otherwise waiting time is seven weeks. Bombay sees most applicants straightaway but where a lengthy interview seems necessary waiting time is 9–10 weeks.In most cases a decision is taken at the time of interview but sometimes further inquiries are necessary and it is not possible to generalise about how long these may take.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the value of property stolen from (a) the Refreshment Department, and (b) other services of the House for which he is responsible in the 12 months ended 30 June; and what were the principal categories of item stolen.

For the Refreshment Department, silver, china and glass to the value of £43,000 was replaced in the year ending 30 June, an unidentifiable proportion of which it must be assumed was stolen. The main items to be replaced were tea and coffee cups and tea spoons.With regard to other services of the House, personal property to the value of some £1,500 was reported as missing to the Head of Security, the principal item stolen being cash.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many hon. Members arrange for their secretaries to have their salaries paid direct by his Fees Office out of the secretarial allowance available to hon. Members; and how many hon. Members during 1979–80 did not draw any money at all for secretarial expenses.

As at the end of July, 238 hon. Members had authorised the Fees Office to arrange for the direct payment of their secretaries' salaries out of the secretarial allowance available to hon. Members.All Members of the present Parliament, who were Members during 1979–80, submitted claims against the secretarial allowance in respect of the year 1979–80.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sums were received each year from 1972–73 to the latest available year in respect of insurances effected by Northern Ireland Departments; and what was the annual net cost of such insurances.

The sums received each year from 1972–73 to the latest available year—1978–79—in respect of insurance effected by Northern Ireland departments and the annual net cost of such insurance are given below.Due to the reorganisation of local government, redistribution of functions between Northern Ireland Government Departments and changes in accounting procedures during the years 1972–73 and 1973–74 it is not possible to produce full figures for these years.

Year	Sum received £	Net cost £
1972–73	27,483	22,564*
1973–74	105,513	194,116*
1974–75	295,096	175,699
1975–76	565,055	54,876
1976–77	332,036	539,347
1977–78	328,394	501,739
1978–79	777,874	849,651
Total	2,431,451	2,337,992
* Incomplete.

Outstanding claims are expected to be settled for sums totalling approximately £2,444,000.The marked difference between the net cost in 1975–76 and in 1976–77 results from higher than average claim settlements in the first of these years and increased premiums in the second.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of pensioner families in Northern Ireland.

It is regretted that statistical information is not maintained in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of families, other than pensioner families, who are in receipt of supplementary benefit in Northern Ireland; and what percentage of the total population of Northern Ireland this figure represents.

In November 1979, the latest date for which figures are available, about 26,400 claimants in this category, with 81,400 dependents, were in receipt of supplementary benefit. The total number of claimants and dependants represented 7 per cent. of the total population of Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if his Department has yet received a copy of "The Flame" broadsheet No. 1 of 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.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 July 1980, c. 401]: A copy of this broadsheet has been received and noted. I refer my hon. Friend to the remarks which I made, as reported in column 20296 of Hansard for 18 July, on Govern-Government policy towards the gas industry during the recent debate on the Appropriation No. 2 (Northern Ireland) Order.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the latest estimate of the numbers of children classified as (a) mentally retarded and (b) educationally subnormal, indicating the numbers in both categories.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1980, c. 564]: At 31 December 1978, the latest date for which information is available, there were 1,194 mentally retarded children in Northern Ireland ascertained as requiring special care as defined in section 7 (2) of the Mental Health Act (Northern Ireland) 1961.At 1 January 1980 the number of children in Northern Ireland determined as educationally subnormal and attending either special schools or special education units was 1,800. In addition, there are a number of educationally subnormal pupils in special classes of ordinary schools but figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, in view of the decisive vote in the House to bring the law on homosexuality in Scotland in line with the law in England and Wales, he will now urgently consider reforming the law in Northern Ireland.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1980, c. 564]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my Friend, the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) on 2 July 1979. There continues to be a substantial and wide-ranging body of opinion in Northern Ireland opposed to a change in the existing law. Moreover, the tradition that legislation on such issues is a matter for the initiative of a private Member rather than for Government was continued in the case of the amendment to the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill. However, the Government remain prepared to reconsider the matter in the light of future relevant proceedings including any resulting from proceedings under the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to the law in Northern Ireland on homosexuality.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of grants approved in 1979 in Wales; and what was their value under (a) the farm capital grant scheme, and (b) the agricultural and horticultural development scheme, respectively.

During 1979, my agriculture department approved over 8,000 applications for grant-aid under the national scheme—farm capital grant scheme. The estimated cost of the approved proposals was over £23 million and the grant paid amounted to nearly £7 million.Under the EEC scheme—the farm and horticulture development scheme—over 600 development plans were approved. The approved cost of the proposals was over £33 million and the grant paid was over £5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will submit new evidence to the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs modifying the previous figures on unemployment which he previously gave to the Committee; and what is his revised figure.

No. I understand that the Committee will be publishing its report tomorrow.

asked the Prime Minister if she will give an undertaking that the decision as to whether or not the order for the PAYE computer system should go to ICL by single tender is announced when Parliament is sitting and not during the Summer Recess.

The Government recognise the need to reach a decision at the earliest possible moment, but the issues involved are complex and require thorough examination.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what relaxation of the guidelines for genetic engineering experiment has been adopted by the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group; what control over C2 experiments will in future be exercised by the group; if the relaxation will be subject to ministerial approval; and if he will make a statement.

The Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group is currently reviewing the guidelines for genetic manipulation experiments which have been in force in their present form since 1 January 1980. If this review results in a recommendation by the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group to make changes to the guidelines, the experiments involved would remain subject to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the reply given to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 4 May 1978, column 248, showing starting rates of income tax and top rates in each of the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, the United States of America, Belgium, France and Japan.

The information requested is given in the table below:

(a) Starting rates of income tax
	per cent
UK	30
Germany	18
Netherlands	16–3
Belgium	15
Canada	15
Denmark	144
USA	14
France	7–2
Japan	7

(b) Top rates of income tax
	per cent
UK	75
Japan	75
Belgium	72
Netherlands	72
USA	70
France	60
Germany	56
Canada	43
Denmark	39–6

NOTES1. The rates are those for 1980 (1980–81) except in the case of France and Japan (1979) and Belgium (1978).2. In all cases the starting rates are the lowest applicable when tax actually becomes payable. All figures relate to a married couple with two dependent children, except for the USA, where the rate shown is that at which a single person starts to pay tax. The starting rate of tax in the USA for a married man with two dependent children is 26–5 per cent., because of the progressive withdrawal of tax credits for such a person at this income level.3. The top rates of tax shown are the highest charged. In some countries, however, employment income is charged at a lower top rate. For the UK, the rate is 60 per cent., for Japan 67–5 per cent. and for the USA 50 per cent.4. Local taxes, which are not included in the table, can sometimes make a significant difference. In Denmark, the Copenhagen rate of tax raises the starting rate to 40–4 per cent. and the top rate to 65–6 per cent. In Canada, the Ontario rate of local tax raises the top rate to 61–9 per cent. Japan's top rate becomes 93 per cent. for investment income and 83–7 per cent. for employment income.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for each of the past seven years, how many prosecutions, excluding prosecutions actually brought, were threatened under section 38 (7) of the Finance Act 1972 for (a) failure to make returns of value added tax and (b) nonpayment of value added tax, respectively; and in how many of those cases there were subsequent proceedings under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972 to recover value added tax.

Records are not available for the whole of the period requested.Details for the last two years are as follows:

Warnings issued which did not result in prosecution
	(a)	(b)
Year ended	Failure to furnish VAT returns	Failure to pay VAT
31 March 1979	25,250	944
31 March 1980	7,339*
* Separate figures are not available. Warnings were not issued during and immediately after the period of industrial action by VAT computer staff.

No records are kept which would establish a ready connection between prosecutions threatened and civil recovery proceedings taken. The cost of extracting the information from individual records could not be justified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is responsible for instituting criminal proceedings under section 38 (7) of the Finance Act 1972 for failure to furnish returns of value added tax; and, for each of the last seven years, how many such proceedings, expressed numerically and as a percentage of the whole, were (a) brought in cases where no estimated assessment to value added tax had been made, (b) combined with prosecution for non-payment of value added tax and (c) preceded by, or followed by, civil proceedings under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972 to recover value added tax.

The Commissioners of Customs and Excise may institute proceedings under section 38 (7) of the Finance Act 1972 for failure to furnish VAT returns. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 4 June 1980—Vol. 985, c. 736–38]—for the numbers of such proceedings instituted in the last seven years. During the period from February 1975 to October 1976, some assessments were issued concurrently with prosecution action; the number is not recorded. Otherwise, estimated assessments had not been issued in any of these cases. Prosecutions for failure to furnish VAT returns have never been combined with prosecutions for non-payment of VAT.No records are kept which would establish a ready connection between prosecutions and civil recovery proceedings. The cost of extracting the information from individual records could not be justified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is responsible for instituting criminal proceedings under section 38 (7) of the Finance Act 1972 for nonpayment of value added tax; who decides in such cases, and on what basis, whether to bring civil proceedings under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972 to recover the value added tax or criminal proceedings under section 38 (7) of the Finance Act 1972; and how often in each of the last seven years both civil and criminal proceedings have been taken in respect of the same unpaid value added tax.

Proceedings under section 38 (7) of the Finance Act 1972 may be instituted by order of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise against persons who persistently fail to comply with the requirement to pay value added tax accounted for on a return.Civil proceedings under section 33 (1) are ordered by the commissioners to recover unpaid tax which cannot be recovered by distress action.No records are kept which would establish a ready connection between civil and criminal proceedings. The cost of extracting the information from individual records could not be justified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil actions for recovery of value added tax Her Majesty's Commissioners of Customs and Excise have brought under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972 in each of the past seven years; and who is responsible for bringing such actions.

The Commissioners of Customs and Excise are responsible for bringing civil actions under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972 for recovery of unpaid value added tax. The number of such actions brought was as follows:

Financial Year	No. of actions
1973–74	Nil
1974–75	2,242
1975–76	2,033
1976–77	3,117
1977–78	3,844
1978–79	2,903
1979–80	2,616

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much value added tax has been recovered in each of the past seven years as a result of judgments in, or settlements of, civil proceedings brought under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972.

The amounts of value added tax recovered as a result of judgments in, or settlements of, civil proceedings brought under section 33 (1) of the Finance Act 1972 were as follows:

Financial Year	Amount recovered £ million
1973–74	Nil
1974–75	1·1
1975–76	1·5
1976–77	3·6
1977–78	4·4
1978–79	4·6
1979–80	5·0

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give details of the gross taxed worth of a £30,000 per annum tax-free grant on a three-year basis for a person who terminates his employment, if during this period his gross income was on a basis of £68,000 per annum, allowing for the normal tax reliefs for a man with a married allowance.

If it is assumed that a married man's gross income from employment in the final year of employment is £68,000 and that emoluments amounting to £30,000 free of tax were received in the same year, the gross amount, which if taxed would be equivalent to £30,000 after tax, is £75,000 at 1980–81 allowances and rates of tax. The gross amount which would be equivalent to £30,000 after tax in subsequent years would depend on the rates and allowances in force for those years and on the amount of any additional income.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the individual occasions during the past two years when notices under section 481 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act were issued; what prosecutions resulted from the issue of these notices; and what was the result of such prosecutions.

Information needed by the Inland Revenue for the purposes of preventing avoidance of tax by means of transfers of assets abroad is often called for without recourse to a formal notice under section 481; 188 such formal notices were issued in the two years up to 30 June 1980.I am not able to specify the individual occasions without breaching the confidentiality which attaches to the tax affairs of individual taxpayers. No prosecutions have yet resulted from the issue of these notices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Inland Revenue has adopted the policy of sending explanatory leaflets in English and in Welsh to English citizens living in England; and what is the total cost, including paper, compiling and printing, of these additional Welsh language explanatory leaflets.

The Welsh form is intended for issue only to taxpayers served by certain tax offices in Wales. In the course of production the printer inserts form 510 into each return to be issued by the appropriate tax offices. This inevitably means that some English residents receive the form unnecessarily if their tax affairs are dealt with by a Welsh tax office. I regret if any inconvenience is caused in this way, but it remains the cheapest and most effective method of distribution.The total cost of this in 1979 was £3,415.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, with reference to his written answer to the hon. Member for Warley, East, Official Report, 14 July, column 419, in which he states that an owner of a destroyed heritage property which has been exempted from capital transfer tax can consider what steps that owner may himself be able to take in order to provide for the situation specified in the hon. Member's question on 14 July, he will indicate what steps to this end he has in mind which could be acceptable to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 July 1980, c. 149–51]: The owner and his heirs could consider the possibility of a short term insurance against the potential liability; or, if the owner is married, he could bequeath the insurance proceeds to his spouse with a request that they should be used to buy replacement heritage property.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) in what circumstances the Inland Revenue still pays rebates due in respect of a wife's income to her husband; and if he will take action to ensure that such rebates are paid to the wife direct in future.(2) in what circumstances does the Inland Revenue correspond about a married woman's tax affairs by writing to her husband; and if he will take action to ensure that in future all communications concerning a married woman's tax affairs are addressed directly to her.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July, c. 476]: In general, wives now receive their own tax rebates and correspond with the Inland Revenue about their tax affairs. It is only where there is higher rate tax due on the couples income or the wife pays tax under schedule D that the rebate would and ordi- narily go to the husband; and it is only exceptionally—for example, where there is a statutory requirement to serve a formal notice on the husband—that the Revenue would correspond with him.These issues will be amongst the matters discussed in the Green Paper on the taxation of husband and wife, which my right hon. and learned Friend intends to publish later this year. We shall take account of the response to this Green Paper in formulating any proposals for change.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the productivity in terms of output per worker in the nine major nationalised industries in the United Kingdom, respectively, plus the NEB and its subsidiary companies in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.

There is no central collection of this information by Her Majesty's Government other than that published by the industries in their annual report and accounts. The industries have improved this published information, from which it is generally possible to gain an indication of the movements of productivity over the period required.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the use of publicly provided cars between home and office by Ministers and civil servants is free of tax while warrants for travel between home and work are taxable.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1980, c. 476]: The provision of cars for higher-paid employees, including Ministers and Civil Servants, ordinarily attracts liability to tax except where the car is used by more than one employee, its private use is merely incidental to its official use and it is not kept overnight at or near any of the employees' homes. If these conditions are fulfilled, the car is treated as a pooled car and its tax-free provision is based on its not being regarded as freely available for private use. A travel warrant provided for an employee for travel between his home and work is taxable because the cost of the journey is not incurred in the performance of his duties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total sum involved in rebates paid to foreigners who claimed exemption from value added tax on their purchases of goods in the United Kingdom for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

I regret that no official statistics are available as to the amount of value added tax which has been refunded to overseas visitors by registered VAT traders under the retail export schemes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average length of time between a foreigner's claims of value added tax rebate being made and it being submitted: and in what form it is submitted.

Any refund of value added tax where goods have been supplied under the retail export schemes is made by the retailer who sold the goods. The form which is completed by the retailer and customer at time of purchase has to be certified by a customs authority. When this has been done it is returned to the retailer who can then make any agreed refund. The length of time taken is entirely up to the retailer concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Revenue of zero rating value added tax on the hotel bills of foreign visitors; and if he will make such an estimate if none exists.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what types of consultancy services, if any, purchased by foreigners from United Kingdom companies are eligible for value added tax.

The basic position is that consultancy services supplied by companies belonging in the United Kingdom are zero-rated when supplied to:

(i) a person who belongs in a country, other than the Isle of Man, which is not a member State of the European Community;

(ii) a person in his business capacity, but not in his private capacity, who belongs in a member State of the European Community, other than the United Kingdom.

If an overseas company has in this country an establishment, including a branch or agency, at which or for the purposes of which the consultancy services will be most direct used, the company will be regarded as belonging in the United Kingdom and supplies made to it will be treated accordingly.The basic position does not, however, cover all types of consultancy services, the major exceptions being as follows:Consultancy services relating to land situated outside the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man and the services of a valuer when performed outside those countries are zero-rated even when supplied to a person who belongs in the European Community and who is acting in his private capacity.Consultancy services which fall within the exempt services in schedule 5 to the Finance Act 1972 remain exempt and are not zero-rated to foreigners.Consultancy services relating to land in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man are standard rated, as are those consultancy services in the fields of education, training and health which do not fall within the schedule 5 exemptions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many retail outlets are entitled to offer rebates on value added tax to foreigners; and whether any specific registration to offer a rebate is required and, if so, how many are thus registered in the United Kingdom at the latest date for which figures are available.

Any trader who is registered for value added tax can use the retail export schemes. No specific registration is required.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any EEC member States, or associate member States, have arrangements whereby value added tax on foreigner's hotel bills is eligible for rebate; and if he will list them.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which other countries value added tax rebates are made to foreigners on the purchase of any goods, but denied on the purchase of all services.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the 10 countries to whom the largest sums of value added tax were rebated to their citizens on purchases in the United Kingdom for each of the last five years.

I regret that no official statistics are available to provide this information, which is not needed for any official purpose.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the minimum sum of expenditure on which a foreigner may claim rebate of value added tax on purchases made in the United Kingdom.

By agreement with our partners in the European Community a visitor here who is a resident of another member State can only purchase under the retail export schemes goods which are above a certain value. This value depends on which member country is the final destination of the Community traveller. These limits are £50, inclusive of tax, for exports to the Republic of Ireland, £90 to Denmark and £120 to other countries in the European Community. For other travellers there is no official limit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria he has laid down which results in foreigners being able to claim exemption from value added tax on purchases of goods but not services.

The basic principle is that foreign visitors are eligible for relief from VAT using the retail export schemes, only for goods which are actually exported from the United Kingdom, Goods which are not exported or are used in this country are not relieved. Services supplied, used and enjoyed in this country are also not relieved of tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if recruitment services offered by United Kingdom companies to foreign companies or individuals are eligible for rebate of value added tax.

Recruitment services supplied by a company belonging in the United Kingdom to a company or individual belonging outside the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man are normally zero-rated for the purposes of value added tax. When supplied to individuals belonging in another member State of the European Community, however, the services may be zero rated only if provided to a person acting in his business capacity.If an overseas company has in this country an establishment including a branch or agency, at which or for the purposes of which the recruitment services will be most directly used, the company will be regarded as belonging in the United Kingdom and the services will be taxable at the standard rate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage he estimates of value added tax rebate eligible for claiming by foreigners on their purchases in the United Kingdom was actually claimed, in the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

It is not possible to make such an estimate. In theory all goods purchased by foreigners could have been exported either by the supplier direct or by the customer himself and relief obtained, but many of the goods purchased are consumed here or are given away as presents.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will indicate the rate of value added tax applicable on hotel accommodation in each of the nine EEC countries.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy to seek to inform foreign visitors that they are eligible for value added tax rebate on their purchases of goods bearing value added tax.

Yes. The relief given by the retail export schemes is referred to in the publications issued by the British Tourist Authority and any inquirer will be given the full details of the schemes by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, for each of the last five years, he will indicate, by added value, which category of goods or services, without separate classification, has earned the largest amount of foreign currency.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the forthcoming Green Paper on corporation tax to be published; and if he will make a statement.

It is not yet possible to fix a date for publication of the Green Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to move to appoint a Select Committee to consider the forthcoming Green Paper on corporation tax, as was the case in Session 1970–71.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in reviewing the 714 certificate system for subcontractors; and if he will make a statement.

A consultative document was published in January setting out our proposals to remove the harsher aspects of the scheme and to reduce the administrative burden on the industry. In the light of various representations made, we have made a number of changes in this year's Finance Bill which were summarised in the Inland Revenue's press release of 17 April last.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in recruiting additional Inland Revenue inspectors in the last three months.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any proposals to establish a bond system for the owners of employment agencies for temporary work.

No. The worker is normally the employee of the employment business—staff contractor—and there is no difference between that and any other business so far as security of wages and salaries is concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many, and what percentage of, workers employed under the job creation scheme have subsequently found permanent employment.

The Manpower Services Commission estimates from surveys among former participants in the job creation programme—over 200,000 between April 1976 and December 1978—that 55 per cent. were in employment six months after leaving with a further 1 in 10 having held a job but being unemployed at the time of survey.Between April 1978 and June 1980 46,100 unemployed adults entered the special temporary employment programme which succeeded the job creation programme. The MSC estimates that over 40 per cent. of the entrants in 1978–79 were in employment five to six months later. Other participants will have held a job but were unemployed at the time of the survey. In addition a further 3 per cent. went on to another scheme and 3 per cent. to further education or other full time training. Results for 1979–80 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of men and women, respectively, at present attending Government training centres in the United Kingdom.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the total number of trainees attending skill-centres—formerly Government training centres—in Great Britain at 31 May 1980—the latest convenient date—was 11,791. The respective number of men and women cannot be obtained, except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much was paid out in redundancy payments in the last three years; and how many persons have qualified for payments in the same period, and to the latest available date.

The information is as follows:

	Number oj Statutory redundancy payments	Total paid £ million
1977	267,233	165·4
1978	255,484	184·3
1979	253,594	221·7
January to June 1980	188,295	178·3

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young persons aged 18 years and under there are in the city of Birmingham who have never had a job; if he will provide separate figures for each careers office and jobcentre at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will provide comparable figures for 1979.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how much the Manpower Services Commission spent with New Opportunities Press Ltd. in the years 1978–79 and 1979–80, respec- tively, and in the current financial year; and for what purposes;(2) what existing contracts the Manpower Services Commission has with New Opportunities Press Ltd.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the following sums were spent with New Opportunities Press Ltd. in the years 1978–79, 1979–80 and the current financial year respectively:

	£
1978–79	68,130·35
1979–80	128,966·93
1980–81	11,121·18

The purpose was production and distribution of two regular publications,

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what courses run by the Manpower Services Commission under the training opportunities programme have been discontinued in the current year; what new ones have been started and postponed; and what courses are likely to run in 1981–82.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 July 1980, c. 304–5]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that this information is not available except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people he estimates will be undertaking courses on the training opportunities programme in 1981–82 and 1982–83; and what proportion of these will be women.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 July 1980, c. 304–5]: I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that its plans allow for about 62,000 people in 1981–82 and about 60,000 people in 1982–83 to complete courses under its training opportunities scheme. These courses are open equally to men and women, and the MSC is not able to forecast the proportion of women who will complete the courses on offer.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, in view of the tribunal findings in favour of the test case regarding the 290 employees dismissed from their jobs at St. Fergus gas terminal, he will ensure that they are paid benefit without delay.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1980 c. 461]: Every effort will be made to ensure that payment of unemployment benefit is made without delay provided that the insurance officer does not appeal against the local tribunals' decision within 21 days of the date of that decision—8 July. Insurance officers have the same rights as claimants in this respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the evidence for the statement contained in his answer to an oral question, Official Report, 22 July,

1980		Number of potentially redundant jobs supported
June	8,167
May	6,788	These figures are on the basis of iobs covered by claims made.
April	6,896	8,6091
March	7,120	These figures are on the basis of jobs covered by approved applications.
February	4,331
January	2,657

The series is not continuous due to changes made in April 1980 in the method of calculating jobs supported under the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when a decision will be made on the present consideration of the restoration of a limited assault parachute capability to British Forces; and what would be the cost of reinstating 44 Parachute Brigade (Territorial Army).

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Cartwright) on Friday 11 July.—[Vol. 988, c. 298–99]. The primary operational role of 44 Parachute Brigade (Volunteers) is now undertaken by 7 Field Force and no requirement exists for its reconstitution. Esti-

[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1980, c. 462]: This estimate of population of specified minorities in the Handsworth ward of the Birmingham metropolitan district was taken from volume 21, in the series of abstracts of statistics prepared by Birmingham central statistical office for the city council.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs in Wales were being sustained by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme in July; and how this figure compares with that for each of the preceding six months.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 July 1980, c. 674]: The latest figure available is for 30 June 1980. The number of jobs supported in Wales for the six-month period January 1980—June 1980 is shown in the following table:mates of the cost of reinstating the brigade are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what conclusion he has reached on the request by the United States Navy for alternative accommodation for personnel located at West Ruislip air base; and if he will make a statement.

I am pleased to say that housing capable of meeting a good part of the United States Navy's domestic requirements has been found at Hendon, Kingston upon Thames and Mill Hill; and I shall be having discussions with the United States Navy on how much of the West Ruislip site has to be retained to meet its remaining requirements for new construction. I intend to make a further statement on this matter before the recess.

asked the Lord Privy Seal why the Government are to end the ban on arms supplies to Chile.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) on 22 July.—[Vol. 989, c. 123.] In present circumstances, there is no justification for the continuation of this embargo.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to treat the regime established illegally by army officers in Bolivia as the Government of that country; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. Friend stated in his reply of 25 April to my hon. Friend the Member for Westbury (Mr. Walters) the British Government recognise States, not Governments. On the matter of our relations with the new regime in Bolivia, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of 29 July.—[Vol. 984, c. 277–79.]

asked the Lord Privy Seal if the British Embassy in La Paz will give asylum to individuals whose life and liberty may be at risk from the administration established by Bolivian army officers following the recent coup.

This is a hypothetical question. Any individual request for asylum in the British Embassy would be considered on its merits.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the visit of a Minister in his Department to Iraq for the celebration of the twelfth anniversary of the advent to power of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party; and if he will indicate the issues discussed.

I visited Baghdad from 16 to 18 July at the invitation of the Iraqi Government to attend the celebrations marking the twelfth anniversary of the Iraqi national day. While there I had a meeting with Dr. Sa'adoun Hammadi, the Iraqi Foreign Minister at which we discussed all aspects of our bilateral relations, including the cases of two British business men serving sentences of life imprisonment. We also exchanged views on regional and international issues which included the Arab/Israel problem and the North/South dialogue.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will agree to meet representatives of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to discuss, without prejudice, the implications of the Organisation of African Unity's move towards recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

No. To do as my hon. Friend suggests would prejudice the Government's impartiality on this issue. We believe this is a matter for the parties concerned to resolve. It remains the subject of consideration by the Organisation of African Unity.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what information or assistance was provided to Major David Le Sueur regarding his study trip to Argentina as part of his management studies course at Teeside polytechnic; whether he was aware that the purpose of Major Le Sueur's trip was to study the possibility of promoting arms sales; and if he will make a statement.

Major Le Sueur was provided with standard background information on Argentina which is made available by officials to any member of the public who may request it. Major Le Sueur indicated that he had chosen arms procurement for a special research project with particular reference to Argentina. The question of the promotion of arms sales did not arise.