asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what conclusions he has reached regarding Mr. De Lorean's applications for an additional £8 million from public funds; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply to the oral question, 10 July 1980, c. 750]: I am now able to make the following statement about public expenditure in Northern Ireland in the current financial year, and in particular about further assistance to the De Lorean Motor Company.As foreshadowed during the debate on the Appropriation (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Order 1980 on 18 July last, I intend to reallocate £50 million within the Northern Ireland public expenditure programme in the current financial year to take account of changed priorities and new demands. In addition, in the light of the review, the Government have decided to increase the resources available to the programme this year by £48 million. These figures are at 1980 survey prices. The additional resources are being made available from the Contingency Reserve and are therefore within the overall planned total of public expenditure for the United Kingdom set by Cmnd. 7841.Of the £50 million reallocated, the main reductions are £24 million from environmental services and £10 million each from education and from health and social services. This reallocation is equivalent to 2 per cent. of total Northern Ireland resources. There will also be certain technical adjustments and some movement of resources within individual Northern Ireland Departments.Thanks to the reallocation and the extra resources, I shall be able to increase the money available for industrial assistance and energy by £80 million. That figure will include the cost in 1980–81 of additional assistance by way of repayable loan of up to £14 million towards the cost of bringing the De Lorean DMC 12 project to market launch. The £80 million also includes the cost of action to prevent the level of electricity charges in Northern Ireland from worsening in relation to those in the remainder of the United Kingdom. In addition, I propose to increase the provision for law, order and protective services by some £10 million.I shall, where appropriate, be consulting the spending authorities on the action now necessary to reshape expenditure plans. For cash-limited services this will involve the conversion of the figures from 1980 survey prices into cash terms. An announcement about Class 15 and NID 1 cash limits will be made before the recess.It follows that the absolute moratorium on new commitments which I imposed on 30 June is now lifted. Departments and their spending agencies will be considering urgently to what extent, if any, new commitments can now be undertaken. The changes will be reflected in Supplementary Estimates which will be presented for the approval of the House in due course.

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

I have been asked to reply.I regret the information is not available in the form requested.The family expenditure survey provides information about pensioner households in the United Kingdom but the numbers in England, Wales and Scotland are not available. For this purpose pensioner households are defined as those households of limited means in which three-quarters or more of the total household income is derived from national insurance retirement pensions and other social security benefits.On this basis there are about 2,100,000 pensioner households in the United Kingdom and, in 1978, the latest year for which information is available, the average cost of fuel and power for a one-pensioner household was £152 a year and for a two-pensioner household, £220 a year.The hon. Member may wish to know that, in England, in June 1979 the latest date for which a figure is available, there were 1,980,000 married couples where the man was over pension age—65 or over—and 3,715,000 single persons over pension age—65 in the case of a man or 60 in the case of a woman—but not all these would be pensioners.In Scotland, in June 1978, the latest date for which a figure is available, there were 184,000 married couples where the man was over pension age and 448,000 single persons over pension age. The corn parable figures for Wales—June 1979—were 130,000 and 300,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his intentions regarding the future number of colleges of education in Scotland.

There has been substantial contraction of the college of education system since 1977. The number of student places has been reduced from 14,450 to 11,150 and the number of academic staff from 1,330 to 1,050 at the beginning of the current financial year. Nevertheless, there is still substantial surplus capacity in the system and the need for student teachers continues to decline. In these circumstances I have thought it right to conduct a further review of the system. I am publishing my conclusions today in a detailed paper, copies of which have been placed in the Library.I should emphasise that, in arriving at these conclusions, I have considered not only demographic factors, but also a number of important educational developments which I hope will take place in the years to come. These include my intention that entry to the primary teaching profession should in due course be on an all-graduate basis. Further consultation will be needed about the best way of achieving this, and I am publishing separately today a consultative paper on this specific subject; copies of this have also been placed in the Library. The pace at which we can move forward will depend upon the outcome of these consultations and the availability of resources, but I hope that it may be possible to make significant progress in the next five years or so.In a time of declining need for numbers of teachers, I believe that we should be putting increasing emphasis on the quality of the teaching force; and I propose, therefore; in due course to examine ways of raising the standards of pre-service training. Similarly, I hope to initiate discussions about further development of in-service training, which is assuming increasing importance. I am anxious also that existing links among colleges of education should be strengthened and that new links should be forged between the colleges and other institutions, including the universities.On current forecasts, the total number of students, which now stands at about 8,000 will continue to fall to less than 7,000 by 1983 before gradually rising again. Despite the reduction in the capacity of the colleges since 1977, over 3,000 student places remain surplus to requirements. If the present capacity were retained, there would be substantially larger surpluses over the next six or seven years and still about 2,500 unused places at the end of the decade. It is clear that, even when full account is taken of the desirable educational developments to which I have referred, the college of education system is still considerably larger than will be needed for the foreseeable future. In deciding how the system should be contracted, I have attached great importance to the preservation of a regional distribution of colleges which will enable local contacts to be maintained. In particular, I have had regard to two features, the concentration of colleges in the central belt of Scotland and a surplus of student places predominantly in the east. I have decided that it is no longer justifiable—on economic or on educational grounds—to retain as many as 10 separate colleges; and after full consideration of all the circumstances, I have concluded that the overall size of the system should be reduced to some 8,000 student places, although it will be necessary to keep this figure under review.

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

I have been asked to reply.I regret the information is not available in the form requested.The family expenditure survey provides information about pensioner households in the United Kingdom but the numbers in England, Wales and Scotland are not available. For this purpose pensioner households are defined as those households of limited means in which three-quarters or more of the total household income is derived from national insurance retirement pensions and other social security benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of pensioner families in England; and if he is able to assess the average cost of fuel and power which a pensioner family will require to meet in a year.

I regret the information is not available in the form requested.The family expenditure survey provides information about pensioner households in the United Kingdom but the numbers in England, Wales and Scotland are not available. For this purpose pensioner households are defined as those households of limited means in which three-quarters or more of the total household income is derived from national insurance retirement pensions and other social security benefits.On this basis there are about 2,100,000 pensioner households in the United Kingdom and, in 1978, the latest year for which information is available, the average cost of fuel and power for a one-pensioner household was £152 a year and for a two-pensioner household, £220 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will hold an inquiry into the refusal by the Middlesex hospital of assistance to a person who collapsed in the street, details of which have been supplied to him; and what general advice his Department

SCOTLAND
				Attendance allowance		Mobility allowances*
					Numbers in first quarter of
				1979	1980	1979	1980
Claims received		…	…	2,837	3,114	—	—
Decisions made		…	…	2,298	3,157	1,740	1,680
Rejections	…	…	…	917	1,088	570	380
* Estimated figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any directive has been given since May 1979 to his Department's staff concerning first-time applications for attendance allowance and mobility allowance; and whether he will publish the contents of any such directive.

Claims for attendance allowance and mobility allowance are decided by independent authorities appointed under the Social Security Act and I have no power to direct them in the interpretation of the law.Orders (SI 1979 No. 1030 (c28) and SI 1979 No. 1031 (c 29)) were, however, made in August 1979 which completed the phasing in of mobility allowance and entitled men and women aged 60 to 65 to claim the allowance for the first time from November 1979.

I will write to my hon. Friend after I have made inquiries into this.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many applications for attendance allowance and mobility allowance from people resident in Scotland have been made, and how many have been rejected, in the first three months of 1980; and what were the figures for the same period in 1979.

The information available is shown in the table below. The number of claims for mobility allowance is not known. The number of decisions—which includes rejections—for each quarter is therefore given to enable a comparison to be made. Because of the time lapse, decisions and rejections do not necessarily relate to the claims made in the same quarter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimated figure for the number of persons who will claim supplementary benefit in 1981 and 1982 respectively.

I have no estimates more recent than those contained in "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1980–81 to 1983–84"—Cmnd. 7841 Table 2·12·2 on pages 114–5.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now make a commitment to bring unemployment, sickness, maternity and injury benefit up to their real value once they are brought into the tax net; and if he will make a statement.

The level of these short-term benefits will be reconsidered once they are brought into taxation, in the light of all the relevant factors, including the prevailing economic circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now establish a national campaign for the purpose of promoting early detection and prevention of cancer; and if he will make a statement.

I shall be asking the Standing Sub-Committee on Cancer to look at the whole question of health education in the cancer field when it has finished its current work on acute services. In the meantime, I am seeking its views on the establishment of a national cancer education campaign. I shall also take an early opportunity of discussing with the voluntary bodies the part they can play in educating the public about the prevention and early detection of cancer. I should, however, emphasise the need for sound scientific evidence of the benefits which can be achieved by early detection before any extensive campaign is mounted for its promotion.I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the speech I made at the opening of the recent international seminar on the prevention and detection of cancer; a copy has been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in the light of the disappointment with the overall standards and conditions of training, he will now consider setting up a national body for family practitioner trainees to enable the prime aims of this scheme to be achieved, and consequently contributing to reducing the reported increase in complaints by patients against general practitioner trainees.

National bodies, such as the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education—which gives guidance on vocational training arrangements—and the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice—which sets standards and monitors training schemes, already exist; the initiative for establishing any new body would rest with the profession.I know of no increase in complaints by patients against general practice trainees; any such complaints would need to be lodged against the trainer principal who is responsible for a trainee's acts and omissions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what official complaints procedure operates for artificial limb centres; if he will give an outline of the procedure; and if he is satisfied that it is adequate.

I am pleased that complaints about artificial limb and appliance centres are infrequent; they are each investigated in the most appropriate manner according to their nature. I would like the opportunity to make inquiries if the hon. Member is aware of a case of dissatisfaction.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many cases the unemployed have had to give up doing voluntary work in order not to be disqualified for unemployment benefit; if he plans to amend the rules; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to her reply, 22 July 1980, c. 217]: I regret that the numbers of unemployed people who give up voluntary work for the reasons given are not recorded, but if the hon. Member has a case in mind I will be glad to consider it.Unpaid voluntary work will not affect a person's title to unemployment benefit if he can satisfy the independent adjudicating authorities as to his continuing availability for employment. My right hon. Friend has no plans to amend the long-standing rules. However, I would refer the hon. Member to the undertaking by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security to the Members of Standing Committee E on 6 March 1980, in columns 1737–8, that he would consider referring the question of voluntary work and unemployment benefit to the new Social Security Advisory Committee.

asked the Paymaster General whether persons employed by his Department who deal with the public by telephone are required to identify themselves at the citizen's request; whether any, and if so what, category of employee of his Department is forbidden to give his name at the request of a member of the public who speaks to him by telephone; if so, on what occasions and for what reasons: and whether he will instruct all those employed by his Department who have contact with the public by telephone to give their names at the caller's request.

The practice is for staff in my Department to identify themselves to telephone callers if so requested. None of the staff is forbidden to do so.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what additional funds he now intends to make available to pay professional staff on contracts to universities who are the financial responsibility of his Department, in the light of the salary just negotiated by university teachers.

Any increases which may be determined for those on contracts to universities who are the financial responsibility of my Department will of course be provided for. I cannot say what additional funds may be needed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how much overseas aid in the form of food is being given during 1980–81 by the EEC to the starving peoples of the world; and how it compares with similar aid from the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The European Community and its member States will collectively provide 1,650,000 tonnes of cereals under the food aid convention in 1980–81. The Community is also financing in 1980 150,000 tonnes of dried skimmed milk, 45,000 tonnes of butter oil and 6,200 tonnes of sugar. The cost of these programmes in 1980 to the Community budget alone will be over £200 million.The United States will provide 4,470,000 tonnes of cereals under the convention in 1980–81 and its total agreed food aid budget for the year to 30 June 1981 is $1,153,000,000. No figures are available for such aid from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but that country is not a member of the food aid convention.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many universities, polytechnics and institutions of further and higher education in the United Kingdom are in receipt of funds from the European development fund; for what purpose the institutions have received the moneys; and if he will list the institutions and the projects upon which the moneys are being spent.

EDF funds would not normally be available to support projects at educational institutions within the European Community, although such institutions may be asked to provide staff for EDF-funded technical co-operation projects in the ACP countries. EDF training fellowships are at present supporting 253 ACP nationals engaged in a wide range of studies at educational institutions in the United Kingdom including 35 universities, 17 polytechnics and 14 institutes of higher and further education.

asked the Attorney-General whether persons employed by his Department who deal with the public by telephone are required to identify themselves at the citizen's request; whether any, and if so what, category of employee of his Department is forbidden to give his name at the request of a member of the public who speaks to him by telephone; if so, on what occasions and for what reasons; and whether he will instruct all those employed by his Department who have contact with the public by telephone to give their names at the caller's request.

It is the normal practice of my staff to give their names when answering telephone calls.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will set out the quantities of (a) made-up carpeting and (b) carpet yarn imported into the United Kingdom for each of the last 12 months compared with the previous 12 months; and what were their countries of origin.

Overseas trade in carpet yarn is identified only to a limited extent, and the remaining information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of imports of carpets, carpeting, rugs, mats and matting, including principal countries of consignment, are given in table III of the monthly Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom under SITC (R2) subgroups 659.2–5 inclusive and items 659.61 and 62. Carpet yarn of continuous polyamide fibres is covered by a number of eight-digit tariff code numbers under item 651.41, but yarn of other materials for carpets is not separately distinguished. Copies of the Overseas Trade Statistics are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will set out in the Official Report the numbers of cases reported to his Department of import dumping in the United Kingdom of textiles and clothing, the numbers investigated, and the numbers where shipments were subsequently held from release, in the whole of the last full year and for each month of 1980.

My Department receives numerous complaints about imports of low cost textiles and clothing, many of which also allege dumping. It is not possible to isolate the latter. Responsibility for taking action against dumped imports rests with the European Commission and during 1979 and 1980 it initiated formal anti-dumping investi- gations covering textile and clothing products as follows:

1979	2
1980(February)	1

In one case duties were imposed against the United States and price undertakings negotiated with exporters from Spain and Japan. The other two are still under investigation. Low cost imports of textiles and clothing are usually dealt with by the Community not through anti-dumping procedures but by quotas and restraints negotiated as part of the multi-fibre arrangement and a range of complementary arrangements which cover 93 per cent. of all low cost textile and clothing imports.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will issue a general direction to the nationalised industries for which he is responsible that all those employed by them who have contact with the public by telephone shall give their names at the caller's request.

No; such matters are the responsibility of the nationalised industries concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if and when he proposes to activate section 8 of the Companies Act 1980.

Work is proceeding with a view to implementing section 8 of the Companies Act 1980 by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether persons employed by his Department who deal with the public by telephone are required to identify themselves at the citizen's request; whether any, and if so what, category of employee of his Department is forbidden to give his name at the request of a member of the public who speaks to him by telephone; if so, on what occasions and for what reasons; and whether he will instruct all those employed by his Department who have contact with the public by telephone to give their names at the caller's request.

The practice in my Department is for staff to identify themselves when answering the telephone and no one is prohibited from doing so. I see no requirement for additional guidance to staff on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in the light of further likely increases in the aviation security levy, he will consider restoring responsibility for airport security to individual airlines or alternatively to private security companies; and if he will make a statement.

No. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 28 January 1980.—[Vol. 977, c. 527]. So far as any increase in the aviation security fund levy rate is concerned, I refer him to my reply today to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, North (Mr. Durant).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether any estimate has been made as to the likely rate of the aviation security levy rate for 1981–82.

It is too early to give any firm prediction, but I would not expect the increase in the aviation security levy rate for 1981–82 to be greater than the year-on-year rate of inflation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in the light of the prediction by the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority that substantial increases in charges to airlines are contemplated, he has considered alternative ways of financing the Civil Aviation Authority.

Under the Eurocontrol charging arrangements—for United Kingdom airspace traffic services—the CAA is obliged to charge below the economic cost. I hope that the parties to the Eurocontrol agreement will accept that these arrangements should be changed so that the taxpayer will no longer subsidise the air transport user. As regards the CAA's other major operations, it aims to charge the full cost of its services to users plus a reasonable return on capital employed. If users of air transport do not pay the full cost of these services, the burden would fall on the taxpayer.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in the light of the substantial increase in charges to airlines, he will refer the British Airports authority to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if he will make a statement.

No. The charges in question have my right hon. Friend's approval. They have been calculated by the authority to meet the new financial target agreed with the Government for the next three financial years and it would be inappropriate to refer this matter to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. However, my right hon. Friend has not ruled out the possibility that at some future date he may ask the commission to investigate other aspects of the authority's activities under section 11 of the Competition Act 1980.

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.

[pursuant to her reply, 30 July 1980 c. 692]: Our position remains that we would be most unlikely to use this power without the fullest possible examination and resolution of all the practical difficulties.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many applications have been received for places on bachelor of education courses in (a) mathematics, (b) physics, (c) chemistry and (d) craft and technology; and what percentage change this represents over the same period in 1979;(2) how many applications were received for places on bachelor of education

courses in (

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what representations he has received, and from whom, concerning the reduction in financial support for the Medical Research Council; if he is satisfied that the council can adequately fulfil its duties; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he is satisfied that the present funding of the Medical Research Council will enable it to participate fully in the field of biotechnology; and if he will make a statement.

Applications for initial teacher training places—other than for undergraduate training places in universities—are handled by the Central Register and Clearing House/Graduate Teacher Training Registry (CRCH/GTTR). With the agreement of CRCH/GTTR, I give such information as is available in the table below.DES statistics of enrolments in 1979 broken down by specialist subject are not yet available. Some information from GTTR sources on postgraduate enrolments is available however and is included below.

I assume that the hon. Lady's first question refers to the reduction in the level of the science budget announced in June 1979. This resulted in a reduction of just under 1 per cent. being made to the previously announced allocation to the Medical Research Council for 1979–80. In the ensuing months to March 1980, telegrams and letters from individuals and small groups of staff in various units and institutes of the Council, a letter from two holders of council project grants, and letters from the chairman of the council's national joint staff side were received.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether persons employed by his Department who deal with the public by telephone are required to identify themselves at the citizens request; whether

Programme							Years	Total cost
								£
Science Research Council:
Chemistry:
Reactivity of organo-metallic complexes				…	…	…	1975–81	35,600
Resin-bonded laminates		…	…	…	…	…	1976–79	35,500
Flame retardation	…	…	…	…	…	…	1978–79	10,211
Catalysed hydrocarbon oxidation			…	…	…	…	1978–81	9,000
Mechanical engineering:
Development of engine and load simulator					…	…	1976–79	6,700
Application of fibre reinforced polymers to artificial limbs							1977–80	6,100
Energy from vertical axis wind turbine				…	…	…	1980–81	11,569
Liquid flow through pipework			…	…	…	…	1980–81	13,856
Electrical and Electronic engineering:
Interactive computing facilities in control engineering						…	1978–83	123,000
Civil engineering:
Behaviour of plate and flat slab concrete structures						…	1977–79	6,000
Ultimate strength of tubular steel joints				…	…	…	1978–80	9,000
Social Science Research Council:
Statistical techniques in accounting practice				…	…	…	1977–79	210
Study of East German ideological demarcation					…	…	1978	695
De-population in the Honddu Valley, Gwent, 1840–1979						…	1979–80	991
Transformation of the European Parliamentary elite					…	…	1979–80	9,057
Post Second World War International Fascist Movements						…	1980	347

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the names of any schools in the areas served by the Kirklees education

It is the normal practice in my Department for staff dealing with telephone inquiries to give their names when requested to do so. No member of staff is forbidden to give his name at the request of a member of the public who speaks to him by telephone.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research programmes at Kingston polytechnic have been funded by his Department.

No research programmes have been funded directly by the Department at Kingston polytechnic, but the following have recently been funded by the research councils:authority and the Oldham education authority that have applied for entry to the assisted places scheme.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bedwellty (Mr. Kinnock) on 24 July.—[Vol. 989, c. 327–28.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the present average pupil-teacher ratio in State secondary schools; and by how much it is estimated that this could be reduced if all unemployed teachers were in employment;(2) what is the present average pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools; and by how much it is estimated that this could be reduced if all unemployed teachers were in employment.

It is estimated that if all persons registered in December 1979 as unemployed and seeking teaching posts were to be employed in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, the January 1980 overall pupil-teacher ratio for England of 18·7:1 would have been reduced to 18·3:1. Separate ratios for primary and secondary schools in 1980 are not yet available. Information relating to Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many trained teachers have been unable to find employment in the years 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80.

The number of people in England who were registered with the Department of Employment as unemployed and seeking teaching posts in schools were:

June 1978	June 1979	June 1980
6,292	6,666	6,543

It is not known how many of these were qualified teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will make provision for newly-qualified teachers who are unable to find appropriate employment.

It is for local education authorities to decide on the number of newly-qualified teachers they can employ, in the light of the rate of wastage from and re-entry to teaching in their areas. Where newly-qualified teachers are unable to find teaching posts, my right hon. and learned Friend trusts that they will put their qualifications to good use in the wider employment market.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will encourage additional craft and design technology courses in the curricula of secondary schools.

The importance of craft, design and technology courses in schools has already been emphasised in publications by my Department and by Her Majesty's Inspectorate, and in ministerial speeches. These have encouraged both the development of specialist courses and the need to relate other subjects within the curriculum to their industrial and practical applications.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what mechanism the University Grants Committee will be employing to reimburse universities for admitting students from EEC countries in 1980–81; and on what basis the amount of reimbursement will be calculated.

By long-standing convention, matters relating to the allocation of recurrent grant to individual universities are entirely the responsibility of the University Grants Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) when the arbitral hearing on teachers' pay took place; when the arbitrators made their recommendation known to the Government; when the Government propose to make public their response to the recommendations; if he intends to make a statement to the House; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will give an assurance that he will accept any pay award made to teachers as a result of arbitration.

[pursuant to the reply, 21 July 1980, c. 45–46]: As stated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) on 1 August—[Vol. 989, c. 858.]—I received the reports of the arbitrators on 25 July and they were published on 1 August. I am now preparing draft orders to give effect to the recommendations on salary scales, in accordance with the provisions of section 4 and section 2 of the Remuneration of Teachers Act 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of child battering have been recorded in the following areas in the last 12 months: Wales, Scotland, Merseyside, West Midlands and North-East England.

The information requested is not available. In the statistics of serious offences recorded by the police, offences involving acts of child battering cannot he distinguished from other offences of wounding or assault. However, information on the age of victims of offences currently recorded as homicide is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"—table 9.4 of the volume for 1978, Cmnd 7670.

ENGLAND AND WALES
Year			Metropolitan Police District			Rest of England and Wales
			Number of offences		Cleared up rate	Number of offences		Clear-up rate
			Recorded	Cleared up		Recorded	Cleared up
			'000	'000	Per cent.	'000	'000	Per cent
1969	…	…	77·8	14·0	18	342·9	127·1	37
1970	…	…	76·7	14·8	19	354·8	141·1	40
1971	…	…	79·9	16·0	20	371·6	149·2	40
1972	…	…	79·2	15·6	20	359·5	145·0	40
1973	…	…	74·2	13·6	18	319·0	133·3	42
1974	…	…	88·2	15·0	17	395·7	149·3	38
1975	…	…	99·6	15·1	15	422·3	160·5	38
1976	…	…	108·3	14·7	14	407·2	158·8	39
1977	…	…	124·5	15·1	12	479·5	173·2	36
1978	…	…	122·5	13·9	11	443·2	167·0	38
1979	…	…	118·2	13·9	12	430·9	158·4	37

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take on the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report on drug dependants within the prison system.

The prison department is considering the advisory council's report and recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last year for which

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries have been committed in the Greater London area and the rest of England and Wales, over the last 20 years; and how many have been solved.

The information available relates to the numbers of burglaries recorded by the police, not the total numbers of burglaries committed. The numbers of offences of burglary recorded by the police are published by police force area since 1975 in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"—table 32 of the volume for 1978, Cmnd. 7670. Information on clear-up rates for the Metropolitan Police district and the rest of England and Wales is given in the following table. Figures are not available on a comparable basis before 1969 because of changes made by the Theft Act 1968.Offences of burglary recorded by the police and cleared up:figures are available a member of the board of visitors at Pentonville prison visited the prison.

In the period 1 July 1979 to 30 June 1980 there were 12 monthly meetings of the board attended on average by 11 members. Between meetings of the board, members visited the prison on 49 occasions to fulfil their statutory obligation. The chairman of the board made regular weekly visits to the prison. Two members of the board attended seven meetings of the local review committee; and adjudication panels of at least two members of the board were convened on 39 occasions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations he is making into the sit-down at Pentonville prison; if he will publish his findings; and if he will make a statement.

We have received a full report from the governor of Pentonville prison about an incident there on Sunday 27 July. It is not customary to publish internal reports of this kind.At 10.30 am, after an hour's exercise, about 100 unconvicted prisoners refused to return to their cells. Some prisoners returned to their cells during the day. The incident ended at 10.00 pm when all the remaining prisoners walked back to their cells. There is no report of any violence during the day. I should like to express my thanks to the governor and staff of Pentonville and to the staff of other prisons for their skilful handling of the incident and to the chairman and members of the board of visitors for their public service in attending the prison as observers for most of the day.The prisoners involved have been advised of the proper channels by which they may complain of grievances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the names, by establishment, of all members of boards of visitors.

We are not persuaded that it would be right without their consent to publish in the official Report the names of nearly 1,500 members of the public who give their services in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are his objections to the establishment of an independent national association of members of boards of visitors.

We have no objections to the establishment of an independent national association of members of boards of visitors. It is a matter for individual members of boards to consider.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report his letter to all individual members of boards of visitors on the subject of the establishment of an independent national association; what the cost was; and why it was sent.

We did not write to individual members of boards of visitors. With the concurrence of the four members of boards of visitors who came to see my noble Friend the Under-Secretary, Lord Belstead on 23 June, the Department wrote to the chairman of the annual conference of boards of visitors to let her know that the meeting had taken place and explaining our response to the proposals. At the request of the chairman of conference a copy of the letter was later sent to the chairman of each board of visitors for their information.The text of that letter follows. The cost involved in copying it to 114 boards was less than £10.HOME OFFICE89 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PUTelephone 01–828 9848Your referenceOur referenceDate25 June 1980Mrs. C. M. Romanes JP, Portesham House. Portesham, Near Weymouth, Dorset.Dear Mrs. Romanes,Ten individual members from six different Boards of Visitors wrote to Lord Belstead in April saying that they had decided to set up an independent National Association of individual members of Boards of Visitors. They asked Lord Belstead if he would give them the opportunity to explain to him their reasons for deciding to set up such an association, and also asked if he would provide them with the names and private addresses of all members of Boards of Visitors so that they could write to them individually about support for an association. Lord Belstead agreed to meet four of the ten signatories and did so on 23 June. With their concurrence he has asked me to let you know, as Chairman of the National Conference, that the meeting has taken place and how he responded to what he was told. Lord Belstead told them that if it were the wish of members of Boards of Visitors to form such an association he would not wish to stand in the way; but he was aware that proposals for an association had been considered on a number of occasions in the past, including at two recent Annual Conferences of Boards of Visitors, and had repeatedly failed to find support. Having listened to the arguments put to him he remained to be convinced that there was a need for an association and in the circumstances he was not prepared to lend his support to the steps that were being taken. If an association were set up and sought to establish links with the Department, the extent of support which the association received from members of Boards would of course be a matter to which the Home Office would have to give attention. Lord Belstead said that in the light of what had been said about individual Board members feeling isolated from members of other Boards, the Department would look again at the arrangements which it made or encouraged to provide members of Boards with opportunities to meet and exchange views and experiences. Finally, Lord Belstead declined to provide the names and private addresses of Board members on the grounds that in the absence of consent from the individuals concerned it would be wrong to do so.Yours sincerely,J. D. CLEARYLiaison OfficerBoards of Visitors

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to warn the public of the need to seek advice from experts in his Department before committing themselves to purchasing nuclear shelters or other equipment and clothing purporting to give protection against a nuclear attack.

No; but we do intend to publish guidance on fall-out shelter criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether persons employed by his Department who deal with the public by telephone are required to identify themselves at the citizen's request; whether any, and if so what, category of employee of his Department is forbidden to give his name at the request of a member of the public who speaks to him by telephone; if so, on what occasions and for what reasons; and whether he will instruct all those employed by his Department who have contact with the public by telephone to give their names at the caller's request.

The standing requirement is for Home Office staff to give their names to telephone callers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of unsuccessful prosecutions in magistrates' courts for defective tyres under offence group 14 of vehicle test offences in the years of 1977, 1978 and 1979.

The number of such prosecutions in England and Wales which resulted in proceedings being discontinued or in charges being withdrawn or dismissed was 5,276 in 1977 and 5,097 in 1978; information for 1979 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average waiting time before interview in the United Kingdom of sponsors of entry certificate applicants from the Indian Sub-continent on 1 June 1979, 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average waiting time before interview for entry certificate applicants at Islamabad on 1 June 1979, 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year;(2) what was the average waiting time before interview for entry certificate applicants at Dacca on 1 June 1979, 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year;(3) what was the average waiting time before interview for entry certificate applicants at Delhi on 1 June 1979, 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year;(4) how many applicants for entry certificates were awaiting interview at Islamabad on 1 June 1979, 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year;(5) how many applicants for entry certificates were awaiting interview at Dacca on 1 June 1979, 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year;(6) how many applicants for entry certificates were awaiting interview at New Delhi on 1 June 1979 1 December 1979 and 1 June of the current year.

Information on waiting times and queue lengths in the Indian Sub-continent for entry clearance for immediate settlement is published quarterly in Home Office statistical bulletins, which are available in the Library of the House. The latest information, relating to the first quarter of 1980, was given in table 6 of the issue 8/80 published on 4 June 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet able to publish the results of his review of arrangements for handling spontaneous disorder.

The review, which I announced in my statement of 28 April on the disturbances at Bristol—[Vol. 983, c. 971–72]—has now been completed. In accordance with the undertaking I gave to publish the results, I have placed in the Library of the House a memorandum setting out the broad conclusions which have been reached following consultations with chief officers of police, the police staff associations and representatives of police authorities.The review has concluded that it would be desirable neither in principle nor in practice to depart from the present broad approach adopted by the police for dealing with disorder. The successful maintenance of public order depends on the consent of those policed. The primary object of the police will continue to be to prevent and defuse disorder through maintaining and developing the close liaison between the police and the local community. At the same time, the public have a clear right to expect police arrangements to be effective if, nevertheless, disorder occurs. Much has been done in recent years to ensure that arrangements are effective, but the review has suggested a number of practical ways in which those arrangements could be improved. These include measures which will help to ensure that an appropriate number of officers can be deployed switfly to any incident, with mutual aid between neighbouring forces where necessary, and that these officers are adequately equipped and trained.My officials and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary wil, with chief officers of police and others concerned, proceed urgently with the further work that will be necessary to implement the conclusions of the review. I am confident that these provide a sound basis on which police will be able to carry out their duty to maintain order in a way which will continue to be acceptable to the great majority of people in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has completed his examination of the possibility of introducing citizens band radio in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 May 1980, 122–23]. The discussion document on open channel was published yesterday and copies are available in the Vote Office. The general public can obtain copies free of charge by writing to the following address:

• The Officer in Charge,
• Home Office Supply and Transport Store,
• Royston Road,
• Caxton,
• Cambridge
• CB2 8PN

I hope for a wide and speedy response to the document, and I have asked for comments by 30 November of this year. I shall take the public reaction to my proposals into account in reaching final decisions on open channel. As I made clear in reply to a question from my hon. Friend on 7 May, some work remains to be done before open channel could be introduced, but I emphasise that I am seeking no more delay than is necessary to establish a satisfactory service for the enthusiasts while at the same time protecting the interests of other radio users and the general public as a whole

asked the Prime Minister if she will ensure that the issue of the future of Cyprus is discussed on her visit to Greece later in the current year.

I am sure that Cyprus will be amongst the issues for discussion. I know that the Greek Government share our interest in an early resumption of intercommunal negotiation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much has been spent to date on retraining schemes initiated by the Manpower Services Commission in the years 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80.

Training and retraining of persons who are unemployed is provided by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) under the training opportunities scheme. I am informed by the MSC that the total expenditure under that scheme for the years in question was as follows:

	£ million
1977–78	189·005
1978–79	206·617
1979–80 (provisional)	229·730

Costs of training provided for unemployed young people are included in the figures for the first two years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk North, Official Report, 21 July, c. 11, he will give the net cost of (a) employing all registered unemployed at a weekly rate of £50, after taking account of increased revenues from national insurance and income tax and deducting the estimated saving in social security, tax refunds, rate and rent rebates and all such national and local government benefits, and (b) that estimated proportion of the unemployed who are capable of normal work and who seriously intend to work; and if he will compare these figures with the current total expenditure on unemployment benefit and all other national and local benefits, grants and subsidies paid to the unemployed.

I regret that it is not possible to add to the information given in my reply on 21 July.—[Vol. 980, c. 11.] Nor is there any firm evidence on which to base even broad estimates of the proportions of registered unemployed who may be considered unemployed either through lack of capacity or application, or of the numbers who are not seriously intending to work.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total increase in unemployment from May 1979 to the latest date.

Between 10 May 1979 and 10 July 1980 the number of people registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom seasonally adjusted and excluding school leavers, increased by 299,600.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk North. Official Report, 21 July, column 11, if he will recalculate the net cost of employing all the unemployed, assuming that the average benefit payments saved are £26·50 per week in the light of the figures given in the Official Report, 18 July, column 742.

On the assumption that the average benefits were £26·50 per week per person, the annual cost saving on benefits would be £2,099 million—all ages—and £1,959 million—aged 18 and over. The net costs at different levels of wages would then be:

	All ages	18 and over
	£	£
£45	433 million	396 million
£50	631 million	580 million
£55	829 million	765 million
£60	1027 million	948 million

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many students are registered as unemployed.

Students who have not yet completed full-time education may register in order to obtain vacational employment but are not included in the unemployment statistics. At 10 July, the number aged 18 years and over in the United Kingdom was 138,053. Those under 18 years are not counted.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now provide additional financial assistance to companies for apprenticeship schemes; and if he will make a statement.

As the Secretary of State told the House recently, the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) is, as part of its response to the present high level of youth unemployment, making available additional funds to support a supplementary programme of some 1,500 extra apprentice places this year. The MSC is asking industry training boards to submit proposals for the allocation of these additional resources with a view to making grants available to employers by the end of August.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make an inquiry into the living and working conditions of workers who have been recruited by British construction companies to jobs in the Near East and Africa; and if he will make a statement.

No. I have no plans to investigate the living and working conditions of those workers. Where it is involved in recruitment, the public employment service makes inquiries into living and working conditions and follows up complaints made by workers with recruiting employers. The service is aware of the recent allegations made in the press concerning work in Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and Iraq.British employment legislation does not as a rule extend to work outside Great Britain; employees have recourse to the courts for remedy, however, where there is alleged failure to meet contractual obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the present number of (a)men and (b) women, unemployed in the London borough of Wandsworth and the number of school leavers included in this figure.

At 10 July, there were 5,047 males and 1,955 females registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Clapham Junction and Tooting employment offices, which closely corresponds to the London borough of Wandsworth. The number of school leavers under 18 years of age included in these figures was 804. The figures are provisional. The Government and the Manpower Services Commission have undertaken that all 1980 school leavers who remain unemployed and all young people who have been unemployed for 12 month or more will be offered places on the youth opportunities programme by the end of March 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest approximate estimate of (a) the numbers and (b) the percentages of the total unemployment figures represented by (i) unemployed females and (ii) persons registering as unemployed after early retirement; and if he will give all figures both in respect of the United Kingdom and Scotland.

On 10 July 1980 there were 632,000 registered unemployed females in the United Kingdom, representing 33·3 per cent. of the total. The corresponding figures for Scotland were 86,000, 36·3 per cent.It is estimated that there are about 90,000 to 100,000 registered unemployed people in Great Britain aged 55 or more but under the statutory retirement age who are in receipt of occupational pensions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons presently working short-time in the Coventry travel-to-work area; and what was the number of such persons (a) six months ago and (b) 12 months ago.

Information is not available for local areas but in the week ended 17 May 1980 there were 40,300 operatives in manufacturing industries on short-time working, either for the whole or for part of the week, in the West Midlands region. For similar periods six months and 12 months earlier—that is, for the weeks ended 10 November 1979 and 5 May 1979—the numbers were 16,900 and 10,100, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school leavers at the last school leaving date in Coventry were registered as unemployed.

Whilst the statistics do not separately distinguish summer school leavers, between 8 May and 10 July the numbers of unemployed school leavers under 18 years of age in the Coventry employment office area increased from 432 to 2,903. The Government and the Manpower Services Commission have undertaken that all 1980 school leavers who remain unemployed and all young people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more will be offered places on the youth opportunities programme by the end of March 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider winding-up the Road Transport Industry Training Board.

The future arrangements for promoting training in industry and commerce are being considered in the context of consultation which are being held following the publication by the Manpower Services Commission on 31 July of the report of the review body on industrial training aspects of the Employment and Training Act 1973. The commission will give its view following a further discussion which is planned for the end of October. The future of the Road Transport Industry Training Board will be considered at that time, along with that of other industry training boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will indicate when the census of employment figures for Staffordshire from mid-1977 onwards will be available; and why the figures are not produced sooner.

The 1977 census of employment figures for Staffordshire are available.Serious delays in the census results have built up since 1976 through attempting computerisation too rapidly. Following efforts to overcome the problems, the 1978 results should be produced by the end of this year but to conduct in addition a 1980 census would have required excessive staff resources, and not produced results much sooner than the second quarter of 1982, the time now planned for those for 1981. The absence of a census for 1980, together with the cancellation last year of that for 1979, will lead to substantial savings in costs for both Government and firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Empolyment how many applications have been made, and what are the numbers covered, regionally and nationally, under the special temporary employment programme since May 1979.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that in the period 1 May 1979 to 25 July 1980 a total of 2,750 applications to sponsor special temporary employment programme schemes have been made. Information about the number of temporary jobs these proposals would have created if all of them were approved as submitted is not available. However, in the same period, 23,500 people who otherwise would have been unempolyed entered into the programme. The regional breakdown of these figures is as follows:

Regions	Applications received	Entrants
Scotland	734	4,700
Northern	447	3,995
Yorkshire and Humberside	377	1,880
North-West	350	4,700
Midlands	237	3,290
Wales	322	1,880
South-West	122	940
London	107	1,410
South-East	60	705
Great Britain Total	2,756	23,500

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) when the Homeworking Advisory Committee will meet next; and if he will make a statement about its future;(2) if he will maintain the Wages Inspectorate's homeworking unit; and if he will make a statement.

No meeting of the Homeworking Advisory Committee has been arranged.The future of the committee and of the homeworking unit is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the vacancies in Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate have now been filled.

As a result of competitions and other methods of entry since autumn 1979, a further 32 inspectors have taken up duty with the factory inspectorate.The future recruitment of factory inspectors will depend on the outcome of the reappraisal of the manpower needs of the Health and Safety Executive in the light of the Government's announced policy of cuts in Civil Service manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether persons employed by his Department who deal with the public by telephone are required to identify themselves at the citizen's request; whether any, and if so what, category of employee of his Department is forbidden to give his name at the request of a member of the public who speaks to him by telephone; if so, on what occasions and for what reasons; and whether he will instruct all those employed by his Department who have contact with the public by telephone to give their names at the caller's request.

An employee of my Department or of its associated agencies would normally identify himself if asked and I know of no circumstances in which he would be forbidden to do so. If the hon. and learned Member has any particular instance in mind, I will be glad to look into it and to consider whether any additional instructions are required.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much the magazine "Executive Post", published by the professional and executive recruitment division of the Department of Employment costs to produce and to circulate, respectively; to whom it is circulated; what charges are made to recoup the expenditure; and what is the net cost or benefit to the taxpayer of the professional and executive recruitment division.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the annual production and distribution cost of "Executive Post", based on a mailing list of 80,000, is estimated at £0.9 million, of which postal charges account for just over half. The savings resulting from the replacement of the present staff-intensive computer matching system by "Executive Post" are estimated at £2.5 million, thus reducing the net running costs of PER by £1.6 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement concerning the contingency provision of diver training facilities at the Fort William diving centre.

Discussions with the industry over the future of the underwater training centre are still in progress.I shall make an announcement as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms in the Handsworth local employment office area have (a) closed entirely, (b) notified their intention to close and (c) notified redundancies; and how many in the six months ending 30 June.

Information regarding the number of firms which have closed entirely is not available. However, the number of proposed closures and redundancies notified to my Department under the redundancy handling provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 for the Handsworth local employment office area from 1 January to 30 June 1980 is as follows:(a)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms in the Aston employment office area have (a) closed entirely, (b) notified their intention to close and (c) notified redundancies; and how many in the six months ending 30 June.

Information regarding the number of firms which have closed entirely is not available. However, the number of proposed closures and redundancies notified to my Department under the redundancy handling provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 for the Aston employment office area from 1 January to 30 June 1980 is as follows:(a)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what conclusions he has come to after considering whether, in the light of the abolition of earnings-related supplement in 1982, the six weeks' maternity pay at 90 per cent. of normal

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms in England, listed by employment office area, receive support currently from the temporary short-time working schemes; how many persons are affected; and how many applications are outstanding.

I regret that the information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.However, the following table shows the number of jobs supported and the number of workers on short-time, covered by approved claims in the month of June 1980, together with the number of applications awaiting consideration, for each region.earnings under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act should be increased to 100 per cent. of normal weekly earnings; if he will seek to make such an increase; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is still considering the matter, especially in the light of the implications for maternity pay and maternity allowance of the employers' statutory sick pay scheme proposed in the Green Paper "Income during initial sickness: A new strategy".

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 jobcentre at the latest date for which figures are available: and if he will provide comparable figures for the same date in 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 31 July 1980, c. 719]: The following table gives the numbers of registered unemployed young people aged 18 years and under who, at 12 July 1979 and 10 July 1980, had not been in employment since completing full-time education:

CAREERS OFFICES
	July 1979	July 1980*
Burslem	518	792
Hanley	507	767
Longton	330	630

EMPLOYMENT OFFICES
	July 1979	July 1980*
Burslem	14	15
Hanley	154	244
Longton	109	66
Stoke	38	79
Notes:
1. The July 1980 figures are not strictly comparable with those for July 1979 because of the introduction in September 1979 of fortnightly attendance and payment of benefit. Estimates by age or for local areas are not available but for the country as a whole the monthly figures for all unemployed are about 20,000 or 1½ per cent. higher than under weekly attendance.
2. The Government and the Manpower Services people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more will be offered places on the youth opportunities programme by the end of March 1981.
* Provisional.

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 availble; and if he will provide comparable figures for 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 31 July 1980, c. 719]: The following table gives the numbers of registered unemployed young people aged 18 years and under who, at 12 July 1979 and 10 July 1980, had not been in employment since completing ful-time education:

CAREERS OFFICES
	July 1979	July 1980*
Aston	501	766
Birmingham	982	890
Hall Green	545	799
Handsworth	607	701
Harborne	449	533
Perry Bar	828	1,031
Selly Oak	770	843
Stechford	651	843
Sutton Coldfield	456	587
Yardley	512	757

EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
	July 1979	July 1980*
Aston	35	58
Birmingham	42	27
Erdington	21	21
Handsworth	36	89
Northfield	29	51
Selly Oak	41	29
Small Heath	38	18
Sparkhill	36	70
Sutton Coldfield	41	92
Washwood Heath	52	66
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Handsworth on 26 June about employment in Birmingham, if he will update the figures given to the latest convenient date.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Northampton, North, Official Report, 22 July, if derv increases in price by 10 per cent. how this affects industrial costs; and to what extent this is passed on to the consumer and hence to the retail price index.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present cost to public funds of the existence of the Construction Industry Training Board's Bircham Newton training centre and civil engineering college; how many people are at present undergoing training there; and what is the capacity for training places at the establishment.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the costs of running the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Bircham Newton training centre and civil engineering college are met from industry-derived funds amounting to some £4.91 million in the current financial year. The Manpower Services Commission, however, makes a contribution towards the costs of development work carried out by staff at the centre; in the current financial year this contribution is £177,000. In addition, the commission contributes to the provision of training courses at the civil engineering college partly to make good shortfalls in industry recruitment during periods of recession; for pilot schemes; and to support the high cost intensive form of training provided. The sum of £ 315,000 has been made available to the CITB for this purpose in the current financial year. There are currently no trainees at the centre and college as the establishment is closed down for August, but the number of trainees due to begin in September this year is 417 and the number of residential training places available is 512.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that sufficient apprentices are being trained by industry and the training boards and what plans he has to increase the numbers.

[pursuant to his reply, 31 July 1980, c. 782〓83]: It is primarily for industry itself to recruit and train sufficient apprentices to meet its long-term economic needs. However, the Government are continuing, through the Manpower Services Commission, to give substantial support to industry's efforts. As the Secretary of State recently told the House, in addition to the main training for skills programme, under which up to 23,500 apprenticeships and other forms of long-term training are being supported in 1980–81, the MSC, as part of its response to the current high level of youth unemployment, is making available additional funds to support some 1,500 extra apprentice places this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider the creation of a job mobility allowance as an encouragement to people to move to jobs in other areas; and if he will make a statement.