asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the proposed legislation to amend the National Enterprise Board's financial arrangements will include provision to increase the board's financial limit in respect of BL; and by what amount.

Clause 1(1) of the Industry Bill, which received its First Reading today, provides for an increase in the NEB's statutory financial limit to cover the external financing requirements of BL Ltd. Whatever decisions are taken on BL's corporate plan, an increase in the financial limit of the NEB in respect of BL will be necessary. However, until the Government have taken decisions on the corporate plan no firm estimate of this can be made. The increase for which the Bill provides is, therefore, a token one of £1 million. A firm figure for the new financial limit will be announced as soon as possible and an appropriate amendment will then be tabled. The House will then have a full opportunity to debate the matter.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether any changes have occurred in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office cash limits for 1980–81.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Vote 5 (Foreign and Commonwealth Services) will be increased by £2 million to £23,879,000 to provide for the additional cost of military training assistance to Zimbabwe.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the meeting of the European Economic Community Council of Fisheries Ministers on 17 and 18 November.

The Council considered briefly a report from the committee of senior officials which had been discussing the allocation of quotas between member States. Most time was spent in bilateral discussions between the member States mainly concerned. Although some progress was made in these discussions the President concluded that a final solution was not immediately in sight and he therefore suspended the meeting on the basis that it will be recalled in a few days' time following further discussions he and the Commission expect to have with the Member States.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further progress has been made in the United Kingdom survey implementing the European Economic Community directive on the biological screening of the population for lead since the last report was placed in the Library on 4 February, Volume 978, columns 33–34; and if he will make a statement.

We have received results for the final two groups in the survey, selected mothers in Glasgow and the babies born to them during the period of the study. I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of a report giving the preliminary analysis of these results. Copies of the report have also been sent to hon. Members with a constituency interest.The report itself will shortly be sent to the Commission of the European Communities. The Department of the Environment and my Department are also preparing detailed analyses of the results for both groups and these too will be reported in due course to the Commission.The present report shows that neither the group of Glasgow mothers nor that of their babies met all of the reference levels set out in the directive. The sample of mothers was stratified to give relatively large numbers of mothers and babies exposed to high levels of lead in water. The relationship between water lead levels and blood lead levels will be explored in more detail in a report on all aspects of the mothers and babies study, which will be published later.Lime-dosing of most of Glasgow's water supplies, in order to reduce their plumbo-solvency, began in 1978 and immediately after completion of the mothers and babies study lime-dosing was enhanced. The Lawther report on "Lead and Health" made a number of recommendations on treatment and other aspects of lead in water; my colleagues and I are considering these in the light of the working party's evidence and of the practical and economic factors, and will make an announcement as soon as we can.I should like to thank all those who took part in the Glasgow survey, particularly the mothers who voluntarily undertook several tasks in addition to giving samples of their blood.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to make it easier to switch between ordinary mortgages and option mortgages.

Section 114 of the Housing Act 1980, which came into operation on 3 October, makes it easier for borrowers to switch between ordinary tax relief mortgages and option mortgages. Details of the new arrangements are being published today in a Department of the Environment leaflet "Switching between an ordinary and an option mortgage", copies of which have been placed in the Library, the changes, which will help borrowers who wish to alter their mortgage arrangements in line with changes in their personal circumstances, are as follows:

(a) for the first time a person with an ordinary mortgage has the right to switch to an option mortgage

(b) a borrower with an option mortgage can now switch to an ordinary mortgage after only one year instead of four as under previous arrangements

(c) switching into the option mortgage scheme on hardship grounds is also easier.

Borrowers wishing to use their right to switch after they have had their mortgage for one year must give their lender three months' notice; and the switch then takes place on the next 1 April. A borrower wishing to switch on 1 April 1981 must therefore give notice by 31 December 1980.Borrowers who wish to switch into the scheme on hardship grounds may now do so at the beginning of any month, provided they give their lender three month's notice. Such a switch will still require their lender's agreement, and his decision will be final. Borrowers who have already given notice to switch from 1 April 1981 on hardship grounds should re-apply if they wish to switch earlier under the new provisions.Borrowers can normally exercise their right to switch only once during the life of their mortgage. It is only possible tto switch in one direction and then back again if one switch is to an option mortgage on hardship grounds.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is in a position to announce the membership of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

I am pleased to announce on behalf of myself and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that the following members have been appointed to the United

Category	National Board	Name	Present Post
Practising Nurses (two from each National Board)	England	Professor Baroness McFarlane of Llandaff	Head of department of nursing, Manchester University
	England	Dr. S E Pembrey	Area nurse (clinical practice) Oxford AHA
	Wales	Mr. D Jones	Area nursing officer, Gwynedd AHA
	Wales	Mr. H P J Butcher	Divisional nursing officer (psychiatry) Swansea
	Scotland	Miss M E Scholes	Chief area nursing officer, Tayside health board
	Scotland	Miss M Buchanan	Divisional nursing officer, Royal hospital for sick children, Edinburgh
	N Ireland	Miss E N I Lamb	Chief administrative nursing officer, Eastern Health and Social Services Board
	N Ireland	Miss M Rooney	Principal administrative education officer, North Down Group school of nursing

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to appeal to the House of Lords against the Court of Appeal judgment on the legality of the role of nurses and midwives in the termination of pregnancy by medical induction.

Yes. An appeal has been lodged with the House of Lords.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made in the review of present arrangements for designating some health authorities as teaching authorities as referred to in paragraph 35 of his Department's circular HC(80)8.

On 19 November, I distributed a discussion paper to health and teaching interests. It invites comments to be sent to the Department by the end of the year on a number of aspects of medical teaching in the NHS, including teaching designation, and we shall reach conclusions in the light of views expressed. A copy of the paper "Medical Teaching in the NHS", HN(80)40, has been placed in the Library and copies are available to hon. Members in the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he is taking to limit receipt of supplementary benefit by nationals of the member States of the European Community.

Community nationals cannot be denied access to the supplementary benefits scheme, but those

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements have been or will be made to distribute to doctors copies of the British National Formulary; what estimates have been made of the cost of doing so; whether this publication will contain such information as is now provided in MIMS: and, if not, what information is omitted.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1980, c.430]: All doctors in the NHS will be sent the new version of the British National Formulary when it is published early next year. Preliminary estimates include approximately £304,000 for the purchase and distribution to doctors of two editions per year.The revised format of the new BNF, which is independently produced by a joint committee of representatives of the medical and pharmaceutical professions, will be unlike the