asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to make an appointment of someone to harness volunteer effort in the civil defence field in England and Wales as envisaged in his statement on 7 August.

The person appointed will have terms of reference requiring him to advise on, co-ordinate and stimulate the harnessing of voluntary effort at all levels in relation to civil home defence preparedness, by liaison with appropriate voluntary organisations and with local authorities and their staff. He will work closely with the appropriate Home Office officials, and will have direct access to me and the Minister of State.To this post I have decided to appoint Air Marshal Sir Leslie Mayor, K.C.B., A.F.C., D.L., F.R.A.e.S., R.A.F., (Retd), the present principal of the Home Defence College at Easingwold. Sir Leslie's present appointment will terminate on 31 December, and he will take up his new duties on 1 January. A new principal for the Home Defence College will be appointed.Sir Leslie's close involvement with civil defence planning during the last seven years makes him exceptionally well qualified for his new post, and I know that he can count on the fullest support from the voluntary organisations and from local authorities and their staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to announce the results of his review of the law as it concerns shoplifting.

The review, by the Home Office standing committee on crime prevention, of measures to prevent shoplifting is taking into account suggestions made by my hon. Friend and others about possible changes of law and practice in this field. The review will take some months to complete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of South Wales on the police raid on two houses occupied by students at University College, Swansea at dawn on Saturday 6 December for the purpose of apprehending alleged Palestinian terrorists.

There was no such operation on 6 December. The chief constable of South Wales constabularly tells me that, acting on information received about possible plans for terrorist activity, members of his force on 28 November at 6 am executed three warrants under the Criminal Damage Act at hostels belonging to Swansea University College. Any complaint arising from this operation is a matter for the statutory complaints machinery.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the tribunal of inquiry into the Crown Agents has been sitting; how many days of the week it usually sits and for how many hours; what fees are paid to members of the tribunal; what has been the cost to public funds of its sittings thus far; how much longer it is likely to sit; and when it is expected to report.

The tribunal was appointed on 1 March 1978, held preliminary public meetings in April and July and began regular hearings on 18 September of that year. These have now taken place on 243 days.The tribunal normally sits from 10.30 am to 4.15 pm on four days a week, except in law vacations and pauses between stages of the inquiry. The public hearing of evidence is likely to be completed by the end of January 1981, and the tribunal's report submitted towards the end of next year.The chairman receives his normal judicial salary; the other two members receive a fee of £10,000 a year in respect of an estimated four days a week spent on the work of the tribunal.Total estimated expenditure to the end of November 1980 is approximately £1·6 million. This figure does not, however, cover the costs of accommodation for the hearing in Government buildings or fees for legal services for which bills have yet to be presented or processed for payment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there has been no reply to the letter dated 5 November from the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury to Lord Belstead concerning the delay in dealing with correspondence addressed to the Metropolitan Police by Mr. Macleod of Gosport and the Home Secretary's responsibilities as Police Authority for the Metropolis.

A reply was sent by my noble Friend on 9 December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider increasing the limit of the total value of tickets or chances sold under a lottery promoted under section 5 of the Lotteries and Amusement Act 1976.

I propose to make an order doubling the monetary limits applicable to societies' lotteries and local lotteries, but the new limits cannot come into effect until certain technical problems have been resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the Government's attitude to Council of Europe Resolution 743 on the need to combat resurgent fascist propaganda and its racist aspects, adopted by the Assembly on 1 October 1980; and what follow-up action is planned.

The Government agree with the spirit of this resolution and unhesitatingly condemn all forms of extremist violence. At the request of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe we are supplying information about our race relations and public order legislation. The latter, including the offence of incitement to racial hatred, is currently under review, and we shall be announcing our conclusions in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, 10 November, column 11, whether he, or any other Minister in his Department, has held any discussions with party leaders on the Manchester city council since, and about any implications of, his decision in principle to make an order giving effect to the Local Government Boundary Commission's proposals for new electoral arrangements in Manchester.

The only discussions of this kind took place when the leader of the Conservative Party group on the city council telephoned my hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet able to confirm that the new electoral divisions as recommended will come into force for the Cumbria county council elections in 1981.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England submitted to me on 3 November its report proposing new electoral arrangements for Cumbria. Subject to any representations which he may receive before 16 December, my right hon. Friend intends to make an order giving effect to the commission's proposals, with or without modificatons, in time for the elections to be held in May 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will recommend the setting up of a Royal Commission to review migration policy.

We have no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of the Republic of Ireland are entitled to vote in United Kingdom general elections (a) in Great Britain and (b) in Northern Ireland; and how many British citizens would be entitled to vote in the Republic of Ireland if a reciprocal situation existed.

The labour force survey taken in 1979 suggested that there may be close to half a million citizens of the Irish Republic aged 18 and over resident in the United Kingdom. Those whose names appear on an electoral register in Great Britain would be entitled to vote at all elections. In Northern Ireland the electoral register contains a marker against the names of those who are entitled to vote in Westminster and European Parliament elections but not in local elections. There are some 5,000 such electors on the 1979 register, almost all of whom would be citizens of the Irish Republic. But there are also on the Northern Ireland electoral register other citizens of the Irish Republic who are not separately identified.The only available information concerning British citizens who might be entitled to vote in parliamentary elections in the Republic of Ireland if a reciprocal situation existed is that according to their 1971 census, some 52,000 persons (not all of whom would be of voting age) resident in the Republic claimed that they had been born in Great Britain. Some of these persons would have acquired citizenship of the Irish Republic and would therefore already have the right to vote in such elections.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to make available the report of Sir Henry Yellowlees on the medical examination of immigrants.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the present level of unemployment in Wales: and what steps he proposes to take to reduce this level.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Flint, East (Mr. Jones) earlier today. Unemployment in Wales as elsewhere will not fall significantly until we reduce inflation and restore the conditions in which British industry can compete successfully.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when it is his intention to finance the opening and maintenance of a specialised unit for the treatment of burns in South-West Wales, west of Bridgend.

My intention is to replace the present burns unit at St. Lawrence hospital, Chepstow, with a purpose-built unit in South Glamorgan. There are no plans for an additional unit in South-West Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the main antenatal clinics in the Principality which as yet are not provided with ultra-sound diagnostic facilities.

The information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales why a new cardio-respiratory surgeon based at Morriston hospital, Swansea, is not to be appointed when the present surgeon in that speciality retires.

The Welsh Medical Committee had advised that thoracic surgery should be carried out at a regional centre to be established in South Glamorgan.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table indicating for each local education authority in Wales, the ratio of pupils to teachers in primary schools and in secondary schools, respectively, for the latest period for which figures are available.

The information, which relates to January 1980, is as follows:

Pupil/teacher ratios within schools
Maintained Schools	Primary	Secondary
Clwyd	23.1	17.0
Dyfed	18.4	16.8
Gwent	22.8	16.1
Gwynedd	20.5	16.2
Mid Glamorgan	23.6	16.8
Powys	18.7	16.0
South Glamorgan	23.2	16.8
West Glamorgan	21.1	16.4

asked the Secretary of State for wales if he has any plans to build the second phase of Bronglais hospital, Aberystwyth during the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

No. The priority of the Dyfed health authority remains the replacement of Llanelli general hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to release the North-East Wales trafic study; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon.Member on 24 November 1980—[Vol. 994, c. 26.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will indicate the estimated start and completion date of (a) the new Wrexam district general hospital and (b) the Mold and Buckley community hospital; if he will indicate their proposed costs and the amount of local labour planned for the construction period; and if he will make a statement.

Authorisation has been given for the invitation of tenders for the construction of the Wrexham district general hospital and work should commence about the autumn of next year. The construction period will be three years, and the cost approximately £13 million. It is not yet possible to say when work on the Mold community hospital will start, but the cost is estimated to be £1·5 million. Contractors will be expected to make full use of labour available locally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each Welsh local authority, the amount allocated for energy conservation measures within the total housing investment programme, single-block allocations for 1980–81.

The allocations made to individual local authorities for private sector thermal insulation grants are as follows:

	£
Aberconwy BC	17,000
Afan BC	15,000
Alyn and Deeside DC	26,000
Arfon BC	26,000
Blaenau Gwent BC	48,000
Brecknock BC	14,000
Cardiff CC	78,000
Carmarthen DC	25,500
Ceredigion DC	27,000
Colwyn BC	18,000
Cynon Valley BC	27,000
Delyn BC	15,000
Dinefwr BC	14,000
Dwyfor DC	14,000
Glyndwr DC	25,000
Islwyn BC	36,000
Llanelli BC	32,000
Lliw Valley BC	37,000
Meirionnydd DC	14,000
Merthyr Tydfil BC	36,000
Monmouth DC	16,000
Montgomery DC	15,000
Neath BC	27,000
Newport BC	52,000
Ogwr BC	41,000
Preseli DC	17,000
Radnor DC	12,000
Rhondda BC	49,000
Rhuddlan BC	17,000
Rhymney Valley BC	38,000
South Pembrokeshire DC	14,000
Swansea CC	59,000
Taff Ely BC	37,000
Torfaen BC	38,000
Vale of Glamorgan BC	40,000
Wrexham Maelor BC	40,000
Ynys Mon BC	26,000
Total	1,079,500

Included in these figures are the allocations for the elderly in special need which I listed in my reply to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Dr. Thomas) on 27 November—[Vol. 994, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what discussions he has had with Inmos Ltd. about the location of its second microchip manufacturing unit.

My right hon. Friend has received assurances from the company that its second United Kingdom production plant will be located in an assisted area. It is too early to say what the actual location will be.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what has been the percentage change in the level of capital investment in manufacturing industry for the latest available 12-month period.

The volume of investment by manufacturing industry in the 12 months ending September 1980 was about 4 per cent. lower than in the previous 12 months. However, manufacturers are increasingly acquiring assets on financial lease from the service industries and, while firm information is not yet available, it is expected that such acquisitions will have moderated the fall.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will remove scrap from schedule V—minerals and metals—to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1978.

I am not prepared to recommend to the Secretary of State for Trade that scrap be removed from the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1978. Controls on exports of scrap operate on a European Community basis and their future is the subject of Community discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many industrial estates are situated in the Middleton and Prestwich constituency; how many new factories are planned on these estates; how much space is available for future expansion; and to what extent he, and the local councils, control policy for the future development of these estates.

The English Industrial Estates Corporation has neither provided factories in the Middleton and Prestwich constituency, nor owns any land there at the present time, and it is not my right hon. Friend's intention to authorise the EIEC to undertake development there with public funds. The Department does not keep records of private sector or local authority industrial estates, land holdings, or future plans. Future industrial development in Middleton and Prestwich will depend upon private investment and local authority planning permission.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has received the proposals of the British Steel Corporation on the future of the steel industry; and, if so, what is his response to them.

My right hon. Friend received the BSC corporate plan on 12 December. As he made clear in his reply to the hon. Member for Newport (Mr. Hughes) on 11 December—[Vol. 996 c. 763]—the Government do not expect to announce their response to the corporate plan until about the end of January.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make an estimate of the present cost to public funds of subsidising overmanning and low labour productivity in the British Steel Corporation.

I am not in a position to make estimates of this kind. Since the beginning of 1980, the BSC has reduced its manpower by over 40,000—rising to over 50,000 by the end of March 1981—and in announcing the proposals in the BSC corporate plan on 12 December Mr MacGregor said that the BSC would need a further reduction in personnel of at least 20,000, partly through further closures, but mainly to improve labour productivity.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what contingency plans there are for the disposal to the private sector of viable element of BL Ltd.; and, if he has such plans, if he will place them in the Library prior to any such statement.

The only plan that the Government have before them relating to BL is the company's 1981 corporate plan. The Government will announce as soon as possible their decisions on the plan and on the associated funding request submitted by BL. Since the plan contains information which is commercially confidential, it cannot be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he has plans to approve further public expenditure on the construction by the English Industrial Estates Corporation of additional advance factories.

My right hon. Friend has approved a provisional public sector programme providing approximately for a further 18 months' work. A copy of the corporation's announcement has been placed in the Library for the information of hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers since 1977 have been disciplined for refusing orders when engaged in provision of emergency services during industrial action; if he will list each occasion on which this occurred and the numbers involved; how many of these were court martialled; and what other sentences were carried out.

Such detailed information is not readily available and it could not be obtained without disproportionate effort. However, no case of soldiers having been court martialled for such offences are known to the Ministry of Defence; and few, if any, cases of summary action by commanding officers are likely.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much will be spent on the Territoral Army in 1980–81; what proportion this is of the total defence budget; and how much has been cut from the Territorial Army budget in 1980–81.

Territorial Army expenditure for 1980–81 was estimated at the start of the year to be £119·5 million at 1980 survey prices. This represented 1·25 per cent. of the total defence budget. The Territorial Army has not been immune from economies over the defence budget as a whole and estimated net savings totalling some £2·4 million have been made in the course of the year.

asked the Seretary of State for Defence what assumptions he makes about the proportion of the total Army strength which will be represented by members of the Territorial Army in the event of armed hostilities.

Upon completion of mobilisation it is planned that some 30 per cent. of the Army's total strength will consist of Territorial Army units.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will seek powers to enable him to fix the prices paid for gas sold from the United Kingdom continental shelf to the British Gas Corporation at a level approximately equivalent to the price of gas sold from the Norwegian sector or elsewhere.

No. Prices are a matter for negotiation between the British Gas Corporation and the producers.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether any of the 125 consortia comprising some 200 companies which have made application for 95 blocks in the seventh round of licensing have notified their intention or have withdrawn as of 9 December following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposals for a new tax regime for the North Sea.

No applicant groups have withdrawn or advised me of their intention to do so following the statement by my right hon. and learned Friend on 24 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list in the Official Report those documents which he has requested the Lord Chancellor to release under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act within the 30-year time limit.

I have made no such requests to the Lord Chancellor.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on recommendations made by the organising group for the gas-gathering pipeline before the Christmas Recess.

I have nothing to add to my answers to the hon. Member of 8 and 11 December.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether, in view of the increasing world interest in hydroelectric power, he will make a statement on the position in the United kingdom.

The United Kingdom has a long history in the use of hydroelectricity—even though our resources are limited. The hydroelectric component of public electricity supply has been fairly stable at around 1100 MW for many years, most of it being concentrated in Scotland. We have, however, seen a decline in the number of small hydroelectric sites which are typically owned and operated by private individuals or companies. In order to assess the potential offered by these sites, the Department of Energy commissioned Salford University to carry out a field study of Wales. The work has recently been completed and I have arranged for a copy of its report to be placed in the Library of the House. The report shows that there are over 560 sites in Wales with a practical capacity greater than 25 kw and that in total these sites offer a capacity of about 70 MW and an annual fuel saving of around 80,000 tonnes of oil equivalent.The economics of small scale hydroelectric schemes looks sufficiently promising for me to authorise the identification of specific schemes for further investigation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the Government's view of the so-called "Brezhnev doctrine" of the limited sovereignty of Socialist States in Eastern Europe.

This concept of "limited sovereignty" is inconsistent with the sovereign equality of States in international law, which is a basic principle of he United Nations Charter. It implies a claim to a right of intervention by one or more Communist States in the affairs of another sovereign and independent State which is contrary to international law and to the CSCE Final Act.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will now set in hand the preparation of plans for the construction of an airport in the Falkland Islands capable of receiving long-range passenger and cargo aeroplanes from the United Kingdom

We have studied carefully the question of extending the runway of the present airfield, but concluded that there would not be sufficient traffic to warrant the very high capital cost, as well as the running cost to the Falkland Islands Government. However, should circumstances change, we should be happy to look at the question again.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is satisfied that the inhabitants of Antigua and Barbuda desire the fully independent status being planned for them by his Department.

Yes. All the political parties which contested the April 1980 General Election in Antigua included as part of their election platform a commitment to seek early independence. These parties polled 98 per cent. of the total votes cast in the election and 1·4 per cent. were cast for an independent member from Barbuda, who seeks a a special status for that island. Delegations from the Antigua Government and Opposition parties, and from Barbuda, are currently attending a constitutional conference at Lancaster House to consider the independence constitution for the State.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement about efforts being made by official British representatives in the United States to present the facts about the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland.

This is a high priority for British officials in the United States. Their objective is to make the facts about Northern Ireland known as widely as possible and to rebut vigorously the misleading reports about the hunger strikes that have appeared in the United States media. Ministerial statements and a wide range of material prepared in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Office are disseminated to the United States media and political figures.In addition to briefings, our posts also encourage foreign journalists to visit Northern Ireland so that they can see the situation at first hand. More recently our representatives have arranged a programme of meetings and interviews in the United States for what we hope will be the first in a series of visits by Members of Parliament to help explain the facts about Northern Ireland.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many civil servants in his Department are concerned with the affairs of Northern Ireland and how many with relations with the Republic of Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which has a staff of seven, is concerned with political and economic relations with the Republic of Ireland, and with Northern Ireland questions in as much as they affect the United Kingdom's relations with the Republic and with other foreign countries. Otherwise, Northern Ireland's interests are handled along with those of the rest of the United Kingdom.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the reaction of Her Majesty's Government to the atrocities in El Salvador and on the British abstention on the vote in the Human Rights Committee at the United Nations on El Salvador.

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) whether he will make a statement about the British abstention at the United Nations on the resolution condemning the violation of human rights by the Government of El Salvador;(2) whether he will instruct the British representative at the United Nations to support future resolutions condemning the violation of human rights by the Government of El Salvador.

As has been said on a number of occasions, Her Majesty's Government deplore the violence taking place in El Salvador. My right hon. and noble Friend has sent a message to the Salvadorean Government expressing his concern. We abstained in the Third Committee vote because the resolution appeared unbalanced in singling out the Salvadorean Government for blame. However, we supported the call for an investigation by the Human Rights Commission.We are watching the situation closely and will decide on any further vote in accordance with our principle of condemning violations of human rights whenever they occur.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will indicate the number of students leaving Hong Kong to undertake tertiary education courses in the United Kingdom, Candada and the United States of America, respectively, in the three years 1978, 1979 and 1980.

The numbers of student visa applications from Hong Kong for first-degree and postgraduate courses in the United Kingdom are as follows:

Year	Number of Applications
1978	590
1979	834
1980 (January to October only)	573

The figures for Canada and the United States are not yet available. Further inquiries are being made and I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many citizens of Eire are employed in his Department.

Separate records are not maintained categorising staff by nationality. All staff are required to satisfy the nationality provisions of the Civil Service Commission general regulations before recruitment.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what powers are available to the Council of Ministers to ensure that its decisions on food exports to the Soviet Union are adhered to.

Implementation of the 15 January decision of the Council of Ministers on sales of agricultural products to the Soviet Union is the responsibility of the Commission. The Commission seeks the opinion of the product management committees on the individual measures required to implement that decision.All member States of the Community are represented on the management committees. If the opinion of the management committees on the Commission's proposals for implementation is adverse, the Commission cannot act wihout prior reference to the Council of Ministers. In addition to this, the Commission has reported from time to time to the Committee of Permanent Representatives and to the Council on the process of implementation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, when the Council of Ministers decided that exports of food to the Soviet Union should be restricted to traditional levels it gave any guidance to the EEC Commission on how such traditional levels should be calculated or determined.

The Council meeting on 15 January took a broad policy decision not to replace United States exports to the Soviet Union. The Commission subsequently circulated a paper with details of past levels of trade, and it is on this basis that the Commission has put forward to the individual management committees its proposals for implementing the 15 January decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will amend the draft order regarding origin marking so that the responsibility for correct indication of place of manufacture becomes the responsibility of the importer or manufacturer rather than the retailer.

The order published on 12 December, which has been amended to take account of practical points raised by the retail trade, will require United Kingdom manufacturers and importers to provide origin information in writing, if they supply goods to retailers unmarked after 1 January 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will give at the latest or most convenient stated date the names of peers who hold any appointments sponsored by or coming under the control of his Department and the salary or expenses paid or claimed; and how many meetings or conferences, committees or non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible, held during the past 12 months, were attended by them.

Appointments at 1 December 1980 were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many EEC directives or regulations which are at present in force were resisted by his Department before their implementation.

Many directives and regulations of the Council already existed at the time of our accession. Others opposed in the form in which they were put forward may have been improved in negotiation or negotiated as part of a package of measures, the overall effect of which was advantageous to the United kingdom. Thus it is not possible to identify the number of regulations and directives which may have been resisted prior to adoption. Once a regulation or directive has been adopted it is not the policy of the Government to oppose its implementation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many representations he has received from (a) buiness men (b) trade associations, (c) trades unions and (d) the general public against EEC policy, directives or regulations since membership.

I regret that the information is not available. Even if it were practicable to assemble it, the cost would be disproportionate. All representations received are, of course, given due consideration by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether following the meeting of the permanent commission of Eurocontrol on Thursday 20 November, he will make a statement on the future of Eurocontrol.

At the meeting of the Permanent Commission of Eurocontrol, the European organisation for the safety of air navigation on 20 November I took the chair, and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretry of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force led the United Kingdom delegation.The Permanent Commission approved the five year plan for Eurocontrol, the investment and operating budgets, long-term costings, and a new agreement on route charges (in which non-member States may participate). It also took an important decision about the future role and activities of the organisation, by approving a draft protocol amending the Eurocontrol international convention of 1960. This amending protocol is to be signed at a diplomatic conference early next year and, subject to ratification by the member States, will come into force on 1 March 1983.The arrangements embodied in the protocol are the result of several years' intensive study to define the role of Eurocontrol after 1983 when the initial 20 year term of the 1960 convention is due to end. The Permanent Commission concluded that the basic concept of the original convention, the horizontal division of member States' airspace was no longer justifiable in operational, technical, or financial terms. The Permanent Commission also took into account the desirability of extending the present membership to include other European States, of simplifying the extremely complex communal finance system, of balancing the competing demands of all airspaces users, civil and military, the economic importance of air traffic services, and the need for a flexible response to new demands and technical developments.Accordingly, the amended convention will extend Eurocontrol's responsibilities for the co-ordination of air traffic control planning to cover the whole airspace, with co-ordinated research and development, and common training policies. Eurocontrol will in future play a key role in developing and operating a European system of flow management. The complex communal financing of operational facilities will be progressively wound up. Air traffic control in the upper airspace will become the formal responsibility of member States, though they will be able, singly or jointly, to entrust the task to Eurocontrol. In practice this change is one of form only since most upper airspace facilities have always been operated by national Administrations.I am satisfied that under the amended convention the combined efforts of member States, exerted through Eurocontrol, will provide the best guarantee that safety and efficiency will remain the prime objectives of the European air traffic control system.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, further to his reply of 8 December to the hon. Member for Stretford, he will now provide the information requested in respect of landing, navigation and security charges alone.

The information requested by my hon. Friend relating to airports abroad is not collected by this Department, nor is it a function of the Department to collect such information. As I suggested in my reply to my hon. Friend's question on Monday 8 December—[Vol. 995, c. 455–6]—I refer him to the material provided on pages 68 and 69 of the annual report and accounts of the British Airports Authority, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how much coal was imported in the year ended 30 September, by country of origin; and what was the average price per tonne of coal imported from each country.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the Government's attitude towards the substantial increase in the number of cases of glue sniffing amongst students in schools; and whether he plans to introduce legislation on this matter.

I am not aware of a substantial increase in the number of cases of glue sniffing amongst students in schools. However, as I stated in my reply of 2 December to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor), my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services is considering how to improve the information available on the incidence of sniffing.I do not know what legislation the hon. Member has in mind, but, for the reasons given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East, I do not consider that it would be justifiable or practicable to restrict the sale of glue to young persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the major changes made in July 1978, January 1979 and July 1979 in his Department's scheme which enabled unemployed people to be able to travel to obtain work.

The Manpower Services Commission operates two schemes which are designed to encourage people who are unemployed, or under threat of redundancy, to look for and to move to employment away from home. These are the job search scheme and the employment transfer scheme. Following criticism in 1976 from the Public Accounts Committee, the MSC reviewed its schemes to make them more cost effective. As a result of this review the following major changes were made to these schemes during the months in question:

17 July 1978

New rules were introduced about the timing of applications to exclude from the schemes those workers who had clearly not been encouraged by the availability of assistance to take up work away from home. Applications for assistance, under the JSS, must now be made before the applicant travels to the new area; and applications for assistance, under the ETS, must now be made before the applicant starts work and before dependants and household effects are moved to the new area. Before 17 July 1978, applications for assistance under both schemes could be made up to six months after the event. In addition, to reduce the opportunity for abuse of the ETS, arrangements were made to pay the higher rate of transfer grant for applicants from the assisted areas, in quarterly stages over a year and not, as previously, in a lump sum.

1 January 1979

A new rule was introduced that people, who have successfully completed a course of higher education, within six months of the date on which they attend an interview for employment, or start work, will not be eligible for assistance under the JSS and the ETS. (The relevant date was later amended to the date of offer of employment.) This condition does not apply to mature students aged 26 or over when they started their course.

This rule was introduced as the MSC considers that students of higher education seeking their first career appointments accept the need to be mobile, and the additional incentive of the ETS is therefore unnecessary. Also the rates of the various grants and allowances available under both schemes were increased and the pay limit for the new or prospective employment was raised.

1 July 1979

From this date all applicants for assistance from the JSS and ETS must satisfy the rule that there are no local unemployed people, registered in the new area, who are suitable for the job which the applicant is seeking or taking up. Also all applicants must have no reasonable prospects of employment in their home areas. These two conditions which had previously applied only to those whose moves originated in the non-assisted areas, are designed to ensure that local unemployed people will not be deprived of employment opportunities, and that the move is necessary for the applicant to find work.

Changes were made to the rules about payment of the higher rate of transfer grant and disturbance allowance previously payable to eligible applicants who lived in the assisted areas. The higher rate of transfer grant is now restricted, with limited exceptions, to those who move out of a special development area or development area into a place of lower assisted status. Disturbance allowance is now paid to applicants from an SDA who move into a place of lower assisted status.

A new eligibility condition was also introduced that applicants for assistance under ETS must intend to resettle permanently in the new area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the criteria which determine eligibility for financial assistance from his Department for an unemployed person obtaining work in another area; and what changes in these criteria he has introduced since may 1979.

The Manpower Services Commission provides financial assistance under the employment transfer scheme for people who move home to take up employment in another area. I am informed by the MSC that the main eligibility conditions for this assistance are as follows:

1. The applicant must be unemployed or under threat of redundancy.

2. The applicant must not have reasonable prospects of employment in the home area.

3. The applicant must have resided in Great Britain for three months before the transfer.

4. The applicant must not have successfully completed a course of higher education within six months of obtaining the new job. (This condition does not apply to mature students).

5. The application must be made before the applicant starts work in the new area and before household effects and dependants, if any, are moved to the new area.

6. The applicant must intend to resettle permanently in the new area and the new job must offer satisfactory prospects of permanent resettlement.

7. The applicant's family partner must not already have been offered employment in the new area or have other commitments there.

8. There are no local unemployed people registered in the new area who are suitable for the job which the applicant is taking.

9. The new employment is not seasonal.

10. The new employment is full time, under a contract of service and is in Great Britain.

11. The wage or salary of the new employment is not more than the pay limit (currently £6,264 per annum).

12. The new employment is beyond normal daily travelling distance of the applicant's home.

Major changes to eligibility conditions were made on 1 July 1979, and I have given details in my previous reply to the hon. Member's question on this subject. Other significant changes to the ETS criteria, which have taken place since May 1979 have been:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people received assistance from his Department under the employment transfer scheme for each quarter from 30 June 1978 to 30 September 1980.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the reductions, in real terms since May 1978 in money spent by his Department on enabling people to travel to find work.

The precise information requested is not available. However, I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the expenditure on all transfer schemes since the year ending 31 March 1978 is as follows:

Year ending 31 March	Actual expenditure	1980 survey prices
1978	£11·9m	£14m
1979	£10·2m	£10·8m
1980	£7·2m	£7·2m
1981 (estimated)	£4·5m	£3·6m

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what instructions have been issued by his Department to local employment offices and jobcentres since May 1979 regarding the application of the employment transfer scheme.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the rules of the employment transfer scheme are kept under review and when changes are made instructions are sent to employment offices and jobcentres. Nearly all of the changes made since May 1979 have been of minor significance but designed to clarify the eligibility conditions and to meet changing circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in view of the Public Account Committee's view that the Shenley Trust contract for the establishment and management of the Fort William underwater training centre secured an extremely high rate of profit, if he will ensure that any other such contract concerning the centre does not involve the payment of excessive compensation.

The Manpower Services Commission is engaged in discussions with the offshore industry with a view to securing a transfer to the industry of financial and management responsibility for the centre. I am following these discussions and their implications for existing contracts closely. If the discussions are successful the terms of any future contracts will be for the parties involved to determine.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what compensation has been or is to be paid, and to whom, for the ending of existing contracts, concerning the management of the Fort William underwater training centre.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the current contract for the management of the underwater training centre was awarded by the commission to Shenley Trust Services Ltd. with effect from 1 January 1980. This contract provides four months' notice in order to terminate the agreement. As notice has not been given and the contract has not been terminated, no compensation has been paid.Compensation would only arise if the commission chose to make payment of fees and attributable costs in lieu of notice, as an alternative to the contractor continuing to manage the centre during the notice period. The terminal payment would depend partly upon the timing of any notification to pay compensation in lieu of notice and partly upon the outcome of discussions on the extent of attributable costs which the project manager would incur during the notice period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to finalise the new contract for the operating of the Fort William underwater training centre; on what terms and with whom; and if he will make a statement.

I am following closely the complicated negotiations which the Manpower Services Commission is having with representatives of the offshore industries in order to try to develop new management and funding arrangements for the centre. I intend to make a statement on the outcome of these negotiations as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the future plans of his Department for the use of the computer-assisted placing system in the area of London.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the future of the system for computer assisted placing in the area of London is under review in the context of the commission's corporate plan, which will be finalised in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will detail the arrangement made between the Trades Union Congress and the Manpower Services Commission whereby all those participating in the work experience programme are receiving a letter from the Manpower Services Commission, together with a Trades Union Congress booklet "All You Should Know About Trade Unions"; and if he will make a statement.

The pamphlet entailed "Going to Work" is given to young people by the Manpower Services Commission when they join the youth opportunities programme. It was prepared by the TUC at the request of the MSC to give young people information about the trade union movement, as part of their introduction to the world of work. The young people are not being urged to join specific unions or to do so immediately; the leaflet is intended to convey an appreciaton of the place of trade unions in working life.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is proposing to take to alleviate the heavy work load put on the youth employment services in Southampton; and how many staff are involved now and how many are envisaged in 1980–81.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies there have been in the United Kingdom footwear industry in each month since June up to the latest date for which a figure or an estimate is available.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of the Government on, proposals by the European Commission for a directive on procedures for informing and consulting employees of undertakings with complex structures, in particular transnational undertakings, as described in document COM(80)423 final.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he has made any estimate of the additional jobs which would have been provided in the United Kingdom if our exports of manufactured goods to the EEC in 1977, 1978 and 1979 had been equal to United Kingdom imports of manufactured goods from the EEC during this three year period;(2) if he has made any estimate of the additional jobs which were provided in the United Kingdom as a consequence of the very substantial trade surplus in manufactured goods which the nation has enjoyed with the trading world, excluding the EEC, in the three year period from 1977.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how the average hourly rate of pay and employment cost compares in the engineering industry in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the United States of America and Japan, both in sterling terms and percentage terms now and in November 1979 at exchange rates current at each time of calculation.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1980, c. 295]: The following table includes the latest available information on total labour costs and hourly earnings for four engineering industries in the four European Community countries listed.