asked the Secretary of State for Trade, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on 29 January, Official Report, column 485, what response he has had from the Spanish authorities for information on the progress of the report on the crash of the Dan-Air 727 at Tenerife on 25 April 1980.

On 30 January 1981 the Spanish authorities informed the accidents investigation branch of my Department that the text of the final report on the accident to the Dan-Air Boeing 727 G-BDAN at Tenerife would be available shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will take steps to curb the export of secondhand plant, machiney and tools from the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement;(2) what value of used

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

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what fees will be charged for courses in higher and further education for the academic year 1981–82 to overseas students beginning their courses on or after 1 September 1980.

The University Grants Committee and the local authority associations are issuing recommendations to the universities and local education authorities respectively.These will be as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what fees will be charged for courses in higher and further education for the academic year 1981–82 to home students and to overseas students who began their courses before 1 September 1980, respectively.

The recommended fees are as follows:

	£
Postgraduate:
Home	1,320
Overseas	1,803
Undergraduate and equivalent:
Home	900
Overseas	1,389
Full-time non-advanced:*
Overseas	744
* Fees for home students on full-time non-advanced courses are a matter for the local authority associations.

The recommended fees for 1981–82 represent an increase of about 15 per cent. over those for 1980–81. Some 7 per cent. of this is attributable to the amount by which the increase in the fee for 1979–80 fell short of the actual movements in costs during that year; the rest allows for prospective pay and price increases in higher and further education.The recommended levels for advanced and degree courses also include an element to compensate for the abolition of student union subscriptions.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the protests by Republican prisoners in Her Majesty's prison, Maze.

On 4 December I described the normal regime applicable in Northern Ireland prisons, and I placed a fuller account in the Library of the House. On 19 December I described what would happen to any prisoners at the Maze and Armagh prisons who ended their protests.When an individual protesting prisoner says that he wishes to conform with prison rules, having washed, shaved and had a haircut, he is normally given civilian clothing supplied by the prison—in place of the former prison uniform—moved from his cell to a wing containing other conforming prisoners and medically examined for fitness to work. He is then, if fit, allocated suitable activities and work—including of course work related to the servicing of the prison. As a normal prisoner he then qualifies for privileges including that of wearing out of working hours his own leisure clothing of an approved type for which he may send. This procedure has been followed by the 69 prisoners who have ended their protest since 19 December.The hunger strike at the Maze and Armagh prisons ended on 18 and 19 December. The last so-called Loyalist protesters at the Maze ended their protest on Monday 2 February. The dirty protest, however, continues: at the Maze 407 are currently involved, 59 fewer than on 19 December and 98 fewer than the peak number reached early in the hunger strike; 29 women prisoners are involved in the dirty protest at Armagh.It had been my hope that the ending of the hunger strike before Christmas would lead speedily to the ending of all the other protests. Since it did not do so, the prison authorities at the Maze, with the full backing of the Government, took the initiative to move groups of protesting prisoners into clean and furnished cells, without waiting for these prisoners to say that they intended to end their protest: and in three stages, on 12, 13 and 15 January, a total of 96 prisoners were moved into clean furnished cells at the Maze, which they then kept clean. All protesting prisoners at the Maze—and, later, at Armagh—were told in writing about what was being done, and why. A reduced scale of punishment was applied to those prisoners who kept their cells and furniture clean in that their loss of remission was reduced by a half and one parcel a month was made available. Again, all the protesting prisoners at the Maze were told in writing about these developments; that furnishings would be similarly supplied to other protesting prisoners as soon as they had indicated, by refraining from fouling their cells, that they wanted it; and that the next step in the establishment of a normal regime and the privileges that go with it would be the issue of civilian clothing supplied by the prison to those who would wear it.On 23 January, 20 of the 96 prisoners indicated that they were prepared to wash, shave and have their hair cut, and to keep their cells clean. They said, however, that they were not prepared to move from their existing cells; nor to take part in work other than that of cleaning their own cells and receiving full-time education. They also said that they were not prepared to wear prison issue civilian clothing unless their own leisure clothing was provided at the same time. They were thus demanding a regime for themselves which was and was intended to be different from the normal regime of the prison, particularly in respect of work, and the wearing of their own leisure clothing which is a privilege available only to conforming prisoners for wear outside working hours. In the circumstances, the authorities had no alternative but to refuse its issue to these 20 prisoners. They were, however, allowed, as is their right, to wash, shave and have a hair cut, which they did: and they were told that civilian clothing supplied by the prison was available, which they did not accept. On 27 January all 96 prisoners, at about 8 pm, started to damage their cells and their furniture. They were therefore moved to the nearest available empty cells in each of the two respective wings, some of which had still not been cleaned from their previous occupancy. All 96 were however put into clean cells the following day but these they then started to foul.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reduce the waiting time of persons seeking British nationality.

The staff of the nationality division has been increased, but the continuing rise in the number of applications and the need to contain public expenditure limits what can be done. The number of naturalisation cases decided more than doubled in 1980 and there was also a substantial increase in the number of registration cases decided.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his deliberations concerning the social effects of the sale of alcoholic beverages in supermarkets.

The Government are seriously concerned about the increase in recent years of offences of drunkenness and other indications of alcohol misuse, but there is no clear evidence that this has been contributed to by the substantial increase in the number of off licences granted to supermarkets and other shops.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now extend to the prisons in England and Wales the humanitarian reforms recently introduced in Ulster.

There are, at present, no plans to extend to prisons in England and Wales the arrangements that have been made in Northern Ireland, but developments in Northern Ireland will be studied to see whether there are any lessons to be learnt.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on his decision not to sponsor any students on one-year qualified social worker courses starting in 1981–82.

This decision results from a fall in the rate of wastage of serving probation officers, which means that the demand for new recruits in 1982–83 will be met by students already sponsored on two-year courses.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the speech of Lord Belstead on community relations policy to the annual conference of the National Association of Community Relations Councils on 20 September 1980 at Nottingham university represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will review the provision of personal accident insurance arrangements for police officers.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the Police Pensions Regulations, which are made after consultation with the local authority and police staff associations, provide adequate cover for police officers who die or who retire through injury on duty. In our view, it would not be appropriate to use public funds to supplement this statutory provision by insurance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the estimated additional cost to the Metropolitan Police in controlling public marches and other demonstrations for the last 12 months is now available; and what was the number of man-hours involved.

The Commissioner has estimated the cost of policing all demonstrations, marches and meetings in 1980 which required the presence of 100 or more police officers at £6·8 million. The number of man-hours involved was 632,000. Certain costs were also incurred for public order duties in respect of the Iranian Embassy siege.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to prison doctors regarding the release of prisoners' medical records; in what circumstances prisoners are not allowed to see their records; and if he is satisfied that prison doctors are giving adequate information to their patients.

In the prison service, as elsewhere, the information to be given to the patient is a matter for the doctor concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to strengthen the powers of police authorities.

No. We believe the Police Act 1964 continues to provide a satisfactory framework.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present prison population; and what were the figures for January in 1980, 1979, 1978 and 1977, respectively.

The total population of Prison Department establishments in England and Wales on 26 January 1981 was 39,231. The totals for the end of January in the years 1977 to 1980 were 41,065 41,518, 41,405 and 42,791 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any prisoner convicted of an Irish Republican Army terrorist offence in Great Britain has been granted parole.

One prisoner convicted of offences believed to have been connected with Irish republican organisations has been released on parole.

asked the Secretary f State for the Home Department how many psychologically disturbed prisoners are being held in rison rather than in mental hospitals.

The six-monthly census taken on 30 June 1980 identified 457 prisoners whom prison medical officers considered to be suffering from mental disorder of a nature or degree which warranted detention in a psychiatric hospital under the Mental Health Act 1959. 204 of these prisoners were unsentenced and many of these will have been remanded by the courts for medical reports with a view to making a hospital order. The figures for 31 December are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects that the Broadcasting Complaints Commission will commence functioning; and if he will announce the names of its members.

The provision in the Broadcasting Act 1980, which enables my right hon. Friend to appoint members of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, came into force on 1 February. My right hon. Friend hopes to be in a position to announce appointments within the next few weeks and thereafter to bring into force provisions of the Act to enable the Commission to start work in April or May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to require payment of a licence fee in respect of motor car radios.

The working party on the administration of the broadcasting receiving licence system, on which the Home Office, the Post Office and the BBC are represented, is considering methods of payment of the licence fee and whether the base of the licensing system might be expanded, including the possibility of reintroducing car radio licences. My right hon. Friend expects to receive its report shortly and will carefully consider its recommendations before taking any decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the use of the police for truancy sweeps; and if he proposes to issue any advice on this matter.

Home Office circular 83/1980 describes some of the anti-truancy measures undertaken by police forces in England and Wales, normally in conjunction with the local education services. The results of a detailed study of police truancy patrols in one area have been published in "Crime Prevention and the Police", which is No. 55 in the Home Office Research Study series. Some doubts have been expressed about the adequacy of the powers under which police truancy patrols operate, and this aspect is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of his consideration of open channel radio.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to questions by my hon. Friends the Member for Hastings (Mr. Warren) and for Gosport (Mr. Viggers).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of the evaluation made of the experimental computerized intelligence system operated in the Thames Valley police force area; and whether the report on the experiments will be published.

The evaluation of this experiment is not yet complete. When it is finished the Home Office will discuss with the chief constable the form a report should take, its availability, and the future of the project.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the National Union of Journalists about the immigration and employment of journalists from overseas.

The National Union of Journalists has made representations about the interpretation of the provision in the Immigration Rules that representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations do not need work permits.The union agreed in 1972 that such representatives could be admitted without work permits. Reimposong work permit controls would require amendment of the Immigration Rules; the union has been advised to pursue the matter initially with the Department of Employment, which administers the work permit scheme.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the number of Government employees on 1 April 1974 and at 31 December 1980.

I can answer only for the Civil Service. At 1 January 1981 there were 695,100 staff in post—542,800 non-industrial and 152,300 industrial. The total figure for 1 April 1974 on a comparable basis was 697,400.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what are the reasons why copies of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, which became operative in part on 13 January, have only recently become available; and why many of the regulations under the Act have still not been received by local authorities.

TheLocal Government, Planning and Land Act was published on 11 December 1980. Six statutory instruments relating to the Act have been received and published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office which generally completed the distribution of promulgation copies of the Act itself and of the three consequent orders to local authorities within a few days.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many reports by Sir Derek Rayner's teams have been placed in the Library; and what his policy is on the matter.

I understand that 15 of these reports have been placed in the Library by the Ministers to whom the reports have been made. This is a matter for each Minister's inidividual decision.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service which grades of civil servants are entitled to overtime payments.

No central list is kept of grades entitled to overtime payments. The rules governing such payments are set out in paragraphs 2254 to 2275 of the Civil Service Code of Pay and Conditions of Service, a copy of which is available in the Library. In general, grades up to senior executive officer and equivalent are compensated for working additional hours.

Evans asked the Secretary of State for Energy what were the totals of imports of coal into the United Kingdom in the years 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980.

Imports of coal in the years 1977 to 1980 were as follows:

	million tonnes
1977	2·4
1978	2·3
1979	4·4
1980	*7·5
*Provisional.

Coal imports in 1981 are expected to be about 2 million tonnes below the 1980 level.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy in how many statutes affecting his Department he has the power to issue specific directions to State corporations; and what use has been made of this facility to date.

Apart from the powers to issue specific directions in relation to particular matters

Percentage Shares of Gross Inland Consumption* of Primary Sources of Energy—1979
Percentage shares
	F. R. Germany	France	Italy	Nether-lands	Belgium	Luxem-bourg	United Kingdom	Ireland	Denmark	European†Community
Energy Source:
Hard coal and equivalents	19·3	15·8	6·6	5·0	23·8	41·3	34·7	8·2	20·9	19·4
Lignite and equivalents	9·1	0·5	0·3	—	—	—	—	10·6	—	2·8
Crude oil and equivalents	50·3	60·1	68·2	45·2	51·9	28·2	42·4	72·9	75·4	53·4
Natural gas	16·2	10·8	16·1	48·1	19·5	10·9	18·2	5·9	—	17·5
Nuclear energy	3·4	4·5	0·4	1·1	5·2	—	4·2	—	—	3·2
Primary electrical energy (mainly hydro)	1·4	8·3	8·3	—	–0·4	19·6	0·5	2·4	3·3	3·5
Other	0·3	—	0·1	0·6	—	—	—	—	0·4	0·2
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
— signifies nil or negligible.
*Gross inland consumption equals indigenous production plus net imports plus or minus change in stocks less bunkers.
† Not including Greece, for which similar information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many tonnes of coking coal were imported into Wales in 1980; what were the countries of origin; and what was the total value in £ sterling.

Imports of coking coal into Wales in 1980 were about 640,000 tonnes, with a value of some £19·5 million. All of these imports came from the United States of America.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what adjustments are required in the 1980-81 cash limit for Overseas Aid, Class II. 10.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for the overseas aid programme vote will be reduced by £2,400,000 to £905,218,000 to meet an unanticipated increase in the Superannuation (Overseas Service) Vote (Class II.9) also administered by the Overseas Development Administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will indicate in tabular form the percentage of total energy accommodated by oil, gas, coal and nuclear fuels in all countries of the European Community.

The latest available information is for 1979, and is given in the following table:

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 5 February.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins).

asked the Prime Minister when next she intends to take the chair of the National Economic Development Council.

I did so yesterday. No further dates have yet been arranged.

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Gosport.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will visit Tameside.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Lambeth.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will visit Cheadle Heath, Stockport.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister what plans she has to visit Wandsworth, Tooting.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if there has been any change in the practice of referring hon. Members to published sources for factual information when Ministers answer parliamentary questions.

No. It remains the position that Ministers are responsible for deciding the appropriate form of answer to individual questions.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement about the account taken of the value of index-linked pensions in settling public sector pay and employee pension contributions.

On 22 May 1980, I announced the establishment of an independent inquiry under the chairmanship of Sir Bernard Scott into this question.—[Vol. 985, c. 285–86.] I received the report of the committee of inquiry on 19 December and I am today publishing it as a Command Paper. I should like to thank Sir Bernard Scott and his colleagues for their thoughtful analysis of the difficult issues involved. Before making any decisions on this problem, the Government will take account of the reactions to the report's analysis and findings.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost of recruitment campaigns for the Armed Services for each of the last five years; and what percentage of the cost was devoted directly to school campaigns.

The total cost of recruiting for the Armed Services in each of the last five years was as follows:

	£ million
1975–76	41·2
1976–77	38·6
1977–78	35·0
1978–79	30·7
1979–80	36·2

These figures, at constant prices, include the costs of advertising and other publicity, staff costs, and the rental of careers information offices.It is not possible to isolate the percentage of these costs devoted directly to recruiting from schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost of providing recruiting centres for the Armed Forces.

The estimated cost of operating the 241 careers information offices in financial year 1980–81 is as follows:

• Royal Navy £3·36 million
• Army £6·86 million
• Royal Air Force £5·99 million

These figures include the rental of the offices, maintenance and overheads, and the pay of the staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which of the eight new armoured brigades will be in each of the four divisions in Germany; and how the two armoured and three infantry regiments in each division will be divided between the two brigades of that division (a) in peacetime and (b) in wartime.

The eight armoured brigades formed in BAOR on 1 January 1981 have been placed under command of the following armoured divisions:

1 Armoured Division—7 and 22 Armoured Brigades

2 Armoured Division—4 and 12 Armoured Brigades

3 Armoured Division—6 and 33 Armoured Brigades

4 Armoured Division—11 and 20 Armoured Brigades

The grouping of armoured regiments and infantry battalions between the two brigades in each division will vary in peacetime and will be based on administrative convenience. The grouping in wartime would depend on the tactical situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many disablement resettlement officer posts and blind persons' specialist resettlement officer posts, respectively, are to be cut under the Manpower Services Commission's corporate plan; whether this ends the special facility for blind persons; how many employment rehabilitation staff are to be cut; and what estimate has been made of the numbers of disabled people who will not find this help available as a consequence on an annual basis.

The Manpower Services Commission's proposed corporate plan for 1981-85 has not yet been approved by my right hon. Friend, who is giving particular consideration to this aspect. No decisions have, therefore, yet been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons included in the unemployment figures are registered and unregistered disabled; and what is the total of unemployed disabled who are not included in the unemployment figures.

On 11 December 1980, the latest date for which figures are available there were 60,887 registered, and 93,152 unregistered (154,039) disabled people included in the total unemployment figure of 2,150,477 an additional 11,585 unemployed disabled people unlikely to be capable of work except under sheltered conditions, were not included in the total unemployment figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on unemployment trends on Merseyside and in Liverpool, with particular reference to unemployed young people.

As in many parts of the country, there has been an upward trend in unemployment in Merseyside and Liverpool which has affected both adults and young people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what his Department proposes to do in view of the loss of jobs at Tate and Lyle, Liverpool.

I was of course very concerned to learn of this latest potential job loss on Merseyside though, as the hon. Member will appreciate, it is for the company itself to decide where any necessary reduction in its refining capacity should fall.I know, however, from the Manpower Services Commission that the manager of the local jobcentre has been in touch with the company with a view to advising their employees of the facilities which would be available to those who might lose their jobs if the closure were to go ahead.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what investigation has been carried out by his Department to find out how many persons are working on the black economy (a) who have another job and (b) while receiving unemployment benefit.

No systematic survey has been made, but the Department of Employment carries out many investigations of people who are suspected of working while receiving unemployment benefit. In the year ending February 1980, 3,367 people were prosecuted by the Department for this offence.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will state the number of available places under the community industry scheme for 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82 (a) in total and (b) in Islington;(2) what is the maximum quota of places allowed for community industry units on a regional basis for 1980–81 and 1981–82.

The number of available places on the community industry (CI) scheme for 1979–80 and 1980–81, in total, and for the CI unit covering Camden and Islington, is as shown in the following table:

	Total	Camden and Islington
1979–80	6000	75–100
1980–81	6000	80–100

The maximum quota of places allocated by CI to its units on a regional basis for 1980–81 is as shown in the further table, below:

Scotland	1460
Wales	715
Northern	1075
Yorkshire and Humberside	955
North-West	950
Midlands	635
South-West	150
London	575
South-East	100
Total	6615

CI operates a policy of flexible regional and area complements which allows it to vary the distribution of places. The regional figures shown above therefore represent the maximum number of places by region, and in total exceed the national complement of places available at any one time.My right hon. Friend announced on 21 November, following a review of all special employment and training measures for the unemployed, that the Government will expand the CI scheme by 1000 places bringing the national complement to 7000 places in 1981–82. CI is now considering the distribution of the extra places in 1981–82, and I will inform the hon. Member when decisions have been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of persons registered as unemployed who are in receipt of redundancy benefits who are not actively looking for work.

People registering at unemployment offices declare themselves as seeking and available for work and are not asked whether they have received a redundancy payment. Consequently the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of persons registered as unemployed who have retired early and who are not intending to work, but are included in the unemployment statistics.

It is estimated that there may be approaching 100,000 registered unemployed people in Great Britain aged 55 or over but under the statutory retirement age, who are in receipt of occupational pensions. It is not possible to estimate how many, if any, are not intending to work.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of persons included in the unemployment figures who are generally involved in seasonal work in the holiday and fruit industries.

The information is not available. The analysis of the unemployed by industry last worked in is not sufficiently detailed to enable estimate to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many persons registered as unemployed are actually receiving unemployment benefit; and what percentage of the total this represents;(2) how many person registered as unemployed do not receive any benefit at all; and what percentage this is of the total.

In December 1980, there were 2,150,000 registered unemployed in Great Britain, of these 103,000 were not claiming unemployment benefit, supplementary allowance or national insurance credits. This figure represented 5 per cent. of the total registered unemployed.My Department does not have information on how many of those who were claiming were not in receipt of unemployment benefit or supplementary allowance, which is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of persons not included in the unemployment figures who would welcome a job but do not register; and if he will describe how such a figure is arrived at and list the various categories included in this figure.

It is estimated that in 1979 about a third of a million people were seeking work but not registered as unemployed. About three quarters of these were women. These estimates are based on information from household surveys on the numbers of people over 16 and not in jobs or in full-time education who are seeking employment or waiting to take up employment, distinguishing those who are registered as unemployed from those who are not.There is no reason to believe that the scale of these figures is now substantially different.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers governed by wages councils in Edinburgh and Leith were discovered to be paying below the statutory minimum pay rates during 1980; and how many were prosecuted.

The statistics of underpayments are not kept in a form which provides information about particular cities. This could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. However, no employer in Edinburgh and Leith was prosecuted under the Wages Councils Act in 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of employees entering closed shop agreements since the passing of the Employment Act 1980.

I am not aware that any new closed shop agreements between employers and unions have been concluded since the relevant provisions of the Employment Act were brought into operation on 15 August 1980. I regret that I cannot estimate the number of employees who, after the passing of the Act, might have joined a union in accordance with a closed shop agreement concluded before the Act took effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make an estimate of the cost to public funds in redundancy payments and unemployment benefit if no further public funds were made available to BL Ltd.

The cost to public funds in terms of redundancy payments and unemployment benefit of not providing further public funds to BL Ltd. would depend on the total number of jobs that would be lost to the United Kindgom economy as a result. Any estimate of the total number of jobs lost would depend on wide range of assumptions and would be subject to a great deal of uncertainty.The average payment made under the Redundancy Payments Act to eligible workers made redundant in the vehicle industry in the quarter ending 31 December 1980 was £1,465. The employer normally receives a rebate of 41 per cent. of this amount from the redundancy fund. Without detailed information about the ages, lengths of service, and rates of pay of any workers who might be made redundant from BL Ltd, it would not be possible to provide a specific figure for BL Ltd, nor would it be possible to say what proportion of workers made redundant would receive a redundancy payment.Without information on the earnings and family characteristics of the workers involved it is not possible to make precise estimates of the amount of unemployment benefits that would be paid.If BL collapsed, there would, of course, be toher very substantial costs of the Exchequer beyond those mentioned in my hon. Friend's question.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department has made any study of the method and level of skill training in the Federal Republic of Germany; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a specially commissioned study of vocational training provision in the Federal Republic of Germany was completed in April 1980. Its findings were drawn upon by the review body, whose report "Outlook on Training" was published in July 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement of the future of the quota scheme.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 3 February.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what new measures the Manpower Services Commission is taking to mark the International Year of Disabled People.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Park) on 19 January.—[Vol. 997, c. 37.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration the Manpower Services Commission has given to the future of employment rehabilitation centres; and whether any closures are planned.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a review has recently been completed of its employment rehabilitation services and that it has decided to undertake experiments over the next three years to test different approaches to employment rehabilitation with a view to improving the quality and flexibility of the service. The report is currently being prepared for publication and in due course I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library. Clearly, as the developments are appraised there may in the future be certain changes in the way employment rehabilitation is provided, but in the meantime the current ERC network will be largely maintained. However, the review did point to a relative overprovision in the North East of England and the commission will, I understand, be considering at its February meeting whether two as opposed to three ERCs would suffice to meet the rehabilitation needs of the disabled in that part of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy on giving priority to sheltered workshops in allocating departmental contracts; and if he will make a statement.

It is government policy that Departments should give priority to sheltered industry—including Remploy—and prison industries when placing contracts, although each Department which undertakes purchasing is responsible for its own contracting procedures. A specialist unit known as the Sheltered Employment Procurement and Consultancy Service (SEPACS) acts as a broker between sheltered industry and Government Departents to promote an increased volume of work, particularly that offering long-term contracts, with priority suppliers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list by age and type of disability the numbers of disabled people registered as unemployed.

The information requested is as set out below for the latest dates available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give, for the years 1978, 1979 and 1980, the number of disabled people and mentally handicapped people who were admitted onto a course with the youth opportunitities programme and the percentage of (a) young people and (b) disabled people who had been on a course and who were placed in permanent employment within three months of terminating their course.

It is not possible to say how many disabled young people—including the mentally handicapped—participated in the youth opportunities programme in its first two operational years—April to March. In the period April 1980 to December 1980 inclusive some 6,000 young people who were known to be disabled entered the programme.The Manpower Services Commission follow-up surveys of young people are carried out, on average, five to six months after they have left the programme. Of a sample of all September-October 1978 and September-October 1979 entrants, 7 out of 10 and 6 out of 10 respectively were in permanent employment at the time of the survey. Figures for disabled young people are not available as the limited size of the samples make it impossible to give a breakdown of specific groups' activities on leaving the programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he is taking to ensure more disabled young people are able to benefit from the youth opportunities programme.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Foster) on 21 January 1981.—[Vol. 997, c. 196.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that if the proposed integration experiment in some jobcentres whereby disabled people with minor handicaps are assisted by the employment adviser instead of the disablement resettlement officer is successful, there should be no reduction in the total number of disablement resettlement officers but that they should be permitted to spend the extra time assisting the severely handicapped.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered and unregistered disabled people have been placed in employment by district resettlement officers in each month for the years 1978, 1979 and 1980.

Figures to show placings of disabled people by DROs in 1978, 1979 and 1980 are as set out below:

	1978	1979	1980
January	(5)3,205	(5)3,306	(5)2,985
February	4,536	4,366	(5)4,954
March	4,554	4,715	4,085
April	(5)5,729	5,469	4,088
May	5,307	(5)6,349	4,460
June	5,238	(5) 6,874	(5) 5,081
July	4,968	5,132	3,453
August	(5) 5,012	4,562	(5) 3,442
September	(5) 5,309	(5) 5,406	2,768
October	5,024	4,869	2,970
November	5,031	4,681	(5)3,314

	1978	1979	1980
December	4,733	4,370	2,554
Totals	58,646	60,099	44,154

Statistics to show placings of registered and unregistered disabled people separately are not maintained.The figure relate to the Manpower Services Commission statistical months rather than calendar months and those months covering five week periods have been identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress he has made in his discussions with local authorities and area health authorities on improving their record in employing disabled people; if he will list the authorities with which he has had discussions; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employent how many registered disabled (a) men and (b) women are registered unemploymed in the areas covered by the Peterlee and Wingate employment offices; and what percentage unemployment rates each category represents.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 February 1981]: The information requested is as set out below. The figures are for 15 January 1981, the latest date available.

	No. of unemployed registered disabled people	Unemployment rate amongst registered disabled people
		per cent.
Peterlee
Males	67	12·6
Females	7	6·9
Total	74	11·5
Wingate
Males	31	10·4
Females	3	8·1
Total	34	10·2

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what response he has given to the Equal Opportunities Commission following its recommendations that amendments should be made to the Equal Pay Act 1970 to block existing loopholes in the law; and if he will make a statement.