asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will list the countries the Ministers of his Department expect to visit in the next six months and the purposes of the visits.

I have recently returned from a visit to India and am currently considering which other countries I should visit in support of our trade objectives. Other Ministers in my Department are also planning to make visits overseas in the next six months, but arrangements are not yet sufficiently advanced with the Governments of the countries concerned for public announcements to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what further steps he proposes to take towards a resumption of Anglo-Soviet trade.

The trade-related measures taken by the Government in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan were announced by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal on 24 January 1980. They remain in force. Our policy is to continue the development of mutually advantageous trade. Contacts with the Soviet Government for this purpose will take place as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has received any proposals for the establishment of additional British standards for motor accessories and components and for the legal enforcement of such standards; and what has been his response.

I have received no proposals of this sort. Proposals for new British standards are dealt with by the British Standards Institution, while the Department of Transport is responsible for legislation covering motor accessories and components.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is his latest estimate of the amount of public money British Airways will be receiving during 1981–82.

The Government have set British Airways an external finance limit of £101 million for 1981–82. Of this amount only £10 million will be provided directly by the Government in the form of public dividend capital. The remainder will be made up of foreign currency loans borrowed by the airline itself from commercial banks.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the powers he has to hold foreign vessels if they are considered to be unseaworthy.

Section 462 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 provides for the detention of a foreign ship at a port in the United Kingdom where the vessel is unsafe by reason of the defective condition of her hull, equipment or machinery or by reason of over-loading or improper loading or by reason of undermanning.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what assistance has been requested from the Panamanian authorities relating to the sinking of a Panamanian-registered vessel in the River Thames.

The Panamanian authorities have made a formal request to be associated with my Department's inquiries into this casualty, which also involved a United Kingdom registered ship.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many crew were on board each of the vessels "Blackthorne" and "Frederika I" which were in collision on the River Thames; and whether river pilots were on board.

The manning on the "Blackthorne" was the master plus eight crew, and on the "Frederika I" the master plus four crew.A pilot was on board the "Blackthorne".

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will establish an inquiry into the collision between the British ship "Blackthorne" and the Panamanian vessel "Frederika I" on the River Thames on 1 February.

An inspector has already been appointed under section 465 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 to carry out a preliminary inquiry into this casualty.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he received any complaints about the safety of the Panamanian vessel "Frederika I" or its equipment; and, if so, what action he has taken.

My Department was contacted by an official of the National Union of Seamen in November 1980. A further safety inspection was not considered necessary since the vessel had been the subject of a random general inspection at the port of Colchester on 14 October 1980, when deficiencies in life-saving and fire-fighting appliances were required to be corrected.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what manning and certification requirements are applicable to the British vessel "Blackthorne"; and what are those required for British coastal vessels of 200 and 250 tons, respectively.

The recommended safe deck manning applicable to the mv "Blackthorne"—formerly "Eden Fisher"—as set out in a safe deck manning certificate issued in accordance with Merchant Shipping Notice No. M.798, is 6—master, 2 mates and 3 ratings—when operating in the home trade area. A fourth rating is required for voyages beyond that area. In addition, two engineers and a cook would be expected to be carried. There are at present no certification requirements for home trade cargo ships, but for voyages beyond home trade limits the master, both mates, chief engineer and second engineer are required to be duly certificated in accordance with section 92 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894. New regulations coming into operation on 1 September introduce certification requirements for all seagoing United Kingdom ships.The recommended minimum safe manning for home trade cargo ships of up to 350 gross tons registered in the United Kingdom is set out in Merchant Shipping Notice No. M.794.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total amount of money being spent in Cheshire by his Department and the Manpower Services Commission on special employment measures; and how many adults and school leavers are benefiting from these schemes.

I regret that the specific information requested is not available for Cheshire. I am, however, able to say that, from the commencement of the current financial year 1980–81 to 31 December 1980, the estimated cost of the current special employment measures, and the approximate numbers of people covered by the measures at the end of December 1980 for the North-Western region—unless otherwise stated—is as follows:

	Estimated cost in current year 1980–81 to 31 December 1980 £m.	Number of people covered at end of December 1980
Temporary short-time working compensation	32·9	90,900*
Job release scheme	17·7	10,000
Youth opportunities programme	28·2	21,000
Special temporary employment programme	7·4	2,670†
Community industry	1·83	916‡
*The figure given is the number of people supported by the scheme rather than the number of redundancies averted.
†The figure given relates to 28 November 1980.
‡The figure given relates to 8 January 1981.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what percentages of graduate scientists, graduate engineers, graduate research officers, professionally qualified accountants and arts graduates in the Civil Service are at under-secretary level or its equivalent in salary.

No fully reliable records are kept centrally on this subject. However, it is estimated that about 0·5 per cent. of graduates in science and applied science and in technology and engineering and of professionally-qualified accountants—taking the three groups separately—employed in the Civil Service are under-secretaries; the corresponding figure for arts graduates is perhaps two or three times higher. I am not aware of any under-secretaries who were formerly members of the research officer category.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now seek to require prosecution statements in summary cases to be served on the defence prior to proceedings.

Under section 48 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, rules of court may be made for the advance disclosure of the prosecution case in proceedings in magistrates' courts. The resource implications of such a requirement are under examination. At this stage, attention is focused on cases triable either way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to make public the outcome of the Home Office's review of the parole scheme; and, if so, when he expects to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Home Office study of the parole system is to be published.

I regret that I cannot yet fix a date for publication of the review, but I expect that it will appear shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present position in regard to proposed new electoral arrangements for the counties of Devon, Durham, Essex, Humberside and Wiltshire, respectively.

My right hon. Friend has made electoral arrangements orders for Essex and Humberside to take effect at the elections to be held in May. Orders for Durham, Devon and Wiltshire have not yet been made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisonsers at Albany prison were charged with disciplinary offences during the last year for which figures are available; and how many of these were acquitted (a) before the governor and (b) before the board of visitors.

The information available is published annually in Prison Statistics, England and Wales—tables 9.2 and 9.7 of the issue for 1979, Cmnd. 7978. Information is not collected centrally on charges or acquittals.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the amount of public money which will be made available during 1981-82 to the National Coal Board.

The National Coal Board's external financing limit of £882 million for 1981–82, which my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 24 November, will be increased to £886 million to take account of a grant of £4 million, for which I shall be seeking provision in the 1981-82 Estimates, towards the cost of payments which the board expects to make in 1981–82 in increased compensation under the pneumoconiosis compensation scheme. Within the board's EFL, I also propose to make available grants which I estimate to total around £250 million in 1981–82.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will take steps to realign Government policy in order to give greater priority to coal over nuclear energy, in view of the high cost of the latter; and if he will provide inducements to industrial and domestic users to use coal instead of oil.

Both coal and nuclar power have crucial roles to play in meeting the United Kingdom's long-term energy requirements. The CEGB regards nuclear power as fully competitive. Fuel prices are already providing clear signals for movement away from oil use in the domestic and industrial sectors. Oil use in the domestic sector fell by over 20 per cent last year to a level of about 2·5 million tonnes. Use of oil by industry also fell by over 20 per cent., but with consumption still above 16 million tonnes per year there is both sizeable potential and incentive for the replacement of oil by coal in non-premium uses. I shall continue to monitor progress closely and keep under review the question of whether any further encouragement for coal use is needed.

asked the Prime Minister if she will impress upon the management of the Nissan Motor Company the advantage of using Dundee as a base for part of its new operations in establishing a car plant in Great Britain.

No. It will be for the company to decide which of the available sites in Great Britain is best suited to its requirements.

asked the Prime Minister if she will arrange for the Secretary of State for Wales to make a full report of his visit to Japan later this month.

The purpose of this visit is to encourage inward investment. A similar visit was made to the United States in September 1980. My right hon. Friend will of course answer questions in the normal way.

asked the Prime Minister why the Secretary of State for Wales has been included in the delegation to visit Japan later this month.

My right hon. Friend's visit is the latest in a continuing series of investment promotion missions led by various United Kingdom Ministers.

asked the Prime Minister what advice has been given by Her Majesty's Government to the North of England Development Council, the Scottish Development Agency and the Welsh Development Agency, respectively, about the attraction of inward investment from Japan.

The Invest in Britain Bureau was established to promote investment in the United Kingdom as a whole. It is one feature of its work that it seeks to coordinate the promotional activities of all United Kingdom regional bodies in order to gain the maximum benefit. This applies as much to investment from Japan as from other countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions took place between the Welsh Office and Gwynedd county council in relation to the improvement of the A487 between South Road and Pont Seiont, Caernarfon prior to the recent publication of his Report "Roads in Wales" which indicates a slippage in the commencement of this scheme from 1982 to 1987.

There was no specific discussion with the county council prior to the publication of "Roads in Wales 1980", but the Department is aware from day-to-day contact with the Gwynedd county surveyor's department of the concern of the council that the improvement should proceed as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects work to start on the A487 improvement between Pont Seiont and South Road, Caernarfon.

As indicated in "Roads in Wales 1980", Seinnot bridge and approaches are currently programmed to start after 1987. The structural condition of Seiont bridge is currently under examination and the improvement may be carried out at an earlier date if found necessary for engineering reasons.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department will issue advice to local planning authorities to facilitate the development of small firms in the rural areas, with particular reference to redundant and disused farm buildings, which hitherto have been treated unfairly as being of "non-conforming use".

Advice was given in Welsh Office Circular 40/80 "Development Control—Policy and Practice" issued on 28 November 1980. A copy of this circular is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence he has that the improved planning appeal system has resulted in individual cases being decided more quickly by an appreciable degree; and what figures are available.

Proposals for speeding up the planning appeals system were set out in a consultation paper issued by my Department on 21 October 1980 and comments on these proposals are now being considered. If all the suggested changes can be implemented there should overall be a worthwhile reduction in the time taken to determine appeals, but it is not possible at this stage to predict by how much.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, in view of the increased incidence of the disease in South-West Wales he will take steps to increase the compensation payable in respect of cows slaughtered as a result of tuberculosis to £700 per animal.

I have no plans at present to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether district councils in Wales administering thermal insulation schemes for the elderly in need may use the labour provided by the Manpower Services Commission to lay such loft insulation in privately owned homes.

Under the Homes Insulation Scheme 1980 local authorities are limited to making grants towards the cost of labour and material involved in the installation of loft insulation for the elderly in need. They are not responsible for the carrying out of the work.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the names of the organisations to be represented on the delegation which he is to lead in Japan later this month.

I shall be accompanied on my visit to Japan by officials of my Department and the Invest in Britain Bureau and by representatives of the Development Corporation for Wales and the Wales TUC.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement following his visit to Japan later this month, including a reference to any discussion held on the proposal of the Nissan Motor Company to establish a substantial car manufacturing operation in the United Kingdom.

On my return from Japan I will gladly answer any questions put down by the hon. Member or others.

asked the Secretay of State for Wales whether, on his visit to Japan this month, he will be discussing the proposal of the Nissan Motor Company to establish a substantial car manufacturing operation in the United Kingdom; and, if so, whether he will recommend consideration of the Northern region as a suitable area for the operation.

I understand that the company has embarked on its feasibility study and feel sure that every consideration will be given to all development area and special development area locations. I do not expect that the company would wish to discuss the merits of any particular location or region before that study is completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has consulted the Invest in Britain Bureau in connection with his visit to Japan later this month.

The Invest in Britain Bureau is fully involved in the planning of my visit.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now review his decision to lead the forthcoming Welsh delegation to Japan.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list in the Official Report:(a) the local authorities in areas of high unemployment which are eligible to claim grants from the European Community social fund to encourage the hiring of young workers and (b) the local authorities which have made use of the scheme and by how much they have benefited; and what is the maximum amount of grants which could have been claimed by eligible local authorities under the scheme since its inception.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Employment has given today to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Penhaligon).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the gross cost of extending widowed mothers' allowance to widowers on (a) the present contributory basis and (b) a non-contributory basis, and what would be the savings in other benefits, the extra cost of housing rebates, and the extra income from income tax.

It is estimated that the gross cost of extending widowed mothers' allowance to widowers on a contributory basis would be about £100 million a year. This estimate has been made on the assumption that the benefit would depend on the man's own contribution record. The gross cost of such a benefit on a non-contributory basis would be about £110 million a year. On the assumption that most widowed fathers would work, the extra income from income tax would be over £30 million a year.I regret that estimates of the savings in other benefits and of the extra cost of housing rebates are not available. I am writing to my hon. Friend to explain why they could be obtained only at disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list those hospitals, clinics and medical research centres at which experiments are being performed on new born infants which are not for the benefit of the patients, which experiments were referred to in evidence given to the Select Committee on the Social Services and to which reference is made in its second report.

This Department is not supporting any research of that type, and I understand from my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science that neither is the Medical Research Council. No central record is kept which would make it posible to identify any such research which is being sponsored or carried out by other bodies or individuals.As regards evidence given to the Select Committee on the Social Services, the remark attributed to Professor Strang in paragraph 454 of the Committee's report appears to run together statements about "experiments with animals" and "observations on babies" which to my mind carry no suggestion of experiments being carried out which are not to the benefit of the patients.

asked the Secretary' of State for Social Services if, in view of the fear and uncertainty it has created among voluntary organisations, he will now withdraw health circular 80/11 of December 1980 giving the Government's guidelines on National Health Service fund raising.

I am still considering the representations made by voluntary sector organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much extra finance the Government intend to place in the rate support grant to assist local authorities to develop intermediate treatment programmes in accordance with the proposals in the White Paper on young offenders.

Appropriate resources will be provided at the time local authorities are asked to undertake additional responsibilities arising from the proposals in the White Paper. Meanwhile, I hope they will continue the development of their intermediate treatment facilities within existing resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much extra finance the Government intend to make available to voluntary organisations to assist them to develop intermediate treatment programmes when they introduce the supervised activities order proposed in the White Paper on young offenders.

Provision of facilities for intermediate treatment, including support for voluntary organisations, is primarily a local matter. However, this year my right hon. Friend has approved grants of about £500,000 to voluntary organisations to develop such programmes and has additionally provided some £250,000 by way of the intennediate treatment fund. Next year, he hopes to make significantly more available in real terms with a view to fostering the development of intermediate treatment in anticipation of the new order.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if there is any recent research which indicates the proportion of young people in community homes with education who do not have a family home to which they can return on leaving the establishment.

I am not aware of any recent research which bears directly on this problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children's regional planning committees have co-opted magistrates.

Nine.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the age and home town of each of the children currently at Glenthorne youth treatment centre and the number of visits each one has had in the last year from (a) relatives, (b) social workers and (c) others.

It would be undesirable to provide information which could enable the children to be identified, and visits by relatives are a private matter. The following table shows the present age of those children who have been at the centre for a full year and the number of visits they received from social workers or probation officers.

Age	Visits
17 years 5 months	1
17 years 2 months	4
17 years	2
16 years 11 months	2
16 years 10 months	6
16 years 10 months	1
16 years 6 months	7
16 years 5 months	2
16 years 3 months	5
16 years	4
16 years	1
15 years 8 months	4
15 years 1 month	2
15 years 1 month	7
14 years 9 months	4
13 years 6 months	5

Thomas asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in order to make financial savings, he will consider introducing a scheme whereby doctors could be offered financial incentives in order to make operational economies that could be used in other sectors of the National Health Service.

I should be happy to consider any specific proposals for making better use of the resources available for the National Health Service. In general, however, I believe doctors recognise that using these resources efficiently and economically benefits the service as a whole, and that personal financial incentives are both unnecessary and inappropriate.

Thomas asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the land and properties sold by each of the health regions in England since May 1979, together with the money paid for each individual property and land.

This information is not available centrally and the cost of collecting it could not be justified. Total receipts from the sale of land and property in England in the year ended 31 March 1980 were approximately £9·6 million each regional health authority contributing as follows:

Region	Receipts (£000)
Northern	150
Yorkshire	766
Trent	505
E Anglian	251
NW Thames	1,228
NE Thames	1,804
SE Thames	336
SW Thames	93
Wessex	1,323
Oxford	922
South Western	1,074
West Midlands	578
Mersey	264
North Western	338

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what financial saving has been made by each English region by virtue of its having unfilled consultant vacancies.

I regret that reliable estimates cannot be made centrally. Adequate data are not available about the duration of vacancies, periods covered by the use of locums or additional sessions undertaken by other consultants, and the extent to which suitably qualified staff are acting up to cover vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that large size packs of analgesics containing Aloxiprin, aspirin, paracetamol and salicylamide shall be sold only by or under the supervision of a pharmacist.

Large size packs of analgesics are allowed to be offered for sale only in pharmacies. I am advised that, as the law stands, we have no enforceable means of requiring by law that these packs be sold by or under the supervision of a pharmacist while at the same time we allow—as we think it right we should—the smaller packs to remain on general sale. But retail pharmacists were recently advised, in a letter addressed to them by the president of the Pharmaceutical Society, that they are expected, as a matter of professional discipline, to continue to supervise sales of large packs as though it were a legal requirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the location of laser centres for the treatment of cervical cancer.

I cannot add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 2 February. If he requires further information for a particular purpose he may like to write to me.—[Vol. 998, c. 23–24.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects publication of the London health consortium's report on primary health services in inner city areas.

I understand that the study group established by the London health planning consortium to look at the primary health care services in inner London hopes to report by Easter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is yet able to announce the revenue and capital allocations to regional health authorities for 1981–82.

My right hon. Friend has determined the following allocations for regional health authorities in 1981–82:

	Revenue allocations (November 1980 prices)		Capital allocations (average 1980·81 prices)
	£ million	Planned growth (per cent.)	£ million
Northern	448·5	2·3	37·2
Yorkshire	502·4	1·8	42·3
Trent	598·1	3·0	49·8
East Anglian	247·7	2.5	26·6
North-West Thames	585·0	0·5	28·3
North-East Thames	634·1	0·5	36·9
South-East Thames	597·7	0·5	31·7
South-West Thames	470·4	0·6	27·5
Wessex	356·3	2·1	35·9
Oxford	285·5	1·2	21·1
South-Western	436·3	2·3	32·4
West Midlands	695·0	1·7	49·7
Mersey	375·2	1·1	27·7
North-Western	619·0	2·9	64·4

These allocations, which are of course provisional pending Parliament's approval of the Department's estimates, will in due course be cash limited. My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to announce cash limits.The revenue allocations maintain the planned rate of growth in the National Health Service announced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 24 November 1980 [Vol. 994, c. 315; 335-338], including the requirement that health authorities are expected to make savings of at least 0·4 per cent. through the better use of resources and increased efficiency. The distribution of the planned growth addition between Regions reflects the Government's continuing commitment to reduce the long-standing disparities in the level of NHS resources available in different parts of England. This is being achieved through a process of "levelling-up", and no regional allocation will be reduced.These allocations also take special account of the rapid population growth due to the new town developments in the Oxford and East Anglian regions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the degree subjects read by the assistant secretaries and under-secretaries in his Department who are graduates.

First and higher degrees held by assistant and under-secretaries in the Treasury can be categorised as follows:

Arts	33
Social sciences	18
Science and technology	7

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average length of time served in their present jobs by the assistant secretaries and undersecretaries in his Department.

Assistant secretaries and undersecretaries now in post in the Treasury have been in their present post for an average of one year and 10 months. Apart from those seconded into the Treasury from outside, who normally join for a period of two years, assistant secretaries and under-secretaries in the Treasury can expect to stay in each post for between three and five years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reduction in the standard rate of income tax would be possible if £620 million were not spent by the Exchequer in the 1981–82 financial year and a further £370 million in the 1982–83 financial year.

Tax revenues in future years will depend on the level of incomes, allowances and reliefs in those years. At 1980–81 income and allowance levels, the cost of a reduction of 1p in the basic rate of income tax would be £800 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the bodies which have been specified under section 15(3)(l) of the Finance Act 1972 as being eligible for refund of value added tax.

The additions that have been made by Treasury orders under section 15(3)(l) to the list of bodies contained in section 15(3) as enacted, are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for clearance under the de-merger provisions of the Finance Act 1980 have been made to the latest convenient date; and, of such applications, how many clearances were granted, how many were refused and how many applications were found to be outside the terms of the de-merger provisions.

The number of applications are:

Received of which:—	87
Cleared	31
Refused	7
Withdrawn	5
Being examined	24
Outside Schedule 18	20

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the possible savings in staff and expenditure within Her Majesty's Customs and Excise which would result if value added tax between registered traders were eliminated.

It is unlikely that there would be any net saving.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of value added tax registered businesses which trade (a) exclusively with other value added tax registered

Year	Approximate number of registered persons as at 31 March	Tax due on imported goods and goods from bonded warehouses	Other tax due	Tax deductions other than on imported goods and goods from bonded warehouses	Total net tax payable*
		£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
1973	981,200
1973–74	1,196,700	822·3	6,743·0	5,403·1	1,470·7
1974–75	1,223,800	1,536·1	10,880·0	8,281·5	2,509·5
1975–76	1,250,800	1,942·8	12,843·1	9,403·8	3,454·9
1976–77	1,271,300	2,159·2	13,912·3	10,207·9	3,769·5
1977–78	1,274,200	2,482·8	15,960·1	11,773·6	4,234·8
1978–79	†1,292,300	2,477·7	17,152·4	12,489·8	4,837·5
1979–80	1,327,200	4,606·2	31,712·1	23,680·2	8,189·3
* Total net tax includes a varying amount paid or repaid each year which is not classified to an industry and not included in the figures in other columns.
†As at 27 September.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the beneficial effects from lower interest rates which would affect economic activity in London and other large cities.

No. It is our intention to reduce interest rates as soon as monetary conditions permit, but to do so prematurely would put at risk the progress that has been made in reducing inflation, and with it the chances of a recovery of economic activity in London and elsewhere.

There are no reliable figures on which to base an estimate. Possibly, some 300,000 to 400,000 registered businesses trade almost entirely with other registered businesses, though many, if not most, of these could be making some supplies to employees or other private purchasers. It is thought that the number of businesses trading exclusively with the public could be of the order of 250,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the total value added tax yield arises out of transactions between value added tax registered traders.

It is estimated that about 70 per cent. of the total value added tax yield relates to transactions between registered traders.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each of the past eight years (a) the approximate number of traders registered for value added tax purposes; (b) the total amount of value added tax due on imported goods and from bonded warehouses; (c) the total amount of other value added tax due; (d) the total amount of value added tax deductible other than on imported goods and goods from bonded warehouses and (e) the total net tax payable to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

The information is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the amount of revenue likely to accrue to the Exchequer during 1981–82 from the exploitation of North Sea oil; and how this compares with his estimate for the current year.

The Industry Act forecast, published on 24 November 1980, estimated North Sea revenues at about £4 billion—in current prices—for 1980–81 and about £4½–5 billion—in 1980–81 prices—for 1981–82. A provisional outturn figure for 1980–81, and a revised estimate for 1981–82, will be available at the time of the Budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why inspectors of taxes were previously allowed to take part in the job release scheme but are now prevented from so doing; and if he will take steps to change this.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to change the regulations whereby the names of premium bond winners are at present not revealed publicly, in cases where prizes remain unclaimed for more than an agreed period, in view of the large accumulation of winning numbers that has now built up.

Since PSBs were first introduced they have been sold with the assurance that confidentiality would be maintained and that details of holders and prizes won would not be disclosed. Any bond holder who wishes to know whether he has an unclaimed prize has the opportunity to check the list of unclaimed prize bond numbers available at main post offices.The bonds and stock office takes all practical steps to trace prize winners who have moved home, and the value of unclaimed prizes represents less than 0·15 per cent. of the total value of prize money paid out.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing money supply as a percentage of national income each year since 1947.

Figures for the period since 1947 for national income, as measured by gross national product at market prices, are shown at page 38 of Economic Trends Annual Supplement 1981 Edition. Figures for sterling M3 are available only for the period since 1963 and are given at pages 146–47 of the same document.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing Government final consumption expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product for each year since 1945.

Figures of general Government final consumption and the gross domestic product for the years 1946 to 1979 are published in Table 9 of the Economic Trends Annual Supplement 1981 Edition. Figures for 1945 are not available. Figures for 1980 are not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been received from Motability concerning relief of both value added tax on its lease payments and car tax; what reply he is sending; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage of total central and local government expenditure devoted to defence in the years 1964–65, 1969–70 and 1974–75; and what is his estimate for the current year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the light of the Prime Minister's statement during Question Time on Thursday 29 January, he will publish in the Official Report the annualised cost to the public sector of the current level of unemployment, itemised by increased benefit payments and reduced tax and national insurance contributions.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 February 1981, c. 33]: As I made clear in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley) on 29 January—[Vol. 997, c. 1058]—the average direct cost to the Exchequer of a change in unemployment is in the region of £3,500 per person becoming unemployed, though this figure will vary widely from individual to individual. An article explaining this calculation will be published in the February issue of the Treasury's Economic Progress Report. As is explained in the article, an average figure of this kind cannot be grossed up to provide an estimate of the direct Exchequer cost of all those presently unemployed. Moreover, it is not correct to infer that the Government could employ individuals at this level of earnings without incurring additional net costs, quite apart from any other indirect consequences for the economy as a whole.Estimated expenditure on unemployment and social security benefit payments for 1980–81 referred to by my right hon. Friend are as follows:

Estimated 1980–81 expenditure on:	£ million
Unemployment benefits	1,176
Supplementary benefit payments to unemployed	1,235

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value to a taxpayer with a dependent wife and two children, earning the national average wage, of the tax relief for mortgage interest in the average case; and what is the maximum value of the allowance to any taxpayer whose marginal income tax rate is the standard rate.

[pursuant to his reply, 2 February 1981, c. 34]: The value in 1980–81 to a basic rate taxpayer of the mortgage interest relief on an average mortgage and on a mortgage of £25,000 or more is, approximately, £350 and £1,106 a year respectively.

Winterton asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms joined and how many firms left the value added tax register in January.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1981, c. 205]: In January 1981, 10,599 names were added to the value added tax register. In the same period 10,333 persons sought cancellation of their registrations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the raising of the ceiling on tax relief on mortgage interest under the Finance Act 1974; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1981, c. 207]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor has, so far, received 13 representations to the effect that this ceiling, which has to be fixed annually, should be raised or removed in his forthcoming Budget. However, I cannot anticipate the contents of my right hon. and learned Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in connection with stamp duty on the purchase of an owner-occupied house; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1981, c. 206]: Letters are regularly received by Treasury Ministers from private individuals and representative bodies about the incidence of stamp duty on purchases of houses for occupation and suggesting various changes that might be made. Careful note is of course taken of the views expressed, but it would be inappropriate to make any comment about possible responses to them in advance of the Budget.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is satisfied with the progress of his privatisation programme.

Steady progress is being made. The British Telecommunications Bill will facilitate privatisation within British Telecommunications, the Post Office and Cable and Wireless; the NEB has disposed of £120 million of its shareholdings; the British Steel Corporation is discussing possible joint ventures with the private sector; consultants are looking at the viability of a private National Maritime Institute; I announced last week the offer for sale of shares in British Aerospace.

Atkins asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the likely timetable for the flotation of British Aerospace.

Arrangements have been completed for the offer for sale of up to 100 million 50p ordinary shares in British Aerospace Public Limited Company at 150p per share. The prospectus was published today, and has been placed in the Library. Details of the offer for sale were given in an answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey, North-West (Mr. Grylls) on 4 February.

the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects to announce plans for the reorganisation of the special steels division of the British Steel Corporation and related sectors of the private steel industry.

The British Steel Corporation has had discussions with the major private sector producers of low-alloy steels, but as yet no agreed proposition for a new joint company has emerged.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give a directive to the British Steel Corporation that in any reorganisation of the special steel sector involving joint operation with the private sector, majority control of existing corporation plant shall not be surrendered.

No.

Marshall asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he is satisfied with the extent of his powers to require the repayment of grants made under the Industry Acts from companies who cease to use the assets in respect of which the grants were made.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he next expects to meet the chairman of the National Enterprise Board to discuss the board's future role.

I met the chairman today and my right hon. Friend expects to do so tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will ask the National Economic Development Council plastics processing sector working party to investigate the prospects of the plastics industry in Scotland in the light of the decision to bring feedstock gas ashore in Scotland.

The NEDC plastics processing sector working party and the petrochemicals E.D.C. have already recognised the significance of this decision and the potential opportunities involved. It was discussed at a joint meeting of the two groups this January, and I know that they will continue to take a close interest in this development.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he has taken in the last year to introduce new industry to the South Yorkshire area.

The policies pursued by the Government over the past year are leading to a lower rate of inflation and thus contributing towards a revival of the confidence needed for industrial investment generally. In addition regional aid appropriate to the assisted area status of each part of South Yorkshire has continued to be available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his latest estimate of productivity trends in manufacturing industry.

In the three months to November 1980, output per head in manufacturing industry was 4 to 5 per cent. lower than in 1979. However, output per man hour during the same period was only slightly down on the average for 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will take steps to assist industry in West Yorkshire in 1981.

The Government will assist industry not only in West Yorkshire but also in the country as a whole by maintaining our present policies of reducing inflation and controlling public expenditure. I very much hope that management, unions and workforces will play their part by increasing productivity and thus making industry more competitive.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on his role in the co-ordination of public purchasing within the Government.

The Government have made clear their wish that public procurement should be used as effectively as possible to improve industrial performance. The Department has several roles in this, as a link with industry, as a source of assistance for technological development, and as a purchaser. My right hon. Friend and I are taking close personal interest in this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is satisfied with progress in implementing the sector working party's recommendations on the television manufacturing industry.

There have been some notable achievements in modernising the United Kingdom television manufacturing industry, including an outstanding success story in my hon. Friend's own constituency. There have also been some setbacks and much remains to be done, but my hon Friend the Minister responsible for information technology hopes to discuss the situation with the sector working party at their next meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what facilities are available for small firms to borrow from the European Investment Bank.

I am pleased to announce that I have today signed with Finance For Industry Limited an exchange risk agreement which will assist it to make European Investment Bank foreign currency loans available to small firms in manufacturing industry in the assisted areas and Northern Ireland.Through the agency of the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation, loans of from £15,000 to £50,000, at attractive interest rates for investment in new fixed assets, are now available. These arrangements complement the EIB agency held for the last three years by the Department, through which loans totalling £52 million have been made to 118 firms in a loan range of £15,000 to £2·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will take steps to attract industry to the Leicester area.

The Government are already helping industry generally by a variety of policies. Since May 1979, assistance has been given to a number of projects in the Leicester area, and Leicester also benefits from the urban programme. But the particular attractiveness of Leicester as a place for industrial development will continue to depend mainly on the enterprise and good-work practices of management and workers in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, further to his reply of 12 January, Official Report, c. 1133, if he will list all the shop-floor practices to which he has referred during the past 12 months which have directly impeded productivity in the engineering industry.

I have made many references to restrictive labour practices which damage industiy's competitiveness. Amongst these are unwarranted reservation of work for particular types of labour; insistence on unnecessary overtime; limitations on output or pace of work. But, I am sorry to say, there are many others.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will arrange to meet representatives of the paper and board industry to discuss Government policy affecting the industry.

Representatives from the industry have already met both my right hon. Friend and other Ministers in recent months. We remain in close touch with the industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action the Government intend to take following the submission of the Central Policy Review Staffs report on space activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he proposes in the light of the Central Policy Review Staffs report on the United Kingdom's space programme.

I hope that we shall shortly be in a position to convey the Government's intentions to the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of competition in the steel industry.

There is strong competition in the United Kingdom steel market both between domestic suppliers and through imports.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects an industrial recovery.

The timing of recovery depends on many factors including the buoyancy of world trade, the speed with which overmanning and restrictive practices are eliminated, the level of wage settlements and the pace of destocking. The bottom of the recession may be reached during the coming year.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will consider using his powers to remove Redpath-Dorman-Long from the control of the British Steel Corporation and allow its sale to private enterprise.

The corporation is currently reviewing the possibility of introducing private capital into a number of its activities, and I do not consider it would be helpful at this stage to use powers of direction to require the corporation to dispose of particular assets.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what discussions he had with leaders of trades unions before coming to his decision to grant a further £990 million of public funds to BL Ltd.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry to what extent the settlement of the payments to British Leyland have to be endorsed or cleared with the European Economic Commission; to what extent the French Government have made complaints concerning this matter; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend said in the course of his statement on BL of 26 January 1981 that clearance from the EEC Commission will be needed for the Government's funding for BL. This is to comply with the requirements of article 93 of the Treaty of Rome, and a formal notification to the Commission has been made. I have received no complaints from the French Government on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, in view of the recent increases in salaries awarded to the top paid people in Post Office services and the consequent increase in all forms of charges for postal services, he will issue a general direction to the Post Office requiring it to adhere strictly to the Government's policy of a 6 per cent. cash limit.

No. Post Office pay negotiations are a matter for the Post Office Board and its employees, within the disciplines established by the external financing limits of the postal and telecommunications businesses. Moderation in pay settlements in the public, as in the private, sector is essential if inflation is to be reduced without further, and wholly unecessary, increases in unemployment.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry to what extent the agreement for Datsun to establish its factory in Great Britain has to be endorsed or reported to the European Economic Community; to what extent the French Government have made complaints concerning this matter; and whether he will make a statement.

There is no agreement for Datsun to establish a factory. Nissan has announced its intention, subject to a feasibility study, to establish a car manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom. This proposal has been warmly welcomed by the Government, who are prepared in principle to give it their approval and support. There is no requirement for the EEC Commission to be informed of, or to endorse, any such statement of intent; that remains the position should Nissan decide on the basis of its feasibility study to proceed with the investment. I have received no complaints from the French Government on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what estimate he has made of the costs which will be incurred to public funds by the establishment of the Datsun company factory in Great Britain.

None. Nissan has said it is looking for a site in a development or special development area and will thus qualify for regional assistance in the same way as any other firm. British or foreign, starting a new venture in such areas. An estimate of the assistance to which Nissan might be entitled would be impossible until the location was known and the Government were presented with a firm, costed project. It is much too early to consider such a matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will institute measures to prevent the exportation of waste paper and to encourage its recycled use in the United Kingdom.

The use of recycled waste paper is already being encouraged. However, the supply of waste paper currently exceeds home demand and in these circumstances exports help to sustain the waste paper collection system.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will consider measures to counter the present system of British timber being exported to Scandinavian countries which operate a high price pulp and low price paper policy against the British paper industry.

It would not be sensible to discourage exports of small roundwood because the supply currently exceeds home demand. The export contracts have been kept short term so as not to prejudice the longer term interests of wood processing activities in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when the Council of Ministers responsible for the European Space Agency last met; and when it is proposed it should next meet.

The Council of the European Space Agency last met at ministerial level on 14, 15 February 1977; there are at present no proposals for a further meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will arrange for an exhibition relating to the microcomputer centre of the polytechnic of the South Bank to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.