asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the growing number of cases known to the public as "muggings", he will take whatever action necessary to legalise the carrying of protective aerosol sprays by women to enable them to protect themselves from such attacks.

No. We are not persuaded that the legalisation of such devices is the way to bring about a reduction in violence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his policy that courts will still have to inquire as to the availability of a detention centre place when maximum and minimum sentence lengths are altered as proposed in the White Paper on young offenders.

Courts are at present asked, but not required, to ascertain that there is a vacancy before passing a detention centre sentence. My right hon. Friend would prefer not to anticipate the procedure which would be followed under new legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community service orders have been imposed since the introduction of the scheme in 1973; and, of these, how many have been imposed on young adults and how many on 17-year-olds.

Information in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the numbers of persons given a community service order at a court appearance in each of the years 1974 to 1979 are published in table 23, page 26, of the issue for 1979 of "Probation and after-care statistics, England and Wales". The number of persons aged 17 and under 21 years given a community service order for their principal offences is published annually in "Criminal statistics, England and Wales" (see tables 6.13, l(d) and 5(d) and paragraph 1.20 of the issue for 1979 Cmnd. 8098).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings he estimates would be made in the next tax year if income tax relief were no longer granted on new mortgages, extrapolating from previous years' statistics.

It is not possible to give an estimate of the amount of tax relief on interest on new mortgages in 1981–82. The amount would depend on the level of incomes, allowances and reliefs, mortgage interest rates and the level of new mortgages; and the withdrawal of tax relief from these would have substantial effects on the housing market and the economy in general. However, as a guide new advances taken out in 1980–81 are estimated to account for around 10 per cent. of the total tax relief on qualifying mortgages of £1,960 million for 1980–81. This percentage would tend to be reduced if tax relief on new mortgages were withdrawn.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures for 1978, 1979 and 1980 for a married man with two children earning average male manual earnings, showing the length of time worked, after taking into account income tax liability and national insurance contributions, necessary to pay for each of the following items: weekly rent of a three-bedroomed council dwelling, mortgage repayment on a newly-built three-bedroomed semi-detached house, three pounds of beef sirloin, two pounds of fresh cod, 14 pounds of potatoes, a large loaf, a half pound of tea, a quart of fresh milk, five hundredweights of best coal, five gallons of petrol, a weekly season ticket between Surbiton and London, postage on five letters, a telegram of 12 words, a gentleman's hair-cut, 20 cigarettes, a pint of beer and a bottle of whisky.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the United States of America, Japan and the United Kingdom the annual inflation rate for each year from 1974.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue is raised by the contract stamp on share purchase; and what is the cost of administration of this.

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

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 February 1981, c. 264.]: A letter has been received from Motability asking that vehicles supplied by them be relieved of both VAT on the lease payments and car tax. In accordance with normal practice at this time of year it has been acknowledged.

asked the Prime Minister if she will ensure that the increase in child benefit in 1981 not only covers inflation but also represents an increase in real terms.

As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer said in his statement to the House on 24 November, a decision on the 1981 uprating of child benefit will be taken at the time of the Budget.

asked the Prime Minister what further steps she intends to take to protect the British textile industry.

Under the multi-fibre arrangement and associated arrangements there already exists a very extensive regime of controls against imports of low cost textiles and clothing. Well over 400 quotas are now in place covering imports from more than 40 countries. Nearly 50 new quotas have been introduced since this Government took office.In addition, at our urging, the Community has begun urgent discussions with the new United States Administration with the aim of finding solutions to the serious problems caused by a sharp increase in imports of United States textiles into the United Kingdom in 1980.The present multi-fibre arrangement expires at the end of this year and we shall work, through the Community and the GATT, for an effective successor arrangement. We shall be seeking the best deal it is possible to negotiate taking account of British interests as a whole.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make an official visit to Edinburgh.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to Streatham.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when she last met the leaders of the Confederation of British Industry.

At NEDC on 4 February.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government have given any consideration to the reintroduction of national service.

No. We are firmly committed to maintaining all-volunteer Armed Forces.

asked the Prime Minister when last she discussed with Prime Minister Trudeau the proposed patriation of the Canadian constitution; and when next she intends to discuss it with him.

I discussed the proposed patriation of the constitution with Mr. Trudeau last June. I do not at present have any plans to discuss it further with him.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, for the year 1980–81, how many places for children aged under 5 years his Department allows in its building programme in each of the eight counties; and how many primary school classrooms becoming vacant, with the falling school rolls, have been adapted in each of the eight counties to provide extra places for nursery education for how many infants.

The nursery education building programme for 1980–81 was issued not in terms of places, but in the form of financial allocations which were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total capital expenditure allocation to each local authority in Wales for 1981–82; and what was the total expenditure allocation for each year from 1970 to 1981.

The capital expenditure allocations specified to each authority in Wales for prescribed expenditure in 1981–82 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he is satisfied with the take-up of subsidies to be claimed from the European Community social fund by local authorities; what other proposals he has for further publicising the availability of these funds; and if he will make a statement;(2) what measures he has taken to inform local authorities in areas of high unemployment of potential subsidies to be claimed from the European Community social fund, particularly those to encourage the hiring of young workers; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Employment gave to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Penhaligon) on 6 February.—[Vol. 998, c. 240–41.] In addition my Department issued circular letters to local authorities in Wales in September 1979 and in August 1980—the latter wholly about the social fund—which made specific reference to the scope for fund aid to young persons' training and employment schemes run by local authorities. Copies of the revised handbook on the fund will be issued to all Welsh local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects fluidised bed combustion systems will be able to make an impact on the coal market in relation to (a)industrial or commercial sales and (b) power stations.

The impact of fluidised bed combustion on industrial coal markets will be felt when the present prototype programme has encouraged industrialists to see real benefit in commercial fluidised bed combustion systems, and the manufacturers of these systems to enter series production.The use of the technology in power generation will be largely dependent upon the outcome of the experimental work at the LEA facility at Grimethorpe in Yorkshire.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the value of oil exported in 1980; and what has been the effect of the rise so far in 1981 of the £ sterling against the United States dollar.

In 1980 the value of crude oil exported was £4,224 million, which was slightly higher than the value of crude oil imported.In January 1981 the exchange rate was 2·40 United States dollars per £ sterling, 3 per cent. above the average exchange rate in 1980. The prices in sterling of both exports and imports of crude oil will therefore have risen by 3 per cent. less than they would have done if the exchange rate had remained at the same level as in 1980. However, exchange rates are subject to considerable fluctuations.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the figures for overtime working for each month since January 1979.

The following table gives for manufacturing industries in Great Britain the numbers of operatives who worked overtime and the numbers of overtime hours worked both on a seasonally adjusted and on an unadjusted basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the unemployment percentages of each member State of the former European Free Trade Association group in 1972, and the latest available unemployment percentage for each such country; and if he will indicate what the percentage rise in unemployment has been since 1972 in those European Free Trade Association nations which joined the European Economic Community and those nations which did not.

The annual unemployment rates for 1972 and 1980 and the increase in total unemployment between 1972 and 1980 are given below for the countries which were members of the European Free Trade Association in 1972, of which Denmark and the United Kingdom are now members of the European Communities. The figures are not directly comparable because of differences in concepts, coverage and methods of compilation. The information is not available for Iceland or Portugal.Service personnel that can be used in industrial disputes without weakening the obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or to Northern Ireland.

During industrial disputes Service personnel will be deployed only as an emergency measure to maintain essential supplies and services to the community. The number of personnel to be deployed for this task will be decided in the light of relative priorities and commitments at the time. It is not possible to give a general estimate of the numbers that could be made available without weakening other obligations as this depends upon the range of specialist skills needed on any particular occasion.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will provide an opportunity for members of the Territorial Army to indicate their willingness or otherwise to serve alongside Regulars in the provision of military aid during industrial disputes.

No. It is for employers to take whatever steps they may consider appropriate to arrange for volunteers to assist in such circumstances. It would, of course, be open to any member of the Territorial Army, as a private citizen and out of uniform, individually to volunteer assistance to the appropriate civil authorities during an emergency, just like any member of the general public.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Government's attitude to the use of Territorial Army drill halls for the mustering of civilian volunteers during industrial disputes.

Territorial Army centres are needed to enable the Territorial Army to recruit and train for a very demanding operational role. The Government have no plans to use them for the mustering of civilian volunteers during industrial disputes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many houses were demolished in each year from 1974 to the latest available date within the Bury metropolitan district housing authority;

Figures of slum clearance demolitions and closures of public sector housing starts in Bury metropolitan district, for the years 1974 to 1979 appear in issues 33, 37, 41, 45, 49 and 53, respectively, of Local Housing Statistics, table 5 (page 17). Slum clearance figures for the 1st quarter 1980 are in issue 55: returns are now required only annually. In the first nine months of 1980 there were 88 public sector housing starts.Copies of Local Housing Statistics are available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the key sites of special scientific interest in the Nature Conservancy Council's "A Nature Conservation Review" which have been created or preserved by agricultural or forestry practice; and if he will make a statement.

The majority of key sites, in common with the rest of the British countryside, show the effects of agricultural and forestry practice dating back to ancient times. It is not possible except at disproportionate cost to compile a list of those where such effects contribute directly to the scientific interest, but low-intensity agricultural or forestry practice is a factor in safeguarding the qualities of a number of sites in such habitats as chalk grasslands, lowlands meadows and coppiced woodlands.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to issue further guidance to those council tenants who wish to buy their homes and are being prevented by certain local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Local authority tenants who have evidence that their right to buy is being delayed or obstructed should write to the appropriate regional office of the Department of the Environment, which will take up their cases with the authorities concerned. The addresses of the Department of the Environment's regional offices appear on the back cover of the booklet "The Right to Buy: a guide for council, new town and housing association tenants", which is obtainable from local authorities and citizens' advice bureaux as well as from the regional offices themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many cases have been brought to his notice where a landowner or occupier has destroyed a site of special scientific interest in order to seek to induce a local authority to grant permission for development.

I know of no such case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the statutory provisions which confer upon him the capacity to protect sites of special scientific interest or any other areas of important conservation interest.

My right hon. Friend has power to make article 4 and article 10 directions under the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977, and to call in planning applications where appropriate—section 35 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971. He also has default powers to revoke or modify a planning permission which has already been granted—section 276 of the 1971 Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what powers are available to him or to local authorities, or other statutory bodies to prevent a landowner or occupier from destroying a site of special scientific interest in order to induce a local planning authority to grant permission.

There is nothing to prevent a landowner or occupier from carrying out on his land and at his own expense any work which is not subject to planning permission. My right hon. Friend and local planning authorities, however, have power to make an article 4 direction where an SSS1 is believed to be threatened by operations which are permitted by the general development order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he proposes to take in connection with the destruction of a part of a designated site of special scientific interest at plot 334 on the Catcott Mere and Street Heath site in Somerset.

I am advised that the scientific value of the land in question has not been destroyed. My right hon. Friend has issued an article 10 direction in respect of, and is considering whether to call in, the relevant planning application.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what types of body he has in mind to approve under the new assured tenancy scheme in sections 56 to 58 of the Housing Act 1980.

As announced by my right hon. Friend on Second Reading of the Housing Bill on 15 January 1980 the bodies in mind for approval under the assured tenancy scheme are pension funds, insurance companies and building societies, who would operate through unregistered housing associations. Applications from other bodies who are suitably qualified to build and manage homes for renting will be considered. These could include housebuilding companies, and also registered housing associations though neither housing association grant nor revenue deficit grant would be available for an assured tenancy scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Social Services when the amendments to regulations 2 and 21 of the Boarding out of Children Regulations 1955, indicated in his answer to the hon. Member for Goole on 3 February, will take effect.

Allowing for consultation, printing and laying of the statutory instrument, I hope it will be possible for the amending regulations to take effect early in May.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds for mentally handicapped patients there are within the area health authorities covering Brent; and how many there are at each hospital.

At 30 June 1979, the latest date for which information is available centrally, there were 65 staffed beds for the mentally handicapped at Kingsbury hospital and 1,443 beds at Leavesden hospital, but this hospital serves a catchment area much wider than Brent health district. In addition, 16 staffed beds opened at St. Andrew's House later in 1979. The right hon. Gentleman may like to seek more detailed information direct from the Brent and Harrow area health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give his estimate of the annual savings that would be lost if all parents were given the right to opt for weekly payments of child benefit if they so wish when the switch to four-weekly payments takes place.

The savings in administrative costs would depend on how many beneficiaries chose to be paid child benefit four-weekly. If about 80 per cent. chose payment at this frequency, DHSS administrative costs would eventually be reduced by the amount shown in paragraph 24 of Cmnd. 8106.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he plans to carry out a further survey of attitudes towards four-weekly payments of child benefit; and, if so, if he will undertake to publish the responses in the Official Report.

There are no such plans at present, but I am keeping the matter under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the population of Manchester comes within the Government's official definition of poverty; and what, in relation to these figures, are the percentages for the Harpurhey, Collegiate, Church, Cheetham, Beswick and Miles Platting wards of the Manchester, Central constituency.

There is no generally accepted definition of poverty or official Government definition.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the population of Manchester are single elderly over the age of 60 years; and what is the percentage of single elderly in the Manchester, Central constituency compared with the city and for the United Kingdom as a whole.

The latest available information I have about the marital condition of Manchester's population is derived from the 1971 census. At that time, the percentage of the population consisting of single persons aged 60 or over was 2·6 for Manchester; 2·3 for the constituency of Manchester, Central; and 2·2 for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Short asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in which countries the use of the drug Clioquinol is banned; and for what reasons;(2) what evidence has been submitted to the Committee on Safety of Medicines in the last five years about the adverse effects of the drug Clioquinol; what action has been taken as a result; and if he is satisfied that its continued use is safe;(3) for what uses the Committee on Safety of Medicines licenses the use of the drug Clioquinol; and under what name it is sold in the United Kingdom.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (a) males and (b) females on average begin to draw their retirement pension each year.

The numbers of new awards of national insurance retirement pensioners—contributory and non-contributory—-over the 12 months to 30 November in 1978 and 1979 were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he has made to promote a simpler planning system for the National Health Service as promised in "Patients First".

I have today distributed to health authorities and to local social services authorities a consultative document on the revision of the NHS planning system. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list how many of the 69 patients on the "transfer list" at Rampton hospital at 1 July 1980 and designated "subnormal" or "severely subnormal" have now been transferred to National Health Service hospitals.

[pursuant to his reply, 27 January 1980, c. 389]: Of the 69 patients who were on "the transfer list" at Rampton Hospital, as at 1 July 1980, six subnormal and five severely subnormal patients had been transferred to National Health Service Hospitals as at 26 January 1981; these included a male patient and a female patient who had been waiting seven years and eight years respectively. We hope to see further progress of this kind as a result of the letter sent by my right hon. Friend to regional health authority chairmen last November. We are studying closely the progress reports which are now coming in from regions and we shall continue to monitor the position carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the number of employees in the merchant shipyards, the number of employees in the Naval shipyards, and the number of employees in mixed merchant and Naval shipyards in the years 1977, 1978, 1979 and to date.

The following is the available information:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the provision of books in schools.

I recognise that, nationally, there are grounds for concern about the standards of book provision in schools. That is why the Government's expenditure plans, as embodied in the 1980–81 and 1981–82 rate support grant settlements, allow for a real improvement in provision for books and equipment at the rate of 2 per cent. compound per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the pupil-teacher ratio for January 1981 will be available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the pupil-teacher ratio in England for January 1981 will be available.

A provisional estimate of the overall ratio should be available in March.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many Church schools, primary and secondary, are currently maintained by the Inner London Education Authority.

There are 246 primary and 58 secondary voluntary Church schools currently maintained by the Inner London Education Authority. In addition, there are a further 2 primary and 14 secondary schools which are non-denominational voluntary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total saving in public expenditure he expects to make by reducing the grant for the Open University; and how many representations he has received against the consequent increase in fees.

In the academic year 1981 the saving in public expenditure resulting from increasing the proportion of the university's expenditure covered by fees from 10 to 12½ per cent. is expected to be about £900,000 at 1980 survey prices. To date 371 representations have been received about the increase in fees.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make sufficient additional grant-aid available to enable the Open University not to charge increased fees.

No. The object of increasing tuition fees was to reduce public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how far the estimated demand in England and Wales for places in further education colleges exceeds the number of places available.

The actual capacity of colleges is determined locally in response to the demands made upon them. My right hon. and learned Friend is confident that the colleges are doing everything possible to satisfy student demand.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on teacher mobility.

I share the hon. Gentleman's view of the value of peripatetic teachers; but their deployment must be determined by individual authorities in the light of local circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received about cuts in expenditure on education.

Since my statement on 16 December a number of hon. Members have made representations from their constituents about the Government's plans. For the most part, these have dwelt on the consequences for individual schools, or institutions, of decisions by local authorities. In addition, I have agreed to meet representatives of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities to discuss its Education Committee's concern about the consequences of the 1981-82 rate support grant settlement for the education service.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what restrictions are laid down concerning financial gain when polytechnics and other colleges exploit their knowledge and expertise in conjunction with private industry.

With the exception of the London polytechnics, polytechnics and other maintained institutions are, by law, a part of the organisation of their maintaining authorities; and any which might exploit their expertise for gain by undertaking consultancy work must therefore operate within the constraints on "trading" to which local authorities are subject including, for example, the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970 and sections 111(1) and 148 of the Local Government Act 1972. The five polytechnics in London, though assisted by ILEA, are in law independent bodies and not, therefore, subject to these constraints.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the development of successful colleges of advanced education.

While giving urgent consideration to the development of a more effective structure for the management of public sector higher education, the Government continue to look to the colleges, working with their maintaining authorities and within available resources, to safeguard the quality of their courses, to improve their cost effectiveness, and to increase their responsiveness to national needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many community colleges there are in England.

Community colleges are not a defined class of institution on which my Department collect statistics. This information is therefore, not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of the number of primary schools likely to be closed as a result of cuts in Government finance to local government.

The need to close schools arises from falling pupil numbers which lead to surplus places in both permament and temporary accommodation. To reduce the educational and financial disadvantages of surplus places in permanent accommodation, it would be desirable to close at least 1,000 primary schools by 1982–83.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the development of a common approach towards education, training and community work for school leavers.

The Government are committed to considering the education and training needs of school leavers in their totality. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment announced on 21 November 1980—[Vol. 994, c. 205]—we are expanding the unified vocational preparation programme which integrates education, training and work experience for school leavers entering work. My right hon. Friend also announced the expansion of the youth opportunities programme and an improvement in the quality of the education and training offered in this; the education service is playing a full part in the process and the Manpower Services Commission is working closely with local education authorities. The review of education for 16 to 19-year-olds, published on 26 January, encourages local education authorities to plan in an integrated way to meet the educational needs of this age group, and also to have regard to the related areas of training and employment.My right hon. and learned Friend and I, together with the Secetary of State for Employment and other Ministers concerned, met the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission on 24 November to consider how all these initiatives might be drawn together in a more full coherent strategy. These discussions are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been achieved in the introduction of computer terminals into schools; and of he will make a statement.

Terminals linked to a mainframe computer are available in some secondary schools but they are expensive to run and microcomputers are much more widely used. Her Majesty's Inspectorate estimate that nearly 50 per cent. of secondary schools in England have one or more microcomputers, and eight local education authorities provide them for all their secondary schools. The purpose of the Department's £9 million microelectronics in education programme is to promote curriculum development, lay the foundations for improved teacher training and ensure that good quality educational software is widely available. I am urgently considering what steps might be taken to make microcomputers more widely available in secondary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the Government's financial grant to the Inner London Education Authority for the year 1980–81; and if he will make a statement on the different basis for calculating the grant for 1981–82.

Under the arrangements which applied up to and including 1980–81, grant was not calculated separately for the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA). The needs element grant paid to inner London boroughs, on which ILEA precepted, was calculated in respect of all the relevant services as a whole.In 1981–82, under the new block grant system, a separate calculation of grant entitlement is made for ILEA. As I explained in my statement on 4 February, the level of this grant entitlement will be related to ILEA's expenditure. The principles of the new system, which applies to all local authorities, were set out in the Rate Support Grant Report (England) 1980, which was presented to Parliament on 16 December 1980.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has agreed, following a recent request to him under section 56(2) of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, that grant in respect of ILEA should continue to be paid to the inner London boroughs, on which ILEA will still precept for its revenue.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent local authorities are replacing the funding of youth capital projects previously carried out by his Department.

It must be a matter for the discretion of individual local authorities and my right hon. and learned Friend has expressed the hope that the level of support from public funds for these projects will be maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities spend as much per child on education as the Inner London Education Authority.