asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects to implement the Estate Agents Act 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Much progress has been made in preparing the subordinate legislation necessary to implement the provisions of the Act relating to clients' money and the powers of the Director General of Fair Trading. My intention is to consult as soon as possible on a revised draft of the accounts regulations to the wide extent required by the Act. Although I hope for early implementation of the relevant provisions, I cannot give a precise date until I know the outcome of that consultation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, in the context of the Dan-Air air disaster at Tenerife in April 1980, what is the status and legal standing of the proceedings in the Permanent Court of the aerial zone of the Canary Islands based in Las Palmas.

I am advised that the proceedings of the Permanent Court of the aerial zone of the Canary Islands based in Las Palmas—a military court—have the full force of Spanish law. Appeal may be made against its judgments to higher authority in the judiciary and eventually to the supreme judicial authority, the Council of Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what proportion of British-made components have to be included in a motor car for it to be counted as British-made in his Department's statistics.

For statistical purposes, the current practice is to separate from the numbers of vehicles manufactured in the United Kingdom those where, in so far as is known, the direct import content is 50 per cent. or more of the final ex-works value of the complete vehicle.

asked the Attorney-General whether his right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor intends to demolish the Northumberland County Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne and replace it with new court buildings; what is his estimate of the costs of rebuilding and conversions, respectively; and whether the Moot Hall will continue to be used for court sittings.

Plans are being considered for the demolition of the County Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne and its replacement by a new courthouse building. Detailed costings are not yet available, but the Property Services Agency has advised that a scheme to adapt and extend the existing premises to provide courts to accepted standards is not feasible. The Moot Hall will still be used for county court hearings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what publicity is given to the opportunities provided to New Commonwealth immigrants under the voluntary repatriation scheme.

Information about the voluntary repatriation scheme under section 29 of the Immigration Act 1971 has been made available to local authorities, the local authority associations, the National Council of Social Service, citizens advice bureaux, community relations councils, chief officers of police and appropriate Government Departments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people returned to their country of origin under the voluntary repatriation scheme in 1979 and in 1980; and what was the total sum of financial assistance given to them in each of those years.

The number of persons assisted to leave the United Kingdom under the terms of section 29 of the Immigration Act 1971 and the cost to public funds for the years 1979 and 1980 were as follows:

	Number of Persons	Cost
1979	136	£62,128
1980	126	£69,1303*
* Estimated

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has carried out any specific research into the relationship between sales of alcohol through supermarkets and increased alcoholism.

No. This would primarily be a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland when next he expects to meet representatives of the Scottish Law Commission to discuss prospective legislation on the problems of diligence.

I have no plans to do so at present.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement on her recent meeting with Mr. Shimon Peres, Leader of the Opposition in Israel; and whether she assured Mr. Peres that Her Majesty's Government totally support the right of Israel to exist within secure and defensible borders, and that they deplore the continuing violence and atrocities perpetrated by the terrorists of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

My talks with Mr. Peres on 23 January must remain confidential. Her Majesty's Government are committed to the Venice Declaration, which includes, as one of its principles, Israel's right to a secure existence within recognised borders. We condemn all acts of terrorism whoever the perpetrators may be.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) further to his reply to the hon. Member for Barking (Miss Richardson), Official Report, 12 January, c. 498, what are the components of net weekly income, for instance, whether family income supplement is included; and if he will show the average earnings figures for each year on which the calculations are based;(2) if he will publish a table illustrating the effects on net incomes of the main options set out in the Green Paper on taxation of husband and wife, Cmnd. 8093, assuming annual gross incomes of £4,000, £6,000 £8,000, £10,000, £15,000, £20,000, £30,000 and £40,000, and including examples for two-wage married couples and for couples with investment income.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the percentage rise in the cost of living and retail price index which would result if local rates increased by 20 per cent., 25 per cent., 30 per cent., and 50 per cent. in the next financial year.

It is estimated that if local authority rates were increased as indicated in April 1981, the resulting increases in the retail price index would be as follows:

Increase in rate	Increase in RPI
per cent	per cent.
20	⅔
25	5/6
30	1
50	1⅔

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a decision has been taken on the application made by a number of members of the Anglia Building Society under section 63 of the Building Societies Act 1962 for access to the register of members of that society; and if he will print the formal decision letter in the Official Report.

Following a hearing of the application on 3 February 1981 a direction was made under section 63 of the Building Societies Act 1962 giving the applicant members access to the register of the Anglia Building Society.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the annual visits to building societies mentioned in the report of the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies' annual report for 1979 have included visits to the Anglia Building Society; and, if so, what subjects were discussed.

The Anglia Building Society has not yet been visited by an official of the Registry of Friendly Societies under the programme of visits to which the hon. Member refers. I should point out that in any case the discussions which take place in the course of these visits are treated as confidential to the registry and the individual societies concerned. I am satisfied that it is not in the public interest that the content of particular discussions should be disclosed; but if, in any particular case, it is subsequently necessary for action under the Building Societies Act 1962 to be taken against the society the action will be published in accordance with the provisions of that Act.

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 February 1981, c. 303]: The annual yield has been around £2 million for some years. The cost of collecting the duty is not identifiable separately, but is small.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how large is the work force now employed by De Lorean Cars Ltd.; and if it has plans to expand it in the immediate future.

The company currently employs 884 people and expects to continue recruiting on a progressive basis during 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the 30 pre-production cars that have been tested by De Lorean Cars Ltd. proved completely satisfactory.

This is a matter for the company, but I understand that the pre-production cars fulfilled all the purposes for which they were built.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at what date De Lorean Cars Ltd. undertook to put the first vehicles produced in Northern Ireland on sale; on what date they will actually be put on sale, according to existing plans; how many orders have now been received by the company; and who are its principal potential customers.

My hon. Friend will be aware that the company planned to launch the car before the end of 1980 and that the production of cars was delayed by slippage in the programme, as earlier reported to the House. I understand that market launch is now expected in April 1981.The company have also informed me that franchised dealers have indicated that they will purchase 32,000 cars during the two years following the commencement of sales. The dealers are at present all located in the United States of America.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what conditions the additional sum of £14 million was loaned to De Lorean Cars Ltd. by the Government last year; if he has any plans to alter the basis of the agreements under which public money has been loaned to the company; if the company has requested a further loan from the Government; and, if so, what sum of money is involved.

The loan will be repaid within a period of 10 years commencing 1 November 1982, from which date interest at the rate of 13 ⅜ per cent. per annum will be charged. It is secured by a fixed and floating charge on the assets of De Lorean Motor Cars Ltd. I have no plans to alter the basis of existing agreements with the company.On the question of the company's request for further assistance, I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) on 26 January 1981.—[Vol. 977, c. 319.]The matter is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what site inspections and meetings members of his Department have held at Clynnogfawr in Gwynedd, in relation to the upkeep of the historic church of St. Beuno.

Representatives of the Historic Buildings Council for Wales, which advises my right hon. Friend about such buildings, will visit St. Beuno's Church, Clynnogfawr, during the next few weeks in connection with an application for grant-aid in respect of proposed works to this church.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State to a question from the hon. Member for Gower (Dr. Davies) on 2 February, Official Report c. 39, whether the consultant to be appointed will be full-time in the National Health Service; if not, how many sessions he will contribute to the National Health Service; how many of the consultant's sessions in either case will be spent at Morriston hospital; and if he will be expected to live within 15 miles of the hospital.

The detailed arrangements for the joint consultant thoracic surgeon appointment are for negotiation and agreement between West Glamorgan and South Glamorgan health authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the prospects of establishing a burns unit at Moniston Hospital.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Dr. Thomas) on 15 December 1980.—[Vol. 996, c. 61.]

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will show what proportion of (a) total United Kingdom industrial production and (b) total United Kingdom manufacturing industry industrial production, was accounted for by each of the nationalised industries for which he has responsibility in each year since 1960.

The Secretary of state has responsibility for three nationalised industries, the Post Office—including British Telecom—the British Steel Corporation and British Shipbuilders. Of these, the Post Office, whose activites fall almost entirely in the service sector, makes a negligible contribution to industrial production and manufacturing output. Estimates for the other two industries are as follows:

Contribution to Industrial Production and Manufacturing Output
	British Steel Corporation*		British Shipbuilders †
	Industrial Production Per Cent.	Manufacturing Output Per Cent.	Industrial Production Per Cent.	Manufacturing Output Per Cent.
1968	2·4	3·6	—	—
1970	2·4	3·5	—	—
1971	2·1	3·1	—	—
1972	2·2	3·2	—	—
1973	2·2	3·2	—	—
1974	2·0	2·9	—	—
1975	1·8	2·6	—	—
1976	1·9	2·7	—	—
1977	1·8	2·6	0·3	0·5
1978	1·7	2·5	0·6	0·8
1979	1·7	2·6	0·5	0·7
Jan. to Nov. 1980	N/A	N/A	0·4	0·7
* These figures cover only the activities of the British Steel Corporation which fall within the iron and steel industries, Minimum List Headings 311, 312 and 313 of the Standard Industrial Classification. The British Steel Corporation was formed in 1967, but estimates for that year and 1969 are not available.
† British Shipbuilders was formed on 1 July 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, in order to reduce the unit costs, he will introduce a system of grants, interest relief or tax concessions to assist industry in converting from oil burning equipment to coal-burning equipment.

I have no plans at present to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much cash has been drawn by the British Steel Corporation (a) from the national loans fund and (b) by way of public dividend capital to date in the financial year 1980–81.

None. Since April 1978 all the BSC's long-term financial requirements have been met by capital subscribed under section 18(1) of the Iron and Steel Act 1975. The corporation has been provided with £892 million new capital to date in the 1980–81 financial year, of which £25 million was required to repay existing loans from the national loans fund and £93 million to repay foreign borrowing.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received from Ceredigion and from the county of Dyfed concerning low-flying aircraft during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

In the 12 months ending 31 January 1981 the Ministry of Defence received 40 complaints about low flying in Ceredigion, of which 18 have been from one correspondent. A further 36 complaints were received from other parts of the county of Dyfed.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the number of occasions on which Royal Air Force, Coltishall, Norfolk, has been involved in rescue work, both civilian and military; what success has been achieved; to what extent those concerned have been granted awards for their bravery and endeavours; and whether he will make a statement.

Since June 1979 there have been a total of 154 search and rescue incidents involving RAF Coltishall, of which 36 were military and the remainder civilian; a total of 67 people were rescued, of whom eight were military; no award for gallantry was made during the period.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what breakdown he has assumed in local authorities' 1981–82 housing investment programme expenditure between direct local authority investment spending on the one hand and loans and grants to private owners and housing associations on the other, in order to estimate the notional deficits on housing revenue accounts for rate support grant purposes.

In determining for rate support grant purposes the aggregate rate fund contribution to Housing Revenue Accounts (HRA's), which in turn determines the aggregate of grant related expenditure for housing, it was assumed that some 70 per cent. of gross capital expenditure on housing would be on items giving rise to expenditure on the HRA, and that virtually the whole of the remainder would be on grants and loans. I should emphasise that these are only notional assumptions for the purposes of the RSG calculations; local authorities are of course free to determine the allocation of their approved totals for themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average rebated rent for council tenants in receipt of rebates; and what is the average rent for council tenants not in receipt of rebates.

The latest available estimates relate to average rents in England and Wales over the calendar year 1979. They are as follows:

Average rebated rent (per dwelling per week) of house tenants in receipt of rent rebate	£2·60
Average rent (per dwelling per week) of council house tenants not in receipt of rent rebate	£6·70

Tenants in receipt of supplementary benefits are excluded from these estimates. The estimated average rents are exclusive of rates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment for how long the nuisance forcing the public off the pavements on to the streets in King Charles II Street, SW1 in order to clear a loading bay connected with the adjoining building, is expected to last.

I regret any inconvenience caused by the obstruction of the pavement in King Charles Street. This arises from construction work within the building formerly occupied by the Home Office, which is expected to continue until about the end of 1981. The contractor has obtained the approval of Westminster city council for this temporary obstruction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis loan consent will be given to local and parish councils in the forthcoming financial year.

I have consulted the National Association of Parish Councils about this and I shall announce the basis for loan consents for parish councils shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list those local authorities which have been exempted under section 21 of the Housing Act from the direct labour accounting provisions because they have fewer than 30 employees in construction and maintenance work.

No. Whether the provisions of part III of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 will, when implemented, apply to a particular local authority in a particular year will depend on its circumstances, as provided in section 21 of that Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the principal responsibilities of the Directorate of Rural Affairs; what is its anticipated annual budget for 1981–82; what will be the total basic staff cost of the directorate in 1980–81; and how many people are currently employed by the directorate and how this figure has changed since February 1979.

An outline of the detailed costings and activities of this directorate may be found in the relevant MINIS document which has been placed in the Library of the House. The principal responsibilities of the directorate are the promotion of landscape and nature conservation and the economic and social well-being of rural areas. Close contact is maintained with the Government agencies concerned and other Departments having countryside interests. Touring caravans and camping, trees and public rights of way, zoos, common lands and allotments are amongst other directorate responsibilities.The directorate does not have a separate budget. Its total costs are borne on the votes of the Department of the Environment. Staff costs in 1980–81 are estimated at about £700,000. At present there are 58 staff in post, compared with a complement of 63 in February 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Dartford, he will publish in the Official Report the expected commencement date of the Local Government Boundary Commission inquiry to review the boundary of Greater London in 1984; and when he expects the commission to report.

The duty imposed on the Local Government Boundary Commission is set out in section 48(1) of the Local Government Act 1972. I cannot add to this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the large increase in unemployment in Sheffield and Barnsley over the last 12 months, he will take steps to designate further enterprise zones in those areas.

No more enterprise zones are proposed for the time being.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now able to announce the venue for the Stansted inquiry and the names of the assessors who will be appointed to assist the inspector.

I announced on 3 December—[Vol. 995, c. 282]—that the Stansted inquiry would open in mid-September. I can now say that the inquiry will be held in Charrington House. Bishop's Stortford and will open on 15 September 1981.I will appoint two assessors to assist the inspector, Mr. Graham Eyre, QC. Mr. William H. Tench, presently chief inspector of accidents in the Department of Trade, will be particularly concerned with aviation matters and Mr. Philip S. Maynard, a principal planning inspector in the Department of the Environment, will be particularly concerned with the general planning and transport implications of the proposed development.The inspector will be able to call upon additional expert assistance should he feel it necessary to enable him to reach a fully informed judgment on any particular issue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken to give effect to new mortgage guarantee powers of local authorities and the Housing Corporation under the Housing Act 1980.

Section 111 of the Housing Act 1980 gives local councils and the Housing Corporation a new power to enter into agreements to indemnify building societies against losses arising from a mortgagor's default.I am pleased to say that model forms of indemnity now drafted are acceptable to representatives of the Building Societies and the local authority association. A circular to local authorities approving these forms will be issued shortly.Use of the indemnities will complement the existing work of local authorities and building societies in financing house purchase at the lower end of the market, by enabling building societies to increase their lending to those with modest incomes. There will be no charge to public expenditure except where indemnities are called on. Local authorities will have a wide choice of circumstances in which to offer indemnities, including mortgages for the purchase of newly built starter homes, houses in need of improvement in both the public and private sectors, and houses sold under the right-to-buy, improvement for sale, homesteading and shared ownership schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any plans to meet leaders of the Scotch whisky distillers, to discuss future prospects for the industry; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans for a meeting with the Scotch whisky industry but, together with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is in close touch with the representatives of the whisky industry and is fully aware of the problems currently facing it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that the interests of the Scottish fishing industry will be adequately represented on the proposed Sea Fish Industry Authority Board; and if he will make a statement.

The Fisheries Bill as introduced provided that the Sea Fish Industry Authority should consist of not more than 12 members, of whom four were to be independent, the remainder being representative of the sea fish industry. If the Bill so provides when enacted, my right hon. Friend, as one of the Fisheries Ministers responsible for the appointments, will ensure that there is adequate representation of Scottish interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the number of jobs lost in Scotland in 1980.

The number of employees in employment in Scotland is estimated to have fallen by 53,000 in the nine months to September 1980, the latest period for which figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to help the construction industry in Scotland, in view of the serious decline of public sector construction.

The strategy of the Government is to secure a healthy economy which will in turn promote a healthy construction industry. Some restriction of public sector capital spending is a necessary part of this strategy, as the cost of such spending falls inevitably on the hard-pressed private sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now raise the level of grant and loan for crofter housing.

As loans on crofter housing are already at an extremely low rate of interest my right hon. Friend does not think that he would be justified at present in increasing the levels of assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take immediate steps to counteract the rise in unemployment in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to combat the present levels of unemployment in Scotland.

I refer the right hon. and hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Springburn (Mr. Martin).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the report of the committee of inquiry into local government in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend is giving careful consideration to the many recommendations in the report and will inform the House of his conclusions. Any person or organisation wishing to offer comments on the report should submit them no later than 31 March 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what material effect the Government sponsored campaign on the sale of council houses has had on actual sales; and what was the cost of the campaign.

The impact of the campaign can be judged by the massive demand for the Department's leaflet on the right to buy which has been twice reprinted after an initial print of 250,000 copies. Many local authorities have made repeat orders and about 3,000 copies have been sent by my Department direct to individuals on request. It is too early to assess the number of resultant sales that have been completed, since even the earliest applications after the commencement of the Act will only now be reaching the stage where an offer to sell is made.As regards the cost of this campaign, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Berwick and East Lothian (Mr. Home Robertson) on 3 November 1980.—[Vol. 991, c. 443.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made over the construction of the dual carriageway to Aberdeen; and what priority is being given to the construction of the Forfar bypass, in view of the recommendations in the Armitage report.

Good progress is being made. The final stretch of dual carriageway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen was opened to traffic in December 1980; a section of dualling is under construction north of Dundee at Powrie Brae; and three further sections between Forfar and Laurencekirk are expected to start this year. High priority is already given to bypasses and the Forfar bypass will commence as soon as engineering work, procedures and resources permit.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to make a statement on the report by the Select Committee on Scottish Affairs on inward investment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement in reply to the Select Committee on Scottish Affairs report on inward investment.

My right hon. Friend has been giving careful thought to the recommendations of the Select Committee and he expects to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many redundancies there have been in manufacturing industry in the period June 1979 to the end of January 1981; and what steps he intends to take to curtail this process of deindustrialisation.

Some 68,700 workers have been involved in redundancies of 10 or more people notified to the Manpower Services Commission as having taken place in manufacturing industry in Scotland in the period 1 June 1979 to 31 January 1981. Our policies are designed to reduce inflation thereby restoring competitiveness to industry so that expansion can take place. The Government operate generous regional and fiscal measures to assist industrial expansion wherever possible and we particularly aim to encourage higher technology industries in which future growth prospects lie.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with representatives of the construction industry on the present state of the industry.

The Scottish construction industry group has recently been formed to represent the views of the industry to Government, and my right hon. Friend and I met the chairman and secretary informally last week when we had a useful discussion of the state of the industry. We shall be meeting the full group as soon as a suitable date can be arranged.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of the drop in net incomes of Scottish farmers as set out in the annual review of agriculture 1981, if he will take measures to improve the situation.

The industry has yet to experience the full benefit of measures taken towards the end of last year; these included the introduction of the sheepmeat regime, increases in hill livestock compensatory allowances which are currently being paid, a further increase in the maximum retail price of milk, and the fall in the minimum lending rate. We shall shortly be reviewing the situation further in the context of the CAP price-fixing discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the increase in unemployment in Scotland since 3 May 1979 to date.

Between May 1979 and January 1981 seasonally adjusted unemployment in Scotland rose by 85,600, or 51·3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many construction workers are now unemployed in Scotland.

On 13 November 1980—the latest date for which this information is available—39,700 people who had last worked in the construction industry in Scotland were registered as unemployed in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to meet representatives of the Confederation of British Industry and the Scottish Trades Union Congress to discuss industrial problems in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend and I have met representatives of both bodies on several occasions and have made it clear that we are prepared to meet them whenever this would be useful.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to improve the promotion of tourism in Scotland.

Over the last year, my Department has participated in discussions between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Tourist Board and the Highland and Islands Development Board, and substantial progress towards a more effective organisation has been achieved.My right hon. Friend, together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade, is also considering how within the current legislation the overseas promotion of Scotland can take full account of Scottish views and he will be giving careful consideration to the Stodart Committee's recommendations on tourism.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the arrangements for the payment of maintenance awards in Scotland.

The present arrangements are being studied by the Scottish Law Commission in the context of their review of the law of diligence. The Commission hope to publish later this year a memorandum on the collection and enforcement of aliment and periodical allowance on divorce. It would, therefore, be premature to form a view on this very complex matter before this study has been completed and time has been given for all interested to comment on the memorandum.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the responses he has received from Scottish local authorities to the rate support grant settlement for 1981–82.

Representations from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities about the settlement were referred to in the course of the debate on the Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order on 21 January. I have nothing to add to what I told the House on that occasion.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he is giving to the findings of the Lawther report as they apply in particular to the special circumstances to water and air lead levels in Glasgow; and if he is now able to announce when a statement will be made.

I am considering the Lawther report with my colleagues in other Departments. The particular problems of Glasgow, and of other areas of Scotland, are among the factors I am taking into account. I cannot yet give a date for the Government's response to the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received concerning the effect on salmon poaching on the River Tweed of the Freshwater and Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1976; and if he will make a statement.

Representations have been received from the River Tweed commissioners, the Association of Scottish District Salmon Fishery Boards and the Salmon and Trout Association advising me that the increased penalties in the Freshwater and Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1976 were not being applied in respect of fishing offences, such as poaching, committed in the English part of the River Tweed system. After considering these representations the Government have tabled an amendment to the Fisheries Bill which would put beyond doubt that the penalties in the 1976 Act would apply to such offences committed in the parts of the Tweed which are in England.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the total cost to public funds of the Manpower Services Commission since its formation; what reduction there has been in the cost to public funds of the commission since May 1979; what is the total number of staff currently employed by the commission; how this compares with the position in each year since its formation; and if he will state by how much the commission has overspent or underspent its budget in each year since its formation.

The estimated total cost to public funds of the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) since it came into being in April 1974 to the end of the current financial year is about £3,026 million. Details of MSC's estimated grant-in-aid and actual expenditure on programmes financed through the grant-in-aid since its formation are:

Year	MSC's Grant-in-aid	Actual Expenditure	Difference
	£000s	£000s	£000s
1974–75	105,395	96,363	9,032
1975–76	278,236	250,443	27,793
1976–77	410,911	369,486	41,420
1977–78	466,836	432,417	34,419
1978–79	547,491	507,771	39,720
1979–80	623,306	609,415	13,891
1980–81	*760,093	†760,093	—
	3,192,268	3,025,988	166,280
* Subject to parliamentary approval of the Spring Supplementary Estimates.
† Forecast outturn.

The estimated reduction in planned expenditure by the MSC under the grant-in-aid since May 1979 was £66·8 million in 1979–80 and £109·3 million in 1980–81, both amounts at 1979 survey prices.Numbers of staff employed by the MSC and its agencies on 1 October each year since its formation are as follows:

	Total staff
1 October 1974	18,150
1 October 1975	20,385
1 October 1976	22,314
1 October 1977	23,545
1 October 1978	24,652
1 October 1979	25,067
1 October 1980	23,968

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many claims of unfair dismissal in a closed shop have been upheld at industrial tribunals since the provisions of the Employment Act 1980 came into force; and how long claimants have had to wait before having their cases heard;(2) what is the highest and the lowest compensation that has been awarded to persons who have had claims of unfair dismissal in a closed shop upheld at industrial tribunals since the provisions of the Employment Act 1980 came into force; and what is the total sum of compensation that has been paid.

I am not aware that there have yet been any industrial tribunal cases of unfair dismissal arising from the operation of a closed shop since the provisions of the Employment Act 1980 came into force.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number and percentages of unemployed persons during each of the last five years broken down by summary headings as listed on page 32 of Employment Gazette of December 1980, and similar figures for each of the last five years in detail for Group XXVII, Public Administration and Defence, namely, clauses 901, National Government Service and 906, Local Government Service.

The following table gives quarterly figures for Great Britain of the numbers of people registered as unemployed (excluding school leavers) analysed according to the industry in which they last worked. The unemployment rates are not adjusted for seasonal variations. The numbers are given both unadjusted and seasonally adjusted. The detailed information for national government service and local government service (minimum list headings 901 and 906 of the standard industrial classification) is not seasonally adjusted.