asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many British companies with South African subsidiaries are providing satisfactory information to the British embassy in Pretoria in regard to the observation of the European Economic Community code of conduct; and how many are not.

A company publishing a report under the European code of conduct is requested to send a copy to my Department, not to the British embassy in Pretoria. An analysis and summary of all reports received from companies for the 12 months ended 30 June 1980 will be published soon. The analysis and summary will also contain a list of those companies thought to be eligible to report, but which have not yet done so.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what information has been provided by Consolidated Gold Fields in relation to Gold Fields of South Africa Ltd. to the British embassy in Pretoria, with reference to the latter's observation of the European Economic Community code of conduct for its 62,000 black workers, their trade union rights and the conditions in which their families live.

Consolidated Gold Fields Ltd. has made a report under the code of conduct for the 12 months ended 30 June 1980. Copies of this report and all others for the same period will be placed in the Library shortly. In the meantime, if the hon. Member wishes to see a copy of that report he should apply to the company direct.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many inquiries are currently being undertaken by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and what these are.

The Monopolies and Mergers Commission has at present the following 11 references:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many inquiries the Monopolies and Mergers Commission has undertaken since its institution; and how many actions have been taken to prevent mergers from taking place.

Since its establishment in 1948 the commission has undertaken 165 investigations, of which 89 have been monopoly investigations, one of which lapsed, 56 have been merger investigations, seven of which covered more than one merger, 10 have been newspaper transfer investigations, seven have been investigations under general references, and three have been investigations under section 11 of the Competition Act 1980. Eighteen merger references were laid aside.Action has been taken to prevent mergers from taking place in 16 cases; and in one case the Secretary of State's consent to a newspaper transfer was withheld.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when the export intelligence branch, Department of Trade, Export House, 50 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7HU, will reply to the letter dated 3 February from Tamworth Industrial Fabrics Ltd., Tame Valley Industrial Estate, Watling Street, Wilnecote, Tamworth, Staffs., B77 5DQ, about urgent export inquiries; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for this delay.

The letter of 3 February from Tamworth Industrial Fabrics Ltd. requesting copies of export intelligence service notices was received by the responsible officials in the Department on 9 February. Copies of the notices were despatched that day. A further letter dated 2 March from 'Tamworth Industrial Fabrics Ltd., and received on 5 March, made it clear that the copy notices had not been received. Further copies were therefore despatched on 5 March by first-class mail, and it has been confirmed that these were received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the 16 per cent. increase in fires in 1979 as compared with the previous year.

The increase between 1978 and 1979 in the fires attended by local authority fire brigades in the United Kingdom was 8 per cent.; the hon. Member may have in mind the 16 per cent. increase between 1978 and 1979 in the number of deaths from these fires. The changes between 1978 and 1979 in both the number of fires and the number of deaths are discussed in "Fire Statistics United Kingdom 1979", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of processing an application for naturalisation.

During the financial year 1979–80 the average cost of processing an application, whether successful or not, and including all inquiries, was £204.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, further to his answer of 3 March, Official Report, c. 65–66, he will specify what were the other reasons for refusal of naturalisation applications.

I regret that this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his answer of 3 March, Official Report, c. 65–66, if he will list for each of the last 10 years the number of naturalisation applications refused for one only of the reasons listed.

I regret that this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his answer of 3 March, Official Report, c. 65–66, how many of those applying for naturalisation who were refused only under the good character test (a) had criminal convictions that were not spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and (b) had been declared bankrupt, for each of the last 10 years.

I regret that this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the average time taken to complete all the proceedings relating to the registration of a person as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies; and whether he has any plans to speed up this procedure;(2) what is the average time taken to complete all the proceedings relating to naturalisation; and whether he has any plans to speed up this procedure.

The current average time taken to complete the processing of an application for naturalisation or for discretionary registraion under section 5A(2) of the British Nationality Act 1948 is 25 months. The current average time taken to complete other applications is 13 months.Although every effort is being made to reduce the present waiting times, the greatly increased numbers of applications now being received and the need to contain public spending limits what can be done.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report his reply to the hon. Member for Eccles regarding a letter relating to the use of the citizens' band radio for disabled persons; and if he will make a statement.

I welcome the opportunity to confirm the Government's belief that the introduction of a citizens' band service may have considerable advantages for disabled people. My reply to the hon. Member was as follows:

"Thank you for your letter of 5th March with which you enclosed this correspondence from the Royal National Institute for the Blind about the use of citizens' band radio for disabled persons.

As you know we have now announced our decision to introduce a licensed 27 MHz.F.M. citizens' band service later in the year. Licences will also cover the use of a frequency band in the region of 930 MHz. We have always been very conscious that such a service will offer certain social benefits, notable among these being its usefulness to disabled people particularly those who are house-bound or who could use the facility to summon help in difficult or emergency situations. It is, therefore, appropriate that the facility will be legalised in the Year of the Disabled and we hope that this aspect of the service will indeed be developed. It is, perhaps, an area in which those clubs, organisations and individuals who have promoted the advantages of the facility should look to make a useful contribution. While we wish to keep the service as free from regulation as possible, we hope by means of a code of practice to encourage users to leave at least one channel free for emergency communications: a practice which has grown up in other countries where the facility is permitted and one which has obvious advantages for the disabled.

The correspondence raised the question of concessionary licences for disabled people. We have not finalised the licensing arrangements and will certainly keep this possibility in mind; but I am bound to say that it raises real difficulties."

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many patients released from special hospitals on his authority have subsequently committed homicide for the period 1970 to 1980 or the latest decade for which figures are available.

The information readily available relates to persons detained in all hospitals in England and Wales under part V of the Mental Health Act 1959 subject to restriction on discharge who were conditionally discharged in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Of the 382 such persons, three are known to have been convicted of homicide by the end of 1977. No information is available about offences committed by patients whose discharge was not subject to restrictions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total prison population on 13 March; and how this compares with 5 January.

Summary returns show that the total population in custody in England and Wales, including persons in temporary camps and police cells as well as in prison department establishments on 5 January 1981, was approximately 39,500 and on 13 March 1981 was approximately 43,500, an increase of about 4,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken by the United Kingdom Government to ensure the rights of citizens of the Isle of Man to have access to the European Court of Human Rights.

It has been the practice for the United Kingdom Government to ask the Isle of Man Government whether they wish declarations under articles 25 and 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights to be made, giving citizens of the Isle of Man the right of individual petition to the European Commission of Human Rights, and accepting on its behalf the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. At present such declarations are not in force in relation to the Isle of Man. The Island Government have under consideration the passage through Tynwald of human rights legislation and have asked the United Kingdom Government not to make further declarations on their behalf.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to publish the report of the Plowden working party on the establishment of an independent element in the investigation of complaints against the police; and if he will make a statement.

The report is being published today. The working party's term of reference were:

"To consider how the recommendation in the first triennial review report of the Police Complaints Board for an independent element in the investigation of serious complaints against the police might be implemented, and to make a report."

I am grateful to the chairman, Lord Plowden, and the other members of the working party for the care and thoroughness with which they have examined the difficult considerations involved, and for the speed with which they have produced an agreed report. In the light of their report, and against the background of the general considerations mentioned in the Police Complaints Board's triennial review report, I shall be considering further, in consultation with the Police Advisory Board, what changes, if any, may be necessary in the present arrangements. It is in my view important that all concerned should have in mind the need to maintain public confidence in the complaints system as an important aspect of the relations between the police and the public and the role it can play in striking the balance between the powers of the police and the rights of the individual. I should welcome comments on the working party's report, from Members of Parliament and others.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juveniles in remand centres and adult prisons on 30 June 1980 had been held in custody for (a) one week or more, (b) two weeks or more, (c) one month or more and (d) three months or more.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 March 1981, c. 282]: The information is as follows:

Juveniles aged 14 to 16 in prisons and remand centres in England and Wales on 30th June 1980: by length of time since first reception into custody.
Number of Persons
		Sentenced
Length of time since first received into custody *	Unsentenced	First Received on remand	First received under sentence
Less than 1 week	71	—	2
1 week and less than 2 weeks	56	—	—
2 weeks and less than 1 month	91	5	—
1 month and less than 3 months	73	12	2
3 months or more	10	24†	5
Total	301	41	9
* Including any time which may have been spent on bail after a first remand in custody.
† Includes 3 persons in younger prisoner establishments (1 in Aylesbury and 2 in Swiffen Hall)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish estimates for petrol and derv for appropriate dates immediately after each Budget or occasional duty or tax change since 1950, of (a) post-Budget price per gallon, in prices of the day and at current prices (b) the post-Budget duty in prices of the day, at January 1981 prices and as a percentage of the total price, (c) the post-Budget total tax per gallon in prices of the day, at current prices and as a percentage of the total price and (d) an estimate of the value of the retail price index on each appropriate date.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide an estimate of the proportion of projected income from North Sea oil and gas which will come from the following sources: (a) royalties, (b) petroleum revenue tax, (c) corporation tax, (d) the supplementary tax introduced in the 1981 Budget and (e) any other source.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the corporation tax liability of all companies combined working on the United Kingdom continental shelf for each year since 1964; and how much of this liability has been paid in each year since 1964.(2) how much tax has been paid in total on wages earned on the United Kingdom continental shelf; and what proportion of this was paid by British citizens.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will appoint an advisory committee on economic affairs, consisting of three representatives from both Houses of Parliament, three from the TUC and the CBI, three from the universities and two from the Treasury to advise him and to check the Treasury officials on their advice to Ministers and to consider proposals for budgetary changes and to recommend by March of each year.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his forecast of the tax and price index.

The year-on-year increase in the TPI is forecast to be around 13 to 13½ per cent. in the fourth quarter of 1981.

asked the Chancellor of the exchequer what is the estimated effect of the Budget proposals on the tax and price index.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1981]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the right hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. Walker) on 16 March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill of 9 March, if he will make the calculation of the likely reduction in public expenditure in a full year of a 1 per cent., 2 per cent. or 3 per cent reduction in minimum lending rate on the basis of present public expenditure levels.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 March 1981]: No. As I stated in my reply of 9 March, the development of the economy will alter as a result of reductions in minimum lending rate. It is therefore unrealistic to assume that public expenditure programmes on items such as unemployment and social security benefits, and Government revenue from taxation, remain unchanged. The resulting change in the public sector borrowing requirement would have to be taken into account in any calculation of the savings from lower public sector debt interest payments, together with the other changes in public expenditure referred to above. In practice, since the subsequent development of the economy is uncertain, a precise estimate cannot be given.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in comparable prices the net annual effect in a full year of personal income tax increases or reductions in, respectively, the Budgets of 1978, 1980 and 1981.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 March 1981]: The information at 1979–80 prices is as follows:

1979–80	£4,570 million
1980–81	£1,450 million
1981–82	+£35 million

I assume that the first year for which information is requested is 1979–80 rather than 1978–79.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the best estimates now available of the impact so far of the Civil Service pay dispute on the Government's income.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1981]: It is too soon to make a reliable judgment of the impact of the action taken by the unions.

asked the Prime Minister if, pursuant to her written answer to the hon. Member for Melton (Mr. Latham) on 12 March, Official Report, col. 394, concerning council house sales she will define more precisely her statement that 100,000 further sales to sitting tenants are in the process of negotiation, by saying whether these 100,000 tenants (a) have applied for forms for buying their house, (b) have completed and returned these forms, (c) have had their right to buy accepted by the council,(d) have applied for a mortgage, (e) have been granted a mortgage or (f) are in some other process of negotiation; and if so, what.

I confirm that the 100,000 tenants referred to in my earlier reply have applied for forms for buying their house or flat, have completed and returned these forms, and have had their right to buy accepted by the council. Information on the later stages of applications in progress is not available.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what action he has taken to promote the success of the proposed ZIMCORD conference in Salisbury; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Members for Greenwich (Mr. Barnett), for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) and for Kingston-upon-Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara) on 16 March.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the gross turnover of all companies combined working on the United Kingdom continental shelf for each year since 1964.

The estimated gross turnover on the United Kingdom continental shelf activities of companies holding oil and gas production and exploration licences and of exploration contractors is given below. Annual data were not collected prior to 1970.

	£million
1964–69	180
1970	78
1971	120
1972	77
1973	242
1974	392
1975	567
1976	1,244
1977	2,954
1978	3,535
1979	6,551
1980	10,041

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, following the Chancellor's Budget Statement on 10 March 1981, he will give further details of the reasons why a reduction in a heavy fuel oil tax from £8 a ton to the average in the rest of the European Economic Community of £2 a ton, would put up the cost of gas purchased by the British Gas Corporation; what the other consequences referred to in his statement would have been; and what the cost would be if he reduced heavy fuel oil tax to the average in the rest of the European Economic Community.

The effect of a reduction in heavy fuel oil duty on the cost of gas purchased by the British Gas Corporation results from provisions in confidential contracts between BGC and its suppliers. The magnitude of this effect is a matter for the corporation. The size of direct effects on the Exchequer resulting from a reduction in HFO duty is a matter for the Chancellor.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will obtain and place in the Library a copy of the report of the Special Committee of the Canadian Parliament on the disabled and the handicapped.

This was done on Monday 16 March.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the present over-capacity of the Northern Ireland Electricity Service; and what is his estimate of future trends.

Making normal allowances for contingencies, the present operational generating capacity of the Northern Ireland Electricity Service of 1,800 MW is adequate to meet a peak winter demand some 100 MW greater than occurred in 1979–80. The completion of phase I of the Kilroot power station is scheduled to add a further 600 MW of generating capacity to the system by the spring of 1982. The present forecasts of electricity demand suggest that this existing and additional capacity will be sufficient to meet the needs of Northern Ireland until the mid-1990s, when some plant will be due for retirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the companies in the Province in receipt of financial assistance from the State, specifying those in which the State has more than 25 per cent. ownership and showing the precise percentage of ownership.

My hon. Friend will know that: as at 7 March 1980 agreements for selective financial assistance were in force between the Government and over 300 companies in Northern Ireland. Since then a further 17 companies have entered into such agreements with the Department of Commerce under the Industries Development Acts (Northern Ireland) 1966 and 1971. Also, in the financial year ending 31 March 1980, the latest for which there are records, some 1,011 received standard capital grant assistance under the Industrial Investment (General Assistance) Act (Northern Ireland) 1966.As announced by the then Under-Secretary of State in a reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Proctor) on 17 December 1980, it is the Government's intention to publish quarterly the details of financial assistance provided to companies in Northern Ireland in

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the numbers and holdings of voting shares in the De Lorean Car Co. Ltd.

The share capital of De Lorean Motor Cars Ltd. is £18,303,000 divided into 17,757,000 class A redeemable participating preference shares of £1 each—the "A" shares—and 546,000 "B" ordinary shares of £1 each—the "B" shares. All of the "A" shares are owned by the Northern Ireland Development Agency and all of the "B" shares are owned by the De Lorean Motor Company. The shares rank pan passu in all respects save that every holder of an "A" share shall on poll have one vote for each such share and every holder of a "B" share shall on poll have 90 votes for each such share.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the directors and shareholdings of the De Lorean Car Company Incorporated of America.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of placings of young people in employment by the careers offices in each of the travel-to-work areas in Cumbria.

The following table gives the numbers of people placed in employment by careers offices in the areas specified during the four-week period 10 January to 6 February 1981.

Carlisle	24
Furness*	8
Kendal*	11
Penrith	9
Whitehaven*	5
Workington*	3
Keswick
*Travel-to-work areas comprising two or more employment office areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed young persons have received training at the Ministry of Defence under the

Number and Percentage of Warnings Given
	England and Wales		Scotland
	Number	Percentage of all PHAs called	Number	Percentage of all PHAs called
Cases called on initiative of applicant	1	0·3	—	—
Cases called on initiative of respondent	54	16	1	8
Cases called on initiative of tribunal	70	21	4	31
Total	125	37	5	38

At the moment incomplete information only is available about the progress of cases following a PHA.

Information is not available in the form requested, but some 200 young persons have participated, since 1979, in schemes sponsored by the Ministry of Defence under the youth opportunities programme. The schemes generally provide work experience and cover a wide range of activities, including maintenance, garage work, catering and administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in England, Scotland and Wales respectively, how many pre-hearing assessments were applied for by (a) claimants and (b) respondents and how many were held on the initiative of industrial tribunals during such period since the introduction of these procedures in respect of which records are available; in how many cases applications were rejected and what percentage this represents; where pre-hearing assessments were held, how many and what percentage of cases in each of the foregoing categories were rejected; and in how many and what percentage of those cases not rejected the claimants proceeded.

Records of pre-hearing assessments held in (a) England and Wales and (b) Scotland, are available for the period 1 October 1980 to 31 January 1981. No information is readily available as to the number of requests for PHAs refused by the tribunals during this period. Statistics for Wales are not recorded separately.Details of PHAs called during the period are as follows:

	England and Wales	Scotland
On initiative of applicant	2	—
On initiative of respondent	136	5
On initiative of tribunals	198	8
Total	336	13

The tribunals are not empowered to "reject"—that is refuse—a full hearing for cases which are called to a PHA. A warning may be given, however, that in the opinion of the tribunal a party has no reasonable prospect of success if he proceeds.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of workers made redundant in 1980 in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands; and what are the numbers currently pending.

There are no comprehensive statistics of redundancies. But the numbers of redundancies, involving 10 or more employees, reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in the requested areas in 1980 and 1981 are as follows:

Number of redundancies reported as due to occur
	Wolverhampton (travel-to-work area)	West Midlands
1980	4,475	73,418
January to February 1981*	874	11,877
Pending*	145	5,018
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of job vacancies in May 1979 in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands; and what is the current number in each area.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of jobs being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme for (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands during the last month for which figures are available and the percentage of the total insured working population in both areas each figure represents; and if he will give the same figures for May 1979 and January 1980.

The following tables show the figures requested:

January 1981
	Area
	Wolverhampton	West Midlands
Number of jobs being supported	2,962	108,127
Number of jobs supported as a percentage of all employees (employed and unemployed)*	2·0	4·6

	Area
	Wolverhampton	West Midland
August 1979†
Number of jobs being supported	107	3,655
Number of jobs supported as a percentage of all employees (employed and unemployed)*	0·1	0·2
January 1980
Number of jobs being supported	278	8,175

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central, (Mr. Cowans) columns 586–87 of the Official Report of 9 February, he will state which powers held by both the Welsh Development Agency and existing agencies in the Northern region provide for the allocation of additional funds for the setting up of special measures units under the manpower Services Commission's special Measures programme.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 March 1981, c. 378]: The Manpower Services Commission does not establish special measures units as such. The commission relies on sponsors to come forward with projects that, may be acceptable under the special temporary employment programme—from 1 April the community enterprise programme—and the youth oportunities programme. The funding provided by the commission is intended generally to be sufficient for the running of schemes, although some sponsors may wish inject additional funds. Any arrangements—including the creation of special measures units—that are considered necessary to deal with the administrative or financial matters for which project sponsors are responsible are entirely a matter for them and I have no responsibility for any agency—apart from the commission itself—which may be able to assist sponsors with those financial or administrative arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the funds allocated by the European social fund for each year since 1973 in each of the nine European Economic Community member countries.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 March 1981, c. 27]: Funds allocated by the European social fund for each year since 1973 in each of the European Economic Community member countries are published in the Commission of the European Communities annual reports on the activities of the European social fund. The figures in the following table are taken from the eighth report for the financial year 1979. The ninth report, which will contain figures for 1980, will be available before 1 July 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the grants made to each county in Wales from the European social fund for each year since 1974.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 March 1981, c. 27]: A large proportion of the allocations made to the United Kingdom from the European social fund are in respect of Schemes which operate nationally or in a number of parts of the United Kingdom. It is therefore not possible to give information about the total fund aid allocated to particular regions or counties.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers during each of the most recent 24 months for which records are available have been prosecuted under the Employment Protection Act 1975 for failing to notify him of intended redundancies; and with what results.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1981]: No prosecutions have been brought against employers under the Employment Protection Act 1975 for failing to notify intended redundancies during the period requested.Penalties are normally imposed by way of a reduction in the redundancy rebate to the employer from the redundancy fund. During the period requested the number of penalties was as follows:

	1979	1980
January	15	5
February	12	6
March	11	11
April	17	9
May	10	2
June	19	10
July	10	8
August	10	2
September	9	1
October	11	12
November	11	4
December	7	3

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many protective awards have been applied for under the Employment Protection Act 1975 during each of the latest 24 months for which records are available; and with what results.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1981]: Information on the number of applications for protective awards could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, on the information available to my Department, the number of applications for protective awards heard by industrial tribunals is as follows for the period requested:

	Applications heard		Protective award made
	1979	1980	1979	1980
January	4	1	1	—
February	8	2	6	1
March	6	2	5	1
April	6	2	2	2
May	6	2	4	1
June	3	3	1	2
July	7	1	6	1
August	4	7	2	7
September	3	3	2	1
October	5	5	5	3
November	—	7	—	4
December	2	4	2	3

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of council houses owned by each district council in January 1981 and the total numbers sold, or in the actual process of being sold, in each district.

The latest available information on the number of council houses owned by each district council in Scotland is given in "Scottish Housing Statistics No. 10". Figures for the total numbers of house sales in progress in each district are not centrally available. The following table shows the latest available information on the number of sales concluded by local authorities in the period 1 April 1979 to 31 December 1980:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the recent reports of the schools inspectorate on the effects on the education service of local authority expenditure policies over the years 1979–80 and 1980–81.

Since educational standards are already kept under review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate, no specific survey has been made in Scotland on the effects of expenditure policies on the education service. The question of publication does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now publish an up-to-date comprehensive fact sheet on the Scottish education system.

A revised version of the Scottish Information Office fact sheet on Scottish education will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current strength of the schools inspectorate; and what was the comparable figure a year ago.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools in Scotland numbered 114 on 1 March 1981 and 119 on 1 March 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the per capita expenditure on books by local education authorities; and what was the comparable figure a year ago.

Figures for the current financial year are not yet available.The per capita expenditure, at November 1979 prices, on books in schools was £6·71 in 1978–79 and £7·09 in 1979–80.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received any evidence of book shortages in, respectively, primary, secondary, and special schools; and if he will publish it.

I have no reason to think that there is any general shortage. My right hon. Friend has made provision in the rate support grant for planned expenditure per pupil on non-teaching costs, which include books and materials, in 1981–82 to be maintained at the 1980–81 levels.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many primary and secondary schools, respectively, were closed in each of the last five years; and how many closures are contemplated in each of the next two years.

The following table sets out the number of primary and secondary school closure proposals approved by the Secretary of State in the five years to 16 March 1981. In view of the reduction in school rolls I have no doubt that regional and islands councils will continue their efforts to reduce the amount of surplus accommodation, but I am unable to forecast how many school closure proposals they will make over the next two years.

School Closure Proposals approved between 17 March 1976 and 16 March 1981
17 March to 16 March	Primary	Secondary	Primary and Secondary
1976–77	8	1	—
1977–78	18	3	—
1978–79	8	1	—
1979–80	18	2	—
1980–81	22	2	1
TOTAL	74	9	1
Footnote:
Eight of these closures have not yet been implemented.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the number of steel workers who have been

Programme 2.16.4
Transport — Wales
£ million at 1980 survey prices
Central Government	1975–76	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84
Motorways and Trunk Roads
New Construction and Improvement	75	92	66	63	67	75	63	—	—
Maintenance and other current	11	11	11	14	12	10	12	—	—
Freight Facilities Grants	—	—	—	—	2	1	1	—	—
Total:	86	103	77	77	81	86	76	80	80
Local Transport Capital
Roads—New Construction and Improvement	41	40	35	37	47	40	38
Car Parks	1	1	1	1	1
Public Transport Investment	2	1	2	3	3
Current
Roads — Maintenance	49	46	48	51	44	44	44
Car Parks	—	—	—	—	—	—	-1
Road Safety etc.	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Local Authority Administration	14	14	14	15	14	12	11

Information on trainees analysed according to previous employment is not readily available and could be obtained under present arrangements only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which district general hospitals in Wales have had start dates postponed, and by how much (a) for reasons of financial constraint and (b) because of the giving of priority to work on community general practitioner hospitals.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of the new general hospitals that he expects to be opened in Wales in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

The information is as follows:

Scheme	Expected Opening
Ysbyty Gwynedd	1982
Wrexham	1985
Morriston	1985
Bridgend	1986

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report, in the same format as in the latest expenditure White Paper, a table showing those items of the roads and transport budget for which he has responsibility.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he plans to release more financial assistance to health authorities to improve the standard of chiropody services provided for the elderly.

The Department does not allocate money specifically for chiropody services. Health authorities decide within their total resources and priorities what level of service they can provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many appeals have been decided by the leasehold valuation tribunals in Wales since 1967.

None. As I told the hon. Member on 2 February, leasehold valuation tribunals will not come into effect until 31 March 1981.—[Vol. 998, c. 40.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he considers the present controls on estate sewer construction to be adequate; if he will examine the position of unadopted sewerage schemes; and what discussions he has had with the Welsh Water Authority concerning the adoption of these particular sewerage schemes.

I am satisfied that present controls are adequate, when properly enforced and applied. As it is possible for any unadopted sewerage system to come before me under the appeal provisions of the Public Health Act 1936, I am unable, except in that context, to discuss individual cases. I am dealing with three such appeals at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was his response to the appeal for in-patient facilities in the Cardiff area to wean drug addicts off their particular drugs, and for extra clinic facilities.

The provision of in-patient and clinic facilities is a matter for the area health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy towards community hospitals in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Wales is well served by its many local hospitals. The improvement and development of this important sector of our health services is the responsibility of the area health authorities in the first place and I am satisfied that it is given full attention within the limits of available resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much money was received by his Department from the Welsh Rugby Union and from the International Rugby Board for the use of facilities at his headquarters in Cathays Park; which South African delegates were present at this meeting; and if he has a policy regarding the use of his Department's facilities by organisations linked with South Africa.

£100; Dr. D. M. Craven and Professor F. C. Eloff; conference facilities were made available on a commercial basis and as a courtesy to the international governing body of the sport in the Welsh Rugby Union's centenary year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has now agreed with the Housing Corporation the details of the new system for the control of housing association schemes in Wales which it will be required to operate from 1 April.

We are making similar arrangements in Wales to those announced by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction today.Copies of the memorandum applicable to Wales have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce details of the new procedures for local authority housing project control.

A circular—DOE circular 7/81 (Welsh Office 11/81)—is being sent today to local authorities in England and Wales, setting out the new procedures. These come into effect on 1 April.The mandatory minimum standards and cost limits for local authority housebuilding will disappear.For each new build or renovation scheme, the authority will complete a simple form, send it to my Department or the Welsh Office and make a copy available to local people.The Department or the Welsh Ofice will intervene only if the estimated cost is so high or so disproportionate to any likely benefit that the use of scarce public resources would clearly be unjustifiable.Otherwise the authority will be free to proceed with the scheme without further reference to the Government, unless costs or other aspects change significantly, in which case the authority must re-submit before accepting a tender.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has now agreed with the Housing Corporation the details of the new system for the control of housing association schemes in England which it will be required to operate from 1 April.

The present system of double scrutiny by both the Department and the Housing Corporation of housing association projects funded by the Housing Corporation in England will end on 1 April. At that date a system of single scrutiny by the Housing Corporation will come into effect, subject to a memorandum of authorisation that has been issued to the corporation today.Copies of the memorandum have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report data for 1970, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1980 for the following categories of road: (a) trunk motorways and (b) trunk roads other than motorways in each of the following categories: (i) miles in use, (ii) total traffic carried, (iii) heavy goods vehicle traffic carried, (iv) the proportion of total trunk heavy goods traffic carried, (v) the amount spent on maintenance in November 1979 prices, and (vi) the proportion of the total trunk road maintenance budget.

Following is the information:

	1970	1975	1978	1979
(i) Miles in use*
Trunk road motorways	635	1,201	1,434	1,470
All motorways†	657	1,259	1,501	1,544
All-purpose trunk roads	8,352	8,370	7,805	7,744
(ii) Total traffic carried (million vehicle-miles)
All motorways†	5,956	12,780	16,627	16,881
All-purpose trunk roads	24,431	26,798	28,625	28,703
(iii) Heavy goods vehicle traffic carried (million vehicle-miles)
All motorways†	1,329	2,476	3,003	3,133
All-purpose trunk roads	3,569	3,307	3,236	3,291
(iv) Percentage of heavy goods vehicle traffic carried
All motorways†	27·1	42·8	48·1	48·8
All-purpose trunk roads	72·9	57·2	51·9	51·2
All motorways and trunk roads	100	100	100	100

	1970	1975	1978	1979
	1970–71	1975–76	1978–79	1979–80
(v) Amount spent on maintenance at November 1979 prices (£ million)
Trunk road motorways	11·3	28·1	43·8	57·7
All-purpose trunk roads	52·7	59·2	63·2	54·8
(vi) Percentage of total trunk road maintenance budget
Trunk road motorways	17·7	32·2	40·9	51·3
All-purpose trunk roads	82·3	67·8	59·1	48·7
All motorways and trunk roads	100	100	100	100
* As at 1 April each year.
† Includes local authority/principal road motorways.

Figures for 1980 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the review of projects in connection with the Budget proposals will cause the decision to sanction the construction of the M54 to be reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

No. Spending on the road programme is being maintained at broadly the level of 1979–80, while the petrol price increases are not such as to call for any revision of our long-term traffic forecasts.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the stages of development, both statutory and non-statutory, and the outstanding questions to be resolved, in respect of the prospective development of the following roads which form part of the strategic plan for roads of Hampshire county council: M3, M27, A3, A27 and A32.

The main stages through which a trunk road scheme must pass are as follows:

1. Entry into the trunk road preparation pool.

2. Public cosultation where appropriate on choice of route.

3. Announcement of preferred route.

4. Publication of draft orders^*.

5. Public Inquiry to consider objections to orders (if necessary)^*.

6. Receipt of Inspectors Report (if an Inquiry)^*.

7. Making of orders^*.

8. Invitation of tenders.