asked the Prime Minister whether she will publish in the Official Report or place in the Library a copy of her letter to President Brezhnev dealing with Afghanistan and Poland sent on or about 4–5 April 1981.

My exchange of letters with President Brezhnev was confidential.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a study of the booklet "Alcohol: Reducing the Harm" and request the various Government Departments to conduct a campaign similar to that used to encourage the wearing of seat belts, to encourage the public to cease imbibing alcohol.

We are considering proposals in several recent reports for preventing further growth in the misuse of alcohol, including those put forward in the Office of Health Economics booklet "Alcohol: Reducing the Harm".

asked the Prime Minister what measures she will take to reduce the level of unemployment in the Govan area of Glasgow.

As part of the West of Scotland special development area Govan qualifies for the highest level of investment incentives. Assistance to community enterprises in Govan is being provided under the urban programme and the Scottish Development Agency is engaged in a substantial scheme of environmental improvement. We have expanded the programme of special employment measures to help those unable to find work; but a lasting reduction in unemployment in Govan as elsewhere will be attained only by the creation of a sound and competitive economy, which our policies are designed to achieve.

asked the Prime Minister if she will now answer questions relating to her future engagements.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current value of Albanian assets held in the United Kingdom; and from what source or sources they are derived.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures to show the amount of (a) income tax and (b) national insurance contributions received by the Government during the period 16 March 1981 to 3rd April 1981 which would normally have been handled by the accounts office in Cumbernauld; and how much was received through the accounts office in Cumbernauld during the corresponding period 1980.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is considering the imposition of value added tax on foreign holidays; and what is his estimate of the resulting income in a full year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total cost in tax forgone of uprating the incomes ceiling of the age allowance by 15 per cent.; and what is his estimate of the number of taxpayers who would be exempt from the incomes ceiling in 1981–82 by such an uprating.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide an estimate of the number of people in Wales who will be paying income tax in the year 1981–82 who would not have done so had allowances been raised as specified in section 22 of the Finance Act 1977.

Although precise information is not available, I estimate that the number will be in the region of 50,000 people, compared to 1¼ million in the United Kingdom as a whole.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total payments made by operating oil companies to overseas or offshore companies under information required under paragraph 2A of schedule 15 to the Finance Act 1973 in each year since the Act was passed.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 April 1981, c. 268]: The information is not readily available.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list the claims which have been registered against Albanian assets in the United Kingdom, specifying the claimants, their value, and the date of registration in each case.

The British Government have a claim against the Government of Albania in respect of the damages in the sum of £843,947 awarded to the United Kingdom by the International Court of Justice in 1949 in the Corfu Channel Case. There is also a handful of small private claims against Albania. It is not usual to publish details of such claims.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what progress has been made in resolving the financial problems arising from American claims against Albanian assets held in the United Kingdom.

We have held consultations with the United States and French Governments about the gold provisionally allocated to Albania and now held in the Bank of England on behalf of the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold, and about related financial problems. These include British and American claims against Albania. Unfortunately, it has not yet proved possible to reach a generally satisfactory resolution of these problems.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will undertake to make representations to any foreign Government who refuse to admit holders of United Kingdom passports as a result solely of their inclusion on the black list of sportsmen prepared by the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee.

I am not able to give such an undertaking. As I told the House on 18 March, we could not accept any proposal which obliged the British Government to impose limitations on the freedom of movement of our own citizens, but equally we cannot dictate to other countries whom they will admit into their territory.—[Vol. 1, c. 275–276.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he proposes to publish the interim report of the Rampton inquiry into the education of ethnic minority groups.

My right hon. and learned Friend will be making an announcement about this soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what sum has been added to the current grant-in-aid of the National Heritage Memorial Fund in respect of the shortfall of estimated assets accepted in lieu of tax during the financial year ended 31 March 1981.

I shall write to the hon. Member setting out the details.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now publish the total amount spent by each local education authority in England on discretionary awards to students in 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81 expressed (a) in total, (b) per head of population and (c) per award made.

This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the estimated full-time equivalent advanced and non-advanced level students attending (a) universities in the United Kingdom and (b) polytechnics in England in 1981–82 assumed in the public expenditure survey exercise and by the expenditure steering groups in the build-up of expenditure for purposes of the 1981–82 rate support grant.

As explained in the Government's expenditure plans—Cmnd. 8175—the detailed implications of the plans for higher education are under discussion with the University Grants Committee and the local authority associations. No firm projection of student numbers has yet been made except in the case of home students in non-advanced further education. However provisional projections for home students on full-time and sandwich courses in higher education have been assumed for the purposes of estimating expenditure on student awards. The Expenditure Steering Group for Education (ESGE) based its forecasts for the 1981–82 rate support grant settlement on provision in the Government's earlier expenditure plans—Cmnd. 7841—adjusted to allow for actual enrolments in 1979–80. The relevant comparable figures are:

	1981–82 Academic year
Home students ('000)	Cmnd. 8175	ESGE forecast
Universities (full-time and sandwich), Great Britain	*265	‡
Polytechnics, England
Advanced (full-time and sandwich)	*108	103
Non-advanced (full-time equivalent)	†9·5	9·5
* Underlying provisional projection for higher education.
† Underlying firm projection for non-advanced further education.
‡ Not applicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the expenditure of each university in the United Kingdom, current and capital separately, in 1979–80 in volume terms at November 1980 prices.

Details of grant to individual universities in the financial year 1979–80 are published at outturn prices in the Appropriation Accounts—HC 98, pages 33 and 34. The conversion of each grant to survey prices would require an analysis of expenditure by each individual university at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the expenditure of each polytechnic in England, current and capital separately, in 1979–80 in volume terms at November 1980 prices.

These figures cannot be provided without excessive cost. However figures for individual institutions derived from local authorities' expenditure returns at outturn prices are:

Net recurrent and capital expenditure by Polytechincs in England in the financial year 1979–80 (at outturn prices)
Polytechnic	Recurrent £thousands	Capital
Central London	49,173	1,078
City of London
North London
The South Bank
Thames
Kingston	9,735	446
Middlesex	16,034	438
North East London	15,439	351
Birmingham	10,435	999
Brighton	12,088	602
Bristol	9,999	158
Hatfield	8,178	729
Huddersfield	10,564	746
Lanchester	9,730	1,429
Leeds	11,463	594
Leicester	10,987	310
Liverpool	10,172	235
Manchester	16,573	590
Newcastle	11,273	686
North Staffs.	8,789	867
Oxford	7,375	802
Plymouth	6,972	1,245
Portsmouth	11,854	202
Preston	8,577	326
City of Sheffield	14,299	525
Sunderland	7,704	1,130
Teeside	7,314	599
Trent	11,712	1,326
Wolverhampton	9,167	671

Type	Radius of action with allowance for rescue time (naut. miles)	Transit Speed (knots)	Endurance (hours)
RAF Whirlwind	85	90	2½
RN and RAF Wessex	95	100	2½
RN Sea King	230	105	5
RAF Sea King	270	115	5½

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions Service helicopters were called out for (a) search and (b) rescue by the coastguard service and by the police in Scotland in 1979 and 1980.

The number of occasions on which Service helicopters were called out by the coastguard and police for search and rescue missions over sea and land in Scotland in 1979–80, is as follows:

	1979		1980
	Search	Rescue	Search	Rescue
a. Requests by Coast Guard	21	51	25	35
b. Requests by Police	27	52	22	45

Note:The total number of people assisted in Scotland by Service helicopters, including medical evacuations, was 177 in 1979 and 185 in 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in handing over Army cleaning contracts to the private sector; how many establishments are involved; and what are the estimated savings.

The present study covers some 70 Army establishments where we are seeking to determine

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has made an analysis of the value of the helicopter in the search element of search and rescue operations at sea; and if he will make a statement.

The helicopter can be an excellent vehicle for the search element of search and rescue operations at sea. As compared with surface vessels, aircraft can reach the location of a distress incident quickly: they can also conduct area searches rapidly, and have a range of effective visual detection greatly in excess of surface SAR facilities, while the altitude at which they can fly is important in radar detection and radio reception. Additionally, since the introduction of the Mk 3 SEA KING—a specialised SAR version—the SAR capabilities of our helicopter force have been considerably enhanced to include night/bad weather operational capability. Regrettably, there are still some weather conditions in which we cannot operate.Capabilities vary of course according to helicopter type: details are given below:whether a contract service to a comparable standard would offer a practical and cheaper alternative to using directly employed cleaners. Decisions have been taken to change to contract cleaning at 11 Army establishments with potential savings of some £700,000 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated shortage of Royal Air Force pilots in the near future and the long term; and how this will affect the readiness of the Royal Air Force to combat attacks, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation airborne early warning system.

The total shortage of pilots in the Royal Air Force is now about 13 per cent. below the establishment for flying and ground appointments, but NATO-recommended interim aircrew/aircraft ratios continue to be met. It will not affect either the readiness of our air defences, or our contribution to the NATO airborne early warning system, because priority is given to front line squadrons. The shortfall is expected to diminish progressively from 1983 onwards, but the speed of recovery is limited by the time it takes to train a pilot from scratch to front line squadron standard—about 2½ years: by the number of first tour pilots which front line squadrons can accept without diluting experience too much; by the size of the training machine; by the number of pilots that may be withdrawn from operations for flying instruction; and by our recruiting capability.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken recently to ensure the recruitment and retention of high calibre men and women in Her Majesty's Armed Forces; whether the pool of such applicants is decreasing; and, if so, what is his estimate of the reason.

The restoration of full pay comparability and the high priority given by this Government to defence has led to a marked improvement in the recruitment and retention of high calibre men and women in Her Majesty's Armed Forces. The numbers of applications to join the Armed Forces increased by 10 per cent. between 1979–80 and 1980–81 and the numbers leaving the Armed Forces decreased by about 10 per cent. over the same period. A few shortage categories remain and recruiting effort is now being concentrated in these areas. From the mid 1980s there will be a sharp decrease in the numbers of young men and women entering the age group from which the Armed Forces recruit and this will make the recruiting of the required numbers increasingly difficult.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to promote the building of American Trident submarines in the United Kingdom at Vickers shipyard; and what is his assessment of the number of jobs that could be created by such a contract.

Any proposals for building Trident submarines for the United States in British shipyards will be most carefully examined by the Government. It is too early to assess the employment implications.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if any new proposals are to be put to the Civil Service unions in an attempt to end the existing pay dispute; and, if so, what those proposals contain.

No meetings with the unions have been arranged at present and I am sure that my hon. Friend will appreciate that it would not be appropriate, effective or helpful to seek to conduct negotiations by parliamentary question and answer.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants there were employed in jobcentres in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) Tyne and Wear county and (c) the Northern region at the latest available date and in May 1979.

The numbers of permanent staff employed in jobcentres are as follows:—

	1 April 1981	1 May 1979
Newcastle	80	102½
Tyne and Wear county	291	346
Northern region	691	772

EMPLOYMENT

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how staff are employed in each of the administration, management and running departments of jobcentres.

The information is not available in the form requested.A total of 10,400 staff—including casuals—are currently employed in jobcentres and employment offices. Administrative, management and specialist support is provided by 1,420 staff in head office, area offices and district managers' offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how places have been provided or planned in the youth opportunities programme in Northumberland; and how many staff are employed to run the programme as it affects Northumberland.

Information is not available in the exact form requested. However the Manpower Services Commission's special programmes area office in Newcastle, which covers Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle, has made provision for 10,000 young people to enter the youth opportunities programme in 1981–82.The youth opportunities programme, though administered by the special programmes division of the commission, depends on the local authority careers service and the commission's employment services division to act as placing agencies. On 1 March 1981 the Newcastle area office had a staff of 29. The staff deal with both the youth opportunities programme and the community enterprise programme for its area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms in the Newcastle upon Tyne travel-to-work area currently employ the 3 per cent. quota for registered disabled persons under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944; and whether there are any firms employing in excess of the 3 per cent. quota.

On 1 June 1980, the latest date for which information is available, 114 employers in the Newcastle upon Tyne travel-to-work area, who were subject to the quota scheme provisions of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, employed at least their full quota of registered disabled people. Information on the number of firms which were employing more than their 3 per cent. quota could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled persons are registered at employment offices in the Newcastle upon Tyne travel-to-work area; and if he will state their numbers as a percentage of the total unemployed in the area.

On 12 February 1981, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 2,695 disabled people registered for work at employment and careers offices in the Newcastle upon Tyne travel-to-work area—888 of whom were registered as disabled under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 representing 8·9 per cent. of the total of unemployed people in the area.

The number of permanent civil servants employed by the Manpower Services Commission in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear county and the Northern region on 1 April 1981 and 1 April 1979 were as follows:

	1 April 1981	1 April 1979
City of Newcastle upon Tyne	235	258
Tyne and Wear county	864	942
Northern region	1,709	1,797

I regret that information in respect of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and Tyne and Wear county is not available for May 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been successfully employed following their involvement in the various new employment initiatives started since May 1979; and what percentage these represent for men and women, respectively.

I regret that the information requested is not available in the form requested. The available information on the measures mentioned in my right hon. Friend's statement on 21 November 1980 is as follows:

• YOP - a survey in autumn 1980 of trainees who had entered YOP work experience schemes in September and October 1979 showed that 68 per cent. of those surveyed were in employment, training or further education. More recent figures are not yet available.
• STEP - The latest survey indicated that of the STEP entrants who joined projects between September 1979 and September 1980 31 per cent. were in employment in September 1980.
• TSTWC - A survey is being commissioned to establish the proportion of workers in firms which have been supported by the scheme whose employment is continued after the period of compensation under the scheme has ended.
• JRS - allowances under the job release scheme are paid up to retirement age.
• CI - 33 per cent. of the young people currently leaving the community industry scheme for the particularly disadvantaged obtain employment directly on leaving.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now make a statement about his review of the operation of the fair wages resolution.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 26 January.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees in the Calderdale metropolitan district were being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme in February and March 1981.

There were 5,827 potentially redundant employees being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation—TSTWC—scheme in the Calderdale metropolitan district in February 1981. The figures for March are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many apprentices have been made redundant before completing their training during the year ended March 1981 in (a) the Birmingham travel-to-work area and (b) the West Midlands.

Information is not available in the form requested. However, a total of 559 apprentices have been notified to the training services division as being made redundant in the counties of Shropshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Hereford and Worcester and West Midlands in the 12 month period ending 31 March 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report those industries in which wage settlements in the last 12 months have been below 15 per cent.; and if he will show against each item the percentage settlement.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the total number of those engaged in short-time working schemes in May 1979 and the most recently available figures in (a) the Walsall travel-to-work area (b) the Black Country areas and (c) the West Midlands region.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 April 1981, c. 200]: The numbers of potentially redundant employees being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme in the areas requested are shown in the following table:—

	May 1979	February 1981
Walsall travel-to-work area	12	9,892
Black Country	1,846	40,203
West Midlands	3,604	127,064

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will publish in the Official Report the percentage of the total aid given to India in each of the last three years which the Indian Government designated for use in rural and village development.

The figures are 8 per cent. for 1978–79, 12 per cent. for 1979–80 and 10 per cent. for 1980–81. We also provide support for projects which will indirectly promote rural development, such as fertiliser plants and a foot and mouth disease vaccine plant.

asked the Lord Privy Seal why the aid originally proposed for India for the year 1979–80 of £140·5 million was reduced to £114 million; whether this has any effect upon orders placed by the Indian Government with British manufacturers; and if he will make a statement.

All internal planning figures for aid expenditure are monitored and reviewed in the light of the pattern of drawings made on the aid programme in relation to the resources available. The amount spent on India from the aid programme in 1979–80 was £123 million. Since 1979–80 substantial amounts of aid have been made available to India and large orders have been placed to the benefit of British industry.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what aid Her Majesty's Government intend to give to Pakistan, and to the Baluchistan development programme in particular; and how much has been contributed by the United Kingdom to the relief of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

The Government are continuing to give substantial aid to Pakistan. When in Pakistan on 28 March my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State announced a further aid grant of £4 million for the purchase of goods from Britain, as far as possible for the benefit of Baluchistan. We are also exploring the possibility of supporting new projects in Baluchistan.We have provided £1,120,000 in cash or emergency supplies for the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. We have also provided approximately £1·4 million as our share of the European Community's contribution to the UNHCR's work for these refugees.

Housing (Scotland)
	£ million at 1980 survey prices*
	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84
CURRENT EXPENDITURE
General subsidies:
Central government subsidies to local authority housing	198	159
Rate fund contributions to local authority housing	48
Subsidies to new towns and Scottish Special Housing Association	52	43
Housing association revenue deficit grants	1	1
Total general subsidies	300	202
Rent rebates:
Central government	43
Rate fund contributions	4
Rent allowances:
Central government	4
Rate fund contributions
Total income related subsidies	51	59

asked the Lord Privy Seal what sums have been spent out of the overseas aid budget on travel and conferences in the latest year for which figures are available.

The overall cost of ODA travel and conferences in 1979–80, the latest year for which figures are available, was approximately £1·15 million.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is satisfied that the recent acceptance by the Crown Agents, acting for and on behalf of the Indonesian authorities, of the Sulzer Bros. (UK) tender, as amended, for the two generators for Bali power station meets the criteria set out in the original enquiry document for the purpose of attracting British aid funds in respect of the total of offshore costs.

My hon. Friend will be aware from his meetings and correspondence with my hon. Friends the Minister for Overseas Development and the Minister of State, Department of Industry on this subject, that our normal procedures have been followed in this case. However, very urgent consideration is being given to points which he has raised, and a reply will be provided as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a breakdown for Scotland, at 1980 survey prices, of public expenditure on housing for the years 1980–81 and 1981–82 in the same format as is provided for England and Wales in table 2.7 of Cmnd. 8175 and projected figures for Scotland at 1980 survey prices for aggregate public expenditure on housing for the years 1982–83 and 1983–84, corresponding to the projected aggregate figures for England and Wales presented in table 2.7 of Cmnd. 8175.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many telephones have been provided under section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 in Scotland; and if he will give separate figures for the Glasgow area.

Figures available for the period 1 January 1973 to 31 March 1980 show that about 4,189 telephones were installed in Scotland, of which about 431 were in the area formerly covered by the city of Glasgow and at present covered by the Glasgow division of the social work department of Strathclyde regional council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up an inquiry into the allegations

I am aware that complaints of this kind have been made from time to time, but I do not think that an inquiry of this nature is called for. I am considering whether guidance on this matter is desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether, since his written answer to the hon. Member for Warley, East on 26 March, Official Report, c. 408, he has received representations from interested bodies and persons expressing the hope that steps will be taken to acquire the measured drawings and sketch-books of Charles Tunnicliffe for the National Museum of Wales; and whether he will make a further statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Anglesey (Mr. Best) on 9 April. Several of the representations express the hope that the collection might be placed in the care of the National Museum of Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what were the increases in prices between November 1975 and November 1980 for (a) coal and smokeless fuels, (b) gas, (c) electricity and (d) fuel and light; and what was the increase in the retail price index over the same period.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 April 1981, c. 307]: Following is the information:

Percentage increases in domestic fuel prices and General Index of Retail Prices—all items—from November 1975 to November 1980
	Percentage increase
Coal and Smokeless fuel	139
Gas	79
Electricity	120
Fuel and light	115
General Index of Retail prices (all items)	90

Source: General Index of Retail Prices, Department of Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the Official Report the measures he has taken in the past year to introduce new industry into (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) Tyne and Wear county and (c) the Northern region; and what his immediate plans are for the future for these areas.

Crude Steel Production '000 tonnes
	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980
Private Steel Companies	2,942	3,216	3,170	3,631	3,738	2,886

Source: Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will name the chairman and directors of BSC Liaison Services Ltd.; and if he will place in the Library copies of its memorandum and articles of association.

The constitution of their subsidiary companies is a matter for BSC, but Mr. MacGregor has agreed to arrange for copies of the memorandum and articles, and a list of the directors of BSC Liaison Services Ltd. to be placed in the Library. This company was previously owned by BSC (International) Ltd,., but will be used to hold certain assets, which BSC has agreed to buy from Duport Ltd., until negotiations to form phoenix II are completed. The memorandum and articles may require some further changes to fulfil this interim purpose.

The policies pursued by the Government over the past year are leading to a lower rate of inflation and thus contributing towards a revival of the confidence needed for industrial investment generally. In addition, regional aid appropriate to the assisted area status of each part of the Northern region has continued to be available, amounting in 1980–81 to an estimated £150 million in the region. Similar figures for Newcastle upon Tyne and Tyne and Wear are not available. The Government intend to maintain their policies.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many people are currently employed by the National Research and Development Corporation; and how this figure compares with the position 12 months ago.

This is a matter for the corporation. Some details are published in the corporation's annual report, a copy of which is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many people are currently employed by the National Enterprise Board; and how this figure compares with the position 12 months ago.

This is a matter for the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many tonnes of steel were produced by private steel companies in the latest year for which figures are available; and how this compares with each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:BSC Liaison Services Ltd., is not an operating company and the four directors are all members of BSC's finance department.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects to be able to announce the performance criteria being set for the chairman of the British Steel Corporation.

Criteria have been agreed for the guidance of the review committee which is to determine the payments to be made to Lazard Freres New York based on the performance of BSC under the chairmanship of Mr. Ian MacGregor. Copies of these criteria will be placed in the Library next week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who appoints the commander of the traffic warden service for the Metropolitan Police district; and to whom the commander is answerable.

The commander of the traffic district is appointed by the Commissioner, subject to my right hon. Friend's approval, and is answerable to the Deputy Assistant Commmissioner (Traffic).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Act or other instrument is the legislative basis for the traffic warden service in London; what instrument determines the command structure of the service; and what reports are made to him as police authority for London on the traffic warden service in London.

Statutory authority for police authorities in England and Wales to appoint traffic wardens is given in section 81 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967, as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1972. The command structure of the Metropolitan Police traffic warden service is not laid down by statute or statutory instrument. The Commissioner's annual report contains information about the service; and, like other parts of the force, the service is inspected by the Metropolitan Police inspectorate, whose reports my right hon. Friend receives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any disciplinary action has been taken by the Metropolitan Commissioner of Police in the light of the finding six weeks ago of the Bloomsbury and Marylebone county court that two police sergeants attached to Hampstead police station on 6 November 1977 falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosected Mr. Trevor Rhone and that they subsequently lied to the magistrates, the investigating officer and the county court.

I understand that, following consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions, a further investigation is now being carried out by the Metropolitan Police. The report of the investigating officer will be submitted to the director in due course for his consideration of the possible need for criminal proceedings. The question of disciplinary proceedings will subsequently be considered further by the Commissioner.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in 1980 officers of the Metropolitan Police were armed with guns, excluding members of the diplomatic protection group and special sections of the force who are armed as a matter of course; and how this figure breaks down by police division.

My right hon. Friend will make the appropriate figures available as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many personnel in his Department are engaged full-time on internal audit; and, of those, how many are qualified accountants.

Twenty five on 1 April 1981; none is a qualified accountant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the building of new magistrates' courts in Coventry to start.

Planning is in progress and I understand from the city of Coventry metropolitan district council that it is working to a projected start in October 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to publish the review of the activities of the immigration appellate authorities referred to in the "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies"—Cmnd. 7797: and if he will make a statement.

An internal review has now been completed and it is intended to publish the report in the form of a discussion document on 11 April. I am arranging for copies of the report to be sent to interested organisations for their comments. Copies of the document will be available in the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange for his Department to study the recent findings of Professor Herbert Needleman of the Harvard medical school into the effects on children of exposure to lead in the atmosphere and publish the conclusions reached.

The main findings of Professor H. L. Needleman were discussed in paragraphs 152–159 of the report of the Department's working party on lead—"Lead and Health": HMSO March 1980. A copy of this report is in the Library of the House. A more recent paper by Professor Needleman and colleagues reports the patterns of electrical activity in the brain in some of the children from the main study and a relationship with lead levels is claimed. This further information along with other recent evidence is being taken into account by the Government in considering their response to the working party's report.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will undertake an inquiry to determine why census enumerators in several areas in Wales did not follow the instructions laid down by his Department to make both the English language and Welsh language census forms equally available to persons responsible for completing a form.

After each census there is an inquiry into the conduct of the field operation and this will include reports on the conduct of the census in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that full access for relatives, legal advisers, and external medical staff is being currently maintained at Rampton special hospital and will continue to be so during the present dispute.

Legal advisers and outside doctors requesting access to particular patients are not being in any way impeded by the current industrial action by staff at Rampton. I greatly regret, however, that this action is at present preventing visiting by relatives. Discussions between local management and the branch officials of the Prison Officers Association are continuing and, as I indicated in reply to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton) on 3 April—[Vol. 2, c. 158]—I hope that normal working at the hospital will be resumed as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage family allowance and child tax allowance and latterly child benefits was as a proportion of average earnings for (a) a one-child family, (b) a two-child family and (c) a three-child family for each year since 1950.

[pursuant to her reply, 6 April 1981, c. 211]: Following is the information:

Value of child support (a) as a percentage of average earnings (b)
	One child family	Two child family	Three child family
April:
1950	7·1	16·5	25·8
1951	8·0	17·9	27·8
1952	9·0	19·7	30·4
1953	8·0	18·6	29·4
1954	7·5	17·5	27·6
1955	7·5	17·5	27·5
1956	7·0	16·1	25·4
1957	6·8	15·7	25·2
1958	6·5	15·0	24·1
1959	5·7	13·5	21·7
1960	5·3	12·6	20·3
1961	5·0	11·7	19·0
1962	4·8	11·3	18·3
1963	5·3	12·3	19·8
1964	4·9	11·3	18·2
1965	4·8	11·1	17·7
1966	4·5	10·4	16·5
1967	4·4	10·2	16·3
1968	4·1	9·2	14·6
1969	3·8	8·8	14·1
1970	3·4	8·0	12·7
1971	3·9	8·9	14·2
1972	3·5	8·0	12·7
1973	3·0	6·8	10·7
1974	3·5	7·6	11·8
1975	3·0	7·1	11·3
1976	3·2	7·4	11·6
1977	3·3	7·0	10·7
1978	3·7	7·4	11·1
1979	4·5	9·0	13·5
1980	3·8	7·5	11·3
Jan. 1981	4·1	8·1	12·2

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many recipients of supplementary benefit are currently paying their fuel bills by the "fuel direct" system; and what were the corresponding figures for February 1980 and February 1979.

[pursuant to her reply, 19 February 1981, c. 196]: The numbers of supplementary benefit claimants having part of their benefit deducted at source and paid direct to the fuel industries are given below. The latest available DHSS figures are for November 1979. Since some claimants are paying for both gas and electricity by direct payments, the figures overstate the total number of claimants affected.

Date	Electricity*	Gas*
November 1979	52,450	26,329
November 1978	64,553	31,217
November 1977	67,736	33,019
*Figures include both voluntary savings and payments direct to the fuel industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport in what ways he furthers the Government's policy towards smaller firms through the procurement policy of his Department.

There are opportunities for small businesses with local highway authorities and through subcontracts. Appropriate advice is contained in my Department's entry in the Department of Industry publication "Tendering for Government contracts".

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is at present taking to urge people to wear seat belts.

In 1979–80 two national publicity campaigns were carried out at a cost of £1·8 million. In the last financial year a campaign to test a new approach was carried out in the Midlands TV area. This succeeded in raising the wearing rate to an average of 34·1 per cent. This figure includes 46·5 per cent. on motorways and 39·8 per cent. on trunk roads. I am now considering my future plans in the light of my evaluation of this campaign and other factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what gross revenue is obtained from vehicle excise duty; and what is the administrative cost of raising such revenue.

The yield from vehicle excise duty for 1980–81 is estimated to be £1,385 million; the total administrative costs of the vehicle registration and licensing system for 1980–81 are estimated to be £68 million.

asked the Attorney-General if, following the suggestion of the Lord Chancellor to the Home Affairs Committee on 23 March, he will consider the question of nolle prosequi for all those currently on remand in custody for periods in excess of four months.

As the Lord Chancellor indicated in his evidence to the Home Affairs Committee, I have the power to enter a nolle prosequi so as to stay any proceedings on indictment after the bill of indictment has been preferred. I shall always give careful consideration to any application made to me to exercise that power in any particular case. I share the hon. Member's concern over those unfortunate cases where a defendant spends an inordinate length of time in custody awaiting his trial, but delays in bringing cases before the court are not infrequently attributable to the defendant himself, who, for one reason or another, seeks to have its date postponed. Because of the number and variety of reasons for these delays, I must examine each application on its own merits and this I shall continue to do in respect of specific cases that are brought to my attention.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians v. Brain and, in particular, the words of Lord Justice Donaldson, he will now seek to introduce legislation to enable employees who are unfairly dismissed to obtain interest on sums in due course held to be payable to them from the date of the tribunal hearing until the date of the payment thereof.

The point raised by the hon. and learned Member is receiving consideration but, as the decision of the Court of Appeal was given only on 26 March I am not yet in a position to offer any comment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Government's position with regard to the provision of local authority housing for key workers.

Each local authority is responsible for the management of its own housing stock, and is free to make special provisions for allocating homes to key workers. Under paragraph 6 of schedule 3 to the 1980 Housing Act an authority can make accommodation available on a temporary basis for up to one year to a person who has obtained an offer of employment in its area and is seeking permanent accommodation.The national mobility scheme, which was introduced in England and Wales on 1 April 1981, will help people who need to move to a different area for employment or social reasons. The scheme is intended to be additional to existing key worker schemes. It is described in a paper entitled "National Mobility Scheme: Its Objectives, Principles, Outline Procedures and Management," copies of which have already been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what date he expects the Tyneside enterprise zone to become operative.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Sproat) of 30 March 1981.—[Vol. 2, c. 44.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list in the Official Report of local authorities that are currently operating union-management agreements with their work force.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications have been received by prospective companies to locate in each of the announced enterprise zones.

Inquiries ranging from requests for information to firm offers for individual sites are made to prospective enterprise zone authorities and not the Department. No central records are kept; but broad estimates for the English zone range from several hundred for some zones announced last summer to several dozen for some of those announced more recently.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing, for each local authority in England and Wales, the number of people employed, full and part-time, on the most recent convenient date; and how that compares with the numbers two years earlier.

The joint manpower watch returns published in March 1980 and March 1981 include the information requested at December 1978, 1979 and 1980 for all authorities in England and Wales other than the few whose returns are incomplete. Copies of these returns are available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the addition to public expenditure if the partial disregard of income derived from earnings in the model rent rebate scheme were to be extended to all income treated as earned income for tax purposes.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made with the Government's review of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977; and if he will ensure that battered women will not be adversely affected by it.

We hope to conclude the review shortly. The representations received on behalf of homeless battered women are being taken fully into account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many personnel in his Department are engaged full-time on internal audit; and, of those, how many are qualified accountants.

Staff currently in post are as follows:

	Total	of whom qualified accountants
DOE Central/DTp (Common service)	51	—
PSA	69	4
Ordnance Survey	4	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will order an inquiry as to how medical waste came to be washed ashore at Pitsea, Basildon, Essex.

The local authorities concerned are currently investigating the recent incidents of medical waste being washed ashore at Canvey Island. I am concerned at these matters and I have ensured that my Department will discuss the local authorities' findings with them. I therefore think no further inquiry is necessary. My hon. Friend may like to know that an interdepartmental working party is examining safe methods of dealing with medical waste with a view to drawing up a code of practice for its handling and disposal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost to date of hiring the scaffolding around the premises at Park Court, Coventry, occupied by the Inland Revenue and the Department of Employment.

£32,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied that the chairman of the Sports Council will be able to perform his duties adequately after his inclusion on the black list of sportsmen as prepared by the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement to the House on the recent meeting of European Sports Ministers in Majorca.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) on what grounds the application submitted by the Association of Waterloo Groups has not been called in for the current public inquiry concerning the Coin Street sites;(2) whether, in view of the imminence of the Greater London Council elections, he will instruct the postponement of the Coin Street public inquiry;(3) whether he is satisfied that it is an appropriate use of public funds to begin an inquiry into the future of the Coin Street sites less than a month before the Greater London Council elections.

I have asked my inspector for an urgent report on these matters and will write to the hon. Member as soon as I have reached a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total expenditure, as defined in section 56(8) of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, of every local authority in England in 1980–81 implied by the current expenditure of each authority in 1980–81 at revised budgets stage.

No. The section 56(8) definition of total expenditure was not introduced until the 1981–82 RSG settlement as part of the new block grant system. Local authorities report their decisions on total expenditure when making their grant claims for 1981–82. It is not possible to deduce what total expenditures on this definition would have been in 1980–81 from the revised budget returns last July, which were specifically concerned with reductions in net current expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the metropolitan district of Sheffield city council has now set a budget for 1981–82 in line with the Government targets.On present evidence before me, it would appear that its budget will be significantly above Government guidelines. Its net current expenditure is budgeted to be £15 million in excess of its volume target of £140 million, both at November 1980 prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the will tabulate the number of staff in each metropolitan district in England, indicating the staff per head of population; and if he will make a statement.

The information request is tabulated below. Local circumstances—other than population size—may well account for some of the differences in staffing levels between authorities; but I am sure that councillors and ratepayers in some of the authorities listed will wish to ask why their own staffing levels are so much higher than elsewhere.

Metropolitan Districts Manpower
	Employees*		Total Staff (full time + part time) per thousand population†
	Full time	Part time
Barnsley	6,738	4,596	51·1
Birmingham	33,773	19,854	51·9
Bolton	8,204	4,393	48·5
Bradford	13,938	10,101	39·2
Bury	4,352	2,660	39·0
Calderdale	5,011	3,868	47·0
Coventry	11,225	7,292	54·6
Doncaster	8,991	6,413	53·7
Dudley	6,889	4,340	37·9
Gateshead	7,920	2,911	51·1
Kirklees	9,998	7,947	47·3
Knowsley	5,808	3,160	49·8
Leeds	20,787	12,415	45·9
Liverpool	21,511	9,250	59·1
Manchester	27,202	12,534	83·0
Newcastie upon Tyne	12,798	5,946	65·3
North Tyneside	6,369	3,689	52·1
Oldham	6,377	3,775	45·3
Rochdale	6,279	4,207	50·2
Rotherham	7,280	5,120	49·8
Salford	8,478	4,821	52·8
Sandwell	10,013	4,755	48·1
Sefton	7,830	4,210	40·0
Sheffield	20,142	10,409	56·2
Solihull	4,414	3,270	38·8
South Tyneside	6,326	2,381	53·4
St. Helens	5,794	3,593	49·7
Stockport	7,396	4,702	41·4
Sunderland	12,234	5,172	57·8
Tameside	6,330	4,311	48·6
Trafford	5,056	3,673	39·0
Wakefield	9,500	6,315	51·0
Walsall	8,263	5,863	53·7
Wigan	8,210	5,437	47·1
Wirral	9,698	5,169	43·5
Wolverhampton	9,793	5,479	59·2