asked the Lord Privy Seal how much aid has been given to Uganda over the last 12 months.

During 1980 we signed a grant agreement committing us to provide £4 million of programme aid. In that calendar year actual bilateral expenditure was £2,874,000, to which should be added our £500,000 contribution to the disaster emergency committee's appeal.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, pursuant to his answer of 3 March, Official Report, columns 94–95, he is able to announce any further involvement by Her Majesty's Government in international action on matters covered by the Brandt report.

The Government have supported actions taken in the IMF to increase its resources and to improve the compensatory finance scheme; the renewal of the wheat trade and food aid conventions; the replenishment of the International Development Association; and the enlargement of the African Development Bank.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will give details of the research project in the population sector approved by the Overseas Development Administration since 1979, giving information regarding the source of the request, the cost of the project and the country to which it related.

Two projects have been approved since May 1979; one a request from the community services research programme of the International Diarrhoeal Disease Research Centre, Bangladesh for specialised equipment to assist research on the consequences of contraceptive use in Bangladeshi women at a cost of £40,000; and the other a request from the Institute of Population Studies, University of Exeter to fund:

"An assessment of local participation techniques in the provision of fertility regulating services"

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will list in the Official Report details of the four research projects in the population sector rejected by his Department since 1979 because of lack of funds, giving information regarding the sources of the requests, the cost of the respective projects and the countries to which they related.

Assistance to the South-East Asia population awards programme; submitted by SEAPAP; cost up to £368,000; related to all the countries in the South-East Asian region.Investigation into the relationship between population and development in Trinidad and Tobago; submitted by the New University of Ulster; not costed.Fertility determinants of Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong; submitted by the London School of Economics department of population studies; cost $18,000.Dietary changes and nutrition status in recent urban migrants to Cuttack, Orissa, India; submitted by Mr. Jeffery, University of Edinburgh; not costed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what aid is being given to Tanzania to help develop renewable energy sources.

Investigation of renewable energy needs at village level, particularly the use of fuel wood plantations, is one of the tasks undertaken by aid-financed teams in Tabora, Mtwara and Lindi regions.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many students from Nepal were accepted for all types of medical training in the United Kingdom over the last 10 years to the latest available date: and how many of these have remained in the United Kingdom after training.

Between 1971 and 1980, 78 such students arrived in this country on training awards under the British aid programme. Seven are known to have remained in the United Kingdom after their sponsored course.Two of these are continuing training under private arrangements before returning to Nepal. Some of those who went back to Nepal after their sponsored course may have subsequently returned to the United Kingdom.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what commitments Her Majesty's Government have made to establish a technology transfer unit to benefit Third world countries; and what progress has been made towards implementation.

Although I originally mentioned the possible creation of a British technology centre at the United Nations conference on science and technology for development in Vienna in August 1979, in the light of the few reactions from developing countries at the time or subsequently I have not yet decided whether this should take precedence over other priorities.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will publish in the Official Report the recommendations of the institutional review of the European Economic Community which have been adopted by the Council of Ministers.

The text of the report on European institutions by the Committee of Three is already available in the Library of the House. The European Council's conclusions on the report were as follows:

The European Council discussed the Report from the "Three Wise Men", taking as its basis a detailed study conducted by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs.

It found that the profundity of the analysis of the institutional situation and the practicality of the solutions proposed—based as they were on a balanced assessment of the Community's problems and needs and of the appropriate means for dealing with them—made the Report a rich source of ideas and suggestions for improving the machinery and procedures of the Community's institutional system.

It is due to this wealth of ideas and suggestions that the results of the European Council's deliberations and the specific conclusions reached so far do not entirely cover all the suggestions in the Report of the "Three Wise Men", nor do they exhaust the matter. The Report provides and will continue to provide, irrespective of such decisions as may be taken in the near future, a fertile seed-bed of useful ideas and suggestions on which the institutions and the Member States may draw in their reflections on the Community's institutional system.

The European Council thanks the Foreign Ministers for their study which provides the basis for the conclusions it has reached, as given in the Annex.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet had an opportunity of studying the application for an increase in London taxi fares; and if so, whether he will now make an order.

I am considering this matter and intend to make an order shortly increasing London taxi fares.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will use his powers under section 32(1) of the Police Act 1964 to set up a local inquiry in West Yorkshire on the policing of the area in the light of the case of Peter Sutcliffe.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will use his powers under section 32(1) of the Police Act 1964 to set up a local inquiry into the policing of the West Yorkshire area in the light of the Sutcliffe case.

The Yorkshire Ripper case was one of the largest scale police investigations ever conducted in this country and I am anxious to ensure that any lessons which might be learnt from it are made known to police forces generally. Accordingly, I have asked Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary for the region, Mr. L. Byford, who has kept me in touch with progress throughout, to review the circumstances of the investigation and to report further to me. In preparing this report, which will be rendered in accordance with section 38(3) of the Police Act 1964, Mr. Byford will have the assistance of the special advisory team of senior officers who were appointed to review the investigation in November 1980. I believe that this independent, professional review is the appropriate way of proceeding.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will take steps to ensure that recently expired passports and alternative forms of identification can be used by people, who would otherwise be prevented from travelling by the present dispute at the passport offices.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Heddle) on 22 May. Since then, the Australian and New Zealand authorities have also agreed that, for the purpose of travel from the United Kingdom to their countries, and return to the United Kingdom, United Kingdom passports which expired fewer than five years previously, and have not been cancelled, will be regarded as valid travel documents. This will come into effect today, 1 June, and will last until 31 August on which date it will lapse unless further extended. We are urgently considering all possible ways to alleviate the effects of the industrial action at the passport offices.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make special arrangements to pay a refund to those persons who have paid for a full British passport which has not been issued as a result of the Civil Service strike and who are forced to acquire a British visitor's passport at additional expense.

I am examining this matter and shall let my hon. Friend have a full answer as soon as possible.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will give the nature, amount and source of the unresolved claims by the United States of America against Albania which are known to Her Majesty's Government as joint trustee for the Albanian gold held by the United Kingdom.

I understand that there are certain American claims against Albania for compensation for property nationalised in the late 1940s. It would not be appropriate to go into further details of claims which principally concern the American Government.The United Kingdom itself holds no Albanian gold. The gold provisionally allocated to Albania by the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold—on which the British, French and United States Governments are represented—is held in the Bank of England to the account of the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the current export programme of both service and manufacturing sectors of industry.

It is for exporters to formulate programmes best suited to their individual interests and prospects. My Department, through the British Overseas Trade Board, provides substantial assistance to help exporters of goods or services develop their overseas trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether there is evidence of improvements in the non-price competitiveness of British exports.

It is difficult to measure the effect of non-price competitiveness on export performance and any evidence can only be subjective. But I am sure that, with the price competition that they now face, exporters are much more aware of the importance of non-price factors such as quality, design, marketing, etc. to their performance in export markets.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will discuss the self-regulatory system affecting the securities industry with the chairman of the Take-over Panel, the chairman of the Council for the Securities Industry and the chairman of the Stock Exchange.

My officials are frequently in touch with these organisations, and my predecessors and I have met the chairmen from time to time to discuss matters of mutual interest. I am generally satisfied with the present combination of statutory and non-statutory supervision of companies and the securities markets.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the benefits to be derived by the less developed countries from the generalised system of preferences recently negotiated by the European Community.

The generalised scheme of preference introduced by the European Communities from 1 January 1981 is the result of a major review of the scheme first introduced 10 years ago. The scheme affords preferential entry to imports from the less-developed countries. Under the new scheme, the benefits available to the least-developed countries are significantly greater than those available to countries where industrialisation has reached a relatively advanced stage. All industrial products are granted duty-free access, subject to quotas or ceilings in the case of products sensitive to Community industries. Preferential entry is extended to a range of agricultural products usually without quantitative limit but often at reduced rather than zero duty. The status quo was retained for textiles this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will meet the aviation trade unions to discuss the effects of the new policy on licensing British airlines of the Civil Aviation Authority; and if he will make a statement.

In the first instance, air transport licensing is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority itself. The Civil Aviation Act 1980 imposes a duty on the authority to produce a statement of policy. The trade unions concerned would be well advised to make their views known to the authority direct, but if they have any particular points to make to us no doubt they will write to my noble Friend Lord Trefgarne. He would be glad to meet their representatives.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the extent so far of the industrial action taken by air traffic controllers; and what is the cost thereof to the airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority and his Department.

There was a one-day stoppage on 9 March but even then several flights took place. Otherwise stoppages have varied in extent from day to day and from unit to unit. Losses by airlines are likely to be substantial, but detailed figures are not yet available. Loss of revenue to the Civil Aviation Authority has mainly been in the form of fees for landing and for aerodrome and navigation services. Up to the middle of May, this has been of the order of £250,000. There has been no significant additional cost to the Department of Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will report the results so far of the monitoring by the European Economic Community of imports from Japan in the specified items of trade which included motor vehicles.

Following the declaration of 17 February by the Foreign Affairs Council on the Community's trade relations with Japan, retrospective surveillance of imports to the Community from Japan was introduced with effect from 1 March on cars, colour TVs and tubes, and certain machine tools. The Commission is intending to report to the Council in June the results of the first three months of this surveillance.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to prevent the import of shoddy or tasteless Royal wedding mementoes.

No. The use of selective import controls would not be appropriate for this purpose, nor would it be consistent with our international obligations. I earnestly hope that the public will not buy shoddy or tasteless Royal wedding mementoes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has had any meetings with the chairman of the Takeover Panel, the chairman of the Council for the Securities Industry and the chairman of the Stock Exchange concerning the report of the inspectors on St. Piran Ltd.; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today by my right hon. Friend to the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will reconsider his decision not to petition for the winding-up of St. Piran Ltd.

No. I arranged for the inspectors' report to be published very quickly to coincide with the offer of 50p for its shares (now increased to 60p) on behalf of Gasco Investments Ltd. I did not accept the inspectors' advice to petition for the company's winding up because I considered that that was a decision best left to the shareholders themselves. One shareholder has now filed a petition, and in the light of that I do not consider it desirable to comment on the substance of a matter which may soon fall to be considered by the court.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will give details of the main trading advantages that the United Kingdom gives to developing countries.

The United Kingdom, as a member of the European Community, has removed or reduced a number of barriers to trade in the context of the Tokyo round of multilateral trade negotiations, the generalised scheme of preferences, and the Lomé Convention.The generalised scheme of preferences, which was renewed in January 1981, affords preferential entry to imports from developing countries. All industrial products are granted duty free access, subject to quantitive limits on products sensitive to Community industries; and preferential entry is extended to a range of agricultural products. More favourable preferences are enjoyed by the 61 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries parties to the second Lomé Convention, which runs until 1985. The convention gives duty-free access to the Community for industrial goods originating in those countries and duty free or reduced duty access for some agricultural products. The overseas countries and territories associated with member States of the Community also receive similar concessions.Fuller details are to be found in the White Paper on the Tokyo Round (Cmnd. 7724) and in the texts of the generalised scheme of preferences and the second Lomé Convention which are in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what meetings he has had with the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority concerning the policy statement on licensing British airlines which was published recently by the authority; and if he will make a statement.

None. Under section 13 of the Civil Aviation Act 1980 it is the duty of the Civil Aviation Authority to publish a statement of its policies on air transport licensing matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he intends to publish the report of the investigation by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission into the Central Electricity Generating Board.

The report, which was published on 20 May, was valuable, constructive and thorough. I am pleased to have this opportunity to pay tribute to the MMC for completing such a comprehensive report in a comparatively short space of time.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the operation of the self-regulatory system in connection with the securities industry; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today to the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the UNCTAD meeting held in May regarding the phasing out of open registers for shipping.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Hooley).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what are the latest figures for the overseas earnings of British consultants.

The latest generally available estimate for the overseas earnings of British consultants relate to 1979. The earnings of some of these groups are separately identified in United Kingdom Balance of Payments 1980 edition. The estimated earnings in 1979 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what further action he proposes to protect the consumer.

The record of the Government over the past two years shows we are very ready to take steps to help the consumer both through strengthening competition and in other ways. I have a number of measures in train and will take further action as that proves necessary and practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has any proposals for amendment of the guidelines for officially supported export credit to include mixed credits in the International Agreement of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries; and what discussions he has had with other European Economic Community Governments on agreed changes to the consensus.

Discussions have been taking place with our Community partners recently on improvements that might be made to the OECD consensus on export credit terms. I for my part would certainly wish to see tighter rules applied to the prior notification of mixed credits under the consensus arrangement. I shall certainly continue to press our partners to include this item in any proposals which we put forward for changes in the consensus later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what effects he anticipates the cargo-sharing provision of the UNCTAD liner code will have on the United Kingdom's third country trade; and if he will make a statement.

In acceding to the UNCTAD liner code, the United Kingdom, together with the other EC countries, will have to comply with EC Regulation No. 954/79. This will have the effect of disapplying the cargo sharing provisions of the code as far as reciprocating OECD member countries are concerned. This, together with the fact that much of our present trade with developing countries is already shared on something like this basis, means that the code will have little substantial effect on United Kingdom trade with other countries. It is much more difficult to estimate what effects the code may have on trade between third countries; but it does allow for a share for third country shipping lines.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the United Kingdom trade balance in manufactures with less developed countries; and what is the similar figure for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as a whole.

In 1979, the latest year for which complete information is available, the United Kingdom had a crude surplus on trade in manufactures with the developing countries of £5·2 billion while OECD's surplus was approximately £58 billion.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will detail the industrial training undertaken by his Department; what is its cost; and if he will make a statement.

Training is provided as a common service for the Departments of Trade and Industry. In 1979–80, 10,000 of the total staff of 16,000 in the two Departments were trained in management, job-related and specialist skills, at a direct cost of £460,000. My Department has no responsibility for any other forms of training.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how much, in the most recent convenient year, was expended by his Department in commissioning studies and reports by outside organisations or individuals.

£960,562 was expended by the Department of Trade in the financial year 1980–81 on studies and reports commissioned from outside organisations and individuals. This sum includes £753,058 expended on investigations by inspectors appointed under the Companies Act 1948.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he is satisfied that the present means by which a 20p surcharge is imposed at petrol stations for the use of credit cards represents fair trading; and if he will introduce regulations to ensure that such additional cost is adequately advertised by the petrol stations making the charge.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 21 May. [c. 134].

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the total amount of trade between the United Kingdom and South Africa.

This information is published in "The Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", issue No. 63/64, February-March 1981, tables B 19 and C25. A copy of this publication is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he intends to ratify the United Nations Commission for trade and development liner code or to reject it, as proposed in early day motion No. 336.

The Government's intention to accede to the liner code convention was announced by my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State on 17 May 1979—[Vol. 967, c. 3]—as was our agreement in the European Community to make important reservations in so doing. Legislation will be needed. Widespread consultations are in progress with shipper and shipowner interests on the form of this legislation, and my Department has issued a consultation paper for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will take steps to improve the effectiveness of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 in relation to the sale of cars with regard to those sold as new but stockpiled and unregistered;(2) if the Director General of Fair Trading is proposing to amend and enforce the code of practice for the motor industry—revised March 1981—with regard to the sale of stockpiled cars as new.

I share my right hon. Friend's concern about the problems which may arise for consumers as a result of the build-up of large stockpiles of unsold cars. Those paying the full price of a new car should receive a vehicle which can fairly be described as "new".The Sale of Goods Act already requires a car supplied by a dealer to a consumer to be as described and of "merchantable quality". The code of practice for the motor industry reminds dealers of their responsibilities in this respect. It also requires them to ensure that new cars are delivered in a condition which is to the manufacturer's standard.I welcome the publicity given to this matter which will, I hope, be helpful to consumers. I do not contemplate any new legislation at present, and I understand that the Director-General has no plans to suggest to the motor industry further revisions of its code of practice. I am, however, asking the Director General of Fair Trading to keep the situation under close review, and I would not rule out the possibility of Government action if clear evidence emerges of significant damage to consumer interests and if the trade itself proves unable or unwilling to put matters right.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will ensure that consumer choice would be maintained if British Gas is divested of its retailing activities.

One of the adverse effects of the British Gas Corporation's retailing monopoly identified by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its report was limitation of consumer choice. The main purpose of any action to follow the report would be to increase competition in the retailing of domestic gas appliances; this would lead to a wider choice for consumers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the progress of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's examination of The Observer newspaper's change of ownership.

My right hon. Friend expects to receive the Commission's report very shortly. It will be published as soon as practicable thereafter, and a statement will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will use his powers under existing legislation to require new cars to carry a date of manufacture.

I have no plans at present to do so, but am keeping the case for action under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what proportion of each European Economic Community member State's exports and imports, respectively, is with other European Economic Community member States

The information for 1980 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in the Official Report the following statistics concerning industrial trade between the United Kingdom and the rest of the European Economic Community in 1980, or in the latest year for which figures are available (a) the value of imports from the rest of the European Economic Community by industrial sector, (b) the value of United Kingdom exports to the rest of the European Economic Community by industrial sector, (c) the value of total United Kingdom exports in each industrial sector and (d) the proportion of United Kingdom output exported in each industrial sector.

For 1979, the latest year for which all figures are available, the information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the quantity and value of uranium imported into the United Kingdom from Namibia for each year since such imports began.

Details of trade by country in uranium ores and concentrates are not available for publication. There are no imports from Namibia of uranium in any other form.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what new initiative is planned to succeed Export Year and Export United.

The Export United campaign is still continuing and consequently no new initiative is planned to succeed it. As I pointed out to my hon. Friend on 13 April and 6 May, the future of the Export United campaign depends on individual companies, not the Government. The British Overseas Trade Board will continue to provide advice, publicity support and material when invited.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations he has received from the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux about the funding of citizens advice bureaux; and whether in view of the increasing use of the bureaux, he will consider increasing Government support for them.

We are currently considering an application from NACAB for increased assistance, and will announce our conclusions as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants receive higher pay than a Cabinet Minister.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 May 1981, c. 183]: On the basis of the increase for senior civil servants announced by the Prime Minister on 15 May—[Vol. 4, c. 343–48]—55 civil servants currently receive higher pay than Cabinet Ministers in the Commons. An additional 181 civil servants currently receive higher pay than Cabinet Ministers in the Lords, who receive no parliamentary salary. The Prime Minister also proposed on 15 May changes from 13 June in the pay of Ministers and Members of Parliament. If implemented no civil servant would then be receiving higher pay than Cabinet Ministers in the Commons; 58 civil servants would be receiving higher pay than Cabinet Ministers in the Lords.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each area health authority in Wales the number of beds in National Health Service hospitals allocated to geriatrics, per 1,000 population over the age of 70 years.

The information is given below for 31 December 1979:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the 1,442 households accepted by district councils in Wales in the third quarter of 1980 as homeless or threatened with homelessness were married women with children.

The total of 1,442 includes 422 lone-parent families with children; on the basis of information available it is not possible to tell how many of these households were headed by a married woman.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of advance factories in East Flint currently completed or in the process of construction and

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs are estimated to be in the pipeline for the Deeside travel-to-work area; how many are the consequence of inward investment; what efforts his Department are making to bring new jobs to the Deeside travel-to-work area; and if he will make a statement.

The latest estimate is that some 1,400 manufacturing jobs are expected to arise in the Shotton travel-to-work area in projects which have accepted offers of selective financial assistance or have been allocated government factory space. Of this total some 500 jobs are expected from projects involving overseas investment.My Department takes every opportunity of encouraging new industrial development and expansion on Deeside, which has the benefit of special development area status.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many disabled and elderly people were receiving meals on wheels in each authority area in Wales in April 1981; what was the cost per person per day; what were the comparative figures for the previous five years; and if he will estimate the number of persons in each authority area who are eligible to receive meals on wheels.

The number of persons receiving meals on wheels during a sample week in November for the years 1975–1980 is shown in the following table. Information relating to April is not available.their square footage and estimated cost; how many of these completed or partially constructed advance factories are tenanted, have tenants earmarked or are empty and without tenants; and if he will make a statement.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, in view of the heavy unemployment in the Deeside-Buckley area of Clwyd, he will set up a task force in conjunction with Clwyd local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on 21 January 1981. —[Vol. 997, c. 185].

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the assumption for public expenditure purposes of the number of dwellings which will be sold in Wales in 1981–82; and what will be the consequences if this figure is not reached.

5,500, assuming the question refers to local authority dwellings. If it appears that this figure is not going to be reached—but present indications are encouraging—the scope for making further allocations to housing authorities will be reduced, although this would also depend upon other factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average selling price, net of discount, for council houses sold in Wales between October and December 1980; and what was the average cost of building a new council house over the same period.

The average net selling price of the 371 council dwellings sold between October and December 1980 was £6,208; the average cost (excluding land acquisition) of building a council house over the same period was £17,065.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ensure that in any review of the Health Service in Wales provision will be made, in the matter of medical complaints procedure, to extend the ombudsman's powers of investigation to cases of clinical judgment.

We have no plans to extend the jurisdiction of the Health Service Commissioner into the field of clinical judgment. A new procedure for handling complaints which relate to the exercise of clinical judgment by hospital doctors and dentists in England has been agreed between the joint consultants committee and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services. We are considering how best to adapt this procedure to the Welsh situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales to what extent the chemical 2,4,5-T is used in Wales; and what steps are being taken to restrict its use.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that his Department's review of shoplifting considers the possibility of introducing preliminary procedures before a court hearing for dealing with cases of alleged shoplifting in a more humane way, especially where the person concerned is ill or elderly and has no previous convictions; and whether he will make a statement.

The current review by the Home Office standing committee on crime prevention of measures to prevent shoplifting will take into account my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money is paid by Islington borough council to the Metropolitan Police specifically for the cost of enforcing parking control in the borough, apart from the normal police precept; and how this sum is calculated.

In 1980–81 the London borough of Islington paid £104,802 plus VAT for the services of traffic wardens in controlled parking zones. This basis of charging was the subject of an agreement between the Metropolitan Police and the London Boroughs Association in 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use he made in the last year for which figures are available of his power to (a) remit and (b) mitigate prisoners' disciplinary awards.

Statistics relating to the use of prison rule 56(1) to remit or mitigate a disciplinary award are not compiled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on conditions in D wing at Wormwood Scrubs.

Continuing efforts are being made to maintain the steady improvement in conditions in D wing at Wormwood Scrubs. The prisoners have access to the gymnasium and sports hall, limited evening associations during the week subject to staff availability, and facilities for studies in cells. Approved hobbies are permitted. One privilege visit a month may be allowed in addition to the statutory entitlement to visits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many companies within the United Kingdom are marketing nuclear fall-out shelters and merchandise classified as survival aids.

No central records are kept.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the cost of a nuclear shelter for a family with two children.

Information on Home Office designs for shelters, including estimated costs, is in the booklet "Domestic Nuclear Shelters" and the book "Domestic Nuclear Shelters—Technical Guidance". Copies are in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the current coroner's court system; and, if not, what steps he is considering to improve it.

The Committee on Death Certification and Coroners—the Brodrick committee—which sat from 1965 to 1971, reviewed the coroners' system in depth and made a number of recommendations for its improvement. Some of these have already been implemented in the Criminal Law Act 1977, the Coroners Act 1980 and the Coroners (Amendment) Rules 1977 and 1980.Two recommendations of the Brodrick committee—that all deaths in custody should be reported to the coroner and that coroners' juries should be selected by the process used in other courts—have recently been repeated by the Select Committee on Home Affairs which also recommended that a jury should be mandatory for inquests into deaths in custody. My right hon. Friend has stated that he accepts these three recommendations. Legislation will be needed to implement them in due course. We are not satisfied that any changes of a more far-reaching character are called for.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Basildon on 14 May 1981, what is the current stipulated maximum that the International Social Service of Great Britain is allowed to spend on freight under section 29 of the Immigration Act 1971; and what it was in each of the last five years.

The maximum amounts currently stipulated by International Social Service of Great Britain for the transport of baggage are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people spent time in prison on remand in 1980; and how many of these were given prison sentences on trial.

Information on the number of those received into prison department establishments on remand and their ultimate disposal is published annually in "Prison statistics England and Wales"—tables 2.1 and 2.2 of the olume for 1979, Cmnd. 7978. Figures for 1980 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people is in prison per 100,000 population in each European Economic Community country.

The readily available information is given in the following table, but as definitions of prisons and prisiners differ between countries simple comparisons between countries are likely to be misleading. No other data can be made available without incurring disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prison population serves more than one year in each European Economic Community country.

In 1979 about 11 per cent. of those discharged from custodial sentence in prison department establishments in England and Wales had served more than one year on sentence. In Northern Ireland the figure was about 15 per cent. The figure for Scotland is not available. Information for other countries of the European Community is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the rise or fall in percentage terms of indictable crime over the most recent five year period for which figures are available in each European Economic Community country.

The readily available information is based on data published by Interpol and is given in the following table. The percentage changes must be considered approximate and may not be comparable because of the differences between countries in the way in which offences are defined and recorded and possible differences in the extent to which offences are reported to the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Hertfordshire on the circumstances in which Mr. Thomas Thompson was mistakenly arrested for burglary whilst visiting his daughter's home and his experiences while under arrest, including being made to stand in his socks in urine in the cells, being refused medical attention to injuries caused by the police, not being allowed to telephone his solicitor either before or after his arrest was found to be a mistake, and the threats made against him by police officers to discourage any complaint.

I understand from the chief constable that allegations by Mr. Thompson about the circumstances of his arrest and detention have been investigated and considered in accordance with the statutory complaints procedures, including reference of the report of the investigation to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Police Complaints Board for their independent consideration of the criminal and disciplinary aspects respectively. No grounds were found to justify action against any police officer. It would not be appropriate for me to intervene in the arrangements provided by law for dealing with complaints against the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he can give about the proportion of initial training and in-service training, respectively, devoted to minimum use of force tactical intervention squad training and to sociological and psychological aspects of prison management.

Two per cent. of the prison officer initial training course is concerned with MUFTI and 7 per cent. with sociological and psychological aspects of prison management.Regional and local variations make it impossible to quantify the proportion of general in-service training time devoted to particular aspects of prison work. Local training in particular is affected by operational factors and by the manpower resources available at any given time. Training staff at all levels are aware of the need to maintain a proper balance between the various elements of staff training.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that prison officers, as part of their training, are required to familiarise themselves with the Council of Europe's standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners.

Considerable time is devoted in staff training programmes to the Department's own rules and instructions which reflect the Council of Europe's standard minimum rules. A copy of the rules is provided at every prison department establishment for reference by staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that prison officers do not lose financially by participating in in-service training courses.

Prison officers who attend in-service training courses away from home are provided with free board and accommodation, and receive an allowance to cover any additional expense. They continue to receive their basic pay and allowances, but there is no requirement for them to work overtime or carry out weekend duties during the period of a course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new prison places are included within the total of 2,600 new and restyled places which form part of the Budget proposals.

It is estimated that about 2,000 new places will become available over the next four or five years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the cash limit on the expenditure of the English and Welsh Parliamentary Boundary Commissions has been increased by 122 per cent. for 1981–82 compared with 1980–81.

The increase in the provision made for the expenditure of the Boundary Commissions for England and Wales reflects the increased costs which these commissions estimate that they are likely to incur in the present financial year. In the case of the commission for England, this increase is due largely to the increased number of local inquiries which it intends to undertake and the fact that, unlike the inquiries held in 1980–81, almost all of these will take place outside the GLC area. The commission for Wales, which incurred very expenditure in 1980–81, hopes to publish its provisional recommendations for all parliamentary constituencies during the present financial year and to undertake a number of local inquiries into these recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will update the figures given in appendices 4 and 5 to the Home Office memorandum published with the second report of the Home Affairs Committee on Race Relations and the "sus" law for the years 1979 and 1980.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 May 1981, c. 52]: To provide figures for subsequent years on the same basis would involve disproportionate cost. The information available for 1979 is given in the following table and the difference in coverage is described in footnote ^*; corresponding information for 1980 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much, in the most recent convenient year, was expended by his Department in commissioning studies and reports by outside organisations or individuals.

Expenditure by the Department of Industry in the financial year 1980–81 on studies and reports commissioned from outside organisations and individuals amounted to £1,471,061.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the current market for caprolactam in the United Kingdom.

The current market for caprolactam in the United Kingdom is estimated to be not in excess of 15,000 tonnes per year and likely soon to fall.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many manufacturers of nylon 6 there are in Western Europe.