asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) whether he has taken steps to trace the vessel responsible for dumping dangerous items of chemical waste labelled "El Nevado"; and whether he has been able to trace a ship of that name which has been in the English Channel in recent weeks;(2) what efforts are being made to trace the origin of various dangerous chemicals that have been washed ashore along the South Coast during the past seven days.

The cannister washed ashore on 12 June at Compton Bay, Isle of Wight, containing anhydrous ammonia, was marked "El Nevado"" and Guayaquil" Inquiries reveal no vessel by the name of "El Nevado". There is a vessel called "Guayaquil", but in the period preceding the 12 June it was off South America, being in Valparaiso on 26 May and Buenos Aires on 8 June. This appears to rule out any involvement by this vessel.A drum of hydrogen peroxide solution washed ashore on the Isle of Wight on 11 June contained insufficient markings for enquires to be made. Nearly 300 canisters marked BAYER have been recovered from the South Coast recently. They contain Desmodur R or Ru, an adhesive constituent which contains components which could be harmful. Bayer UK Ltd. is co-operating with my Department in an attempt to trace the shipment and to discover how it came to be washed ashore.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied that all sealskins now offered for sale are being labelled in accordance with the legislation which came into force on 1 January; if there is any method of differentiating old stock, which is not required to be labelled, from new stock, which is; and how long he estimates it will take before all stock is labelled.

I have no doubt that the great majority of manufactures and traders are complying with the sealskins goods marking requirements, enforcement of which is a matter for local authority trading standards officers. The latter have adequate powers under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to establish in cases of doubt whether an offence has been committed. On the last part of the question, no reliable estimate is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will bring forward proposals to limit the hours of air crews on commercial aircraft on the same basis as the limit on lorry drivers of eight hours of continuous driving.

No. The requirements governing maximum flight duty times and minimum rest periods of air crews on commercial aircraft are applied through the Air Navigation Order 1980. They have been developed after extensive consultation with all interested parties including the British Air Line Pilots Association and aviation medical experts. The requirements, which are set out in detail in Civil Air Publication CAP 371 "The avoidance of Excessive Fatigue in Air Crews", are kept under review by the Civil Aviation Authority which is responsible for air safety. The authority is advised in these matters by the Flight Time Limitations Board, which is made up of independent advisers and representatives of pilot associations and airline operators.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps in respect of the importation of vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, electric dry irons, steam irons and food mixers where these are landed in the United Kingdom at prices below production costs.

Responsibility for taking action to protect Community industry against dumped imports now rests with the European Commission. With the help of my Department's anti-dumping unit, the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances has lodged formal complaints with the Commission concerning single-door refrigerators and cylinder vacuum cleaners imported from certain countries of East Europe.The first complaint has been accepted for investigation which will be formally announced shortly and the Commission is currently considering the merits of the second. The association has also had preliminary discussions with my Department about imports of irons and food mixers to consider whether there are grounds for lodging formal complaints of dumping in the case of these products also.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects resolution of the dumping cases brought by the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances; and what were the factors which caused the association to submit complaints in March subsequent to the original complaints in spring 1980 with regard to refrigerators and vacuum cleaners.

I very much hope that the Commission's investigation of the refrigerator case will be conducted as speedily as the internationally agreed GATT rules on anti-dumping will allow; the vacuum cleaner case will be discussed at the next member States anti-dumping advisory committee meeting in July.As I explained in my reply of 17 June, it has taken some time to assemble the necessary evidence on both cases, particularly where this has entailed consultation between the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances and national associations in other member States. The first applications on both cases were made to the Commission in August and September 1980 respectively, but these have been subject to further amendment and modification aimed at strengthening the complaints as a result of discussions between the Commission, the association and my Department's antidumping unit.Progress on the vacuum cleaner case has also been delayed by difficulties experienced by the association in providing certain documentary evidence relating to prices used in its application, but I am glad to say that these difficulties have now been resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has any evidence that Japanese manufacturers of integrated circuitry that complies with the new Home Office specifications for citizens band radio equipment are refusing to export that equipment and are insisting that such circuitry can only be part of completed citizens band radio sets for export as such.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will take action to strengthen the present bankruptcy laws so as to prevent the present practice whereby persons arrange to go into bankruptcy, but just before doing so set up family trusts or pass over their property and assets to their wives and families and thus deprive their creditors of the chance of attaining any of the monies due to them.

[pursuant to his reply 18 June 1981]: There are provisions in existing legislation under which a settlement or conveyance of property entered into by a bankrupt with the intention of defrauding his creditors may be declared void against the trustee in bankruptcy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will reconsider the decision to tax the expenses which district nurses receive for using their own cars in the course of their duties.

No. District nurses and others who receive allowances for using their cars in the performance of their duties are taxable under the ordinary rules of schedule E if these allowances exceed the cost they incur in the business use of their cars. If any nurse, or any other taxpayer similarly taxed on a scale profit, considers that she has not received the excess of taxable allowances over allowable expenses upon which she is being charged, she may claim to be assessed on the actual profit, with the right of appeal to the independent Commissioners if she is dissatisfied. These scale charges were discussed and agreed with the National Whitley Council which represents both employers and employees.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the latest estimates available for 1981–82 and 1982–83 at 1981 prices showing (a) total general Government expenditure including debt interest, (b) total general Government receipts, (c) total expenditure on each of education, housing, health and personal social services, employment and training, (d) sub-totals for school meals and milk, student awards and benefits and allowances paid under the youth opportunities programme, training opportunities programmes and similar schemes and (e) estimated receipts of each of income tax, national insurance contributions and national insurance surcharge.

Estimates at 1981 prices are not available. General Government receipts and expenditure at 1979–80 prices are published in Tables 6, 7 and 8 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report. Table 7 provides a breakdown of general Government receipts. No further breakdown of the 1982–83 receipts figures are available but cash figures for 1981–82 are shown in Table 15 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report.Total Great Britain expenditure at 1980 survey prices on education, housing health and personal social services, employment and training is shown in Table 4.1 of "The Government Expenditure Plans 1981–82 to 1983–84" Cmnd. 8175. For 1981–82 the sub-totals requested are as follows. For 1982–83 the sub-totals are not generally available in the detail requested.

	£ million 1980 Survey Prices
School Milk and Meals	243
Student Awards	743
Benefits Paid under Youth Employment Scheme	247
Benefits paid under Training Opportunity Scheme	64

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the letter from the hon. Member for Goole, dated 5 May, and addressed to the Minister of State, the hon. and learned Member for Dover and Deal (Mr. Rees), about the imposition of value added tax on charities.

I have replied to the hon. Member's letter today.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the ratio of exports to gross domestic product in the United Kingdom in each year since 1960.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the effect on revenues and taxes of North Sea oil (a) of the reduction of the British National Oil Corporation's oil price and (b) of the recent devaluation of the £ sterling.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a study comparing the facilities available in the Maze prison with those in other modern prisons in Western European countries.

Certain information is already available about prison regimes in other Western European countries for comparative purposes and a fuller study would not be justified. The Government will, however, continue to have regard to practice in other countries and to make inquiries on particular matters as the need arises.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many representations he has received from individuals and organisations supporting his policy towards prisoners on hunger strike in Her Majesty's prison, Maze.

:: Many representations have been received, from a wide range of organisations and individuals in Northern Ireland, other parts of the United Kingdom and abroad, both in favour of and against the Government's policy. It is not possible, without disproportionate effort and expense, to give precise figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make it his policy to suspend any Northern Ireland civil servant who fails to carry out prescribed duties during the current Civil Service pay dispute.

:: Northern Ireland civil servants who refuse to carry out their full range of duties are dealt with in the same way as members of the United Kingdom Civil Service. The measures taken are determined in the light of the circumstances of each individual case and may include temporary relief from duty.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to bring the prison regime in Northern Ireland more closely into line with that in Great Britain.

The prison regime in Northern Ireland is already in line, in many respects, with those in Great Britain. I pay close regard to practice in Great Britain, but since the Northern Ireland prison system is much smaller and has a different range of problems, it would not be appropriate to seek complete uniformity.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why conforming prisoners are eligible for half remission in Northern Ireland.

The half-remission scheme was introduced in 1976 because it was not considered practicable to introduce a parole scheme on the lines of that operating in Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what period of time the Campsie factory of Courtaulds was exempt from rates; what was the cost to public funds; whether that exemption period has expired; and, if so, on what date.

The Campsie factory of Courtaulds Ltd. has not been exempt from rates for any period. All industrial concerns in Northern Ireland are entitled to industrial de-rating of 75 per cent. and the resulting reductions in the rates bill for the Campsie factory was as follows:

Period	Reduction
	£
1 February 1977—31 March 1977	22,300
1977–78	152,100
1978–79	160,485
1979–80	175,578
1980–81	216,840

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there were any nugatory expenses as a result of the delay to the extension to Altnagelvin hospital; and, if so, of what amounts.

With the continued commitment to this extension once funds are available there should be no nugatory expenditure arising out of the delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the incidence of (a) males and (b) females suffering from anorexia nervosa in Northern Ireland; how many persons have died from this condition in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what position this illness occupies in table showing causes of death in Northern Ireland.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to his question on 19 June. The table below shows the number of (a) males and (b) females admitted to hospitals in Northern Ireland from 1975 to 1979, the latest year for which information is available, where anorexia nervosa was the principal factor in their admission.

Year	Males	Females	Total
1975	1(1)*	14(10)	15(11)
1976	—(—)	27(15)	27(15)
1977	—(—)	24(11)	24(11)
1978	1(1)	34(25)	35(26)
1979	1(—)	30(19)	31(19)
* Figure in brackets refer to first admissions.

Information is not available in the number of people who died from the disorder and its position on the death causation tables is not therefore known.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the funds to be made available to Harland and Wolff Ltd. in the current financial year and in subsequent years.

The Government have decided to make available £46 million for the continued support of the company in the financial year 1981–82, and to allow the company to make commercial borrowings up to a limit of £10·9 million. The Government are at present considering, in the light of the report of the diversification review team and other considerations, a corporate plan prepared by the company which covers the period from 1 April 1981 to 31 March 1985. I will make a further statement on these matters in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been convicted of being a member of a proscribed organisation since the institution of special courts in Northern Ireland; and if he will list a summary of the sentences given.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 June 1981]: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The available information as follows covers the period from 1975 to May 1981 and refers to persons convicted on indictment at Belfast Crown court where membership of a proscribed organisation was the most serious offence, or that for which the largest sentence was imposed.

Rivers	1975–76	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80
Camowen	166	94	66	132	18
Culdaff	75	133	60	99	93
Deele	85	92	80	98	151
Dennett	6	22	31	16	14
Derg	380	496	189	617	336
Drumragh	64	82	22	117	30
Faughan	468	630	356	427	479
Finn	383	340	160	489	680
Glenelly	64	43	124	183	21
Mourne	Nil	2	—	—	—
Owenkillew	43	34	60	522	7
Reelan	125	145	74	244	228
Roe	821	891	552	882	1,486
Strule and Tributaries	16	54	26	68	16
Totals	2,696	3,058	1,800	3,894	3,559
Percentage in United Kingdom rivers	75	77	79	76	68

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received from organisations and individuals in favour of devolved government in some part of parts of the United Kingdom.

I have not received any correspondence recently on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department has received any representations from industry regarding the number of apprenticeship places to be made available for 1981–82; and if he will make a statement.

Both the Manpower Services Commission and the Government have received a number of representations from industry—including various industrial training boards—about the number of apprenticeship places to be made available in 1981–82. The Commission estimates on the basis of their consultations

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in each of the last five available years how many salmon redds were counted in the rivers under the control of the Foyle Fisheries Commission; and, of these, what percentage was in rivers in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 June 1981]: The information is as follows:with industry training organisations that the number of places this year will be some eight to 10 thousand fewer than last year.The Government and Commission are concerned at the prospect of such a reduction both because it represents a loss of skilled job opportunities for young people at a time of high youth unemployment and because it may lead to skill shortages in the upturn. We are currently considering jointly whether the provision of further Exchequer assistance, in addition to the 25,000 places already receiving support, could usefully supplement the efforts of employers, whose primary responsibility it is to assess and meet their needs for skilled manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why employees who are dismissed from their job for not joining a trade union are not able to apply for interim relief during their application for a hearing at an industrial tribunal.

The last Government provided a right to apply for interim relief only to employees who claim that they have been unfairly dismissed on grounds of trade union membership or activity. They did not provide an equivalent right for those dismissed because they are not members of a trade union in a closed shop.We are currently considering a number of possible options for further changes in the law in the light of consultations on the Green Paper on trade union immunities. Extending interim relief to those who are dismissed in a closed shop for not being trade union members is one option which we are examining very closely.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 to 19-year-olds are unemployed in England and Wales; what is that figure expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group; and what are the corresponding statistics for other Organisations for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage increase in the numbers of unemployed (a) in each of the last 12 months and (b) as an annual figure for each of the last five years in (i) Great Britain and (ii) Cambridgeshire; and how many and what percentage of those currently unemployed have had no job for more than one year.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the latest figures of those who have been registered unemployed for longer than (a) six months and (b) 12 months in the Walsall travel-to-work area, the Black country travel-to-work areas and the West Midlands region as a whole.

Following is the information at 9 April, the latest date for which the quarterly analysis by duration of unemployment is available.

	April 1979–March 1980		April 1980–March 1981
	Registrations on	Registrations off	Registrations on	Registrations off
Wolverhampton employment office	26,401	25,179	29,730	23,563
West Midlands	345,541	333,789	492,319	364,548

These figures include self-service registration.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any proposals to increase the pay of persons working on the youth opportunities programme.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Foster) on 1 June.—[Vol. 5, c. 270.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total number of redundancies which have occurred in the Walsall travel-to-work area, the Black Country areas and the West Midlands as a whole since May 1979; and if he will also give the number of redundancies which occurred from 1970 to 1979 for the same areas.

There are no comprehensive statistics of redundancies. Following is the available information relating to redundancies, involving 10 or more employees, reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in the areas requested.

	Redundancies reported as due to occur:
	May 1979 to May 1981 (inclusive)*	1975 to 1979 (inclusive)†
Walsall travel-to-work area	6,600	3,300
Black Country	33,000	25,000
West Midlands	106,000	101,000
* Including provisional data for April and May 1981.
† Figures prior to 1975 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men aged 45 years and over are registered as unemployed in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands; how many have been unemployed for over a year; and what are the comparable figures for May 1979 and May 1980.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have (a) joined and (b) left the unemployment register each month for the past two years in (i) Wolverhampton and (ii) the West Midlands.

The information is as in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current composition of the Licensed Non-Residential Establishment Wages Council; and how many individual retail outlets, such as licensed premises and clubs, each organisation on the council represents.

The council is composed of three independent members appointed by the Secretary of State and forty-six members appointed to represent employers and workers by employers' associations and trade unions nominated for that purpose by the Secretary of State. Information about the number of retail outlets covered by associations nominated to appoint members is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether his Department abides by section 3(i) of the National Joint Consultative Committee code of procedure for selective tendering in which are laid down recommended numbers to tender for varying sizes of contract; and if he will make a statement.

Building requirements of my Department are commissioned by the Property Services Agency. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, which commissions its own building work, abides by section 3(i) of the code.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will identify the different areas in which additional moneys will now be required by the National Coal Board for 1981 and 1982, setting out the amounts at each item.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State told the House on 16 June, the National Coal Board's external finance limit for 1981–82 has been raised to £1,117 million. Within this revised figure, and subject to the approval of Parliament, grants to the board will be some £450 million, with about a further £100 million of social grants.The revised EFL reflects the board's total needs for cash, taking into account trading conditions, and all other factors, including the commitments which I gave in tripartite discussions earlier in the year. It is for the board to manage its affairs within the financial resources available to it.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what specific changes of policy on economic pricing of energy were accepted by other International Energy Agency members, in the light of his representations at the recent meeting of the agency;(2) whether he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent meeting of the International Energy Agency.

I have nothing to add to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdonshire (Mr. Major) on 17 June reporting on the IEA ministerial meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private prosecutions for theft from shops have been brought in the last 12 months.

The information available centrally on prosecutions does not separately distinguish private prosecutions and the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on the total number of persons proceeded against for shoplifting is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (Table 1(a) of the volume for 1979, Cmnd. 8098); information for 1980 will be published later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the increase of £22 million for treatment of offenders between 1980–81 and 1983–84 will be allocated to each of the different parts of the penal system, including custodial institutions and non-custodial methods, giving capital and running costs separately in each case.

Expenditure in 1980–81 and planned expenditure in 1983–84 are as shown below:

	£ million at 1980 survey prices
Treatment of offenders	1980–81	1983–84
Prisons:
Capital	30	44
Current	286	283
Probation and after-care:
Capital	2	4
Current	90	98
Total	408	429

These plans are now under review in the normal annual survey of public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the projected increase in the number of prison and probation officers, respectively, by 1983–84.

The Government's present expenditure plans for 1981–84 (Cmnd. 8175) provide for the number of prison officers to remain within the current ceiling of 16,965 during that period and for the number of probation officers to increase from 4,900 in 1980–81 to about 5,100 by March 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial payments, if any, he has made or authorised in the course of previous financial years to the South Wales Anti-Poverty Action Group; whether he will state the amounts of any such payments within each financial year and the purpose, or purposes, of each such payment; and if he will give the same information for the current financial year.

I assume that the hon. Member's question refers to the South Wales anti-poverty action centre.The voluntary services unit has made the following grants to the Centre:

	£
1975–76	3,600
1976–77	32,991
1977–78	44,021
1978–79	55,320
1979–80	68,750
1980–81	86,700
Total	291,382

The grants, which attract retrospective contributions of 50 per cent. from the Commission of the European Communities, have been towards the centre's costs of providing advice and support to self-help groups. There are no plans for further funding by this Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what income was received by police authorities in the latest year for which figures were available for the policing of private functions.

No central record is maintained of such income.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a study of the use of water cannon, including portable forms, with a view to its introduction as a method of riot control.

The working group which I have appointed to review recent work on protective clothing and equipment for the police will be able to consider such matters. But when I met representatives of all the police organisations before I appointed the group there was complete agreement that any departure from traditional policing methods was undesirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list on an annual basis the number of claims rejected by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board on Merseyside and which were later accepted by appeal tribunals;(2) how many cases of death have been considered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; and how many accepted;(3) what is the number of claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board on Merseyside and Liverpool, respectively, on an annual basis; how many claims have been settled; how many are outstanding; and what is the longest outstanding claim;(4) what is the highest amount awarded by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board on Merseyside and Liverpool, respectively, at the latest date.

This information is not readily available and could he obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if there are any plans to widen the scope of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board;

My right hon. Friend announced on 23 July 1979 the terms of the revised criminal injuries compensation scheme now in force, and confirmed the Government's acceptance of the recommendation of the Royal Commission of civil liability and compensation for Personal Injury that the scheme should be made statutory.My right hon. Friend is in general satisfied with the operation of the scheme, but sees advantage in our gaining longer experience of its working before it is embodied in legislation. He has no plans at present to widen its scope.—[Vol. 971, c.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if consideration will be given to including hit and run and joyriding cases within the scope of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

Where compensation is not available through motor insurance or the agreements between the Department of Transport and the motor insurers' bureau, the board may consider an application arising from a traffic offence. A fuller statement on this question is contained in paragraphs 19 and 20 of the board's sixteenth report (Cmnd 8081).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list on an annual basis the number of claims rejected by the Criminal Injuries Compensation board, which were later accepted by appeal tribunals.

I take it that the hon. Member means cases in which the application was rejected by a single member but an award was later made by three members of the board. The information for 1979–80 is contained in Appendix C of the board's sixteenth report (Cmnd. 8081) and for previous years in the corresponding table in the board's earlier reports.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been dealt with by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, on an annual basis, to the latest available date in England and Wales; and what is the highest amount awarded.

The highest award made to date amounted to £129,700. The other information requested is contained in appendix A of the board's 16th report (Cmnd 8081).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims are outstanding with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board at the latest date; and what is the longest outstanding claim.

The number of unresolved cases on 31 May 1981 was 24,633. Of these, 1,841 were awaiting the applicant's response to a board member's decision, 2,181 were awaiting a hearing before three members of the board and the remaining 20,611 were at various stages of investigation. The last figure includes about 3,500 cases where interim payments of compensation had been made.The oldest unresolved case dates from 1968: regular interim awards have been made, but the applicant's medical condition has not yet stabilised sufficiently for a final award to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost, on an annual basis, of the running of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board since its introduction.

Annual figures of expenditure on compensation are listed in appendix A of the board's sixteenth report (Cmnd. 8081). Figures for administrative expenditure in 1979–80, 1978–79 and 1977–78 are given in paragraph 13 of that report and for previous years in the corresponding paragraphs of earlier reports.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, pending the outcome of his review of the position relating to replica guns, he will take steps to impose a temporary ban on the import and sale of such guns.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the racial incidents, setting out in each case the severity, nature and date of the incidents, that he took into account in his decision to give consent to a ban on marches in Coventry.

No. It would not be appropriate for me to set out in detail the various considerations which the chief officer of police put before the city council and me when seeking the banning order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the manufacturers he referred to in c. 54 of the Official Report for 11 June who have expressed their intention to produce citizens band radio equipment in Great Britain.

Those manufacturers who attended the land mobile specification committee which considered the specifications for citizens band radio did so on the understanding that they had expressed an interest in producing equipment in this country, and we have had other expressions of similar attitude in the course of enquiries about the specifications. Nine firms have now been issued with testing and development licences and a further 10 applications are pending. I am afraid, however, that our contacts with these organisations have not proceeded on an understanding that their details would be made public.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will give a detailed list of the Crown briefs given to Mr. Paul Chadd QC since 1972 and the amount of payments made for these briefs.

Since I took office on the 7 May 1979, Mr. Paul Chadd QC has received four briefs for the Crown. The fees paid to him were paid for professional services by counsel in private practice and it would not be appropriate for me to give details of them. Mr. Chadd's fees are assessed and taxed by the courts on the same basis as are the fees paid to all other counsel.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the purpose of and the annual cost to his Department of the European Discussion Centre.

The European Discussion Centre was set up to promote discussion of European matters. It organises seven conferences a year at which Community topics of current interest are debated. The cost to my Department in 1980–81 was approximately £50,000.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the current bilateral agreements on passport acceptance during the Civil Service dispute.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Heddle) on 22 May and the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed on 1 June, and the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Fox) on 16 June.Since then, the Australians have informed us that they will accept a British visitor's passport for travel between the United Kingdom and Australia where a genuine need to travel at short notice exists and a normal British passport is unobtainable. Hong Kong will also accept British visitors passports for travel to Hong Kong provided the holder can produce some proof of residence in the United Kingdom, such as a United Kingdom birth certificate or driving licence on arrival. Jamaica has also said that British visitors passports are acceptable.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the present position of those British subjects who have applied for passports to be issued or renewed and who, because of the current problems in the Passport Office, have received no replies to their applications.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 22 May to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Heddle).People who have had no response to postal applications may obtain standard passports by calling personally, or having someone call on their behalf, at a passport office. A further application form, two new photographs and evidence that the fee has been posted will be required if the original application has not reached the passport office. Alternatively, a British visitors passport may be obtained from a main post office, provided the journey contemplated is covered by a visitors passport. Further applications should not be sent by post for the time being.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if there are any plans for Ministers to visit South-East Asia; and if he will give details.

There are at present no ministerial visits arranged to South-East Asia. Several are under consideration.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if there are any plans for Ministers to visit Latin America; and if he will give details.

The following visits are planned:

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list the applications for special entry vouchers by country in which applications were made for 1980.

The information is as follows:

	Number
Kenya	543
Tanzania	327
India	480
Malawi	91
Zambia	21
Aden	5
Saudi Arabia	1
Dubai	2
Muscat	1
Pakistan	1
Trinidad	3
USA	1
Mauritius	1

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he has sought, and obtained, assurances from the Indonesian Government that British-supplied military equipment will not be used in East Timor.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Mr. Roberts) and the hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun) on 18 June.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Singapore Government concerning the imprisonment of political prisoners; and if any reply was received.

Not recently. British views about human rights issues, including long-term detention without trial, are well known to the Singapore Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what documentary proof will be required to qualify for treatment under the National Health Service if charges are to be introduced for overseas visitors; and if he will make a statement in which he indicates the requirements which will have to be met by overseas students.

Details of procedure are still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unemployed people in Walthamstow are receiving supplementary benefit; and what percentage this figure represents out of the total number of unemployed in the area.

On 12 February 1981, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 3,500—rounded total—unemployed claimants registering at Leyton and Walthamstow unemployment benefit offices who were receiving supplementary benefit. This was 41·2 per cent. of the total number of unemployed claimants at those offices.These figures are based on a 100 per cent. count of claimants to unemployment benefit or credits, but exclude registered unemployed non-claimants. The figures include people living outside the area who have opted to claim at those offices, and exclude people living within the area who have opted to claim at other offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of census forms issued have not been returned or collected.

In a number of cases enumerators left census forms at houses but finally concluded that the house was unoccupied or that the occupants were all absent on census night: in these cases no census return was expected. In other cases enumerators left forms but failed to make contact with the occupants or, having made contact, failed to collect a form: these cases represent about 0·1 per cent. of the total number of census forms issued in England and Wales.Included in this figure are sonic persons who have refused to fulfil their legal obligation to make a return and to whom the Registrar General is giving a further opportunity to do so before he proceeds further. Completed forms continue to be received by the census office.The Registrar General is currently undertaking an investigation on a sample basis into the coverage and quality of the census results.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has taken steps to ensure that closed shops in employment for which he is responsible are subject to review ballots in accordance with paragraphs 42 to 46 of the code of practice on closed shop agreements.

There are no closed shop agreements for staff employed in the Department. In the National Health Service, employing authorities have discretion to negotiate local closed shop agreements as they think appropriate, although only one major agreement operates at present, in the London ambulance service. The code of practice on closed shop agreements was brought to the attention of regional personnel officers in the NHS while still in draft, and is to be discussed with them again next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by how much the average number of patients per family doctor in the Knottingley, Pontefract and Osgoldcross part area is less than the upper limit of definition for intermediate areas.

I refer the hon. Member to the Wakefield family practitioner committee where the most recent and detailed information regarding average list sizes and area classification is held.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will give the actual, or his best, estimate of the number of people suffering from diabetes, by age-group and sex, in the United Kingdom; if he will give an estimate of the number of undiscovered diabetics; what steps his Department is taking to identify untreated diabetics; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will give the actual numbers, or his best estimate, of the number of people suffering from diabetes in the United Kingdom; if he will give a breakdown of the various forms of treatment given; and if he will make a statement.

There are no central statistics of the number of diabetics in the United Kingdom. The British Diabetic Association has estimated that there are some 600,000 diagnosed diabetics in Great Britain—of whom about 30,000 are under the age of 16—and a similar number who have not been diagnosed. No further breakdown of these numbers by age or sex is available.

Great Britain
(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)
Quarter ended	All Supplementary Benefit recipients (Thousands)	Percentage change in (b) from previous quarter	Unemployed Supp. Benefit recipients (Thousands)	Column (d) as a percentage of column (b)
February 1980	2883	—	602	20·9
May 1980	2857	-0·9	596	20·8
August 1980	3207	+12·3	934	29·1
December 1980	3113	-2·9	858	27·6
February 1981	3264	+4·8	988	30·3

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many estates he has recognised as having disproportionately high heating costs, in terms of regulation 5 of schedule 3 of the requirements regulations of the Social Security Act 1980; and which estates in which towns have been so designated.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Cartwright) on Monday 30 March.—[Vol. 2, c. 30.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many school leavers have been disqualified from receiving supplementary benefit as a result of legislation or regulations introduced by the present Government.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Foster) on 20 May.—[Vol. 5, c. 94.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants there are of supplementary benefit (i) now and (ii) in each of the last 12 months; what was the percentage change in each case; and in each case how many and what percentage of claimants are unemployed in (a) Great Britain and (b) Cambridgeshire.

The information is available only on a quarterly basis, and relates not to Cambridgeshire as such but to the areas covered by the two social security offices situated in Cambridgeshire, viz Cambridge and Peterborough.Following is the information for each quarter from February 1980 to February 1981:

asked the Secretary for State for Social Services if he will give the total figures for those now receiving supplementary benefit in the borough of Walsall; if he will state the increase in numbers since May 1979; what were the reasons for the increase; and if he will give separately the figures for those who are retired.

Information is not available in respect of the borough of Walsall. The information which is available relates to the areas covered by the two social security offices situated in Walsall, which may include people resident outside the borough. The latest date for which information is available is February 1981. Following is the information:

	Alt Supplementary Benefit recipients (Thousands)	Supplementary Benefit recipients over pension age (Thousands)
May 1979	15·6	9·2
February 1981	19·5	9·5
Percentage change	+2·5	+3

Source: Supplementary Benefit Quarterly Enquiry.The main reason for the overall increase of 25 per cent. was an increase of 117 per cent. in the number of unemployed recipients of supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will study the letter sent to him by the Dundee Association for Social Services on social security benefits for school leavers; and if he will make a statement.

I have read the circular letter from the Dundee Association for Social Services. I explained the background to the new rules during the Adjournment debate on 11 December 1980.—[Vol. 996, c. 1857–68.] Where the family is receiving supplementary benefit, there is no net financial loss for the family as a whole arising from the new rules for school leavers. All families remain entitled to child benefit in the period of deferment. If valid evidence arises which appears to indicate that the new rules have had negative consequences, we will review the change.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list in the Official Report (a) the number and (b) the administrative cost of employment of the staff who are currently employed specifically on (i) fraud and abuse detection in his Department's local offices, and (ii) promoting the take-up of benefits in local offices (x) nationally and (y) in Cambridgeshire; and what were the corresponding figures in each of the last 12 months.

As was indicated in the statement placed in the Library on 4 June 1981, a total of 5,640 man-years was used on specialist anti fraud and abuse work in the 1980–81 year. The cost of the annual salary and necessary incidental expenses of these staff is estimated to amount to £54 million. Corresponding figures for We staff employed in the two local offices which cover Cambridgeshire are estimated to be 18 man-years and £172,000. The figures for staff actually employed during individual months of the year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The Department does not employ staff specifically for the purpose of promoting the take-up of benefits but the duties of most staff in the Department's local offices are designed to further the Department's aim of ensuring that individuals receive the benefits to which they are entitled.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many staff are currently employed in his Department in local offices; and what have been the corresponding figures in each of the last 12 months, with the percentage change in each case.

The numbers of permanent staff employed in DHSS local offices for each of the 12 months from 1 June 1980 to 1 May 1981, with the percentage change from the previous month, were as follows:

	Number of Staff	Percentage changes
1 June 1980	64,785	—
1 July 1980	65,063	+0·43
1 August 1980	65,333	+0·41
1 September 1980	65,644	+0·48
1 October 1980	65,648	+0·01
1 November 1980	65,690	+0·06
1 December 1980	66,036	+0·53
1 January 1981	65,791	-0·37
1 February 1981	65,707	-0·13
1 March 1981	65,394	-0·48
1 April 1981	65,047	-0·53
1 May 1981	65,027	-0·03

These figures include those increases in staff, needed as a result of increased numbers of beneficiaries.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list in the Official Report the percentage of net income at work which is replaced by supplementary benefit for (a) two-thirds average earnings, (b) average earnings and (c) one and a half times average earnings for the following groups of people: (i) single person, (ii) married couple with two children arid (iii) married couple with four children in April 1981; and what the corresponding figures will be after the abolition of earnings-related supplement.

The following table gives percentage figures, it being assumed that men's average gross earnings reached £142 a week in April 1981.Net weekly income has been taken as gross earnings or benefit less, as appropriate, tax, national insurance contribution, travel to work expenses and net rent and rates; plus, as appropriate, child benefit, family income supplement and the value of free school meals and welfare foods.The ages of the children have been assumed to be four and six in the two child families and three, eight, 11 and 16 in the four child families. The other assumptions made were also the same as in the tax-benefit model tables--April 1981—published by the Department. A copy of these tables has been placed in the Library of the House.The abolition of earnings-related supplement will have no effect on figures such as those in the table below. As supplementary benefit is designed to bring income up to a given level, a recipient of supplementary benefit will continue to have the same net income after the abolition as before.

APRIL 1981
Family type	Net weekly income when receiving supplementary benefit as a percentage of net weekly income when in work and earning
	Two-thirds average earnings	Average earnings	One and a half times average earnings
Single person	43	27	17
Married couple with two children	81	60	40
Married couple with four children	99	85	58

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations he has had with the London borough of Haringey concerning the future membership of the successor district health authority; and how many individuals resident in the London borough of Harringey have been considered for such appointments.

We have consulted the local authority associations on general questions of local authority membership of the new district health authorities but not individual authorities. Regional health authorities and local authorities, as specified in the constitution orders to be laid before the House, will be responsible for appointing members. General guidance is given in the recent circular issued by the Department "The Membership of District Health Authorities"—HC (81)6; LAC (81)3—a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Numbers of persons engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing as a percentage of total civilian employment
	1960	1965	1970	1975	1979
Germany	14·0	10·9	8·6	7·4	6·2
France	22·4	17·9	13·9	10·2	9·0
Italy	32·8	26·4	20·3	16·8	14·8
Netherlands	11·5	8·9	7·2	6·6	6·0
Belgium	8·7	6·3	4·7	3·6	3·2
Luxembourg	16·4	12·0	8·8	5·9	5·9

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the Government's view on future pension increases; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have given a clear undertaking that, over the lifetime of this Parliament, they will maintain the value of retirement pensions and those other long term social security benefits which are uprated in line with them. In the current very difficult economic situation, this is all the country can afford. As the economy improves, however, it is our intention that pensioners should share in rising living standards.

asked the Secretary for State for Social Services how much grant has been given to the charity One to One for each year since its inception; what further financial support he plans; and if he will make a statement.

The following grants have been made up by the Department to One to One under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968:

Calendar Year	£
1977	5,000
1978	6,000
1979	12,000
1980	12,000
1981	12,000

The charity's application for a further grant when its present grant expires at the end of this year is at present under consideration, along with numerous applications from other voluntary organisations for grants from our limited funds.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report the percentage of the labour force of each member State of the European Community who were primarily engaged in employment in the agricultural sector in 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975 and 1980.

Information is not available in the form requested. Estimates of the numbers of persons engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing as a percentage of total civilian employment are shown as follows for 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975 and for 1979, the latest year for which the information is available for all member States:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to halt the import of Chilean apples into the United Kingdom, until such a time as they are no longer sprayed with the poisonous chemical Thiabendazole.

No. United Kingdom and international expert advisory bodies are satisfied that it is safe to treat fruit with thiabendazole. Its use is, however, subject to the provisions of the rations and Drugs Act and the Preservatives in Food Regulations 1979.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has that interest subsidies to Continental farmers are broadly equivalent to the capital grants available within United Kingdom agriculture; and if he will give a comparison between the United Kingdom regime and that of France.

Information is examined annually by my Department, and this indicates that interest subsidies to continental farmers are broadly equivalent to the capital grants available in the United Kingdom. I am, of course, pressing for action by the Commission in relation to certain French national aids.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the various subsidies that are being offered to French turkey producers and how they effect the cost of production per turkey.

A range of incentives are available to encourage certain investments in France, including investments in turkey processing. In addition to regional development grants, they include aids for processing agricultural products, certain tax concessions, interest rate subsidies and training grants. The effect of these aids in the turkey sector, which the Commission is investigating, is to facilitate increases in processing capacity and to reduce capital and operating costs per bird.At the production level, French turkey producers stood to benefit under the income aid package announced by the French Government in December, which is also currently under investigation by the Commission.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent research into the possible short and long-term effects of plutonium being discharged into the sea is available to his Department.

Environmental monitoring of the immediate effects of plutonium and research into the mechanisms underlying its longer-term behaviour form a substantial part of the work programme undertaken by my fisheries radiobiological laboratory. The monitoring results are included in the laboratory's annual report on radioactivity in surface and coastal waters. Information on the more fundamental research carried out by the laboratory is published from time to time, mainly in specialist journals and through appropriate symposia.Officers from the laboratory also participate in, and have access to, international research programmes, including those of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Community. In addition, they have close working contacts with scientists in the United States and in other countries.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service for what reasons civil servants receive incremental salary scales.

Incremental salary scales allow an individual's pay to reflect his experience in the work of his grade and, as appropriate, different levels of qualification or proficiency. Scales are also used in some cases to provide a degree of flexibility in setting starting pay on recruitment.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many days of sick pay each civil servant is entitled to in each of the grades; and what is the average number of days taken up by each grade.

There is no "entitlement" as such to sick pay in the Civil Service, but provided there is reasonable prospect of recovery and return to duty, civil servants may be allowed up to six months' sick leave on full pay during any period of 12 months, followed by half pay up to a maximum of 12 months' sick leave in any period of four years. They may also be permitted up to 10 days sick absence within a 12-month period without submitting a medical certificate. These rules apply to all civil servants regardless of grade.The last survey of sick leave in the Civil Service carried out in 1971 showed that the average number of days of certificated sick leave was 7·8 per annum and that of uncertificated sick leave 1·5. There are no figures for individual grades.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will now set up the proposed independent inquiry into Civil Service pay.

An announcement will be made soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the total amount of Government financial assistance from his Department to the aerospace and aviation industries (a) from May 1979 to May 1980 and (b) from May 1980 to May 1981.

The new public expenditure in direct support of the civil aerospace and aero engine industry was £198·7 million in the financial year 1979–80 and is expected to be £205·8 million in 1980–81.I have excluded assistance which may have been given under, for example, section 7 or 8 of the Industry Act. Such assistance is, of course, available to a wide range of industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 2 June 1981, c. 331, he will state how much of British Telecom's investment programme of £1,900 million in 1981–82 is to be financed from current income.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is satisfied with the resources available to British Telecom for its capital investment programme.

Under its revised external financing limit, British Telecom is to finance about 85 per cent. of its capital expenditure from internal resources during the current financial year.