asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the week ending 20 June 1981, the number of cases where motorists were stopped in Fulham on suspicion of drunken driving where the persons so stopped refused to take a breath test and refused to supply a urine or blood sample; and what action was taken in each instance.

Of the people required by police in Fulham to take a breath test during the week in question one refused to take the test and also refused to supply a blood or urine sample. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is considering prosecution in this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient period of time, the approaches his Department has received for action to be taken in connection with legislation to prevent the importation for sale of replica guns; and if he will list the right hon. and hon. Members who have raised this with him, and when they did so.

In the last year my right hon. Friend has received letters on this subject from 11 right hon. and hon. Members, and from 12 members of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why £600,000 is to be spent on a computer for the Essex police; whether he will examine the project to establish whether a computer plus its associated equipment at a cost of under £3,000 would serve the same purpose; and whether he will cause an independent investigation to be made into all aspects of this matter and hold up the purchase of this computer until the report of the independent inquiry.

The project aims to establish practical ways in which computer techniques can help police to investigate complex, major crimes. The scope of the project was decided after widespread consultation within the police service. The specification issued to industry was based upon that requirement. A wide selection of suppliers has been approached, but the successful supplier has yet to be chosen. It is clear that the police requirement cannot be met by minimal facilities and that the total project, including associated experiments in the preparation and handling of data, will need substantial provision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, having regard to the fact that, following increases in pay and improvements in conditions, the numbers of police have increased but that nevertheless, the commissioner's report for the Metropolis shows a great increase in all forms of criminal activity, he will cause an investigation to be made into the relationship between these factors and into all other related aspects.

No; my right hon. Friend knows that the Commissioner keeps under constant review the effective use of his resources to meet the force's many responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to ensure that any major increase in national duties by the Metropolitan Police is reflected in an abatement in the share of cost borne by the precept on London ratepayers (a) from one year to another and (b) within any one year; and if he will illustrate his reply in relation to the using of N District officers on Houses of Parliament duty in the week beginning 15 June.

A grant amounting to 2 per cent. of the net estimated revenue expenditure for the Metropolitan Police force as a whole is made annually from central funds in recognition of the national services which the force undertakes. The grant—which was increased from 1 per cent. in 1979—varies from year to year in relation to the force's total estimated revenue expenditure but, once fixed, is not varied within a year.Separate funding arrangements apply to the agency service provided by the Metropolitan Police in relation to the Houses of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an independent inquiry into the treatment in prison of Mr. David Freeman, currently an inmate of Her Majesty's prison, Hull.

No. Recent allegations about Mr. Freeman's treatment have been investigated and found to be groundless.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the salary and expenses paid or claimed by Mr. Woodrow Wyatt, the chariman of the Toatalisator Board, and the number of hours wourked by him per day or per week; how these figures compare with each of the past two years; and to what extent the Government's policy of cutting Government expenditure has been applied so far as the Totalisator Board and its staff are concerned.

The emoluments and expenses of all members of the Horserace Totalisator Board are published in the board's annual report and statement of account. The charirman is paid on the basis of a four-day week. The board is entirely self-financing and receives no support from public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in 1980 female prisoners or borstal trainees were separated from their babies; and for what categories of reasons and for how long.

In 1980 female prisoners and borstal trainees who had their babies with them in custody had to be separated from their babies on 10 occasions during punishement and on three occasions when segregated for other reasons. The preiods of separation ranged from two to 14 days.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the 1981 electorates for the proposed constituencies provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission for England in its current general review for the counties of Berkshire, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the electorates for the proposed constituencies provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission for England in its review of the metropolitan counties of West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester; and if he will also list the electorate of the constituencies within those boundaries at the 1979 general election.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the 1981 electorates for the proposed constituencies provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission for England in its current general review for the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Suffolk, and as contained in its revised recommendations for Norfolk.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the 1981 electorates for the proposed constituencies provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission for England in its current general review for the counties of Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne-Wear, and as contained in its revised recommendations for Cumbria and Lancashire.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the 1981 electorates for the proposed constituencies provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission for England in its current general review for the counties of Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.

We are obtaining this information and will publish it in the Official Report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the continued widespread non-application of the law against illegal parking of vehicles in London and particularly parts of East London, and the consequential hazard to the blind, the sick and the disabled who are prevented from obtaining access to the footway and the obstacles to access by ambulances and fire vehicles, he will reconsider his answer to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 14 April. Official Report, c. 83; and if he will seek to convene a conference involving the police and other parties affected to review the working of the law on parking and to seek the means for its more effective enforcement.

No. The position is the same as in the answer I gave the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 14 April. The police have a great deal of sympathy with the difficulties faced by handicapped road users, however, and do what they can within the limit of their resources to deal with cases which prevent access.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to allow voters who were absent from their homes on holiday to cast their votes in writing in both general and local elections.

I intend to make a statement before long about this and the other matters which I have been considering in my review of electoral law and procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reductions have taken place in the statistical services available to his Department; what statistics previously available will either (a) no longer be available or (b) be available in a modified form; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Short) on 8 May—[Official Report, c. 157–158].

(a) Statistics will no longer be available on violence in marriage, drowning accidents, detoxification centres, serious offences involving drugs—except for offences under the misuse of drugs legislation—senior attendance centres and entry clearance from Foreign and Commonwealth posts outside the Indian Sub-continent.

(b) There will be modifications in the statistics available on the prison population, police strength, domestic court proceedings, landings of EC nationals, liquor licensing and the work of coroners.

As stated in the White Paper on Government statistical services—Cmnd. 8236—the guiding principle has been to reduce or stop those statistical collections which do not justify their cost, and to retain those statistics essential for government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether records are kept of the number of licences for holding firearms, pistols and shotguns, which have been issued to holders of diplomatic immunity during each of the past five years; if so, how many such licences have been issued; and which countries they represent.

The information requested is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of the fixed penalty notices cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity during the 12 months ended 31 March 1981, how many and what percentage were cancelled in respect of each of the diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James.

The following table, compiled from provisional figures made available by the Metropolitan Police, gives particulars of the total number of fixed penalty notices cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity during the 12 months ended 31 March 1981 and the percentage related to each mission.

Fixed Penalty Notices cancelled on grounds of Diplomatic Immunity
Country	April 1980 to March 1981	Per cent.
Afghanistan	15	0·03
Algeria	323	0·62
Argentina	566	1·08
Australia	26	0·05
Austria	172	0·33
Bahamas	3	0·01
Bahrain	196	0·37
Bangladesh	137	0·26
Barbados	183	0·35
Belgium	150	0·29
Bolivia	102	0·20
Botswana	16	0·03
Brazil	891	1·70
Bulgaria	1,468	2·81
Burma	71	0·14
Cameroon	690	1·32
Canada	70	0·13
Chile	55	0·11
China	266	0·43
Colombia	359	0·69
Costa Rica	105	0·20
Cuba	1,017	1·94
Cyprus	1,203	2·03
Czechoslovakia	188	0·36
Denmark	39	0·07
Commonwealth of Dominica	4	0·01
Dominican Republic	178	0·34
Ecuador	255	0·49
Egypt	2,209	4·22
El Salvador	19	0·04
Ethiopia	311	0·59
Fiji	8	0·02
Finland	614	1·17
France	1,885	3·60
Gabon	243	0·46
Gambia	117	0·22
German Democratic Republic	237	0·45
Germany, Federal Republic of	188	0·36
Ghana	1,274	2·44
Greece	660	1·26
Grenada	3	0·01
Guyana	126	0·24
Haiti	16	0·03
Honduras	116	0·22
Hungary	535	1·02
Iceland	13	0·02
India	1,523	2·91
Indonesia	546	1·04
Iran	485	0·93
Iraq	1,541	2·95
Ireland, Republic of	148	0·28
Israel	352	0·67
Italy	598	1·14
Ivory Coast	340	0·65
Jamaica	1,009	1·93
Japan	370	0·71
Jordon	1,011	1·93
Kenya	758	1·45
Korea	721	1·38
Kuwait	991	1·90
Laos	12	0·02
Lebanon	107	0·20
Lesotho	47	0·09
Liberia	59	0·11
Libya	1,601	3·06
Luxembourg	2	—
Malawi	14	0·03

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list country by country the amounts of unpaid parking fines accumulated in the year 1980 by those claiming diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom; and what percentage the unpaid amount represents out of the total fines recorded.

The amount specified in a fixed penalty notice is £6, but since the cancellation of a penalty notice on grounds of diplomatic immunity necessarily involves the cancellation of any debt which would otherwise be due as a result of it, the question of unpaid parking fines accumulating does not arise.The total number of fixed penalty notices cancelled on the grounds of diplomatic immunity represents 4·56 per cent of the total number of notices issued in 1980 by the Metropolitan Police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider the inclusion of unpaid parking fines with the accounts for rates which are levied on buildings or land used by diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times, and in what connection with what offences, each of the diplomatic commissions accredited to the Court of St. James have claimed diplomatic privilege in each of the last five years for which records are available;(2) in how many theft cases during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;(3) asked in how many cases involving violence during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;(4) in how many cases involving sexual offences during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;(5) in how many cases involving firearms and explosives during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;(6) in how many cases involving drugs during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;

The following table shows, in categories corresponding to those requested as well as in other general categories, the number of offences alleged to have been committed in the five-year period 1976–1980 inclusive by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity where the possibility of criminal proceedings was not pursued in consequence of that entitlement. Since all these "offences" are, by definition, unproved, it would not be appropriate to relate allegations to particular missions.

Offences alleged to have been committed by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity
	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980
Violence against the person	3	7	1	4	1
Sexual offences	2	3	0	3	2
Firearms and explosives	—	1	—	—	1
Offences against the Theft Act 1968 (including shoplifting)	25	24	23	34	20

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, by country of origin, the main sources of direct foreign industrial investment in Wales since 1973; and how many jobs have been created by direct foreign industrial investment in Wales since 1973.

Information is not available in the form requested. Offers of assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 which were accepted between 1 April 1973 and 31 March 1981 shown in the table below provide an indication of the sources of foreign industrial investment in Wales during the period and the employment associated with these offers.

Country of Origin	No. of Offers	Associated Employment
United States of America	68	12,100
European Community	16	800
Japan	12	2,100
Other	32	3,100
Total	128	18,100

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what reductions have taken place in the statistical services available to his Department; what statistics previously available will either (a) no longer be available, or (b) be available in a modified form; and if he will make a statement.

Welsh Office statistical services were examined as part of the Rayner investigation into the Government statistical service. The recommendations, all of which have been accepted, are contained in the report of the investigating officer entitled "Review of Government Statistical Services, Welsh Office Study". A copy of this report is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consider introducing legislation to deal with the situation regarding the lack of recourse which a leaseholder has, when, after agreeing the price of his freehold with the ground landlord, that landlord refuses to agree to the transfer of the freehold under the leasehold provisions of the Housing Act 1980.

No; there is already provision for recourse to the county court where a notice of enfranchisement has been served and a price agreed, but the ground landlord refuses to complete the transaction. However if the hon. Member would like to write to me with details of any particular case he may have in mind, I shall see whether I can usefully comment further.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether officials of his Department attended the one-day conference arranged by MENCAP on Wednesday 24 June, as part of Mental Handicap Week, under the title of "Right from the Start" which discussed aspects of public policy in relation to multi-disciplinary family support for families which have a mentally handicapped child; and, if so, how many officials attended.

No Welsh Office officials attended this conference.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the approximate amount of money currently due to farmers (a) in Wales and (b) in England by way of value added tax rebate payments but unpaid by reason of the civil servants' pay dispute.

I regret the information is not available because repayment claims cannot be processed during the strike. Under normal circumstances about £50 million a month is repaid to persons in all parts of the United Kingdom classified for VAT to agriculture.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of foreign securities bought by British investors in 1979 and in 1980.

Figures for portfolio investment, net of disinvestment, in overseas securities by United Kingdom residents were published in table I of the press notice "United Kingdom Balance of Payments in the first quarter of 1981", issued by the Central Statistical Office on 9 June 1981.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of British overseas investment in 1980.

Figures for United Kingdom private investment overseas in 1980 were published in table I of the press notice "United Kingdom Balance of Payments in the first quarter of 1981", issued by the Central Statistical Office on 9 June 1981. The figures for direct investment include, indistinguishably, direct investment by public corporations. The figure for official long term capital transactions, which is shown in table G of the same press notice, consists mainly of inter-government loans and subscriptions to international lending bodies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reductions have taken place in the statistical services available to his Department; what statistics previously available will either (a) no longer be available, or (b) be available in a modified form; and if he will make a statement.

Details of reductions in the cost of statistical services in my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's departments have been published in Cmnd. 8236 and the reports of the Rayner reviews into his departments, which are available in the House of Commons Library.Reductions in the cost of Inland Revenue statistical services have aimed at increasing the cost-effectiveness of data collection activities while maintaining the range of statistical information.Reductions in the cost of Customs and Excise statistical services are being achieved by improvements in the processing system and by reducing the amount of checking and validation. There will be no change in the range of statistical output available.The Treasury makes extensive use of economic data, including national accounts, balance of payments and financial statistics, and it was fully consulted about the savings to be made.The statistical reviews of my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's departments have been carefuly conducted and I am satisfied that there will be no loss of essential statistics.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much prices have risen in the nationalised industries in the last 12 months; how this compares with the level of increase in the retail prices index; and if he will take steps to ensure that the public sector makes a contribution to the Government's counter-inflation policy which equates more closely with that already achieved by the private sector.

The year-on-year increase in nationalised industry consumer prices in May 1981 was 22 per cent., compared with an increase of 11·7 per cent. in the retail prices index. The key to keeping the industries' prices down lies in improving their efficiency and their ability to contain costs. We are giving every encouragement to these objectives, both by the negotiation of performance aims for each industry, and by increasing the industries' exposure to market forces wherever practicable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) the total annual revenue raised through duty on alcohol, (b) the total annual sales of dutiable alcoholic products and (c)(a) as a percentage of (b) for the years 1970–71 to 1980–81 and including his estimate for the current financial year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance is given to senior management in his Department regarding the definition of union meetings at which attendance by employees of his Department is permitted; and whether the criteria cover attendance at meetings called to decide whether to disrupt the work of his Department.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the measures taken by the Government since entering office to ease the tax burden on the low-paid and to help eliminate the poverty trap.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures to show, for each of the past five financial years, the relative proportions of all public money spent per year in England, Scotland and Wales.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 March to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Scunthorpe (Mr. Brown).—[Vol. 1, c. 416.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures the Government have taken in the past two years to encourage schemes of employee share ownership in industry; if he will publish figures to illustrate this; and what percentage of the schemes involves voting shares.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of abolishing the earnings rule in relation to retirement pensioners.

I have been asked to reply.The latest estimate made was given in my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochester and Chatham (Mrs. Fenner) on 7 August 1980.—[Vol. 990, c.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect, both fixed and otherwise, of increasing the married person's allowance by the amount of the single person's allowance when only one partner is in employment and at the same time cancelling the single person's allowance and leaving the married person's allowance as it is if both partners are in employment.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1981, c. 140]: Given the present numbers of couples with one partner and with both partners in employment, the net effect on revenue in a full year at 1981–82 income levels would be a yield of at least £300 million.There would be a revenue cost of around £2,200 million in increasing the allowance of couples where the wife is not in employment by £1,375, the current amount of the single person's allowance. No change would be involved in the case of a wife whose husband is not in employment as she can already claim his allowance.The yield from abolishing the wife's earned income allowance if both partners are in employment would be at least £2,500 million—assuming the wife's earnings election was abolished. The precise amount cannot be estimated as such a change would bring into tax many wives whose earnings are so small that they are not currently included in tax records.The long-term effects of such a change on the employment pattern of married couples and hence on tax revenues cannot be quantified but could be substantial.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the local authority borrowing requirement for 1980–81 (a) as estimated in the Budget Statement of March 1980 and (b) as estimated in the Financial Statement and Budget Report of March 1981, and if he will give the reasons for any difference between the figures.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1981, c. 141]: The local authority account is shown in table 15 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report. In March 1980 the local authority borrowing requirement was estimated at £1·44 billion. The estimated outturn of the LABR in the 1981 Financial Statement and Budget Report was put at £2·5 billion. The latest information is that the LABR was £2·3 billion in 1980–81. The LABR outturn figures for 1980–81 are based on a borrowing inquiry. Information about income and expenditure is still relatively sparse. Some reasons of the higher borrowing are given in paragraph 12 of part IV of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1981–82.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the estimated local authority borrowing requirement for 1981–82, showing in detail how this total is made up, together with the reasons for any differences between this amount and the estimated outturn for the local authority borrowing requirement for 1980–81.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1981, c. 141]: I refer the hon. Member to table 15 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1981–82. This shows the detailed composition of the local authority borrowing requirement in 1980–81 and 1981–82.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total amount of European Economic Community assistance given to the Merseyside area in respect of services connected with employment in each of the years 1976–77 to 1980–81.

The European social fund and the European Coal and Steel Community provide assistance in respect of schemes in the United Kingdom connected with employment. The amount of assistance allocated in the calendar year 1980 was as follows:

	£ million
European Social Fund	135
ECSC readaptation grants	24
ECSC reconversion loans	92
Total	251

European social fund allocations were in respect of training and employment schemes, European Coal and Steel Community readaptation grants for redundancy payments and retraining schemes, and European Coal and Steel Community reconversion loans for projects which will employ redundant coal and steel workers. Government policy is to maximise United Kingdom benefit from these Community sources.Merseyside receives special consideration under various rules of the social fund, especially in those areas of intervention covering young people and regions of high unemployment. However, because allocations to the United Kingdom under the social fund and the Coal and Steel Community are in respect of schemes which operate nationally or in a number of parts of the country, I regret that it is not possible to identify amounts of aid allocated to particular regions or countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now seek to introduce legislation equalising the redundancy notice given to manual workers with white collar workers having the same length of service; and if he will make a statement.

The statutory provisions for consultation with appropriate trade unions about proposed redundancies, and an individual's right to receive a minimum period of notice, do not differentiate between manual and non-manual employees. The Government do not intend to interfere with collective or individual agreements going beyond these minimum requirements, which are a matter for the parties concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now seek to double the £23·50 per week pay of all those on Manpower Services Commission's work experience schemes; and if he will make a statement.

No. The level of the allowance will be considered as part of the review of special employment measures. Meanwhile, the Government believe the present level of allowance still represents a sufficient lead over benefit rates to attract the young people at whom the youth opportunities programme is aimed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will institute an inquiry to examine whether firms are seeking academic qualifications at the expense of the ability to do the job.

No. My Department has the results of research into the experience of young people in the labour market which shows that in general undue emphasis is not being placed by firms on academic qualifications as a means of recruitment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what reductions have taken place in the statistical services available to his Department; what statistics previously available will either (a) no longer be available, or (b) be available in a modified form; and if he will make a statement.

For a list of reductions in statistics already made since May 1979 and details of further reductions now proposed, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Short) on 11 May 1981.—[Volume 4, c. 161–62.]Full details of proposed changes in statistical services, following the review of the Government Statistical Service co-ordinated by Sir Derek Rayner, were published for information and comment from users, on 15 April in an action report "Review of statistical services in Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission". This report was also reproduced in the May issue of the

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest available statistics on the total number of persons unemployed, the percentage rate of unemployment and the number of vacancies in each industrial classification in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands.

The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed and the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at May 1981, analysed by orders of the Standard Industrial Classification. Percentage rates of unemployment by industry could be calculated only at disproportionate cost. The unemployment figures relate to the industry in which the unemployed person last worked. The vacancy figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices arid careers offices; vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the economy as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and careers offices should not be added together. The number of vacancies unfilled at a particular date takes no account of the flow of vacancies being notified, filled or withdrawn during the preceding month, which may reflect activity more closely.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the industries in the West Midlands in which there have been increases in unemployment or short-time working since May 1979; and what proportion of the labour force in each industry is affected.

The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed at May 1979 and May 1981 in the West Midlands region and the increases between these dates. The figures are analysed according to the industry orders of the Standard Industrial Classification in which the unemployed person last worked. The proportion of the labour force affected could be calculated only at disproportionate cost. An industrial analysis of the statistics on short-time working, limited to manufacturing industries, is made for Great Britain as a whole but not for the individual regions.

	May 1979	May 1981	Increase
Agriculture, forestry, fishing	1,576	2,866	1,290
Mining and quarrying	1,621	2,395	774
Food, drink and tobacco	2,741	5,832	3,091
Coal and petroleum products	56	121	65
Chemicals and allied industries	754	2,125	1,371
Metal manufacture	4,551	15,029	10,478

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the total young working population in Bolton travel-to-work area is unemployed.

The information is not available in the absence of local figures for employment by age.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of (a) the number and (b) the percentage of youth unemployment, including those on youth opportunities programmes among the young working population nationally and regionally; and if he will evaluate the effect on these figures of summer school leavers.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the cost of maintaining a youth opportunities programme of 146,000 young people.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees were working short-time under the temporary short-time working compensation scheme during April 1981 in the Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster, Kirklees, North Humberside, Leeds, Rotherham, Wakefield, and York metropolitan districts.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will increase payments under the national voluntary redundancy scheme for registered dock workers to bring them to the same level as payments to registered dock workers in London and Liverpool.

The terms of the industry's national voluntary severance scheme are a matter for the National Joint Council for the Port Transport Industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total cost to the Health and Safety Executive of serving an improvement notice on a sawmill in Fife, Scotland, requiring a reduction in noise from certain wood-working machinery, as a result of the industrial tribunal in Edinburgh allowing the appeal; of the total amount how much was paid to the appellants; and how many inspection man-hours were involved.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1981, c. 422]: It is difficult to separate out costs for particular issues raised at occupiers' premises, but 1½ inspector days were spent at the sawmill in Fife when the three improvement notices including the one on noise—which was the subject of the appeal—were issued. The work for the submission to the Tribunal Appeal consumed about 20 inspector days. The chairman of the tribunal, whilst upholding the issue of the notice, modified what was required of the appellants and awarded two-thirds of the appellants' costs to be paid by HSE. That amount is as yet unknown as the diet of taxation in the sherrif court is still awaited.I shall write to the hon. Member when I know the outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what would be the cost of the Manpower Services Commission of operating jobcentres in Billericay and Wickford on the basis of the proposals made by the Basildon district council and considered by the commission.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 June 1981, c. 74]: There would be little additional cost to the Manpower Services Commission in operating part-time employment services in Billericay and Wickford on the basis of the proposals made by the Basildon district council, because this would have to be done within the staffing level already fixed for jobcentres in the area. But I understand that, in the commission's judgment, operating these services would not be the best use of the resources which it has available to serve the needs of people looking for work and of employers in the Basildon area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled people who are registered under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 for (a) the United Kingdom as a whole (b) the Northern region and (c) Bishop Auckland constituency for each year since 1974; in each case are unemployed; and what percentage of the registered disabled the unemployment represents.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 June 1981, c. 74–75]: Information is not readily available in the precise form requested. However, as at April of each year, the date for which information on the total register of disabled people is available, the figures on the total number of disabled registered under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and the corresponding information on registered disabled people unemployed within the United Kingdom, the Northern region and Bishop Auckland constituency, as defined by MSC area and districts, are as follows:

(1) and (2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
Year and Area	Registered Disabled People	Registered Disabled People unemployed	(4) as percentage of (3)
1974
(a)	574,640	63,375	11·0
(b)	—	—	—
(c)	—	—	—
1975
(a)	557,217	65,369	11·7
(b)	32,307	5,514	17·1
(c)	1,409	226	16·0
1976
(a)	543,064	75,857	14·0
(b)	32,048	5,707	17·8
(c)	—	234	—
1977
(a)	532,402	75,205	14·1
(b)	30,496	5,509	18·1
(c)	—	250	—
1978
(a)	494,877	70,765	14·3
(b)	28,701	5,049	17·6
(c)	—	206	—
1979
(a)	482,006	63,600	13·2
(b)	27,999	4,425	15·8
(c)	—	219	—
1980
(a)	470,588	61,068	13·0
(b)	27,101	4,132	15·2
(c)	1,365	158	11·6
1981
(a)	460,178	73,424	15·9
(b)	25,781	4,669	18·1
(c)	1,297	186	14·3
(a) United Kingdom;
(b) ESD North East Area—comprising the employment districts of Newcastle, Northumberland, South Durham, South Tyne, Teesside and Wearside;
(c) Bishop Auckland constituency—comprising ESDs employment office areas of Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and Newton Aycliffe.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school leavers there were in (a) 1980 and (b) 1981 in the Northern region, broken down according to local education authorities, who still have yet to receive an offer on the youth opportunities programme for the latest available date in accordance with the 1980 school leaver undertaking.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1981, c. 106]: On 10 April 1980 there were 108 1979 school leavers who had yet to receive an offer of a place on the youth opportunities programme in the Northern region. On 9 April 1981 there were 302 1980 school leavers who had yet to receive an offer of a place on the programme.Information is not available regarding the numbers of 1979 school leavers still to receive an offer of a place. Currently there are 154 1980 school leavers awaiting an offer of a place. All of these young people have been submitted to sponsors on a number of occasions but have not yet been accepted.The following table gives a breakdown of the above figures by local education authority.

	1979 School leavers left at 10 April 1980	1980 School leavers left at 9 April 1981	1980 School leavers still to receive an offer
Cleveland	20	121	84
Durham	10	20	8
Gateshead	5	12	6
Newcastle	32	27	12
North Tyneside	15	50	26
Northumberland	8	2	0
South Tyneside	10	25	6
Sunderland	2	18	6
Cumbria	6	27	6

asked the Prime Minister if she will list in order of amount the mileage allowance paid to hon. Members, civil servants—London area—Norfolk county councillors, Norfolk county council staff, North Norfolk district council staff, North Norfolk district councillors, Anglian water authority members and Anglian water authority staff, when using their own cars for official journeys.

The car mileage allowance rates requested are as follows:NORFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL * AND NORTH NORFOLK DISTRICT COUNCIL STAFFFrom 1 May 1980CASUAL USER ALLOWANCESCasual users are deemed to be those for whom it is merely desirable that a car should be available when required.

pence per mile
Miles per annum	451 to 999cc	1000 to 1199cc	1200 to 1450cc	1451 to 1750cc
0–1000	22·6	25·4	27·0	31·9
1001–3000	18·6	20·9	22·3	26·1
3001–4800	15·5	17·4	18·6	21·7
4801–9000	13·1	14·7	15·7	18·1
thereafter	6·7	7·5	8·1	8·8
* Staff up to and including grade AP4 receive the rates for the lowest engine size category, whatever car they drive.

ESSENTIAL USER ALLOWANCESEssential users are deemed to be those whose duties are of such a nature that it is essential for them to have a motor car at their disposal whenever required.

	451 to 999cc	1000 to 1199cc	1200 to 1450cc	1451 to 1750cc
		£ per annum
Lump sum	249	282	300	363
		pence per mile
First 9,000 miles per annum	13·1	14·7	15·7	18·1
After 9,000 miles per annum	6·7	7·5	8·1	8·8

asked the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the progress of the Department of Health and Social Security in developing policies to assist single homeless claimants as promised in the review of the supplementary benefit scheme.

The report of the supplementary benefits review team recognised that further study was needed on the problem of people without a settled way of living. We are at present considering how best to carry forward its proposals for a more wide-ranging review of policy in this area, in the light of the recent legislative changes and other developments since 1978—when the report was published.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what staff reductions are likely to be made from the ending of Her Majesty's Stationery Office's operation of common service reprographic units; and what reduction is planned in Her Majesty's Stationery Office reprographic services.

This will depend on the outcome of a review which is being made of the size and shape of Her Majesty's Stationery Office reprographic business.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service by what percentage the staff of Her Majesty's Stationery Office is to be reduced, compared with the general reduction in Civil Service employment.

This is yet to be decided.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if Her Majesty's Stationery Office reprographic units have been instructed not to negotiate long-term contracts with customers for their services and not to proceed with capital investment.

Long-term contracts are not being sought pending the outcome of a major review which is being made of the size and shape of Her Majesty's Stationery Office reprographic business. Capital expenditure is not, however, ruled out when this is necessary to maintain services to Government Departments.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service to what extent outside contractors have replaced Her Majesty's Stationery Office reprographic units stationed in Departments; and what has been the resulting cost saving.