asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the recent meeting held with representatives of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace about the hunger strike in Her Majesty's prison Maze.

The Government welcomed the efforts by the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace to contribute to a resolution of the Maze hunger strike and the associated prison protests. The commission held a series of discussions with the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, between 23 June and 6 July, and also visited the prisoners on hunger strike.The Government were not in negotiation with the prisoners or anyone else through the intermediary of the commission. The purpose of the discussions was to clarify the Government's position in regard to the current prison regime, with particular reference to the issues of special treatment of certain prisoners and control by the prison authorities of day-to-day activities in the prisons.I very much regret that the commission's intervention did not lead to the ending of the hunger strike on the basis of my statement issued on 8 July.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what are the proportions and amount of aid (a) committed and

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many terrorists have been apprehended and how large a quantity of arms and ammunition has been seized as a result of the improved cross-border co-operation on security achieved since May 1979.

Since May 1979, 1,435 people have been convicted on indictment of terrorist-type offences in Northern Ireland. In the same period 583 firearms, 88,846 rounds of ammunition and 5,904 lb of explosive have been found. It is not possible to say with any precision how many of these convictions or finds can be attributed to the undoubted improvement in co-operation with the Republic of Ireland, but this is certainly an important factor in the continuing counter-terrorist successes of the law enforcement authorities on both sides of the border. Important finds and arrests have also been made during this period by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will give, at the latest and most convenient stated date, the numbers of peers of the realm who hold any appointment sponsored by his Department; what situation or appointment each one holds; how many hours per week are given to the work connected with it; what are the salaries or expenses paid; and how the latter compare with May 1979.

The information required is as follows:

[pursuant to his reply, 17 June 1981, c. 363]. The information is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any information as to the percentages of funds becoming available for industrial investments derived from (a) pension funds, (b) other institutional investors and (c) individual savings.

Information is not available in the form requested but I will write to the hon. Member describing the most statistics that are available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount of revenue received from value added tax on female sanitary wear for the fiscal year 1980–81; and if he will consider excluding sanitary wear from value added tax.

Because traders registered for VAT are not required to make returns of the VAT charged on particular goods and services this information is not available. But from other sources it is estimated that the net yield of VAT from the sale of all types of sanitary protection is a little over £10 million a year. In a broadly-based tax like VAT, many essential goods and services are taxed and it would not be appropriate to single out sanitary wear for special treatment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if further explanatory material is to be made available to right hon. and hon. Members to assist their consideration of the Finance Bill at Report Stage.

Yes. Subject to timing constraints, every endeavour will be made to place notes on any Government new clauses in the Vote Office in time for hon. Members to consider them before the clause in question is taken in the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a detailed breakdown of the local authority borrowing requirement in terms of the different kinds of borrowing undertaken by local authorities; for what reasons the borrowing requirement estimated in March 1980 of £1·44 billion has turned out at about £2·3 billion; and, if no detailed information is available, how an adjustment of this precision could be made.

A detailed breakdown of the local authority borrowing requirement showing the different kinds of borrowing undertaken is given in "Financial Statistics" published monthly by the Central Statistical Office. Tables 4.3 to 4.6 of the June 1981 edition give information for 1980–81. Comprehensive accounts of local authorities receipts and expenditure are not yet available. The outturn of the borrowing requirement is based on a monthly inquiry on the type and size of local authority borrowing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, following the response to this week's issue of Government stock, whether he will make the purchase of index-linked Government stock generally available.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the additional subsidies on milk for schools secured last week by Her Majesty's Government from the European Economic Community will be in addition to or included in the calculation of rebates from the European Economic Community under the Agreement of 30 May 1980.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 July 1981]: The United Kingdom's receipts in respect of the school milk subsidies will be included in the calculations to be carried out by the Commission under the Community Budget agreement of 30 May 1980. The extent to which these subsidies represent additional net receipts after taking account of refunds payable under the agreement cannot, however, be assessed until the results of these calculations are known.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the affect of the abolition of exchange controls on his ability to raise the necessary funds to finance the public sector borrowing requirement.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 July 1981]: There is no reason to assume any such effect.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the total amount of loan stock he will require to raise in the stock market in the current financial year; and how much he has raised in this way in the financial year to date.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 July 1981]: It is not the practice to publish forecasts of how the PSBR will be financed. So far in this financial year the authorities have issued two new gilt edged stocks with a value of £2·1 billion and three tranches of £250 million of three existing stocks.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will give, at the latest and most convenient stated date, the numbers of peers of the realm who hold any appointment sponsored by her Department; what situation or appointment each one holds; how many hours per week are given to the work connected with it; what are the salaries or expenses paid; and how the latter figures compare with May 1979.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 15 December 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his latest estimate of the aggregate cost to public funds of all taxpayer subventions which will be attracted by the Moss Morran petrochemical complex; and of the number of permanent jobs likely to be created.

:It is not yet possible to estimate the amount of assistance for which the Shell-Esso petrochem-ical complex at Moss Morran might qualify. No selective assistance under Sections 7 or 8 of the 1972 Industry Act has been requested for this project. Regional development grant may become payable at a rate appropriate to development areas. This rate is now 15 per cent. of qualifying expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he expects steel production in the United Kingdom to increase during 1981–82.

The Government have not prepared detailed forecasts, but if the increase in steel production in recent months over the low levels experienced last winter is maintained, steel production in the year ending March 1982 will be above that in the corresponding period of 1980–81.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his policy towards maximising the British design and skilled work content of joint industrial ventures in which his Department is concerned.

The Government encourage wherever appropriate the design of new products to improve the international competitiveness of home supplies generally and so sustain all types of United Kingdom employment, for example, in appraising projects for selective financial assistance under the Industry Act 1972 or for research and development finance. The Design Council, which operates the design advisory service, is the principal public body concerned with the improvement of the design of British products. Governmental research establishments, the research councils, and public sector purchasers also play a part in this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the names of all the nationalised industries for which he is the sponsoring Minister, all the subsidiary companies of those nationalised industries and the names of all companies in which his Department, or bodies answerable to his Department, have a majority or minority interest.

The nationalised industries sponsored by the Department of Industry are the Post Office, British Steel Corporation and British Shipbuilders. Companies in which the Department has a major interest are BL Ltd., Rolls-Royce Ltd. and Cable & Wireless Ltd.Bodies answerable to the Department with subsidiaries or interests in companies are the National Enterprise Board, the National Research Development Corporation and the English Industrial Estates Corporation.Details of the subsidiaries, associated companies or minority interests of each of these industries, companies, or other bodies are given in their published annual reports and accounts which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many manufacturing firms in Halifax have notified his Department of expansion plans in 1981; and how many jobs they will create.

Since the beginning of 1981, five manufacturing firms in the Halifax travel-to-work area have approached the Yorkshire and Humberside regional office for regional selective assistance in connection with expansion plans, and three with rationalisation/modernisation plans. Two applications have so far been approved. The projects concerned are expected to create 16 jobs and safeguard 109. The office is aware of four further possible expansion projects but the employment effects of these projects are uncertain.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the types of assistance offered by the Government to win orders for British shipyards; and how these compare with the assistance offered by European Economic Community countries, Japan, and the United States of America.

The latest information available is set out in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) out of how many office locations the officials of his Department monitor the small business activities of the National Enterprise Board;(2) how many officials of his Department monitor or record the small business activities of the National Enterprise Board.

Three officials of the Department of Industry are concerned with monitoring all of the activities of the National Enterprise Board, including the exercise of its small firms role. They are located in one office in London.

asked the Secretary of State fir Industry (1) how many officials of his Department monitor or record the activities of the English Industrial Estates Corporation;(2) out of how many offices locations the officials of his Department monitor the activities of the English Industrial Estates Corporation.

Five officials, under the supervision of one part-time senior official, are employed in the Department's London headquarters on matters related to Government advance factory policy, which includes monitoring the activities of the English Industrial Estates Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he intends to take to assist energy-intensive industries to meet the high prices they are currently paying for energy in the United Kingdom.

The Department of Industry is responsible for the £50 million coal-fired boiler scheme under which grants are available to industry to convert oil-fired boilers to coal firing. My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer also announced measures on gas and electricity prices in the Budget aimed particularly at helping large energy users. A reduction of £10 per tonne in the price of foundry coke was announced at the end of last month.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will give a general direction to the Post Office Corporation that the Post Office public all-night counter service shall continue to be provided.

No. That is a matter for the commercial judgment of the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps are being undertaken by the Government to revive economic activity in the Walsall and Black Country areas of the West Midlands in view of the recent very substantial increase in unemployment.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 July 1981]: The revival of economic activity in these areas, as elsewhere in the country, depends on the increased productivity and competitiveness of their industries. This is a task for management and workers at all levels. In order to create the conditions in which this revival can take place, the Government will continue to pursue their economic policies, in particular the fight against inflation, to a successful conclusion.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland how many cases of alleged baby battering there have been in Scotland in each of the past three years which were taken to prosecution; and how many convictions were obtained.

I am not certain what upper age limit is implied in the question but, in any event, since the statistics which are maintained on crimes of assault do not include the age of the victim, nor whether the assault was committed in a domestic situation, I regret that the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations he has made to the European Communities Commission concerning the need for a satisfactory proposal under the inwards processing relief directive to deal with more anomalous cases where the duty payable on the residual product of an inward processing operation is higher than the duty payable on the same material imported in its own right; and when he expects that a formal proposal will be agreed.

Article 18 of Council directive No. 69/73/EEC provides for the Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission, to draw up a list of secondary products resulting from inward processing operations which, when put on the home market, are to be subject to the import charges appropriate to those products and not to the imported goods. The Commission is in the process of discussing the terms of such a proposal with member States and we are pressing on it the need to make urgent progress, but I regret that it is not possible to say when it will make a formal proposal to the Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many references have been made by the Office of Fair Trading to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in each of the past five years.

The Director General of Fair Trading made five references to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1976, four in 1977, one in 1978, three in 1979 and two in 1980. Two references have been made so far this year.These figures do not include ordinary or newspaper merger references, general references under the Fair Trading Act 1973, and references under section 11 of the Competition Act 1980, all of which fail to be made by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many countries there are in Europe where travel agents and tour operators require a licence issued by central Government; whether this applies to travel agencies for schoolchildren; and if he will consider introducing a licence system for the United Kingdom.

An OECD survey carried out in 1979 showed that a number of European countries, including the United Kingdom, had some form of licensing system but it did not make clear whether these systems applied to all travel agents and tour operators or how they affected travel agencies for schoolchildren. In the United Kingdom the licensing system provided for by the Civil Aviation Act 1971 applies to air travel organisers and is administered by the Civil Aviation Authority, On the evidence available I see no need for wider licensing requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to refer the increasing share of Ladbrokes Ltd. in the British coin machine industry to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

Monopoly references are normally made by the Director General of Fair Trading. I understand that he has no plans for such a reference at present, if, however, my hon. Friend has evidence to justify a reference I suggest he writes to the Director General.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the cost escalation scheme will be continued on a more permanent basis rather than be made subject to annual review.

Representations to this effect have been made by industry and will be fully considered in the review now taking place of the scheme's future when the power to operate it expires next March. The conclusions of this review will be announced in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what action further to that outlined in his reply of 17 March 1981 to the hon. Member for Chislehurst has been taken by the British Government, the British embassy and the European Economic Community Commission in regard to the profit margin controls introduced in February 1981 by the Government of Greece.

We raised this issue first with the Commission and then, in May, during a visit that my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Industry paid to Greece. Since then the Commission, which, on behalf of the Community as a whole, has the prime responsibility for acting on possible breaches of Community law, has taken the matter up with the Greek authorities and has said that it is seeking a quick and effective solution.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will prepare a list showing the percentage of total exports which went to each of the top 20 countries in 1970 and in 1980.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has drawn any conclusions about the maritime incidents concerning the "Tiger Bay", the "Pool Fisher" and the "Derbyshire"; and if he will make a statement on actions taken by his Department following therefrom.

:[pursuant to his reply, 6 July 1981]: As regards the "Tiger Bay"; I refer to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. Johnson) on 16 March concerning the review of the present system of registration which is in hand. We shall be circulating proposals for discussion in due course. My Department will also be consulting the industry on relevant guidance and corresponding amendments to the load line rules, which are in the course of preparation, on safety matters reflecting the outcome of the formal investigation into the loss of the "Pool Fisher". Research into various aspects of marine safety and having a possible bearing on the loss of the "Derbyshire" has been commissioned by my Department, but it is too early to expect conclusions from this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take environmental factors into consideration when considering whether to allow an operating permit under the Hovercraft (General) Order 1972.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 July 1981]: The Hovercraft (General) Order 1972 provides that any conditions attaching to the issue of an operating permit must be with a view to securing the safe operation of the hovercraft. The order makes no provision for the consideration of environmental factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if the United Kingdom was represented on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development working party set up to consider the planning of a coal-fired district heating plant in Denmark; if the report of this working party has been studied by his Department; and what conclusions have been reached.

An official of the Department of Energy was the United Kingdom representative to the OECD working party and the report has influenced the development of our current CHP feasibility programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average price of coal, free on board, exported to West Germany; and what was the average price paid by United Kingdom industry for coal in the first quarter of 1981.

The average fob price of coal—mostly steam coal—exported to the Federal Republic of Germany during 1980 was £27·76 per tonne. The price for the first quarter of 1981 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest unemployment figures in the Liverpool travel-to-work area; how long is the average period of unemployment; and what is the age break-down of the Liverpool unemployment register.

At 11 June, the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the Liverpool travel-to-work area was 81,792. The latest date for which figures are available for the duration of unemployment and the age of those registered as unemployed is 9 April. At that date, the median length of time for which those in the Liverpool travel-to-work area had been unemployed was 36 weeks; and the following table gives an age-analysis for them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what resources are provided by his Department through the Manpower Services Commission to fund the training opportunities scheme; what percentage this figure is of the national total for the scheme; and what representations about skill training he has received from the Chairman of the North Western Regional Advisory Council for Further Education.

The resources allocated in Parliamentary Supply Estimates for funding the training opportunities scheme during 1981–82 totalled some £243 million. 82·7 per cent. of this total relates to expenditure in England and will be funded by the Department of Employment. No representation has been received from the chairman of the North-Western regional advisory council for further education.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are at present employed under the youth opportunities scheme with businesses whose work force is not larger than 20; and if these figures show an upward trend.

I regret that this information is not available in the form requested but it is the view of the Manpower Services Commission that small businesses play a full and useful part in the success of the programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of participants in youth opportunities programme schemes goes straight into employment after completing the scheme.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the average current weekly net cost to the Exchequer of places on the community enterprise programme.

The latest estimate for the average weekly gross cost of a place on the programme is currently £88·12 and the current avarage weekly net cost to the Exchequer of each place is estimated at £26·80, which is 30 per cent. of the gross costs. This does not take into account the benefit to the community of the work undertaken under the community enterprise programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the cash earnings of coal miners appearing on page 156 of the Employment Gazette of March 1981 as £138 per week plus additional items aggregating £28 per week for the week ended 11 October 1980.

The figures referred to are supplied annually by the National Coal Board as part of a special exercise, and comparable later information is not yet available to my Department. However, a broad guide to subsequent changes is provided by later information from the average earnings index, covering all employees in mining and quarrying, which shows an increase of around 10 per cent. in weekly cash earnings between the fourth quarter of 1980 and the first quarter of 1981, following the implementation of the annual pay settlement for coal miners at the end of December 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received about

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are registered as unemployed in Lambeth; if he will distinguish between male and female and between those under 25 years and those over 25 years; how many in each group are black; and what were the comparable unemployment figures a year ago.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much has been spent in the current financial year under class IV, Vote 14, Special Employment Measures.

Payments to the end of June 1981 are estimated at £180 million. This is a far higher level of expenditure than envisaged in October 1980 when the Vote on Account requirement was assessed. The Vote on Account has now been exhausted and recourse has been had to the Contingencies Fund pending Parliamentary approval of the estimate. Repayable advances of some £90 million may be required by the end of July, but the Vote as amended by the summer supplementary estimate is not expected to be exceeded in the financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the relative change in wage differentials for 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20-year-old males and females compared with average adult wages in each year from 1973 to the latest convenient date.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 July 1981, c. 523]: The available information on the average earnings of employees aged under 21 in relation to those for employees aged 21 and over, from the New Earnings Survey, is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the relative change in wage differentials for apprentices compared to the average adult wages between 1973 and the latest convenient date.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 July 1981, c. 523]: Comprehensive information on the earnings of apprentices and full-time trainees is only obtained in periodical labour costs surveys. The latest figures, for 1975 and 1978, were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many placements were made by the professional and executive recruitment division of the Manpower Services Commission during each of the last three years.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage increase in unemployment in the Keighley travel-to-work area since May 1979 to the most recent practicable date.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give, at the latest and most convenient stated date, the numbers of peers of the realm who hold any appointment sponsored by his Department; what situation or appointment each one holds; how many hours per week are given to the work connected with it; what are the salaries or expenses paid; and how the latter figures compare with May 1979.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to him on 15 December 1980.—[Vol. 996, c. 52.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any recommendations have been given to the agricultural industry regarding the safe use of the chemical Gramoxone; if he is satisfied that there is no danger to the public from the use of this chemical; and if he will make a statement.

Detailed recommendations for the safe storage and use of this herbicide appear on the product label. Provided these precautions are observed, I am satisfied that there should be no danger to the public from its use. Additionally, the manufacturers have taken steps to introduce special stenching and colouring agents as a further safeguard in case the contents are decanted into unlabelled containers, contrary to the clear warning on the label.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will investigate the proposed sale by the European Economic Community intervention board of 400 tons of mouldering meat in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

The intervention board has acted after full consultation with Ministry veterinary staff and the local environmental health officer. Some of the beef offered for sale is known to have been affected by a surface mould. All aspects of this sale will be subject to very tight control and I am satisfied with the arrangements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those areas designated by him under section 5 of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

No areas have been designated under section 1(5) of this Act.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has completed his examination of the risks posed to native stocks of lobsters of infection with gaffkaemia by imported Canadian lobsters; and if he will make a statement.

With my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales I have considered the risk that imported lobsters, infected with Gaffkaemia, might pose to native stocks of lobsters. The Government are satisfied, on the basis of scientific advice, that if those landing imported lobsters follow the recommended guidelines the risk should be small. However, we have concluded that there is a potential risk and therefore controls should be introduced. Accordingly, Orders under the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 were made today and will come into operation on Monday 3 August.Under the Lobsters (Control of Deposit) Order 1981 the deposit in a designated area of lobsters coming from outside that area is prohibited, except under licence. The areas designated by the order include all tidal waters of Great Britain, inland waters from which the disease might be carried into the designated tidal waters, and land within 1 mile of the designated tidal and inland waters. The scientific evidence available to me indicates that the European species of lobster is at present free from Gaffkaemia. Consequently movements of European lobsters wilt be permitted by general licence. Consignments of the American species of lobster have been infected, to varying degrees, with Gaffkaemia. From 3 August all deposits of American lobsters will have to be licensed. The conditions of these licences will be worded so as to prevent the spread of disease from the sites where these lobsters are deposited to stocks of native European lobsters.The Lobsters (Control of Importation) Order 1981 supports the provisions under the Control of Deposit Order by including a requirement that a deposit licence be obtained for all movements of lobsters into a designated area by sea or by air. Finally, I must emphasise that, while Gaffkaemia is a serious disease for lobsters, it does not affect humans and, therefore, does not pose any risk to those eating lobsters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report the details contained in the communication he sent to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 26 June concerning the arrests connected with disturbances in the London area during the past few months.

Yes. The letter to the hon. Member provided information on arrests at disturbances at Brixton on 10–12 April and at Finsbury Park and Wanstead on 20 April, and on the consequent charges, proceedings and sentences as at 15 June. The information was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the Metropolitan Police Force orders and arrange for their publication; and if he will set out the reasons why they have been treated as confidential.

No; the orders are confidential to the police service because they contain guidance on operational and other matters which it would not be in the public interest to make generally available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is made at Walton gaol for the dietary needs of Muslim inmates.

A vegetarian diet is available on request.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fire brigades in the United Kingdom have chemical incident units.

Responsibility for making provision for fire-fighting purposes rests with individual fire authorities. All such authorities in England and Wales include in this provision resources for dealing with incidents involving chemicals. Whether these resources include a chemical incident unit as so called, a unit of some other description, or appropriate equipment placed on a vehicle used also for other purposes varies according to local determination. Reliable information on the method and quantity of provision by each fire authority is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mentally disordered offenders are awaiting transfer to a National Health Service or special hospital; and if he will list their ages, sex, prisons, convictions and dates of release.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mentally disordered prisoners were released at the expiry of their sentence in (a) 1980 and (b) so far in 1981 because no hospital would have them; what were the dates of release, ages, sex and convictions; and what further offences they have committed since release.

The reply to a similar question by the hon. Member on 10 December 1980—[Vol. 995, c. 650]—gave details of the seven prisoners whose transfer to hospital under section 72 of the Mental Health Act 1959

Thirty-six prisoners who have been recommended for transfer to hospital under section 72 of the Mental Health Act 1959 have not yet been found a hospital place. Their particulars are as follows:had been recommended so far in that year and who had been released from prison before that date. A further five prisoners in respect of whom similar recommendations were made in 1980 were subsequently released on the expiry of their sentences before any hospital place had been found for them. Of those reported upon in 1981, one has been similarly released. I regret that information about any further offences which may have been committed by these former prisoners is not available.The other information requested in relation to the six prisoners not included in the previous answer is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the electoral quotas for parliamentary constituencies in Wales differ from those in Scotland and England.

Section 3 of the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1958 amends rule 5 of the rules for redistribution of seats set out in the second schedule to the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, so that the electoral quota is determined separately for each constituent part of the United Kingdom by dividing the electorate for that part of the United Kingdom by the number of constituencies in it existing on the enumeration date. Rule 1 of the rules for redistribution

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Newham North-West may expect a substantive reply to his various letters regarding crime in general and on the streets in particular in the London borough of Newham.

The hon. Member will receive replies to his recent letters as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that the police now take very much longer to reply to ordinary inquiries than in the past, despite greater numbers of police, civilian staff and electronic aids, he will set up an inquiry into the efficiency of the police in dealing with inquiries of this kind.

No. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that all chief officers of police are fully aware of the need to respond promptly to inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will express the £150 deposit required of a candidate in a parliamentary election, which was first set in 1918, in present-day prices.

It would be nearly £2,000 at May 1981 prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give as much information as may be readily available to permit a comparison to be made of the total numbers of policemen and women, traffic wardens, civilian police staff, vehicles, two-way radios, computers &c. and other police aids at any stated date in 1945 and 1981, respectively.

The information available centrally is set out below:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give figures for the number of industrial accidents in Her Majesty's prisons for the last 10 years.

Figures for 1970–75 are not available. Figures for the last five years involving absences from work of one day or more as a result of accidents, including those in recreational activity, in all prison service establishments are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of pay for work done by prisoners in the workshops of Her Majesty's prisons.

Inmates' earnings vary with the pay scheme operating in the particular workshop and with the individual's effort. Fuller details are contained in Prison Department circular instruction 22/1980, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in view of the fact that there is no senior male or female officer in the Metropolitan Police from any of the ethnic minorities, whether he will request the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to investigate this situation, with a view to changing the present position.

No. The highest ranking officers from the ethnic minorities are at present of inspector and sergeant rank; they need time to progress to the more senior posts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, at the latest and most convenient stated date, the numbers of peers of the realm who hold any appointment sponsored by his Department; what situation or appointment each one holds; how many hours per week are given to the work connected with it; what are the salaries or expenses paid; and how the latter figures compare with May 1979.

The total number of peers holding such appointments is 28. Since the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 16 December 1980—[Vol. 996, c. 159–60]—there have been the following changes:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the police have now decided whether to prosecute the motorist in Fulham who refused to give a specimen of his urine, and take a blood or breathalyser test; and what action they intend taking.

Yes; the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has advised me that summonses have been issued for offences under sections 8 and 9 of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make use of his discretion to grant British nationality automatically to the children of British nationals who were born abroad while their parents were serving in the Armed Forces, even if these children do not at the moment intend to live in the United Kingdom.

I understand my hon. Friend to be referring to children born abroad to a parent who is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by descent and who was himself (or herself) born abroad to a father who was at the time serving in the Armed Forces. We do not think it would be appropriate to register all such children automatically. Applications would be carefully considered, but the nature of the child's links with the United Kingdom must remain an important factor in deciding them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his answer of 26 March, Official Report, c. 396, how many illiterate prisoners have received help to improve their reading age; whether the prisons concerned recruit volunteers from the adult literacy campaign; and if the overcoming of illiteracy is regarded as rehabilitation by his Department.

In a sample week during 1978–79, 119 prisoners in Walton, Shrewsbury, Swansea and Cardiff prisons attended literacy classes; yes; remedial literacy classes are considered as part of social education provision in the broad sense and therefore as contributing to rehabilitation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen from the central London reserve were diverted from their usual duties on Friday 3 July because of the ambulance men's strike.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the various inquiries and reviews being conducted by the Home Office relating to issues concerned with public order, and the number of civil servants engaged upon them; and when he expects them to be completed.

The review of the Public Order Act 1936 and related legislation, the study of racial attacks, and the working group on protective clothing and equipment for the police are directly concerned with public order issues. The number of officials engaged upon them varies, but considerable resources are devoted to the work. Recent events have implications for all three undertakings, but my right hon. Friend intends them to be completed as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislation to give the police fuller powers to deal with riots, similar to those which they possessed before the abolition of the Riot Act 1714.

I am considering this suggestion in the course of my review of the Public Order Act 1936 and related legislation, and in the light of the extensive powers at common law available to the police to deal with unlawful assemblies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will enumerate on a county by county basis, and on a drug by drug basis, the numbers of successful and unsuccessful prosecutions by the police of drivers of motor vehicles on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

Information in the form requested is not available. The information collected centrally on prosecutions under section 5(i) of the Road Traffic Act 1972 does not distinguish offences of driving whilst unfit through drugs from those of driving whilst unfit through alcohol. The latest available figures relating to the total number of prosecutions for driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs are given in tables 1, 4, 6 and 17 of "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales 1979", Cmnd. 8087.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make any future appointments to the Totalisator Board and Horse Race Betting Levy Board conditional on the candidate accepting the application of a universal ban by jockeys of the use of the whip against their mounts.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the reason for the increase from £4·50 to £17 per annum in the cost of a licence for a VHF radio as used by small boat sailors; and if he will reverse the decision to make this increase.

The decision to increase the licence fees for private users of radio, and the reasons for the increase, was announced on 10 December and the increases took effect from 1 January. As a result, the fee for the ships' licence which includes VHF only installations was increased from £6·40 to £17·50 per annum. The revised fees ensure, in line with normal Government accounting policy, that the full costs of administering a service are met by the beneficiaries of that service and not by other users of radio or the taxpayer. I hope shortly to be meeting representatives of the Royal Yachting Association to discuss the matter further.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the basic payments made to a new entrant policeman, one with 20 years' service, a sergeant, superintendent and inspector; and what additional payments are made or claimable for all stated purposes.

:a The annual basic pay of police constables ranges from £4,956 for new entrants under the age of 22 to £7,848 for officers with 15 years' service or more. It varies also according to length of service from £7,503 to £8,607 for sergeants, from £8,607 to £10,242 for inspectors, and from £13,494 to £14,745 for superintendents. In addition, all members of the Metropolitan and City of London police forces are paid London weighting of £588 a year and a special London allowance of £894 a year.Officers who are not provided with free accommodation are paid a rent allowance within the limits approved for the force; these range from £1,007 to £1,980 for officers below the rank of superintendent and from £1,168 to £2,297 for superintendents. Officers below the rank of superintendent receive additional payments at enhanced rates for any overtime worked and officers on certain specialist duties receive additional allowances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call a conference of the local authorities, police, employment officers, community relations officers and hon. Members in areas with population of more than 10 per cent. ethnic populations to discuss current problems.

I am not sure that such a large-scale conference would be the best way to obtain the views of those concerned. In the course of the study of racialist activities which I announced earlier this year, my officials are visiting most areas with a substantial ethnic minority population to discuss current issues with the local authorities, the police and representatives of the ethnic minorities. I and other Ministers are having discussions or receiving representations from a variety of interests and areas involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he decided to introduce the statutory instruments on the growth of small lotteries which result in the payment by the organisations of a registration fee of £20 and an additional annual fee of £10.

The monetary limits on these lotteries and the fees payable, which are intended to cover the administrative costs of registration, were fixed by the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976. Both have been doubled with effect from 1 July 1981 to take account of the effect of inflation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received in the last three months in favour of a re-introduction of (a) corporal punishment and (b) capital punishment; and if he will make a statement.

In the three months ending 30 June, 674 letters favouring the reintroduction of corporal or capital punishment (or both) were received, including 85 from right hon. and hon. Members forwarding their constituents' views. Of the total, 96 were concerned solely with corporal punishment. My right hon. Friend has no plans to reopen the issue of corporal punishment; the considerable doubts about its efficacy expressed by committees of inquiry in 1938 and 1960 remain valid today. A motion to restore the death penalty was defeated by a substantial majority in this House on 19 July 1979 and we are not aware of any major change in the views of the House since that time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyclists were convicted for cycling on footpaths during the last two years for which this information is available.

In 1978 and 1979, the latest years for which information is available, about 1,300 and about 1,700 respectively were found guilty in England and Wales of the offence of riding a cycle on a footpath.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will order an investigation into the activities of extreme right-wing bodies in the light of the evidence sent by Granada TV on Monday 6 July to the Metropolitan Police.

Criminal allegations are a matter for the police. My right hon. Friend is examining the wider aspects of the activities of such bodies in the course of the study into racial attacks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to impose restrictions on the sale of the chemical Gramoxone in the light of its possible damage to life and health.

There are already restrictions under the Poisons Act 1972 on the sale of the poison paraquat, which is the main constituent of the herbicide Gramoxone. Retail sales, full details of which must be recorded in a poisons book, may be made only by registered pharmacists or by persons listed with the local authority as sellers of poisons. The latter may sell only to persons known by the seller to be engaged in the trade of agriculture, horticulture or forestry and for use in that trade or business; subject to the same record-keeping requirement, pharmacists and wholesalers may sell to other users if satisfied that the purchaser is a person to whom the poison may properly be sold.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the details of the road traffic accident which occurred in Park Lane on 8 July, involving an armoured Jaguar police car; and if he will state the cost of repairing the damage to each of the motor vehicles involved.

I understand from the Commissioner that a collision occurred between a Metropolitan Police vehicle and a Peugeot estate car at the junction of Park Lane and Stanhope Gate W1 at 11 am on 8 July, the circumstances of which are still subject to inquiry. Both vehicles sustained damage and people in both vehicles were slightly injured. The cost of repairing the damage to the police vehicle has not yet been assessed. The Commissioner has no information about the cost of repairing the other vehicle.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of operating one armoured Jaguar police car, and what is the average cost of providing drivers for one armoured Jaguar police car.

I shall write to the hon. and learned Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extent the disturbances which took place in the city of Manchester on the evening of 8 July 1981 were attributable to individuals and influences from outside the city.

This is a matter which the police are investigating.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what categories of persons are given official protection by the Metropolitan Police.