asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are currently held in custody in England and Wales who have been so held for more than 18 months awaiting trial.

We shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions have been secured under existing law relating to the use and ownership of airguns in each of the last five years; and if he will categorise these.

The readily available information on the number of offenders found guilty whose principal offence was under the Firearms Act 1968 and involved an air weapon is given in the following table. The compilation of data on the numbers found guilty at the Crown Court during the period 1976–78 of offences in the second group shown in the table would involve disproportionate cost.

Offenders found guilty of offences under the Firearms Act 1968 involving air weapons*
England and Wales	Number of offenders
Section of the Act	1976	1977	1978	1979†	1980†
16, 17(1), 17(2),18(1), 20(2),22(4), 22(5),23(1), 24(4), 25, 47(2)	2,202	2,133	2,117	1,828	1,696
19, 20(1), 21(4),21(5), 22(1),24(1)	2,220‡	2,025‡	2,045‡	1,668	1,884
* As defined in section 1(3)(b) of the Act.
† The figures for 1979 and 1980 are not comparable with those for earlier years because of a change in the counting procedure; prior to 1979 both principal indictable and principal non-indictable offences were counted; see paragraphs 16–20 of Appendix I of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1980", (Cmnd. 8376).
‡ For the years 1976–78 the figures for these sections cover offenders found guilty at magistrates' courts only: figures for the Crown Court are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many instances of damage attributable to the abuse of airguns have been reported to the police in each of the last five years; and how many have resulted in successful prosecutions;(2) how many instances of injury to persons from the use of airguns have been notified to the police in each of the last five years; and how many of these have resulted in successful prosecutions.

Numbers of serious offences recorded by the police in which air weapons were reported to have caused injury or criminal damage valued at over £20 are published annually in Criminal Statistics England and Wales—tables 3.7 and 3.4 respectively of the volume for 1980, Cmnd. 8376. Information collected centrally on prosecutions does not separately identify offences in which air weapons were used.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Battersea, South on 28 October, what is his assessment, on the least favourable assumptions, of the effects on the prison population of the implementation of section 47 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

The reduction in the prison population implied by favourable assumptions would be offset in so far as it was assumed that partly suspended sentences would be given in place of wholly suspended sentences or hon-custodial sentences, that the total length of custodial sentences would be increased, and that reconviction rates would be adversely affected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current annual cost of the prison discharge grant in respect of (a) discharged offenders going to a place of no fixed abode and (b) those who return to a home address; and what the increased cost would be if all discharge grants were to be paid on the basis of no fixed abode.

The estimated total cost of discharge grants in the current financial year is £1,830,000. Separate records are not available centrally for grants paid to discharged prisoners who are homeless and therefore have to pay for accommodation and those who return to a home address. However, a survey carried out over a 3-month period in 1976 revealed that approximately every third inmate discharged received a grant at the homeless rate. On this basis it is estimated that in 1981–82 about £827,000 will be paid to those who return to a home address and about £1,003,000 to those who are homeless and have to pay for accommodation. If all grants were paid at the higher rate the estimated increased cost in the current financial year would be approximately £1·2 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been disqualified from driving within the Metropolitan Police area for whatever period in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Information is not readily available for individual police force areas and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been disqualified from driving in England and Wales for whatever period in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Information on the number of people disqualified from driving could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Numbers of offences which led to disqualification being imposed by the courts, by period of disqualification, are published annually in "Offences relating to Motor Vehicles, England and Wales"—Tables 11 and 12 of the volume for 1978, Cmnd. 7687, and 1979, Cmnd. 8087, and of the supplementary tables for 1980, a copy of which will shortly be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, following the end of the hunger strike by Mr. John Hasse in Strangeways prison, he will make a statement on Mr. Hasse's physical condition.

Mr. Hasse ended his hunger strike on 30 October and since then has been seen daily by the senior medical officer at Manchester who is satisfied that he is now fully recovered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the operation by police forces of hand-held radar speed-check guns.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received representations about misuse of hand-held radar speed-check guns.

A number of people have expressed concern about the use of this equipment following the publicity given to the appeal case heard in Newport Crown court in March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what situations Her Majesty's prisons are required to accept responsibility for mentally disturbed prisoners; and how many persons are at present in prison who would be in mental hospitals if there were places for them.

Prison department establishments have to accommodate all persons who are sent to them by the courts. There are, however, provisions in the Mental Health Act 1959 for the transfer to psychiatric hospitals of prisoners who are suffering from mental disorder of a nature or degree which warrants their detention in hospital. On 30 June 1981, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 320 inmates whom prison medical officers considered to be mentally disordered within the meaning of the 1959 Act. Of these, 144 were unsentenced, and if they were convicted the courts would have an opportunity when passing sentence to consider alternatives to imprisonment including the possibility of ordering detention in a psychiatric hospital under the 1959 Act.

asked the Prime Minister (1) further to her reply to the hon. Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan), whether Mr. Leo Long had access to information relating to British operations conducted to counter Russian intelligence activities in the British zone of Germany between 1946 and 1952;

From May to September 1946 Mr. Long was director of the operations and planning staff of the Intelligence Division of the Control Commission at Hertford, and from September 1946 until his contract expired in July 1952 he was regional intelligence officer and chief political officer in Dusseldorf, the Control Commission headquarters for the North Rhine-Westphalia region. He held the rank of principal intelligence officer—equating approximately to the Civil Service rank of principal—as a temporary Civil Service appointment. Throughout this time he would have had regular access to highly classified documents, including—in the Dusseldorf appointment—some information about British counterintelligence activity. His activities throughout this period were thoroughly investigated. The investigation produced no evidence to refute his own assertion that he did not pass information to the Russians during this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will offer sufficient financial assistance to the Moredun Institute of Edinburgh to expedite the availability of vaccine effective against pasturella infestation of sheep, in the light of the high cost to sheep farmers of the unavailability of an effective vaccine

The Moredun Institute of the Animal Diseases Research Association, financed by my Department, has been working for some years on the development of a vaccine effective against several strains of pasteurella. A vaccine has been produced, in collaboration with a pharmaceutical manufacturer, and is now being tested in extensive field trials. The results of these trials should be available next summer. Progress is not being impeded by lack of funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has determined a revised financial duty for the industrial investment function of the Scottish Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

The Scottish Development Agency has been informed of my determination of its revised financial duty in the following terms:

"The financial duty of the agency will be to be guided, in its decisions to invest and to dispose of investments, by the aim to achieve over a rolling five-year period a cash return at least equal to the cost of Government borrowing over the same period. The period reflects the working assumption that the life of agency investments will on average be five years. The target will be agreed in each year with the Scottish Economic Planning Department for the total cash financial return in the coming year. Figures illustrating the performance of the agency in relation to this duty will be published in the annual accounts".

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress of the Scottish assisted places scheme relating to the school year 1981–82.

The scheme has got off to a good start. A total of 776 pupils are receiving fee remission in 39 participating schools—table A below gives details. Expenditure on fee remission and incidental expenses is expected to be about £800,000 amounting to the whole of the resources transferred from the block grant to grant-aided secondary schools for the scheme.The aim of assisting less well-off families has been achieved. 330–43 per cent.—of the pupils will be receiving full fee remission which indicates a relevant family income of £4,766 per annum or less. A further 86–11 per cent.—have family incomes between £4,767 and £5,500 per annum, and 132–17 per cent.—between £5,501 and £6,500. Table B gives a full income profile.A total of 428–55 per cent.—of the pupils are boys and 348–45 per cent.—girls. 74–10 per cent.—have been admitted to the five denominational schools. 69–9 per cent.—are boarders, although assistance under the scheme does not extend to boarding fees.A total of 214–28 per cent.—of the pupils did not formerly attend a fee-paying school. The relatively high proportion of pupils who did attend fee-paying schools is largely accounted for by the fact that fee remission was made available to the children in the participating schools whose families qualify under the income scale. Many of these were already in receipt of fee remission made available by the grant-aided secondary schools themselves out of the block grant which is being phased out. In subsequent years it will be open to the participating schools to admit a higher proportion of applicants from public sector schools.

Table A
Albyn School for Girls, Aberdeen	4
Benedictine Convent School, Dumfries	nil
Belmont House School, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire	3
Craigholme School for Girls, Glasgow	8
Convent of the Sacred Heart School, Kilgraston, Perthshire	4
Daniel Stewart's and Melville College	194
Mary Erskine
George Watson's
Dollar Academy	20
Edinburgh Academy	9
Fernhill School, Rutherglen	5
Fettes College, Edinburgh	9
Fort Augustus Abbey School	9
George Heriot's School, Edinburgh	46
Glasgow Academy	11
Gordonstoun School, Morayshire	6
The High School of Dundee	63
The High School of Glasgow	17
Hutcheson's Grammar School, Glasgow	74
Keil School, Dumbarton	11
Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow	27
Laurel Bank School, Glasgow	21
Lomond School, Helensburgh	8
Loretto School, Musselburgh	5
Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh	8
Morrison's Academy, Crieff	39
The Park School, Glasgow	19
Rannoch School, Perthshire	5
Robert G:ordon's College	10
Rudolf Steiner School of Edinburgh	5
St. Aloysit. Aloysius' College, Glasgow	51

Table A
St. Columba's School, Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire	19
St. Denis and Cranley School, Edinburgh	5
St. George's School for Girls, Edinburgh	nil
St. Hilary's School, Edinburgh	6
St. Leonards & St. Katharines School, St. Andrews	1
St. Margaret's Convent School, Edinburgh	5
St. Margaret's School for Girls, Aberdeen	2
St. Margaret's School for Girls, Newington, Edinburgh	10
Strathallan School, Forgandenny, Perthshire	nil
Trinity College, Glenalmond, Perthshire	7
Westbourne School for Girls, Glasgow	30

Table B
	pupils	per cent.
Less than £4,766	330	43
£4,767 to £5,500	86	11
£5,501 to £6,500	132	17
£6,501 to £7,500	116	15
£7,501 to £8,500	85	11
£8,501 to £9,010	27	3

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much capital allowances for the hotel industry have cost in each year since the scheme started.

On the assumption that all capital allowances claimed against hotel building can be absorbed by available profits, the cost is estimated to have risen from a negligible amount in 1978–79 to about £10 million in the current year. The actual cost will have been below this maximum figure but cannot be more precisely estimated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much capital allowances for the hotel industry are expected to cost in each of the next three years.

On the assumption that all capital allowances claimed against hotel building can be absorbed by available profits, the cost is estimated at about £15 million in each of the next three years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise the criteria for married persons' tax allowance in order to permit a common law husband or wife to qualify for the allowannce, in view of the fact that he or she is expected by the Department of Health and Social Security to support an unemployed common law spouse.

I have no plans to extend the married man's allowance to people who are not legally married. However, the possibility of changes in the married man's allowance is one of the topics explored in the Green Paper on the "Taxation of Husband and Wife".

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the number of applications received under the business start-up scheme and the number approved in each region of the United Kingdom.

Applications are not needed under the business start-up scheme, other than for approval of an investment fund. The first claims for relief in respect of investment now being made will not be received until after 5 April 1982.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the real spending value of the £ sterling, using 1964 as a base, giving figures for each year to the latest convenient date.

Taking the internal purchasing power of the pound sterling as 100p in September 1964 its value in the September of each subsequent year is given in the following table:

September of each year	pence
1964	100
1965	95
1966	92
1967	91
1968	86
1969	82
1970	76
1971	69
1972	65
1973	59
1974	51
1975	40
1976	35
1977	30
1978	28
1979	24
1980	21
1981	19

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the sum that will be payable in tax rebates to recipients of the mobility allowance in consequence of the decision of the High Court on 30 October.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated loss of revenue in a full year of a reduction in the present 15 per cent. rate of value added tax to 12½ per cent., by how much such a reduction would decrease the retail prices index; and whether, and to what extent, he estimates that this would facilitate employment growth.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November, c. 83.]: In a full year the direct loss of revenue would be about £1,500 million. The impact effect would be to reduce the retail prices index by about 1¼ per cent.The eventual effect on prices employment and Government revenues would depend on a wide variety of factors. Estimates of these effects would require the use of a complex economic model, and would depend on a number of assumptions about for example, monetary policy and the exchange rate. They would necessarily be subject to wide margins of error due to our uncertain knowledge of the underlying economic relationships. In view of this, and the disproportionate costs involved, I am unwilling to commit my Department's resources to making such estimates. The hon. Member may wish, however, to pursue his inquiry via his access to the Treasury's economic model through the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many homeless households were accepted by local authorities under the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 as vulnerable as a result of (a) old age, (b) mental illness or handicap, (c) physical disability or (d) other special reason for each of the years 1978, 1979 and 1980, and for the first six months of the current year.

The information requested is shown in the following table:

	Number of cases accepted
Reason for acceptance	1978	1979	1980
	(April-December)	(January-December)	(January-December)
(a) Old age	220	305	339
(b) Mental illness or handicap	50	88	73
(c) Physical disability	69	104	142
(d) Other special reasons	59	70	58
Information for the first six months of 1981 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of homeless households accepted by local authorities under the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 for reasons relating mainly to pregnancy for each of the years 1978, 1979 and 1980, and for the first six months of the current year.

Information of this type is only available since April 1978 and the figures requested are contained in the following table:

	Number of cases accepted
April-December 1978	214
January-December 1979	324
January-December 1980	459

Information for the first half of 1981 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what have been the figures for public sector housing starts in Wales for the third quarter of 1980 and in the third quarter in each of the past 10 years and for the year ending with the third quarter for the same period.

The information requested is as follows:

Number of public sector housing starts
	Quarter ending 30 September	Year ending 30 September
1970	1,029	4,987
1971	1,094	5,693
1972	543	3,955
1973	775	2,964
1974	1,710	6,355
1975	2,345	8,622
1976	2,031	8,417
1977	1,197	5,451
1978	1,041	4,788
1979	887	4,359
1980	734	3,090

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has plans to carry out major road works on the Aberystwyth-Machynlleth trunk road during 1982–83; and if he will make a statement.

Two quite large schemes, the Maesnewydd improvement and the Derwenlas to Machynlleth improvement, were completed this year. No further improvements are currently envisaged for 1982–83. The possibility of some temporary measures to improve conditions at Furnace bridge—Eglwys Fach are being considered. These might be undertaken in advance of the full bypass scheme which is not currently scheduled for a start until after 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many farmers in Wales have submitted claims under the hill compensatory allowance regulations during the current year; and what were the corresponding figures for the previous three years.

To the end of October 10,915 claims for hill livestock compensatory allowances had been received from farmers in Wales. Figures for the last three calendar years were:

	claims
1978	10,963
1979	10,924
1980	10,919

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have been created in Wales as a result of the opening of new factories since 1 January 1981; and how many have been lost as a result of factories closing during the same period.

Comprehensive information is not available, but factories which are known to have opened since 1 January promise to provide about 4,400 jobs when fully manned. Over the same period about the same number of jobs have been lost from factories which have closed or are in an advanced stage of closure.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is considering in the Principality to attract female doctors back to general practice and to stem their leaving practices in the more industrial areas, where serious shortages are being reported, in view of the fact that mandatory traineeship is proving to be a deterrent to female doctors intending to raise a family.

None. I am not aware of female doctors leaving general practice either in rural or industrial areas, nor have I received any reports of serious shortages. My right hon. Friend and I will gladly look into any particular are a of concern if the hon. Member will provide us with details. We do not accept that mandatory vocational training for general practice is proving to be a deterrent to female doctors; the regulations governing such training provide that it may be acquired part-time over a period not exceeding seven years.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many general medical practitioners are currently in practice in Wales; how this number compares with the previous 10 years; and which areas are finding it difficult to maintain a full general practitioner service.

The number of unrestricted principals in general practice in Wales as at 1.10.80 was 1,372. The number for the previous 10 years is as follows:

Year	Number
1970	1258
1971	1259
1972	1269
1973	1269
1974	1291
1975	1290
1976	1286
1977	1304
1978	1323
1979	1339

I know of no area which is finding it difficult to maintain a full general practitioner service.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will hold a public inquiry into the new draft fishery byelaws and nets limitation order proposed by the Welsh Water Authority.

When my right hon. Friend has completed his consideration of all the representations which he has received, he will decide whether to hold a public inquiry.

asked the Secretary od State for Wales if he has determined a revised financial duty for the investment functions of the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

The Welsh Development Agency has been informed of my determination of its revised financial duty in the following terms:

The financial duty of the Agency will be to be guided, in its decisions to invest and to dispose of investments, by the aim to achieve over a rolling five-year period a cash return at least equal to the cost of Government borrowing over the same period. The period reflects a working assumption that the life of agency investments will on average be five years. A target will be agreed in each year with the Welsh Office for the total cash financial return in the coming year. Figures illustrating the performance of the agency in relation to this duty will be published in the annual accounts.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what recent representations he has made to the Chilean authorities concerning the case of William Beausire, a British passport-holder who disappeared in Chile in July 1975; if he will continue to press this with the Chilean authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Since my right hon. and noble Friend raised this case with the Chilean Foreign Minister in September 1979, we have made regular representations to the Chilean Government, most recently on 2 June and 5 October. I regret to say that neither these representations, nor legal investigations have yet produced any result; but we shall continue to remind the Chilean Government of our concern and of their previous assurances of co-operation and to make it clear to them that we do not regard the case as closed. I intend to raise human rights questions, including the case of Mr. William Beausire, with the Chilean Minister of Labour and Social Security when he visits London next week.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, when placing advertisements regarding its new wave lengths to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the BBC sought to use the advertising columns of the Morning Star.

Electricity generated by public supply power stations by type of fuel—United Kingdom
	(Per cent.)
	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980
Coal (*)	70·8	65·6	57·1	65·1	56·2	64·5	67·4	66–7	67·9	70·1	75·7
Oil (†)	17·1	22·0	28·6	23·2	26·6	19·9	15·7	16·0	17·0	15·2	9·8
Nuclear	9·6	9·9	10·4	9·1	11·7	10·6	12·7	13·9	12·5	12·4	12·6
Other	2·5	2·5	3·9	2·6	5·5	4·2	5·0	3·4	2·6	2·3	1·9
Notes:
(*) Includes generation from Coke and estimates of generation from coal at mixed and dual fired stations.
(†) Includes estimates of generation from oil at mixed and dual fired stations.

The percentages of electricity that are likely to be generated from the various fuels in 1990 are uncertain and will depend on a number of factors, including the evolution of electricity demand, plant availability and performance, and the price and availability of fuels.With the completion of the nuclear stations presently under construction, nuclear capacity in the public supply system is expected to increase from its current level of 5·8 GW to about 11 GW. This capacity will make an important contribution to keeping oil burn at a low level in 1990.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's estimate of the total

Yes. This is a matter for the BBC's commercial judgment.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy for what reasons, other than concern about the effect on the public sector borrowing requirement, he refused permission in December 1980 to allow the British National Oil Corporation to develop the Clyde oilfield.

The decision announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Mr. Howell) on 18 December last was not to refuse permission for Clyde development, but to ensure that first production from the field would be deferred by two years to 1987 in furtherance of our announced depletion policy. It took into account: all relevant factors, including representations made by the licensees and the needs of the offshore supplies industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what percentage of electricity generation has come from (a) coal, (b) oil and (c) nuclear power for each year since 1970; and what are the projected percentages for 1990;(2) what plans he has to increase the use of nuclear power stations in order to reduce the amount of electricity generated by oil by 1990; and if he will make a statement.

For the years since 1970, the information is given in the following table:number of United Kingdom jobs which are directly dependent upon membership of the European Economic Community.

It would not be possible to isolate from among the many factors that have influenced employment since 1973 any which are solely due to our membership of the Community, and I cannot therefore offer a precise estimate.I explained in my reply of 29 October to the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing)—[Vol. 10, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 29 October, Official Report, column 420, if he will provide a breakdown of the type of accidents to young people while working on the youth opportunities programme, the respective industries involved and their regional locations.

In the period July 1980 to June 1981, the major types of accidents were as follows: falls 21 per cent.; entrapment 15 per cent.; impact (excluding falls) 14 per cent.; contact with blade 10 per cent.; abrasion 8 per cent.; falling object 8 per cent. the remaining categories of accidents included injuries from heat, lifting, electricity and fumes. The information requested on the industries involved and their regional locations is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people underwent amputations as a result of accidents while working on the youth opportunities programme in the 12 months to June of this year.

I regret to say that there were 23 accidents involving amputations or part loss of the foot or hand in this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether compensation payments will be made to young people who underwent amputations as a result of accidents while working on the youth opportunities programme.

The Manpower Services Commission, which operates the programme, makes payments to trainees equivalent to those made under the industrial injuries scheme administered by the Department of Health and Social Security under the Social Security Act 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what opportunities exist for retraining for young people who suffer disability as a result of accidents while working on the youth opportunities programme.

Young people who become disabled as a result of accidents working on a youth opportunities programme can continue to participate in the programme. They can also be considered for the full range of Manpower Services Commission's rehabilitation and training provisions for disabled people.Employment rehabilitation centres provide certain courses specifically geared to disabled young people and Manpower Services Commission's training service division can offer vocational training either alongside able-bodied people on standard courses under the training opportunities scheme or training at special establishments and under special schemes exclusively for disabled people to allow for particular circumstances and type of disability.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many deaths of young people occurred as a result of accidents while working on the youth opportunities programme in the 12 months to June of this year.

I regret to say that there were five in this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether compensation payments will be made to the families of young people involved in fatal accidents while working on the youth opportunities programme.

The Manpower Services Commission, which operates the programme, pays amounts equivalent to the industrial death benefit, payable to the families of an employed earner by the Department of Health and Sjocial Security under the provisions of the Social Security Act 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people aged between 16 anf 21 years were unemployed according to the last available official information; how many have been seeking work for more than six months and for more than 12 months; and what are the Government's plans to ensure there will be substantial reductions of this category of person in the near future.

Information is not available for the precise age range requested. The following table gives the information for yoyung people aged under 20 unemployed in the United Kingdom at 8 October.

	Number
Total	613,496
Unemployed for over 26 and up to 52 weeks	100,557
Unemployed forover 52 weeks	65,252

The Government's economic policies are designed to cut inflation, improve incentives and productivity and so lead to more jobs. Meanwhile, the Youth Opportunities Programme has been expanded this year to provide useful training and work experience for up to 550,000 young unemployed with the aim of helping them into work.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Government are considering abolishing the quota system in Wales for employment of disabled people.

The Government are currently considering the Manpower Services Commission's proposal, following its review of the quota scheme, that it be replaced by a statutory duty on employers in respect of the recruitment, retention and career development of disabled people, linked to a code of good practice.Since this would represent a significant change of approach, compared with existing arrangements, we are giving interested parties until the end of the year to comment before we come to any decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider setting up an investigation into the potential medical hazards such as the aggravation of lens opacities (cataract) of the increasing use of apparatus producing microwave radiation; and if he intends to tighten the rules and conditions governing the use of such apparatus by untrained people.

The Health and Safety Executive is discussing with the National Radiological Protection Board whether there may be a need for further investigation of the possible effects of exposure to microwave radiation on human health, and will consider whether existing guidance to users should be updated or reinforced.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average annual number of those unemployed for one year or more in (a) Wolverhampton, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Great Britain as a whole each year since 1970.

The follow⋆ing table gives for the West Midlands region and for Great Britain the numbers registered as unemployed for over 52 weeks, where available, at October each year from 1970. It also gives corresponding information for the Wolverhampton employment office area from 1976. Figures on an annual basis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

October each year	Wolverhampton employment office area	West Midlands	Great Britain
1970	*	6,960	101,669
1971	*	9,838	129,909
1972	*	15,825	177,616
1973	*	11,760	142,562
1974	*	*	127,720
1975	*	13,564	161,224
1976	2,151	*	*
1977	1,770	35,235	324,284
1978	1,887	33,019	333,078

	Number of below quota employers who had NOT been issued with permits during the previous 12 months, and the percentage of all employers subject to quota re-presented by those numbers.		Number of below quota employers who had been issued with permits during the previous 12 months and the percentage of all employers subject to quota represented by those numbers.		Number of below quota employers who had been issued with bulk permits during the previous 12 months and the percentage of all employers issued with permits re-presented by those numbers.
Year (as at 1 June)		per cent.		per cent.		per cent.
1974	10,076	(18·2)	23,030	(41·8)	data not available
1975	10,729	(20·2)	21·611	(40·7)	20,o34	(92·7)
1976	9,707	(19·2)	21,358	(42·1)	20,111	(94·2)
1977	10,060	(19·9)	21,703	(43·0)	20,562	(94·7)
1978	8,661	(18·0)	21,785	(45·2)	20,866	(95·8)
1979	8,822	(18·3)	22,412	(46·4)	21,789	(97·2)
1980	8,225	(17·7)	22,001	(47·2)	21,660	(98·5)
1981	7,890	(18·0)	21,183	(48·4)	20,841	(98·4)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, for each year since 1974, of the firms that had been issued with bulk permits during the previous 12 months, the number and percentage of firms (a) that had been visited by a disablement resettlement officer during that 12 months and (b) that had vacancies during those 12 months and that had notified their local jobcentre or employment exchange of those vacancies arising in the firm during the period of the validity of the bulk permit.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1981, c. 103–4.]: I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the information requested is not available.

October each year	Wolverhampton employment office area	West Midlands	Great Britain
1979	2,142	36,029	337,033
1980	2,629	41,982	378,559
1981	5,697	99,451	746,604
* Not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, for each year since 1974, the number and percentage of firms not fulfilling the requirement to employ 3 per cent. of registered disabled people (a) to whom permits had not been issued during the previous 12 months and (b) to whom permits had been issued during the previous 12 months; and of the latter firms with permits, what were the numbers and percentages of the firms that had been issued with bulk permits.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1981. c. 103 –4.]: The information in respect of employers who had a duty under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 to employ a quota (3 per cent. of their total staffs) of registered disabled people is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of days lost through sickness of employed males over the age of 60 years.

I have been asked to reply.Information is not available precisely in the form requested. However, in the year ending 31 May 1980 the days of certified incapacity of males over the age of 60, for the purpose of sickness, invalidity and industrial injury benefits, totalled 89 million. If those people whose incapacity lasted throughout the year are excluded from the count, the total falls to 28·1 million days.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many males over the age of 60 years are at present in receipt of unemployment benefit; and what is the total amount paid (a) to each person, (b) to husband and wife and (c) to registered disabled.

I have been asked to reply.Because of the effects of industrial action, the latest available information relates to November 1980, before the uprating of benefits later that month. There were then 77,200 men aged 60 or over receiving unemployment benefit. the average weekly rate of unemployment benefit paid to them was £23·70 for a single man and £37·35 for a married man with an adult dependant. Registered disabled people are not separately identified in the statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will ask the Director General of Fair Trading to investigate and report on the mark-up rates of spares for gas appliances being charged by the British Gas Corporation showrooms.

Transfer of Ships from the United Kingdom Register for further Trading: Analysis by New Registry
	1978		1979		1980		1981 (Jan. to end Sept.)
	'000 Grt	Nos.	'000 Grt	Nos.	'000 Grt	Nos.	'000 Grt	Nos.
Argentina	-	-	-	-	9	2	-	-
Bangladesh	16	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bermuda	13	4	14	9	2	1	-	-
Cayman Islands	3	3	8	4	3	2	28	5
Canada	8	3	2	1	15	3	7	4
China	37	3	12	1	-	-	-	-
Cuba	-	-	-	-	18	2	-	-
Cyprus	77	17	56	7	25	3	15	2
Egypt	9	1	1	1	-	-	3	2
France	138	3	-	-	5	1	154	2
Greece	626	48	1,102	65	248	23	199	23
Holland	2	1	343	3	3	1	2	1
Honduras	2	1	9	2	1	1	-	-
Hong Kong	176	8	228	7	198	11	119	8
Ivory Coast	-	-	22	2	-	-	-	-
Italy	24	4	115	3	62	6	13	1
Korea	3	1	39	3	68	3	57	1
Kuwait	26	4	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lebanon	3	2	2	2	10	2	4	3
Liberia	913	19	1,182	21	316	10	556	14
Malta	-	-	10	5	-	-	-	-
Neth. Antilles (Surinam)	161	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Norway	-	-	10	1	-	-	154	3
Panama	299	36	172	30	192	20	274	19
Philippines	15	1	32	2	-	-	36	2
Saudi Arabia	209	2	254	3	125	3	15	2
Singapore	189	19	104	9	101	8	141	13
Taiwan	120	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Thailand	-	-	30	3	-	-	-	-
Turkey	-	-	-	-	-	-	126	2
United Arab Emirates	-	-	-	-	-	-	22	3
USSR	29	1	-	-	-	-	25	2
West Germany	-	-	124	4	-	-	-	-
Others*	88	11	51	7	89	7	254	12
Totals†	3,183	198	3,919	195	1,490	109	2,202	124
Notes:
* Includes the following to which at most one ship was transferred in any one year—and for 1981, one ship for which the eventual registry is not yet known:
Abu Dhabi, Australia, Bhamas, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, Ghana, Gibraltar, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Irish Republic, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, Portugal, Quatar, St. Helena, St. Vincent. Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Turks & Caicos Islands and Yugoslavia.
† Due to rounding, sums of the constituent figures of tonnage may not agree with the totals shown.

Investigations of matters of this kind under the competition legislation are a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading. I understand he has no plans for such an investigation at present, but if my hon. Friend has evidence to suggest that one would be warranted he should write to the Director General direct.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will estimate the number of British registered ships which have been transferred to flags of convenience in the last five years and in 1981 to date.

The available statistics of transfers of ships from the United Kingdom register do not disinguish cases in which a British owner retains beneficial ownership from outright sales. Moreover, there is no generally accepted definition of a flag of convenience. However, the following table gives information on all transfers to all countries. Most are believed to have been outright sales. The information is available only from 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether any steps have been taken since May 1979 to prevent accidental poisoning in children by household and garden preparations; and whether, in view of the 15 per cent. increase in such cases of accidental poisoning of children under five years over the last 12 months, he will introduce further measures during the current Session of Parliament.

I know of no figures to support the statement that there has been an increase in child poisoning in the last 12 months of the kind referred to. However, as I have made clear, I am most concerned about the many accidents to children from poisoning that arise from products used in and around the home. As I announced in the House on 13 April in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr. Hamilton), the best way of preventing such accidents is by suitable warning labels. I intend to introduce draft safety regulations on the matter during the current Session of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to require catalogues or brochures depicting goods for sale by mail order to describe the country of origin of manufacture.

As I explained in the debate in Standing Committee on 1 April, I am satisfied that the practical costs and difficulties of including origin information in catalogues, including mail order catalogues, would be out of all proportion to the consumer benefit achieved. Catalogues will in these circumstances be exempted, on certain conditions, from the requirements of the Trade Descriptions (Origin Marking) (Miscellaneous Goods) Order 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what recent representations his Department has received from the Motor Agents Association; and if he will make a statement.

Like many other trade bodies, the Motor Agents Association regularly makes representations to the Department on matters of mutual concern. I have met representations of the association twice recently and officials have done so on a number of occasions. I believe that it is important that my Department and I should know that views of important trade associations on matters with which we are concerned and I hope therefore that the Motor Agents Association will continue to keep us informed about its views.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on credit card franchise services; and what is his policy towards the recommendation that the credit card companies' non-discriminatory clause should be scrapped.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle) on 10 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will introduce legislation to provide for a levy on the sales of tapes and equipment capable of being used to record off air under arrangements to be assessed by an independent body and approved by Parliament.

As was indicated in the Green Paper on copyright published in July—"Reform of the Law relating to Copyright, Designs and Performers' Protection—A Consultative Document"; Cmnd. 8302—the Government has not received convincing evidence that the introduction of a levy on audio or video recording equipment or blank recording tape would provide an acceptable solution to the problem of in-home taping. However, the Green Paper has invited public comment on this as on other aspects of copyright, and all views expressed to the Government will be given full consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to require the fitting of child resistant closures on all containers of such dangerous household items as bleach, disinfectants and turpentine.

It would be impracticable to require child resistant closures for dangerous household products without a suitable standard. I think, therefore, we should now await the outcome of the work being carried out on a standard by the International Standards Organisation. Only when this work is complete can the case for requiring these closures be properly considered. What I regard as much more important is to require suitable warning labelling on such products as bleach and I intend to introduce regulations to this effect during the current Session of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is his policy towards the proposed European Economic Community directive COM (81) 590 on tariffs for scheduled air transport between member States.

While we will have some detailed comments on the directive we very much welcome the main principles of it and will give them our full support in discussions in the Council of Ministers. Since May of this year we have been urging the Commission to put forward such a draft directive so that we could make as much progress as possible with it during the United Kingdom Presidency. Unfortunately, we did not receive it until the end of October and, although we have arranged for urgent discussions, it is not realistic to expect that the Council could adopt it at its meeting on 15 December.

asked the Sectary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement on the recent agreement with Brazil with particular reference to the likely direct or indirect effects on the leather and footwear industries.

The memorandum of understanding signed with Brazil on 26 October provides for United Kingdom exports totalling £380 million, contracts for which are to be signed by 30 April 1982. The memorandum does not affect the position of the leather and footwear industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what methods are used by his Department to charge for the use of military helicopters in emergencies (a) by the National Health Service and (b) for search and rescue services; and what are the reasons for any differences between the methods.

Where Service helicopters are used to provide an emergency service at the request of the National Health Service, for example to transport patients to hospitals, it is the practice to recover the extra costs involved, principally fuel, in accordance with the normal rules for military aid to the civil community. Different considerations apply in the case of civil search and rescue missions because it is the responsibility of the Department of Trade to provide the service. In some areas of the United Kingdom where there is no Service requirement for search and rescue the Department of Trade pays the full costs of providing the service, with the Ministry of Defence acting as its agent. Elsewhere, because there is a Service need for search and rescue, helicopters are provided on behalf of Department of Trade and the costs are borne by the defence budget.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many technician apprentices have commenced their training at the aeronautical quality assurance directorate at Harefield in the current year as compared with each of the past five years; and what are the comparable figures for the electrical quality assurance directorate at Bromley.

In 1981, 10 technician apprentices commenced training at the aeronautical quality assurance directorate at Harefield. The figures for the previous five years were; 1976 (7); 1977 (14); 1978 (11); 1979 (14); 1980 (10). Comparable figures for the electrical quality assurance directorate at Bromley are: 1976 (20); 1977 (47); 1978 (46); 1979 (18); 1980 (28); 1981 (10).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards maintaining the training programme of both craft and technician apprentices at the aeronautical quality assurance directorate at Harefield; if he will consider increasing the apprentice opportunities as an alternative to additional expenditure under the youth opportunities programme; what differences in cost there would be; and if he will make a statement.

Since 1976 only technician apprentices have been trained at the aeronautical quality assurance directorate at Harefield: the numbers taken in for training are given in reply to my hon. Friends other question for today.The policy of the aeronautical quality assurance directorate is to continue to recruit and train technician apprentices but their training course will be transferred to the electrical quality assurance directorate at Aquila, Bromley, where there is spare capacity and hostel accommodation if required. The likely date for completing the transfer is early in 1983. The reason for the transfer is to make more effective use of our resources: there will be a saving in costs.The policy of the Ministry of Defence in 1981 was to take in for training the numbers of apprentices needed to meet our requirements and that policy will be followed in 1982. The Secretary of State for Employment is aware of the excellent apprentice training facilities which exist in Defence establishments and the current spare capacity. He will no doubt take advantage of this spare capacity if the Department of Employment and the Manpower Services Commission see a need to do so.The question of increasing the number of apprentices in Defence establishments as an alternative to extra expenditure on YOP was considered with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment and it was found to be inappropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish the total expenditure on bands in the Armed Forces in each of the last for years.

The total planned expenditure in each of the last four years, was as follows:

	£ million
1977–78 (Survey 77 prices)	21·6
1978–79 (Survey 78 prices)	20·9
1979–80 (Survey 79 prices)	23·5
1980–81 (Survey 80 prices)	28·4

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancies have occurred or are likely to occur as a result of the introduction of contract cleaning and catering services at defence establishments in the Woolwich and Greenwich area.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1981, c. 90]: Two cleaning contracts in defence establishments in the Woolwich and Greenwich area began earlier in this year. As a result a total of 74 part-time cleaning staff were declared redundant, of whom 29 were subsequently engaged by the incoming contractors.The remaining information given in reply to the previous question remains unchanged.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish the nunber of applications received under the loan guarantee scheme and the number approved in each region of the United Kingdom.

My Department received 1,206 applications during the first five months of the scheme's operation, 1 June to 31 October 1981.Guarantees issued—in England by reference to the areas covered by the Department of Industry's regional offices—are set out in the following table. There is a broad correlation between the numbers of guarantees issued in various regions and the relative size of the region.

Region	Number of Guarantees
ENGLAND
North Eastern	32
North Western	132
Yorkshire and Humberside	96
West Midlands	114
East Midlands	86
South East (including East Anglia)	452
South West	99
SCOTLAND	104
WALES	54
NORTHERN IRELAND	3

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his estimate of the crude steel capacity in the European Community owned in the several States, and the total (a) in the public sector and (b) in the private sector.

The available information is as follows. Separate figures for the public and private sector are not readily available, other than for the United Kingdom, where the public sector is estimated to account for around four-fifths of total crude steel capacity.

Estimated Crude Steel Capacity at 1 January 1981*
	Million Tonnes
Belgium	19·1
Denmark	0·9
France	29·6
Ireland	0·3
Italy	39·8
Luxembourg	6·4
Netherlands	8·6
United Kingdom	25·5
West Germany	67·7
Greece	†1·3
Total EC(10)	199·2
Sources:* European Coal and Steel Community.
† Estimate by OECD for 1 January 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give details of the scheme worked out by his Department and the European Coal and Steel Community and the Co-operative Bank for loans to steel workers made redundant by the reduction of steel-making capacity in the United Kingdom.

I signed with the Co-operative Bank an exchange risk agreement which will assist it to make European Coal and Steel Community loans available at cheaper rates of interest to small firms creating employment in coal and steel closure areas. The exchange risk agreement will protect borrowers against adverse exchange rate movements. The total facility is for £1 million and the maximum size of any one loan is limited to £50,000. The scheme is aimed specifically A small firms and will be operated under simplified appraisal procedures. It should provide a valuable incentive to stimulate investment in these areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what schemes are run to help home-based firms which might otherwise invest abroad; how much has been allocated for this since the schemes began; and how much has been taken up each year;(2) what publicity he gives to his schemes for helping home-based firms which might otherwise invest abroad; if he is satisfied with the response; and if he will make a statement.

There are no such specific schemes. However, assistance under sections 7 and 8 of the Industry Act may be given to projects which would otherwise not be located in this country. The availability of, and the criteria for, such assistance are well-known, but the prime responsibility for investment decisions rests with the companies themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what unemployment rate is his criterion for assisted area status.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 12 February this year.—[Vol. 998, c. 401–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed of 9 November relating to small businesses, he will publish the information he has on the number of new small businesses being set up in any form in which that information is available to him; if he will publish the results of the work being done in his Department described in his answer as soon as it is completed; and if he will distinguish from the figures listed in British Business for 16 and 23 October the numbers of small businesses which became insolvent.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he will announce the appointment of a member for personnel and industrial relations to the board of British Shipbuilders.

Mr. Maurice Phelps, formerly director of personnel and industrial relations at British Shipbuilders, has accepted the Secretary of State's invitation to become board member for personnel and industrial relations for a term of three years from 3 November 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of all Government grants paid to the London borough of Barnet in each of the last five years, including an estimate for 1981–82.

	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82 estimated
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
Rate Support Grants	33·9	39·4	43·4	49·2	*47·4
Rate Rebates Grant†	0·9	0·8	1·0	1·3	n/a
Housing Subsidies and other support‡	5·3	6·4	7·8	9·4	8·8
Specific Grants excluding Housing Support†	4·0	4·8	5·2	6·5	**7·0
Notes
*this figure is an estimate of the grants at present being paid; it is made up of domestic element, and block grant in respect of the borough, GLC and Metropolitan Police.
†based on returns made by the borough council.
‡comprising basic element, new capital costs supplementary finance, high costs, modified rent rebate, rent allowance, slum clearance, improvement grants and home insulation Acts grant.
**does not include certain non-relevant grants included in earlier years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of all Government grants paid to all authorities within the Greater London area in each of the last 10 years, including an estimate for 1981–82.

	1977–78 £	1978–79 £	1979–80 £	1980–81 £	1981–82
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	estimated £ million
Rate Support Grants	947·5	1,133·3	1,286·6	1,457·7	*1,358·7
Rate Rebates Grants†	20·6	20·7	24·3	**27·9	n/a
Housing; Subsidies and other support‡	327·9	472·6	542·3	621·6	536·2
Specific Grants excluding Housing Support† ††	91·3	105·0	128·2	**161·5	‡‡l94·2
Transport Supplementary Grants	100·9	93·5	114·1	136·0	173·0
Notes:
* This figure is an estimate of the grants at present being paid; it is made up of domestic element, and block grant in respect of GLC, ILEA, individual boroughs and Metropolitan Police.
† Based on returns made by the local authorities.
‡ Comprising basic element, new capital costs, supplementary finance, high costs, modified rent rebate, rent allowance, slum clearance, improvement grants and home insulation Acts grants.
** Includes some provisional figures.
†† Does not include certain non-relevant grants included in earlier years.
‡‡ Does not include specific grant paid direct to the Metropolitan Police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what grounds he decided that the Oldham district plan's land requirement required to be increased to provide for an additional 2,150 houses; and if he will make a statement.

The Oldham district plan will need to conform generally to the Greater Manchester structure plan's requirement that land for 8,150 houses should be provided in the borough in the period 1978 to 1986. It is intended to provide also for needs arising from 1986 to 1991 which I understand the borough council put at between 1,500 and 2,000 houses. When my right hon. Friend approved the structure plan he increased the housing land requirement for Oldham by 800 houses to the

The available figures are as follows—they do not include capital grants, for which comparable figures for the whole period are not available.

The available figures are as follows—they do not include all capital grants, for which comparable figures for the whole period are not available.present figure of 8,150 houses. I have not required the release of land for an additional 2,150 houses in the district plan.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent in £ sterling by the Commission of the European Communities on research and development into radioactive waste management for each of the last 10 years at current prices; and how much is being budgeted for 1982–83.

Since 1975 the Community has supported radioactive waste management research in member States by its indirect action programme. The actual expenditure in each year for which information is available is as follows:

	*European units	*Sterling equivalent £ million
1975	l·314M u.a.	0·548
1976	3·797M u.a.	1·582
1977	4·635M u.a.	1·931
1978	1·030M u.a.	0·684
1979	5·353M EUA	3·372
1980	5·010M EUA	3·382
For subsequent years, only budget figures are available
1981	6·231 ECU	3·922
†l982	6·864 ECU	3·590

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what work and projects have been carried out by the Commission of the European Communities into the management of radioactive wastes since 1970.

The Community's joint research centre at Ispra in Italy has carried out work on risk evaluation, protective barriers, actinide separation and actinide monitoring. In addition, the Commission of the European Communities has supported, by its indirect action programme, research by member States on a large number of individual projects. The current five year programme for 1980–1984 includes work on eight areas:

(i)7 immobilisation of low- and medium-level waste, process development, and pilot-plant operation;

(ii) conditioning of highly active solid waste: fuel cladding and dissolution residues;

(iii) treatment of medium-level liquid wastes;

(iv) treatment of alpha emitting wastes;

(v) testing and evaluation of solidified high level waste;

(vi) shallow land burial;

(vii) storage and disposal in geological formations:

(viii) immobilisation and storage of gaseous wasted.

Similar work was carried out in the previous five-year programme for 1975 to 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 12 most recent decisions that his Department has made in respect of applications by district councils for grant-aid for coastal protection schemes; and what is the amount of grant and the percentage the grant represents of the total cost of the scheme.

The 12 most recent decisions made by my Department in respect of applications by district councils for grant-aid for coast protection schemes together with the amount of grant and the percentage the grant represents of the total cost of the scheme are as follows:

District Council	Amount of Grant £	Percentage of the total cost
Torridge D.C.	26,400	44
Dover D.C.	200,180	54
Canterbury C.C.	246,385	67
North Norfolk D.C.	369,290	73
Tendring D.C.	183,690	44
Caradon D.C.	109,880	43
West Dorset D.C	200,480	43
Tendring D.C.	153,130	44
Blackpool B.C.	50,330	39
Thanet B.C.	318,330	79
Arun D.C.	14,260	31
North Norfolk D.C.	468,965	79

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet repaid to six London boroughs that part of their 1980–81 rate support grant which, according to the judgment in the Divisional Com on 21 October 1981, he unlawfully withheld.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) on 9 November.—[Vol. 12: c. 30.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the extent of the reduction o rate support grant in respect of each London borough concerned which according to the judgment in the Divisional Court on 21 October 1981 was unlawfully withheld.

The figures are as follows:

	£
Brent	661,641
Camden	5,112,289
Hackney	929,416
Hounslow	508,676
Tower Hamlets	1,351,180
Waltham Forest	419,655

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of local authority schemes of registration of houses in multiple occupation approved by his Department for each of the following years: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980; for each of those years, how many of the schemes approved were (a) informatory, (b) regulatory and (c) informatory and regulatory combined; what is the total number of schemes currently approved by his Department; in which local authorities they are located; and what is the current breakdown of schemes by type.

Information on the date of confirmation of schemes introduced before November 1979 is not available. The dates of confirmation of the three schemes introduced since that date—all combined informatory and regulatory schemes—are as follows: Salford, 1 August 1981; Bradford, 8 August 1981; and Sandwell, 8 August 1981.The following registration schemes have been confirmed since local authorities were given powers to introduce schemes under the Housing Acts 1961 and 1969:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the operation of the official low start mortgage scheme for first-time buyers; and if he plans any changes.

A consultation paper on low start mortgages for house purchase was issued by the Department on 3 September 1981 copies of which I have placed in the Library. Some replies are still outstanding. I am not yet, therefore, in a position to consider whether any changes need be made in the present arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in the preparation of an order under paragraph 1 of schedule 24 to the Housing Act 1980.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have today laid before Parliament an order under paragraph 1 of schedule 24 to the Housing Act 1980 under which local authorities will have a duty to exercise their powers to require adequate means of escape from fire in respect of houses in multiple occupation of three storeys or more—excluding basements—with a gross floor area in excess of 500 square metres.This order follows concern expressed during the proceedings on the Housing Bill 1980 about fire safety in hostels, and follows detailed consultation with local authority associations. The objective has been to draw the terms of the order sufficiently widely to cover those hostels where the potential risk is greatest without making it so wide that a major new administrative burden would be imposed on local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents were reported to the police on the A11 in Suffolk between Red Lodge and Thetford during each quarter of the years 1979 to 1981, respectively; and how many deaths and personal injuries have been caused.

The information is not readily available in the form requested. Following are the annual figures:

Trunk Road A11: Red Lodge to Thetford Section
	Fatal	Serious	Slight
Accidents
1979	4	21	20
1980	5	20	29
1981 (to end of September)	1	11	25
Casualties
1979	4	24	46
1980	11	39	62
(Casualty records for 1981 not yet separately available).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider, in the context of the proposals announced in the Gracious Speech for improving and extending the fixed penalty system for road traffic offences, introducing on-the-spot fines for gipsies who do not display current vehicle excise licences on their vehicles because of the difficulty of prosecuting offenders who have no fixed address.