asked the Attorney-General whether any steps are being taken by his Department to improve the methods and lower the costs of conveyancing in respect of residential property.

As and when resources permit, it is intended to extend the compulsory registration of title. The provisions of the Housing Act 1980, extending the right to purchase the freehold of rented property, also have the effect of extending compulsory registration by requiring the title to properties bought pursuant to these provisions to be registered even if situated outside the compulsory areas. Within the Land Registry it is intended that registered conveyancing will be facilitated by increased computerisation.

asked the Attorney-General what progress has been made towards computerising conveyancing methods as described in the report of the Royal Commission on legal services.

Clause 27 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is designed to facilitate computerisation of local land charges registers and it is hoped during the current Session to introduce analogous legislation enabling the register of title at Her Majesty's Land Registry to be computerised. Practical trials have proceeded encouragingly at the Plymouth district registry, where the experimental work has been greatly assisted by the installation of additional computer equipment. The land charges department has continued to operate the computerised system which was successfully introduced in 1974.

asked the Attorney-General what financial surplus is expected to be made by the Land Registry in the current financial year.

In the current financial year it is expected that the Land Registry will have a surplus of approximately £4 million, principally due to the large volume of work being received.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give the current rates of conviction and acquittal after a plea of not guilty in (a) the Crown court and (b) magistrates' courts.

During 1980 the percentage of defendants acquitted in the Crown court after pleading not guilty to all counts was 50 per cent. I understand that the corresponding figure for magistrates' courts is not available. The figures for the Crown court vary significantly from circuit to circuit, and the national average given above for England and Wales may therefore be misleading.

asked the Attorney-General whether he has received a reply to his application to the Charity Commissioners under section 5 of the Charities Act 1960 for two charities associated with the Unification Church to be removed from the Register of Charities; and if he will make a statement.

On 5 October 1981 I was informed that the Charity Commissioners required extensive further details of the grounds of my request of 23 June. Work is already in progress on the preparation of these further details. As soon as it is finished they will be sent to the Charity Commissioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the safety and security of the bomb-laden ship in the Thames Estuary, the SS "Richard Montgomery", in the light of the Royal Navy's most recent survey of the wreck.

I expect to receive a report on this survey fairly soon. I am satisfied with the arrangements that have been made for the security of the wreck.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for each of the past six years, the output per head of airline pilots in the principal countries.

I regret that no international statistics are available to enable one to make useful comparisons.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the nationalised industries consumers' councils and to assess their effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

We are currently examining the scope for reforming the present NICC structure, on which I shall make a further statement as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the National Consumer Council and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

As announced in January 1980 we see a continuing role for the National Consumer Council which, like other public bodies for which I am responsible, is kept under periodic review on the basis envisaged in the CSD guide.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if in view of the threatened dislocation of the British electric lamp market likely to be caused by the coming into production of the Tunsgram manufacturing plant in Cork, with a capacity of 30 million lamps a year, he will enter into negotiations with the Government of the Republic of Ireland to secure a voluntary limitation of imports of lamps into the United Kingdom;(2) if he will investigate whether the Tunsgram electric lamp manufacturing plant in Cork is dumping electric lamps on the British market.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what tariffs are now imposed on United Kingdom exports of manufactures to Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, India and the West Indies; and whether other countries now enjoy the same or more favourable access to these markets.

[pursuant to the reply, 19 November 1981, c. 208.]: I regret that a complete answer could be provided only at dis-proportionate cost. The information which follows is therefore illustrative rather than comprehensive.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will compare the level of royalties paid on oil and natural gas produced in the leading EEC countries; and in what circumstances royalties are reduced as an incentive to intensify the search for petroleum.

Information about the royalty regimes operated by other member States is not readily available. Section 41(3) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975 empowers the Secretary of State to repay, with the approval of the Treasury, royalties where expedient for the purpose of facilitating or maintaining the development of the petroleum resources of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, in view of imminent legislation affecting both the British Gas Corporation and the British National Oil Corporation, if he will make available to hon. Members copies of the corporate plans of both corporations.

The corporate plans of the British Gas Corporation and the British National Oil Corporation are commercially confidential and their publication is a matter for the corporations concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether it is possible to evaluate the asset value of British Gas Corporation oilfields prior to disposal before an arrangement has been reached about the shape of North Sea taxation.

Purchasers will make their own estimates of relevant factors, of which taxation is but one.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what funds are currently standing in the national oil account; and whether the account regulated by section 40 of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-Lines Act 1975 will be replaced by equity capital arrangements for the British National Oil Corporation.

The balance of funds in the national oil account on 31 October 1981 was £631 million. The Government's policy towards the future of BNOC was debated on 10 November—[Vol. 12, c. 429–507]. Details of the legislation will come forward in the normal way.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will analyse North Sea proven oil reserves by (a) companies and (b) nationality.

Information on the companies reserves is held commercially in confidence.The division of remaining proven oil reserves by nationality is as follows:

	per cent.
United Kingdom interests	40·40
United States interests	44·08
Other interests (mainly EEC)	15·52
	100·00

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the increases in gas, electricity and coal prices over the last 10 years.

The prices of gas, electricity and coal to the domestic sector increased by 225 per cent., 406 per cent. and 380 per cent. respectively between November 1971 and November 1981. The calculations are based upon movements of the individual fuel components of the general index of retail prices and include an estimate for the fuel price increases announced in October and November 1981 for gas and coal respectively.Gas, electricity and coal prices to the industrial sector increased by 558 per cent., 320 per cent. and 386 per cent. respectively between the quarters April to June 1971 and April to June 1981. Data for the third quarter 1981 are not yet available. The gas and electricity prices used are based on net selling values to the industrial sector. The coal price used for the second quarter 1971 was derived from a variety of sources and is intended to be a representative price to industry. The coal price for the second quarter 1981 is based on a Department of Energy survey of some 900 large industrial consumers. This survey began in 1974 and thus the two series used to assess the change are not strictly comparable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the Home Office study "Racial Attacks".

The cost of printing the 3,500 copies produced so far is approximately £1,500. Those undertaking the study did so in the normal course of their duties. Some additional travelling costs were incurred by police officers and officials, but no reasonable estimate can be made of the extent to which these additional costs would not otherwise have been incurred.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the views of Caribbean House, he will now review the need for an increase in the baggage allowances as part of Her Majesty's Government's repatriation scheme.

No. The baggage allowances are reviewed from time to time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to give wider statutory powers to the police to enable them to require gipsies and other travellers to move on, without recourse to the courts, where they are trespassing.

If the police were given powers to remove gipsies from private land without a court order the effect would be to undermine the Caravan Sites Act 1968, as amended. The link between removal and the provision of sufficient authorised sites would be broken, and the problem would simply be moved constantly from one area to another. Such a change would make the police responsible for determining civil disputes and so take them beyond what has hitherto been regarded as the limit of their proper duties.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, as a condition of permitting a further increase in the British Broadcasting Corporation television licence, he will ensure that it should publish the salaries, fees and payments made to its full and part-time staffs and those who contribute to its programmes.

My right hon. Friend does not consider that it would be appropriate to ask the BBC to publish more information about these matters than is already to be found in the corporation's annual accounts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total annual revenue from parking fines levied within the Greater London Council area; what is the individual cost of processing a parking ticket within the Greater London Council area; and what is the total annual cost, both in terms of wages and administration, of the parking penalty system within the Greater London Council area.

The figures requested are available only for the Metropolitan Police district. In 1979, the latest year for which complete figures are available, revenue from the payment of fixed penalty notices for parking offences was £5,386,296. In the same year a further £489,018 in fines and costs was paid in cases which originated in fixed penalty notices but were dealt with by the courts.The latest information relating to the last two questions dates back to 1978, and is to be found in part IV and annex K of the report of the interdepartmental working party on road traffic law, published in May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the level of expenditure on police services per head of population borne by the rates and rate support grant, but excluding the Home Office police grant (a) in all forces in England and Wales taken together, (b) in the Metropolitan Police area and (c) in England and Wales outside the Metropolitan Police area.

The information is as follows:

(a) £17·48

(b) £30·01

(c) £15·27

All figures are provisional.The figure for the Metropolitan Police area reflects, among other differences, the higher rate of pay in London and the higher ratio of police officers to population (1:320 in the Metropolitan Police area as against 1:453 for the rest of England and Wales).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the Commission for Racial Equality and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the Commission continues to have an important role to play. The Home Affairs Committee's report on the operation and effectiveness of the commission is expected to be published shortly, and my right hon. Friend will study its findings and recommendations. In addition, reviews of the commission on the basis of the procedures set out in the Civil Service Department guide will be conducted from time to time.

asked the Prime Minister what is the shortfall in trend output and in the national stock of wealth since May 1979; when she expects trend output to be resumed; and whether and when she expects the rate of growth to accelerate to enable the loss of wealth to be made up.

Such calculations as the hon. Member seeks cannot reliably be made. An important element in any such calculations would be an estimate of the underlying trend growth in productivity. The trend in recent years has been significantly different from that experienced in the 1960s and early 1970s and an extrapolation of it would not provide a firm guide to current and future trends.My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has today published "The Economic Prospects to the end of 1982". This shows that growth in GDP between 1981 and 1982 is expected to be 1 per cent., close to the trend growth of output between 1973 and 1979. Prospects for later years are not available, but progress towards restoring sustained growth in GDP will depend on the rate at which inflation is brought down. The Government's policies are aimed at achieving this, and much depends on the behaviour of wages in achieving a favourable balance between output and prices.

asked the Prime Minister what is the average annual cost to the Government of educating a person (a) in the United Kingdom university system as a whole, (b) at the university of Stirling and (c) at the European Institute in Florence.

The average cost to the Government of educating a person at a university in the United Kingdom for the last year for which comprehensive information is available—1979–80—was approximately £6,000 revalued at current prices. The comparable figure for Stirling was approximately £5,500 on the same price basis.These figures have been calculated by relating the recurrent institutional costs to the number of students and adding a figure for average maintenance grant less parental contribution. As the primary objective of the European University Institute is research, no valid comparison can be made on this basis for that institution.Comparisons between the cost of educating a person at a particular United Kingdom university and the average cost have to be viewed in the light of the mix of subjects—for example, the proportion of science and engineering courses—and length of courses offered at the institution concerned.

asked the Prime Minister what is the average annual cost to Her Majesty's Government of (a) a person in full-time higher education and (b) an unemployed person, taking into account payments of grants, benefits and so on, and also loss of revenue which would accrue to the Exchequer if the unemployed person were working.

The average recurrent cost including awards costs per student in full-time higher education is about £5,700 a year at current prices.Benefits paid to the unemployed depend on their individual circumstances. For someone of student age and with no special needs or responsibilities, supplementary benefits would amount to about £1,100 if they were unemployed for a full year.Estimates of losses of income tax and national insurance contributions due to an increase in unemployment depend on assumptions about what the unemployed would have earned had they been in work. There would be no loss in respect of unemployed people who would otherwise have been in full-time higher education, since they would not as such have paid income tax or national insurance contributions.

asked the Prime Minister (1) by how much she estimates local authorities (a) in England, (b) in England and Wales and (c) in the United Kingdom exceeded current expenditure plans, as contained in Cmnd. 7841, in 1980–81 (i) in percentage terms, (ii) in November 1980 prices and (iii) in cash terms;(2) by how much she estimates local authorities

Volume information is no longer held centrally now that public expenditure is planned in cash. It is therefore not yet possible to compare directly outturns with the plans published in Cmnd. 7841.

asked the Prime Minister if she will clarify the procurement rules for the publicly-financed purchase of sophisticated internationally competitive high technology products; what consideration she has given to the Swansea computer order in this context; and if she has decided to place the order with International Computers Ltd. on a single tender basis.

Since 1 January 1981 the procurement of computers by central Government, and some other parts of the public sector, has been subject to the GATT code on Government procurement and the European Community's supplies directives. With certain exceptions, supplies contracts falling within the scope of these regulations are awarded only after international competition. Ministers will be considering the procurement of replacement computers for DVLC Swansea against this background, but no decision has yet been taken.

asked the Prime Minister when she expects to write to the right hon. Member for Down, South, as promised in her written answer of 21 October; and whether she will publish her letter in the Official Report.

The information sought by the right hon. Member for Down, South has had to be compiled especially in order to answer his question. I expect to be able to write to him shortly. At that stage I will also consider whether to publish the answer in the Official Report.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make it a condition of the grant of further aid to Angola that the Angolan Government introduce an amnesty for British nationals imprisoned over many years in that country.

No. The provision of aid and an amnesty for British nationals imprisoned in Angola are separate issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has about the future of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Cardington, and the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

Following the recommendations of the Strathcona review, and in the context of the Government's continued search for greater efficiency, aspects of the role and organisation of the Royal Aircraft Establishment's facilities are being studied. It is intended that operations at both Cardington and Bedford should continue, but possibilities for contracting out work will still be explored there as elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will indicate the Royal Air Force establishments linked by fuel pipelines; and what proposals he has to increase the number of such connections.

The following Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom are currently supplied with aviation fuel by pipeline:

Alconbury, Bentwaters, Brize Norton, Fairford, Greenham Common, Lakenheath, Lyneham, Machrihanish, Marham, Mildenhall, Sculthorpe, Upper Heyford and Woodbridge.

A programme is under way to supply further stations by pipeline.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated period of time that areas affected by fall-out from a nuclear attack on a nuclear power station would be uninhabitable.

The length of time during which dangerously high levels of radiation would be present in the vicinity of a nuclear power station which had been attacked with a nuclear weapon would depend upon a number of factors, including the yield of the weapon and the degree of damage caused to the installation.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he has taken to reduce the incidence of the costs of Concorde to public funds, as recommended in the report of the Select Committee on Industry and Trade; when the results of the review of the relative costs to public funds of continuation and of cancellation of Government financial support for Concorde, referred to in the Government's reply, will be made available to Parliament; and what options are being considered in the joint studies on the future of Concorde commissioned by the British and French Governments on the occasion of the September Anglo-French summit.

In conjunction with the manufacturers, the procurement executive of the Ministry of Defence, which acts as the Department's agents in the day-to-day technical and financial control related to the project, has undertaken a comprehensive examination of the support required for Concorde in present circumstances and of project expenditures and receipts. The results of that examination, and of the review of the relative costs of continuation and of mutually agreed early cancellation, are set out in a memorandum by the Department of Industry which, in accordance with the Government's undertaking of last July, has today been placed in the Library of the House. Copies have also been sent to the Select Committee. In a report to the ministerial meeting between my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Industry and the French Minister of Transport on 29 October, British and French officials proposed that they should study three options on the future of Concorde, namely, early cancellation—that is, from 1 April 1982—mutually agreed, a phased rundown, and indefinite continuation.The Ministers agreed that the first option need not be the subject of further joint study. The officials will therefore now consider the two remaining options, with a view to presenting a report on them to the two Governments early in 1982. As recorded in the communiqué, of which a copy has been placed in the Library of the House, the Ministers have agreed to meet again in the first quarter of 1982 to reach conclusions on them. I have accepted an invitation by the Select Committee to appear before it on 9 December to assist in its consideration of these matters. I shall be accompanied by my hon. Friend the Minister for Industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will review the regional grants to industry system and seek powers to distribute industry grants more equitably.

The system of regional assistance is kept under regular review to ensure that it is operating as fairly and efficiently as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his estimate of the percentage reduction in capacity in each sector of manufacturing industry as a result of closures since May 1979.

The information requested is not available. Some indication of the extent of the under-utilisation of manufacturing capacity is given by the published analyses of the responses to the survey by the Confederation of British Industry on industrial trends, copies of which are available in the library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many new firms were established in August, September and October 1981; and how many in each case were in manufacturing; and how many took part in the loan guarantee scheme.

No information on how many new manufacturing or other firms were established is available later than 1980, when it is estimated the figure was about 10,000 per month. The number of loan guarantees issued to new businesses in August, September and October 1981 was 178, 157 and 215, respectively. Figures for new manufacturing businesses are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the National Enterprise Board and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend announced the arrangements for the National Enterprise Board and the National Research Development Corporation to work together as the British Technology Group on 20 July. A review of the NEB will be undertaken in the light of the experience of the operation of these new arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the Co-operative Development Agency and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

In my statement on 22 July in the debate on the draft Co-operative Development Agency (Grants) Order 1981 I described the review that had been carried out on the Co-operative Development Agency, and the subsequent action taken which the House approved.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he is satisfied that the British Standards Institution is able to do the work necessary to pass telecommunications equipment for connection to the public network within the time scale announced by the Minister of State on 16 November.

The BSI is responsible only for the preparation of standards with which equipment connected to public circuits must conform. It will not be responsible for the approval of equipment conforming to those standards. The Government are satisfied that there is no practicable alternative to drafting by BSI committees if all interested organisations, includng manufacturers and users, are to participate in the preparation of standards.My hon. Friend the Minister of State and I have discussed with the BSI ways in which the publication of standards can be speeded up, and I am confident that all possible steps will be taken to complete work on mandatory connection requirements as quickly as is consistent with producing standards which will command the wide measure of respect that is necessary. But ultimately the length of time taken over drafting depends not on the BSI secretariat but on the organisations which sit on the technical committees.As it is, I expect standards to be available in order to complete the introduction of a competitive supply of attachments by mid-1983, as the Government envisaged when the liberalisation policy was first announced. This is a very demanding timetable when compared with what occurred in the United States, and the Department stands ready to reinforce the arrangements as appropriate to ensure success. The chairman of British Telecom has already made clear that the corporation will help as much as it can within its resources to accelerate the introduction of the new regime for subscriber equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are his proposals for the rate support grant settlement for Wales for 1982–83.

I am today issuing a consultation paper to the Welsh local authority associations setting out my proposals for the 1982–83 rate support grant settlement for Wales. I shall be discussing these with the Welsh consultative council on local government finance next week. The outturn for local authority expenditure in Wales in 1981–82 implied by local authority budgets is significantly closer to target than in England or in Scotland. The Welsh local authority associations have expressed concern that cash figures based on the plans in Cmnd. 8175 would face local authorities with a level of spending reductions in 1982–83 which they would find difficult to achieve. Taking these factors fully into account I am therefore proposing a cash provision for local authority current expenditure of £1,126 million, an increase of £94 million over the 1981–82 settlement figure. I also intend to take the factors into account in setting the level of capital allocations. Total relevant expenditure for RSG purposes is proposed to be about £1,290 million, depending on final decisions on capital and on the level of council house rents. The latter are the subject of separate consultations with housing authorities on the basis of a proposal for an average increase of £2·50 per dwelling per week. I propose that the rate of Exchequer grant should be 72·5 per cent. Aggregate Exchequer grant for 1982–83 would then amount to about £935 million.The general effect of these proposals, if local authorities rate in accordance with the assumptions underlying the settlement, is that there should be no increase in the average general rate poundage in Wales. Against that background I think it right to take this opportunity to alter the balance in favour of non-domestic ratepayers by reducing the domestic rate relief from 36p to 18½p, the levl prevailing in England. The resources thus released will be added to block grant. The consequence should be a reduction in rates for non-domestic ratepayers next year, with a single figure increase in the average domestic rate.In general, I propose that the block grant mechanisms used in the 1981–82 settlement should continue for 1982–83, except that further pressure will be applied to overspenders by increasing the power of the curve in the grant related poundage schedule from 1·35 to 1·45. I also propose to limit the effects of the change in GRE assessments and the residual effect of moving to the percentage basis of equalisation by applying a single stage safety net of 5p at the ratepayer level.My final decisions on the settlement will be taken after I have consulted the Welsh consultative council on local government finance.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total unemployment in Wales at the latest available date in numbers and percentage terms; what were the comparable figures of unemployment in October 1980 and 1979; and if he will give with these figures the number of young persons in youth opportunities programmes and similar schemes.

The information is as follows:

Date	Seasonally adjusted unemployed (Excluding school-leavers)		Number participating in youth opportunities programme
	Number	Percentage
12 November 1981	158,400	14·6	17,345
9 October 1980	117,300	10·8	12,000
11 October 1979	78,300	7·2	8,150

In addition to those young people on the YOP, there were others taking part in the community enterprise programme and the unified vocational preparation programme, but corresponding figures are not available in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he proposes to use his default powers in respect of local authorities in Wales which do not fulfil their obligations under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

I am not aware that any local authority in Wales is not fulfilling its obligations under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Her Majesty's Government propose to give private medical insurance contributors either tax relief or relief from having to contribute to the funding of the National Health Service.

We have no plans at present to do so. As the hon. Member knows, the general question of health care financing is currently under consideration by an inter-departmental working party whose formation was announced on 30 July.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his assessment of the increase in output, manufacturing and general, and the change in the gross domestic product in the year ahead;(2) what is his estimate of the increase in demand in the next 12 months and his assessment of where that demand is to be generated from.

I refer the hon. Member to the Industry Act forecast being published today.

Percentage change on 1976 4th Quarter
	Sterling Effective Index	Deutschmark: Sterling	EUa/ecu: Sterling	Dollar/Sterling
1977 4th Quarter	+5·8	+1·0	+4·1	+18·7
1978 4th Quarter	+3·2	-6·8	-0·4	+18·8
1979 4th Quarter	+13·3	-4·5	-3·4	+29·4
1980 4th Quarter	+28·3	+14·8	+16·7	+42·9
October 1981	+12·9	+4·0	+12·8	+10·4

Following each realignment of currencies participating in the European monetary system's exchange rate mechanism, a notional central rate for sterling against the ecu is calculated. The changes in the notional central rate over that notional rate calculated when the mechanism was introduced in March 1979 are as follows:

	Per cent.
September 1979	+2·0
November 1979	+2·2
March 1981	+18·3
October 1981	+9·4

The quantity of sterling in the ecu—the basket of currencies used in the EMS—has been unchanged at 8·85 pence since the establishment of the system.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate, based on the latest United Kingdom figures, of the current rate of exchange and the trend rate of increase in other countries, of the United Kingdom's competitive position in terms of relative unit labour costs for manufactures.

For the most recent estimates of the IMF's index of United Kingdom relative normalised unit labour costs, I refer the hon. Member to "International

	1973 per cent.	1974 per cent.	1975 per cent.	1976 per cent.	1977 per cent.	1978 per cent.	1979 per cent.	1980 per cent.
ECSC	—	17	33	49	35	34	38	36
EIB	10	18	36	38	35	22	32	25
Euratom					*—	—	—	—
NCI							*38	—
* First year of operation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage change in the effective and real exchange rates for sterling against (a) the deutschemark, (b) the European unit of account, (c) the European monetary system central rate and (d) the dollar each year and currently since the fourth quarter of 1976; and whether and to what extent the European monetary system figures have been affected by the changed value of sterling in the currency basket.

The information is as follows:Financial Statistics". The series is also published in

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of total loans disbursed through (a) the European Coal and Steel Community, (b) the European Investment Bank, (c) Euratom and (d) the New Community Instrument—Ortoli Facility—has come to the United Kingdom in each year since 1973.

Details of Community loans to the United Kingdom can be found in the Commission's "Report on the Borrowing and Lending Activities of the European Community"—doc 9171–81—which was deposited in Parliament on 9 October 1981.The report shows that the proportion of total loans which has come to the United Kingdom in each year from 1973 until 1980, inclusive, was as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of their relevance to the multi-fibre arrangement and in order to identify any new import surges requiring quota action, he will give higher priority to the production of textile statistics.

I have received representations from several hon. Members and from the textile industry directly about the absence of trade statistics for textiles for March to August 1981. I very much sympathise with the problems that the textile industry faces but, after further examination of the options for the recovery of trade statistics, delayed by the Civil Service dispute, it remains clear that to make exceptions in the case of all industries which have made representations would worsen the difficulties of producing current figures and processing the backlog.Figures for the current levels of trade in textiles for September onwards will be available according to the normal timetable and should identify any sharp increases in imports in the future.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each quarter since the beginning of 1979 the estimated outflow of capital held by residents of the United Kingdom divided between (a) investment and unit trusts, (b) other savings institutions, (c) other corporate bodies and (d) private individuals, together with an estimate of the return which he would expect to be earned on each class of capital.

This information is published in Financial Statistics, October 1981, as follows: investment trusts—table 8.12—unit trusts—table 8.11—all financial institutions other than banks and licensed deposit takers—table 8.1. An analysis of total overseas investment and other capital transactions is published in table 11.2 of Financial Statistics but no breakdown between other corporate bodies and private individuals is available. It is

£ million
	Customs duties	Agricultural levies	Sugar and isoglucose levies	VAT Own Resources	Total
1978	714	227	15	* 596	1552
1979	868	230	17	844	1959
1980	861	241	19	741	1862
1981	759	174	24	1188	2145
* In 1978, the United Kingdom paid £596 million based on its share of Community GNP because the VAT own resources system had not then been implemented.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gross domestic product was devoted to the central Government (a) current and (b) current and capital expenditure in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.

The percentages of the United Kingdom gross domestic product at market prices accounted for by central Government expenditure were as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each of the past financial years the amount declared to tax in respect of income from abroad as provided for in notes 41, 45 and 46 of the "Tax Return Guide 1981–82"; and whether he is satisfied that United Kingdom residents with assets abroad are not evading taxation on the income derived from such assets.

I regret that the information requested cannot be supplied except at disproportionate cost.The Inland Revenue makes every effort to detect tax evasion and is constantly seeking ways of improving its techniques of combating it. In the case of income from abroad it is able to obtain assistance from other tax Administrations through the United Kingdom's extensive network of double taxation agreements which provide for exchange of information between the contracting parties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each of the past three years and the current year to date the amount payable to the European Economic Community before deduction of the cost of collection by way of (a) value added tax, (b) duties on food, drink and other goods, respectively, and (c) levies and other charges imposed under the common agricultural policy.

The amount paid over in own resources contributions to the European Community budget for the years 1978, 1979 and 1980, and 1981 to date, are as follows:

	(a) current	(b) current and capital
1971	10·8	11·9
1972	10·9	12·0
1973	10·7	11·8
1974	12·0	13·2
1975	12·6	13·9
1976	12·7	13·9
1977	12·1	13·1

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of unincorporated and of incorporated taxpayers' accounts the Inland Revenue aims to examine; and what was the percentage actually examined in each case in the latest available 12-month period.

All accounts received by the Inland Revenue are reviewed and a proportion selected for closer examination. In the year to 31 October 1981 about 6 per cent. of the accounts of unincorporated businesses and about 33 per cent. of company accounts—mainly the larger companies—were scrutinised for any necessary adjustments to the tax computations. There are no precise targets for this work. In the same year about 2·75 per cent. of the accounts of unincorporated businesses and about 0·6 per cent. of company accounts—representing about 0·9 per cent. of the smaller companies—were thoroughly examined because the inspector was not satisifed with their basic accuracy. The targets were 3 per cent. of unincorporated businesses and 1 per cent. of the smaller companies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the 1981–82 Defence cash limits.

When the Defence cash limits for 1981–82 were set it was agreed that they would be reviewed in the course of the year to take account of the Armed Forces pay award and other developments. We have now completed that review. Subject to parliamentary approval, the Defence cash limits for 1981–82 will be increased by £319 million to £11,854,204,000.This increase provides for the full additional cost of the Armed Forces pay award—£82 million—and a further addition of £300 million which has been determined in the light of the priority attached to the Defence programme. It also includes some minor adjustments of just less than £1 million overall. In accordance with normal practice, a deduction of £64 million has been made in respect of the overspending against the Defence cash limits in 1980–81, reducing the net increase to £319 million.In addition to the changes to the Defence cash limits, the net borrowing requirement of the Royal ordnance factories has increased by £43 million because of the loss of Iranian orders and a general reduction in the level of sales, and a technical addition of £23 million has been agreed in respect of some 1980–81 payments for Service pensions that were not booked to account in that year owing to industrial action.Additional provision for the cash limit increase and the Service pensions payments will be sought by means of spring Supplementary Estimates. The gross increases to the cash limits and the ROF borrowing requirement will be charged to the Contingency Reserve, and will not therefore add to planned spending totals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the current Treasury rules as to which items of public expenditure, current and capital, and of public guarantees, appear in the public sector borrowing requirement.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 November 1981, c. 429]: The public sector borrowing requirement measures the net financing needs of the public sector after taking account of receipts and expenditure. Apart from the capital value of leased assets, all items included in the public expenditure planning total affect the requirement.When the Government guarantee borrowing by a private sector institution the PSBR is affected only if and when the guarantee is called. The total value of Government guarantees outstanding is published annually in the Supplementary Statement on the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total expenditure by his Department in 1980–81 and the estimated expenditure in 1981–82 on fees and commission to any outside bodies providing advice to, or acting as agents for, his Department in furtherance of the policy of privatisation of the assets of his Department or of nationalised industries or other bodies.

[pursuant to the reply, 30 November 1981, c. 18]: Shares held by the Treasury in three companies have been disposed of since the Government came into office:

• The British Petroleum Company Ltd.
• Cable and Wireless Ltd.
• The British Sugar Corporation Ltd.

Although the sale of the British Petroleum Company's shares took place in 1979–80, there was consequential Treasury expenditure in 1980–81 of some £1 million excluding VAT. Net Treasury expenditure in 1981–82 arising from the sale of Cable and Wireless shares has amounted to some £4 million excluding VAT and stamp duty. Details of fees and commission in relation to the sale of the Government's shares in the British Sugar Corporation Ltd., which were partly held by the Treasury, are being provided by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in reply to a similar question he has received from the hon. Member.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if, in view of the support of each of the major political parties for the introduction of a freedom of information Bill, she will reconsider the policy of Her Majesty's Government on this matter; and when Her Majesty's Government expect to implement the decision and recommendation of the Council of Europe on this subject.

No. I understand that a recommendation on access to information held by public authorities has recently been agreed by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, but has not yet been published.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether, pursuant to her reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West, Official Report, 24 November, column 333, why the ethnic origins of the top civil servants are not recorded; whether she will arrange to do this in the future; whether she will give a rough estimate as to whether, out of 2,410 quoted, such members of the ethnic groups are within single, double, treble or quadruple figures.

The Civil Service has a long-standing policy of equal opportunities. Ethnic origin is not relevant to recruitment or advancement in the service and consequently such information is not recorded. The Government are considering their response to the recommendation by the Select Committee on Home Affairs that some sort of monitoring should be undertaken in the Civil Service. At present there is no basis on which I could offer a reliable estimate of members of ethnic minority groups in any particular Civil Service grade.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers in Scotland were discovered to be paying below wages councils' rates of pay during the last 12 months; and how many were prosecuted in the courts.

The number of employers in Scotland discovered by the Wages Inspectorate in the past 12 months to be paying below Wages Council minimum rates is not readily available. However, the number found during the 10 months from January to October this year was 936. No employer in Scotland was prosecuted under the Wages Councils Act 1979 during the past 12 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each sector of manufacturing industry, the annual rate of increase in output, output per head and output per operative hour in the decade ending in 1973 and the period since May 1979; and if he will provide an estimate of the effect which the closure of plant in each sector has had on productivity by reason of the closure itself and by increasing capacity working in remaining plants;(2) whether he will publish in the

The available information on changes in output and output per head in manufacturing indutries is given in the following table. For the later period comparisons have been made between the second quarter of 1981, the latest quarter for which full information is available, and the first half of 1979; the individual figures for the first two quarters of 1979 were distorted because of the effects of bad weather and industries disputes. Preliminary estimates suggest that by the third quarter of this year output per head in all manufacturing industries combined was a little higher than in the first half of 1979.Following is the table:

Percentage changes in output and output per person employed expressed at an annual rate: United Kingdom
	1963 to 1973		First half of 1979 to second quarter of 1981
	Output	Output per head	Output	Putput per head
All manufacturing industries	+3·6	+4·2	-8·2	-0·8
Food, drink and tobacco	+2·7	+3·3	-2·0	+1·9
Chemicals, coal and petroleum production	+6·5	+6·8	-4·9	-0·4
Metal manufacture	+1·3	+2·8	-13·7	-0·3
Engineering and allied industries	+3·3	+3·6	-9·0	-1·4
Textiles, leather and clothing	+2·8	+5·3	-13·4	-4·0
Other manufacturing industries	+4·3	+4·1	-7·6	-1·6

Corresponding estimates of output per operative hour are not available. However, the average weekly hours worked by operatives in all manufacturing industries fell by annual rates of about 0·3 per cent. between 1963 and 1973 and about 1·9 per cent. between the first half of 1979 and the second quarter of 1981.The main reason for the differences in the figures for the two periods given in the table is that those for 1979 to 1981 show the short-term effect of the current recession, while those for 1963 to 1973 more closely reflect the trend over that period. In addition, however, since the mid-1970s there has been a general slowdown in the trend growth of productivity in nearly all industrialised countries. Despite much research, this change in trend is not well understood. But it seems likely that the successive increases in real energy prices in the 1970s, together with the more rapid inflation, may have played some part in this.My Department has no estimates of the effects of closures of plants on productivity.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many days were lost in manufacturing industry by strikes and by unemployment, respectively, in each of the past 10 years and the current year to date; and what are the corresponding figures for Merseyside.

The available data on working days lost through industrial stoppages in manufacturing industry in the United Kingdom are given in the table below. Corresponding figures for Merseyside are not available because for some national disputes it is not possible to disaggregate estimates below regional level.However, from 1975 to 1978, Merseyside accounted for about 600,000 to 650,000 days lost in manufacturing industry per year on average. For 1979 the position is unclear because of the engineers' strike, for which separate estimates for Merseyside could not be made; but in 1980 Merseyside accounted for no more than about 100,000 of the recorded days lost in manufacturing industry, which is an improvement.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many closures have been notified to him since May 1979 involving at least 100 employees; what are the total numbers involved in (a) manufacturing and (b) other industries; and whether he will publish a table in the Official Report giving the breakdown by sector.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of the number of men and women who are unemployed in the travel-to-work areas of the Ince constituency, giving in each case the number and the percentage and the length of time unemployed, namely, less than 12 months, more than 12 months, more than 24 months and more than 36 months, respectively.

The following tables give the information for the Ormskirk and Wigan travel-to-work areas, only parts of which comprise the Ince constituency. Table 1 gives the total numbers unemployed and the percentage rates of unemployment at 12 November. Table 2 gives for 8 October, the latest date for which figures are available, the numbers who had been unemployed for the lengths of time specified.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers were covered by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme at the latest available date; and what was the industrial sector breakdown of those workers.

The following table gives the figures requested:

October 1981
Sic ord and Industry	Number of potentially redundant jobs	Number of workers sharing short-time
1. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing	111	154
2. Mining and Quarrying	104	441
3. Food, Drink and Tobacco	4,229	6,225
4. Coal and Petroleum	160	308
5. Chemicals and Allied Industries	2,356	3,270
6. Metal Manufacture	18,508	30,126
7. Mechanical Engineering	27,340	55,386
8. Instrument Engineering	1,752	3,855
9. Electrical Engineering	15,771	32,343
10. Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	269	406
11. Vehicles	22,439	55,791
12. Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	24,229	44,430
13. Textiles	12,149	19,485
14. Leather, Leather Goods and Fur	769	1,804
15. Clothing and Footwear	13,527	20,403
16. Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement etc.	5,870	18,910
17. Timber, Furniture etc.	4,042	5,390
18. Paper, Printing and Publishing	3,848	5,423
19. Other Manufacturing Industries	5,298	14,974
20. Construction	2,503	3,006
21. Gas, Electricity and Water	63	77
22. Transport and Communication	902	1,865
23. Distributive Trades	2,535	4,510
24. Insurance, Banking, Finance and Business Services	101	334
25. Professional and Scientific Services	242	403
26. Miscellaneous Services	526	787
27. Public Administration and Defence	—	—
Total Great Britain	169,643	330,106

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the industrial sector breakdown of the number of workers covered by the short-time working compensation scheme in November 1979 and in November 1980.

The figures for November 1979 are not comparable with November 1980 figures because

	April 1980			November 1980
SIC Order and Industry	Number of Potentially Redundant Jobs	Number of Workers	Number of Potentially Redundant Jobs	Number of Workers
1 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing	12	12	60	105
2 Mining and Quarrying	—	—	19	36
3 Food, Drink and Tobacco	1,570	2,138	1,151	1,664
4 Coal and Petroleum Products	—	—	520	918
5 Chemicals and Allied Industries	113	121	3,381	6,745
6 Metal Manufacture	966	1,649	40,115	93,136
7 Mechanical Engineering	2,083	4,588	16,131	39,381
8 Instrument Engineering	1,085	1,052	1,301	3,537
9 Electrical Engineering	2,487	7,599	17,957	48,089
10 Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	870	1,558	2,201	3,524
11 Vehicles	3,562	7,950	36,836	89,929
12 Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	1,929	4,478	29,018	69,555
13 Textiles	15,582	25,315	33,113	54,326
14 Leather, Leather Goods and Fur	1.231	1,699	1,758	2,868
15 Clothing and Footwear	11,427	19,878	21,110	35,573
16 Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement etc.	2,263	4,147	5,422	13,439
17 Timber, Furniture etc.	3,298	6,831	7,766	11,547
18 Paper, Printing and Publishing	742	1,309	2,288	3,997
19 Other Manufacturing Industries	347	859	5,398	11,169
20 Construction	170	330	1,084	1,716
21 Gas, Electricity and Water	—	—	101	273
22 Transport and Communication	36	30	661	1,127
23 Distributive Trades	230	669	3,220	9,291
24 Insurance, Banking, Finance and Business Services	—	—	204	404
25 Professional and Scientific Services	—	—	32	44
26 Miscellaneous Services	431	533	3,734	4,445
27 Public Administration and Defence	—	—	—	—
Total Great Britain	50,434	92,745	234,581	506,838

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of workers for each county area who were covered by the short-time working compensation scheme at the latest available date.

I regret that the statistics in the form requested are not readily available and could be extracted only at disproportionate cost. However the following table shows the figures requested for each region of Great Britain:

Region	October 1981 Number of Potentially Redundant Jobs	Number of Workers Sharing Short-Time Working
Northern	4,786	6,756
Yorkshire and Humberside	27,224	51,463
Midlands	61,945	124,539
North-West	29,321	56,098
London	3,817	6,708
South-East	16,820	35,263
South-West	6,211	10,284
Wales	12,042	21,604
Scotland	7,477	17,391
Total for Great Britain	169,643	330,106

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) males, (b) females and (c) persons in total entered the unemployment register for each month during the past three years for when figures are available; and what were the corresponding numbers leaving the register.

Information on the average number of people in Great Britain joining and leaving the register each month at employment offices is published in table 2.19 of the labour market data section of the Employment Gazette. Employment offices cover about 90 per cent. of the unemployed excluding school leavers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest numbers of unemployed persons in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands; how these figures compare with those for April 1979, showing a breakdown between males and females in each of the following age groups (i) under 18 years, (ii) under 25 years, (iii) over 55 years and (iv) over 60 years, respectively; and how many in each of these age groups (a) have never had a job and (b) have been unemployed for over a year.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 December, 1981, c. 81]: Table 1 below gives the numbers registered as unemployed at April 1979 and October 1981, for the age ranges specified, distinguishing those unemployed for more than 52 weeks.Table 2 gives the total numbers unemployed at April 1979 and November 1981 and the numbers of unemployed school leavers under 18 years of age who had not entered employment since completing full-time education.

Table 1
	April 1979
	Number unemployed			Of whom, those unemployed for over 52 weeks
Age	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Wolverhampton employment office area
Under 18 years	226	284	510	9	30	39
18 to 24 years	1,131	911	2,042	245	183	428
55 to 59 years	318	116	434	161	53	214
60 years and over	504	3	507	199	2	201
West Midlands Region
Under 18 years	3,361	3,457	6,818	119	187	306
18 to 24 years	19,252	14,140	33,392	3,200	2,374	5,574
55 to 59 years	6,872	2,437	9,309	3,322	1,123	4,445
60 years and over	11,981	130	12,111	5,855	53	5,908

	October 1981
	Number unemployed			Of whom, those unemployed for over 52 weeks
Age	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Wolverhampton employment office area
Under 18 years	1,332	1,194	2,526	71	70	141
18 to 24 years	3,711	2,216	5,927	796	505	1,301
55 to 59 years	1,026	255	1,281	314	110	424
60 years and over	1,249	15	1,264	346	7	353
West Midlands Region
Under 18 years	18,190	14,726	32,916	973	725	1,698
18 to 24 years	61,403	39,469	100,872	17,063	8,812	25,875
55 to 59 years	19,842	5,717	25,559	7,233	2,354	9,587
60 years and over	28,070	266	28,336	10,899	154	11,053

Table 2
	Total unemployed			Of whom, school leavers under 18 years of age
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
April 1979
Wolverhampton employment office area	4,415	2,011	6,426	83	152	235
West Midlands Region	84,644	34,684	119,328	792	1,143	1,935
November 1981 (provisional)
Wolverhampton employment office area	13,023	5,409	18,432	894	835	1,729
West Midlands Region	244,511	97,640	342,151	10,471	9,225	19,696

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state in the Official Report the gross cost of one young person on a youth opportunities scheme programme taking account of the allowance paid to him, administration and other indirect costs.

During the 1980–81 financial year, the average gross cost, including training allowances, administration and other indirect costs, per young person on the youth opportunities programme was £870.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many craft and technician apprentices in the engineering industry were made redundant during the 1980–81 training year; and how this compares with the figures for each of the previous five training years.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 December 1981, c. 83]: In the period 1 September 1980 to 31 August 1981, the engineering industry training board received reports of 2,959 craft and technician apprentices made redundant from firms in scope to the board. A further 548 redundancies have occurred since 31 August 1981. Support is available through the EITB to enable apprentices who have been made redundant to continue their training. Because the scale of the problem in earlier years was small, it was not considered necessary by the board to keep records of the number of craft and technician apprentices made redundant in those years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Health and Safety Commission is satisfied with the monitoring of safety at work in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 December 1981, c. 83]: The Health and Safety Commission believes that its current agreement with the Secretary of State for Energy provides a satisfactory framework for the mutual regulation of safety at work in connection with North Sea oil and gas.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to visit any of the Scottish universities.

I met the principals and other representatives of the Scottish universities on 27 November at the university of Edinburgh and will be visiting individual universities at their invitation in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give a detailed list of research into the prevention and treatment of diabetes financed from public funds; if he will give his best estimate of the work in the prevention and treatment of diabetes financed from independent sources; and if he will make a statement.

I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what work is being financed from public funds, what research he is aware of which is supported from other sources into the development of an insulin tablet for diabetics; and if he will make a statement.

The only current research on a possible insulin tablet of which I am aware is that being carried out at the Medical Research Council's clinical research centre where the use of liposomes as carriers of insulin for intragastric administration is being studied. Major problems of preventing the premature degradation of the insulin by enzymes in the gut and regulating the rate of its absorption have, however, not yet been overcome and it is considered that the prospect of developing a successful insulin tablet is at present remote.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he now expects to announce his decision on the section 12 application by Surrey county council relating to the Queen Elizabeth II and Shearwater schools in Woking.

My right hon. Friend is studying the proposals, together with the objections and the authority's comments thereon, and will announce his decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the Crafts Council and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the Arts Council and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether, in accordance with procedures laid down in the Civil Service Department's guide on non-departmental public bodies, he has recently carried out a review to determine whether there is a continuing need for the National Film School and to assess its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement;