asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, on what date it was decided that the Commission and the Civil Service side should each set out a statement of the principle on the question of non-impedance; and on what dates each statement was made available to the other party.

It was agreed on 13 April that the Commission and trade unions representing House of Commons staff should explore the possibility of exchanging statements of principle on the issue of non-impedance. On 17 July the trade union side sent to the then secretary to the Commission a statement of its position. It was told that its paper would be considered, but that significant progress was unlikely before the autumn. It is probable that the Commission will be considering the matter at its meeting on Monday 14 December.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will outline the intended role and powers of the proposed inspector of staffing; and what progress has been made in the creation and filling of this post.

As the Commission made clear in paragraph 14 of its third annual report—1980–81—the appointment of a staff inspector with direct access to itself is one of the ways in which it hopes to exercise greater control over expenditure and staffing in House Departments, and keep within reasonable bounds expenditure by the House on its activities and services. An appointment has been made, and the Commission is currently reviewing the nominee's conditions of service and the terms of a draft directive to assist the staff inspector in carrying out his duties.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the reduced late night rail services have been reflected in changes in the late night transport system for the staff of the House of Commons.

The matter of staff transport after late night sittings was considered by the Commission on 18 May. It was agreed that it would be inappropriate at that time to extend the hours at which the service was available. If there were to be evidence that the difficulties of staff returning home at night have significantly increased because of reductions in late night rail services, the Commission would be prepared to look at the matter again.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, on what date the Commission brought to an end the process of consultation and negotiation between the consultants, management and trade unions on the subject of the grading review; and what progress has been made since then.

On 5 May 1981 the Commission agreed that consultations between the management consultants, the Administration Committee and the staff side on the staff grading review should be brought to an end. It asked the consultants to submit as soon as possible, on the basis of the information acquired by then, a comprehensive report on the grading of all non-industrial staff in the House. The final report was received on 15 June, and on 22 June the Commission decided that copies should be made available to the Board of Management and the trade union side of the Whitley Committee, and invited the Board of Management to submit its observations. These were received on 25 November. The grading review was before the Commission at its meeting on 7 December. The Commission decided against accepting the recommendations of the review; partly because of the present period of financial restraint, and partly because most of the recommendations appeared to it to favour those of the staff who were already comparatively high-graded, and to downgrade many of the lower-paid. It was, however, prepared to consider, with the assistance of the newly appointed staff inspector, any anomalies that there might be in the existing structure, on their merits.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, whether it is proposed that a parliamentary gift should be presented to the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda to mark the attainment of independence on 1 November.

The House of Commons Commission has noted with pleasure the recent independence of Antigua and Barbuda. It is sure that the House will wish to offer a suitable gift to their House of Representatives to mark this occasion. An appropriate motion will moved in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if there are any plans to build advance factories in Tregaron and New Quay in Ceredigion in 1982; and if he will make a statement.

I shall be considering the proposals of the Development Board for Rural Wales for factory building within its area of responsibility as part of its construction programme for 1982–83, recently submitted to me for approval.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many sheep have been killed by dogs in Wales so far in 1981; and what were the corresponding figures for the previous three years.

Statistics of sheep reported killed by dogs ceased to be kept centrally after 1978 in accordance with our policy of reducing the statistical information required from local authorities.

Deaths of infants under one year of age: 1974–80
Health Authority	1974		1975		1976		1977
	No.	Rate*	No.	Rate*	No.	Rate*	No.	Rate*
Clwyd	72	14	47	10	65	13·7	62	14·3
Dyfed	75	19	70	19	41	11·3	48	13·4
Gwent	89	16	74	14	69	13·2	66	13·0
Gwynedd	48	17	32	12	29	11·1	33	13·5
Mid-Glamorgan	143	19	109	15	100	14·6	103	15·7
Powys	18	14	16	13	19	15·8	9	7·7
South Glamorgan	85	17	68	15	59	12·5	56	12·6
West Glamorgan	87	19	76	17	72	16·3	53	12·8
* Deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births.

Health Authority	1978		1979		1980
	No.	Rate*	No.	Rate*	No.	Rate*
Clwyd	55	12·1	58	11·5	58	11·7
Dyfed	39	10·5	61	15·0	39	9·7
Gwent	75	14·5	63	10·8	66	11·2
Gwynedd	29	11·0	28	10·0	26	9·2
Mid-Glamorgan	107	15·5	88	11·8	92	11·6
Powys	22	19·1	12	9·9	9	6·7
South Glamorgan	57	12·2	70	13·8	74	13·8
West Glamorgan	56	12·5	67	14·3	62	12·5
* Deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will propose at the United Nations that the social and economic commission of the United Nations Organisation should send an investigating team to Sri Lanka to look into the question of alleged discrimination against the Tamil minority there.

No. The Sri Lankan Government have said that they are determined to resolve Sri Lanka's communal problems. This is a Sri Lankan affair and intervention from outside would not be helpful.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the steps taken to mark the 1300th anniversary of the founding of Bulgaria.

On the occasion of Bulgaria's national day, Her Majesty the Queen sent to the Chairman of the State Council a message of greetings and good will during this 1300th anniversary year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the infant mortality rate and the number of deaths of infants under one year of age for each area health authority in Wales for each year from 1966 to the most recent year for which figures are available.

Figures for the years 1974–80 are given in the following table. Comparable information for these areas before the re-organisation of the Health Service in 1974 is not readily available. Data for the years 1966–73 for Wales as a whole are contained in table 1.19 of the "Digest of Welsh Statistics", a copy of which is in the Library.Her Majesty's ambassador in Sofia presented an inscribed crystal vase as a gift from the Government and people of the United Kingdom. A committee of honour, chaired until his death by Lord Goronwy-Roberts, organised several commemorative cultural events.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what progress has been made with regard to Spain's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Following an indication by the Spanish Government of their wish to be invited to become a member of NATO, representatives of the Governments of the fifteen NATO member countries signed a protocol of accession to the North Atlantic treaty during the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels on 10 December. The text of the protocol is as follows:

"The parties to the North Atlantic Treaty, signed at Washington on April 4 1949, being satisfied that the security of the North Atlantic area will be enhanced by the accesion of the Kingdom of Spain to that Treaty, agree as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations have been received by the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland with regard to its revised recommendations; and when its work is expected to be completed.

The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland is an independent body and I do not have sight of the various representations it has received, and is considering, in respect of its revised recommendations.In addition to its task as regards parliamentary constituencies, the Commission is required by statute to submit a supplementary report on the distribution of Northern Ireland assembly seats. I understand that the Commission hopes to publish its provisional recommendations on this matter soon. The date of completion of its work depends on the time needed to consider representations on its assembly proposals, but its final main and supplementary recommendations are expected by next summer.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether, since the two Northern Ireland universities, unlike their counterparts in the rest of the United Kingdom, have so far received no guidance for expenditure for the years 1982–83 to 1984–85, he will take urgent steps to ensure that such guidance is issued;(2) whether he will consider asking the University Grants Committee to produce a special Northern Ireland version of guidance and advice applicable to Queen's University, Belfast, and the New University of Ulster in advance of the publication of the Chilver report so that the two Northern Ireland universities can be assured of equivalency of treatment with other British universities;(3) whether, in view of the delay in the publication of the final Chilver report, he will give sympathetic consideration to the financial and resources planning problems facing Queen's University, Belfast, and the New University of Ulster, and inform both universities as soon as possible of their tentative recurrent grants for 1982–83 and 1983–84 and preliminary advice with respect to areas where expansion or contraction is expected.

I do not think that it would be sensible to give guidance about future work at either Queen's University, Belfast or New University of Ulster in advance of the report of the higher education review group, which will be made to me shortly. Both universities are aware that the principle of parity of funding between the Northern Ireland universities and those in Great Britain means that there will be corresponding financial reductions. The recurrent grant to the Northern Ireland universities for the 1981–82 academic year was made on this basis. The universities have been advised to plan on corresponding reductions applying in 1982–83 and 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will give urgent consideration, in consultation with the two vice-chancellors concerned, to the desirability of bringing the two Northern Ireland universities directly under the University Grants Committee in a manner similar to other universities in the United Kingdom.

I have no plans for changes in the present arrangements for the funding of the Northern Ireland universities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will request the European Commission substantially to increase the fisheries guide prices for 1982.

We have made strong representations to the Commission and the other member States about the need for realistic increases in the guide prices for fish to apply in 1982.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the 1981 level of self-sufficiency in barley, wheat and oats, respectively.

The current forecasts for the 1981–82 crop year are 128 per cent., 90 per cent., and 96 per cent. respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fiseries and Food if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Heddle) on 12 November, Official Report, c. 650, he is now proposing to implement the agreement reached between the Country Landowners Association and the National Farmers Union on existing tenancy arrangements.

I met the presidents of the National Farmers Union and Country Landowners Association on Tuesday to discuss their views on possible amendments to the agricultural holdings legislation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he proposes to make any changes in the Horse Breeding Rules 1958.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales and I with the consent of the Treasury are laying before Parliament an order to amend the Horse Breeding Rules to the effect that licence fees will be raised to £60 and the fee for appeals to £70. We have begun consultations with representative equestrian organisations and with the veterinary bodies about an alternative scheme that would have the effect of providing arrangements more in keeping with the needs of the horse breeding industry today, streamling the administration and securing financial savings.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ensure that prior to the Forestry Commission granting a licence to fell trees, the commission will advertise the details of the application in local newspapers and receive representations.

In considering an application to fell trees, the Forestry Commission consults as appropriate with the local authority and other statutory authorities about any likely effects on amenity, nature conservation, public access and recreation. Local authorities are free to take whatever soundings of public opinion in their areas they consider necessary and we are satisfied that this allows the views of all interested parties to be taken into account before a decision is made. We have no plans to change this well-tried procedure.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he believes there are adequate safeguards before trees are felled in rural and suburban areas; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to his previous question. Besides the felling controls exercised by the Forestry Commission, Local authorities are empowered to make tree preservation orders to safeguard trees of amenity value.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if the principal objectors to the proposed M40 will be able to meet his Department's traffic consultants on this scheme in order to discuss the assignment results.

My officials will be available to meet any objector to discuss such matters and will arrange for consultants to be available where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many assignment runs of the Oxford to Birmingham route traffic model have been carried out by his Department's traffic consultants to date using (a) the NWT assignment method and (b) the NW2 assignment method; if he will make available for inspection copies of all the assignment results; and how many of these assignments were to road strategies which do not included the M40 motorway between Waterstock and Umberslade.

Assignments have been carried out and refined on a number of occasions by both methods. The most recent material is available for inspection on request. Similar assignments that do not include the M40 between Warwick and Umberslade have also been carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place a copy of the Highways Manual in the Library and also on deposit at his Department's offices for inspection by the public.

No. The Highways Manual is for internal use in my Department. It gives guidance to officials on policy and procedures for use in day-to-day administration of their highways functions and is in no sense a statement of the Government's policy on trunk road construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the most recent surveyed average daily traffic flow of heavy goods vehicles between the West Midlands conurbation and Southampton docks from the survey carried out in 1979 on the A34 between Oxford and Southampton and from any other survey of a similar kind and (b) the average daily number of containers in tonnage equivalent units (TEUs) moving by rail in each direction, for the same period, between West Midlands and Southampton freightliner terminals.

The information asked for in the first part of the question is not available in the precise form requested by the hon. Member. I shall write to the hon. Member with the figures on road goods traffic that are available. Questions about detailed movements of goods by rail should be directed to British Rail but it would be justified in regarding some details as confidential commercial information.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he intends to bring into operation section 27 of the Transport Act 1981 concerning the compulsory wearing of seat belts;(2) when he intends to consult representative organisations on the form of the regulations to be made under section 33A of the Road Traffic Act 1972—wearing of seat belts—to lay before Parliament a statement explaining his proposals—as required by section 199 2A of that Act—and to lay before Parliament the regulations.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 8 December—[Vol. 14, c. 381]—which announced the publication of my proposals for implementing section 27 of the Transport Act 1981. Subject to Parliament approving the necessary regulations, I expect compulsory seat belt wearing to be brought into effect during summer of 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he intends to bring into operation section 28 of the Transport Act 1981 concerning the restriction on carrying children in the front of motor vehicles;

The statement referred to in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 8 December—[Vol. 14, c. 381]—also contained my proposals for implementing section 28 of the Transport Act 1981. After the regulations have been laid before Parliament my aim would be to bring the law into operation in the summer of 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from industry on his proposals for the privatisation of heavy goods vehicle testing; and if he will make a statement.

I have received many comments on my proposals from representative organisations and individuals in the road transport industry. The importance of maintaining impartiality and safety standards has been stressed; it is also clear that practical improvements in the service offered would be widely welcomed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates each borstal establishment in the United Kingdom contained on 1 November; how many staff were employed at each borstal on the same date; and what were the comparable figures for 1 November 1980.

The information available for England and Wales is as follows:

Borstal establishment	Number of inmates 31 October		Total number of Staff 31 October
	1980	1981	1980	1981
Bullwood Hall	131	106	130	123
Deerbolt	279	290	127	131

Police ordinary pensions as at 1st September 1982—provincial forces
Years Pensionable Service	l/60ths Pension	l/80ths Commutation	Constable £8,883·00(a)
			£(b)	£(c)
25	30	90	4,442·00	9,993·00
25½	31	93	4,590·00	10,327·00
26	32	96	4,738·00	10,660·00
26½	33	99	4,886·00	10·993·00
27	34	102	5,034·00	11,326·00
27½	35	105	5,182·00	11,659·00
28	36	108	5,330·00	11,992·00
28½	37	111	5,478·00	12,325·00
29	38	114	5,626·00	12,658·00
29½	39	117	5,774·00	12,991·00
30	40	¼ net pension	5,922·00	20,727·00

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report the details of the approximate gross police pension and maximum commutation possible as at 1 September 1982 up to a maximum service of 30 years.

The approximate gross pension and maximum commutation possible for members of provincial police forces retiring on ordinary pension on 1 September 1982 with up to a maximum of 30 years' pensionable service are set out in the following table below:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths in fires, in each of the last five years for which figures are available, can be directly attributed to polyurethane foam-filled furniture; and if he will consult the Fire Brigades Union on the matter.

Information is not available on deaths directly attributable to combustion of polyurethane foam-filled furniture. The information available to us is given in the following table. If the Fire Brigades Union has any 'further relevant statistical information, we should, of course, be grateful for it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the Government received from Mr. Ian McCreath, the coroner for North Northumberland, urging a national publicity campaign to educate the general public about the dangers of polyurethane foam; what reply was sent; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. McCreath wrote to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Consumer Affairs in July drawing attention to observations made by the jury in an inquest into the tragic circumstances in which three people died as a result of a fire above a public house. He had been invited to ask for the launch of a national publicity campaign about the dangers of polyurethane foam-filled furniture, and he strongly supported this request.In her reply, my right hon. Friend referred to measures taken by the Department of Trade to publicise the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations 1980, and said that the need for a national campaign would best be considered in the context of the Home Office programme of general fire prevention education and publicity.Subsequently, my noble Friend, the Under-Secretary of State, wrote to the coroner pointing out that much general publicity material, including the booklet "Danger from Fire", already takes account of the hazards presented by modern furnishing materials. But he undertook to pursue, in consultation with the Department of Trade and other interests, the possibility of producing a short television "filler" film on this subject. This possibility is still being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table setting out details of firearms, by type of weapon, which have been recovered by the police in the last five years having previously been reported to have been misappropriated.

The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the normal period of time that is expected to elapse between the submission of a completed application form and fee to the police and the issue of a firearms certificate;(2) what is the normal period of time that is expected to elapse between the submission of a completed application form and fee to the police and the issue of a shotgun certificate.

There is no prescribed period. The length of time taken to process applications for firearm and shotgun certificates depends on the circumstances of each case and on the other current pressures on police resources in individual police forces.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table listing locations from which firearms were stolen during the last five years and set out in similar form to table 3.9 provided in Cmnd. 8098, "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1979".

The information requested is given in the following table:

Burglaries and thefts recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been stolen, by location
England and Wales	Number of offences
Location	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980
Residential	1,131	1,297	1,164	1,139	1,233
Public entertainment	50	62	61	68	46
Post Office or bank	1	3	2	2	—
Shop, stall, garage	506	655	518	439	448
Other premises, e.g. office, factory	572	655	597	518	540
Highway	209	252	215	167	182
Other outdoor	106	97	104	77	90
Not recorded	51	50	33	31	28
TOTAL	2,626	3,071	2,694	2,441	2,567

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table, similar to that published in table 3.12 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1979", but including the information for 1980 related to serious offences in which firearms were reported to have been misappropriated, by type of weapon;(2) why he has excluded from Cmnd. 8376, "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1980," the information previously published in table 3.12 relating to the theft of firearms; and if he will ensure that such information is included in future publications of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales".

Information previously published but not included in the shortened Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1980"—Cmnd. 8376—is either published in the supplementary tables to that volume, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House, or can usually be obtained on request. The information for 1980 required to bring up to date table 3.12 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1979"—Cmnd. 8098—is as follows:

Serious offences in which firearms were reported to have been misappropriated* by type of weapon
England and Wales	Number of offences
	1980
All weapons	2,706
Air weapon	1,450
Shotgun	649
Pistol	164
Rifle	117
Starting gun	102
Other weapon	224
* 'Misappropriated' includes stolen, obtained by fraud or forgery or handled dishonestly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the State school, college, polytechnic, and university pupil and student populations at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement on the effect of public expenditure proposals on these levels and staffing in the next four years.

The information on total enrolments given below relating to the academic year 1980–81 covers both full and part-time modes of attendance and includes students from overseas.

	Pupil/student numbers
Maintained Schools in England	8,185,100
Polytechnics in England	210,900
Other maintained establishments of further education in England	1,563,300
Universities in Great Britain	330,600

My right hon. Friend will be making a statement in due course about the detailed plans for education in the light of the Chancellor's statement on public expenditure on 2 December.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which degree subjects are not considered suitable for acceptance on a postgraduate teacher training course for those students wanting to be (a) primary teachers and (b) secondary teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if first degrees in philosophy, sociology or economics will preclude applicants with first degrees in these subjects from consideration for acceptance on postgraduate certificate of education courses for either (a) primary school teaching or (b) secondary school teaching;(2) which first degree courses are subjects of relevance to

I am concerned to match the quality and supply of newly trained teachers as closely as possible to the needs of the schools. Consequently initial teacher training establishments have been asked to ensure that all recruits have good degrees in the main subjects of the curriculum as well as being, in other respects, suitable as teachers. The content of degrees varies even when the titles are identical and therefore it is a matter for each establishment to decide, within the broad guidance given, whether or not a particular graduate should or should not be accepted. In seeking to interpret this broad guidance university departments of education and other establishments involved in initial teacher training will, no doubt, be guided by the findings of "Aspects of Secondary Education in England: A Survey by H.M. Inspectorate" and "Primary Education in England: A Survey by H.M. Inspectorate", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give figures for every local education authority in England for (a) its contribution to and (b) its receipt from the advanced further education pool in 1980–81 and 1981–82, respectively, in cash terms.

Corresponding figures were given in the Official Report for 30 November 1981—column 41–42—at November 1980 prices. To translate these into cash, figures for 1980–81 should be deflated by a factor of 0·9086, and figures for 1981–82 should be inflated by a factor of 1·067.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his written answer of 30 November, Official Report, column 40, he will set out the details of how the weightings for full-time equivalent student numbers were derived.

Full-time equivalent student numbers are derived from the further education student record by modes of attendance and weighted as follows:

Full-time students	1·0
Sandwich students	0·9
Part-time day students	0·35
Evening only students	0·15

The method used for obtaining part-time student weightings is to divide total student curricular hours of such students by the average curricular hours for which a typical full-time student is taught, using data from a survey of further education establishments which is undertaken annually.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assumptions were built into the March 1981 public expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 8175, about average staff-student ratios in universities for 1982–83; and if he will set out the details of how the weightings for full-time equivalent student numbers used in those ratios were derived.

There was reference in Cmnd. 8175 to a significant tightening of staffing standards in all sectors of higher and further education and also to discussion of the detailed implications of the plans with the University Grants Committee. No specific assumption about staff-student ratios in universities was made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the cost of each of the main training programmes administered by the Manpower Services Commission was financed by the European social fund in 1978, 1979 and 1980.

Details of Manpower Services Commission expenditure on the youth opportunities programme, the training opportunities scheme, the training for skills programme, and community industry, together with the details of European social fund allocations made in the relevant years are given in the following tables. Since the fund allocations are made on a calendar year basis, and commission expenditure is calculated on a financial year basis, the figures are not directly comparable. Fund allocations relate in some cases to periods longer than the calendar year in which the allocation is made. Not all expenditure on the programmes in question is eligible for assistance under the rules of the fund.

Manpower Services Commission expenditure on training programmes
Financial Year	YOP	TOPS	TSPA	CI
1977–78	*—	195	†—	9
1978–79	67	203	†—	12
1979–80	166	227	22	17
1980–81	249	243	44	19
* The youth opportunities programme was introduced on 1 April 1978.
† The training for skills programme was introduced in 1979.

Allocation from the European Social Fund
Calender Year	YOP	TOPS	TSPA	CI
1978	*13	27	†—	2
1979	39	16	2	4
1980	47	20	4	2
* In respect of the period May to December only.
† The training for skills programme (TSPA) was introduced in 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that no element of compulsion is introduced as part of future training schemes for the young unemployed.

The Government have consistently voiced their opposition to compulsion. The Secretary of State will be making an announcement shortly on the Government's plans for training young people who are unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, further to his reply dated 1 December, Official Report, column 80, to the hon. Member for Grimsby concerning long-term unemployment, whether the figures given refer to aggregate unemployment during the specified periods or to continuous unemployment; and, if the latter, whether the computer records can aggregate past periods of unemployment in respect of any claimant.

The numbers of people registered as unemployed on a selected date in each quarter are analysed according to the duration of their current spell on the register and the figures given in my reply of 1 December are from this analysis. There are no statistics which aggregate the separate periods of unemployment experienced by individuals.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will tabulate, for the nine other European Economic Community countries, plus the United States of America, Canada and Japan, the movement in percentage and numerical terms of unemployment in the last two months.

Seasonally adjusted changes in unemployment in the two months between August and October, the latest available common date for the majority of the countries requested, are given below. changes between two individual months can be misleading because of erratic fluctuations in monthly figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many persons he appoints to public bodies; if he will list each appointment, the name of the person appointed, and details of their previous employment; and if he will list, in the case of part-time appointments, any other employment of the persons concerned.

The Secretary of State for Trade has responsibility for appointments to the following public bodies:

• Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites
• Advisory Committee on the Safety of Household Electrical Equipment
• Air Travel Reserve Fund Agency
• British Airports Authority
• British Airways Board
• British Film Fund Agency
• British Overseas Trade Advisory Council
• British Overseas Trade Board
• British Tourist Authority
• Cinematograph Films Council
• Civil Aviation Authority
• Consumer Protection Advisory Committee
• English Tourist Board
• Export Guarantee Advisory Council
• Hearing Aid Council
• Insolvency Law Review Committee
• Insurance Advisory Panel
• Interim Action Committee on the Film Industry
• National Consumer Council
• Welsh Consumer Council
• Monopolies and Mergers Commission
• National Film Finance Corporation
• Nationalised Industries Consumer Councils (NICC—43 in all)
• Northern Lighthouse Board
• Office of Fair Trading
• Overseas Projects Board
• Pilotage Commission
• Policyholders Protection Board
• Simplification of International Trade Procedures Board—SITPRO
• Standing Advisory Committee on Trade Marks
• Tribunals:
• Performing Right Tribunal
• Consumer Credit Licensing Appeals under S41 of the Consumer Credit 1974 and SI No. 837 of 1976; and in addition makes certain appointments to the Insurance Brokers Registration Council and the British Hallmarking Council.

These appointments number more than 1,230, of which only 123 are salaried or fee paid. The other information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the working of the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations; what representations he has had from the Institute of Trading Standards Administration urging changes in the regulations; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that the right hon. Member is referring to discussions between my Department and the Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Trading Standards (LACOTS) on how to overcome difficulties in enforcing the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations 1980 that experience has disclosed. A month ago I arranged for a possible way of overcoming the difficulties to be put to a meeting with LACOTS. It was that there should be added to the present requirement for warning labels on furniture that does not pass the prescribed tests a requirement that furniture that does pass those tests be labelled accordingly. I am happy to say that regulations incorporating my proposal will be put before Parliament after the necessary consultation procedure. I am also looking at other ways in which the difficulties of enforcement might be eased, including those suggested by LACOTS.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement on the report by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the proposed transfer of the Berrow's Organisation Ltd. to Reed International Ltd.

In its report published on 13 August the Monopolies and Mergers Commission concluded that the transfer by News International Limited of the 45 newspapers owned and published by The Berrow's Organisation Ltd. to Reed International Ltd. might be expected to operate against the public interest. The commission concluded, however, that if Reed were not the owner of West of England Newspapers Ltd. or if the proposed transfer did not include Berrow's Taunton-based newspapers, the transfer might not be expected to operate against the public interest.

	Single person			Married man without children
Tax year	Threshold at current prices	Threshold at 1949–50 prices index	Threshold as percentage of average manual earnings	Threshold at current prices	Threshold at 1949–50 prices index	Threshold as percentage of average manual earnings
	£	1949–50=100	Per cent.	£	1949–50=100	Per cent.
1979–80	1,165	119·2	21·9(22·2)	1,815	116·3	34·1 (34·5)
1980–81	1,375	121·2	22·6 (22·5)	2,145	118·5	35·3 (35·1)
1981–82	1,375	108·2	20·3 (20·2)	2,145	106·0	31·7 (31·5)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update for 1980–81 and 1981–82 the figures provided in tables 2A.1, 2A.2, and 2A.3 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1980".

The following tables give revised figures for 1979–80 and 1980–81. In order to provide illustrative figures for 1981–82 it has been assumed that average earnings will increase by 11¼ per cent. and retail prices by 11¾ per cent. between 1980–81 and 1981–82.Average earnings are those for full-time adult male manual workers. Two alternative figures are shown for calculations involving average earnings. The unbracketed figures in the tables follow the method used in constructing the tables in section 2A of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1980"; earnings figures are the averages of the new earnings survey estimates for the April at the beginning and end of each financial year. The bracketed figures are based on averages of monthly figures derived from the new earnings surveys and movements in a centred three-month moving average of the monthly index of average earnings of manual employees.Following are the tables:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will prepare estimates of central Government revenue and expenditure attributable to Wales for the financial year 1980–81.

I regret that information on central Government revenue attributable to Wales is not available.However, in 1980–81 identifiable central Government expenditure in Wales was £3,546 million. The term "identifiable expenditure" refers to expenditure that can be identified from official records as having been incurred in a particular country. It has a wider coverage than expenditure within the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales but excludes debt interest and expenditure on defence, overseas aid, and other overseas services that is incurred on behalf of the United Kingdom as a whole.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect of the recent increase in mortgage payments, rail fares, the television licence fee, fuel, milk and basic foods on the retail price index.

The recent 2 per cent. increase in the mortgage rate will in due course add 0·6 per cent. to the retail prices index. The end-November increase in British Rail fares will add significantly less than 0·1 per cent. to the December RPI. The recently announced increase in television licence fees will add 0·1 per cent. to the December index. The price of gas was increased in October, and coal and coke in November. The combined effect of these by January will be to add 0·3 per cent. to the index. The price of milk has been unchanged since last January. The RPI does not distinguish "basic foods" from other items in the food index. The above estimates only reflect the direct impact of these changes and do not take account of their effects on the rest of the economy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will tabulate, for the nine other European Economic Community countries, plus the United States of America, Canada and Japan, the movement in inflation in the last two months.

The table below shows the two latest available monthly movements in the annual rate of inflation for the USA, Canada, Japan and nine EEC countries.

Annual Rate of Inflation*
	August	September	October
USA	—	11·0	10·2
Canada	—	12·5	12·7
Japan	—	3·9	4·1
West Germany	—	6·5	6·7
France	—	13·9	14·1
Italy	—	18·7	18·6
Netherlands	—	6·8	7·1
Belgium	—	8·4	7·8
Denmark	—	12·0	11·8
Luxembourg	8·5	9·4	N/A
Greece	23·7	23·7	N/A
Ireland†	20·1	N/A	N/A

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will update to 1981–82 the information on personal tax allowances provided in his reply of 7 March 1980 to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) Official Report, columns 353–4;(2) what would be the saving in a full year at 1981–82 levels if

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government are satisfied with the operation of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (the United States of America) Order 1980 in respect of the impact of unitary tax on British interests.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1981, c. 383]: Under its original terms article 9(4) of the Double Taxation Convention between the United Kingdom and the United States of America would have prevented individual States from taxing United States subsidiaries of British companies on the unitary basis. In view of the United States Senate's decision to eliminate the application of this article to American State taxation we continue to urge strongly the United States authorities to propose or support legislation that would prevent the application of unitary taxation by individual States.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made representations to the United States' Government orally or by letter, in the last six months, to seek action by the United States' Government to introduce legislation to prohibit States in the United States of America taxing British companies operating in such States by unitary tax on a world-wide reporting basis; and if he will make a statement on representations he has received from British companies on this subject during the last two years.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 December 1981, c. 188]: The Government have strongly urged the United States Government to introduce or support legislation to prevent the application by States of a unitary basis of taxation to British companies, not least because of the representations received from British industry. Within the last six months fresh approaches have been made, both orally and in writing, to the present Administration, and these include a note presented by the United Kingdom on behalf of the European Community expressing the joint concern of the ten Governments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply dated 2 December, Official Report, c. 128, to the hon. Member for Grimsby on the exchange rate, whether he will now calculate the corresponding figures for changes in the real exchange rate using the measure which he believes most realistic; and what effect, if any, the change in the notional central rate against the European currency of account has had on United Kingdom prices under the common agricultural policy.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 December 1981, c. 407]: Calculations of "real" exchange rates involve applying measures of relative prices to nominal exchange rates. The resulting calculations can vary significantly according to which measure of inflation is used and which other countries are included in the comparison. The correct choice would vary according to the purpose to which the figure was going to be put. The most relevant indicators of United Kingdom relative cost competitiveness are those calculated by the IMF for actual and normalised relative unit labour costs which are published in "Economic Trends" table 46.United Kingdom prices under the common agricultural policy are determined by the agricultural, or green, rate of exchange between sterling and the European currency unit. Changes in the notional central rate of sterling against the European currency unit are only one of a number of factors affecting decisions on the green pound, and are generally of marginal, if any, importance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply dated 1 December, Official Report, c. 66, to the hon. Member for Grimsby concerning tax allowances for investment, whether he can give a date for the issue of the Green Paper; and if he will publish the estimates as soon as they are available.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 December 1981, c. 408]: I hope to publish as early as possible this winter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply dated 2 December, Official Report, c. 127, to the hon. Member for Grimsby, whether normalised unit labour costs have risen faster or slower than unit labour costs relative to those of the United Kingdom's principal competitors and by how much; and if he will make a statement indicating the reasons for the difference, if any.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 December 1981, c. 408]: Over the year to the first quarter of 1981, United Kingdom normalised unit labour costs increased by around 10 per cent. more than a weighted average of our main competitors, measured in domestic currencies. United Kingdom wage inflation has now been reduced from the earlier high levels, and it is believed that the increase in United Kingdom normalised unit labour costs this year has been approximately in line with the average of our competitors. I am unable at this stage to offer the hon. Member more precise estimates.My right hon. and learned Friend has no intention of making a statement on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mentally handicapped young people there are between the ages of 16 and 19 years.

For the reasons discussed in chapter 3 of the 1980 review of mental handicap services in England "Mental Handicap: Progress, Problems and Priorities", which is in the Library of the House, this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage of successful applicants for the day and night constant attendance allowance and for the mobility allowance in each of the health areas in Wales; and what percentage of cases which go to a medical tribunal is successful.

In this question, I assume that the hon. Member refers to attendance allowance under the general scheme and not toconstant attendance allowance under the war pensions and industrial injuries schemes. Attendance allowance figures are not available for health areas, but for Wales as a whole. About 58 per cent. of initial claims were successful in the first nine months of 1981: 26 per cent. were awarded at the higher rate and 32 per cent. at the lower rate. A person who is dissatisfied with the medical decision on his claim to attendance allowance can apply to theattendance allowance board for a review of that decision. In the first nine months of 1981, about 72 per cent. of reviews sought because of dissatisfaction and made within three months of the original decision were successful.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many nursing staff vacancies remain unfilled in the hospitals within the Macclesfield health district of the Cheshire area health authority.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mentally handicapped people were discharged from Greaves Hall hospital between May and November 1981 and during the same period in 1980.

Information about hospital discharges and deaths is collected centrally only for complete years. The hon. Member may care to seek the information from Sefton area health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the reasons for his Department's delay in agreeing to encourage women under the age of 35 years to have regular cervical cytology examinations, given the increase in mortality rate from cervical malignancy.

As I explained to my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr Silvester) in my reply of 20 November—[Vol 13, c. 264–5]—we are consulting the professions on the report of the committee on gynaecological cytology on the age and frequency of screening. We wish to take account of these views in reaching a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether a patient registered with a National Health Service general practitioner may receive vaccination against influenza free of charge.

A general practitioner may not charge his NHS patients for vaccinating them against influenza, unless the vaccination is requested in connection with travel abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that bilingual or Welsh language medical certificates will be available in Wales.

Doctors's statements—forms Med 3—must be kept to a convenient size while containing all the required information. A bilingual version is, therefore impracticable. We have no plans to issue a Welsh language version of form Med 3. However, if there was evidence of sufficient demand we would be prepared to consider the matter further. Cost would be an important factor.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that the public and the press can attend and listen to the deliberations of family practitioners' committees.