asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will undertake an immediate review of the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations with a view to improving the present labelling procedure regarding polyurethane furniture; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will now take steps to include mandatory match tests in the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations.

On improving the present labelling procedures, I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 11 December.On the inclusion of mandatory match tests in the regulations, I have made it plain that I should propose amendments prohibiting the sale of upholstered furniture that could not pass the match as well as the cigarette test once it was clear that an adequate range of furniture able to pass the tests was likely to be available. My officials have established a working group with representatives of the textile and furniture trades and research establishments to monitor progress. As a result, research, partly funded by my Department, has recently been started by the Furniture Industry Research Association to see whether a fire retarding coating might enable a wide range of furniture to pass both tests and remain sufficiently attractive to the consumer.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he proposes to introduce legislation to put into effect the recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission that the practice of credit card companies in not permitting retailers to make a charge for credit card transactions should be made illegal.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is now prepared to accept the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on credit cards and allow petrol retailers to charge a supplement on sales equivalent to the percentage on sales charged by the credit card companies.

I refer my hon. Friends to the answer given on 10 December to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, Central (Mr. Grant).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in the light of the high cost of privately supplied spectacles, the Government will review the operation of the Opticians Act 1958 with regard to its effect on competition.

The Government have for some time been aware of public concern at the high cost of private spectacles. Among possible factors leading to this high cost could be restrictions upon competition which arise as a result of provisions of the Opticians Act 1958. Under section 25 of this Act the General Optical Council may make rules regulating advertising and other means of publicity that may be employed by registered opticians. The Government welcome the recent change in its rules to permit opticians to display prices in their windows, but it remains to be seen what the effects of this change will be.A more significant restriction arises from section 21 of the Act which restricts the sale of optical appliances to registered medical practitioners and registered opticians. Under the Fair Trading Act 1973 it is not possible for the Director General of Fair Trading to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in appropriate terms the restrictions on competition arising from the statutory monopoly conferred by section 21. I have therefore, with the full agreeement of my hon. Friend the Minister for Health, asked the Director General to undertake such a review himself. His terms of reference are

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, further to his written reply of 23 October, he has reached a decision on publication of the report from his Department's inquiry into Norwest Holst Ltd.

I hope that a decision can be reached quite soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to make it easier for United Kingdom-resident citizens to buy private motor vehicles anywhere within the European Community and import there into the United Kingdom.

No. Such personal imports may already take place under existing regulations.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how much of the money allocated for the fee support scheme in 1981–82 has been distributed in the form of awards; whether the unallocated money is being used for the benefit of overseas students; and whether he is considering improvements in the scheme to assist final year undergraduates and first year postgraduates as well as continuing postgraduates in the academic year 1982–83.

Expenditure on the fee support scheme is expected to be about £160,000 in the current financial year. The unspent balance in the scheme will be reallocated for spending elsewhere within the aid programme. The future of the fee support scheme, which was introduced as a temporary measure in 1977, is at present under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will give his consent to the development of the Fort Dunlop combined heat and power scheme.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy has today granted the Midlands Electricity Board the various statutory authorisations needed to proceed with construction of its proposed combined heat and power station at Fort Dunlop. The scheme will increase the efficiency of the conversion of primary energy into electricity and heat, and is welcomed by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Greater Manchester as to how many students who were delegates to the National Union of Students conference in Blackpool from 4 to 7 December were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in Manchester on 7 December, how many are still held in custody and whether any have been served with exclusion orders.

On 7 December Greater Manchester police arrested four students under the provision of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976. The police did not apply for exclusion orders in respect of any of the four, and all were released.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings he has arranged with spokesmen of opposition parties on police authorities in metropolitan counties to discuss the Scarman report; and whether he will list those invited to attend.

I expect to have a wide range of consultations in the coming months about implementing Lord Scarman's recommendations. I met the chairmen of the police committees of the metropolitan areas on 9 December and my Department will be visiting individual police authorities to discuss Lord Scarman's recommendations on local consultation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to introduce legislation to reverse the decision in R. v Nottingham Justices ex parte Davies—1980 2 A.E.R. 775—in order to reestablish an accused's right to bail.

We are considering representations about the decision to which the hon. Member refers, but it did not deprive any person to whom the Bail Act 1976 applies of his right to bail under that Act.

asked the Lord President of the Council to what extent Parliamentary papers and the Official Report are now printed within the House of Commons; how much machinery is now installed; by whom this machinery is operated; and whether he has any plans to increase this printing capacity.

A small number of photocopying machines are available within the precincts for the production of House papers required in an emergency. They would be operated by typists and clerical staff. No recent use has been made of the machines for this purpose, and I am not aware of any plans to increase their provision.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, (1) whether an inspector of staffing is being or has been appointed for House of Commons staff;(2) whether the proposed new inspector of staffing will be appointed from internal applications; what will be his duties and salary; and to whom he will be responsible.

A staff inspector has been appointed, who served previously in the Civil Service Department. The Commission is currently reviewing his conditions of service, including salary, and the terms of a draft directive to assist him in carrying out his duties. Although the staff inspector is to report to the Commission only, he will be available for consultation by the Administration Committee, the trade union side of the Whitley Committee, and any individual member of the staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if it is the practice of his Department, in assessing a person's resources for supplementary benefit purposes and for the purposes of rent rebates, to ignore benefit in kind such as the concessionary coal scheme for retired coal miners.

The assessment of income for the purpose of deciding entitlement to rent rebates is a matter for individual local authorities. Unlike cash payment, benefit in kind is not generally regarded as income.The assessment of a person's resources for supplementary benefit purposes is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has studied the report "Day Care Centres" by Jean Symons, published by the Centre on Environment for the Handicapped; what action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

This is a report of a study of day care centres in England. However, its existence is being made known to various agencies in Wales concerned with the provision of such centres and I have no doubt that they will find it a useful reference document.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that all employees at Chatham dockyard declared redundant will receive not less than one and a half weeks' pay for each year's service between 41 and retirement, plus one week's pay for each year's service between 22 and 41, plus a half week's pay for each year's service between 18 and 22, and that employees at the yard with a long-service record will receive 30 weeks' redundancy pay.

The redundancy payments quoted are those provided for under the redundancy payments scheme of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978. Whilst the provisions of this legislation do not apply to the Crown, all Civil Servants who are declared redundant will receive total benefits no less favourable than those required under the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many highly skilled welders are required to complete an SSN submarine refit at Devonport; how many have so far been found; and how many will be required when three stream refits are actually being carried out.

The number of specialist welders required to complete an SSN refit varied between different submarines, but typically it is about 70.Adequate numbers of highly skilled welders are available at Devonport to meet the yard's current programme.Three stream refitting will require the number of welders to be increased by approximately 50 per cent. Plans are being made accordingly and no difficulties are foreseen in the recruitment of the necessary manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which decorations for which the Territorial Army is eligible may not be awarded to members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

The Territorial efficiency awards are not at present available to those members of the Ulster Defence Regiment who have never served in the TAVR or Territorial Army. I shall write to my hon. Friend with further information on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Gillingham of 12 November, he will identify those nuclear submarines where long-life cores have already been fitted and give the dates on which they were fitted; and if he will identify those nuclear submarines where long-life cores are proposed to be fitted and the date proposed for the fitting in each case.

It is not the practice to disclose details of the operational capabilities of individual ships or submarines, but I can say that by 1 April 1984 all SSNs apart from "Dreadnought" will have been fitted with improved reactor cores.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS "Sovereign" is to begin refuelling and refit at Devonport dockyard; and when the work is due to be completed.

The refit of HMS "Sovereign" will begin in January 1982 and is scheduled to complete in early 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if HMS "Courageous" is fully operational.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why HMS "Dreadnought" was towed from Devonport to Chatham; whether she is to be refuelled at either dockyard; and to what extent the ship is considered to be operational in her present condition.

It was originally planned to refit "Dreadnought" at Devonport and "Sovereign" at Chatham. This plan was revised following the defence programme changes because the "Sovereign" refit could not be completed within the period programmed for the closure of Chatham. As a result, "Sovereign" has been transferred to the Devonport programme and "Dreadnought" was towed to Chatham.As to whether she is to be refuelled, at either dockyard, I cannot at present add to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 11 November.—[Vol. 12, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the nature of the industrial dispute at Devonport dockyard that caused the refit on HMS "Swiftsure" scheduled for March 1979 not to be started until April 1980; and if it will be completed by the second half of 1982 as is now intended.

The dispute which arose before HMS "Swiftsure" was taken in hand was over the terms of the agreement under which shift working was to be organised for the duration of the refit. A new pattern of shift working was essential for nuclear refitting tasks and the unions were reluctant to accept that negotiations, both on the shifts and on associated allowances, would be restricted by the limits of the shift working agreement in use at Rosyth, which was considered by management to be right for the job. HMS "Swiftsure's" refit remains scheduled for completion in the second half of 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any architectural contract has been placed in relation to the work on the proposed Trident base at Faslane or Coulport; and, if so, in relation to what development.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why, in view of the major operational role of Royal Navy hunter-killer nuclear submarines in seeking and destroying enemy submarines, they were not used in monitoring the movements of diesel-electric submarines during the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation exercise "Ocean Safari".

In exercise "Ocean Safari" priority was given to exercising Royal Navy hunter-killer nuclear submarines in roles other than monitoring diesel-electric submarines. For security reasons it would be inappropriate to go into details.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers of the Royal Air Force have resigned their commissions since 1 January; and how many people have joined the Royal Air Force over the same period.

19 officers of the Royal Air Force resigned their commissions between 1 January 1981 and 31 October 1981; 208 officers left prematurely on a voluntary basis. During the same period 909 officers were commissioned and 3,355 Service men and women joined the Royal Air Force.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to the reply given to the hon. Member for Arundel on 8 December, he will give the approximate total value of the two military communications satellites and associated ground equipment for which an order was placed on that day and the degree to which this contract will benefit other British companies in addition to the British Aerospace Dynamics Group.

The main contract is worth about £80 million at today's prices. British Aerospace Dynamics Group and Marconi Space and Defence Systems Ltd. will each enjoy about one third of the work. Some 4 per cent. will fall to other British suppliers and subcontractors.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent it is his policy to make the maximum possible effort to purchase British goods in preference to those from abroad.

It is our policy to procure defence equipment in this country whenever it is sensible and practicable to do so, paying due regard to our international obligations.In practice some 90 per cent. by value of our defence equipment contracts are placed with Britsh industry, and in the current financial year we are spending £5,000 million on well over 10,000 contracts.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any decision has yet been made on the choice of a heavyweight torpedo for the Royal Navy.

I am glad to report that negotiations with Marconi Space and Defence Systems have now been satisfactorily completed. An order has been placed today with Marconi for the full development and intitial production of an advanced new heavyweight torpedo to replace the Tigerfish torpedo currently in service with the Royal Navy's submarines. This important new defence contract for British industry will be at a fixed price and will cover work on both the new heavyweight torpedo and the Sting Ray lightweight torpedo to a total value of about £500 million; and will ensure that the United Kingdom maintains its leading position in torpedo technology.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the present state of relations between the British Government and the Seychelles.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on British relations with the Government of the Seychelles.

We have normal relations with the Government of Seychelles.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what action Her Majesty's Government are taking in the international field to assist Hong Kong in resettling the 14,000 Vietnamese refugees who are still looked after by the Hong Kong authorities.

We continue to represent Hong Kong's case to other countries and to international organisations. The Hong Kong Government have also played a major role in this. Some 80,000 refugees have been resettled from Hong Kong since 1976.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what would be the estimated cost of refunding the fees paid by those United Kingdom citizens who obtained British visitor's passports during the recent industrial action at passport offices who were subsequently issued with the full British passports for which they had originally applied.

Although statistics are not available, it is estimated that about 300,000 applications for standard passports remained outstanding at the end of the period of industrial action. On the assumption that most of these applicants obtained a British visitor's passport, the amount involved, if refunds were to be made, could be about £1½ million. This figure does not include additional administrative costs.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if his noble Friend the Foreign Secretary has any plans to visit the Middle East for talks with Palestinian leaders to try and bring about a peaceful settlement of problems in the area.

My right hon. and noble Friend has no plans for a meeting with Palestinian leaders. He remains prepared to meet Mr. Arafat if such a meeting would contribute to the cause of peace.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the next stage of the European initiative on the Middle East.

The Ten remain committed to work energetically for a comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of the principles set out in the Venice declaration. We continue to impress upon all sides in public statements and private diplomacy the need for recognition by the Palestinians and by Israel of each other's legitimate rights.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, in the light of the opposition expressed by the Arab Steadfastness Front to the Fahd plan at the Fez summit, Her Majesty's Government now consider the positions of the Arab Steadfastness Front, including the Palestine Liberation Organisation, as totally hostile to any peace process in the Middle East.

Although some members of the Steadfastness Front are reported to have opposed adoption of Crown Prince Fahd's principles by the Fez summit, they have not all rejected them and we do not regard the front as necessarily opposed to any peace process in the Middle East. We urge all its members, including the PLO, to make clear their support for a settlement peacefully negotiated with Israel.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what prospects he sees for the Fahd plan in view of the outcome of the summit meeting of the Arab League States in Fez.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Argyll (Mr. MacKay).

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will report on the progress made during the British Presidency of the European Council of Ministers towards resolving the Middle East conflict.

As we made clear at the outset, the Middle East conflict is too complex a problem for any Presidency to make decisive progress in the six months available. Throughout the British Presidency we have continued to impress upon all sides through public statements and private diplomacy the need for the principles of the Venice declaration to be accepted, and in particular the need for recognition by the Palestinians and by Israel of each other's legitimate rights.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on progress towards peace in the Middle East.

In recent weeks attention has concentrated on the efforts of the Saudi and other Arab Governments to agree on a negotiating stance and on the need to implement the provisions of the Israel-Egypt Treaty which cover the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Sinai. In our view it also remains vital to make progress on the central question of Palestinian rights. A comprehensive negotiated settlement will need to ensure security for Israel and self-determination for the Palestinians. We remain ready to play an active role to this end.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how far the decision taken at the Fez summit affects Her Majesty's Government's policy in the Middle East.

We remain firmly committed to the search for a comprehensive settlement as the basis of the principles set out in the Venice declaration and we continue to call for the mutual recognition of rights by Israel and the Palestinians.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether the United States Government have taken any steps to inform Her Majesty's Government about the negotiations taking place in Geneva between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The United States Government have made it clear that the close consultation undertaken in preparation for the start of the negotiations in the special consultative group, the NATO body responsible for INF—intermediate range nuclear forces—arms control, will continue as the negotiations proceed. Moreover, the INF negotiations were one of the main subjects of discussion at the ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council which both my right hon. and noble Friend and the American Secretary of State attended in Brussels on 10 and 11 December.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to promote the implementation of United Nations resolutions on the Western Sahara.

The United Kingdom, together with the other members of the Ten, joined a consensus at the United Nations on 9 November in adopting a Kenyan draft decision on the Western Sahara which was based on the Organisation of African Unity summit decision. At the same time the Ten made clear their support for the Organisation of African Unity initiative and urged all the parties concerned to respect the Organisation of African Unity summit decision.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he considers there is any prospect of achieving further progress on the Camp David agreement.

We support the implementation of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and have no wish to undermine other aspects of the Camp David process. We are convinced that if a workable agreement acceptable to the palestinian people is to be achieved in the autonomy talks, early involvement of the Palestinians themselves will be essential. At the moment the autonomy talks appear to be acceptable neither to the Palestinians nor to the majority of Arab States.

asked the Lord privy Seal what is the response of Her Majesty's Government to the request from El Salvador to provide observers for the proposed elections in March; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's Government are considering the request to send observers to the Salvadorean elections.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many school leavers have been employed by his Department in the last 12 months.

One hundred and forty seven.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the present situation regarding Namibia.

The Five are continuing their discussions with all concerned of their suggestions for constitutional principles as guidelines for the Constituent Assembly. As soon as there is agreement on these, the Five will move on to the second phase of confidence-building measures. The Foreign Ministers of the Five in Brussels on 10 December reviewed progress and noted that the ground was prepared for achieving final agreement on the constitutional principles without delay.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what discussions took place between the British and American Governments prior to the British endorsement of President Reagan's zero option initiative.

The American negotiating position in the theatre nuclear force arms control negotiations in Geneve has been the subject of close consultation in the Special Consultative Group, the NATO body responsible for TNF arms control, and has the full support of all members of the Alliance. It has also often been discussed bilaterally between the British and American Governments.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether Her Majesty's Government have received any response from Arab States to the Prime Minister's statement in Kuwait on 27 September that the reason why Her Majesty's Government did not have ministererial meetings with the Palestine Liberation Organisation was, first, its association with terrorism, and secondly, the statement by parts of the Palestine Liberation Organisation that its real objective is to drive Israel into the sea and wipe it off the face of the globe.

The Government's views on the problems of the Middle East are well known to all Arab States, but differences of view on aspects of our policy are inevitable. Informal representations about my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's statement were made by some Arab Governments.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will take initiatives to bring to an end the war in El Salvador.

No, I do not believe that it is appropriate for the United Kingdom as a non-regional Power to take initiatives at this stage. Moreover, the question of El Salvador has been discussed by the European Community in political co-operation and it is the common view of the Ten that there is at present no scope for a collective initiative.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what progress has been made towards achieving a method of arbitration for delimiting the continental shelf between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

A further meeting was held with Irish officials in Dublin on 26 November. Progress continues to be made in drawing up an agreement for submitting the delimitation of the continental shelf to arbitration. Another meeting has been provisionally scheduled for February.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the position of East Jerusalem in accordance with the Venice declaration.

As stated in the Venice declaration, we do not accept any unilateral initiatives to change the status of Jerusalem. The future of the city as a whole needs to be resolved in negotiation between the parties concerned as part of a wider peace settlement. East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, remains subject to the provisions of resolution 242 concerning Israeli withdrawal.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what progress is being made in the Madrid conference on the Helsinki agreement; and when he expects the conference to conclude.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when he expects the discussions in Madrid on those parts of the Helsinki agreement relating to human rights to be completed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when he expects the discussions in Madrid on the Helsinki agreement to be concluded.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave on 18 November.—[Vol. 13, c. 141.]

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he plans any further discussions with the Spanish Government over the future of Gibraltar.

I anticipate that Gibraltar will be one of the topics discussed when the Spanish Prime Minister visits London on 8 January for talks with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Negotiation aimed at removing differences over Gibraltar will start when the agreement concluded in Lisbon in April 1980 is implemented.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will take steps to identify any recognised bodies or organisation in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics whose funding or assistance by Her Majesty's Government would further Anglo-Soviet relations.

I do not believe that the Soviet Government would allow the funding by Her Majesty's Government of organisations in the Soviet Union even for the purpose of furthering Anglo-Soviet relations.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when next he plans to meet the Foreign Minister of Malta.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Lord Privy Seal why the tripartite group of the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics and the United Kingdom on the verification and monitoring of underground nuclear test explosions leading to a comprehensive test ban agreement has not met or issued a report to the Committee on Disarmament since August 1980.

The last tripartite session ended in November 1980. Negotiations have not resumed pending conclusion by the United States of its review of test ban policy. There has been no need for a further report to the Committee on Disarmament.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on relations between the United Kingdom and Poland.

Her Majesty's Government attach great importance to the maintenance of our traditionally friendly relations with Poland and have fully supported the efforts of the Polish Government and people to overcome their political and economic problems through peaceful negotiation.During 1981 the Polish Foreign Minister, Mr. Czyrek, twice visited London and the then Polish Minister for Foreign Trade Mr. Karski visited London in October. My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State visited Warsaw at the beginning of December.In the exceptional circumstances during the past year, the Government, at the request of the Polish Government, extended significant economic assistance to Poland, including debt rescheduling, the provision of new credit and the supply of urgently needed foodstuffs under the European Community scheme.I informed the House on 14 December of Her Majesty's Government's reaction to present developments in Poland.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of the Philippines about the cruelty to dogs in that country.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 24 November, Her Majesty's Government have brought this matter to the attention, both here and in Manila, of the Philippine authorities, within whose jurisdiction it lies. The Philippine Government are well aware of the depth of feeling aroused in this country by recent reports. We understand that the Philippine National Assembly is considering the introduction of stricter legislation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on progress towards a common European Economic Community foreign policy.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes).

asked the Lord Privy Seal what further consultations he will be having with his counterparts in the European Economic Community about the future of the European Economic Community.

As I stated earlier today in reply to the hon. Member for Inverness (Mr. Johnston), Foreign Ministers of the Community have agreed to meet again in the first half of January to consider revised Commission proposals on the four outstanding issues on the 30 May mandate.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will publish a White Paper outlining the reasons underlying his policy of continuing membership of the European Economic Community.

No. The reasons for the Government's belief in United Kingdom membership of the Community are well known, and have been set out on numerous occasions, both in this House and outside.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on progress in reforming the European Economic Community budget.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what progress has been made on the European Economic Community Commission's proposals in respect of the mandate from European Economic Community Heads of Government.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Inverness (Mr. Johnston).

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether any application for associate status has been made to the European Economic Community within the last 12 months.

No. Only three countries have individual association agreements with the Community: Turkey, Malta and Cyprus. There is a range of Community agreements with other third countries which provide preferential trade access to the Community market; that is those with the EFTA countries and Spain, the Maghreb and Mashraq countries, Israel, Yugoslavia and the developing countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Two newly independent countries, Belize and Antigua, have this year applied to accede to the second Lomé convention. The applications have been approved in principle.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Economic Community held on 7 and 8 December.

I did so in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate (Mr. Gardiner) on 10 December.

asked the Attorney-General if he has taken steps to reduce the protracted delays in the Land Registry in registering residential property; and whether he will use the financial surplus of the registry to employ more staff and improve procedures so that the length of time taken to register residential property and record changes in land ownership can be reduced.

The cash limit on the Land Registry Vote has recently been raised by approximately £1·45 million to enable the Department to deal with the increase in work. This has enabled improvements to be made in the times being taken to complete applications for registration. The manpower and financial resources permitted for the registry during 1982–83 are currently under consideration. It is hoped that completion times will continue to improve.

asked the Attorney-General what proportion of residential property currently owner occupied is in areas of compulsory registration; and what are the anticipated proportions for 1985 and 1990.

The areas of compulsory registration cover approximately 75 per cent. of the population of England and Wales. No figure is available as to the proportion of residential property which is currently owner-occupied in those areas.Title to property may be registered voluntarily in non-compulsory areas where building estates are being developed and in certain other cases; registration of title is compulsory in those areas when properties have been purchased pursuant to the right-to-buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980.It is the intention that the areas of compulsory registration will continue to be extended, but the rate of extension will depend upon the availabilty of resources.

asked the Attorney-General what are the average periods currently taken to record changes of ownership on registered deeds of title in all the regional offices of the Land Registry.

The average number of working days currently taken in each district land registry to register dealings with registered land are as follows:

District Land Registry	Dealings with whole of registered title	Dealings with part of registered title
Birkenhead	26	70
Croydon	35	120
Durham	12	43
Gloucester	25	96
Harrow	27	89
Lytham	14	88
Nottingham	15	59
Peterborough	13	55
Plymouth	36	94
Stevenage	19	67
Swansea	14	66
Tunbridge Wells	35	87
Weymouth	22	59

These figures include all types of dealings. There are no separate figures which relate only to dealing which give rise to a change of ownership. Dealings with part of a title take longer to register because they involve the creation of new titles for which title plans have to be prepared. There have been particular difficulties in regard to the Croydon office which it is hoped will be resolved shortly.

asked the Attorney-General what progress is being made in the review of the law concerning the financial consequences of divorce.

Following the discussion paper which the Law Commission issued last year, it has submitted to the Lord Chancellor a report on the financial consequences of divorce. The result is expected to be published on 15 December.

asked the Attorney-General what progress has been made under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act to computerise all the records under the local land charges register.

Clause 27 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is designed to enable local authorities to computerise their local land charges registers. Should that clause be enacted, it will be for individual local authorities to decide whether and when to take advantage of it. Local authorities are already able to keep their local land charges registers on microfilm and some already do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the number of prescriptions issued during the last three years where the item or items dispensed cost less than the prescription charge.

This information is not available for Scotland. In relation to England and Wales I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for Health on 8 December.—[Vol. 14, c. 364.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the number of prescriptions dispensed in each of the last three years and (b) the number of these prescriptions which were dispensed free of charge.

Prescriptions dispensed in Scotland by chemist contractors and appliance suppliers numbered, 34·63 million in 1978, 34·41 million in 1979 and 34·35 million in 1980. Of these prescriptions, 21·37 million, 21·80 million and 23·60 million, respectively, were exempt from charges.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has studied the report "Day Care Centres" by Jean Symons, published by the Centre on Environment for the Handicapped; what action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

This report is a study of some developments in England from 1970 to 1980, with particular reference to centres for mixed handicap groups. In Scotland responsibility for provision of such facilities rests with regional and islands councils and health boards, which are best placed to assess the implications of the study for the services which they provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers of overseas students who have enrolled in universities and colleges of education in Scotland in the years 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The enrolment of students at the universities is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science. The number of overseas students who enrolled in colleges of education in Scotland in the relevant academic sessions was:

	Number
1979–80	364
1980–81	285
1981–82	*202
*To date.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what grants have been given to which projects in Scotland over the last three years from the scheme of capital grants to local voluntary youth and community organisations for village halls.

The records do not differentiate between village halls and other community projects funded under the scheme. In the last three years the total grant paid in respect of community projects was:

	£
1978–79	173,400
1979–80	197,000
1980–81	565,900

The number of community projects which were the subject of grant offers in these years were 33, 37 and 38, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the overall effect of the oil-related industries on employment in Scotland since 1976.

It is estimated that in June 1981 the overall contribution of oil-related industries to employment in Scotland was in the range 80,000–95,000 jobs. Of this total, the Manpower Services Commission's six monthly survey of oil related companies has found that nearly 50,000 jobs were in firms which are wholly oil-related. The remainder are to be found in firms which are engaged in short term construction projects or are partly or indirectly oil related either as suppliers to the industry or through local demand effects. The comparable estimates for 1981 and earlier years are set out below.

	Total
Mid 1977	48,000–58,000
Mid 1978	55,000–65,000
Mid 1979	70,000–85,000
Mid 1980	75,000–90,000
Mid 1981	80,000–95,000

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce his decision on the Loch Doon planning appeal.

In the light of the reorientation of the geological research programme for heat generating wastes referred to in the reply given today by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Environmental Services, and the decision that exploratory drilling will not be needed for this purpose for the time being, I am dismissing the appeal and refusing planning permission. My decision will be issued shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing how much was paid out in each of the past three years, to (a) manufacturing and (b) non-manufacturing industry by way of loans and grants, respectively, for investment, distinguishing as appropriate between various categories.

Financial assistance has been made available to manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries in Great Britain under parts I and II of the Industry Act 1972 in each of the last three years as follows:

Part I Payments of regional development grants
	Manufacturing £ million	Non-manufacturing £ million
1978–79	388·9	28·1
1979–80	318·9	11·9
1980–81	484·5	6·1

Part II Section 7: Payments of regional selective assistance
	Grants £ million	Loans £ million	Grants £ million	Loans £ million
1978–79	88·9	4·8	3·5	—
1979–80	68·5	1·0	3·9	—
1980–81	64·3	0·1	6·1	—

Part II Section 8: Payment of selective financial assistance
	Grants £ million	Loans £ million	Grants £ million	Loans £ million
1978–79	59·6	—	3·7	—
1979–80	68·9	—	5·1	—
1980–81	69·5	—	4·3	—

Regional development grants ceased to be available to non-manufacturing industries from 1 April 1977. Loans under section 7 were not offered after 17 July 1979 and the sectoral and investment schemes under section 8 had no provision for loans.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firms in (a) the North-West, (b) Merseyside, (c) Kirkby and (d) Ormskirk are currently in receipt of some form of Government subsidy.

Complete information in relation to firms could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Selective financial assistance under the Industry Act 1972 and the Science and Technology Act 1965 has been made as follows:

	Number of Projects
North-West	1,509
Merseyside	268
Kirkby	23
Ormskirk	50

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, pursuant to his policy to promote the interests of small firms, he will seek to make arrangements with the electricity boards which would enable them to end the practice of requiring from small firms setting up in business deposits of up to £1,000 in advance of future electricity charges.

The electricity boards are not my responsibility and such deposits are a matter for them. I am, however, concerned that they, along with other monopoly suppliers, should whenever possible take into account the particular difficulties and needs of small firms. I am currently looking into the background to a number of complaints which I have received from small firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he can give an estimate of the saving in central and local government staffing which will be achieved by the suspension of industrial development certificates.

Suspension will provide immediate savings in my Department worth over £100,000 a year and a further saving of some £30,000 a year from August 1982 when the control was due to be reimposed in areas losing assisted area status.The local government staff saving cannot be quantified.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will extend the in-plant training scheme operated under section 9 of the Industry Act to projects providing less than 25 jobs.

Yes. We have decided to improve the scheme by abolishing the requirement that projects must provide a minimum of 25 jobs in order to qualify for assistance. This means that from today the scheme will be open to projects of any size where the training element is essential to the success of the project and the criteria for section 7 assistance are met. In addition, the scheme is being extended to service industry projects and to intermediate areas although projects in special development areas and development areas will have first call on the limited resources available from the European social fund which meets half the cost of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he is satisfied with his Department's support to truck and component manufacturers to encourage innovative undercarriage and suspension systems; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he is satisfied that his Department has given sufficient support to lorry component manufacturers in order to ensure that new inventions can be exploited by United Kingdom manufacturers in order to reduce the impact on the environment of the lorry used on United Kingdom roads;(3) if he will allocate funds towards the development of new truck undercarriage systems that will result in a more even distribution of axle loads.

As might be expected, the majority of development work aimed at improving undercarriage and suspension systems is carried out by the manufacturers but funds are available on an industry-wide basis through the various departmental support schemes. Among the large number of individual cases considered by the Department over the past two years there have been a number relating to undercarriage and suspension systems and these have been considered relative to their merits and the available funds. My Department is aware of a number of ways in which improvement in these systems might contribute to reduction of road damage by lorries.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry which agencies giving help and advice to small businesses are financed wholly or partly by the Exchequer; and what is the annual cost of each.

The principal agencies are the small firms service of the Department of Industry and the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas—CoSIRA—which is administered by the Development Commission.The cost of the small firms service in 1981–82 is estimated to be £3 million. Questions about the cost of CoSIRA should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give the figures for total expenditure on regional preferential assistance to industry for each year since 1977–78 in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Great Britain; if he will break the figures down to show the various sources of the assistance; and if, in each case, he will give for Scotland and for Wales the percentages, taking England as base.

Gross expenditure for the years 1977–78 to 1980–81 on regional preferential assistance to industry in Scotland, Wales and Great Britain is as follows:

£ million
	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81
Scotland	146	160	142	197
Wales	91	111	110	177
Great Britain	507	628	562	731

The main items of regional preferential assistance to industry in 1980–81 are as follows:

£ million
	Scotland	Wales	Great Britain
Regional development grant	113	104	491
Selective financial assistance (section 7)	21	7	*71

	Scotland	Wales	Great Britain
Land and factories:
(i) Local Employment Act assistance	—	—	34
(ii) Scottish and Welsh
Development Agencies:	47	60	107
Highlands and Islands
Development Board	11	—	11
Other items†	4	6	17
Total	197	177	731
* Includes some expenditure which cannot be broken down to a regional level.
† The other items cover tourism, small firms employment subsidy—regional preferential element—expenditure by the Development Board for Rural Wales.

Using the expenditure in England as a base the indices for Scotland and Wales are as follows:

	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81
England	100	100	100	100
Scotland	54	45	46	56
Wales	34	31	35	50

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give figures for inter-regional movement of manufacturing industry to development areas since 1966.

Statistics for inter-regional movement of manufacturing industry to the development areas 1966–75 have been published in table 4.5 of the Department of Industry report "Industrial movement in the United Kingdom 1966–75" by R. J. Pounce—HMSO 1981. Information has subsequently become available which indicates that a further 6,000 jobs will be created by inter-regional moves to the development areas which commenced operation in 1976 and 1977. Information for later years is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he will make a statement on the effect of the Commission's proposals for the allocating of European regional development funds upon the Yorkshire and Humberside region;(2) whether he will initiate discussions with the local authority representatives of Yorkshire and Humberside on the Commission's proposals for the allocation of European regional development funds.

The European Commission has proposed to the Council new criteria for the distribution of the quota section of the European regional development fund, which is at present shared between all member States. These new criteria, based on considerations of regional GDP and long-term unemployment, would exclude six mainland member States altogether, so that the fund would be shared principally between regions in the United Kingdom, Greece, the Republic of Ireland and Italy. However, the same criteria would have the effect of excluding the South-West, East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside regions of the United Kingdom, which is naturally less welcome. We shall be exploring the justification for this during the discussions on the Commission's proposal, which is subject to the agreement of the Council. All the regions named would, of course, continue to be eligible for aid under the non-quota section of the fund, which the Commission proposes should be enlarged.The Government are keeping closely in touch with the local authority associations, and I see no need for individual discussions with particular local authorities at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many development areas and special development areas have a lower male unemployment rate than the Bridlington travel-to-work area.

On the basis of the November unemployment figures, 24 special development areas and 56 development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of Government industrial retraining places in each planning region of Great Britain; and if he will express the number of training places as a percentage of both the total insured work force and the total unemployed in each region.

This information is not available in the form requested. The following table shows the planned number of entrants to training courses being run under the auspices of the Manpower Services Commission's training opportunities scheme in each of teh Commission's training regions in 1981–82.

Regions	Planned Numbers of Entrants to TOPS Training	Percentage of *Insured Work Force	Percentage of Unemployed (October 1981)
Scotland	9,052	0·38	2·78
Northern	5,689	0·40	2·63
Yorks and Humberside	5,627	0·24	2·03
North-West	9,840	0·32	2·32
Midlands	10,588	0·25	2·01
Wales	4,395	0·37	2·58
South-West	5,346	0·28	2·97
South-East	10,621	0·22	2·54
London	10,359	0·25	3·05
*Based on number of employees
in employment June 1981·
self employed June 1975·
registered unemployed October 1981·

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will seek to implement the recommendations of the report of the European Parliament on the motions for resolutions concerning the economic, social and vocational integration of disabled people in the European Community, with particular reference to the International Year of Disabled People 1981, which fall within the responsibility of his Department; and if he will make a statement;

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him today by my hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many working hours have been lost by disputes in ports covered by the dock work regulation scheme so far in 1981.

The information is not available in the form requested. The National Dock Labour Board advises me that between 1 January 1981 and 4 December 1981 89,736 working days were lost in the 80 ports covered by the dock work regulation scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the unemployed in the Leyton and Walthamstow area have been on the register for more than one, two and three years, respectively; and what were the comparable figures one year previously.

The following table gives the numbers of unemployed people who at October 1980 and October 1981 had been on the register for the lengths of time specified in the area covered by the Leyton, Leytonstone and Walthamstow employment offices:

Duration in weeks	October 1980	October 1981
Over 52 and up to 104 weeks	441	1,775
Over 104 and up to 156 weeks	216	269
Over 156 weeks	213	316

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the names of the 936 employers who were found to be paying below wages council minimum rates in the 10 months from January to October 1981, mentioned in his reply of 2 December, Official Report, column 133.

It is not the practice to publish names.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present balance in the maternity pay fund.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what have been the percentage increases in the limits listed in the draft statutory instrument, the Employment Protection (Variation of Limits) Order 1981, for each year since their introduction; and how this compares in each of those years with the increase year-on-year, at the time of the laying of the order, in retail prices, average earnings, and, where relevant, the tax and price index.

Under the Redundancy Payments Act 1965, the maximun amount of a week's pay that could be used for calculating redundancy payments was £40, increased to £80 in 1974.Under the Employment Protection Act 1975 an £80 limit on a week's pay was adopted for amounts payable under the insolvency provisions—from April 1976—and for the basic and additional awards of compensation for unfair dismissal—from June 1976. The guarantee pay provisions of the Act were brought into operation in February 1977 at the rate of £6 per day.These limits remained unchanged until the first annual review under the Act took place in autumn 1977 which varied the limits with effect from February 1978. Each year since then, orders have been laid in November or December after the annual review varying the limits with effect from the following February.The following table shows the year-on-year percentage increases in the limits—February to February from 1977—compared with the increases in retail prices, average earnings and the tax and prices index for the year to the September preceding the laying date.

	Percentage increases Year on year
	Limit on a week's pay	Guarantee pay
February to February	Per cent.	Per cent.
1977–1978	25	10
1978–1979	10	9·8
1979–80	9·1	10·3
1980–1981	8·3	9·4
1981–1982 (proposed)	3·8	4·6

	Percentage increases Year on year
	Retail prices	Average earnings	Tax and prices
September to September	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
1976–1977	15·6	7·7	14·2
1977–1978	7·8	15·1	1·9
1978–1979	16·5	14·5	14·1
1979–18980	15·9	26·0	17·3
1980–1981	11·4	9·3	14·9

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what adjustment would be needed to each of the limits listed in the draft statutory instrument, the Employment Protection (Variation of Limits) Order 1981, to restore them to their values at the time of introduction.

The weekly earnings limit for redundancy payments was fixed at £40 in 1965. An increase to approximately £200 would be necessary to keep in line with increases in the retail price index to September 1981. The earnings limit for the insolvency provisions and for basic awards under the unfair dismissal provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 have, since their introduction, been the same as that applied to redundancy payments.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to introduce the order to increase employers' rebates from the redundancy fund.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the figures for average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time manual men over 21 years and (b) full-time employees, men and women, in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales and (iii) England, for each year since 1978; and if he will express the figures for Scotland, Wales and England as percentages of the figures for Great Britain.

The following figures are taken from the reports on the "New Earnings Survey" and relate to April each year.

Average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees whose pay was not affected by absence in the survey period
	Manual men aged 21 and over		All men aged 21 and over		All women aged 18 and over
	£	As percentage of Great Britain average	£	As percentage of Great Britain average	£	As percentage of Great Britain
Scotland
1978	81·4	100·9	88·5	99·3	54·6	96·8
1979	93·6	100·6	101·2	99·8	60·4	95·9
1980	112·2	100·4	123·1	98·9	74·7	94·8
1981	124·8	102·4	140·0	99·6	87·1	95·3
Wales
1978	80·9	100·2	86·1	96·6	53·9	95·6
1979	94·1	101·2	97·2	96·3	61·4	97·5
1980	111·3	99·6	119·1	95·7	75·4	95·7
1981	120·3	98·7	132·7	94·4	87·5	95·7
England
1978	80·6	99·9	89·3	100·2	56·7	100·5
1979	92·9	99·9	101·6	100·2	63·5	100·8
1980	111·4	99·7	124·7	100·2	79·5	100·9
1981	121·6	99·8	141·0	100·4	92·1	100·8