asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to announce a decision on the extension of a £10 million loan guarantee to the De Lorean Car Company; and in what form he will do so.

The Government have agreed in principle to extend its guarantees of commercial borrowing by De Lorean Motor Cars Ltd., for a limited period and at a lower level than hitherto: the details and the conditions have yet to be finalised. I shall report more fully to the House as soon as possible after the Christmas Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about Short Brothers' 1980 corporate plan.

The Government have endorsed Short Brothers' strategy, which emerged from its 1980 corporate plan. This strategy envisages the continued development of the three sides of the company's business: aircraft, aerostructures and guided missiles. In particular the company will accelerate and expand production of the SD360 commuter airliner.Following Government approval to external borrowings of £30 million for the year ending 31 March 1981, further approval has been given for the company to operate within a cumulative external funding limit of £78 million for the period ending 31 March 1983. Within this amount, as announced last year, public funding of £17·9 million will be made available in the period 1 April 1981 to 31 March 1983. Commercial sources will therefore provide the greater proportion of the increased funding required to finance the approved strategy.In endorsing the company's acceleration strategy, the Government reaffirm that those dealing with the company can do so in the knowledge that the Government, in the last resort, would ensure that creditors had their claims fully met.

asked the Prime Minister if she expects to visit the European Parliament again in the near future following her visit as chairman of the European Council on 16 December.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, on 22 December, if she will now clarify the terms of the reply with regard to the Government's cut in invalidity benefit and her undertaking that this is being compensated for by a temporary allowance; and if any change in policy is indicated by her reply.

My earlier reply to the right hon. Gentleman indicated no change in policy. I referred to the invalidity pension, and to the invalidity allowance paid on top of the invalidity pension, which has been restored to the level of the corresponding allowances paid with retirement pension.The Government have given an assurance that when invalidity benefit is brought into tax it will be restored to the level of the retirement pension.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied that the Scottish Development Agency's property letting division is giving adequate and favourable consideration to non-manufacturing, but job-creating firms, wishing to lease Scottish Development Agency property within the city of Glasgow.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that in allocating its factories, the Scottish Development Agency gives every consideration to applications from service or other industries as stipulated in its factory building guidelines.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any intention to review or seek to amend the law so far as it relates to the subsidisation of transport by local authorities in Scotland, in the light of the House of Lords judgment in Regina v Greater London Council and Another, ex parte Bromley London borough council.

I am studying the judgment with interest. I have no immediate plans for action.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research is carried out by his Department into the control of potato scab; and if any progress is being made in developing a cure.

My Department's recent work on powdery scab, a disease that has caused problems this year and last, has taken the form of studies of the relationships between infection at planting and at harevest time; local surveys of the incidence of the disease; assessment of possible chemical treatments; and, in co-operation with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, trials to assess the susceptibility of differenct varieties of potatoes. I understand that research into this disease is also being undertaken by the Agricultural Research Council at the Rothamsted experimental station and that the North of Scotland college of agriculture is carrying out a research project funded by the Potato Marketing Board.Both powdery scab and common scab can be controlled by soil and crop management and sanitation, in particular by the choice of less susceptible varieties, by crop rotation and by avoiding the introduction of the pathogens to soils conducive to the disease.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to set up an independent trial into the value and safety of additives to conserved fodder.

No. But Ministry experta have conducted experiments on silage additives for a number of years and results are published in various publications of the Agricultural Development Advisory Service and are reportsd in farming journals.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if British food manufacturers are able to import sheepmeat from the Falkland Islands for manufacturing purposes free of any quota restriction or other form of import control.

Under the import arrangements negotiated with the Community's principal suppliers of sheepmeat, the import charge has been halved to 10 per cent. in return for limitation by the supplying countries of the level of their exports to the Community. For supplies from countries that have not negotiated such arrangements—including the Falkland Islands—the import charge is also halved within certain quantitative limits. These limits have not been reached in 1981 and it is open to suppliers in the Falkland Islands to take advantage of the reduced import charge.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all those organisations, other than the Animal Breeding Research Organisation, currently undertaking research in the breeding of animals; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that the right hon. Member is referring to research relevant to the breeding of farm animals. Apart from the Animal Breeding Research Organisation, two other Agricultural Research Council institutes, the Poultry Research Centre and the Institute of Animal Physiology, undertake research in farm animal breeding, and several other institutes funded by the ARC also carry out research that contributes to animal breeding work.I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, that the Agricultural Development Advisory Service, together with the Meat and Livestock Commission and the Milk Marketing Board undertake research in breeding farm animals.I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland that some limited research in the

breeding of animals is currently undertaken at the following establishments, which are grant-aided by his Department:—

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to withdraw or reduce Government funds currently available to the Animal Breeding Research Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

The funding of the Animal Breeding Research Organisation is a matter for the Agricultural Research Council, which has discretion to apportion its grant-in-aid from the science budget as it sees fit.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will specify the amount of capital grant received by the Agricultural Research Council in each of the last three years; and if he will list the percentage of those amounts allocated to the Animal Breeding Research Organisation in each of those years.

The Agricultural Research Council's grant-in-aid for each of the last three years, and the percentage of that devoted to the Animal Breeding Research Organisation, is as follows:

	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81
	£	£	£
Grant-in-aid (capital and current)	22·28	29·60	37·51
	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
Percentage of these amounts allocated to the Animal Breeding Research Organisation (capital and current)	7·1	6·3	6·6

It is for the Agricultural Research Council to decide the distribution of its grant-in-aid from the science budget as between capital and other expenditure. The amounts that the council has spent on capital items, and the percentages of those sums allocated to the Animal Breeding Research Organisation, in each of the last three years are as follows:

	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81
	£ million	£ million	£ million
Capital Expenditure by ARC	8·07	7·23	8·96
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
Percentage of above amounts allocated to the Animal Breeding Research Organisation	2·5	1·9	*4·3
* Includes the net cost of the purchase of Hamilton House farm.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money has been given by the Science Research Council to the South African Astronomical Observatory since their joint project commenced.

The joint project is governed by an agreement signed in December 1971. From April 1972 to March 1981 the Science and Engineering Research Council's contributions amounted to £1·642 million, this figure being the total of the cash amounts paid. Astronomers from the United Kingdom make considerable demands on the observatory's telescopes, which are very well placed for observations of the southern sky. I understand that the council considers that it gets good value for its contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to the statement of the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave), Official Report, 18 November, c. 365, if he will give a breakdown of the grades of the civil servants in his Department's division which deals with universities.

The division of the Department that deals with university finance is staffed as follows:

Assistant Secretary	1
Personal Secretary	1
Principal	1
Senior Executive Officer	1
Higher Executive Officer	2
Executive Officer	1
Clerical Officer	1

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his reply of Monday 30 November 1981, Official Report, c. 504, and in the light of details given to local authorities about the 1982–83 rate support grant, he will publish, for every local education authority in England (a) its contribution to and (b) its receipt from the advanced further education pool in 1981–82, revised, and in 1982–83, estimates.

Further to my reply of Monday 30 November 1981—[Vol. 14, c. 41–2]—owing to a computer breakdown it will not prove possible to announce the full pooling adjustments by 31 December as previously planned, and my right hon. Friend has accordingly laid amending regulations before this House. Local authorities will be notified of the details as early as possible in January.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has yet received evidence from university vice-chancellors and principals in support of a modification of the time scale for the implementation of changes proposed in university finance.

My right hon. Friend has considered argument on the timing of the contraction of the university system from a variety of sources, including the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals. No firm conclusion can be drawn, as all calculations involve unverifiable assumptions about the cost of redundancy and the savings that flow from it. My right hon. Friend has therefore decided to maintain the present rate of contraction. It will, however, be open to the University Grants Committee to consider whether, exceptionally, a slightly extended time scale is desirable in the case of any individual university and, if they wish, to use the restructuring fund which my right hon. Friend announced on Monday for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether arrangements have yet been completed for the future management and funding of higher education outside the universities.

With the agreement of the local authority associations and after consultation with other interested parties I have decided to establish a new advisory body on the academic provision to be made in local authority institutions of higher education. The advice that this body will provide will assist me in the performance of my statutory duties in relation to the distribution of the advanced further education pool and the approval of advanced courses. The advisory body will comprise a committee supported by a board and such sub-committees as the board may appoint. My hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave), the Under-Secretary of State, will chair the committee, which will otherwise consist of representatives of the local authorities and of the chairman of the board. The chairman of the board will be Mr. Christopher Ball, warden of Keble college, Oxford, and I shall shortly be inviting nominations for membership of the board from a number of higher education and other interests. I hope the committee and board will meet next month. The terms of reference of both are as follows. This initiative is without prejudice to the Government's continuing consideration of longer-term arrangements for the management of higher education in the public sector.Terms of ReferenceThe committee for local authority higher education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the science budget for 1982–83 will be divided between the recipient bodies.

Following consideration of the recommendations of the advisory board for the research councils, I have decided that the science budget for 1982–83 should, subject to approval by Parliament of the Estimates in due course, be allocated as follows:

	£ million (1982–83 cash prices)
Agricultural Research Council	43·6
Medical Research Council	107·4
Natural Environment Research Council	57·6
Science and Engineering Research Council	234·4
Social Science Research Council	20·9
British Museum (Natural History)	9·5
Royal Society	4·5
	477·9

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement on the future of the Sea Wolf project.

I refer my hon. Friend to my remarks on this subject during the debate on the Consolidated Fund Bill on 21 December.

asked the Secretary of State if he will give a breakdown of the grades of the civil servants in his Department's press and public relations division.

74 civil servants are currently employed in the Ministry of Defence press and public relations division. The breakdown by grades is as follows:

• 1 Executive Director
• 1 Assistant Secretary
• 4 Chief Information Officers (B)
• 2 Principal Information Officers
• 9 Senior Information Officers
• 24 Information Officers
• 1 Senior Photographer
• 1 Higher Executive Officer
• 2 Executive Officers
• 16½ Clerical Officers
• 7½ Clerical Assistants
• 1 Senior Personal Secretary
• 4 Personal Secretaries

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost of the meteorological services; and if he will divide that cost into general forecasting for the public and special forecasting for aviation, maritime and other specialised services.

Details of voted expenditure borne on Defence Votes for the Meteorological Office, receipts accruing and the apportionment between defence, the free public service, and other services are given in the Statement on the Defence Estimates, Vol. II, table 7·9—Cmnd. 8212-II.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence establishments in total there are in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; how many employees there are in these four countries; and how many scientific and research establishments working on defence contracts there are in each of the countries.

It will take a little time to obtain and collate the information requested. I shall publish a reply in the Official Report when this has been done.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the best estimate of the number of listeners to the British Broadcasting Corporation external service broadcasts to Poland; whether he has any evidence that these broadcasts are being jammed; and what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to increase, if only on a temporary basis, the number of hours per day of Polish language transmissions.

The BBC does not undertake audience research in Poland, but according to a United States study the BBC's regular audience there—ie, those listening at least once a week—was in the region of 6 million adults in 1980. There is no evidence so far that the BBC's broadcasts to Poland are being jammed. As I announced yesterday, the hours of broadcasting in Polish are about to rise from 21¼ to 26¼ hours per week.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the daily average of Polish language broadcasts currently being transmitted by the British Broadcasting Corporation external service; and what, approximately, were the daily averages in 1951, 1961 and 1971, respectively.

The BBC is currently broadcasting three hours a day—3¼ hours on Sundays—in Polish, a total of 21¼ hours a week. The equivalent figures for 1951, 1961 and 1971, respectively, were 1½ hours a day—10½ a week—approximately two hours and 20 minutes—16¼ a week—and about three hours and 10 minutes—22¼ a week. As I announced yesterday, the hours of broadcasting are about to rise to 3¾ hours per day—26¼ hours a week.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, in view of the present political situation in Spain, it remains his intention to end the BBC external service broadcasts in Spanish to Spain on 31 December.

Yes.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will give consideration to merging the BBC external service Latin American programmes in Spanish with those to Spain in Spanish to ensure that the latter broadcasts continue after 31 December.

We have looked into this. A merger would involve considerable technical difficulties. For example, transmissions would have to beamed in different directions, at some extra cost. Moreover, there are different time zones, differing interests between Spanish and Latin American audiences and differences of accent and even vocabulary.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make it his policy not to relinquish the right to the use of the wavelength at present used for external service broadcasts to Spain in Spanish.

We hope that the BBC will retain the most useful of the frequencies formerly used by the services which are being discontinued and use these as necessary for other services.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many representations he has received concerning the closure of the BBC Spanish service to Spain; and from whom.

Of the separate representations received since our plans for the BBC external service were first announced in the House in June, roughly 50 were primarily concerned with the Spanish service to Spain. It would require a disproportionate amount of time to list each individual correspondent.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is satisfied that the BBC external service topical tape service will continue to be re-broadcast in Spain following the ending of direct broadcasting in Spanish; and upon what factors he bases his assessment.

The BBC seeks to distribute its topical tapes abroad wherever there is a demand for them. What is now being proposed for Spain—and also for Italy—is a completely new recorded service to provide material of more general interest for re-broadcasting by local radio stations. This assessment of requirements is based on a proposal from the BBC.

asked the Lord Privy Seal on what evidence Her Majesty's Government based the judgment referred to by his noble Friend the Lord Trefgarne that a petition from journalists in Spain for the retention of BBC external service broadcasts in Spanish to that country might not have been entirely spontaneous, House of Lords Official Report, 26 November, column 914.

It is well known that the BBC's supporters conducted a vigorous campaign both at home and overseas against some of our proposals for the BBC external service.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many Vietnamese refugees are now in Hong Kong.

On 22 December there were 16,072 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he has received representations from Commonwealth countries, included in the Lomé convention, regarding the United Kingdom's continuing membership of the EEC.

No. As over half of the developing countries which enjoy substantial trade-aid benefits from their association with the Community through the Lomé convention are members of the Commonwealth, one would expect them generally to support our continuing membership.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Belper (Mrs. Faith) on 23 July, Official Report, c. 212, whether Her Majesty's Government are now in a position to ratify the United Nations convention on the elimination of discrimination against women.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Inverness (Mr. Johnston) on 21 December.—[Vol. 15, c. 270.]

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the subjects discussed and the conclusions reached at the meeting between the Minister of State and the Nicaraguan Foreign Secretary on 17 December.

I discussed matters of mutual interest about developments in Nicaragua and Central America. No conclusions were reached, but it was agreed there should be a continuing dialogue.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether Her Majesty's Government accept the recommendations made in the joint report by the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission on "Private International Law: Council of Europe Conventions on Foreign Money Liabilities (1967) and on the Place of Payment of Money Liabilities (1972)"—Cmnd. 8318.

After careful consideration, Her Majesty's Government have decided to accept the recommendations in the joint report that the United Kingdom should not become a party either to the European convention on foreign money liabilities 1967 or to the European convention on the place of payment of money liabilities 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the capacity of the British Gas Corporation's (a) overall pipeline network, (b) high pressure mains and (c) medium pressure mains; and how much capacity is currently surplus to market requirements.

The capacity of the British Gas Corporation's main transmission network is designed to meet the contracted quantity of supplies of gas from the North Sea. This is currently between 7,000 and 8,000 mcfd. The capacity of BGC's medium-pressure and local distribution networks is in general designed to meet local gas supply commitments. The amount of surplus capacity will depend on the extent to which actual demand falls short of the capacity to convey the contracted quantity of North Sea gas; this will vary from time to time.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much land has been used for opencast mining; and how much has been restored to agricultural use since 1945.

The NCB estimates that, since 1942, approximately 74,000 hectares of land have been, or are being, used for opencast coal mining. Of this, about 54,000 hectares has been fully restored, some 90 per cent. or so to agriculture (including forestry). The remainder is at present either being used for coal production, or is in the process of restoration. I regret that separate figures for the period since 1945 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will appoint Mr. Joe Gormley as the next chairman of the National Coal Board.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) on Monday, 21 December 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will seek to rationalise and thereby reduce the costs of the National Coal Board in order to keep down the cost of coal and electricity supplies to the United Kingdom market.

Competitively priced coal is important to the competitiveness of British industry, which uses coal and electricity, and to other consumers. It is therefore vital to the coal industry's own long-term future. I always have in mind the need for NCBs to manage its own business so as to contain its costs and to enable it to charge prices which its customers can afford to pay.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the National Coal Board's cash limits for the previous, current and next years; how much was intended in each case for capital expenditure; for what purpose the revenue allocations were provided; and if he will publish a breakdown.

The National Coal Board's external financing limits for the years in question are as follows:

£ million outturn
1980–81	1981–82	1982–83
832	1,117	1,026

The board's approved capital expenditure for the first two years is as follows:

1980–81	1981–82
807	805

The board's capital expenditure approval for 1982–83 will be published, with those of other nationalised industries, in the public expenditure White Paper.Within the board's EFLs, the following amounts of operating and deficit grants have been or will be accrued by the Board:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy which electricity boards are currently using load limiters; how many are installed in each case; how many are operating on an experimental basis; and what assessment is being made of the success of the installations.

There has been no significant change in the numbers of load limiters installed by area boards from those given in the reply to the hon. Member for Lambeth, Central (Mr. Tilley) earlier this year.—[Vol. 1000, c. 342.] I understand from the Electricity Council that trials are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will publish in the Official Report comparative figures of crime for the last two years in Newham showing the numbers of shoplifting cases, stealing from shops and stores, burglaries, thefts of and from motor vehicles, thefts of cycles; and to what extent there has been an increase of these types of crimes being committed by juveniles and the younger generation;(2) if he will seek from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis figures for the increase of crime in the London borough of Newham during the last 12 months; and if he will publish in the

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in 1981, changes have been made in the guidance issued to prison staff about suicides and attempted suicides in the light of cases during 1980.

A circular instruction clarifying and making minor changes to the guidance about suicides and attempted suicides was issued to staff in August. A copy is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department from what date the appointments take effect of the assistant commissioners to the Parliamentary Boundary Commission listed in the reply of the Minister of State to the hon. Member for Goole on 19 October, Official Report, column 28.

The appointments of the first seven assistant commissioners listed took effect on 6 October 1981 and that of Mr. Mildon on 18 October 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reduction in research activity has occurred in his Department over the past two years in money terms and in manpower; and what areas of research have been most affected.

Information in the form requested is readily available only for the research activities referred to in my answer of 17 June to my hon. Friend the Member for Ravensbourne (Mr. Hunt) in which I announced changes in the arrangements for research and scientific development in my Department—[Vol. 6 c. 369.] Economies have been and are being made, but no overall reduction in our research effort has resulted. The information requested is as follows:

	1 December 1979	1 December 1981
Staff in post	296½	282
Estimated annual salary cost	£2,202,000	£2,907,000
Annual cost of research excluding salary cost	£3,697,000 (actual)	£4,665,000 (estimated)

Other research is undertaken in the Home Office police department, Directorate of Telecommunications and radio regulatory department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he proposes to take any immediate steps in response to the Home Affairs Select Committee report on the Commission for Racial Equality; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether, following the First Report from the Home Affairs Committee, House of Commons Paper 46 of Session 1981–82, on the Commission for Racial Equality, he will review existing race relations legislation, with a view to seeking the repeal of the Race Relations Act 1976; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether, following the criticisms contained in the First Report from the Home Affairs Committee, House of Commons Paper 46 of Session 1981–82, with regard to the operation and role of the Commission for Racial Equality, he will seek the repeal of those provisions of the Race Relations Act 1976 pertaining to the establishment and functions of the commission.

We have no plans to abolish the Commission for Racial Equality or for the repeal of the Race Relations Act 1976. The Government are studying the report from the Home Affairs Committee, which includes a series of recommendations directed towards improving the commission's operation and effectiveness, and will reply to the Committee in the usual way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now dismiss the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality and take action to deal with the commission's shortcomings as reported by the Home Affairs Committee.

The answer to the first part of the question is "No". The Home Affairs Committee's report is being considered and the Government's response will be published in the usual way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sentenced young offenders aged 17 to 21 years for the latest convenient date, were serving the whole of their sentences in local prisons; and how many were in local prisons awaiting allocation.

The information requested is not collected centrally. The information readily available is given in the following table.

Sentenced population* aged under 21 in local prisons in England and Wales on 30 November 1981.
Type	Number
Young prisoners	695
Borstal trainees: Awaiting removal to allocation centre	141
Others	9
Total	845
* Including persons imprisoned in default of payment of a fine.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department during the last 12 months how many sentenced young prisoners were reclassified as adults before reaching the age of 21 years; and of those reclassified, how many were 18 years of age, 19 years of age and 20 years of age, respectively, w hen the reclassification took place.

The only information on the age at reclassification which can be provided without disproportionate cost is given in the following table:

Sentenced population* in prison department establishments in England and Wales at 30 June 1980 under 21 at date of sentence
	Number
Aged under 21 on 30 June 1980
Young prisoners not reclassified	2,491
Reclassified as adult	796
Aged 21 or over on 30 June1980
Young prisoners not reclassified	180
Reclassified as adult
when under 21	633
when 21 or over	367
Total	4,467
* Excluding persons imprisoned in default of payment of a fine.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in his consideration of matters concerning the revision of the Public Order Act and of street marches and related matters, he will give consideration to the possibility of organisers of street marches and demonstrations having to take out insurance policies to cover the costs of damages, and so on, which may be caused during or subsequent to such demonstrations.

If the hon. Member would elaborate the case for compulsory insurance in a letter to my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State he will gladly consider it; but we see some difficulties, for example, where damage is caused by persons for whom the organisers could not be held to be responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has given further consideration to seeking amendment of the law to allow British citizens residing abroad to vote in British elections.

This matter has been included in our review of electoral law and procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the progress of the pilot scheme detoxification centres in Leeds and Manchester; and whether he intends to make provision for further centres in order to assist habitual drinkers.

I have been asked to reply.The pilot centres in Leeds and Manchester which were funded by the Department for limited experimental periods until November 1979 and November 1980 respectively are now being supported locally. A decision on policy on detoxification centres will follow the completion of an evaluation research programme commissioned by the Department, the results of which will be available in the latter half of 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has held discussions with representatives of the campaign for a trade techno centre for Wales; whether he proposes to support this venture; and whether any application for assistance to such a project has been made by his Department to the regional development fund of the European Economic Community.

My officials have had several discussions over the years with interests promoting the idea of a techno centre for Wales. Firm proposals and clear evidence that there is sufficient committed support and financial backing for the scheme are needed before I could consider the idea further. Any application now for European regional development fund aid would therefore be wholly premature.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to ensure that when public construction works go out to tender in Wales, in those areas where his Department has responsibility, there will be an attempt to ensure that all local authorities capable of undertaking this work are considered before contractors from outside the area are brought into consideration.

The only significant area in which my Department has responsibility for the tendering arrangements for public construction works is trunk road construction. Local authorities undertake most trunk road schemes of under £100,000. In schemes over that figure, local authorities with adequate experience and expertise may be invited to tender in competition with private firms who may come from inside or outside Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to increase the sums available for the derelict land programme.

I am confident that the resources available to the Welsh Development Agency will enable it to continue with a worthwhile derelict land programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to mitigate the effects of job losses in areas affected by changes in Government defence policy in Wales.

I am concerned about job losses in Wales whether they occur as a result of changes in defence policy or for other reasons. My department and associated agencies make every effort to attract new jobs to affected areas by the provision of essential infrastructure such as new industrial sites; advance factory buildings; improved road communications; financial assistance to industry and increased training and retraining facilities. I also take every opportunity to promote Wales as an attractive location for new investment both from home and abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of (a) the number of jobs in Wales directly or indirectly dependent on defence expenditure and (b) the numbers of such jobs which have been lost over the last two years or are under threat at present.

Defence expenditure is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, but I am told that in June 1981 there were 6,346 service personnel in Wales, a slight increase since June 1979. In October 1981 there were 9,292 civilian employees in Wales, a fall of about 500 over the past two years. No detailed information is available for indirect job losses in Wales.The Royal naval armament depot stores at Llangennech and the MOD depot at Pembroke dock are due to close, but the rundown is not expected to commence until 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table indicating, in constant money terms, the level of current expenditure by the Welsh Office over each of the past five years, based on functions which have been its responsibility throughout the period of comparison.

I regret that this information is not available in the form requested and I refer the hon. member to the reply I gave him on 15 December 1981—[Vol. 15, c. 71–2.] Furthermore, it would not be practicable to segregate from the information there given, the expenditure particulars for the past five years for only those functions which have been my responsibility throughout that period.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will republish the figures in his reply to the hon. Member for Caernarvon on 15 December, Official Report, c. 71–72, in constant cost terms.

As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member in his reply of 15 December, the only information available in constant prices is the planning data contained in the Government's expenditure plans, the latest of which was published as Cmnd. 8175.However, approximate figures can be calculated by using the GDP deflator which is the most general indicator of cost increases in the economy. On this basis the figures are as follows:

	£		£
Year	Cash Prices	GDP Deflator	Constant Prices
1973–74	201,962,869	70·2	287,696,395
1974–75	284,732,218	84·0	338,966,926
1975–76	397,170,643	103·5	383,739,752
1976–77	479,114,615	117·4	408,104,442
1977–78	530,577,089	131·6	403,174,080
1978–79	667,507,821	147·4	452,854,695
1979–80	809,028,502	169·0	478,715,090
GDP Deflator 1975 = 100.

Right to buy applications, offer notices and sales up to 30 September 1981
	Applications	Offer notices issued	Sales
Aberconwy Borough Council	1,055	499	104
Afan Borough Council	1,216	514	53
Alyn and Deeside District Council	595	511	130
Arfon Borough Council	1,048	450	216
Blaenau Gwent Borough Council	1,144	524	147
Brecknock Borough Council	789	732	93
Cardiff County Council	2,462	516	151
Carmarthen District Council	13	3	0
Ceredigion District Council	690	263	60
Colwyn Borough Council	0	0	0
Cynon Valley Borough Council	674	251	67
Delyn District Council	644	593	35
Dinefwr Borough Council	368	232	3
Dwyfor District Council	200	67	0
Glyndwr District Council	851	630	101
Islwyn Borough Council	1,844	310	166
Llanelli Borough Council	2,250	1,263	367
Lliw Valley Borough Council	1,054	334	79
Meirionnydd District Council	433	283	0
Merthyr Tydrfil Borough Council	810	259	28
Monmouth District Council	482	321	96
Montgomery District Council	940	578	146
Neath Borough Council	1,311	768	265
Newport Borough Council	1,387	642	348
Ogwr Borough Council	2,072	545	17
Preseli District Council	1,025	711	206
Radnor District Council	301	244	21
Rhondda Borough Council	297	198	54
Rhuddlan Borough Council	593	485	49
Rhymney Valley District Council	1,808	606	12
South Pembs District Council	226	14	0
Swansea County Council	1,319	860	158
Taff Ely Borough Council	1,573	682	155
Torfaen Borough Council	1,566	1,079	330
Vale of Glam Borough Council	729	260	43
Wrexham Maelor Borough Council	2,169	1,651	122
Ynys Non Borough Council	939	280	92
Total	36,877	18,158	3,914

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table indicating, in constant money terms, the level of (a) capital expenditure and (b) current expenditure by each of the eight county councils in Wales for each of the past five years.

Information in the detail requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing progress by each local housing authority in Wales in selling council houses to existing tenants, including the number of applications, the number of offers, the number of completions and the average period of delay between application to buy and completion of sale.

The following table gives details for each local authority in Wales of the number of right-to-buy applications received, the number of offers made and the number of sales completed as at 30 September 1981, the latest date for which information is available. As regards the average delay between application and sale, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 30 November. —[Vol. 19, c. 8–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the reason for the delay in announcing the urban aid grants for 1982–83, in view of the requirement for local authorities to make their claim earlier this year; if he will now state the allocations for the Arfon and Dwyfor areas, respectively; and how these compare with the sums requested.

There has been no delay. The size of the urban programme for 1982–83 was announced on 14 December. The amount available is to be increased by more than 30 per cent. above planned levels. Details of the allocations to individual authorities will be made known early in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have been lost in (a) the coal industry and (b) the steel and tinplate industries in Wales for each year since 1966.

Annual changes in the number of employees for the years 1966–77 were as follows:

	Thousands at June each year
	Coal industry	Steel and tinplate industries
1965–66	-8·6	-0·7
1966–67	-5·0	-0·8
1967–68	-7·8	-0·2
1968–69	-6·6	+1·1
1969–70	-5·1	-0·5
1970–71	-5·2	-3·8
1971–72	-2·1	-2·4
1972–73	-2·6	-0·9
1973–74	-2·9	-2·6
1974–75	+0·2	-0·1
1975–76	-1·1	-5·5
1976–77	-0·2	+3·3

Source: Insurance Card Count to 1971, Census of Employees in Employment thereafter.

Detailed figures are not available on this basis for subsequent years, but quarterly estimates for broader industry groups show the following changes (June on June).
		Mining and Quarrying	Metal manufacturing
	1977–78	-2·3	-6·3
	1978–79	-2·0	-2·0
	1979–80	-1·0	-12·0
	1980–81	-1·0	-17·0

Source: Department of Employment

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will reconsider the level of his Department's contribution to MENCAP.

Yes, if that association submits acceptable proposals for the organisation of its activities on an all-Wales basis.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated average council rent in (a) England and Wales, (b) Greater London and (c) inner London for 1981–82; and how this compares with the figures for 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81.

Estimated average weekly unrebated council rents are as follows:

	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82
(a) England and Wales	5·90	6·48	8·18	11·50
(b) Greater London	7·08	8·04	9·70	13·26
(c) Inner London	6·87	7·62	9·36	13·04

Notes:(i) These are estimates based on data supplied by local authorities in several sources.(ii) The GLC dwelling stock is included at (a) and (b), but not at (c).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made of the additional costs being borne by local authorities in dealing with the severe weather conditions being experienced throughout the United Kingdom; and what effect his cutback in local government finances is having upon the ability of local authorities to maintain essential services and safeguard the safety of pedestrians, motorists and transport drivers;(2) if he will immediately provide additional financial resources sufficient to enable local authorities to take on temporary labour to clear pavements and roads and to man emergency services;(3) if he will make a statement about the availability of salt and grit for local authorities, having regard to the continuing and dangerous conditions of roads and pavements; and if he is satisfied that each local authority will be able to perform these tasks for the safety of the public.

I believe that local authorities are able to deal with the effects of the present severe weather conditions on roads and pavements, and to carry out any other emergency services for which they are responsible, within their existing resources. There should be enough salt and grit if used sensibly. However, it is too early to make any useful estimate of additional costs likely to be involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the extent to which wall insulation materials, including a variety of foams, have led to damp penetration on the inner walls of buildings in general and houses in particular.

The Building Research Establishment has carried out tests on damp penetration through cavity walls before and after insulation with a variety of materials. Filling cavities can increase damp penetration in some circumstances, but generally the risks arising from insulation properly installed in accordance with the appropriate agrément certificate or British standard are outweighed by the benefits of increased comfort and reduced energy consumption.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reduction in research activity has been made in his Department over the past two years in money terms and in manpower; and what areas of research have been most affected.

There has been a 10 per cent. reduction in research expenditure, measured at constant prices, in my Department for the year 1980–81 compared with 1978–79. Over this period expenditure on radioactive waste management has doubled, while research on environmental protection and planning has been reduced by one-fifth.Non-industrial staff at the two research establishments—the Building Research Establishment and the Hydraulic Research Station—have been reduced by 11 per cent. over the period April 1979 to April 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will detail in the Official Report which definitions of local authority expenditure can be derived from the revenue outturn forms returned to his Department for 1980–81; and, in particular, whether current, relevant and total expenditure can be devised for each individual council.

The 1980–81 outturn revenue summary forms show current expenditure, on the definition which was used for setting individual targets, at outturn prices. There was no statutory definition of "total" expenditure for individual authorities, until the introduction of block grant in 1981–82, but figures approximating to the 1981–82 definition of "total" expenditure could be derived from the 1980–81 outturn forms.For 1980–81, the concept of relevant expenditure had no significance at individual authority level, but the definintion at aggregate level could, in principle, be extended to derive outturn figures for individual authorities. However, the derivation would be complex, requiring the use of data from several different forms.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his most recent estimate of the proportion of local government expenditure in (a) England and Wales and (b) Greater London met by (i) central Government grants, (ii) domestic ratepayers, (iii) commercial and industrial ratepayers, (iv) other ratepayers and (v) rents and charges.

The most recent estimates are for 1979–80. In that year, in England and Wales, local government revenue expenditure was met in the following proportions:

	Per cent.
(i) central Government grants	55
(ii) domestic ratepayers	13
(iii) commercial and industrial ratepayers	11
(iv) other ratepayers	5
(v) rents and charges	16

The information for Greater London is not immediately available. I shall write to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new jobs have been created in special enterprise zones since their inception.

As I explained in my answer to the hon. Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 26 October 1981—[Vol. 10, c. 291]—one of our aims in enterprise zones is to keep detailed enquiries to firms, which would be required to answer this question, to a minimum. We have, however, appointed consultants to monitor the development of the enterprise zones. They will be reporting late next year, and this should help provide the answers to questions such as this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether consultations were held with the Football Association before the Minister with responsibility for sport publicly criticised its commercial judgment concerning the sponsorship of England's participation in the World Cup.

I have not criticised the Football Association's commercial judgment, only their choice of mascot—the cartoon caricature "Bulldog Bobby".

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, as a matter of urgency, he will consult the Football Association about the financial and other considerations that affect the success of the Football Association's sponsorship of England's participation in the World Cup.

I have told the Football Association chairman that I am willing to discuss with him any aspects of England's participation in the World Cup. But these commercial considerations are primarily matters for the Football Association as the governing body for football.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the document intended to be a consultation paper entitled "Organisation of Historic Buildings in England" is not laid before the House as a Green Paper but is issued by Her Majesty's Stationery Office as a departmental document containing 7¼ pages of text and priced at £1·50; whether he considers that this price and procedure serves to elicit a more widespread and effective response from Parliament and public than publishing as a Green Paper; and why it is not available in the Vote Office as a parliamentary paper.

I issued my consultation document in the way which seemed to me most likely to reach the widest public. As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State informed both Houses on the day of publication—Tuesday 24 November 1981—by means of a written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, South-West (Mr. Cormack).—[Vol. 13, c. 353.] A copy

England and Greater London Rate Income Proportions: 1971–72 and 1980–81
	Domestic	England Commercial Industrial	Other Ratepayers	Domestic	Greater London Commercial Industrial	Other Ratepayers
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
1971–72	45	39	16	38	47	15
1980–81	43	40	17	33	50	17

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the judgment of the House of Lords on 17 December in the case of Regina versus the Greater London Council and Another ex parte Bromley London borough council, he has any plans to introduce a statutory limit extending to members of the Greater London council and others who were responsible for initiating the policy found to be unlawful by their lordships along lines similar to the National Health Service (Invalid Direction) Act 1980 which provided immunity to the Secretary of State for Social Services arising from an unlawful direction given by that Minister with respect to the future functioning of the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham area health authority (teaching); and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 December 1981]: I have received no representations from the GLC about any aspect of the judgment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will draw up a scheme to facilitate redeployment of civil servants between Departments of State and between geographical areas in order to maximise the return to the State from official investigation of fraud.

No, Sir. Individual Government Departments are responsible for investigating and countering fraud within their own areas of operation. They allocate members of their own staff to these duties, and

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his most recent estimate of the proportion of total rate income in (a) England and Wales and (b) Greater London which is contributed by (i) domestic rates, (ii) commercial and industrial rates and (iii) other ratepayers; and what information he has as to how these figures have altered over the past 10 years.

Following is the available information:there is no requirement for a central scheme involving interdepartmental or geographical redeployment of civil servants for this purpose.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms joined and how many left the value added tax register in the latest 12-month period for which figures are available; and what are the figures for each month during that period.

For the 12-month period from December 1980 to November 1981, 143,582 names were added to the value added tax register. In the same period, 121,093 persons sought cancellation of their registrations but many of these will not be removed from the register until computer processing returns to normal following the recent industrial action in the Civil Service.I regret that, because of the industrial action, monthly figures for the period are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would he the saving in the financial year 1982–83 if only the first £1,375 of the married man's tax allowance were uprated in line with the increase in the retail price index under the formula introduced in section 22(2) of the Finance Act 1977, assuming that that increase is (a) 12 per cent., (b) 12·5 per cent, and (c) 13 per cent.

Compared with the cost of indexing income tax allowances and bands by the specified percentages under the statutory procedure laid down in section 24 of Finance Act 1980, the saving in a full year at 1981–82 income levels would be as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in his forthcoming spring Budget, he will take action which would have the effect of limiting the amounts of moneys paid by public companies into political funds and organisations and to ensure that such contributions must come from income where the companies concerned have paid tax on such donations.

Expenditure by companies is tax deductible only where it is incurred wholly and exclusively for business purposes. The treatment of any individual item depends on the facts of the case, but contributions to political parties with wide policy aims would not normally qualify.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change in Exchequer revenue would result from a reduction in tobacco duty of 20p on a packet of cigarettes and the equivalent on other forms of tobacco; and what change he would expect from a reduction in alcohol duty of 20p on a bottle of spirits.

It is estimated that duty reductions of 20p—with the consequential 3p reduction in VAT—on a packet of 20 cigarettes with the equivalent on other tobacco products and on a bottle of spirits would reduce the revenue by £850 million and £25 million, respectively, in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how far subsequent alcohol and tobacco revenue receipts have met the estimates he made in the 1981 Budget and Finance Act.

Receipts of the duties on alcoholic drinks in April and May were £306 million. I regret that, owing to industrial action, no later figures are yet available for these duties.Receipts of tobacco products duty were £2,035 million, approximately, up to the end of November.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will estimate the cost of extending industrial building allowances to premises for use in service industries.

Industrial building allowances are already allowed for use, when appropriate, in service industries. If capital allowances were extended to commercial buildings at the same rate as for industrial buildings, the estimated cost in a full year is £1,100 million on the assumption that sufficient profits are available to absorb the allowances in full. If current levels of expenditure were maintained the annual cost would rise to an estimated £1,300, million by 1990.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will estimate the total annual expenditure which has qualified for capital allowances in respect of industrial buildings and structures for each of the years since the operation of the Capital Allowances Act 1968.

The estimates are as follows:

	£ million
1968	240
1969	220
1970	315
1971	335
1972	265
1973	380
1974	460
1975	525
1976	465
1977	640
1978	825
1979	900
1980	1025

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost of capital allowances in respect of industrial buildings and structures in each of the next three years.

On the assumption that sufficient profits are available to absorb the allowances in full, the cost of capital allowances on industrial buildings—assuming that current levels of expenditure continue—is estimated to be as follows:

	£ million
1982–83	500
1983–84	575
1984–85	600

In practice, the cost in this period is likely to be substantially less.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report tables comparable to that published in appendix 5 "Disposal Incomes" of the first report from the Treasury and Civil Service Committee, 1981–82, for (i) average earnings, (ii) twice average earnings, (iii) five times average earnings, for (a) single persons, (b) married couples and (c) married couples with three children for each of the years 1978–79 to 1981–82.

Figures for a married couple with three children are as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish his estimate of the percentage increase compared with the previous year in the yield of all central Government receipts from (a) taxes and other duties, (b) the public sector borrowing requirement and (c) all income saving in the financial years 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will study the precedents of municipal and State loans in the United States of America for investment by the public in nationally beneficial projects, with a view to legislation to provide for the introduction of bonds for funding specific capital construction projects; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he will introduce legislation to introduce bonds for national construction projects with varying maturity dates over periods of about 10 years with some degree of dividend tax exemption; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether he will undertake full discussions with a wide range of financial institutions with a view to examining whether the introduction of bonds for specified national construction and infrastructure projects would be a positive inducement to people and organisations to invest in the long-term future of the United Kingdom;(4) whether he will investigate the practicalities of issuing index-linked bonds for specific and carefully chosen capital construction projects as a method to attract private funds in order to reduce public expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the outcome of the Budget Council on 21 December.