asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will ask the electricity boards to suspend the codes of practice on disconnection by ending all disconnections of, and disconnection notices to, pensioners and the disabled until accounts for the winter period have been dealt with.

The Electricity Council announced on 15 January that electricity boards in England and Wales had suspended disconnections for at least seven days. It has asked people in difficulty with their bills to use this interval to get in touch with their boards without delay to see if a payment arrangement can be worked out. The industry's code of practice on payment of bills already provides that pensioner households shall not be disconnected during the winter months—1 October to 31 March—and also safeguards against disconnection other potential hardship cases, including the disabled.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will consult fully with energy-intensive industrial consumers likely to be affected prior to making a decision on proposals contained in the report he has received from the electricity supply industry on bulk electricity supply tariffs; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the review of the bulk supply tariff, which I have now received from the Electricity Council, took into account representations made by industrial electricity consumers. I will be giving careful consideration to the review and to the next steps to be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will arrange for a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission of the animal by-products industry.

Monopoly references are normally a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading, who is, I understand, currently considering whether circumstances in his industry might justify the exercise of his powers under the competition legislation. I have sent to the Director General a copy of the hon. Member's recent letter to my right hon. Friend on this subject, If the hon. Member has further relevant evidence or information he should get in touch with the Director General direct.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what inquiry was concluded into the loss of the British vessel "Union Crystal"; what conclusion it reached; what action he took; and how many lives were lost.

The "Union Crystal", which was owned in the United Kingdom but registered in Singapore, foundered on 16 November 1977 some 12 miles off Cape Cornwall with the loss of 5 lives whilst on voyage from Belfast to Poole with a cargo of rock salt. My Department prepared a report, the facts of which were provided to assist the Singapore authorities who, as the flag State, carried out the preliminary inquiry into the loss of the vessel.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what inquiry was conducted by his Department into the grounding in 1979 of the oil tanker "Christos Bitas"; and what conclusions were reached and acted upon.

The Greek tanker "Christos Bitas" grounded off the coast of South Wales on 12 October 1978. A full account of the action taken by the Department of Trade to deal with the casualty and combat oil pollution was subsequently published in the Department's report " 'Christos Bitas'—the fight at sea against pollution".Responsibility for the conduct of shipping casualty inquiries rests primarily with flag States. Accordingly, the Greek authorities commenced a public inquiry into the grounding of the "Christos Bitas" in Piraeus on 13 February 1979 and the United Kingdom participated in that inquiry.The Greek investigating court gave its judgment on 24 September 1979 in a published report. A copy of the report was sent to the Department of Trade and a translation was made available to interested parties. A copy of the report and also the account " 'Christos Bitas' —the fight against pollution" were placed in the Library in November 1980

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects to receive the preliminary inquiry report into the accident involving the loss of the "Union Star" and the Penlee lifeboat; and if he will make a statement.

The preliminary inquiry into the loss of the Penlee lifeboat will be completed as soon as possible. I hope to receive the inspector's report by the end of February. The "Union Star" was registered in the Irish Republic and inquiries into the loss of the vessel are the repsonsibility of the flag State. Accordingly the Irish marine safety authorities is conducting a preliminary inquiry; my Department has offered every assistance in this connection.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, further to the parliamentary replies to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe about Corporate Management Planning Ltd., whether any of Mr. B. E. Calvert's associates in that firm are still acting as liquidators; and if any of them are currently responsible for disbursing public funds as a liquidator.

Inquiries pursuant to section 165 of the Companies Act 1948 continue in respect of Corporate Management Planning Ltd. I understand that the only associates of Mr. Calvert in Corporate Management Planning Ltd. who are presently liquidators of companies are Mr. A. V. J. Newton, who was a former director, and Mr. B. Hollingsworth, who was an employee of the company. Mr. Newton is the liquidator of 12 and Mr. Hollingsworth of two companies. The only public funds which could be disbursed by the liquidators would be the funds normally provided by the Department of Employment to pay employees under the insolvency provisions of the Employment Protection Act. The Department of Employment has made arrangements to pay employees direct in insolvency cases where either Mr. Newton or Mr. Hollingsworth is the liquidator.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what have been the annual figures of imports of slab steel for each of the past 10 years; what percentage each figure represented of British use of the product; and what were the countries of origin and the amounts of slab steel from those countries.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will publish in the Official Report the details of the trade agreement with Brazil leading to the import of slab steel from that country.

The Government have no trade agreement with Brazil which involves the import of Brazilian slab steel.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, further to his answer of 21 December 1981, Official Report, c. 277, if he will set out in the Official Report details of the Italian import deposit scheme as it affects British footwear, giving (a) the date of imposition, (b) the date of withdrawal, (c) the value of United Kingdom exports affected to date, (d) the value of United Kingdom exports in a similar period over the last three years, (e) the rate of duty, and (f) the value of United Kingdom imports of Italian footwear over the same periods as (c) and (d); what was the attitude of other Community countries when Italy applied under article 109 of the Treaty of Rome; and what action was taken by them.

The Italian deposit requirement applies equally to a wide range of imports, including footwear, from all sources. Following is the information requested:

(a) the scheme was introduced on 28 May 1981

(b) it is to end on 28 February 1982

(c), (d) and (f)

United Kingdom Trade in footwear with Italy (£ million)
	Exports	Imports
June to November 1978	1·3	46·8
June to November 1979	2·2	65·9
June to November 1980	2·3	65·3
September to November 1981 *	1·2	47·8
*United Kingdom trade figures from March to August 1981 inclusive are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether financial support for the private sector of the steel industry or any other type of support such as that outlined by the Secretary of State for Industry in his statement of 14 December, Official Report, c. 26 to 34, has been cited by the United States producers of steel in any representations made to the United States Government on United Kingdom pricing arrangements for United Kingdom produced steel products being sold on the United States market.

We shall not know this until we have received and studied copies of the petitions.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, in view of the loss of 8, 135 direct jobs at the British Steel Corporation, Shotton works, Clwyd, since January 1980 and the current high number of jobless citizens in the Deeside travel-to-work area, he will meet the Alyn and Deeside district council and chief officer as requested by the council's chief executive; and if he will make a statement.

The chief executive of the Alyn and Deeside district council has recently written to a number of Ministers seeking a meeting. I would ask the hon. Member to wait until Monday 25 January, when the Secretary of State for Wales will be answering a similar question on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what is the current British capacity for manufacturing slab steel; and at what plants it is made;(2) what discussions he held with the British Steel Corporation on the import of 15, 000 tonnes of slab steel from Brazil.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether either inclement weather conditions or demands for anti-dumping action by United States steel producers will lead him to reconsider the statement he made on 14 December 1981 with a view to further support for the private sector steel industry.

We see no need to consider any increase at present in the £22 million assistance for the private sector steel industry which the Secretary of State announced in the statement to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what proportion of the time since the United Kingdom entered the European Economic Community the world price of sugar has been above that of the European Economic Community on the most logical comparable basis; and what has been the relationship between the average European Economic Community price and the world market price throughout the period.

During the eight marketing years from 1973–74 to 1980–81 the average world market price for the year has been higher than that of the European Economic Community in three years. Comparative figures are as follows

Year	EEC Support Price*UA/100 kg	Average World Price † UA/100 kg
1973–74	23·57	34·29
1974–75	25·22	66·60
1975–76	30·45	29·47
1976–77	33·14	19·85
1977–78	34·60	13·55
1978–79	35·47	12·78
	ECU/100 kg	ECU/100 kg
1979–80	43·27	32·32
1980–81	46·16	53·58
Average over eight years (in UAs)	32·05	30·95

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will take the appropriate measures to prevent the importing of bees into Great Britain until varroa infestation has been eliminated.

Varroasis is unknown in Great Britain. The Importation of Bees Order 1980 provides for the licensing of all imports of bees. Licences are not issued for imports of bees from countries where varroasis is known to exist.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are involved in the manufacture of arms in the United Kingdom.

In 1980–81, the latest period for which figures are available, the equipment programme of the United Kingdom Services sustained about 240, 000 jobs directly in the United Kingdom defence industries, and about 190, 000 jobs indirectly in industry as a whole. Exports of defence equipment are reckoned to have sustained a further 140, 000 jobs, both direct and indirect. The total number of jobs provided in 1980–81 through the manufacture of defence equipment is therefore of the order of 570, 000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he now expects to make a decision regarding the placement of orders for the new lightweight Sea Wolf point defence guided weapon system.

We hope to place a contract for full development and production of this system as soon as a decision on the choice of tracker radar is finalised. This should take place very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what work is now being undertaken by naval personnel at the Gibraltar dockyard base following recent completion of a frigate refit and in view of the fact that no other ships are at the base for refit or major repairs; and if he will make a statement.

The naval personnel associated with refitting work in Gibraltar will assist with preparatory work prior to the frigate rejoining the Fleet, and also with the work being undertaken on a current and a future mine countermeasures vessel refit.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is now able to make a statement on Tornado delivery rates.

After full consultation between Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom it has been agreed that the peak delivery rates for Tornado should be adjusted to 44—from a potential maximum of about 60—for the United Kingdom and to 42 for Germany. The peak rate for Italy remains at 24.Production aircraft prices have fallen in line with forecasts and programme arrangements protect each nation from the inflation of its partners. Nevertheless, heavy pressures on defence budgets mean that the Tornado programme cannot be isolated from financial constraints. But the agreement reached between Britain and Germany to smooth out a peak of Tornado deliveries which would otherwise have occurred over the next three years will help to ease defence budget problems in that period without creating disproportionate operational and industrial dislocation.Tornado remains central to the re-equipment programmes of the three partners. It forms a substantial element of our defence equipment budgets and the programme has achieved major advances in meeting technical and collaborative challenges. Four of the six production batches have been approved and 476 aircraft are on order out of a planned total of 809. Over 60 aircraft have been delivered: 42 to the Joint Tri-national Training Establishment, 15 to the RAF and 6 to the German Air Force. Tornado is proving extremely popular with military aircrew and is already showing its powerful operational potential.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will seek to introduce legislation to ensure that all lorry drivers are paid additional amounts when tachographs are fitted to their vehicles.

No. Drivers are now relieved of the task of completing written records, which have been replaced by the tachograph. There may be scope for additional payments under productivity agreements based on information provided by the tachograph, but these are not a matter for legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in view of the unavoidable long delays to the vehicles used by livestock hauliers at livestock markets, and the need, in the interests of animal welfare, to ensure the minimum amount of time spent in transporting livestock, he will introduce special provisions for tachographs used in such vehicles.

Vehicles used for the transport of live animals from farms to local markets and vice-versa are already exempt from the EEC drivers' hours and tachograph requirements. There is no provision in the relevant EEC legislation which would enable the United Kingdom Government to grant further exemptions.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if the Greater London Council will receive more or less rate support or other grant from the Treasury to assist in the provision of free fares for pensioners in consequence of the measures outlined by the Minister in his statement of 18 January; and if he will make a statement detailing the amounts involved.

As I told the House on 18 January —[Vol. 16, c.38]—no extra grant is being offered to the Greater London Council to finance free fares for pensioners. The Government have, however, offered to bring forward legislation to give the council the same powers as other authorities to finance and operate a concessionary fares scheme for pensioners.The Greater London Council allocation of transport supplementary grant will not be changed as a result, because expenditure on concessionary fares for pensioners is not eligible for this grant. Whether the council will receive more or less rate support grant will depend on the level of its total expenditure on all services on its rate revenue account. The first indication for 1982–83 will be next month when the council determines its budget and rate precept.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in view of the public transport policies in South Yorkshire, Sheffield and elsewhere, he will now introduce legislation to ensure that in all metropolitan counties and districts, the user of public transport pays a fair share of running costs as against the ratepayer and central Government, whilst recognising the special position of the pensioner and disabled.

I entirely agree that users should meet a fair share of the cost of public transport. This is reflected in my transport supplementary grant settlement. Following the recent House of Lords decision on subsidies for London Transport, South Yorkshire county council and other local authorities are, I understand, considering carefully the consequences for their own policies. I do not believe that immediate legislation is called for, but I shall keep the situation under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a statement explaining his plans for the development of the so-called Hampton site, contiguous to the National Gallery, with particulars of the space therein by which he proposes to extend the exhibition facilities of the National Gallery.

My right hon. Friend announced a developer-architect competition on 8 December 1981, inviting plans for the development of the Hampton site for mixed private accommodation and at least 20, 000 sq. ft. of additional space for the National Gallery, to be provided free of charge in exchange for a 125-year lease of the site. The competition will be held in two stages with only six competitors being asked to work up detailed designs. The winning scheme, which will be announced in September, will be selected on the basis of the architectural quality of the overall design and the amount of space offered to the National Gallery. Copies of the specifications for the competitions are in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report of the Recreation Management Training Committee.

The committee has not yet submitted its final report: I understand it expects to do so shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans the Property Services Agency has for Kensall House, Bryom Street, Manchester; and during the last five years how much money has been spent by the Government to maintain or improve this property.

The Property Services Agency intends to surrender the lease on this building when it expires in September 1982. This is in line with Government policy to reduce the size of the office estate.It is estimated that by not renewing the lease but rehousing staff elsewhere within the estate savings in excess of £100, 000 per annum will be achieved.During the past five financial years the Government have spent £23, 648 in maintenance on Kensall House. The only improvements were energy conservation measures carried out at a cost of £1, 873 and designed to recover an approximate £1, 700 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the organisations which have written to him concerning the financial position of voluntary organisations in Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.

I receive a number of letters from the voluntary sector on Merseyside, some of which recently have confirmed the financial position on voluntary organisation in Liverpool. This is a matter for Liverpool city council and I understand that the council is currently reviewing various projects run by voluntary organisations with a view to taking decisions shortly on their funding.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, when assessing local authorities' current expenditure for the purposes of rate support grant, he will disregard expenditure incurred in clearing and repairing roads affected by and damaged by adverse weather conditions; and if he will make a statement.

In order to calculate the amount of our proposed grant abatement for 1981–82, we intend to make an exemption in respect of additional expenditure incurred by local authorities as a result of the recent severe weather conditions. We shall let local authorities know our detailed proposals as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times the former Scottish Assembly building was let during the past two Edinburgh festivals; whether his Department is taking any measures to ensure that organisations both within the United Kingdom and overseas are aware that parts of the building will be available during the 1922 festival.

The former Scottish Assembly buildng was let on only one occasion during the past two Edinburgh festivals—the let was for the Edinburgh international television festival during the period 19 to 30 August 1980.Pending the completion of the present conversion works at the former Scottish Assembly buildings and the conclusion of the experimental period of use by the Scottish Grand Committee no action is being taken by my Department regarding the possible availability of the buildings for use during the 1982 festival.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the organisations which to date have had applications for use of the former Scottish Assembly building rejected by his Department.

The following organisations have had applications for use of the former Scottish Assembly building rejected:

Organisations
Edinburgh City Fellowship	19 July 1979
Kirk o' Fields Parish Church	18 June 1980
IBM United Kingdom Ltd	27 January 1981
Benns Rejeer	3 December 1980
Kirk o' Fields Parish Church	6 March 1981

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names and addresses of organisations to which his Department gave permission to hold meetings within the former Scottish Assembly building; and if he will give the date of each respective let.

The following organisations were granted permission to hold meetings in the former Scottish Assembly building:

Organisation	Date of meeting
The Cookburn Association	7 July 1980
COSLA	27 June 1980
Edinburgh International Television Festival	19 to 30 August 1980
Soldiers Sailors and Airmen's Families Association	16–17 October 1980
CILECT Conference (National Film School)	8–9 September 1980
COSLA	24 October 1980
Royal Institute of Architects in Scotland	25 November 1980
Scottish Education and Action for Development	4 November
Insurance Society of Edinburgh	11 November 1980
Scottish Television	11 and 12 November 1980
Cookburn Association	20 November 1980
Scottish Universities Debating Final	2 December 1980
Scottish Technical and Business Education Council	3 December 1980
Edinburgh Quartet—6 occasions	From 11 October 1980 to 1 March 1981
Herman Millar Systems Conference and Exhibition	16–17 December 1980
COSLA	27 February 1981
Edinburgh District Council	26 March 1981
Scottish Tourist Board	1 May 1981

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will show the security costs, on a monthly basis, which his Department has incurred at the former Scottish Assembly building since January 1979

The costs of security services at the former Scottish Assembly building are not readily available on the basis requested. However, it is estimated that during the period up to March 1981 average monthly costs were of the order of £4, 300 and following contract review have, since then, been of the order of £7, 000 per month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what were the costs of installing security measures around the perimeter of the former Scottish Assembly building;(2) if he will give the dates of installation for the various security measures around the perimeter of the former Scottish Assembly building; and when the guard tower was installed on the roof of the building.

Installation of the security measures around the perimeter of the former Scottish Assembly building was carried out during January and February 1979 at a cost of £2, 000. Additional security measures for the site and the actual buildings cost a further £8, 000. The guard tower on the roof of building No. 4 was installed in November 1979, at the request of the security agency employed for security duties at the site and following incidents of theft and vandalism.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment upon what date the Property Services Agency started planning conversion of the former Scottish Assembly building for use by the Crown Office; when the planning was completed; when alteration work started; when it was completed; if the alteration work interfered in any way with the debating chamber; and what was the estimated total cost of the work.

Planning of the proposed conversion of the former Scottish Assembly buildings for use by the Crown Office commenced in January 1981 following the Government's decision on the future use of the buildings. The decision of the House on 16 June 1981 that the Scottish Grand Committee should, as an experiment, hold some of their meetings in Edinburgh however necessitated some revision to the planning programme which was finally completed in September 1981. Conversion work to allow for occupation by the Crown Office commenced in October 1981 and was completed this month. Other minor works, relating to the total conversion scheme and including replacement of temporary fencing are proceeding and are due for completion by April 1982. The debating chamber itself was excluded from the conversion scheme although access and use has not been possible due to the other ongoing works in the main building. The total estimated cost of the scheme is £100, 000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment for how many principal buildings his Department is responsible within the city of Edinburgh; if he will state those buildings which are guarded by professional security agencies; and by what criteria his Department decides on the various levels of security applied to different buildings.

My Department is responsible for 162 buildings within the Government estate in the city of Edinburgh, approximately 390, 000 m²of accommodation. Responsibility for security of these buildings however rests with the major occupying Department and my Department is only responsible in Edinburgh for those buildings in which my Department is the major occupier—Directorate of Scottish Services HQ, Argyle House—or those which are awaiting occupation. Only two principal properties, the former Scottish Assembly building and the former John Watson's school fall into the latter category and both are guarded by professional security agencies. The level of security provided for different buildings is determined by the level of risk to which the particular buildings may be exposed.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what action the Hong Kong Government are taking to improve primary education following the White Paper on primary education and pre-primary services published in July.

Plans are in hand to introduce, from September 1982, an improved teacher to class ratio, more classroom equipment, new retraining courses for serving teachers and school heads, class libraries in aided and government schools, and increased grants and subsidies to implement curricular reform.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will seek to take appropriate international action to organise a free and democratic general election in Poland with the opportunity of any democratic political party or organisation to be permitted to contest such an election; and if he will ask the Government of Poland to co-operate in such an arrangement.

We condemn utterly the repression and suspension of civil liberties in Poland. Our immediate aims, for which we are working with our Western partners in NATO and the European Community, are to see:

(a) the early lifting of martial law;

(b) the release of those detained including members of Solidarity; and

(c) a resumption of the dialogue between the regime and Solidarity and the Church which represented the most significant democratic evolution in Eastern Europe since the Second World War.

These demands have been made clear to the Polish authorities during our various bilateral exchanges. The measures which we and our partners are concerting are designed to bring pressure on the Polish military authorities and the Soviet Government, who share responsibility for the crisis to facilitate the achievement of these aims.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will publish a detailed summary in the Official Report of any cases of torture, imprisonment without trial, killings or other violations of human rights known to have been carried out by the Polish Government since 13 December 1981.

Official spokesmen of the military regime in Warsaw have claimed in public statements that 5, 937 people have been interned in Poland since martial law was imposed. On 9 January it was stated that 5, 019 were still interned. The military authorities have also claimed that nine people have been killed. Unofficial reports speak of much higher figures, but we have no way of substantiating these.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what consular resources and other efforts by Her Majesty's Government have been devoted to finding the Scots girl, Alison McDonald, who is missing in Kashmir.

Our high commisson in New Delhi, our embassy in Islamabad and the consular department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have done what they can to help during the prolonged and thorough search for Miss McDonald conducted by the Indian authorities, whose responsibility it remains. This help has included the frequent passing of messages and a visit by a consular official to Srinagar.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he now has any plans to visit Gibraltar before 20 April 1982 in view of the continued concern arising from the threatened closure of the dockyard.

I have told the Chief Minister that I hope to visit Gibraltar soon, but I have at present no firm plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on progress on disposal of St. George's hospital, Hyde Park Corner.

In his answer on 4 August 1980 my hon. Friend the Minister for Health said that the Government would be seeking a current legal opinion on the validity of the restrictive covenant and the pre-emptive right included in the conveyance between the Grosvenor Estates and the former board of governors of St. George's hospital.We have now received and studied this further advice and there appears no doubt that the courts would confirm the validity of these provisions.We have already made it clear that we have no further need of the site for the NHS and I confirm absolutely that there is no point in considering negotiation on that basis. It is sensible to treat the site as a single entity and we have no justification for seeking to buy out the rights of the Grosvenor Estates, and in any case would have to do so at market value.Moreover, we would not be justified in going to a court to have the covenants set aside under the Law of Property Act, as we have no grounds on which we could hope to secure the modification or discharge of the covenants. But even if the application were to succeed, it could only be on the basis that compensation would have to be paid commensurate with the rights so extinguished.So far as the portion covered by the covenants is concerned, we are advised that these would take precedence over any bid by another Government Department. That Department would have to purchase an interest in this portion as well as meet the substantial costs of redevelopment, and the Government have no plans for the use of the premises.As the Government accept these arguments on the law applicable to these provisions, we have decided, as we no longer need the site for the NHS and wish to dispose of it, to take the first step towards this by offering the preemption right, so far as it applies to the Secretary of State's interest, to the Grosvenor Estates. If it takes this up, further action on disposal will be on that basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many professorships and consultant posts are vacant and have not yet been advertised in each of the London teaching hospitals; if he will list the posts concerned; whether and to what extent the number of vacancies has affected outpatient and inpatient hospital waiting lists; and if he will make a statement.

This information is not readily available in the Department. Information on consultant vacancies in individual hospitals is held by the health authorities concerned. The filling of vacant professorships in London is a matter for the University of London. Waiting lists and times are affected by a wide range of variables and any generalised comment would not necessarily apply to a particular hospital. The hon. Member may care to contact the AHA(T)s direct.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims for attendance allowance are outstanding at any one time; how long the delay is in assessing and deciding whether an attendance allowance is payable; and whether he will make a statement.

There are now about 43, 000 claims for attendance allowance outstanding. The average time taken to decide an initial claim is about 12 weeks. Title to attendance allowance depends on medical evidence which includes the report of a medical examination which has to be carried out in the disabled person's own home and it is unlikely that there can be any substantial reduction in the time taken to decide claims.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the Government intend the sections of the Children Act 1975 dealing with a statutory adoption service, custodianship, and separate representation in care proceedings to come into operation.

There are at present no plans to bring these provisions into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish figures similar to those in table E5, page 430, "Report of Royal Commission on the National Health Service", showing the percentage of hospital medical consultants holding whole-time National Health Service appointments, by region and specialty, for the latest periods, including 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The latest available information is set out in the table, below.

Percentage of permanent paid hospital medical consultants holding whole-time NHS appointments by region and specialty: Analysis by specialty (England and Wales)
Specialty	30 September 1979	30 September 1980	30 September1981
All specialties	47·6	49·8	51·3
Ophthalmology	7·7	9·6	12·7
General surgery	13·6	15·5	16·8
Traumatic and orthopaedic surgery	15·1	16·0	16·9
Ear, nose and throat	15·8	16·8	18·2
Obstetrics and gynaecology	17·5	19·9	22·1
Mental illness	74·4	76·0	75·8
Diseases of the chest	79·5	77·1	76·6
Pathology	81·3	81·8	82·4
Paediatrics	81·9	84·3	84·5
Accident and emergency	86·4	86·8	87·8
Mental handicap	92·6	92·0	91·7
Geriatric medicine	94·4	94·4	95·1

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the level of social security expenditure on retirement pensions on a per capita basis at constant prices since 1974.

The following table expresses retirement pensions expenditure at average 1974–75 prices divided by the average number of retirement pensions in payment, including those to wives on their husband's contributions.

Year*	Average retirement pension expenditure per pension in payment per year £
1974–75	455
1975–76	476
1976–77	477
1977–78	478
1978–79	502
1979–80	494
1980–81	497
1981–82†	500

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he has made for additional help for pensioners, the disabled and those on supplementary beneft with their high heating costs because of recent exceptionally cold weather; and if such aid may be made available without the production of the previous year's fuel bills.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Golding) on 18 January 1982. [Vol. 16, c. 61.] If the claimant cannot produce the previous year's fuel bill, the local office will apply a formula to the current bill. A copy of the guidance describing the formula and its application has gone to local offices and has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the Government will now provide assistance to those receiving rent and rate rebates, but who do not receive supplementary benefit, to help pay their fuel bills; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to him today.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the Government will now extend the £1·65 weekly assistance towards the payment of fuel bills to all pensioners on supplementary benefit; and if he will make a statement.

A further extension of the automatic assistance with fuel costs available through the supplementary benefits scheme cannot be afforded in the present economic circumstances. Those entitled to supplementary benefit, who have particular difficulties in meeting their fuel bills due to the recent severe weather, may be eligible for a special payment for this purpose and should inquire at their local social security office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what sum is taken into account of a person's savings who is applying for help to pay fuel bills under the Government's latest scheme for those on supplementary benefit; and what steps are being taken to publicise the available assistance.

As with all claims made under the single payments regulations, any savings in excess of £300 are deemed to be available towards the cost of the item or items claimed—the fuel bill in this instance. My right hon. Friend issued a press notice last week giving full details of the arrangements for dealing with such claims; as part of the general publicity, a Central Office of Information tape will be issued soon to all local radio stations and regional information officers are taking every opportunity to publicise the available help at the local level.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any guidelines have been given to local authorities concerning minimum temperatures to be maintained in (a) bedrooms, (b) sitting rooms and (c) bathrooms in residential homes for elderly people; and if he will publish them.

Design guidance issued to local authorities recommends that areas of residential homes occupied and used by residents should be maintained at a comfortable level of temperature at all times; the technical specification recommends that space heating installations shoud be capable of producing a temperature of 21°C under specified conditions. This specification is included in "Local Authority Building Note Number 2 (Revised 1973)", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the outcome of the meeting at which the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children saw the Under-Secretary of State on 13 January to discuss the request for additional financial assistance to enable the society to cope with the problems of increased child abuse, rising costs and the effects of cutbacks in local authority spending; and if he will make a statement.

Following the NSPCC's meeting with my noble Friend, I met the director of the society on 15 January and told him that a grant of £450, 000 had been awarded to the society over the next three years. The Government greatly value the society's work and this grant should help it to overcome its present financial difficulties.The right hon. Gentleman should note that local authority expenditure on personal social services has, in fact, increased in real terms by over 7 per cent. since 1978–79.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider allowing National Health Service prescriptions for Dextrostix; and if he will make a statement.

As I informed the hon. Member in my reply on 20 January—[Vol. 16, c. 139–40]—blood glucose monitors may be supplied to patients by health authorities on the prescription of hospital consultants. Where monitors are supplied the Dextrostix or other reagent strips necessary for use with them are also supplied by the health authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, following the case of Dr. Leonard Arthur, he has given or intends to give any advice regarding confidentiality of patient information to local health authorities which employ nurses.

We have no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were on the hospital waiting list in each of the last five years.

The figures for England on 31 March in each year were:

	Number
1977	595,490
1978	603,240
1979	752,422
1980	664,919
1981	628, 333

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if she will list the percentages of members of the Home Civil Service at the grade of assistant secretary or equivalent and above who are arts graduates, graduates in the social sciences and graduates in science and technology, respectively.

Centrally recorded data show that, of Home civil servants in the grade of assistant secretary or equivalent and above at 1 October 1981, 18 per cent. were graduates in arts and education; 22 per cent. were graduates in the social sciences; and 24 per cent. were graduates in science and technology. An individual who has degrees in more than one of these categories is included in each appropriate figure. It is not possible to separate arts and education graduates on the data available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if she will list the degree subjects of, and the universities and the type of secondary schools attended by, Civil Service administration trainees engaged in 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The following tables give the information asked for about all those who were appointed as administration trainees in 1979, 1980 and 1981 in so far as it is readily available. More detailed information about degree subjects and universities attended is being obtained and my right hon. and noble Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Table 1
Degree subject of all Graduate Entrants to the Administration Trainee Grade in the Home Ciil Service in 1979, 1980 and 1981
Subject	1979	1980	1981*
Arts	66	56	35
Social Sciences	22	23	15
Science and Technology	11	9	3
Others	1	—	1
Total	100	88	54

Table 2
Universities attended by Graduate Entrants to the Adnministration Trainee Grade in the Home Civil Service in 1979, 1980 and 1981
University	1979	1980	1981*
Oxford or Cambridge	49	48	27
Other university or polytechnic	51	40	27
Total	100	88	54

Table 3
Secondary School Background of all Entrants to the Administration Trainee Grade in the Home Civil Service in 1979, 1980 and 1981
	1979	1980	1981*
Maintained	64	46	39
Direct Grant	25	18	7
Independent	20	25	8
College of FE	1	4	1
Other/overseas	—	1
Total	110	94	55
*Provisional figures as at 20 January 1982.

NB: The totals in the three individual tables do not correspond because some administration trainee entrants were not graduates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received representations from the tobacco industry regarding his policy on duty upon cigarettes; and how many such representations were written and how many were oral.

We have received written and oral representations from the tobacco advisory council representing United Kingdom manufacturers of tobacco products. We have also received written representations from trade associations representing importers and retailers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has given any assurances in general terms to the tobacco industry regarding his approach to tobacco duty in his preparation of the next Budget.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give, for each year since 1945, the growth rate of the United Kingdom economy, the level of inflation, the number of persons in employment, the rate of unemployment, the level of the public sector borrowing requirement, the percentage increase in £M3, the surplus or deficit in the balance of payments, the level of interest rates, the national average wage and the percentage increase or decrease in real personal disposable income, and the percentage change in manufacturing investment, with such evidence for 1980 as is available.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total level of European Economic Community expenditure for each of the latest three years; and what proportion in each case is spent on (a) central administration, (b) administration of individual programmes and (c) overall administration.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many local tax districts club musicians have been transferred from schedule D to PAYE; and in how many this action has not been taken.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider making arrangements to render the treatment of certificates of tax deposit issued under terms published before 31 July 1980 comparable to that of certificates of tax deposit issued under the current prospectus published on that date when they are used in settlement of higher rate income tax and capital gains tax liabilities payable for 1980–81 and subsequent years of assessment.

Yes. At present there is a discrepancy in treatment because the Treasury is not empowered to vary the terms of certificate of tax deposit prospectuses published prior to 31 July 1980. As a consequence, these terms do not reflect the postponement of the due dates for the liabilities in question for 1980–81 and subsequent years of assessment which was effected by the Finance Act 1980. This prevents the Treasury from paying interest on deposits received under series 1–4 CTD prospectuses up to the new due date for these taxes when the deposits are surrendered in settlement of them. My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposes to seek legislation in this year's Finance Bill to alter the dates of these liabilities for the purposes of old CTD prospectuses, thereby removing this discrepancy and allowing interest to be paid up to the new due date. Appropriate adjustment will be made retrospectively when that legislation is enacted to make the treatment of series 1–4 CTDs surrendered against these liabilities for 1980–81 comparable to series 5 CTDs in this respect.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will ascertain from the Inter-American Development Bank how much, if anything, from the £1, 000, 000 per annum contribution from the United Kingdom is used to support the Government of El Salvador in any way.

The United Kingdom is contributing £6·6 million to the Inter-American Development Bank in 1981–82 of which £6·1 million is for its fund for special operations and £0·5 million as a subscription to its capital stock.The bank's latest annual report indicates that in 1980 the bank disbursed £9·7 million from the FSO to El Salvador for specific projects for economic development. Most Western donors are members of the bank, and the United Kingdom's current share of contributions to the FSO is 4·1 per cent.The United Kingdom did not support the projects for El Salvador approved by the bank's board of executive directors in 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the effects in 1982–83 of public expenditure reductions on the Health and Safety Commission and Executive in respect of their statutory obligations to enforce the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act.

I have not yet had from the Commission the details of how it intends to implement the latest reductions, but I believe that the Commission and the Executive will have sufficient resources in 1982–83 to continue to meet their statutory obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 1 December, Official Report, column 83, if there has been any revision of the estimate of 15, 900 craft and technical apprentices expected to be recruited by firms in scope to the engineering industry training board in the training year 1981–82.

Yes. The total number of craft and technical apprentices now expected to be recruited by firms in scope to the engineering industry training board in the training year 1981–82 is 14, 300.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply of 1 December to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East, Official Report, column 83, how many craft and technical apprentices will be recruited by firms in conjunction with the engineering industry training board in the current training year; and how many of these will be supported from Manpower Services Commission funds.

Of the toatal of 14, 300 craft and technical apprentices now expected to be recruited to the industry in the current training year, 10, 300 are expected to be recruited directly by firms in scope to the board without support from public funds. A further 4, 000 apprentices will be recruited directly by the board under

	Closures and redundancies reported as due to occur May 1979 to December 1981 (inclusive)*			Pending, from January 1982
	Redundancies	Closures		Closures
		Number of establishments	Number of employees involved	Number of establishments	Number of employees involved
Wolverhampton travel-to-work area	10, 885	29	1, 697	—	—
West Midlands	141, 239	511	31, 653	5	1, 624
*Including provisional figures for November and December 1981

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are unemployed and how many job vacancies there are in each occupational group in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Wolverhampton at the latest available date.

Figures in the following table relate to unemployed people registered at employment offices at December 1981 for employment in the occupations listed. Figures for careers offices are not analysed by occupation.

	West Midlands Region		Wolverhampton employment office
	Unemployed	Unfilled vacancies	Unemployed	Unfilled vacancies
Managerial (general management)	473	15	26	—
Professional and related supporting management and administration	5, 009	143	271	—
Professional and related in education, welfare and health	5, 992	323	288	5
Literary, artistic and sports	1, 738	44	100	2
Professional and related in Science, engineering, technology and similar fields	5, 847	212	355	1
Managerial (excluding general management)	6, 892	263	394	14
Clerical and related	34, 629	1, 104	1, 567	34
Selling	18, 223	1, 146	793	29
Security and protective service	1, 628	73	92	—
Catering, cleaning, hairdressing and other personal service	15, 851	1, 036	729	30
Farming, fishing and related	3, 419	69	103	3
Materials processing (excluding metal)	2, 236	99	60	—
Making and repairing (excluding metal and electrical)	10, 240	339	443	12
Processing making, repairing and related (metal and electrical)	55, 941	603	3, 228	17

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, (1) how many factory closures have there been since May 1979 in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands; and how many jobs have been lost in each area;(2) how many workers have been made redundant since May 1979 in

There are no comprehensive statistics of closures, job losses or redundancies. The available information on closures and redundancies, involving 10 or more employees, reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in the requested areas is given in the following table.The vacancy figures relate only to those notified to employment offices which are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the economy as a whole. The number of vacancies unfilled at a particular date takes no account of the flow of vacancies being notified, filled or withdrawn which would reflect activity more closely. For example, during the 12-month period to December 1981, 81, 625 people were placed in jobs by employment offices in the West Midlands region. It is estimated that the public employment service accounts for about one in four of all placings.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands are currently in receipt of some form of Government subsidy; and what was the position in May 1979.

The numbers of firms receiving payments from the Department of Employment are set out in the following table:

	January 1982
	Wolverhampton	West Midlands†
Firms supported by Temporary short time working compensation scheme	*43	610
	May 1979
Firms supported by temporary short time working compensation scheme; short time working compensation scheme and temporary employment subsidy	*10	139
Firms receiving small firms employment subsidy‡	95	1, 856
*Statistics given relate to the area covered by Wolverhampton employment office.
† Statistics given relate to the West Midlands statistical sub-division of the Department of Employment's Midlands region.
‡ Statistics given relate to firms who were approved to claim small firms employment subsidy in February 1981 when final payments were being made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will extend his experimental enterprise allowance scheme to the Leicester city council area.

No. The Manpower Services Commission will be operating this experimental scheme in a limited number of pilot areas to test its effectiveness as a means of helping unemployed people set up on their own. No decisions about extending the scheme beyond pilot areas will be taken until we have been able to evaluate how it has worked in practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what changes he proposes in the constitution of the road transport industry training board; and what he expects to be the financial implications of his proposals.

My right hon. Friend announced on 16 November that he proposed to take road passenger transport, warehouses, agricultural machinery, driving schools and security transport out of scope of the road transport industry training board.No decision has yet been reached on whether to split the board to create separate boards for road haulage and motor vehicle retail and repair. We have asked the Manpower Services Commission to consider this possibility further and to let us have its views as quickly as possible. The financial implications are being examined by the Manpower Services Commission and we will take them fully into account in reaching our decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions there have been since the disabled quota system was introduced; and if he will give annual figures of such prosecutions.

Prosecutions have been brought against 10 employers under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 since its inception. Annual figures are as follows:

	Number
1948	2
1949	2
1964	1
1973	1
1974	1
1975	3

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will ensure that students who are at present included in mode III CSE examinations will not be eased out of the examination system by the new 16-plus examination; and if he will make a statement.

The proposed single system of examinations at 16-plus would cater for candidates in the same range of ability as those for whom GCE O-level and CSE examinations are together designed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, further to his reply dated 9 December, Official Report, c. 419, to a written question from the hon. Member for Grimsby concerning the raising of the school leaving age to 17 years, he will publish in the Official Report details of the savings of £300 million on other programmes, the numbers of persons benefiting under those programmes and the number of young persons who would be removed from the labour market by raising the school leaving age to 17 years.

The savings of £300 million were based on over 300, 000 fewer participants in the youth opportunities programme—saving nearly £200 million—100, 000 feweryoung people receiving supplementary benefit—saving nearly £100 million—as well as fewer trainees on schemes of unified vocational preparation. The total number of young people not in full-time education for the first year after the end of the present compulsory period is estimated at about 500,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average ratio of pupils per qualified teacher in all maintained primary and secondary schools in each local education authority in England for the latest available date.

In January 1981, the latest date for which information is available, the pupil-teacher ratios within maintained primary and secondary schools were as follows:

Local education authority	Primary schools	Secondary schools
Barking	21·1	14·6
Barnet	21·1	14·9
Bexley	24·6	17·2
Brent	18·4	13·3
Bromley	23·9	16·2
Croydon	22·2	16·1
Ealing	19·4	15·3
Enfield	22·5	16·2
Haringey	19·7	15·3
Harrow	21·1	14·4
Havering	23·3	16·0
Hillingdon	23·2	16·2
Hounslow	20·9	15·3
Kingston-upon-Thames	20·5	16·3
Merton	21·5	17·2
Newham	20·7	15·9
Redbridge	23·7	17·0
Richmond-upon-Thames	20·9	15·8
Sutton	24·6	17·2
Waltham Forest	21·8	14·3
Inner London	17·5	14·3
Birmingham	23·2	16·4
Coventry	22·1	16·4
Dudley	24·1	17·4
Sandwell	23·4	15·6
Solihull	23·5	16·0
Walsall	21·6	15·1
Wolverhampton	19·4	15·0
Knowsley	22·7	16·0
Liverpool	20·8	16·1
St. Helens	23·8	15·9
Sefton	23·8	16·9
Wirral	23·8	16·9
Bolton	24·3	16·2
Bury	23·1	16·1
Manchester	22·4	15·0
Oldham	24·4	17·5
Rochdale	23·2	15·4
Salford	21·5	15·1
Stockport	23·8	16·8
Tameside	25·0	16·8
Trafford	23·4	16·6
Wigan	21·8	15·5
Barnsley	22·9	16·7
Doncaster	21·8	16·5
Rotherham	23·2	17·4
Sheffield	21·2	16·3

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the extent of private or industrial sponsorship within the university sector.