asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many conventional shipping companies have ceased trading, or been taken over by larger lines, since 1965; and what were their normal ports of call in the United Kingdom.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) why the charge he makes for the provision of an inspector to examine new weighing machines under the Weights and Measures Act is £22 per hour; and why this is to be increased to £30.25 per hour plus travel costs for examinations made after 1 January 1983;(2)what is the approximate hourly salary paid to examiners of weighing and measuring equipment;(3)if he will provide a breakdown of the charge of £30.25 which he is to make for each hour's work done by his examiners of weighing machines effective from 1 January 1983, identifying in particular the overheads he requires manufacturers to pay over and above the actual salary received by most examiners themselves.

The new rates are steps towards achieving full recovery of costs in carrying out these examinations and are in line with the Government's policy of setting fees and charges at a level which is designed to recover full costs and no more.The approximate hourly salary paid to examiners is £6. The hourly charge of £30.25 is not directly related to the pay of individual examiners. The aim is to recover the full cost of providing the service in order to ensure that no part of this cost should be allowed to add to the general level of public expenditure and thus fall as a burden on the general taxpayer. The charging-out rate therefore reflects the total staff costs of providing the service, including support staff, accommodation costs, telephone and stationery, materials and consumable stores, depreciation and interest charges on fixed capital etc. as well as a share of the general departmental overheads.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade in respect of which maritime matters, and for which parts of the United Kingdom, his Department exercises responsibility.

The principal responsibilities in the maritime field exercised by the Department of Trade, for the United Kingdom as a whole, cover policy towards the United Kingdom merchant fleet; the safety of merchant ships, including their construction and equipment; safety of navigation—including certain responsibilities under the Coast Protection Act 1949; the registration of United Kingdom vessels and seamen; the certification of seamen; manning; pilotage; civil marine search and rescue and the prevention and combating of marine pollution. Further information is given in publications and directories available in the Library such as "Marine Activities, A Guide to the Responsibilities of Government Departments and Agencies" and Lloyd's "Nautical Year Book".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will deport Chadwick Bailor and Mervin Bailor.

Mervin and Chadwick Bailor were convicted at Winchester Crown court on 16 February 1982 for demanding money with menaces. They were each sentenced to three years' imprisonment and recommended for deportation.Section 6(6) of the Immigration Act 1971 precludes my right hon. Friend from making a deportation order on the recommendation of a court so long as an appeal or further appeal is pending; or until the expiration of the time for bringing an appeal. Where a person is sentenced to a tIn-m of imprisonment he would not normally consider a recommendation for deportation by the court until towards the time that person was due for release.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to limit the controls of his Department over the allocation of the television broadcasting channels of the proposed L-SAT satellite transmission system to those required by any international agreement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the indication of the Government's approach to the question of direct broadcasting by satellite, given in my foreword to the report of the Home Office study on this subject, published last May. As I said in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel (Mr. Marshall) on Thursday 18 February, I hope to make an announcement about DBS very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the annual levels of recruitment to the prison service; and whether he will publish figures for such recruitment for the most recent five years for which figures are available.

I am satisfied with the numbers coming forward for recruitment to most grades within the prison service. The detailed figures requested are published annually in the "Report on the Work of the Prison Department". Copies of the 1980 report, Cnind. 8228, and previous reports are in the Library. The 1981 report will be presented to Parliament in April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions were answered by his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and whether this represents an increase or decrease over previous years.

The readily available information on questions from right hon. and hon. Members is as follows:

Session	Number of questions answered
1978–79 (90 days *)	1,359
1979–80 240 days *)	4,253
1980–81 (164 days *)	2,288

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give for each year since 1976 (a) the number of prosecutions for rape, (b) the number in which there was more than one defendant, (c) the number in which the complainant had previously had sexual relationship with the defendant and (d) the number in which there was evidence of violence; and if he will give for each category the proportion of defendants found guilty.

Information on persons proceeded against and found guilty of rape is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" table S1.1(A) of volume 1 of supplementary tables 1980 for proceedings in magistrates' courts and table S2.1(A) of volume 2 for proceedings in the Crown court in 1980 and tables 1(a) and 5(a) of the Command Paper for earlier years; the figures include some offences other than under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, including offences of aiding and abetting and attempts. The information collected centrally does not identify separately the circumstances requested at (b), (c) and (d) but the published figures show that in recent years about three quarters of all those tried were found guilty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations which have made representations to his Department since the beginning of the year regarding the law of rape or its application; and if he will give the number of letters received by his Department from individuals making representations on the same subject.

Since the beginning of the year the following organisations have made representations on this matter to my Department either directly or through Members of Parliament:

• Bristol Rape Crisis Centre
• Bromsgrove and Redditch Labour Women's Council
• Carlton (Conservative) Constituency Party, Women's Section
• Civil and Public Servants Association, South-East London Branch, DHSS
• East Durham Women's Aid
• Edinburgh University Students' Association
• Heavingham Women's Institute
• Ipswich Women's Movement
• National Association of Women's Clubs
• National Board of Catholic Women
• National Federation of Women's Institutes
• Sheffield Trades Council
• Snodland Labour Party
• Trades Union Congress, Women's Advisory Committee
• United Kingdom Federation of Business and Professional Women
• Wales Women's Rights Committee
• Women Against Rape

In addition, representations from the following organisations have been transferred to the Home Office from other Departments:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research being carried out in England and Wales into any aspects of the application of the law of rape, including treatment by the police of complainants and conduct of the trial, is supported from public funds; and by which organisations the research is being undertaken.

I am not aware of any such research funded by central Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any recent advice has been given to chief constables on the procedure to be followed in dealing with cases of rape.

Advice was given in 1976, following the report of the Advisory Group on the Law of Rape, Cmnd. 6352, and is included in the Home Office "consolidated Circular to the Police on Crime and Kindred Matters", a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many police forces (a) rape is investigated by a specially trained rape squad, (b) the complainant is examined by a specialised woman doctor and (c) the woman is examined elsewhere than in the police station.

I understand that no police force has a separate rape squad, but it is the general practice for allegations of rape to be investigated by or under the supervision of experienced CID officers. One police force maintains a register of women police surgeons who are available to conduct medical examinations of rape complainants; other forces have a variety of arrangements, under many of which the choice of medical practitioner depends on who is readily available and whether or not a woman practitioner is specifically requested. Complainants are always examined away from a police station if they have injuries requiring hospital treatment. Where such injuries are not present complainants may be examined away from a police station in 36 forces, but the arrangements for such examinations vary widely.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the individuals and organisations with whom he is consulting regarding possible changes in the law relating to rape.

The Criminal Law Revision Committee, which together with the Policy Advisory Committee on Sexual Offences is currently examining the law on rape as part of a review of the law on sexual offences, has invited and is receiving comments from a wide range of individuals and organisations, including women's groups and bodies representing the medical and legal professions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of organisations in Liverpool which have made representations to him concerning the cuts in the budget for voluntary organisations funded by urban aid which is proposed by the Liverpool city council; and if he will make a statement.

The only recent written representation have come from the Merseyside Youth Association.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library details of the new assessment scheme to identify racial prejudice among candidates for the Metropolitan Police force.

Details of the work in hand are not available in a form suitable for placing in the Library. I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet decided whether to implement the recommendation of Lord Scarman that there should be a separate offence under the police discipline code of racial prejudice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Macclesfield of 29 January, Official Report, column 452, he has yet reached a decision on the recommendation in the Scarman report that there should be a separate offence under the police discipline code of racial prejudice; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot at present add to the replies I gave to questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) and my hon. Friend the Member for Petersfield (Mr. Mates) on 29 January and 4 February respectively.—[Vol. 16, c. 452; Vol. 17, c. 169.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the consideration by the Police Advisory Board on 26 January and the Police Training Council on 28 January of the recommendations of Lord Scarman.

The Police Advisory Board endorsed a proposal that, since the establishment of local liaison committees on a statutory basis would take some time, steps should first be taken to initiate liaison procedures on a voluntary basis. The board also endorsed a proposal to set up a study group to examine existing arrangements for increasing ethnic minority recruitment to the police service and to consider what more might be done. The board agreed unanimously on the need to eradicate racially prejudiced behaviour in the police service, but concluded that the existing discipline code made adequate provision for dealing with such behaviour.The Police Training Council considered the recommendations on training. It was recognised that these would require detailed examination and the council therefore decided to establish working parties to consider community and race relations training and probationer training; and to conduct reviews of training in public order and supervision and management. The council will reconvene in the autumn to assess progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects his Department's study group on ethnic minority recruitment into the police to report.

We expect the group to complete its work during the summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will be the cost of extending the initial police training course at Hendon in April from l5 to 16 weeks.

This is one of several changes being made to the recruit training course at Hendon and its cost cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has decided to implement Lord Scannan's recommendation that statutory arrangements should be established for liaison between local communities and the Metropolitan Police.

A decision on this recommendation will be taken in the light of consultations which I have put in hand.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners died in Brixton prison in 1981; in how many cases an inquest was held, with what verdict; and how many cases of attempted suicide were recorded.

There were five deaths in Brixton pri; on during 1981. The coroner is required to hold an inquest with a jury on any death which occurs in a prison department establishment. In these cases three verdicts of suicide and two verdicts of death by natural causes were recorded. In addition there were 13 incidents, involving a total of 11 prisoners, where a prisoner injured himself apparently with suicidal intent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet reached a decision on idle publication of the report prepared by Mr. Gibson, regional director of the south-east region of the prison department, on the incident at Her Majesty's prison Wormwood Scrubs on 31 August 1979.

A full statement on the background, circumstances and action subsequently taken is being published today, together with the report on the incident prepared by Mr. Gibson. l am grateful for his careful analysis of what took place. It is clear that mistakes were made in the handling of the incident and subsequently: hut the Director General has taken action to ensure that the lessons which have been learnt are applied at Wormwood Scrubs and throughout the prison service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give details by Metropolitan Police district and ethnic identity code of arrests and prosecutions under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in London since the Act became operative;(2) if, pursuant to his answer of 18 January,

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if Her Majesty's Government have yet made a decision on the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Jeffrey Dudgeon; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. The Government have noted the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that the law on homosexual offences in Northern Ireland is in breach of article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Under the convention, Her Majesty's Government have undertaken to abide by decisions of the court in cases

[pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1982, c. 14]: The available information relates to persons arrested for the offence of "interference with vehicles" under section 9 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 in the period August to November and is given in the following table.to which they are a party. The Government will, therefore, be taking steps to bring the law on homosexual offences in Northern Ireland into line with that of the rest of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many private individuals in the Province have been issued with personal protection weapons by the Royal Ulster Constabulary;(2) if he will ensure that a charge is made in all cases for the issue of personal protection weapons by the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

It is not the current policy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to issue personal protection weapons other than to policemen, and therefore the question of making a charge does not arise. A small number of personal protection weapons were issued in the past without charge to persons outside the police force. It would not he in the public interest to give more specific information. All private individuals in possession of a firearm must hold a valid firearm certificate, for which a charge is made.

	Queen's University of Belfast	New University of Ulster	Ulster Polytechnic	Stranmillis College	St. Mary' s College
1971–72	640	269	301	315	186
1972–73	625	230	371	325	196
1973–74	665	265	441	331	200
1974–75	692	308	482	340	203
1975–76	801	312	646	269	170
1976–77	740	300	750	252	153
1977–78	706	293	720	181	109
1978–79	704	276	771	178	110
1979–80	817	350	832	177	113
1980–81	803	323	842	115	88

Information on the social class of the families of students in higher education is not available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, in view of the high rate of unemployment in Northern Ireland, he will take special measures to offset the effects of redundancies at Harland and Wolff.

Special measures are already being taken to combat unemployment in Northern Ireland. Industrial development and employment measures are accorded high priority, and Northern Ireland continues to enjoy the highest levels of financial assistance to industry available in the United Kingdom. The effectiveness of this assistance in dealing with the problems of unemployment within the Province is kept under review and the impact of redundancies is considered in that context.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of people and the rate per 1,000 population in each area board who received assistance with holidays in 1980–81.

Assistance with holidays is provided in Northern Ireland by both the health and social services boards and by the education and library boards. The information for 19807–81 is as follows:

Health and Social Services Boards	Number	Rate per 1,000 Population
Northern	506	1.38
Eastern	684	1.04
Southern	180	0.67
Western	303	1.26

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many women have been admitted to each of the institutions of higher education in Northern Ireland in each of the years 1971 to 1981, inclusive;(2) what percentage of those presently in higher education institutions in Northern Ireland come from families in social classes IV or V.

The annual intake of full-time, women students at each of the Northern Ireland institutions of higher education since 197l is set out in the table below. Data for 1981–82 is not yet available.

Education and	Number Library Boards	Rate per 1,000 Population
Belfast	3,071	8·7
North Eastern	3,735	11·0
South Eastern	2,978	9·5
Southern	1,699	5·7
Western	1,205	4·9

In addition, the Department of Education (Northern Ireland) assisted 1,501 persons mainly through a community relations holidays scheme that provides grant on holidays for mixed Protestant and Catholic grour. of children.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children and the rate per 1,000 child population in each area board who received assistance with the installation of telephones in 1980–81;(2)if he will list the number of households and the rate per 1,000 population in each area board who received assistance with the payment of telephone rentals in 1980–81;(3)if he will list the number of households containing disabled children and the rate per 1,000 child population in each area board who received assistance with the payment of telephone rentals in 1980–81;(4)if he will list the number of households and the rate per 1,000 population in each area board who received assistance with the installation of telephones in 1980–81.

In Information for 1980 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the number of households and the rate per 1,000 population in each area board who received assistance with adaptations to the home in 1980–81;(2) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children and the rate per 1,000 child population in each area board who received assistance with adaptations to the home in 1980–81.

Information for 1980 is as follows:

	All households		Those containing disabled children*
Health and Social Services Boards	Number	Rate per 1,000 population	Number	Rate per 1,000 population under 16
Eastern	291	0·44	12	0·07
Northern	321	0·88	18	0·16
Southern	119	0·45	7	0·08
Western	23	0·10	5	0·06
Northern Ireland	754	0·49	42	0·09

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the number of households containing disabled children and the rate per 1,000 child population in each area board who received assistance with the provision of aids in 1980–81;(2) if he will list the number of households and the rate per 1,000 population in each area board who received assistance with the provision of aids in 1980–81.

Information is at present only available for 1980 and is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the value of food imports into the Province for the period 1980–81; and what was the value of manufactures imported over the same period, with a breakdown industry by industry or in some other convenient form.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants were employed by his Department in May 1979; how many are employed in February 1982; and what has been the percentage change; in each case how many were first division civil servants; and what has been the percentage change in their numbers.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 February 1982]: The numbers of civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office on 1 April 1979 and 1 January 1982 were:

	1 April 1979	1 January 1982	Per cent change
NIO	1,681	1,541	-8·3

Equivalent figures for Northern Ireland Departments, for which my right hon. Friend is also responsible were:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the proportion of income taxpayers liable in each marginal tax rate.

1978–79		1979–80		1980–81		1981–82
Rate per cent.	Proportion	Rate per cent.	Proportion	Rate per cent.	Proportion	Rate per cent.	Proportion
25	1½	25	1	—	—	—	—
33	79½	30	82	30	80½	30	77
40	3½	40	4½	40	4½	40	6
45	2½	45	3	45	4	45	4½
50	1½	50	3	50	3½	50	4
55	2	55	2	55	2	55	2
60	1	60	4½	60	5½	60	6½
65	1½	—	—	—	—	—	—
70	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
75	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
83	4	—	—	—	—	—	—

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total amount of (a) income tax and (b) national insurance contributions received from wage earners earning less than (i) £75, (ii) £100, (iii) £125 and (iv) £150 gross pay per week; and how many persons are in each category.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of United Kingdom taxpayers pay income tax at the basic rate; and what was the proportion in each of the previous three financial years.

The information is as follows. For 1978–79 and 1979–80, the proportion of taxpayers whose highest tax rate was either the basic rate or the lower rate is also shown.

Provisional information for 1981–82 is as follows:

Marginal Rate of Tax (excluding investment income surcharge)	Percentage of tax units at each marginal rate
Per cent.	Percent
30	95
40	2¼
45	1¼
50	¼
55	¼
60	½

The information relates to tax units, that is counting married couples as one and combining their incomes

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of receipts from income tax is paid by taxpayers in each tax band in the current financial year and in each of the three previous financial years.

Information in the required form is available for tax due in respect of each year. not for receipts of tax collected. Estimates, which are provisional for 1980–81 and 1981–82, are as follows:

	Percentage of taxpayers whose highest rate of tax is the basic rate	Percentage of taxpayers whose highest rate of tax is the basic rate or lower rate
	percentage		percentage
1978–79	82		96
1979–80	85		97
1980–81		96
1981–82		95

The information relates to tax units, that is counting married couples as one and combining their incomes. Estimates for 1980–81 and 1981–82 are provisional

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether persons formerly employed in any capacity within the European Economic Community who receive severance pay and pensions on their retirement are liable to pay tax on such payments.

Such payments are subject to Community tax but are exempt from national taxation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds the subscription to the British Medical Association paid by general medical practitioners is allowable for tax purposes.

It is allowable under the schedule D expenses rules because the expense is incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of a profession or exceptionally, where the general practitioner is employed, under section 192 of the Taxes Act 1970 because the association has been approved by the Inland Revenue as existing mainly for the advancement of knowledge or the maintenance of professional standards.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much correspondence his Department has had with hon. Members in the most recent year for which figures are available; and whether this represents an increase or decrease over previous years.

Statistics of correspondence with hon. Members are not maintained. It is regretted, therefore, that an answer to this question could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parliamentary questions were answered by his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and whether this represents an increase or decrease over previous years.

Statistics on parliamentary questions answered are kept by sessional years, the length of which are not precisely comparable. In the following table, the figures in brackets represent the number of sitting days on which questions were answered in the House of Commons.

1978–79 (90 days)	1,255
1979–80 (240 days)	3,655
1980–81 (164 days)	1,833

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the policy of the British Government towards the strengthening of the role of the special drawing right as the principal world currency, taking into account any obligations arising out of the articles of agreement of the International Monetary Fund, particularly article VIII and article XXIII.

On Her Majesty's Government attitude to the special drawing right, I refer the hon. Gentleman to my right hon. Friend's speech at the last annual meeting of the board of governors of the IMF, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what statements expressing the views of the British Government about the future of the special drawing right have recently been made in the executive board of the International Monetary Fund by the British executive director.

Discussions of the executive board of the IMF are confidential. It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to comment on views expressed in the board.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the sum of money spent by the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise in investigating cases of tax evasion during the last convenient financial year for which figures are available.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the subscriptions paid by nurses to (a) the Royal College of Nursing, (b) the Confederation of Health Service Employees and (c) the National Union of Public Employees are allowable for tax purposes.

Subscriptions paid by nurses to the Royal College of Nursing are allowable under section 192 of the Taxes Act 1970 because the Royal College has been approved by the Inland Revenue as existing mainly for the advancement of knowledge or the maintenance of professional standards. Subscriptions paid to the Confederation of Health Service employees and to the National Union of Public Employees are not allowable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the percentage rise in outgoings, net of tax relief, on a mortgage loan with 15 years' unexpired term when the proposed change in tax relief arrangements takes effect in April 1983 assuming constant repayment to the lender as at present.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 February 1982]: It is not for Ministers to interpret the costs of private sector contracts, which are open to negotiation in a competitive environment.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the share of orders arising from offshore activity which were secured by British companies in 1981; and how this compares with 1979.

The figures for 1981 showing the total orders and the share coming to the United Kingdom have not yet been finalised. They will be published in due course in the Secretary of State for Energy's annual report to Parliament, "Development of the Oil and Gas resources of the United Kingdom", the "Brown Book".

asked the Secretary of State for Energy to what extent he takes into account the social and environmental policies of individual oil companies in his dealings with them; and if he will make a statement.

I take note, so far as appropriate, of the policies being followed by any company in so far as those policies are relevant to the particular energy subjects under discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether, in the light of the answer given to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook) on 24 July 1981, the Hinkley Point A Magnox station was modified to increase plutonium production.

As announced by the Paymaster General on 22 June 1959—[Vol. 607, c. 849]—the CEGB's Magnox reactor at Hinkley Point A was modified in such a way as to enable the reactor to be operated to facilitate plutonium production. However, the reactor has not been operated in this way, and the modifications carried out have been used to improve the performance of the reactor for electricity generation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the results of the recent offer for the sale of shares in Amersham International.

The offer for sale of Amersham International was 24.6 times subscribed by applications from company employees and the public at large.The employees are being allocated 1.8 million shares or 3.6 per cent. of the issued share capital under the special arrangements made for them by the Government. Over 99 per cent. of employees took up the Government's offer of £50 worth of free shares. Well over 80 per cent. decided to put in their own money for shares to be matched by free shares from the Government on a one for one basis. The free shares taken up under these arrangements are worth on average £250 per applicant. In addition to these arrangements 40 per cent. of employees applied to buy shares under the preferential application scheme, and will receive their applications in full.The arrangements for allocation of shares to the general public involve substantial scaling down and an element of balloting, and have been devised to further the Government's policy of wider share ownership. Those applying for fewer than 6,000 shares will be subject to a ballot but the shares allotted to the groups in this category will average 6.3 per cent. of the total shares applied for. Applicants for 6,000 shares or more will receive 3.5 per cent. of what they applied for subject to a minimum individual allocation of 350 shares.This basis of allocation ensures that the number of shares being allotted to smaller investors is a significantly greater proportion of those applied for than is the case with the larger applications.The issue will raise a gross sum of £71 million of which £5.7 million will go to the company, and the balance net of the issue costs to the Exchequer.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether any special consideration will be given to retirement pensioners and the unemployed following the rise in gas prices in the current year.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will take new initiatives to assist those on low pay or fixed incomes, including pensioners, to meet the latest round of increased energy charges.

I have been asked to reply.The Government's policy aims to give extra help with fuel costs to those in greatest need—to certain householders on supplementary benefit, particularly pensioners, and to the low paid in receipt of family income supplement. At last November's uprating, the value of the supplementary benefit heating addition was fully price protected. We shall be taking into account this year's fuel price rises in calculating the level of the coming November's uprating. Pay-as-you-go schemes are also available from the fuel boards to help consumers to budget for the payment of their bills.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in comprehensive form the, results of the study announced by Her Majesty's Government in March 1980 into ways of helping the old and disabled to save fuel.

I have been asked to reply.As a result of the study. the Government have given financial support to the neighbourhood energy action programme of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to encourage local insulation projects with special reference to the elderly and disabled; we have also extended the enhanced 90 per cent. homes insulation scheme grant to the severely disabled on low incomes and made single payments available for hot water cylinder jackets to certain groups, particularly the elderly and disabled, entitled to supplementary benefit. We have also increased total spending on fuel assistance to poor consumers to more than £250 million a year, much of which goes to the elderly and disabled in receipt of supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what were the main factors responsible for the increase in the number of cars imported into the United Kingdom from EEC countries from 134,000 in 1970 to 555,000 in 1980, and for the decrease over the same period in the number of cars exported from the United Kingdom to EEC countries by some 20 per cent.;(2) what were the main factors responsible for the increase in the number of cars imported into the United Kingdom from non-EEC countries from 24,500 in 1970 to 316,000 in 1980 and for the drop in the number of cars exported from the United Kingdom to non-EEC countries from 546,500 in 1970 to 236,700 in 1980.

Throughout the period the United Kingdom car industry was generally uncompetitive against its European rivals and even more so against the growing strength of the Japanese industry. Ability to compete effectively on price was affected by chronically unfavourable levels and rates of growth of productivity. While until recently the effect of this on costs tended to be offset, though with a lag, by a declining sterling exchange rate, non-price factors such as quality and delivery performance are also considered to have had a deleterious effect on the United Kingdom motor industry's competitiveness over this period.The result has been a very rapid increase in import penetration in the United Kingdom car market and a decline in the United Kingdom share of foreign markets. Accession to the European Community in 1973, combined with the geographical proximity of European countries, boosted the United Kingdom's trade with other members of the Community. It is natural, therefore, that United Kingdom car exports to EEC countries should have declined less than its car exports to other countries and that its imports from other EEC countries should have increased to a much greater extent than those from non-EEC countries other than Japan.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will issue a general direction to the Post Office to accept free of charge parcels to Poland containing food and personal items during the present emergency; and if he will take steps to reimburse the Post Office for all or part of the cost.

I share my hon. Friend's concern, but my right hon. Friend has no powers to give a direction of the kind he suggests.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many letters were received from, and written to, hon. Members by Ministers in his Department in January.

310 and 343 respectively. The former figure includes 19 letters subsequently transferred to Ministers in other Government Departments; the latter figure includes 37 letters signed by private secretaries on their Ministers' behalf.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has received the report of the Borders joint committee on the case for continued development assistance; and if he will make a statement on its recommendations.

My right hon. Friend has received a copy of the report and will bear its proposals in mind.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland whether he has discussed with the Scottish Law Commission questions relating to the law of nuisance.

I have had no discussions with the commission on this question.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland how many prosecutions there have been over the past two years for armed trespass by persons suspected of illegal wildfowling.

A person who, while armed, trespasses on land without reasonable excuse commits an offence in terms of section 20 of the Firearms Act 1968. No separate statistics are kept for convictions under this section of the Firearms Act.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what criteria are used by the Crown Office in deciding whether to prosecute for rape.

The criteria used in deciding whether to prosecute in a case of rape are the same as for any other crime, namely consideration of each case on its merits having regard to the sufficiency of evidence and all relevant circumstances pertaining to the case.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland in how many cases since the coming into operation of the Bail etc., (Scotland) Act 1980 proceedings have been taken against offenders who have breached a condition of bail not to commit further crimes while on bail.

Where proceedings are taken against persons who are alleged to have committed an offence while on bail they are charged either with a contravention of section 3(1)(b) of the Bail etc. (Scotland) Act 1980 or with the alleged offence itself. In most cases an accused will be charged with the substantive offence rather than the section 3(1)(b) contravention. Such prosecutions are not separately recorded and therefore figures cannot be provided. However, surveys into the workings of the Act have been carried out by Scottish Office and Crown Office and the results of these should be available shortly.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what additional resources would be needed to monitor entry to and promotion within the Civil Service to ensure no discrimination against ethnic minorities.

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

asked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) how many of the posts to be relocated at East Kilbride from elsewhere will be filled locally;(2) whether Her Majesty's Government will ensure that the 650 Civil Service posts to be dispersed to East Kilbride will not be reduced as a consequence of cuts in manpower or in the aid programme, or of the introduction of new technology;

[pursuant to the reply, 16 February 1982, c. 70]: I have been asked to reply.Of the target of 650 posts to be relocated to East Kilbride, some 260 ODA posts have been recruited locally. A further 48 staff from the Glasgow/East Kilbride area have been recruited from other Government Departments for transfer to Abercrombie House.Of the 182 posts from the Crown Agents to be transferred later this year, 52 have already been recruited locally and a further 63 are expected to be similarly recruited by the time the overall transfer has been completed. In addition, the Crown Agents are also expecting to recruit approximately 28 staff from other Government Departments in Scotland.The breakdown of ODA Departments in Abercrombie House is as follows:

Overseas Manpower Services	150
Pensions Department	57
Accounts Department	73
Statistics Department	12
Establishment and Organisation Department (mainly general office services)	142

The Crown Agents pensions department will be transferred later this year with 182 posts. The target for dispersal to East Kilbride is 650 posts; the work there—as in all parts of the FCO—will of course be kept under review, taking account of the size of the aid programme, as part of the Government's efforts to reduce Civil Service numbers and to improve efficiency.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, whether there are any European Economic Community plans to harmonise food inspection standards and practice; and whether any comparisons have been made to establish how the level of standards maintained in the United Kingdom compares with those maintained in France, Germany, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland.

I am not aware of any plans for further harmonisation of food inspection standards within the EEC or to compare the standards and practices of its members. However, proposals to amend the existing community provisions on inspection of red meat and poultry meat are currently under discussion in Brussels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the average increase in common agricultural policy prices each year since 1972, his estimate of the effect of each annual increase on the food component of the retail price index and the retail price index itself and the actual annual increase in these two figures.

The increases in common agricultural policy prices and in the food and all items retail price indices are set out in the following table. The other information requested is not readily available.

	Percentage increases in
	(a)	(b)	(b)
	European Community Institutional Prices	United Kingdom Retail Food Price Index	United Kingdom All Items Retail Price Index
1973	5·1	15·1	9·2
1974	14·5	18·0	16·1
1975	9·6	25·6	24·2
1976	7·7	20·0	16·5
1977	3·9	19·0	35·8
1978	2·1	7·1	8·3
1979	1·3	12·0	13·4
1980	4·8	12·1	18·0
1981	9·4	8·4	11·9

(a)Percentage increases over previous season in European Community institutional prices, excluding the effects of green rate changes or of transition.(b)Percentage increases over previous calendar year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the statements made by officials of his Department to the Agriculture Committee on Thursday 11 February about aid given by the French Government to the French farming industry were made with his authority.

I authorised my officials to give evidence on this matter to the Agriculture Committee and they are aware of my views.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of Aujeszky's disease in pigs have been notified to his Department in the last three years.

Aujeszky's disease was made notifiable on 1 August 1979. Since then 54 outbreaks have been confirmed as follows:

1 August 1979–31 December 1979	8
1980	22
1981	10
1982 up to 18 February	14

Of the 14 outbreaks up to mid-February, 11 are linked to a single case in Lincolnshire. There is no evidence to suggest that the recent increase in the number of outbreaks indicates an increase in the virulence of the disease.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much he estimates it will cost to build the 12-acre underground structure in the Chilterns; how much of it will be borne by the British Government and how much by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; how long it will take to build; whether the structure will provide protection against radiation after those for whom it is designed leave it; and whether he will now consider cancelling its construction.

It is estimated that the total cost of the new underground operations and communications centre at High Wycombe will be about £40 million, of which NATO has agreed to contribute about half from infrastructure funds. On present plans, construction will be completed in about four years. The operations centre will be manned permanently thereafter by the staff of RAF Strike Command and the NATO Commander United Kingdom Air Forces who will exercise control of all their forces from there. The new centre will be a vital element in the air defence of the United Kingdom and there is no intention of cancelling it.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will issue guidelines to local authorities encouraging them to use outside contractors for the provision of school meals and for school cleaning with the object of providing additional resources for the provision of textbooks and other school equipment.

It must be for individual local authorities to decide how best to spend the resources available to them within their statutory obligations and to judge whether outside contractors would offer better value for money in the provision of a particular service. We would hope, however that local authorities will consider all the possibilities for reducing the cost of services such as school meals, including the use of outside contractors, since the extent to which they are able to secure savings in these areas reduces the pressure on expenditure on the provision more directly related to classroom teaching.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the cost to local authorities of providing free transport to schools within the present limits.

In 1980–81, the last year for which expenditure returns are available, local education authorities in England spent £150.4 million on home to school transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report his estimate for 1982–83 of (i) the amount which will be spent by local authorities in providing school meals, (ii) the revenue expected from those obliged to pay under the present rules, (iii) the number of children attending local authority schools and (iv) the approximate cost of providing an average main meal to a full and balanced nutritional standard.

It is for local education authorities to decide on their level of expenditure on school meals and the charges to be made. However the Government's plans envisage that the net expenditure by local authorities on school meals in 1982–83 will be £314 million. Our latest forecast of the number of pupils attending maintained schools full-time in 1982–83 is 7.53 million. Since the Education Act 1980 came into force individual local authorities have been free to determine the nutritional standard of the meals they provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the incidence of truancy in State secondary schools has changed significantly since 1945.

Comparative statistics on truancy are not available on a national basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many approvals were given in 1981 for the closure of village schools; and in what counties the schools were located.

A total of 81, located in the following local education authorities:

Avon	1
Buckinghamshire	3
Cambridgeshire	6
Coventry	1
Cumbria	3
Devon	1
Doncaster	3
Dorset	2
Essex	1
Gateshead	1
Hampshire	2
Hereford and Worcestershire	6
Humberside	1
Lancashire	2
Leicestershire	1
Lincolnshire	4
Norfolk	7
Northumberland	2
North Yorkshire	2
Nottinghamshire	1
Oxfordshire	2
Shropshire	4
Somerset	2
Staffordshire	19
Sunderland	1
Surrey	1
Wigan	1
Wiltshire	1

In addition local education authorities determined to cease to maintain eight rural schools in:

Cheshire	1
Lincolnshire	4
Northumberland	2
Wiltshire	1

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list those schools in the county of Cumbria that are in the assisted places scheme.

The three schools in Cumbria offering assisted places are:

• St. Bees School, St. Bees
• Casterton School, Kirkby Lonsdale
• Sedbergh School, Sedburgh

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, pursuant to his reply of 16 February, Official Report, c. 139, he will take steps to exclude from the assisted places scheme those schools that have failed to publish the same information on examination results as that published in the maintained sector of education.

I should be grateful if the hon. Member would let me know if he is aware of any assisted place school that is failing to make information on examination results available as required under the regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many letters were received from, and written to, hon. Members by Ministers in his Department in January.

In January 1982, Ministers in the Department of Education and Science—including the Minister for the Arts—received 492 letters from, and wrote 867 letters to hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) which local education authorities have indicated, in response to circular 2/81, that there was no surplus of school places in their areas;(2) what steps he intends to take concerning those local education authorities which have either failed to make returns, or made returns which showed no surplus of school places, in response to his Department's circular 2/81.