asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will introduce legislation to prevent Members of the House of Lords from drawing attendance allowances where they have other income above £8,000 per annum or where they receive payments from public funds above £5,000 per annum.

No. Members of another place do not receive an attendance allowance. They may, however, claim reimbursement, within specified limits, of certain of the costs they incur in conducting parliamentary business.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the estimated replacement cost of HMS "Invincible" at current prices;(2) what is the forecast completed cost of HMS "Ark Royal" and HMS "Illustrious", respectively, at current prices.

It is not planned to replace HMS "Invincible".The total estimated costs of particular ships under construction are not calculated wholly at current prices. However, we assess that the cost of an ASW Carrier of the same configuration as HMS "Ark Royal" at 1981–82 prices would be about £300 million.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will consider publishing a booklet outlining the Government's policies and achievements regarding overseas aid.

The Overseas Development Administration has several publications and a regular newspaper covering various aspects of policies and achievements. The list of titles is frequently updated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many robberies have taken place in sub post offices (a) nationally and (b) in the Southampton area in the most recent period for which figures are available; how many robberies involved (a) violence, (b) use of firearms and (c) use of other offensive weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Information collected centrally on the location of recorded offences of robbery in which firearms were reported to have been used separately identifies offences at all types of post office by police force area; in 1980, the latest year for which information is available, 100 such robberies were recorded by the police in England and Wales, 8 of these being recorded in Hampshire. All offences classified as robbery imply some form of violence or threat of violence but information collected centrally does not cover details of its extent. Information is not collected centrally on the use of other offensive weapons. We are keeping the subject of robberies in post offices under close review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report figures for total numbers of officers employed in the prison service as compared with the complement for each of the most recent five years for which figures are available.

In the prison service the complement is a hypothetical figure for the number of staff needed to carry out all the functions of the prison service with a minimum of overtime working. The more relevant figure for comparison with staff in post is the ceiling, which is the number of staff for which the Government have authorised expenditure in any given year. The ceiling and staff in post figures requested, relating to all members of the prison officer class employed in England and Vales, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends that the post of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, left vacant by the death of Mr. W. H. Pearce, should be advertised and filled by open competition.

I do not consider that public advertisement is necessary, but I am ready to consider suggestions put to me for filling this important post.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new narcotic addicts were notified to the Home Office for 1972 to 1981 inclusive; how many of these notifications were received from (a) hospitals, (b) general practitioners and (c) prison medical officers for the same period; and what was the percentage increase year by year of first notifications from each source for the same period.

The total number of persons notified as addicts for the first time is published for each of the years 1971 to 1981 in Home Office statistical bulletin issue 2/82. On the breakdown requested, we shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what advice he has requested or received from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs about the rise in drug addiction in the United Kingdom;(2) in view of the 40 per cent. rise in new addicts, if he will take action to deal with the problem; and if he will make a statement.

The increased availability of illicit opiates is an important factor in the recent rise in reported addiction. The Government will therefore continue to play an active part in the development of international action in this field, and to give full support to both the international agencies and to our national law enforcement agencies in their efforts to curb illicit traffic.The advisory council on the misuse of drugs hopes to complete in the course of this year major reports on measures for preventing misuse of drugs, and on services for the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will review his Department's arrangements for dealing with correspondence from hon. Members.

The Department's arrangements for dealing with correspondence from hon. Members and members of the public are under review. Although there are, regrettably, delays when any one issue attracts a great deal of correspondence, I believe that in general the current arrangements are satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Kensington of 9 February, Official Report, column 320, if he will break down total expenditure on student awards, distinguishing between tuition fees and income maintenance.

The breakdown is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost in 1981–82 at 1981 cash prices of free school meals.

The estimated cost of providing free school meals in 1981–82 is about £135 million at 1981–82 cash prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has accepted the invitation from Harpurhey branch of the Labour Party to visit the inner city area of Manchester and when it can expect a reply to its request.

It is a matter for the local authority to determine the best solution for the future of the Turkey Lane estate and the other estates in the city suffering from similar design faults. These are issues under active consideration within the council and, in the present circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to accept the invitation to visit this estate. A reply has been sent to the secretary of the Harpurhey branch of the Labour Party.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the research being undertaken by his Department into problems relating to condensation and dampness in houses; and if he will review the home improvement policies and general support scheme with a view to providing sufficient resources to deal with all serious cases.

My Department is funding a programme of research into condensation and mould growth at the Building Research Station. Details of this and other associated research into heating, thermal insulation and ventilation are given in the publication of the Research Programme 1981–82 which can be obtained from the Building Research Establishment. It is for local authorities to decide what resources to devote to tackling serious cases of condensation within the total resources available to them for housing investment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reach a decision on the London borough of Hackney's application for consent to the establishment of a city farm on South Millfields recreation ground.

Shortly. I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in the light of the agreement reached between the British Railways Board and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, he will now review the cash limits and future investment capital to be made available by the Government to British Rail.

It would be premature to do as my hon. Friend suggests while the important issues on productivity are being pursued through the procedures laid down in Lord McCarthy's report. Once this vital issue is resolved, all cash considerations will have to take account of the outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be able to fix a date for public consultation to begin on the A65 Burley-in-Wharfdale bypass; and when he foresees work on the road commencing.

I expect to announce in early summer the form and date of public consultation on our proposals for the A65, Burley-in-Wharfdale bypass. It is still too early to say when a start of works may be expected, but the scheme is listed in the recent roads White Paper (Cmnd. 8496) as "Main Programme 1986 onwards".

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will strengthen the legislative requirements for proof of ownership of vehicles where cars are sold without log books on the excuse that they are lost or require revision by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre, Swansea.

Vehicle registration documents record the keepers of vehicles. These are not necessarily the legal owners and so the documents are not proof of ownership. Any prospective purchaser of a vehicle would be advised to check that a vendor has a right to sell, whether or not a registration document is produced.I do not believe that there is enough evidence of difficulties to justify legislation, and the Director General of Fair Trading in his report "Consumer Difficulties in the Used Car Sector" did not identify this as a specific problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the operation of the reserved list of trunk road schemes.

Yes. The policy of having a reserve list of schemes to be made ready to be brought forward to fill unexpected gaps in the programme was introduced in 1980 and has already proved its worth. Exceptionally keen tender prices and delays on main programme schemes enabled us to start six of the seven reserve list schemes listed in 1980 as candidates to start in 1980 and 1981. We shall start the final one this year, subject to the completion of statutory procedures. With hindsight, a larger reserve list would have been useful, and that for 1982 and 1983 now contains 13 schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy towards the findings of the Southampton university report on spray suppression on heavy goods vehicles; and whether he plans to take any steps in this regard.

The work of Southampton university has been very valuable in identifying the effective uses of antispray devices. I am looking urgently at how this basic research can be translated into a techical standard which could form the basis of regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the present criteria for the establishing of pedestrian crossings.

These criteria were last revised in 1980 and are now contained in our departmental advice note TA 10/80. I am satisfied that they provide an objective measure of need while allowing local authorities sufficient flexibility to provide crossings in special circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total, annual, estimated cost to the Government of each unemployed person in Northern Ireland using January 1982 unemployment figures, as assessed by the Department of Manpower Services

In January 1982 the average annual cost of unemployment and supplementary benefit of each unemployed person in Northern Ireland was estimated to be £1,400.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, further to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hammersmith, North (Mr. Soley) Official Report, 16 March 1981, c. 5, whether he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the practice known as red-lining being adopted by certain nationalised industries.

I am not aware of any general grounds for concern in this area; but I am sure that the appropriate nationalised industry consumer councils, as well as the Director General of Fair Trading, would be glad to hear of any particular problems that my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has given approval to the increase1 in North Atlantic air fares which are being introduced by IATA airlines.

These increases have been approved by my Department after very careful scrutiny by the Civil Aviation Authority. A move back towards profitability is essential if competitive market conditions on North Atlantic routes are to be maintained. However, it will be necessary to exercise particular vigilance over future proposed fare increases on the North Atlantic in order to maintain the Government's policy of striking a balance between the benefits of competition for the consumer, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, stability and profitability for the airlines.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade to which countries (a) rubber bullets and (b) plastic bullets were exported in each of the years from 1970 to 1981: and what were the numbers involved in each case.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1982, c. 458): It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose the destinations of goods covered by export licences or the volume of sales of arms or ammuniton to particular countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the level of Japanese investment in each European Community country, including the United Kingdom, for each of the last five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1982, c. 457]: I assume my hon. Friend it referring to Japanese direct investment in the European Community. The latest available Japanese statistics, which show only the United Kingdom and the European Community in total, are:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how much public money has been granted or loaned to British Airways, and for what purposes, in each of the last five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 February 1982, c. 265.]: The support given by the Government to British

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he envisages taking steps as health service reorganisation becomes accepted to break down

The value of effective collaboration has repeatedly been drawn to the attention of authorities, for example in "Care in Action", the handbook issued last year setting out policies and priorities for the health and personal social services in England. In addition, we have issued a circular on this subject dealing with the implications arising from the restructuring of the National Health Service. A copy of the circular (HN(82)9) has been placed in the Library of the House. In the longer term, collaboration would be further improved as a result of consideration of the various suggestions set out in the consultative document, "Care in the Community" for removing obstacles to the movement of patients and resources from hospital to community care. We are presently considering the response to that document.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number and percentage of unemployed persons in Dundee who have exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 30 November 1981.—[Vol. 14, c. 29.] More recent information should be available in about two months' time.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the net cost (a) in the 1982-83 financial year and (b) in a full year of making good in the 1982 benefit uprating the shortfall in (i) the ordinary supplementary benefit rate, (ii) the long term supplementary allowance rate, (iii) unemployment benefit, (iv) other "short term" national insurance benefits and (v) child benefit.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the formula which is being applied in respect of single payments for fuel assistance (a) where last year's bill is not available and (b) where it is.

The procedures being applied in the assessment of single payments for fuel assistance are set out in the chief supplementary benefit officer's guidance, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has studied the leaflets giving guidance on help available to disabled people that have been published in the languages of ethnic minorities by the disabilities study unit; if his Department will give assistance in making the leaflets more widely known and available to the disabled people they can assist; and if he will make a statement.

I have seen the leaflets and appreciate the value of voluntary organisations making available their advice and information to ethnic minorities, as to the rest of the population. However, this particular leaflet seems rather narrow in scope and is already out of date. I would prefer any leaflet for disabled people to be more comprehensive.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many and what percentage of supplementary benefit claimants of working age have mortgages on domestic property; and how the figure compares with the previous year.

The latest detailed information is for December 1980 when there were 84,000 claimants below pension age whose outgoings included mortgage interest payments. This is 6 per cent. of all claimants under pension age. The corresponding figures for the previous year are 52,000 and 5 per cent. Less detailed information for August 1981 indicates that the December 1980 figure may have risen by as much as 50 per cent. by that date.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any sale of any part of the site of the St. George's hospital has been agreed; and if he will list the details.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) on 16 February—[Vol. 18, c. 93–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has requested or received from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs about the rise in drug addiction in the United Kingdom.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply to him today by my hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State, Home Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr, Official Report, 5 February, c. 233, he will publish any information regarding regional factors and family size of those who have opted for weekly payments of child benefit found during the special check referred to.

[pursuant to her reply, 11 February, c.452]: The special check of the first batch of child benefit order books issued contained cards shows that after 13 weeks, the breakdown between regions and by family size is as follows:—

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the levy imposed on lactalbumin.

This matter remains under consideration by the European Commission and was most recently raised with them by officials of my Department at the eggs management committee on 9 February. It will be further discussed at the next meeting of the committee on 9 March following which I shall write to the hon. Member about the latest developments.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in how many other countries of the European Economic Community the riding horse is classified as an agricultural animal.

The information is not readily available and cannot be secured without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what information he has of the cost of granting employees time off for trade union activities as a percentage of wage and salary totals for (a) private manufacturing industry, (b) nationalised industries, (c) clearing banks and (d) insurance companies;(2) what is the total cost to employers and to public funds of compliance with sections 27 and 28 of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 expressed both as a total amount and a percentage of the wages and salaries bill.

I regret that the information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy towards the appointment of merchant banks to undertake corporate finance work for companies wholly or partially owned by the State.

Nationalised industries and other publicly-owned undertakings are free to engage merchant banks as advisers where they consider it necessary. In such circumstances the choice of bank is a matter for the industry. However, when the Government are selling assets, and merchant bank expertise is considered necessary to carry out the sale, banks are invited to tender for the work on the basis of preliminary studies. The Government retain that bank which they consider will do the best job and provide the best value for money. These procedures are kept under review in the light of experience.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list the public sector companies, including companies in which the National Enterprise Board has had an interest, in which shares have been sold since May 1979; and what was the value of each share sale and the names of the merchant banks which handled each offer.

The following table shows the major sales since May 1979 of publicly-owned shares in companies, other than those held by the NEB, and the merchant bank advising in each case:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the saving to the Exchequer in withdrawing capital gains tax exemption for overseas holders of (i) gilt edged and (ii) other securities.

I am afraid that information is not available on which to base an estimate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of the number of people who benefit from the income tax age allowance; what are the qualifying conditions of the allowance and when it was introduced.

At least 2½ million single people or married couples benefit from the age allowance. This figure does not include an unknown but possibly large number of people who are kept out of tax by the allowance and are not on the Inland Revenue's records. The relief is given to taxpayers aged 65 or over whose incomes are below an income limit—at present £5,900. In the case of a married couple, the allowance is given when either the husband or the wife is 65 or over. For incomes above £5,900 the allowance is tapered, and reduced by £2 for every £3 of income until it is the same as the ordinary single or married allowance. The allowance was introduced in 1975 when it replaced the long-standing age exemption. The reasons given for the change were that the relief in its new form would benefit a large number of elderly people and would avoid the complication and confusion the age exemption rules produced.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value added tax on gas for domestic use in each European Economic Community country.

The latest available information is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the external debt has been reduced since May 1979; how this compares with the period 1974 to 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Since May 1979, official external debt has fallen by $8.7 billion. During the period 1974 to 1979, official external debt rose by $13.7 billion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will have arrangements made so that, in certain circumstances, long-distance lorry drivers will have their claims for meal expenses allowed prior to 1979.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated revenue in 1981–82 from each of (a) income tax, (b) employees' national insurance contributions, (c) employers' national insurance contributions, (d) employers' national insurance surcharge and (e) self-employed national insurance contributions.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the reply to the hon. Member for Kensington of 25 January, Official Report, column 227, what is the total estimated 1981–82 income in each of the following income categories; and what is the total anticipated income tax payable by each category on that income (a) between £15,000 and £25,000, (b) between £25,000 and £40,000 and (c) above £40,000 per annum.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from Help the Aged; what reply he is sending; if there is any action he proposes to take as a result; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1982, c. 476]: The director of Help the Aged wrote to me on 1 February. It is not my practice to comment on the substance of Budget representations, but I do of course consider them very carefully.

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 February 1982, c. 396]: For the financial year 1980–81 the cost of the specialised investigation units of the Inland Revenue—enquiry branch, investigation office and special offices—was approximately £6.1 million; the cost of investigating the major cases of value added tax evasion which were dealt with by those officers of Customs and Excise investigation division engaged exclusively on that work was approximately £3.5 million. The total expenditure on investigating tax evasion is much higher since its detection forms part of the normal duties of the majority of the staff of Inland Revenue and the majority of the staff of Customs and Excise engaged on value added tax.

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.

This would depend on the type and scale of monitoring. As has been announced, the Civil Service is to undertake in the autumn an experimental census of the ethnic composition of some non-industrial grades in a limited area. We shall consider further how to proceed when the results of the limited experiment are known.