Written Answers

                    The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
                

Written Answers To Questions

Wednesday 10 March 1982

Defence

Nuclear Weapons

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which countries other than the five publicly declared nuclear weapons powers are believed to have (a) an immediately realisable potential to manufacture nuclear weapons, should they decide to do so, and (b) an existing stock of nuclear weapons, with an effective delivery system; what evidence exists for such a belief; and which of the countries named have signed the non-proliferation treaty.

Any country with a developed industrial base would probably be capable of producing a nuclear weapon, though the lengh of time required for it to do so would depend on a variety of factors. However, we have no firm evidence which would lead us to conclude that any country apart from the five declared nuclear weapon states has manufactured nuclear weapons.

Trade

Olive Oil Imports

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the landed price of United Kingdom imports of olive oil in 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980; and what was the tonnage imported each year.

The information is as follows:

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS OF OLIVE OIL
	Tonnes	Average cif value per tonne £
1950	2,135	163
1960	2,763	210
1970	2,989	305
1980	2,596	1,121

Source: Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, SITC(R2) sub-group 423·5 and equivalent coverage.

Note: Average values quoted do not differentiate between refined and unrefined oil.

Poland

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how much trade there has been in terms of value and of goods by name since the imposition of imports curbs by the Polish military authorities.

	Twyford High School					Twyford Church of England High School
	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982
Number of places available	240	240	240	240	240	180	180
First preferences	83	83	99	72	54	81	112

The relevant information relates to trade from January 1982 onwards, but the figures have yet to be produced. When available, the value of trade with Poland, in some commodity detail for the months in question, may be obtained from tables II, imports and V, exports, of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, copies of which will be in the Library.

Insurance Brokers (Registration)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many insurance agencies which have carried on business as insurance brokers for a period of not less than five years have been refused registration by the Insurance Brokers Registration Council.

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

Citizens Advice Bureaux

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is yet in a position to announce the 1982–83 grant-in-aid to the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

A grant-in-aid of up to £5·757 million will be available for NACAB in 1982–83.

Works Of Art (Export Licences)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the works of art in respect of which export licences have been granted in the last 12 months.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 March 1982, c. 354]: It is not this Government's policy, nor has it been the policy of previous Administrations, to disclose particulars of applications for export licences or of export licences which have been granted.

Education And Science

Ealing Schools (Parental Choice)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek to ascertain and publish the percentage of parental first choice against places available at the former Twyford high school, Ealing, for each of its final five years and for the first two years of life of the Twyford Church of England high school.

I understand that parental first choice preferences for the former Twyford high school and the present Twyford Church of England high school were as follows:

Twyford High School

Twyford Church of England High School

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

Percentage of first preferences over number of places

35 per cent.

41 per cent.

30 per cent.

23 per cent.

45 per cent.

62 per cent.

Schools (Parental Involvement)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will issue a circular to local education authorities to advise them on ways in which they could more fully involve parents in assisting the teaching staff, to help in maintaining order in the classroom and the playground, and in participating in the more effective functioning of the school within the community.

I welcome steps which improve the links between home and school, and if local education authorities in general were to express an interest in receiving guidance on the broad issue, my right hon. Friend and I would be ready to consider the possibilities. A detailed circular on the lines suggested, however, is unlikely to be helpful to the authorities.

Overseas Students

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what changes in the fee levels for overseas students on science courses at polytechnics and colleges he is planning for the next academic year; and what different rates this will mean for students studying the same course who joined in different years.

Following is the information requested, with 1981–82 fee levels shown in brackets for comparison:

		All courses
Fees recommended by the Secretary of State
(i) EC students^*—
Postgraduates	£1,413(£1,320)		(fixed fees)
First degree and diploma	£480(£900)
(ii) Non-EC students who started their course before 1 September 1980 and who continue to be eligible for subsidised rates of fee until they complete their course—
Postgraduates	£1,929 (£1,803)		(fixed fees)
First degree and others advanced	£1,485(£1,389)
Non-advanced	£795(£744)
Fees recommended by the Local Authority Associations
(iii) EC students^*—
Other advanced	£480(£411)		(fixed fees)
Non-advanced	£276(£249)
(iv) Non-EC students who started their course on or after 1 September 1980 but before 1 September 1982 (full cost)—	Laboratory/ Workshop-based courses		Classroom based courses (fixed fees)
Advanced	£3,400 (minimum fee)		£2,810
	(£3,672 (fixed fee))		(£2,649)
Non-advanced	£1,935 (minimum fee)		£1,570
	(£2,091 (fixed fee))		(£1,479)
(v) Non-EC students who start their course on or after 1 September 1982 (full cost)—	All Courses
Advanced	£3,000		(Minimum fees)
Non-advanced	£1,700
^* EC students pay fees at the home student rate.

Higher And Further Education

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recommendations have been issued on fees to be charged to home students for courses in higher and further education in the academic year 1982–83; and if he will make a statement.

I have recommended the following fee levels for home and EC students in the academic year 1982–83 on postgraduate courses and on first degree and diploma courses:

Postgraduate—£1413
First degree and diploma—£480

The recommended 1982–83 postgraduate fee represents a 7 per cent. increase on that for 1981–82. Of this 1½ per cent. is required to adjust for past movements in costs; the balance of 5½ per cent. allows for prospective pay and price increases in higher and further education over the coming year. The recommended first degree and diploma fee involved a reduction on the 1981–82 level of £900; this will, however, be accompanied by a compensating increase in the level of funds available for allocation to institutions on the recommendation of the University Grants Committee, by the local authorities and, in the case of voluntary and direct grant colleges by my own Department, which should assist the management of the restructuring of higher education.Other fees for home and EC students are a matter for the local authority associations. I understand that the local authority associations have recommended fees for 1982–83 as follows:

	(a)
	Advanced FE	Non-advanced FE
Full-time	£480	£276
Sandwich/block Release (Weekly rate)	£13·30	£7·70
Part-time per hour	44p	25p
Annual fee for one session per week	£48·00	£27·60
(a) other than first degree and diploma courses

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recommendations have been issued on fees to be charged to overseas students from non-EEC countries for courses in higher and further education in the academic year 1982–83; and if he will make a statement.

I have recommended that in the academic session 1982–83 fees should be charged as follows to students who began their courses before 1 September 1980 and who continue to be eligible for a subsidised rate of fee until they complete their course:

	£
Postgraduate	1,929
First degree and other advanced	1,485
Full-time non-advanced	795

These fees represent an increase of 7 per cent. on 1981–82 levels.

The University Grants Committee and the local authority associations have issued recommendations to universities and local education authorities respectively on fees to be charged in 1982–83 to students who started their courses on or after 1 September 1980:

Universities

Such fees as institutions consider necessary to meet the cost of the education in question, subject to minima as follows:

	£
Arts	2,700
Science	3,600
Clinical years of medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses	6,600

Maintained and assisted institutions

(i) Students starting their courses on or after 1 September 1982:

Such fees as the local education authorities and institutions consider necessary to meet the cost of the education in question, subject to minima as follows:

Advanced

3,000

Non-advanced

1,700

(ii) Students who started their course on or after 1 September 1980 but before 1 September 1982.

	Advanced	Non-advanced
	£	£
Laboratory /workshop-based courses	^*3,400	^*1,935
Classroom-based courses	†2,810	†1,570
^* Minimum fee.
† Fixed fee.

I shall be recommending voluntary and direct grant institutions to charge fees necessary to meet the cost of the education provided, subject to the following minima:

Advanced

2,780

Non-advanced

1,530

Items In Lieu Of Tax

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether any further items have been accepted in satisfaction of estate duty or capital transfer tax.

Yes. A framed watercolour by J. M. W. Turner depicting an Italian scene has been accepted in part satisfaction of capital transfer tax.The net cost, borne equally on the Votes of my Department and the Department of the Environment, is £15,150.

Prime Minister

Prices

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that almost every private and public or nationalised industry has for some time been increasing prices to the consumer and end user on the grounds of excessive increases in oil prices, and that when the price of oil and energy falls, reductions rarely take place, she will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain why this is happening, in view of the inflationary effect of such practices.

No. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed to the House yesterday, the recent fall in oil prices is good news both for Britain and for the world. I hope that the consequent reduction in costs will contribute to further falls in inflation and especially to a slowing down of the rate of price increases in the sectors to which the hon. Gentleman refers.

Attorney-General

Disasters (Public Contributions)

asked the Attorney-General what further consideration he has given to legislative changes to deal with the uncertainties in the law exemplified by the case of the Penlee lifeboat disaster fund.

I have now prepared the following memorandum, which contains guidelines for those making appeals in the future. I do not consider that legislative changes are necessary. It is the application of the law rather than the law itself which has caused uncertainty.

Disaster Appeals

Action to set up a public appeal following some tragic accident or disaster or an occasion on which some special misfortune is brought to the public eye is generally taken with little time to prepare the ground. The community may well feel an urgent need to give practical expression to its sorrow and respect; and the response may well exceed expectations.

In these circumstances it is not unnatural that questions should arise over the precise status of appeals after they have been set up; and events following the tragedy of the loss of the Penlee Lifeboat show how much unhappiness can be caused by these questions.

The Attorney-General is anxious that doubts about the nature of appeals should be avoided if at all possible, and that those who answer an appeal should know that their generosity will have the results which they intend.

Acoordingly, the Attorney-General, after consultation, has prepared the following guidelines which might usefully be taken into account by those faced with the responsibility of making appeals in the future.

1. The making of the appeal.

1. Those who use these guidelines must remember that no two appeals can ever be quite the same, and should do all that they can to ensure that their own appeal is appropriate to the particular circumstances of their case, and runs into no unforeseen difficulties, whether personal, administrative, or fiscal. Amongst the most important and urgent decisions which must be made will be whether or not a charitable appeal is called for, and it may well be desirable to take advice on such questions before the appeal is issued. Generally speaking, the terms of the appeal will be all-important in deciding the status and ultimate application of the fund.

2. Once the terms are agreed, it will generally be desirable to publish the appeal as soon as possible, and as widely as appropriate in the circumstances.

3. Sometimes gifts may be sent before publication of the appeal. If there are more than can be acknowledged individually, the published appeal should indicate that gifts already made will be added to the appeal fund unless the donors notify the organisers (say within ten days) that this is not their wish.

2. Pros and Cons of the Types of Appeal.

1. Charitable funds attract generous tax reliefs; donations to them may do so (and in particular will for the most part be exempt from capital transfer tax). But charitable funds, being essentially public in their nature, cannot be used to give individuals benefits over and above those appropriate to their needs; and the operation of a charitable trust will be subject to the scrutiny of the Charity Commissioners.

2. Non-charitable funds attract no particular tax reliefs and donations to them are subject to no special tax treatment (and will have to be taken into account for capital transfer tax purposes unless, as is likely to be the case for the bulk of donations, they are within the normal reliefs). But under a non-charitable trust there is no limit on the amount which can be paid to individual beneficiaries if none has been imposed by the appeal; and only the Court acting on behalf of the beneficiaries will have control over the trust, which will not be subject to scrutiny by the Charity Commissioners.

3. The terms of the non-charitable appeal must be prepared with particular care to ensure that there is no doubt who is to benefit, whether or not their benefit is to be at the discretion of the trustees, and whether or not the entire benefit is to go to the beneficiaries, and if not, for example because specific purposes are laid down and the funds may be more than is required for those purposes, or because the beneficiaries are only to take as much as the trustees think appropriate, what is to happen to any surplus. If specific purposes are laid down, and after they have been fulfilled a surplus remains for which no use has been specified, the surplus will belong to the donors, which may lead to expensive and wasteful problems of administration.

3. Forms of Appeal

1. If a charitable fund is intended then the appeal could take the following form:

"This appeal is to set up a charitable fund to relieve distress caused by the accident/disaster at

On

The aim is to use the funds to relieve those who may be in need of help (whether now or in the future) as a result of this tragedy in accordance with charity law. Any surplus after their needs have been met will be used for charitable purposes designed:—

(i) To help those who suffer in similar tragedies.

(ii) To benefit charities with related purposes.

(iii) To help the locality."

2. If a non-charitable fund is intended and those affected are to take the entirety of the fund in such shares as the trustees think fit the appeal could take the following form:

"This appeal is to set up a fund, the entire benefit of which will be used for those injured or bereaved in the accident/ disaster at on or their families and dependants as the trustees think fit. This fund will not be a charity."

3. A non-charitable fund in which the trustees would have a discretion to give as much as they think fit to those who have suffered with any surplus going to charity could be set up on the basis of the following form:

"This appeal is to set up a fund for those injured or bereaved in the accident/disaster at on and their families and dependents. The trustees will have a discretion how and to what extent to benefit individual claimants: the fund will not itself be a charity but any surplus will be applied for such charitable purposes as the trustees think most appropriate to commemorate those who died."

4. Appeals for Individuals.

1. It sometimes happens that publicity given to individual suffering moves people to give. In such a case it is particularly desirable for those who make appeals to indicate whether or not the appeal is for a charitable fund. It is also desirable for those who give to say whether their gift is meant for the benefit of the individual, or for charitable purposes including helping the individual so far as that is charitable; if no such intention is stated, then the donation should be acknowledged with an indication how it will be used if the donor does not dissent. Those who make appeals should bear in mind the possibility that generous response may produce more than is appropriate for the needs of the individual, and should be sure to ask themselves what should be done with any surplus.

2. Thus, if a child suffers from a disease, there are two alternatives, to appeal for the benefit of the child, or to appeal for charitable purposes relating to the suffering of the child, such as may help him and others in the same misfortune, for example by helping find a cure. It may be that the child will not live long, and so may not be able to enjoy generosity to him as an individual; alternatively, he may be intended to receive as much as possible, because he faces a lifetime's suffering. Once again, the pros and cons of setting up a charitable fund or a non-charitable fund should be considered before the appeal is made and the appeal should indicate which alternative is intended; once again, even if a non-charitable appeal is made, it may be thought right to make it on terms that any surplus can be used for charity.

5. Generally.

The suggestions made in this memorandum are only examples of forms which can be used; and before making an appeal it is always wise to seek advice on what form to use. The Charity Commissioners will always be ready as a matter of urgency to advise on the terms of any intended charitable appeal, or to consider whether a proposed appeal is likely to be charitable, and if so to advise on the likely consequences.

In conclusion, the Attorney-General would like to emphasise that those organising an appeal should do all they can to make sure that the purpose of the appeal is clear and that donors know how their gifts will be used. This will do much to reduce the risk of confusion and distress. It is considered undesirable to make a general appeal postponing until the size of the fund is known decisions whether the fund ought to be charitable and whether those affected should take the entire benefit; this can all too easily lead both donors and beneficiaries to form the view that the ultimate result is not what was intended, as well as giving rise to legal problems.

This memorandum is being provided to local authorities' associations, the Law Society and the major banks, amongst other bodies, in the hope that it may become available to all those who may be concerned with making public appeals.

Licensed Premises (Assaults)

asked the Attorney-General whether the Lord Chancellor will issue guidelines suggesting to magistrates that where any person is convicted of an assault on licensed premises he be automatically excluded under the terms of the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act.

When the Lord Chancellor addressed the annual general meeting of the Magistrates' Association last October he reminded magistrates that there are cases where an exclusion order is appropriate following conviction for offences in public houses. Parliament, however, has vested a discretion on the courts on such occasions, and it would not therefore be open to the Lord Chancellor to suggest that exclusion be automatic.

Jury Service

asked the Attorney-General if he is satisfied with the arrangements for disabled people to undertake jury service; and if he will make a statement.

Fully adequate facilities are being provided in the design of all new courthouses and adaptations have been, or are being, made to existing court buildings wherever it is practicable and economic to do so.

Northern Ireland

Republic Of Ireland (Discussions)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent progress he has made in the discussions with the Government of the Republic of Ireland regarding matters relating to Northern Ireland which are of mutual concern to both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

I met Senator Dooge on 29 January as part of the first meeting of the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental council at ministerial level. We exchanged views on matters of mutual interest in the political, economic, and security fields. There have been no discussions between Ministers from the Northern Ireland Office and their opposite numbers in the Republic of Ireland since then, although contact at official level has continued.

Single Sex Schools

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if it is his policy to change the school system in Northern Ireland by closing down all single sex schools in the Province; and if he will make a statement upon his intentions concerning single sex schools.

No. The Government have no such plans.

Industry

Departmental Recruitment

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether his Department has employed "headhunters" in the last 12 months for recruitment to jobs that are within his control; if so, what fees have been paid to the "headhunters"; for what jobs they have sought applicants; and how many jobs they have filled.

One executive recruitment organisation has been engaged by the Department of Industry in the last 12 months to assist in selecting candidates for a post in one of the regional offices of the Departments of Industry and Trade. It would not be in accordance with the

Production, Capacity and Employment in European Community Iron and Steel Industries 1977, 1981
	1977			1981
	Production Million tonnes	Capacity Million tonnes	Employment Thousands	Production Million tonnes	Capacity Million tonnes	Employment Thousands
Belgium	11·2	19·2	55·4	12·3	19·1	45·0
Denmark	0·7	1·2	2·5	0·6	0·9	2·0
France	22·1	33·3	150·7	21·1	29·6	100·2
West Germany	39·0	67·7	213·9	41·6	67·7	192·3
Ireland	^*	0·1	0·7	^*	0·3	0·7
Italy	23·3	34·0	97·5	24·6	39·8	100·1
Luxembourg	4·3	8·2	21·3	3·8	6·4	14·0
Netherlands	4·9	8·2	21·9	5·5	8·6	20·8
United Kingdom	20·5	28·9	180·2	15·5	25·5	94·3
Greece	N/A	N/A	N/A	†0·7	2·4	N/A
NOTES:
(1) Production: Crude Steel. Sources IISI and Eurostat.
(2) Capacity: Crude steel. Source EEC Investment Reviews.
(3) Employment: Figures are for ECSC activities at mid year (provisional 1981). Sourece Eurostat.
(4) Figures of production and capacity for Greece for 1977 are not available on a comparable basis.
^* Less than 0·1. † Nine months.

European Community (Loans And Grants)

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will estimate the numbers of jobs which have been preserved and created in the coal and steel industries from loans and grants afforded these industries as a result of British membership of the European Coal and Steel Community.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 March 1982, c. 37.]: Figures are not available on the number of jobs resulting from ECSC loans and grants to the coal and steel industries. However, loans approved under article 56 of the ECSC Treaty for projects employing redundant coal and steel workers were expected to help create almost 27,000 jobs.

usual practice to disclose the fees paid to individual organisations. It is expected that an appointment to the post will be made in the near future.

Manchester And Salford

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, Official Report, 2 March, c. 90, if he has now responded to the further evidence about the Manchester-Salford partnership area's circumstances sent to him under cover of a letter of 17 February from the town clerk of the city of Manchester council; and what were the terms of his reply.

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

Steel Industry

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give figures for (a) production and (b) capacity for steel in each member State of the EEC; and how many were employed in the steel industry in each EEC country in 1977 and 1981.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 March 1982, c. 197]: The available information is as follows:

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Fruit And Vegetable Imports

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average amount held by his Department, the Treasury or the European Economic Community, as the case may be, in 1980 in respect of deposits paid by applicants for licences to import processed fruit and vegetable products; what was the average rate of interest payable on bank advances to importers of good standing during this period; and whether, and to what extent, the system resulted in a reduction in imports from third countries of the items in question.

I regret that the information is not readily available in precisely the form requested. The total value of securities lodged with the Intervention Board in 1980 by applicants for licences to import processed fruit and vegetables was £863,771. These securities were recoverable by applicants on completion of import formalities. So the amount of security held on average will have been relatively small. Most securities were in the form of bank guarantees, the terms for which are a matter between the banks and their clients. It is impossible to say how far, if at all, imports of processed fruit and vegetables were affected by the system.

Agriculture Revenue

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his reply dated 22 February, Official Report, column 308, to the hon. Member for Grimsby concerning output, input and income for United Kingdom agriculture, if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the number of workers hired, (b) the number of families and partners working full-time and part-time, (c) the proportion of total land rented, (d) the amount spent on new plant and machinery and on other investment, (e) the treatment of the owner-occupiers' residence and (f) the share of fanning income taken by bodies corporate for the same years as the previous answer.

Much of the information requested under (a),(b),(c) and (d) is given in successive annual review of agriculture White Papers. These also include tables showing output, input and income. In compiling these, expenses attributable to the business use of farmers'

Average Hourly Earnings of Full-Time Regular Male Workers in Agriculture in 1980
1	2	3	4	5
Country	National Currency^†*	Pence: based on market exchange rates‡	Pence: based on purchasing power parities^^	Month of survey
Germany	10·63 DM	247	229	September
France	17·88 FF	174	167	October
Italy	3455 LIR	169	202	September
Netherlands	12·68 HFL	263	250	October
Belgium	167 BFR	234	224	October
Luxembourg	108 LFR	157	151	September
United Kingdom	1·75 UK£	175	175	October
Irish Republic	1·65 IR£	134	159	November
Denmark	34·07 DKR	249	223	October
Notes:
^* Source: Statistical Office of the European Communities—information to be published shortly.
† This series of earnings excludes the value of payments in kind and bonuses not paid regularly.
‡ Column 2 expressed in sterling at the exchange rates prevailing during the month of the survey.
^** Reflects the relative purchasing power of the data in column 2 in the country concerned during the month of the survey.

Meat Products (Regulations)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the finding by the National Consumer Council that meat products on sale to the general public may contain ground-up hair or powdered bone, he will seek to amend the regulations to prevent this happening.

Under current legislation, manufacturers of meat products may not use ground-up hair or powdered

residences are deductible as input costs: the share of farming income taken by bodies corporate is not calculated.

Agricultural Workers (Wage Rates)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the average weekly earnings for agricultural workers in 1981; and how these compare with workers in manufacturing and all industrial workers, respectively.

The figures requested are as follows:

Average Gross Weekly Earnings of Full-Time Adult Male

Manual Workers: England and Wales—April 1981

Agriculture all Hired Men (a) £97·25.

Manufacturing Industries (b) £118·70.

All Index of Production Industries (b) £121·10.

(a) Figure relates to the quarter beginning April as recorded by the wages and employment inquiry and includes payments in kind.

(b) Figures are from the Department of Employment's "New Earnings Survey" and relate to one pay week in April. All index of production industries comprise manufacturing, mining and quarrying, construction, gas, electricity and water.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the average earnings for agricultural workers in each of the other member States of the European Community in 1980 and 1981.

The most recent data from the statistical office of the European Communities giving average earnings on a comparable basis in other European Community member States relate to autumn 1980 and are set out in column 2 of the following table. Information is not available for Greece.I regret that comparable information for 1981 is not available.bone to count towards the meat content of their products and I am satisfied that this is reflected in the practices of reputable producers in this country. Proposals for revised meat products regulations were issued for comment last year. Consultation with interested parties is proceeding and I hope that new regulations can be placed before Parliament before the Summer Recess. Like the present regulations, they will not permit ground-up hair or powdered bone to count towards the meat content of meat products.

Home Department

Rape

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for rape there were in each of the last five years in total in each of the European Economic Community countries for which statistics are available; and if he will express these figures as percentages of the populaton of each country.

The information requested for other countries of the European Community could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of persons found guilty of rape in England and Wales is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"—table S4.1(A) of Volume 4 of the Supplementary Tables 1980 and table 10(a) in 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 percentages requested are given in the following table; information for 1981 is not yet available.

Persons found guilty whose principal offence was rape as a percentage of the total population
England and Wales	Percentages
Year	Percentage
1976	0·00067
1977	0·00064
1978	0·00065
1979	0·00077
1980	0·00088

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those persons convicted of rape in the last 12 months who have committed rape on more than 11 occasions; and if he will list the sentences passed in each case when they were last convicted.

The only relevant information which can be provided without incurring disproportionate cost is from a small statistical study of 175 persons convicted in England and Wales in 1972 of a substantive offence of rape. Our records indicate that none of these persons had committed rape on more than 11 previous occasions.

Licensed Premises (Convicted Persons)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications there have been to exclude convicted persons under the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980; how many of these applications have been granted by the courts; and if he will list the courts where applications under the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980 have been granted.

Records available show no orders in 1980 under the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980, but these records may be incomplete.

Peter Sutcliffe

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any privileges are granted to convicted prisoners who are converted to Christianity while in prison beyond any necessary to the exercise of their religion; and if, in view of the gravity of his offence, he will take steps to exclude prisoner Sutcliffe from any such privileges.

In accordance with section 10(5) of the Prison Act 1952, the governor of an establishment is required to record the religious denomination to which a prisoner declares himself to belong. The record may be amended by the governor in accordance with prison rule 10 either on application by the prisoner or on his own initiative or that of a chaplain or minister.No additional facilities are granted to a prisoner beyond those necessary to the exercise of his religion and specified in prison rules 11 to 16, which include access to a chaplain or minister and to devotional books, attendance at divine service and exemption from unnecessary work on the recognised days of religious observance. In this respect, Mr. Sutcliffe will be treated on the same basis as any other prisoner.

Equal Opportunities Commission

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the current salaries of the members of the Equal Opportunities Commission; what proportion of the total grant is represented by these salaries; whether provision is being made to increase these salaries; and if so, by how much.

The salaries of the Equal Opportunities Commission's chairman and deputy chairman, the only salaried members, are £22,320 and £12,492 respectively. Other commissioners receive fees of £52 a day for their attendance. The estimated total cost of all commissioners' salaries and fees represents about 2 per cent. of the grant-in-aid for 1981–82. The level of any increase in 1982 has yet to be determined.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to increase the Government grant to the Equal Opportunities Commission; and if he will make a statement.

The Equal Opportunities Commission's grant-in-aid for 1982–83 of £3·067 million was published in the Supply Estimates yesterday. The equivalent figure for the current financial year is £2·911 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will abolish the Equal Opportunities Commission; and if he will make a statement.

No. The Government see a continuing role for the commission in working towards the elimination of unlawful discrimination and in promoting equality of opportunity between the sexes generally.

Community Radio Stations

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the licences granted for the operation of cable-based community radio stations, indicating which stations are currently operating and which have closed down.

The following companies have been licensed to provide local community sound programme services for distribution by cable over broadcast relay networks in the areas shown. The last three companies are not currently providing this service.

Basildon Community Transmissions Ltd., Basildon, Essex
Greenwich Cablecasts Ltd., Greenwich, London
Premierworth Ltd., Thamesmead, London
WSM Community Radio Ltd., Telford Salop
Aycliffe Community Radio Ltd., Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
Co-Ax Cable Communications Ltd., Milton Keynes, Bucks.
Swindon Viewpoint Ltd., Swindon, Wilts

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reach a decision on the granting of experimental low-powered VHF frequencies to community radio stations.

Community radio, whether or not on an experimental basis, raises important policy issues which require careful consideration. I cannot yet say when we shall be able to make a further statement.

Ashford Remand Centre

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether visits by relatives to inmates of Ashford remand centre are allowed on Saturdays.

Yes.

Police Advisory Board

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the membership of the Police Advisory Board.

The board, which my right hon. Friend chairs, has the following membership:

Nominating body	Number of members
Association of County Councils	6
Association of Metropolitan Authorities	4
Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland	4

(a) The Boundary Commission for Wales has published provisional recommendations and held local inquiries in respect of the following counties:

County	Date of publication of provisional recommendations	Date of inquiry
Clwyd	25 June 1981	11 January 1982
Dyfed	25 June 1981	6 January 1982
Gwent	25 June 1981	^*2 March 1982
Gwynedd	25 June 1981	2 February 1982
Mid Glamorgan	25 June 1981	9 February 1982
Powys	25 June 1981	^*2 March 1982
West Glamorgan	25 June 1981	26 January 1982
^* Joint inquiry into provisional recommendations.

(b) The Boundary Commission for England has published provisional recommendations in respect of the following counties, metropolitan and London boroughs:

County/Borough	Date of publication
Hillingdon	14 June 1979
Isle of Wight	24 July 1980
Kingston upon Thames	14 June 1979
Merton	14 June 1979
Redbridge	14 June 1979
Wolverhampton	2 April 1981

Nominating body

Number of members

Superintendents' Association of England and Wales

Police Federation of England and Wales

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District and the Commissioner of the City of London Police are also members.

Young Offenders

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made for the education for juveniles held in (a) prisons and (b) remand centres.

Juveniles accommodated in prisons and remand centres participate voluntarily in the educational facilities provided and governors take their age into account when planning their regimes to ensure that, as far as possible within available resources, their educational needs are adequately met.

Boundary Commission Recommendations

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, where applicable, for each county in England and Wales and for each London borough, the date on which the Boundary Commission published its provisional recommendation, the date on which the local inquiries were held and the date on which the report of the inquiries and revised recommendations were made.

The information requested about the work of the Boundary Commissions for England and Wales is as follows:

(c) The English Commission has published provisional recommendations and held local inquiries in respect of the following counties, metropolitan and London boroughs:

County/Borough	Date of publication of provisional recommendations	Date of inquiry
Avon	13 November 1980	10 November 1981
Barnet	14 June 1979	^*22 June 1981
Bedfordshire	24 July 1980	21 July 1981
Berkshire	8 January 1981	30 November 1981
Birmingham	2 April 1981	5 January 1982
Bolton	25 June 1981	19 January 1982
Bradford	28 May 1981	19 January 1982
Brent	14 June 1979	30 June 1980
Buckinghamshire	12 February 1981	8 December 1981
Bury	25 June 1981	22 January 1982
Calderdale	28 May 1981	5 January 1982
Cambridgeshire	5 February 1981	15 December 1981
Cleveland	20 January 1977	4 July 1977
Cornwall	15 January 1981	10 November 1981
Coventry	2 April 1981	17 December 1981
Devon	18 September 1980	8 September 1981
Dorset	5 February 1981	2 December 1981
Dudley	2 April 1981	20 January 1982
Gloucestershire	13 November 1980	29 October 1981
Greenwich	14 June 1979	15 September 1980
Hampshire	24 July 1980	14 December 1981
Harrow	14 June 1979	7 July 1980
Havering	14 June 1979	13 February 1980
Kensington and Chelsea	14 June 1979	23 June 1980
Kirklees	28 May 1981	12 January 1982
Knowsley	28 May 1981	28 January 1982
Leeds	28 May 1981	9 February 1982
Leicestershire	26 March 1981	8 December 1981
Lincolnshire	28 August 1980	22 September 1981
Liverpool	28 May 1981	25 January 1982
Manchester	25 June 1981	†l7 February 1982
Northumberland	23 February 1978	9 January 1979
Oldham	25 June 1981	†5 January 1982
Rochdale	25 June 1981	†5 January 1982
St. Helens	28 May 1981	14 January 1982
Salford	25 June 1981	†l7 February 1982
Sandwell	2 April 1981	19 January 1982
Sefton	28 May 1981	4 February 1982
Solihull	2 April 1981	15 December 1981
Somerset	12 May 1977	18 October 1977
Southwark	14 June 1979	10 July 1980
Stockport	25 June 1981	†2 February 1982
Suffolk	8 January 1981	21 October 1981
Tameside	25 June 1981	†2 February 1982
Tower Hamlets	14 June 1979	26 June 1980
Trafford	25 June 1981	†17 February 1982
Tyne and Wear	2 April 1981	8 December 1981
Wakefield	28 May 1981	28 January 1982
Walsall	2 April 1981	9 December 1981
Wandsworth	14 June 1979	6 March 1980
Warwickshire	15 May 1980	25 November 1980
West Sussex	8 January 1981	3 November 1981
Wigan	25 June 1981	†l7 February 1982
Wiltshire	15 January 1981	17 November 1981
Wirral	28 May 1981	12 January 1982
^* Second inquiry into provisonal recommendations.
† Joint inquiries were held into the provisional recommendations for Manchester, Trafford, Salford and Wigan; Oldham and Rochdale, and Stockport and Tameside.

(d) The English Commission has published provisional recommendations, held local inquiries and published revised recommendations in respect of the following counties, metropolitan and London boroughs:

County/Borough	Date of Publication of Provisional Recommendations	Date if inquiry	Date of Publication of Revised Recommendations
Barking and Dagenham	14 June 1979	5 February 1980	8 October 1981
Barnsley	20 November 1980	6 October 1981	4 March 1982
Bexley	14 June 1979	23 September 1980	8 October 1981
Bromley	14 June 1979	3 July 1980	8 October 1981
Camden	14 June 1979	22 July 1980	8 October 1981
Cheshire	14 June 1979	30 October 1979	22 May 1980
Croydon	14 June 1979	1 July 1980	8 October 1981

County/Borough	Date of Publication of Provisional Recommendations	Date if inquiry	Date of Publication of Revised Recommendations
Cumbria	12 June 1980	2 December 1980	11 June 1981
Derbyside	28 June 1979	11 March 1980	25 September 1980
Doncaster	20 November 1980	27 October 1981	4 March 1982
Durham	26 June 1980	7 July 1981	26 November 1981
Eating	14 June 1979	17 July 1980	8 October 1981
East Sussex	13 November 1980	22 September 1981	4 March 1982
Enfield	28 August 1980	15 January 1981	8 October 1981
Essex	11 May 1978	13 March 1979	^*21 February 1980
Hackney	14 June 1979	6 February 1980	8 October 1981
Hammersmith and Fulham	14 June 1979	1 July 1980	8 October 1981
Haringey	14 June 1979	19 June 1980	8 October 1981
Hereford and Worcester	28 August 1980	7 July 1981	26 November 1981
Hertfordshire	14 June 1979	4 December 1979	25 September 1980
Hounslow	14 June 1979	13 February 1980	8 October 1981
Humberside	12 June 1980	9 December 1980	3 September 1981
Islington	14 June 1979	26 February 1980	8 October 1981
Kent	28 June 1979	15 January 1980	7 August 1980
Lambeth	14 June 1979	9 July 1980	8 October 1981
Lancashire	12 May 1977	20 September 1977	15 February 1979
Lewisham	14 June 1979	19 February 1980	8 October 1981
Newham	14 June 1979	7 July 1980	8 October 1981
Norfolk	19 June 1980	6 January 1981	11 June 1981
Northamptonshire	18 September 1980	27 October 1981	4 March 1982
North Yorkshire	26 June 1980	1 April 1981	15 October 1981
Nottinghamshire	23 September 1976	24 January 1977	28 April 1977
Oxfordshire	12 February 1981	3 November 1981	4 March 1982
Richmond upon Thames	14 June 1979	30 June 1980	8 October 1981
Rotherham	20 November 1980	8 October 1981	4 March 1982
Sheffield	20 November 1980	20 October 1981	4 March 1982
Shropshire	14 June 1979	6 November 1979	15 May 1980
Staffordshire	6 September 1979	19 February 1980	18 September 1980
Surrey	22 November 1979	24 June 1980	30 October 1980
Sutton	14 June 1979	12 February 1980	8 October 1981
Waltham Forest	14 June 1979	2 July 1980	8 October 1981
City of Westminster	14 June 1979	14 July 1980	8 October 1981
^* A second inquiry into the revised recommendations for Essex was held on 4 November 1980. Modified recommendations were published on 12 March 1981.

Citizenship Fees

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to make any increases in the fees for citizenship.

Yes. I have decided that the fees for applications for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies will be increased with effect from Thursday 1 April 1982 and also that in future the fee will have to be paid at the same time as the application is made rather than, as at present, when the application is approved. Every application received in the Home Office on or after 1 April must, therefore, be accompanied by the appropriate fee. If, after examination, an application cannot be accepted or is not approved the fee will be refunded. The increases in fees are laid down in the British Nationality (Amendment) Regulations 1982 made under the British Nationality Act 1948, which have been supplied to Parliament today.The fee for the grant of a certificate of naturalisation to a foreign national will be increased from £150 to £200. The fee for the registration at discretion of a Commonwealth citizen settled here since 1 January 1973 will also rise from £150 to £200.The fee for other forms of registration for adults, including that of a woman registered on the grounds of her marriage to a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, will go up from £50 to £70. The fee for the registration of a minor child is to be increased from £25 to £35, but this fee continues to cover any other minor children of the same family being registered provided their applications are received at the same time.The fees for applications received in the Home Office before 1 April 1982, but which are not decided until after 1 April, will be those which applied at the time when an application was received and will continue to be payable at the time when an application is accepted or approved.Nationality fees have remained at their present level since April 1980. The present increases are necessary because the cost of processing applications has continued to rise and it is Government policy to recover as far as possible through fees the administrative costs of processing applications for citizenship. However, the introduction from 1 April of the new system of payment with the application will enable the increases for new applications to be kept to a lower level than would otherwise be necessary.I am also taking steps designed to reduce somewhat the time taken to consider applications. These include measures taken as a result of the recommendations of the scrutiny in 1980, under the guidance of Sir Derek Rayner, into the handling of applications for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies and, recently, the provision of some additional staff for the division concerned.

Prevention Of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has reached a decision on the need for a review of the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976.

I have decided to set up a review of the Act's operation along the lines of that carried out by Lord Shackleton in 1978. I shall announce details in the debate on the renewal of the Act.

Energy

Member's Priority Written Question

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he proposes to give a substantive answer to question 78W, tabled by the hon. Member for Hastings for priority written answer on 1 March.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on Monday 8 March.—[Vol. 19, c. 293.]

Rate Poundage 1981–82
District	Equated^ water charge*	Sewerage† charge	Environmental† services charge	General rate	Gross demand	Domestic element of rate support grant	Net demand
Isle of Anglesey	30·32	23·5	1·15	156·66	211·63	36·0	175·63
Cardiff	30·32	23·5	1·15	140·31	195·28	36·0	159·28
Ceredigion	30·32	23·5	1·15	140·01	195·07	36·0	159·07
Hereford City	30·32	23·5	1·15	136·79	191·76	18·5	173·26
Leominster	30·32	23·5	1·15	126·64	181·61	18·5	163·11
Radnor	30·32	23·5	1·15	134·04	189·37	36·0	153·37
Rhuddlan	30·32	23·5	1·15	180·36	235·33	36·0	199·33
South Herefordshire	30·32	23·5	1·15	123·48	178·45	18·5	159·95
Notes:
^* The WWA's water supply charge for a domestic property includes a standing charge (of £9 per property in 1981–82)—the equated rate poundage quoted in this table takes account of that standing charge·
† From 1976, the sewerage charge, formerly called the General Services Charge, was separated into two charges—sewerage and environmental services—to enable the former to be charged only to those properties connected to public sewers·

Scotland

Census

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the results of the census taken in Scotland in 1981.

Results from the 1981 census are being published over a period of time. The Scottish preliminary report was published in June 1981 and the first three in a series of 10 regional bulletins giving final key figures for the regional, islands and district authority areas have been issued; the publication of this series should be completed by July 1982. The main regional reports will appear during the period April to August 1982. National reports relating to specific census topics and regional reports relating to topics that are treated on a sample basis are planned for publication towards the end of 1982 and, in 1983.

Energy Conservation

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has for improving the dissemination of energy conservation information and advice to industrial and commercial organisations.

To improve its services to those requiring information and advice on energy conservation, the Department regularly reviews its programme. The energy quick advice service, which is infrequently used and no longer cost-effective, will be withdrawn from 2 April 1982. To widen and improve the accessibility of energy conservation information and advice, the Department is exploring the feasibility of using Viewdata, including Prestel.

Wales

Water Charges

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will update table 5 of the Daniel report 1975 with regard to the effects of equalisation of water charges.

The following are the equivalent figures for 1981–82 of those quoted in table 5 of the Daniel report 1975:

Health Building Code

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the revision of part 3 of the Scottish health building code to include certain recommendations made by Professor Halliday in his report on the sale of Robroyston hospital and the speculative profits made soon after its disposal is yet effective; and if he will make a statement on the use of the amended code.

The revision of part 3 of the Scottish health building code, which deals with land transactions, is still under consideration. However, the interim procedure for the disposal of health service land that has already been introduced pending that revision corresponds closely to the recommendations of the Halliday report, as modified by the announcement that my right hon. Friend made to the house in his reply on 6 May 1981 to the right hon. Member for Glasgow, Craigton (Mr. Millan).—[Vol. 4, c. 71–72.]

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Namibia

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will take steps to encourage United Kingdom-Namibia trade; and what arrangements are at present made by Her Majesty's Government in this respect.

A successful outcome to the Five's efforts to achieve a peaceful Namibian settlement will provide the best climate for the improvement of trade in this region. Until the Namibian dispute is resolved, the Government continue to think that it would not be right to give promotional support for trade with Namibia.

Palestine Liberation Organisation

asked the Lord Privy Seal which countries are known to have upgraded the status of their locally-based office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation to that of a diplomatic mission; and whether he will instruct Her Majesty's ambassadors to those countries, so far as it is within their power and discretion, not to accord any such status or recognition to such Palestine Liberation Organisation representatives there.

As far as we know the following countries accord either de facto or de jure diplomatic status to the local office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation: Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Arab Republic, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Angola, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Cuba, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Turkey.We do not accord diplomatic status to the Palestine Liberation Organisation or its representatives in London or elsewhere. Her Majesty's ambassadors all know our policy on this matter.

Chemical And Biological Weapons

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make a statement on the steps which his Department has taken to bring about an enforceable agreement to prevent the further manufacture, stockpiling and development of (a) chemical and (b) biological weapons and subsequently to bring about the destruction of existing stocks and the banning of the use of such weapons; and what progress has been achieved to date.

On 18 February the United Kingdom delegation to the committee on disarmament tabled proposals for the verification of a convention banning the development, production and stockpiling of chemical weapons. We propose the establishment by the parties to the convention of a consultative committee to verify destruction of existing stocks and production facilities, and to monitor compliance with the provisions of the convention in the future.The use of chemical weapons in warfare is prohibited by the Geneva protocol of 1925 of which the United Kingdom is a signatory.

The 1972 biological weapons convention bans the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons. The United Kingdom is supporting moves now being considered by parties to the convention for improving the convention's provisions for verification and compliance.

Belize

asked the Lord Privy Seal what date has been set for the withdrawal of the British garrison from Belize; and if any arrangements have been made for the replacement by troops from the United States of America or another country.

We have agreed with the Government of Belize that British forces will remain in Belize for an appropriate period. No definite date has been fixed for their withdrawal. Their replacement by troops from another country would be a matter for the Government of Belize.

Civil Service

New Technology

44.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what progress has been made on reaching agreement with Civil Service trade unions on the introduction of new technology.

We already have an agreement on word processors. Good progress has been made on a wider agreement for the non-industrial Civil Service. I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.

Staff Exchanges

45.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what policies the Government are pursuing to encourage the exchange of staff between the Civil Service and industry and commerce.

The Government attach great importance to the exchange staff between the Civil Service and industry and therefore take every opportunity to bring about such exchanges. At the end of 1980 there were 140 secondments in operation; 95 of these were of civil servants to industry and 45 were "inward" secondments.The figures for 1981 are currently being collected from Departments and when they are available I shall arrange for details to be placed in the Library of the House.

Emergency Procedures

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when he last reviewed the arrangements for the operation of the Civil Service in emergencies.

Arrangements of the operation of the Civil Service in emergencies are kept under continuous review and are kept up to date in the light of experience.

National Finance

Leicester

46.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants are employed in the city of Leicester.

At 1 January 1982 there were 2,410 non-industrial civil servants in Leicester. Comparable information for industrial civil servants is not held centrally.

Agricultural Trade Policy

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the table on page 44 of the second report of the Select Committee on the European Communities of the House of Lords on Agricultural Trade Policy (HL 29, Session 1981–82) includes goods imported

	1979		1980
Section and division of trade accounts	Percentage of imports on which duty paid	Average rate of duty^*	Percentage of imports on which duty paid	Average rate of duty^*
O0 Live animals chiefly for food	1	0·1	Neg	Neg
O1 Meat and meat preparations	84	13·2	76	13·5
O2 Dairy products and eggs	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
O3 Fish and fish preparations	79	8·1	83	7·8
O4 Cereals and cereal preparations	1	0·2	1	0·2
O5 Fruit and vegetables	90	10·6	90	10·2
O6 Sugar and sugar preparations	30	7·6	40	9·8
O7 Coffee, tea, cocoa, etc·	55	8·1	38	5·2
O8 Animal feedingstuffs	3	0·1	4	0·1
O9 Miscellaneous	84	17·3	94	20·0
Total Section O	45	6·3	42	5·9
22, 41, 42 and 59 Oilseeds and vegetable and animal oils and fats	21	1·7	18	2·4
Total Section 1 (beverages and tobacco)	84	8·6	84	9·1
Total Agricultural products	46	5·8	40	5·4
Total 5 to 8 (non·food manufactures)	59	5·8	56	4·9
^* Total duties collected expressed as percentage of value of imports (cif)·

Government Departments (Temporary Personal Secretaries)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many temporary personal secretaries are employed in Whitehall through employment agencies.

This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Coinage (Slot Machines)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with manufacturers and operators of vending, change dispensing machines and the like, regarding the practicability of the new 20p and £1 coins in such machines.

Following a statement in the House of Commons on 27 January 1981, the Royal Mint issued a consultative document to a large number of organisations in the United Kingdom giving details of the proposed specifications of the new 20p and £1 coins. About 100 organisations responded including transport undertakings, clearing banks and utility services. The organisations with special interest in vending and change dispensing machines who responded were:

The Automatic Vending Association of Britain
British Amusement Catering Trades Association
The National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators

Changes in the proposed specifications were made to meet the views expressed by the organisations consulted.

from associated EEC and other countries at a reduced or preferential rate of duty; and, if so, if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the incidence of duty and so on, excluding such imports.

Yes.To exclude from the table imports dutied at less than the full rate would be time-consuming and costly and could not be justified. The relative incidence of duties on agricultural and industrial products imported from countries other than EC member States and countries having a preferential arrangement with the Community was as follows:

North Sea Oil

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the fall in anticipated oil taxation revenue in the fiscal year 1982 to be as a result of the most recent fall in North Sea oil prices; and on what assumption this estimate is made.

A reduction of $4 per barrel sustained from the beginning of March to the end of the year might reduce Government revenues from the North Sea in 1982–83 by about £850 million compared with a situation where prices remained at their end-February levels.This estimate assumes that oil production and capital expenditure in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea are unaffected by the price change, as is the sterling-dollar exchange rate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect the most recent fall in North Sea oil prices will have on (a) the exchange rate, (b) output, (c) unemployment, (d) the public sector borrowing requirement and (e) the retail price index in the fiscal year 1982.

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

Exchange Rates

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has a policy as to the level of exchange rates in the medium to long term.

No. I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. and learned Friend's Budget Statement.

Official Report (Written Answers)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that replies to written questions appear in the Official Report on the same day on which they are answered; and if he will make a statement.

There are technical limits to the amount of work which can be printed overnight and the report of the day's proceedings is always given priority over written answers. Nevertheless there has recently been a marked and welcome improvement in the timely publication of written answers.

European Regional Development Fund

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contributions the United Kingdom has made to the European regional development fund since British entry to the EEC.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 March 1982, c. 377.]: Under article 5 of the own resources decision of 21 April 1971 the United Kingdom contributes to the European Community budget as a whole and not to the European regional development fund separately. Information on our gross and net contributions since accession is included in the White Paper on the Government's expenditure plans—Cmnd. 8494, published today.

European Social Fund

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contributions the United Kingdom has made to the European Social Fund since British entry to the EEC.

[pursuant to his reply 9 March 1982, c. 377.]: Under article 5 of the own resources decision of 21 April 1971, the United Kingdom contributes to the European Community budget as a whole and not to the European social fund separately. Information on our gross and net contributions since acccesion is included in the White Paper on the Government's expenditure plans—Cmnd. 8494, published today.

Employment

Redundancies (Welwyn And Hatfield)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what redundancies have been declared to his Department consequential upon the proposed closure of parts of ICI chemicals and plastics in Welwyn Garden City; and what measures are being taken by his Department to assist the persons affected.

Information on proposed redundancies, required under section 100 of the Employment Protection Act 1975, is provided to my Department in confidence, and I cannot therefore give any information relating to individual firms on whether or not redundancies are proposed.The Manpower Services Commission does all it can to help redundant employees to find new jobs through its placement and training services.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what redundancies have been declared to his Department consequential upon the reduction of necessary staffing levels in engineering and manufacturing companies in Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City; and what measures are being taken by his Department to assist the persons affected.

136 redundancies have so far been reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in engineering and manufacturing companies in Hatfield and Welwyn local office areas in the three months up to February 1982. This figure is provisional and not necessarily comprehensive; it excludes redundancies occurring in groups of fewer than ten employees.The Manpower Services Commission will do all it can to help the redundant employees find new jobs, and all its advisory, placement and retraining services are at their disposal.

Blind Persons

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will change the rules whereby jobs becoming available in sheltered workshops for the blind are advertised at jobcentres.

Applications for vacancies in sheltered workshops are made through the Manpower Services Commission's disablement resettlement service, and such vacancies are not normally put on display in jobcentres. The commission sees no advantage in changing these arrangements, but if the hon. Member has any particular problems in mind, I will raise them with the commission.

Public And Private Sectors

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (i) how many persons were employed in (a) the public and (b) the private sectors, on 1 January 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 and (ii) in each of the categories of bodies covered in appendix 18 of the minutes of evidence attached to the eighth report from the Treasury and Civil Service Committee in Session 1980–81 (H.C. 348-III); and how many employees were categorised as employees in the public sector.

The latest centrally published estimates of public and private sector employment are in the article "Employment in the public and private sectors 1975 to 1981" in the December 1981 issue of Economic Trends. The article includes estimates of general Government employment in 1981 but information only up to 1980 for public corporations. Later information on public corporation employment is only in the form of rough estimates and for a mixture of dates but the recorded drop in public corporation employment since mid-1980 is at least 100 thousand.Employees in categories 1, 2 and 3 of appendix 18 to the minutes of evidence attached to the eighth report from the Treasury and Civil Service Committee are classified to public corporations and those in category 4 to the private sector. At mid-1980, 1,744,000 were employed in nationalised industries, about 80,000 in public corporations whose finance from the Government is included in public expenditure and about 90,000 in public corporations whose capital expenditure counts towards public expenditure.

Construction Industry

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest available estimate of the number of (a) skilled construction workers and (b) workers whose last job was in the building industry in (i) the Walsall travel-to-work area, (ii) Staffordshire and (iii) the West Midlands, who are now unemployed.

The following table gives for October 1981 the numbers of unemployed people registered for employment in skilled construction occupations. It also gives for August 1981 the total number of registered unemployed people who last worked in the construction industry. There will be a further industrial analysis of the unemployed in May 1982.

	Number of skilled Construction workers unemployed	Total number unemployed who last worked in the Construction industry
	October 1981	August 1981
Walsall travel-to-work area	1,108	3,090
Staffordshire	1,594	5,778
West Midlands region	10,480	33,130

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give his latest estimate for (a) skilled construction workers and (b) workers whose last job was in the building industry who are unemployed (i) in the City of Hull and (ii) in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, indicating their particular skill, craft and mode of employment.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest available estimate of the number of (a) skilled construction workers and (b) workers whose last job was in the building industry who are unemployed (i) in Wolverhampton and (ii) in the West Midlands.

	Number of skilled Construction workers unemployed	Total number unemployed who last worked in the Construction industry
	October 1981	August 1981
Wolverhampton employment office area	425	1,551
West Midlands region	10,480	33,130

Disabled Persons

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered disabled people had been unemployed at the latest available date for (a) up to six months, (b) six months to one year and (c) over one year; what percentage of the total registered disabled this represents in each case; and what were the comparable figures for May 1979, June 1980 and June 1981.

For October 1981, the latest date available, the information requested is as follows:

Duration of unemployment	No. of unemployed registered disabled people	Percentage of all registered disabled people
Up to six months	20,597	4·5
Six months to one year	14,831	3·2
Over one year	41,628	9·0
Total	77,056	16·7

Comparable figures are not available for the dates requested, but are shown as follows for October 1980, January 1980 and July 1979:

Duration of unemployment	No. of Unemployed registered disabled people	Percentage of all registered disabled people
October 1980
Up to six months	21,872	4·6
Six months to one year	10,538	2·3
Over one year	32,548	6·9
Total	64,958	13·8
January 1980
Up to six months	19,802	4·1
Six months to one year	8,916	1·9
Over one year	33,831	7·0
Total	62,549	13·0
July 1979
Up to six months	16,386	3·4
Six months to one year	8,466	1·7
Over one year	35,529	7·4
Total	60,381	12·5

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number and rate of unemployment among disabled people at the latest available date; and what were the comparable figures for May 1979, November 1979, June 1980, January 1981 and June 1981.

The numbers of unemployed disabled people at the dates requested are as follows:

	Number
January 1982^*	193,664
May 1979	133,956
November 1979	132,205
June 1980	147,563
January 1981	170,662
June 1981	179,728
^* Latest available.

It is not possible to calculate an unemployment rate for all disabled people as the total number of disabled people in the work force is unknown.

Solicitor-General For Scotland

Schoolchildren (Corporal Punishment)

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland how much the Government spent to defend the recent action before the European Court of Human Rights which involved parents' rights to forbid corporal punishment of their schoolchildren.

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate, who represented the Government in the recent proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights in the Campbell and Cosans case, and the Government officials who worked on the case did so as part of the normal duties of their respective offices and received no payment additional to the normal remuneration of these offices.The amount of other expenditure on the case—including payments due to the advocate and barrister who assisted my noble and learned Friend—is not yet settled but I undertake to write further with that information when it is available.

Social Services

Mental Illness (Circular)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to amend his Department's circular referring to services for mental illness related to old age dated October 1972.

We hope shortly to publish guidance on the future pattern of hospital provision in England, which will include some general advice about the planning of services for psychiatric disorder related to old age. The health advisory service has also undertaken an excercise aimed at assisting health authorities to improve this aspect of their services, and hopes to formulate some conclusions at a conference in July. Following this conference we shall decide with the help of the HAS, whether to promulgate the results of this excercise, together with any other relevant developments, and this may affect the guidance given in the 1972 circular.

Community Physicians

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many community physicians in each of the present regions of England are opting for early or premature retirement when re-organisation takes place; what percentage the total figure represents of those at present occupying such positions; and if he is satisfied that all posts of district medical officers will be filled after re-organisation.

The numbers of community physicians in England who have applied for premature retirement to date are as follows:

Yorkshire	1
Trent	1
E Anglia	2
NW Thames	6
NE Thames	4
SE Thames	3
SW Thames	2
Wessex	6
Oxford	2

South	4
Western
W Midlands	6
N Western	4
	41

The total represents approximately 7 per cent, of community physicians in post on 30 September 1981. There are more community physicians available than the number of district medical officer posts to be filled.

Benefits

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total income of (a) a married couple, (b) a married couple with two children and (c) a man and wife aged 65 years and 60 years, respectively, who are dependent solely on income from (i) unemployment benefit, (ii) supplementary benefit and (iii) retirement pensions, including all the extra allowances for rent, rates, heating, clothing, school meals, and so on, for which each might be eligible.

The total incomes of these married couples would depend on a variety of factors, including the levels of their rents, if they are tenants, and rates, the children's ages and the extent to which the contribution and other conditions for benefits had been satisfied.Tables

(a), (b) and (c) attached show incomes on the basis of a number of assumptions. My hon. Friend will appreciate that the figures relate only to the particular illustrative situations described and have no general application. They cannot therefore be quoted out of context and without stating the assumptions.

Table (a) Married couple. Rent £10. Rates £3·65
	Receiving
Source	(i) unemployment benefit (UB)£	(ii) supplementary benefit (SB)£
Standard rate benefit (UB/SB)	36·40	51·40
Rent rebate	10·00	—
Rates rebate	3·65	—
Totals	50·05	51·40

Table (b) Married couple with two children aged 4 and 6, Rent £12·10. Rates £4·45
	Receiving
Source	(i) unemployment benefit (UB)£	(ii) supplementary benefit (SB)£
Standard rate benefit (UB/SB)	38·00	61·25
Child benefit	10·50	10·50
Rent rebate	12·10	—
Rates rebate	4·45	—
Free school meals	2·25	2·25
Free welfare milk	1·30	1·30
Totals	68·60	75·30

Table (c) Married couple. Pensioners. Rent £10. Rates £3·65.
	Receiving
Source	Pension on husband's insurance with earnings-related additions£	Supplementary benefit£
Standard rate benefit
Husband	29·601	61·00
Wife	17·75	61·00
Graduated pension	1·69	—
Additional component	1·81	—
Rent rebate	7·24	—
Rates rebate	2·59	—
Total	60·68	61·00

Assumptions and Notes

1. The assumptions made about the levels of rents and rates and the ages of the children are shown above the tables.

2. The supplementary benefit figures given in the tables are made up of the scale rates and allowances for the rents and the rates, plus, in the case of the household with a child under age 5, an extra £1·65 heating addition. The scale rates are intended to meet normal living expenses, other than rent and rates; they therefore include an element for heating and replacement of clothing.

3. On free school meals, the assumptions have been made that the daily charge is 45p; and that the local authorities concerned continue to award free meals on grounds of low income, applying the November 1979 conditions of entitlement.

4. The graduated pension and additional component shown in table (c) are based on the assumption that the husband was not contracted out of the State pension scheme before retirement. The amounts quoted are the averages, at November 1981 levels, for men receiving them who retired in the 13 month period ended 30 June 1981.

5. Income tax refunds have not been included as part of the weekly income of the unemployed. The amount of any refund payable is determined by the relationship between the amount of tax paid prior to unemployment and the number of weeks of unemployment remaining in the tax year. At the 30 per cent. tax rate, the maximum weekly amount of such refunds, where payable, for a married couple with or without children is £12·38.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current cost per week of benefits, including public assistance, paid to the numbers currently unemployed.

The average cost per week in 1981–82 is estimated to be £83 million for unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit paid to the unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish similar figures to those provided in his answer to the hon. Member for Woolwich, West, Official Report, 16 February, c. 90, but excluding the earnings-related supplement fom the calculations.

Rates of unemployment benefit, plus child benefit, but without earnings-related supplement, for families of varous sizes are shown in table 6.1(c) of the Abstract of Statistics for Index of Retail Prices, Average Earnings, Social Security Benefits and Contributions, for uprating dates up to November 1980. A copy of the abstract is in the Library of the House. The corresponding rates introduced at the uprating in November 1981 are as follows:

Married couple with one child £42·45
Married couple with two children £48·50
Married couple with four children £60·60

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the net cost of restoring the 5 per cent. abatement of unemployment benefit (a) in 1982–83 and (b) in a full tax year.

[pursuant to the reply, 22 February 1982, c. 295]: The estimates are as follows:

about (a) £20 million, (b) £60 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the savings resulting from abolition of the earnings-related supplement to unemployment benefit (a) in 1981–82 and (b) in 1982–83.

[pursuant to the reply, 22 February 1982, c. 295]: The estimates are as follows:

about (a) £35 million, (b) £135 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will ensure more effective enforcement of the existing provisions to discontinue the payment of unemployment benefit to people who consistently, and over a period, refuse offers of employment made to them by the labour exchanges.

I have been asked to reply.People who refuse suitable jobs are liable to be disqualified from unemployment benefit by the independent adjudicating authorities. This penalty may be applied immediately someone refuses a suitable job and does not depend on consistent refusal of jobs over a period. These arrangements will continue.

Elderly Persons

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will ensure that the West Midlands regional health authority is allocated sufficient funds to enable the Staffordshire area health authority to provide sufficient provision for elderly people.

Resources are allocated to regional health authorities in line with the principles set out in the report of the resource allocation working party, which take account of assessed relative health care need; this reflects the age structure of the population served and other factors. In the 1982–83 financial year the West Midlands RHA will receive an above average growth addition of just over 2 per cent.

National Insurance Contributions

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there is any provision to prevent retrospective double payments of past national insurance contributions, of whatever class or classes, following a change of a contributor's status, for example from class 2 to class 1.

A contributor cannot be liable to pay concurrent contributions both as an employed and self-employed earner in respect of the same employment. If he pays contributions of the wrong class they may be set against the contributions properly payable by him when any amount underpaid, or available for refund, is calculated.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, whether a director of his or her own companies acting in association with one another is liable for an amount of class I secondary (employer's) contributions in respect of each associated company regardless of whether or not the total contribution liability exceeds an equivalent 100 per cent. under the concept of a single economic unit.

Secondary contributions are payable on a director's liable earnings by his company, as employer, not by the director himself. The rules governing secondary contributions for people with more than one job, which were set out in my hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend on 17 February 1982—[Vol. 18, c. 140]—apply equally to directors and other class I contributors. Earnings in different employments must however, where possible, be aggregated and treated as a single payment by the secondary contributors concerned where they are in association for the purposes of these employments and the earnings in one or more of them are below the lower limit for contribution liability.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the annual cost of maintaining individual personal records of national insurance contributions.

It is estimated that for 1980–81, the last year for which information is available, the cost centrally of maintaining 49 million personal insurance contribution records was of the order of £30 million.

Handicapped Adolescents (Painting Exhibition)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange for an exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall of paintings from an adolescent unit for the handicapped in Wiltshire on 22 March.

Arrangements have already been made for an exhibition of paintings by handicapped adolescents from the Winsley Centre, Bath to take place in the Upper Waiting Hall on 22 March.

Health Education

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to increase expenditure on health education and require all new trainee entrants to general practice to have attended a six-week course in health educational skills.

We recently announced a cash allocation to the Health Education Council of £8·5 million for 1982–83. This represents a very substantial increase in real terms over the allocation for the current and previous years and will enable the council, which is the main source of help and advice in health education matters, to expand and intensify their activities.The content of medical education is a matter for the profession and I understand health education is already included in many training courses for general practice trainees. However, I am arranging to draw the importance we attach to training in this subject to the attention of postgraduate medical deans and others responsible for organising day release courses for GP trainees. In these circumstances I would not consider it necessary to require all trainees to attend a six week course.

Sick Notes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to limit the charges being made by some general practitioners for providing patients with sick notes.

The certificates which a doctor shall issue to his patients free of charge are prescribed in schedule 3 to the National Health Service (General Medical and Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations, 1974, subject to the circumstances specified in paragraph 31 of schedule 1. We have no proposals for extending the scope of schedule 3.

Non-Contributory Invalidity Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what charges, for example for laundry, are deducted from the non-contributory invalidity benefit of long-stay patients in hospitals for mentally handicapped people.

Health authorities have no power to deduct charges from an in-patient's noncontributory invalidity benefit for any service that is provided to him as a patient under the National Health Service.

National Health Service

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list, by region, the number of properties belonging to the National Health Service which have been sold between April 1979 and March 1982, with the price paid, the date of completion and the name of the buyer in each case.

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

Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton In Ashfield

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average monthly call on pharmaceutical emergency stand-by services at Kings Mill hospital, Sutton in Ashfield, for the years 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The information is not available centrally.

Waiting Times

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what stage has been reached in the implementation of the Duthie working party report on orthopaedic waiting times by hospitals within the East Anglian regional health authority; and if he is satisfied with progress.

Information about the implementation of the Duthie working party report within specific regions is not available centrally. My hon. Friend might like to direct his inquiry to the East Anglian regional health authority.

Glue Sniffing

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the fact that glue sniffing is now a serious and widespread problem, if he will make an estimate of the cost and harm done by this practice.

No, for the reason in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 27 October 1981.—[Vol. 10. c. 330.]

Urea Formaldehyde Foam

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list the National Health Service hospitals in (a) the Central Nottinghamshire health district and (b) the Nottinghamshire area where urea formaldehyde foam has been used for insulation.

I understand from the Nottinghamshire area health authority that urea formaldehyde foam has been used for insulation in two residential blocks at the King's Mill hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield.

Diabetics

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the glass syringes provided for diabetic patients on the National Health Service are as suitable for people with visual impairment as the disposable syringes available privately; and if he will make a statement.

The special needs of blind or partially sighted diabetics receiving insulin treatment are catered for by the availability on general practitioner prescription of glass and metal pre-set syringes. These syringes can be set to deliver the pre-determined insulin dose necessary for a particular patient and thereafter there is no necessity for visual checking that the correct quantity of insulin has been drawn into the barrel of the syringe. Hospital consultants, but not general practitioners, are, however, at liberty to prescribe and health authorities to supply disposable or "click" syringes as alternatives to preset syringes for visually impaired diabetic patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department has made any estimate of the amount of money which is spent privately by diabetic patients on disposable needles and syringes each year because they are not available on prescription under the National Health Service.

No. The data needed to make such an estimate are not held by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost of making disposable needles and syringes generally available to diabetic patients on prescription under the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

The estimated annual additional cost of providing disposable—single-use—hypodermic equipment on prescription for all diabetic patients in England is over £3½ million for needles and nearly £6 million for syringes.Such single-use needles and syringes offer little advantage, other than convenience, over the re-usable kind supplied on prescription and I do not think that we should be justified in diverting from other NHS priorities the additional expenditure which would be entailed in making them generally available.If single-use needles and syringes are considered medically essential for a particular patient they may be supplied through the hospital service.

Mobility Allowance

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women and men, respectively, aged 60 years and over are in receipt of mobility allowance; if he will take action specifically to publicise the entitlement of women aged 60 to 65 years to the allowance; and if he will make a statement.

The information is as follows:

People Aged 60 and over in Receipt of Mobility Allowance on 31 December 1981
Women	Men
25,800	39,900

These figures include 3,300 women and 10,200 men who have switched to mobility allowance from the former invalid vehicle scheme. There are special arrangements for former beneficiaries of that scheme that enable them to change to mobility allowance at any age.When the present Government brought the 61–64 age group into entitlement in November 1979, there was extensive publicity in press advertisements and through voluntary organisations. Leaflets and posters continue to make it clear that the upper age limit for eligibility is 65 for both sexes. I am always concerned that the existence of benefits for disabled people such as mobility allowance should be as widely known as possible, but I have no plans for special publicity aimed at women between 60 and 65.

National Health Service (Financing)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether Her Majesty's Government have now decided not to proceed with methods of alternative financing of the National Health Service, or whether this is still under consideration in any form; and if so, when he expects to make a statement on this matter.

My right hon. Friend is still considering the interdepartmental working party's exploratory survey of ways of financing health care, and whether to undertake any further studies.

Social Security And Housing Benefits Bill

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, when the Social Security and Housing Benefits Bill is enacted and regulations made under it, all occupiers of dwellings as defined in clause 25(4) will be eligible for rebates and allowances under the schemes providing he or she is financially eligible, and in the case of rent allowances, he or she is making some form of payment in respect of the dwelling including payments for services, facilities, and so on; and when the draft regulations relating to these schemes will be published.

It is anticipated that all occupiers of dwellings who are liable to make payments by way of rent or rates will be eligible for rebates or allowances with the exception of Crown tenants. Rent allowances will be based on the claimant's income and "eligible" rent paid. This rent will be defined by regulations, but will exclude payments for rates, water and sewerage charges, heating, board and other specified services. The draft regulations will be published as soon as possible, but no firm date can be given.

Death Rates

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Isle of Ely, Official Report, 13 April 1981, c. 57, if he will list in the Official Report (a) the numbers of deaths and (b) the death rate per thousand for the following age groups (i) under one year, (ii) one to five years, (iii) 60 to 64 years, (iv) 65 to 69 years, (v) 70 to 74 years, (vi) 75 to 79 years, (vii) 80 to 84 years, (viii) 85 to 89 years and (ix) 90 years and over from (a) 1 April to 30 September 1980, (b) 1 October 1980 to 31 March 1981 and (c) 1 April 1981 to 30 September 1981.

The available information is attached:

Deaths from all causes and death rates per 1000 population for certain age groups, England and Wales
1 April to 30 September 1980
	Number	Rate
Age groups
Under 1 year	3,684	^*11·0
1 to 4† years	530	0·5
60 to 64 years	20,622	16·5
65 to 69 years	31,904	25·3
70 to 74 years	42,257	40·1
75 to 79 years	46,517	62·9
80 to 84 years	40,161	96·7
85 to 89 years	28,071	154·2
90 years and over	17,201	238·4
1 October 1980 to 31 March 1981
Under 1 year	3,977	^*12·7
1 to 4† years	639	0·6
60 to 64 years	22,634	18·2
65 to 69 years	35,063	28·0
70 to 74 years	47,436	43·3
75 to 79 years	53,951	73·3
80 to 84 years	47,831	115·8
85 to 89 years	34,617	191·3
90 years and over	21,750	303·1
^* Rate per 1000 live births.
†1 to 5 age group not readily available.

Rates are based on estimated population as at 30 June 1980.Similar date for the period 1 April 1981 to 30 September 1981 should be available in the autumn.

Hypothermia (Deaths)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for the Isle of Ely, Official Report, 13 February 1981, c. 443, if he will give the number of cases of death by hypothermia in (a) those aged 65 years and over and (b) those aged five years and under that were recorded in each of the last three years.

The available information is as follows:

Total deaths with mention of hypothermia at ages 5 years and under and ages 65 and over, England and Wales, 1979 and 1980.
	Age
	5 years and under	65 years and over
1979	23	687
1980	14	498

Similar data for 1981 should be available by the end of the year.

Overseas Visitors (Health Care)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the proposals to charge overseas visitors for National Health Service services as from October will cover students on sandwich courses or courses involving work experience.

The regulations will define the proportion of work in such courses that will qualify students for exemption.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will reconsider his decision to charge overseas visitors for voluntary psychiatric care in National Health Service hospitals, particularly with regard to overseas students.

My right hon. Friend in his statement to the House on 22 February 1982—[Vol. 18, c. 593–600]—explained the Government's decisions but we are willing to consider any new arguments for any such exemptions.

Overseas Students (Hospital Treatment)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider making overseas students liable for charges for hospital treatment as from 1 November 1982 instead of 1 October 1982.

We are still considering the transitional arrangements.

Health Educational Council

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the main items on which the Health Education Council spent the public funds allocated to it in 1981–82; what amount was spent in each case; what are the comparable purposes and figures for 1982–83; whether the additional £2 million proposed in the allocation for 1981–82 will be spent on a specific purpose; and, if so, what that purpose is.

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

Supplementary Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many council house tenants in England have their rents paid (a) in whole and (b) in part by supplementary benefits; and what percentage each number is of the total number of council house tenants in England.

[pursuant to the reply, 14 December 1981, c. 53–4]: Housing requirements are generally allowed in full in the assessment of supplementary benefit. The actual benefit paid may be more or less than those requirements, depending on the claimant's other needs and resources. The table below shows the number of council tenants in England whose supplementary benefit was (a) more than and (b) less than their housing requirements.

	Number (000s)	Percentage of all council tenants
(a) Supplementary benefit in payment more than housing requirements^*	1,100	22
(b) Supplementary benefit in payment less than housing requirements^*	209	4
^* Housing requirements cover rents, general rates and water charges.

Residential And Day Care Facilities

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) which non-metropolitan county social services departments do not provide residential care for mentally ill patients;(2) how many social services departments do not provide day care centres or clubs for

(a) the mentally ill or (b) the mentally disabled;

(3) what was the total amount spent by local authorities on residential and day care facilities for mentally ill patients in 1979, 1980 and to the latest available date in 1981.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1982, c. 496.]: gave the following corrected information: Statistics of day centres for the mentally ill and adult training centres for the mentally handicapped, and residential accommodation for the mentally ill, provided by each local authority in England, at 31 March 1980, are published in the Department's booklet "Department of Health and Social Security Personal Social Services Local Authority Statistics"—reference No.: A/ F80/8—which is available in the Library of the House. Equivalent figures showing the position at 31 March 1981 will be published shortly.Information concerning social clubs for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped is not immediately available and my noble Friend will write to the hon. Member. Net current expenditure by local authorities on residential facilities for the mentally ill was as follows:

Financial year	£ million
1978–79	6·4
1979–80	8·3
1980–81	^*10·5
^* Provisional.

Figures for expenditure on day care facilities for the mentally ill are not available, as it is not identified separately from expenditure on day care provided to other patients.

House Of Commons

Northern Ireland (Debates)

asked the Lord President of the Council how many debates there have been in the House on Northern Ireland during each year of direct rule.

The information requested is as follows:

	Number
April to October 1972	20
Session 1972–73	38
Session 1973–74	8
Session 1974	11
Session 1974–75	24
Session 1975–76	32
Session 1976–77	24
Session 1977–78	27
Session 1978–79	11
Session 1979–80	32
Session 1980–81	26
Session 1981 to end
February 1982	7

Bills have been credited with more than one debate only if debated stages have been taken on more than one day. Where a stage of a Bill has been taken on several days, each day has been counted as a new debate. The figures do not include debates on the half-hour Adjournment or those held under the Consolidated Fund Bill.

Transport

British Railways (Chairman)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the future chairmanship of British Railways.

Very few.

Drinking And Driving

10.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to implement the changes in the law on drinking and driving made in the Transport Act 1981.

Towards the end of this year.

Speed Limit Areas

14.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any representations in the past 12 months about simplifying the procedure to designate 30 mph speed limit areas.

No. The Department has received representations about simplifying the procedure for making traffic management orders, which applies to the making of local speed limits—30 mph and otherwise—a s to other measures for regulating traffic locally. I am considering this.

Central Line (Epping And Ongar)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the future of the Epping and Ongar section of the Central line.

I have received six letters, including one from the hon. Gentleman.

Rail Exports

21.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to support rail exports

In co-operation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade I take every opportunity to further the prospects of the United Kingdom railway industry in overseas markets.

London (Public Transport)

22.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any proposals for removing from the Greater London Council its responsibility for London Transport.

Although I have had no formal proposals, the idea has been canvassed by a number of hon. Members and by the chairman of London Transport in his recent evidence to the Select Committee on Transport.

24.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce new measures to improve public transport provision in London.

30.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce further measures to improve public transport provision in London.

It is one of my aims to improve public transport provision in London. That is why I have asked the GLC to stop pamphleteering and encouraging pointless strikes and instead to address in the annual transport plan it is now preparing the real questions it is its duty to tackle responsibly in order to secure integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities and services for London. I have asked it to consider how Londoners can get better bus and tube services for the £250 million subsidy over and above the fare box receipts London Transport is getting, who exactly is to benefit from these sums, coupled with an analysis of who is actually benefiting at present, and how Londoners can be provided with a greater choice of services.I have also asked it to consider with me how the present confusion of roles between the GLC and London Transport could be sorted out with a view to a clearer and more arm's-length relationship between those who provide money to fulfil social and economic purposes on the one hand and the supply of services by operators in the most cost-effective way on the other. My aim is to get a better deal for Londoners.

27.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current level of subsidy given to London Transport expressed as a percentage of the total fares revenue.

After the fares increase on 21 March the total subsidy including concessionary fares payments will amount to about 45 per cent. of the expected fares revenue. In addition, LT benefits from paying no interest on capital.

M1

23.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost of repairs to the M1 from London to Sheffield, exit 33, over each of the past three years.

The cost of repairs to the M1 motorway from junction 1 near London to junction 33 near Sheffield during 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82 has been £12·14 million, £11·36 million and £15·6 million respectively at outturn prices. These figures do not include the cost of routine maintenance which amounted to about £3 million in each year.

31.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the bad weather since 1 December 1981 has caused measurable delay to the construction and widening of the M1 south of Luton; if he expects the effects of any delay to be eliminated by the end of 1982; and if he will make a statement.

The contractor has been given an extension of two weeks because of the weather. There may of course be other causes of delay, but the contractor still expects to complete the new southbound carriageway by autumn 1982 and the entire scheme by autumn 1983.

Roads (Maintenance Condition Survey)

25.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the 1981 national road maintenance condition survey shows any deterioration in roads.

The 1981 report of the national road maintenance condition survey, which is published today, shows that the condition of our roads has remained broadly constant over the last five years. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House. This does not, of course, take account of the effects of the recent spells of bad weather.

British Railways (Investment)

26.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has been approached by the chairman of the British Railways Board regarding future investment.

I am aware of the chairman's views on this matter.

Heavy Lorries

28.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the assistance given by his department to research into a more environmentally acceptable lorry.

My Department actively promotes research to improve the heavy lorry. Projects under way cover lorry noise and vibration, diesel engine emissions, vehicle suspension, spray suppression, sideguards, front under-run bumpers, braking performance and enforcement techniques. In addition the Department of Industry is assisting manufacturers to develop heavy lorry equipment, including quieter engines.

Fares

29.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, following his answers of 10 February, Official Report, columns 957–9, whether he has received any representations from local authorities other than the Greater London Council pressing him to introduce legislation to clarify the rights of such authorities to subsidise fares.

No. The Association of Metropolitan Authorities has told me that it does not wish to see any change in the powers of the metropolitan counties.

Ports (Conservancy Charges)

32.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport in which European Economic Community countries conservancy charges at European Economic Community ports are paid; and if Her Majesty's Government have any plans to pay for conservancy charges at United Kingdom ports.

Port charging policies vary within the Community, and also within certain individual countries and so far as I am aware there is no official publication that provides comprehensive information on such matters. But I understand that conservancy work is in general financed by port authorities in Denmark and Ireland, as well as in the United Kingdom and that the expenditure is recovered through charges to users. I have no plans to pay for conservancy work at United Kingdom ports.

Rural Railways

33.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy towards investment in rural railways.

It is for the Railways Board to determine investment priorities in the light of its obligation to maintain rail passenger services.

Channel Tunnel

34.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement of the Government's policy towards the Channel Tunnel.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) and to the hon. Member for Derby, North (Mr. Whitehead).

British Railways (Operating And Financial Targets)

35.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to restructure British Railways, and review the operating and financial targets that it is expected to meet and the level of finance subsidy.

I have no plans to restructure British Railways, but I am making preparations for a review of railway finances.

Bypasses

36.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authority bypasses were started in 1981; and how many he hopes will be started in 1982 following 1982 transport supplementary grant settlement.

During the financial year 1981–82, county councils started 19 bypasses and relief roads costing over £1 million. The recent transport supplementary grant settlement should enable counties to incur expenditure in 1982–83 on 35 new schemes of this kind worth about £130 million.

Motorway And Trunk Road Maintenance

37.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how the original motorway and trunk road maintenance budget for 1981–82 compares with the likely outturn.

In the 1981–82 published Supply Estimates £138·5 million was provided for motorway and trunk road maintenance, within the roads cash block which is managed as a whole. After publication £21 million was transferred within the cash block from new construction, to facilitate urgent additional maintenance, particularly motorway reconstruction, making £159·5 million allocated in all. The latest forecast outturn is about £7 million higher, largely the result of the severe early winter weather, but this will be more than offset by reduced expenditure on other parts of the cash block.

Private Motoring (Taxation)

38.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the annual taxation paid by a private motorist driving 10,000 miles per annum in 1981; and how this compares with the figure for 1978.

About £330, assuming a fuel consumption of 30 mpg. This is about 20 per cent. more than the 1978 figure, after adjustment to 1981 prices.

Public Tranport

39.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate and quantify the amount of subsidy required from central and local funds if the level of public transport is to be retained at broadly its present level.

The Government's public expenditure plans up to 1984–85, published yesterday, allow for a total of over £1,300 million support for public transport next year. The amount of subsidy required to maintain any particular level of service will depend on a variety of factors including improvements in efficiency, the containment of costs and fares policies, as well as external factors such as economic growth, inflation and car ownership.

South Wales Traffic Area

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he proposes to reduce the area headquarters of South Wales traffic area from thirteen to seven; whether he proposes to close the facilities at several places including Carmarthen; and if he will make it his policy not to merge the South Wales traffic area with the West Midlands.

The South Wales traffic area contains one headquarters office—at Cardiff—13 full-time and 10 part-time driving test centres. I have no plans at present to reduce the number of these offices. My Department will have to vacate the premises used for the part-time driving test centre at Carmarthen towards the end of the year, but the Property Services Agency is urgently seeking alternative accommodation and I have no intention of discontinuing the provision of facilities at Carmarthen. As for the merger of traffic areas, we are currently considering various options for new traffic area boundaries in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. I shall not reach a final conclusion on any change before considering the response to a forthcoming consultation document on this issue.

Lorry Weights

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding a reduction in maximum lorry weights from the proposed 40 tonnes to 38 tonnes.

I have received various representations for and against our proposed changes in maximum lorry weights. These have shown considerable strength of feeling about allowing vehicles as heavy as 40 tonnes on our roads. It has been put to me that the 38 tonne lorries on five axles in the Government's proposals would do 20 per cent. less damage to the roads than the existing 32·5 tonne vehicles on four axles they would largely be replacing.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the comparative road damage factors of existing 16 tonne maximum delivery lorries, compared with a five axle 34 tonne lorry and five axle 38 tonne lorry.

Road damage factors for these vehicles, in terms of standard axles per 100 tonnes of payload, are as follows:

	Factor
2 axle 16 tonne rigid lorry	11·9
4 axle 34 tonne articulated lorry	11·5
5 axle 38 tonne articulated lorry (2 axle tractor)	8·1

European Committee Of Transport Ministers

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will next attend a meeting of the European Committee of Transport Ministers; and if he is now able to make a statement on the special study on the true comparative costs of road transport against railways within their member countries indicating any conclusions he has reached about the position in the United Kingdom.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will tabulate from information available to him for each European Committee of Transport Minister's country, respectively, the cost of road maintenance and construction, as against revenue from fuel, vehicle and other taxes connected with road transport, and compare the balance with national railway operations.

Comparative information on road expenditure and taxation of road users for 1977 was presented in a recent study for the European conference of Ministers of Transport. The figures were:

Country	National tax revenue from road fuel duties and annual vehicle taxes	Expenditures on Roads	Coverage of Expenditure by Taxation
	Million EUA	Million EUA	In per cent.
Portugal	234	74	316
Ireland	263	122	216
Italy	5,190	2,497	208
United Kingdom	4,968	2,427	205
Spain	1,923	1,069	180
Denmark	801	654	122
France	5,636	4,947	114
W. Germany	9,483	8,454	112
Netherlands	1,686	1,918	88
Sweden	1,270	1,446	88
Belgium	1,222	1,433	85
Switzerland	1,008	1,352	75
Luxembourg	48	78	62

This study does not contain the same information for railways. Figures for railways in EC countries are given in my right hon. Friends reply to another question from my hon. Friend today.

European Railways (Losses And Subsidies)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, from information available to him, he will tabulate the latest figures for losses and level of subsidy for the operation of national railways in each of the European Committee of Transport Ministers' countries, giving this as a figure per head of population, per mile of track and as a percentage of revenue for passengers and freight traffic.

There are wide variations between the arrangements for financial support in different States, and it is not possible from the available figures of subsidy paid to railway undertakings to distinguish subsidy intended for the operation of railways from subsidy payable in respect of pensions or other items not directly concerned with railways operation.Nevertheless broad comparisons for EEC countries may be derived from the Third Commission Report to the Council on the Transposed Annual Accounts of Railway Undertakings—COM(81)8(13)—a copy of which is available in the Library.

Archway

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when next he expects to have a census of vehicles on the Al Road at the Archway, London, N.19.

To determine whether there have been any changes since earlier surveys, counts of turning movements at junctions on Archway Road commenced on 1 March; these should be completed in about a week and next month an automatic traffic counter will be installed on the Al near Archway.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if any discussions have taken place with the Greater London Council regarding any plans for widening the Al road south of the Archway, N.19; and if he will make a statement.

This is a metropolitan road for which the GLC is responsible. It has not yet asked me for any discussions about it.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he proposes to have with the London borough of Islington regarding his proposal to widen the Archway Road Al.

My right hon. Friend's proposal to hold a public inquiry on alternative orders for Archway will give Islington borough council, among others, ample opportunity to contribute its views.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his policy on the proposed road widening of the Al Archway scheme due to the high cost of such a proposal.

I intend to proceed as my right hon. Friend announced in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham (Mr. Needham) on 22 December 1981—[Vol. 15 c. 401–2.] The inspector will no doubt wish to examine the costs of all options discussed at the inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the total cost to date of the public inquiries into the Archway Road widening scheme.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply of my hon. and learned Friend the then Under-Secretary to the hon. Member for Islington, Central (Mr. Grant) on 1 March 1982—[Vol. 19, c. 57.]

A1 London

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the widening of the Al road between Central London and the North Circular Road.

The Al between the City of London and just north of Archway roundabout is, as a metropolitan road, the responsibility of the Greater London Council. The widening of the trunk road between there and the North Circular road has been the subject of a very large number of representations expressing varied views over a long period.

British Rail

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the reply to the hon. Member for Bridlington (Mr. Townend) Official Report, 10 February, c. 967, if Her Majesty's Government have completed their consideration of the long-term financial problems caused to British Railways by the ASLEF strike; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make a statement soon on arrangements for a review of railway finances.

Environment

St George's Hospital

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the required planning procedures that were followed in the sale of part of St. George's hospital to the Grosvenor Estates.

I understand that the sale of part of the St. George's hospital to Grosvenor Estates has not yet taken place. The proposed disposal would not be carried out under planning legislation and is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services and the prospective purchasers. Grosvenor Estates has applied to Westminster city council for planning permission and listed building consent for its scheme to restore the listed Wilkins building with a new office building behind. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is currently considering whether he should call in the application for listed building consent for his own decision. The application for planning permission is still with the city of Westminster and the Greater London Council. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services will not complete negotiations with Grosvenor Estates on the proposed sale until these two applications have been decided.

Gipsies

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make an estimate of the total annual cost to local authorities in England and Wales of providing pitches or sites for Irish tinkers and gipsies residing in or resorting to the local authority areas concerned.

Approved expenditure on providing gipsy accommodation is eligible for 100 per cent. grant from central Government. In England in 1981–82 this is estimated to be £3·4 million. The information relating to Wales should be sought from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Sewers

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many incidents have been recorded where sewer systems have proved defective or sewers have collapsed or revealed major defects due to age in each of the last three years in England and Wales.

Detailed records of all incidents are not kept, but investigations by the Water Research Centre indicate that the number of excavations to carry out repairs to collapsed sewers is of the order of 2,000 per year in England and Wales.

Rents

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing authority councils raised rents at £4 or more per week during the current year; and how many were in the region of £10.

On the information currently available to me from the subsidy claim forms which housing authorities have returned to my Department, the average unrebated council house rent for 1981–82 was on average £4 or more per dwelling per week higher than the average in 1980–81 in 72 authorities in England. There were no increases in the region of £10 per dwelling per week.

Housing

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those housing authorities where more than 500 council dwellings have been empty for more than a year.

The following 14 English local authorities each reported in their 1981 HIP returns that they had more than 500 dwellings vacant for more than 12months:

Greater London Council	1,837
Hackney	1,582
Knowsley	1,324
Liverpool	1,097
Southwark	1,093
Islington	1,022
Wandsworth	976
Manchester	918
Lewisham	912
Lambeth	859
Sunderland	691
Corby	673
Camden	663
Hammersmith and Fulham	562

Note: Figures are for dwellings which became vacant before 1 April 1980 and were still vacant at June 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the following information: (a) the total stock of dwellings of each housing authority on 4 October 1980, (b) the number of right-to-buy applications received by each housing authority since October 1980, (c) the number of offer notices issued by each housing authority since October 1980, (d) the number of completions of sales by each housing authority since October 1980 and (e) the total number of council house sales by each housing authority since October 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the number of right-to-buy applications received by each London borough at the latest available date, with the number of offer notices issued by each borough and the number of sales completed by each borough.

Information on the number of section 10 offer notices issued is not collected from local authorities generally. Information provided by local authorities on the other matters requested by my hon. Friend, including numbers of voluntary sales since 1 April 1979, is set out in a table which I have placed in the Library today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of council housing stock in England was sold to tenants in 1981.

English local authorities are provisionally estimated to have sold 94,000 dwellings—excluding those built for sale—in 1981, about 1·8 per cent. of their stock. Almost all these were sold to council tenants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses were sold in 1981 in each housing authority in England; and what proportion of the council housing stock is involved in each case.

The information in the form requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the table of latest available statistics for individual authorities of council sales and dwelling stock which I placed in the Library in connection with my reply today to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Proctor).

Building Research Establishment

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice has been given to him by the National Economic Development Office concerning the future of the Building Research Establishment; and when he expects to make a statement on his conclusions.

My right hon. Friend has only recently received the report, which has been prepared by a joint working party of the building and civil engineering EDCs under the chairmanship of Sir Peter Trench. That report proposes the establishment of a research strategy committee for these EDCs, and a board of management for the Building Research Establishment. My right hon. Friend is now considering these proposals, but I cannot at this stage say when he will have reached conclusions. I am placing a copy of the report in the Library.

Volume 19: debated on Wednesday 10 March 1982