asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentages of the 1981 full-time work force in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark and the United States of America were women.

The latest available comparable data is for 1979. The information is as follows:

Women working full-time as a percentage of all those in full time employment
	percentage
United Kingdom	29
France	36

(a) Unemployed ethnic minority group workers
	May 1979		May 1980
	Number	Percentage of all unemployed	Number	Percentage of all unemployed
Inner city partnership area
Birmingham	5,433	21·8	6,812	22·7
Docklands	1,106	10·0	1,552	12·5
Hackney/Islington	2,164	15·5	2,668	16·8
Lambeth	1,532	14·8	1,861	17·9
Liverpool	273	*	234	*
Manchester/Salford	1,067	6·4	1,442	7·2
Newcastle/Gateshead	165	1·0	140	0·7

	May 1981		February 1982
	Number	Percentage of all unemployed	Number	Percentage of all unemployed
Inner city partnership area
Birmingham	13,523	24·0	15,742	23·4
Docklands	2,801	13·7	3,466	14·1
Hackney/Islington	3,973	14·7	5,230	15·0
Lambeth	3,061	16·7	3,653	14·9
Liverpool	285	*	305	*
Manchester/Salford	2,401	7·1	2,601	6·7
Newcastle/Gateshead	196	0·7	227	0·7
* The figures for the Liverpool inner city partnership area exclude young people; consequently no percentage has been calculated.

(b) Unemployed aged under 20 years
	April 1979		July 1980
	Number	Percentage of all unemployed	Number	Percentage of all unemployed
Inner city partnership area
Birmingham	4,082	16·2	11,193	29·7
Docklands	1,332	11·6	3,570	23·9
Hackney/Islington	1,675	12·0	3,882	20·9
Lambeth	1,458	14·6	2,818	23·5
Liverpool	6,435	21·0	10,009	27·0
Manchester/Salford	2,817	16·7	6,676	27·6
Newcastle/Gateshead	2,743	15·5	6,792	29·4

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers of (a) ethnic minorities and (b) teenagers unemployed in the seven inner city partnership areas at the latest available date; what were the figures in May 1979, June 1980 and June 1981; and what proportion of the total registered unemployed in these areas these figures represent.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 March 1982, c. 470.]: The following is the information in respect of the groups of employment office areas which correspond most closely to the inner city partnership areas for the dates nearest to those specified.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were unemployed in the seven inner city partnership areas at the latest available date; if he will give the figures by age and sex; and what percentage these represent in each case.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 March 1982, c. 470]: The following table gives at 11 February the

	Total unemployed at 11 February 1982		Age analysis at 14 January 1982
		Males				Females
Inner city partnership area		Under 25	25–54	55 and over	All ages	Under 25	25–54	55 and over	All ages
Birmingham	67,143	15,940	26,888	8,158	50,986	8,568	6,648	1,025	16,241
Docklands	24,624	6,150	10,245	2,503	18,893	2,938	1,777	257	4,972
Hackney/Islington	34,821	8,540	14,186	2,700	25,426	4,490	3,996	478	8,964
Lambeth	24,541	6,679	9,402	1,930	18,011	3,594	2,564	334	6,492
Liverpool	45,832	11,997	18,235	3,813	34,045	6,940	4,498	629	12,067
Manchester/Salford	38,555	9,521	16,146	3,772	29,439	5,621	3,650	482	9,753
Newcastle/Gateshead	30,983	8,307	11,792	3,329	23,428	4,567	3,011	410	7,988

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in the eventuality of no agreement being reached by the beginning of the livestock year on the level of support for sheepmeat, he will ensure that retrospective payments may be made to any producer who markets his fat sheep in the new livestock year before such new level of support is fixed.

In the event that the Council of Ministers fails to reach agreement in the price fixing negotiations before the start of the new marketing year for sheep, scheduled for 5 April, interim arrangements will be for the Council to decide. It has not been the Council's practice to make annual increases in support prices apply retrospectively.

asked the Attorney-General how many of the cases referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions under the Representation of the People Act 1979, 1980 and 1981, respectively, resulted in prosecutions; and how many of these prosecutions were successful.

Cases referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions in 1979 have so far resulted in the prosecution of eight persons, of whom six were convicted of some offence under the Act.Cases referred to the Director in 1980 have so far resulted in the prosecution of two people, both of whom were convicted of an offence under the Act.In view of the way statistics are compiled in the Director's office, it is not possible to say how many further complaints, if any, made from 1979 to 1981, may presently be the subject of a pending prosecution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that the Council of Europe draft convention on animal welfare does not reduce the protection provided by the Cruelty to Animals Act; and if he will make a statement.

The convention now being drafted by the ad hoc committee of experts of the Council of Europe will establish common provisions for the protection of vertebrate animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. Contracting parties to the convention will be required to implement the provisions in national legislation, but in doing so it will be open to them to adopt stricter measures. The ad hoc committee next meets on 30 March when it will consider the further observations of delegations on the latest text and the reports of two working groups on two ancillary documents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of the West Midlands on the effects of his recent policies in controlling street robbery; and what lessons a rise of relevance to other urban areas where this crime is prevalent.

My officials, in consultation with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, are studying police methods in the West Midlands and other force areas in order to disseminate knowledge of the most effective tactics to deal with street crime.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, having regard to the increase in crime in the Metropolitan Police district and particularly in Hackney, if he will set out the reasons for identifying assailants in certain crimes only by their skin colour in published statistics.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to questions by the hon. Members for York (Mr. Lyon) and Hackney, Central (Mr. Davis) on 15 March.—[Vol. 20, c. 14.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of murder were finally recorded in 1980; how many of these cases were attributable to acts of terrorism; how many victims were acquainted with the murder suspect or accused; and what was the most common method of killing.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 March 1982, c. 361]: In the case of homicide it is not possible, in the absence of a court decision, to distinguish between the offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide. The information available is published in chapter 4 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1980"—Cmnd. 8376. Of the 564 offences currently recorded as homicide in 1980, 101 had been decided by the court to be murder and 269 to be manslaughter or infanticide, four were attributed to acts of terrorism, 357 victims were acquainted with the suspect and the most frequently identified method of killing was by means of a sharp instrument.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what discussions have taken place with the Governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia with regard to the payment of pensions of civil servants who have returned to South Africa.

None. There are no general problems relating to the payment of pensions by the Zimbabwean and Zambian Governments to former civil servants now living in South Africa. My hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice (Sir P. Wall) has, however, drawn one specific case to my attention, and I shall be writing to him about this.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the extensive use of the halls of residence of Hamilton college of education by students attending institutions of higher learning throughout Strathclyde, he will take steps to ensure that they remain available for this purpose.

After the present session there will be no college of education students requiring accommodation at Hamilton. It is not the responsibility of Jordanhill college, which now owns the property, to provide accommodation for students of other establishments. Any body which wishes to acquire the property, whether for use by students or for other purposes, should approach Jordanhill college as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many building workers are unemployed in Scotland at the latest date; and what the figures were in March 1979.

Information is not available in the precise form requested. On 13 August 1981, 48,475 people who last worked in the construction industry were registered as unemployed in Scotland. The comparable figure for 8 February 1979—the nearest date to March 1979 for which information is available—was 30,464.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to reduce unemployment in the building industry in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

The creation of a healthy economy offers the best prospects for a reduction in unemployment in the construction industry in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The contribution which the construction industry can make to the creation of new jobs was recognised by the inclusion in the Budget proposals of a number of measures to help the construction sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the percentage of unemployed construction workers in Scotland at the latest date compared with the present number of registered employed in the industry; and how these percentages compare with March 1979.

In August 1981 the number of people registered as unemployed in Scotland who had last worked in the construction industy represented 25·4 per cent. of the estimated construction industry labour force in Scotland—employed and unemployed. The comparable figure for February 1979—the nearest date to March 1979 for which information is available—was 15·7 per cent. Both figures are provisional and are subject to revision when the results of the 1981 census of employment results become available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the latest available estimate of the number of (a) skilled construction workers and (b) unskilled construction workers who are unemployed in each of the travel-to-work areas in the Strathclyde region, apart from Glagow; and what were the figures in May 1979;(2) what is the latest available estimate of the number of

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

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to reduce unemployment in the construction industry in Glasgow and if he will make a statement.

The creation of a healthy economy offers the best prospects for a reduction in unemployment in the construction industry in Glasgow and elswhere in the United Kingdom. The contribution which the construction industry can make to the creation of new jobs was recognised by the inclusion in the Budget proposals of a number of measures to help the construction sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest available numbers of unemployed male and female adults and young persons; what percentages these figures represent, in each travel-to-work area in Glasgow, and in Glasgow as a whole; and what were the numbers and percentages in May 1979.

Information is not available in the precise form requested. The Glasgow travel-to-work area includes the 13 employment office areas within the city of Glasgow together with the Barrhead, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, East Kilbride, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch employment office areas. The following table gives an analysis by age of the numbers registered as unemployed within the travel-to-work area in January 1982 and in April 1979—the nearest date to May 1979 for which this information is available.

Glasgow travel-to-work area
	January 1982		April 1979
	Total unemployed	Percentage share	Total unemployed	Percentage share
Males 18 and over	65,906	67·5	34,018	67·0
Females 18 and over	23,433	24·0	12,300	24·2
Young People (under 18)	8,290	8·5	4,475	8·8

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what ports in Scotland are capable of coping with 10,000 tonne grain-carrying vessels; and what ports could economically be adapted to perform this function.

I have been asked to reply.I am advised that the ports in Scotland capable of coping with 10,000 tonne grain-carrying vessels are:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the effect of the measures introduced on 1 January 1981 under the Trade Descriptions Act in regard to the imports of seal products.

It is too early to attempt an assessment. The Trade Descriptions (Sealskin Goods) (Information) Order 1980 has been in force for only a year, and statistics on sealskin imports are as yet available for only eight month of 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the commercial import of motor vehicles from a non-European Economic Community country, as in the case of the proposed import of Japanese-designed tractors assembled in Turkey, requires the consent (a) of his Department, or (b) of the European Commission.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the Trident system to date; and how much is to be spent over the next two years.

Expenditure on the Trident system up to the end of financial year 1981–82 will total just over £31 million. Currently, expenditure over the next two years is estimated to be in the region of £250 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Royal Navy's equipment budget will be taken by the Trident programme in its peak years of expenditure.

I explained to my hon. Friend in the House on 11 March 1982—[Vol. 20, c. 983–84]—how the Trident programme will be funded within the defence budget. Figure 6 in the open government document that I published last week illustrates the impact of Trident on the total defence budget and on the equipment budget. The naval equipment programme will depend on the allocation of resources within the equipment budget as a whole in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This will be decided in due course in the light of the required balance of defence capabilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the £7,500 million cost of the Trident II programme includes all necessary investment at Rosyth dockyard, Faslane, Coulport and the approaches thereto and at Vickers shipyard at Barrow.

The estimnated cost of the Trident II programme includes all the necessary investment resulting from the decision to acquire the new system.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, what were the proceeds of the commercial exploitation levy to overseas military sales of Rolls-Royce aero-engines during each of the years in which this levy has been applied?

Commercial exploitation levy paid by Rolls-Royce to the Ministry of Defence over the last 11 years in respect of overseas military sales of aero-engines is as follows:

	£
1971	831,132
1972	1,484,935
1973	1,827,450
1974	1,878,537
1975	3,119,865
1976	4,036,285
1977	4,618,705
1978	5,817,654
1979	4,864,602
1980	6,023,352
*1981	7,091,152
Total	41,593,669
* provisional.

Details for earlier years cannot be made available without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many industrial and non-industrial civil servants there are in the Navy Department; and how many this represents per ship in the Royal Navy.

Navy Department civilian strength is 62,800 comprising 41,550 industrials and 21,250 non-industrials. This represents about 370 per ship in the Royal Navy.

asked the Prime Minister whether the report on cable systems prepared by the Information Technology Advisory Panel will be published; and if she will make a statement.

The report of the Information Technology Advisory Panel on cable systems will be published on 22 March and copies will be placed in the Library of the House. The report concludes that the installation of modern cable systems in the United Kingdom could bring significant industrial and commecial benefits. The Government recognise the importance of the panel's arguments and wish to secure the benefits of this new technology for the United Kingdom. There are, however, important issues, including those of telecommunications and broadcasting policy, raised in the report which require detailed and urgent examination, in consultation with the interests concerned, and arrangements for this are now being made. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will be making a further early statement on how examination of the broadcasting issues is to be carried forward.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to reduce unemployment in the construction industry in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's awareness of the importance of the construction industry to the Northern Ireland economy is reflected in the plans for public expenditure in Northern Ireland which were announced in the public expenditure White Paper—Cmnd. 8494—published on Budget day. The levels of public expenditure now planned will mean more work and more employment for the construction industry in Northern Ireland.The plans provide for capital expenditure on construction work totalling £290 million in 1982–83—an increase of 18 per cent. over the previous year—me in addition there will be considerable work for the construction industry generated directly and indirectly by public expenditure on maintenance and through grants and loans to the private sector.In particular, the house building programme has been substantially increased and the finance available for housing in 1982–83 will be some £50 million higher titan previously planned.Allocations totalling £12 million over the survey period have also been made for spending on capital projects in areas of special need, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive is being consulted about the implementation in Northern Ireland of the proposals for increased rates of grant for home repair and improvement which have been announced for Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many unemployed construction workers there were in Northern Ireland at the latest date; and what the comparable figures were for March 1979.

At the latest date for which information is available, 11 February 1982, there were 24,177 unemployed construction workers in Northern Ireland. The comparable figure for March 1979 was 15,974.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the percentage of unemployed construction workers in Northern Ireland compared with the number registered as employed in the industry; and what the figures were in March 1979.

On 11 February 1982, the latest date for which information is available, the percentage was 47·5 per cent. The comparable figure for March 1979 was 31·3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what circumstances confidential personal information held by his Department is supplied to other Departments of State.

[pursuant to his reply, 16 March 1982, c. 66]: There are a number of circumstances in which confidential personal information may be exchanged between the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments or supplied to other Departments in Great Britain. These include, for example, the transfer of mental patients between hospitals in Northern Ireland and Great Britain; the processing of claims for compensation under the criminal injuries and criminal damage legislation; the collection of national insurance contributions; the appointment of civil servants recruited by the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland; and the transfer of payments in respect of pensionable service under the Northern Ireland teachers' superannuation scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to monitor the increase in numbers of female smokers suffering from lung cancer, having regard to the fact that women began taking up smoking in large numbers after 1945.

The proportion of women who are smokers has remained relatively constant since the 1940s, though their consumption of cigarettes has increased. Monitoring of the incidence of women suffering from lung cancer is already carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. It is not possible, however, to say how many of these women are smokers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the estimated spending on smoking-related health care annually for the years 1975 to 1981.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney) on 26 January.—[Vol. 16, c. 337.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if his Department has studied the findings of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop that side-stream smoke emitted into the air from a smouldering cigarette sometimes includes carcinogens in higher concentration than those inhaled directly by a smoker; and if any similar studies have been undertaken in the United Kingdom;(2) if his Department has studied the findings of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop relating to smoking and its effects on health and as a factor in the cause of death; and if he will correlate that data with the United Kingdom experience and publish a report.

A copy of the Surgeon General's latest report has been ordered and will be studied when it is received.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make more funds available to the health education councils to enable them to increase their efforts to draw the attention of expectant mothers to causes of ill effects upon themselves and their foetuses, in order to reduce the number of damaged babies born each year.

I note with approval that the Health Education Council is currently increasing spending on its "Mother and Baby" campaign to encourage good health in pregnancy. The campaign propagates through the popular media advice and information for pregnant women by means of free booklets, leaflets and a gramophone record. It also encourages them both to ask questions of doctors, midwives and health visitors and to claim all the health and welfare benefits to which they are entitled.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to make more domiciliary nursing auxiliaries available to assist with the care of patients transferred from hospitals and other institutions into the community.

Within a broad national framework of priorities, it is for health authorities to assess staffing levels in the light of local needs and policies and to make the best use of the funds allocated to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list all those benefits for which he is responsible, and indicate in each case the present rate of the benefit and the rate of that benefit that would apply if it were to have the same value as it had on the day following its uprating in November 1979.

The following table compares the present rates of the main social security benefits and war pensions for a single person with the equivalent value at November 1981. of the rates set in November 1979, based on the increase in the retail price index between November 1979 and November 1981. It should be noted that for most rates the difference between the two amounts results primarily from the fact that the increase in prices during the 12 months up to November 1981 was higher than that expected. As my right hon. Friend announced on 10 March—[Vol. 19, c. 850–65]—we intend to restore fully this accidental shortfall from November 1982.

Benefit	November 1981 rate	Equivalent value*
	£	£
Attendance Allowance
—Higher rate	23·65	24·01
—Lower rate	15·75	16·01
Child benefit† (per child)	5·25	5·16
Child's special allowance	7·70	9·17
Death grant	30·00	38·73
Family income supplement (prescribed amount for one child family)	74·00	72·30
Guardian's allowance	7·70	9·17
Industrial injury benefit	25·25	27·44
Industrial death benefit widows —First 26 weeks	41·40	42·09

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the numbers of claimants of supplementary benefit who move on and off benefit (a) weekly, (b) monthly and (c) three monthly; and what is his estimate of the effect on these numbers of the Social Security and Housing Benefits Bill.

I regret that up-to-date information is not available in the form requested, and I am therefore unable to estimate the effect of the Social Security and Housing Benefits Bill on the number of claimants of supplementary benefit moving on and off benefit for short periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services 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.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he has taken to draw the attention of health authorities to the requirements of sections 4, 7 and 8A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 as amended by the Disabled Persons Act 1981; if he is satisfied with the provision for disabled people in all recently completed hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

The Department issues at regular intervals a "Register of Buildng Legislation" which presents in accessible form the legislation that may be pertinent to the planning and design of health buildings. The most recent issue of this document makes reference to the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and to the Disabled Persons Act 1981.Responsibility for hospital buildings rests with health authorities, and the Department is not normally provided with detailed design information about facilities for the disabled. However, I am satisfied that sufficient guidance is available to authorities to enable them to make proper provision for disabled persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, under the new housing benefit scheme, disabled people will be allowed to for go higher needs allowances to which they are entitled; if, as a result, they will become eligible for topping up payments and obtain the advantages of the supplementary benefit scheme, including possible graduation to the long-term rate after one year; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set out in the Official Report any guidance he has issued on the payments to be made to general practitioners suspended from the medical register due to ill health.

The guidance issued on 11 June 1981 was as follows:

"Under section 28 of the Medical Act 1956, only registered doctors can hold medical posts in public hospitals or in other public establishments, and, under section 33 of the National Health Service Act 1977, authorities may only make arrangements with fully registered doctors for the provision of general medical services. As a result, when the Health Committee suspends the registration of a doctor in the hospital or community health field he ceases to be employed by the NHS. Similarly a general practitioner cannot remain on an FPC's medical list. There is then no power for the Authority concerned to pay sick pay: or for a general practitioner to make locum arrangements while he remains off the FPC list. Ministers accept the need for legislation to correct this, to provide for payments and to preserve the rights of doctors whose registration is suspended on health grounds, provided that patients' interests are safeguarded.

For the present, if any case arises, sympathetic consideration will be given to requests to make payment in individual cases. Each case will need to be authorised individually."

I regret that the opportunity for legislation has not yet arisen.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to introduce legislation to safeguard the future of doctors suspended from the medical register due to ill health.

The necessary legislation will be introduced at the first suitable opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will break down the number of mobility allowance claimants paying tax according to the marginal rate of the taxpayer.

I have been asked to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local authority expenditure was made up by wages and salaries in each of the last five years.

Following is the information for England:

Wages and Salaries* as a proportion of local authority current expenditure†
	Per cent
1976–77	79·7
1977–78	80·6
1978–79	80·5
1979–80	78·7
1980–81	80·0
* Wages and salaries include employers' contributions to superannuation funds and payments to beneficiaries under pension schemes not chargeable to superannuation funds.
† Wages and salaries within current expenditure have been shown as the proportion of gross current expenditure—i.e. gross of sales, fees, charges etc.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the salary and wage bill for each major group of local authority employees in each of the past three years (a) for local government in England and (b) in total, namely 100 per cent. of employee costs; and how many full-time equivalent employees made up each of the relevant groups.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local authority current expenditure was made up of items other than wages and salaries in each of the past three years; and what these items were in each of those years.

Following is the information for England:

Running expenses as a proportion of local authority current expenditure*
	Per cent.
1978–79	19·5
1979–80	21·3
1980–81	20·0
* Running expenses within current expenditure have been shown as the proportion of gross current expenditure—i.e. gross of sales, fees, charges etc. Gross current expenditure consists of expenditure on wages and salaries and on running expenses.

A breakdown of the running expenses is given in "Local Government Financial Statistics", copies of which are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the average cost of a full-time equivalent employee in local government in each of the past five years.

Following are the available estimates for England:

Wage bill† per full-time equivalent employee (all services)
	£
1976–77	4,025
1977–78	4,350
1978–79	4,825
1979–80	5,725
1980–81	*
* Not available.
† The wage bill includes employers' contributions to superannuation funds and payments to beneficiaries under pension schemes not chargeable to superannuation funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much polychlorinated biphenyl has been destroyed by high temperature incineration.

Since high temperature incineration facilities became available in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s approximately 3,500 tonnes of materials containing polycholorinated biphenyls have been destroyed in them. The PCB content of this waste ranged from a very small proportion up to almost 100 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the incidence of compliance and non-compliance with the procedures for handling polychlorinated biphenyl set out in waste management paper 6.

Since the publication of waste management paper No. 6, my Department has received information about only half a dozen incidents in which there does not appear to have been strict compliance with the recommendations of the paper. In no case was there a serious threat to people or the environment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how long it would take, using facilities presently available, to dispose safely by incineration, of all the polychlorinated biphenyl found in electrical apparatus in the United Kingdom.

I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of several recent fire deaths, he will provide for the proper provision for means of escape in case of fire in houses in multiple occupation and require fire certificate provisions similar to those for hotels and boarding houses to be applied to all houses in multiple occupation, especially in inner London.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on Monday 18 January 1982 to my hon. Friend the member for Kensington (Sir B. Rhys Williams).—[Vol. 16, c. 12.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend section 4 of the Housing Act 1957, relating to the standard of fitness, to include artificial lighting and the standard of amenities.

My right hon. Friend is not convinced that it would be desirable to amend section 4 in this way. Declaring a house unfit can have serious consequences for an owner. It can lead to the loss of a property with only site value being paid in compensation or to the dwelling being closed or demolished. Nor is he convinced that an owner-occupier should be compelled to provide standard amenities if he does not want them. Local authorities already have powers to require the provision of standard amenities in tenanted dwellings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the report of the Building Research Establishment into the suitability of Airey houses will be made available.

The findings of the Building Research Establishment's survey of defects in Airey houses were presented at a seminar in November last year. I am considering whether any further advice should be given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will stop the destruction of any part of the Natural History Museum.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1982, c. 144]: My decision to accept the inspector's recommendation that the trustees' proposals to demolish the eastern galleries should be allowed to proceed, subject to the height of the new building being lowered, was taken after very careful consideration of all the evidence. I am not aware of any further proposals to alter or demolish other parts of the museum. Any such proposals would, of course, be the subject of formal consultation between the trustees and the local planning authority in the first instance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many more construction workers are likely in 1982–83 to be employed arising from the measures announced in the Budget.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 March 1982]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland Exchange (Mr. Parry).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has now had a meeting with the chairman of the British Transport Docks Board to discuss the proposal to moor a liquid petroleum gas tanker in the Solent; and if he will make a statement.

The chairman of the British Transport Docks Board has undertaken to keep my right hon. Friend in close personal touch with any developments; but, in view of Mobil Oil Company's decision to withdraw its interest in the proposal, an early meeting does not appear to be necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why no reply has been sent to the letter dated 25 January from the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury addressed to the Minister of State concerning application for vehicle registration by Mr. L. A. Humphries.

I wrote to the hon. Member on 15 March. I am sorry it was not possible to reply before then. The registration document which Mr. Humphries required was issued on 1 February. I am taking steps to speed up responses to inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will now review the regulations governing the overnight parking or storing of nuclear waste in transit; and whether he will make a statement.

I repeat that the Government are satisfied that the public is already well protected by the present safety arrangements for radioactive materials in transit. But I am always ready to consider any new information the hon. Gentleman may have regarding the efficacy of these arrangements in practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he expects to introduce regulations made under the Consumer Safety Act 1978 concerning the quality of imported replacement vehicle bulbs; and whether he will make a statement.

Draft regulations were approved by a Committee of this House on 10 March and will be considered in another place on 22 March. Subject to affirmative resolution, the draft regulations will be signed very shortly thereafter and will come into operation six months later.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce closer regulation of the use by building societies of printed and pre-paid proxy forms in order to prevent any abuse.

Under present legislation, this is primarily a matter for each society's rules, not for regulation. An abuse of any rules on this could be a matter to be dealt with under the disputes procedure set out in the society's rules and in the Building Societies Act 1962.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the statutory provisions or regulations relating to the making available of building society annual returns before the date of the annual general meetings.

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer on 4 March to his previous question on this point.—[Vol. 19, c. 216.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the provisions in statute or regulation which seek to prevent building societies circulating misleading statements to their members in annual reports or in other circulars.

There are no provisions in statute or regulations which refer specifically to statements by a building society which give a misleading impression, and this matter is governed by the general law.A seriously misleadng statement by a society about its financial position might be a reason for the Chief Registrar to impose an order or direction on the society under his powers in the Building Societies Act 1962 to act in the interests of investors and depositors.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when was the last date that officials from the office of the Registry of Friendly Societies visited the offices of the Blyth and Morpeth Building Society; and for what purpose.

Names	Year of Birth	Occupation	Date Appointed
Bartley Kinnair	1898	Practising insurance broker	April 1939
John Storey Johnson	1905	Retired secretary of the society	December 1947
William Golder Heatley	1902	Retired estate agent	September 1934
Thomas Harold Nicholson	1900	Retired builder	March 1957
Peter Lock Kinnair	1927	Practising accountant	February 1976
Kenneth Gillespie	1930	Garage manager	September 1980
Charles Brian Gallon	1935	Practising solicitor	September 1980

I understand that, of the foregoing, one was originally nominated by the members. The others were originally co-opted by the existing directors and were subsequently confirmed in office by the procedure of election by the members.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate what effect the measures taken in the 1981 Budget had on reducing unemployment in the construction industry; how many new jobs he expects to be created in the industry by the measures announced in the 1982 Budget; and if he will make a statement.

I have no doubt that both the measures my right hon. and learned Friend took in his 1981 Budget and the proposals he announced in his Budget Statement on 9 March will encourage activity and employment in the construction industry. It is not the practice to produce estimates of the kind for which the hon. Member asks.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the first and second year employment effects of the construction package announced in the Budget.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the income per annum to be derived from the taxation of unemployment benefit and supplementary benefits on current estimates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Blyth and Morpeth Building Society was last visited by the officials of the Registry of Friendly Societies as part of their regular monitoring arrangements.

The board of directors of the Blyth and Morpeth District Permanent Benefit Building Society were seen at the society's registered chief office by a senior principal of the registry on 1 December 1981 to discuss the management of the society in general, and in particular the need for an adequate system of financial control. This visit followed a previous routine visit by registry officials.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the names, ages and occupations of the directors of the Blyth and Morpeth Building Society, and the dates on which they first became directors;(2) how many directors of the Blyth and Morpeth Building Society were originally nominated by ordinary members; and how many were co-opted by existing directors.

The information is as follows:

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 8 March, Official Report, column 307, concerning the taxation of unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit (a) how many persons will be currently affected, and (b) what is the estimated total cost other than staff costs.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the first and second year employment effects of his decision to increase the national insurance employee's contribution by 1 per cent.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the first and second year employment effects of his decision to reduce the national insurance surcharge by one point.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the first and second year employment effects of the measures announced in the Budget to reduce energy costs to industrial consumers.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish table 1.9 and 1.10 in volume I of Cmnd. 8494, "The Government's Expenditure Plans, 1982–83 to 1984–85", in constant 1981–82 prices.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the unemployment assumptions for the three following years upon which public expenditure was based, as shown in each public expenditure White Paper since 1970.

Unemployment assumptions were not provided in the public expenditure White Papers prior to Cmnd 7439. Since then the unemployment assumption for Great Britain has been given in the social security chapter of each publication—Cmnd. 7439, Cmnd. 7841, Cmnd. 8175, Cmnd. 8494. In the 1981 and 1982 public expenditure White Papers unemployment assumptions for Northern Ireland were given in the Northern Ireland chapter.Prior to Cmnd. 7439, the only assumptions that are available relate to Cmnd. 7049. These are given in a letter to the chairman of the social services and employment subcommittee and are reproduced in the thirteenth report from the Expenditure Committee, Session 1977–78 HC 647 iii, page 1100. In all cases it was made clear that the figures were not forecasts of unemployment, but simply working assumptions made for the purpose of constructing expenditure projections.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what compensation the Government make to male executive officers in the Civil Service aged 58 years who are made redundant; and whether he has given consideration to providing a non-contributory lump sum.

Executive officers with more than five years' service, made redundant at age 58, are awarded pensions and lump sum related to their salary level and based on the service that would have reckoned had they served to age 60. The lump sum is payable immediately and an amount equivalent to the pension is payable as an annual compensation payment until the pension becomes payable at age 60. Those aged between 58 and 58½ receive an additional lump sum compensation payment of three months' pay. Total lump sum benefits may be increased to up to two years' pensionable pay by commutation of the annual compensation payment. I see no case for providing any further lump sum benefit.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what progress has been made in negotiations for a new technology agreement within the Civil Service.

I am glad that the Government hive reached an agreement with the Civil Service unions on the introduction of new technology into the non-industrial Civil Service. A copy of the agreement has been placed in the Library.