asked the Minister for Trade, further to his reply dated 23 April, Official Report, c. 164, showing the change in the unit value and volume of exports of finished manufactures in the year ended January 1982, whether he has any evidence (a) that profit margins on these exports were substantially increased over the period and (b) that the United Kingdom's competitive position on price did not significantly deteriorate; and if he will account for the 23 per cent. reduction in the relative volume of imports and exports over this period.

(a) There is no evidence to suggest that profit margins increased substantially over the relevant period. (b) Information on the United Kingdom's competitive position on price during 1981 is not yet available. The 23 per cent. reduction in the relative volume of imports and exports is principally due to the increase in import volume throughout finished manufactures as stocks were replenished.

asked the Minister for Trade how many people who bought tickets on Laker Airways by cash

United Kingdom trade with Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 (available months) and January 1982
(£ million)
	1978	1979	1980	1981*	January 1982
Exports fob
Singapore	256	271	328	188	26
Brunei	16	23	23	16	2
Malaysia	186	187	223	99	13
Imports cif
Singapore	117	185	536	169	24
Brunei	†	†	1	2	†
Malaysia	200	222	187	154	19

asked the Minister for Trade whether he is yet able to make a statement on compensation for fishing trawler owners and crews of the vessels which have been taken into service for the Falkland Islands.

No.

asked the Minister for Trade, pursuant to the Under-Secretary's reply to the hon. Member for Southampton, lichen, on 28 April concerning

I am informed by the receivers of Laker Airways that some 156,000 people bought either scheduled or package tour tickets. Those on package tours, numbering around 139,000, have either been carried by other operators or will be repaid in full out of bonding arrangements and the air travel reserve fund. The payments are expected to commence shortly.Those who have bought scheduled tickets by cash or cheque were in some cases able to use their return coupons for passage with other airlines who assisted in a rescue operation. How many remain with unused coupons has not yet been determined. These people are now unsecured creditors of Laker Airways. It is too early to say when or to what extent the liquidator will be in a position to reimburse them. While we sympathise very much with those who have not been reimbursed, their reimbursement cannot be undertaken by the Government. Nor would the provisions governing the use of the air travel reserve fund permit recourse to it.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will list in the Official Report the import and export figures for trade between the United Kingdom and (a) Singapore, (b) Brunei and (c) Malaysia in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

The available information is as follows:the contract for salvaging the gold on HMS "Edinburgh", on what date his Department referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions; and on what date the latter referred the matter to the police for investigation.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 May 1982, c. 1]: On Friday 16 and Monday 19 April respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received concerning the payment of standing charges for electricity and gas by pensioners since January 1982.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 April 1982, c. 360]: I have received a number of letters and petitions from hon. Members and from the public. I have also met members of the British pensioners and trades unions action association who voiced their concern on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what income he anticipates from naturalisation and registration fees in 1981.

Income from naturalisation and registration fees in the financial year 1981–82 was £1,981,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the annual staff and accommodation costs of the Home Office nationality division; and if he will itemise any other costs incurred in administering applications for naturalisation and registration.

In the financial year 1980–81 the cost of staff and accommodation of the nationality division was £2,183,000. The total of other costs, that is, inquiries made into applications for naturalisation and discretionary registration, was £1,170,000. Figures for 1981–82 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of individuals sentenced to a "short, sharp shock" since this type of sentence was established; and what percentage this represents of the total number of young offenders sentenced.

Between the end of April 1980 when the scheme began, and 31 March 1982, about 3,500 young offenders ordered to be detained in a detention centre had been received into centres operating the tougher regimes pilot project. Information on sentencing thoughout this period is not yet available, but during the period April-December 1980, a detention centre order was given to 7 per cent. of males aged 14 and under 21 sentenced for indictable offences by magistrates' courts or the Crown court in the committal areas for Send or New Hall.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his policy that all Metropolitan Police officers who are on duty in other than a plain clothes role will display upon their clothes and in a reasonably prominent position their police serial number; and when he expects to have reached conclusions on the way in which this can be achieved for the flame-proof overalls referred to in his answer of 26 April, Official Report, c. 208.

It is the normal practice for Metropolitan Police officers to display their police serial numbers when on duty other than in plain clothes. Arrangements to enable identification numbers to be shown will shortly be completed in respect of those fire-resistant overalls that, at present, lack that facility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable for Merseyside with regard to the incidence of operation of vigilante groups in (a) Toxteth and (b) the city of Liverpool during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

We understand from the chief constable for Merseyside that no vigilante groups have been encountered on the streets in any part of his force area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the light of his reply to the hon. Member for Basildon of 26 April, Official Report, c. 208, he will ask International Social Service to revise the baggage allowance under its repatriation scheme on an annual basis and to take account of the current rate of inflation; and if he will make a statement.

No. The baggage allowances are within the discretion of International Social Service of Great Britain which reviews them from time to time, having regard to any increases in the cost of tranporting baggage overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had about the hallucinatory effects of psilocybe mushroom; and whether he is considering any action to prevent their distribution.

We have answered one previous question and three letters from hon. Members on the availability of these mushrooms, but none of these related specifically to hallucinatory effects. The drug psilocin obtained from these mushrooms, which grow wild in many areas of the United Kingdom is already controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs considered the question of possible further controls in 1976 and again in 1979, but on both occasions decided that this would be impracticable and unnecessary.We are giving further consideration to the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the Association of Cinematograph, Cinema and Allied Technicians industrial dispute is having upon the presentation of Government information and publicity; and if he will make a statement.

The effect of the blacking of all Government films by ACTT on the presentation of Government information and publicity is minimal; nevertheless, this unjustified blacking is to be deplored.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a cash limit still applies to expenditure on the Secret Service.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current average cost per job created by public expenditure in non-military manufacturing industry.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value added tax yield in each of the last five years from (a) football and (b) the theatre.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of staff in post in central Government Departments on 1 April.

Additional Allocations			Bids for Home Improvement Grants
	Allocation including Home Insulation Grants (in brackets)		Discretionary Grant	Intermediate Grant	Repairs Grant	Insulation Grants (HIS)
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Aberconwy Borough Council	194,000	(2,000)		390,000		2,000
Afan Borough Council	2,000	(1,450)		1,000		1,450
Alyn and Deeside District Council	34,000	(2,640)	—	15,000	20,000	2,640
Arfon District Council	356,000	(15,000)	246,000	45,000	344,000	15,000
Blaenau Gwent Borough Council	601,000	(10,000)		1,200,000		10,000
Brecknock Borough Council	23,000	(1,100)	—	10,000	15,000	1,100
Cardiff County Council	457,000	(19,000)	1,000,000	75,000	425,000	19,000
Carmarthen District Council	83,000	—	180,000	5,000	90,000	—
Ceredigion District Council	59,000	(1,500)	305,000	40,000	25,000	1,500
Colwyn Bay Borough Council	22,000	(3,700)	60,000	10,000	10,000	3,700
Cynon Valley Borough Council	160,000	(20,000)	650,000	10,000	150,000	20,000
Delyn District Council	71,000	(5,000)	—	25,000	50,000	5,000
Dinefwr Borough Council	40,000	(1,200)	100,000	44,000	—	1,200
Dwyfor District Council	29,000	(3,000)	—	3,000	27,000	3,000
Glyndwr District Council	11,000	(1,300)	—	9,500	1,600	1,300
Islwyn District Council	115,000	(4,800)	—	65,000	60,000	4,800
Llanelli Borough Council	50,000	(5,800)	—	10,000	40,000	5,800
Lliw Valley Borough Council	396,000	(1,500)	150,000	—	450,000	1,500
Meirionnydd District Council	89,000	(1,500)	—	25,000	75,000	1,500
Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council	175,000	(2,000)	—	55,000	143,000	2,000
Monmouth District Council	107,000	(1,117)	135,000	52,000	69,000	1,117
Montgomery District Council	32,000	(2,500)	—	13,000	20,000	2,500
Neath Borough Council	184,000	(4,000)	—	150,000	55,000	4,000
Newport Borough Council	146,000	(15,000)	—	50,000	100,000	15,000
Ogwr Borough Council	77,000	(15,646)	—	70,000	—	15,646
Preseli District Council	23,000	—	—	6,000	20,000	—
Radnor District Council	176,000	(500)	200,000	50,000	150,000	500

At 1 April 1982 there were 666,400 in post—528,000 non-industrial and 138,400 industrial. There have been reductions of 9,000 since 1 January 1982 and 65,900 since the Government took office. The size of the Civil Service is now at its lowest since 1966 and we are well over half way towards achieving our planned reduction of 102,000 to a total of 630,000 by April 1984.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the light of the cost of the Falklands task force operation, he has any plans to modify his public expenditure forecasts; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 May 1982, c. 36]: There have been no changes in the public expenditure plans in Cmnd. 8494 as a result of the Falklands operation. At this stage the extra costs represent a small proportion of the defence budget. They will be met in ways that are consistent with the Government's economic strategy.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each district council in Wales the additional resources to be made available to them for 1982–83 by his Department, pursuant to his Department's circular of 22 March, for home improvement grants and home insulation grants, respectively; and what are the figures submitted by each authority by way of their estimates of their additional expenditure on these grants arising out of the Chancellor's Budget Statement.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people have been employed as co-ordinators to ensure a smooth changeover during the reorganisation of health authorities in Wales; and at what level of seniority.

The existing senior professional and administrative staff of the health and social work department of the Welsh Office provides any assistance or advice that may be required by authorities. Staff appointment and competition matters are being co-ordinated by the all-Wales NHS reorganisation staffing bureau, headed on a part-time basis by a former area administrator.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales why he refused an application for the recognition of Lleyn Peninsula sheep as a recognised hill breed for the purposes of hill livestock compensatory allowances.

The Lleyn Peninsula sheep is a medium sized lowland breed without the characteristics necessary for grazing hard mountain areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many small village schools have been permitted to close in Wales during the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Between January 1980 and January 1982 54 primary schools were closed; of these 14 had fewer than 20 pupils and eight had between 20 and 50 pupils. While some of the 54 closures formed part of reorganisation or rationalisation schemes where educational facilities were amalgamated, modernised or replaced, all but one of the 22 schools with 50 or fewer pupils involved total closure with the premises being taken out of use.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the opportunities in Wales for students wishing to pursue courses related to a career in the textile industry; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any problems restricting opportunities for students wishing to pursue courses related to a career in the textile industry. If the hon. Member is aware of any problems, perhaps he would write to me about them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many women have completed wider opportunity courses; and if he will make arrangements to extend such courses.

1,018 women have completed wider opportunities for women courses since they began in 1978. The Manpower Services Commission's corporate plan 1982–1986 commits the commission to a modest expansion of such courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed young people, by sex, are receiving training at information technology centres.

The Manpower Services Commission in conjunction with the Department of Industry is planning to establish 100 or so information technology centres by the end of the current financial year. These centres will provide places for some 3,000 trainees.As at 31 March 1982 there were 12 centres in operation providing places for 415 trainees.A breakdown of trainee places by sex could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, it is a condition of funding that all centre activities are open to trainees of both sexes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies and closures have been reported to the Manpower Services Commission since May 1979 in the London borough of Waltham Forest.

The total number of redundancies reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in the London borough of Waltham Forest between May 1979 and March 1982 inclusive is 3,531, including provisional figures for February and March 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what bodies or organisations, for the day-to-day work or administration of which he does not answer parliamentary questions, receive finance from his Department's Vote.

In addition to the wide variety of nonofficial bodies to which my Department gives grants, it is the sponsor Department for a number of executive bodies listed in "Non-Departmental Public Bodies; Facts and Figures 1981", which receive finance from my Votes. In addition, Her Majesty's Government's share of the International Labour Organisation subscription is paid from my Vote. While I answer questions on the general principles underlying these grants, I do not answer for their detailed administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many female employees are in (a) the engineering industry and (b) all industries; and what percentage of the total work force they make up in each case.

It is estimated that in December 1981, the latest date for which comprehensive figures are available, there were 8·6 million female employees in employment in all industries and services in Great Britain. They made up 42·4 per cent. of all employees in employment. In the engineering industries—order groups VII to IX of the 1968 Standard Industrial Classification—female employees numbered about 350,000: 24 per cent. of all employees in those industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received concerning the reduction of the youth opportunities programme in Liverpool and on Merseyside at the latest date.

There is no reduction in the youth opportunities programme in Liverpool or Merseyside and I have received no representations about a reduction.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the youth opportunities programme schemes operating in Liverpool and on Merseyside, respectively, at the latest available date.

Information is not available in the form requested. I shall write to the hon. Member enclosing a booklet produced by the Manpower Services Commission in Liverpool which gives information about certain opportunities available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has plans to reduce or close down youth opportunities programme schemes in Liverpool.

There are plans for the youth opportunities programme in Liverpool, as generally throughout the country, to increase its scale of operation this year. Individual schemes may close down for a variety of reasons, for example if they do not meet the Manpower Services Commission's criteria, or if sponsors decide to reduce their activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the working of the youth opportunities programme; and if he will make a statement.

We are satisfied with the working of the youth opportunities programme as it is developed towards the new training scheme for young people, to start in 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with liaison between the Manpower Services Commission and the voluntary bodies concerning the operation of youth opportunities programme schemes; and if he will make a statement.

We are satisfied with arrangements for such liaison. Voluntary organisations are represented on the Manpower Services Commission's special programmes board, which exercises general national oversight of the development and operation of the youth opportunities programme. They are also represented on 29 special programmes area boards set up by the commission to plan and supervise the youth opportunities programme in their area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has received any representations concerning the National Dock Labour Board's consultative document; and if he will make a statement.

No. This document was entirely concerned with the internal organisation of the board. I understand that the board—on which employers and unions are represented in equal numbers—has now revised its proposals in the light of the consultations that have been held.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) pursuant to the statement of the Under-Secretary of State for Industry concerning the average unemployment rates of all intermediate areas remaining in existence after August, Official Report, 22 April, c. 519–20, if he will publish in the Official Report a table giving the latest available annual rate of unemployment for each travel-to-work area which will remain an intermediate area after 1982, and the average annual rate thereof, and for each of the Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and Rossendale travel-to-work areas;(2) if he will publish in the

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report figures giving the numbers of redundancies notified in

Redundancies reported as due to occur: 1979
		Travel-to-work areas
Order	Industry	Accrington	Blackburn	Burnley	Nelson	Rossendale
I	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	—	—	—	—	19
II	Mining and Quarrying	—	—	—	—	—
III	Food, Drink and Tobacco	—	17	—	—	—
IV	Coal and Petroleum Products	—	—	—	—	—
V	Chemicals and Allied Industries	—	35	—	20	17
VI	Metal Manufacture	—	—	—	—	—
VII	Mechanical Engineering	—	300	21	32	—
VIII	Instrument Engineering	—	—	—	—	—
IX	Electrical Engineering	—	347	—	25	—
X	Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	—	—	—	—	—
XI	Vehicles	—	—	—	—	—
XII	Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	20	35	—	—	15
XIII	Textiles	20	257	83	109	339
XIV	Leather, Leather Goods and Fur	—	—	—	—	—
XV	Clothing and Footwear	—	—	—	—	13
XVI	Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement, etc.	30	—	—	—	—
XVII	Timber, Furniture, etc.	66	60	—	—	18
XVIII	Paper, Printing and Publishing	—	30	—	20	—
XIX	Other Manufacturing Industries	—	—	12	—	10
XX	Construction	—	157	—	—	—
XXI-XXVII	Other Non-Manufacturing Industries	10	162	18	34	—
	All Industries and Services	146	1,400	134	240	431

Redundancies reported as due to occur: 1980
		Travel-to-work areas
Order	Industry	Accrington	Blackburn	Burnley	Nelson	Rossendale
I	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	—	—	—	—	—
II	Mining and Quarrying	—	—	—	—	11
III	Food, Drink and Tobacco	75	—	120	14	—
IV	Coal and Petroleum Products	—	—	—	—	—
V	Chemicals and Allied Industries	57	—	—	32	—
VI	Metal Manufacture	12	10	18	—	—
VII	Mechanical Engineering	158	466	360	21	12
VIII	Instrument Engineering	—	—	—	—	—
IX	Electrical Engineering	64	484	554	8	—
X	Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering	—	—	—	—	—
XI	Vehicles	23	120	93	—	—
XII	Metal Goods not elsewhere specified	10	61	148	14	40
XIII	Textiles	795	1,605	298	968	682
XIV	Leather, Leather Goods and Fur	—	8	—	—	—
XV	Clothing and Footwear	21	236	71	—	211
XVI	Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement, etc.	47	201	151	—	—
XVII	Timber, Furniture, etc.	22	112	—	—	—
XVIII	Paper, Printing and Publishing	—	230	—	98	—
XIX	Other Manufacturing Industries	123	84	125	37	—
XX	Construction	—	43	126	—	207
XXI-XXVII	Other Non-Manufacturing Industries	87	175	149	81	35
	All Industries and Services	1,494	3,835	2,213	1,273	1,198

Redundancies reported as due to occur: 1981
		Travel-to-work areas
Order	Industry	Accrington	Blackburn	Burnley	Nelson	Rossendale
I	Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	—	—	—	—	—
II	Mining and Quarrying	—	—	50	—	—

There are no comprehensive statistics of redundancies. The numbers of redundancies, in groups of 10 or more employees, reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in the specified areas in 1979, 1980 and 1981 are shown, in total and by Standard Industrial Classification order, in the following tables.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out for each quarter in 1981 and the first quarter of 1982 (a) the lowest and (b) the average (i) male (ii) female and (iii) overall unemployment rates in travel-to-work areas (i) with intermediate area status and with development area status in England.

	Intermediate areas			Development areas (including special development areas)
	Percentage rate			Percentage rate
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
March 1981	12·8	7·7	10·7	17·3	10·6	14·7
June 1981	13·7	8·5	11·6	18·5	11·4	15·8
September 1981	15·0	9·8	12·9	20·0	12·9	17·2
December 1981	15·0	9·2	12·7	19·9	12·1	16·9
March 1982	15·2	9·3	12·8	20·1	12·0	16·9

The areas with intermediate area status and development area status in England which had the lowest total unemployment rates at the dates specified were as follows:

Intermediate areas	Percentage rate
	Male	Female	Total
March 1981
Clitheroe employment office area	5·0	3·1	4·2
June 1981
Filey employment office area	5·2	1·4	3·6
September 1981
Driffield employment office area	5·1	4·8	5·0
December 1981
Clitheroe employment office area	5·9	4·1	5·1
March 1982
Clitheroe employment office area	6·0	4·3	5·2
Development areas (including special development areas)
March 1981
Bodmin employment office area	12·2	5·9	9·5
June 1981
Bodmin employment office area	13·2	4·8	9·5
Truro employment office area	12·6	5·7	9·5
September 1981

[pursuant to his reply, 29 April 1982, c. 325]: The following table gives the average unemployment rates for all intermediate areas and all development areas in England at the dates specified.

Intermediate areas	Percentage rate
	Male	Female	Total
Bodmin employment office area	12·1	6·2	9·5
December 1981
Bodmin employment office area	13·7	6·2	10·4
March 1982
Bodmin employment office area	14·0	6·5	10·7

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the total numbers of unemployed, the numbers of persons unemployed for over a year, and the numbers of individuals on youth opportunity programme schemes for March 1979, March 1980, March 1981 and March 1982 for each of the areas covered by the employment offices at King's Lynn, Hunstanton, Fakenham, Swaffham and Downham Market.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 April 1982, c. 388]: Table 1 gives the total numbers registered as unemployed for the dates and the areas specified. The analysis by duration of unemployment is made quarterly in January, April, July and October and table 2 gives the numbers unemployed for over 52 weeks at April in each of the years 1979, 1980 and 1981 and for January 1982, the latest available.

Table 1—Total numbers registered as unemployed at employment office areas
	King's Lynn	Hunstanton	Fakenham	Swaffham	Downham Market
March 1979	1,929	419	628	472	456
March 1980	1,746	435	543	427	419
March 1981	3,332	688	830	703	706
March 1982	4,069	768	1,082	881	809

Table 2—Numbers unemployed for over 52 weeks at employment office areas
	King's Lynn	Hunstanton	Fakenham	Swaffham	Downham Market
April 1979	468	87	180	132	85
April 1980	334	94	163	108	73
April 1981	586	144	170	112	106
January 1982	1,132	190	244	224	184

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current ratio of the number of those unemployed in Manchester to the number of registered job vacancies; and what was the corresponding ratio in May 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 April 1982, c. 388]: At April 1982 the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the Manchester travel-to-work area was 94,082 compared with 36,634 at May 1979. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.The numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled in the area at April 1982 were 2,377 at employment offices and 69 at careers offices. The corresponding figures at May 1979 were 6,247 and 1,072. Vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of this and of possible duplication between the separate figures for employment offices and careers offices, the two series cannot be added to provide satisfactory totals from which the ratios required could be calculated.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in his current negotiations with the European Economic Community.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing).

asked the Attorney-General how many civil cases which have certificates of readiness filed are

The Crown court is a court of criminal jurisdiction. In High Court first-tier centres the position in relation to civil proceedings at close of business on 30 April 1982 is shown in the following table. The lengths of time set out in column (c) do not represent the average waiting time for actions set down for hearing, or the time that it will take for a case to be heard.

(a)	(b)	(c)
First Tier Centre	Number of Actions Outstanding in which a Certificate of Readiness has been Filed	Maximum Length of Time which Cases have been Waiting (In Months)
Birmingham	196	11
Bodmin	51	10
Bristol	93	12
Caernarfon	0	0
Cardiff	97	17
Carlisle	21	15
Chester	27	7
Exeter	152	15
Leeds	100	16
Lewes	8	4
Lincoln	37	13
Liverpool	206	20
Manchester	457	24
Mold	1	1
Newcastle	54	6
Norwich	46	17
Nottingham	84	13
Preston	66	21
Sheffield	59	12
Stafford	48	35
Swansea	16	4
Teesside	37	7
Winchester	100	19

asked the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor will remove Mr. Phillip Sealey from the magistrates' bench in the London borough of Brent.

On 27 April 1982 the Lord Chancellor received a written complaint questioning the suitability of the magistrate concerned to remain on the commission. This complaint is under investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table giving for Scotland the figures on supplementary benefit take-up rates on the same basis as those in the reply to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) Official Report, 5 April, c. 248.

I regret that this information is not available in the form requested. In 1979 there were an estimated 90,000 people with an unclaimed entitlement to benefit amounting to £30 million. The small sample sizes on which the figures are based mean that a detailed breakdown would be subject to unacceptably large margins of error. But the rates of take-up and the average weekly level of unclaimed benefit implied by the figures are not significantly different from the estimates for Great Britain given in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 5 April 1982.—[ Vol. 21, c. 247–50.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the percentage increase in expenditure in the National Health Service between 1978–79 and 1981–82.

Between 1978–79 and 1981–82 gross expenditure on the National Health Service has increased by over 70 per cent. Growth in real terms was just over 4½ per cent. After allowing for the savings we asked authorities to make in 1981–82 by better use of resources, growth in services amounted to about 5 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the standards and conditions prevailing in the prosthetics industry in the United Kingdom; if he is satisfied with the advances being made to meet the increasing and more sophisticated needs of the badly disabled;if he is satisfied with the training of people who work in the industry; what examination they are expected to pass; and what in-service training they have to keep up with advances in the field.

We are broadly satisfied with the standards and conditions prevailing in the prosthetics industry in England—which is the extent of our responsibility—which provides a good service for the great majority of amputees. Continual research is undertaken to improve the range of prosthetic techniques and devices, and new developments are in hand to meet the needs of limbless people. The Department is looking into areas in which improvements could without doubt be made, in consultation with the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association and representatives of the industry.The four-year course of training for prosthetists has since 1968 been organised by the British Institute of Surgical Technicians in conjunction with the United Kingdom Centre for Bio-Medical Technology at Paddington Technical College includes academic work and practical instruction; examinations are held at the end of each year, and the final certificate requires the successful completion of each examination and of a furl her year of practical work in a limb fitting or orthotic department. All prosthetists providing services to the Department are required to have completed this course or to have been trained to an equivalent standard. They receive further training as required when new prosthetic developments are introduced into the limb fitting service. Others engaged in the manufacture of limbs undertake such apprenticeship or other training as is appropriate to their trade.The Orthotics and Prosthetics Education and Training Council was established in 1981 as an independent body, on which the Department is represented, to monitor all aspects of training in prosthetics and to promote and approve training courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will divert more resources and finances to bolster the social aspects of community care and primary medical care, in view of the extra work that has followed ill-health caused by poverty and unemployment.

There is no conclusive evidence to demonstrate that either poverty or unemployment in themselves create increasing work loads.The Government attach great importance to the development of the community and the primary health care services and our views were set out in "Care in Action". Resources devoted to both services have been rising and NHS funds have been increasingly used to strengthen the personal social services through the joint finance arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department will set up an investigation into decreasing the use of the pharmacological approach to the treatment of patients to investigate the benefits and reduced costs to the National Health Service which might result.

No. It is for doctors to decide in the exercise of their own clinical judgment how best to treat their patients, but my right hon. Friend does, of course, expect them to take due account of relative costs when deciding between various equally efficacious forms of treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the present freezing of senior hospital house officer posts will not have a serious effect upon effective consultant training in certain fields of medicine such as paediatrics.

Yes. Regional health authorities have not been asked to apply a freeze but to hold the total number of Senior House Officer posts on their establishment at their current levels. Within this total they may redistribute existing posts between specialties and geographical areas. There are at present more than sufficient SHO posts in paediatrics to provide the training at that level required to meet anticipated demands for training consultant paediatricians.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any plans to make greater use of general practitioners in hospitals, particularly in accident and emergency, thus releasing other doctors for work on wards, particularly in specialties where posts have been unfilled for prolonged periods.

The Government welcome moves which bring hospital and community care closer together and encourage general practitioners to maintain an interest in, and practical experience of, one or more hospital specialties. We have, therefore, asked health authorities to foster the development of the hospital practitioner grade. It is, however, for the health authorities concerned, in agreement with individual general practitioners, to consider in what specialties the latter can make the most worthwhile contribution, particularly in the light of their continuing responsibility for their general practice patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will institute a sample survey on the lines of that carried out in 1978, to discover the mean waiting time for patients admitted from waiting lists of all specialties.

I assume that the sample survey to which the hon. Member refers is the hospital in-patient inquiry. This is an annual survey undertaken by this Department, that of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, and based on a 10 per cent. sample of in-patient records from non-psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales. Data for 1979 shows that the mean waiting time for non-maternity patients admitted from waiting lists was 17·4 weeks for all causes. This will be included in the forthcoming hospital in-patient inquiry summary tables for 1979 to be published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the waiting lists at Leighton hospital, Cranage Hall, Barony hospital and Oakmore rehabilitation centre, for the September of each of the previous five years for which figures are available, distinguishing between urgent and non-urgent cases.

The in-patient waiting lists at 30 September for the years 1977–81 is as follows:

	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981
Leighton hospital
Urgent	350	571	518	220	389
Non-urgent	3,152	3,350	3,412	3,582	4,043
Cranage Hall
Urgent	2	1	5	—	2
Non-urgent	57	58	56	30	28
Barony hospital	—	—	—	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will draw to the attention of family practitioner committees the possibility of prescription by general practitioners of post-coital contraception as a form of birth control.

The handbook of contraceptive practice, which was distributed by the Department to all general practitioners, contains advice on hormonal methods of post-coital contraception. This will be expanded and up-dated in the revised version of the handbook now being prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will draw the attention of district health authorities to the need for more public information and education with relation to post-coital contraception.

Information on post-coital contraception is included in the family planning information service leaflet, "There are eight methods of birth control. Which one are you using?" This is aimed at members of the public. Samples and order forms have recently been sent to all health education officers of district health authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost in 1982–83 of providing free playgroup facilities for children under five years of age.

I regret that the information on which to base an estimate is not available centrally. Most playgroups are run by groups of parents and costs vary according to local circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the 14 priority recommendations contained in the first annual report from the Social Security Advisory Committee Her Majesty's Government intend to implement.

Four of the Social Security Advisory Committee's priority recommendations relating to restoration of the 2 per cent. shortfall will be implemented at the November 1982 uprating, as my right hon. Friend announced on 10 March—[Vol. 19, c. 850–65]—prior to the publication of the report. He also announced at the same time an increase to £2,500 in November 1982 in the capital cut-off point for claiming supplementary benefit, which forms part of a fifth recommendation by the committee. We are seeking to improve the standard of service provided by local offices, with recommendation 14 in mind. The Government recognise the importance of the remaining recommendations and will be considering them carefully, but implementation of any or all of them must depend on the availability of resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what financial saving he expects to achieve from the closure of the legal aid assessment office of his Department at Cardiff and the transfer of this work to Bristol; how many jobs will be lost in Wales as a result of this move; and how he proposes to maintain the effectiveness of the services provided in Wales following the change.

The proposed closure of the legal aid assessment office in Cardiff is still under consideration. The transer of work to Bristol would produce an accommodation saving of £23,500 per annum. The jobs lost would be 20, but, to compensate, there are already extra posts in Cardiff as a result of the siting there of the new regional office for Wales and the South West. Only assessment work would be moved to Bristol. Local offices in Wales would continue to conduct interviews, so that our service to the public would be undisturbed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the number of cot deaths in England in each of the past three years.

The numbers of deaths of children under one year of age in England where the term "sudden unexpected death in infancy" or "cot death" or other synonym was mentioned on the death certificate were as follows:

	Number
1978	927
1979	1,025
1980	1,147

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make inquiries into the health dangers involved in the sale and distribution of a category of mushrooms together with booklets outlining the hallucinatory effects of consuming them, details of which have been provided to him.

I shall make inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has studied the first report of the General Nursing Council/Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work joint working group on qualifying training for staff working with the mentally handicapped.

I welcome the appearance of the group's first report which has been submitted to the four training councils. Like them I shall study it with great interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if development agencies established by local authorities may apply to the Co-operative Development Agency for financial assistance.

The agency has no funds to invest in development agencies. Its role is essentially advisory and promotional. The Co-operative Development Agency Act 1978 specifically prohibits it from making grants or loans.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what is the recent average cost per job created by the private sector in the following sectors; (a) ordnance and explosives, (b) instrument engineering, (c) radios and electronics, (d) shipbuilding and marine engineering and (e) aerospace equipment;(2) what is the current average cost per job created by non-military public spending in

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry which organisations representing small companies he is consulting on the progress of the small firms loan guarantee scheme; and when he expects his consultations to be completed.

I have frequent contact with the various organisations representing small firms. The loan guarantee scheme is one of the items that are discussed at these meetings.My preliminary review of the scheme, primarily with the clearing banks and ICFC, is progressing and should be completed fairly soon. However, it must be emphasised that some aspects of the scheme's impact are not susceptible to early appraisal.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether, in view of the disproportionately high cost of the second delivery referred to in his answer of 27 April as a factor in the achievement of the targets set for the Post Office by Her Majesty's Government, he has issued any directive to the Post Office on the subject.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 May 1982, c. 15.]: No.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, when having discussions with the European Economic Community concerning the introduction of a European Economic Community harmonised road driving licence and road driving test, he will agree to no reduction in the present standards as operated in Great Britain for these licences and tests.

The Community driving licence directive provides for the exchange of driving licences issued by member states from 1 January 1983, and for a common model for new licences by 1 January 1986. The directive also states that in the longer term, member States will work together towards further harmonisation of testing and licensing standards throughout the Community. In negotiating further harmonisation, we shall certainly not agree to any lowering of the standards that currently apply in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether consideration was given during the construction of the M63 from Cheadle Heath to Portwood to seeking the closure of the railway line running parallel with the route; what approaches were made by his Department to British Railways and what replies were received; whether any representation from British Railways alleging damage to the line during construction was received; and whether he is able to make any estimate of the effect on the road scheme and the cost attributable to the proximity.

We did not consider asking British Rail to close this line. Before construction of the M63 Stockport East/West Bypass began, we discussed the future of the line with British Rail: there was no suggestion of closure by it at that time.After the motorway works had exposed a vertical shaft above the tunnel near St. Mary's Church, the line was closed as an emergency measure. We understand that British Rail is still considering its future. We have had no representations from British Rail alleging damage to the line.The design of the road takes account of the proximity of an operating railway. I am not able to give an estimate of the effect of the line closure on the costs of the road scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement about the review of rail finances referred to in the White Paper on public expenditure—Cmnd. 8494.

I am glad to announce that Sir David Serpell has accepted my invitation to chair an independent committee to review British Rail's finances. The other members of the Review Committee will be Mr. P. J. Butler, a senior partner of Messrs. Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. who has already received a commission from me with regard to the 1982 rail budget which I announced on 31 March; Mr. A. Goldstein, senior partner of R. Travers Morgan and Partners, Consulting Engineers; and Mr. Leslie Bond, a director of the Rank Organisation.Sir David brings a unique combination of experience and insights to this task, after a life of public service in the Treasury and other Departments, including service as permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport and the Department of the Environment from which he retired in 1972. Since 1974 he has served as part-time member of the British Railways Board. The board has agreed that Sir David should be released to undertake the task from the necessary position of total independence. Accordingly Sir David has today resigned from his appointment as a member of the board, which in the normal course would have extended to next September.The terms of reference of the inquiry are—

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has now received the consulting engineers' appraisal of the Severn bridge.

No. The Department's consulting engineers have asked for an extension of a few weeks to enable them to consider further all the details of these complex bridge structures. I do not expect to receive the appraisal for a further month. I hope to be able to comment by mid-summer.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his recent official visit to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company.

During my visit to the Port of Liverpool on 30 April I toured port facilities on both sides of the river, and had informal discussions with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury on 28 April, whether he has received copies of a report prepared by Camden borough council estimating subsidies per head of population for British Rail and London Transport services for each of the London boroughs.

I have seen a copy of the report referred to by the hon. Member. It amalgamates data from a number of sources, some of which are out of date. It ignores the considerable complexities that would be involved in a meaningful analysis of the distribution of costs and subsidies within boroughs and between boroughs. In consequence its findings are both inadequate and potentially misleading.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of school leavers had no academic qualifications at all in the latest year for which figures are available; and what has been the trend in this figure since 1945.

11·4 per cent. of school leavers in England in 1980–81 had no graded CSE or GCE examination result. This proportion has decreased steadily over the years with particularly large decreases after the introduction of the CSE examinations in 1965 and after the school leaving age was raised in 1973. The proportion of school leavers in England and Wales with no graded

Great Britain: Full-time teaching and research staff paid wholly from general funds 1980–81
Aged	Social Studies	Per cent.	Physical Science	Per cent.	Engineering	Per cent.	Biological Sciences	Per cent.
Under 35	1,888	35	534	14	540	15	412	20
35–39	1,216	22	624	16	567	16	424	21
40–44	862	16	898	23	699	19	416	20
45+	1,489	27	1,850	47	1,823	50	791	39
Total	5,455		3,906		3,629		2,543

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received the report of the working party chaired by Sir Alec Merrison into the future funding of university research; if he will publish this; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received the report of the joint working party of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils and the University Grants Committee on the support of university scientific research, which was chaired by Sir Alec Merrison. The report will be presented to Parliament and published, probably early in June. The report makes a number of detailed recommendations addressed primarily to universities and my right hon. Friend hopes that these will be carefully studied.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students were studying at (a) polytechnics and (b) colleges of further education in October 1981; what were the figures for October 1975 and October 1970; what were the funds allocated to these institutions for each of these dates at constant prices; and how much per head per student this represents in each case.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to encourage universities to strengthen links with industry and commerce.

Universities already have close and constructive links with industry and commerce and there are various Government-sponsored schemes designed to encourage them. I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the numbers and proportions of university lecturers teaching (a) social studies, (b) physical sciences, (c) engineering and (d) biology currently in the age groups (i) up to 35 years, (ii) 35 to 40 years, (iii) 41 to 45 years and (iv) 46 years and over.