asked the Minister for Trade whether he will take steps to introduce standard measures for the sale of wine by the glass in public houses and restaurants.

No. I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn and Hatfield (Mr. Murphy) on 9 March 1982.—[Vol. 19, c. 353.]

asked the Minister for Trade if he is now in a position to provide figures showing the surplus or deficit which the United Kingdom had in manufacturing trade with the European Economic Community and the rest of the world, respectively, in 1981; and if he will make a statement.

United Kingdom asbestos imports,b 1970–81
Country whence consigned	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
	(tonnes)
Canada	97,000	112,811	92,867	135,737	107,944	70,131
South Africa	27,338	26,961	30,224	26,036	15,609	28,984
Swaziland	20,128	18,472	16,014	26,247	16,351	21,605
Cyprus	6,793	6,964	8,937	7,767	6,761	8,219
Other	3,377	2,592	2,254	2,286	6,339	10,246
All countries	154,636	167,800	150,296	198,073	153,004	139,185

Country whence consigned	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	Jan.-June Sep.-Dec. 1981
	(tonnes)
Canada	98,384	87,830	87,874	96,741	71,893	43,357
South Africa	15,193	13,983	21,203	9,222	8,980	5,338
Swaziland	18,489	14,932	480	142	469	—
Cyprus	7,526	7,810	5,399	7,313	6,652	2,713
Other	5,346	2,662	2,662	3,247	6,645	5,100
All countries	144,938	127,217	117,618	116,665	94,639	56,508
Source: Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, SITC (R1) Sub-group 276.4, (R2) 278.4.
Note: Information on the basis of country of origin is not available for the period requested.

asked the Minister for Trade if he is able to publish the final report of the insolvency law review committee.

The full text of the committee's report, with appendices, has been published today by HMSO as a command paper. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of each House.The committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Kenneth Cork, has been engaged for the last five years in a

Figures for the whole of 1981 are not yet available; I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) on 10 May.—[Vol. 23, c. 452–3.]

asked the Minister for Trade if European Movement (Investment) Ltd. has yet delivered its accounts for the years 1977–78 and 1978–79, together with its annual return for 1979 to the Registrar of Companies; and if he will make a statement.

The accounts from 2 August 1978 to 31 March 1979, together with the annual return for 1979, were delivered to the Registrar on 11 February 1982. Accounts beginning with the date of incorporation on 6 July 1977 and ending on 1 August 1978, during which time the company was not trading, have now been delivered.

asked the Minister for Trade what has been the annual tonnage of asbestos—white—imports into the United Kingdom since 1970 by country of origin; and if he will make a statement.

The available information for crude asbestos imports is given in the following table. White asbestos is not separately identified in the overseas trade statistics but it is believed that the great bulk of imports has been in this form. The level of imports was lower in 1980 than at any time in the previous 10 years.comprehensive study of the whole of the law and practice relating to insolvency, its procedures and its adminstration. This has included receivership, bankruptcy, company liquidation and many related subsidiary matters. The substantial size of the report is an indication of the extent and complexity of the subject matter and of the committee's care and diligence.The Government will give this comprehensive report the fullest and most careful consideration. It raises issues of wide commercial and financial importance; officials will be holding full consultations with the representative bodies concerned, before any final decisions are taken.I am very glad to have this opportunity to express our appreciation of all the effort which Sir Kenneth Cork and his colleagues have put into this work; it has been no light thing to undertake such a task, and we are in their debt.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a further statement on the future of the college of air training at Hamble.

I am pleased to say that British Airways have announced today that they have exchanged contracts for the sale of the college property to Hamble Airfield Properties—a consortium formed by a group of Hampshire business men—which has expressed the intention of continuing to operate Hamble as a flying training establishment. I warmly welcome this outcome and hope that as a result some of the present employees of the college will have the opportunity to serve the new owners, and help preserve the high reputation which the college has established during the 21 years since it was founded.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to make any changes to his oil tax proposals in the light of oil industry representations.

I have carefully considered the oil industry's representations for a substantial reduction in oil taxation. I do not believe that this would be justified and I believe that there are adequate returns on North Sea projects at the current broad levels of taxation. I do, however, accept that the operation of my proposals, particularly as they affect some more marginal fields, could be improved by modifications. Amendments to the Finance Bill are therefore to be tabled with the following effects:

(a) To remove further APRT liability for a field five years after first liability to APRT for that field.

(b) To repay any APRT which has not by then been set off against ordinary PRT liabilities.

(c) To take APRT into account in computing payback for PRT, thereby extending the period in which the uplift and safeguard reliefs for PRT are available.

(d) To spread the payment of the PRT payment on account due on 1 September 1983 in five monthly instalments between 1 September 1983 and 1 January 1984, in order to lighten the impact on company cash flow and working capital of the new accelerated PRT instalment pattern in the transitional year.

(e) To backdate by two years the effect of clause 121 of the Finance Bill—treatment of losses and charges on income.

The changes at (d) and (e) will cost about £35 million in 1982–83 and £20 million—in extra interest cost from deferring tax payments—in 1983–84. The cost of the APRT changes—(a),(b) and (c) above—will arise in later years and will depend on oil pries and future profitability.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of Government expenditure wages and salaries in the Civil Service have represented in each of the last five years; and if he will express the cost per head of population per week.

On the basis of the figures for Public Expenditure published in Cmnd. 8494 (table 1·1) and those for total Supply Estimates for successive Chief Secretary's memoranda, following is the information:

	Civil Service pay as percentage of public expenditure	Cost per head of population per week
		£
1977–78	5·2	1·02
1978–79	4·8	1·08
1979–80	4·4	1·17
1980–81	4·5	1·45
1981–82	4·3	*1·57
* Population figures for 1981–82 not yet available; 1980–81 figures used for calculation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the significant hydrocarbon discoveries in appendix IV of the 1982 Brown Book, apart from the 26 fields either on production or under development and excluding gas fields, are capable of being produced economically under the current tax regime.

It is too early to say: in many cases, further appraisal and detailed project design will be necessary before field economics can be properly assessed by the companies concerned. In reaching the Budget decisions we did, however, consider the likely profitability of a wide range of typical future developments, and concluded that attractive prospects remain available under the current tax regime.

Meyer asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the United Kingdom's net contribution to the allocated European Community Budget in 1980 and 1981; and what proportion of the United Kingdom estimated net contribution in respect of each of these years was refunded through the 30 May agreement.

The accompanying table provides the information requested.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the Contingency Reserve for the present financial year has so far been spent; and what proportion of the total this represents.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the public expenditure Contingency Reserve for 1982–83 has been committed; how much is in the process of being committed; if he will list the individual items of expenditure in both cases; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 June 1982]: Agreed claims totalling £250 million have so far been debited against the Contingency Reserve. This represents just over 10 per cent. of the total reserve of £2,400 million announced in the Budget. These are detailed as follows. Further bids will be considered on their merits.

	£ million
*Restoration of 2 per cent. shortfall on unpledged social security benefits	65
*Supplementary benefit—increase in capital disregard	3
*Supplementary benefit—heating additions	5
*New employment measure	25
*Industrial innovation	20
†Increase in National Coal Board EFL	37
NHS pay	83
Housing benefit: local authority start-up costs	5
International Conference Centre	6
Minor claims	1

Table 1: Estimated Net Contributions to the 1980 Allocated Budget
million ecus*
			Receipts				Payments	Net
	EAGGF†
	Guarantee	Guidance	Regional Development Fund	Social Fund	Others	Total
Belgium	572	8	3	10	560	1,153	920	233
Denmark	615	6	4	14	22	661	334	327
Germany	2,455	62	27	73	300	2,917	4,443	-1,526
France	2,832	76	53	165	183	3,309	2,878	431
Ireland	564	25	52	63	79	784	134	650
Italy	1,824	62	117	205	394	2,602	1,865	737
Luxembourg	12	0	1	0	212	225	19	206
Netherlands	1,539	24	6	9	109	1,687	1,233	454
United Kingdom	881	52	134	161	322	1,550	3,062	-1,512
* European Currency Units; 1980 average exchange rate: leua=£0·598488
† Excluding fisheries

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will tabulate in the Official Report for the years 1980, 1981, and the estimates for 1982 for each member of the European Economic Community its net contributions arising from (a) the common Community tariff, (b) value added tax, (c) levies, (d) other contributions and (e) total contributions together with receipts arising out of (i) the common agricultural policy (ii) the regional fund, (iii) the social fund, (iv) other receipts, (v) total receipts and (vi) set receipts of contributions.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 June 1982]: The information cannot be provided in the precise form requested by the hon. Member, since the Commission does not publish data on member States' total receipts from the Community budget. However, as explained in my reply yesterday to my hon. Friend, the Member for West Flint (Sir Anthony Meyer), the Commission does provide estimates of gross and net receipts from the allocated budget. The latest such estimates for the 1980 and 1981 budgets are reproduced in tables 1 and 3 below. Refunds paid to the United Kingdom under the budget agreement of 30 May 1980 form part of the unallocated budget and thus are excluded from these calculations. Comparable estimates for the 1982 budget have not been made available. Tables 2, 4 and 5 below contain the latest break downs available of member States' total gross own resources contributions to the 1980–1982 Budgets.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish figures for the Metropolitan Police, broken down by police district, to show for each district (a) the number and rank of serving police officers, (b) the respective numbers of criminal investigation department and uniformed officers, (c) length of service with the force, (d) length of stay in the district and (e) average age.

We shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy is followed by the Metropolitan Police in relation to the recruitment of officers outside London.

The Metropolitan Police recruit officers from all parts of the United Kingdom on the basis of the merit of the applicant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of Metropolitan Police officers are recruited from outside London from which counties or metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom they came in 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Boundary Commission's progress in determining the new Liverpool constituencies.

This is a matter for the Boundary Commission. We understand, however, that the commission still hopes to complete its work by the end of 1982 and to submit its final proposals for constituencies in Liverpool and the rest of England to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Basildon of 28 May, if he will publish in the Official Report the value of each type of incidental travelling expenses under the repatriation scheme in each of the past five years.

The total cost of incidental travelling expenses paid under the repatriation scheme operated by International Social Service of Great Britain in each of the last five years can be broken down as follows:

	Baggage (Freight and Insurance)	Preparation Costs	Subsistence
	£	£	£
1977–78	14,061	608	174
1978–79	19,271	1,006	212
1979–80	16,464	847	315
1980–81	16,857	335	379
1981–82	Not available	Not available	Not available

asked the Secretary of State how many consultant obstetricians are employed by each health board in Scotland.

The numbers of consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology in each health board in Scotland as at 30 September 1981 are set out in the following table. It is not known how many consultants in this specialty devote the major part of their time to obstetrics.

	Number	Whole-time Equivalent
Argyll and Clyde	9	9·0
Ayrshire and Arran	5	5·0
Borders	—	—
Dumfries and Galloway	3	2·6
Fife	6	6·0
Forth Valley	7	6·4
Grampian	9	7·5
Greater Glasgow	31	29·2
Highland	5	5·0
Lanarkshire	11	11·0
Lothian	22	19·8
Orkney	—	—
Shetland	—	—
Tayside	11	9·9
Western Isles	1	1·0
SCOTLAND	120	112·4

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many babies weighing less than 2,500 grants were born in each health district in the years 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981; and what percentage of total births they represented.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the truancy rates in secondary schools in 1979, 1980 and 1981; what action he is taking to combat truancy in Wales; if he will publish a report on his policies regarding truancy since May 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Data on school attendance are collected on two sample days per year, but reasons for absence are not given. In September 1979, 1980 and 1981^* 11 per cent. of pupils were absent; previous studies suggest that unjustified absence may account for slightly under one third of these figures.It is for local education authorities and schools to take action to discourage unjustified absence from school, if necessary by prosecution of parents in the courts. The Welsh Office has consistently emphasised the serious effects on pupils' education which may result from even casual absence, most recently in the document "Planning for Progress".

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many consultant obstetricians are employed by each health authority in Wales.

The numbers of consultants in the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology in each health authority are:

Clwyd	5·8
Dyfed	5·2
Gwent	6·0
Gwynedd	3·2
Mid Glamorgan	8·8
Powys	0·4
South Glamorgan	5·6
West Glamorgan	5·6

Health Authority	Number born* with birth weight less than 2,500 grams				Percentage of total births* with birth weight less than 2,500 grams
	1978	1979	1980	1981	1978	1979	1980	1981
Clwyd	288	309	314	329	6·3	6·1	6·2	6·7
Dyfed	220	207	230	254	5·8	5·0	5·7	6·3
Gwent	371	450	422	383	7·1	7·7	7·1	6·8
Gwynedd	135	163	166	183	5·1	5·8	5·8	6·4
Mid Glamorgan	504	552	572	519	7·3	7·4	7·1	6·9
Powys	73	85	60	76	6·1	6·8	4·4	5·9
South Glamorgan	341	389	378	389	7·1	7·5	7·0	7·4
West Glamorgan	343	318	301	328	7·6	6·8	6·1	7·1
* Live and still births.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the quantity of spent nuclear fuels and waste awaiting disposal in Wales; and what is the disposal method.

I am advised by the CEGB that 700 tonnes of irradiated nuclear fuel is currently stored at Trawsfynydd and Wylfa power stations in Wales and will be sent to BNFL Sellafield for re-processing. About 500 cubic metres of untreated low-level waste are at present held on these sites and will be disposed of by land burial at Drigg, Cumbria, under an existing authorisation by the Welsh Office. A total of 450 cubic metres of intermediate level waste are also stored at these sites; certain of these wastes will be disposed of at sea under national arrangements and appropriate authorisations, and in accordance with internationally agreed procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he proposes to establish in the United Kingdom a State oil stockpile comparable with the strategic stockpile in the United States of America to be used to promote equilibrium between supply and demand in times of crisis.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) of the 90 days oil stockpile required by the International Energy Agency and the European Economic Community, what part is held by the State and the private sector in the United Kingdom;

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many babies weighing less than 2,500 grams were born in each health district in the years 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981; and what percentage of total births they represented.

The information requested is collected at health authority level and is given in the following table:(2) in compliance with the International Energy Agency oil stockpile, what percentage is private sector financed; and whether allowances are available to offset costs.

As a net exporter of oil, the United Kingdom has no obligation to maintain stocks under the International Energy Agency's arrangements. In the European Community, the United Kingdom has an obligation to hold stocks equivalent to 76½ days of the previous year's consumption. All such stocks are held and financed by the private sector. No special allowances are available to offset the associated costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what advantages his Department has secured from a study of the European Commission market analysis of spot operations since monitoring was agreed to in March 1979.

European Commission studies were carried out in the six months to October 1978 and the 12 months to June 1980; the studies gave an evaluation of the accuracy of published reports of market prices and an insight into the volumes traded.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of the research and development funds listed in reply to the question of the hon. Member for Kilmarnock on 20 May, Official Report, c. 144 has been spent on nuclear energy; and what percentage has been spent on alternative or renewable sources.

The percentage of research and development funds spent by my Department on nuclear energy and on alternative or renewable sources of energy, comprising wind, wave, geothermal, solar, biomass and tidal power, during the last five financial years has been as follows:

	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82*
Percentage of R & D funds spent on:
nuclear energy	87	88	84	85	83
alternative or renewable sources	n/a†	2	4	5	6
* Estimated outturn.
† Prior to 1978–79, expenditure on renewable energy research and development was not recorded on a comparable basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy why the energy technology support unit programme managers, who run the research and development work on each renewable energy source for the Department of Energy, were not invited to the Advisory Council on Research and Development for fuel and power meeting on 19 March, which made recommendations on the future of this research and development work.

The ETSU programme managers are not members of ACORD. The advice prepared for ACORD by the steering committees for each technology and by ETSU took full account of the views of the programme managers. ETSU was represented at ACORD by five senior members of Harwell, including the chairman of all the steering committees. In these circumstances there was no need to invite the programme managers as well.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what reply he is sending to the town clerk of Manchester in response to his letter of 14 May about the falling level of apprentice intake in the direct works department from 140 in 1979 to 60 in 1981.

I am inviting representatives of Manchester city council to meet me to discuss the points raised in the town clerk's letter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the employment schemes, and the number of places on each, under the community enterprise programme and under the Merseyside initiative expected to operate in 1982 (a) in the Merseyside region and (b) in the Sefton district.

I shall write to the right hon. Member as soon as the information requested is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what arrangements are made to monitor the moneys paid under the temporary short-time working scheme to ensure that such moneys are paid to persons who are genuinely on short time.

The Department insists that employers should keep, for at least three years, sufficient records to demonstrate that their claims made for payments under the temporary short-time working compensation scheme are justified and that they have met all the conditions of the Scheme. These records will include details of the payments made to individual employees and the number of workless days in respect of which those payments are made. At least two checks of the employers' records are made during the period of support. Additional checks are made at the discretion of the responsible officer.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the town clerk of Manchester with regard to apprentice employment in the city of Manchester's direct works department; what reply he is sending; if he proposes to take any action; and if he will make a statement.

I am inviting representatives of Manchester city council to meet me to discuss the points raised in the town clerk's letter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he plans any consultations with the Health and Safety Commission concerning the health and safety aspect of the new training scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Health and safety will continue to be of primary importance in the new training scheme. All the bodies concerned with health and safety matters will be consulted as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many places have so far been allocated under the community work programme; at what projected cost; if he will merge the funds available to this scheme into the community enterprise programme; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State has written to the Manpower Services Commission asking them to work out detailed proposals for a community work programme. We are still awaiting a formal response by the commission and therefore the possibility of merging the community enterprise programme with the new scheme will no doubt have been considered.As the Chancellor announced in his Budget speech—[Vol. 19, c. 732]—the Government are prepared to finance 100,000 places at a net additional cost of £150 million and would make additional places available if the demand for them was there.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans the Government have to reduce long-term unemployment on Merseyside.

The best way to help the long-term unemployed, and, indeed, unemployed people generally, is to improve employment prospects by getting the economy right and creating the conditions for growth. Our policies are designed to achieve that. In the short term, our programme of special employment measures is giving assistance to long-term unemployed people and other groups with particular employment problems on Merseyside as in other parts of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will give the percentage of unemployed persons in Bootle, Crosby, Kirkby, Prescot, Huyton, Wirral, Widnes and Runcorn at the latest date;(2) what is the latest percentage of unemployed people in the Liverpool travel-to-work area.

Following is the information for the appropriate travel-to-work areas at 13 May.

Percentage rate of unemployment
Liverpool	18·4
Birkenhead	19·1
Widnes	18·5

The employment office areas comprising these travel-to-work areas are:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the Scottish Council of Social Service against the benefit plus scheme being considered that would take unemployed persons off the register to do community work; and what reply he has sent.

Two letters, dated 10 and 25 May, have been received by my Department from Mr. Ross Flockhart, Director of the Scottish Council of Social Service, about this scheme.The Department's replies indicated that it was awaiting detailed proposals from the Manpower Services Commission. The council's views will be taken into account when these proposals are received.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement concerning his Department's activity aimed to lessen the injurious effects of asbestos-based production in the United Kingdom since the resolution of the House of 22 October 1981.

Since the resolution of the House of 22 October 1981, officials continue to seek agreement in Brussels on the text of the European Community draft Directive concerning restrictions on the marketing and use of asbestos, and the directive on the protection of workers from the risks arising from exposure to asbestos, with a view to the adoption of these directives as soon as possible.In the meantime, the Health and Safety Executive is continuing its work to implement those recommendations of the advisory committee on asbestos which are not affected by negotiations on these directives. They are, of course, continuing to enforce current legislation at workplaces where exposure to asbestos may occur.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department proposes to assess and possibly implement each of the principal findings and proposals of the world symposium on asbestos held in Montreal; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the intention of the world symposium on asbestos was to provide an international forum at which the viewpoints of science, medicine, industry, labour, and competent authorities could be expressed to facilitate an extensive evaluation of the risks and benefits of asbestos and the necessary control measures.Many and varied opinions were presented on these issues. At first sight there is nothing in the papers presented which suggests that any of the recommendations of the advisory committee on asbestos are invalid or need modification. Nevertheless the report of the proceedings will be carefully studied to see whether any of the recommendations need to be reviewed in the light of the information presented at the conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the meeting of the EC Council of Ministers (Labour and Social Affairs) which he attended on 27 May.

I represented the Government at a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Labour and Social Affairs) on 27 May.The Council agreed a directive concerning the protection of workers from harmful exposure to lead. The Council also agreed a resolution based on a Community action programme on the promotion of equal opportunities for women. The resolution is a further initiative by the Commission to stimulate progress towards equality of treatment and opportunity for women, and provides an acceptable and balanced expression of the action targets the United Kingdom and other member States should set themselves at the present time.The main item for discussion was a resolution based on a Commission communication for an action programme to fight unemployment. The Council agreed the resolution which asks the Commission to submit proposals for further discussion.Agreement was also reached on a recommendation on retirement age pending receipt of the opinion of the European Parliament. The recommendation seeks to establish certain principles in order to achieve the progressive introduction of flexible retirement policies in the long term. It also affirms that pensioners should not be excluded from all forms of paid employment, and that retirement preparation programmes should be made available before retirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report (a) the grants given by the European Community to educational projects in the United Kingdom since 1973, (b) the purpose of each project and (c) the educational institutions involved in other Community member States in any exchange projects thus financed; and whether he will seek increased European Community budgetary appropriations for language teaching in the United Kingdom.

Grants have been made, under the education co-operation programme agreed by Education Ministers in 1976, to United Kingdom pilot projects designed to assist development of national policies in the area of the transition of young people from school to work and adult life. Over the four years 1978–1982, five such projects will have received a total of nearly £800,000; and research grants will have been received totalling about £150,000.Other grants have been made available for projects on the education of children of migrant workers; over the period 1976 to 1984 these grants will have totalled about £500,000.The Community have also given small grants to British universities under a scheme started in 1976 for the development of joint programmes of study between the institutions of higher education in different member States, with a view to assisting student mobility. British institutions have secured 70 per cent. of such grants awarded, from a total fund of about £1 million.The Community has also distributed small-scale grants to various bodies in the United Kingdom for study visits and other purposes. I shall write to the hon. Member with details of these, and with further information on some of the points covered in this answer.

Expenditure on Co-operatives and Marketing
April-March year											£'000
	1971 to 1972	1972 to 1973	1973 to 1974	1974 to 1975	1975 to 1976	1976 to 1977	1977 to 1978	1978 to 1979	1979 to 1980	1980 to 1981	1981 to 1982
A	1,052	746	890	909	1,136	815	877	1,108	1,221	1,498	2,139
B	10	66	20	4	239	266	304	327	339	433	369
C	260	247	277	459	463	472	576	645	832	1,384	1,564
Source: Annual appropriation accounts.

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 May 1982, c. 85.]: I have arranged for the report of a joint working party of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils and the University Grants Committee on the support of university scientific research to be published today: copies are available in the Vote Office. The subject of this study, which was carried out under the chairmanship of Sir Alec Merrison, is an important one. In particular I would like the recommendations which are addressed to the universities themselves to be considered carefully: at. a time when resources are necessaarily under great pressure it is essential that careful decisions are taken both for, and between, the research activities within universities. Recommendations are addressed also to the research councils and to others involved in supporting university research, and to the ABRC and the UGC. I shall be considering the recommendations which call for a response from my Department.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what has been the cost in each year since 1970 of assistance in marketing of agricultural products;(2) what has been the cost in each year since 970 of assistance to agricultural co-operatives.

Assistance to co-operatives, in the form of capital grants, since the inception of the agricultural and horticultural co-operation scheme in 1971 is given in line A of the following table. Line B represents the amounts spent by the Central Council for Agricultural and Horticultural Co-operation on co-operative marketing projects, from money allocated specifically for that purpose. Line C shows central council expenditure incurred in carrying out its statutory role under the Agriculture Act 1967 of encouraging all forms of agricultural co-operation. A high proportion of this is directly related to co-operative marketing activities, but it is not possible to give a detailed breakdown.

Marlow asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a comparison of United Kingdom—European Economic Community threshold prices and world market prices at 21 May for each main agricultural commodity for each of the last five years including 1982.

Table: European Community Threshold Prices and Implied World Market Prices for Main Agricultural Commodities at 21 May* 1978 to 1982
	1978†		1979†		1980		1981		1982
	Thresh-old price‡	Esti-mated world price║	Thresh-old price‡	Esti-mated world price║	Thresh-old price‡	Esti-mated world price║	Thresh-old price‡	Esti-mated world price║	Thresh-old price‡	Esti-mated world price║
	ua/tonne		ECU/tonne		ECU/tonne		ECU/tonne		ECU/tonne
Common wheat	168·3	85·2	208·6	112·0	213·6	131·6	226·0	149·0	245·7	147·6
Barley	155·1	82·3	190·3	90·0	195·0	107·3	206·3	145·0	225·2	140·3
Pigmeat	1073·4	694·7	1,422·3	917·1	1,474·9	1,108·9	1,656·2	1,427·6	1,683·6	1,302·9
Butter (82 per cent fat)¶	2,520·0	654·9	3,099·0	756·4	3,099·0	1,035·5	3,504·8	1,619·8	3,843·9	1,967·8
Sugar (white)●	397·2	126·1	486·0	167·3	492·8	492·8	533·0	373·2	585·1	251·0
Beef and Veal▀	2,335·1	1,193·6	2,893·5	1,465·5	2,937·0	1,533·6	3,283·6	1,653·0	3,645·5	1,689·7
Notes
* For certain products and years, the new marketing years did not commence until after 21 May.
† 1978 prices are expressed in ua/tonne, though from 1979 onwards they are expressed in ECU/tonne, following the start of EMS in April 1979. The 1979 institutional prices have been converted from ua to ECU by multiplying by 1·208953.
‡ Threshold prices, or nearest equivalent, for the main commodities; the common threshold price for butter and sugar; the May threshold prices for wheat and barley; the guide price for adult cattle converted to deadweight for beef; and the sluicegate price plus the basic levy for pigmeat carcases or half carcases for the appropriate period.
║ World prices have been taken as the minimum offer prices of imports underlying the calculation of the variable levies and have been calculated by subtracting the levy, for a representative product, in ECUs—or UAs—applicable on 21 May in each year from the appropriate threshold or nearest equivalent prices. The beef price has also been adjusted for duty; the sluicegate price has been taken for pigmeat.
¶ The common levy has been used to calculate the world price for butter though a lower rate of levy is applicable to imports of butter from New Zealand.
●In practice the imports of sugar from third countries are normally covered by the Lome convention and enter the Community levy free.
■Most imports of beef from third countries are subject to special arrangements allowing entry at reduced levy rates.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the remit of the experimental management advisory services now being used in four regional authorities.

The remit of the management advisory service experiments is to explore ways of monitoring the quality and efficiency with which health services are being managed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to arrange with relevant Departments that certificates of exemption on grounds of low income are sent to students along with their grant so as to ensure that those who are eligible for free optical and dental treatment are fully aware of their entitlement.

Young people under 19 and still in full-time education are automatically entitled to free dental treatment, free children's glasses and, for 16 to 18-year-olds, remission of charges for NHS lenses where these are dispensed in a private frame. Information about this, and about the help available to patients on low incomes, for which older students can apply, is contained in leaflets made widely available through post offices, local social security offices, citizens advice bureaux, community health councils, practitioners and hospitals.

[pursuant to his reply, 27 May 1982, c. 352]: The information requested is given in the following table. The world prices figures are generally the third country offer prices used by the Commission to determine rates of levy applicable on the dates concerned. I must emphasise that they do not accurately represent the prices at which the Community could buy from the world market if more supplies from third countries were bought, and are therefore largely notional.I am not aware of any particular problems in making these young people aware of their possible entitlement, but the Department regularly reviews its publicity for these and other benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the availability of female sterilisation by tubal ligation and male vasectomy through the National Health Service.

The Department in its Guidance on Family Planning, issued in 1974 (HSC(IS)32), has drawn to health authorities' attention the need to provide sterilisation and vasectomy services and commended various ways of meeting demand including the possibility of agency arrangements with the private sector. However, it is for individual health authorities to determine the resources that are devoted to these services in the light of local circumstances and priorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the hospitals in Lincolnshire which have a radiotherapy centre, giving in each case the waiting time for admission as an out-patient.

St. George's hospital, Lincoln Information is not held centrally on the waiting times for admission as an out-patient. I suggest that my hon. Friend obtains this direct from the North Lincolnshire health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he takes to make sure that those persons who have their charges for optical and dental treatment remitted automatically on grounds of low income are made fully aware of this entitlement.

:All those who qualify for the benefits which confer an automatic entitlement to free glasses and dental treatment are advised either when they apply or when they receive notification of entitlement and often at both stages. Reminders are also printed in the order books for both supplementary allowance/pension and family income supplement. In addition, leaflets on NHS glasses—G11—and NHS dental treatment—D11—mention that people getting supplementary benefit, family income supplement or free milk and vitamins or free prescriptions because of low income are entitled to free glasses and free NHS dental treatment. The comprehensive leaflet "Which Benefit" also draws people's attention to the arrangements for help with these charges for those on low incomes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the salary of district dental officers is to be costed for National Health Service purposes as an administrative expense, even if that dentist works part-time as a district dental officer and part-time as a dentist.

the basis of the present control of management costs is set out in circular HC(81)2, a copy of which I am sending the hon. Member. Given the number of staff involved it is not practicable to apportion individuals' time between managerial and non-managerial duties and to include only the former element of salaries as a management cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services who will be responsible for community and preventive dental care in district health authorities where district dental officers are not appointed.

The responsibility for continuation of community dental services, which includes the statutory duty to provide a school dental service, was transferred from area health authorities to the new district health authorities on 1 April. Within the guidance already issued, it is a matter for these authorities to determine the management structure best suited to their local circumstances and to decide what appointments and arrangements for accountability are needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many cases of cancer occurred in (a) Cumbria and (b) the United Kingdom for each of the last four years for which figures are available; and if he will express them as a percentage against population; (2) how many leukaemia cases occurred in (a) Cumbria and (b) the United Kingdom for each of the last four years for which figures are available; and if he will express them as percentages against population;

Numbers of registration of newly diagnosed cases of cancer and leukaemia are riot readily available for areas other than regional health authorities and could be produced only at disproportionate cost. 1975 to 1978 data for the Northern regional health authority in which Cumbria is situated and for the United Kingdom are as follows:

Newly diagnosed cases of cancer, ICD 140–209, and leukaemia, ICD 204–207, in the United Kingdom and in Northern regional health authority, 1975–78
	United Kingdom*		Northern RHA
	Number	Rate per 100 population	Number	Rate per 100 population
Cancer
1975	205,069	0·37	12,058	0·39
1976	209,043	0·37	12,203	0·39
1977	213,764	0·38	11,978	0·38
1978	210,752	0·38	11,670	0·38
Leukaemia
1975	4,426	0·008	189	0·006
1976	4,398	0·009	192	0·006
1977	4,432	0·008	224	0·007
1978	†4,288	0·008	185	0·006
* Residents only.
† Estimated figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest assessment of the relative significance and risk to children from lead that comes from petrol.

Lead from petrol is one amongst several sources of lead exposure. In assessing risk the significant factor is the total body burden of lead and there is no conclusive medical evidence of harm to children at blook lead levels normally found in this country. For individuals whose body burden is already high from exceptional exposure to lead from other sources, lead in petrol may make a relatively small but undesirable additional contribution. The contribution will be greater in places where air lead concentrations are unusually high for long periods. The Government considered it prudent to include a substantial reduction in the lead content of petrol in the measures announced last year to limit exposure to lead from all sources.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the methods employed to assess the numbers of the population of Wales by age and by sex in the age groups 65 to 70 years, 71 to 75 year, 76 to 80 years and 81 years and over.

The starting point for the Registrar General's annual estimates of population is the count of the population made in the preceding census. This is updated annually to allow for the effects of people growing older, dying and migrating. Accurate counts of deaths by age are available; migration is estimated from a number of sources. The methods used are described fully in an OPCS publication—Occasional Paper 18—and I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services who the members of the Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster family practitioner committee are; how they are appointed and by whom; and what is the duration of their office.

In a family practitioner committee of 30 members, 11 are appointed by district health authorities; four by local authorities and 15 by local representative committees. DHA and local representative committee members serve for renewable terms of up to four years. Those appointed by local authorities serve for a period determined on appointment.Details of individual members are not held centrally and my hon. Friend may wish to seek this information directly from the family practitioner committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pregnancies were terminated in National Health Service pay beds during the second quarter of 1981.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis do not receive assistance with their telephone bills when they cease using home haemodialysis; what information he has as to the extent to which this may affect a patient's decision as to which treatment to choose; and if he will make a statement.

Health authorities have been advised by the Department that they should pay for the installation and rental of a telephone where one is not already available in the home of a patient on home

Number of babies weighing 2,500 grams or less and numbers expressed as a percentage of total births in each RHA in the years 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981
	1978		1979		1980		1981
Regional Health Authority	Number	per cent	Number	per cent	Number	per cent	Number	per cent
Northern	2,716	7·0	2,736	6·6	2,921	7·0	2,860	7·1
Yorkshire	3,371	7·6	3,768	8·1	3,812	7·9	3,543	7·6
Trent	3,945	7·2	4,261	7·3	4,498	7·5	4,174	7·1
East Anglia	1,423	6·4	1,593	6·7	1,643	6·6	1,482	6·2
N.W. Thames	3,182	7·1	3,567	7·5	3,613	7·5	*	—
N.E. Thames	3,442	7·3	3,585	7·1	3,956	7·6	*	—
S.E. Thames	2,954	7·0	3,267	7·3	3,273	7·1	3,091	6·9
S.W. Thames	2,090	6·0	2,337	6·3	2,177	5·8	2,332	6·3
Wessex	2,106	6·8	2,379	7·2	2,360	6·9	2,272	6·8
Oxford	1,983	6·6	2,080	6·5	2,209	6·6	1,908	6·0
S. Western	2,147	6·3	2,312	6·4	2,400	6·4	2,341	6·5
W. Midlands	4,991	7·7	5,594	8·1	5,680	7·9	5,373	7·9
Mersey	1,873	6·2	2,127	6·5	2,372	7·3	2,220	7·0
N. Western	3,950	7·8	4,242	7·9	4,559	8·2	4,381	8·2
* Not yet available

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what inquiries he has made into the death of Mr. Alfred Gibbs of Melbourne Road, Heath Hayes, Cannock; and if he will make a statement.

Inquiries into this case have been carried out by the Central Birmingham health authority and the matter is now in the hands of that authority's medical executive committee. I have written to the hon. Member fully about this unfortunate case.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many consultant obstetricians are employed in each regional health authority.

Obstetrics and gynaecology are classified as a single speciality in the statistics collected by our Department so that the information requested is not available centrally. However, the number and whole-time equivalent of consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology in each region of England and Wales at 30 September 1981 are set out in sheet 38 of table R1 of the "Regional Tables, Hospital Medical Staff—England and Wales," copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many babies weighing less than 2,500 grams were born in each regional health authority in the years 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981; and what percentage of total births they represented.

Available information relates to babies weighing 2,500 grams or less and is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of electron microscopes employed (a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in France, (c) in Germany, and (d) in Holland for purposes of assessing the presence of asbestos fibres in lung tissue of workers whose cases come before pneumoconiosis panels; what action he is taking to obtain electron microscopes; and if he will make a statement.

No electron microscope is employed in the United Kingdom for the purpose of assessing the presence of asbestos fibres in the lungs of people examined by pneumoconiosis boards. If, however, a board thinks that such an examination would be helpful in a particular case, a microscope is available. I am advised that this facility fully meets present and foreseeable needs and that, accordingly, additional microscopes are not needed. I regret that I have no information as to the position in France, Germany and Holland.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the names, occupations and status of those persons who have served on pneumoconiosis panels for claims regarding asbestos since 1970; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that the information requested is not readily available over such a long period. I shall give it as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims to pneumoconiosis panels for compensation by dependants of deceased asbestos workers have been made in the last 20 years; how many have been successful; if he will publish the figures year by year for the years 1970 to 1982; and if he will make a statement.

Until 1974 separate records of deaths due to asbestosis and diffuse mesothelioma were not kept for the industrial injuries scheme. For the pneumoconiosis, byssinosis and miscellaneous diseases benefit schemes reliable figures were not available until 1978. I therefore regret that the information contained in the following table is all that is available.

Death Benefit Awards
Year	Industrial	PB & MDB
	Injuries
1974	116	—
1975	137	—
1976	161	—
1977	179	—
1978	150	—
1979	187	14
1980	167	23

The figures for later years are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to publish draft housing benefit regulations.

The local authority associations and a number of other interested organisations were on 7 June sent copies of most of the draft regulations required to implement the housing benefit scheme. The drafts set out the detail of the scheme and the necessary consequential supplementary benefit amendments apart from certain provisions dealing with the local schemes and the financial orders which will be circulated shortly.We have asked for any comments on the draft regulations to be made by 25 June.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps are to be taken to inform employers about the statutory sick pay scheme.

Subject to the Social Security and Housing Benefits Bill receiving Royal Assent, the Department will be issuing a comprehensive guide on statutory sick pay to every employer in the country during July of this year. Staff in DHSS regional and local offices will be ready and available to answer any questions arising after the guide has been distributed.Although the guide is primarily intended for employers, copies will be held in local offices and will be freely available to organisations, such as trades unions, or individuals with an interest in the scheme.Our officials have already given a number of talks about statutory sick pay at meetings arranged by employers' groups and we are aware that various employers' organisations across the country are planning to hold courses or seminars to educate their members about the scheme. Staff in the regions will be getting in touch with such organisations as soon as possible after the Bill receives Royal Assent to offer assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has received Dr. Whitehead's report about contaminated first aid dressings; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the former Minister for Health announced on 23 December 1981 that Dr. Whitehead, director of the Public Health Laboratory Service had agreed to carry out an inquiry into the contamination of sterile first-aid dressings. This inquiry was necessary because of the discovery of contaminated dressings imported from India. Urgent steps were taken at the time to warn the public and to stop the distribution of these dressings.Dr. Whitehead's report has now been received and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The report confirms that the risks from the use of contaminated dressings are small but unacceptable. The report goes on to recommend that sales of undesirable dressings should be restricted by making more effective use of existing legislation and in particular the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and the Trade Descriptions Act. The Government propose to accept and act on those recommendations without delay.The Health and Safety Executive, working jointly with the Department, will soon be launching a scheme to inform employers of the names of manufacturers approved by the Department's inspectors. Employers will be advised to obtain sterile dressings required in first-aid containers only from approved manufacturers. The Health and Safety Executive's inspection service will monitor work-places to ensure that only dressings from approved sources are being used. These arrangements will provide added protection for people at work where the great majority of first-aid dressings are needed.In addition, steps are being taken to protect the consumer purchasing sterile first-aid dressings from retail outlets. It is an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act to supply goods to which a false trade description has been applied. The supply of first-aid dressings falsely described as "sterile" can constitute such an offence. Enforcement of the Act's requirements is a matter for local authority trading standards departments. We shall be supplying these departments with information about the manufacturer approval scheme and will be discussing further with their co-ordinating body—the Local Authority Coordinating Body on Trading Standards—ways in which this can be used to focus their enforcement effort effectively. The Department's inspection service will be available to help in this work.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any further discussions have taken place between officials of his Department and representatives of the Government of the Irish Republic since the publication of the White Paper "Northern Ireland: A Framework for Devolution"; what was the nature of those discussions; and if he will make a statement.

In the last two months a number of my officials have met officials of the Government of the Irish Republic for the discussion of practical issues of common concern, for example, agriculture, environment and energy.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further representations he has received from persons other than political parties in Northern Ireland since the publication of the Northern Ireland Bill; and if he will make a statement.

	Notified live and still births and babies weighing less than 2,500 grams				Notified births less than 2,500 grams as a percentage of all notified births
District	1976	1977	1978	1979	1976	1977	1978	1979
Down	40	54	43	44	4·2	5·9	4·3	4·2
East Belfast and Castlereagh	121	124	104	93	7·7	7·8	6·6	5·8
Lisburn	83	106	98	91	6·2	7·7	7·2	6·3
North Down & Ards	139	97	109	104	7·4	5·1	5·7	4·9
North and West Belfast	241	201	219	246	7·8	6·9	7·3	7·6
South Belfast	62	78	65	72	6·7	8·5	7·1	7·2
Area Total	686	660	638	650	7·1	6·9	6·5	6·2
Antrim and Ballymena	92	106	136	124	5·4	6·5	7·8	6·7
Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle	103	98	90	92	7·2	7·5	6·4	6·2
Larne and Carrickfergus	40	48	57	53	4·7	5·9	6·8	6·2
Magherafelt and Cookstown	69	91	84	71	6·1	7·5	6·9	5·4
Newtownabbey	66	77	70	79	5·2	6·2	5·6	6·2
Area Total	370	420	437	419	5·8	6·8	6·8	6·2
Armagh and Dungannon	124	89	96	79	6·8	5·0	5·3	4·1