asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many times the advisory committee on women's employment has met since its reconstitution in 1980.

Since reconstitution in 1980, the advisory committee on women's employment has met four times.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many working days have been lost during the period March 1981 to March 1982 as a result of official strike action.

The number of working days lost in the period March 1981 to March 1982 inclusive as a result of stoppages of work in the United Kingdom due to industrial disputes known to be official is estimated as 3 million.The division between official and other stoppages is made so far as information is available. The figures are limited to those stoppages know to be official—the remainder are not necessarily all unofficial.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the numbers of registered disabled persons in the Blackburn travel-to-work area in January 1980, 1981 and 1982, subdivided by age group, who are also registered unemployed.

The information requested is only available for the month of October each year.The numbers of unemployed registered disabled people by age group in the Blackburn travel-to-work area for the last three years were:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy why the hon. Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor) has not yet replied to a letter dated 28 April from the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury about standing charges for gas and electricity.

My colleagues and I receive a large amount of correspondence relating to fuel prices. I regret that it sometimes takes longer than I would wish to deal with them all. I have now replied to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the posts in Wales on public bodies and authorities, outside departments of central Government, to which he has the power of nomination; and if he will list the present incumbents of each of these posts, the date at which they were nominated, the date at which the post comes up for re-nomination, and the salary, payment or honorarium, if any, payable in each instance.

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what amount of grant-in-aid he will make to the North of England Development Council, the North West Industrial Development Association, the Yorkshire and Humberside Development Association and the Devon and Cornwall Development Bureau after the present arrangements expire in March 1983.

I wrote on 23 June to the chairmen of the four English regional development organisations on this subject, having previously discussed it with them at a meeting on 1 April. In the letter I confirmed that the Department of Industry will continue to support the work of the four English RDOs, during a further three-year period starting in April 1983. Our grant in aid will continue to be paid primarily to support their work in attracting inward investment projects to the regions concerned, including promotional activities overseas which complement the United Kingdom national promotion effort. I am prepared to increase the level of the grant for 1983–84 and the succeeding two years not just to take account of inflation, but to allow some real increase in the effort made by the RDOs overseas. This could be done in two ways.The first way would mean the Department of Industry increasing its total expenditure on the grant-in-aid to the four bodies collectively—£610,000 in the current year—by about 50 per cent. The division of this sum among the four organisations in each of the three years from 1983–86 would depend not only on the existing guidelines and matching arrangements—that is, the RDOs have to match each £1 of grant with £1 from other sources of income—but on the preparation by the RDOs of a costed programme of events for the forthcoming year, to be agreed with DOI officials in September. The precise size of the grant available to each RDO would, therefore, not be agreed in advance, but assuming that the organisations put forward realistic programmes of overseas events, and could guarantee matching funds, the grants for each of the three years in question could be considerably more than the current level.Since it may well be felt that this arrangement would not fully meet the point that the English regions are treated less generously than Scotland and Wales, I am prepared to envisage a greater increase in the Department's grant, together with relaxation of the pound for pound matching arrangements, in order to offer something closer to parity with the resources available to the promotional agencies in Wales and Scotland. But this would be on two conditions. First, as in my initial proposal, the payment of the grant each year would be dependent on the RDOs agreeing with my officials realistic, costed programmes of overseas promotion for the coming 12 months. Second, in line with the position which now obtains in Scotland and Wales, the RDOs would have to co-ordinate fully and effectively the overseas promotional activities of all the local authorities and new town development corporations in their regions. I regard it as essential to justify substantially increased Government funding of regional promotional activities that we should eliminate the wasteful and counter-productive competition that exists at present for the relatively small number of new inward investment projects from overseas.It must, of course, be a matter of choice whether the local authorities and new towns accept the co-ordinating role of the RDOs within the regions as I have described it. This co-ordination need not preclude them from devoting resources to individual overseas promotion, in addition to their direct financial contributions to the RDOs, but all such activities would have to be agreed in advance with the RDOs and would have to be an integral part of their own programmes, as is the case in Scotland and Wales, to be further co-ordinated on a United Kingdom basis.The letters conclude by inviting the Chairmen and Directors of each RDO individually to a meeting with me in the near future, to discuss my proposals in more detail. At these meetings I should like to discuss also possible arrangements for regional representation overseas, particularly in the United States of America, as well as the question of membership of the committee on overseas promotion and the direct participation of the four English RDOs in its work.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the total amount of holdings sold by the National Enterprise Board in Ferranti, ICL and Fairey, respectively.

The National enterprise Board disposed of its 50 per cent. shareholding in Ferranti Ltd. for some £55·5 million; its 25 per cent. shareholding in ICL Ltd. for some £37·2 million; and its 100 per cent. shareholding in Fairey Holdings Ltd. for some £21·8 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, in respect of the money lent under the loan guarantee scheme, what proportion of failures is within "start-up" situations; what proportion is in existing businesses; and of these existing businesses, what proportion of failures is of those seeking to protect their existing position, as opposed to those seeking loans for growth.

Of the total amount paid to the banks so far under the terms of the Government's guarantee, 41·5 per cent. has been in respect of new businesses and 58·5 per cent. existing businesses. I cannot yet answer the latter part of the question as it would involve a close examination of the default cases involving existing businesses and this is still to be considered in the review. But I have no evidence to suggest that there is widespread misuse of the scheme in providing additional finance to existing customers in difficulty so as to protect the banks' position.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what effort the Government are making better to use staff with accountancy skills in the Civil Service.

Accountants in the Civil Service have a vital part to play in the Government's drive to improve financial and resource management in Departments. The Government are determined to make the fullest possible use of the accountancy skills that exist already in the service and to add to them as much and as quickly as we can. From 1 July 1982 a new accountancy functional specialism within the administration group is being introduced. Accountants in the present professional accountant class will join with colleagues already in the administration group to form part of an expanded Government Accountancy Service which will also include staff with a high degree of accountancy expertise and experience.This removes the artificial barriers which have largely confined the professional accountant to the provision of technical advice.For the future, Civil Service accountants, like those elsewhere, will be free to move outside their professional sphere into general administrative roles. There will be long-term career development plans to equip the best accountants for senior posts.Under the new arrangements an expanded Government Accountancy Service management unit will provide a focal point for the management of accountants and accountancy training and will help Departments in managing their staff in the GAS, including those under training.Over the next ten years we want to double the number of professionally qualified accountants in the service to fill primarily those posts—some 60 per cent.—in the functional specialism which will normally be filled by professionally qualified staff. Part of this will be achieved by training people already in the service; part by continued recruitment of qualified accountants from outside. Recruitment will be necessary both to meet the expected shortage of professionally qualified staff and to provide the right blend of skills and experience, some of which can be acquired only outside Government work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish a table showing the percentage increases

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the organisations which, in their response to the Green Paper on the taxation of husband and wife, advocated a transfer of resources from the married man's tax allowance into child benefits; if he will list those which advocated a transfer of resources into other cash benefits; in each case, what proportion of all organisations responding to the Green Paper these represented; and what proportion of the total number of organisations and individuals responding to the Green Paper advocated a transfer of resources from the married man's allowance into child benefits.

Most organisations and individuals have submitted their views in a most helpful way. It would not be appropriate to categorise the views of individual bodies on a crude "in favour—not in favour" basis on particular issues relating to the Green Paper, because this could be misleading and could misrepresent the views of individual organisations. In broad terms, however, about half of the organisations which responded to the Green Paper put their main emphasis on schemes for the independent taxation of husband and wife that involved a transfer of resources from the married man's tax allowance into child benefit or other forms of cash benefit. Among the 600 or so responses from individuals the proportion in favour was, roughly, 10 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest figures available indicating (a) the size of the capital stock of the nationalised industries and(b) what percentage return was earned on that stock.

The information requested is as follows:

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the present tax treatment of secondhand bonds; and whether he will make a statement.

Advantage has been taken of existing tax provisions to avoid income tax on the profits on certain life policies and life annuity contracts.Sections 393 to 402 of the Taxes Act—the "chargeable events" legislation—provide for income tax to be charged on the profits arising on these policies and contracts. By virtue of section 394(4), where a life policy has been assigned for money or money's worth, any profits subsequently arising are taken out of the charge to income tax and become subject to a commonly much lower or nil charge to capital gains tax. Section 396(2) makes similar provision in relation to assignments of life annuity contracts.There has been a serious and, in recent weeks, growing exploitation of these provisions by means of the device known as secondhand bonds under which individuals have been purchasing such policies and contracts from intermediaries thereby avoiding income tax on any ultimate profits on the investment.The Government have therefore decided to introduce legislation in next year's Finance Bill to amend sections 394(4) and 396(2) with effect from midnight on Friday 25 June 1982. An assignment thereafter for money or money's worth of any policy or contract—including existing policies and contracts—will no longer remove any subsequent profit arising from the charge to income tax.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by how much the following countries' exports of sugar have increased since the invitation to apply for quotas from the Lomé agreement in 1974 (a) Fiji, (b) Belize, (c) Swaziland, (d) Malawi and (e) Zimbabwe, since it was given its CSA quota of 25,000 tonnes.

Part (e) of this question does not arise because Zimbabwe's quota of 25,000 tonnes under the Lomé convention does not come into effect until 1 July this year. The remaining information requested is set out below:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any information whether the Commission of the European Economic Community has plans to increase the total imports of sugar under the Lomé

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the speed at which new prisons can be planned and constructed.

I am satisfied that this is done as quickly as is practicable. It is, of course, a very complex process.

The sugar protocol to the Lomé convention guarantees that the Community will import specified quantities of sugar from certain named ACP states. The only variations in the quantities that the Commission has power to make under the protocol are quota reallocations arising from shortfalls in deliveries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will consider legislation to enable the British Wool Marketing Board to buy up the Falklands clip at the same delivered price as the price paid for the United Kingdom clip.

The Government are currently considering the future economic development of the Falkland Islands; it would be premature for me to anticipate the outcome.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his reply of 14 June 1982, Official Report, c. 211, he will set out the range of export refunds, on the basis of pence per pound, which are available to exports for the sale of the various cuts and categories of beef to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The information requested is provided in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are currently detained in prison.

On 18 June the total prison population in England and Wales was about 44,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are held in prison department establishments; and how many prisoners on remand have been held in police cells since the beginning of 1982 because of overcrowding in prison department establishments.

On 18 June, the total prison population in England and Wales was about 44,000. Since the beginning of the year an average of about 36 prisoners, mainly remand prisoners, have been held each night in police cells.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the current levels of pay for policemen in England and Wales; and how they have varied over the past year.

The present annual basic pay of police constables ranges from £5,610 for new entrants under the age of 22 to £8,883 for officers with 15 years' service or more, Police pay was increased by 13·2 per cent. from 1 September 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to reduce the waiting period for appellants awaiting hearings before adjudicators appointed under the Immigration Appeals Act.

Waiting periods have already been reduced and are continuing to improve. We monitor them closely.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has issued any guidance on the applicablity of concessionary television licences to warden-controlled bungalows; and if he will make a statement.

Specific guidance on the eligibility of residents of warden-controlled bungalows for the special old persons' home television licence has not been issued, but a comprehensive statement of the conditions of eligibility for this licence is available in the form of a leaflet from the national television licensing records office; a copy of this leaflet was placed in the Library of the House by my right hon. Friend's predecessor on 6 April 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the additional financial cost incurred by the Metropolitan Police in providing a police presence to accompany and supervise the march and demonstration by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in London on Sunday 6 June.

We understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the estimated cost of overtime incurred in policing the demonstration and the three marches that preceded it was of the order of £72,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an inquiry into the extent to which the existing prison system contributes to the reform of prisoners and to examine whether improvements could be made in this regard.

We should welcome wider and more informed discussion on this and other aspects of prison administration, but we do not consider that a formal inquiry would be helpful or appropriate at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with arrangements for the protection of foreign diplomats in London.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the light of the shooting of His Excellency the Ambassador of Israel, steps are being taken to improve still further the protection given to foreign diplomats by the Metropolitan Police.

After an incident such as the recent shooting of Mr. Argov the police re-examine their arrangements to see whether further measures should be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the level of assistance available to victims of violent crime.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to a question from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Edge Hill (Mr. Alton) on 17 February about elderly victims of violent crime.—[Vol. 18, c. 121–2.] This holds good for victims of violent crime in general.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any guidance has been given to the Government of Gibraltar on the implementation of the applications for British nationality by the citizens of Gibraltar.

We have kept the Government of Gibraltar fully informed on all aspects of the implementation of the British Nationality Act 1981. We are seeking their views on arrangements for the registration of British dependent territories' citizens of Gibraltar as British citizens under section 5 of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applications for entry certificates made in the Indian Sub-continent was referred to London for consideration for the latest date for which figures are available; what were the corresponding figures for June 1978; and if he will make a statement.

Of the applications in the Indian subcontinent for entry clearance for immediate settlement that were processed—that is, deferred, referred, granted or refused—in the first quarter of 1982, 9½ per cent. were referred to London for consideration; the corresponding percentage for the second quarter of 1978 was also 9½ per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further consideration he has given to introducing a new system for investigating complaints against the police.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier today to questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) and the hon. Members for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher), Sheffield, Hillsborough (Mr. Flannery) and Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Hooley).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Deparment if he is now in a position to give further details of the arrangements he will make for the regulation of cable television.

Decisions about the future of cable will be taken in the light of the report of Lord Hunt's inquiry into cable expansion and broadcasting policy—due to be submitted at the end of September—and the consideration now being given by the Departments concerned to the economic, technical and telecommunications policy issues that the development of cable would raise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of black and ethnic minorities have been recruited into the police force over the past 12 months.

During the 12 months ending on 30 April 1982, the number of ethnic minority police officers in England and Wales increased by 52 to 360.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to issue advice to local councils about the right that they are being given to license and control sex shops in the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the number of terrorist offences which have taken place in London in each of the past five years.

My noble Friend will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to disqualify convicted criminals from service on juries.

As my right hon. Friend announced on 25 March—[Vol. 20, c. 1120]—it is the Government's intention to widen the area of disqualification for jury service to exclude anyone convicted of an imprisonable offence during the last 10 years even where no immediate sentence of imprisonment was imposed. The Government intend to bring forward proposals on these lines at an appropriate stage of the Administration of Justice Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that Mr. Fred Hill, a 73-year-old man, on 18 June received his twenty-fifth prison sentence for failing to pay a £40 fine, if he will calculate the total costs of keeping this man in prison on these occasions, stating in each case the offences for which he was imprisoned.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 19 April, Official Report, c. 18, if he has completed his review of the question of introducing amending legislation to give all Falkland Islanders the right to British citizenship.

In view of the undertaking to which I referred in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) I see no immediate need for such amending legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the letter from the hon. Member for Ealing, North to the Under-Secretary of State, dated 5 May, was not answered until 10 June, although a copy with a request for an answer was sent on 28 May; and why no acknowledgment to this letter was sent.

No trace can be found of my hon. Friend's letter of 5 May 1982 but I much regret the delay in responding to his letter of 10 May. A reply to that letter and his letter of 28 May was given in my noble Friend's reply of 10 June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that young people can now obtain a viewing of X certificate films on home video cassettes, he will consider seeking to amend the Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act to include video cassettes.

The Act is designed to deal with the sale of articles such as horror comics, which are intended to appeal specially to children or young persons; it would not in our view be an appropriate means of controlling the sale or hire of video cassettes. We are, however, keeping under review, the operation of the law in relation to video cassettes, particularly as regards material involving horror or violence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the "Notes for the guidance of visiting committees and boards of visitors of HM Prisons" produced in 1964 have now been revised.

Yes. A revised edition entitled "Boards of Visitors—Notes of Guidance" has now been printed and copies are being sent to members of boards of visitors. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins) of 16 June, Official Report, c. 281, what representations he has received from the Police Federation concerning guidance about local consultation arrangements between the community and the police; and if he will make a statement.

The Police Federation was consulted in the preparation of the guidance. It fully supports the development of local consultation arrangements to ensure a two-way flow of information and support between the police and the community.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis concerning the effectiveness of policing in the Railton Road area of Brixton; and if he will make a statement.

I keep in close touch with the Commissioner about the effectiveness of policing throughout the Metropolitan Police district; I know that the community police consultative group for Lambeth has discussed the problems of the Railton Road area of Brixton and how they can be tackled by the community, local services and the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to bring forward proposals for new methods of caring for young offenders.

The Government's proposals for new methods of dealing with juvenile and young adult offenders are contained in the Criminal Justice Bill, which received its Third Reading in this House on 19 May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what special preference is given to tenders submitted by Prindus Ltd; to which parts of the public sector this preference applies; if it is confined to the public sector; and whether any provision is made to ensure that such preference does not conflict with companies operating in regions with special development area status which compete with Prindus Ltd for contracts.

The arrangements which apply to Prison Industries—PRINDUS—in respect of contracts from Government Departments are covered by the priority suppliers agreement which relates not only to prison workshops but to workshops for the disabled. The agreement provides that

"departments should continue to rank the priority suppliers equally among themselves, and in front of firms in development areas, for preferential allocation of Government orders; and they should endeavour to allocate a fair share of suitable orders to each of the priority suppliers".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the profit margin of Prindus Ltd. in the contract it secured from the National Coal Board for open sandals for use by miners in showers; and what was the total value of the contract.

Information on the total value of the contract and on the profit margins, must be regarded as commercially confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which of Her Majesty's prisons Prindus Ltd has based its manufacturing businesses.

Prison Industries has workshops engaged in manufacturing in nearly all of Her Majesty's prisons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requirements, analogous to those binding on industrial premises generally under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and the Factories Acts, apply to industrial undertakings in Her Majesty's prisons; and what steps are taken internally to ensure that these requirements are met.

People employed in prison department establishments benefit from the protection of the Acts, and the staff have the same obligations as in outside industrial undertakings and are similarly liable to legal proceedings if they fail to fulfil them. Qualified safety officers and safety representatives function in prison workshops much as they do in outside industries, and prison workshops are subject to inspections including inspections by officers of the Health and Safety Executive.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has yet reached a decision on the representations of the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham about the conviction of Mr. Bernard Brian Saltman.

Following the receipt and examination of new evidence about the circumstances of Mr. Saltman's conviction, I have referred the case to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) under section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968, This means that the court will now determine the matter as if the appeal had been made by Mr. Saltman himself.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of how many persons under the age of 16 years are currently held in adult custodial institutions in Scotland, together with a breakdown by sex and length of time held.

There are no persons under the age of 16 years held in an adult prison in Scotland. On 21 June 1982, however, there were seven boys under the age of 16 years held in the under-21 remand institution at Longriggend who had been committed by the courts under certificates of unruliness under section 23 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975. The time these boys had spent in custody at 21 June is shown in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many crimes were reported by the chief constable in his annual reports for the Strathclyde region for the years 1979, 1980 and 1981; and what the percentage increases were between the years.

The number of crimes recorded in the annual reports of the Chief Constable for Strathclyde for 1979, 1980 and 1981 are as follows. For comparative purposes the 1979 figure has been adjusted to take into account the reclassification of crimes and offences in the Scottish criminal statistics introduced with effect from 1 January 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were held as suspects under section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980; and how many were held voluntarily at a police station since the Act came into force.

From 1 June 1981, when section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act came into effect, to 31 May 1982, 21,435^* persons have been detained by Scottish police forces under the provisions of the Act and 8,178^* persons signed declarations that they had attended at police stations voluntarily.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of those stopped under section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 since the Act came into force were in possession of offensive weapons; and whether he is satisfied with the working of this section.

Monitoring of the new powers introduced by part I of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 began on 1 June 1981. The returns for the first year show that 33 per cent. of those stopped and searched under the provisions of section 4 of the 1980 Act were found to be in possession of offensive weapons. I am satisfied that this indicates that the powers introduced by this section are effective and justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many detainees under section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 in Falkirk and Dundee have been tape recorded when interviewed; and what percentage of the total this represents.

Seventy-seven interviews in Falkirk and 144 in Dundee with persons detained under section 2 have been tape recorded. Information about the total number of persons detained under section 2 in each of the two police stations is not available.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will state her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 24 June.

This morning, following my return from the United States, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the Falkland Islands.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the Falkland Islands.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a further statement on the Falkland Islands.

On 20 June 10 Argentine military personnel, illegally present on Southern Thule, surrendered to British forces.There have been no further military incidents but we have not yet received satisfactory assurance that the cessation of hostilities is permanent. That being so, we continue to hold 563 prisoners of war. We have so far repatriated 10,487 and a further 263 are in process of repatriation. We shall shortly begin to reduce our own forces on the Islands.The major priority now is reconstruction. Mr. Hunt as Civil Commissioner, left the United Kingdom on 23 June with the first group of returning islanders and officials. They are expected to arrive in Port Stanley tomorrow. The task of reconstruction is complicated by the presence of plastic mines laid indiscriminately by the Argentine forces.I hope to make a statement later today on my discussion of these matters in New York and Washington yesterday.

asked the Prime Minister what will be the cost on an annual basis of extending the airstrip in the Falkland Islands, of defending it with Rapier missiles and of keeping submarines and some ships in the area; and for what period these measures are intended to be maintained.

It is too early to say.

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report the contents of the letter or letters to parliamentary leaders relating to their setting up of an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the recent events in the Falkland Islands and Dependencies when the letters have been sent.

No. It is not customary to make public the contents of confidential exchanges with Opposition Leaders.

asked the Prime Minister if she will ensure that no charges are imposed upon members of the Armed Forces in the Falkland Islands who wish to telephone home.

Where possible arrangements are made for injured members of the task force to make one telephone call home, paid for out of welfare funds. We have no immediate plans, however, to make free telephone facilities available to members of the task force. There are no shore-based telephone links between the Falklands and the United Kingdom and it may be some time before they can be repaired. Only a limited number of ships with the task force have the necessary equipment for telephoning the United Kingdom and it would clearly be difficult to arrange access to it for the numbers of men involved. To arrange an equitable system for the 20,000 or so members of the task force to make free telephone calls home would in present circumstances therefore pose not only considerable administrative problems but, more importantly, difficult operational problems.

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Fraserburgh in the East Aberdeenshire constituency.

I have at present no plans to do so.

Lestor asked the Prime Minister whether the Central Statistical Office will make it its practice in future to include data on the appointment of women to public bodies in the publication "Social Trends".

The next edition of "Social Trends" will include a table showing separately the number of men and women members of public bodies for whose appointment Government Departments are responsible.

asked the Prime Minister whether she has any plans to meet the Trades Union Congress.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when she expects to publish the Government's report on the International Year of Disabled People 1981 and their proposals for future action; and if she will make a statement.

We hope to publish the report by next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request the Governor of Hong Kong to launch a fund supported by both the Hong Kong Government and the public to provide extra financial support for those families bereaved by the death of Hong Kong sailors and Service men killed fighting for the United Kingdom in the Falklands war.

Her Majesty's Government will meet their obligations to the families of these men through the payment of death gratuities and insurance indemnities as appropriate. In addition, the South Atlantic Fund is available as a source of assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British military action in the South Sandwich Islands.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 22 June to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, West (Lord James Douglas-Hamilton).—[Vol. 26, c. 76.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will take measures to permit those who wish to use traditional British measurements on passport application forms to do so in future.

No. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds on 25 February. Passport applicants have been asked to state their height in metres since the decision taken in 1975 to switch to the use of metric units in passports. There are no plans to drop the conversion tables which have been included in passport application forms since the change was made.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements he intends to make to ensure that any rebuilding work required in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia is carried out as soon as possible.

Rehabilitation work in the Falklands is being given the highest priority. There are many difficulties and it will take some time for life in the islands to be restored to normal. The military authorities in the Falklands are already undertaking emergency repair work to restore the island's essential services and to meet the immediate needs of the Falklands community. The Civil Commissioner and an advance party are on their way back to the Falklands. He and his staff will be making urgent recommendations for further action to complement the emergency work of the military authorities and on longer term reconstruction.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of relations between the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

We enjoy good relations with Uruguay. We have appreciated the co-operation of the Uruguay authorities over humanitarian aspects of the Falklands conflict, including the repatriation via Montevideo of a number of Argentine prisoners of war and the return home via Montevideo of British and some Argentine casualties.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of relations between the United Kingdom and Chile.

Our relations with Chile are satisfactory.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on the latest situation regarding the negotiations on the removal of non-tariff barriers to reciprocal trade in motor components with Japan.

The Japanese Government have recently announced a number of measures designed to increase imports. Of potential interest to exporters of motor components are the proposed simplification of customs examination procedures, the harmonisation of Japanese standards with international practice and the setting up of the Office of Trade Ombudsman to handle complaints by exporters to Japan. In addition, a number of measures are being taken to reduce or eliminate tariffs on specific items, including tyres, laminated glass and hydraulic oil pumps.While these are steps in the right direction, we shall continue, with our Community partners, to press for a further liberalisation of the Japanese market.

asked the Minister for Trade if, in view of the distress caused to relatives of those serving with the task force in the South Atlantic, he will take steps to ban the import of a game called "War in the Falklands"; and if he will make a statement.

I have already made inquiries following press reports that a United Kingdom company was planning to import the game in question. I am happy to say that the managing director of the company concerned has assured my Department that he has no such plans. I share my right hon. Friend's revulsion at the deplorable taste of this game.

asked the Minister for Trade what was the amount of invisible exports earned by consulting engineering in 1981.

The value of the invisible exports earned by consulting engineers in 1981 amounted to £487 million.

asked the Minister for Trade whether he will list in the Official Report the names of organisations with whom he consults regarding appointments to transport users consultative committees.

It would be difficult to provide a complete list, since the organisations invited to suggest candidates for appointment to each TUCC vary according to the need and circumstances of the committee concerned. We approach a wide range of interests, including bodies representing the disabled and the elderly; consumer groups; the CBI; the TUC; tourist boards; and local authorities.

asked the Minister for Trade whether he will make a statement on the recent meeting between one of his Ministers and the Norwegian Minister for Trade and Shipping.

I visited Oslo on 17–18 June to discuss shipping policy matters with the Norwegian Minister, Mr. Arne Skauge. The discussions confirmed that the British and Norwegian Governments share common views on all the main problems of international shipping. In particular, we strongly confirmed our commitment to the maximum amount of open trade in world wide shipping, our opposition to cargo reservation as a means of protecting national merchant fleets, and to the freedom of international investment in shipping.I also discussed with the Norwegian Minister the question of the employment of British and Norwegian offshore service vessels in the British and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea. I stressed that Norwegian offshore service ships have, and make full use of, free access to the British sector of this market, but that hardly any British, or other non-Norwegian, vessels are employed in the Norwegian sector. At the latest count there was one British supply vessel operating in the Norwegian sector, whereas there were 57 Norwegian. In the British sector, the equivalent numbers were 71 British and 47 Norwegian. I explained to the Norwegian Minister that this imbalance caused me great concern, and gave rise to understandable objections from British shipowners and seafarers that the Norwegian Government protected this market.On this important point, I received a categoric assurance from the Norwegian Minister that there were no Norwegian protectionist laws affecting shipping and that it wa totally contrary to the policy of the Norwegian Government that there should be any protectionism in this area. The Norwegian Minister made clear that protectionism in any part of the world, whether in supply or service vessels, or in any other part of shipping, would be gravely damaging to Norway's status as a cross trader. In spite of these assurances, however, I expressed to the Norwegian Minister my fear that oil companies operating in the Norwegian sector—oil companies which are in some cases Norwegian public bodies and in other cases anxious to maintain the goodwill of the Norwegian authorities under whose licences they operate—might nevertheless feel that they were expected, outside statute, to give preference to Norwegian service vessels. We agreed that this was a practice that must be avoided. We therefore issued a joint communiqué at the end of our discussions, emphasising our two Governments' opposition to flag discrimination in this as in other shipping markets, and drawing this vital principle to the attention of oil companies operating in the North Sea as guidance in the chartering of service vessels.Furthermore, we agreed to set up immediately a working group, composed of officials of both Governments, which would examine any differences in technical standards required by Norwegian and British regulations that might be barriers to British supply and service ships operating in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea; and that this committee should report before the end of 1982, with a view to achieving mutually acceptable standards wherever possible.

asked the Minister for Trade how many responses he has received to his Department's consultative document, "Consumers' Interests and the Nationalised Industries"; what is their general tenor; and whether he intends to make any proposals as a result of the representations he has received.

We have received some 300 responses to the consultative document. Neither of the options set out in the document for structural reform of the nationalised industry consumer councils attracted decisive support. I hope to make a further statement on NICC reform before the recess.

asked the Minister for Trade how many cars were exported to and imported from other countries in the European Economic Community in the most recent six months for which figures are available; and if he will express this as a ratio.

In the period from September 1981 to February 1982, imports of complete passenger motor cars (SITC/R2 Group 781) from the rest of the European Community numbered 293,366 and exports 75,606, a ratio of 3.88 to one.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on the European Economic Community discussions on 22 June about United States curbs on European steel exports; and if, in particular, he was able to assure the European Council that the British Steel Corporation did not engage in the practice of dumping steel.

The Council expressed its grave concern about the announcement by the United States Department of Commerce on 11 June of preliminary determinations in its countervailing investigations against Community steel exports to the United States, and drew attention to the far-reaching measures adopted over recent years to restructure the Community steel industry, the costs of which were very heavy in both cash and social terms. The Community intends inter alia to challenge the compatibility of the United States action with the aims and commitments of the OECD consensus on steel, and to press the United States to find solutions to the steel problem through constructive discussions.While United States anti-dumping investigations into certain Community steel exports are in train, preliminary determinations of dumping are not due until August and the anti-dumping cases were not discussed on this occasion.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will publish a table showing the profit or deficit in manufacturing trade with other countries of the European Economic Community and the rest of the world, respectively, over the most recent six-monthly period for which figures are available; and if he will provide comparable figures for the same periods in each of the previous 20 years.

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

asked the Minister for Trade what compensation will be payable by Her Majesty's Government in respect of the requisitioning of ships for use in the South Atlantic.

Compensation will be payable to shipowners as provided for under section 4 of the Compensation (Defence) Act 1939 in respect of:

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on the activities of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation of which the United Kingdom is a member.

Copies of the eighteenth annual report of the Eurocontrol Organisation, summarising its activities during 1980, have been placed in the Library of each House.