asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of people in employment in the travel-to-work areas in Mid-Wales recently de-scheduled, in each July from 1975 together with the number of persons registered as unemployed on comparable dates in percentage terms.

Table 1—Employees in employment
Travel to work area	June 1975	June 1976	June 1977	June 1978
Barmouth	3,303	3,259	3,244	3,574
Tywyn	879	848	835	866
Machynlleth	1,789	1,770	1,738	1,621
Welshpool	6,028	5,919	5,809	5,928
Abetystwyth	10,810	10,915	10,620	10,812
Newtown	6,813	7,017	7,149	7,438
Llandrindod Wells	6,691	6,854	6,895	7,053
Llandeilo	2,992	3,032	2,787	2,993
Brecon	6,825	6,792	6,542	6,802

Table 2—Percentage unemployed
Travel to work area	June 1975	June 1976	June 1977	June 1978	June 1979	June 1980	June 1981	June 1982
Barmouth	4·0	5·0	5·7	4·4	2·7	4·7	9·6	9·5
Tywyn	7·2	11·0	12·7	11·3	8·4	9·3	13·5	12·7
Machynlleth	4·4	7·0	7·9	6·2	5·1	6·3	10·2	13·0
Welshpool	4·2	5·6	5·9	6·1	4·8	5·5	10·1	11·3
Aberystwyth	3·1	4·0	5·3	5·9	5·4	5·7	9·1	10·1
Newtown	3·8	5·2	6·2	5·1	4·0	5·5	9·9	13·3
Llandrindod Wells	4·7	6·0	6·5	6·8	5·5	6·9	11·4	10·8
Llandeilo	4·1	5·0	7·6	7·0	7·8	9·4	13·9	12·8
Brecon	2·3	4·2	5·2	5·2	4·3	5·3	7·1	7·9

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the length in kilometres as at April 1981 of each of the following categories of Scottish roads (a) trunk roads other than motorways and (b) all other roads.

The figures are 1,641 and 30,228 respectively. The information, analysed by county, was published in table 6.05 of the "Digest of Welsh Statistics 1981", a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many neonatal intensive care cots there are in Wales.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 26 October 1981.—[Vol 10, c. 226.]

Comprehensive information about the number of employees in employment at local office level is not yet available later than June 1978. The figures currently available are:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the numbers of places available and taken up in 1982–83 for students of hotel, catering and institutional management subjects leading to university degrees, CNAA degrees, TEC and SCOTEC higher diplomas, HCIMA part B exams, HCIMA graduate entry courses and CNAA postgraduate diplomas, respectively.

The information is not available in the form requested, and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost. An approximate estimate of places available for first-year students in England and Wales is as follows:

University degrees	100
CNAA degrees	400
HND/HTD	1,500
HCIMA Part B	350
HCIMA Graduate entry	25
CNAA Post-graduate	60

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what efforts his Department is making to encourage more girls to study science at school.

The Department has repeatedly called for equal curricular opportunities to be made available to boys and girls. Her Majesty's Inspectors' publication "Girls and Science"—HMSO 1980—offers practical suggestions for schools. Last month my Department and the Welsh Office published a consultative document entitled "Science Education in Schools" which sets out the objective of providing a broad science programme for all pupils and emphasises the need for genuinely equal curricular opportunities in science for boys and girls.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many objections he has had to particular teaching materials for sex education in maintained schools from teachers and parents, respectively.

Since the beginning of this year over 130 such letters have been received in the Department. 44 correspondents said that they were writing as parents, and six as teachers; but the majority did not indicate their status.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much has been spent per head of the population on education in each of the past five years.

The available information is as follows:

Financial Year	Cost per head of the population £
1976–77	139
1977–78	146
1978–79	161
1979–80	185
1980–81	226

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the recommendations of the Finer committee on one-parent families which relate to the work of his Department, showing whether the recommendation (a) has been implemented, (b) is under consideration or (c) was rejected.

Recommendations 131, 183, 184, 211 rind 214 to 220 relate to the work of the Department, but these fall largely to be dealt with by local education authorities, and by schools and teachers. In some cases the response is a continuing or evolutionary nature.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider commissioning a series of reports on individual local authorities in an attempt to get a fuller picture of the impact of spending cuts on educational provision in their areas; and if he will make a statement.

In real terms local authority expenditure on education showed little change between 1980–81 and 1981–82 despite a fall of nearly 3 per cent. in the school population. There is no automatic link between levels of expenditure and educational performance. Financial provision is only one of many factors influencing educational performance. The balance in the distribution of resources is as important a factor as the level of overall spending and it is for each individual local education authority to decide its policies for expenditure after taking account of local circumstances and the priorities expressed by central Government. Her Majesty's Inspectors already report on the educational response of individual authorities to their particular circumstances, as in the case of the ILEA or the Toxteth area of Liverpool. I expect as many more of these reports as can be carried out within the limits of available Her Majesty's Inspectorate manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) in how many schools illness and discomfort have been caused to pupils and staff in schools where urea-formaldehyde foam insulation has been installed; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether advice and specialist help is available from his Department to local councils faced with problems of illness and discomfort for staff and pupils in schools where urea-formaldehyde foam insulation has been installed; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will consider advising local councils not to install area-formaldehyde foam insulation in schools until such times as remedies have been found to the health hazards which have arisen in schools where the material has been used.

Information about the number of schools in which adverse effects have been experienced from urea-formaldehyde foam insulation is not centrally available. However, a number of instances have come to notice, and the Department wrote to local education authorities last year about the possibility of such effects and indicated some aspects to be taken into account if this type of insulation is contemplated. Studies being undertaken by the Building Research Establishment are being extended to include schools and in the light of the results further consideration will be given to any desirable action.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library a copy of his letter of 14 July to the chairman of the University Grants Committee.

I have already done so.

asked to Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since January 1982 (a) the United Kingdom permanent representative to the European Economic Community and (b) members of his staff have had meetings with British Members of the European Parliament.

The United Kingdom permanent representative to the European Community has attended two of the plenary sessions of the European Parliament since January 1982. He has also had a substantial number of other meetings with British MEPs. A senior member of his staff, who has special responsibility for liaison with the European Parliament, has attended all plenary sessions since January 1982, and keeps in frequent contact with British and other Members of the Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the return of the remaining Argentine prisoners of war to Argentina prior to a definitive end to hostilities being announced from Buenos Aires.

According to article 118 of the third Geneva convention, prisoners of war are to be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained on 13 July in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Melton (Mr. Latham), there have been a number of indications that Argentina now accepts that active hostilities are at an end. On this basis the Government decided that it was right to return all the remaining prisoners of war, and this has been done.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many diplomats were serving in the British embassy to Peru on 1 March; what was the respective number for each diplomatic grade; and what is the current figure in each case.

Six diplomats were serving in the British embassy to Peru on 1 March. They were the ambassador, two first secretaries, two second secretaries and a defence attaché. There are now seven diplomats serving in the embassy, a second secretary having been added.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the number of diplomats serving in the British embassy to Argentina on 1 March.

Sixteen diplomats were serving in the British embassy to Argentina on 1 March 1982.

asked the Attorney-General (1) how many applications for relief from prosecution under Representation of the People Acts have been presented in each of the past 20 years;(2) how many election petitions have been presented in each of the past 20 years in respect of

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

asked the Attorney-General which groups and grades in the public sector for which the Lord Chancellor's Department has responsibility have so far settled at 4 per cent. or less in the current 1981–82 pay round.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many job opportunities are available to young people in (a) the Parkhead area and (b the Glasgow area.

There were no vacancies notified to the careers office in Parkhead remaining unfilled on 4 June 1982. It is likely that some of the 89 vacancies remaining unfilled at Parkhead employment office would be suitable for young people but it is not possible to estimate the number of such vacancies. On the same date there were 110 vacancies notified to careers offices and 2,476 to employment offices within Glasgow city remaining unfilled. The measure of vacancies covers only vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices and remaining unfilled on the day of the count and does not purport to be a measure of all vacancies in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present level of youth unemployment in (a) the Parkhead area and (b) the Glasgow area.

On 15 April 1982, the latest date for which information is available, 1,951 young people under the age of 19 years were registered as unemployed at jobcentres and careers offices in the Parkhead area. The comparable figure for the Glasgow travel-to-work area was 12,006. The Glasgow travel-to-work area includes the 13 employment office areas within Glasgow city together with the Barrhead, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, East Kilbride, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch employment office areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young persons are presently employed on Manpower Services Commission schemes in (a) the Parkhead area and (b) the Glasgow area; and what were the figures for 1979, 1980 and 1981, respectively.

Information on young people participating in the youth opportunities programme is maintained on an education authority basis and figures for the Parkhead area could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the table gives estimates of the numbers of young people taking part in the programme and the numbers on community industry in June of each year since 1979 in the area covered by Strathclyde region education authority's Glasgow division, of which Parkhead forms a part.

Year	Estimated numbers of young people on the Youth Opportunities Programme	Numbers employed by Community Industry
1979	1880	281
1980	2550	331
1981	4750	358
1982	4900	357

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of redundancies in the area covered by the Shettleston constituency during 1979, 1980, 1981 and to date in 1982; and how many have resulted in closures.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of new jobs created in the area covered by Shettleston constituency during 1979, 1980, 1981 and to date in 1982.

Comprehensive information on new jobs created is not available. The following are the numbers of new jobs associated with offers of selective financial assistance under Section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 for projects in the Parkhead and Bridgeton employment office areas, in the years 1979 to date.

Year	New Jobs
1979	308
1980	533
1981	141
(to 12 July)
1982	130

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been given in financial support to the carpet industry since 1 January 1975 by his Department; what form this assistance has taken; and under which schemes, including the various schemes to promote employment.

Since 1 January 1975, 13 offers of selective financial assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 have been made by my Department to companies in the carpet industry in Scotland. The total value of the assistance offered was £2·4 million, of which 94 per cent. was by grant and the rest by loan.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the length in kilometres as at April 1981 of each of the following categories of Welsh roads (a) trunk roads other than motorways and (b) all other roads.

The following is the information:

	Kilometres
(a) Trunk roads (excluding motorways)	2,925
(b) All other roads	47,088

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many neonatal intensive care cots there are in each health authority in Scotland.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total allocation of funds to Department of Environment roads; how much was allocated to each division; and if he will specify the purposes, with the amount, for which the allocation has been made to each division for the past five years.

Total expenditure in Northern Ireland on road construction and maintenance for the past five years, at 1982–83 cash prices, is:

1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83
£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
101·8	99·2	86·0	78·3	*54·8
* Estimate.

Information on the allocations each year to the roads divisions could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. The financial information system for the divisions is kept on the basis of actual expenditure for the year. It is there fore not able to be produced in a form which would be readily comparable with the figures shown.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available to his Department about truancy at schools in Northern Ireland.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will now seek to have monofilament drift nets for salmon banned in the Foyle area.

The commercial use of single-strand monofilament nets for the taking of salmon or trout has been banned since 1966 in the Foyle area. The Foyle Fisheries Commission is urgently considering introducing a similar ban on the use of the more recently developed multi-strand monofilament nets.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the wages councils which have minimum wage levels in excess of the limits for young workers scheme payments and the minimum wage levels of these councils.

Under the current provisions of the young workers scheme, employers can claim £15 per week in

Wages Council Minimum Rates—15 July 1982
Wages Council	£40 and below £45	£45 and over
	£	£
Aerated Waters (E & W)	(aged 17) 41·20
Aerated Waters (Scot)	(aged 17) 44·40
Button Manufacturing	(aged 16) 40·00
	(aged 17) 44·40
Clothing Manufacturing (Women's dressmaking)	(agedl7–17½)44·26	(aged 17½–18)50·70
Coffin Furniture, etc.
(Wrappers)	(aged 16) 41·20	(aged 17) 48·40
(Other workers)	(aged 16) 41·80	(aged 17) 51·60
Cotton Waste	(aged 16) 43·20	(aged 17) 46·80
Flax and Hemp	(aged 17–17½)42·74
	(agedl7½–18)44·72
General Waste		(aged 17) 46·40
Hat, Coat and Millinery	(aged 17) 44·07
Lace Finishing	(aged 16) 41·20
	(aged 17) 44·80
Laundry		(aged 16) 48·80
		(aged 17) 54·90
Licensed Non-Residential Establishment		(under 18) 48·40
Licensed Residential Establishment
(Service workers)	(aged 17) 41·80
(Other workers)		(aged 16) 46·20
		(aged 17) 49·20
Made-Up Textiles	(aged 17) 43·40
Ostrich and Fancy Feather, etc.	(aged 16) 42·00	(aged 17) 46·80
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage	(aged 16) 441·69	(aged 17) 46·54
Retail Bespoke Tailoring		(aged 17) 46·20
Retail Food
(Other workers)	(aged 17) 44·55
(Shop assistants)	(aged 17) 44·75
Retail Non-Food
(Other workers)	(aged 17) 43·47
(Shop assistants)	(aged 17) 43·75
Rope, Twine and Net	(aged 17–17½)40·50	(aged 17½–18)45·90
Sack and Bag	(aged 16) 42·40	(aged 17) 46·40
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment
(Other workers)		(aged 17)45·82
(Waiters /Waitresses)	(aged 17) 44·93

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are employed in the gas appliances manufacturing industry; and what were the comparable totals in each of the previous 10 years.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will bring up to date the information supplied to the hon. Member for Grimsby on 30 March, Official Report, c. 103–6, in reply to a question concerning the prices and levies payable under the common agricultural policy.

I have already done so as recently as my written answer of 2 July 1982.—[Vol. 26, c. 403–4.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if, prior to the reply of Monday 5 July, Official Report, c. 6, to the right hon. Member for Doncaster, stating that the Minister was satisfied with the existing voluntary arrangements for the determination of public house rents, he consulted the National Union of Licensed Victuallers;(2) when the voluntary code of practice which determines rents and leases for public houses, referred to in his reply to the right hon. Member for Doncaster on 5 July,

The voluntary code of practice on tenants security was drawn up and agreed by the Brewers Society and the National Union of Licensed Victuallers some years ago. It was last revised in May 1981, and I understand that guidelines for the arbitration procedures are currently under discussion.In the light of consultations with them, I can confirm that both parties support the current arrangements for dealing with cases of dispute between landlord and tenant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the granting of refugee status to Iranian students in the United Kingdom who are reluctant or refusing to return to Iran owing to the poor human rights record in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Recognition as a refugee under the convention relating to the status of refugees is based upon the establishment of a well-founded fear of persecution irrespective of the nationality of the applicant. Applications from Iranian students are considered accordingly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences for the sale of alcoholic beverages have been granted in the Crewe and Nantwich area in the last five years; and how many of them are club licences.

The latest available information relates to licences in force on 30 June 1980 and was published in "Liquor Licensing Statistics England and Wales: Supplementary tables 1980". Corresponding figures for 1976 to 1979 were published in "Liquor Licensing Statistics for England and Wales" for these respective years; copies of all these publications are in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to give the date when he anticipates the recommendations of the Boundary Commission for England will be laid before Parliament now that the commission has published revised proposals for every English county or metropolitan borough or indicated its intention not to do so.

My right hon. Friend intends to present an Order in Council giving effect to the new constituencies as soon as possible after the final recommendations of the Boundary Commission are received. The commission hopes to complete its review by the end of 1982 and to submit its report as soon as practicable thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs of ships of the following types. (a) HMS "Invincible", (b) HMS "Hermes", (c) SSNs, (d) SSKs, (e) type 21s (f) type 22s, (g) type 42s, (h) county class destroyers and (i) Leander frigates.

The average annual running cost at average 1981–82 prices and including associated aircraft costs but excluding the costs of major refits are:

	£ million
HMS "Invincible"	34·6
HMS "Hermes"	48·3
SSNs	7·5
SSKs (Oberon Class)	3·7
Type 21s	6·5
Type 22s	11·0
Type 42s	10·0
County class destroyers	7·0
Leander frigates	6·8

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual total running cost of the vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

On the latest available figures for a complete financial year (1980–81) the total running cost of all Royal Fleet Auxiliaries was £79 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the patrol by Royal Navy ships in the Gulf of Oman was maintained throughout the Falklands emergency.

Throughout the Falklands operation two warships, with afloat support, have continued to be available to come to the assistance of merchant shipping, if needed, in the Gulf of Oman. Since the end of May, this patrol has been carried out by a RN frigate and a RNZN frigate, HMNZS "Canterbury", under the full operational control of the Royal Navy.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if any non-Argentine nationals engaged in hostilities against British forces were killed in the Falkland Islands:(2) if any non-Argentine nationals were known to be serving with the Argentine forces in the Falkland Islands.

We have no knowledge of any non-Argentine nationals serving with the Argentine forces in the Falkland Islands.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the spending on defence in each year since 1950–51 expressed in terms of current funds.

Defence spending for the years requested is as follows. The figures do not take account of any changes in the definition of the defence budget over the period.

Year	£ million
1950–51	*780
1951–52	1,132
1952–5	31,393

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the maximum number of frigates and destroyers engaged in the South Atlantic task force at one time.

The number was 19. This figure is for the same date and is calculated on the same basis as the information given in reply to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara) on 15 July.—[Vol. 27, c. 450.]

asked the Minister for Trade (1) what evidence he has received in response to the Green Paper on copyright;(2) what consultations he has had with the record and video industries concerning the level of copyright infringement.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given on 8 July to the right hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. Steel)—[Vol. 27, c. 170–1.]

asked the Minister for Trade if he will set out in the Official Report the value of United Kingdom exports to the Republic of Chile in 1980 of (a) machinery, (b) chemicals and (c) whisky; and if he will set out also the value of United Kingdom imports from Chile in 1980 of (i) copper and (ii) agricultural produce.

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

asked the Minister for Trade what measures are being taken by his Department and trading organisations and others to promote British exports to the Republic of Chile; whether he expects the United Kingdom share of the Chilean market to show an increase in 1981; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Minister of Trade if he will list in the Official Report the four largest markets in Latin America for British goods; if he will give the current level of trade in each case; and if he will list the major items of exports and imports in each case with their individual values.

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

asked the Minister for Trade what were the exports to and imports from the EEC of gas appliances in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what were the comparable total amounts in the previous 10 years.

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

asked the Minister for Trade when the investigation by his Department into the expenses claims of members of the Yorkshire electricity consultative council is expected to be completed; to whom the findings will be communicated; and if he will publish the main findings of the investigation.

My staff is conducting an examination at the request of the Yorkshire electricity consultative council itself. It will report the results of its examination to the council and to me. I cannot yet say when the examination will be complete and what if any action it will then be appropriate to take.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider raising invalid care allowance to the equivalent rate of long-term supplementary benefit.

We have no plans to do so at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the rate of infant mortality in the Leek parliamentary constituency in the most recent year for which figures are available.

The information is as follows:

Infant mortality rate for Leek parliamentary constituency 1980
	Infant deaths	Live births
Biddulph UD	4	249
Leek UD	3	244
Cheadle RD	7	591

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer of the right hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Prentice) on 23 July 1979, Official Report, c. 95, if he will list the recommendations of the report of the Finer committee on one-parent families which relate to the work of his Department and the Office of Population Census and Surveys, showing whether the recommendation (a) has been implemented, (b) is under consideration or (c) was rejected.

Numbers of Deaths from Ischaemic Heart Disease 1971 to 1980
Hospital region of usual residence	Numbers										Regional	Health
1971 to 1973	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	Authority 1974 onwards
Newcastle	9,925	10,465	10,438	10,942	10,697	11,369	10,993	11,188	11,124	10,887	Northern
NE Metropolitan	8,613	9,220	9,058	10,465	10,908	10,773	10,554	10,846	10,824	10,491	NE Thames
NW Metropolitan	10,592	10,841	10,892	9,225	9,137	9,388	9,064	9,515	9,117	9,330	NW Thames
SE Metropolitan	10,625	11,354	11,533	11,755	12,081	11,698	11,756	12,136	11,350	11,259	SE Thames
SW Metropolitan	9,395	9,573	9,615	8,790	8,820	9,012	8,784	8,779	8,516	8,602	SW Thames
South Western	10,381	11,016	10,972	10,534	10,800	10,886	10,923	11,021	10,735	10,722	South Western
East Anglian	4,836	5,101	5,224	4,883	5,281	5,355	5,287	5,735	5,346	5,403	East Anglian
Oxford	4,719	4,941	5,096	5,123	5,222	5,369	5,186	5,447	5,473	5,494	Oxford
Wessex	6,368	6,592	6,785	8,068	8,145	8,250	8,153	8,486	8,269	8,273	Wessex
Manchester	15,400	16,211	16,160	14,492	14,499	14,687	14,598	15,205	14,402	14,527	North Western
Sheffield	12,919	13,536	13,625	13,997	13,781	14,409	14,600	15,118	14,546	14,225	Trent
Leeds	11,212	11,860	11,837	12,846	12,819	13,077	12,891	13,143	13,087	12,606	Yorkshire
Liverpool	6,086	6,658	6,706	7,593	7,571	7,648	7,813	8,008	7,858	7,526	Mersey
Birmingham	12,794	13,793	13,695	13,947	13,876	14,382	14,487	14,770	14,606	14,735	West Midlands

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average number on each general practitioner's panel in each regional health authority area.

The average number of patients on the lists of general medical practitioners on 1 October 1981 in each regional health authority area in England was as follows:

Regional Health Authority Area	Numbers
Northern	2,237
Yorkshire	2,186
Trent	2,309
East Anglia	2,118
NW Thames	2,194
NE Thames	2,221
SE Thames	2,197
SW Thames	2,215
Wessex	2,102
Oxford	2,221

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were receiving attendance allowance at the most recent count.

About 295,000 at 30 September 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in each region in England died of heart attacks in 1971 and each succeeding year.

The following table shows the number of deaths assigned to ischaemic heart disease (International Classification of Diseases Numbers 410–414) in each hospital region of England 1971 to 1980.

>Regional Health Authority Area	Numbers
South Western	2,053
West Midlands	2,233
Mersey	2,210
North Western	2,234

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many neonatal intensive care cots there are in each regional heath authority in England.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many paediatric pathologists are in post in each region;(2) how many perinatal deaths were examined post mortem by a paediatric pathologist

I regret that this information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to allow disabled children living in hospital or away from home in boarding houses, residential homes or hostels on 29 November to qualify for Christmas bonuses.

Payment of a Christmas bonus is dependent on entitlement to a qualifying social security benefit in the relevant week. The only such benefit payable to a disabled child is attendance allowance and we have no plans at present to alter the qualifying conditions for that benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why, in view of the underprovision of senior registrars in this specialty in the West Midlands region, his Department has informed the West Midlands regional health authority that it cannot appoint another senior registrar in rheumatology.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will elucidate regulation 5 of the Supplementary Benefit Uprating Regulations 1982, now laid before Parliament in draft.

Regulation 5 relates to the amounts payable under the single payments regulations for specified items of bedclothes, clothing and footwear. We have reviewed the rates introduced in the 1981 uprating by means of a survey of actual shop prices for the individual items in February 1982, to the results of which we have added a further 4 per cent. to allow for possible further increases in clothing prices from February to November 1982. Some clothing prices are lower than had been expected last year, and where the result of this year's

Annual average consumption of Electricity per consuming household and price per unit (inclusive of standing charges)
	England and Wales Annual Consumption*Price		Eastern Electricity Area Annual Consumption‡ Price
	(Kilowatt hours)	(Pence/Kwh)	(Kilowatt hours)	(Pence/Kwh)
1 June 1978	4,028	3·125	4,389	3·031
1 June 1979	4,158	3·388	4,504	3·307
1 June 1980	3,993	4·317	4,351	4·230
1 June 1981	3,883	5·319	4,221	4·994
1 June 1982†	3,883	5·798	4,221	5·434
* Consumption data relate to calendar years.
†Annual average consumption levels for 1981 have been used to calculate unit values.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish in the Official Report the average domestic consumption of gas per household (a) nationally and (b) in East Anglia; and what was the price per unit pertaining at 1 January and 1 June for each of those years.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what reviews are being carried out in the financing of the family practitioner service; who is to carry out the review; if he will give details of this; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 7 July 1982, c. 146]: The Government have been concerned for some time about the methods for controlling expenditure on the family practitioner services. We have therefore decided to commission an independent study by professional consultants of the present arrangements to see if any improvements can be made. The consultants' terms of reference will be—

"To examine and review the arrangements for forecasting and control of expenditure on the family practitioner services, including the possibility of operating a cash limit on part or all of the expenditure either separately or in conjunction with the hospital and community health services, and to make recommendations, compatible with the contractual status of the professions, the structure of the health services and the present nature and extent of the clinical services provided."

Tenders will be invited for the work from selected consultancy firms shortly with a view to a report being available early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish in the Official Report the average domestic consumption of electricity per household (a) nationally and (b) in East Anglia; and what was the price per unit pertaining on 1 June in each of those years.

The information is shown in the table. The domestic credit tariffs, inclusive of quarterly standing charges, have been applied to average consumption data to calculate unit price figures. No allowance has been made for electricity consumed on restricted hour tariffs.

The information is shown in the table. Average annual consumption data in the domestic sector are only available for financial years.The domestic credit tariffs, inclusive of quarterly standing charges, have been applied to average annual consumption data to calculate unit price figures. The unit prices for Great Britain were derived by weighing the price calculated for each of the gas area boards by the numbers of domestic consumers in each area.

Annual average consumption of gas per consuming household and price per unit (inclusive of standing charges)
	Great Britain Annual Consumption* Price		Eastern Gas Area Annual Consumption† Price
	(Therms)	(Pence/Therms)	(Therms)	(Pence/Therms)
1 January 1978	499	19·28	517	19·86
1 June 1978	551	18·90	575	19·40
1 January 1979	551	18·90	575	19·40
1 June 1979	556	20·35	574	20·94
1 January 1980	556	20·35	574	20·94
1 June 1980	561	23·67	599	24·08
1 January 1981	561	25·93	599	26·39
1 June 1981	589	29·32	623	29·29
1 January 1982	589	32·40	623	32·34
1 June 1982†	589	36·34	623	36·28
* Consumption data relate to Financial Years.
†Consumption levels for 1980–81 have been used to calculate unit values.

(1) asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will impose national safety standards on the sale of gas appliances at a level higher than the Common Market standard;(2) what representations he has had from manufacturers of gas appliances on the effect on their business and on consumer safety of the application of the Common Market standards in Great Britain;(3) what representations he has had from manufacturers of gas appliances about the effect on their exports to the Common Market in cases where national standards have been imposed on top of the Common Market standards.

There are no mandatory EC standards in respect of the safety of gas appliances.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied that no additional danger to the public has resulted from permitting the import of gas appliances from the Common Market which conform to lower safety standards than the previous British standard and the standard required by British Gas.

At present there are no mandatory United Kingdom standards relating to gas appliances. The same voluntary standards can be applied to imported appliances as to United Kingdom manufactured appliances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the wearing of tennis clothes bearing the colours and logo of the Kim brand of cigarettes by the winner and other contestants in the recent ladies tennis championship at Wimbledon constituted a breach of the voluntary agreement on cigarette sports sponsorship; if he proposes to raise the matter with British American Tobacco, the manufacturers and advertisers; and if he will make a statement.

At my request my officials contacted British American Tobacco about this apparent breach of the voluntary agreement immediately the Wimbledon championships closed. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as I have completed my inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licences were granted to take peregrine falcons from the wild in 1979, 1981 and 1982 to the most recent practicable date; and what were the principal reasons for the licences being granted.

No licences have been issued to take peregrine falcons in England and Wales during the period 1979–1982 inclusive. In Scotland the information requested is as follows:—

Year	Number Issued	Purpose
1979	None	—
1980	5	4—Falconry
		*1—Captive
		Breeding
1981	2	Falconry
1982	2	Falconry
* The licence permitted the taking of 4 peregrines which were exported to Czechoslovakia for a captive breeding project.

Short asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent advice he has had from local authority associations about the future of the fire services, including jobs, if the Government's spending plans for local authorities keep to their targets in the current and the next two financial years.

Reports have been prepared on the implications of the Government's expenditure plans for Home Office services and for local environmental services. These reports are compiled on a confidential basis by officials from central and local government. My right hon. Friend and I are to discuss them at the consultative council on local government finance next week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he proposes to take following his paper on the "Public Purchasing of Construction Products" presented to the building economic development committee.

Copies of my paper to the building EDC have been placed in the Library. It reflects the Government's view that public sector purchasers can have a major influence of the quality of British construction products, and thus on the demand for them both at home and overseas. Public sector purchasers can help to secure improvements to the range and quality of British standards and any related international standards. They can also encourage well founded independent quality assurance schemes, as they will naturally prefer to buy products which offer purchasers such protection.The largest Government purchaser of building products is the Property Services Agency. The PSA has made significant progress in incorporating quality assurance requirements within its procurement practices. It has agreed with the British Standards Institute a list of areas where it regards the improvement of existing standards, or the development of new ones, as a priority. This list will be incorporated in the BSI's programme of work. PSA will now require certain materials and products they use to carry a BSI kitemark. Twenty-six types of products are covered by this requirement; more will be added in due course. The agency will also give preference to suitable agrément certified products for which there is no suitable standard.The building EDC firmly supported the policy of improving the quality and marketability of British construction products and welcomes the impetus given to this by the PSA. I am now writing to representatives of major public sector purchasers to seek their active cooperation in pursuing this policy across the whole range of public procurement of construction products.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to publish the White Paper on radioactive waste management.

I hope that the White Paper will be published jointly by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Scotland and for Wales next week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to take steps to reduce the official lead safety level following the recent survey of blood lead levels in European Economic Community countries, including the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what recent advice he has received from scientists that the official lead safety level should be lowered; and what action he intends to take;(2) if he will issue a circular to local authorities advising them to carry out investigations to trace the source of lead if anyone is found with a level higher than 25 microgrammes per millilitre of blood; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take to lower the level of lead pollution, in the light of the findings of the European Economic Community blood lead survey.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 July 1982, c. 302]: There is no "official lead safety level". A blood-lead level of 80 microgrammes per 100 millilitres has long been regarded as one above which there is a serious health risk; in recent years, a level between 35 and 80 microgrammes per 100 millilitres has been thought such as to warrant investigation and remedial action; the Lawther working party on lead and health advised that the possibility of harm to children in the 35–80 microgrammes per 100 millilitres range could not be ruled out; and the following passage is to be included in advice which is shortly to be issued to local authorities:

"the Department of Health and Social Security advise that where a person—particularly a child—is confirmed as having a blood-lead level over 25 microgrammes per 100 millilitres, his or her environment should be investigated for sources of lead and steps taken to reduce exposure."

The results of the 1981 EC survey, which concentrated on people chosen for their higher than normal risk of exposure to lead pollution, indicate that the overwhelming majority of United Kingdom blood-lead levels are well below 25 microgrammes per 100 millilitres—a level which of course includes a substantial margin of safety.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding the regulations covering the buying of cars on hire purchase.

The president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited has written to the Prime Minister. Representations have been received from other motor trade bodies and institutions involved in hire purchase in the past, and from time to time there are letters from other members of the public. The regulations themselves are the responsibility of the Minister for Trade, and we keep them under review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will remove value added tax charges on courses in adult and continuing education; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend will be aware from my earlier reply of 14 June—[Vol. 25. c. 200–1]—that there is already a wide measure of relief from VAT for adult and continuing education courses. The Government do not propose to alter the present arrangements which have been in force since the beginning of the tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he took to bring to the attention of elderly, blind and other disabled people the introduction of the new 20p coin; if there is any special action he plans to take in regard to publicising among such people the introduction of £1 coin; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 July, c. 283]: Early in 1981 a number of organisations representing the interests of elderly, blind and other disabled people were consulted about the proposed specifications for the 20p and £1 coins. These included the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind in the United Kingdom, St. Dunstans, the National League of the Blind and Disabled, the Rheumatism and Arthritis Association, the Spastics Society, the Muscular Dystrophy Group, Age Concern and Help the Aged.In addition, the new coins received wide publicity. Several radio programmes, including a number of special broadcasts for the blind, carried interviews about the proposed 20p coin. These broadcasts led to direct contacts with interested local groups. Similar publicity is planned when the £1 coin is introduced next year and it is hoped to extend the range of contacts then.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider introducing legislation to provide concessionary rates of travel to those caring for an elderly, handicapped or disabled dependant who has been certified as unfit to travel alone.

Local authorities have powers to provide concessionary fares for elderly, blind and physically disabled people, but not their companions. At present, I am not aware that this causes any significant difficulty or hardship, or limits the transport facilities which operators may provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what special factors have caused him to decide that driving examiners shall not be required to wear seat belts during their examination; and whether he is considering applying the same criteria to driving instructors during their instruction;(2) what driving instructor organisations he has consulted on the question of exemption from compulsory wearing of seat belts during the course of driving instruction; and what views on the matter were expressed to him;(3) what consideration in drafting proposed exemptions to the compulsory wearing of seat belts he has given as to whether untrained pupils are likely to endanger their driving instructors.

My right hon. Friend consulted the National Joint Council of Approved Driving Instructor Organisations, the Driving Instructors Scottish Council, the Driving Instructors Association, the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd, the National Association of Approved Driving Instructors and the RAC Register of Instructors. He carefully considered the views expressed by the National Association of Approved Driving Instructors in favour of discretionary exemption for instructors and by the National Joint Council seeking exemption when the vehicle is reversing. He decided that there was no justification for providing exemption only for instructors beyond that when the vehicle was reversing. Unlike instructors who are supervising unqualified drivers, examiners are testing them and therefore may only act at the last possible moment when candidates have had every chance to take avoiding action.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which metropolitan district council areas and non-metropolitan district council areas in England and Wales have no facilities for part I of the two-part motor cycle driving test which commenced on 29 March.

I have arranged for lists showing the locations of the sites at which part I of the driving test for motor bicycles may be conducted to be placed in the Library of the House. I have also arranged for copies to be given to the right hon. Member.The first list sets out the 500 or so sites in England and Wales at which appointed training bodies may conduct part I of the test. This is drawn up by reference to the areas of the county councils and London boroughs because these authorities normally themselves exercise the road safety powers and responsibilities in their areas. Their road safety officers have received a copy of the list.The second list shows the locations of the heavy goods vehicle driving test centres at which the Department of Transport examines part I of the motor cycle driving test.The locations have not been classified by district council area, but I think the lists provide a reasonably full picture of the geographical coverage of part I test facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which bypass schemes were either withdrawn from the trunk road programme or placed in the temporarily suspended list by the 1980 and 1981 roads White Papers.

The 1980 White Paper (Cmnd. 7908) recorded the withdrawal of one specific bypass—for Ilkley on the A65 following local opposition to the proposal. None have been withdrawn since. The White Paper also announced the temporary suspension of design work on the specific bypasses listed as follows in order to concentrate resources on a realistic programme of more urgent schemes. Work has already resumed on those marked with an asterisk and I hope to resume work on more later this year.The 1981 White Paper (Cmnd. 8496) announced the suspension of a further two specific bypasses—also listed below—where there is no prospect at present of finding a route acceptable to local opinion which also makes sense in terms of cost and traffic benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated annual mileage by class of vehicle in 1981 in Great Britain for (a) private cars, (b) vans and taxis, (c) motor cycles, (d) buses and coaches and (e) goods vehicles.

The information requested will be available in "Transport Statistics Great Britain 1971–1981" later this year. Data for earlier years are available in table 2.1 of the 1970–1980 edition.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the length in kilometres as at April 1981 for each English region of the following categories of roads (a) trunk motorways, (b) trunk roads other than motorways and (c) all other roads.

The information requested will be available in "Transport Statistics Great Britain 1971–1981" later this year. Data for earlier years are available in table 2.37 of the 1970–1980 edition.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service why she cannot say whether or not Her Majesty's Government will publish an up-to-date list of Ministers' responsibilities within their Departments before the House rises for the Summer Recess; and to what extent this derives from uncertainty about the allocation of ministerial responsibilities, and from practical problems of printing and distribution.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 14 July—[Vol. 27, c. 408.] The delay in giving him that answer was due to an unfortunate administrative error and not to the reasons he suggests.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many Common Market countries imposed national safety standards on the import and sale of gas appliances after the agreement on a European standard; and if these national standards have had an effect on the export of British appliances.

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