asked the Minister for Trade how much of the herbicide 2,4,5-T has been imported into the United Kingdom over the past 12 months and the past 24 months, respectively, and how much of this quantity has been retained for domestic usage and how much exported in each case.

This substance is not separately distinguished in the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics. I understand that according to HM Customs' special chemicals return 50 tonnes and 321 tonnes respectively were imported in the 12 months and the 24 months to August 1982. No corresponding information is available in respect of exports.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on the result of the discussions which took place at the meeting of the European Economic Community Council of Ministers on 25 and 26 October in relation to further progress on the multi-fibre arrangement bilateral trade negotiations.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement upon the outcome of the European Economic Community Council of Ministers' meeting regarding the multi-fibre arrangement bilateral trade negotiations.

The Council discussed the Commission's report on progress in the bilateral negotiations up to the end of September. The Council instructed the Commission to renew negotiations in regard to the three dominant suppliers, Hong Kong, South Korea and Macao. It affirmed the existing negotiating mandate and instructed the Commission to renew negotiations on the basis of it. In regard to the ASEAN countries which have not yet initialled agreements—Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines arid Singapore—the Council authorised some limited adaptation which would not if accepted by the other parties involve any amendment to the global ceilings.The Commission is to report upon its efforts to reach agreements with these suppliers in time to enable the Council to take a final decision as to whether the Community should continue to participate in the MFA next year.Finally, the Council instructed the Commission to proceed with the preparation of unilateral measures in respect of those countries which might not have initialled agreements, which would enter into force at the beginning of January if the remaining negotiations are not concluded successfully by the end of the year. In such an event, the Council decided that the agreements already initialled should be honoured and applied from 1 January 1983.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on the current negotiations on the multi-fibre arrangement.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 October 1982, c. 239]: The list of countries with whom negotiations under the multi-fibre arrangement have been suspended should have included Indonesia, which was omitted in error.

asked the Minister for Trade how many tonnes of finished and unfinished steel were imported into the United Kingdom during the last 12 months from Brazil, Spain, Korea, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Comecon countries.

The information is as follows:

United Kingdom Imports of Steel Industry Products (Finished and Unfinished) From September 1981 to August 1982
	"000 tonnes
Brazil	55·7
Spain	174·7
South Korea	19·0
Japan	51·6
France	406·0
West Germany	1,026·9
Italy	286·5
Belgium/Luxembourg	395·3
Comecon*	195·0

asked the Minister for Trade if he will publish figures showing the current level of import penetration of the United Kingdom market for steel by other members of the European Economic Community as compared with each of the last three years.

The available information is as follows:

United Kingdom Imports of Steel Industry Products as a Percentage of United Kingdom Consumption
Imports from	1979	1980	1981	1982*
				First half
Belgium/Luxembourg	3·2	4·5	3·3	2·8
Denmark	0·7	0·7	0·7	0·7
France	2·0	3·8	2·7	3·1
Federal Republic of Germany	4·7	8·8	7·7	7·9
Greece	0·0	0·1	0·0	0·1
Irish Republic	0·1	0·2	0·2	0·2
Italy	1·5	2·0	1·7	2·4
Netherlands	3·0	4·2	4·3	4·0

asked the Minister for Trade if he will publish figures indicating the extent to which imports of steel into the United Kingdom from each of the other European Economic Community countries have changed during recent months; and if he will give similar figures for wire rod, reinforcing bars and merchant bars.

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

asked the Minister for Trade if it has yet been decided who should replace Lord Limerick when his term of office as chairman of the Overseas Trade Board expires in March 1983.

My right hon. and noble Friend has announced that it is his intention to appoint Lord Jellicoe, who is already a member of the British Overseas Trade Board, as chairman of the board from 1 April 1983.

asked the Minister for Trade whether he has decided what action to take on the report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on roadside advertising services; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 12 May 1982, c. 249–50]:The 10 companies which were members of British Posters Limited, which has now ceased trading, have furnished undertakings to my right hon. and noble Friend that they will provide the Director General of Fair Trading with particulars of any joint selling arrangements with another contractor to which they are, or become, party and, at the Director General's request, with details of sales revenue and stocks of panels both in relation to sales effected through joint selling arrangements and direct sales.

asked the Minister for Trade what was the total volume of steel imports from the European Economic Community and the rest of the world, respectively, in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; what were the comparable figures for each of the previous 10 years; and if he will publish a table showing European Economic Community and rest of the world imports as percentages of steel imports in each of the years concerned.

[pursuant to the reply, 21 October 1982, c. 171]: Annual figures and the latest available information for 1982 are as follows:

United Kingdom imports of steel industry products
	'000 tonnes		Percentage from
	From EC	From non-EC countries	EC	Non-EC countries
*1972	1,191	1,470	45	55
1973	1,534	1,244	55	45
1974	2,744	1,053	72	28
†1975	2,587	1,133	70	30
†1976	2,597	1,508	64	36
1977	2,342	1,391	63	37
1978	2,241	1,441	61	39
1979	2,354	1,443	62	38
‡1980	3,068	1,572	66	34
1981	2,515	824	76	24
January to July 1982	1,631	834	67	33

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bypass road projects in Scotland have been abandoned or suspended or reduced in size since May 1979.

None on trunk roads. Projects on other roads are the responsibility of the regional and islands councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of Scottish agricultural land currently falls within the definition of a less favoured area;(2) what percentage of Scottish agricultural land currently falls within the definition of marginal land.

88 per cent. and 1 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department has studied the work at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research on developing an improved whooping cough vaccine; when clinical trials are envisaged; and if he will make a statement.

My Department is aware of the centre's work on whooping cough vaccine. I understand that satisfactory progress is being made and that studies to determine potency and toxicity are now being undertaken. Clinical trials would follow if those studies were successful.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many infants in Scotland between the ages of 2 years and 5 years have started on a course of whooping cough—pertussis—protection following the recommendations of Health Ministers; and whether these children are being recommended a course of vaccination as are infants under the age of one year.

The information requested in the first part of the question is not available centrally. Quarterly returns on vaccinations made by health boards refer only to the number of completed courses in each preceding quarter.The course of vaccination against whooping cough, that is three doses of the vaccine, is recommended for all children up to the sixth birthday.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to improve measles immunisation rates as part of the World Health Organisation drive to eradicate the disease.

The United Kingdom endorses the World Health Organisation's expanded programme of immunisation and undertakes, as public policy, the immunisations, including those against measles, it recommends.The uptake of measles vaccination in Scotland has shown only slight improvement in recent years and is now about 54 per cent. in children under three years of age. The Scottish health education group has been supporting local campaigns designed to increase vaccine acceptance rates. With the assistance of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation my Department is keeping under review further ways in which the uptake can be increased.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many places are now available in Scotland for offenders subject to a community service order made in the courts; how many such orders have been made in the latest convenient period; if he can make any estimate of the number of reports indicating that an offender is suitable for community service but no place is available which have been submitted to the courts in the latest convenient period; and if he will list those local authority areas where the community service order scheme is not in operation.

Information is not available centrally about the number of places available for offenders subject to a community service order, or about the number of cases in which reports may have indicated that an offender was suitable for community service but no place was available. Statistics of community service orders are processed on an annual basis: the most recent figures available are for 1981, when a total of 1,192 offenders were sentenced to undertake community service.There are at present no schemes in operation in the Dumfries and Galloway and Borders regions: a scheme was prepared in Highland region for Inverness but was suspended in August 1981. Some parts of Central, Fife, Grampian and Strathclyde regions are not yet covered by the regional schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons have been convicted for vandalism under section 78 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 for the latest period for which figures are available; and how many persons have been convicted for malicious mischief in the same period and for a similar convenient period preceding the date on which section 78 of the 1980 Act came into effect.

Section 78 of the Act came into effect on 1 February 1981. The figures requested are given in the following table. Figures for 1982 are not yet available.

Persons against whom a charge was proved
Scotland
Period	*Vandalism	Malicious Mischief
1 February 1980 to 31 December 1980	n.a.	3,959
1 February 1981 to 31 December 1981	2,379	2,290
*Under Section 78 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland for the latest convenient period, how many compensation orders were made under section 58 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 in Scottish courts.

From 1 April 1981, when section 58 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act came into effect, until 31 December 1981, 2,386 compensation orders were made by Scottish courts. Figures for 1982 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now determined a new financial duty for the factory provision functions of the Scottish Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

The Scottish Development Agency has been informed of my determination in the following terms:

"Having regard to its statutory functions and to the Government's Guidelines it will be the duty of the Agency to earn the best practicable financial return from the purchase and development of land and the construction and letting of factories. To this end, in providing and letting industrial premises the Agency will aim to achieve:

(a) rental income from new and modernised premises completed during a rolling 3–year period at least equivalent to an agreed return on the all-in capital investment in such premises. The target return is to be agreed annually with the Scottish Office;

(b) a financial surplus (or deficit) resulting from the whole operation of its industrial estates and factory provision operations, at least equal to the amount set out in the annual operational budget of relevant income and expenditure to be agreed each year with the Scottish Office."

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will take the necessary steps to invite the House to ban the parking of cars of foreign origin in the underground garage.

No.

asked the Attorney-General what is the cost to public funds in the legal aid budget caused by the difficulty of waiting time in magistrates' courts.

The Law Society has estimated that the cost during 1982–83 will be about £9 million.

asked the Attorney-General what steps he takes to verify changes in the financial status of legally aided litigants after a certificate has been granted;, and whether he is satisfied with the present arrangements.

Changes are verified by a redetermination of resources on the same basis as the original determination. This would seem to be the only possible criterion.

asked the Attorney-General if he has considered taking steps to reduce the length of legal vacations.

There are no formal vacations in either the Crown Court or in the County Courts. Sections 57(4) and 71(4) of the Supreme Court Act 1981, now in force since 1 September, enable non-urgent as well as urgent business to be taken in the High Court and the Court of Appeal during vacation. The Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) has always sat in vacation as necessary. There are, however, difficulties inherent in assembling juries (where required), witnesses and court staff during normal holiday periods. It is not thought that further provision in addition to the above would at present be rewarding.

asked the Attorney-General whether he has plans to introduce written submissions to the Court of Appeal similar to the written cases at present submitted in appeals to the House of Lords.

The report of the working party under Lord Justice Scarman, as he then was, on the work of the civil division of the Court of Appeal recommended against any change in the practice of oral argument in the court, but the working party did recommend other improvements in the preparation of documents for appeal, and in particular the introduction of perfected notices of appeal setting out the grounds of appeal in more detail with reference to the evidence. These recommendations and other improvements in practice have now been implemented with effect from 1 October 1982.

asked the Attorney-General whether Her Majesty's Government will implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission on legal services (Cmnd. 7648) at paragraph 23.30 and set up an inquiry to review the issue of limited liability for claims of negligence against solicitors and members of other professions.

The limitation of professional liability is being reviewed by a sub-committee of the United Kingdom Inter Professional Group. It is understood that this committee is now considering the comments of the governing bodies of the professions on its preliminary reports. It is not proposed at present to set up a separate Government inquiry into the same topic.

asked the Attorney-General what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the issue of limited liability for claims of negligence against solicitors and members of other professions.

No request has yet been received by the Government from the governing body of any profession to make any change in the law relating to professional liability and there are at present no plans to do so.

asked the Attorney-General what consideration he has given to the recommendation of the Law Commission that wives who help buy the family home need greater protection.

In their report on the implications of Williams and Glyn's Bank Ltd. v Boland (Law Corn. No. 115) which was published in August, the Law Commission makes a number of recommendations. These are presently under consideration.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give (a) the average and (b)the longest time from submitting an appeal against conviction to the Registrar of Criminal Appeals to the obtaining of transcripts of the trial or relevant parts thereof and the placing of the papers before a single judge.

The information sought is not recorded in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The average period between a request by the Registrar of criminal appeals for a transcript and the delivery of the transcript to him is at present 5·2 weeks.

asked the Prime Minister if, in the light of his call on the Government to abandon its plans to privatise key nationalised industries such as British Telecom and British Airways, she will dismiss the Director General of the National Economic Development Office.

No. The Director General is head of the independent National Economic Development Office and as such is free to express his own views on industrial and economic policy.

asked the Prime Minister whether she has set up the committee on the security of information stored in computers, the establishment of which was recommended by the Security Commission and referred to by her in answers to questions in the House on 20 July, Official Report, c. 214; and whether she will make a statement.

This committee has been established and is at work.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer of 19 October, how many women are being trained on the Manpower Services Commission programme for women only ; in which skills they are being trained; what percentage of them have found permanent jobs at the end of their training; and what is the total cost to public funds of these schemes.

In 1981–82, 600 women completed training under the Manpower Services Commission's programme for women only as part of the training opportunities scheme. The programme comprises firstly courses designed for women returning to the labour market after a long absence. These include:

(a) Basic wider opportunities for women courses where particular skill training is not normally provided as they are designed to offer information on local job opportunities, some job sampling, and to help to build confidence and improve self presentation.

(b) Experimental wider opportunities courses for women returning to employment in occupations involving or affected by new technology which offer some relevant basic skill training.

(c) Courses for women returning to work at managerial or professional level, which were offered in two centres in 1981–82.

After the courses at

asked the Prime Minister pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for West Lothian on 20 October, Official Report, c. 134, when she expects to be in a position to estimate the amount of increase in the defence budget for each future year as a result of the replacement of equipment lost in the Falklands conflict; and if she will make a statement.The Prime Minister: Public expenditure allocations for future years have not yet been decided.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will now update the information she gave to the House in her statement on security on 20 July with any other information now available to her.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on security, further to her statement of 20 July.

I cannot add to my statement of 20 July as the case concerned is sub judice.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what representations he has received opposing the Medical Research Council's research trial on the effects of folic acid supplements in affecting the incidence of neural tube disorders in foetuses;(2) whether mothers who have already been delivered of an infant suffering from a neural tube disorder are being excluded from the Medical Research Council's trial on the effect of folic acid supplements on the incidence of the disorder; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a letter from the hon. Member for Halifax (Dr. Summerskill) enclosing a letter from a constituent questioning the use of placebo tablets in the trials and a letter from the hon. Member for Crewe (Mrs. Dunwoody) asking why it is necessary to conduct trials rather than to administer multivitamins freely to those who might benefit. In both cases I have replied explaining that scientifically reliable trials are considered necessary in order to be sure of the beneficial effects claimed in respect of the treatment and that the Medical Research Council will be conducting the proposed trials with due regard to ethical considerations.I understand that a final decision about the launching of the trials has not yet been taken but that the intention is to recruit women who have had a recent termination of pregnancy following the diagnosis of a foetal neural tube defect. Women who have already been delivered of an infant with a neural tube defect diagnosed at birth are not specifically excluded; if the latter group plan a further pregnancy they will be eligible for entry into the proposed trial.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present position on the east infill project at the British Museum (Natural History); and if he will make a statement.

The position is as described in the letter I have sent to the chairman of trustees, which is printed in full. It is dated 25 October 1982.The East Infill ProjectI was grateful to you and your fellow Trustees for coming to tell me about this project and its place in your plans. As you know, and as we discussed, the Advisory Board for the Research Councils had advised me that—following reassessment of their earlier support for the project against the present and prospective financial situation, the consequences for university research and the demands of new areas of research of high scientific priority—they could no longer recommend that capital funds on the scale envisaged should be committed to the purposes of this project.I have considered carefully what you said to me, and the Board's advice (which will be published shortly in full). I have decided to accept that advice, although with great reluctance, because I know of your problems of overcrowding consequent on your very successful long term exhibition policy in which the East Infill project was so central. I do this solely on financial grounds and without in any way impugning the merits of the project. My decision necessarily implies, I fear, that I see no prospect of funding for alternative major capital work for the Museum within the horizon of the public expenditure survey.I know that Trustees and the staff who have worked on this project with such dedication for 10 years and more will be greatly disappointed by my decision as, less directly but no less importantly, will your extensive visiting public. I know too that you will now need urgently to consider the implications of the decision for your policy in all its aspects, from the present pressures on amenity to the Museums longer term plans. I, and Mr. Shelton (whom I have asked to keep closely in touch with your work) with the officers of the Department, will be ready to help in any ways we can in that assessment; and I hope that you and your officers will feel absolutely free to seek discussion with us at any time.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he has received from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on the level of the science budget and its distribution between the research bodies; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils a report advising me on the scale and distribution of the science budget for 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86. On the recommendation of the board, I have arranged for its report "The Science Budget: A Forward Look 1982" to be published today; copies are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of both Houses.I have recently announced my decision regarding the Rothschild review of the SSRC and I am announcing today my decision on the Natural History Museum's east infill building project. I will announce my decision on the size of the science budget and the recommended allocations for 1983–84 when the current public expenditure survey has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he is taking to encourage the British motor car industry to produce vehicles designed to run on lead-free petrol for the American and Japanese markets.

Schemes are available under the Science and Technology Act 1965 enabling the Secretary of State to provide financial assistance towards industrial research and development up to and including the launch of new or significantly improved products and processes.The United Kingdom automobile industry as well as relevant research organisations and companies are encouraged to take full advantage of these schemes and as a result carry out R & D on a wide range of topics including the optimisation of engine performance to meet the various environmental and energy legislative requirements in both home and overseas countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish figures showing the changes in volume of steel production in each European Economic Community country comparing current levels with those of 1979, and indicating figures for total capacity and production as a percentage of capacity.

The figures requested are given in the attached table.The figures requested are given below for 1979 and 1981—the latest year for which they are available.

	capacity	1979 production	utilisation
	millions of tonnes of crude steel		per cent.
United Kingdom	28·9	21·5	74
West Germany	68·8	46·0	67
Italy	37·0	24·0	65
France	32·0	234	73
Belgium	19·7	13·4	68
Luxembourg	7·3	5·0	68
Netherlands	8·4	5·8	69
Denmark	1·2	0·8	67
Greece	n/a	n/a	n/a
Ireland	0·1	0·07	70

	capacity	1981 production	utilisation
	millions of tonnes of crude steel		per cent.
United Kingdom	25·5	15·4	60
West Germany	67·7	41·6	61
Italy	39·8	24·8	62
France	29·6	21·2	72
Belgium	19·1	12·2	64
Luxembourg	6·4	3·8	59
Netherlands	8·6	5·5	64
Denmark	0·9	0·6	67
Greece	2·4	0·9	38
Ireland	0·3	0·03	*10

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement indicating the scale of rationalisation and reduction of capacity that has taken place in the United Kingdom steel industry in recent years; and if he will list the private sector steel works that have been closed down during the same period.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish a table showing steel capacity and steel production, respectively, in the United Kingdom and the rest of the EEC, respectively, in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and if he will publish comparable totals for the previous 10 years.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 October 1982, c. 285]: Information as is readily available for comparable periods is given in the following table.

Million tonnes
	Crude steel production(1)(3)		Crude steel capacity(2)(3)
	UK	Rest of EEC	UK	Rest of EEC
1972	25·3	114·4	31·0	143·2
1973	26·6	124·5	28·9	146·9
1974	22·3	134·1	27·8	152·4
1975	20·1	106·4	27·0	164·2

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the total consumption and production of steel in the United Kingdom, respectively, in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures in the same period of each of the previous 10 years.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 October 1982, c. 285]: Information as is readily available for comparable periods is given in the following table:

Million tonnes
	United Kingdom consumption of steel (1)	United Kingdom production of crude steel (2)
1972	16·8	25·3
1973	18·5	26·6
1974	17·6	22·3
1975	15·5	20·1
1976	15·8	22·3
1977	15·3	20·4
1978	15·6	20·3
1979	15·2	21·5
1980	12·6	*11·3
1981	12·1	15·6
		11·0
1982 (first quarter)	3·4	†January-September

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations he has received from Mr. Ian Macgregor or other members of the board that board members of the British Steel Corporation should receive a basic salary of $100,000 or that they should receive performance-related bonuses; and if he will make a statement.

Recommendations on the level of pay of the executive members of the BSC board are made to my right hon. Friend by a salaries committee composed of non-executive BSC board members. At my right hon. Friend's suggestion, the salaries committee has looked at the possibility of linking executive board members' pay to performance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons have been granted British citizenship through (a) naturalisation and (b) registration in each of the past three years;(2) if he will publish in the

The number of applications for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies granted in the United Kingdom in the past three years is as follows:

	Naturalisation	Registration
1979	2,020	22,566
1980	4,305	23,231
1981	6,044	42,549

Further information, including information about the previous nationality of persons acquiring citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies, is given in the published "Tables of Persons acquiring citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies" for 1979 (Cmnd. 7998), 1980 (Cmnd. 8325) and 1981 (Cmnd. 8627) of which copies are in the Library.It will only become possible to grant the new status of British citizenship when the British Nationality Act 1981 comes into force on 1 January 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest waiting period for persons applying for (a) naturalisation and (b) registration as British citizens.

It is estimated that the current average waiting time is 24 months for an application for naturalisation, 23, months for an application for registration at discretion, and 11 months for an application for registration as an entitlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of persons who have applied for citizenship through (a) naturalisation and (b) registration at the latest date for which figures are available.

The numbers of persons who have applied for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies in each of the years 1979–1982 is as follows:

	Number of applications received
	Naturalisation	Registration
1979	5,812	42,766
1980	7,033	43,459
1981	9,714	60,378
1982 (—30 September)	5,746	39,894

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewisham West on 18 October, Official Report, c. 24, if he will set out in the Official Report the criteria he uses to decide whether an officer of the Metropolitan Police shall be entitled to support from public funds in actions of defamation; and whether the seniority of such officers is a factor in any such decisions.

The defamation must be serious and it must have attracted substantial publicity; it must be shown to be in the interests of the force, or the police service as a whole, to take proceedings; and there must be a reasonable chance of a successful action. The seniority of the officer concerned does not affect the application of these criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West on 18 October, Official Report,c. 24, what was the cost to public funds in each of the actions named therein; and whether the damages in the cases which have been concluded have been used to offset fully any cost to public funds.

There were no costs to public funds in the actions which have been concluded, as the plaintiffs' costs were paid by the defendants. The position regarding costs in the remaining cases will not be known until they have been concluded.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received from the gas and electricity industries concerning his suggestion that they re-examine the possibility of helping small consumers by limiting standing charges to not more than half of any particular bill.

The BGC and the Electricity Council have agreed to consider this proposal further.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will estimate for how many pensioners the standing charge is more than 50 per cent. of each quarterly fuel bill.

Precise figures are not available, but it is estimated that the total number of consumers for whom standing charges exceed 50 per cent. of their bills, and who might therefore benefit under a scheme for limiting them to 50 per cent. of a quarterly bill, is about 1 million gas consumers and about 750,000 electricity consumers. Around half of these would be pensioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will now publish the review of standing charges which his Department has been jointly undertaking with the Department of Health and Social Security since January 1982.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Cannock (Mr. Roberts) on 20 October.—[Vol. 29, c. 132.] Work is proceeding. I do not propose to publish further results at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the level of subsidy received by the British coal industry during the last three years; and if he will publish such information as is available to him as to the level of subsidy received by coal industries in Brazil, Spain, Korea, Japan, France, Germany, Belgium and the Comecon countries.

Production subsidies to the coal industries of Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom have been as follows in the last three years:

million
	1979*	1980*	1981*
Belgium	207·8	181·9	152·1
France	334·1	281·5	218·3
Federal Republic of Germany	716·5	670·0	627·6
United Kingdom	189·1	174·9	455·1
* For the United Kingdom the subsidies relate to financial years 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82.

Subsidies have also been provided for social costs such as pensions, transfer and redundancy payments totalling £170 million in 1981–82. Comparable data for the Community coal industries are not available because social security arrangements vary widely in the different countries. My Department does not have details of any operating subsidies for the coal industries of Brazil, Korea, Japan, Spain and the Comecon countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total reduction in Civil Service jobs between January 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available for each country of the United Kingdom.

Information is not available in terms of the number of jobs reduced, but the total reduction in civil servants between 1 January 1979 and 1 April 1982 for each country of the United Kingdom was as follows:

	1.1.79 Staff in post	1.4.82 Staff in post	Reduction in Staff in post
England	605,200	546,800	58,400
Scotland	70,600	66,700	3,900
Wales	40,600	37,600	3,100
Northern Ireland	6,500	5,600	900
Elsewhere	10,200	9,700	600
Total	733,200	666,400	66,800

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement as to the difficulties being experienced by the Custom and Excise in raising value added tax due from United Kingdom corporations; and what is his estimate of the value added tax arrears for each of the past 12 months.

There have been no difficulties in collecting VAT from United Kingdom corporations which have not also been encountered in collecting VAT from non-corporate traders. With all traders the major difficulty is the tendency to retain tax collected from customers after it is due to be paid to Customs and Excise in order to improve cash flow at the expense of the revenue. However, the collection of VAT from large VAT payers, including most of the large United Kingdom corporations, has continued to be satisfactory.During the first eight months of 1982 almost one-third of the tax due from the large VAT payers was received on or before the due date and less that 5 per cent. was still outstanding at 30 days after due date. Customs and Excise is continuing its efforts to improve the compliance of the minority of large payers who regularly delay payment.As at 8 October 1982 the total amount of VAT outstanding on unpaid returns and assessments for each of the latest tweleve months for which information is available is estimated to be:

Tax Period*ended	$ million
31 August 1981	55
30 September 1981	40
31 October 1981	35
31 November 1981	35
31 December 1981	30
31 January 1982	45
28 February 1982	45
31 March 1982	40
30 April 1982	70
31 May 1982	120
30 June 1982	100
31 July 1982	250
* The periods ended 31 August 1981 and 30 September 1981 were each six months; all the other periods were three months.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what element of privatisation has been undertaken at the Central Office of Information; what has been the saving in terms of cash and manpower in 1982–83; and what is projected for 1983–84.

The Central Office of Information has carried out privatisation in three areas: the film and videotape handling operations of the central film library; certain directing and editing functions in film production; and the mailing of certain publications.The savings in cash and manpower in 1982–83 will be:

	Manpower	Cash£
Central film library	38	15,000
Film production	26	105,000
Publications mailing	2	7,000
	66	127,000

Projected savings for 1983–84 are:

	Cash£
Central film library	15,000
Film production	100,000
Publications mailing	7,000
	122,000

The possibility of further privatisation in the financial year 1983–84 is under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recipients of supplementary benefit are paying income tax.

Liability to income tax does not, in general, arise in cases where supplementary benefit is received for the whole financial year. A person may be liable for tax if he receives supplementary benefit for part of the year and income from other sources in the remainder of the year; however, information is not available on which to base an estimate of the number of these cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a)the number of taxpayers aged 75 years and over, the number of these which are couples and the numbers of single, widowed and divorced women, (b)the numbers of taxpayers aged over 75 years who get the full age allowance, (c) the number of taxpayers who get a reduced age allowance and (d) the cost to the Exchequer of the age allowance for those aged over 75 years.

I regret that information on which to base estimates of the numbers of taxpayers aged 75 or over is not available. The total number of taxpayers receiving a reduced age allowance in 1982–83 is estimated at 180,000, counting married couples as one.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of the national insurance surcharge paid by central Government and local authorities, respectively, over the last two years; and what is the expected value for the current financial year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made with the proposed scheme for deducting tax directly from national insurance retirement pensions and widows' benefits.

As the detailed procedures for the scheme have been developed, it has become clear that in present circumstances the administrative advantages it could bring are not on the scale originally envisaged. We have therefore decided that for the time being pensioners should continue to pay tax in the same way as they do at present, receiving their State pension without any direct deduction of tax from it; the possible need for a direct deduction scheme of this sort will be reconsidered in later years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the rise in the retail price index and the rise in the pensioner price index for each month since January 1982, inclusive.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1982, c. 340]:The information requested for the general index of retail prices is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of women registered as unemployed in the areas served by the West Yorkshire metropolitan county council, the Kirklees metropolitan district council, the Greater Manchester county council and the Oldham metropolitan district council in September 1979, September 1980, September 1981 and September 1982; and if he will make a statement.

The following is the information:

Number of females registered as unemployed	September each year
	1979	1980	1981	1982
West Yorkshire metropolitan county	16,309	26,614	34,824	38,746
Kirklees metropolitan district*	2,605	4,787	6,396	7,185
Greater Manchester metropolitan county	20,912	35,703	51,139	56,812
Oldham metropolitan district†	1,452	2,941	4,380	4,749

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many individuals and organisations

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Foulkes) on 16 June, Official Report, c. 280,concerning public borrowing, he will now give the figures for 1981–82 which were indicated as then being `not available', and on a basis consistent with the rest of the table.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 October 1982]: The information, with figures for earlier years as far back as there have been revisions, is as follows:responded to the Government's invitation to comment on the employee involvement provision in the Employment Bill; and what proportion took the view that the provision would result in greater employee involvement.

92 individuals and organisations submitted detailed replies to the Government's invitation to comment on the form of the employee involvement provision in the Employment Bill. There was general support for the objective of encouraging the voluntary development of employee involvement, although a minority of the respondents thought the cost of operating the provision would outweigh its possible benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average level of redundancy payments to all textile and clothing employees in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Cheshire in each of the last three years.

The average statutory redundancy payment made to employees in textiles in Great Britain in 1979, 1980, 1981 and the first three quarters of 1982 was $707, $883, $971 and $1,033 respectively. Figures are not available for counties.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the staffing complement of his offices situated (a) in the County of Clwyd and (b) at Wrexham; and what is the actual complement.

The staffing complement of unemployment benefit offices in the county of Clwyd and at Wrexham at the end of September was 199 and 78 respectively. The actual number of staff in post was 201 and 84.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will assess the extra workload on his Department's local office at Wrexham as a result of the laying off of 300 employees by Brymbo steel works.

No increase in workload is expected at the Wrexham unemployment benefit office, as extra work arising from the laying off of 300 employees by Brymbo steel works will be offset by other seasonal reductions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the proportion of the hours worked on average by staff at the Department's local office at Wrexham represented by overtime working; and if he will assess how this will be affected by the extra workload caused by the laying off of 300 employees by Brymbo steel works.

Overtime working represents on average under 0·5 per cent. of the total hours worked at the Wrexham unemployment benefit office. No increase in overtime working is anticipated as a result of the laying off of 300 employees at Brymbo steel works.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for unemployed 17-yearolds, men and women, who so far may not be given places in the new training scheme; and if he will make a statement.

We expect that 17-year-old unemployed school leavers will have a place in the new youth training scheme. Community industry is also available to help 17-year-olds.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the recent standards set by the Health and Safety Commission on asbestosis; and whether they are being implemented by the Turner and Newall Syndicate.

The exposure limits for asbestos will be reduced to 1 fibre/ml for chrysotile and 0·5 fibre/ml for amosite as from 1 January 1983. The limit for crocidolite remains at 0·2 fibre/ml. These limits will apply to all work activities involving exposure to asbestos. If employers cannot introduce engineering controls to meet the new limits by 1 January 1983 suitable protective equipment will be required to be provided and worn.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will introduce a scheme, analogous to the pneumoconiosis compensation scheme, to cover those who suffer from asbestosis, in which disabled persons are not required to prove negligence in order to secure damages.

Sufferers from asbestosis, and the dependents of deceased sufferers are already covered by the Pneumoconiosis Etc (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979. It is not a condition for payment of compensation that applicants must prove negligence on the part of former employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West to written question No. 148 on Friday 22 October, and without incurring disproportionate costs, how many of the persons as mentioned in the reply to this question holding these appointments were or are classified as trade union nominees or representatives.

All the employee members referred to in the reply to written question No. 148 of Friday 22 October are appointed after any necessary consultation with, or nomination by, whichever trade union or other representative organisation of employees or workers is considered to be appropriate. The circumstances of their appointments vary according to the function of the particular body to which they are appointed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many successful claims have been awarded since the introduction of the pneumoconiosis compensation scheme.

As at 30 September, 4,202 applications have been approved since the Act came into force on 4 July 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received concerning recommendation No. 62 of the report of the employment service division Rayner scrutiny on reductions in the service; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 October 1982, c. 241]: The area offices of the employment services division of the Manpower Services Commission are part of its management structure and have few direct dealings with the unemployed. The recent Rayner scrutiny of the Manpower Services Commission's general employment service recommended that the number of ESD area offices should be reduced from 14 to 9 in the interests of greater cost-effectiveness and closer co-ordination between the various services provided by the commission. This would involve the disappearance of the separate area office for Merseyside and the organisation of this level of the employment service's management on the same regional basis as the commission's other services. The commission has decided that the management structure should be reorganised accordingly, while ensuring that satisfactory arrangements are made to reflect the needs of particular labour markets such as Merseyside.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether, in view of the high level of unemployment in Liverpool, he will ensure that the Merseyside area office for the Employment Services Department continues in Liverpool;(2) what representations he has received from the Liverpool city council concerning the Rayner scrutiny of the employment services; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 October 1982, c. 297]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his earlier question today.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people in Bishop Auckland constituency have never been in employment since leaving school.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1982]: At 9 September, in the area covered by the Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and Newton Aycliffe employment offices, which corresponds closely to the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency, the number of registered unemployed young people aged under 19 years who had not entered employment since completing full-time education was 930.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide a breakdown of unemployment in the Bishop Auckland constituency showing percentage unemployed by Standard Industrial Classification Order.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1982]: The following table gives for May 1982, the last date for which an industrial analysis was made, the numbers of registered unemployed people who last worked in the industries specified and expresses these as percentages of the total number unemployed at May 1982. The figures relate to the area covered by the Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and Newton Aycliffe employment offices, which corresponds closely to the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency.

Standard Industrial Classification, 1968
	Number unemployed	As a percentage of total unemployed
Agriculture, forestry, fishing	68	1·1
Mining and quarrying	72	1·1
Food, drink and tobacco	62	1·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Employment how many people in the Keighley travel-to-work area have been unemployed for (a) up to six months, (b) six months to 12 months, (c) 12 to 18 months, (d) 18 months to two years and over two years.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1982]: The following is the information for the Keighley employment office area at 8 July 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available.

Duration in weeks
Up to 26 weeks	1,459
Over 26 and up to 52 weeks	906
Over 52 and up to 78 weeks	471
Over 78 and up to 104 weeks	384
Over 104 weeks	428

asked the Secretary of State for the Employment what is the current unemployment percentage of (a) adult males and (b) adult females in the Keighley travel-to-work area; and what percentage increases these figures represent since May 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 October 1982]: At 8 July 1982, the latest date for which the quarterly age analysis of the numbers registered as unemployed is available, 91 per cent of all unemployed males and 86 per cent. of all unemployed females in the Keighley employment office area were aged 18 years and over. The increases in the numbers unemployed in this age group between July 1979 (not available for May) and July were 196 per cent. for males and 133 per cent. for females.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been his response to the recommendations for Government policy published in the report "Real Aid".

None, although my officials will shortly be having a discussion with its authors about their recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to preserve the quality of United Kingdom overseas aid, in view of the fact that an increasing proportion forms aid and trade provision.

The Government are maintaining and seeking where possible to improve the quality and effectiveness of British aid.We have thus made assistance available on very concessional terms. The grant element of total official development assistance commitments (including the aid and trade provision) in the past three years was:

	per cent.
1979	96·6
1980	97·4
1981	96·7

We have concentrated this assistance on the poorest countries. The proportion of net disbursements of bilateral aid allocable by country (including the aid and trade provision) going to least developed countries and other countries with an income per head below $370 in 1980 in the past three years was:

	per cent.
1979	65
1980	60
1981	68

We have put into effect new guidelines for the monitoring of projects and have significantly increased the evaluation of completed projects to ensure that lessons are learnt. Monitoring and evaluation arrangements apply also to the aid and trade provision.We have maintained clear guidelines for the appraisal of all projects, including those financed from the aid and trade provision, which are all subjected to a test of their developmental soundness.Furthermore, we continue to re-examine the forms of our aid, whether capital aid or technical assistance, to make them relevant to the problems facing developing countries, in agriculture and elsewhere. We are particularly conscious of the needs of many of the poorer countries for rehabilitation, for the better utilisation of existing investments and for developing competent local institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government gave to Ethiopia during 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.