asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he has any proposal to raise the advisory cost limit of £50 for answering parliamentary questions.

Yes. The advisory figure of £50 was introduced in 1965 as the level at which the likely cost of a full reply to a parliamentary question should be drawn to the attention of Ministers. This figure is clearly now out of date. It is accordingly being raised, as from the beginning of this parliamentary Session, to £200.This does not alter the discretion of individual Ministers to decide that a particular question should be answered in full regardless of cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the EEC draft directive on voluntary part-time work.

The Government believe that part-time work should be encouraged, but that the draft EEC directive would introduce undesirable rigidities into the labour market and generally decrease the opportunities for part-time work. We are therefore opposed to the EEC proposals. We will, however, continue to participate in the technical discussions of the proposals in the hope that it may be possible to put them into a form which we and other member States could accept.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that the Manpower Services Commission and its scheme for young people can operate in Tavistock.

The commission is confident that its current scheme, the youth opportunities programme, and its planned youth training scheme can operate satisfactorily in Tavistock. There may be difficulty in catering locally for all the available young people, however, and some may have to travel to Plymouth.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many work permits have been provided to foreign persons for periods of less than a year in each of the last three years.

The information requested is not available except at disproportionate cost, since statistics maintained by my Department distinguish only between approvals given for employment lasting 11 months or more and those given for shorter periods.The number of approvals given for periods of less than 11 months in the years in question are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if any member of his Department's investigation branch has been transferred or prosecuted as a result of expense claims or social security claims in the past five years.

Three members of the Department's staff employed in an investigative capacity have been prosecuted as a result of offences concerning social security claims in the past five years. All have been convicted. One has been dismissed, one has resigned and the third awaits sentence. No member of staff has been transferred or prosecuted in the last five years for offences in connection with expenses claims.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of total expenditure under each of the major training and retraining projects supervised by his Department was funded through the European social fund in each of the past three years for which figures are available.

Details of Manpower Services Commission expenditure on the youth opportunities programme, the training opportunities scheme, the training for skills programme and community industry, together with the details of European social fund allocations made in the relevant years, are given in the following tables. Since fund allocations are made on a calendar year basis, while commission expenditure is calculated on a financial year basis, the figures are not directly comparable. Fund allocations relate in some cases to periods longer than the calendar year in which the allocation is made. Not all expenditure on the programmes in question is eligible for assistance under the rules of the fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will extend the scope of the Laundry Wages Council to cover process workers and unit shop counter staff in the dry cleaning industry.

This and the other recommendations of ACAS report No. 19 on the Laundry Wages Council area being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many travel-to-work areas had a higher percentage of unemployment than the Walsall area in May 1979; and what is the position now.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons registered for employment as medical practitioners, qualified nurses and teachers, respectively, were unemployed in June in each of the last five years.

The following table gives the numbers of unemployed people registered at employment offices in the United Kingdom for employment in the occupations specified at June each year from 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the total number of factory closures which occurred in the West Midlands since May 1979, the number of employees involved in such undertakings and the number of such closures in the five years prior to May 1979 together with the number of employees involved; and if he will give the change in percentage terms.

At May 1979 there were 222 travel-to-work areas in the United Kingdom with a percentage rate of unemployment higher than that of the Walsall travel-to-work area. The corresponding number at October 1982 was 70.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in percentage terms what was the highest figure in any period prior to May 1979 for unemployment in the West Midlands; and if he will state the relevant date and year.

Between July 1948, when the current series of unemployment statistics was first introduced, and May 1979 the highest unemployment rate in the West Midlands region was recorded in the months of July and August 1977 when it stood at 6·7 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number and percentage currently unemployed in the Black Country area of the West Midlands; and what was the comparable information for May 1979.

The following is the information at October 1982 and May 1979. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.

There are no comprehensive statistics of factory closures. Information on closures prior to 1977 is not comparable with the figures compiled since that date.Between January 1977 and April 1979, 55 establishments in the West Midlands reported closures, involving redundancies of 10 or more employees, as due to occur. A total of 3,594 employees were involved. Between May 1979 and September 1982

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, further to the Government's welcome for the charter for the 1980s for disabled people world-wide, how many disabled people are involved in the preparation of plans in his Department for rehabilitation and training of the disabled; if he will indicate the policy of his Department in this regard; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of redundancies which have occurred in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the Black Country area of the West Midlands and (c) the Walsall travel-to-work area since May 1979; and if he will give the comparable information for the three and a half years prior to May 1979 and the change in percentage terms for the three areas.

There are no comprehensive statistics of redundancies. The available information on redundancies, involving 10 or more employees, reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur, is given in the following table. Comparable information on redundancies prior to 1977 does not exist.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends that young people should have to be unemployed for a period after leaving school before being eligible for a place under the youth training scheme.

No decision has yet been taken on this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why young people refusing a place on a youth training scheme will have their supplementary benefit cut by 40 per cent. for six weeks.

The youth training scheme will offer young people a full year of foundation training. It is our belief that anyone unreasonably refusing a suitable training place should be treated in the same way as people who refuse a suitable job or offer of training under the training opportunities programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures, broken down by Standard Industrial Classification, of unemployment in the travel-to-work areas covering the parliamentary constituency of Bermondsey.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 November 1982, c. 26]: There are no separate travel-to-work areas within Greater London and the following table gives the information for the Bermondsey employment office area at May 1982, the last date for which an industrial analysis was made. The figures relate to the numbers of people registered as unemployed in the Bermondsey employment office area who last worked in the industries specified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been under the Shops Act 1950 for Sunday trading in Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire, Wiltshire, West Sussex and Surrey in each of the past five years for which records are available.

The information readily available to us, which may be incomplete, is given in the attached table. Information for 1977 and 1978 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect on the level of trade would result from the abolition of restraints on Sunday trading.

The restraints on Sunday trading were never intended to influence the levels of trade and it is not part of my right hon. Friend's responsibilities to assess what consequences for those levels the removal of these restraints might bring.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in reducing the level of immigration to the United Kingdom since May 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The total number of people accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom was about 70,000 in both 1978 and 1979. The latest published figures show that total settlement in the 12 months to 30 June 1982 had fallen to about 54,000, a drop of around a quarter from the 1979 level.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the amounts of financial aid or support given by his Department to the London borough of Newham for stated purposes for each year since May 1979.

The available information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards granting British citizens resident in the European Economic Community voting rights in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

The Government accept in principle the arguments for extending the franchise to British citizens living in the European Community, but they wish to see the views of the House of Commons Select Committee on Home Affairs, which is examining this question as part of its inquiry this Session into the Representation of the People Acts, as to how this should be given effect.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table, similar to that published in table 3.12 of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1979" but including the information for 1981, related to serious offences in which firearms were reported to have been misappropriated by type of weapon;(2) why he has excluded from Cmnd. 8668, "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1981" the information published in table 3.12 of the 1979 statistics, relating to the theft of firearms; and if he will ensure that such information is included in future publications of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales".

Information previously published but not included in the shortened Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1981" (Cmnd. 8668) is either published in the supplementary tables to that volume, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House, or can usually be obtained on request. The information required to bring up to date table 3.12 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1979" (Cmnd. 8098) is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that applications for a firearms certificate take over eight weeks to process, and for a shotgun certificate some five weeks, he will seek to secure the more expeditious handling of such applications.

Such matters are the responsibility of chief officers of police, but, as part of its examination of the administration of the Firearms Act 1968, the forthcoming joint working party of the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers will be considering what improvements could be made to reduce the amount of work undertaken by the police, without impairing the effectiveness of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will include in the electoral registration form an application for a postal vote for all registered disabled voters.

The electoral registration form (form A)—about 27 million of which are sent out each year—invites electors who may have difficulties in voting in person, such as the disabled, to contact their local council for more information about postal voting. It would be disproportionately expensive to include an application for an absent vote with all these forms, as only a very small proportion of recipients would be entitled to this facility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons visited Durham prison; when the related report was published; and what were the reasons for the delay.

The inspection of Durham prison took place from 17–21 August 1981 and the report was published with an accompanying statement by my right hon. Friend on 4 November 1982. The completion of this and other inspection reports has been delayed because of the additional work load falling on senior inspectorate staff following the illness and subsequent death of the then HM chief inspector. In the case of the Durham report, it was not published until there had been careful and thorough consideration of the difficult issues raised.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider issuing the reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in a more readily understandable and convenient form; and if he will make it his practice to hold a press conference on the occasion of publication of such reports.

There are no present plans to change the form in which these reports are issued, but we are ready to consider any proposals that the hon. Member may have.It is the usual practice when an inspection report is published for the governor of the establishment concerned to discuss it with representatives of the local press and with local broadcasters. I understand that these arrangements have been found satisfactory, and we have no intention at present of varying them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many personnel are currently employed in the police force: and how many were employed at a similar date in 1978 and 1979.

The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used when deciding upon the level of increases in fees in respect of the issue and renewal of a firearms certificate.

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the recent report of the fees review and the letter I wrote to my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) on 28 July, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. However, the Government have decided not to increase fee levels for the time being, for the reasons given in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Harborough on 10 November.—[Vol. 31, c. 149.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any changes to announce in the cash limit for the Charity Commission Vote, Class 13, Vote 18.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit on the Charity Commission Vote will be raised by £298,000 from £3,470,000 to £3,768,000.The increase provides principally for costs associated with the installation of computer equipment in the official custodian's division. The additional provision will be found from the Contingency Reserve and so does not add to total public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish the terms, conditions, arrangements and emoluments of Mr. Ian MacGregor as chairman of the British Steel Corporation.

The terms of Mr. MacGregor's appointment were described by the Secretary of State for Industry in a statement to the House on 1 May 1980—[Vol. 983, c. 1630–32]—and were fully debated on 15 May 1980.—[Vol. 984, c. 1825.] In addition, a document prepared by the Department of Industry, setting out fully the terms on which payments were to be made to Lazard Freres and Co. of New York in connection with Mr. MacGregor's appointment, was placed in the Library of the House on 15 April 1981. Mr. MacGregor's salary on appointment was £48,500 and has remained at that level since he has chosen not to accept subsequent increases to which he was entitled.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what studies he has made of the impact of Japanese imports on the scale and weighing machine industry and, in particular, on its long-term ability to meet the requirements of British defence manufacturers from a secure source; what representations have been made to Her Majesty's Government on this subject and on implications for British industry in general by the Defence Manufacturers Association; and if he will make a statement.

Representatives of the scale and weighing machine industry have drawn my attention to the changing pattern of United Kingdom manufacture and imports and the technology required to meet users needs. Support for the development of new products is available under the microelectronics applications project and other Departmental schemes which provide support for innovation. I am keeping the subject generally under review, but I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to his earlier question about representations from the Defence Manufacturers Association.—[Vol. 29, c. 476.]

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many prosecutions there have been for offences relating to the improper use of fibre content labels since the introduction of the new regulations.

The enforcement of the Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) Regulations 1973 is the responsibility of local authority trading standards departments. There are no comprehensive statistics available covering the whole period since the regulations came into operation in January 1976, but I am aware of some 90 prosecutions for offences under the regulations since 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will take steps to ensure that there continues to be a local complaints and advisory service for domestic customers of British Telecom after privatisation.

I am considering how best to meet this need.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the figures for aid to the shipbuilding industry since May 1979 given in reply to the hon. Member for Tynemouth on 25 October, Official Report, c. 29, expressed in current prices.

The figures given in my hon. Friend's reply of 25 October from 1979–80 onwards expressed in 1981–82 prices are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends publishing the next edition of "Roads in Wales"; and what opportunity he has given local highway authorities in Wales to submit additional bypass schemes for inclusion in this programme, in line with the Government's announcement of enhanced bypass construction plans to combat the environmental effects of increased lorry weights.

We expect the next edition of "Roads in Wales" to be available early in the new year. County councils in Wales act as Welsh Office agents on trunk road matters and therefore their views are known through the Department's regular contact with them.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will take steps to ensure that, in the case of all public inquiries relating to variations of, or new claims for, public rights of way, all persons whose proprietory rights are, or may be, affected by decisions made as the result of such inquiries, shall be directly and personally informed of such proceedings.

This is already done as a standard practice, wherever possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he proposes, consequent upon the intended increase in the permitted weights of heavy lorries to 38 tonnes, to sanction the construction of any bypasses of towns in the county of Clwyd additional to those already planned; and, if so, where he proposes that those additional bypasses should be constructed;(2) how many additional bypasses of Welsh towns he proposes to authorise as a result of the Government's intention to increase the permitted weight of heavy lorries to 38 tonnes.

We are considering the need for bypasses as part of my review of the trunk road programme. The results will be announced in the publication "Roads in Wales" which we expect to be available early in the new year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) university graduates and (b) qualified medical doctors were registered as being unemployed in Wales in September of each of the past five years; and how many university graduates have been unemployed for between 12 and 24 months.

Information about university graduates is not available in the form requested. Available information on medical practitioners is that for each September since 1978 the numbers registered as unemployed have been 22, 30, 40, 46 and 71, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest figures available for (a) the numbers unemployed for over 12 months and for over 24 months and (b) the number of young persons under the age of 18 and under the age of 25 years unemployed in each of the travel-to-work areas that cover the Carmarthen constituency.

The figures which relate to July 1982 are given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each of the last three years how many people from the counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd needed to attend an artificial limb centre; and, of these, how many were provided with the service within Wales and how many had to go outside Wales for the service.

Precise information in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost but, on average, 40 patients from the county of Gwynedd and 90 from the county of Clwyd attend the artificial limb centre at Liverpool each month. About 25 patients in those counties who are not well enough to travel to Liverpool are visited in their homes by medical officers from that centre each year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department work on the promotion of schemes to combat straying of animals; and how many such schemes have been implemented since May 1979.

The promotion of schemes to combat straying animals is a matter for the local authorities concerned and no Welsh Office staff are employed on this work. Information about schemes that have been implemented is available only from the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what mileage of trunk roads in Wales outside built-up areas is at present unprotected against straying animals; and what amount of this mileage is within Powys.

The information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the rectifying and supplementary budget No. 2 to the general budget of the European Communities for 1982.

Following the agreement reached at the Foreign Affairs Council on 26 October on the implementation of the agreement of 25 May on refunds for the United Kingdom for 1982, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs reported to the House on 27 October—[Vol. 29, c. 1043–50]—the Commission presented a preliminary draft rectifying and supplementary budget for 1982 on 5 November to give effect to the agreement. The Council established the draft amending budget on 8 November and that draft will now have to be considered by the European Parliament. The principal effects of the draft budget are to reduce the provision for agricultural expenditure by 1,102·8 million ecu—about—£576·8 million—to increase provision for supplementary measures in favour of the United Kingdom by 1,092·0 ecu—about £571·2 million—and to provide for expenditure of 210·0 million ecu—about £109·8 million—on energy projects in the Federal German Republic.

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

At 1 October 1982 there were 655,000 staff in post—521,100 non-industrial and 133,900 industrial; that is a reduction of 4,300 since 1 July 1982. The number of civil servants has fallen by 77,300 or 10·6 per cent. since the Government took office.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will announce the revision to cash limits for the Health Service to take account of the additional provision for the improved pay offer made to certain groups in the National Health Service.

As indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bute and North Ayrshire (Mr. Corrie) on 1 July, and subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, cash limits for the health services in England, Scotland and Wales will be increased as follows to take account of the additional provision for the improved pay offer to staff—other than medical and dental—in the NHS by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services on 23 June.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to stop the abuse of the duty-free concession for travellers by commercial interests.

It is a strict condition of these reliefs that duty-free goods shall not be used for commercial purposes. The scale and frequency of recent importations of beer and mechanical lighters, together with other information available to the Customs, strongly indicate that a significant trade in duty-free goods of these descriptions has now built up.Accordingly the Commissioners of Customs and Excise are today laying an order amending the Customs Duty (Personal Reliefs) (No. 1) Order 1968, the effect of which will be to confine relief to no more than 50 litres of beer and 25 mechanical lighters per person. The order will operate from midnight on 17 November 1982. It is subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update for 1982–83 the figures for average real weekly net incomes provided in his reply of 7 July to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Smith) Official Report, c. 111–14.

The information—including revisions to 1981–82—expressed at November 1979 prices is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated yield and the estimated cost of collection of capital gains tax for 1982–83.

The forecast yield of capital gains tax—excluding corporation tax on chargeable gains—for 1982–83 is £600 million. Full information on which an estimate of the cost of collection could be made is not yet available. However, if the 1981–82 estimate is uprated by reference to likely increases in costs the cost of collection in the current year would be around £15 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the yield and the estimated cost of collection of capital gains tax for the most recent year for which this information is available.

The total yield of capital gains tax—excluding corporation tax on chargeable gains—for 1981–82, the latest year for which figures are available, was £525·5 million. The estimated cost of collection was £13·8 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions there were against individuals or companies in the years 1971, 1976 and 1981, in respect of offences relating to breaches of income tax or corporation tax legislation.

The number of prosecutions brought by the board and the appropriate prosecuting authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland against individuals and companies in respect of tax offences—not only income tax and corporation tax—was

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, during the years 1971, 1976 and 1981, how many people were employed in the Inland Revenue to investigate offences by individuals or companies relating to breaches of income tax or corporation tax legislation.

The prevention and detection of tax offences forms part of the normal duties of the majority of the staff of the Inland Revenue. The following table relates only to the number of staff in the specialised investigation units, inquiry branch, investigation office and special offices. The first special office was set up in January 1976.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, during the years 1971, 1976 and 1981, how many cases of prosecutions against individuals or companies in respect of offences relating to breaches of income tax or corporation tax legislation were reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions which were not subsequently proceeded with through the courts.

Except in Scotland and Northern Ireland the Board of Inland Revenue institutes criminal proceedings in respect of tax offences: it notifies the Director of Public Prosecutions of its decision to do so in certain exceptionally serious cases. In addition, since 1974 the police have brought prosecutions in some cases of subcontractor exemption certificate frauds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was lent by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to least developed countries and to other developing countries in 1981–82.

The information is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage increase there has been in the retail prices index over the past five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 November 1982, (c. 12): The information requested is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the International Monetary Fund has had a request for help from Grenada, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Vietnam; and what has been the International Monetary Fund decision in the case of any such request.

In 1981 the International Monetary Fund agreed a standby of SDR 3·4 million with Grenada and compensatory financing facility of SDR 2·1 million—reduced to SDR 1·4 million in November 1981 on account of over compensation. Nicaragua obtained a standby of SDR 34 million in April 1979. Following its cancellation in August a purchase of SDR 17 million under the CFF was made. Costa Rica is currently negotiating a standby with the fund. Vietnam made a purchase of SDR 28·4 million in the first credit tranche in 1981.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of an increase in single and married person's income tax allowances, respectively, to (a) £1,800 and £3,000 and (b) £2,000 and £3,500; and what is the number of taxpayers who would cease to pay income tax and the additional cost in each case of introducing a lower rate band of (i) £1,000 at 10 per cent. and (ii) £1,000 at 10 per cent. and £1,000 at 20 per cent.

The information is in the following table. The costs are for a full year at 1982–83 income levels, and have been estimated on the basis that age allowances would be increased by the same percentage as the corresponding ordinary allowance.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the light of the fifth report from the Select Committee on Energy, he will introduce proposals to earmark receipts from petroleum revenue tax for energy conservation programmes.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 November 1982, c. 12]: The Government will be replying to the fifth report from the Select Committee on Energy before Christmas. It is not our policy to earmark individual taxes for specific purposes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to introduce variable interest rates for those with loans from the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas now that interest rates are falling.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1982, c. 251]: The Government have no plans at present to introduce variable interest rates for loans from the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas, but the situation is being kept under review.

asked the Prime Minister which Government Department has responsibility for the Directorate of Overseas Surveys.

The Directorate of Overseas Surveys is at present a special unit of the Overseas Development Administration and is located at Tolworth. On 8 July 1981 my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development announced the acceptance of the main recommendations in the scrutiny report fo the Directorate of Overseas Surveys. In implementing those decisions it has been decided that the functions and complement of the reduced directorate will be transferred to the Ordnance Survey at Southampton. Some work will be contracted out to the private sector. The phased implementation of the move will commence on 2 April 1984 and will be completed by March 1985. This phasing will facilitate work at Tolworth on existing contract commitments.I should like to pay tribute to the hard work of the directorate. With the objective of assisting developing countries and British dependencies with survey and mapping needs, the Ordnance Survey will provide advice to the Overseas Development Administration, supervise overseas contracts with the private sector, conduct surveys and mapping of less straightforward projects, undertake training and be a source of information to overseas Governments and the United Kingdom private sector. The costs of these activities as agreed by, and on behalf of, the Overseas Development Administration will be met on the basis of full costs from the aid programme. With effect from 2 April 1984 ministerial responsibility for the staff to be transferred will pass from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her public engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will state her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her public engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 November.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. I also met the chairman of the Indian Advisory Committee of the Festival of India to mark the end of the very successful festival. Early this afternoon I was present when Her Majesty the Queen welcomed Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on her arrival in London. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I will be attending a State banquet in honour of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at Buckingham Palace.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list those measures she has taken since May 1979 to encourage and achieve disarmament.

Among the actions we have taken since May 1979 to encourage arms control and disarmament are the following:

asked the Prime Minister whether she has any plans to meet the Public Trustee.

I have no such plans.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to pay an official visit to Hatfield.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government will publish the Central Policy Review Staff report on alcohol problems.

No.

asked the Prime Minister when next she expects to meet the President of the United States of America.

On present plans, at the next economic summit in May 1983.

asked the Prime Minister whether she has any plans to visit Washington DC.

I have no such plans at present.

asked the Prime Minister what are the major priorities of Her Majesty's Government in the remainder of the present Parliament.

As I said during the Debate on the Address on 3 November, we shall continue on the consistent course that the Government have followed since taking office: the restoration of honest money and sound finance; the control of public borrowing, lower interest rates and lower inflation; a realistic link between earnings and output; the creation of conditions in which Britain will become competitive again; the introduction of private capital into the public sector; freer and fairer world trade; replacing monopoly by competition; the extension of home ownership; an unrelenting war on crime; and a determination to strengthen our defences and to stand up for British interests throughout the world.