Written Answers

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Written Answers To Questions

Tuesday 25 January 1983

Trade

Imports (Trade Agreements)

asked the Minister for Trade what action is taken in the United Kingdom to verify that goods imported into other European Economic Community countries and then shipped to the United Kingdom are not in contravention of any trade agreements.

Where trade agreements exist to limit direct imports of particular goods from third countries into a member state of the European Community, the European Commission may, under article 115 of the treaty of Rome, authorise the monitoring of indirect imports of such goods which are in free circulation in other member states. The United Kingdom has sought and obtained such authority for a variety of goods which are subject to quota restrictions in the United Kingdom. These indirect imports are subject to import licences issued by my Department and are closely monitored to ensure that they do not seriously undermine the agreed quantitative limits.

Weapons (Export Licences)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the occasions on which Her Majesty's Government have refused to licence exports of weapons on the grounds that they could be used for internal repression.

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose details of export licence applications. A licence would not be granted where, in the Government's judgment, the items concerned were likely to be used for internal repression.

Hong Kong

asked the Minister for Trade what recent steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to encourage trade between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

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

Departmental Grants

asked the Minister for Trade to which nonofficial bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 20 December 1982.—[Vol. 34, c. 300.]

Namibia

asked the Minister for Trade what was the quantity and value of karakul lamb pelts imported from Namibia in each of the years 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

[pursuant to the reply, 24 January 1983, c. 264.]: The available information is as follows:

Imports of Karakul and Similar Raw Lamb Skins from Namibia, 1979—October 1982
	Number	Value (£ thousand cif)
1979	2,174,904	14,606
1980	2,270,641	15,726
1981	1,787,435	12,831
Jan.-Oct. 1982	1,367,142	8,099

Source: Data corresponding to SITC (R2) Item 212.09 (part) in the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics.

Prime Minister

Falkland Islands (Visit)

asked the Prime Minister what was the total cost to public funds of her recent visit to the Falkland Islands.

The cost of the Hercules, VC 10 and helicopters was some £200,000.

asked the Prime Minister whether the cost of Mr. Denis Thatcher's recent visit to the Falkland Islands was paid for from public funds.

It is normal practice for the costs of spouses accompanying Ministers travelling on official business to be met from official funds. However, he used the same transport as I did; there was virtually no extra costs to public funds.

Q14.

asked the Prime Minister if she is now able to announce a date for her visit to the Falkland Islands.

As my hon. Friend will know, I visited the Falkland Islands earlier this month.

Engagements

Q5.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q7.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q8.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q9.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q10.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q11.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q12.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q13.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q15.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q16.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q17.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q18.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q19.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q21.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q22.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q23.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q24.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q25.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q26.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q27.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q28.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q29.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q30.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q31.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

Q32.

asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q33.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

Q34.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 January.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 25 January.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later this evening.

General Belgrano

Q6.

asked the Prime Minister if she will propose a Royal Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the decision to sink the General Belgrano.

I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member on 20 December.—[Vol. 34, c. 353.]

Public Expenditure

Q20.

asked the Prime Minister what proposals she has received from the Trades Union Congress and Confederation of British Industry concerning an increased programme of public expenditure; and what has been her response.

I receive or hear of many suggestions for more expenditure. I have seen the report of the CBI steering group on unemployment, which the CBI has discussed with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but I have received no proposals recently from the TUC concerning an increased programme of public expenditure. My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer of course receives a large number of representations on all matters in the months before the Budget.

"Buy British"

Q35.

asked the Prime Minister what communication Her Majesty's Government have had with the European Community about Her Majesty's Government's policy of buying British goods wherever possible; whether Her Majesty's Government reasserted their policy or modified it in any way; and if she will publish the texts of the request and of Her Majesty's Government's reply in the Official Report.

It is the Government's policy to buy British goods whenever they are competitively priced and well made. The Government's purchasing guidelines have been discussed with the European Commission. They have not been modified in any way.

Committees Of Inquiry

Q36.

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report the rules governing the commissioning of work by committees of inquiry set up by Her Majesty's Government from outside consultants in cases where members of such committees have a personal financial interest in such consultants; and if she is satisfied that the payments of £370,000 to R. Travers Morgan and Partners and £182,000 to Peat Marwick Mitchell and Co. whose senior partners Mr. Goldstein and Mr. Butler were members of the review of British Rail finances, the Serpell committee, fall within the rules.

R. Travers Morgan and Partners and Peat Marwick Mitchell and Co. were appointed by the Department of Transport in conformity with the rules governing such appointments. These are set out in the code of practice for the use of management consultants by Government Departments—third edition, HMSO 1980—a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The payments to the consultants fall within the rules.

Franks Report

asked the Prime Minister why the Foreign Press Association was permitted to collect only two copies of the Franks report for its approximately 450 members; at what level these arrangements were authorised; and whether she will ensure that better arrangements are made in future for the distribution of documents of international importance to the foreign press.

My chief press secretary arranged for 250 copies of the Franks report to be available in the Press Gallery, 50 of which were reserved for the foreign press. Foreign journalists were also able to obtain copies from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and HMSO. In addition the Foreign Press Association secretariat collected two copies from 10 Downing Street. I am satisfied these arrangements were appropriate.

Civil Servants (Public Statements)

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer of 22 December, Official Report, c. 550, what progress has been made in concluding the investigations into the allegations made against a civil servant in the Northern Ireland Office.

The Government's conclusions were given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in his written answer on 28 July to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney)—[Vol. 28, c. 549–550.]—and amplified by my right hon. Friend in his speech on 10 December 1982—[Vol. 33, c. 1118–1121.]

Home Department

Mr Mohammed Jahangir

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take the necessary action to ensure that Mr. Mohammed Jahangir, a citizen of Pakistan, found guilty and sentenced at Aylesbury Crown court on Tuesday 4 January for heroin smuggling, is deported on completion of his sentence.

Mr. Jahangir was recommended for deportation by the court which convicted him, under powers conferred by the Immigration Act 1971. My right hon. Friend's practice is to act upon such a recommendation unless there are compelling reasons for not doing so. However, the Act provides that no deportation order may be made on such a recommendation so long as it is open to the person concerned to bring an appeal against the conviction or recommendation, or while such an appeal is pending, and in this case the time for bringing an appeal has not yet expired.

Licensing Hours

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding the liberalisation of the licensing hours; and if he will make a statement.

Licensed trade and tourism organisations and members of the public have made representations to my right hon. Friend. He has no present plans for legislation to extend the permitted opening hours.

Jersey And Guernsey (Immigration Controls)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he remains satisfied that the housing laws and immigration controls now operating in the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey do not break any international obligations or conventions.

Yes. Guernsey housing laws, which were the subject of a petition to the European Commission of Human Rights in 1978, were found by the commission not to be in breach of the European convention on human rights. Another petition relating to a Guernsey housing law of 1975 is currently under consideration by the commission and it would not be proper for me to make any comment on its details. However, we have no reason to think that the provisions of the 1975 Guernsey law, or the 1982 law which has succeeded it, or of the comparable Jersey legislation, are in breach of the convention. Immigration controls are based on the United Kingdom legislation, which has been extended to the islands.

Death Sentences

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sentences of death passed by courts in the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey have been commuted to life imprisonment since 1964; where the resultant periods of imprisonment have been served in each case; and what free pardons have been granted in the same period.

Since 1964 two persons sentenced to death in the Isle of Man and six in Jersey have been granted conditional pardons, commuting their sentences to life imprisonment. In each case the resultant sentence of imprisonment is being served in the United Kingdom. No free pardons have been granted for capital offences during the same period.The death penalty for murder was abolished in Guernsey in 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers he has to force a person sentenced to death on the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey to accept the commuting of that sentence to conditional life imprisonment if the person concerned does not accept such a change in the sentence.

Although my right hon. Friend has responsibility for advising Her Majesty the Queen about the exercise of the prerogative of mercy in such circumstances, the carrying out of the sentence or substituted sentence is a matter for the island authorities. In Jersey, article 6 of the Criminal Justice (Jersey) Law 1957 provides that in the event of the commutation of a sentence of death the person concerned shall be deemed to have been sentenced to imprisonment by the court before which he was convicted. There is no similar provision in the legislation of the Isle of Man but no prisoner sentenced to death there and pardoned has been known to refuse the condition on which it has been granted. In Guernsey the death penalty for murder was abolished in 1965.

Television (Channel 4)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in assessing the development of the fourth television channel, he receives as a matter of course regular detailed viewing audience figures.

A review of the fourth television channel in Wales will be made only after a much longer period of trial. Detailed viewing figures will then form one element of the assessment that is made. In the meantime, published audience information is available to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he has had any request from the Rediffusion cable television company for permission to transmit channel 4—England—programmes rather than S4C programmes to any part of Wales;(2) whether a cable television company in Wales wishing to switch the service it gives its viewers from S4C to channel 4 United Kingdom is required to hold a poll of its customers.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question on 19 January.

Vietnamese Refugees

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Vietnamese refugees were resettled in the United Kingdom from Hong Kong in each of the past 24 months; and how many of these were orphans.

The number of Vietnamese refugees who arrived in the United Kingdom from Hong Kong in each of the past 24 months is as follows:

	1981	1982
January	283	110
February	420	59
March	305	39
April	338	4
May	120	3
June	28	13
July	60	0
August	47	0
September	115	0
October	15	0
November	26	15
December	36	3
	1,793	246
Total: 2,039

I regret that the available statistical information does not allow us to say whether any of these were orphans; but it is known that only some 60 "unaccompanied minors" have been received since the Vietnamese refugee programme began in 1975 and that very few of these were from Hong Kong.

Voluntary Services Unit (Grants)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria used by the Voluntary Services Unit in making grants.

In general terms, a voluntary body which is assisted or maintained by a grant from the

Defendants proceeded against for offences against the Sunday trading laws
England and Wales	No. of defendants
County and petty sessional division	Proceeded against			Found guilty			Average amount of fine (£)
	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981
Avon
Bristol	51	43	167	48	34	76	31	43	36
Lawfords Gate	1	—	—	1	—	—	20	—	—
Bedfordshire
Luton	1	1	3	1	1	2	10	100	20
Cambridgeshire
Ely	7	—	—	7	—	—	33	—	—
Huntingdon	—	—	9	—	—	9	—	—	14
Peterborough	—	3	12	—	3	12	—	23	20
Cheshire

Voluntary Services Unit must be in one of the following categories. It must be a national organisation whose work spans the interests of several Government Departments or falls outside the responsibility of any individual Department, or a local body engaged in a project which is both innovatory and likely to have some national significance, or it must be an organisation working in an area of high social priority for which alternative funds are expected to be available within a short time.

Mr David Martin

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who, other than Stephen Waldorf, has been wrongly identified by the Metropolitan Police force as David Martin; and if he will make a statement on what occurred on each occasion.

We understand that there is no record of any other person having been wrongly identified by the Metropolitan Police as David Martin.

Parliamentary Boundary Commission For Wales

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales.

I received the third periodical report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales on 24 January. Required by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, as soon as may be I will lay the report together with the draft of an Order-in-Council for giving effect, whether with or without modifications, to the recommendations contained in the report.

Sunday Trading

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, following his answer to the hon. Member for Isle of Ely (Mr. Freud) on 16 December, Official Report c. 205, he will set out the 1979–81 prosecutions in respect of breaches in Sunday trading according to the local authorities which initiated them; and indicate also for each authority the number of prosecutions that were successful and the average fine imposed.

[pursuant to the reply, 23 December 1982, c. 621]: The available information, which may be incomplete, is given in the following table.

County and petty sessional division	Proceeded against			Found guilty			Average amount of fine (£)
	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981
Chester	2	—	—	1	—	—	50	—	—
Crewe and Nantwich	1	—	—	1	—	—	10	—	—
Cornwall
Truro and West Powder	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
Cumbria
Barrow-in-Furness	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Carlisle	1	—	—	1	—	—	10	—	—
Derbyshire
Derby and South Derbyshire	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	35
Ilkeston	1	1	—	—	1	—	—	25	—
West Derbyshire	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	8	—
Devon
Plymouth	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Dorset
Bournemouth	—	—	5	—	—	5	—	—	115
Weymouth and Portland	1	4	1	1	2	1	30	50	50
Durham
Darlington	—	—	4	—	—	3	—	—	30
East Sussex
Eastbourne	—	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	50
Hastings	1	—	—	1	—	—	25	—	—
Essex
Brentwood	2	—	—	2	—	—	15	—	—
Chelmsford	1	—	—	1	—	—	50	—	—
Rochford	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
Southend-on-Sea	4	—	—	4	—	—	73	—	—
Greater Manchester
Bolton	—	2	1	—	2	1	—	38	25
Makersfield	1	3	—	1	2	—	100	200	—
Manchester	15	6	12	13	5	12	27	61	45
Salford	1	—	16	1	—	15	—	—	47
Wigan	1	2	—	1	2	—	30	38	_
Hampshire
Gosport	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25	—
Lymington	3	1	—	3	1	—	10	25	—
Portsmouth	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
Southampton	3	3	—	3	3	—	50	107	—
Totton and New Forest	—	1	—	—	1	—		25	—
Hereford and Worcestershire
Kidderminster	2	—	—	2	—	—	20	—	—
Ross	—	19	—	—	9	—	—	44	—
Stourport	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	15	—
Hertfordshire
Bishops Stortford	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
Watford	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
St. Albans	—	7	—	—	6	—	—	43	—
Humberside
Dickering	1	1	—	1	1	—	25	50	—
Grimsby Borough	3	—	—	3	—	—	50	—	—
Kent
Folkestone and Hythe	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Lancashire
Blackburn	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	50	—
Burnley	2	4	3	2	3	3	50	50	22
Darwen	—	3	2	—	3	1	—	83	50
Pendle	—	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	28
Preston	3	—	5	3	—	5	40	—	90
Wyre	17	—	—	13	—	—	42	—
Leicestershire
Leicester City	—	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	20
Melton and Belvoir	3	—	—	3	—	—	40	—	—
Lincolnshire
Grantham	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Lincoln City	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
Merseyside
Liverpool	3	4	12	2	4	12	35	56	58
South Sefton	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	30	—
North Sefton	1	—	—	1	—	—	25		—
Norfolk
Kings Lynn	1	—	—	1	—	—	5	—	—
Norwich	—	3	—	—	1	—	—	40	—
Northamptonshire
Kettering	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Wellingborough	—	—	17	—	—	14	—	—	5
Northumberland
Berwick-upon-Tweed	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	55	—

County and petty sessional division	Proceeded against			Found guilty			Average amount of fine (£)
	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981
North Yorkshire
Scarborough	27	—	3	19	—	3	19	—	25
Staincliffe	8	—	—	8	—	—	99	—	—
Stokesley	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nottinghamshire
Nottingham (City)	4	4	2	3	4	2	10	88	38
City of London
Guildhall Justice Room	1	—	1	1	—	1	40	—	10
Mansion House Justice Room	5	4	9	4	4	9	125	50	200
Greater London (Areas relate to Magistrates' Courts)
Barnet	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	50
Bow St. M.C.	3	—	—	3	—	—	30	—	—
Brentwood	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
Bromley	2	5	1	2	5	1	50	75	50
Camberwell Green	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
Ealing	20	10	22	20	10	21	81	115	135
Edmonton	24	—	—	17	—	—	41	—	—
Harrow	3	1	2	3	1	2	42	75	20
Hendon	7	8	31	7	8	31	23	25	50
Highbury Comer M.C.	1	2	4	1	2	4	100	38	10
Highgate	—	5	2	—	5	2	—	70	63
Marlborough St.	—	1	2	—	1	2	—	100	45
Marleybone M.C.	2	7	3	2	7	3	26	46	83
New Spelthorne	—	3	—	—	3	—	—	17	—
Redbridge	—	1	1	—	1	1	—	10	—
Stratford M.C.	1	4	3	1	4	2	15	10	28
Thames M.C.	2	1	—	2	1	—	23	40	—
Tower Bridge	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Waltham Forest	—	3	—	—	3	—	—	102	—
Wells St.	—	2	—	—	1	—	—	100	—
West London M.C.	10	50	—	6	50	—	20	2	—
Oxfordshire
Oxford	—	—	2	—	—	1	—	—	50
Somerset
Wells	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	30	—
Yeovil	—	3	1	—	3	1	—	70	150
South Yorkshire
Barnsley	—	6	1	—	6	1	—	38	25
Rotherham	8	—	—	8	—	—	30	—	—
Sheffield	—	5	—	—	4	—	—	33	—
Staffordshire
Cannock	—	2	2	—	2	2	—	20	100
Leek	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Lichfield	—	10	—	—	7	—	—	16	—
Seisdon	—	11	—	—	11	—	—	—	—
Stoke-on-Trent	1	2	3	1	2	3	50	40	33
Tamworth	1	2	—	1	2	—	5	20	—
Suffolk
Ipswich	—	1	3	—	1	3	—	25	50
Sudbury and Cosford	—	—	3	—	—	3	—	—	1
Surrey
Reigate	1	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
Woking	1	—	—	1	—	—	5	—	—
Tyne and Wear
Gateshead	2	3	—	2	1	—	38	30	—
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	—	2	12	—	2	8	—	35	29
Sunderland	—	—	3	—	—	3	—	—	55
Warwickshire
Nuneaton	7	1	—	3	1	—	10	50	—
Rugby	—	2	—	—	1	—	—	5	—
Stratford-upon-Avon	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
Warwick	2	1	—	2	—	—	33	—	—
West Midlands
Birmingham	—	4	2	—	4	2	—	8	23
Coventry	—	5	—	—	5	—	—	27	—

County and petty sessional division	Proceeded against			Found guilty			Average amount of fine (£)
	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981	1979	1980	1981
Dudley	—	8	2	—	6	2	—	35	20
Halesowen	—	3	2	—	3	2	—	23	38
Stourbridge	—	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	15
Solihull	5	—	1	2	—	1	65	—	50
Walsall	—	—	8	—	—	8	—	—	25
Wolverhampton	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Warley	2	—	—	1	—	—	50	—	—
West Sussex
Steyning	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	10
West Yorkshire
Batley	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	5	—
Bradford	2	3	—	2	3	—	40	—	—
Dewsbury	—	2	2	—	2	2	—	10	40
Huddersfield	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	20
Keighley	2	1	—	2	1	—	10	20	—
Leeds	1	—	5	1	—	4	50	—	29
Todmorden	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	50
Wiltshire
Trowbridge	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	25
Gwynedd
Conwy and Llandudno	3	2	—	3	2	—	22	35	—
Mid Glamorgan
Lower Rhymney Valley	—	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	8
Miskin	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	10	—
Newcastle and Ogmore	—	1	1	—	1	1	—	50	100
South Glamorgan
Cardiff	—	2	—	—	2	—	—	38	—
Vale of Glamorgan	2	—	—	2	—	—	125	—	—
West Glamorgan
Swansea	—	6	—	—	6	—	—	20	—
England and Wales	294	323	440	253	284	330	34	38	48

Attorney-General

Student Unions (Payments)

asked the Attorney-General what steps are being taken in respect of ultra vires payments by a students' union; and what new procedures he considers should be introduced to prevent such payments where they are likely to be in breach of charitable trust status.

My right hon. Friend the Solicitor-General and I have considered the steps that could be taken in future to deal with ultra vires payments by students' unions and have expressed our views to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science. We are still considering cases of alleged ultra vires payments recently referred to us, but I am not yet able to make a statement.

Employment

Unemployment Costs

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now estimate the net cost of employing all the unemployed, assuming a wage of £75 a week, using the same basis as in the answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North Official Report, 9 December 1980, c. 589.

It is not possible to produce a realistic estimate of the costs of employing the unemployed without making assumptions going far beyond the formal assumptions concerning pay and benefit levels to which the question refers. The range of possible assumptions concerning other factors bearing on the cost is so great that no single figure could be considered to have any meaning.

Work Skills Courses

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the numbers of (a) girls and (b) boys participating on each of the vocation-based training requirements of work skills courses.

I am afraid that the specific information requested is not available.

Employment Act 1980 (Picketing)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many cases have been brought against pickets under the provisions of the Employment Act 1980.

There is no means of monitoring all such cases. My Department knows of four cases in which injunctions against pickets have been granted since the 1980 Act came into force, but there may have been other cases which have not been reported.

Stockport

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of (a) unemployed males and (b) unemployed females in the Stockport travel-to-work area had been out of work for over (i) a year (ii) two years and (iii) three years at the latest available date.

The following is the information for the Stockport jobcentre area at October 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available. The figures are on the registration basis of the unemployment count.

Duration in weeks	Proportion of all registered unemployed males	Proportion of all registered unemployed females
	Per cent	Per cent
Unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks	22·8	17·5
Unemployed for over 104 and up to 156 weeks	9·9	4·7
Unemployed for over 156 weeks	6·6	2·0

Doctors And Surgeons

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many doctors and surgeons were unemployed at the latest date for which statistics are available.

At September 1982, the latest date for which the information is available, the number of unemployed people registered at jobcentres in the United Kingdom—the old basis of the count—for employment as medical practitioners was 1,418. Separate figures for doctors and surgeons were not recorded.

Worksop

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of (a) unemployed males and (b) unemployed females in the Worksop area had been out of work for over (i) a year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years at the latest available date.

The following is the information for the Worksop jobcentre area at October 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available. The figures are on the registration basis of the unemployment count.

Duration in weeks	Proportion of all registered unemployed males	Proportion of all registered unemployed females
	per cent.	per cent.
Unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks	22·5	13·9
Unemployed for over 104 and up to 156 weeks	10·9	6·1
Unemployed for over 156 weeks	8·9	3·8

Bootle

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of (a) unemployed males and (b) unemployed females in the Bootle travel-to-work area had been out of work for over (i) a year, and (ii) two years and (iii) three years at the latest available date.

The following is the information for the Bootle jobcentre area at October 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available. The figures are on the registration basis of the unemployment count.

Duration in weeks	Proportion of all registered unemployed males	Proportion of all registered unemployed females
	Per cent.	Per cent.
Unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks	22·7	17·0
Unemployed for over 104 and up to 156 weeks	12·2	7·0
Unemployed for over 156 weeks	15·5	8·7

Lambeth

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of (a) unemployed males and (b) unemployed females in the Lambeth area had been out of work for over (i) a year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years at the latest available date.

The following is the information at October 1982, the latest date for which an analysis by duration of unemployment is available. The figures, which are on the registration basis of the unemployment count, relate to the area covered by the Brixton, Stockwell, Streatham and West Norwood jobcentres, which corresponds closely to Lambeth.

Duration in weeks	Proportion of all registered unemployed males	Proportion of all registered unemployed females
	Per cent.	Per cent.
Unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks	25·9	21·8
Unemployed for over 104 and up to 156 weeks	10·2	6·2
Unemployed for over 156 weeks	6·6	3·8

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Employment to which non-official bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

All grants paid by this Department and the Manpower Services Commission appear on the face of the Estimates for which my Department accounts—Class IV, Votes 13, 14 and 16. Some information on grant recipients was supplied in response to a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 20 December 1982—Vol. 34 c. 344–46]. Information on individual grants in respect of special employment measures could be provided only at disproportionate cost, and could breach commercial confidentiality.

Community Programme

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many places have been filled on the community programme, nationally, and in the northern region.

At 31 December 1982, 2,652 places had been filled nationally on the community programme, of which 225 places were in the northern region.

Ethnic Monitoring (Code)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to announce his decision concerning approval of the Commission on Racial Equality's revised code of practice on ethnic monitoring.

My right hon. Friend is considering the CRE's revised draft code of practice, submitted to him on 22 November, and will give a decision as soon as he can.

Soda Ash

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are employed in the United Kingdom in the production, processing and distribution of soda ash.

The information is not available. My Department's employment statistics are analysed according to the 1968 standard industrial classification, which does not separately identify the production, processing and distribution of soda ash.

Glass Industries

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the United Kingdom are employed in the glass industries.

At September 1982, the latest date for which the information is available, the provisional number of employees in employment in the glass industry—minimum list heading 463 of the 1968 standard industrial classification—in the United Kingdom was 49,000.

Industrial Noise

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will be bringing forward legislation in the current parliamentary Session further to control industrial noise.

My right hon. Friend and I are awaiting proposals for legislation on protection of hearing at work from the Health and Safety Commission.I understand that the commission will shortly be considering what action to take on the proposals contained in its consultative document "Protection of Hearing at Work" in the light both of comments received and of the European Commission's recently published proposal for a council directive covering the same ground.

Equal Pay Act 1970

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will be bringing forward proposals in the current parliamentary Session to amend the Equal Pay Act 1970.

Yes. We propose to introduce an order under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, to amend the Equal Pay Act in the light of the recent European Court judgment.

Industry

Steel Industry

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what measures he is taking to protect the steel industry from unfair competition.

My right hon. Friend is determined to ensure that unfair competition from other member states is dealt with by rigorous enforcement of the European Community's steel anti-crisis measures, which were recently reinforced following pressure by the Government. As regards competition from third countries, there are voluntary restraint arrangements limiting imports from the main suppliers. In addition, the Department of Trade's anti-dumping unit is ready to assist companies in mounting cases against unfair competition.

Small Engineering Firms Investment Scheme

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firms in the county of Tyne and Wear, have been offered financial aid through the small engineering firms investment scheme; and at what total cost.

Statistical information on the small engineering firms investment scheme is available on a regional basis only. As at 14 January 1983, 54 firms in the north-east of England had been offered grants amounting to £1,279,325. Ten firms have actually claimed grant and £116,735 has been paid out.

Timex

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 17 January, Official Report, c. 10, when he expects his inquiries into the nature of the incentives that were offered to part of the Timex company's operations to set up a manufacturing unit in France to be completed; and if he is yet able to state whether the French incentives were greater than those offered for its operations in Dundee.

Inquiries are still being pursued. Their duration will depend on what emerges.

World Communications Year

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether his Department will promote events and activities to mark World Communications Year in 1983; and if he will make a statement.

The Government wish to promote a positive United Kingdom contribution to World Communications Year, an announcement on which will be made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State at a press conference on 31 January.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what special action will be taken by Her Majesty's Government to mark 1983 as World Communications Year as it has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings (Mr. Warren).

China (Visit)

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on his recent official visit to the People's Republic of China.

Yes, shortly.

European Community (Manufacturing Industry)

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he is taking to monitor the transfer of manufacturing industry from the United Kingdom to other European Community countries.

I am satisfied that the present arrangements for stimulating productive investment and the growth of the United Kingdom industrial base allow for adequate account to be taken of the foreign investment intentions of manufacturing industry and for any significant shifts to be monitored.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much grant aid has been provided by his Department to private companies during 1982, 1981 and 1980, respectively.

Assistance, predominantly in grant form, supplied direct to private companies totalled £675 million in 1980–81, £836 million in 1981–82 and £853 million (estimated) in 1982–83. This comprises regional development grants, selective assistance under sections 7 and 8 of the Industry Act 1972 and research and development assistance under the Science and Technology Act 1965. (Table 2—Summary of Provision Assistance to Private Industry in the United Kingdom—of the Supply Estimates for the relevant financial years.)

Synthetic Fibres (Agreement)

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, under the European producers' agreement on synthetic fibres, what reduction in capacity, and over what time scale, has been agreed by companies in Italy and in other countries party to the agreement; what products will be cut back as a result; if he will estimate the effect on employment in the European Community and the United Kingdom; whether inter-company trade will be regulated; whether Italian producers have been guaranteed a share of market growth; and how the agreement will be monitored.

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

Grampian Region

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, East of 20 January, what assessment he made of the effect on the Grampian region, and east Aberdeenshire in particular, of the loss of assisted area status, particularly in relation to employment.

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

Civil Service

Management And Personnel Office (Grants)

asked the Minister for the Civil Service to which non-official bodies the Management and Personnel Office make grants; and of how much.

The Government have no official definition of a "non-official body". All grants paid by the Management and Personnel Office appear on the face of the Estimate for which the Department accounts—Class XIII, Vote 12.

Government Departments (Workplace Nurseries)

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether any studies have been carried out as to the provision of workplace nurseries in Government Departments since 1970.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 January 1983]: The Kemp Jones committee on the employment of women in the Civil Service, which was set up in 1970, recommended that a nursery should be set up for an experimental period. A purpose-built nursery for the use of civil servants was opened at Llanishen in 1973. It was closed in 1978 because of a lack of demand and the high running costs involved. Plans for a second project in Croydon were then abandoned. The report "Equal Opportunities for Women in the Civil Service"—HMSO, December 1982—whose recommendations are currently being considered, describes the nursery experiment, and the subsequent experience of other Civil Service child care arrangements, in more detail.

Education And Science

Probationary Teachers

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with the availability of induction schemes for probationary teachers.

The Department has shown its concern by funding a survey of what is being done in this field and I hope we shall find that local authorities are actively supporting appropriate induction programmes for all their newly qualified teachers.

Local Education Authorities (Grants)

10.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied that the allocation of central Government funds to local education authorities accurately reflects the relative educational needs in those authorities.

Yes: the distribution of block grant takes account of variations in local education authorities' needs.

Teachers (Secondary Schools)

12.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the number of teachers in secondary schools teaching subjects for which they have no specialist qualifications.

The latest information available relates to a survey of maintained secondary schools in England and Wales carried out by the Department in 1977. At that time 110,000 teachers—45 per cent. of those in service—did some teaching of a subject in which they were not directly qualified. This teaching accounted for about 15 per cent. of all tuition given in secondary schools.

Teachers (In-Service Training)

18.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with the current extent of the provision of in-service training for teachers.

The Department is currently funding a survey of in-service training and the results are expected towards the end of this year. When these are available I shall be in a better position to form an opinion.

22.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with the level of in-service training for teachers in special schools.

There is much worthwhile activity in this area, but more can always be done and the Education Act 1981 has generated a need to increase the tempo.

Computers

19.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of the microelectronics in education programme.

The programme is making good progress, with substantial achievements in all major aspects.

Academic Staff (Redundancy Payments)

21.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of the money spent on redundancy payments to academic staff at universities in the current financial year.

The University Grants Committee estimates that in the 1982–83 financial year universities will be reimbursed about £40 million for compensation payments to academic and academic related university staff under the terms announced by my right hon. Friend on 25 January 1982.—[Vol. 16, c. 275.]

Printing Courses

23.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many colleges will be offering courses in printing in 1983 compared with 1978.

34 and 44 respectively.

Pupil Numbers

24.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest figure of the numbers of pupils in state primary and secondary schools; and how these figures compare with four years previously.

In January 1982 there were 3·9 million pupils in maintained primary schools in England and 3·8 million in maintained secondary schools. The comparable figures for January 1978 are 4·6 million and 3·85 million.

Nursery Education

25.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he expects the number of nursery places in nursery schools and nursery classes in 1983–84 to be more or less than in the current year.

More.

School Meals

26.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of total public expenditure on school meals in the current financial year; and what is the estimated expenditure in 1983–84 at current prices.

Estimated local authority current expenditure in cash terms on school meals and milk in 1982–83 is some £407 million; in addition some £14 million is provided through the European Community subsidy in respect of milk and milk-based products. The amount allocated for meals and milk in 1983–84 within the Government's expenditure plans is £273 million; the EC subsidy will amount to some £17 million. The local authority current expenditure figures for 1982–83 and 1983–84 are not directly comparable. For 1983–84 an additional global allowance of £904 million, not allocated between services, has been made available to local authorities and it is to be expected that a proportion of this will be spent on school meals and milk. Some local education authorities have already achieved large savings in this area and the Government look to authorities to make substantial further reductions if the planned level of cash for sectors which are considered of greater importance to the quality of the service is not to be unnecessarily reduced.

Teacher Training Institutions

27.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the progress in implementing the proposed economies in teacher training institutions.

My right hon. Friend will be monitoring the progress of the planned contraction of initial teacher training which he announced on 8 November last, in consultation with the relevant bodies.

Education Expenditure

28.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has discussed with the National Advisory Body for Public Sector Higher Education the response to its circular letter asking for priorities for reduced expenditure to be identified.

My right hon. Friend is looking forward to the advice of the national advisory body on the outcome of its planning exercise in the latter part of the year, when responses from local education authorities will have been submitted and assessed. He intends shortly to offer the NAB some wide-ranging guidance, in the light of its first report which he has now received; and this will include some guidlines for the assessment of responses to its planning exercise.

Text Books

29.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received any representations from the publishers of school text books regarding the drop in sales to schools.

The Educational Publishers Council sends copies of its reports to us and my right hon. Friend has met representatives of the council.

Secondary Schools (Shire Counties)

30.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he expects the recently announced rate support grant settlement to halt the reduction in the range of courses offered in secondary schools in shire counties.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to a similar question from the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Newens).

University Students (Grants)

31.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that the existing provisions of grants for university and college students are adequate to ensure that no student who can benefit from such education will be deprived of the opportunity for financial reasons.

While no student support system can hope to meet the particular financial circumstances of every would-be student, my right hon. Friend is satisfied that under our present arrangements most students wishing to follow courses of further and higher education are enabled to do so.

Technical Training (Young Persons)

32.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science with whom he consulted before he agreed to the Manpower Services Commission's new proposals for technical training of 14 to 18-year-olds.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Members for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Foster) and Derby North (Mr. Whitehead) on 7 December.—[Vol. 33, c. 706–7.]

Institute Of Hearing Research

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of the work of the institute of hearing research.

The programme of research being carried out by the Medical Research Council's institute of hearing research continues to progress well. The institute's report for 1981, which summarises the work of the institute and its outstations, is now available in the Library.

Teachers (Morale)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will introduce proposals to improve the low morale of teachers which was noted in the recent Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools report.

My right hon. Friend recognises the problems arising for teachers and their employers from falling pupil rolls and from the restricting of public expenditure to a level which the nation can afford. But some improvements in standards of provision continue to be made, not least in the overall pupil-to-teacher ratio. My right hon. Friend is concerned to make teachers more effective in their work. To this end he has provided more money for in-service training, and will in due course announce how he intends to improve the selection of students for initial training as teachers and the initial training courses provided for them.

Schools (Sex Differences)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to implement the recommendations of the Schools Council report on the need to reduce sex differences in schools.

As I said yesterday in reply to the hon. Member for Eton and Slough, I understand that the report of the Schools Council project on "Reducing Sex Differentiation in Schools" will be submitted to the council as soon as possible after 31 March.

Denominational Schools

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future of denominational schools.

The Government fully recognise the vital part that voluntary schools play in the dual system of county and voluntary schools established by the 1944 Education Act and reinforced in subsequent legislation. The Education Acts already provide a full guarantee for the place of voluntary schools in this system, and the Government are firmly committed to sustaining that guarantee.

Overseas Students (Fees)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any new proposals on overseas students' fees arising out of the report by the Overseas Students Trust.

The Government are considering the OST study and a statement will be made as soon as possible.

Student Unions (Payments)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has received concerning ultra vires payments by student unions; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received a number of complaints about the use of student union funds and where it has seemed possible that there has been ultra vires expenditure he has drawn the circumstances to the attention of the Attorney-General. My right hon. Friend is considering whether any further action is required.

Manpower Services Commission (Consultative Machinery)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement about changes in the consultative machinery between the education system and the Manpower Services Commission.

Several steps have recently been taken to improve the consultative machinery. The youth training board and its advisory group on content and standards involve strong educational representation in the planning and execution of the youth training scheme at national level. Officials of the Department of Education and Science are in close touch with the MSC and education interests about other aspects of national co-ordination, with regard to the whole range of MSC's training programmes.At local level, area manpower boards are being established. They will have representatives of local education authorities and professional interests, and will be able to invite educational and other experts to meetings, and to establish sub-groups where appropriate including on matters of particular concern to the education service where the expertise of that service can be more fully represented. I hope that boards, and education interests locally, will take full advantage of these opportunities for working together at the local level where so many of the issues of co-ordination arise.In the light of these developments, and following widespread consultation, the commission has recommended, and I have agreed, that the training and further education consultative group, which has had a wide remit for co-ordination, should be disbanded with effect from 31 December 1982. The chairman of the commission and I would wish to pay tribute to the group's members, and especially its chairman, Mr. Roy Helmore, for his service in that capacity for six years, as well as his contribution over nine years of membership to the deliberations of the commission itself.

European Community

Nicaragua

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 19 January, why Her Majesty's Government have expressed reservations about giving Nicaragua additional aid from the European Community special aid programme for Central America.

Nicaragua already receives both food aid and project aid from regular European Community programmes. In discussion with our European Community partners it has already been agreed that not all Central American countries should benefit from the special programme for additional aid to the area. In considering who should benefit we have to take account of the low priority which the Government of Nicaragua appear to give to using resources for social and economic development, as well as their curbs on civil rights, the treatment of minorities, and the continuing military buildup in Nicaragua.

Political Parties (Expenditure)

asked the Secretary of Slate for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidelines have been issued by the European Assembly on the specific purposes for which the allocation of 43 million European currency units may be spent by political parties in the preparation of the 1984 elections; and what arrangements have been made to ensure that the money is spent on these purposes.

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

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Sinn Fein

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have received any requests from the Government of the Republic of Ireland to make Sinn Fein an illegal organisation.

No.

Portugal And Algarve (Holiday Fatalities)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British holidayrnakers have met their deaths in (a) Portugal and (b) the Algarve region over the past five years.

The British embassy in Lisbon has extracted the following figures from its consular register of deaths:

Year of Register	Total in Portugal	In Algarve region
1978	28	15
1979	19	7
1980	20	9
1981	24	14
1982	41	28

The majority of these deaths were of older people and from natural causes.

Government Communications Headquarters

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what public funds have been allocated to the Government communications headquarters in the most recent financial year.

Government communications headquarters carries out highly classified work in the area of communications and communications security. It has therefore been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on details of its organisation or funding. It would not be in the public interest for me to depart from that policy.

New Territories

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Heung Yee Kuk consulted the Hong Kong Government before its recent visit to Peking to discuss the future of the New Territories; and if he will make a statement.

A group of people from the New Territories, including some Heung Yee Kuk members, visited China earlier this month. The Hong Kong Government were aware of the visit, and officials have been in touch with members of the group in the course of regular contacts.

South Africa (Death Sentences)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to try to secure that clemency is granted in the cases of Anthony Tsotsobe, Johannes Shabangu, David Moise, Jerry Mosololi, Simon Mogoerane and Marcus Motaung sentenced to death in South Africa on 19 August 1981 and 5 August 1982.

These cases involve South African citizens who were convicted under South African law and we therefore have no formal standing in the matter. Nonetheless, we have supported appeals for clemency for these men at the United Nations. We, like other Governments, have also brought to the attention of the South African authorities the public concern in these cases and the hope that on humanitarian grounds the death sentences might be commuted.

Wales

School Meals

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many children were in receipt of free school meals in Wales as a whole and in each local education authority in 1979 and at the latest available date.

The information is shown in the following table:

Pupils receiving free school meals in maintained schools in Wales
	September 1979	September 1981
Clwyd	8,665	7,523
Dyfed	7,512	5,465
Gwent	12,339	12,978
Gwynedd	8,443	5,709
Mid Glamorgan	12,356	14,981
Powys	1,977	1,727
South Glamorgan	10,861	10,648
West Glamorgan	7,323	8,349
WALES	69,476	67,380

Railways

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what response he has made to the letter dated 24 December 1982 from the Welsh counties committee concerning the involvement of the Welsh Office in considerations about railways in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The letter proposes fundamental changes in statutory responsibility for railways and ports in Wales. A reply will be sent shortly and I shall send the hon. Member a copy.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Wales to which non-official bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

The Government have no official definition of a "non-official body" but I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 22 December 1982, which listed grants made by my Department to non-statutory bodies.—[Vol. 34, c. 555–559.]

National Finance

Glasgow Stamp Office

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the reasons for the proposed closure of the Glasgow stamp office; if he has assessed possible delays in the processing of documents; and if he will review the decision.

The Board of Inland Revenue has not yet taken any decision to close the Glasgow office although the number of instruments now being presented for stamping does call into question the justification for a separate office there. The computerisation of Stock Exchange transactions has considerably reduced the intake of work. A decision will be taken only after consultation with representatives of the legal profession in Scotland.

Business Insolvencies

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information is collected by his Department about business insolvencies in which (a) the Commissioners of Customs and Excise and (b) the Commissioners of Inland Revenue are creditors.

The Commissioners of Customs and Excise collect the following information in respect of insolvencies in which they are creditors:

(a) The total number of claims made for each type of duty and tax.

(b) The total amount of moneys claimed.

(c) The total amount of moneys subsequently received by way of dividend.

The Inland Revenue collects the following information:

(a) The number of bankruptcy proceedings initiated by the Board of Inland Revenue.

(b) The number of winding-up proceedings (i) initiated by the board or (ii) initiated by another creditor but supported by the board.

(c) The number of receiving orders obtained on the board's petition.

(d) The number of winding-up orders issued (i) on the board's petitions or (ii) on other creditors' petitions but supported by the board.

No information is collected on the total number of insolvencies in which the Commissioners of Inland Revenue are creditors or on the amount of moneys claimed or received in insolvencies.

Barristers (Income Tax Assessments)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now direct the Inland Revenue to apply the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Mallalieu v. Drummond (Inspector of Taxes) in arriving at assessments of income of practising barristers, both male and female.

This is a matter for the Inland Revenue, which is presently considering the implications of the judgments in this case.

Mortgage Interest (Tax Relief)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received regarding the level of mortgage for house purchase available for tax relief; and if he will make a statement.

We have received a number of representations regarding the limit on mortgage interest relief from both representative bodies and private individuals. The limit has to be reviewed every year and my right hon. and learned Friend will be considering those representations in preparing his Budget.

Employee Share Ownership

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to expand and build on existing schemes for encouraging employee share-ownership.

We introduced new legislation in the Finance Acts 1980 and 1982. We have made substantially more generous the tax reliefs for employee profit-sharing schemes and we have introduced two new tax reliefs for employees participating in share option schemes.

Construction Work (Capital Expenditure)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the 1982–83 budgeted figures, together with the estimated out-turn, for capital expenditure on construction work on (a) housing in England, (b) other environmental services, (c) transport, (d) education, (e) health and personal social services, (f) Scotland, (g) Wales, (h) Northern Ireland, (i) other public services, (j) nationalised industries and (k) total.

The estimated outturn for capital expenditure on construction work by the public sector in 1982–83 will be published shortly in the public expenditure White Paper. I shall send my hon. Friend some supplementary information when it is published.

European Community (Budget)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the current estimates as to the gross payment into

	Out-of-work weekly spending power	Earnings required to produce same spending power
		Mortgage level
		£5,000	£10,000	£15,000	£20,000	£25,000
Married couple	£43·20	£70·40	£82·88	£95·09	£107·26	£119·60

the European Community budget for the calendar year 1982, the net value of the refunds valued at a discounted rate against the originally agreed date of repayment and the consequent net cost similarly discounted against the date of gross payment and the date of net fund.

Gross contributions by the United Kingdom to the allocated budget for the calendar year 1982 amounted to some £2,460 million. Receipts other than refunds are estimated to be around £1,300 million. Our basic net refund for 1982, as agreed by the Council, was some £490 million; but we expect to receive more refunds through the risk-sharing mechanism.The Commission has undertaken that the United Kingdom should not be put in a worse financial position as a result of the delay in payment of our basic refund for 1982. There is consequently no need to discount our refund payments on this account.

Stamp Duty

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the stamp duty on the purchase of owneroccupied dwellings.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

Personal Incomes

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) for single persons, (b) married persons with one earner and (c) married persons with two earners, each aged (i) under 65 years and (ii) 65 years and over, the estimated number of incomes in each income range in 1982–83 starting at a lower limit of £1,500, and the total tax, excluding family income supplement as a proportion of total income.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state what wage (a) a man with a wife and (b) a man with a wife and two children would need to earn in order to be left with as much net weekly spending power as he would have when unemployed, assuming that he had a mortgage of (i) £25,000, (ii) £20,000, (iii) £15,000 (iv) £10,000 and (v) £5,000, that his work expenses were £5 per week and that he was in receipt of all benefits, rebates and so on to which he was entitled.

I have been asked to reply.The following table indicates earnings required to produce weekly spending power equivalent to spending power out-of-work on the basis of the illustrative assumptions indicated in my hon. Friend's question:—

	Out-of-work weekly spending power	Earnings required to produce same spending power
		Mortgage level
		£5,000	£10,000	£15,000	£20,000	£25,000
Married couple with children aged 4 and 6	£66·57	£52·50	£96·26	£108·46	£120·64	£132·81

Assumptions

1. The wife has no earnings or income other than child benefit.

2. The mortgage is in its first year, the interest rate is 10 per cent. with mortgage interest tax relief available at standard rate, and capital repayment is ignored because it is not met in supplementary benefit awards. General rates are £4·20 per week in the case of the married couple and £5·10 per week in the case involving children. Water rate is £1·30 per week in both cases.

3. All means-tested benefits are taken up in full.

4. Local authorities continue to exercise their discretion to allow free or cheap meals on low income grounds.

5. No tax repayments are received out of work.

6. The benefit component of net weekly out-of-work spending power reflects a standard supplementary benefit assessment, plus the value of free school meals and free welfare milk in the case involving children.

Married Woman's Allowance

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his estimate of the number of married women claiming married woman's allowance;(2) if he will estimate the cost in 1983–84 of abolishing the married woman's allowance.

All married women with earned income benefit from the wife's earned income allowance; but many with small amounts, below the PAYE reporting limit, are not known to the Inland Revenue. Excluding these, there are about 6·5 million earning wives on record, 4·2 million of whom pay tax. In a full year at 1983–84 income levels, assuming statutorily indexed levels of allowances, the yield from abolishing the wife's earned income allowance would be around £2·9 billion. This estimate does not include tax that would become due if the allowance were withdrawn from those women not on Inland Revenue records. It is based on the assumption that the election for separate taxation of wife's earnings would no longer be available, as otherwise nearly all two earner couples would be able to benefit from the election, and the yield would be substantially reduced.

Personal Taxation

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the estimated cost to the Exchequer in 1983–84 of a change in taxation to (a) increase the married and so on and personal allowance to £3,500 and £1,800, respectively, (b) introduce two reduced rate bands of £1,000 each at 10 per cent. and 20 per cent., respectively, (c) reduce the standard rate band to £5,000, and (d) re-arrange the higher rate bands to provide 5 per cent. steps in three bands of £4,000 followed by four bands of £5,000.

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

Departmental Grants

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which non-official bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

The Government have no official definition of a "non-official body". With the exception of the grant of £120,000 to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, all grants paid by my Department appear on the face of the Estimate for Economic and Financial Administration (HM Treasury): Class XIII, Vote 4, for which my Department accounts.The grant-in-aid to the Royal Trustees has been reduced to £2,926,000 to take account of the reduction in the national insurance surcharge announced in the autumn statement.

Civil List

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give the reasons for the grant of £2,600,000 as shown in the Appropriation Accounts Volume 9, Class XIII, Vote 4 for 1981–82, for supplementing payment from the Consolidated Fund for the Civil List, annuities and other payments to members of the Royal family;(2) why supplementary expenditure of £16,250 in 1981 and £5,000 in 1982 was granted to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester;(3) what are the reasons for granting to the Princess Margaret supplementary expenditure of £51,250 in 1981 and £15,750 in 1982;(4) if he will state the reasons for the granting to the Princess Anne supplementary expenditure of £52,500 in 1981 and £16,250 in 1982;(5) why Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was granted supplementary expenditure of £77,500 for 1981 and £23,750 for 1982;(6) if he will explain the supplementary payments of £153,700 in 1981, and £47,750 in 1982 being supplementary payments made to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother;(7) if he will make a statement on the amounts to be paid to Civil List annuitants for the year 1983–84.

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

Business Start-Up And Loan Guarantee Schemes

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the upper limit of investment under the business start-up scheme to £75,000; and if he will similarly estimate the cost of raising the maximum figure for loans under the loan guarantee scheme to £150,000.

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

Social Services

Prescription Charges

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the level of each increase in prescription charges since May 1979; and how the percentage rises compare with inflation.

The information is as follows:

Prescription Charge
	Level of charge	Percentage Increase	Inflation as measured by movement in the RPI
	(Pence)	Per cent.	Per cent.
May 1979	^*20	—	—
16 July 1979	45	125	^*189
1 April 1980	70	55·6	13·8
1 December 1980	100	42·9	5·7
1 April 1982	130	30	16
^* From 1 April 1971.

A more relevant comparison would be with the increase in costs of the pharmaceutical services concerned.

Retirement Pensions

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to the current basic retirement pensions, for single persons and married couples, paid in each of the following countries in terms of £ sterling at purchasing power parities: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, West Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The most recent information available to me of the value in pounds sterling of retirement pensions in these countries was given in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley)—[Vol. 32, c. 281]—or is contained in the Department's publication "Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the Member States of the European Communities (Position at 1 January 1982)", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. many of these countries calculate pensions entitlement wholly or partially in terms of pre-retirement earnings which makes comparison difficult. Furthermore, the series of purchasing power parities developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development does not include Finland, Norway, Sweden or Switzerland. I regret it is not possible to provide information in the form sought by the hon. Member.

Sickness Claims

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish such information as is available as to the effect and the volume of sickness claims, particularly short-term claims since the introduction of self-certification for the first week of an illness or incapacity to work; and if he will estimate the effect the change has had upon the work load of family medical practitioners.

Over the six months following the introduction of self-certification in June 1982, claims have been running about 20 per cent. below claims in the corresponding period in 1981. Information as to the length of the claims made since June 1982 will not he available until later this year. The introduction of self-certification by itself will have led to a reduction in the number of statements issued by doctors.

Health Education Council

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services is he will publish the total cost of the Health Education Council for the last four years.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Merioneth (Mr. Thomas) on 15 November 1982.—[Vol. 32, c. 57–8, 68.]

Child Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many parents have been granted weekly child benefit on grounds of hardship.

Approximately 5,100 weekly awards have been made under the special fallback procedure for cases of hardship.

Opren

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, whether the Committee on Safety of Medicines requested information from Eli Lilly about the severity and incidence of the photo-sensitivity adverse reactions from Opren; and whether the committee was aware that the Food and Drugs Administration in the United States of America considered the company to have withheld information about adverse reactions.

Information about the severity and incidence of photosensitivity adverse reactions formed part of the product licence application for Opren considered by the Committee on Safety of Medicines before the drug was marketed in 1980. At that time, the committee was not aware of any concern on the part of the United States Food and Drugs Administration about allegations that Eli Lilly had withheld information about adverse reactions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Committee on Safety of Medicines accepted the claim of Eli Lilly in its advertising that the drug Opren might modify the disease arthritis; whether it made any attempt to verify the claim; and whether the committee had consultations with the United States Food and Drugs Administration about the acceptability of the advertisements for Opren.

The Committee on Safety of Medicines has no responsibility for the regulation of advertisements for medicinal products and has therefore not considered the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, pursuant to his answer, 23 December 1982, Official Report, c. 682, he considers that Opren was the cause of at least 10 of the deaths that were reputed to be associated with it.

The data available on yellow cards can only be used to establish a working hypothesis. They cannot be used to establish scientifically a causal link between a drug and a reported reaction either generally or in any specific case. On the basis of the information available, however, the Committee on Safety of Medicines is of the view that of the 76 deaths reported to them as possibly associated with benoxaprofen and later assessed as having probably been due to the clinical events referred to in those reports, it was reasonable to work, for purposes of the Medicines Act, on the basis that rather under half of those events were probably caused by benoxaprofen.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for what reasons he stated in a letter to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South that it was impracticable and undesirable for contra-indications for the elderly to be included in the data sheet for the drug Opren.

The right hon. Member has, with respect, taken this phrase out of context. In my letter to the right hon. Member I was referring to the consideration of options for licensing action in July 1982 other than immediate suspension of Opren. It was decided that it would be impracticable and undesirable at that stage to contra-indicate the drug in the elderly firstly because most people using the drug were elderly, and a contra-indication might not have sufficient impact to ensure that the drug was quickly withdrawn from all of them. Secondly, although the evidence of hazard related mainly to the elderly, it was difficult to assess the relative risk to younger patients, because of the limited use of the drug by those patients.

Arthritis

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated number of people suffering from arthritis; how many drugs are on the market which claim to relieve arthritis; and what is the annual cost to the National Health Service of supplying drugs for the relief of arthritis.

Information is not centrally available which would enable a reliable estimate to be made of the number of people suffering from arthritis. Our records do not show the number of products for the relief of arthritis currently marketed. However, 295 licences have been granted for products where indications are covered by the international classification of diseases code for arthritis, arthritic. The range of products includes analgesics, anti-inflammatories and those of herbal origin.Information is not collected on the illnesses for which drugs are prescribed but in 1981, products included in the therapeutic group "products prescribed for rheumatism" cost the National Health Service £99 million for England and there were 16 million prescriptions for such drugs. This is the net ingredient cost of the drugs and does not include pharmacists' payments for dispensing.

National Health Service (Drugs)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department requests or obtains information from pharmaceutical companies supplying drugs for the National Health Service, about the percentage of their turnover that goes on (a) research and development, (b) marketing and (c) profits.

All companies supplying medicines to the NHS to the value of more than £l·5 million a year must submit to the Department an annual financial return together with a report by an independent accountant. This is a requirement of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme. The returns record expenditure under a number of headings including research and development, marketing and profit.

Drugs (Marketing)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how his Department monitors or controls the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs; and, in particular, to what extent and how advertising is monitored or controlled.

For those companies coming within the terms of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme any expenditure on sales promotion is allowed as a cost only within certain limits. Any excess is treated as profit. In 1980 expenditure of about £18 million was disallowed in this way.Advertising, both of prescription-only medicines and over-the-counter medicines, is controlled by a combination of statutory requirements, and voluntary codes administered by industry trade associations. It is an offence to issue a false or misleading advertisement, and any statement made in advertisements must be consistent with the particulars in the licence of the medicine concerned.Prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public, and the trade associations which operate codes of practice in relation to public advertising require their members to submit statements to them for approval before they may be used.Advertisements are scrutinised both by the DHSS and by the trade associations for compliance with the regulations and codes, and any complaints about advertising are investigated as necessary.

Greenwich And Bexley Area Health Authority

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many administrative, professional and clerical staff were employed at area level by the former Greenwich and Bexley area health authority at the time of its dissolution; and how many of these were subsequently re-employed by (a) the Bexley health authority and (b) the Greenwich health authority.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the numbers of staff employed by the former Greenwich and Bexley area health authority at area headquarters: these numbers at 30 September 1981 were as shown in the following table. Information is not available centrally on the numbers employed at the date of the area health authority's dissolution.

	Numbers of Staff Whole Time Equivalents
Nursing and Midwifery	7·4
Professional and Technical	2·0
Works	3·0
Maintenance	1·0
Administrative and Clerical	207·1

Numbers of Staff Whole Time Equivalents

Ancillary

25·8

TOTAL

246·3

No information is available centrally on the numbers of these staff re-employed by the Bexley health authority or the Greenwich health authority. The hon. Member may wish to seek this information from the two authorities.

Greenwich Health District

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of administrative professional and clerical staff employed in the Greenwich health district before re-organisation; and what are the most recent comparable figures for the Greenwich health authority.

The total number of non-medical staff employed in the Greenwich health district on 30 September 1981 was as follows:

	Number of Staff Whole Time Equivalents
Nursing and Midwifery^*	2,222·4
Professional and Technical	402·3
Works	17·0
Maintenance	165·9
Administrative and Clerical	522·9
Ambulance (including officers)†	—
Ancillary	1,356·4
Total	4,686·9
^* Excludes Agency Nursing and Midwifery Staff and Health Visitor Students.
† No figure is shown because these staff are employed by the London Ambulance Service.

Comparable figures for the Greenwich health authority are not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to seek this information from the authority.

Supplementary Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will discontinue the practice of treating the surrender value of a life assurance policy as a capital resource for the purpose of assessing entitlement to supplementary benefit; and in how many cases this has taken place in each of the last three years.

On the first part of his question, I refer the right hon. and learned Member to my reply to the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Foulkes) on 17 January.—[Vol. 35, c. 66.] Firm information is not available about the number of cases where the surrender value of a life assurance policy has been treated as a capital resource for the purpose of assessing entitlement to supplementary benefit although, as I indicated in my earlier reply, the indications are that it is unlikely to have been significant.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether patients who leave long-stay institutions with accumulated personal balances of more than £2,500 are excluded from entitlement to supplementary benefit.

To the extent that the accumulated personal balances represent savings of mobility allowance which the recipient intends to use in connection with mobility—for example, to buy a car—it is disregarded in assessing entitlement to supplementary benefit. Otherwise the balances are taken into account as a capital resource and if they exceed £2,500 the person is not entitled to supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services at what level the capital limit for supplementary benefit single payments would now stand if it had been uprated in line with inflation since November 1980.

The level of the single payment capital limit would be £355 if it had been increased in line with the increase in the retail price index between November 1980 and November 1982.

Maternity Grant

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current value of the maternity grant compared with (a) May 1979, (b) the time when it was last uprated, and (c) the time when it was first introduced.

The maternity grant was increased to its present level of £25 in November 1969. When it was just introduced in July 1948 the grant was £4. On the basis of the movement in the general index of retail prices, the real value of the grant at November 1982 prices would be as follows:

(a) £37·76 compared with May 1979

(b) £117·13 compared with November 1969

(c) £41·75 compared with July 1948

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the Official Report the current maternity grant in each European Community country.

Information on the provision of maternity benefits, including, where it is payable, the levels of maternity grant, is contained in the Department's publication "Tables of Social Benefit Systems in the Member States of the European Communities (Position at 1 January 1982)", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for what purposes grants are made by his Department to local authorities.

The personal social services and port health are covered by the block grant arrangements administered by the Department of the Environment. The only specific grant paid by DHSS is in respect of the capital costs of secure accommodation for children, as mentioned in my reply to my hon. Friend on 22 June 1982.—[Vol. 26, c. 86.] Since November 1982, the Department also reimburses the additional costs borne by local authorities under the housing benefit scheme.

National Insurance Contributions

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost to the Exchequer of a change in the level of national insurance contributions to raise the lower earnings level of £1,800 for single persons, £3,500 for married persons and a change of 9 per cent. of earnings above their levels to £15,800 ad £17,500, respectively.

Under the present system contributions for employees are based on all weekly earnings falling within specified lower and upper earnings limits, irrespective of marital status. Disproportionate cost would be involved in forecasting the possible effect of the proposed change.

Hypothermia

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the last comprehensive survey of the causes of hypothermia in elderly people was carried out; what were its main recommendations; what progress has been made in implementing its recommendations; and whether his Department plans any new research in this area.

Two surveys of physiological, social and environmental conditions influencing the deep body temperature of elderly people living at home were carried out in 1972. The report of the surveys in the British Medical Journal, pages 200–206, 27 January 1973, was addressed to a wide audience and recommended further research; the need for diagnosis and definition of hypothermia; the consideration of measures to provide for improvements in living conditions; preventive measures and publicity about the dangers of hypothermia.Statutory bodies provide a range of help for housing and heating needs. Health and social services staff of all disciplines have been alerted to the dangers of hypothermia. The Health Education Council draws attention to what elderly people themselves and their families, friends and neighbours can do. The Department is not planning to conduct any further surveys itself but is associated with the Medical Research Council's programme of research into the biomedical and physiological aspects of hypothermia.

Heating Addition

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people living in accommodation which has an inclusive heating charge have lost (a) heating additions under paragraph 6 and (b) heating additions under paragraph 7 of schedule 3 of the Supplementary Benefit Regulations since 22 November 1982; how many of those who have lost benefit under paragraph 6 were of pensionable age; and how many in each category will lose entitlement in April 1983.

General changes were made in this area of heating additions on the introduction of housing benefit. Information on these changes is not available in the form requested but it is estimated that overall more claimants gained than lost in November 1982. This pattern is not expected to alter in April 1983.

Retirement Age (Report)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what announcements have been made by his Department in response to the recommendations of the Social Services Select Committee's Report on the age of retirement; and when he expects to publish an official reaction.

No formal announcements have been made, although I wrote to the Chairman of the Social Services Committee on 5 January in the following terms:

"Thank you for your letter of 25 November to Norman Fowler about the Committee's Third Report on the Age of Retirement. I am sorry for the delay in sending you a reply.

We are as anxious as you are to ensure the earliest possible issue of the formal Government response to the Committee's Reports, so that they can be debated while fresh in everybody's minds. For reasons I know you will readily appreciate this is not always as easy as it sounds, but I can confirm that we are making every effort to ensure that our response to your latest Report on the Age of Retirement is available to the Committee by the end of February at the latest.

Without prejudice to our final considered response, I should like to congratulate you and the Committee on this report. In reading it I was struck by the clear and considered way that the key issues had been analysed and by the care that had been taken to produce proposals that are workable if the necessary political consensus can be achieved. Whatever the timescale eventually decided for change, I feel certain that you are right to see the future development of pension schemes firmly in the context of the twin principles of flexibility and equality. I have no doubt that your report is an important benchmark on the road to achieving these goals".

Invacars

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many people use Invacars; and how many are of pensionable age;(2) if it remains his policy that no existing users of Invacars will be made immobile other on the grounds of increasing disability; whether sufficient stocks of vehicles and spare parts exist to ensure that this policy is maintained indefinitely; and if not, how long it will be before stocks are exhausted;(3) how many people use vehicles, other than Invacars, supplied by his Department under the pre-1976 vehicle scheme; and how many are of pensionable age.

Invalid three-wheelers, including Invacars, supplied by the Department are used by some 8,000 people. 1,670 people, excluding war pensioners, use other vehicles supplied under the pre-1976 scheme. Information about the numbers who are of pensionable age is not readily available. The stocks of three-wheelers and spare parts should be sufficient to last for a number of years to come. As they run down the special needs of those remaining users who may not be able to use other vehicles will be kept under review.

Residential Homes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether it is his intention that the code of practice for private and voluntary residential homes, currently being investigated by a working party he has set up, will be incorporated in any regulations arising out of the Health and Social Services Bill; and if he will make a statement.

We do not intend to prescribe by regulations the code of practice for residential homes now being devised by the working party set up, with Government support, by the Centre for Policy on Ageing. We envisage that the National Assistance (Conduct of Homes) Regulations, S.I. 2000/1962 will continue to provide a statutory framework, but that within this framework a non-statutory code applied administratively by local authorities in their registration and inspection of homes is the best way to cater for widely differing premises and for the diverse requirements of different groups such as the elderly, disabled or mentally disordered people, or handicapped children.

National Health Service (Land)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to receive the report on the inquiry into under-used and surplus land and property in the National Health Service; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received the report which is being published today and a copy has been placed in the Library. I am grateful to the committee for its work.The National Health Service is one of the biggest property and land owners in the country. In England it owns 50,000 acres of land and about 2,000 hospitals as well as health centres, clinics, offices and staff accommodation. The report shows that the National Health Service estate has not up to now received the attention it should have done.I therefore welcome the report, which contains many valuable recommendations to improve the quality of estate management in the National Health Service. It stresses the importance of land and buildings as a major resource and emphasises the need for greater productivity in their use. Among other things it recommends a system of notional rents for Health Service buildings to bring home to users the value of accommodation they occupy and to promote greater efficiency and effectiveness in the use of property. It also emphasises the need for effective incentives for health authorities to identify and dispose of surplus property.The Government are determined to see resources represented by buildings and land more effectively used and the disposal of property surplus to requirement. Money saved and released here will lead directly to better services for patients. Accordingly, I will be consulting health authorities and I will then draw up an action plan. At the same time I am asking members of the inquiry team to continue with their work and to monitor and ensure progress.

Northern Ireland

Rent Arrears

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about Northern Ireland Housing Executive rent arrears.

Rent arrears are a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, but I understand from the chairman that the total rent arrears, including rates, but excluding district heating arrears, was £19·7 million at 31 December 1982. The Housing Executive continues to make strenuous efforts to recover these arrears by voluntary agreements, allocation of social security benefits attachments of earnings and recovery through court action. The executive regularly reviews the methods used to prevent and to recover rent arrears.

Housing Executive (House Sales)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the sale of Northern Ireland Housing Executive dwellings to tenants.

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, but I understand from the chairman that at 14 January 1983 about 18,400 formal offers had been accepted by tenants and of these 13,406 sales have been completed. New applications—and re-applications by tenants whose previous applications have lapsed—are now being received at an average rate of about 115 per week.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to which non-official bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 23 June 1982—[Vol. 26, c. 109–12]—and the reply given on 23 December 1982 to a similar question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Bottomley).—[Vol. 34, c. 669.]

Overseas Development

Crown Agents

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has plans to transfer the functions of the Crown Agents from the public to the private sector.

The Government have reviewed the role and work of the Crown Agents and have no present plans for transferring any of their functions to the private sector. The Government believe that in general the Crown Agents offer services which complement rather than compete with those provided by the United Kingdom private sector. Their range of activities will, however, be kept under review.

Falkland Islands (Rehabilitation)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the cost of rehabilitating the Falkland Islands.

Subject to parliamentary approval, £15 million has been allocated for civil rehabilitation costs. This is in addition to compensation payments for damage to private property. The sum takes account of requirements identified in the past six months and I hope it will prove sufficient.

"British Aid In Action"

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that future editions of the Overseas Development Administration's publication "British Aid in Action" make a distinction between Commonwealth and other countries and refer to the Commonwealth.

We are now considering the future of "British Aid in Action" and other ODA publications. If it is decided to continue to publish a booklet along the lines of "British Aid in Action" we shall ensure that appropriate references are made to the Commonwealth.

Falkland Islands (Seed Potatoes)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of total acreage on the Falkland Islands is fit for cultivating seed potatoes.

No such assessment has been made. Most Falkland householders grow their own fresh vegetables. The Falkland Islands Economic Survey 1982 (Cmnd. 8653) includes a brief description of requirements for commercial horticulture in the islands, and notes that there has been little attempt to develop commercial vegetable production there.

E1 Salvador (Refugee Relief)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response Her Majesty's Government are making to the fourth international committee of the Red Cross appeal for refugee relief in E1 Salvador.

I propose, subject to parliamentary approval, to contribute £100,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross for it to continue its refugee relief work in E1 Salvador. Provision will be sought in the Spring Supplementary Estimates.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

White Fish

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give figures for the British consumption of white fish for each of the last 10 years.

On the basis of the national food survey, household consumption of white fish—fresh, frozen, filleted, unfilleted or processed but not cooked or in fish products—in Great Britain during 1972–81 is estimated to have been as follows:

Ounces per person per week
Year	Ounces
1972	2·1
1973	2·0
1974	1·8
1975	1·9
1976	1·9
1977	1·8
1978	1·8
1979	1·8
1980	1·9
1981	2·0

Estimates for the calendar year 1982 are not yet available.

Common Fisheries Policy

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how he intends to guarantee proper enforcement of the European fisheries agreement; and if he will list his powers in this respect.

The enforcement of fishing rules within the United Kingdom's jurisdiction is the responsibility of the various arms of our well-tried and widely respected fishery protection forces, operating under statutes which give full authority for all necessary measures. The Community Inspectorate of Inspectorates will have a monitoring role.

Departmental Grants

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those bodies other than non-departmental public bodies and private companies who receive finance from his Department.

It would not be possible to list bodies other than non-departmental public bodies and private companies which receive finance from my Department without disproportionate cost.

Council Of Agriculture Ministers (Statement)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his statement on 19 January, Official Report, c. 337, he will give details of the big reduction in the major surpluses in the European Economic Community to which he referred.

In mid-January, stocks in public intervention and assisted private storage of the major surplus products, skimmed milk powder and butter, were below the levels at the corresponding date in 1979.Each annual common agricultural policy price fixing since the Government took office has resulted in common price reductions in real terms for the major products in surplus in the Community—that is, milk, cereals and sugar. In the case of milk, as I mentioned following my statement on 19 January, the cumulative effect has been to reduce common support prices in the milk sector in real terms by about 17 per cent.

Environment

Local Government Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his most recent estimate of the proportion of local government expenditure in (a) England and Wales and (b) Greater London which is met by (i) central Government grants, (ii) domestic ratepayers, (iii) commercial and industrial ratepayers, (iv) other ratepayers and (v) rents and charges.

Following are estimates of the financing of local government gross revenue expenditure—rate fund, housing and trading accounts—in 1980–81, the latest year for which complete outturn information is available:

	(a)	(b)
	England and Wales per cent.	Greater London per cent.
(i) Central Government Grants^*	48	43
(ii) Domestic ratepayers	11	10
(iii) Commercial and Industrial ratepayers	11	16
(iv) Other ratepayers†	5	5
(v) Rents and charges	13	13
(vi) Sales and other income‡	12	13

^* RSG, rate rebate grants, specific service grants, and government subsidies and grants in the housing and trading revenue accounts.

† Includes public utilities.

‡ Excluding external interest receipts.

Rates

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department will advertise or take other steps to inform ratepayers in areas where Government spending guidelines have been exceeded that increased rate demands result from local rather than central Government policy.

The level of rates is the responsibility of individual local authorities, but if authorities plan to spend in line with their expenditure targets, rate increases should on average be very low. As soon as the figures are available, we will make available a list comparing 1983–84 budgets and targets for each authority. Ratepayers will then be able to draw their own conclusions.

Rent Arrears

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Lichfield and Tamworth, on 26 January 1982, Official Report, c. 319, whether he has now completed his researches into the reasons for rent arrears and the effectiveness of local authorities' recovery procedures; and if he will make a statement.

A report is currently being drafted and I expect to receive it in the early part of this year.

Manchester City Council (Partnership Agreement)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the operation of the partnership agreement with Manchester city council.

Yes, but if my hon. Friend has knowledge of any cause for concern I should be glad to hear further from him.

Housing Investment Programme Allocations

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide details of the methodology and the data used in making the housing investment programme allocations for 1983–84, including the data used in respect of each local authority.

I have placed copies of the relevant information in the Library.

Rating Reform

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the course of his consideration of alternatives to the present domestic rating system, he has examined the powers and functions of metropolitan county councils and the Greater London council; and what conclusions he has reached.

I will answer the question shortly.

Ordnance Survey

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what technical improvements in United Kingdom mapping he expects to achieve by financing the ordnance survey by means of a trading fund.

It is not intended that the method by which the ordnance survey is financed should, by itself, achieve technical improvements. However, the Government believe that efficiency and cost-effectiveness will be encouraged by the more commercial discipline of a trading fund, and that technical and other improvements will flourish in this environment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the proposed trading fund for the ordnance survey is likely to be provided by Her Majesty's Government contracts.

The contract between OS and the Department of the Environment by which OS will be financed for the cost of work commissioned in the national interest by Government represents about 55 per cent. of the annual revenue. OS also undertakes work on behalf of specific Government Departments. This accounts for about a further 10 per cent. of revenue each year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the advice given him by the Royal Geographical Society on his proposal to set up a trading fund for the ordnance survey.

Comments by the Royal Geographical Society on the proposal to set up a trading fund for OS were summarised in the report on the results of consultations presented to Parliament on 21 December. There will be an opportunity for the House to consider this report when the Ordnance Survey Trading Fund Order is laid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he expects improvements in the public accountability of the ordnance survey as a result of the establishment of a trading fund for the survey.

The spur provided by the pressures of operating under trading conditions is expected to result in a greater commercial awareness by OS managers. I am confident that this will yield a high standard of service to customers with efficiency and value for money in the use of public resources.

Emergency Seashore Rescue Equipment

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will seek a meeting with the Ship and Boat Builders National Federation with a view to ascertaining from it information about new materials suitable for use by local authorities in lightweight and vandal-proof safety equipment for use in case of emergency rescue requirements from the shore;(2) if he will make it his policy to seek to establish uniform national requirements for the provision by local authorities of seashore safety equipment;(3) when his Department last communicated with coastal local authorities on the subject of seashore safety equipment; what recommendations were made; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities have a discretionary power under section 234 of the Public Health Act 1936 to provide life-saving appliances. Technical advice on suitable equipment is available from the marine offices of the Department of Trade. If the Ship and Boat Builders National Federation has information which might be of interest, I should be grateful if it would bring it to the attention of local authorities. My right hon. Friend has had no communications with coastal local authorities on this subject.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to which non-official bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my predecessor on 22 June 1982—[Vol. 26, c. 93]—which listed the Votes containing provisions for grants made by my Department. Numerous grants are made to a wide range of bodies and it would require disproportionate effort and expense to list the recipients individually.

Local Government Audit Commission

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in the Official Report the arrangements he proposes for the funding and auditing of the Local Government Audit Commission.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 January 1983, c. 191]: The commission will be required to break even taking one year with another. Its main source of income will be audit fees and fees for work carried out under section 29 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982. The commission will have power to borrow.Under section 33 of the 1982 Act, the commission's expenses between the first and second appointed days will be met by the Secretary of State, who also has power to make the commission grants for working capital in the two years after the second appointed day.The Comptroller and Auditor General will audit the commission's accounts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the chairman and members and controller, respectively, of the Local Government Audit Commission will be paid; what he estimates the cost of the commission in a full year to be; and how soon he expects this expenditure to be recouped in increased local government efficiency.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 January 1983, c. 191]: The information on pay is as follows:

Chairman: £7,550 pa on basis of one day a week.
Members: £1,350 pa on basis of one day a month.
Controller: £60,000 pa full time to cover salary, pension arrangements and any other benefits.

Estimates of the commission's costs in a full year are not yet available. I expect it to make a most valuable

Extra 1982–83 Housing Investment Programme Allocations
	Allocation (£'s)	Purpose
Region 1—Northern
Hartlepool	676,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Langbaurgh	873,000	Warden systems and other schemes
Middlesborough	629,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
		Public sector improvements and other schemes
Chester-le-Street	470,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Darlington	333,000	New build and other schemes
Derwentside	up to 1,950,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Durham	470,000	Modernisation and other schemes

contribution towards helping local government improve the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of its £23,000 million expenditure.

Council House Sales

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update to the end of September 1982 the table of local authority council house sales referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Reading, North on 24 November 1982, Official Report, c. 532.

I have today placed in the Library the latest version of the table to which my hon. Friend refers giving information reported by local authorities on the progress of council house sales to the end of September 1982.

Housing Investment Programme Allocations

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of the hon. Member for Reading, North on 8 December 1982, Official Report, c. 562 to 566, what are the total additional housing investment programme allocations for 1982–83 that have now been approved; to which local authorities; and for what purposes.

Total additional housing investment programme allocations of up to £160 million have now been approved for 218 local authorities. This includes allocations of up to £51·6 million to 74 authorities since my answer to my hon. Friend on 8 December 1982.As in my earlier answer, these figures exclude additional expenditure on home improvement grants. Authorities have been told that they are free to increase their expenditure on improvement grants this year without limit, and without the need to submit prior bids. Additional allocations for home improvement grants will be made retrospectively in the light of outturn.Those cases where authorities have been given additional allocations up to a ceiling figure reflect uncertainty about whether those authorities will in fact, be able to spend the full amount for which they have bid in the remainder of this financial year. This is especially the case where authorities have bid for a second additional allocation. Those authorities can, however, be certain of receiving an additional allocation up to the ceiling figure if their outturn expenditure warrants it.The details of the authority-by-authority allocations are set out in the table attached.

Extra 1982–83 Housing Investment Programme Allocations
	Allocation (£'s)	Purpose
Easington	1,242,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Sedgefield	672,000	Capitalised repairs
Wear Valley	up to 241,000	Capitalised repairs
Alnwick	up to 675,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Berwick-upon-Tweed	450,000	Capitalised repairs
Blyth Valley	up to 925,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Castle Morpeth	up to 1,010,000	Capitalised repairs
Wansbeck	615,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
South Tyneside	up to 1,000,000	Capitalised repairs
Region 2—Yorks and Humberside
Cleethorpes	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Craven	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Hambleton	up to 140,000	Public Sector improvements
Harrogate	20,000	Homes insulation scheme
Barnsley	up to 1,093,000	Capitalised repairs
Doncaster	50,000	Homes insulation scheme
Sheffield	280,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Kirklees	up to 1,114,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Leeds	up to 9,000,000	Capitalised repairs and schemes
Wakefield	up to 2,750,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Region 3—East Midlands
Amber Valley	520,000	Central heating installation
Bolsover	1,320,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Derby	150,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Erewash	484,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
High Peak	367,000	Capitalised repairs
North East Derbyshire	1,510,000	Central heating installation
South Derbyshire	335,000	New build and other schemes
West Derbyshire	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Blaby	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Charnwood	up to 415,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Harborough	15,000	Homes insulation scheme
Hinckley and Bosworth	320,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Melton	108,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
North West Leicestershire	128,000	Capitalised repairs
Oadby and Wigston	200,000	New build
Boston	45,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Lincoln	180,000	Sheltered housing scheme
North Kesteven	up to 105,000	New build and other schemes
South Kesteven	350,000	New build
West Lindsey	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Corby	5,000	Homes insulation scheme
Daventry	30,000	Public sector insulation schemes
Kettering	97,700	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Northampton	95,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
South Northamptonshire	20,000	Homes insulation scheme
Wellingborough	189,000	Capitalised repairs
Broxtowe	1,000,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Gedling	365,000	New build and other schemes
Newark	948,000	Central heating and other schemes
Nottingham	1,430,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Rushcliffe	650,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Region 4—Eastern
North Bedfordshire	1,178,500	New build and other schemes
Luton	1,141,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Aylesbury	25,000	Homes insulation scheme
South Bucks	up to 1,200,000	Low cost home ownership scheme
Milton Keynes	up to 500,000	Purchase of dwellings under shared ownership terms
Cambridge	up to 280,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Peterborough	438,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Basildon	up to 2,215,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Braintree	28,000	Homes insulation schemes
Brentwood	100,000	Public Sector improvements and other schemes
Chelmsford	646,214	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Colchester	100,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Epping Forest	25,000	Homes insulation scheme

Extra 1982–83 Housing Investment Programme Allocations
	Allocation (£'s)	Purpose
Thurrock	711,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Dacorum	250,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Hertsmere	up to 1,200,000	New build and other schemes
North Hertfordshire	1,000,000	Central heating installation and other schemes
St. Albans	100,000	New build and other schemes
Stevenage	75,000	Capitalised repairs
Watford	210,000	Capitalised repairs
Welwyn Hatfield	382,400	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Broadland	200,000	Capitalised repairs
Norwich	564,000	Central heating installation and other schemes
Forest Heath	75,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Ipswich	450,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Region 5—London
Greater London Council	1,500,000	New build and other schemes
Bexley	50,000	Homes insulation scheme
Brent	up to 3,230,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Ealing	815,000	Capitalised repairs
Greenwich	160,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Hackney	up to 13,500,000	New build and other schemes
Hammersmith and Fulham	up to 3,700,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Haringey	2,010,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Harrow	1,800,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Islington	up to 12,000,000	Captilised repairs and other schemes
Merton	458,000	Purchase of Houses
Newham	200,000	Homes insulation scheme
Richmond	86,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Southwark	up to 7,700,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Sutton	266,000	Capitalised repairs
Waltham Forest	39,500	Infant play area and other schemes
Wandsworth	1,205,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Region 6—South Eastern
Newbury	300,000	New build and other schemes
Reading	up to 1,749,000	New build and other schemes
Windsor and Maidenhead	up to 80,000	Loan to a housing association
Brighton	490,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Eastbourne	490,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Hastings	195,000	Capitalised repairs
Hove	15,000	Homes insulation scheme
Lewes	317,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Wealden	965,000	New build
Basingstoke and Deane	125,000	Purchase of hostel for homeless and other schemes
East Hampshire	750,000	Purchase of houses on shared ownership terms and other schemes
Eastleigh	86,000	New build
Fareham	104,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Portsmouth	673,000	Heating systems and other schemes
Rushmoor	363,000	Modernisation and other schemes
Southampton	900,000	Capitalised repairs and schemes
Test Valley	160,000	Capitalised repairs
Winchester	up to 2,895,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
South Wight	up to 310,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Ashford	up to 1,172,000	New build and other schemes
Canterbury	500,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Dover	25,000	Homes insulation scheme
Gillingham	272,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Gravesham	37,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Rochester-upon-Medway	282,000	Central heating installation
Sevenoaks	100,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Shepway	up to 519,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Swale	150,000	Capitalised repairs
Cherwell	20,000	Loan to a housing association
Elmbridge	300,000	New build

Extra 1982–83 Housing Investment Programme Allocations
	Allocation (£'s)	Purpose
Epsom and Ewell	up to 370,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Reigate and Banstead	570,000	Low cost home ownership and other schemes
Spelthorne	200,000	Public sector improvements
Tandridge	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Woking	50,000	Capitalised repairs
Adur	up to 200,000	Capitalised repairs and public sector improvements
Chichester	250,000	New build
Crawley	up to 700,000	Public Sector improvements and other schemes
Horsham	up to 603,000	Public Sector improvements and other schemes
Region 7—South West
Bath	435,000	Heating systems and other schemes
Northavon	200,000	Capitalised repairs
Woodspring	1,784,000	Captialised repairs and other schemes
Caradon	193,000	New build and other schemes
Carrick	250,000	New build and other schemes
Kerrier	122,500	Captialised repairs
North Cornwall	190,000	Central heating installation
Penwith	480,000	Capitalised repairs
Restormel	250,000	New build and other schemes
Exeter	110,000	Capitalised repairs and insulation
North Devon	392,300	Improvements to central heating system and insulation
Plymouth	up to 2,643,000	New build and other works
Teignbridge	200,000	Capitalised repairs
Torridge	up to 721,000	New build and other schemes
Bournemouth	200,000	New build
Christchurch	50,000	Loans to Housing associations
North Dorset	400,000	New build
Poole	up to 661,000	capitalised repairs and other schemes
Weymouth and Portland	200,000	Capitalised repairs
Wimborne	290,000	New build and other schemes
Cheltenham	up to 102,300	Loans to housing associations
Gloucester	210,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Stroud	450,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Mendip	134,126	Public sector improvements to sheltered dwellings
Sedgemoor	500,000	Capitalised repairs
Taunton Deane	68,500	Alarm system installation
Yeovil	up to 1,665,000	Purchase of dwellings and other schemes
Kennet	230,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
North Wiltshire	300,000	Purchase for resale on shared ownership terms
Thamesdown	2,500,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Region 8—West Midlands
Hereford	180,000	Build for sale and other schemes
Worcester	300,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
North Shropshire	10,000	Homes insulation scheme
Shrewsbury and Atcham	up to 532,420	Purchase of Dwelling for shared ownership and capital repairs
South Shropshire	up to 300,000	Shared ownership and other schemes
The Wrekin	202,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Cannock Chase	up to 500,000	Public sector improvements
Lichfield	300,000	Capitalised repairs
Newcastle-under-Lyme	125,000	Capitalised repairs
South Staffordshire	89,000	Central heating
Staffordshire Moorlands	15,000	Homes insulation scheme
Rugby	600,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Stratford-on-Avon	750,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Coventry	up to 1,414,000	Loans to housing associations and other loans
Dudley	720,000	Capitalised repairs
Sandwell	650,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Solihull	56,000	Provision of lift in sheltered accommodation
Wolverhampton	1,136,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Region 9—North West
Chester	260,000	Capitalised repairs

Extra 1982–83 Housing Investment Programme Allocations
	Allocation (£'s)	Purpose
Ellesmere Port and Neston	100,000	Central heating installation and other schemes
Macclesfleld	up to 100,000	Loft insulation to council houses
Vale Royal	416,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Warrington	35,000	New build
Allerdale	675,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Barrow-in-Furness	50,000	Homes insulation scheme
Copeland	20,000	Capitalised repairs
Eden	up to 200,000	Low cost home ownership scheme
South Lakeland	80,000	Purchase of property for shared ownership
Blackburn	381,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Blackpool	30,000	Homes insulation scheme
Burnley	333,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Chorley	161,500	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Hyndburn	233,000	Homes insulation scheme
Lancaster	750,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Pendle	467,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Preston	672,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Rossendale	530,000	Central heating installation and other schemes
South Ribble	up to 397,000	Alarm systems and other schemes
West Lancashire	59,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Wyre	716,000	Modernisation and other schemes
Bolton	up to 1,097,500	Insulation and other schemes
Bury	up to 716,000	Public sector improvements and other schemes
Oldham	up to 1,101,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
Tameside	210,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes
Trafford	up to 2,800,000	New build
Knowsley	124,000	Loans to housing associations and other schemes
St. Helens	up to 675,000	Capitalised repairs and other schemes (2nd Bid)
Sefton	1,947,000	New build and other schemes
Wirral	2,625,000	New build and other schemes

Local Authorities (Expenditure)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his statement of 15 November 1982 on capital spending programmes, whether local authorities are now allocating part of their capital underspend for purchasing new homes for resale on a shared-purchase basis.

The answer that I have today given to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, North (Mr. Durant) sets out the details of the additional allocations for 1982–83 which have so far been approved in response to bids from local authorities. Some of those allocations are specifically to purchase new houses for resale on a shared ownership basis. Other local authorities may be using for this purpose either some of their original HIP allocations for 1982–83 or some of their capital receipts.

Transport

Trunk Roads (Fencing)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many agreements to share the cost of fencing rural sections of trunk roads with local interests have been made since this policy was recommended by the Royal Commission on Common Land.

None.

M54 (Wellington Bypass)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimate of expenditure for the current year on repairs on the M54, Wellington bypass; and when the work will be completed.

The estimated expenditure for the year ending March 1983 on major repairs currently being carried out to the M54 Wellington bypass is of the order of £300,000. This stage of the work will be completed next month. Two further stages are to be carried out in 1983–84.

Street Lighting

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department issues for the adequate provision by local authorities and others of street lighting; and what statutory obligations he has with regard to street lighting.

The Department does not issue advice on the provision of street lighting on non-trunk roads since this is a matter for decision by local authorities.However, there is a British standard code of practice, BS 5489, which gives the relevant technical information for the design of road lighting. The results of research by the Department into the road safety aspects are also available to local authorities.

The statutory functions conferred on the Secretary of State for street lighting are confined to the power to provide lighting for trunk roads for which he is the highway authority.

Cycle Paths

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the revision of his Department's advice to local authorities regarding the conversion of footpaths to cycle use.

A draft paper will be circulated for consultation shortly, incorporating advice on the shared use of footway and footpath facilities by cyclists and pedestrians.

Cyclists

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will extend the Government's publicity campaign to increase motorists awareness of cycling throughout all regions of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement

Next year's road safety publicity programme has not yet been finally settled. I will write to the hon. Member when the subjects for inclusion have been decided.

Transport Supplementary Grant

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will present in the Official Report a comparison of the bids made for transport spending eligible for transport supplementary grant in 1983–84 with the accepted level of spending for each of the following items: (a) revenue support bus and so on, (b) revenue support rail, (c) maintenance, (d) other current, (e) capital and (f) total, for the following counties: (i) the Greater London council, (ii) all metropolitan areas, (iii) all shires and (iv) England.

The information requested is as follows:

Expenditure accepted for TSG for 1983–84 as percentages of BIDS
	Revenue support
County	Bus etc.	Rail	Road maintenance	Other current	Capital	Total
GLC	47	—	80	100	81	69
GMC	81	92	82	100	66	80
Merseyside	53	83	87	100	82	73
South Yorkshire	27	85	74	100	56	49
Tyne and Wear	65	83	86	100	40	61
West Midlands	52	51	87	100	67	69
West Yorkshire	56	87	68	100	73	66
Total Mets.	53	81	80	100	63	67
Avon	75	—	87	100	57	78
Bedford	100	—	92	100	84	89
Berkshire	100	—	85	—	84	86
Buckingham	85	—	98	100	89	93
Cambridge	100	—	93	100	89	92
Cheshire	80	—	94	100	68	85
Cleveland	39	—	83	100	61	63
Cornwall	100	100	99	100	83	93
Cumbria	100	100	97	100	100	98
Derbyshire	96	100	95	100	92	95
Devon	86	—	80	100	81	81
Dorset	100	—	94	100	86	90
Durham	100	100	94	100	94	94
East Sussex	100	—	90	100	89	91
Essex	100	100	90	100	75	86
Gloucester	88	—	89	100	90	89
Hampshire	100	—	91	100	84	89
Hereford and Worcester	91	100	88	100	80	85
Hertford	79	100	83	100	81	82
Humberside	100	100	91	100	99	95
Isle of Wight	60	—	82	100	64	72
Kent	100	—	81	100	83	83
Lancashire	90	—	81	100	64	78
Leicester	100	—	88	100	92	91
Lincoln	100	100	95	100	94	95
Norfolk	100	—	90	100	78	86
Northampton	100	—	93	100	54	73
Northumberland	100	—	99	100	100	100
North Yorkshire	100	—	91	100	84	89
Nottingham	74	—	95	100	91	91
Oxford	100	—	99	100	76	91
Shropshire	100	—	86	100	91	89
Somerset	100	—	91	100	84	89
Stafford	100	—	100	100	86	95
Suffolk	68	100	86	100	77	82
Surrey	99	—	100	100	93	98
Warwick	100	—	82	100	77	81
West Sussex	100	—	100	100	100	100
Wiltshire	100	—	84	100	96	89
Total Shires	87	100	90	100	82	87
England	57	81	86	100	78	76

Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.

A1

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the A1 Berwick and Belford bypasses to open to traffic.

Provided there are no unforeseen problems we expect the Belford bypass to open to traffic next July or August and Berwick in October.

Liquid Petroleum Gas

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to evaluate the benefits of a greater use of liquid petroleum gas by road vehicles.

I will answer this question shortly.

Departmenal Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the grants made by his Department to local authorities and certain transport and port undertakings.

I expect my Department to make the following grants in 1982–83:

£ million
Grants	Local authorities and passenger transport executives	Nationalised industries	Private sector	Port undertakings
Roads
Local roads to be included in trunk road network	15	—	—	—
Principal roads (remanet)	2	—	—	—
Local Employment Act	1	—	1	—
Travel concessions	—	—	2	—
New buses	20	12	4	—
Freight facilities	—	1	5	—
British Rail passenger service obligations	—	842	—	—
Normalisation of railway accounts	—	20	—	—
Railway research	2	4	—	—
Bus fuel duty rebate	55	45	6	—
Port of London Authority and Mersey Docks and Harbour Company	—	—	—	88
Driver and vehicle licensing	1	—	—	—
Transport supplementary grants	457	—	—	—
Agency payments on behalf of the European Community (European Regional Development Fund grants)	12	1	—	4

The basis of the various grants is explained in the Supply Estimates (Class VI, Votes 1–5 and Class XVIII, Vote 19).

M1

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the surfacing of the newly-opened southbound carriageway of the M1 between junctions 7 and 5.

[pursuant to her reply, 24 January 1983]: Yes. The new carriageway surfacing is primarily of brushed concrete but, as is customary, consists of asphalt on bridge sections and where it joins the existing carriageway. The surfacing complies in all respects with my Department's standard specification for such works.

Defence

Television Debate (British Defence Campaign)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to enter into a television debate on defence with the chairman of the British Defence Campaign.

No.

Departmental Deputy Secretaries

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the responsibilities of each of the deputy secretaries in his Department and the number and ranks of staff reporting to each.

The information requested is as follows:1.

Responsibilities

Deputy Under Secretary (Policy and Programmes)

Provides general advice on and co-ordination of all aspects of defence policy including liaison with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on international implications and is responsible for the co-ordination of the defence programme—including the nuclear programme—and its alignment with resources. Member of defence research and intramural research committee and defence equipment policy committee and attends Chiefs of Staff meetings as required.

Deputy Under Secretary (Civilian Management)

Responsible as principal establishment officer for civilian management within the MOD and civilian manpower control, estimating and complementing under authority issued by the Treasury. Also responsible for security, administrative computing and common services and library services.

Deputy Under Secretary (Finance and Budget)

Responsible as principal finance officer for financial management within the MOD, including financial procedures and control and information systems, the economical use of financial resources, the monitoring of expenditure and advice on the allocation of financial resources in accordance with policy priorities. Also responsible for the oversight of the general finance staff, the accounts organisation and, with the deputy under secretary (civilian management), the management audit organisation.

Deputy Under Secretary (Personnel and Logistics)

Responsible for ensuring the validity of pay, pensions and allowances policy as it affects all three services; for financial control of the lands and claims votes; for co-ordinating advice to principal administrative officers—principal personnel officers of the three services; for ensuring the validity of tri-service aspects of supply policy; for overseeing the defence statistics organisation; for advising on the legislative and legal requirements of the Department; and for co-ordinating advice on the implications of health and safety at work legislation.

Deputy Under Secretary (Navy)

Responsible for the efficient conduct of business in the Navy department for the budgetary aspects of the long-term programme for the Royal Navy, for the scrutiny of all naval equipment stores and works requirements, for service and civilian manpower numbers, for RN public relations and for general financial and administrative advice to the Admiralty board.

Deputy Under Secretary (Army)

Responsible for the efficient conduct of business in the Army department for the budgetary aspects of the long-term programme for the Army, for the scrutiny of all Army equipment stores and works requirements, for service and civilian manpower numbers, for Army public relations and for general financial and administrative advice to the Army board.

Deputy Under Secretary (Air)

Responsible for the efficient conduct of business in the Air Force department and the meteorological office, for the budgetary aspects of the long-term programme for the RAF, for the scrutiny of all equipment stores and works requirements, for service and civilian manpower numbers, for RAF public relations and for general financial and administrative advice to the Air Force board.

Deputy Under Secretary (Policy) (Procurement Executive)

Responsible for the formulation and co-ordination of MOD procurement policy—including industrial, sales and international aspects—MOD procurement processes and procedures, of relations with industry and other Government Departments on defence equipment issues, and general issues affecting the procurement executive as a whole, including the allocation of PE manpower and privatisation. Co-ordination of the PE element of long-term costing and defence estimates. General oversight of the work of the director general defence contracts and the director general of quality assurance, and of the rocket motor executive. Deputy chairman of the defence equipment policy committee. Chairman of policy co-ordinating committee on guided weapons and electronics and of the defence quality assurance board.

Deputy Controller and Adviser (Research and Technology)

Responsible to controller R&D establishments, research and nuclear for the programme formulation and control of the progress of research carried out intramurally within R&D establishments and extramurally at universities and in industry. Responsible to chief scientific adviser for the formulation of long-term strategic objectives for research and on behalf of controller R&D establishments, research and nuclear to chief of defence procurement and chief scientific adviser for advice on defence technology.

Director General Meteorological Office

Control of the meteorological office. Responsible for the United Kingdom state meteorological service, including the provision of services to defence, civil aviation, industry and commerce, and the general public, and research in all aspects of meteorology. Responsible for United Kingdom participation in the international arrangements for meteorological services and research.

Director Royal Aircraft Establishment

Responsible for the management of Royal Aircraft Establishment and for all its activities; for providing advice on aerospace matters to MOD and Department of Industry.

Deputy Controller R & D Establishments Resources and Personnel

Responsible for the planning and management of resource allocation—manpower, finance and capital facilities—to the R & D establishments and the determination of the policy and programming guidelines within which resources are deployed.

Grade	Centre				Navy		Army		Air Force		Procurement Executive
	DUS (CM)	DUS (FB)	DUS (P)	DUS (PL)	DUS (N)	CED	DUS (ARMY)	DUS (AIR)	DG MET O	DUS (POL) PE	DAWRE	DCA	DCA (RT)	DCE	DRAE
Assistant Under Secretary	4	2	4	2	2	5	1	2	1	1	2	3	6	—	3
Administration and Executive
Executive Director	3	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Assistant Secretary	14	8	12	5	4	3	8	6	1	2	1	—	—	—	1
Senior Principal	19	9	1	—	1	9	2	3	—	—	3	—	—	—	—
Principal	68	27	27	15	10	11	23	12	1	4	5	9	1	—	2
Senior Executive Officer	161	53	3	12	5	29	23	15	2	1	10	1	—	—	9
Higher Executive Officer (D)	2	—	14	1	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Higher Executive Officer	352	196	25	64	27	65	77	53	9	5	35	23	5	2	35
Administrative Trainee	1	1	8	1	1	—	—	1	—	2	—	—	—	—	—
Administrative Trainee (HEO)	—	—	4	—	—	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Executive Officer	445	495	29	104	37	131	116	98	17	5	84	67	9	4	76
Professional and Technology Group
Directing Grade A	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	1
Directing Grade B	—	—	—	—	—	16	—	—	—	—	3	4	—	—	1
Superintending	7	—	—	—	—	44	—	—	—	—	13	16	—	—	5
PP&TO	16	—	—	—	—	120	—	—	3	—	58	85	—	3	26
P&TO I	17	—	—	—	—	140	—	—	5	—	184	212	—	6	71
P&TO II	5	—	—	—	—	658	—	—	18	—	231	283	—	5	141
p&TO III	3	1	—	—	—	4,655	—	—	5	—	268	87	1	—	223
P&TO IV	—	—	—	—	—	4,655	—	—	4	—	220	8	1	—	121
Graduate Trainee	—	—	—	—	—	5	—	—	—	—	21	—	—	—	17
Science Group
Chief Scientific Officer (LWR Band)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	1	—	1	—	2
Deputy Chief Scientific Officer	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	6	—	9	5	8	4	16
Senior Principal Scientific Officer	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	27	—	26	16	10	5	69
Principal Scientific Officer	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	108	—	116	20	24	10	247
Senior Scientific Officer	9	—	—	2	—	1	—	—	282	—	226	42	10	5	280
Higher Scientific Officer	4	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	489	—	269	4	17	—	256
Scientific Officer	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	428	—	170	—	21	—	139
Assistant Scientific Officer	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	720	—	88	—	8	—	70
Statisticians and Economic Advisers	—	—	3	36	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Director Atomic Weapons Research Establishment

Responsible for the management of the establishment and the conduct of its work for R & D production including related responsibilities for safety, personnel, capital expenditure and technical co-operation with the United States of America.

Chief Executive Royal Dockyards

Responsible to the Admiralty Board through chief of fleet support, for the efficient performance of the dockyard organisation. Required to meet the needs of the naval staff, for ship availability—taking account of need for satisfactory upkeep of vessels—consulting the design departments of the PE as necessary.

Deputy Controller Aircraft

The senior civilian officer in the air systems controllerate and engages in corporate decision making on major questions concerned with the aircraft procurement programmes under his control; is responsible for the overall management of the project officers in his organisation and is accountable to chief of defence procurement—the accounting officer for Vote 2—for the annual expenditure on projects in his area.

2. Numbers and Grades

As set out in the following tables.

3. In addition, the managing director of the Royal ordnance factories organisation is equivalent to a deputy secretary. He is deputy chairman of the ROF board and is responsible to the chairman for the efficient operation of the ROF organisation. The civilian strength which amounts to 18,449 is reflected within a trading account.

Grade	Centre				Navy		Army		Air Force		Procurement Executive
	DUS (CM)	DUS (FB)	DUS (P)	DUS (PL)	DUS (N)	CED	DUS (ARMY)	DUS (AIR)	DC MET O	DUS (POL) PE	DAWRE	DCA	DCA (RT)	DCE	DRAE
Clerical/Secretarial/Typing	1,518	1,515	72	153	34	660	243	175	146	10	372	292	62	20	395
Data Processors	24	302	—	4	—	18	—	1	45	—	46	1	7	—	43
MOD Police	44	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	172	—	—	—	170
Security Officers	303	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	10	—	4	—	—	—	5
Instructional Officers	1	—	—	—	—	93	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Medical and Nursing	20	—	—	—	—	35	—	—	—	—	12	1	—	—	12
Messenger/Office Keepers/Paperkeepers	843	39	—	—	—	—	1	3	23	—	—	6	—	—	—
Photoprinters/Photographers	329	9	—	1	—	64	—	—	4	—	60	13	4	—	84
Process and General Supervisory	1	—	—	—	—	248	—	—	—	—	201	2	—	—	44
Telecommunications grades	5	2	—	—	—	104	—	—	172	—	25	2	—	—	20
Other miscellaneous non-industrial grades	117	Nil	5	1	Nil	38	9	21	118	Nil	108	23	5	Nil	134
Industrial grades	180	14	—	—	—	21,987	58	1	57	—	2,138	108	25	—	2,794
Locally engaged civilians	22	1	—	—	—	1,075	103	—	52	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total civilians	4,554	2,674	207	402	121	30,214	665	396	2,755	30	5,182	1,333	225	64	5,512
Service personnel	3	—	7	9	—	70	24	—	—	—	7	81	28	—	82

Notes:

1. In the interests of brevity individual grades for the minor groups and classes of staff have not been shown.

2. The staff numbers shown for each DUS are those in their direct charge only. In addition to the numbers shown above, DUS(Navy), DUS(Army), DUS(Air) and DUS(Pol)(PE) also have a general responsibilty for all civilians in their respective departments.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to which non-official bodies his Department makes grants; and of how much.

The Government have no official definition of a "non-official body". All grants-in-aid paid by the Ministry of Defence appear on the face of the Estimates for which the Department accounts Class 1, Vote 1, Section K.

Hong Kong

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report the cost to (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) the Hong Kong Government of the defence expenditure for Hong Kong.

The shared defence costs for Hong Kong for 1981–82 were approximately£138 million, of which Her Majesty's Government bore some£34 million and the Hong Kong Government£104 million.

Falklands Campaign (Naval Control Systems)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the letter, dated 31 December 1982 from defence secretariat 13 of his Department, to Mr. Terry Lewis of 54 Greenmount Park, Kearsley, Bolton concerning the sale of naval control systems to Germany that were embargoed during the Falklands conflict.

No, it is for those who receive replies from this Department to publish the contents if they so wish.

House Of Commons

Select Committees (Reports)

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will list in the Official Report the subjects and numbers of the Select Committee reports which have been published since May 1979.

To reproduce this list in the Official Report would involve disproportionate costs. I have therefore placed the information in the Library of the House.

Scotland

Good Neighbour Scheme

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he decided to abandon the good neighbour scheme; what factors he took account of in making this decision; and whether he has provided a replacement service.

The decision to withdraw financial support for the good neighbour campaign was taken in 1979 because the campaign was not looked on as a permanent arrangement. The Government focus public attention on the needs of elderly people through the work of two agencies: Age Concern Scotland and the Scottish mental health education group. Both organisations run regular campaigns on continuing support for elderly people in the community. Age concern Scotland organises old people's week, usually held early in October; and the Scottish health education group runs regular major campaigns alerting elderly people to the dangers of hypothermia.

Prisoners (Statistics)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the numbers and percentage of prisoners currently in Scottish prisons for offences involving (a) homicide, (b) assault or other attacks against the person, (c) rape, (d) other sexual offences involving assault, (e) sexual offences not involving assault, (f) housebreaking, robbery and theft, (g) shoplifting, (h) motoring offences, (i) breach of the peace and (j) licensing offences.

This information is not available. Analyses of the offences committed by persons received each year are published in the annual reports on prisons in Scotland, of which the report for 1981, Cmnd. 8618, was published in August 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number and percentage of prisoners currently in Scottish prisons through failure to pay a fine imposed by the courts in Scotland.

During December 1982, there were on average 246 persons on Scottish penal establishments serving sentences of imprisonment or detention in a young offenders institution in default of payment of a fine; these constituted 4·8 per cent. of the total number of persons in penal establishments.

Community Service And Compensation Orders

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many community service orders and compensation orders were made by Scottish courts for each month since their introduction; and what are the figures for sentences for imprisonment (a) for the same period and (b) for the previous 12-month period.

Community service orders were introduced in February 1979 and compensation orders were introduced in April 1981.The figures requested are as follows. The figures for custodial sentences include imprisonment and detention in a young offenders institution, detention centre or borstal.

Persons on whom community service or compensation orders were imposed or who were given a custodial sentence. Scotland
Month	Community Service Orders	Compensation Orders	Custodial Sentences
1978
February	n/a	n/a	920
March	n/a	n/a	989
April	n/a	n/a	808
May	n/a	n/a	873
June	n/a	n/a	997
July	n/a	n/a	771
August	n/a	n/a	1,076
September	n/a	n/a	753
October	n/a	n/a	1,055
November	n/a	n/a	1,045
December	n/a	n/a	1,180
1979
January	n/a	n/a	461
February	8	n/a	811
March	0	n/a	514
April	28	n/a	277
May	17	n/a	455
June	30	n/a	774
July	26	n/a	703
August	28	n/a	926
September	16	n/a	786
October	16	n/a	928
November	24	n/a	902
December	27	n/a	1,326
1980
January	13	n/a	633
February	23	n/a	970
March	26	n/a	939
April	26	n/a	881
May	19	n/a	839
June	24	n/a	834
July	16	n/a	855
August	17	n/a	678
September	18	n/a	731
October	45	n/a	996
November	32	n/a	882
December	70	n/a	1,245

Month	Community Service Orders	Compensation Orders	Custodial Sentences
1981
January	49	n/a	758
February	59	n/a	988
March	99	n/a	984
April	71	21	679
May	78	67	689
June	48	202	780
July	77	232	749
August	57	231	734
September	65	377	745
October	128	390	1,010
November	173	417	1,007
December	195	449	1,261
n/a Not applicable.

Alcoholism

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the funds made available in each of the past three years to voluntary organisations working in the field of alcoholism; and if he will list each of the current projects being sponsored.

Grants made by the Scottish Office to voluntary organisations for the years 1980–81 and 1981–82 and grant offers made and accepted to date in 1982–83 are as follows:

	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83
Scottish Council on Alcoholism
Headquarters Grant	46,000	56,000	62,000
Training of Volunteer Counsellors	12,500	17,000	17,500
Grants from Scottish Health Education Group	3,300	4,200	—
Talbot Association
Miscellaneous	11,300	—	—
Calderbank Care and Assessment Centre	—	26,000	212,000
Federation of Alcoholic Rehabilitation Establishments	1,900	3,650	—
Buchan Foundation Council	—	7,250	—
Albyn House Association Ltd.	—	—	10,350
Assistance to voluntary organisations to attend training courses	690	2,350	3,850
	75,690	116,450	305,700

The funding of voluntary organisations providing locally based services in connection with alcoholism is mainly a matter for local authorities and health boards. Information about the extent of such provision is not held centrally.

Glasgow (Housing Stock)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of private housing stock in Glasgow has been estimated as being unfit for habitation; and how long he estimates it will take to improve these houses to the proper standards.

Sub-standard housing in Scotland is assessed in terms of houses which are below "tolerable" standard as defined in section 14(1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1974. As at 31 March 1982, sub-tolerable houses in the city of Glasgow district were estimated to represent 20·4 per cent. of the private sector housing stock.It is for Glasgow district council to consider the priority to be given to the rehabilitation of these houses having regard to the generous rates of grants presently available and to the virtual removal of limits on resources for this kind of work which my right hon. Friend has announced.

Unemployment (Research)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, c. 37, he will now seek to fund research projects related to the effects of unemployment upon health in Scotland.

My Department has under consideration an application for funding of a research project related to unemployment and health.

Crime Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of charges have been found proved in Scottish courts in 1981 in alleged cases of housebreaking, theft, forgery, homicide, drunkenness, reckless driving and careless driving, respectively.

Since, in the case of multiple charges, only the main charge is generally recorded in the official statistics, the information cannot be given in the precise form requested. The percentage of persons proceeded against, against whom charges were proved, is as shown in the following table:

Scotland 1981
Main Charge	Percentage of persons proceeded against, against whom charges were proved.
Housebreaking	88
Theft	89
Forgery	89
Homicide^*	86
Drunkenness	98
Reckless Driving	93
Careless Driving	90
^*Excluding statutory offences such as causing death by reckless driving.

Tayside (Hospital Admissions)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will conduct an inquiry into alleged refusal of admissions of patients to hospitals in the Tayside health board area due to shortage of beds; and if he will make a statement.

In response to exceptionally heavy demand for admission of patients to acute medical beds in Dundee, Tayside health board has drawn to the attention of general practitioners and hospital medical staff the need to review carefully the necessity of admitting particular cases as emergencies. It has been more difficult this year to cope with the usual seasonal peak by transferring surgical beds temporarily to medical use since it is necessary to use these beds to catch up with the backlog of operations caused by last year's prolonged industrial disruption by health service staff. I see no need to conduct an inquiry into this matter.

Departmental Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those bodies other than non-departmental public bodies and private companies who receive grants from his Department.

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

Johnstonebridge (Fence)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the length, in yards, of the new metal fence at Johnstonebridge on the A74; and what was its cost.

Approximately 225 yd of metal fence has been provided at a cost of about£5,500, including the cost of erection.

Building In The Countryside

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will issue a circular to local authorities on building in the countryside to supersede circular 40 of 1960.

Current policy on building in the countryside is contained in circular 40/1960, and applied as advised in the national planning guidelines issued in August 1981. I am currently considering the need for a review of this circular.

Free Milk

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of those children under five years of age who are cared for by registered child-minders in Scotland are receiving free milk; and how many childminders this involves.

In the year ended 31 December 1982, 187 registered child-minders, approved for the care of 386 children under the terms of the Welfare Food Order 1980 as amended, made claims for reimbursement in respect of milk supplied free to children under five in their care.

Regional Selective Assistance (Project Monitoring)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out his Department's practice in monitoring projects for which offers of regional selective assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 have been made; how many staff are involved in this work; and whether the monitoring procedures include visits by his staff to the companies concerned.

In monitoring projects for which offers of assistance have been made under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972, the objective is to establish that public funds have been used for the purpose for which they were made available and that the terms and conditions of the offer have been, and continue to be, complied with. In seeking payment of an instalment of grant, applicants are obliged to submit a progress report both on the project and on their current financial position. Thereafter, officials may seek further information to allow them to form a judgment on the applicant's viability and on the progress of the assisted project.Nine staff are wholly employed on monitoring work and other senior staff also devote at least part of their time to it. Expert financial advice is available, in addition, as and when required.A company is visited at least once during the grant payment period and more frequently when the circumstances warrant it.

Industry Act 1972 (Assistance)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland at what stage following an offer of assistance to a company under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972, a company is required to indicate whether the loan is to be taken up; and whether offers of assistance not taken up within a specified period of time are withdrawn.

All offers of assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 are open for acceptance for a period of three months from the date of offer. Thereafter the offer lapses unless the applicant requests an extension. Provided there is no material change to the project in respect of which assistance was offered, such requests for an extension of the offer period are generally considered sympathetically.

Volume 35: debated on Tuesday 25 January 1983

Written Answers To Questions

Trade

Imports (Trade Agreements)

Weapons (Export Licences)

Hong Kong

Departmental Grants

Namibia

Prime Minister

Falkland Islands (Visit)

Engagements

General Belgrano

Public Expenditure

"Buy British"

Committees Of Inquiry

Franks Report

Civil Servants (Public Statements)

Home Department

Mr Mohammed Jahangir

Licensing Hours

Jersey And Guernsey (Immigration Controls)

Death Sentences

Television (Channel 4)

Vietnamese Refugees

Voluntary Services Unit (Grants)

Mr David Martin

Parliamentary Boundary Commission For Wales

Sunday Trading

Attorney-General

Student Unions (Payments)

Employment

Unemployment Costs

Work Skills Courses

Employment Act 1980 (Picketing)

Stockport

Doctors And Surgeons

Worksop

Bootle

Lambeth

Departmental Grants

Community Programme

Ethnic Monitoring (Code)

Soda Ash

Glass Industries

Industrial Noise

Equal Pay Act 1970

Industry

Steel Industry

Small Engineering Firms Investment Scheme

Timex

World Communications Year

China (Visit)

European Community (Manufacturing Industry)

Departmental Grants

Synthetic Fibres (Agreement)

Grampian Region

Civil Service

Management And Personnel Office (Grants)

Government Departments (Workplace Nurseries)

Education And Science

Probationary Teachers

Local Education Authorities (Grants)

Teachers (Secondary Schools)

Teachers (In-Service Training)

Computers

Academic Staff (Redundancy Payments)

Printing Courses

Pupil Numbers

Nursery Education

School Meals

Teacher Training Institutions

Education Expenditure

Text Books

Secondary Schools (Shire Counties)

University Students (Grants)

Technical Training (Young Persons)

Institute Of Hearing Research

Teachers (Morale)

Schools (Sex Differences)