asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, in order to reduce the present distances some children have to travel for emergency treatment, he will provide additional resources for the setting up of a neonatal surgery unit at Morriston hospital.

No. The health services provided in a district are matters for the relevant health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made in negotiating supplies of water from Wales to the middle east; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the negotiations, to which my right hon. Friend is not a party, are at a very early stage.

asked the Attorney-General if he will seek to make it a condition of the receipt by retired members of the judiciary of publicly funded pensions that they should not give formal legal advice or take professional part in legal proceedings.

No.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give, for the last year for which figures are available, the numbers in (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland of (i) writs issued claiming damage for industrial deafness, (ii) cases set down for trial, (iii) cases settled out of court, (iv) cases settled by the court and (v) cases in which an award was made by the court; and if he will express the figures given in (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) as a percentage of the figure in (i).

The information requested by the right hon. Member could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

asked the Attorney-General whether the Lord Chancellor's Department collects comparative data showing time intervals between the issuing of a writ and a case coming to court for the various categories of civil cases; whether the Lord Chancellor's Department has carried out any investigations to see whether there is evidence of unreasonable delay in the civil legal profess; and whether he has received any allegations about the use of unreasonable delaying tactics in claims for compensation for industrial deafness.

Comparative data as to the time taken between the issue of a writ and hearing of different categories of civil cases is not available and could not be provided without disproportionate cost. The Lord Chancellor keeps delays in the civil legal process under constant review. In March 1979 a working party under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice Cantley published a report reviewing the procedure in personal injury litigation (Cmnd 7476). A number of the major recommendations made in the report have been implemented. No central record is kept of allegations of unreasonable delaying tactics for compensation in industrial deafness proceedings.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give figures showing the range and average level of compensation awards for industrial deafness, in the last three years for which figures are available, for (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland; and if he will indicate the cases when the size of the award was decided by juries or by judges.

The information requested by the right hon. Member could not be provided without disproportionate cost. An unofficial discussion of the matter can be found in Vol. 2 of Kemp and Kemp on the "Quantum of Damages in Personal Injuries", available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing how many children received, directly or indirectly, welfare payments including unemployment benefit by class of payment, the average payment and the total cost in each case, together with the forecast for 1983–84.

I regret that full information is not available on the comprehensive basis requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table listing all grants and allowances made by his Department separately, the value of each to the recipient, and the cost of each to the Exchequer.

The information required is as follows. Further information is set out on pages 60 to 67 of the public expenditure white paper "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1983–84 to 1985–86" (Cmnd. 8789).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will request the Social Security Advisory Committee to publish an annual statistical digest in a single volume detailing information pertaining to the operation of the national insurance supplementary benefit and family income supplement schemes for Grew Britain and Northern Ireland.

The first report of the Social Security Advisory Committee—"Social Security Advisory Committee Report 1981"—contained several tables covering both Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The analyses included social security expenditure by individual benefits, source of social security finance, take-up estimates of supplementary benefit and family income supplement and the proportion of each population receiving certain benefits.Comprehensive statistics relating to national insurance benefits, supplementary benefit and family income supplement are published annually in "Social Security Statistics" for Great Britain and, for Northern Ireland, in "Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics". As the information is already available, I would not be justified in requesting the Social Security Advisory Committee to prepare an additional publication.Copies of all these publications are placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the review of national insurance contributions and benefits of the self-employed has been concluded.

We hope to announce the conclusion of the review shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what date his Department issued his advance letter authorising the payment of increased salaries and wages to nurses and ancillary health care staff in England in line with the 1982 pay agreement.

The letter authorising payment of the settlement reached by the nurses and midwives Whitley council on 16 December 1982 was sent to regional health authorities on 21 December 1982 with a full distribution to district health authorities on 7 January 1983. The ancilliary staffs Whitley council reached a settlement on 20 December 1982 and the letter authorising payment was issued with a full distribution on 7 January 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what response he has had from the Council for Consultants in Universities, Dental Training and Research Workers concerning the effect of the reduction in clinical and research posts arising from the University Grants Committee cuts; and if he will list in the Official Report the staff losses in each dental school in the United Kingdom.

The central committee for university dental teachers and research workers of the British Dental Association has written to the Department and is critical of the references to dentistry in the Government response to the first report from the Social Services Committee, 1981–82 Session. I stand by the Government's response nevertheless, but we are now awaiting the results of the University Grants Committee's surveys on the effect on clinical and research posts, including dental posts, arising from reductions in resources available to universities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many new training posts in (a) pathology and (b) histopathology, separately, were authorised in 1980 to 1982; and how many posts were lost in the same period.

In 1980, 1981 and 1982 authorisations were given for a total of 111 additional NHS paid senior registrar and registrar posts in all pathology specialties including 43 in histopathology. Similar information is not available for senior house officers. No training post authorisations have been cancelled by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many new consultant posts in (a) pathology and (b) histopathology were authorised in 1980 to 1982; and how many posts were lost in the same period.

In 1980, 1981 and 1982 authorisations were given for a total of 99 additional NHS paid consultant posts in all pathology specialties including 36 posts in histopathology. Over the same period a total of 20 consultant posts in all pathology specialties, 19 of which had never been implemented, were surrendered to the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there has been any change in the number of cases of complaints made to the health ombudsman which he had to reject because they involved clinical judgment since the introduction of the new procedure for investigating such complaints in September 1981.

The clinical complaints procedure was not in operation for the whole of the period covered by the most recent annual report of the Health Service Commissioner. This report shows that in the year ending 31 March 1982, the commissioner had to reject 145 complaints on the grounds that they involved clinical judgment. This represented 22·5 per cent. of the complaints he had received, which is a similar proportion to that experienced in previous years.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received any representations about the new procedure for investigating complaints concerning clinical judgments; from whom they were received; and what they said.

Before the procedure was put into effect we received representations from the Patients' Association, the Association of Community Health Councils, nine individual community health councils and a consultant, criticising it for lack of impartiality. We have since received only one representation, from an hon. Member, about a failure to complete an independent review on a case involving one of his constituents, but that review has now been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what steps he is taking to monitor and evaluate the working of the new procedure for investigating complaints involving clinical judgment; and what publicity he intends to give to his findings;(2) how many complaints involving clinical judgment have been made to hospital authorities since the introduction of new procedures in September 1981; how many completed complaints have been through each of the three stages of the procedure; how many are waiting to go through the various stages; in how many of the resolved cases the complaint was judged to be justified; and if he will make a statement.

The new procedure is being monitored closely, and a report on its operation up to 31 December 1982 will be published shortly. I will send the right hon. Member a copy of the report and place copies in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (a) oral and (b) written complaints were made to hospital authorities in the last three years for which figures are available; what proportion involved clinical judgment; and if he will categorise how the complaints were investigated.

Information on oral complaints is not available. The information requested in relation to written complaints is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many copies of the leaflet "Comments, suggestions and complaints about your stay in hospital" have been printed; to whom they have been circulated; whether it is his policy that a copy should be given to each hospital in-patient; and what steps have been taken to ensure full circulation of the leaflet.

Some 500,000 copies of the leaflet have been printed, of which 400,000 have so far been distributed to NHS hospitals and clinics, district health authority offices, community health councils and citizens advice bureaux. Copies were also sent on publication to each hon. Member. We have advised health authorities that the leaflet should be available in hospitals and clinics to be given to patients and other inquirers either on request for the leaflet itself or in response to requests for the general information contained in it.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many households there are one or more persons unemployed; and what proportion of the total number of householders this represents.

I have been asked to reply.The information requested is not available from my Department's monthly unemployment figures. However, the 1981 labour force survey shows that, in the second quarter of 1981, nearly 2·2 million households contained one or more unemployed persons. This represented 11 per cent. of all households in Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will place in the Library a version of chart 5.13, as set out in "Social Trends 1983", excluding family income supplement, free school meals and free welfare milk.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 February, c. 245]: I have today placed in the Library copies of the chart requested by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of people working for the European Commission; and if he will break this down by nationality.

As of 31 December 1982, the total number of staff employed by the Commission was 9,283, of whom 8,904 were permanent and 379 temporary. The breakdown by nationality was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the price paid for wool produced in the Falkland Islands compared with the price paid to British farmers in each of the past five years.

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

asked the Lord President of the Council whether former Prime Ministers are entitled to receive their ex-Prime Minister's pension in addition to their parliamentary salaries and any other payments they may receive from public funds.

The Parliamentary and other Pensions Act 1972 provides that a former Prime Minister's pension is not payable while he is in receipt of any salary payable out of public funds other than that paid to him as an MP. By a resolution of the House of 21 July 1980, the salary paid to an MP who is also in receipt of a former Prime Minister's pension is restricted to the same reduced rate as that paid to Cabinet Ministers, which is currently £8,460.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will propose a system whereby reports of Select Committees can be discussed promptly by the House by setting aside parliamentary time for a given number of reports.

No. In view of the many urgent matters that compete for parliamentary time, I do not think it would be appropriate to allocate time to the debate of a given number of Select Committee reports.

asked the Lord President of the Council if, in view of the fact that there are only 10 hon. Members who have service longer than their right of pension claim and that the cost of allowing them full pension rights in respect of all their years of service is estimated to be £110,000, he will introduce proposals to amend the provisions relating to hon. Members' pensions so as to provide that in all cases the full length of service counts for pension purposes.

I have no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what have been the net costs to date to the Exchequer of the loan guarantee scheme.

By the end of January 1983, payments made under the loan guarantee scheme in respect of called guarantees exceeded premium income plus recoveries by £3·8 million. However, this figure does not take into account the wider benefits of the scheme to the Exchequer. In particular, it does not take account of the many new jobs created by the scheme, or its impact on the level of economic activity.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what equipment has been provided under the aid agreement for the improvement of police telecommunications entered into with the Bangladesh Government in 1976; what has been the total amount disbursed under the agreement; and what further aid has been granted or is under consideration for the police and security services in Bangladesh.

Under the agreement, VHF fixed station and mobile equipment has been installed, at a cost of £547,000 to provide a minimum system of direct radio communication between police outstations covering rural areas; a command network connecting principal stations remains to be supplied.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will publish figures showing the average number of hours worked per tonne of crude steel produced for each of the EC countries, the United States of America, Canada and Japan in every year since 1974.

Information as is readily available is as follows:Apart from a limited number of Bangladesh police officers who receive training in the United Kingdom, financed from United Kingdom aid sources—13 in the last three years trained in management, criminal investigation, and forensic techniques—no further aid has been provided or is presently under consideration for the police and security services.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the total commitment of British aid to Bangladesh in each year since 1972; what amounts have been disbursed in each year; what proportions have been project aid; what have been the projects assisted; and what amount has been committed to each of these projects.

1. British aid to Bangladesh is committed through signed agreements which may be spent over a number of years. Since 1972 the United Kingdom and Bangladesh Governments have signed the following agreements:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation resolution to initiate a programme of study into various aspects of Celtic culture has yet been implemented; and what steps his Department has taken to urge implementation.

A meeting of experts on Celtic cultures was organised by UNESCO in Dublin in November 1981 to formulate themes for research and to establish a system for the exchange of information. It is for the Director-General of UNESCO in the first instance to implement the recommendations of this meeting. We are, however, seeking financial support from UNESCO for the seventh international congress of celtic studies, to be held in Oxford in July 1983, to enable the congress to discuss the outcome of the Dublin meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many trips have been made by vessels carrying plutonium between Dounreay and Windscale through the Minches.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook) on 31 January 1983.—[Vol. 36, c. 33.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much of the United Kingdom's total end-use energy is in electricity; and how much of that total end-use energy is provided by nuclear power.

The latest available information is for 12 months to September 1982 in which electricity's share of all end-use energy was 13·6 per cent.Electricity is distributed through a common network and losses cannot be allocated precisely to sources or consumers. On the basis of electricity available for distribution, it is estimated that about 15 per cent. of end-use electricity during the period was provided by nuclear sources.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the forecast of electricity demand for the year 2000.

In its latest energy projections the Department has provided a range of possible United Kingdom electricity demands from public supply, in 2000, of between 239·9 and 372·3 Terawatt hours.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the documents that his Department has made publicly available to assist the Sizewell public inquiry.

The documents made publicly available to the inquiry by the Department of Energy are listed as follows with the reference numbers allocated by the inquiry secretariat.Department of Energy proof of evidence for the Sizewell B public inquiry. October 1982. DEN/P/1.Note of responsibilities relevant to the inquiry of Government Departments and Agencies. 7 July 1982. DEN/S/1(Gen).

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will compare the cost, in percentage terms, of a unit of electricity in the United Kingdom with the cost in all other European Community countries.

The following table shows the prices paid for electricity by typical domestic and industrial consumers in the countries of the European Community expressed as percentages of the United Kingdom price, at 1 August 1982. As prices vary within countries, it is only possible to give a range for these percentages in each case.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his policy towards the recommendations of the International Institute for the Environment and Development study "A low energy strategy for the United Kingdom".

The IIED study, published in 1979, was a valuable pioneering attempt to show how United Kingdom energy consumption could fall given appropriate assumptions about future developments in energy efficiency. A recent energy technology support unit report examines the IIED scenario and other low energy futures and concludes that the technologies included were for the most part technically plausible but that it was difficult to see implementation of these technologies taking place at the rate assumed by the IIED.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, further to the publication of the coal industry tripartite group working party on pneumoconiosis, whether the reference in paragraph 4 of the report to chest physicians refers to consultant chest physicians as employed by district health authorities and area health authorities in Wales.

I have been asked to reply.The pneumoconiosis medical panels comprise full-time specialist medical staff of the Department and other specialists, some of whom have had contracts of service with health authorities, including authorities in Wales, employed on a sessional basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with the chairman of the University Grants Committee concerning the provision of £15 million necessary to implement the decision to amalgamate medical schools in the St. Bartholomew's-London-Queen Mary project; and if he is satisfied that the University Grants Committee has such money available for the project.

My right hon. Friend understands that the proposed amalgamation is subject to continuing discussion within the University of London.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is now in a position to give his Department's calculation of education grant-related assessment for Manchester in 1983–84.

No. for the reasons I gave to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price) the chairman of the Education, Science and Arts Select Committee, in my letter of 27 January—a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House—the Government have concluded that the service components of the grant-related expenditure assessments in England for 1983–84 should not be published until a little later in the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his answer of 22 February, Official Report, c. 421–22, relating to education grants of Manchester city council, he will express the figures at current prices.

The amounts of specific grant to cover 90 per cent. of Manchester city council's spending on mandatory awards to students expressed at 1982–83 grant prices are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is his latest estimate of the money spent on redundancy payments to (a) academic and (b) non-academic staff in universities in Scotland in 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84, respectively;(2) how many

Following are (a) payments to universities in Scotland recommended by the University Grants Committee for expenditure on redundancy compensation—under the arrangements announced on 25 January and 27 March 1982—in the academic year 1981–82; (b) estimated payments in the academic year 1982–83 to the end of March 1983; and (c) estimated payments for the remainder of the academic year 1982–83 and for the academic year 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received calling for a speedy decision on the advice he proposes to give to local education authorities on the implications of the House of Lords decision relating to ordinary residence for overseas students.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from Members of Parliament, local education authorities, educational establishments, the National Union of Students and members of the public. He hopes to be able to issue advice shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he intends to extend the microelectronics education programme beyond the current finishing date of 31 March 1984.

The Government instituted the microelectronics education programme in March 1980 and have now decided to extend the life of the programme to 31 March 1986 at a cost of some £9 million over the period of the extension.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the progress that has been made in relation to integration of those with special educational needs into ordinary schools and colleges.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 February 1983, c. 420]: In January 1982, 15,474 handicapped children were registered as pupils in ordinary classes in ordinary schools and a further 14,502 were registered as pupils in designated special classes or units in ordinary schools. The comparable figures for 1981 were 10,369 and 16,456, respectively.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister what are her official engagements for 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 1 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 1 March.