asked the Minister for Trade if he will introduce legislation to prevent public limited companies from contributing to organisations with political objectives unless first approved by a vote of the shareholders.

No. A company can only make political contributions where, in the opinion of the directors, the payment made falls within the objects clause of the company's memorandum of association and is bona fide for the benefit of the company. Particulars of most such contributions have to be disclosed to shareholders under S.19 of the Companies Act 1967.

asked the Minister for Trade what was the value of exports and imports of manufactured foods in 1973, 1979 and 1982.

The available information is:

asked the Minister for Trade what was the value of agricultural products, excluding manufactured foods, exported from the United Kingdom in the latest year for which figures are available.

In the 12 months ended September 1982 this trade was valued at £1,049 million fob.

asked the Minister for Trade (1) from which countries a d in what quantities from each, cement is imported;(2) what quantities, in tons, of cement, have been imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 1979.

This information may be found against SITC (R2) Sub group 661.2 in table III of the overseas trade statistics or the relevant years. Copies are in the Library.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will now state his response to the proposals made to him by British Airways for the capital reconstruction of the airline.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins) on Monday 21 March.—[Vol. 39, c. 305.]

asked the Minister for Trade what were the United Kingdom balance of trade figures with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1982; and what is the percentage change compared with 10 years before.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 March 1983, c. 309]: The crude balance of trade between the United Kingdom and the USSR was in deficit by £289 million in 1982, and in deficit by £27 million in 1972. Percentage comparisons between these figures would not be meaningful.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present position on the development of a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation base at Stornoway.

We are improving the facilities at RAF Stornoway, which is a wartime forward operating base for NATO, in order to accommodate higher performance air defence aircraft. First contracts have been let for improvements to and extension of the runway, a new taxiway and aircraft dispersal locations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the results of the radiation tests conducted on the 95 volunteers from Cardington camp who accompanied balloon units to the Christmas Islands in 1957 for the firing of nuclear devices will be available to Her Majesty's Government's survey of the effects of nuclear tests on personnel.

Personnel from Royal Air Force Cardington undertook tasks in support of the nuclear test programme in 1957 and 1958 in Maralinga, Australia, and on Christmas Island. In general these tasks did not involve them in situations where there was any possibility of exposure to radiation but personal dosimeters were issued to those, along with others, wherever this was a possibility. Information on those who were issued with dosimeters will be included in the survey.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be in a position to make a statement about his evaluation of personal kit and clothing of the armed forces following experience in the Falkland Islands.

A substantial number of improvements to a wide range of personal kit and clothing are currently being considered as a result of recent studies and post-Falklands reports. It is hoped that decisions on the way ahead should be reached this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons have been recruited in

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Keighley of 16 March, Official Report, c. 207, what was the total number of organisations which received copies of "Nuclear Defence—Key Points".

A full record of the organisations which have requested and received copies of this publication has not been kept.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to place a further order for nuclear-powered fleet submarines.

I am pleased to announce that an order for the seventeenth nuclear-powered fleet submarine has been placed with vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. This will be the fifth submarine of the Trafalgar class. We intend to invite tenders for a further vessel of this class in the near future.

The numbers of service men and service women recruited at careers information offices in Scotland are as follows. These figures do not include recruitment of officers and QARNNS.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, in reference to the pressurised water reactor projected for Sizewell, what part of the overall cost he anticipates will be spent in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and elsewhere.

The procurement of components for Sizewell B will be a matter for the commercial judgment of the CEGB.The board has advised that it expects less than 10 per cent. by value of the contracts which it places to go to overseas suppliers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what proportion of workers covered by each wages council, and by all wages councils, come under the following headings: (a) male—female, (b) full-time—part-time, (c) home workers, (d) under 18—over 18 years, (e) manual—non-manual and (f) trade union members—non-trade union members.

Precise information on the number and composition of employees covered by wages councils is not available. However, a broad picture of the distribution of full-time employees who were reported as within the scope of wages councils in the new earnings survey, April 1982 is given in the following table. The survey does not collect information about trade union membership or home

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will extend the youth training scheme to include over 18-year-old handicapped youngsters who because of the extra time required for their schooling generally stay on at school until the age of 20.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultations have taken place between the Manpower Services Commission and trade unions concerning the proposed closure of the Liverpool return and learn scheme.

Manpower Services Commission officials have not held any discussions with the relevant trade unions. It is the responsibility of Liverpool city council, as sponsor, to consult the trade unions about this community enterprise programme project, which is due to close on 31 March, and about any successor project under the community programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much funding has been made available by the Manpower Services Commission to the Liverpool return and learn scheme from May 1979 to the latest available date.

Details of Manpower Services Commission funds made available to the "Return and learn" project are provided in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the working of the Liverpool return and learn scheme; and if he will make a statement.

This project has given valuable work experience to 60 recently qualified teachers and basic education to some 800 unemployed young people. I hope that it will prove possible to continue funding of this project under the community programme in order to provide valuable assistance to unemployed people in Liverpool.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has yet received the final report of Professor Gennard's research into the closed shop.

The final report of this research has now been received. A copy has today been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has studied the reports of the components and computers sector working parties of the Electronics Economic Development Council on the need to train and recruit skilled personnel; and if he will take steps to develop this trend in Scotland.

I have noted the reports of both of the sector working parties. I also commissioned in 1981 a report by my Department and the Manpower Services Commission on the supply and demand for skilled manpower in the Scottish electronics industry. More recently the MSC published a study on the supply of computing skills in Scotland. Following these studies I took a number of initiatives to improve the supply of electronic skills at all levels. The latest indications are that serious skill shortages are confined to a small number of specific areas. My Department is however keeping a close watch on the supply and demand for skilled manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many and what percentage of secondary schools in Scotland do not have a microcomputer;(2) how many and what percentage of primary schools in Scotland do not have a microcomputer.

Up-to-date information is not available, but a survey of microcomputers in Scottish schools is to be conducted in the coming term and I shall write to the hon. Member thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the numbers employed in the microelectronics industry in Scotland.

Information relating specifically to microelectronics is not available. However, it is possible to derive from the census of employment for September 1981 that approximately 37,000 were employed in the electronics industry as a whole in Scotland at that date.

(Leith) asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scottish Development Agency will complete its current programme of works for Leith; and if he will consider providing extra resources to extend the period and to cover further projects in this area of Scotland.

The Leith project agreement which was signed on 5 May 1981 commits the Scottish Development Agency, Lothian regional council and the city of Edinburgh district council to a programme of action over a period of not less than three years and not more than five years. I understand that the agency is already discussing with the local authorities concerned whether the project should be extended beyond May 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out the responsibilities of regional authorities to provide a subject or group of subjects for study at an educational establishment when such provision is advertised in prospectuses associated with the parents' charter.

The determination of the range of subjects available for study in schools under their management is the responsibility of education authorities, who may modify the range at any time in the light of resources and demand. The authorities have a duty to review yearly and revise as necessary all school information published under the terms of the Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland) Regulations 1982. These regulations provide that all such information must state the school year to which it relates and must contain a warning that, although the information given is believed to be correct at a date specified therein, it should not be assumed that there will be a change.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide information on the number of deaths from coronary heart disease among males in Scotland aged 45 to 55 years expressed as a rate per 100,000 of that age group in 1970 and at the latest available date; and what information he has as to the comparable figures for England and Wales, the United States of America, Sweden and Japan.

Coronary heart disease is not separately identified in the international classification of diseases, but is included within the classification ischaemic heart disease. The relevant mortality rates for Scotland are published in the annual report of the Registrar General for Scotland for 1970 and 1981 (Table C2.14).Figures for the other countries are included in table 7 of World Health Organisation annual statistics 1982 and earlier years. Copies of these publications are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was public expenditure in constant money terms on health care in Scotland per head of population for the years 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82 and 1982–83.

The information requested expressed at November 1980 price levels is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to approve grants under section 29(2)(d) of the Housing Act 1974 by the Housing Corporation to housing associations where the consolidation costs are in projects of multiple ownership.

The Housing Corporation possesses delegated authority to approve costs for rehabilitation and other housing projects subject to indicative costs and any guidance provided by my Department. As I explained to the hon. Member in my written reply of 17 February—[Vol. 37, c. 226]—it would not be appropriate to frame a policy relating to the approval of consolidation costs on their own. I have however arranged for the Housing Corporation to prepare a statement of the general principles it proposes to apply in its considerations of schemes involving such costs, and I shall send the hon. Member a copy of the advice which the corporation issues to housing associations on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average waiting time for a kidney transplant operation in each of the health board areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he proposes to take any action in the light of the decision by the Secretary of State for the Home Department to issue guidance to chief police officers in England and Wales on the investigation of offences of rape.

My hon. Friend, the Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind) explained in his reply to the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) on 9 February 1982—[Vol. 17, c. 364] —that a research study into the processing of sexual assault cases, including investigation by the police, medical procedures and court experiences, was being conducted by my Department and that we preferred to await the outcome of that study before considering whether major changes in the present arrangements in Scotland were needed. The first part of the study, which deals with investigation by the police, is now complete and will be published shortly. I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Library. We shall be considering, in the light of the findings in the first part of the study, whether further guidance should be issued to chief constables in Scotland in relation to the investigation of rape.

This information is not held centrally. Waiting time for a transplant depends on the availability of a suitably matched donor kidney.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes there were in industrial rateable values in each district of the Strathclyde region in the financial years 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82, respectively.

Information confined to industrial rateable values alone is not available centrally. The table gives rateable values relating to industrial and freight transport subjects in the authorities concerned as at 1 April 1979, 1980 and 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table of (a) the total recorded offences of robbery and other violent thefts for each of the Metropolitan police districts in 1982, (b) the number of assailants who, to the victim, appeared coloured, white, mixed groups and not known and (c) the percentage proportion of coloured to total in each district;(2) if he will publish in the

We understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the information readily available is as given in the following tables:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state for each district of the Metropolitan police in 1982, the number of serious crimes that were recorded where criminals carried, displayed or discharged a firearm; and if he will state the number in each category.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 March 1983, c. 465]: Information for 1981 is given in the following table. Information for 1982 will become available later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the total numbers of reported assaults in each district of the Metropolitan police during 1982 and, of this total, how many cases were reported where a female was the victim of a male assault.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 March 1983, c. 465]: We understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the available information on all such offences is as given in the following table. Information separately identifying male assailants is not collected centrally in the Metropolitan police district and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the reasons why he will not take the action necessary to ensure that if and when police officers are found guilty of illegalities, or of breaking their rules and regulations during their official duties where complaint is made and the complainant is awarded damages and compensation, such payments should be paid out of the incomes and savings of the police officers concerned and not from public funds.

We are not aware of any evidence that justifies altering in the way proposed the arrangements laid down in section 48 of the Police Act 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, when selling surplus prison housing to the occupiers, he will offer the same concessions as to council house tenants.

No. Instead, and after discussion with the unions concerned, we have introduced for some staff a scheme of interest-free loans to assist with house purchase. The scheme will be extended to prison officers when agreement is reached on new shift systems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the public threats issued by members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Fatah Revolutionary Council known as the Abu Nidal Group against British judges, he will ban the entry into the United Kingdom of any members or associates of these organisations.

Cases are decided under the immigration rules on their individual merits taking into account what is known about the individual concerned, including his conduct and associations. Membership of a particular organisation would be one of the factors considered.

(Leith) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the law so that political parties are obliged to declare their source of income for pre-election campaigning.

No. The law already requires such information to be given in the return of election expenses which a candidate's election agent must make after a parliamentary election.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Her Majesty's Government do not plan to introduce legislation to provide greater flexibility of public house opening hours in England and Wales.

Decisions on this matter need to have regard to the problems of alcohol misuse. The Government hope that in due course the response to the Health Departments' discussion document "Drinking Sensibly" will generate a broad measure of agreement on which decisions as to whether, and if so how, the licensing law ought to be reformed can be based.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to extend section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 to cover special educational help for Vietnamese and other refugees in addition to the New Commonwealth populations.

We have no proposals to amend section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the proposal to incorporate the abolition of capital punishment in the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

In this country questions relating to the death penalty are decided by a free vote of this House, without the Government expressing any collective view. Accordingly, while respecting the views of those member states of the Council of Europe which may be willing to be bound by the terms of protocol No. 6 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Her Majesty's Government will not enter into any international obligations concerning the abolition of the death penalty.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will provide funds for an advisory service to provide practical guidance in solving production problems for the spring manufacturing industry rather than funds solely for long-term research.

Such guidance for the spring manufacturing industry as well as for other sectors of manufacturing industry is already available from the Department of Industry funded manufacturing advisory service and for small companies under the technical inquiry service. So far 31 companies in spring manufacturing have received guidance.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what percentage of schools in Scotland equipped with a microcomputer have acquired a Sinclair spectrum model.

I have been asked to reply. Up-to-date information is not available, but a survey of microcomputers in Scottish schools is to be conducted in the coming term and I shall write to the hon. Member thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration he gives to the matter of rural deprivation when making decisions about school closures.

I am well aware of the important role that the village school plays in the life of rural communities, and my right hon. Friend takes this carefully into account in exercising his responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average length of time since April 1981 for determination of his decision to confirm or refuse local education authorities permission to close particular schools.

The average is 6·2 months. This includes the 2 months during which objections can be made and, in the case of proposals by local education authorities, the further month allowed before the authority must submit those objections and their comments to the Secretary of State.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money he is currently allocating to the Medical Research Council for research into spinal injuries.

In the financial year 1981–82, the Medical Research Council spent £765,000 on the support of research that was directly concerned with spinal injuries or was relevant to such injuries. I would add that it operates under a Royal Charter, and allocates its grant-in-aid as it sees fit.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied that all children who need a school meal get one.

Section 22 of the Education Act 1980 entitles all children whose families are in receipt of supplementary benefit or family income supplement to a free school meal. For other children, all but a few authorities provide a school meal on payment, and all are required to make facilities available for children to eat packed lunches. The use made of these facilities is a matter for parents, who are primarily responsible for their children's nutrition.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the names of those education authorities chosen to take part in a pilot scheme concerning education vouchers.

Arrangements for pilots must await decisions as to whether any voucher scheme will be proposed and, if so, on its scope.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, under his proposals, education vouchers (a) will be extended to independent as well as maintained schools and (b) will he able to be topped up from private sources.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend gave to her question on 7 March.—[Vol. 3, c. 300.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether additional allowances of student numbers will be made to the Scottish universities to accommodate four-year degree courses.

The student number targets allocated to the Scottish universities already take account of their four-year degree courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will withdraw all public subsidies from private schools.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the funding to the Science and Engineering Research Council for 1983–84 compares with that in the preceding years from 1979.

The grant-in-aid to the Science and Engineering Research Council from the science budget, which has risen steadily in cash terms from L175–6 million in 1979–80, is £254·5 million for 1983–84. This has broadly maintained in real terms the level of funding for the council.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that the present structure of grants enables all those young persons with the qualifications and desire to follow courses in further, higher or technical education to do so without financial penalty or insecurity.

The present structure concentrates most resources on those in full-time higher education, primarily through mandatory awards, and works reasonably well for them. Discretionary awards are available, according to local policy, for some of those on other courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government for universities to be made liable to financial penalties for accepting students for courses in excess of prescribed limits.

The distribution of grant between individual universities is a matter for the University Grants Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will implement the recommendations in section 7 of the report of the Alvey Committee on information technology.

The Government are considering the report of the Alvey committee. However my right hon. Friend announced on 16 December 1982—[Vol. 34, c. 187–189]—that he is making additional provision, beginning in 1983–84, for expansion of the training of qualified manpower, and of research, in fields relating to information technology. Substantial parts of that expansion will be in the areas which are central to the Alvey committee's report.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he expects provision for sixth form education to be uniform throughout the area of a single education authority.

No. Circular 4/82 states that my right hon. Friend sees no inherent merit in an authority adopting a uniform pattern for secondary provision; the most appropriate form of organisation for an area will depend on local circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide figures for the number of people entering higher education as a percentage of the population for the years 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82, respectively, and what percentage of these were mature students.

The information requested is given in rows (d) and (g) of the following table. However it is customary to quote age participation rates for entry to higher education which express home entrants to higher education aged under 21 as a percentage of 18-year-olds in the population and so exclude mature students—those aged 21 or more. These rates are given in row (h).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest estimate of the number of surplus school places, primary and secondary, in maintained schools in England for 1983–84, and 1984–85; and what is his target for the number of places to be taken out of use in those years.

There are currently estimated to be some 1·8 million surplus places in maintained primary and secondary schools in England. Future figures will depend on the changes that occur in school rolls and in the provision of places by local education authorities, including their rate of progress in taking places out of use. The Government's expenditure plans published last month in Cmnd. 8789 assume that since 1975 630,000 places will have been taken out of use by March 1984 and 790,000 by March 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will be reporting on the possibility of the introduction of education vouchers.

As soon as I have concluded my present consideration of the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what reply he has sent to Durham local education authority concerning its proposal to establish a sixth form tertiary college at Consett technical college.

The Department informed the authority on 15 February that my right hon. Friend had rejected its proposals for secondary reorganisation in Consett and Stanley.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to ensure that there is more vocational training in the secondary schools to suit school leavers for the skills that industry expects to require in the next 10 years.

The Government attach great importance to this. We have instituted a programme of special development projects in selected local education authorities, starting next September, which will result in more relevant and effective education for pupils for whom public examinations are not designed. In addition, it is intended that the certificate for pre-vocational education (the 17-plus) will come on stream in September. This will provide a one-year full-time pre-vocational course for pupils who stay on at school or who enter college. The Government are also launching, through the Manpower Services Commission and selected local education authorities, 10 pilot projects which will be designed to improve the provision of technical and vocational education for 14 to 18 year olds.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received following his new policy of publishing all Her Majesty's Inspectorate reports.

Apart from requests for copies of reports, I have received about a dozen representations concerning the publication of HMI reports since the new policy came into effect at the beginning of this year. Most sought details of the new arrangements; a few expressed the view that one week is too short an interval between the issue of a report to the appropriate institution and local authority or proprietor, and its publication. On the latter point I have drawn correspondents' attention to the discussions which HMI has with the heads and governors of schools and colleges about their findings prior to the issue of its written report.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he has taken pursuant to paragraph 24 of his circular 2/81 relating to explaining the reasons for school closures.

My right hon. Friend has repeatedly made public his belief, both at national and local level, that there are educational no less than financial benefits to be had from removing surplus school places as pupil numbers fall. He will continue to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he proposes to take any further measures to ensure that all children of school age receive sufficient religious education at school.

We shall continue to make it clear to local education authorities and to the schools themselves that we expect them to live up to the statutory requirements on the provision of religious education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further arrangements he intends to make for collaboration in academic planning between the University Grants Committee and the national advisory board for local authority higher Education.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied with the good progress that has been made in the development of collaboration between the University Grants Committee and the national advisory body for local authority higher education in the year since the latter was established.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what change there has been in the funds allocated per capita to children in special education between May 1979 and the latest available date.

Expenditure per pupil on special education by local authorities in England increased by 45 per cent. between the financial years 1979–80 and 1981–82, the last year for which data are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue a circular to local education authorities to ensure that in all schools toilet and washing facilities shall be provided together.

No. The provision of washrooms containing toilet and washing facilities together is already a requirement of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many independent schools there are catering mainly for children under the age of five years.

This analysis is not collected.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with progress in the development of new tertiary education forms in Greater London.