asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on progress to date in the disposal by the British Gas Corporation of its share of the Wytch Farm oilfield.

My right hon. Friend met the full board of the corporation on 30 March to discuss the offers received for the corporation's 50 per cent. share in PL 089, which includes the Wytch Farm oilfield. He explained that the Government had considered carefully with their advisers the advice put to it by British Gas and had decided that it was both commercially justifiable and in the national interest for the corporation to take forward negotiations with the Dorset Group of independent British oil companies. He instructed the corporation to proceed accordingly and they undertook to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time Overseas Development Administration staff are employed in India.

One Overseas Development Administration officer is employed, on loan to the Diplomatic Service, as a first secretary in the British high commission, New Delhi, where he deals with aid work, together with Diplomatic Service colleagues.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what percentage he proposes to increase aid to Ethiopia in 1983–84 compared with 1982–83.

I recently announced measures to provide famine relief on a substantial scale and I will keep this under review. I have no plans at present to institute a regular development aid programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what bilateral aid Her Majesty's Government are giving to the Government of Ethiopia, with particular reference to the drought affected areas of Eritrea.

We do not at present give bilateral development aid to Ethiopia, but we are providing substantial relief aid through various channels to areas, including Eritrea, suffering from drought and famine. I cannot quantify the assistance reaching Eritrea.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase the level of programme aid to Tanzania.

Our available aid is all committed at present to projects of great importance to the Tanzanian Government, in particular the Songea-Makambako road.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on aid to Nicaragua; and if there has been any recent change.

We have a small bilateral aid programme in Nicaragua. In 1982–83 there were a few training awards in the United Kingdom and one short-term advisory visit on food technology and the scholarships will continue in the current financial year. There have been no recent changes in our policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the current level of British aid to Uganda.

This financial year we plan to spend about £6 million on capital aid and technical cooperation. Our aid is mainly for the cotton, police, electricity and transport sectors plus training for Ugandans in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase the level of United Kingdom aid to international agencies assisting refugees in the Horn of Africa.

We have just received from three international agencies new requests for assistance during 1983 to refugees in the Horn of Africa and several other areas of the world. I am considering them and hope soon to be able to indicate the level of our response.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, by countries, the members of Overseas Development Administration staff employed on projects in Africa.

Eighteen members of headquarters staff are serving in our development divisions in Nairobi and Lilongwe, 46 members of ODA's scientific units are working in Africa on various assignments, and some 1,640 other officers are working under ODA aid programmes in Africa. I am writing to the hon. Member with further details.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what approximate percentage of British overseas aid is untied.

In 1981, 36 per cent. of our gross official development assistance was untied. A further 14 per cent. was partly tied: most of this was accounted for by our contribution of £158 million to European Community aid programmes under which procurement is tied to Community member states and to beneficiaries of the particular programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the supervision of the oil palm project in Mindanao involving the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Yes. The Commonwealth Development Corporation keeps me informed of progress both of the NGPI project and of the steps taken in its investigation of a possible further project in the Loreto/La Paz area.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what priority items for the Falkland Islands requested in August 1982 have yet to be delivered.

A bowser and four tipper trucks which are due to arrive in Port Stanley in mid-May; a mourners' carriage and hearse which will be delivered ex-works in May and October respectively; aluminium sheeting which should be available in June; and boiler spares for the hospital, for which the delivery date is not yet known.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of gross national product was spent by Her Majesty's Government on official development assistance in the financial year 1982–83.

The figures are available for calendar years only. The preliminary estimate is that 0·38 per cent. of gross national product was spent as net official development assistance in 1982.The decline from the 1981 figure of 0–44 per cent. reflects a decrease in net disbursements of bilateral official development assistance. A major factor in this was the uneven pattern of disbursements to India. In calendar year 1982 gross aid to India was only £54 million compared to £169 million in 1981. Disbursements of aid to India for the whole of the financial year 1982–83 are however expected to be on target at about ·105 million (1981–82 ·102 million).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet his European Community ministerial colleagues to discuss future levels of aid to development programmes in Africa.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to attend the Council of Ministers (Foreign Affairs) on 25 April where there will be a preliminary discussion of the renegotiation of the ACP-EEC convention of Lomé.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much is provided by his Department towards the education programmes in India.

About £561,500 was spent in 1982–83 on educational projects. In addition, expenditure by the British Council from its core budget on exchange schemes which benefit educational institutions, and expenditure on about 620 new training awards in Britain for Indians amounted to some £3·3 million. Britain also contributes to UNESCO, which provides assistance for education in India.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Her Majesty's Government's future policy on the funding of the International Development Association.

Her Majesty's Government continue to support IDA strongly. We believe international support for IDA must be broad-based, with fair burden-sharing among donors, and that our future contribution must reflect more closely our relative economic strength.Our current contribution under IDA 6 is £555 million (10·1 per cent.) for fiscal years 1981–83, which we have allowed to be used in full for commitment purposes to help alleviate the Association's resource predicament. We have also agreed, subject to the approval of Parliament, to make a special contribution of £105 million for fiscal year 1984. A draft statutory order will be placed before the House next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he has taken of representations from universities and other professional urban planners concerning his proposal to end the single post of physical planning adviser; and if he will reconsider his decision.

I have carefully considered the representations which I have received on this subject. I appreciate and share the concern that we should continue to pay close attention to the management of physical change in development. But I am satisfied that the new arrangements that we propose will enable us to continue to obtain and to provide the necessary specialist advice without having a post of Physical Planning Adviser as such on the complement of the ODA.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his meeting with Mr. T. Clausen, chairman of the World Bank.

The President of the World Bank had separate talks with the Secretary of State and myself covering the interdependence of the world economies, the needs of the developing world, and the rôle of the World Bank and the International Development Association (IDA). We assured him of Her Majesty's Government's continued strong support for the bank and IDA. We emphasised the importance of continuing American support, and said that Her Majesty's Government's contribution would more closely reflect the United Kingdom's relative economic strength among donors.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Club Mediterranée has now concluded a firm contract with any construction company for the building of a holiday village on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. We are satisfied that a binding contract between Club Mediterranée and Johnston International Ltd. to build the Village has been signed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) further to the answer of 27 January, Official Report, c. 525, to the hon. Member for Grimsby, concerning the cost of a proposed change in personal taxation, whether he will publish in the Official Report a revised figure based on simple indexing of the age allowance;(2) further to the answer of 27 January,

I have written to the hon. Member, and placed a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of extending the widows' bereavement allowance until remarriage or death; and if he will make a statement.

The cost of extending widows' bereavement allowance, beyond the proposals in clause 17 of the Finance Bill, to cover all widows would be about £300 million at 1983–84 levels of income and allowances. I do not think that such an extension would be justifiable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the value in current prices of the heroin confiscated in Great Britain during each of the last five years for which records are available.

The estimated values in current prices of heroin seized by Customs and Excise in the years 1978–82 are shown in the following table:

	£
1978	5,130,320
1979	5,101,400
1980	3,213,530
1981	11,827,590
1982	26,194,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest conveniently available figure of payment from the Contingencies Fund for operations in the South Atlantic.

No further advances from the Contingencies Fund for operations in the South Atlantic have been made since my reply to the hon. Member on 24 February. A total of £12·5 million was advanced, all of which has been repaid.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the proportion of the gross national product made up by (a) central Government capital expenditure and (b) local government capital expenditure in each year from 1973–74 to 1982–83; and what is the planned figure for 1983.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total gross capital expenditure on each service listed in table 1.9 of Cmnd. 8789-I undertaken by the central Government in the United Kingdom in each year from 1973–74 to 1982–83, plus the planned 1983–84 figure (a) in cash and (b) in cost terms, consistent with table 1.14 of Cmnd. 8789-I.

The figures requested, for years 1976–77 to 1983–84, are shown in the following tables.It is not possible to take the definitions and classifications used in Cmnd. 8789 back before 1976–77.Gross capital expenditure is measured as net capital expenditure, including net lending to nationalised industries and some other public corporations, plus receipts from sales of land and buildings. The figures for sales of plant and machinery and the repayment of loans are not generally available.The cost terms figures result from inflating or deflating the cash outturn for past years and the cash provision for 1983–84 to a base of average 1981–82 prices using the deflator for gross domestic product at market prices. The estimated outturn for figures for 1982–83, and the cash plans for 1983–84, have been converted to cost terms using the GDP deflators given in paragraph 2.16 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report. They are therefore consistent with the figures excluding Budget measures and other changes in the revised cost terms table given in a reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Beaumont-Dark) on 17 March—[Vol. 39, c.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of receipts from the sale of capital assets by (a) the central Government, (b) local authorities and (c) nationalised industries in each year since 1978–79.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he is making for £1 coins to be minted bearing a Scottish national emblem.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about proposals to reorganise the local offices of the inspectors of taxes.

An Inland Revenue committee reported last year on the principles which should determine the size, and hence the number, of the local district offices of the inspectors of taxes. The Department has since applied these principles to prepare an outline scheme for reorganising these offices. This scheme would give significant savings in administrative and accommodation costs but is not a staff-cutting exercise. Implementation of the proposals would be a gradual process and be spread over a period of years. The proposals will be discussed with staff representatives before final planning starts. A copy of the committee's report and a note about the potential changes in the district office network have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered heroin addicts in Great Britain there were for the last five years for which records are available.

The available information is given in the following table.

New addicts notified to the Home Office who claimed addiction to heroin*
United Kingdom	Numbers of persons
1977	613
1978	859
1979	1,110
1980	1,151
1981	1,660
*Alone or in combination with other drugs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the numbers of cases in England and Wales reported for parking lorries and cars on pedestrian pavements; how many prosecutions ensued; and with what results.

The only available information relates to prosecutions for parking heavy goods vehicles on the footpath; in 1981 there were 125 such prosecutions by the police in England and Wales, 115 of which resulted in findings of guilt. There will also have been prosecutions and fixed penalty notices issued under other legislation as a result of vehicles being parked on the footpath, but these are not recorded separately.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to amend the law so as to enable any person who suffers loss or injury through burglary, mugging or illegalities to ask the judge or magistrate to give consideration when sentencing any persons found guilty to requiring them to pay the victim's claims for damages and losses, if need be on an extended and specified time basis.

The law requires no amendment for this purpose. Section 35 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973 enables a court on convicting an offender to order him to pay, over such period as it thinks fit, compensation for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from his offences, either on application or on the court's own initiative.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what criteria he arranges for convicted criminals to be sent to open prisons; and if he will make a statement.

The basic criterion for allocation to an open prison is an assessment that the prisoner is suitable for open conditions, having particular regard to the protection of the public. Eligibility for transfer to an open establishment is subject to certain limitations, relating for example to the prisoner's physical and mental condition; and each case is decided individually in the light of the prisoner's character, past record, and present circumstances. Local agreements in some cases further restrict the types of prisoner who may be transferred to particular open establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidelines to local authorities on eligibility for the special 5p television licences for the various categories of entitlement.

Information about the conditions on which the old persons' home television licence may be granted, which remains unchanged, was sent to all local authorities in April 1978. Further advice will be issued when the extension of the 5p licence scheme to physically disabled and mentally disordered people in similar accommodation, which my right hon. Friend announced on 23 February in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley, West (Mr. Blackburn) is introduced. [Vol. 37, c. 439.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions during 1982, the royal prerogative was exercised in order to adjust a custodial sentence where a person had been detained under a dual authority, as under the Criminal Justice Act 1967 and the Immigration Act 1971 prior to a conviction for a criminal offence.

On 21 occasions. In all these cases the additional authority for the prisoner's detention, causing the time spent remanded in custody not to count towards a subsequent prison sentence, was an order under the Immigration Act 1971. By virtue of section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982, concurrent detention otherwise than by order of court ho longer has this effect; thus, the exercise of the Royal Prerogative will no longer be necessary in such cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been sent back to Northern Ireland in the past 12 months as a result of exclusion orders under the present legislation; and what were the figures for the four previous years.

The information requested for the period up to 31 December 1982 was published on 27 January in table 3 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin No. 1/83, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Information for the first quarter of 1983 will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the principal achievements of Her Majesty's Government within his Department's responsibilities since May 1979.

We have greatly strengthened the police service. Since May 1979 the total strength in England and Wales has increased by 9,453 to 120,946 at the end of February 1983. During the same period the Metropolitan police has increased by 4,258 to 26,483. This growth has progressively enabled the return of police officers to beat duty.Public support for the police is essential. After a period of intensive consultation, I issued guidance in June 1982 on consultation arrangements between the community and the police designed to encourage full discussion of issues of local concern and to strengthen community action in support of the police, especially in tackling crime. Steps are in hand to foster crime prevention programmes between the police, other agencies and the public.The Government have assisted the police service in tackling serious disorder and in avoiding injuries to police officers by making available new protective equipment and supporting a thorough re-examination of training and tactics.In light of Lord Scarman's report, my Department has taken forward, in conjunction with the police and local authorties, a thorough review of police training including new programmes better to equip officers to deal with all sections of the public in a sensitive and effective way; better preparations for new entrants on their responsibilities as police officers; and on enhancement of the training given to other ranks of the service.The Police and Criminal Evidence Bill, now before the House, modernises and clarifies the powers available to the police for the investigation of crime, and, at the same time, provides new safeguards for the citizen. It rationalises and modernises the law on evidence in criminal proceedings. It brings forward new arrangements for dealing with complaints against the police, strengthening the independent element in the investigation of serious complaints and enabling the informal resolution of minor cases. It provides a legal framework for police/community consultation.We have given priority to the powers of the courts and the resources of the services dealing with offenders. The Criminal Justice Act 1982 enhances the powers of the courts to deal with offenders, in particular those under 21. The law on the fixed penalty system has been extended to allow the burden imposed on the police and magistrates' courts by traffic offences to be reduced.The number of probation officers in field posts has increased from 4,673 on 30 June 1979 to 5,134 on 31 December 1982; over the same period the number of probation ancillaries increased from 788 to 1,074. We have opened 43 new attendance centres, including 13 senior centres.We have continued the policy of rationalising the criminal law by new legislation on criminal attempts (which included the repeal of the "sus" law) and on forgery and counterfeiting.We have enabled local authorities to control the spread of sex shops and sex cinemas and have given assistance to measures designed to restrict indecent displays and to extend licensing controls to commercial cinema clubs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the law to apply its provisions with regard to the carrying of offensive weapons such as daggers to all categories of person, regardless of religious or racial difference.

The Prevention of Crime Act does not exempt any category of person from its provisions on the grounds of race or religion, but it does allow for the carrying of items such as daggers, which could in other circumstances be regarded as offensive weapons, solely for religious observance or ceremonial purposes. We think that is right and have no plans for change.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act 1955 so as to cover obscene material.

Sufficient protection should be available under existing legislation. The Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act 1955 is directed specifically at controlling the sale and availability of horror comics aimed at children, and the inclusion in it of obscene material would largely duplicate the effect of the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964. Those Acts already cover all obscene material, including that likely to fall into the hands of children.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds the Government Actuary disagrees with the assertions by the Fire Brigades' Union actuary that the proposed increase in employees' pension contributions cannot be technically or actuarially justified.

I understand from the Government Actuary that he has not commented on the amount which fire service employees should contribute towards the cost of their pensions and would not do so as this is not an actuarial matter. His task is to assess the overall cost of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Broadcasting Act 1981 to require the Independent Broadcasting Authority to give its consent to any significant changes in the character and composition of its programme contracting companies.

The Act already enables the IBA to provide for such changes to be subject to its approval and we have no reason to think that additional powers are needed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 21 April in the matter of Mr. K. K. Abrol (a) whether he has yet requested independent medical advice, (b) whether he has asked for this advice to be submitted to him by a particular date and (c) in view of the length of time the matter has been outstanding if he will take all possible steps to reach an early decision.

Letters have been sent on my right hon. Friend's behalf to two medical experts seeking early advice on Mr. Abrol's case. We will ensure that, once their views have been obtained, any unnecessary delay in reaching a final decision is avoided.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he understands that the Boundary Commission for Wales intends to begin its review of European Parliament constituencies in Wales.

The Commission has informed me that it intends to begin its review of European Parliament constituencies in Wales now that the Order in Council implementing the recommendations on its Third periodical report has been made. The commission is still unable to estimate how long the review is likely to take.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he understands that the Boundary Commission for England intends to begin its review of European Parliament constituencies in England.

The commission has informed me that it intends to begin its review of European Parliament constituencies in England now that the Order in Council implementing the recommendations in its third periodical report has been made. The commission sees no prospect of completing its review in time for its recommendations to be implemented at the 1984 elections.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has issued guidance to local authorities on the provision of financial support to political parties, candidates and prospective candidates.

No. If the hon. Member has a particular problem in mind he may wish to write to me.

asked the Prime Minister how it has come about that the central policy review staff report, "Alcohol Policies in the United Kingdom" is publicly available in Sweden.

This report was produced four years ago. In keeping with established practice for confidential advice to Ministers, it was not published. The Government understand that copies have been available for some time in Sweden but do not know how or when this breach of confidentiality occurred.

asked the Prime Minister what Government resources are being devoted to the study of future patterns of employment; and under the auspices of which Departments.

The Department of Employment and the Manpower Services Commission take the lead on studies of future patterns of employment. Under their auspices, work is being done in connection with the operation of the careers service and with the Government's new training initiative; and work connected with the demand for highly qualified manpower is being done in collaboration with the Department of Education and Science. Studies are also in progress at a number of academic institutions under contracts with the Department of Employment the Manpower Services Commission and the Social Science Research Council.Expenditure is not allocated in a way which permits the resources devoted directly to the study of future patterns of employment to be distinguished from resources devoted to other related subjects.

asked the Attorney-General how many higher executive officers there are in the administration of the Crown courts (a) at Mold and (b) at Cardiff; of these how many are able to speak Welsh; and how many have learnt Welsh through the opportunities given by the Lord Chancellor's Department to attend intensive courses on learning the Welsh language.

Neither the three higher executive officers at Mold nor the seven at Cardiff are Welsh speakers, but two other members of the staff at Mold speak Welsh. None of the existing staff at either court have attended the intensive language course.

Region	Guarantees Issued		Loan Value
	Number	Percentage of total	Amount £ million	Percentage of total
ENGLAND
North East	266	4·4	8·4	4·2
North West	872	14·5	27·0	13·6
Yorkshire and Humberside	418	6·9	11·5	5·8
West Midlands	555	9·2	18·0	9·1
East Midlands	383	6·4	12·3	6·2
South East (including East Anglia)	2,279	37·8	82·2	41·5
South West	550	9·1	17·5	8·8
SCOTLAND	308	5·1	8·9	4·5
WALES	352	5·8	10·4	5·3
NORTHERN IRELAND	43	0·7	1·7	0·9
Total	6,026		197·9

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what level of assistance has been granted in the Yorkshire and Humberside region under the microprocessor support scheme since the scheme's inception;(2) if he is satisfied with measures his Department has taken to encourage the development of high technology industries in the Yorkshire and Humberside region; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied with the measures we have taken. The English Industrial Estates Corporation has set up "incubator units" for young high-technology companies adjacent to the universities of Bradford and Leeds at a cost

asked the Attorney-General when he expects to receive the results of the Law Commission's current study into the enforceability of positive covenants.

The Law Commission hopes to submit its report on land obligations to the Lord Chancellor at the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry why the Doncaster travel-to-work area has been excluded from the list of areas to receive resource allocations from the English Industrial Estates Corporation during 1983–84.

I am pleased to confirm that Doncaster and also Bradford have been included in the list of travel-to-work areas to receive resources from EIEC in 1983–84. These areas have each been allocated £646,000 in the Programme prepared by EIEC.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the total amounts of loans granted in each of the regions under the loans guarantee scheme in 1982 and the percentage of the United Kingdom total each represents.

Guarantees issued by my Department in 1982 for the areas covered by the Department of Industry's regional offices and for the rest of the United Kingdom are set out in the following table.of £2·3 million. The Bradford units are complete and several companies are expecting to take space in them. We are planning to set up 20 information technology centres (ITeCs) in the region to train young people in microelectronics and computing, and nine of them are in operation.Under the MAPCON scheme, we have approved 414 grants of up to £3,000 towards the cost of consultancies in microelectronics and committed over f3/4 million to firms in the region. Under the microelectronics applications project part C, firms can obtain grants of up to one-third to help with the work of new developments and we have approved 59 applications so far from Yorkshire and Humberside firms and committed £1·8 million of which nearly £1 million has already been paid. However, I would welcome still more good projects for us to support, not just in microelectronics but in other areas of technology as well.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects an announcement to be made on the privatisation of the British Steel Corporation special steels group.

Discussions involving the rationalisation of the engineering steels sector have been in progress for some time. The Government have received no formal proposals from the likely participants, but in principle would welcome proposals aimed at reducing overcapacity and moving towards privatisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he expects to announce a conclusion to current talks between his Department, the British Steel Corporation and private steel firms on the proposed Phoenix Two joint venture.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much of the cash allocations for 1982–83 for research and innovation remains unspent; how much has been spent and on what projects; and how much will be spent next year.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 April 1983, c. 17]: Support under my Department's Scientific and Technological Assistance Vote increased by 24 per cent. in 1982–83 to £242 million, against a cash limit of £255 million. This support is of such priority that the 1983–84 provision has been put at £325 million, and the indications are that the continuing strong response from industry and the case-handling skills of my Department should result in support expenditure very near that figure. The principal areas of support are:

	£ million (1982–83)
General industrial research and development support (including information technology, production techniques, miroprocessor applications, technology transfer, etc.)	120·0
Space technology	61·6
Research establishments	32·7
Aircraft and Aerospace research and development	27·3
	241·8

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his policy for encouraging the British electronics industry to manufacture video recorders and office equipment in the United Kingdom in order to reduce the cost of importing these products from overseas.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 April 1983, c. 158]: The Government's economic policies are designed to promote competitiveness in all sectors of United Kingdom industry. Within this broad framework, the Department of Industry recognises the particular importance to the United Kingdom economy of electronic-based industries, which are finding increasing application in the office equipment sector. The Department encourages the establishment of new manufacturing plant, including inward investment, and offers financial assistance for the development of new office equipment products. In addition, the Department's "office of the future" projects are providing United Kingdom-based companies with experience of new office technology and are helping to develop awareness among users of the opportunities presented by the automated office.The Department has actively encouraged the production in the United Kingdom of video tape recorders (VTRs). It has made assistance available to one joint-venture company for the production of VTRs and stands ready to help other new ventures in this field.The Department welcomed the announcement by two Japanese companies of plans to commence the assembly of VTRs in this country later this year and hopes that the companies concerned will move rapidly towards manufacturing processes incorporating United Kingdom components. Steps have also been taken to ensure that potential investors in this sector are fully aware of the Government assistance available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry pursuant to his answer of 13 April, Official Report, c. 407–8, whether Mr. Maurice Elderfield, former financial director of British Shipbuilders, disclosed his interest in Saga Ltd. at the time when Vosper Thornvcroft (UK) Ltd., a subsidiary of British Shipbuilders, concluded the agreement with Saga Ltd., of 28 March 1980.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 April 1983, c. 190.]: In February 1980 Mr. Elderfield formally sought the consent of the Secretary of State to his holding the office of chairman of Saga Limited. He advised the Secretary of State that the appointment was non-executive and unremunerated. No shareholding in Saga was declared. Mr. Edlerfield's declared interest in Saga did not fall within the categories which were at that time required to be registered and published in the corporation's report and accounts (which are set out on page 40 of British Shipbuilders' 1979–80 accounts).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses there are in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.

There is no precise definition of a bypass. However, the best estimate that can be made of the numbers of specific bypasses and diversions on trunk and principal local authority roads are: Derbyshire 12, Nottinghamshire 12, Lincolnshire 7 and Yorkshire 14. But the Department has no records of the numbers of bypasses on non-principal local authority roads and the figures given understate the number of towns and villages on trunk roads which may bypass more than one community and a very large number of communities have been relieved of much of their through traffic by major trunk roads, such as the M1, which are not generally referred to as bypasses.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses were completed in England, Wales and Scotland during 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively.

The numbers of specific bypasses and diversions on trunk roads in England completed in 1979 and later years are as follows:

	Numbers
1979	3
1980	6
1981	10
1982	12

The number of communities bypassed by trunk road schemes in each year was, however, substantially larger, as the figures do not include major new roads which relieve towns and villages of through traffic, while certain roads bypass more than one community. For instance, the roads opened in 1982 bypassed a total of some 20 towns and villages.Bypasses on local authority roads are the responsibility of county councils. Bypasses in Scotland and Wales are not the responsibility of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what instructions he has given driving examiners about the use of seat belts.

The instructions are that a driving examiner conducting an L test should wear a seat belt, unless doing so for the whole of or part of the test would endanger himself or any other person. Apart from this, an examiner is not to proceed with a test if he intended to wear the belt which complied with the requirements of the law, but was unable to fit it.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to incorporate the Humber bridge into the national road network.

I have no plans to trunk this bridge.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received proposals for extending the electrified rail network northward to the Yorkshire and Humberside region, including the east coast main line and the midland line to Sheffield; and if he will make a statement.

As to the Railways Board's 10-year programme in general, and its proposals for the east coast main line, I refer the right hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to the right hon. Member for Barrow-in-Furness (Mr. Booth) on 20 April—[c. 126.] An outline case for the electrification of the Midland main line to Sheffield is included in the 10-year programme but the board have not yet submitted any more detailed investment proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the current Civil Service redundancy payment rules will apply to an employee currently working in the heavy goods and public service vehicle testing service who declines to resign from the Civil Service to take employment with Lloyds Register Vehicle Testing Authority and is not retained within the Civil Service.

A civil servant who does not take up a job with LRVTA and cannot be redeployed in the Civil Service will have access to the normal Departmental redundancy procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the progress of the programme of building bypasses round historic towns.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 April 1983, c. 126.]: Over 65 per cent. of the 245 identified historic towns on trunk roads have been relieved of through traffic by bypasses or major routes, or will be bypassed by roads now under construction. Over 90 per cent. of such historic towns will be relieved of through traffic when our present programme is completed. Of the remainder, some coastal towns have no through trunk traffic; the position of the remaining handful is being carefully examined in our present review of the programme.As to historic towns on local roads, in successive transport supplementary grant settlements under this Administration my right hon. Friends have enabled county councils to start over 100 local authority bypasses, of which about 40 will provide relief to historic towns.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in answering parliamentary questions about the impact on United Kingdom retail food prices of the common agricultural policy, his answers take account of the levies on common agricultural policy products imported from third countries.

I answer a variety of parliamentary questions on this topic and in each case I take account of all relevant considerations appropriate to the particular question. As I have said on many occasions, estimates of the impact of the common agricultural policy on food prices can be attempted only by making hypothetical assumptions about the policy which would have been pursued had we not been a member of the European Community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if present labelling regulations permit manufacturers to declare the average content of salt, sugar and fat on the labels of manufactured food.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received evidence or complaints that firms employing part-time workers, particularly salesmen, advise them not to cease registering for unemployment benefit.

I have received no complaints on this subject, but I am aware of a recent press report about it, which is being investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the arrangements for auditing expenditure by the Manpower Services Commission.

The Manpower Services Commission is responsible for its own internal audit, although the Department is represented on its internal audit committee. The internal audit committee has a regional structure and is headed by a qualified accountant well experienced in audit work.The regional teams, each consisting of six auditors under the control of a senior auditor (senior executive officer), have an audit programme for 1983–84 which covers all functions and programmes operated by MSC within its Regions.The actual amount of audit coverage given to a particular element of MSC operation depends on the amount of public expenditure involved; MSC offices which are responsible for expenditure under the community programme, youth opportunities programme and the youth training scheme, and the individual schemes themselves will be audited most frequently.In addition, the Exchequer and Audit Department has its own auditors attached to MSC, and they have the right to undertake any audit examination of MSC expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what arrangements have been made to audit expenditure by the Manpower Services Commission on education under the technical and vocational education initiative.

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) that discussions are still taking place with 14 provisionally selected local education authorities who wish to provide pilot projects under the technical and vocational education initiative. The pilot schemes will begin in September 1983 and will last five years.MSC also advise me that it is intended to include in the contract with the LEAs right of access for MSC internal audit to the accounts and supporting documentation of these schemes. In addition, this right of access will be available to the Exchequer and Audit Department.The head of MSC internal audit is currently considering the frequency with which the pilot schemes should be audited.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether internal or external audits have revealed any misappropriation of public money in schemes operated by the Manpower Services Commission in 1981–82 and 1982–83.

The Manpower Services Commission's internal auditors found eight cases amounting to £31,000 in 1981–82 and four cases amounting to £66,000 in 1982–83 in which the misappropriation of public funds in schemes operated by the commission was either proved or is still under investigation.I am advised by the commission that other auditors, particularly those employed by local authorities, have discovered cases of misappropriation. However, as these cases do not necessarily involve MSC funds information about them is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many internal auditors are employed by his Department or by the Manpower Services Commission to audit expenditure on schemes organised by the Manpower Services Commission.

The Manpower Services Commission employed 48 staff on internal audit at 20 April 1983. Seven more auditors have been recruited and will take up post on 3 May. The Manpower Services Commission is actively seeking a further eight auditors from within and outside the Civil Service to bring its audit staff up to full complement. The complement was increased in 1982 to take account of the increasing activities and budget of MSC programmes, particularly those concerned with young people and the long term unemployed.No members of my own Department's internal audit staff are engaged on the audit of MSC activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the estimated expenditure by the Manpower Services Commission on education in each local education authority receiving resources under the technical and vocational education initiative;(2) what is the estimated cost to each of the local authorities involved of courses to be run under the technical and vocational education initiative in 1983–84.

I regret that the information requested is not available at this stage. The Manpower Services Commission is currently having detailed discussions about costs with the 14 local education authorities whose proposals were selected for support under the initiative.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has received a copy of the Equal Opportunities Commission's revised draft code of practice on equal opportunity policies, procedures and practices in employment; what response he has given; and if he will make a statement.

The Equal Opportunities Commission has yet to submit its revised draft code of practice on equal opportunities policies, procedures and practices in employment to my right hon. Friend

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were unemployed in the United Kingdom in each January of the years 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1983, respectively; and what were the respective percentage rates.

The following table gives, for the United Kingdom, the figures for registered unemployed up to 1970 and the figures for unemployed claimants from 1975 at January in each of the years specified. It also gives the registration and claimants based figures at January 1971 but the difference between these two sets of statistics would not be of the same proportions at other dates. Estimates on a claimants basis are not available prior to January 1971.

January each year	Registered unemployed
	Number	Percentage rate
1950	395,200	1·9
1955	316,300	1·4
1960	483,900	2·1
1965	399,000	1·7
1970	649,300	2·8
1971	714,400	3·1
	Unemployed claimants
1971	682,800	3·0
1975	750,100	3·2
1980	1,373,700	5·7
1983	3,225,200	13·8

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether Her Majesty's Government intend to introduce any new health and safety precautions for youth training schemes.

The Manpower Services Commission already works closely with the Health and Safety Executive in the preparation of practical guidance for sponsors and young people to ensure that safe working practices are observed on all training and work experience programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what proportion of youth training scheme trainees are expected to have O-level and CSE qualifications; and whether the youth training scheme programmes for these trainees will be designed so as to enable them to participate in craft supervisory or management training;(2) what academic levels the further education elements of the youth training scheme will be aimed at; whether the trainees will be able to choose courses leading to nationally recognised qualifications; and how class sizes for the further education element will compare with normal classes;(3) whether the youth training scheme on-job training will be to nationally recognised standards; and what powers managing agents will have to monitor and ensure that standards are maintained.

The scheme is designed for school leavers across the whole range of abilities. As the scheme is voluntary, and we do not know how many eligible young people will take up places, it is not possible to say what proportion of trainees will have any particular qualification. Schemes will however be available across a wide range of occupational areas including craft, supervisory and management training and young people will be offered places on schemes that take account of their needs. In many cases schemes will offer a recognised foundation for progress to further skill training.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied with the funding of the pilot training scheme programmes; how much funding was provided per trainee; and how this compares to the funding per trainee envisaged in the mainstream youth training scheme.

Yes. Sponsors of pilot youth training scheme programmes are paid £1,950 per trainee place, which is the same as managing agents will get under the youth training scheme proper. Some pilot schemes have received additional help to support work on developing scheme content and assessment methods which will have wider application.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of factory inspectors in each of the years from 1974 to 1982 and at the most recent practicable date in 1983.

The number of factory inspectors in each of the years from 1974 to 1983 respectively was:

	Number
1 October 1974	737
1 October 1975	811
1 April 1976	845
1 April 1977	903
1 April 1978	934
1 April 1979	952
1 April 1980	980
1 April 1981	950
1 April 1982	886
1 April 1983	852

asked the Minister for Trade how much money he has allocated to citizens advice bureaux for 1983–84; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister for Trade whether he will make a statement about the amount of Government funding for the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

asked the Minister for Trade why he has decided to delay grant payment to citizens advice bureaux.

The Government grant that goes to NACAB increased rapidly under this Government. Since 1979 it has increased from £1·85 million to £6·04 million this year. That is a sign of the support that the Government give the organisation.With these figures in mind, I thought it advisable to examine the distribution of these large sums of taxpayers' money. NACAB was without a director from April 1982 to February 1983, and it seemed wise to let the new director settle in and to review the allocation of money after six months. I stress that NACAB is funded in full for the first six months of this year—that is to September—so its work can be maintained. I have given assurances that the funding for the second half of the year will be continued should the review take longer than I hope.

asked the Minister for Trade what is the level of Government grant to citizens advice bureaux in each of the past four financial years and for the year 1983–84.

I refer the hon. Member to my statement in the House on 12 April.

asked the Minister for Trade what arrangements are being made for Government financial support for the citizens advice bureaux service.

I have nothing to add to my statement in the House on 12 April, and my speech in the adjournment debate on 22 April.

asked the Minister for Trade to what extent he has taken into account the conclusions of the Price Waterhouse report in the formulation of Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the future of British Airways.

The Price Waterhouse report was commissioned by the British Airways Board, not the Government. Both the board and the Government have taken account of the conclusions of the report (which was written over a year ago) in pursuing our common objective of restoring the airline to profitability.

asked the Minister for Trade if he is satisfied with the progress made by the Lloyd's insurance market regarding new rules on accounting standards and disclosure.

Yes. Already this year substantial improvements have been made by Lloyd's on these matters and further measures are under active consideration.

asked the Minister for Trade how many passengers travelled through Gatwick airport in 1982; and how this throughput compares with earlier estimates of likely Gatwick traffic in 1982.