asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what is the average time which elapses between a death and a fatal accident and sudden death inquiry in Scotland.

No statistics are kept regarding the time between death and a fatal accident inquiry. In some cases, where an inquiry is mandatory and the facts are quickly ascertained, a public inquiry takes place very soon after death. In other cases, equipment, materials and the like may have to be tested and this can delay considerably the holding of a public inquiry. Likewise, where a fatal accident inquiry is held only because the Lord Advocate considers it expedient in the public interest to have one, there may be delay in ascertaining the extent of public concern.

asked the Minister for Trade what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to protect British vessels in view of recent attacks by Iraq on shipping in the gulf area.

A close watch is kept on the maritime situation in the Gulf, and advice on it is available to British shipowners who consult my Department.

asked the Minister for Trade, further to his reply dated 15 March, Official Report, c. 77–80, concerning tariffs on United Kingdom imports of manufactures, whether he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the value of trade under each heading, or the proportion, exempt from duty under the tariff when imported from most favoured nation status countries; and if he will add figures for non-manufacture goods.

Most favoured nation status is given to all countries which are not members of the European Community. The proportions of imports of manufactures from all non-EC countries admitted duty free in 1980 are shown in table A for each section and division of the SITC.The weighted average tariffs for non-manufactured goods and the proportions of imports of these products from non-EC countries admitted duty free in 1980 are shown in table B for each section and division of the SITC.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on British Airways' unaudited profit figures for 1982–83; if he will list the main reason for the turnround from loss in 1981–82 into profit in 1982–83; what estimates he has made of likely loss or profit by British Airways in the current year; and whether the airline is on course for privatisation.

British Airways announced on 4 May 1983 that the unaudited results for 1982–83 showed a profit of £72 million. This is a remarkable turnaround from the previous year's loss of £545 million. I am very pleased that British Airways is now making a profit after the payment of debt interest, and after taxation, and I congratulate Sir John King and all the staff at BA on this exceptional achievement, which has resulted from hard work and a willingness to accept and co-operate in changes for the good of the airline.

asked the Minister for Trade when he set up his working group to look into the transfer of ships to the United Kingdom register; who is on the working group; how often the group; has met; what conclusions it has reached so far; and how long it will be before it reaches its final conclusions.

The two working groups whose formation I announced on 16 December 1982 include representatives of the General Council of British Shipping, the Merchant Navy and Airline Officers Association, the National Union of Seamen, the Mercantile Marine Service Association, the Radio and Electronic Officers Union and my Department. The groups have met on three occasions. They have agreed general principles and procedures designed, as part of my continuing campaign to ease the burden on shipowners when ships are transferred to the United Kingdom register, and these are being embodied in instructions to marine surveyors of my Department. It is hoped that the work of the groups will be completed before the end of June.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on the Under-Secretary of State's recent visit to Liverpool.

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

asked the Minister for Trade if he will publish in the Official Report in tabular form details of the value of imports of power tools by country of source for each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

The information is set out in the form requested under SITC(R2) sub-group 778·4 in table III of the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics for the appropriate periods. Copies are in the Library.

asked the Minister for Trade how many applications have been made in each of the last six years to disqualify persons from acting as company directors under the provisions of section 9 of the Insolvency Act 1976.

I shall reply to the hon. and learned Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for Trade when the report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the supply of films for exhibition in cinemas is to be published; and if he will make a statement.

The report is published today.The commission found that a number of monopolies existed in favour of both exhibitors and distributors. It found that the systems of alignment and barring—which restrict distribution and showing of films—are against the public interest. It recommend that the system of barring should be ended, and that instead provisions for exclusive showing of films should be negotiated on a case by case basis.The commission also found that delays in releasing popular films are against the public interest. It recommend that arrangements be made to ensure that a popular film would not be exhibited for more than four weeks in any cinema unless the film had been made available to competing cinemas.The commission made a number of supplementary recommendations.This is a significant report. Following on the commission's earlier report, it reveals continuing restrictions on the distribution and exhibition of films. Many of these may be contrary to the interests of cinema-goers. Some appear to be contrary to the long term interests of the industry itself. The Government will be giving careful consideration to this important report with a view to announcing measures to be taken.

Total visible trade of EC countries with Taiwan
US $ million current prices
	Imports			Exports
	1974	1982	Percentage change	1974	1982	Percentage change
Belgium/Luxembourg	35	104	197	30	51	70
Denmark	9	45	400	7	28	300
France	59	379	542	30	313	943
F.R. Germany	293	929	215	305	534	75
Greece	5	*32	540	0	*0	—
Irish Republic	5	*20	300	1	*8	700
Italy	78	251	222	53	119	125
Netherlands	102	257	152	56	127	127
United Kingdom	156	587	276	91	220	142
* January to November, at annual rate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many airports are being considered as possible sites for free ports; if he will list them; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister for Trade when he expects to be able to give the substantive answer to the question from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe, promised by the hon. Member for Reading, South (Dr. Vaughan) in his interim reply of 27 April, Official Report, c. 341.

The chairman of the Manchester CAB management committee has written to me emphasising the contribution made by volunteers to the work of the Manchester bureaux, and the value of the support which these bureaux receive from NACAB. The Government fully support the work of the CAB service, and I made this clear in my recent statements in the House. I shall refer to this in my reply to the letter.

asked the Minister for Trade (1) if he will tabulate in the Official Report the figures for the level of imports at constant prices from the Republic of China in 1974 and at the latest date for which figures are available for each of the countries of the European Economic Community; and if he will give the percentage change in each case;(2) if he will tabulate in the

[pursuant to his reply, 3 May [983, c. 2]: Data in respect of Taiwan are as follows:

Specific locations for free ports have not yet been considered. This consideration will now depend upon the timing of the necessary legislation before the next Parliament.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now make a statement on the number and location of free ports he is proposing to authorise consequent upon his Budget statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 May 1983, c. 184.]: As my right hon. and learned Friend announced in his Budget speech, it is our intention to establish a limited number of experimental free ports. But the necessary legislation will now await the next Parliament.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he received the Megaw report into the question of Civil Service pension contributions; if he has now completed his consideration of the recommendations of the report; and if he will make a statement.

As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the time, the report of the inquiry into Civil Service pay under the chairmanship of the right hon. Sir John Megaw was received in July 1982. The report was primarily concerned with Civil Service pay but also dealt with some aspects of the Civil Service pension scheme. As I said in the debate in this House on 22 October last, the Government are attracted by the proposal to make the Civil Service pension scheme contributory.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the information on the percentage deviation of the pound sterling above and below the central rate of the European monetary system provided in the reply to the hon. Member for Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 30 June 1982, Official Report, c. 305.

The information is as follows:

End Month	Percentage change of sterling against its notional ecu central rate
1982
June	+1·3
July	+1·5
August	+2·0
September	+2·0
October	+2·3
November	-3·1
December	-6·5
1983
January	-8·5
February	-9·1
March	+0·8
April	+6·8

The notional central rate of sterling against the ecu is reset after each realignment to reflect the prevailing market rates and the realignment itself; and was therefore adjusted on 12 June 1982 and 21 March 1983.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of mortgagors now have the lower level of repayments as provided for by section 28 of the Finance Act 1982.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 May 1983, c. 284.]: I regret that the information required to answer this question is not available. The choice of profile for mortgage repayments is a matter between borrower and lender.

asked the Attorney-General when he received the report of the Lay Observer on alleged maladministration and neglect upon the part of solicitors; and if he proposes action in connection with this.

The eighth annual report of the Lay Observer was published and laid before Parliament on 28 April. The report drew attention to certain proposals for legislation and some which will require consultation between Departments. These are under consideration. There was no general allegation of maladministration or neglect on the part of solicitors, and the professional conduct of solicitors is, in any case, a matter for the Law Society.

asked the Attorney-General what is the average length of time which elapses between a death and an inquest in Northern Ireland.

Precise statistics as to the length of time which elapses between a death and an inquest in Northern Ireland are not readily available, but I understand that the average time is of the order of six to eight months.Her Majesty's coroners and the Northern Ireland court service are aware of the need to do everything possible to ensure that inquests are held as soon as practicable after coroners are notified of deaths. However, several factors can lead to delays, and my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor will be writing fully to the hon. Member in response to a letter which he addressed to my noble Friend Lord Gowrie on the subject.

asked the Attorney-General if the Lord Chancellor will review the refusal of a grant in the current financial year to enable the Law Centres Federation to continue to employ a development officer.

The Lord Chancellor already provides a grant to the Law Centres Federation, but does not consider that it would be appropriate to provide additional funds for this purpose.

asked the Prime Minister if she has yet received a draft agenda for the meeting of European Community Heads of State in early June.

There is no set agenda at European Council meetings; Heads of Government are free to raise any items of concern to them. In Stuttgart on 6–7 June I expect Heads of Government to review the Community's economic and social situation as well as international economic and political developments; and to discuss the subjects covered by the conclusions of their March meeting, namely, the financing of the Community, including the solution for 1983 and later of the budget problem; the enlargement negotiations; youth unemployment; energy, research and development policy; completion of the internal market; and environmental questions.

asked the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government intend to make a contribution to the International Year of Disabled People trust fund, organised by the United Nations.

No. We marked the International Year of Disabled People by contributing official British aid funds to various projects designed to help disabled persons here and overseas. The Overseas Development Administration will continue to include in its health programme, measures aimed at rehabilitation, and at preventing disabling diseases and conditions.

asked the Prime Minister if the speech by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at the Association of Electrical Engineers on Wednesday 4 May represented the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now made investigations into the complaints lodged with the chief constable of Hampshire in November 1982 by Mr. Paul Cleeland, then a prisoner at Her Majesty's prison Parkhurst, that drugs were administered to him without his knowledge or consent.

On 9 November 1982 Mr. Paul Cleeland complained to the governor of Parkhurst prison that attempts were being made to certify him. He implied that drugs were being used to this end. He requested that the police be notified. The following day he specifically asked to see a police officer and later in the month he was seen by a senior officer of the Hampshire constabulary. It is understood that, following a report from that officer, no further action was taken by the police. The deputy chief constable advised Mr. Cleeland that the proper course would be for him to petition the Home Office for an independent medical examination, saying that he would review the police action if such an examination were to confirm Mr. Cleeland's suspicions. Mr. Cleeland has not petitioned on this matter. I am satisfied that there is nothing to support the alegations made by Mr. Cleeland and that, in all the circumstances, no purpose would be served by any further inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) to what extent and under what conditions security guards may carry guns; and for what reasons and on how many occasions in the last year for which figures are available, permission was given by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner for security guards to carry guns;

Chief officers of police, including the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, do not grant firearm certificates for security or personal protection purposes. This applies to security personnel, who have no special rights under the law to carry or use weapons, as it does to any private citizen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serious crimes were recorded in L Division of the Metropolitan police in 1982; and to what extent each category represents an increase in percentage terms on the year 1978.

We understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the information available is as given in the following table. Figures for 1978 are not directly comparable with those for 1982 because of changes made by new counting rules which were introduced at the beginning of 1980. For this reason comparisons are given between figures for 1982 and 1980.

Notifiable offences recorded by the police in "L" Division of the Metropolitan Police District
Metropolitan Police Offence groups	Number of offences in 1982	Percentage change 1982–80
Assaults, etc.	1,253	+37
Robbery and other violent theft	3,190	+64
Burglary	8,974	+37
Autocrime	15,065	+43
Other theft and handling	5,807	+15
Fraud and forgery	1,107	-16
Criminal damage and miscellaneous	5,374	+19
Total	40,770	+32

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give consideration to introducing legislation to make vandalism an offence in England and Wales as it is in Scotland.

No. An equivalent offence already exists in section 1 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971, which penalises any person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another, intending to destroy any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time (a) the number of persons arrested and charged wih rape, (b) of this number, how many had previous convictions, (c) how many of those charged were allowed and refused bail and in how many cases bail was allowed against police advice, (d) how many of these were found guilty and sentenced on completion of their trials, (e) how many completed fully or in part their imposed sentence and (f) how many who were released prematurely or on completion of their sentences were subsequently arrested for a similar offence.

The number of persons proceeded against in magistrates' courts in England and Wales for offences of rape — including aiding and abetting and attempts—and the number found guilty in all courts is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" — supplementary tables S1.1(A) and S2.1(A). The other information requested is either not collected centrally or could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of implementation of the Cinematograph Amendment Act 1982.

This Act came into effect on 13 October 1982. Local authorities experienced some early difficulties in regard to the application of fire safety requirements, but these have now been resolved and, so far as we are aware, the Act is now operating satisfactorily.

			Identified as
Date	Place	Nationality of those interviewed	Illegal Entrants	Overstayers	Working in breach of conditions	Subjects of deportation orders or notices of intention to deport	Prosecuted
17 September 1982	Royal Lancaster Hotel, London W2	13 Ghanains	2	2	4	1	6
		3 Nigerians
		1 Egyptian
		1 UK Passport
		Holder
16 January 1983	30 private addresses in the Metropolitan police district	32	8	12	4	5	15
		Colombians
		1 Peruvian
		1 Spaniard
		1 Portuguese
26 and 28 April 1983	4 National Car Parks (Albany, Albany Square Londonderry House and Navigation Street) and 2 private addresses, all in Birmingham	6 Nigerians	—	2	2	3	1
		1 Malaysian
		1 Sierra
		Leonean

Of the 61 people interviewed, 45 were detained at some stage, but the majority for only a short period. The remaining information is not readily available —some cases are still under consideration—and could be provided only at disproprotionate cost.We are satisfied that the guidelines outlined in Home Office circular No. 131/1980 were carefully followed in each operation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider limiting the scope of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Convention on Human Rights is a multilateral treaty ratified by the United Kingdom and other member states of the Council of Europe. The Government have no plans to seek any renegotiation of its terms. The convention, as such, forms no part of our domestic law; our acceptance of its obligations reflects our conviction that our law already

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what have been the dates and places since 30 June 1982 where major joint immigration-police operations were carried out in the whole of the United Kingdom; how many police officers and immigration officers, and of what rank, were involved for each operation; how many people and of what nationalities were (a) interviewed and (b) detained in each operation; for how long and where; and with regard to what breaches of immigration law were these people interviewed or charged;(2) how many people, as a result of each major joint operation between the immigration service and the police since 30 June 1982, were removed as illegal entrants or deported under the terms of section 3(5) of the Immigration Act 1971; how many prosecutions were carried out as a result of each operation; and whether the guidelines as outlined in his Department's circular No. 131/1980 to the chief officers of police were carried out in each operation.

The information readily available is as follows:guarantees the fundamental rights and freedoms which are the subject of the convention. We can see no ground for limiting the scope of those in any way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to remove restrictions on the holding on Sundays on an occasional basis of functions such as antiques and collectors' fairs; and if he will make a statement.

It would not be appropriate to consider this matter in isolation from the wider issue of the reform of the shops legislation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate or state the amounts expended by the guarantee fund of the European Community on export refunds and other expenditure respectively in 1982.

Expenditure under the EAGGF guarantee section in 1982 amounted to about £6,900 million of which some £2,650 million was on export refunds.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any evidence that salmon are adapting successfully to waters where the pH value has been lowered as a result of acid rain; and what information he has as to the waters in England and Wales where the populations of such fish are known to have been affected by the increasing acidity of the water.

I understand that some salmon nursery areas in Cumbria and the headwaters of the river Tywi in Dyfed may have been adversely affected by low pH. I am not, however, in a position to draw any general conclusions on the extent to which salmon have adapted to such waters.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research has been carried out

£ million
	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84
Cash Limited
Hospital and Community Health Services:
Revenue	480·123	493·895	507·069	509·943	514·614	539·404	551·021	558·937
Capital	40·730	40·940	44·780	38·440	40·240	43·690	48·120	39·761
Other Health Services	12·186	11·299	12·865	12·129	13·181	13·519	14·460	17·337
Non-Cash Limited
Family Practitioner Services etc.	155·366	157·428	162·580	164·242	168·681	172·473	*182·043	179·883
Notes:
* 1982–83 provision for family practitioner services is inflated by payment of fee arrears to opticians.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage average of manufacturing output in 1982 in Wales compared with the 1979 average.

As measured by the Welsh index of industrial production— 1975 =100—manufacturing output in Wales in 1982 is estimated to have stood at 98. The corresponding figure for 1979 was 115·3.

My directorate of fisheries research is studying the effects of both synthetic monofilament and multifilament gill nets by comparative fishing experiments. The results of this research will be published in due course. I have no plans at present for any further research on this particular subject.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of fuel consumption of Nimrod aircraft being some five times that of 748 Coastguarder aircraft, if he will consider placing orders for the latter aircraft.

I have nothing to add to the reply my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett) on 14 April 1983.—[Vol. 40, c. 435.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for 1983–84 the expected spending on the National Health Service in Wales, and the corresponding figures in real terms for each of the past seven years.

The following table shows the expenditure in Wales on the National Health Service from 1976–77 to 1981–82, estimated expenditure for 1982–83 and provision made for 1983–84 all at 1983–84 cash prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimate of the number of young people (a) male and (b) female in (i) mid-Glamorgan and (ii) Wales who will be eligible for the special training scheme due to start in September; and whether he is confident that enough places will be available.

It is estimated that youth training scheme places will need to be available for about 25,000 entrants in Wales and 5,600 entrants in mid-Glamorgan in 1983–84. Separate figures are not available on a male-female breakdown. The Manpower Services Commission is optimistic that enough places will be available to meet all the demands placed on the scheme in 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimate of the number of unemployed young people in the Port Talbot, Bridgend and Maesteg travel-to-work areas who will be eligible for consideration for the special training scheme due to commence in September; and whether he is confident that sufficient places will be available for those who wish to participate.

It is estimated that the numbers of unemployed 16 and 17-year-old school leavers eligible for entry into the youth training scheme in the Port Talbot, Bridgend and Maesteg areas will be 600, 850 and 230, respectively. The Manpower Services Commission is optimistic that enough places will be available to enable an offer of a place to be made to all those who wish to participate in the scheme in 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many unemployed (a) men and (b) women are currently engaged in the Government's community programme in Wales; and whether sufficient places are being sponsored to absorb those eligible;(2) how many unemplpoyed

Separate figures for men and women are not available.The programme is voluntary and not all those eligible can be expected to participate. The provisional target in Wales is for some 9,600 filled places by the end of September 1983.Details of the numbers of places both approved and filled as at 31 March 1983 are as follows:

	Places approved	of which places filled
Wales	5,507	3,341
Port Talbot employment office area	48	43
Bridgend and Maesteg employment office area	255	201

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees in Wales were receiving state cash aid for short-time working in February in the current year; and how this figure compares with that for February 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively.

For February 1981, 1982 and 1983 the numbers of workers for whom payments were made were 45,645, 11,797, and 25,686, respectively.Figures on this basis are not available for February 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the failure rate of firms in Wales who have received finance from the small businesses loan guarantee scheme.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry is responsible for the administration of the scheme, but I understand that at 31 March 1983 the failure rate of firms in Wales that had received finance under the loan guarantee scheme was 7·1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many new jobs have been secured in the following areas of service industries (a) research and development, (b) banking, (c) insurance and (d) financial business services between 1970 and 1982 in Wales.

Data for Wales for 1982 are not available at the level asked for, nor are the figures for 1970 compatible with those for later years. However, results from employment censuses show that between June 1971 and September 1981 the number of employees in the sectors referred to changed as follows:

MLH and Industry	Change ('000)
860 Insurance	+0·1
861 Banking and bill discounting	+3·4
862 Other financial institutions	+0·8
876 Research and development services	-0·1

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he is satisfied with the speed of progress with the marginal land scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Our case for extending the less favoured areas is under active consideration by the EC Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the cost to his Department of providing bilingual road signs in Wales in each year since their inception.

Approximate costs, at outturn prices, to the Welsh Office for bilingual road signs on trunk roads are as follows:

	£
1974–75	140,000
1975–76	60,000
1976–77	515,000
1977–78	360,000
1978–79	360,000
1979–80	440,000
1980–81	570,000
1981–82	610,000
1982–83*	710,000
* Provisional.

The greater part of this expenditure would have been incurred in erecting English only signs. No bilingual signs were erected on trunk roads prior to 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make a statement on the progress of the Land Authority for Wales since the reply by the former Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Melton on 15 July 1982, Official Report, c. 442–3.

During 1982–83 the Land Authority acquired about 24 hectares—58 acres—of land and disposed of about 125 hectares—310 acres — for residential, industrial and commercial purposes. Its land bank consists of about 445 hectares —1,099 acres. The authority has published housing land availability studies for the counties of Dyfed and Mid and West Glamorgan, as well as the first review of the Clwyd study.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what would be the cost per year if the present extensions to the less favoured areas in Wales were approved by the European Community Commission provided the present level of benefits to farmers were maintained; and if he will make a statement.

If the less favoured areas are extended as proposed, and if capital grants and allowances were to be provided at present levels, the cost in Wales could be in the region of £5·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of civil servants employed in the Welsh Office (a) in Cardiff and (b) in London, respectively, are specialists, and what proportion are administrative.

The information requested, as at 1 May 1983, is as follows:

	Administrative Staff	Specialist Staff
Cardiff	65 per cent.	18 per cent.
London	68 per cent.	3 per cent.

Additional support grades are employed at each location.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total level of aid given to Namibia by all the members of the Western Contact Group.

British bilateral aid for activities to benefit Namibians is expected to total £400,000 in the present financial year. Information on aid from other members of the Western Contact Group is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise in the European Community Council of Ministers the question of special aid to Africa to alleviate the effect of the drought which is now damaging food supplies in an area stretching from Ethiopia to the Republic of South Africa.

The European Community has already provided food and other forms of emergency aid to African countries affected by the drought, and has substantial budgetary resources to provide more through its food aid and emergency aid programmes. The drought poses serious problems for certain countries, and we shall keep the matter of the Community's response under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons have lost their lives directly or indirectly as a result of inhaling solvents in each of the last 10 years; how many persons were referred to hospitals or to the National Health Service in Scotland for treatment arising out of inhaling solvents in each of those years; and whether he has any other evidence readily available as to the scope of the problem in Scotland.

The number of deaths in Scotland attributable to solvent abuse, both directly and indirectly, in each of the last seven years—the only period for which information is available—is as follows:

	Number
1976	1
1977	2
1978	2
1979	2
1980	3
1981	9
1982	*14
TOTAL	33
* Provisional figure.

The number of persons referred for treatment arising out of inhaling solvents is not known as the diagnosis of solvent inhalation is frequently masked by other diagnoses — for example, asphyxia. Detailed information about the incidence of solvent abuse in Scotland is not centrally available; but the scope of the problem may be reflected in the number of persons coming to the notice of the police as being involved in solvent abuse from 1979 to 1981 as follows:

	Number
1979	2,240
1980	2,399
1981	3,312

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the further details of the Scottish Home and Health Department Report, "Tape Recording of Police Interviews: Interim Report — The First 24 Months", published at page 158 in the March 1983 edition of the Criminal Law Review, he will reconsider his previous decision and place a copy of the report in the Library.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recommendation of the consultative committee on the curriculum that a committee be set up to promote links between schools and industry.

I have under consideration a recommendation from the consultative committee on the curriculum that it should set up a small committee to keep under review curricular matters in which there is an industrial interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the youth unemployment figures for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth district for each year since 1975; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 May 1983, c. 48]: The following table shows the average numbers of young people under 20 registered as unemployed in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth jobcentre areas—which between them cover most of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth district—for each full year since 1975.

Average number of unemployed people under 20 years of age in each year
	Cumbernauld	Kilsyth
1975	332	34
1976	382	23
1977	438	39
1978	454	48
1979	400	41
1980	516	51
1981	763	88
1982	933	111

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the higher education age participation rate and the size of the 18-year-old population in each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many part-time students there were in higher education in each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

Year	Part-time students in Great Britain higher education (1000's)
1978–79	259
1979–80	267
1980–81	282
1981–82	298
1982–83	Not yet available

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many qualified young people have not obtained places in higher education in each of the last five years; how many are not expected to do so over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

The available evidence suggests that all those qualified young people who wished to enter higher education over the last five years would have been able to find a place somewhere within the higher education system, although of course not necessarily at the institution or in the subject of their choice. The numbers of students that institutions will be able to take in future years consistent with the Government's spending plans are under discussion with the organisations concerned. For 1983–84 universities will be continuing to adjust their intakes in accordance with their student number targets, while local authority higher education institutions will be expected to admit as many students as they reasonably can within the resources available to them. It is too early to say whether this will mean that demand continues to be met.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students entered full-time higher education in each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

Year	(1000's) Home Full-time initial entrants to Great Britain Higher Education
1978–79	137·7
1979–80	143·0
1980–81	147·6
1981–82	156·9
1982–83	*161·8
* Provisional

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the establishment of the Secondary Examinations Council.

The appointment of Sir Wilfred Cockcroft as chairman of the council was announced on 23 November 1982 — [Vol 32, c. 440] — and the appointment of further members on 2 March 1983 — [Vol 38, c. 169–170]. The Government have been pressing ahead with the appointment of staff and the formal incorporation of the council and hope that it will begin its work in May 1983. Parliamentary authority for this new service is being sought in the Supply Estimate for Class X Vote 1 — Schools, Further Education and Other Educational Services. Pending Parliament's approval, the necessary expenditure will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many full-time students there were in higher education in each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

Year	(1000's) Home Full-time and Sandwich Students in Great Britain Higher Education
1978–79	448
1979–80	455
1980–81	467
1981–82	492
1982–83	*508
* Provisional

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to increase the output of chiropody training schools to meet the national shortfall; and if he will make a statement.

Plans were agreed in 1980 to raise the output of chiropodists from recognised chiropody schools by 50 per cent. over the level achieved in 1978. A new school opened in Plymouth in 1980 and a new school in east Sussex opened last year with an initial intake of 12 rising to 24 this year. The level of intake in all schools rose to 372 in 1982 compared with 278 in 1978. The scope for further progress is being kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many National Health Service hospitals have audiometric units which could facilitate industrial audiometric surveillance.

The number and type of such units is not recorded centrally, but in 1981 there were at least 375 hospitals with audiometric departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take steps to improve the take-up rate of attendance allowance for the mentally handicapped.

No national estimate is available of the number of mentally handicapped persons eligible for the benefit. There has, however, been a continuing increase in the number of disabled people claiming attendance allowance—from 147,000 in 1980 to 166,000 in 1981 and 193,000 in 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (a) general practitioners and (b) consultants are currently practising who are over the state retirement age.

In the National Health Service at 1 October 1982, the number of unrestricted principals over the state retirement age—60 for females, 65 for males—in contract with family practitioner committees in England was 1,506. On 30 September 1982 there were 229 medical consultants and 196 locum medical consultants over the same age working in the hospital service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many copies of "Health Care and its Costs" have been printed; how many copies have been distributed without charge (a) to regional health authorities, (b) to district health authorities, (c) to family practitioner committees and (d) to community health councils and their respective national associations; and how many copies have been distributed without charge to other recipients.

Five thousand copies of "Health Care and its Costs" have been printed. The following copies have been distributed free of charge to the NHS:

Recipients	Number of copies per recipient	Total
Regional Health Authorities	6	84
District Health Authorities	6	1,152
Special Health Authorities	2	12
Family Practitioner Committees	1	90

A copy of the document has been sent to the Association of Community Health Councils and one will be sent to each community health council shortly.A further 980 copies have been distributed without charge to other interested organisations and individuals, including 130 copies to Health Service national organisations, trade unions and professional organisations, 280 copies made available to hon. Members through the Vote Office and the House of Commons Library, and copies retained for use within the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants were receiving supplementary benefit from the Huddersfield office of his Department in May 1979, May 1980, May 1981, May 1982 and in the latest month for which figures are available.

The numbers of cases in action in the Huddersfield local office from May 1979 to February 1983 were as follows:

	Thousands
May 1979	9·5
May 1980	9·9
May 1981	12·4
May 1982	14·7
May 1983	16·2

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what formal links exist between his Department and the disabled persons unit of the social development division of the United Nations centre for social development and humanitarian affairs; and if he has any plans to develop further links.

The Government's formal links with the United Nations Organisation and its agencies are maintained through the relevant United Kingdom missions. During the International Year of Disabled People there was some informal contact between the staff of the centre and DHSS officials and this has continued during the follow-up to the year. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent research his Department has carried out into the delays experienced by disabled people in receiving benefits for which they were eligible; what conclusions were reached; and whether such research is to be a regular part of his Department's work.

The time taken to deal with attendance allowance and mobility allowance claims is the subject of regular monitoring. I have been concerned about delays in dealing with claims to these benefits and I have asked for the adjudication and procedures which apply to them to be specially reviewed.No conclusions have yet been reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will outline the standard procedure for notifying disabled people of an award of attendance allowance; whether such notification always includes a statement of the length of time over which the allowance will be given; and if he will make a statement.

Awards of attendance allowance are notified by letter from the Department's attendance allowance unit at Blackpool. Where the award is of limited duration the termination date is given to the claimant. Where the award is for an adult for life, or for a child up to the 16th birthday when a new claim is required, the commencing date only of the award is given.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what initiatives his Department is undertaking in developing aids for disabled people using computer and information technology; what projects are in the pipeline; whether his Department hopes to develop a centralised, computerised, source of aids information for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has for some time been studying how computers might be used in environmental controls and is producing performance specifications for them. Although most existing microcomputer systems are not well suited to the task, it is hoped to harness developments in commercial microcomputers for this purpose. Meanwhile, a new microcomputer controlled environmetal control system — the BEC1 — is to be introduced into the NHS this summer.A number of equipment research and development projects are being funded directly, including two concerned with information technology — IT — and disability. These are the development of a portable synthetic speech aid for people who cannot speak and a speech recognition system to operate environmental control equipment for the severely physically disabled. Both projects are now well advanced. In addition, a project has recently commenced for developing an actuator capable of sensing eye movement, with the object of extending the usage of environmental controls to those patients who are so severely handicapped that they cannot operate more conventional actuators. This type of actuator could be applied also to communication systems.A "pump priming" project has enabled the Breakthrough Trust to replace its teleprinter telephones for the deaf with the new Vistel deaf telephone terminals. Recent "pump priming" has included the purchase of a quantity of single input scanning Microwriters and a number of Possum 1000 SP synthetic speech communicators. Further pump priming of communication aids is under consideration.The use of microcomputers in patient therapy is being explored with the assistance of the Department of Industry. Microcomputers have been placed in the occupational therapy departments of a small number of hospitals and day centres, where they can be used under professional supervision for rehabilitation purposes.The extension of the scheme to other therapy areas is being considered.The possibility of a centralised computerised source of information on aids for disabled people has been closely examined. It is clear that there is no simple solution that would suit all needs. Localised information services able to offer a personal service, with the support of a central data base, are therefore planned. Discussions are in progress with the aim of transferring the existing database at the Disabled Living Foundation to computer filing and retrieval so that, with central Government support, it can expand its activities and develop the role of the central database within the United Kingdom. Localised services might then use an appropriate IT medium to interrogate the database as required.The interrelationship of the various European Community and United Kingdom database initiatives is being explored: we aim to ensure that the United Kingdom will be able to contribute practically to and benefit positively from EC and other international schemes wherever it is appropriate and cost effective for us to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research studies there have been into the percentage of patients who fail to follow drug dosage instructions, and the reasons for their failing to do so.

I am not aware of any completed research, but the Department has recently agreed to fund a study of elderly people and their drug use. One of the specific aims of this research is to assess the extent to which drugs are not being taken as prescribed. The study will investigate the reasons for any failure to do so and suggest ways in which this problem could be reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the income to the National Health Service from (a) nurses' board and lodging fees, (b) doctors' board and lodging fees and (c) board and lodging fees for any other National Health Service staff, in each of the last five financial years.

Information in the form requested is not available centrally. Annual accounts submitted to the Department by NHS authorities in England show the following income in total from lodging charges:

	£ million
1977–78	17·9
1978–79	20·9
1979–80	22·6
1980–81	25·1
1981–82	26·2

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the average weekly board and lodging fee and the highest and the lowest board and lodging fee, for nurses in each of the last five years.

The charges agreed by the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council were as follows:

	Weekly lodging charge
Year	Maximum	Average*	Minimum
	£	£	£
1978–79	15·02	5·38	5·12
1979–80	16·34	5·84	5·56
1980–81	18·46	6·62	6·30
†1981–82	18·87	7·04	6·69
‡1982–84	30·28	9·07	8·65
Notes:
* An estimate weighted to take account of the distribution of nurses among the different scales of accommodation, the great majority of whom are students who pay the minimum charge.
† In 1981 the council agreed that new charges related to the full cost of providing the accommodation should be phased in over a four-year period.
‡ Increased charges implemented from 1 October 1982 until 31 March 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is now able to announce the operative date of the new war pensioners' mobility supplement.

Yes. Subject to the making of the necessary instruments, we intend that the war pensioners' mobility supplement should start payment from the week of 21 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the evidence on which British Shipbuilders based its estimate of Japanese productivity being two and a half times that in the United Kingdom, referred to on 31 March, Official Report, column 487, is available to him.

International comparisons of productivity in shipbuilding are difficult because of the problems in ensuring comparability of employment data, the extent of subcontracting and so on. A major international survey in the mid-1970s estimated Japanese labour productivity to be slightly over twice that of the United Kingdom. British Shipbuilders has made available to the Department information on Japanese labour productivity in recent years which supports its estimate that it is on average between two and two and a half times greater than in United Kingdom yards.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the failure rate of firms who have received finance from the small business loan guarantee scheme; and how it compares with his Department's forecasts.