asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the exclusion of the head of the education department by the governor of Holloway prison from that institution on the grounds that he was in contact with a former inmate; and what is his policy about such contacts.

As part of their general responsibilities for assisting prisoners in preparing for release prison education officers sometimes maintain contact with former prisoners after release. But under rule 81 of the Prison Rules they are required to make the governor aware of such contacts, and it is open to the governor to prohibit them if in the particular case he considers it advisable to do so in the interests of good order and discipline. I understand that in the case to which the hon. Member refers the governor considered it necessary to prohibit contact by the education officer with a particular prisoner and instructed him to give a formal written assurance that he would comply with that instruction. When the education officer failed to give that asssurance the governor requested his employer, the Inner London Education Authority, to withdraw him from the prison pending a formal hearing of the case as provided under his conditions of service. That hearing is due to take place on 26 May and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been instituted or are pending under the Badgers Act 1973; with what success; and in what areas of the United Kingdom for each year since the Act came into force, respectively.

The information available to us, for England and Wales, is given in the following table; a breakdown by area could be provided only at disproportionate cost and information on the number of prosecutions pending is not collected centrally. None of the information is available for Scotland, and the Act is not in force in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by his Department in the last 12 months on the "Pay your Television Licence" campaign.

The cost of the television licence anti-evasion campaign which ran from September 1982 to March 1983 was £871,853.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped from Kirkham open prison during (a) the last 12 months and (b) the last five years; and how many are still at large.

The following table gives the number of inmates who have absconded from Kirkham, which is an open prison, since 1978, and the number still at large.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis concerning incidents of public disorder which occurred in Tottenham on Tuesday 3 May 1983; and if he will make a statement on the substance of the report with particular regard to the ethnic breakdown of those involved.

We understand from the Commissioner that the incidents took place outside High Cross school, Tottenham, where the National Front held a meeting in connection with its candidacy in a Greater London council by-election. By 7.30 pm on 3 May about 700 demonstrators, of various ethnic appearance, had gathered outside the school and there had already been some disorder. To assist in preventing a serious confrontation, the police escorted supporters of the National Front from Tottenham Hale underground station to the meeting. As they arrived, bricks and debris were thrown and a number of demonstrators were arrested. The meeting, which began at about 8.00 pm and ended at about 9.30 pm, was attended by some 120 people, of whom about 70 appeared to be National Front supporters. After the meeting, the supporters were escorted back to the Underground station through the hostile crowd, which then dispersed.During the evening 38 people were arrested and charged with various offences, including the use of threatening behaviour, obstructing the police, possessing an offensive weapon, assaulting the police and criminal damage. Fifteen of those arrested were classified as being of white ethnic appearance; two of dark European ethnic appearance; 19 of black ethnic appearance; and two of Asian ethnic appearance.Twelve police officers and nine of those arrested were injured, none seriously. A member of the public who was hit by a brick required hospital treatment for a head injury. Three police vehicles were damaged superficially, and a window at a near by public house was broken.We deplore calculated disorder in all circumstances in which it may occur. The police will continue, in the impartial discharge of their duty, to enforce the law and preserve the Queen's peace.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable for Berkshire concerning incidents of public disorder which occurred in Reading on Wednesday 4 May 1983; and if he will make a statement on the substance of the report with particular regard to the ethnic breakdown of those involved.

I understand from the chief constable of Thames Valley police that at about 9.00 pm on 4 May police officers on duty at a fair at Hills Meadow, Reading, saw two youths fighting. As the officers attempted to end the fight, they were attacked by a crowd of about a dozen youths, and other officers coming to the assistance of their colleagues had to deal with a further crowd of about 100 youths. Most of the youths in both crowds were of black ethnic appearance; the apparent leader of the first crowd was white. Before order was restored, four officers were injured by stones. Two youths, one of black ethnic appearance, the other of white, were arrested and have been charged with offences under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1936. There was no subsequent reports of disorder at the fair, which has now left the area.We deplore the attacks on the police. We share the chief constable's concern that the incident should not impair his force's efforts to foster good relations with all groups in the community.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of licensed gambling casinos in England and Wales now; what it was in May 1979; and if he will list the licensees and owners of the casinos.

There are at present 116 proprietory clubs licensed for gaming other than bingo, bridge and whist in England and Wales. The comparable figure for May 1979 is not available, but on 31 December 1979 the number was 117. The other information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will introduce legislation to make the fitting of carbon monoxide leakage detector devices mandatory where gas-fired ducted air central heating is used in households.

Technical and practical obstacles would make this inadvisable.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much coal has been purchased from the National Coal Board by the Central Electricity Generating Board each year since 1969.

I am advised by the CEGB that the information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much coal has been purchased from outside Great Britain by the Central Electricity Generating Board each year since and including 1969.

I am advised by the CEGB that the information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much has been spent by his Department in the last 12 months on the "Save It" campaign.

In the 1982–83 financial year my Department spent £2·1 million providing information and advice in all media to promote the conservation and efficient use of energy.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the final United Kingdom content will be of the Hutton rig now being assembled for Conoco at Nigg bay, in terms of total cost and materials used, particularly steel; and if he will give corresponding figures for the Magnus platform completed in 1982.

This information is commercially confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 10 May, Official Report, c. 284, whether it is the practice of seconded Bank of England officials to de scribe themselves in official contracts as Bank of England officials; and if he will make a statement.

Seconded Bank of England officials, like other seconded staff, would normally de scribe themselves by their official title in the embassy or delegation where they are serving.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the responsibilities of Her Majesty's ambassador in Washington with respect to the United Kingdom delegation to the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Her Majesty's ambassador in Washington has no direct responsibility for the United Kingdom delegation to the International Monetary Fund. But the head of that delegation, who is the United Kingdom executive director of the International Monetary Fund, also holds the position of Minister (Economic) on the staff of the ambassador.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the text of the draft ordinance relating to the proposed Falkland Islands development corporation, showing any amendments or changes made by the Legislative Council of the Falkland Islands to his draft document.

The Ordinance establishing the Falkland Islands Development Corporation was enacted by the Falkland Islands Legislative Council on 22 April. Copies of the legislation will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to make a decision concerning farmland in the Falkland Islands now offered for sale to the Government of the Falkland Islands.

It is for the Falkland Islands Government to decide whether they wish to purchase land offered to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which third countries have been used by Her Majesty's Government to hold negotiations with Argentina since the Falklands crisis developed; during which periods each country was active in these negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the outcome of each set of negotiations.

On 20 May 1982 my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained to the House in detail the efforts made, with the assistance of third parties, to reach a negotiated solution to the crisis precipitated by Argentina's armed invasion of the Falkland Islands.—[Vol. 24, c. 477.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are any factors which would prevent Her Majesty's Government from seeking the co-operation of the Peruvian Government in negotiating a settlement with Argentina.

We have already made it clear that there can be no question of negotiations without a fundamental change in the Argentine attitude.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions since January 1982 Her Majesty's ambassador in Lima has been received by the Foreign Minister.

Her Majesty's ambassador in Lima has been received by the Peruvian Foreign Minister in the course of his official duties on a number of occasions during the period in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current job and rank of Mr. Charles William Wallace, an official of his Department.

Mr. Wallace, an officer in the senior grade of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, is Her Majesty's ambassador to Peru.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 has not yet been brought into force.

The act involves unusually complicated procedures. The consultations are very elaborate. In advance of implementation my Department is having to research and prepare a list of designated experts to undertake inspections; detailed standards of modern zoo prectice: guidelines to licensing authorities; and a scale of charges for fees. The act should be in operation by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in establishing the criteria to be applied when reaching a decison as to whether a dispensation exempting a zoo from the provisions of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 should be made.

This matter is to be considered in the course of our consultations with the relevant bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations have taken place with interested bodies on the establishment of a code of practice for zoo inspectors; and what has resulted from the consultations that took place early in 1982.

Since the consultations in 1982 a revised document has been prepared. This has been a substantial exercise. The document should be circulated to relevant bodies next month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in the urban development corporations set up in Merseyside and London docklands; and what resources have been spent or allocated in each of the years 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84, respectively.

The orders establishing the Merseyside Development Corporation and the London Docklands Development Corporation came into operation on 25 March 1981 and 2 July 1981 respectively. Both corporations have made substantial progress in the task of regenerating their designated urban development areas.The MDC has acquired 596 acres of disused land, and has started work on the restoration and reclamation of the disused South Docks. In Bootle a former goods yard has been reclaimed and is being marketed for port-related industry; 39 small industrial units have been completed on the Millers bridge site, which is being developed in co-operation with a private sector developer. 60 small industrial units are being provided, also in conjunction with the private sector, through the conversion of a transit shed owned by MDC in the south west Brunswich dock.Developers have shown interest in the conversion of the historic Albert dock warehouses, restoration of which will play an important part in the redevelopment of the adjacent areas.The International Garden Festival of Liverpool 1984 will occupy half of the 250 acres of derelict land in the riverside area now being reclaimed. This will be the first event of its kind in the United Kingdom, with a gross cost of £16 million, and is expected to attract 3 million visitors. It will provide a major boost to the Merseyside economy.The LDDC has acquired 868 acres of largely derelict and underused land. Site investigation, site preparation and river wall works are being carried out on 349 acres, at a cost of £14 million. Construction of 7km of roads costing £8 million is underway and another £8 million has been spent on the provision of essential services.Within the Isle of Dogs enterprise zone, which came into existence on 26 April 1982, LDDC has been carrying out major infrastructure works at a cost of £7 million and has demolished 1 million sq ft of obsolete sheds and structures. Over 100 acres of land have been released to the market. 250,000 sq ft of factory space are being built, on 13 acres; and 55 firms are providing over 200 jobs in existing LDDC-owned buildings and the Cannon workshops development.LDDC has spent 10 million on environmental improvements throughout its area, over £7 million on assistance to voluntary groups and the provision of community facilities.The corporation has also arranged and provided the land for the first large-scale development of housing for sale in London's Docklands since the war. Private builders have developed a 22-acre site in Beckton for 601 houses and flats, 450 of which have been completed and sold. Work has started on sites released by LDDC for over 1,000 further homes in Beckton and the Surrey docks area. The emphasis in these developments is on housing in the lower price ranges. One third of the first 120 dwellings to be occupied in Beckton were bought by people who were previously council tenants.The Government are also supporting the proposed provision of a light rail system by LDDC and the GLC costing £77 million, to link the Isle of Dogs with the City of London and Mile End. Parliamentary powers are being sought. This scheme will have a major impact on the development potential of Docklands.Expenditure by both UDCs in 1981–82 and 1982–83, and the provision for 1983–84 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what help or encouragement has been given by his Department to water authorities to expedite measures to prevent the pollution of beaches.

I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent by his Department in the last 12 months on the anti-litter campaign.

The Department made a grant of £292,000 during 1982–83 to the Keep Britain Tidy Group to support the national anti-litter campaign, and additionally made a contribution of £50,000 to the development of the group's Beautiful Britain 1983 campaign initiative.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of 15 April, Official Report, c. 464, if, in view of public anxiety in Pontypool and elsewhere, he will make it his policy not to permit in any circumstances the import of toxic waste emanating from the Seveso plant; and if he will make a statement.

Little is known about the nature or current location of this waste and no formal requests to receive it have been made to the United Kingdom Government. The question of its entry into the United Kingdom is therefore hypothetical, but it would certainly be an unwelcome import.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment at the present level of activity, what is the estimated total number of curies of plutonium 241 expected to be discharged to the sea from the Windscale plant by the year 2031; of that total how much would by then have decayed to americium 241.

I have been asked to reply.In view of the continuing developments in waste treatment technology, it would be unrealistic to give an estimate of how much plutonium 241 might be discharged to sea from the Sellafield—formerly Windscale—works by 2031.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to the answer of 26 April 1982, Official Report, c. 1982, how many curies of plutonium 241 have now been discharged into the sea from the Windscale plant; how much decayed into americium 241 by the end of 1982; how much remained as plutonium 241; how much of the plutonium 241 and the americium 241 discharged to the end of 1982 is expected to remain in the sea bottom sediment in 50 years' time; and whether any of those sediments are expected by that time to be either ashore, or above water level at any state of the tide.

About 550,000 curies of plutonium have been discharged into the sea from the Sellafield—formerly Windscale—plant. It is estimated that about one third of this had decayed to give some 5,560 curies of americium 241 by the end of 1982, the rest remaining as plutonium 241. Practically all the plutonium 241 and americium 241 remains indefinitely immobilised below the surface layer of seabed sediments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total amount of overseas aid given by the United Kingdom to Zimbabwe since independence; how much is in terms of cash; and how much in technical assistance.

Between independence in April 1980 and the end of March 1983, the United Kingdom Government have provided about £52·7 million of bilateral aid to Zimbabwe — this includes an estimated figure for disbursements in the 1982–83 financial year. Of this, about £32·5 million was capital aid and about £20·2 million was technical co-operation. None of this aid has been provided in the form of cash grants.In addition, it was agreed in June 1980 that Zimbabwe's outstanding capital debt to Her Majesty's Government should be written down from some £55 million to some £33 million, and that the balance should be rescheduled over 10 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated amount of private flows of overseas aid to Zimbabwe since independence.

Private flows do not count as aid. However, there was direct investment by United Kingdom companies in Zimbabwe of £32·9 million in 1980 and £55·7 million in 1981. Figures for 1982 are not available and it is not possible to state how much of the investment in 1980 occurred after independence. Figures for portfolio investment are not available and those for bank lending are not classified by individual country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report details of the action taken by Her Majesty's Government since 5 May 1979 to assist the developing countries.

The Government have maintained a substantial aid programme since 1979. For the present financial year 1983–84, the gross aid programme is planned to be £1,130 million, which represents a 10 per cent. increase over the allocation for last year. Detailed figures are available from "British Aid Statistics, 1977–1981" and the "Government's expenditure plans, 1983–84 to 1985–86" [Cmnd. 8789], both of which are available in the House of Commons Library. It is the intention to publish the first annual review of the official aid programme later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the establishment of an international gene bank under United Nations auspices as raised at the recent meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's committee on agriculture; and what mandate Her Majesty's Government intend to give to their representative on the working party appointed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation's director general to assist in the preparation of his report to the Food and Agriculture Organisation council in November.

We are keeping in close touch with FAO's useful initiative, although we consider that suitable international arrangements already exist in the global network of plant gene banks under the germplasm programme administered by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources and FAO although this may require certain strengthening. The United Kingdom representative on the FAO working party will be briefed to play a constructive role and in particular to examine the scope for improvement of the form and administration of the IBPGR programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the total number and total value in constant prices of all his Department's (a) grants and (b) loans to businesses in Crewe and in the North West in May 1979 and at the latest available date.

The figures are not available in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will discuss with the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications its rate of processing requests for approval of equipment; and if he will make a statement.

I recently met the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications to discuss, among other things, the arrangements for approving apparatus, BABT is a private sector company and needs the revenue from approvals. I have asked BABT to process applications as quickly as circumstances permit, as its workload expands.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give the figures at constant prices for Japanese inward investment into the United Kingdom for each year since 1970.

The value of direct investment cannot be expressed at constant prices because this investment consists of unremitted profits and transactions in financial assets for which no suitable price deflators are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry further to his reply dated 2 March, Official Report, c. 152, concerning labour productivity, whether and to what extent the increase in labour productivity in each class in the 12 months ending in the fourth quarter of 1981 can be accounted for by the closure of firms below the lower quartile in 1980.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry further to the reply given on 4 February to the hon. Member for Sudbury and Woodbridge (Mr. Stainton) Official Report, c. 223, what progress has been made in consultation with the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters in agreeing the criteria for eligibility and guidelines for the administration of the £2 million fund for sub-postmasters.

I am pleased to be able to report that agreement has now been reached with the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, the guidelines for the fund, which is intended to support the Government's commitment to maintain an adequate sub-post office network, have now been finalised. Formal instructions to head postmasters for the operation of the scheme will shortly be issued by the Post Office. I am making arrangements for copies of the guidelines to be placed in the Library and to be available from my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is ready to give further details of the additional support he is intending to make available to encourage innovation-linked investment.

Yes. As I explained on 21 March in the Budget debate I have allocated £40 million to extend the support for innovation programme to help firms exploit more effectively the results of research and development, and to bring forward new products and processes from the backroom into the showroom.I am pleased to announce that grants of up to 20 per cent. will be available to assist with the costs of preparing for full-scale production. To encourage the maximum uptake from small and medium sized firms support will normally be limited to projects costing up to £2 million.Grants of up to 33⅓ per cent. will be available for market studies conducted at any stage of the innovation processThe scheme will be open for applications from 1 June. Offers of assistance will be subject to EC approval.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, further to his answer of 17 May 1982, Official Report, c. 49, he now has any evidence that any living creatures in the areas affected by the discharges of plutonium 241 and the americium 241 resulting from its decay have been affected by these materials; whether any such affected creatures are used for human consumption; and at what level of plutonium 241 and americium 241 he would expect dangers to those living creatures to arise.

The continuing programme of research and monitoring to which I referred in my answer of 17 May 1982 has not identified any evidence of marine creatures being adversely affected by discharges of plutonium 241 or americium 241. To put marine species at risk, the level of activity in the discharges would have to be very considerably higher than at present.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will update for the crop years 1981–82 and 1982–83 the information given in the answer to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Arnold) on 21 December 1982, Official Report, c. 456, on the United Kingdom's share of total production in the European Community for the major agricultural commodities; and if he will also provide similar information for milk.

The information requested for 1981–82—calendar year 1981 for livestock products—is shown in the following table, together with the corresponding figures for milk for earlier years. Complete information is not yet available for 1982–83.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be Her Majesty's Government's priorities at the resumed Council of Agriculture Ministers' meeting on 16 May.

As I made clear in my statement in the House on 21 April, our priority will be to bring the negotiations on the fixing of agricultural prices for 1983–84 to a conclusion satisfactory in the United Kingdom interest on the basis of the Commission's price proposals, which it has declared it will not increase further in respect of any major commodity.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total of special aid given to the fishing industry for the period March 1974 to April 1979 and for the period April 1979 to the present date.

A total of £14·09 million special aid was paid to the United Kingdom fishing fleet in the financial years 1974–75 to 1978–79. Expenditure on special aid from April 1979 to date totals £57·15 million. "Special aid" excludes on-going schemes to provide grants and loans for investment in fishing vessels and shore facilities and the establishment of producer organisations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement setting out the latest position regarding the implementation of the reconstruction of the fishing industry under the regulations for the European Community.

We have issued a consultative document as a basis for discussion with the industry on how best to encourage the adaptation and development of the United Kingdom fishing fleet in the light of the decisions reached in the negotiations on the revised common fisheries policy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the increase in hill farming subsidies for livestock since April 1979 in both percentage and cash terms.

Payments of hill livestock compensatory allowances relate to calendar years. Since 1979 they have risen from £54·2 million to £90 million, an increase of 66 per cent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the percentage increase, in both actual and real terms, in farmers' incomes since April 1979.

Farming income data are compiled only on a full calendar year basis and are shown in tables 22 and 23 of the "Annual Review of Agriculture 1983" (Cmnd. 8804). Between the calendar years 1979 and 1982 farming income increased by 62 per cent. in current price terms and by 13 per cent. in real terms, when deflated by the retail price index.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the percentage increase in the price secured by United Kingdom farmers since April 1979 to date, and for the period March 1974 to April 1979, for each of the following commodities: liquid milk, fat lambs and fat cattle.

The increases recorded in the index of producer were as follow:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the increase in the food price index for each of the following periods: (a) since January 1973, (b) from March 1974 to April 1979, (c) from April 1979 to the most recent date for which figures are available and (d) for the last 12 months.

The increase in the food price index for each of the requested periods is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing expenditure arising from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund in 1982 in the manner of his answer of 28 October 1980, Official Report, c. 248–50, and that of the budget or expected expenditure for 1983.

The information requested is set out in the following tables:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out the principal achievements of Her Majesty's Government within the office of arts and libraries responsibilities since May 1979.

The creation of the office of arts and libraries, with separate Ministerial responsibility, a distinct identity and a separate budget, has underlined the Government's commitment to the arts. Within the constraints of available resources and during a period of economic difficulty the overall level of arts activity has been broadly sustained. The office's principal achievements since 1979 include the following:

The following is the information requested for the United Kingdom as at 11 May 1983:made in the arrangements for conditional exemption and the douceur so as to facilitate the retention of important works of art and other heritage objects in private hands, or their sale by private treaty to public institutions. The publication of an OAL guide to the arrangements for conditional exemption, acceptances in lieu and private treaty sales has been widely welcomed.(4) Encouragement has been given to owners to offer items of heritage quality in lieu of capital taxation liabilities; as a result Her Majesty's Government has formally accepted important in lieu offers from 19 estates since the summer of 1979, in satisfaction of tax liabilities of some £4 million.(5) The arrangements for the control of export of works of art have been improved. The reviewing committee on the export of works of art has considered a total of 58 applications for export licences resulting in the retention in this country of 31 items judged to be of national importance, of which 23 are now in public collections.(6) The office of arts and libraries assumed responsibility for the Government art collection on 1 April 1980, and has taken steps to improve the effectiveness of its operations, including computerisation of its inventory.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many objections from local government electors he has had transmitted to him by the Avon county education authority to the proposed merger by the authority of Cotham and Fairfield grammar schools, Bristol, into a single comprehensive school; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the only objections to be taken into consideration are those from electors living within the relevant area as required by the Education Act 1980.

The Authority has submitted, with its comments, 265 objections which conform with section 12(3) of the Education Act 1980; in that section "area" is understood to refer to the local education authority's area as a whole. In addition I have received some 100 letters opposing the proposals. Circular 2/80 states that it has been the practice of successive Secretaries of State to have regard to all objections received, whether statutory or not.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will review the procedures followed when a school closure is proposed so as to ensure that statutory objectors are able to see details of the case for closure advanced by the local education authority concerned.

Circular 2/80 which issued on 14 July 1980 gave advice on the procedures for school closures. Paragraph 5 already makes it clear that the governors, parents and staff concerned should be consulted in the 12 months preceding publication of proposals to cease to maintain a school.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the reply dated 21 March, Official Report, columns 319–22, concerning trading profits and relief from tax, whether he will publish in the Official Report the trading losses in each case which were netted out, the balance which was assessed to corporation tax and the amount of tax collected, and the amount of losses carried forward.

Statistics are not available centrally about trading losses as these terms are commonly understood for commercial purposes. Figures for corporation tax receipts by subsector are given on page 134 of the Green Paper "Corporation Tax" (Cmnd. 8456).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many brochures relating to the special health insurance schemes for civil servants now offered by the Western Provident Association, and Private Patients Plan and the British United Provident Association were distributed; if he will estimate the additional costs for this service which were met by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Each of the companies supplied some 700,000 leaflets, enough for a copy of each leaflet to be distributed to every civil servant. These leaflets were delivered by the companies to locations convenient for employing Departments for distribution through Departments' internal messenger services. The cost of producing and delivering the leaflets to Departments was met by the medical insurance companies. No indentifiable additional cost to the Chancellor's departments arose from use of existing messenger services for internal distribution of the leaflets.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the form P46 is required to be completed by home helps who earn £1 or more weekly, or by commission agents for catalogues working from home who earn £1 or more weekly.

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the assessment given in the reply of 18 January 1980, Official Report, c. 893–95 concerning the relationship between the money supply and prices remains his view; what is the direction of casualty between money incomes and changes in money supply; whether the velocity is now higher or lower than the equilibrium rate; and if he will now include in the table figures for the period since mid-1979;(2) if he will bring up to date the sequence of figures for money supply, volocity of circulation, prices and output given in the answer of 18 January 1980,

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will outline how the vehicle excise duty on (a) 32·5 tonne, 4-axle lorries of £2,290 and (b) 38 tonne, 5-axle lorries of £2,940, is calculated; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's objective is that each class of goods vehicle should cover at least its attributed road track costs through the taxatio:n it pays —vehicle excise duty and fuel duty. The results of the calculation of road costs for various classes of vehicle were given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport in reply to the hon. Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Snape) on 17 March 1983. —[Vol. 39, c. 246–48.] This shows that the vehicle excise duty rate of £2,940 for 38 tonne lorries with 2-axle tractors and 3-axle trailers has been set so that such lorries fully cover their road costs. The recent duty increase for 32·5 tonne 4-axle lorries is a further significant step towards achieving the Government's overall objective.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department on the value added tax exemptions campaign in the last 12 months.

During the last 12 months Customs and Excise incurred the following expenditure on advertisements to inform the public of the new limits for exemption from registration for VAT.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has yet reached a decision on the question of value added tax and the disposal of privately-owned works of art and other objects which have been on public view; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. A Treasury order will be made as soon as possible to exempt from VAT objects which are accepted in satisfaction of other tax debts or sold by private treaty to any of those bodies listed in paragraph 12 of schedule 6 to the Finance Act 1975, under the douceur arrangements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department in the last 12 months on publicity against tax evasion.

My right hon. and learned Friend's departments do not incur any direct expenditure on publicity about tax evasion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present figure for the total amount of national debt; what was the figure 12 months earlier; and what is the percentage difference.

Details of the national debt for 31 March are published annually in the "Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts: Supplementary Statements." The total national debt at 31 March 1982 was £118,390 million — House of Commons Paper 93 Session 1982–83. The provisional total national debt for 31 March 1983 is £127,072 million; final figures will be published in the supplementary statements in December. The percentage difference between the 1982 and 1983 figures is 7·3.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in the Official Report the 20 largest creditors in respect of the national debt, together with the sums of money owed and the percentage this represents of the total in each case; and what plans are proposed for repayments in each case.

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the sum accruing to the Exchequer in 1983–84, on current levels of unemployment and predicted index-linked tax rates and so on from the taxation of social security and unemployment benefits.

An estimate was given in the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham (Mr. Needham) on 21 December 1982. [Vol. 34, c. 497.] The current estimate is about the same.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the minimum rate of interest in the United Kingdom compares with that of the Federal Republic of Germany; and what is his assessment of the reason for the difference between the two.

I regret that in the time available it has not been possible to provide the information requested. I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average annual increase in gross domestic product for the United Kingdom, the current members of the European Community, excluding the United Kingdom, and for the nations which formerly comprised the European Free Trade Association which did not join the EEC (a) in the period since the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community and (b) in the years since 1963.

I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available. I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total sum of United Kingdom contributions to and receipts from the European Community in the period since the United Kingdom joined the Community; and if he will express the net total in a sum per day of membership.

I regret that it has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available. I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the Scottish variant £1 coin, due to be minted in 1984, an inscription on the side of the coin in Gaelic rather than in Latin.

[pursuant to his reply, 12 May 1983, c. 415]: The designs on the regional variants are to be announced by Royal proclamation in due course. I cannot anticipate this announcement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the reply of 4 May, Official Report, c. 62–63, concerning take-home pay, if he will provide similar information for an individual on three quarters, one and a half, twice, and five times average earnings.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 May 1983, c. 283–84]: The information is shown in tables 1 to 5. Table 1 summarises the changes in take-home pay at various earnings levels between (i) August 1982 and (ii) the second pay day after 10 May 1983 and 31 August 1983. Tables 2 to 5 set out the figures in more detail.2. The estimates are made on the following illustrative bases: