asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he is satisfied with the progress in Wales over the past four years in the adaptation of higher and technical education curriculum to meet the requirements of microprocessor technology.

Yes. The education service in Wales has responded well to the requirements of microprocessor technology and a number of degree, diploma and certificate courses have been structured to take this into account.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the size of the present prison population in Northern Ireland categorised by age and sex in the following groups: under 18 years, 18 to 25 years, 25 to 30 years, 30 to 40 years, 40 to 50 years, 50 to 60 years, and over 60 years indicating the number of prisoners convicted for terrorist type offences and by which broad group, "Republican" or "Loyalist", those convicted of terrorist type offences would be known.

The following table gives a breakdown of the prison population, including those persons detained in young offenders centres, by age and sex as at 19 June 1983:

	Male		Female
Age (years)	Convicted	Unconvicted	Convicted	Unconvicted
Under 18	41	36	3	—
18 but under 25	733	203	11	6
25 but under 30	722	102	20	2
30 but under 40	419	65	1	—
40 but under 50	99	23	1	2
50 but under 60	24	7	1	—
60 and over	6	3	—	—
Totals	2,044	439	37	10

Of the 2,081 convicted inmates held in custody at 19 June 1983, it is estimated that about 75 per cent. were serving sentences for terrorist type offences. The classifications "Republican" and "Loyalist" do not admit of precise definition and prisoners are not grouped in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many strip searches were made of female prisoners in Her Majesty's prison, Armagh, in the months of April and May respectively, indicating the number of prisoners involved and the number of times each prisoner was searched; and whether any prison contraband, smuggled items or illegal correspondence were discovered in any of the searches.

During April 1983, 88 strip searches were carried out on 29 female inmates in Her Majesty's prison, Armagh. During May 1983, 99 such searches were carried out on 29 female inmates. Individual prisoners were searched the following number of times:

	Number of Prisoners (29)	Number of searches in each case
April	2	17
	2	5
	1	4
	3	3
	10	2
	11	1
May	1	25
	1	24
	1	4
	3	3
	12	2
	11	1

The two prisoners who were strip searched 17 times in April and 25 and 24 times respectively in May were those engaged in a pre-release working out scheme referred to in my right hon. Friend's reply of 26 April 1983. —[Vol. 41, c. 317.]No prohibited articles were found during these searches.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether he will submit to the inquiry by Sir George Baker into the workings of the Emergency Powers Acts information concerning the number of people detained in each year, starting in 1973, under the provisions of the Acts and those charged with criminal offences scheduled and otherwise, categorised by (a) the principal offence with which originally charged, and (b) the outcome of the proceedings on that charge; and whether he will publish such information in the Official Report;(2) whether he will submit to the inquiry by Sir George Baker into the workings of the Emergency Powers Acts information concerning

I shall meet as fully as possible any requests for information that Sir George Baker may make. The question of publication of any such material will be a matter for separate consideration.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, in the light of the considerable backlog of European documents now awaiting scrutiny, including documents agreed in the Council of Ministers subject to a scrutiny reserve, he will move to nominate the members of the European Legislation Committee as soon as possible.

I hope that it will be possible to re-establish this Committee very shortly.

asked the Prime Minister if she will now make it her practice to answer questions relating to the activities and costs of the security services.

No.

asked the Prime Minister when next she expects to meet the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic.

I expect to meet the Taoiseach later this year, but no date as yet been decided.

asked the Prime Minister if she expects to be consulted before any Pershing 2 missiles are launched from any North Atlantic Treaty Organisation country in Europe.

Pershing 2 missiles will be deployed only in the Federal Republic of Germany. As with any contingency involving the possible use of nuclear weapons committed to NATO, the established Alliance procedures for consultation would be followed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many additional places were sponsored by Allerdale district council under the youth opportunities programme and youth training scheme, and the community programme separately for the last month for which statistics are available; and what is the total number of places now being supported by that authority under each scheme.

No new places are being arranged under the youth opportunities programme as it is

Unemployment and special employment and training measures 1977–1983
	October 1979	October 1980	October 1981	October 1982	May 1983
Job Release Scheme	51,900	64,000	51,000	73,000	79,000
Community Industry*	5,800	6,300	7,000	6,900	8,000
Training With Industry†	24,600	14,200	30,300	35,000	18,000
Youth Opportunities Programme	100,000	135,000	270,000	270,000	200,000
Youth Training Scheme‡	—	—	—	—	9,000
Temporary Short Time Work Compensation Scheme	59,200	236,400	320,000	87,000	88,000
Community Enterprise Programme/Community Programme	—	—	19,000	31,000	52,000

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the monthly increase and the total number of persons employed by community industry in west Cumbria during the last month for which statistics are available.

In May 1983, 107 young people were employed by the community industry unit in west Cumbria, an increase of four compared with the previous month. Nineteen adult staff are employed at the unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many youth training places were identified and supported in the Workington travel-to-work area and the county of Cumbria during the last month for which statistics are available.

In the Allerdale and Copeland local authority districts, which broadly correspond to the Workington travel-to-work area, 30 new scheme places were identified between 13 May and 24 June, and a total of 279 places were approved by the Cumbria area manpower board. In Cumbria as a whole, about 700 new youth training scheme places were identified between the same dates and 953 places were approved.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been created since 1979 under the various job creation schemes sponsored by the Manpower Services Commission; and how many of these have been filled by (a) blind persons and (b) disabled persons.

The available information is set out in the following table. I regret, however, that we can provide information only on the numbers of disabled people taking part in the community programme. The Manpower Services Commission, which administers the programme, estimates that 4·9 per cent. of all entrants are registered disabled people.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made on the rehabilitation of system-built housing.

In 1982–83, the provisional outturn for local authority and new town expenditure on the rehabilitation of housing in their ownership was £850 million. In the calendar year 1982, local authorities accepted tenders amounting to £120 million for work on post war dwellings; this excludes work to be carried out in contracts below the financial thresholds set by the project control system. The data which the Department receives do not distinguish between system-built and other types of construction.Local authorities determine the priority to be accorded to the various types of housing capital programme in 1982–83; they spent more on rehabilitation than on any other type.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which of his Department's official leaflets or official forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many flats and how many houses have been purchased from local authorities under the right to buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980; and what each total represents as a percentage of the total stock of local authority flats and houses respectively.

It is estimated that some 269,000 houses and 5,000 flats were sold by English local authorities, under the right-to-buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980, between 1 October 1980 and 31 March 1983. The numbers of houses and flats in the local authority stock are not available, but overall the right-to-buy sales are equal to 5·7 per cent. of the stock as at 1 April 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy which of his Department's official leaflets or forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

Some publicity material for my Department's energy efficiency campaign is available in Welsh. Currently all other leaflets and forms are printed in English. My Department is always willing to respond with translations of its publications if the demand justifies the expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the United Kingdom will ratify the constitution of the United Nations industrial development organisation.

My right hon. Friend signed the instrument of ratification on behalf of the United Kingdom on 23 June. The constitution provides for UNIDO's new status as a specialised agency of the United Nations. The constitution will enter into force on a date to be agreed by the member states which have ratified it.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further progress has been made by the five-nation Western Contact Group on the question of independence for South West Africa — Namibia; and what discussions have recently taken place between Her Majesty's Government and representatives of the Government of the Republic of South Africa in this regard.

The United Nations Secretary-General is currently holding consultations in accordance with Security Council resolution 532, and will report to the Security Council by 31 August. Separate discussions on regional security issues between the United States and Angola are continuing. Progress towards Namibian independence depends in practice on these. We are in close touch with our partners in the Five, the Secretary-General and the parties directly involved, including South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place in the past 12 months between the five-nation Western Contact Group and representatives of political parties in Namibia, including the South West Africa People's Organisation; if he will list the dates of those meetings and the representatives involved; and if he will make a statement.

We and our partners in the Five have regular contact with representatives of Namibian political parties through our embassies in South Africa and elsewhere. We continue to take account of their views and concerns in our efforts to achieve an internationally acceptable settlement in Namibia in accordance with Security Council resolution 435.In July 1982 the Western Five sent a delegation at official level to Windhoek, to consult the internal parties on the Namibia settlement process. They met:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place recently between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of the Republic of Ireland; what subjects have been covered during those discussions; with what conclusions; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met the Taoiseach in the margins of the last European Council in Stuttgart on 19 June and discussed matters of mutual concern, including security and arrangements for future contacts between the two Governments. They agreed to hold an Anglo-Irish summit meeting at a date to be settled later. On the same occasion my right hon. and learned Friend had a separate informal meeting with the Irish Foreign Minister, Mr. Peter Barry. They discussed Anglo-Irish relations in general. Officials from various United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Government Departments have met from time to time to discuss day-to-day matters of concern to both sides. It is clear that the Irish Government share our desire for close relations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he call for a report from the chief constable of the Thames valley police concerning incidents of public disorder which took place at the Queen's club in Colnbrook on 18 June 1983, including the ethnic breakdown of the people involved in the disturbances; and if he will make a statement on the contents of the report.

I understand from the chief constable that at 2 am on Saturday 18 June three police officers were called to the Queen's Club, Colnbrook, where there was fighting among about 50 youths of whom the police estimate that about five were black. The officers persuaded the youths to stop fighting and to leave the premises. They began to fight again about 200 yards from the club, and the officers called by radio for support in dealing with them. About 50 officers responded to the call. Some of the youths threw bricks and stones before the fighting was ended; one woman officer was slightly injured and a police car was damaged. Fourteen people were arrested and released on bail by the police, who are considering what charges, if any, should be brought.

asked the Secretary of State for Home Department what is the latest estimated cost of repairing the damage to Albany prison caused during the recent disturbances.

To restore the prison as it was would cost about £1 million. We are considering urgently various improvements which might be made at the same time as restoration at additional cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy for reducing the overcrowding in Her Majesty's prisons.

I shall maintain the substantial building programme begun by my predecessor. I am considering whether other measures would be desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to prevent further rooftop demonstrations at Her Majesty's prisons.

Lessons drawn from individual incidents are passed to governors and to those responsible for the design of new prisons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of the Wiltshire constabulary on policing problems and evidence of drug abuse encountered during the recent pop festival at Stonehenge; and if he will make a statement.

I have called for a report on this matter and will write to my hon. Friend when I have received it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his practice to ensure that hon. Members are notified of any constituent who is to be removed or deported from the United Kingdom.

No. It would not be practicable to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the conditions of service for chief officers of police so as to prevent the publication of case details for a given period.

My right hon. and learned Friend will be discussing the whole issue with the Association of Chief Police Officers next week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is in a position to announce a timetable for the completion of the work of the Boundary Commission in preparation for the European elections in June 1984.

I understand that the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England hopes to publish its provisional recommendations for 66 new European Parliament constituencies within the next five or six weeks. The commission's progress thereafter will depend entirely on the need to hold local inquiries into those recommendations and publish revised or modified proposals in the light of the representations received. It still seems unlikely, therefore, that the commission will complete its review in time for its recommendations to be implemented, with or without modifications, for the elections in 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding a Royal Commission to investigate pornography and other related matters.

We have received no such representations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of his Department's official leaflets or forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

Following is the information about leaflets and forms available in either a Welsh or a bilingual Welsh/English version.Information about leaflets and forms available in other languages could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations and proposals he has received from local authorities for improving and expanding civil defence provision; and if he will make a statement.

Representations from local authorities for improving civil defence provision usually take the form of applications for payment of civil defence grant towards expenditure on emergency planning staff or emergency headquarters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of implementation of the new civil defence regulations.

The draft regulations were due to come into operation on 1 July. As there was no opportunity to debate them before that date, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I will withdraw the present drafts. New draft regulations, unchanged in substance, will be laid shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether audited claims for grant for the purposes of civil defence have yet been received from the London boroughs and the metropolitan districts; if he will list the amount paid by his Department to each authority; and whether he has received any further estimates for local authority expenditure on civil defence measures.

Audited claims have not yet been received from London boroughs and the metropolitan districts for the year 1982–83. As a result, no civil defence grant has been paid to them for that year. Both preliminary estimates and revised estimates are received from each authority every year, and preliminary estimates have been received for 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the total number of prisoners in England and Wales serving sentences of five years or more; and what is the average weekly cost for such prisoners.

It is estimated that about 5,300 persons in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 30 April 1983 were serving sentences of five years or more. Average weekly costs for such prisoners are not available separately. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs)— [Vol. 44, c. 105]—yesterday about the average weekly costs of keeping a prisoner in custody in various categories of establishment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he decided to ban pigeon racing from the continent; when he intends to lift the ban; what meetings he has had with his colleagues on the continent; and whether he will approve of pigeons being vaccinated against paramyxo virus 3.

We concluded that having regard to the existence of a paramyxo virus in racing pigeons on the continent, steps should be taken to minimise the risk of importing the virus into this country through pigeon racing. The suspension on racing will be lifted when the disease situation permits. The possible need to take other measures to safeguard pigeons in this country will be kept under review.Regular liaison between the veterinary services in this and neighbouring countries on the issue, and indeed on all animal health matters, is maintained.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of his Department's official leaflets or forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

I shall write to the right hon. Member in reply to part (a) of his question and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House.In reply to part

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how he intends to finance the arrangements for meeting veterinary costs in meat plants eligible to produce meat for export which his predecessor announced on 21 April, Official Report, c. 401, and 22 April, Official Report, c. 198–199.

The estimated cost in 1983–84 of £1·6 million will be found partly from a reduction in aid to drainage authorities for arterial drainage. The balance and the whole cost of £2·5 million from 1984–85 will be met by reducing the rate of grant for facilities for the drying and storage of grain which is not used for on-farm feed by the farm business which produces it. Statutory instruments were laid yesterday which will reduce by 10 percentage points the grant rates payable for grain drying and storage facilities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Fisheries Ministers' meeting in Brussels on 30 June; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement that I made in the House earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the response of local authorities to his Department's circular 2/82 on lorry controls.

I am sure that the circular was helpful in reminding local authorities of the range of powers available to them. Some 2,200 lorry bans are now in force and others are being introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any proposal from British Rail to close all or any part of the railway line between Waterloo and Exeter via Salisbury.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of drivers qualified for one year or less were involved in accidents for each of the last five years for which figures are known.

I regret that this information is not available, because details of driving experience or licence status are not recorded on accident reports to this Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in improvements promised to the A30 at Sticklepath.

Preparatory works are in hand and, subject to the acquisition of the necessary land, I hope the carriageway and footway improvements can be carried out in the autumn.In addition, some traffic management measures will be implemented in the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport precisely how much land is occupied by his Department outside RAF Greenham common.

When the A339 Basingstoke-Newbury trunk road was diverted round RAF Greenham common the Department purchased an area of 66,698 square metres of common land from Newbury corporation which included some 1,800 square metres for visibility splays and access road to the airfield.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport for what purpose his Department occupies a plot of land, currently used as an encampment, outside RAF Greenham common; for how long his Department has been in possession; and on what basis the land is held.

For the provision of a suitable access from the A339 Basingstoke-Newbury trunk road into the main entrance to RAF Greenham common. Possession was taken at various dates between June 1951 and October 1952. The freehold interest in this highway land continues to be held as part of the trunk road verge, and for access road, landscaping and visibility purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why the plot of land outside RAF Greenham common occupied by his Department was covered with rocks and gravel within the last 18 months.

Following eviction of seven caravans from the highway land in September 1982 several loads of stones were deposited on both sides of the main entrance to prevent reoccupation by vehicles. Soil was later added as a first step towards eventual planting of the mounds.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport which of his Department's official leaflets or forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he received valid objections under section 12 of the Education Act 1980 to the changes at Teddington county secondary school proposed by the borough of Richmond-upon-Thames; what further objections he received after the closing date and from what source he received them; what account he proposes to take of objections he received after the closing date; whether the borough council has been given the opportunity to comment on such further objections; and whether he will ensure that the consideration of objections received out of time does not delay his decision on the case.

Objections for the purposes of section 12 of the Education Act 1980 must be submitted to the local education authority making the proposals concerned in accordance with the provisions of subsection (3) of that section. In the case of the Richmond-upon-Thames local education authority's proposals to change the character of Teddington boy's school, doubt arose as to whether an objection for the purposes of section 12 had been submitted, but my right hon. Friend is of the opinion, shared by the authority, that such an objection has been made. My right hon. Friend has himself received a number of representations, both in support of and in opposition to the proposals, including some 40 letters and petitions forwarded on 9 April 1983 by my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel). It is my right hon. Friend's practice, as it has been the practice of successive Secretaries of State, to take into account in considering proposals all relevant factors, including expressions of local opinion, whether in the form of objections for the purposes of section 12 or otherwise. His decisions are taken as quickly as is consistent with a full and proper consideration of the relevant issues.The local education authority has been invited to comment on the representations forwarded by my hon. Friend. I would certainly be willing to meet a deputation from the authority if they wished to send one.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which of his Department's official leaflets or forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

None, except for a Welsh language version of the application form for the postgraduate state studentships offered by the Department to postgraduate students throughout the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the studies on the construction of the Trident base at Coulport will be completed; and when he will submit the revised plans to Dumbarton district council.

On present plans, within approximately six months.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost in the last year of the maintenance of the British independent nuclear deterrent.

The estimated cost of the nuclear strategic force in 1982–83, published in table 2·3 of the 1982 Statement on the Defence Estimates, was £327 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any parts of long range ground launched cruise missiles have arrived in Great Britain.

I cannot add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces to the right hon. Member for Clydesdale (Dame Judith Hart) on 3 May 1982.—[Vol. 42, c. 37–38.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's official leaflets or forms are printed in (a) Welsh and (b) other languages.

None of the Ministry of Defence's centrally produced forms is printed in Welsh. It is, however, possible that MOD outstations in Wales may have produced forms printed in Welsh to assist their dealings with the local communities. As far as other languages are concerned, some MOD forms are printed in, for example, Gurkhalj and German. In addition, publications produced at overseas locations such as Hong Kong will be printed in other languages.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking, following the comments of the coroner at the inquest on the death of Mrs. Sheila Wenham, concerning safety measures at Ash and Pirbright ranges, to ensure that firing on these ranges presents no danger to the general public; and if he will make a statement.

An initial safety assessment of ranges within the Ash and Pirbright range complex has been carried out. An in-depth safety assessment of the range complex has also been initiated to define more precisely the safety of each individual range and to recommend whether any works services or additional safety measures are required.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many limited companies have not lodged the required annual return for year-ends falling within each of the years, taken separately, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

On 20 June there were 377,845 companies in default of their obligations to deliver annual returns for one or more years. Without significant expenditure it is not possible to identify how many have been in default for particular periods.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if any further orders are to be made under section 12(4) of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982.

Yes. I have made an order that the provisions of section 13 of this Act shall not apply to the services rendered to a building society by a director of the society or to those rendered to an industrial or provident society by a member of its committee of management or other directing body. The order is similar to the Supply of Service (Exclusion of Implied Terms) Order 1982, SI 1982/1771, which disapplies section 13 from the services rendered by company directors to their companies.The degree of care and skill which such directors and managers owe to their societies in cases where the subject is not specifically covered in their contract will, therefore, as in the case of company directors, continue to be governed by the common law, which imposes a duty of care on them, rather than by the specific provisions of section 13 of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the trade deficit on manufactures in the first four months of 1983 at an annual rate; how this compares with 1982; what proportion of the total deficit is accounted for by the deficit on trade in manufactures with the European Community; and what are the reasons for the increase in the deficit.

Comparison of the balances, shown in the following table, on trade in manufactures is not possible in proportionate terms in this instance.While exports of manufactures have remained fairly steady over the last year, imports have risen as consumer demand and industrial activity increased, so that trade in manufactures moved into deficit.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing imports and exports of manufactures, less precious stones, to and from the European Community and the rest of the world for each year since 1970 and for 1983 to date at an annual rate on (a) an overseas trade statistics basis and (b) a balance of payments basis.

The information on the Overseas Trade Statistics basis is given in the following table. These data are not available on a balance of payments basis.

United Kingdom trade in manufactures*less precious stones†
£ million OTS basis
	Exports		Imports
Year	European Community	Rest of the World	European Community	Rest of the World
1970	1,814	4,602	1,429	2,770
1971	1,988	5,302	1,694	2,850
1972	2,237	5,403	2,227	3,302
1973	2,972	6,473	3,353	4,699
1974	4,050	8,574	4,765	6,174
1975	4,649	10,632	5,246	6,491
1976	6,658	12,949	7,290	8,244
1977	8,546	15,865	9,320	9,919
1978	9,648	16,886	11,512	11,340
1979	11,817	17,339	14,659	13,140
1980	12,774	19,927	14,653	14,586
1981	12,268	21,092	15,299	15,251
1982	13,258	22,447	18,316	17,247
1983	‡14,007	‡22,194	‡21,809	‡19,981
* Taken as standard international trade classification, sections 5 to 8.
‡ Taken as standard international trade classification, division 66.
‡Estimated from the first five months of 1983 at an annual rate.

Annualised figures can be very unreliable as a guide to the outturn for the year.Source:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing imports and exports of manufactures from and to the Federal Republic of Germany for each year since 1970 and for 1983 to date, together with the balance of trade in manufacturing and the real exchange rate against the deutschmark based on the fourth quarter of 1976 = 100.

The information is as follows:

United Kingdom Trade in Manufactures with the Federal Republic of Germany
	Exports fob	Imports cif	Crude Balance	Exchange Rate Index*(Q4 1976 = 100)
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
1970	404	500	- 96	45·4
1971	426	593	- 167	†46·6
1972	468	776	-308	†50·2

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has as to the per capita value of exports of manufactures per head in terms of dollars for each of the main industrial countries in 1970 and in the latest available year.

The information is as follows:

Per Capita Exports of Manufactures by the Main Manufacturing Countries
United States Dollars
	1970	1982*
United States of America	140	594
Canada	448	1,548
Japan	175	1,142
Belgium/Luxembourg	961	3,668
France	267	1,313
Federal Republic of Germany	505	2,441
Italy	206	1,077
Netherlands	522	2,312
Sweden	653	2,569
Switzerland	736	3,755
United Kingdom	295	1,165
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the volume of imports and exports of manufactures to and from the European Community in the first four months of 1983 compares with the same period in 1970.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many single payments were made for clothing needs in the years 1979 to 1982, inclusive.

The information requested is as follows:

Year	Number of single payments (000s)
1979	*360
1980	*355
1981	57
1982	†71
Notes:
* Figures for 1979 and 1980 include single payments made for maternity needs (since 1981 single payments have been recorded under more categories than in earlier years).
† The 1982 figures are based on partial data, the final figures may be 3 per cent. to 4 per cent. higher.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the accommodation and general conditions provided in National Health Service nurses' homes.

The provision of residential accommodation for nurses of a reasonable standard is a matter for individual health authorities. We provide guidance on both design and maintenance of residential accommodation for staff to assist authorities.We are actively encouraging health authorities to pay particular consideration to the improvement of buildings and maintenance of the entire Health Service estate.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which of his Department's leaflets and official forms are printed in languages other than English and Welsh.

A leaflet is available in French, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese explaining the charges to overseas visitors for medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Consideration is also being given to translation into a number of languages of a general guide to social security benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, when considering Government policy in relation to the recommendations of the Greenfield report on generic prescribing, he will reject any proposals which might undermine the United Kingdom pharmaceutical industry; and if he will make a statement.

This is a very important consideration which I shall need to take into account before reaching any decision on the report's recommendation relating to generic substitution.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of removing the retirement pension from liability to tax.

In a full year, at 1983–84 levels of income and allowances, the cost of exempting national insurance retirement pensions from income tax would be about £1·1 billion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now make provision for private contractors employed by health authorities for ancillary operations to claim back value added tax.

It remains the Government's firm intention to enable Government Departments and health authorities to claim refunds of value added tax on certain activities contracted out to the private sector. My right hon. Friend is considering when and how this should be done, and hopes to make an announcement soon.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the Government have received in royalties from offshore oilfields for each financial year since 1979;(2) how much of the revenue predicted to be received from offshore oilfields will be forgone if royalties are no longer to be required from fields approved for development after April 1982.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Department's leaflets or official forms are printed in languages other than English or Welsh.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what index of competitiveness is currently prepared by the Treasury; what this shows about the current competitiveness of British manufacturing industry; and how that compares with the position in May 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 June 1983, c. 87]: Competitiveness includes a wide range of factors such as design, reliability and after-sales service that are not measured in any index. Relative costs and prices also affect competitiveness and the Treasury looks at a variety of such indicators, including relative actual unit labour costs. These figures are prepared on a quarterly basis and published in table F3 of the "Monthly Review of External Statistics."

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of income forgone by the Treasury in each of the past four years for which figures are available as a consequence of income tax relief on mortgage interest.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 June 1983, c. 87]: Estimates of the cost of mortgage interest tax relief—as published, for example, in table 4.7 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans, 1983–84 to 1985–86, Vol. 2"—are as follows:

Index numbers (1978–79=100)
Financial Year	Public expenditure (planning total)	General index of retail prices	Index of industrial Producion	Wages, salaries and income from self-employment
1978–79	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0
1979–80	117·0	115·8	102·4	118·7
1980–81	141·2	134·7	93·6	135·9
1981–82	159·3	150·2	91·2	144·7
1982–83	171·9	160·8	92·2	154·2

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average salary paid to an assistant secretary in the Civil Service at April 1979; how much is now paid on average to an assistant secretary; and how much of an increase this represents.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1983, c. 126]: The average basic salary of an assistant secretary was £12,840 in April 1979 and is now £22,486. This represents an increase of just over 75 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the salary of a Member of Parliament in April 1979; how much is paid to a Member in June 1983; and what percentage increase this represents.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1983, c. 127]: The salary of a Member of Parliament in April 1979 was £6,897. The current salary of a Member of Parliament is £14,510. This represents an increase of 110·4 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the salaries of members of the Cabinet, Ministers of State and Under-Secretaries of State, including parliamentary element, at April 1979; how much is paid to these Ministers in June 1983; and what percentage increase this represents.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1983, c. 127]: The information requested is set out in the following table:

Year	£ million
1979–80	1,450
1980–81	1,960
1981–82	*2,030
1982–83	*2,150
* Provisional

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish indices for each year since 1978–79 and 1978–79 = 100, comparing (a) public expenditure, (b) retail prices index, (c) index of industrial production, and (d) wages, salaries and income from self-employment.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 June 1983, c. 126]: Following is the information:

Office	Total Salary (Ministerial and Parliamentary)		Percentage Increase
	April 1979 £	June 1983 £
Prime Minister	25,529	*37,410	46·5
Lord Chancellor	22,228	*28,950	30·2
Cabinet Minister (Commons)	17,829	37,410	109·8
Cabinet Minister (Lords)	14,528	28,950	99·3
Ministers of State (Commons)	12,549	29,035	131·4
Minister of State (Lords)	8,822	24,200	174·3
Under·Secretary (Commons)	10,349	24,160	133·5
Under-Secretary (Lords)	6,622	19,350	192·2
* These salaries are those actually in payment. The salaries which may be paid under the Ministerial and other Salaries order 1982 are £46,660 for the Prime Minister—including the parliamentary salary of £3,460—and £52,500 for the Lord Chancellor. The percentage increases for these salaries since April 1979 are 82–8 per cent, and 136–2 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the strength and establishment of each police force in Scotland.

The information requested is set out in the following table:

Police establishment and strength: Scotland, 31 March 1983
	Authorised establishment	Actual strength
Central Scotland Police	520	532
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary	308	312
Fife Constabulary	653	652
Grampian Police	923	940
Lothian and Borders Police	2,362	2,407
Northern Constabulary	590	597

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made by the national library of Scotland on the Scottish libraries co-operative automation project.

The installation and commissioning of the new hardware for the Scottish libraries co-operative automation project—SCOLCAP—is almost completed. The final major payment under the contract is now due and, pending parliamentary approval of the necessary token Supplementary Estimate, this will be met by an advance of £129,662·50 from the Contingencies Fund, which will be repaid from a reallocation of resources within the national library's Vote.