asked the Secretary of State for Wales by how much unemployment in Powys has increased since 1 August 1982.

Between August 1982 and October 1982 the number of registered unemployed increased by 350 and between October 1982 and September 1983 the number of unemployed claimants increased by 127.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about his Department's policy on house repair grants.

Our policy on house renovation grants, including repair grants, continues to be one of according them a high priority within the resources available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the present state of the sheep industry; and if he will make a statement.

The sheepmeat regime has provided a secure basis for development of the industry in Wales and considerable benefits to producers. The Commission's proposal in its current review to retain the regime is welcome, but we will examine the suggested changes carefully to ensure that our producers retain their confidence in the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) improvement and (b) repair grants were made in Wales in the financial year 1982–83; what estimates he has for the same grants during the current financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Provisional figures provided by local authorities show that 5,285 improvement grants and 6,293 repair grants were paid in 1982–83. It is estimated that the corresponding figures for this financial year will be about 8,500 and 15,000 respectively.These very large increases amply demonstrate the real boost which the 1982 Budget measure has given to home renovations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, in view of anxieties expressed by house builders in Wales, he will consider in what parts of the Principality there are shortages of sites for future house building; and if he will make a statement.

Housing land availability surveys carried out by the Land Authority for Wales indicate that generally there is an adequate supply of land for house building. Only in 2 districts—Cardiff and Rhymney Valley—is there an immediate need to increase the supply.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if Her Majesty's Government will take new initiatives to encourage development of assisted areas in Wales.

There is currently a wide range of incentives and an effective structure of agencies encouraging development. New initiatives such as urban development grant have been introduced. I will continue to look for ways of supporting and assisting areas according to need.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many private security firms are employed by his Department or bodies associated with his Department; how many personnel are employed, at which locations, on what responsibilities and duties, and at what annual cost; what have been the comparable figures for each of the last three years; and what estimates he has made as to the likely figures for 1984.

My Department employs one private security firm to safeguard its premises in Cathays park and Curran embankment, Cardiff. The number of personnel employed to staff the posts on contract depends upon the rostering arrangements adopted by the security firm.The actual and estimated costs of their services in the period in question are as follows:

	£ 000's
1980–81	109
1981–82	149
1982–83	188
1983–84*	165
1984–85*	69
* (estimate).

Public bodies associated with my Department are responsible for making such security arrangements as they consider necessary and details are not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the latest position in relation to the computerisation of prescription charges in Wales; and what is the approximate annual cost or benefit to the Exchequer from the continuing non-computerisation of these charges.

We have no proposals to computerise prescription charges. As regards the computerisation of prescription pricing, this is currently being considered by the Welsh computer strategy committee which will be reporting to us shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many primary schools there are in Wales with fewer than 50 pupils.

There were 339 primary schools in Wales in January 1983 with fewer than 50 full-time and part-time pupils on roll.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now introduce legislation to ban corporal punishment in maintained schools.

No. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Ryder) on 28 July 1983 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science in which he explained the Government's plans in relation to corporal punishment.—[Vol. 46, c. 547.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence he has from the National Health Service in Wales of a variation in the length of hospital stay of patients undergoing similar treatment.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the detailed evidence of length of stay, by diagnosis and operation for each health authority, which is published annually in "Hospital Activity Analysis".

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts whether he will make a statement about the future of the Theatre Museum project.

The lease agreement with the GLC for the Theatre Museum premises was concluded in September. The Government are committed to starting building work not later than next April. Thanks to the offer of a generous donation from private sources, I hope it will in fact be possible to start work sooner.

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts if Her Majesty's Government will endorse the policies set out in the Bremen declaration issued by the Council of Europe on cultural issues.

No. The Government do not regard the Bremen declaration as a suitable document for endorsement.

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what representations he received from the Standing Conference of National and University Libraries about the possible destruction and burning of books dispatched to its members from Buenos Aires.

My noble Friend received in July a letter from the Standing Conference of National and University Libraries about the importation of books from Argentina but that letter did not refer to the destruction or burning of books, which was never a possibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government for maintaining a substantial level of New Zealand imports into the United Kingdom and other Community countries.

Our policy is to encourage trade with New Zealand and we continue to work to that end within the Community and taking account of our Community obligations. We fully recognise that access to the Community market for butter and sheepmeat remains an issue of vital importance for New Zealand. On 12 October I met a high level group of New Zealand businessmen to discuss ways of further increasing our bilateral trade with New Zealand. I also had talks with the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Her Majesty's Government's policy of abolishing the monopoly of the British Technology Group over publicly funded research is intended to cover only future research or whether current and past research is also covered; and if he will make a statement.

New arrangements governing the exploitation of research funded by the research councils will be announced in due course, including the date at which they will become operative. The terms and conditions applying to past and previous research contracts will not be rescinded.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the United Kingdom is utilising its full allocation of research and development funds from the European Community; and whether he proposes any changes in procedure for the submission of applications for such funds, particularly by British universities.

Contracts for EC research and development programmes are awarded by the Commission without reference to member states' Governments, and are sought by a wide range of organisations from both the private and public sectors in all member states. Information issued by the Commission on contracts awarded does not permit an analysis based upon shares received by member states. However, we think that the organisations in the United Kingdom received a satisfactory proportion of Community R & D contracts. I am not aware of any present need to seek changes in the Commission's tendering procedure.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications have been made for grant aid under the conversion from oil and gas to coal burning boiler schemes; how many have been approved; and what has been the total amount of grant paid since the inception of the scheme.

By 30 September, 456 applications for grant assistance under the coal firing scheme had been received; 273 offers of grant sent; and grant payments totalling £4·1 million made.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plas he has to privatise the data storage and retrieval functions of the Companies Registration Office by contracting out to private enterprise.

I am considering the most effective way in which the Companies Registration Offices might perform their functions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is intended to grant assisted area status to the west midlands.

The problems of the west midlands, and the views of its representatives, are being taken into account in the Government's review of regional economic policy. It is too early to say whether there will be any significant changes in the assisted area map.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by British Telecom in York investigating complaints of television and radio interference by citizens band radio.

British Telecom in York employs four staff on the investigation of complaints of radio interference including those caused by citizens' band radio.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been made to the York office of British Telecom for the city of Hull concerning citizens band radio interference with television and radio reception; how many have been investigated; how long the investigations took; and with what results.

Between 1 January and 30 September 1983, 414 complaints of interference to broadcast reception from all sources were made to British Telecom, York, from the Hull area. Of these, 70 per cent. are estimated to have been due to CB radio. All complaints are investigated and in that period 468 cases were cleared. The time taken to complete an investigation varies with the complexity of the case.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the length of time taken to investigate complaints by members of the public of interference on television and radio caused by citizens band radio in the York office of British Telecom.

The time taken varies with the complexity of the case. In most of the area covered by the York office complainants are normally visited within 2 to 3 weeks of making a complaint. However. in Hull, where a larger number of complaints are made, it can be 10 to 12 weeks before a complainant is visited.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been received of citizens band radio interference by British Telecom, York; how many have been investigated; and with what results.

Between 1 January and 30 September 1983, 801 complaints of interference to broadcast reception from all sources were made to British Telecom, York. Of these, 50 per cent. are estimated to have been due to CB radio. All complaints are investigated and in that period 862 cases were cleared.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases there have been to date in 1983 for the illegal use of citizens band radio systems on official channels.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish his reply to the letter of 4 August 1983 from the Library Association about the banning of the import of books from Argentina.

Replies were sent to the Library Association on 11 August and 11 October. The latter followed the Government's decision taken in the interests of the free circulation of information, to exempt from the trade embargo Argentinian books which are neither imported for resale nor are trade advertising material. The terms of the letter followed the lines of the press notice issued on 27 September 1983, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Her Majesty's Government took into account the provisions of the Florence agreement on the importation of education, scientific and cultural materials when it was decided to impound books sent to the United Kingdom from Buenos Aires.

Argentina is not a party to the Florence agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why he has banned the import by Mr. Oliver Anderson of Nottingham of three volumes of proceedings arising from the 43rd session of the International Statistical Institute, held in Buenos Aires in 1981.

The books concerned, which arrived in the United Kingdom in July, were banned under the regulations then in force prohibiting the import of goods from Argentina. However, following the Government's decision announced on 27 September to exempt from the trade embargo books which are neither intended for resale nor trade advertising material, Customs and Excise has arranged for the release of the goods in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason Her Majesty's Customs and Excise distinguished between (a) newspapers and periodicals and (b) books from Argentina when allowing or refusing to allow their importation into the United Kingdom.

The import of newspapers and periodicals (other than those for resale) was permitted to facilitate the free flow of information. For the same reason that exemption from the trade embargo has now been applied to those Argentinian books which are neither imported for resale nor are trade advertising material.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the most recent figures for 1983 in respect of United Kingdom imports and exports of manufactured goods in trade with the European Community and the rest of the world, respectively; and what were the comparable totals for each full year from 1963.

The figures are as follows:

United Kingdom Trade in Manufactured Goods Overseas Trade Statistics Basis
£ million
	European Community		Rest of World
	Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports
1963	880	535	2,558	1,032
1964	936	636	2,679	1,373
1965	1,029	714	3,066	1,539
1966	1,110	796	3,281	1,674
1967	1,135	929	3,251	1,915
1968	1,439	1,193	3,974	2,580
1969	1,749	1,292	4,507	2,846
1970	1,966	1,503	4,840	3,069
1971	2,107	1,777	5,574	3,133
1972	2,353	2,331	5,716	3,634
1973	3,075	3,491	6,937	5,192
1974	4,211	4,961	9,046	6,718
1975	4,842	5,483	11,158	7,056
1976	6,916	7,583	13,741	8,941
1977	8,830	9,740	16,935	10,897
1978	9,967	11,996	18,022	12,330
1979	12,219	15,299	18,651	14,390
1980	13,432	15,176	21,379	16,001
1981	12,778	15,771	22,120	16,222
1982	13,874	18,844	23,442	18,239
1983*	11,024	16,903	18,173	16,295
* January to September.

These figures are on the overseas trade statistics basis, ie imports are valued inclusive of insurance and freight (cif) and exports are free on board viz excluding insurance and freight cost (fob). Information on the balance of payments basis on which both exports and imports are valued fob is not available throughout the period; for comparison, figures for 1980 to 1982 on this basis are:

United Kingdom Trade in Manufactured Goods Balance of payments basis
£ million
	European Community		Rest of World
	Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports
1980	13,285	14,446	21,598	14,876
1981	12,518	15,087	22,400	15,040
1982	13,718	18,059	23,615	16,813

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total output of United Kingdom steel in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; what was the total volume of steel imported from the European Community and the rest of the world, respectively, during the same period; and if he will provide comparable figures for each of the previous 10 years.

Annual figures and the latest available information for 1983 are given as follows.

United Kingdom Crude Steel Production
United Kingdom imports of steel industry products*†‡(including material for conversion)
('000 tonnes)
		From EC (10) countries	From other countries
1973	26,594	1,534	1,244
1974	22,323	2,744	1,053
1975	20,098	2,587	1,133
1976	22,274	2,597	1,491
1977	20,411	2,342	1,376
1978	20,311	2,241	1,431
1979	21,464	2,354	1,430
1980║	11,277	3,062	1,558
1981	15,573	2,515	800
1982	13,704	2,615	1,221
1983	¶9,972	1,423	629
(Jan-Aug)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is satisfied with progress in implementing the provisions of the Cork report on insolvency; and whether he will make a statement.

The Cork report contained a large number of complex and interdependent recommendations and it has therefore been a lengthy task to evaluate them all. We intend to issue a White Paper on insolvency law reform early in the new year with a view to legislation at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many children under the age of five years have been injured in accidents at home during each of the last five years for which records are available; and what were the causes of such accidents.

We do not have this information. But from data in the home accident surveillance system it appears that accidents to children in this age group account for about one quarter of all home accidents reported to hospitals in England and Wales. The causes are numerous and varied. If the hon. Member has any particular cause or kind of accident in mind I shall try to let him have the necessary information.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has considered the report of the consumer safety unit entitled "Home Accident Surveillance System 1982"; whether he will take action as a result of its conclusions; and if he will make a statement.

My Department is using the information available from the home accident surveillance system and the associated In-depth Studies in discussions on safety standards in the British Standards Institution and in advising manufacturers on improving the safety of their products.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will produce an interim report on the trials of new texture surfaces to help visually handicapped and wheelchair-bound pedestrians at crossings; if he will invite comments from wheelchair, handicapped and visually handicapped people and their associations; and if he will make a statement.

The new textured surface designed to assist visually handicapped and wheelchair bound people at pedestrian crossings was developed by the transport and road research laboratory in close consultation with representatives from organisations of and for disabled people. My Department is continuing to work with those organisations in monitoring reaction from users of crossings where the surface has been laid. The responses we have received so far are most encouraging.I intend to issue a report when we have had an opportunity to establish that, under severe whether conditions, the textured surface will not present any hazard to disabled people and other pedestrians, or be subject to excessive wear.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement upon the future of the Severn bridge.

The Flint and Neill Partnership which was appointed to consider strategies for strengthening the crossing has confirmed that it will be technically feasible to strengthen the crossing so that it can carry considerably higher loads than at present without restrictions on the flow of traffic. The Department is considering as a matter of urgency the options for strengthening which Flint and Neill has put forward. Earlier today, I gave instructions for additional restrictions on traffic on the bridge to be imposed during weekdays on operational grounds.In the Light of the Mott, Hay and Anderson check on the Flint and Neill report, I have decided that until it has been possible to assess the statements, the current early morning restrictions on Monday-Friday should be applied for all 24 hours throughout those days, as from midnight tonight. There will be no such restrictions from 6 am on Saturday until midnight on Sunday. Within the next fortnight I expect to come to conclusions on whether these restrictions need to continue.Restrictions have already been imposed on the use of the bridge in bad weather for traffic safety requirements. These requirements operate well below a point where conditions could with traffic on the bridge, present a risk to users. The procedures are kept under continual review.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has for the number of unemployed British seamen on the Merchant Navy shipping register; and what percentage of the British merchant fleet is laid up.

The number of British seamen registered with the Merchant Navy establishment administration who were unemployed at 14 October 1983 was:

	Number
Officers	1,108
Ratings	1,621

According to figures published by the General Council of British Shipping, 17 per cent. of the deadweight tonnage of the United Kingdom registered merchant fleet was laid up through lack of employment on 31 August 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report of the general review of the Noise Insulation regulations carried out b) officials of central Government Departments and of the local authority associations; when he will announce his conclusions on the review; and whether he will make a statement.

I understand that the report is essentially complete, but final points are being cleared. Conclusions will be announced when the recommendations and implications have been examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many boys and how many girls have been injured and killed, respectively, in the course or as a result of sponsored walks in the United Kingdom during each of the last 10 years for which records are available; what were their ages; how many and what percentage of such injuries and deaths, respectively, were suffered on public highways; and how many and what percentage of such highways had pavements;(2) how many men and how many women have been injured and killed, respectively, in the course or as a result of sponsored walks in the United Kingdom during each of the last 10 years for which records are available; how many and what percentage of such injuries and deaths, respectively, were suffered on public highways; and how many and what percentage of such highways had pavements;(3) whether he will institute an inquiry into injuries and deaths suffered in the course or as a result of sponsored walks; and whether he will make a statement.

I regret that the statistical information requested is not available. However, I am not aware of any widespread accident problems associated with these events. My Department issues a free leaflet to organisers of sponsored walks, a copy of which I am sending the hon. and learned Member for information. In the circumstances I do not consider that an inquiry would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wrexham, Official Report, 27 October, whether Her Majesty's Government attach greater priority to efficiency or to customer service in British Rail.

Since "efficiency" in running the railways includes the provision of good customer service, no question of priorities arises for Ministers.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the response to the statement of Senor Pérez de Cuellar on 30 September that he had a mandate from the United Nations General Assembly to bring the United Kingdom and Argentina to the negotiating table.

We are not aware that the Secretary-General made any such public statement on 30 September. The Secretary-General has a mandate under General Assembly Resolution 37/9, against which the United Kingdom voted, to assist the parties in resuming negotiations. He is well aware of our attitude to that resolution.

asked the Prime Minister (1) if she will make a statement on the new responsibilities she has given to her press secretary;(2) if she will make a statement on the future status of the Director-General of the Central Office of Information.

No new responsibilities have been given to my chief press secretary and I have no plans to change the status of the Director-General of the Central Office of Information.

asked the Prime Minister what was the cost to public funds of the conference on science and technology held at Lancaster House on Monday 12 September; and why no representatives of the trades unions or political parties other than the Conservative party were invited.

The costs incurred in the organisation of the seminar on science and technology amounted to some £20,300. Internal charges between different parts of Government accounted for approximately £10,000 of this sum. All participants in the seminar were invited in their personal capacities and not as representatives.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the compensation case of Mrs. Pollard, widow of the late Marine Pollard who died as a result of cancer or leukemia officially attributed to service on Christmas Island, 21 years before his death.

Marine Pollard died in 1978 as a result of peritonitis and his death was accepted as being attributable to his service with the armed forces over the period from 1947 to 1960. As a result, his widow, Mrs. Pollard, is in receipt of a war widow's pension from the Department of Health and Social Security. Marine Pollard's peritonitis was not specifically linked to his period of service at Christmas Island.

asked the Prime Minister who is to succeed Mr. Kenneth Sharp as head of the Government Accountancy Service; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Sharp's contract as head of the Government Accountancy Service expires on 31 October and he leaves the service on that day. The Government are currently considering candidates for the post. Until a successor is appointed, the duties of the post will be temporarily carried out by Mr. J. A. Knox, head of the Accountancy Services Division in the Department of Trade and Industry.

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Scottish Office on the conservation of salmon stocks in United Kingdom waters; and if she will make a statement.

The legislation and common law traditions relating to the fishing for salmon in England and Wales are not the same as those in Scotland and this had led to historic differences in the approach to salmon management. I am, however, satisfied with the present efforts to achieve closer co-ordination between the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the conservation of salmon stocks in United Kingdom waters.

asked the Prime Minister if, in order to assist the work of hon. and right hon. Members, Her Majesty's Government will make it their practice to publish by 6 pm each day a list of orders and other papers which they intend to lay before the House the following day; and if she will seek to arrange for the list to be prominently displayed outside the Vote Office in the Members' Lobby.

I am not aware of the need for any change in the present procedures. Ministers will continue to assist the House by giving due notice of forthcoming Government business.

asked the Prime Minister if she will now appoint a chairman of the National Health Service.

In his statement to the House on 25 October on the report of the NHS management inquiry (the Griffiths report) my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services said that he would be setting up within his Department the Health Services Supervisory Board which, as the report recommended, he would chair. A full-time NHS management board will be established, responsible to the supervisory board and chaired by a person of suitable experience and expertise.

asked the Prime Minister if she will appoint an interdepartmental Committee to examine the role in relation to crime prevention and social control of the Departments of Education and Science, Health and Social Security, Environment and the Manpower Services Commission, and comprising representatives of those Departments.

On 25 March last year the then Home Secretary announced in Parliament that he had taken the initiative with his ministerial colleagues in considering on an interdepartmental basis how best to stimulate and harness the different policies and services that might help in the reduction of crime. An interdepartmental group of senior officials from the Departments of the Environment, Education and Science, Health and Social Security and Employment, together with representatives of the Scottish and Welsh Offices, have met under the chairmanship of the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office to carry forward this work.The results of the group's work will shortly be made available, together with the issue of a circular to local authorities and others. Other developments have included the setting up of a crime prevention unit within the Home Office and the Bramshill seminar on a co-ordinated approach to crime prevention, attended by senior police officers, local authority representatives and departmental officials.

asked the Prime Minister whether the assurance she gave to the House on 6 February 1980, Official Report, c. 244–245, that hon. Members' telephones would not be tapped, remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

In answers to questions on 17 November 1966 the then right hon. Member for Huyton, now Lord Wilson of Rievaulx, said that on taking office as Prime Minister in October 1964 he had given instructions that there was to be no tapping of the telephones of Members of Parliament; that that remained the policy of the Government; and that, if there was a development of a kind which required a change in the general policy, he would, at such moment as seemed compatible with the security of the country, on his own initiative make a statement in the House about it. I can reaffirm, as has each of my predecessors since that time, that the policy remains as stated by Lord Wilson.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list the statutes enacted by Parliament between 1960 and 1983 which contain sections which are unrepealed but have not yet been brought into effect and for which no commencement date has been announced.

The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the maximum payment from public funds that can be paid to a long-serving miner as a redundancy payment or retirement pension; and if he will make a statement.

A redundant mineworker will receive benefits under some or all of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, the redundant mineworkers payments scheme and the mineworkers' pension scheme. He will also receive unemployment benefit and, in certain cases, concessionary coal. Since some of these payments and benefits are related to earnings before redundancy, it is not possible to specify a maximum payment. However, the following examples illustrate likely payments at the top of the range. Both refer to a man whose earnings prior to redundancy were £160 per week, who is married but whose wife is not working:

(a) such a man made redundant at age 50 would receive lump sums totally about £17,000, and also early payment of a pension lump sum of about £4,000 otherwise due at age 65. He would receive weekly benefit of about £79, subject to review in the light of the cost of living, continuing, if he remains unemployed, up to age 65; and also the same amounts of concessionary coal as if he had retired normally;

(b) such a man made redundant at age 55 would receive lump sums totally about £11,000, his pension lump sum being payable, in addition, at age 60. He would receive weekly benefit of about £106 until he is 60, then £79 to age 65, subject to review in the light of the cost of living and provided he remains unemployed. Again, he would receive the same amount of concessionary coal as if he had retired normally.

The redundant mineworkers' payments scheme provides for direct payments by the Government to the men involved; the other benefits are financed wholly or partially by Government grants to the National Coal Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the expected life of the North sea gas field at current rate of use.

The 1983 Brown Book estimates remaining proved United Kingdom continental shelf gas reserves to be 633 billion cubic metres (born), equivalent to some 14 years of natural gas consumption in Britain at 1982 levels. Total remaining recoverable reserves (including potential future discoveries) are estimated to be in the range of 1025–1700 bcm.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many private security firms are employed by his Department or bodies associated with his Department; how many personnel are employed, at which locations, on what responsibilities and duties, and at what annual cost; what have been the comparable figures for each of the last three years; and what estimates he has made as to the likely figures for 1984.

It is Government policy to contract out services such as security guarding on non-sensitive sites when this is cost effective and makes good management sense. The Department of Energy does this at one such site where a watchman from a security organisation is employed to safeguard a building during silent hours. This arrangement has been in existence for more than three years and we anticipate its continuance for at least another year. The actual cost of this service is a matter of commercial confidentiality between the Department and the contractor concerned but it is not a significant portion of our overall security costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been achieved with the disposal of offshore exploration acreage covered by the British Gas Corporation (Further Disposal of Offshore Interests) Directions 1983.

I have now approved without modification the schemes submitted by the corporation under clauses 3 and 5 of the British Gas Corporation (Further Disposal of Offshore Interests) Directions 1983. I have specified that these schemes shall come into force on 1 November 1983. I am most grateful to the corporation for its co-operation and expedition in the drawing up of the schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to establish the energy efficiency office.

I have today announced that a new energy efficiency office (EEO) has been set up within my Department as the focus for the Government's energy conservation policies.The new office has been set up to spearhead a coordinated drive for energy efficiency throughout the economy. It will secure a sharper focus for the Government's work on energy efficiency and will monitor, co-ordinate and develop policies and administer its own programmes of assistance, information and advice.The setting up of the EEO reflects our commitment to policies which will encourage increased efficiency in energy use, give consumers better value for money; and increase industrial and commercial competitiveness.The reward for success could be a saving of £7 billion a year on the nation's energy bill in the 1990s.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will modify the criteria for applications for free port status, particularly those relating to existing trade, the level of capital investment and the review period, in order to facilitate applications from assisted areas where new trade can be generated rather than locations with a high level of existing trade.

No. The existing criteria do not discriminate against any area which can demonstrate a potential for growth.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider amending section 177 (3) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970 to allow the carry-back of a trading loss incurred by a company for two accounting periods rather than one.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion but have at present no plans to extend the carry-back period under this provision.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take fiscal steps to encourage individuals to subscribe to private health insurance schemes; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans at present to introduce tax relief for individuals' subscriptions to private health insurance schemes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what authority he gave for details of his proposed immediate cut of £500 million in public expenditure to be made available to the press before his statement on 7 July, Official Report, c. 418.

Neither I nor any other Treasury Minister or senior official was responsible for the premature release of this information. Its disclosure, which I deplore, was wholly unauthorised.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reply he has sent to Mr. Graham Greene of Jonathan Cape and Co., publishers, who have made representations to him suggesting that his decision to seize books, published by Cape's, and dispatched from Buenos Aires to their London office, constitutes a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

The Treasury has no record of receiving this letter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the titles of the books in the parcels dispatched from Buenos Aires and seized at Dover, which were addressed to (a) the British Library, (b) the Scott Polar Research Institute, (c) the University Library in Cambridge, (d) the Bodleian Library in Oxford, (e) the Library of the University of Essex, (f) the Library of the University of St. Andrews and (g) the Institute of Latin American Studies; what is his policy towards the method of destruction of books imported from Argentina seized in this way; and what books imported from Argentina have been forfeited to the Crown.

Details of import consignments are not normally divulged by Customs without the importers' consent. If the hon. Member still requires this information he may be able to obtain it directly from the importers. It is not our intention to destroy books imported from Argentina and seized under the present ban. Any which cannot be released under the waiver recently introduced by the Government for books, other than trade advertising material or imported for resale, will be allowed to be re-exported. All those mentioned by the hon. Member, with the exception of (f), of which Customs has no knowledge, have in fact been released under the waiver.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he seized five volumes of the Foreign Trade Statistics of Argentina 1979 addressed to the Oxford university Institute of Statistics.

The books were seized because they were imported in contravention of the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954. They were released following the Government's decision to exempt books, other than trade advertising material or imports for resale, from the ban on imports of goods which have been exported from Argentina.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he impounded a book published by Jonathan Cape, and which was returned by an Argentine publisher.

The book was seized because it was imported in contravention of the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954. It was released following the Government's decision to exempt books, other than trade advertising material or imports for resale, from the ban on imports of goods which have been exported from Argentina.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons 25 books on the history of music addressed to May and May Limited of Salisbury were seized; and what has happened to the books.

The books were seized because they were imported in contravention of the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954. I understand that May and May Limited has been offered the opportunity to re-export them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the response of Her Majesty's Government to the current proposals for increasing the taxes on revenue available to the European Community.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear after the Stuttgart European Council, the Government remain to be convinced of the case for increasing the Community's own resources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if Her Majesty's Government were consulted by the Common Market Commission when the Commission decided to seek a 17·82 per cent. increase in its commitment appropriations for the year 1984; and if he will make a statement.

Under article 203 of the Treaty of Rome, the Commission makes proposals to the Council of Ministers on its own responsibility in a preliminary draft budget (PDB). The PDB for 1984 was amended by the Budget Council when it established a draft budget on 22 July. In this draft the increase in commitments was reduced to 9·3 per cent. Her Majesty's Government were represented at the Council by my right hon. Friend the former Financial Secretary, who reported to the House on 25 July—[Vol. 46, c. 788–795.]The adoption of a supplementary and amending budget No. 2 for 1983 means that commitments in the draft budget for 1984 are slightly less than estimated for 1983.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to give the General Commissioners statutory powers to reappraise earlier determinations; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to publish the draft proposals for the taxation of income from letting self-catering holiday accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many collectors are employed by the Inland Revenue to call regularly on employers for pay-as-you-earn tax contributions.

[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1983, c. 188]: Such calls are one element of the duties of staff in Inland Revenue local collection offices. It is however not possible to give my hon. Friend a specific figure for the number carrying out regular PAYE calls, because the extent of these calls varies according to local needs, and the officers making the calls also deal with other tax liabilities besides PAYE.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Civil Service jobs there are in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, respectively, at the last most convenient date; and if he will express these figures as a proportion of the population.

The following table shows the numbers of non-industrial civil servants employed in the local authority districts of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow as at 1 July 1983, and the number of non-industrial civil servants in each location, as a proportion of the population of the area, as estimated on 30 June 1982. No regional breakdown of industrial staff other than at economic planning region level is available centrally.

Non-industrial Civil Service Staff in post* at 1 July 1983
City	Non-industrial civil servants
	Staff in post*	As a percentage of the total population
Aberdeen	1,815	0·8
Dundee	1,108	0·6
Edinburgh	12,249	2·7
Glasgow	9,956	1·3
* Full-time equivalents.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants employed (a) by the Scottish Office and (b) by other Government Departments are based in each of the Scottish districts and island authority areas.

[pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1983, c. 186]: The following table shows the staff in post in the Scottish Office and in other Government Departments in the Scottish districts and Island authority areas at 1 July 1983. The figures, at district level, are in respect of the non-industrial Civil Service only. No breakdown of industrial staff, other than at economic planning region level, is available centrally.

Staff in Post* in the Civil Service in Scotland
Full time equivalents†
	Scottish Office	Other Government departments	Total
Badenoch and Strathspey	—	4	4
Caithness	37	162	199
Inverness	217	498	715
Lochaber	2	59	61
Nairn	2	4	6
Ross and Cromarty	6	80	86
Skye and Lochalsh	9	31	40
Sutherland	4	39	43
Banff and Buchan	250	199	449
City of Aberdeen	442	1,373	1,815
Gordon	4	4	8
Kincardine and Deeside	2	13	15
Moray	22	512	534
Angus	70	234	304
City of Dundee	151	957	1,108
Perth and Kinross	344	449	793
Dunfermline	11	3,238	3,249
Kirkaldy	2	468	470
North East Fife	16	283	299
City of Edinburgh	4,996	7,253	12,249
East Lothian	12	231	243
Midlothian	7	140	147
West Lothian	15	633	648
Berwickshire	3	35	38
Ettrick and Lauderdale	3	191	194
Roxburgh	3	30	33
Clackmannan	354	73	427
Falkirk	218	444	662
Stirling	225	451	676
Argyll	46	203	249
Bearsden and Milngavie	—	—	—
Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch	—	45	45
City of Glasgow	891	9,065	9,956
Clydebank	1	80	81
Cumbernauld	—	1,087	1,087
Cumnock and Doon Valley	—	31	31
Cunninghame	1	544	545
Dumbarton	2	1,808	1,810
East Kilbride	61	2,849	2,910
Eastwood	—	—	—
Harulton	7	732	739
Inverclyde	27	732	759
Kilmamock and Loudoun	—	191	191
Tweeddale	1	4	5
Kyle and Carrick	63	784	847
Lanark	408	151	559
Monklands	116	389	505
Motherwell	2	441	443
Renfrew	2	1,340	1,342
Annadale and Eskdale	4	25	29
Merrick	33	122	155
Nithsdale	138	310	448
Stewartry	5	34	39
Orkney	23	67	90
Zetland	11	135	146
Barra, Hurris, Lewis, North Uist and South Uist	31	176	207
Scotland
Total Non-Industrial Civil Service	9,300	39,433	48,733

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will require paint manufacturers to publish lead content levels on all labels.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry and for Employment are responsible for regulations concerning the manufacture and sale of paint. Regulations will come into force early next year to require that all paint containing more than 0·5 per cent. lead in the liquid state must carry a warning label; but we will also explore with the Paintmakers Association the practicability of having labels stating the maximum lead content.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations his Department has received over the recent draft circular concerning the green belt; and how many were favourable.

I have received many useful comments and indeed representations are still arriving. All will be given careful consideration before I make any decision concerning the draft advice and it would therefore be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received alleging anomales in the operation of the rating system arising from section 21 of the Local Government Act 1974; and if he will make a statement.

I have received many representations critical of the operation of this provision, which provides rate relief until the next revaluation to ratepayers who have installed central heating or carried out minor improvements since 1974. Because there has been no revaluation since 1973, beneficiaries have enjoyed relief for longer than was originally intended. As I indicated in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Porter) on 24 October 1983—[Vol. 47; c. 7–8]—we are urgently considering the case for a domestic revaluation, including the issues raised by section 21.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost of the hospital to be built in preparation for the 2,000 people who are to build the airport 35 miles from Port Stanley; and what money has been paid to Medco International in relation to the project.

The provision of satisfactory medical facilities for the work force is the responsibility of the Laing-Mowlem-Amey Roadstone Construction Joint Venture. The cost of these facilities is contained as an overhead within the rates quoted for the work. It is not the practice to disclose contract rates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many starts were made on mobility

Mobility and wheelchair dwellings started for local authorities and New Towns in England
	Mobility		Wheelchair
	Number	Percentage of total LA and new town starts	Number	Percentage of total LA and new town starts
1979–80	6,458	12	663	1
1980–81	3,897	14	375	1
1981–82	1,930	8	295	1
1982–83	3,133	10	290	1

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated cost of converting the MV England to British registration; and what is the cost of purchasing the MV England from her Danish owners.

The initial cost of converting the ship to United Kingdom registration is approximately £40,000, but further modifications may be necessary on renewal of registration next year. The cost to Cunard, the shipping line concerned, of purchasing the ship was £2·7 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he is taking to improve the management system of the Property Services Agency following the Wardale report on fraud and corruption.

Departmental procedures affecting the management of works contracts and the control of works stores have already been reviewed and strengthened during the past year and a programme of further action on the recommendations made in the report has been drawn up. Decisions resulting from this will be implemented as quickly as possible.To ensure that the lessons learnt from the report are fully understood throughout the agency, a series of meetings for staff at all levels of management, attended by senior officers of the agency, has been arranged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many serious injuries and how many deaths were suffered by participants in marathon races in the United Kingdom during the last 10 years for which records are available; how many of such sufferers were male and how many female; what were their ages; and what were the causes of such injuries and deaths.

There are no official statistics available. However, my officials are making inquiries standard, and wheelchair standard housing for disabled people in the year to April 1983; what percentages they form of local authority housing starts for that year; and how both actual and percentage figures compared with those of the previous three years.

The available information is as follows:with the various organisations responsible for staging marathon races and I shall write to the hon. and learned Member in the near future.

asked the Secretary of Stale for the Environment if it is his intention to encourage the granting of planning permission for developments before local authorities have drawn up a list of sites to meet future house building needs.

I look to local planning authorities to pay particular attention to the need to ensure an adequate supply of land for housing. In deciding planning applications authorities are required to have regard to the provisions of the development plan and to any other material consideration. This applies whether or not a local plan has been adopted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all local authorities currently offering financial incentives to businesses moving into or expanding into their areas.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leicester, East of 26 October concerning sales of council houses, how many of the dwellings sold (a) in the city of Leicester and (b) throughout the United Kingdom were houses and how many were flats.

All the dwellings reported as sold by the city of Leicester in the first half of 1983 were houses. The earlier answer referred to by my hon. Friend gave an estimate of the number of dwellings sold by local authorities and new towns in Great Britain during the same period: of these 86,000 were houses and over 4,000 were flats.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report details of use of the tenants' exchange scheme in its first two years, in particular by elderly people.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 October 1983]: The tenants exchange scheme was launched in England and Wales on 1 April 1982 and extended to Northern Ireland on 1 October 1982. At the end of the scheme's first year there were about 52,000 active registrations and there are now about 36,000. The reduction in numbers is largely because of the tenants whose registrations expired at the end of the first year. The number of registrants who are elderly is not known because information about tenants' age is not sought.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average number of years of imprisonment actually served by persons convicted of (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) malicious wounding and (d) assault with a deadly weapon over the period 1970 to 1980, respectively.

The information which can be provided without disproportionate cost is given in the following

Table 2
Receptions into prison department establishments under sentence of murder* by type of disposal and time spent under sentence 1965–70
Number of persons
	Receptions into prison department establishments under sentence
	1965–1967				1968–1970
Time spent under sentenced‡	Released on licence	Other† disposals	Still in custody 31.7.83	Total	Released on licence	Others†disposals	Still in custody 31.7.83	Total
Up to 3 years	—	—		—	1	—		1
Over 3 up to 6 years	2	—		2	2	1		3
Over 6 up to 9 years	34	5		39	63	4		67
Over 9 up to 12 years	70	2		72	65	2		67
Over 12 up to 15 years	30	2		32	26	3	54	85
Over 15 years	9	2	28	39	2	—
Total	145	11	28	184	159	10	54	223
* Including detention during Her Majesty's pleasure under s. 53(1), Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
† Including successful appeals, death and transfers to special hospitals or to outside England and Wales.
‡ Excluding any time spent in custody on remand.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the maximum sentences now available to the courts for all categories of murder, rape, malicious wounding and assault with a dangerous weapon; and how many persons were convicted for each of these offences in the years 1970 to 1983, respectively.

The penalty of life imprisonment is mandatory for murder. Life imprisonment is also the maximum penalty for rape. Maximum penalties for assaults vary according to the intent of the offender and the degree of harm. Whether a weapon, of whatever type, was used, is one of the factors a court will take into account in imposing the appropriate penalty within the appropriate maximum.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost of obtaining British naturalisation; and what are the factors that determine the cost.

The fee payable on application for naturalisation as a British citizen is normally £200, but if the applicant is the spouse of a British citizen the fee is £70. If a husband and wife apply together and at that time they are residing together the total fee is £270. Fees for naturalisation were last increased in April 1982 and the factors that determined them were the expected costs both of processing the applications and of the inquiries outside the nationality division of the Home Office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the procedures that prison officers must follow before contacting their hon. Member when allegations are made against them by prisoners.

None has been laid down by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to facilitate the ability of inmates convicted by board of visitors adjudication panels of offences against prison rules to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

It is open to any inmate to petition the European Commission of Human Rights about any alleged violation of the convention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce proposals to improve the basis on which forecasts are made and fees calculated for nationality applications.

Consideration of the recommendations in the third report of the Home Affairs Committee (Session 1982–83) will be completed shortly. This consideration includes the development of a new accounting and fee-setting system.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost in the past 12 months of police time in visiting and processing applications for nationality on behalf of his Department.

It is estimated that in the financial year 1982–83 the cost of police inquiries into applications for citizenship was £1,234,000. This total is calculated using the commuted rate charged by police authorities for police lent to private employers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects to complete his consideration of the recommendations of the third report of the Home Affairs Committee of Session 1982–83 on British nationality fees.

Consideration of the recommendations will be completed shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of implementation of the Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983.

The Act came into effect on 9 August 1983. As with any new procedure, its initial working gave rise to a number of inquiries. Full advantage of its provisions can also be taken only if organisations make their plans sufficiently far ahead. I believe, however. that any problems will disappear as familiarity with the Act's provisions develops and that organisations will recognise occasional pemissions as a useful addition to the liquor licensing legislation.