asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to announce the route for the Albourne/ Sayers Common bypass on the A23; and when he expects work on this bypass to commence.

I hope to publish draft orders for the improvement of the A23 between Bolney and Brighton, to include local bypasses of Albourne and Sayers Common, by the spring of next year.Start of construction will depend on completion of the statutory procedures; it is at present programmed from April 1987 onwards.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, in the light of the growth of Mid-Sussex and the rapidly increasing amount of traffic moving to and from Gatwick airport, he will start preparing plans for a bypass round East Grinstead.

West Sussex county council is the highway authority for the roads through East Grinstead. It is therefore for it to decide whether a bypass is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive British Rail's inter-city strategy.

The Railways Board provided a progress report on the strategy study in September. I understand that it hopes to complete the study early in the new year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pusuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Wrexham on 31 October, Official Report, c. 255, if, in the interests of good customer services, he will refuse to agree to any passenger line closure.

Any proposals by the Railways Board to close individual passenger lines or stations which come to my right hon. Friend for his decision will be considered on their merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what advice his Department gives to local education authorities concerning planning for the needs and futures of disabled children;(2) what steps are taken to prepare disabled children for future employment when they leave school.

It is the practice of special schools, in addition to providing a sound basic education and training in personal independence, to give advice to handicapped pupils about suitable employment and, wherever possible, to arrange for periods of work experience. They co-operate with the careers service in this.Advice is available in several ways. Her Majesty's inspectors give educational advice to teachers and to other local authority staff through courses and conferences, as well as providing specific advice in the course of their contacts with schools and LEAs. Administrative advice is contained in circulars and other communications from the Department. Advice on the design and construction of buildings to take account of the needs of handicapped pupils and students is published from time to time by the Department's architects and building group.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, how many disabled children are currently estimated to be attending school.

The information is not available in the form requested. According to returns from English local education authorities, they were responsible for providing special educational treatment for 140,917 handicapped pupils in schools in January 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set up a survey to assess the needs of disabled children at school.

The committee of inquiry into the education of handicapped children and young people was appointed in 1974 and reported in 1978. This was followed by the Education Act 1981, which came into force in April of this year. The Department has commissioned research into a number of specific aspects of special education, including an inquiry by the National Foundation for Educational Research into "Pupils with Special Needs in the Ordinary School", the results of which were published in 1981.The advisory committee on the supply and education of teachers is currently examining the provision for the training of teachers in special schools and units, and expects to report by Easter 1984.In view of this, the need would seem to be to give the schools time to absorb and act on the information available rather than set up another survey.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he considers it necessary for two more years to elapse before local education authorities are required to appoint school governors; and how he calculates the costs likely to be incurred.

The Government have accepted from the outset that the school government provisions of the Education Act 1980, to which my hon. Friend refers, would take some time to implement as they represent a substantial task of administration, recruitment and training. The Government's best estimate, on the Bill's introduction, of the additional costs involved here was up to £5 million per annum. Good progress has been made with implementation on the voluntary basis encouraged in circular 4/81. Consultations are being held on the proposal to require this to be completed by 1 September 1985 and an announcement will be made shortly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state in millions of pounds and pence per pint the sums received by the Milk Marketing Board for sales of raw milk in England and Wales in the marketing year 1982–83 for liquid milk for human consumption, milk used for intervention, butter and skimmed milk and other manufactured dairy products.

The following table sets out the information requested:

Milk Marketing Boards Net Receipts in 1982–83
Utilisation of Milk	PPP	£ million
Liquid milk for human consumption	9·995	1,078·9
Creamery Butter (inc. skimmed milk element)*	8·111	601·1
Other manufactured dairy products	8·290	480·8
Total Milk Sales	9·002	2,160·8
* It is not possible to identify separately prices and receipts for milk manufactured into intervention butter and skimmed milk.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made in the restructuring scheme for the British fishing industry.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will channel extra money and resources in the coming financial year to community care to provide more nursing staff, day-care places and relief beds consistent with the demographic changes expected as a result of a greater percentage of the population being over the age of 75 years.

As part of the annual review procedure which my right hon. Friend has introduced district health authorities in Wales are required to devote the first 0·5 per cent. of efficiency savings, based on their annual revenue allocations, to programmes approved by the Welsh Office of continuing care, including community care, for elderly, mentally ill and mentally handicapped people. In the first instance it is for authorities to formulate specific measures which will best meet local needs. It is open to authorities to devote further resources to the development of services for elderly people from their discretionary allocations or from efficiency savings higher than the required minimum.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what economic and other assistance south Wales and north Wales have received both directly and indirectly from central Government to regenerate their respective economies since 1979.

Both areas have received assistance through regional development grants and selective financial assistance, programmes of infrastructure development including road construction and factory building, urban programme and European Community schemes and, in general, the work of agencies within Wales with a remit to develop the economic potential of the Principality.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Falkirk, West on 24 October, Official Report, c. 17, he will make a further statement about the Commonwealth Development Corporation's involvement in the NGPI project at Agusan del Sur in the Philippines.

I am informed by the CDC that the NGPI Project is progressing satisfactorily. The first 4,000 hectare phase has been fully planted and the new processing mill is scheduled to be commissioned in May 1984 when commercial quantities of fruit will become available. Having satisfied itself that the conditions attaching to its £6·4 million loan in respect of security and other conditions on the estate were fully observed, the CDC released a first disbursement of £2·027 million on 24 August 1983. The CDC's staff member in Mindanao is in continuous contact with the NGPI for the purpose of monitoring these matters.The Philippine courts have recently decided the disputed result of certification elections in favour of the Philippine Association of Free Unions—PAFLU—which had obtained the majority of the votes. Negotiations are to begin shortly for the establishment of an estate union under PAFLU auspices to succeed the joint consultative committees set up by the NGPI to provide its workers with a negotiating body in the interim.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been allocated as aid to Sri Lanka in 1983; and for which projects.

The amount allocated for expenditure on aid to Sri Lanka in the financial year beginning 1 April 1983 is £28·79 million. Of this total, £25 million is allocated to the Victoria dam and hydro-electric project; the other major projects are railway rehabilitation, urban water supply and modernisation of irrigation tanks.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish the financial arrangements made for the support of the witnesses and their families and any arrangements for future financial payment to the witness or for his benefit, in each of the "supergrass" cases over the last two years.

The term "supergrass cases" has no precise meaning, but I take the hon. Member's concern to be with certain trials for terrorists offences that have taken place in the courts of Northern Ireland in which evidence was given for the prosecution by individuals who were in some cases themselves admitted accomplices of the accused.Over the last two years three such cases have come to trial in which prior to trial financial arrangements were made for the support of the witnesses and families of witnesses.The three witnesses were each provided with accommodation free of rent, rates and charges for electricity and water. Each was given a cash allowance which varied between a payment of £35 per week in respect of a witness who had no dependents and a figure of approximately £120 per week which was the allowance made to a witness who had a wife and four children living with him. The actual sums expended on the support and maintenance of this witness and his dependents may have varied slightly from week to week.These arrangements were necessary because the lives of the witnesses were in danger and it was essential that they should be protected in a safe place by the police and the witnesses and their families supported. In no instance was any arrangement made before trial for future financial payment to the witness or for his benefit.Decisions as to the support and protection of witnesses are not a matter for me but, as Attorney-General, I am responsible for the discharge of the prosecution's duties to the court and the defence. It is in that context that I have approved the arrangements for the provision of information relating to these matters which I set out in my written answer on 24 October.

asked the Attorney-General what plans the Government have to introduce a Bill to amend the law relating to financial provision after divorce.

The Lord Chancellor introduced the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Bill in the House of Lords on 2 November. Copies are available in the Vote Office.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish or place in the Library his guidance to higher education institutions about the limitations on the use of their student unions funds.

I have today placed in the Library a copy of the Attorney-General's guidance on expenditure by student unions.

asked the Attorney-General if he will send the hon. Member for Torbay a copy of his guidance to higher education institutions about the limitations on their use of their students unions funds.

I have today sent a copy of the Attorney-General's guidance on expenditure by student unions to the hon. Member for Torbay.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how soon he expects to complete his discussion regarding the grant of voting rights to British citizens living in other European Community countries; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the questions from my hon. Friends the Members for Bridlington (Mr. Townend) and Dorset, North (Mr. Baker), on 3 November. — [Vol. 47, c. 996.] The Government expect to publish their reply to the Home Affairs Select Committee's report on the Representation of the People Acts early in the new year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the number of pedal cyclists convicted under the Road Traffic Acts of riding at night without lights in the London metropolitan area for the latest convenient period for which figures are available.

Records available to us, which may be incomplete, show nine convictions in 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria have been used by British Telecom in the awarding of the first European satellite channel; what criteria will be applied by British Telecom in deciding the award of the second European satellite channel; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of telecommunications facilities is primarily a matter for the commercial judgment of British Telecom and Mercury. BT has leased two channels on the ECS 1 satellite, and a number of channels on other satellites, for the purpose of transmitting television signals to cable systems. I understand that in finding customers for this service, BT is seeking to use the capacity to its fullest extent, taking account of those applications that it received first.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the levels of police on foot patrol; and if he will make a statement.

Deployment is primarily a matter for chief officers and I know they share our view on the importance of foot patrols. The improvement in the operational strength of the police service in England and Wales, through recruitment of new officers and redeployment of existing manpower, has enabled chief officers to put many more officers on the beat.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain and place in the Library a copy of the recent Policy Studies Institute report into the Metropolitan police in time for the Second Reading debate of the Police and Criminal Evidence Bill.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, whose predecessor commissioned the study, tells me that the report, which is still in draft, will be published on 18 November. I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Library as soon as possible thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what and how many offences were found to have been committed by the drivers of motor vehicles in Albert bridge road, London SW11, between the hours of 8 pm and midnight on 29 October.

In Albert bridge road and the immediate vicinity 13 offences were reported; nine drivers were reported for reckless driving, and one for driving without due care and attention. Another driver was reported for three offences, two of reckless driving and one of failing to stop at a police officer's signal.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of registered unemployed people in the United Kingdom; and if he will now estimate the number of non-registered unemployed people.

The October number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 3,093,998.I refer the hon. Member to the answer to him—[Vol. 45, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has discussed likely consistency of enforcement throughout the European Community of the proposed EEC council directive on protection of workers from noise.

The need to ensure that directives are so formulated as to bind all member states equally will be an essential element in negotiations on this proposal. It will best be achieved by ensuring that the eventual directive sets out clear requirements that can reasonably be applied throughout the very wide range of industries likely to be affected, so that it will not be necessary to make provision for extensive derogations by national authorities to deal with particular problems.

asked the Secretary of State or Employment how many redundancies in (a) the textile industry, (b) machine tool engineering, (c) general engineering, (d) service trades and (e) steel fabrication work were made in the last month for which statistics are available in the Workington travel-to-work area.

The provisional number of redundancies, involving 10 or more employees, reported as due to occur in the Workington travel-to-work area in the industries specified for September 1983 is as follows:

(a) Textiles (Order XIII): Nil

(b) Machine tool engineering (MLH 332): Nil

(c) Mechanical engineering (Order VII): Nil

(d) Service industries (Orders XXII-XXVII): 13

(e) Steel manufacture (MLH 311–312): 20

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will eliminate the advertising of vacancies at jobcentres at less than the legal minimum rates of pay.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are taken to prevent jobcentres dealing with vacancies when the wages offered are below the legal minimum; and if he will make a statement.

Instructions to jobcentre staff already make it clear that vacancies should not be displayed where it appears that a wages order is likely to be violated. Staff are required to seek advice from the wages inspectorate if they have any reason to believe that the rate quoted is below the statutory minimum. Methods of keeping jobcentre staff up to date with wages council requirements are kept under review.

the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the youth training scheme.

I am encouraged by the progress of the scheme so far. The response by employers, local authorities, trade unions and others has been excellent. By the end of October some 240,000 youngsters had entered the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment under what criteria a fisherman whose employer has gone into liquidation may claim redundancy payments.

The criteria are those in the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what attention is given to the needs of disabled children in the training of careers officers.

The recognised professional training for careers officers leading to the award of the diploma in careers guidance includes as one of its core elements work with young people with special needs, including those with physical or mental disabilities. Further in-service training is provided locally and regionally for both careers officers who specialise in this work and other careers service staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many careers officers are specialists in helping disabled children.

On 1 April 1983, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 169 careers officers in Great Britain specialising in work with disabled young people.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will take steps to abolish the tax relief for blind persons under section 18 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will take steps to abolish the housekeeper tax relief under section 12 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will take steps to abolish the tax relief for daughter's services under section 17 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970; and if he will make a statement;(4) if he will take steps to abolish the dependent relative's tax relief under section 16 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970; and if he will make a statement.

I have no proposal at present to abolish these reliefs.

Carlisle asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in any explanatory material is to be made available to hon. Members in advance of the Second Reading debate on the Oil Taxation Bill.

Yes. Notes on clauses on the Bill have been placed in the Vote Office this morning.

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts if he will arrange for an exhibition on "Images of Jerusalem" to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall on 14 November for one week.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 October 1983, c. 218]: I understand that arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall on 14 November for one week.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total financial allocation made to each of the capital work programmes over £50,000 in each of the subsections of his total budget for 1981–82; 1982–83 and 1983–84.

[pursuant to his reply, 31 October 1983, c. 302]: The total financial allocations for capital works — gross domestic fixed capital formation — within the Northern Ireland public expenditure total for 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84 shown in the latest Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 8789), for each programme, are as follows:

	£ million
	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84
Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and	5·5	6·8	11·7
Forestry
Industry, Energy, Trade and	8·9	12·9	22·1
Employment
Transport	39·6	33·7	30·8
Housing	67·5	125·0	122·3
Other Environmental Services	33·7	41·2	40·8
Law, Order and Protective Services	23·9	23·2	22·5
Education, Libraries and Arts	25·5	28·3	26·0
Health and Personal Social Services	25·9	25·0	30·3
Social Security	0·1	0·1	0·1
Other Public Services	0·8	0·4	0·4
Common Services	1·4	3·3	4·1
Total	232·8	299·9	311·1

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many United Kingdom citizens have been excluded under the Prevention of Terrorism Act from Northern Ireland.

To date, seven United Kingdom citizens have been the subject of orders excluding them from Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many peripatetic remedial teachers were employed by the various education and library boards in the years 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983 to date;(2) how many children from outside the Belfast education and library board area were receiving special remedial teaching in schools under the board's control in the years 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983 to date;(3) how many children were recommended for special remedial teaching by the educational psychologists in the various education and library boards for the years 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983 to date;(4) how many children were receiving special remedial teaching in the last year of which figures are available in the five education and library boards;(5) how many children recommended for special remedial teaching are on the waiting list and not receiving such teaching under the Belfast education and library board.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of funding and staffing in public libraries in Northern Ireland.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give full details of the computer system installed for use by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland.

The Royal Ulster Constabulary has two computer systems to assist with its operational responsibilities.

(a) The computer assisted policing system is used to record details of all incidents reported to the police in the Greater Belfast area and for the deployment and control of resources allocated to these incidents. It also provides management information to ensure that the most efficient use is made of police resources; and

(b) The crime information retrieval system contains details of vehicles licensed in Northern Ireland and all stolen or suspect cars. It also contains indexes relating to persons convicted of criminal offences in Northern Ireland and of wanted and missing persons. The full records of criminal offences are currently being transferred to the system.

A small additional computer is presently being installed to record details of firearms used in terrorist incidents.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many parades were held in Northern Ireland in 1982 by (a) the Orange Order, (b) the Apprentice Boys of Deny and (c) the Royal Black Preceptory Institution; what was the number of overtime

	(a)	(b)	(c)	(a)	(b)
	Sales of existing dwellings*		LA dwelling stock at†1.4.83	as per cent. of (c)	as per cent. of (c)
	Jan. 74-Mar. 83	1982–83
North Warwickshire	627	331‡	5,127	12·2	6·5
Nuneaton & Bedworth	1,091	797	9,981	10·9	8·0
Rugby	779‡	351	5,844	13·3	6·0
Stratford upon Avon	1,140	541	7,956	14·3	6·8
Warwick	874	334	8,457	10·3	3·9
* Excluding dwellings built for sale but including other sales of vacant dwellings.
† As reported on the authorities' 1983 Housing Investment Programme submissions.
‡In complete total of reported figures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the total council housing stock in England has been sold to sitting tenants (a) in the last financial year and (b) since 1970.

Sales to sitting tenants by English local authorities and new towns in 1982–83 were an estimated 3·7 per cent. of the housing stock at 31 December 1982. Cumulative sales from January 1970 to March 1983 amounted to about 12½ per cent. of the December 1982 stock.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider introducing legislation to provide further help for first-time house buyers in terms of £1 for every £2 saved scheme up to a maximum for a deposit.

While sympathetic to the needs of potential first-time house buyers, the Government do not consider that spending the substantial sums that would be entailed in such a scheme would be the most efficient means of helping them hours worked by (i) the Royal Ulster Constabulary and (ii) the Ulster Defence Regiment to facilitate these parades; and what was the cost of such overtime;(2) how many parades were held in Northern Ireland in July 1983 by

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

the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses and flats have been sold by each of the five district councils in Warwickshire in the last financial year and in total since 1970 expressed both in numbers and as a percentage of the total council housing stock in each district.

The information reported by the councils is given in the table. Estimates for the years before local government reorganisation in 1974 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce his decision concerning the continuation or abandonment of the definitive footpath survey for west Yorkshire.

As soon as the necessary consultations with the county council have been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what salaries are payable to those recently appointed to hold office on the boards of the regional water authorities within England.

The salaries of non-executive members of regional water authorities will be within the range £3,000 to £5,000 a year. Non-executive members designated as deputy chairmen will receive a total salary of up to £7,500. Actual amounts payable are still being settled, and will depend on the allocation of responsibilities to individuals.Full-time executives have been appointed to board membership at the same salary as they formerly earned as employees. They range from £32,611 to £40,635. Chairmen's salaries range from £16,500 to £32,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost to public funds of the new carpet in the Chamber and the additional installation costs.

The cost to public funds of all the new carpet in the Chamber was £9,718. Installation was carried out by resident carpet layers to the Palace of Westminster, at an approximate cost of £858.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost to public funds of all refittings carried out at the Palace of Westminster during the summer parliamentary recess.

The total cost of furnishings and carpet was £24,949.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to complete his review into the effectiveness of the Housing Act 1980 to enforce proper means of escape from fire in multi-occupied houses, flats and hostels.

The consultation that forms part of the Department's review of the order made under schedule 24 to the Housing Act 1980 (SI 1981/1576), is still in progress. Consultees were asked to give their views by 28 October. Some have asked for additional time to respond. The review will be completed once we have fully considered the outcome of consultation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those organisations which have submitted evidence to his Department on the review being carried out into the effectiveness of the Housing Act 1980 to enforce proper means of escape from fire in multi-occupied houses, flats and hostels; and approximately how many individual representations he has had.

The organisations who have so far submitted evidence as part of the review into a possible extension of the order SI 1981/1576 are: the Association of district councils; the Greater London council; the London boroughs association; the Campaign for Single Homeless People and the Houses in Multiple Occupation Group; the Housing Corporation; and the Institution of Environmental Health Officers. We have also received a representation from the right hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will disregard, for block grant purposes, expenditure by Liverpool city council on expanding its house building programme and reducing council rents by £2 per week; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is statutorily obliged to consider all representations from local authorities for expenditure to be disregarded in the assessment of liability for block grant holdback. I have not, however, seen a formal representation from Liverpool city council about this expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the current level of housing provision for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

The Government encourage an adequate level of housing provision for disabled people, both by new construction and by adaptation of existing properties.I refer the right hon. Member to my reply given today to his further question, in which I have set out the considerable progress made in this regard since the Government took office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in improving housing provision for disabled people since the statement made by the Minister for Housing and Construction on 14 March 1979, Official Report, c. 220.

Although it is for local authorities to determine their own priorities for housing investment, the Government continue to urge them to concentrate resources on those in special need, including disabled people.Information on the provision of wheelchair and mobility dwellings for disabled people in each year from and including 1979–80 was contained in a reply given to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 31 October 1983. — [Vol. 47, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the extent of British diplomatic and consular representation in Grenada prior to the recent coup d'état; and on what criteria and at what date it was fixed at that level.

The high commissioner in Barbados and members of his diplomatic and consular staff are accredited also to Grenada and visit regularly. We have a second secretary as a resident representative in Grenada who reports to the high commissioner. These arrangements were made in March 1980. They were examined by the Diplomatic Service inspectors later that year, who considered them adequate in the light of British interests in Grenada and financial constraints.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the second Brandt commission report, "Common Crisis".

The Government responded to the Brandt Commission's "Common Crisis" memorandum in a White Paper published in July (Cmnd. 9001). The White Paper accepts the Brandt Commission's central message: that we live in an interdependent world. It expresses the Government's concern at the serious economic problems facing many developing countries; and it outlines the Government's approach to restoring sustainable growth in the world economy in the interests of all countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove on 27 October concerning the grant-in-aid to the BBC external services, if he will break the figure down into its constituent components; and if he will give the equivalent figures for the previous year.

Details of the grant-in-aid to the BBC external services administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are as follows:

Residential Places for the Mentally Handicapped, England and Wales, 1974–1983
	Number of Places		Rate per 100,000 Total Population
Year ended March	Local Authority Homes and Hostels	Voluntary and Private Registered Homes	Local Authority Homes and Hostels	Voluntary and Private Registered Homes
1974	6,695	3,123	13·6	6·4
1975	7,758	3,023	15·8	6·1
1976	9,047	3,232	18·4	6·6
1977	10,295	3,435	20·9	7·0
1978	11,335	3,764	23·1	7·7
1979	12,049	3,935	24·5	8·0
1980	12,744	3,962	25·9	8·1
1981	13,438	*	27·3	*
1982	13,858	4,457	27·9	9·0
1983	†14,391	†5,004	†29·0	†10·1
* Owing to a change in the method of collection, comparable figures are not available for voluntary and private registered homes in 1981
†Estimated figures

	1982–83 Out-turn£ thousand	1983–84 Provision£ thousand
BBC External Broadcasting Services
Current Expenditure	56,049	59,694
Capital Expenditure	9,499	12,135
	65,548	71,829
BBC External Monitoring Service
Current Expenditure	4,997	5,602
Capital Expenditure	320	339
	70,865	77,770
Less Contribution by the Ministry of Defence towards Monitoring Services	-71,063	-1,188
	69,802	76,582

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of all types of dockets extracted from pension and allowance books are mechanically and physically counted for value and number at Postal Finance, Chesterfield.

I have been asked to reply.No pension or allowance dockets are mechanically counted for value and number at the Post Office financial accounts department at Chesterfield. Checking is carried out by clerical staff; the detailed arrangements are a matter for the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places there are in England and Wales for mentally handicapped people in (a) local authority homes and hostels and (b) voluntary and private registered homes, expressed as a total and as a rate per 100,000 total population for the most recent available year and for the previous 10 years.

The information available is given in the table:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mentally ill and disturbed people are being retained in special hospitals although their illnesses do not warrant strict detention; and what plans he has to rehouse them in more appropriate National Health Service accommodation.

At 30 September 1983 the numbers of patients in special hospitals awaiting places in NHS hospitals or community hostels was 219 and 41 respectively. The majority of these represent the normal throughput of patients who leave special hospitals every year, averaging 250. But there are about 50 patients on the current list who have been waiting for a NHS bed for two years or more; these cases are monitored and followed-up regularly with regional and district health authorities.The Department has held a number of meetings in NHS regions to discuss with those concerned locally their responsibilities for difficult-to-place mentally disordered people, including those awaiting transfer from special hospitals. We intend to draw the attention of regional health authority chairmen to this matter again at a meeting with them later this month. The Rampton hospital review board has also taken a number of direct initiatives with NHS and social service authorities. My noble Friend, who has ministerial responsibility for this area of work, will be monitoring progress carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost, in respect of the latest year for which figures are available, of raising the disregard of savings for supplementary benefit purposes, for each band of £100 to £4,000.

Sufficient data are not available to enable a precise calculation of the cost of raising the disregard of capital to £4,000 to be made, but our best estimate is that the cost would be of the order of £20 million a year. It is not possible to provide separate estimates by £100 bands.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) the administrative costs of paying supplementary benefit to the unemployed for the years 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82 and the expected costs for 1983–84, and (b) the administrative costs of paying unemployment benefit over the same period.

Administrative costs cannot be allocated precisely to individual benefits, but the following figures give a rough indication:

£ milliom
	a. Supplementary benefit for the unemployed	b. Unemployment benefit
1979–80	75	145
1980–81	110	175
1981–82	140	235
1982–83	170	275
1983–84	175	315

asked the Secretary of State for Social Service whether it is the policy of the Government. that recipients of supplementary benefit should be able to claim single payments of benefit for medical requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Section 1(3) of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976 provides that medical, surgical, optical, aural, and dental requirements are not taken into account in assessing supplementary benefit. This reflects the longstanding policy of successive Governments and the former Supplementary Benefits Commission, who have taken the view that it is for the National Health Service to meet such needs. A very recent decision of the Social Security Commissioners has, however, shown that Section 1(3) does not, as previously believed, apply to single payments of supplementary benefit. My right hon. Friend has therefore today laid before Parliament the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Amendment Regulations, which will provide that single payments cannot he made for medical or similar requirements. The regulations will come into effect on 5 November 1983. My right hon. Friend also intends to introduce an appropriate amendment to the primary legislation at the earliest convenient opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances National Health Service records will be released to patients engaged in litigation against pharmaceutical companies in courts outside the United Kingdom.

The Department's guidance to health authorities on disclosure of hospital records for litigation purposes is contained in circular HC(82)16, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The guidance is framed in the context of legal proceedings in this country, and the precise legal position in relation to proceedings outside the United Kingdom would depend on the country in which they were taking place. Decisions on release of hospital records for litigation purposes are for individual health authorities in consultation with their legal advisors, but I would expect authorities to observe the spirit of circular HC(82)16. Where medical records compiled by general practitioners are concerned, it is for them, where appropriate in consultation with other doctors who have contributed to the records, to decide whether and in what form information should be made available to the patient or, if the patient is requested, to a third party.If the hon. Member has met problems with a particular case, perhaps he would like to write to me or the health authority or family practitioner committee concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the administrative cost of payment of the £25 maternity benefit (a) in total and (b) per payment.

Administrative costs cannot be allocated precisely to individual benefits, but the following figures give a broad indication of costs for 1982–83:

a. About £1¾ million

b. About £2·90

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current procedure for distributing new distinction awards in the National Health Service if records are no longer reviewed annually.

The merits of all eligible consultants are still considered annually by the advisory committee machinery. In each health region there is a regional awards committee with members, who themselves hold awards, drawn from each district and with representation of all the major specialties. This committee reviews all practitioners in its region who do not hold awards and makes recommendations to the central advisory committee for C awards. Similarly each region has a higher awards committee comprised of consultants holding at least a B award which makes recommendations at the A and B levels.To safeguard the interests of consultants in specialties whose work is less well known or understood by their colleagues, there is a system of specialist panels and advisers reporting direct to the central committee. Recommendations are also sought from the medical royal colleges and faculties, the Medical Research Council, Public Health Laboratory Service Board and the special hospitals as a further safeguard for any consultants whose worth may be underestimated peripherally. Finally, each practitioner who has served 12 years in the grade and does not have an award is invited to complete a personal record form for a review of his case. All that has been discontinued is the automatic central reivew of all consultants' records irrespective of their length of service. This proud unnecessary in practice and imposed considerable administrative burdens and expense.The chairman and vice-chairman pay a visit each year to every region when they meet the members of the regional and higher awards committees and the regional advisors and question them about their own recommendations and names which have come from the other sources mentioned. The aim of this is to ensure that no consultant is overlooked and that everyone who has been recommended recieves full consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what criteria both he and the advisory committee use in making distinction awards to consultants in the National Health Service; and what is the value of each award at A+, A, B and C.

The criteria used by the advisory committee on distinction awards in recommending my right hon. Friend to grant distinction awards to consultants and community physicians in the National Health Service were set out by the current chairman, Sir Stanley Clayton, MD MS FRCP FRCS FRCOG, in an article published in "Health Trends" in November 1979. They include direct service to patients or their general practitioners, improvement of the service, training and teaching research, medical administration, and clinical or academic distinction. Hard work and oustanding service to the NHS may alone be sufficient reason for an award, particularly at the B and C levels.The present annual values of awards are:

A+	£20,315
A	£ 15,650
B	£9,365
C	£4,170

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of National Health Service distinction awards is given to consultants with less than a full-time or maximum part-time commitment to the National Health Service; if he will reconsider the criteria which limits to 25·8 per cent. the awards going to consultants in the priority services—geriatrics, mental illness and mental handicap—compared with the 38 per cent of consultants in the other specialties; and what is the cost of the awards in the priority services and the other services.

Information on the tenure of distinction awards by type of contract is not centrally available.The criteria applied to consultants in geriatrics, mental illness and mental handicap are the same as for consultants in the other disciplines; there are no limitations imposed. On the suggestions of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, the advisory committee is endeavouring to equalise the percentage of awards among the various specialties, and where it appears that there may be a lower proportion of awards in any region in a particular specialty this is brought to the notice of the relevant committee. Because of the limited number of awards available for distribution each year, however, progress is slow.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the figures of total manpower for each regional health authority on which the recently announced changes in manpower are based, together with the date to which these figures refer and the number of unfilled vacancies in each region at that time; and what were the estimated manpower levels in each region in March 1984 before the recent manpower changes were announced.

The recently announced changes in manpower were based on figures for staff in post at 31 March 1983 which had been agreed with the regional health authorities. The total for each region is as follows:

Numbers of unfilled vacancies and Region's manpower plans for March 1984 as at July 1983 not available centrally
NHS directly employed staff: England (whole time equivalents)*
Region	Total staff in post at31 March 1983
Northern	54,100
Yorkshire	61,900
Trent	74,000
East Anglian	29,900
North West Thames	59,600
North East Thames	73,700
South East Thames	64,500
South West Thames	47,500
Wessex	38,400
Oxford	31,000
South Western	49,000

Region	Total staff in post at 31 March 1983
West Midlands	75,700
Mersey	43,400
North Western	66,700
* Locum medical and dental and agency nursing and midwifery staff are excluded.

All figures rounded to the nearest 100.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the most recently available figures for perinatal mortality for England by regional health authority and social class; and how these compare with similar figures for Scandinavian countries.

The most recently available figures for perinatal mortality in England by regional health authority and social class are for 1980 and were published in OPCS Monitor DH3 82/3. Similar figures for 1981 are expected to he published early next year. Scandinavian countries do not issue perinatal mortality data for social class.

Short asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the private maternity clinics in which births are registered as having taken place in the last year for which figures are available by regional health authority with the number of such births for each establishment and the perinatal mortality rate for each such establishment, by region and nationality.

Information about private maternity clinics is not held centrally in the form requested, but preliminary information on private institutions with maternity beds on 31 December 1982 is given in the table.Information about the number of births for each establishment, the perinatal mortality rate for each such establishment, and nationality is not separately available.

Private Hospitals, Homes and Clinics Registered under Section 3 of the Nursing Homes Act 1975 as amended by the Health Services Act1980
Institutions with Maternity Beds at 30 December 1982
Region	Institution	Number of Maternity Beds(including cots intended for neo-natal care)
Northern	Eighton Lodge Nursing Home	15
Yorkshire	Heworth Manor House Nursing Home	24
Yorkshire	Browning House Mother and Baby Home	15
Trent	Gwendoline Grove Mother and Baby Home	16
Trent	St. Joseph's Mother and Baby Home	9
NW Thames	The Garden Hospital	3
NE Thames	Avenue Clinic	4
NE Thames	Welbeck Private Clinic	21
NE Thames	Wellington Hospital	18
SW Thames	Mount Alvernia Hospital	18

Region	Institution	Number of Maternity Beds(including cots intended for neo-natal care)
SW Thames	Phyllis Holman Richards Nursing Home	5
SW Thames	St. Teresa's Hospital	31
Wessex	Nazareth House	18
Oxford	HRH Princess Christians Hospital	2
Oxford	Princess Margaret Hospital	3
S. Western	St. John's Mother and Baby Home	17
W. Midlands	Marjorie Edwards House	16

Short asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many distressed neonates have been transferred to neonatal intensive care units in National Health Service hospitals in each year for which figures are available.

We do not collect information about any such cases centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many school age children are estimated to be disabled.

This Department does not collect information in the form requested. Returns are made of the numbers of children under 16 on local authority handicap registers. The latest published figures are for 31 March 1980 and are contained in "Registers of Handicapped Persons" (A/F80/14) and "Registered Blind and Partially Sighted Persons" (A/F80/7), copies of which are in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost to the national blood transfusion service of handling blood supplied to private hospitals.

The information requested is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action is taken by his Department against National Health Service employees or consultants who breach the rules governing the supply of the national blood transfusion service to private hospitals; and how many times action has been taken in each year since 979–80.

Any action is a matter for health authorities to determine. Information about the number of cases is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what are the current rules governing the supply of blood by the national blood transfusion service to private hospitals;(2) whether he is considering changes in the rules governing the supply of blood by the national blood transfusion service to private hospitals.

Reasonable requests from private hospitals are met free of charge according to availability and clinical need on condition that no profit is made from the blood. We are, however, considering whether to introduce a charge to cover handling and processing costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of hospitals (a) started and (b) completed in each year since 1974 and the total number of beds involved in each year in each case.

We can only supply a list of projects defined as "major hospital schemes" started and completed in the periods requested, which were as follows:

	Started	Completed
1974–75	9	18
1975–76	10	23
1976–77	9	31
1977–78	9	18
1978–79	4	17
1979–80	9	8
1980–81	11	9
1981–82	13	8
1982–83	9	9

Too much reliance should not be placed on this list as a major hospital scheme is one above a certain cost level which requires it to be subject to Departmental monitoring. As this cost level has changed during the period, the figures shown may not be comparable. Health authorities have dealt with very many other smaller projects during this period but details of those and of the overall numbers of beds involved are not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the capital expenditure on hospital construction in each year since 1974 at constant prices.

The table shows capital expenditure on the hospital and community health services

Northern Regional Health Authority
District Health Authorities	Nurses and Midwives (excluding Agency)	Administrative and Clerical	Ancillary
Hartlepool	815	159	358
North Tees	1,252	329	554
South Tees	2,550	549	1,012
East Cumbria	1,493	326	588
South Cumbria	1,101	269	411
West Cumbria	1,175	196	435
Darlington	1,263	238	612
Durham	1,099	342	473
North West Durham	734	147	334
South West Durham	1,534	211	588
Northumberland	3,093	440	1,168
Gateshead	1,326	294	587
Newcastle Upon Tyne	4,889	1,178	2,131
North Tyneside	913	234	393
South Tyneside	887	237	422
Sunderland	2,527	576	1,227

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many doctors, nurses, ancillary staff and administration staff were in post in each district health authority on 9 June 1983; and what is his estimate of the numbers of such staff that will be in post on 9 December 1983.

Comprehensive manpower data are collected at 30 September each year. In addition, since December 1982, a quarterly count as been made of non-medical manpower in the NHS. The table gives the whole-time equivalent number of nurses and midwives, administrative and clerical staff, and ancillary staff, empllyed by each district health authority at 30 June 1983, which is the closest available date to that requested. Medical and dental figures at 30 June 1983 are not available. All figures are expressed as whole time equivalents.Manpower targets for total staff numbers but not divided into special staff groups for March 1984 have been set for each regional health authority. The distribution of the target across health authorities and staff groups is a matter for local decision, depending on local circumstances and priorities. The numbers of staff in any particular staff group or district who will be employed on 9 December 1983 are therefore not available or predictable centrally.