asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the manpower levels in his Department in June 1983; and what are his plans for those levels in June 1984.

For the Northern Ireland Office, staff in post at the nearest date for the quarterly manpower count was 190½home civil servants and 4,140½Northern Ireland civil servants at 1 July 1983. The manpower figures provisionally planned for 1984–5 are 200 home civil servants and 4,243½Northern Ireland civil servants at 1 April 1984, and 196 home civil servants and 4,637 Northern Ireland civil servants at 1 April 1985; no specific figures are planned for June 1984.

Water Authority	Chairman £	Chief Executive £	Director* of Finance £	Director* of Operations £
Thames	32,000	40,635
North-West	32,000	37,428
Severn-Trent	32,000	37,428	33,813
Anglian	28,000	35,024	31,367	31,367
Southern	24,500	35,024
Yorkshire	24,500	35,024
South-West	23,100	32,611
Northumbrian	16,500	32,611
Wessex	16,500	32,611
* Where a board member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will use his powers under section 47 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1972 to set up a planning inquiry commission to investigate matters relating to the disposal of nuclear waste.

It is not proposed to set up a planning inquiry commission to consider any planning applications by the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive for land disposal of radioactive waste. The intention is to consider these under the procedures set out by my right hon. Friend in his statement on 25 October —[Vol. 47 c. 156–7.] We believe these procedures are preferable and fully adequate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration the Local Government Boundary Commission for England is giving to the use of computer techniques in the determination of local government boundaries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in respect of each person holding office on the boards of regional water authorities within England and Wales their status as non-executive, executive, full-time or part-time members, respectively, together with the salary payable to each member.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 26 October — [Vol. 47, c. 117–21.] and 29 November— [Vol. 49, c. 455.] One further non-executive member has since been appointed to Southern water authority. He is Mr. M. A. C. Drummond, a farmer and company director — Newtown Oyster Fishery — and a countryside commissioner. The only full-time water authority members are the executives. The chairmen and remaining members are part-time.Chairmen and executives' salaries are as follows:

I understand that work being done in several universities on the use of computers in relation to electoral arrangements has recently been shown to the local government Boundary Commission for England. It is for the commission themselves to settle its own procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the controls enacted in the United Kingdom in regard to trade in endangered species will be affected by Community Regulation 3626/82; and if he will ensure that there will be no increase in the importation of species listed under the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora.

The United Kingdom's statutory control of trade in endangered species is not expected to be substantially affected by Council regulation 8626/82 article 15 of the regulation allows the Government to take independent action if necessary and my right hon. Friend has retained separate licensing control of trade with the Community in diurnal birds of prey, vicuna, birds' eggs and plumage. If other species need additional protection they can be added to the list. The regulation is not expected to increase the volume of imports to the United Kingdom significantly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce legislation to ensure that the political activities of local government officers are governed by the same rules as those which govern the political activities of civil servants employed by central Government; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will introduce legislation to require local authorities to keep a register for public inspection showing

Local government officers have traditionally been politically impartial. My right hon. Friend is well aware of concern being expressed about recent departures from this tradition. While he has no plans at present to introduce legislation, he intends to keep this matter under close scrutiny.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the percentage increase in output per person employed in manufacturing industry in each of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for each of the years from 1974 to 1982 inclusive.

Such information as is available for 1974 to 1981 is published by the OECD in table 3.10 of its annual report—"Historical Statistics 1960–1981", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Comparable data for 1982 are not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much it costs the Exchequer in terms of tax revenue lost for an unemployed (a) single person, and (b) a married person with two children.

No meaningful answer can be given. Estimates of lost taxes are inevitably hypothetical since they depend on assumptions about the circumstances of the individual and the conditions in the economy had unemployment been different from what it actually was.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage increase of child benefit in November 1984 is assumed in his autumn statement.

The conventional assumption made for the autumn statement was that child benefit would be uprated by the movement in prices in the 12 months to May 1984, currently assumed to be 5½ per cent. The actual decision on the level of child benefit from November 1984 will be taken in the light of all relevant circumstances and announced at the appropriate time next year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the discrepancy between chart 1.4 of the autumn statement and chart 3.4 of the financial statement and Budget report.

I am grateful to the hon. Member for raising the matter, and regret that an error was made in rebasing the 1974–1977 volume figures for chart 1.4 of the autumn statement, which shows the share of United Kingdom exports in world trade in manufacturing. The volume share of United Kingdom exports in world trade was in fact some 1½ percentage points higher for those years than was shown in chart 1.4. Figures for value shares, and for volume shares in other years, are not affected. A corrected version of the chart, with an explanatory footnote, will appear in the supplement to the December issue of the Economic Progress Report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the issue of a special coin in 1984 to mark the 40th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

As special issues of coins are normally reserved for the commemoration of royal events we would not consider issuing a coin to mark this anniversary.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have impounded tanker vehicles and other assets of Potters Oils Ltd. of Ilkeston; why these vehicles and assets have not yet been returned; and when the company may expect compensation.

Following inquiries by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, vehicles and other assets were seized from Potters Oils Ltd. under the provisions of sections 139 and 141 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. These inquiries are continuing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received following his decision to remove the tax advantages of offshore life assurance policies; what was the sense of these representations; and if he will make a statement.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many untried or unsentenced juveniles held in prisons and remand centres on 30 June 1982 had been held for three months or more, one month or more and two weeks or more, respectively.

The available information is given in the following table:

Untried and convicted unsentenced juveniles in prisons and remand centres on 30June 1982: by length of time since first received into custody
Time since first received into custody*	Untried	Convicted unsentenced	Total
Up to 2 weeks	44	61	105
Over 2 weeks up to 1 month	10	67	77
Over 1 month up to 3 months	17	60	77
Over 3 months	7	10	17
Total	78	198	276
* Including any time which may have been spent on bail after a first remand in custody.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sentenced juveniles held in prisons and remand centres on 30 June 1982 had been held for three months or more, one month or more and two weeks or more, respectively.

The available information is given in the following table:

Sentenced juveniles in prisons and remand centres on 30 June 1982: by length of time since received into the latest establishment
Time since received into latest establishment	Number of sentenced juveniles
Up to 2 weeks	22
Over 2 weeks up to 1 month	2
Over 1 month up to 3 months	12
Over 3 months	7
Total	43

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which three prisons had the highest number of hepatitis A and hepatitis B cases in each of the past three years; and how many of these cases had developed in prison.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to allow Mr. Mahindajit Thiagarajah, a Sri Lankan Tamil, to remain in the United Kingdom for a period of time until it is safe for Tamils to return to Sri Lanka; and if he will withdraw the notice issued by the immigration officer at Gatwick airport on 20 November directing this person to return to Colombo.

I shall write to the hon. Member when I have considered his written representations on the case which I received on 8 December. In the meantime Mr. Thiagarajah, who has been admitted temporarily, will remain under notice of refusal but will not be removed from the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British citizens resident in each of the nine European Community countries would be eligible to vote in the United Kingdom in European elections if the franchise were extended to such persons.

There are about 250,000 British citizens of voting age resident in EC countries. The precise number in EC country who might be entitled to vote in parliamentary and European Parliament elections in the United Kingdom under any extension of the franchise would depend on the scope of such an extension. This is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it a requirement of holding a shotgun licence that the gun should be kept in fully secure premises.

We have no plans to do so at present but we shall continue to keep the controls on firearms, including shotguns, under close review.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the expenditure in the last five years on new construction and improvement on the Greater London council metropolitan roads which it is proposed to trunk; and what expenditure is estimated to be necessary to bring these routes up to current trunk road standards.

Precise figures are not available in my Department. GLC proposals in its transport policies and programmes documents involved some £10 million on the Rochester way relief road and £2 million for all the rest. Until the studies proposed in my consultation document are carried out it will be impracticable to decide which routes should be taken into the trunk road networks, what is appropriate to each route and what it might cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what lessons he draws from the experiment during Christmas 1982 to stop television drink-drive campaigns in three independent television regions; and why the campaigns will be carried out in all regions this Christmas.

Last Christmas our national drink-drive advertising campaign was deferred until February this year in three television areas in an attempt to provide a control against which the impact of our publicity could be assessed.In the event intensive local publicity within the control areas made it difficult to draw firm conclusions as to the effect of the national advertising. What did emerge, however, was the very considerable contribution that local agencies—police, local authorities and local press and radio—can together make in this field and we have decided to develop this approach further in our 1983 campaign. Following consultations with the police and other local organisations, a television advertising campaign started on 5 December throughout the country, drawing attention to police enforcement activity, and providing scope for simultaneous publicity initiatives on the part of local agencies.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what stage has been reached for each of the schemes in the 1987 onwards main and reserve programmes so classified in "Policy for Roads, England 1983"—Cmnd. 9059.

Since there are over 120 schemes in the 1987 onwards main and reserve programmes for England listed in Cmnd. 9059, I regret that the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. If the hon. Member is interested in a particular scheme, however, perhaps he would care to write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for lorries travelling overladen since the introduction of the 38-tonne limit.

Prosecutions taken by my Department's traffic examiners and local authority trading standards officers, for the period May-September, were 5,238. The number of convictions is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the statement in press notice SE98/82 of 13 October 1982 that construction of the A423 trunk route at Maidenhead thicket will commence in 1984 remains the case; what assessment he has made of the problems which would be caused by further delay; and if he will give a precise date of commencement of construction.

The A423 Maidenhead thicket to Burchetts green scheme is in the main programme for a start of works in the period between April 1985 and March 1987. The precise timing will depend on the progress of the statutory procedures, but I hope that it will be possible to start work in the early part of 1986; this is later than hoped because a number of difficulties have been encountered. Some relief from traffic on the existing road should be provided on completion of the M25 route from the south to the M40 in 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects to announce his decision concerning the reinstatement of the Blackburn to M6/M61 link of the M65 motorway; and if he will make a statement.

At my meeting on 8 November with the delegation from Lancashire, which the hon. Member attended, I asked that my regional staff and its counterparts in the county council should meet to resolve a number of technical points arising from my consideration of the county council's case for reinstatement of its "green route".Meetings have already taken place, but a good deal of work remains to be done, particularly on the traffic forecasts. It is likely to be some time in the new year before I receive the report on the outcome of the work and can take a decision.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to be able to announce the terms of the restructuring of the British fishing industry.

We expect to be able to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the gross value of agricultural production in the United Kingdom in each of the last four years for which figures are available; and what is his estimate of net farm income after allowing for running expenses and capital expenditure on new agricultural machinery farm buildings.

This information is contained at table 22 of the "Annual Review of Agriculture 1983" White Paper—Cmnd. 8804.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the nationalised industries for which he is responsible and the plans he has for their future privatisation.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. McQuarrie) on 12 July.—[Vol. 19, c. 313.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each district council area in Wales (a) the percentage of its working population employed in local government, (b) the percentage of its working population employed by central Government, (c) the percentage of its working population employed by nationalised industries, (d) the percentage of its working population unemployed and (e) the average level of pay of all workers.

I shall write to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales are currently employed in the coal mining, steel, textiles and high technology industries, respectively; and what were the comparative figures for March 1976 and June 1979.

Information in the form requested is only available from the censuses of employment. Figures taken from the censuses nearest to the required dates are:

Thousands
	June 1976*	June 1978	September 1981
Coal mining	37·9	36·1	33·0
Ferrous metals†	66·7	63·1	32·0
Textiles	14·3	11·9	10·0

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to place with the Wales Tourist Board responsibility for all promotion of international tourism in Wales; and if he will ensure it an adequate budget to take over these responsibilities from the British Tourist Authority.

No. The present arrangements whereby the British Tourist Authority operates in close co-operation with the Wales Tourist Board work well and as a result Wales benefits fully from the rang of skills and resources available to the British Tourist Authority. I announced on 17 November new arrangements for strengthening Welsh involvement in the British Tourist Authority's marketing programme. —[Vol. 48, c. 531.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average size of the National Health Service in Wales waiting list for the latest year and for the five preceding years; and what amounts of cash he is making available to area health authorities to tackle the waiting lists.

The average of the quarterly waiting lists for each year in the period 1977 to 1982 for all health authorities is shown in the following table:

	Average in- patient waiting list	Average out- patient waiting list
1977	34,953	59,406
1978	35,130	60,653
1979	38,919	59,538
1980	37,451	58,248
1981	33,677	58,170
1982	36,571	66,579

This Government are providing a record level of financial resources for the NHS in Wales this year. It is up to health authorities to manage the resources made available to them to ensure that care is provided as quickly and effectively as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken and what future proposals he has to extend the privatisation of National Health Service provision in Wales.

We have issued a circular to health authorities asking them to test the cost-effectiveness of their cleaning, catering and laundry services by putting them out to competitive tender and to contract these services out where it proves more economic to do so. It is our policy to encourage health authorities to make more use of commercial contracts where this would lead to greater efficiency and free money for patient care.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many sheltered dwellings were made available by local authorities in Wales in March 1974, June 1979 and at the latest available date.

The information requested for 1974 and 1979 is not available. The estimated figure at April 1983 is 13,600.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the total 1983 housing investment programme bids from Welsh local authorities was related to new build expenditure and what percentage to renovation and repair.

The 1984–85 HSIP submissions show the following bids, expressed as a percentage of the total:

	Per cent.
New Build	22
Repair and Renovation
LA Stock	26
Renovation Grants (including improvement grants)	41

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate how many more dwellings than households there are currently in Wales.

The latest available estimate, based on the 1981 census, indicates a figure of approximately 62,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many dwellings in Wales were owner-occupied in March 1974, June 1979 and at the latest available date.

The number of owner-occupied dwellings in Wales, shown at the dates requested, is estimated to be:

	Number of owner-occupied dwellings
March 1974	573,000
June 1979	626,000
September 1983	710,000

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales were employed in service industries in March 1974, June 1979 and at the latest available date.

No information is available for March 1974. However, the numbers of employees in employment in the Welsh service industries in June of 1974, 1979 and 1983 were 500,000, 571,000 and 549,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the overseas offices of the Welsh Development Agency.

The Welsh Development Agency, which carries out its overseas responsibilities through WINwest, has an office in New Jersey. There are also part-time representatives employed in Pittsburgh, Palo Alto, California, Sweden and West Germany, but they operate either from their homes or from offices which are also used for other purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average waiting time for those awaiting a National Health Service operation for hip joint replacement in (a) Dyfed and (b) Wales; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1983]: The average waiting time for an operation for hip joint replacement for those patients discharged during 1981, the latest date for which information is available, was 159·8 days in Dyfed and 199·3 days in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the net Government expenditure on housing in Wales year by year from 1979 to date, expressed at constant prices.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1983]: The table gives information on all Government expenditure on housing in Wales in the years 1979–80 to 1983–84 in cost terms. The figures are consistent with those published in table 2.16 of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1983–84 to 1985–86" (Cmnd. 8789), but include more up-to-date information where available.

Year	Cost terms*
1979–80	269
1980–81	229
1981–82	122
1982–83	116
1983–84	†128
* Cash figures adjusted for general inflation as measured by the GDP deflator, to a base of average 1981–82 prices.
† Planned provision. Provisional figures for outturn for 1983–84 suggest that expenditure on housing, particularly on local authority capital, will be higher than planned. The cash limit for all local authority capital expenditure has been increased by £50 million, but it has not yet been decided what part of this increase will be devoted to housing.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what he expects to be the net outturn of Government expenditure on housing improvement grants in Wales for the financial years 198–84 and 1984–85;(2) what was the net Government expenditure on housing improvement grants in Wales year by year and at constant prices from 1979 to date.

[pursuant to his replies, 8 December 1983]: Local authority capital expenditure on housing improvement grants in the years 1979–80 to 1983–84 is given in the table:

£ million
	Cash prices	Cost terms*
1979–80	13·7	17·9
1980–81	14·0	15·4
1981–82	17·0	17·0
1982–83	40·6	38·1
1983–84	†90–100	80–90
* Cash figures adjusted for general inflation as measured by the GDP deflator, to a base of average 1981–82 prices.
† Local authority forecasts, made in September 1983 are £90 million. The Welsh Office projections, based on actual expenditure in the period 1 April to 30 September 1983 and on approvals made by the authorities, is£100million.

I have not yet finalised my plans for housing expenditure for 1984–85 and am therefore not yet able to give a forecast of expenditure on housing improvement grants. The final figure will, of course, depend on the priority local authorities give to this expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have been created in Welsh Development Agency factories since June 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1983]: This information is not readily available in the form requested, but I have asked the Welsh Development Agency to see how it can help the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have been lost in Welsh Development Agency factories since June 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1983]: This information is not readily available in the form requested, but I have asked the Welsh Development Agency to see how it can help the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of Welsh Development Agency factory space is currently not being used for manufacturing purposes.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1983]: I have asked the Welsh Development Agency to provide the information to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the purchase price of the land on which the new Falklands airport is being built.

The contract of sale has not yet been signed.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for fitting lightweight vertical launch Sea Wolf to the Invincible class.

We are examining the options for improving the air defence capability of a number of RN ships, including the Invincible class, but no decisions have yet been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he proposes to order containerised Sea Wolf for Her Majesty's or merchant ships.

We have no plans at present to order containerised Sea Wolf for any RN or merchant ships. However, we are examining options for improving the air defence capability of merchant ships taken up from trade but it will be some time before any decision is reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British residents there are in (a) northern Cyprus and (b) southern Cyprus.

The numbers of British residents registered with the High Commission in Nicosia are (a) northern Cyprus—246 (b) southern Cyprus—1,772.These figures do not include British Service men and their dependants, some of whom live outside sovereign base areas, or Cypriots who also hold British citizenship.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will now declare a 200-mile zone around the Falkland Islands and introduce the licensing of foreign factory ships and a freezing plant.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) on 26 October.—[Vol. 47 c. 104.] Licensing is also one of the factors which must be taken into account in the current consideration of the possible declaration of a fishery zone. The question of establishing a freezing plant would be for the Falkland Islands Government to consider in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has made any representations to the Turkish Government about the implications for human rights of the prison sentences on leading members of the Turkish Peace Association.

We have made no such representations to the new Turkish Government currently being formed. We understand that the verdicts are the subject of appeals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will make representations to the Syrian Government in the light of findings of abuses of human rights, including torture, by the security forces of the Government of Syria.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr. McWilliam) on 7 December.—[Vol. 50, c. 176.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make available to hon. Members the detail provided to him and made public by the United States of America of documents captured in Grenada pertaining to Cuban and Soviet activities on the island.

I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report those countries in Southern Africa and Central America with which he maintains and fosters links in order to promote dialogue and thus encourage peaceful change.

The policy described in the answer I gave on 29 November to my hon. Friend naturally applies in many situations where there are problems to be resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the formal programmes carried out by the wife of the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands, during their recent visit to Zimbabwe and South Africa.

My wife's formal programme in Zimbabwe included calls on the Minister of Community Development and Women's Affairs, Blair research laboratory, Harare central hospital, the British-Zimbabwe society and Inyanga hospital. In South Africa she met Mrs. Motlana of the Black Housewives League and Mrs. Duncan of Black Sash. She also visited the British Council office, the University of South Africa and centres for the aged and handicapped. In Soweto, she visited churches, a nurses training college and self-help and community organisations.

asked the Prime Minister what liaison exists between the Department of Health and Social Security, the Department of Energy and the Department of the Environment on the issues of fuel poverty, help with paying for fuel, energy conservation and substandard housing.

The Government are fully aware of the important social implications of energy policy. There is intensive and continuing liaison between Ministers and officials of the Departments of Health and Social Security, Energy and the Environment, and the fuel industries.

asked the Prime Minister if she will establish a joint working party of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Scottish Office to discuss problems relating to salmon conservation.

No. As I said in my reply of :31 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow), I am satisfied with the present efforts to achieve closer co-ordination between all the Departments concerned with salmon conservation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will place in the Library a copy of the report, commissioned by his Department, by Coopers and Lybrand into the electricity supply industry.

The report was commissioned as one component of the confidential advice prepared for Ministers on the structure of the bulk supply tariff and includes information of a commercially confidential nature. I do not therefore propose to make it public. It has been taken into account in decisions taken since its completion in July 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will indicate the comparative costs of electricity, gas

European Gas Prices
For Typical Consumers—1 July 1983
	Domestic*Approx 400 Therms/ Annum	Industrial† 1–10 million Therms/Annum
	P/Therm	P/Therm
		Firm supplies	Interruptible supplies
Belgium	62·01	28·7–30·7	27·7
Denmark	65·59	N/A	N/A
France	72·23	24·8–28·3‡	24·1
Germany	66·59	28·5–40·0	27·4
Greece	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ireland	N/A	N/A	N/A
Italy	53·63	26·7–28·3	25·3
Luxembourg	N/A	N/A	N/A
Netherlands	43·73	26·8–28·0	N/A
United Kingdom	44·04	30·3	25·5
*Source: Informal survey conducted among gas undertakings in certain European cities and relates to tariffs in force on 1 July 1983. Prices are inclusive of taxes and VAT. Prices quoted relate to Brussels, Copenhagen, Paris, Frankfurt, Turin, Amsterdam and London.
† Source: CBI Report, February 1983. Prices have been recalculated using exchange rates applying on 30 November 1983.
‡ Firm gas supplies in France were increased by 4 per cent. in September.

European Coal Prices For Typical Consumers Second Quarter 1983
	£/tonne
	Domestic*	Industrial†
Belgium	N/A	N/A
Denmark	105·64	55·16
France	N/A	N/A
Germany	N/A	73·57
Greece	N/A	N/A
Ireland	83·16	N/A
Italy	N/A	N/A
Luxembourg	110·36	N/A
Netherlands	N/A	N/A
United Kingdom	80·89	49·69
Average prices for period April To Whom It May Concern: June 1983.
* Inclusive of taxes and VAT.
Inclusive of all taxes except VAT.

Due to factors such as regional differences within countries local price increases and movements in exchange rates, up to date and reliable data giving international energy price comparisons are difficult to assemble. Last February the CBI published a report which suggested that industrial gas and electricity prices in the United Kingdom, for the great majority of consumers, compared well with those on the Continent. Industrial coal prices were not covered in the report.The latest available data comparing available prices prepared on a consistent basis for electricity, gas anEur coal in EC countries, for both the domestic and industrial sectors, are given in the tables.It is not possible to provide estimates for 1984 because of the high degree of uncertainty surrounding the various factors involved.

European Electricity Prices For Typical Consumers
	Domestic* 3,300 Kwh/ Annum P/kwh	Industrial† 2½MW;40% Load Factor P/Kwh
Belgium	6·60	4·12
Denmark	5·22	N/A
France	5·03–5·43	3·01
Germany	5·48–6·51	4·03–4·85
Greece	5·21	N/A
Ireland	5·80–6·07	N/A
Italy	6·25–6·27	4·58
Luxembourg	4·83	N/A
Netherlands	5·13–6·49	4·36
United Kingdom	5·12–6·37	‡3·69
* At 1 August 1982, inclusive of taxes and VAT.
† At 30 June 1983, inclusive of all taxes except VAT.
‡ England and Wales only. A United Kingdom figure for 30 June 1983 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current estimated long-run marginal cost of natural gas supplies from the North sea.

The question of the long run marginal costs of natural gas supplies from the North sea is complex and uncertain, since it depends in part on the terms of contracts yet to be negotiated and on the working of escalation clauses of present and future contracts. However, the cost of gas imported from the Norwegian sector of the North sea, being a price established in international competition, is generally agreed to be a convenient indicator of both the current and potential value of gas. The average price paid in the first nine months of 1983 is shown in the "Overseas Trade Statistics" as about 24·6p per therm.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish any information available to him showing the average landed cost in pence per therm of natural gas being paid by the major gas utilities in France, West Germany, and Belgium for gas from the North sea continental shelf.

Beach or border prices for supplies of gas from the North sea to continental gas utilities are kept confidential by the contract parties. There is, of course, occasional press speculation about individual contract prices, but I have no information which would enable me to confirm such reports.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimates have been made of the effects on (a) prices for landed gas to the British Gas Corporation and (b) prices to the United Kingdom consumer, of allowing gas from the United Kingdom continental shelf to be sold direct to other European gas utilities.

The prices for landed gas under existing contracts would be unaffected by any decision to allow direct exports of gas. The effect on prices negotiated by BGC for new supplies would, in these circumstances, depend on the state of the European gas market at the time and on other factors such as the proximity of particular sources of supply to the alternative markets. We have made clear that if the fresh impetus which our policies are giving to exploration results in large new volumes of gas being discovered, the question of exports will be reconsidered.The price of gas to the British consumer depends on a variety of factors; whether, if gas exports were allowed, this would have any effect is uncertain.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the current principles underlying Government policy towards the pricing of gas to the consumer.

The Government believe that energy prices should, wherever possible, be set by competitive market forces. Where competition is limited, as in the case of gas, prices should reflect the cost of maintaining a supply on a continuing basis and the need to achieve an adequate return on capital.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects the consultations with the interested parties on the question of oil and gas drilling licences in the Firth of Clyde area to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Consultations with non-oil interests are continuing; it is not possible to be precise but I expect them to be completed in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is now in a position to announce any further progress with the privatisation of Enterprise Oil.

I am delighted to be able to announce that Mr. Graham Hearne, who is currently managing director of Carless, Capel and Leonard plc, has accepted my invitation to become the chief executive of Enterprise Oil. Mr. Hearne will take up his full-time appointment on 1 March 1984 I would like to express the Government's appreciation for his present company's helpful co-operation in making this possible. I believe that we have made an excellent start to the recruitment of a first rate management for the company. I know that William Bell, the chairman of Enterprise Oil, who participated in the selection of the chief executive, is delighted at Graham Hearne's acceptance of the post, and looks forward to working with him.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representation he has received about the recommendation of the national advisory hoard that the town and country planning degree course at Trent polytechnic should have no intake after September 1984; and what reply he has sent.

My right hon. Friend and I have received a number of representations concerning the recommendation of the National Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education, in the context of the NAB's proposals for the sector as a whole, that there should be no new intake to the degree course in town and country planning at Trent polytechnic. Those making representations are being assured that their representations will be taken into account before my right hon. Friend reaches his final decisions on NAB's proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out in the Official Report, for each of the last five years, the sums of public money provided for postgraduate students attending the Royal College of Art.

Public expenditure on bursaries for students at the Royal College of Art over the last five academic years has been as follows:

Year	£ (out-turn prices)
1979–80	1,216,000
1980–81	1,269,000
1981–82	1,309,000
1982–83	1,268,000
1983–84	*1,315,000
* (estimate).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all grammar schools by county, showing the number of pupils receiving full-time education in each.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 November 1983, c. 262]: The following lists the information requested for England as at 1 September 1983.

LEA and School name	*Number of pupils
Greater London
Barnet
Henrietta Barnett Girls Grammar School, Hendon	601
St. Michael's Convent Girls Grammar School, Finchley	616
Bexley
Bexley Grammar School	836
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School	1,185
Bromley
Newstead Wood School for Girls	717
St. Olaves School	594
Enfield
Latymer School	1,227
Kingston upon Thames
Tiffin Girls County Secondary School	710
Tiffin Boys County Secondary School, Kingston	863
Redbridge
Ilford County High School for Boys	762
Woodford Girls High School	595
Sutton
Sutton Manor High School for Boys	589
Wallington High School for Boys	664
Wallington High School for Girls	685
Nonsuch High School, Cheam	951
West Midlands
Birmingham
Handsworth Grammar School for Boys	781
King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys, Aston	591
King Edwards Camp Hill Grammar School for Boys	601
King Edwards Camp Hill Grammar School for Girls	611
King Edward VI Fiveways Grammar School for Boys	613
King Edward VI Grammar School for Girls, Handsworth	780
Bishop Veseys Grammar School	815
Sutton Coldfield Girls School	710
Walsall
Queen Marys Grammar School	632
Queen Marys High School	598
Wolverhampton
Girls High School	609
Merseyside
Liverpool
Liverpool Institute Boys High School	594
Liverpool Institute Girls High School	322

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was his Department's contribution to the design of the proposed new London taxicab.