asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the age participation rate in full-time university education in each of the European Community member states;(2) what is the age participation rate in all forms of full-time higher education in each of the European Community countries.

The information in the form requested is not readily available. Comparisons of participation rates in higher education between countries are influenced by the precise structure of higher education in each country, in particular by the age of entry and the length of course, In some European Community countries students enter higher education later than in the United Kingdom and take longer to qualify.A meaningful comparison can be obtained by showing all new entrants to higher education as a percentage of the age group within a "typical age range". The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has published statistics for European Community countries, except for Luxembourg where there is no higher education, on this basis. These participation rates are given in columns 2 and 3. Column 1 shows the age range encompassing at least 70 per cent. of all entrants to full-time higher education in each country, the yearly average

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now list the education grant-related expenditure assessments for each local education authority for 1984–85.

The total GRE assessment for each local authority covering all services including education was published in the rate support grant report for 1984–85. The education component of that total for each authority will be published in March.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many doctors are at present being trained in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Scotland; what was the corresponding figure for each of the past 10 years; and what was the percentage of home sudents.

The following information relates to full-time students in the universities on undergraduate courses of medicince. It covers those on all years of courses. Intakes in each year are about a fifth of these figures.

asked the Prime Minister what evidence she has that state-approved apartheid has been officially abolished in South West Africa/Namibia since 1979; and if she will make a statement.

Some legislation containing discriminatory provisions has been repealed following adoption of Security Council Resolution 435 in 1978, but the ethnically based system of local government in Namibia means that racial discrimination still affects certain aspects of life in the territory. The United Nations plan for Namibia, embodied in Security Council resolution 435, and the constitutional principles agreed amongst the parties in July 1982, provide for repeal of the remaining discriminatory laws and for freedom from racial or ethnic discrimination in an independent Namibia.

asked the Prime Minister what changes have been made in the composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

I have appointed as substitute members:The right hon. Members for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Millan) and Brent, East (Mr. Freeson) and the hon.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that articles exported from the United Kingdom comply with rule No. 33 in the United Nations standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners concerning instruments of restraint;(2) if he has any information about the exports of shackles and leg irons to countries with a proven record of human right abuses;(3) if he has any powers to prohibit the manufacture and export of items whose sole use is for cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners;(4) what information firms are required to supply to Her Majesty's Government on the manufacture and export of instruments of restraint, including leg irons and shackles;(5) if he will take steps to extend the scope of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1981 (S. I., 1981, No. 1641), to include leg irons, shackles and other instruments of restraint.

My right hon. Friend has under review the whole question of bringing such items under control, and hopes to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met the Trades Union Congress or the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the operation of the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

I have not met either organisation for discussion about the code of conduct.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is in a position to announce the planned

asked the Attorney-General how many legal aid certificates were granted and accepted for (a) plaintiffs and (b) defendants in respect of actions for negligence against solicitors in the Queen's Bench Division or county court in 1981–82 and 1982–83.

The numbers are as follows:publication date of the next analysis and summary of companies' reports submitted in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

I expect to submit the next analysis and summary to Parliament before the Easter recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list the names of those companies which have been asked, or will be asked, to provide submissions in connection with the next analysis and summary of companies' reports submitted in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

No. The names of those companies which have submitted reports under the code and of those believed to have a responsibility to report as a category A company are all listed in the annual analysis and summary submitted to Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the operation of the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he takes to ensure that the information provided by companies in submissions requested in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa is accurate.

Reports are examined carefully and where appropriate discussed with companies in both the United Kingdom and South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will consider taking action against companies which refuse to provide information when requested to provide submissions in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

No. Compliance with the code of conduct is voluntary.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether representations have been made to those companies which have in the past failed to provide information in response to his request for submissions in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa; and whether their response to any representations has been satisfactory.

Yes. Some companies have subsequently submitted reports; others have given assurances about the conditions of employment of their black workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will consider measures to require the co-operation of British companies with interests in South Africa when he calls for submissions in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa; and whether he will consider measures to ensure that British companies with interests in South Africa meet the guidelines set out in the code of conduct.

No. The code of conduct is voluntary, and the vast majority of British companies already comply, and endeavour to meet the guidelines.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will bring all British companies with interests in South Africa within the terms of the code of conduct and request information from them all.

The code already applies to all British companies with interests in South Africa. I do not intend to change existing reporting practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will call upon companies presently designated category B to follow the detailed reporting format sent to category A companies when requesting submissions in connection with the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

No. A minority shareholder cannot insist on the submission of detailed reports by his South African affiliate.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the European Economic Community member states last reviewed the operation of the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa adopted by their Governments on 20 September 1977; and what conclusions were reached after such reviews.

Foreign Ministers last considered the operation of the code of conduct on 25 April 1983. Their conclusions were reported to the European Parliament on 3 June 1983—document reference PE 85.247, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what conclusions were reached in discussions held with other member states of the European Community with a view to strengthening the code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa.

The member states of the European Community have not considered it necessary to modify the code of conduct.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of which activities of the nationalised industries for which he is responsible he is considering the scope for privatisation; and whether he has made any estimate of the financial consequences.

Plans are well advanced to privatise British Telecom later this year. In addition, I am examining the scope for privatisation in all the activities of all the other nationalised industries for which I am responsible, together with Rolls-Royce, British Leyland and shareholdings of the British Technology Group. It is too early to estimate what the financial consequences are likely to be.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his recent visit to India.

I visited India from 8 to 14 January 1984 for the sixth meeting of the Indo-British Economic Committee in New Delhi. The United Kingdom delegation to IBEC included senior representatives of six United Kingdom businesses. During my visit I met Mrs. Gandhi and other Indian Ministers as well as representatives of Indian and United Kingdom businesses, both in New Delhi and Bombay. The meeting of IBEC dealt with a number of issues of bilateral concern including co-operation between British and Indian companies on projects in a number of industrial sectors both in India and in third countries, India's concern over her adverse balance of visible trade with the United Kingdom, and the European Community's import regimes for certain commodities of specific interest to India.During my visit, I signed a joint plan of action for Indo-British co-operation on computer education in schools. This provides for exchange visits by Indian and British experts, possibly with a view to the provision of computer hardware and software, educational software, and training and consultancy facilities from Britain.I was impressed by the opportunities which exist in India, and by the evident desire to expand economic co-operation between our two countries on a basis of mutual benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of gross domestic product is reinvested in British industry; and what information he has as to the comparable figures for each of the European Community member states, the United States of America and Japan.

The latest available information, relating to the whole economy, is published in table R3, page 154, OECD Economic Outlook No. 34 (December 1983).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many steering location inquiries were received in the north-west region of his Department; and, of these, how many had been referred to the Cumbria county council industrial development unit during the last month for which statistics are available.

In December 1983 the north-west regional office received 18 steering location inquiries, of which two were referred to the Cumbria county council industrial development unit.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total number and value of offers of regional assistance made to companies in the West Cumbria travel-to-work areas, in Cumbria as a whole, in the north-west region and in the northern region for the last month for which statistics are available.

In October 1983, 20 offers of assistance totally £4,199,000 were made under the Industrial Development Act 1982 towards projects in the north-west region. Of these, one offer totalling £23,000 was made towards a project in the West Cumbria travel-to-work area but no other offers were made to companies in Cumbria. Ten offers totallying £489,000 were made towards projects in the north-east region.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what monitoring of the legalised citizens band wavelengths is currently being carried out to ensure that conditions laid down for its operation are being complied with.

The frequencies allocated to the licensed CB radio service are not monitored on a regular basis. However, where resources permit, reported cases of misuse of the legal frequencies may be investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the annual import of anthracite coal into the United Kingdom for each of the years from 1979 to 1983.

The information is published in table III of the "United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics" under SITC/R2 sub-group 322.1.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he now plans to publish the outcome of the section 165 inquiry into Corporate Management Planning Ltd.; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet received the inspectors' report into Corporate Management Planning Ltd., but police inquiries are in hand following information supplied by the inspectors under section 41 of the Companies Act 1967 which was passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions.A decision on publication can be made only when the inspectors' report has been received and considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that motor vehicles currently labelled as "British" have a given minimum content of British labour or national content therein.

I have no plans to do so. A new legal requirement of the kind that my hon. Friend envisages, which would be inconsistent with the general rule determining the origin of cars and other goods for the purposes of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, would present serious practical problems of definition and enforcement.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects that discussions on the proposed European directive on product liability will be concluded; and whether he will make a statement.

It is not possible to predict when these complex discussions will be concluded. This directive was discussed at the Consumer Affairs Council on 12 December and it is expected that it will be on the agenda again at the next Council. When certain fundamental questions have been resolved, I expect the Council working party to be asked to complete its examination of the draft. We will continue to play a constructive part in all of these negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for legislation on unauthorised life insurers.

The changes in the tax treatment of policies taken out with unauthorised offshore life insurers announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 18 November are expected to reduce significantly the attractiveness of this form of investment to UK residents. While we have no plans for legislation on the issue in this Session, we shall be taking fully into account the relevant recommendations in Professor Gower's report on investor protection when considering legislation in follow up of his report.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has reached a conclusion about the provision of launch-aid funding to Westland Helicopters Ltd., to assist the company with its share of the EH101 helicopter project; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have considered the company's request for launch aid towards its share of the costs of the joint Anglo-Italian EH101 helicopter development project and has agreed to advance to the company up to £60 million over six years beginning in 1984–85. The launch aid will be repayable by means of a levy on aircraft sales and spares.I have today signed an Understanding with the Italian Minister of Industry and Commerce reflecting our commitment and support for the civil elements of this project.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his practice in giving balance of trade figures is to use overseas trade statistics figures or balance of payment figures; and in cases where it is the latter, whether he will publish in his Department's Monthly Statistics on Trade the monthly balance of payments figures for manufactured goods.

[pursuant to the reply, 20 January 1984, c. 359]: Balance of payments figures are always preferred as they provide a truer indication of the effects of trade on the United Kingdom economy. Figures on an overseas trade statistics basis are used only in cases where balance of payments figures are not available.Recent developments have extended the range of balance of payments based figures to cover trade in manufactures. These will be published regularly in the

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are any United Kingdom Government financial investments in Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea and the ASEAN countries.

There are official aid loans, still outstanding in whole or in part, made to Singapore in 1968, Malaysia in 1968 and 1979, South Vietnam in 1972, Laos in 1974, Thailand in 1976 and the Philippines in 1980. Currently we are providing development aid to Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on grant terms. The Commonwealth Development Corporation has investments in each of the ASEAN countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what demurrage charges were involved in the unloading of the Brewster houses in the Falkland Islands.

Demurrage costs amounted to £284,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why he decided that Brewster houses should be on six sites, rather than one as originally planned.

Sites for the new houses were identified by the Falkland Islands Government and involved more than one site from the outset.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy for formulating rents for Brewster houses in the Falklands.

Policy on the formulation of rents for Government-owned houses in the Falkland Islands is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Brewster houses in the Falklands have been let to overseas aid staff associated with his Department.

Eleven houses have been allocated to aid personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the cost of the James Brewster contract for Falklands housing has escalated since the reply, Official Report, 14 December 1983, c. 469, to the hon. Member for Linlithgow.

The latest cost estimate of the project remains at under £7 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a three-bedroom Brewster bungalow has been allocated to one unmarried aid worker in the Falklands.

I understand that the local housing committee in the Falkland Islands has so allocated one of the Brewster bungalows.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Brewster houses contract in the Falklands is behind schedule.

The programme is behind schedule due to delays occasioned by breakdowns in shipping, delays in unloading at Port Stanley, the use of contractors staff to assist with unloading and difficulties faced by the local public works department in preparing the necessary infrastructure for the houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the value of the trucks bought for the Brewster contract for Falklands housing; and what was the cost of the 40-tonne crane needed for the Brewster housing contract and of shipping it to the South Atlantic.

Two tipper trucks were bought for on-site work for the housing contract at a cost of £43,446 fob. The cost of the crane was £76,450 fob. The separate cost of shipping the crane cannot be identified since it formed part of the first shipload of housing components sent to the islands.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why it took 27 days to unload the ships carrying Brewster homes to the Falklands.

Large quantities of supplies, equipment and materials had to be sent to the Falkland Islands to meet the requirements both of the civilian population and of the garrison. This resulted in congestion at the port due to the limited unloading facilities available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons MV Alsterberg had to move during the unloading of Brewster homes in the Falklands.

I understand that the Alsterberg was able to complete its unloading without having to move.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what cost he commissioned James Brewster to provide missing pieces at Callaghan road in the Falklands.

Certain replacement parts are currently being shipped to the Falkland Islands for the houses on Callaghan road at no cost to Her Majesty's Government under the contractor's all risks policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent his Department is stripping Brewster houses in the Falklands of fittings in order to reduce rents; what is happening to the fittings stripped for this purpose; and if he will define the nature of the fittings.

I am not aware of any fittings being stripped from the Brewster houses to reduce rents. Housing policy and the charging of rents is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government who are offering houses for rent unfurnished, partly furnished and fully furnished. The Falkland Islands Government propose to offer for sale hard and soft furnishings surplus to requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the firms who tendered for the contract of 54 houses in the Falklands.

The firms were as follows:

• J. Brewster Associates (Myresjo)
• R. B. Farquhar Ltd.
• Gee, Walker Slater
• Hallam Group
• JMJ/Guildway
• Laing (Superhouse)
• Miller Construction/Octagon Contracts (Scansystem)
• Oil Fab/Walker Timber
• Pauling/MBD (Puntalo)
• Pauling (Lockwood)
• Taylor Woodrow (Swiftplan)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why £500,000 was spent on importing equipment to the Falklands for the construction of Brewster homes.

Following the cessation of hostilities there was insufficient equipment available on the islands to meet the requirements of a housing programme of this magnitude.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide details of the total number of males under the age of 21 years sentenced to periods of imprisonment in youth custody centres and detention centres during the first six months of the scheme's operation, broken down by age and length of sentence;(2) if he will provide details of the total number of females under the age of 21 years sentenced to periods of imprisonment in youth custody centres and detention centres during the first six months of the scheme's operation, broken down by age and length of sentence.

We plan to publish shortly a statistical bulletin giving details of the information so far available

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the increase in the total number of young persons sentenced to periods of imprisonment in youth custody centres or detention centres during the first six months of the scheme's operation in 1983 compared with the total number of young people sentenced to equivalent periods during the similar period in 1982; and if he will give details of the increase.

The number of offenders aged under 17 received into prison department establishments in England and Wales under sentence of youth custody or a detention centre order in the first six months after the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1982 was about the same as the number received under sentence of borstal training or a detention centre order in the corresponding period a year earlier. We plan to publish shortly a statistical bulletin giving details of the changes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many males between the ages of 15 and 17 years who have been sentenced to periods of youth custody are currently being held in adult prisons, broken down by length of sentence;(2) how many females between the ages of 15 and 17 years who have been sentenced to periods of youth custody are currently being held in adult prisons, broken down by length of sentence.

The latest available information is given in the following table:on the use of the new sentencing structure for young offenders in the first six months after the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to alter the establishment of the Metropolitan police.

My right hon. and learned Friend is not yet in a position to announce any decision as to changes in the establishment of the Metropolitan police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the current average weekly cost of maintaining a person in prison; and how this compares with the cost five years ago.

The average weekly cost of maintaining a person in custody in the financial year 1981–82, the latest year for which information is available, was £195; in 1976–77 it was £85. Figures for 1982–83 are being collated. In response to a question by the hon. Member for Knowsley, North (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 16 January — [Vol. 52, c. 66]—I undertook to provide information as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost of administration of his Department expressed in constant prices in each of the past five years.

The total cost of administration of the Home Office, including prisons, expressed in 1982–83 prices in the past four years, was:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for entry to the United Kingdom from (i) husbands and (ii) fiancés were (a) decided and (b) refused in each quarter of 1983 in each country outside the Indian sub-continent; and how many refusals of (i) husbands and (ii) fiancés in each country in each quarter were (a) wholly or (b) partly because the primary purpose of the marriage was held to be immigration into the United Kingdom.

The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to complete his consideration of the need for legislation to provide for criminal proceedings to be taken in England and Wales against those selling glue and similar substances for use by glue sniffers.

My right hon. and learned Friend hopes to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice has been sought from his Department by local authorities considering whether to introduce byelaws to control glue sniffing.

Since December 1982 four local authorities have inquired whether they might use then-powers to make byelaws for preventing nuisances to control glue sniffing or to regulate the sale of solvents. They have been informed that the power to make byelaws to prevent nuisances would not appear to extend to prohibiting this activity in the interests of those who might indulge in it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside concerning the use of policewomen on Humberside as market research interviewers conducting an opinion poll on the public appreciation of the Humberside police;(2) if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside on the cost of using policewomen to conduct a market research survey;(3) if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside on the hours spent by policewomen on Humberside in conducting a public opinion poll on the police force on Humberside;(4) whether he has issued advice to the Association of Chief Constables concerning the use of members of the constabulary as market researchers;(5) whether he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside as to why policewomen taking part in a market research project on the popularity of Humberside police were issued with identification cards of the market research firm involved in the project.

I understand that the decision by the chief constable of Humberside to use women police officers to help conduct a public attitude survey was taken on the ground of cost.The officers did not carry cards identifying them as employees of the market research agency conducting the survey; they carried ordinary business cards of the agency in order to be able to provide the address and telephone number of the agency, if asked. I understand that no separate assessment is available of the cost or hours involved but that less than 20 officers took part at some time in the two weeks the survey lasted. The deployment of police officers is the responsibility of the chief constable. We shall shortly be issuing guidance to forces on local public surveys which will include guidance on the use of police manpower for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside regarding advice given by the police to the public on Humberside on allowing persons into their homes unless they are satisfied with any identification that they may carry purporting to show that they act in an official capacity.

I understand that the Humberside police, like other police forces, distribute Home Office crime prevention leaflets advising householders to establish the identity of callers by a careful examination of any identification cards they may carry before admitting them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside on incidents where people have been admitted to homes of people in Humberside on producing alleged identification showing them to be members of the police force.

I understand that in one recent instance a person posing as a police officer, and showing a paper allegedly identifying him as such, attempted to gain entry to homes in Humberside. The police issued a public warning about him.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from each chief constable as to their employment of the practice of plain clothes policewomen visiting members of the public identifying themselves with business cards of public relations agencies and only admitting that they are members of the constabulary when specifically challenged on the issue.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints he has received in respect of sponsorship undertakings wrongly being sent to sponsors of visitors in the last three years for which records are available; from whom such complaints were received; and in what circumstances.

I am not aware of any such complaints other than the one made by the hon. and learned Member in recent correspondence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give advice and guidance to magistrates' courts with regard to the sentencing of offenders convicted of stealing trained sheepdogs; and if he will make a statement.

I have no information that confirms recent press reports about the prevalence of such offences in west Wales. The sentences to be imposed in particular cases are entirely for the courts to determine. I shall, however, be glad to make further inquiries if the hon. Member will provide details of representations he has received.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether, in his recent talks with the United States Energy Secretary, he received any further assurances that plutonium supplies to the United States will be used only for civil purposes.

The position remains as given by my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Moore) in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Mr. Rost) on 27 July 1982.— [Vol. 28, c. 438–39.]The United States Government informed the United Kingdom in 1964 that they had no intention of using the plutonium received from us for weapons purposes. The United States has since informed us how it has used the plutonium and it is clear that the assurance given to the United Kingdom Government in 1964 has been fully fulfilled.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the percentage increase in cost to domestic consumers of coal for every year for the past 10 years.

The table gives the percentage increase in the index of domestic coal prices between successive years since 1973:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has yet received the report of the committee of inquiry into coal mining subsidence under the chairmanship of Mr. Lewis Waddilove, C.B.E., J.P.; and if he will make a statement.

I have not yet received the report. I understand that the committee has had to consider a large volume of evidence which has prolonged its work.However preparation of the report is now well in hand and I expect to receive it shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will take steps to extend the scheme for giving 50 per cent. grants for the implementation of energy conservation measures to hospitals if recommended by an official audit;(2) if he will take steps to extend the scheme for giving 50 per cent. grants for the implementation of energy conservation measures to schools, if recommended by an official audit.

I am encouraging education and health authorities to implement cost-effective energy saving measures. The returns from measures recommended by a survey are often very attractive and a grant from my Department should not be required for them to proceed.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will introduce legislation to provide an energy audit service to households for a maximum fee of £10; and if he will make a statement.

Legislation is not necessary for this purpose. The energy efficiency office already supports much work on the development of home energy audits.Collaboration between the energy efficiency office, the Building Research Establishment, the Open University and the Channel Four television company led to the introduction last November of the "Energy Matters" home energy audit service provided by the Open University. It represents excellent value at a current price of £4·95 and I commend it to householders throughout the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many consultants' reports on combined heat and power he has received affecting parts of major cities; what he estimates would be the cost of financing projects; and what would be the time scale involved.

The report on combined heat and power prepared for my Department by W. S. Atkins and Partners has been supplemented by 22 further reports concerning specific aspects of CHP schemes in the major cities studied. The Atkins report estimates that the fixed cost of financing CHP projects would range from between £346 million and £825 million depending on the city selected. The report also estimates that the major capital works for a project would take from 12 to 14 years to complete, again depending on the city selected, but consumers would continue to be connected to the heating network on an incremental basis over the life of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he proposes to publish the terms of the settlement with the British Gas Corporation on the sale of the corporation's assets in Wytch farm and a forecast of the total amount payable to the Treasury over the life of the oilfield.

I have already undertaken to inform the House of the outcome of the present negotiations between British Gas and the Dorset Bidding Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects the completion of the sale of the British Gas Corporation's interests in the Wytch farm licence.

I have undertaken to inform the House when the negotiations have been concluded between British Gas and the Dorset Bidding Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the United Kingdom production of anthracite in each of the years from 1979 to 1983; and of this, what was the tonnage produced in Wales.

The United Kingdom production of anthracite in each of the years from 1979 to 1983 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the average price per unit for domestic consumers of electricity boards with effect from 1 April 1978, 1 June 1979, 1 September 1979, 1 April 1980, 1 August 1980, 1 April 1981, 1 April 1982 and 1 April 1983; what was the quarterly charge payable from the same dates; and what were the percentage increases in the prices per unit and the quarterly charges on 1 April 1983 compared with 31 May 1979.

The table shows the average price per unit, excluding standing charges, and the average quarterly standing charge for electricity to consumers on standard domestic tariffs in England and Wales at the requested dates.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the average standing charge per quarter for credit meter consumers of gas boards with effect from 1 April 1979, 1 October 1979, 1 April 1980, 1 October 1980, 1 April 1981, 1 October 1981, 1 April 1982, 1 October 1982 and 1 October 1983; and what was the percentage increase in the charge on 1 October 1983 compared with 1 April 1979.

The average quarterly standing charge element for domestic credit meter consumers of gas in the northern, midlands and general zones at the dates requested is shown in the table:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress has been made in the development and use of new filter technology designed to minimise the effects of acid rain; and if he will increase Government-sponsored research and development during 1984–85.

The two design studies which I announced yesterday in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend) are concerned with technologies having the potential for substantial long-term reductions in acid emissions. Further development of different processes which are already commercially available is of course a matter for the manufacturers and users concerned rather than the Government.In the field of acid emissions, the Government's priority is work to explore the links between emissions and environmental damage and the cost-effectiveness of possible remedial measures.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which countries in membership of the north-east Atlantic fisheries commission have presently exceeded their quotas of fish in any species for which quotas have been agreed; and what was the proportion by which each quota was exceeded.

Following the general extension of national fisheries jurisdiction to 200 miles in the north-east Atlantic area the north-east Atlantic fisheries commission was reconstituted and a new convention entered into force in 1982. This does not provide for the setting of quotas in the waters under the jurisdiction of contracting parties. The European Economic Community, which is a contracting party to the convention, does, however, set quotas to apply to waters within the jurisdiction of EC member states. Catch statistics for 1983 are not yet available from the European Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish his figures for the number of complaints about aircraft noise connected with Heathrow airport made by telephone for each quarter for the last five years for which figures are available; how many were received on an automatic answering machine; and how many such calls were made between 15 November and 3 December 1983, inclusive, and between 4 and 24 December 1983, inclusive.

My Department does not maintain records of the complaints it receives about aircraft noise in the detail requested. The following table indicates the annual and quarterly totals of complaints relating to Heathrow received by all means during the past five years:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the total cost of administration of his Department expressed in constant prices in each of the past five years.

The total cost of administration of the Department of Transport (before responsibility for aviation and shipping was added) expressed in 1982–83 prices in the past four years was:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what were the accepted expenditure levels for transport supplementary grant for capital, maintenance and total spending on roads for each year since 1975–76; and in each case what percentage of local authority bids the figures represent.

The figures for all transport capital expenditure and for expenditure on road maintenance are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will mount advertising campaigns to demonstrate and emphasise the importance of vehicle safety and maintenance.

There are a number of current publicity campaigns on tyres, lights and other aspects of vehicle safety. I agree that it is very important for motorists to maintain their vehicles in a safe condition at all times, and we shall put across this message at every available opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest figures for motor cycle casualties in west Yorkshire among those holding provisional licences in the 15 to 19-year-old age group; and how this compares with those for the previous comparable period.

Casualties among 15 to 19-year-old riders were 871 in the period January to September 1982 and, provisionally, 621 in 1983. But the proportion with only provisional licences cannot be estimated, as west Yorkshire constabulary is not one of the police forces monitoring L-plate status of motor cycles involved in accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has made an estimate of the annual costs of administrating the four English passenger transport authorities created under the Transport Act 1968 in comparison with the annual costs attributable to the passenger transport authority functions exercised by the four successor metropolitan county councils; and if he will publish any such estimates in the Official Report.

I regret that the information necessary for such an estimate is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the projects to be undertaken in the United Kingdom which will be financed by the 1983 rebate from the European Economic Community of 461 million units of account, which has been especially earmarked for transport infrastructure; and if he will show separately those which would not have so proceeded but for the provision of such moneys.

[pursuant to the reply, 19 January 1984, c. 289–90]: I can now make available a memorandum that shows the main projects which may, provisionally, be suitable for support under the transport refunds regulation. I am having this deposited in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people, expressed numerically and as a percentage, were unemployed in (a) the Edinburgh travel-to-work area and (b) Scotland in December 1983; and what are the corresponding figures for males and females, respectively.

The information is set out in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people aged 17 years and under, expressed numerically and as a percentage, were

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people aged 17 years and under were on the youth training scheme in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area and Scotland, respectively, in each month since the scheme began; and what percentage of the total number of young people were on the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area and Scotland, respectively, entered full-time further education after leaving school in each quarter of 1983; and what proportion they formed of the total number of young people. unemployed in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area and Scotland, respectively, for each of the four quarters of 1983.

The information is set out in the table below:

The following table shows the cumulative total of entrants to the youth training scheme (which includes also a small proportion of 18 to 21-year-old disabled people) for each month since June 1983. The figures relate to the combined districts of Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian (the area which, using the available statistics, most closely approximates to the Edinburgh travel-to-work area) and to Scotland.

Information is not available in the form requested. Scottish Education Department statistical bulletin No. 10/E1/83 — "Changes in the Pattern of School leaving and Post-school Activity: Early Analysis from the 1983 National School-Leavers Survey (Scotland)"—showed that in Lothian region 31 per cent, of school leavers from session 1981–82 had entered full-time further education by April 1983 compared with 28 per cent. for Scotland as a whole. A copy of the bulletin was sent to the hon. Member on publication and copies were also placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total cost of administration of his Department expressed in constant prices in each of the past five years.

The total cost of administration of the Scottish Office expressed in 1982–83 prices in the last four years was:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his proposals following the consultations which he initiated in May 1981 about implementation of part II of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

My right hon. Friend has no immediate proposals to bring part II of the Act into force in Scotland, but is keeping this matter under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures to show the number of (a) medical staff, (b) nurses, (c) ward orderlies and (d) domestics per 100 resident in patients in Scottish mental hospitals.

The information is set out in the following table.