asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money was offered to the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference in Maseru in 1983; and for what specific projects any such money was earmarked.

I announced that the British Government planned to commit up to £2 million for port development, fisheries research and manpower development.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the money offered for agreed projects to the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference in Maseru in 1983 were also offered at the Zimcord donors' conference previously for the same projects.

At the Maseru meeting I pledged up to £2 million new aid for SADCC programmes of high priority. I also described the progress made by that date in defining possible projects for using the £10 million which the Government had already promised at the Zimcord meeting. This £10 million, which was not of course pledged a second time, was for regional projects in the SADCC area, particularly to improve rail communications between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about delays affecting the rehabilitation of the railway linking Maputo with Zimbabwe.

There has been no undue delay. Although £10 million was pledged in 1981 for the general purpose of improving rail communications between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, consultants then had to assess which of several possible schemes we could best support. I agreed a detailed project to upgrade part of the Limpopo line last October. We are ready to start as soon as the Mozambique Government have signed the usual exchange of notes governing the project.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what educational aid Her Majesty's Government intend to make available to the people of Namibia in the current financial year.

About £425,000. This is providing 42 training awards in Britain and third countries, and two English language teachers at the United Nations Institute for Namibia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent the charitable and other voluntary bodies listed in the reply to the hon. Member for Billericay on 3 February, Official Report, c. 396–7, are accountable to Her Majesty's Government for the disbursement of overseas development funds; and if he will make a statement.

All the bodies listed are accountable to Her Majesty's Government for aid funds issued to them. To demonstrate that the funds have been used for the purposes intended, which would have been agreed beforehand with ODA, they are required to provide either copies of their accounts separately identifying aid programme funds certified by an independent auditor or statements of expenditure supported by original bills.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in what percentage proportion of the contracts given by his Department more than one firm is invited to bid.

In the financial year 1982–83 the Ministry of Defence placed 21 per cent by value, of its headquarter's contracts following competition between two or more companies. We intend to increase this proportion by making use of competition wherever it is practicable to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were, for the most recent 12 month period, held in custody while awaiting trial; and how many of these were subsequently (a) acquitted or discharged (b) given a non-custodial sentence or (c) given a custodial sentence.

The latest available information is published in tables 2.1 and 2.2 of "Prison statistics, England and Wales 1982" (Cmnd. 9027).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details not involving national security, of the Metropolitan C department computer, including (a) a description of the indexes held in the computer and the number of entries in each index, (b) the number of records and average size of record in each index, (c) the number of terminals attached to the system, and (d) the number of officers trained to use the computer system.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the computer facilities dedicated to C Department provide separate data bases which support: the fraud squad; the central drugs intelligence unit; the special branch; the special intelligence section, which has responsibility for collating intelligence relating to organised international crime; the South-East regional intelligence unit; and all four of the area analytical and targeting units set up to deal with burglary and street crime.At 12 February 1984 the total number of records

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish details of those recommendations in the report of the Erroll committee on liquor licensing which have been implemented.

Of the 33 recommendations formally listed as such in the summary of the report of the departmental committee on liquor licensing (Cmnd 5154), the following have been implemented.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the guidance that he has given, following the Parliamentary Commissioner's report on Mr. John Preece; and what action he is taking to ensure that that guidance is followed in the long term and that it is consistently and persistently adhered to.

Specific instructions to Home Office staff embodying the lessons to be learnt from this exceptional case, are being prepared, and I shall publish them in the Official Report shortly. Compliance with the instructions will be an essential and continuing responsibility of the management of the Departments concerned. In the criminal department there will be new arrangements to monitor the time taken to deal with requests for review of convictions.Existing instructions prescribe the quality assurance system in the forensic science service. The controller of the service has emphasised to the service the need to pay special attention to the quality, accuracy and comprehensibility of forensic evidence in court cases; and she has ensured that case records are preserved and stored properly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the Parliamentary Commissioner's report that false forensic evidence may lead an innocent person to plead guilty, he will now write to all those who pleaded guilty in cases in which Dr. Clift gave forensic evidence, or worked on forensic samples, to ask if they would like a review of their cases.

I have not considered it necessary to take further action in relation to these cases. I have, however, made it clear, both in my reply on 7 February to a question from the right hon. Member at c. 519 and in the evidence which I gave on 14 February to the Select Committee on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, that I will consider the matter further if the examination by the Court of Appeal of the cases which are referred to it should reveal any new consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the numbers and percentages of children (a) estimated to be entitled to free school meals and (b) taking up their entitlement.

The numbers and percentages of children estimated to be statutorily entitled to a free school meal in 1982–83 was about 1·2 million, of whom about 70 per cent. took up their entitlement. The Education (School

	Revenue from school meals		Subsidy on paid meals		Expenditure on free meals
	£ million	Index base 1974	£ million	Index base 1974	£ million	Index base 1974
1981–82	214	80·5	244	49·7	147	130·3
1982–83	210	74·0	232	44·2	173	143·6
1983–84*	230	76·5	220	39·5	201	156·9
* Estimated.

The figures are based on LEAs' expenditure returns for 1981–82 and 1982–83, and on their budgets for 1983–84 as presented in the CIPFA Estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what was the price charged to consumers of school meals in each local education authority in the autumn of 1982 and 1983;(2) if he will publish in the

The most recent published information is in the 1982 school meals census a report of which is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will ask local authorities to provide estimates of the cost of providing free school meals for (a) all children and (b) all children in primary schools; and if he will publish the tables in the Official Report.

No. However, on the basis of information already available to the Department from individual authorities, the cost of providing free school meals for all children in 1982–83 was about £175 million, of which that for the primary sector was something under £100 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much Government expenditure will be created by each of the following provisions in the new regulations concerning the assisted places scheme, namely (a) allowing the first £25,000 of retirement or redundancy pay to be ignored for the purposes of calculations and (b) not now taking the separated spouse's incomes into account in the calculations.

The costs are expected to be negligible. The first change provides an administratively simpler alternative to the present arrangements for current year

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish figures for 1981–82 and 1982–83 and estimates for 1983–84 showing the revenue raised from school meal charges, the subsidy on paid school meals and the expenditure on free meals at (a) outturn prices and (b) in index form with 1974–75 equal to 100.

The information requested is as follows:income assessment in cases of hardship; the second relates only to those children whose parents are separated by simple deed, bringing them into line with those whose

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will institute a Rayner-style scrutiny of the Professional and Executive Recruitment Service.

At the Government's request, Professional and Executive Recruitment was put on to a full cost recovery basis from 1 April 1983. It must therefore break even if it is to continue in its present form. Current indications are that the service will meet its self-financing objectives this year. While we shall be keeping its future under review, in the light of its financial performance, I do not think that a scrutiny of the kind suggested is necessary at present since the financial targets set the service should provide the necessary spur to efficiency.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many community programme places are being supported for (a) the Falmouth, (b) the Camborne and (c) the Redruth travel-to-work areas; how many of these places are full-time and part-time, respectively; and if he will project the availability of places in each town from April onwards.

On 31 January 1984 there were 22 full-time and 66 part-time employees on the community programme in the Falmouth travel-to-work area, and 17 full-time and 30 part-time in the Camborne and Redruth travel-to-work area.The number of filled places allocated to Cornwall is 1,000 and is expected to remain at that level from April onwards. The number of places available in particular areas depends upon the availability of sponsors and the quality of their proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of (a) men, (b) women and (c) school leavers unemployed in (i) Kirkby, (ii) Prescot and (iii) Merseyside on the latest available date.

The following is the information for unemployed claimants in the Kirkby and Prescot jobcentre areas and the Merseyside special development area on 12 January.

	Male	Female	School leavers aged under 18*
Kirkby jobcentre area	5,949	1,764	252
Prescot jobcentre area	1,865	830	109
Merseyside Special Development Area	103,639	38,745	5,477
* Included in previous columns.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons who left

Kirkby jobcentre area
Males
Duration of unemployment in weeks	16	17	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–39	40–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	60–64	65 and over	Total
One or less	4	8	4	5	9	15	8	2	4	5	1	3	3	0	71
Over 1 and up to 2	3	5	2	3	14	10	8	3	3	3	3	3	4	0	64
Over 2 and up to 4	4	4	5	10	38	17	17	9	5	10	4	5	3	0	131
Over 4 and up to 6	1	6	12	11	38	22	15	6	6	7	4	7	6	0	141
Over 6 and up to 8	2	3	5	8	25	24	20	10	5	6	3	3	3	0	117
Over 8 and up to 13	11	15	18	14	82	50	33	24	20	8	15	16	9	0	315
Over 13 and up to 26	31	53	53	64	172	119	75	62	38	35	38	54	29	0	823
Over 26 and up to 39	0	32	37	27	93	80	43	27	18	13	11	22	19	0	422
Over 39 and up to 52	0	22	40	27	68	45	46	29	11	10	15	9	4	0	326
Over 52 and up to 65	0	8	24	26	61	46	31	17	16	15	10	13	5	0	272
Over 65 and up to 78	0	9	23	29	70	48	46	15	13	14	17	18	2	0	304
Over 78 and up to 104	0	0	21	70	100	78	73	38	20	27	23	22	3	0	475
Over 104 and up to 156	0	0	4	33	210	139	118	90	54	44	36	41	5	0	774
Over 156 and up to 208	0	0	0	9	154	132	89	76	46	30	33	35	2	0	606
Over 208 and up to 260	0	0	0	0	57	84	68	45	21	24	34	25	1	0	359
Over 260	0	0	0	0	56	111	123	109	93	82	79	91	5	0	749
Total Males	56	165	248	336	1,247	1,020	813	562	373	333	326	367	103	0	5,949

Females
Duration of unemployment in weeks	16	17	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–39	40–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	65 and over	Total
One or less	7	8	4	1	7	4	6	1	1	4	4	0	0	47
Over 1 and up to 2	3	1	3	2	8	12	4	2	1	1	1	0	0	38
Over 2 and up to 4	2	4	4	2	10	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	31
Over 4 and up to 6	4	1	4	9	14	7	2	2	3	1	0	2	0	49
Over 6 and up to 8	0	6	4	1	11	10	5	1	1	1	1	3	0	44
Over 8 and up to 13	5	11	9	4	27	18	7	4	5	3	9	4	0	106
Over 13 and up to 26	14	50	53	30	89	56	30	19	18	21	23	26	0	429
Over 26 and up to 39	0	35	34	17	48	27	12	4	3	6	8	6	0	200
Over 39 and up to 52	0	12	36	19	32	17	2	6	4	3	4	8	0	143
Over 52 and up to 65	0	3	14	24	25	11	4	5	0	4	3	5	0	98
Over 65 and up to 78	0	9	20	27	29	8	5	2	1	1	8	3	0	113
Over 78 and up to 104	0	0	20	28	34	8	4	5	5	3	6	10	0	123
Over 104 and up to 156	0	0	7	23	73	10	4	2	3	12	3	11	0	148
Over 156 and up to 208	0	0	0	2	56	10	7	3	1	4	9	7	0	99
Over 208 and up to 260	0	0	0	0	20	6	2	2	2	2	3	3	0	40
Over 260	0	0	0	0	15	13	1	4	4	2	8	8	1	56
Total Females	35	140	212	189	498	225	96	62	52	68	90	96	1	1,764

Prescot jobcentre area
Males
Duration of unemployment in weeks	16	17	18	19	20–24	25–29	30–34	35–39	40–44	45–49	50–54	55–59	60–64	65 and over	Total
One or less	3	3	2	3	10	3	4	4	1	3	1	0	0	0	37
Over 1 and up to 2	1	3	0	3	6	6	3	2	3	2	3	2	4	0	38

The information is not available, as the Department's unemployment statistics do not indicate the year in which a young person left school.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the unemployment figures of the Kirkby and Prescot travel-to-work areas by age, sex and duration of unemployment for the latest date for which figures are available.

Kirkby and Prescot are in the Liverpool travel-to-work area. Unemployment figures are available for the jobcentre areas within the travel-to-work area. The following tables give the information for unemployed claimants in the Kirkby and Prescot jobcentre areas on 12 January. The figures for males aged 60 and over are affected by the provisions announced in the 1983 Budget; by January 1984 it was estimated that, nationally, about 161,800 had been relieved of the need to sign on.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were registered as unemployed, or in receipt of unemployment benefit, in each of his Department's offices in Greater London in May 1979 and the most recent convenient date for which figures are available.

The following table gives, for the areas specified, the numbers registered as unemployed in May 1979 and the numbers of unemployed claimants in January 1984. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.The comparisons are affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982 and the 1983 Budget provisions which meant that some men aged 60 and over no longer had to sign on in order to receive supplementary benefit or national insurance credits. The effect of the Budget provisions nationally was about 0·5 per cent.; estimates of the effect at local level are not available.

Jobcentre area	Registered unemployed May 1979	Unemployed claimants January 1984
Acton	880	2,494
Balham	1,819	4,213
Barking	1,346	4,136
Barnet	738	1,969
Beckenham and Penge	1,087	3,177
Becontree	442	1,570
Bermondsey	986	3,468
Bexley	1,083	2,292
Borough	2,873	6,318
Brixton	*6,218	8,486

Jobcentre area	Registered unemployed May 1979	Unemployed claimants January 1984
Bromley	1,166	2,362
Burnt Oak	1,253	2,057
Camberwell	3,856	10,435
Camden Town	3,409	11,969
Chiswick	790	2,166
City of London	60	459
Clapham Junction	2,990	9,798
Croydon	4,112	14,081
Dagenham	1,452	5,018
Deptford and Greenwich	2,441	6,060
Ealing	2,185	7,293
East Ham	1,469	6,047
Eltham	†	2,040
Enfield	1,234	3,686
Erith	818	3,320
Feltham	477	2,097
Finchley	1,038	3,065
Fulham	3,422	6,538
Golders Green	765	4,588
Hackney	4,495	15,902
Hainault	590	2,757
Hammersmith	5,189	13,816
Harrow	2,077	5,960
Hayes	608	2,643
Holloway	5,405	11,717
Hornchurch	839	3,145
Hotel and Catering Trades	1,135	‡
Hounslow	1,320	4,435
Ilford	1,725	5,362
Kilburn	1,468	4,616
Kings Cross	2,502	4,400
Kingston on Thames	1,371	4,117
Lewisham	3,428	10,892
Mitcham	411	2,581

Jobcentre area	Registered unemployed May 1979	Unemployed claimants January 1984
Orpington	1,360	2,466
Plaistow	1,993	4,391
Poplar	2,792	6,327
Richmond	832	1,901
Romford	1,760	5,044
Ruislip	590	1,801
Shoreditch	1,535	5,625
Sidcup	†820	2,926
Southall	1,602	4,486
St. Marylebone	4,899	10,030
Stepney	2,811	5,368
Stockwell	*	6,416
Stratford	1,946	7,714
Streatham	║1,243	3,917
Sutton	1,877	3,716
Tooting	889	1,958
Tottenham	2,818	10,466
Twickenham	578	2,359
Uxbridge	920	2,201
Walthamstow/Leytonstone	4,164	11,227
Wembley	1,278	3,836
West Drayton	159	1,031
Westminster	¶4,719	3,665
West Norwood	║	2,240
Willesden	1,771	5,838
Wimbledon	1,362	3,930
Wood Green	2,388	10,944
Woolwich	†3,972	10,189
Notes:
* Brixton included Stockwell in May 1979.
† Eltham was part of Sidcup and Woolwich in May 1979.
‡ Separate statistics no longer available; figures are allocated to the jobcentre areas in which the claimants live.
║ Streatham included West Norwood in May 1979.
¶ The figures included some Professional and Executive registrants from other areas; they air now allocated to the jobcentre areas in which they live.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport on what grounds he regards Jackson's lane community centre as an unsuitable venue for the Archway road inquiry.

Space and facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what crossing arrangements he will make for those wishing to move across the A40 near Hoover's when the traffic lights there have been removed for those who suffer from vertigo and are therefore unable to make use of the Millett footbridge.

Those people who are unable to cross the footbridge may use the Argyle road bridge about 400 yd away.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Perivale underpass current road improvement on the A40 between Hoover's and the Target roundabout to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

I expect traffic to be using the new underpass by the end of the month. Substantial completion of the contract will be achieved by May which is three months sooner than anticipated when work started two years ago.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether in the light of recent accidents, particularly at Muddleswood crossroads, he will expedite proposals to improve the A23 between Bolney and Brighton; and if he will make a statement.

I very much regret the recent accidents on the A23 and I extend my sympathy to those affected. We are making good progress with the preparation of the scheme for the improvement between Bolney and Brighton and I expect to be able to publish draft orders in the Spring.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving motor cyclists occurred between July and December 1983.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current net asset value of British Airways; and what it was in each of the years since the formation of the corporation.

[pursuant to the reply, 15 February 1984, c. 211]: Following are the value of net assets (defined as total assets less total liabilities, including minority interests, and sometimes called net worth) shown in British Airways' published accounts for the last 11 years, in accordance with both the historic cost convention and with the current cost convention since its introduction.

£ million
31 March	Historic cost	Current cost
1973	214·8	N/A
1974	234·7	N/A
1975	305·2	N/A
1976	342·2	N/A
1977	376·8	N/A
1978	435·9	529
1979	453·9	846
1980	471·4	890
1981	334·3	857
1982	256·7	320
1983	221·1	553

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals have been made to him by the British Roads Federation for the future maintenance and management of the metropolitan principal roads now the responsibility of the Greater London council.

My right hon. Friend has received the federations' response to the White Paper "Streamlining the Cities" (Cmnd. 9063). The federation favours extension of the trunk road network in London and additional powers for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport in relation to traffic management in London.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has had about improving access to the built environment for disabled people; if there is any further action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

We recently consulted on a proposal to incorporate into the Building Regulations a requirement to provide means of access and facilities for disabled people in buildings open to the public. We invited over 400 organisations to comment on our proposals^* to date we have received just over 100 responses.My right hon. Friend is considering carefully all the views put to him and will announce his decision as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the current grant-related expenditure criteria as to quantum in regard to coastline.

Grant-related expenditure for coast protection is allocated to local authorities in coastal areas in proportion to the length of coastline protected by works under the Coast Protection Act 1949.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people are currently being provided with board and lodging accommodation by local authorities.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much board and lodging accommodation is costing local authorities annually.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have built new accommodation for single people in the last three years.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes have been built by local authorities in the last three years.

The provisional estimate of local authorities' dwellings completed in England during 1983 and the figures for 1981 and 1982 appear in table 3 of my Department's press notice No. 64 issued on 6 February: a copy is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if women at Government communications headquarters, Cheltenham, will have access to industrial tribunals in matters concerning maternity rights contained within the Employment Protection Act (Consolidated) 1978 as amended by the Employment Act 1980.

As a result of the certificates which I signed on 25 January, women working at GCHQ will not have access to industrial tribunals in matters concerning maternity rights under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, as amended by the Employment Act 1980. Nevertheless time off for antenatal care; maternity pay and the right to return to work are provided for under the Civil Service Pay and Conditions Code.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's policy towards entertaining politicians and officials from the "homelands" of South Africa; how many such visits have taken place in the last two years; from which "homeland"; and if any such visits are now taking place under the auspices of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the British Council.

Our policy is to have contact with politicians and officials of the non-independent homelands, though not with those from the so-called "independent" homelands which we do not recognise. In the last two years my Department has received five visitors from the non-independent homelands of Kwazulu and Lebowa, of whom one was officially sponsored. Two officials from Kwazulu and now on a Foreign and Commonwealth Office sponsored visit, and the Lebowa Secretary for Education is currently here under the auspices of the British Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what negotiations he has had with representatives of member states of the European Community about enabling a national of a member state normally residing in another member state to vote for candidates in the European parliamentary elections in the Euro-constituency in which he normally resides; and if he will make a statement.

After extensive discussions the Council of Ministers concluded last year that it would not be possible to reach agreement on a uniform electoral procedure in time for the 1984 European Parliament elections.We hope that agreement will be possible in time for the next European Parliament elections. One possible basis for agreement is the residence principle to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many oil-burning power stations have been converted to coal since May 1979; and whether his Department will make a direct contribution to encourage further conversions.

The CEGB has carried out no such conversions in this period but keep the option under review. No specific Government funding is earmarked for such conversions but I would expect them to be undertaken where they prove to be economic.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report his estimate of the market value of those benefits in kind referred to in his answer of 19 December, Official Report, c. 16, relating to taxation of benefits in kind.

The taxable values of vouchers and medical insurance given in my earlier reply are based on the cost to the employer of providing the benefits and may, in these cases, be considered reasonably close to the market value to the employee.The remaining benefits are charged to tax on a conventional basis and I regret that information is not available on which to base a reliable estimate of their market values.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a comparison between gross domestic product, income taxes and value added tax for each member state of the European Economic Community.

The table shows income taxes paid by persons and value added tax as percentages of gross domestic product for each of the member countries of the European Economic Community in 1981, the latest year for which the information is available.Figures for the gross domestic product of these countries, converted into US dollars on the basis of both exchange rates and purchasing power parities are given in "OECD National Accounts Volume 1 Main Aggregates 1953–1982". A copy is available in the Library.

Taxes as a percentage of GDP* in 1981
	Income taxes paid by persons†	Value added tax†
Belgium	15·8	8·0
Denmark	23·7	10·3
France	5·7	8·9
German Federal Republic	10·8	6·3
Greece	4·1	—
Irish Republic	12·0	6·0
Italy	8·8	5·0
Luxembourg	9·5	4·0
Netherlands	11·2	7·1
United Kingdom‡	10·7	4·6
* At market prices.
† On a receipts basis.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of families entitled to family income supplement who also have to pay income tax; and what is the total value of revenue earned from this source.

I regret that the information is not available. It is not possible to identify families eligible for family income supplement from data held on tax records nor to make satisfactory estimates of the information requested from data available from other sources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he gives to inspectors of taxes concerning the definition of plant to be used by them.

The definition of plant for capital allowance purposes is not laid down in statute but derives from a series of court decisions. Advice to Inspectors of Taxes is the responsibility of the Board of Inland Revenue, and is given in accordance with those decisions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effects of price increases of (a) 10 pence, (b) 20 pence, (c) 30 pence and (d) 50 pence per packet of 20 cigarettes on (i) Government revenue and (ii) the cost of living index.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to price increases caused by duty changes. On this basis the estimates are:

Change in price of 20 cigarettes (pence)	Full year revenue yield (£ million)	RPI impact effect (per cent.)
10	320	0·4
20	620	0·7
30	900	1·1
50	1,400	1·8

For the larger price increases, the revenue estimates are subject to considerable margins of uncertainty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what percentage the Government's current expenditure, excluding transfer payments, increased between 1978–79 and 1983–84.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the consultancy firms which have received contracts from his Department, the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise, respectively, in the past four years, stating subjects of such contracts and the fees paid in each case.

[pursuant to the reply, 10 February 1984, c. 806]: In the past four years HM Treasury (including the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency), the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise have used consultancy firms on more than 60 occasions. In view of its length, I will send the hon. Member a copy of the list, and make further copies available in the Library.

asked the Attorney-General what plans the Government have for improving the house transfer system in England and Wales.

We have established a committee, chaired by Professor Street of the University of Manchester, with the following terms of reference:

"1. To consider what tests or other evidence of competence are needed for non-solicitor conveyancers in order to provide the public with a satisfactory assurance of adequate skill; how any such tests might be administered; and what other requirements should be placed on non-solicitor conveyancers to ensure adequate consumer protection.

2. To consider the scope for simplifying conveyancing practice and procedure, and any other matters concerning the simplification of house purchase which may be referred to the Committee."

The Lord Chancellor is inviting the following organisations to nominate a representative to serve on the Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new facts concerning scented erasers have been brought to his attention since 8 November 1982.

The smaller scented erasers have again appeared on the market despite my predecessor's appeal to suppliers not to supply them because of the risk of small children putting them in their mouths and choking.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what level of investment was achieved by the textile industry in 1983; what are the prospects for 1984; and if he will make a statement.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ensure that any contract for the sale of Scott Lithgow takes fully into account the high freehold value of its assets.

I shall ensure both that all relevant factors are taken into account and that the best interests of the taxpayer are fully served.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he plans to publish the salmon and sea trout catch statistics for the whole of Scotland for the period 1952 to 1981, inclusive, giving details of the balance of the Scottish rivers, in the same form as is employed in his Department's publications relating only to the East, North East, Moray Firth and Solway regions; if he will publish annually the statistics stipulated in the Salmon and Fresh Water Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act 1951 in this form; and if he will make a statement.

My Department published in August 1983 detailed statistics on salmon, grilse and sea trout catches between 1952–81 in four of the 11 statistical regions into which Scotland has been divided for this purpose. This was the first time these figures have been generally available in such detail. A volume for the other regions will be published shortly. Catch statistics in respect of later years will be published in similar form.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans the Government have for a programme of privatisation of forest land beyond March 1986.

No provision was made in yesterday's White Paper for any increase in the current disposals programme of £82·1 million, but the period over which it is to be achieved has been extended by one year to 31 March 1987. The programme will be kept under review in the context of the Government annual survey of public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will list, region by region, the details of the planned spending on special education for the year 1984–85; and what percentage of total educational expenditure this represents.

Information about local authority budgets for 1984–85 is not yet available and the returns do not separately identify planned expenditure on special schools and classes.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will examine the operation of the small firms loan guarantee scheme in Northern Ireland; and what is the number of applications made and the number of grants approved over the duration of the scheme.

The small firms loan guarantee scheme is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. I am replying on his behalf. The scheme is currently under a review which extends to its operation in Northern Ireland. The participating banks are responsible for deciding whether to seek a guarantee under the scheme and there are no figures for the number of applications submitted to them. Up to 31 January 1984 the Department of Trade and Industry had issued 144 guarantees in respect of small businesses in Northern Ireland, relating to £5·6 million of bank lending.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what revisions are being made to the cash limit for Northern Ireland departmental services for 1983–84.

The cash limit for Northern Ireland departmental services, NID 1, for 1983–84 has been increased by £3·9 million from £1,968·5 million to £1,972·4 million. The change reflects three increases: £2 million towards additional work which is being carried out by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive on Enveloping schemes; £1·2 million to meet pay costs following the findings last year of the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body; and £0·7 million for the continuation of the enterprise allowances scheme. These increases are being met from the Contingency Reserve.

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts (1) how many submissions received by the Office of Arts and Libraries on the arts consultative paper which accompanied Cmnd. 9063 were in complete support of the Government's proposals;(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the submissions received by the Office of Arts and Libraries on the arts consultative paper which accompanied Cmnd. 9063.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many applications by projects for the under-fives initiative money have been made by each of the 14 agencies; how many of each of these have been turned down; and what have been the grounds of refusal in respect of projects which have been refused;(2) what are the criteria for allocating money for projects under the under-fives initiative;(3) what steps he has taken to explain to specified agencies the criteria for approval of projects for the under-fives initiative money.

It is difficult to specify projects refused because the proposals were worked up and presented during a process of discussion between the Department and each of the agencies during which the broad criteria were explained. It was made clear that the final selection of projects would be to reflect the balances we wanted to achieve in the programme between different kinds of care and support, and also to achieve a reasonable geographical distribution. The aim was to select schemes which would provide practical support for families with children under five, particularly those who may have special problems, such as single parents or working families on low incomes—mothers finding it difficult to cope, or disadvantaged ethnic minority families. Projects chosen covered a wide range of provision, including day-nurseries and child-minder support schemes, part-day care provision through help to playgroups, drop-in and creche facilities, and help to families through volunteer home visiting schemes, mother and toddler clubs and day centre provision. Given that there is a limit to the amount of money available to fund the initiative in each of the relevant financial years it was inevitable that a number of sound schemes relevant to the aims of the initiative could not be offered funding.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the projects which have been approved for funds from the under-fives initiative have got support from the relevant local authority; and how many of them have a commitment from the local authority either for shared funding now or to fund when the initiative money runs out in 1986.

The voluntary agencies managing the projects were strongly encouraged to ensure that each project proposed for funding under the initiative had the support of the relevant local authority. Our present information is that about two-thirds of the projects have local authority participation or practical support of some kind. At this stage we do not know whether projects have a commitment from the relevant local authority to shared funding now or to funding at the end of the initiative period.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how much of the £2 million that he announced in December 1983 would be available for under-fives initiative has been allocated so far; and whether, if the full £2 million is not allocated before the end of March, it will be carried over into the following financial year;

Calderdale District Health Authority
	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982
Number of persons on in-patient waiting list on 31 December	1,971	2,625	2,826	1,920	2,168	1,536	1,270	1,108	1,239
In-patient discharges and deaths during the year	19,577	18,093	19,108	20,203	19,911	21,027	21,368	22,099	22,352
Day care attendances	2,362	1,909	2,250	2,903	3,159	3,145	3,379	3,422	3,822
New out-patients	26,452	19,319	23,925	24,793	24,549	24,195	24,356	24,896	24,849
Total out-patient attendances	115,464	89,447	104,183	106,620	120,824	120,088	119,907	121,522	121,893

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to ensure people know the health protection they need before they go abroad.

People should check on the health protection they need as soon as possible if they are planning a holiday abroad or business trip. Malaria is on the increase with over 1,800 cases last year in the United Kingdom, and nearly 200 people caught typhoid, but these figures show the need for people to check what they should do to make sure that they get the right vaccination or other protective health measures well before they go abroad. Doctors should be consulted six to eight weeks before proposed departure.The great majority of travel agents now have the Prestel viewdata service which gives up to date information on any disease that needs vaccination or other protective measures for any country in the world. In addition I have increased the number of leaflets printed by 50 per cent. so that this year five million copies of the leaflets

Present indications are that about £750,000 will be advanced to participating voluntary agencies before the end of the financial year. As announced, £2 million will be available to fund the under-fives initiative in both 1984–85 and 1985–86 and allocations have been made to participating agencies accordingly. I was glad to be able to announce to the agencies when I met them on 15 February that we are extending the initiative into 1986–87 to take account of the late start in 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what have been the average hospital waiting lists for inpatients and outpatients in the Calderdale health authority in each year since 1974; and how many patients have been treated per annnum.

The available information is given in the table. Information on waiting lists for out-patients is not held centrally.I hope that this wider publicity will mean that people find out the necessary health protection for the places they are visiting and get the protection planned well in advance of their tourist or business trip.