asked the Attorney-General what representations he has had concerning the possible prosecution of a constituent of the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley, details of which have been sent to him; and what action he has taken.

I understand that the hon. Gentleman has kindly agreed to provide my Department with further information to enable me to identify the case to which he refers.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his reply to the right hon. Member for Brent, East on 5 December, Official Report, column 47, if he is yet able to say what information he has as to the codes of practice followed in (a) the United States of America and (b) the European Economic Community which state the circumstances when gas and electricty supplies are not allowed to be cut off.

Practices within the United States of America and the Community vary and detailed information is not available. However, I understand that in the United States of America the state agencies responsible for regulating fuel utilities specify the circumstances in which supplies to domestic consumers may be disconnected. These appear to parallel closely the United Kingdom fuel industries' code of practice. Thus, in general, utilities ensure adequate contact with consumers before disconnecting and made efforts to avoid this where undue hardship would result—for example, during the winter months or where the consumer is elderly or ill. Similarly, I understand that in the Community all member states operate the equivalent of a voluntary code of practice. This in general takes account of the age, health and family circumstances of the consumer and provides alternative easy payment methods to help avoid disconnection. Overall, both in the United States of America and the Community, the fuel industries have the same power to disconnect as do the United Kingdom industries and take similar measures to exercise this power responsibly so as to avoid undue hardship to consumers. I will also write to the right hon. Member further on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimates he has to the latest comparative costs (a) in bringing gas north from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland and (b) linking the British and Northern Ireland grids with a pipeline running beneath the Irish sea.

I have been asked to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has completed his review of responsibility for waste disposal in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

The review is now complete and I have today written to the chairmen of the Committee for Welsh District Councils and the Welsh Counties Committee to inform them of my decision. I have placed a copy of my letters in the Library.Briefly, I am satisfied that there is considerable room for improvement in the way in which the waste disposal function is carried out in Wales, and that the criticisms which led to the review were, in general, fully justified.The transfer of the function to the county councils, which consultation has shown to be the most satisfactory of the alternative options set out in the consultation paper, would require legislation. The period of transition would be lengthy and the counties, if they were given responsibility for waste disposal, would still then be faced with a need to develop operational plans and strategies within their areas, and effective liaison and co-operation with adjoining authorities. This would result in significant delays in achieving effective management of the waste disposal function.In the course of my consultations, I have receive certain assurances from the Association of District Councils which, if carried through, would result in major improvements, particularly in the shorter term. In the circumstances, I have decided not to make any changes at the present time.However, as my letters make clear, I shall not hesitate to bring in contingent legislation to enable me to transfer the function if I consider that those assurances are not being fulfilled. To this end, I am asking the Welsh district councils to prepare, as a matter of some urgency, waste disposal plans for their areas, as required by section 2 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and to strengthen and restructure the regional waste disposal study groups to ensure that the planning organisation of waste disposal will be properly co-ordinated and managed as necessary over wider areas than is now the case.I recognise that the task is not an easy one, and I am therefore giving Welsh local authorities time to bring about these essential changes. In the meantime, I am giving them an assurance that, provided there is satisfactory progress towards a major improvement in the quality of the service, which I shall formally review towards the end of 1985, I do not intend to effect changes in their responsibilities in this respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report, or deposit in the Library, a schedule of the changes which have been made in the text of the draft Act of European Union as recently approved by the Assembly of the European Economic Community since it was debated on 17 June 1982.

The draft treaty on European Union adopted by the European Parliament on 15 February has no connection with the solemn declaration on European union — usually known as the Genscher-Colombo declaration—which was signed by Community Heads of Government at Stuttgart on 19 June 1983 and which was deposited in the Library of the House of Commons on 21 June 1983. It was a draft of the latter which was debated by the House on 17 June 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong have (a) applied to settle in the United Kingdom and (b) been accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom.

24,457 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong have applied to settle in the United Kingdom since the start of 1979; 12,100 of these have been accepted for resettlement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish a table of the countries to which Vietnamese refugees currently in Hong Kong have applied for settlement and the number each country has accepted for settlement from Hong Kong.

The information is as follows:

Countries to which refugees currently in Hong Kong have applied for resettlement	Total number accepted for resettlement
Australia	103
Belgium	—
Canada	230
China	—
Denmark	1
France	—
West Germany	—
Israel	—
Japan	23
Netherlands	23
New Caledonia	—
New Zealand	—
Spain	—
United Kingdom	35
United States of America	148
Vanuatu	—

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese refugees are (a) in Hong Kong and (b) in closed camps in Hong Kong.

12,809 Vietnamese refugees are currently in Hong Kong awaiting resettlement in third countries; 5,841 of these are in closed camps.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the future of closed refugee camps in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Government keep the need for closed centres under constant review. Any decision on the future of the centres would be taken in the light of the continuing burden imposed by refugees and would depend upon changes in the number of refugees arriving in, and being resettled from, Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department will deal with leave requests from staff at Government communications headquarters to lobby hon. Members; and what is the reason for such decision.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Mr. Hayhoe) to the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs) on 20 February at column 562.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to assess the problems, by scale and increase, of cervical cancer in women under 25 years.

The Government look to an independent specialist group, the Committee on Gynaecological Cytology, for advice on the age and frequency of cervical screening. The committee's most recent review of policy followed the publication, last year, of research linking cervical cancer and the use of oral contraceptives. The resulting policy was set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) on 31 October 1983, at columns 293–94.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the progress made in the negotiations on National Health Service salaries.

Pay negotiations for most NHS staff groups not covered by the pay review bodies are conducted in the various Whitley councils. Claims have recently been lodged in the ancillary workers' and ambulance service staffs' councils and are currently being considered by the management sides. No claims for other staff groups have yet been submitted.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects that the Chief Medical Officer's report on medical aspects of food policy will be published.

I assume this question refers to the report which the Chief Medical Officer's committee on the medical aspects of food policy (COMA) is awaiting from its panel on diet and cardiovascular disease. This panel, under the chairmanship of Professor P. J. Randle, FRS, has been considering the scientific evidence about the relationship between diet and heart disease and its report is expected later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that resources will be available and plans made to ensure that the new Redditch district general hospital will be fully operational, including a casually facility, from the time the buildings are commissioned.

Yes. The West Midlands regional health authority has undertaken to ensure that phase I of the new hospital will open fully on completion.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any information regarding the size of and the average length of stay on the waiting list for ear, nose and throat operations at Manchester royal infirmary for (a) adults and (b) children.

Waiting list information is available centrally by the specialty of treatment and not by operation or by age group. On 31 December 1982, the latest available date, there were 427 persons on the inpatient waiting list for admission to the specialty of ear, nose and throat at Manchester royal infirmary. Information on the average length of stay on the waiting list at individual hospitals is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will provide a table showing the waiting times for operations in each of the major specialties for the North West regional health authority, including each district health authority within that region, in the years 1978 to 1980;(2) if he will provide tables showing the waiting lists for National Health Service hospitals in the north west region, including each district health authority, in the years 1979 to 1982;(3) if he will provide a table showing how many people were on the waiting lists for inpatient treatment at National Health Service hospitals at 31 March and 30 September in 1982 and 1983, respectively, for the North West regional health authority and tables for each district health authority within that region.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if will list the totals of cash spent annually in the National Health Service in the north west region, including each of the district health authorities within that region, since and including 1979 and publish the estimate of the amount of National Health Service cash available for each of the years ahead until 1987–88.

The annual accounts of the relevant health authorities show that the cash spent in the north western region on all services except payments to contractors providing family practitioner services was:

	£ million
1979–80	514·2
1980–81	664·4
1981–82	764·5
1982–83	812·1

Present allocations for 1983–84 and 1984–85 are £834·5 million and £866 million respectively. Planning assumptions for 1985–86 and 1986–87 will be announced in due course. There were very minor boundary changes in 1982 for which the historic figures have not been adjusted.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange for an exhibition relating to the silver jubilee year of Cruse, the National Organisation for the Widowed and their Children, to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State has already indicated his willingness for the Department to sponsor such an exhibition by Cruse. He wrote to this effect to my hon. Friend the Member for Woodspring (Mr. Dean) in November last year. We have a high regard for value of Cruse's work.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many payments of supplementary benefit have been made to people who suffered wrongful employment deductions; and what was the total amount paid, up to the latest date for which information is available (a) as a result of the scrutiny of current cases and (b) as a result of the publicity campaign by each local office of his Department.

A breakdown office by office of the number of refunds of voluntary unemployment deductions is not readily available, and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether routine procedures exist for the supply of copies of the code of practice on fuel disconnections to fuel direct liaison officers in local offices of his Department.

When the fuel industries code of practice on disconnections was revised in 1982, all DHSS local and regional offices were sent copies of the industries code of practice leaflet. The code of practice and the leaflet are referred to in paragraph 9236 of the "S Manual".

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how long his Department expects to take to approve the application for a mobility conversion by Mr. M. V. Reynolds of 21 Sandycliffe Close, Forest Town, Mansfield; how many such applications are outstanding; and when he expects the backlog to be cleared.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1984, c. 507]: Mr. Reynolds has opted to receive the new war pensioners' mobility supplement. This will replace the Departmental vehicle he is currently using. He has decided to use the allowance to buy a car on hire purchase via Motability. He has asked for adaptations to his new car, namely, automatic gearbox, adjustable seat and grab handles on the driver's side. These have now been medically approved and the Department is able to make a contribution towards the cost of an automatic gearbox. The Department will also meet the full cost of an adjustable seat and grab handles.The Department has received approximately 400 requests for assistance to meet the cost of conversions to Motability cars and it is expected that these will be dealt with within the next three months.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many complaints he has received about general practitioner deputising services in Leicester in each of the last three years.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 February 1984, c. 430]: This information is not held centrally.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exhequer in terms of tax forgone of the concession on life assurance in all the forms in which it is being used by financial intermediaries for investment purposes.

I assume this question refers to life assurance premium relief. The estimated total cost of this relief in 1983–84 will be around £700 million. We cannot estimate what proportion of these premiums relates to the cost of life cover.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the increase in the number of staff employed in the Inland Revenue special offices, Official Report, 18 November 1983, column 597, will give rise to an intensification of the recategorisation programme indicated in his reply to the hon. Member for Tatton, Official Report, 13 July 1983, columns 384–85.

The redeployment of 850 staff to which I referred in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Berkshire, East (Mr. MacKay) at column 597 does not involve special offices. These staff will be employed in local tax offices investigating aspects of the black economy and will not in general be concerned with determining employment status for tax purposes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers have been reclassified, since categories of earners were defined in the Social Security Act 1975, for national insurance purposes, from self-employment status to employment status.

I regret that the detailed information requested is not available. Information about certain taxpayers who have had the tax treatment of some of their earnings or their employment status for tax purposes changed or determined for the first time were given in my written answer to my hon. Friend's earlier question on this subject on 16 January at column 15.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to ensure that capital allowances are available to lessees incurring expenditure on plant which, once installed, takes on the character of landlord's fixtures.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a list of those members of the European Economic Community who (a) zero-rate construction work for value added tax purposes, (b) zero-rate first-time sales (including long leases) of buildings, (c) zero-rate transfers of second-hand buildings and (d) zero-rate alterations, repairs and maintenance works.

The United Kingdom zero-rates construction services, sales—including long leases—of newly constructed buildings by the developer, and building alterations other than work of repair and maintenance.None of the other member states with a value added tax zero-rates any of the activities or transactions referred to.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the Spastics Society; what reply he is sending; and if he will make a statement.

I have received representations from the Spastics Society in a letter from the director, Sir John Cox. My hon. Friend the Financial Secretary replied on my behalf on 9 February saying that we would give the society's views careful consideration. The society recommends an increase in tobacco duty in excess of revalorisation, which is not a matter I can comment on in advance of the Budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the liability to Her Majesty's Government of the dollar loans guaranteed by Her Majesty's Treasury for British Airways; and at what exchange rate they were so guaranteed.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy towards applications for leave of absence by civil servants to play representative sport in South Africa.

If a civil servant applies for leave of absence in order to take part in a representative sporting event, Government Departments may, at their discretion under the special leave rules, allow special leave with pay. However, it is not intended that this discretion should extend to allowing such leave where the sporting event takes place in South Africa. To do so would be inconsistent with the Commonwealth statement on apartheid in sport—the Gleneagles agreement—which calls on the Government and other Commonwealth Governments to take every practical step to discourage contact or competition by their nationals with sporting organisations, teams or sportsmen from South Africa.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish details of recent revisions to the official index of manufacturing output and make a statement on developments.

Initial estimates of manufacturing output are often revised significantly. Some of the reasons for these adjustments were discussed in an article in Economic Trends in October 1983. Figures for the third quarter of 1983 have been subject to three revisions since initial publication. They now show an increase of about 1 per cent. on the second quarter level. Estimates for October and November were also raised this month. Together with the initial estimate for December they show a further rise of 1 per cent. between the third and fourth quarters of 1983.These adjustments have had a considerable impact upon the profile of manufacturing output. The recovery since the hesitation in output in the middle of 1982 now looks much stronger. Manufacturing production appears to have grown by 2·5 to 3 per cent. between the second halves of 1982 and 1983, with higher levels of output evident in most industries. These figures are much more in line with other indicators of activity in manufacturing, notably the increase seen since the summer in average weekly hours and the optimistic responses to recent CBI surveys. Provisional figures for manufacturing investment in the fourth quarter of 1983 confirm the improved outlook foreseen in the Department of Industry's investment intentions survey. An increase of 9 per cent. is projected for 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report a list of parking facilities in the United Kingdom for long distance heavy duty lorries authorised by local authorities under the Transport Act 1982.

There is no requirement for local authorities to notify my Department of the facilities they provide for heavy lorries. A list could be produced only at disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the planned transport supplementary grant for London Transport in 1984–85; and how this compares in real terms with three years before.

The amount of GLC expenditure for London Transport which my right hon. Friend accepted for grant in the 1984–85 settlement is £90 Million revenue support and £142·8 million capital. In total, this represents a small increase in real terms on the comparable figures in the 1981–82 settlement overall.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement giving the latest position regarding the painting of the Gravelly hill interchange, indicating costs and time taken compared with the original estimates.

The contract was completed in November 1983. The completion date specified in the contract was October 1982. For the other information requested I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 23 November 1983 at column 156.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the integrity of the surface of the M6 motorway at Witton viaduct.

I am not satisfied with the road surface at Witton viaduct. The experimental material put down in 1978 is not satisfactory and patching work has to be undertaken from time to time until the permanent repairs can be undertaken later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the bearing replacements at Bromford viaduct on the M6 motorway; if the work will be completed on time; and whether it will be at the tender cost.

The contract for bearing plinth replacements is due for completion at the end of March, but it seems likely that the contractor will overrun this by several weeks. The final cost will depend on the engineer's decision concerning any claims the contractor may submit. My Department has been advised that the contract sum is likely to increase from the tender sum of £509,793 to £790,232 due to an increase in the amount of cold weather working.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if all European Economic Community countries are observing and enforcing the same rules on lorry and coach drivers' hours and rest periods as the United Kingdom.

I cannot speak for the Commission or the other member states of the Community on these matters. The Commission is currently reviewing the relevant regulations and will, I understand, make proposals to the Council of Ministers soon for their amendment. I know that the French presidency will give these a high priority and I hope that the outcome will be greater clarity and more flexibility, contributing to more effective enforcement in all member states.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost of the Civil Service time required and what information he has of local government officer time required during the current financial year in order to carry out consultations between his Department and the metropolitan districts upon transport capital projects contained in the firm lists of proposed new starts in 1984–85 drawn up by the metropolitan county councils in accordance with the new procedures set out in the transport supplementary grant settlement 1984–85 circulars sent to those councils.

I do not expect the procedure to cause any additional manpower costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will put more resources into enforcing the law on lorry weights.

I want to see effective enforcement of the law against overloading. That is a matter for the various enforcement authorities who are rightly not answerable to any Ministers. What I have done is to increase the resources available to the licensing authorities in the field force of traffic examiners and in providing many more weighbridges. I want to make it clear that both prohibitions of overweight lorries and prosecutions are needed for effective enforcement and I will see that prosecutions by licensing authorities are not inhibited by lack of resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will list in the Official Report the total sum estimated to cover the grant provisions for district authorities in Scotland under the Civil Defence (Grant) Scotland Amendment Regulations 1983 and his estimate of what additional costs will have to be borne by each individual district authority in Scotland to comply with the regulations.

In 1983–84 provision of £1,744,000 has been made for payment of civil defence grant to regional, islands and district councils. Until the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) (Scotland) Regulations 1983 came into effect on 1 December 1983, district councils had only minimal civil defence responsibilities. It is too soon to say what the expenditure of each district council on its new responsibilities may be. Civil Defence grant will be available at 100 per cent. on the costs of such matters as communications, training of staff, participation in exercises, and expenses incurred by volunteers in training, and at 75 per cent. on all other qualifying expenditure, including that on salaries of civil defence staff and establishment and maintenance of emergency centres.

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what is the expenditure on the arts by the Governments of the United Kingdom, France, Japan, the United States of America, West Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Canada; and what this represents per head of population in each case.

The information below has been provided by the Policy Studies Institute and the Arts Council. It relates to central or, where appropriate, federal Government expenditure only. The figures cover the performing arts, museums and galleries, the visual arts and literature. They take no account of differences in the cost of services provided, nor of the fact that public accounting practices in respect of such items as pension provision vary from country to country. The years for which figures are available vary, and the latest year is given in each case. Sterling conversions are at the average parities for the relevant year.

Per capita expenditure by central government
Country	Year	£
West Germany	1981	0·32
Sweden	1980–81	11·42
USA	1983	0·99
France	1982	8·12
United Kingdom	1982–83	3·64
Canada	1982–83	5·58

Comparable figures are not available for Italy, Japan or Spain.

asked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts if he will make a statement on the Minister for the Arts' recent visit to Merseyside.

My noble Friend the Minister for the Arts visited Liverpool on 17 February to speak at the launch of the Council for Business and the Arts on Merseyside. He also visited Merseyside on 4 January, the details of which I gave to the hon. Member in my reply of 23 January at column 421.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why the Manpower Services Commission has decided to close the YMCA special programmes, training for life, at Hyde, Tameside, Greater Manchester.

No decision has been made on the future of this scheme. However, the YMCA is considering proposals made by the commission's Manchester east area office for changes in the type of provision currently mounted there.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Health and Safety Executive has investigated the attack on Mr. Kenneth Dormer by a Friesian bull while he was walking on a public footpath near Bolington cross, Prestbury, Cheshire; and what action it is taking.

I was sorry to learn of the attack on Mr. Dormer. The incident is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. It is liaising with the police, who are considering preferring charges against the farmer under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.The bull in question has since been destroyed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of complaints received by the trades union certification officer concerning trades union political funds for each of the last 10 years.

I am informed by the certification officer that the number of trade union members who registered complaints under section 3(2) of the Trade Union Act 1913 in each of the last 10 years was as follows:

	Number
1974	Nil
1975	2
1976	3
1977	18
1978	12
1979	105
1980	20
1981	12
1982	24
1983	21

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is now able to put forward proposals to implement the Government's announced intention to introduce a rigorous system for the licensing of gas installers and ensure that private sector installers are on equal footing with British Gas; and what consultations have taken place with representatives of the gas installing industry.

The form of regulations for the control of gas installers is under consideration. These regulations will complement the revised Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations which I intend to make shortly. They will apply to private sector installers in the same way that they will apply to the British Gas Corporation. They will develop the safety regime established by the previous Gas Safety Regulations 1972. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy who had the responsibility of preparing the regulations, arranged for consultation with representatives of the gas installation industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment to what extent the figures for the increase in male earnings in manufacturing take account of changes in the number of jobs available to those aged less than 21 years; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the effect of these changes on the index.

No official figures are published of the increase in average earnings of all male employees in manufacturing. The available figures relate to full-time manual and non-manual employees aged 21 and over—in the report of the "New Earnings Survey 1983", part A, tables 4 and 5—and to full-time manual employees on adult rates—in the report on the October 1983 survey of manual earnings in Employment Gazette, February 1984, page 47. Both of these publications are available in the Library.The information available from the monthly survey on which the index of average earnings is based does not enable the effect of changes in particular categories of job such as those available to males aged under 21 to be distinguished.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many inspectors there are within the Health and Safety Executive.

There were 1,254 Health and Safety Executive inspectors in post on 1 January 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he will take to reduce unemployment in Hertfordshire.

There are signs that the Government's policies are succeeding in establishing the economic conditions which will help industries in Hertfordshire and elsewhere to become more competitive and start to expand. In the meantime we are continuing to protect those hardest hit through out special employment and training measures.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report a list of those councils which called for a ban on stubble burning in each of the years 1981, 1982 and 1983.

I regret that no central record is kept of those councils which have called for a ban on straw and stubble burning.

asked the Prime Minister which Departments will be involved in the preparation of Her Majesty's Government's position for the World Health Assembly in May; and which will be the lead Department.

The lead will be taken by the Department of Health and Social Security which will consult other Departments as necessary.

asked the Prime Minister how many applications by senior officials to take up paid employment in the private sector have been received in each of the past four years; and how many have been approved.

The information available centrally about officials in the home Civil Service at under-secretary — grade 3 — level and above is as follows:

	1980	1981	1982	1983
Number of applications	20	37	33	43
Number of applications approved unconditionally	15	32	30	35
Numbers of applications approved with conditions*	5	5	3	8
* Applications from former permanent secretaries which have been approved subject to the normal minimum three months' waiting period after retirement are included in column 2.

asked the Prime Minister what efforts were made to place the orders for component parts for the pressurised water reactors project with British companies.

I am advised that the Central Electricity Generating Board expects shortly to order from Framatome forging materials for the Sizewell B reactor pressure vessel which British industry is not equipped to supply. If Sizewell B goes ahead, the board expects over 90 per cent. of the total value of the project to be undertaken by British industry.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply of 13 February, Official Report, columns 13–14, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr, whether records are available to her of the precise calendar date when she first became aware of the potential civil engineering contract she assisted with on her visit to Oman.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many store cattle were imported into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic during 1983.

The number is estimated to be 109,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many live cattle for immediate slaughter were imported into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic during 1983.

The number is estimated by the Department of Agriculture to be 53,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 26 January, Official Report, column 1040, if he will list the changes in local government structure in Northern Ireland to which he is currently giving consideration.

I have nothing to add to the answer to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the names of the two Saudi princes who have invested a large amount of private capital in the Lear Fan project.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of school leavers who were classified as (a) illiterate and (b) innumerate in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1982 and 1983.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what the Government are planning to do to resolve the anomaly concerning those students who are in receipt of a local education authority award but who find themselves under the Education (Fees and Awards) Regulations 1983 liable to pay fees at the overseas student rate.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 19 December 1983 at columns 6–7 and to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, North-East (Mr. Freud) on 21 February at column 484.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the minimum loss to students on a flat rate scheme for travel expenses if they travelled between their parental home in an English local education authority and the New University of Ulster three times a year.

The Department does not have the detailed information necessary to make estimates of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the highest amount paid to a student on a mandatory award as reimbursement for travel costs in the years (a) 1979–80, (b) 1980–81, (c) 1981–82 and (d) 1982–83, excluding travel costs incurred by students with disabilities, and those travelling overseas in pursuit of their studies.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue guidance to local education authorities which receive applications from employees for leave of absence to play representative sport in South Africa; and if he will make a statement.

No. The provisions for leave of absence for participation in representative sport are properly left for local determination.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will arrange for an exhibition relating to the British Youth Council to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall for one week commencing Monday 19 March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in each of the last 10 years, how many

Persons aged 17 and over found guilty or cautioned for certain offences
England and Wales	Number of persons
Offence	Total		Found guilty		Cautioned
	1979	1982	1979	1982	1979	1982
Infanticide	7	3	7	3	—	—
Cruelty or neglect to children	161	130	138	101	23	29
Abandoning child aged under two years	6	4	1	1	5	3
Child stealing	14	9	13	7	1	2
Buggery with a boy under 16 years of age or with a woman or an animal	*	126	119	123	*	3
Indecent assault on a male under 16 years of age	*	492	485	460	*	32
Indecent assault on a female under 16 years of age	*	1,452	1,347	1,167	*	258
Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years of age	91	108	77	59	14	49
Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 years of age	1,556	830	620	388	936	442
Incest with a girl under 13	*	45	49	44	*	1
Inciting girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse	*	6	8	6	*	—
Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16	*	10	6	7	*	3
Person responsible for girl under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution etc.	*	3	3	3	*	—
Abduction of unmarried girl under 16	*	10	19	9	*	1
Gross indecency with a boy	*	88	104	86	*	2
Gross indecency with a girl	*	122	135	119	*	3
Taking, possessing or distributing indecent photographs of children	*	12	2	12	*	—
* Not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average length of time spent in prison department establishments of persons detained under Immigration Act powers for 1982 and 1983;(2) what was the average daily prison population during 1982 and 1983 of persons detained under Immigration Act powers.

The average number of persons detained in prison department establishments in England and Wales under the Immigration Act 1971 is published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales"—table 1.4 of the issue for 1982, Cmnd. 9027. The average period of detention of such persons discharged in 1981 was five weeks, and in 1982 four and a half weeks; these average prosecutions there have been for the physical abuse of children; and what is the incidence of such cases among (a) one-parent families and (b) two-parent families.

There is no specific criminal offence of physical abuse of a child; prosecutions against actions of this type may be recorded under various offence classifications, only some of which distinguish the age of the victim. The readily available information on offences known on the children is given in the following table. For other types of offence—for example, rape or wounding—the information collected centrally does not distinguish offences against children from those against adults. Information is not available on the family circumstances of such offences.periods do not include any time spent in police cells or immigration service detention units. Information for 1983 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of people received into prison department establishments under Immigration Act powers during 1983 by individual prison establishment and category.

The most recent readily available information relates to 1982 and is given in the following table. Details of category could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many crimes of mugging, theft and robbery were committed in England and Wales over the past 10 years by (a) the 14 to 16 year age group, (b) the 17 to 20 year age group, (c) the 21 to 25 year age group, (d) the 26 to 30 year age group, (e) the 31 to 35 year age group and (f) the 36 to 45 year age group;(2) how many people in England and Wales

Statistics of offences do not separately distinguish offences of "mugging", a term which has no legal definition; most offences of this type are recorded as offences of robbery. Annual numbers of recorded offences of robbery and theft are published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" — tables 2.10 and 2.12 of the volume for 1982, Cmnd. 9048. Quarterly statistics are published in Home Office Statistical Bulletins. Issue 25/83 includes figures up to the third quarter of 1983. At the time of the recording of most offences the identity of the offender is unknown and so the information requested by age of offender is not available. The only readily available information about the ages of offenders is for those found guilty or cautioned, published in table 5.2 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1982". Information is not collected centrally about the age of the victim of recorded offences of robbery.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sentences were given over the past 10 years to muggers and robbers in England and Wales; how many served custodial sentences; how many were given suspended sentences; how many were committing crime other than for the first time; how many parents were prosecuted on behalf of their children under the legal age; how heavy were the penalties; and how many parents did not pay the fines.

Statistics of court proceedings do not separately distinguish offences of "mugging", a term which has no legal definition; most offences of the type frequently referred to as "mugging" are recorded as offences of robbery. The readily available information on the number of persons sentenced for robbery by type of sentence is for the period 1977 to 1982 and is given in table 7.13 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1982" —Cmnd. 9048. The latest available estimate of those found guilty of robbery who had at least one previous conviction is given in table 10.1 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1978"—Cmnd. 7670. Permitting a child under the age of criminal responsibility to commit a criminal offence is not in itself an offence and parents or guardians cannot be prosecuted on behalf of such children.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many robberies and thefts were recorded in the Cardiff, West constituency over the past 10 years; of these, how many were committed by the 14 to 25-year-old age group; how many were prosecuted; what types of sentences were passed by the magistrates; how many people were mugged, robbed and beaten up; how many received hospital treatment; how many were confined to hospital over a long period; and how many became immobile after being mugged and robbed.

Statistics of notifiable offences recorded by the police are collected centrally for police force areas only. The number of robberies and thefts recorded by the police in each police force area is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"—table 2.5 of the volume for 1982, Cmnd. 9048. Statistics for 1983 will be published in a Home Office statistical bulletin in March. Information is not collected centrally about the circumstances of victims of robberies or thefts. The only information available centrally relating to the age of offenders is for those proceeded against at magistrates courts in the Cardiff petty sessional division or in the Cardiff Crown court centre. This information for 1982 is given in the following tables; corresponding information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent "dirty" protest at Wormwood Scrubs prison.

On 22 February two prisoners were continuing this protest. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 February at column 120 to a question from the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent hunger strike at Wandsworth prison.

On 28 January eight prisoners at Her Majesty's prison Wandsworth began to refuse food but not liquids. Two of the prisoners began taking food again on 29 January, one on 3 February, three on 5 February and the remaining two on 6 February. The medical officer saw each prisoner refusing food every day.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all Bills published during the present parliamentary session which extend to or allow for the possibility of extension to (a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man.

The provisions of the Trade Marks Act 1938 (Amendment) Bill and some of those of the Value Added Tax Bill would extend to the Isle of Man. The following Bills contain a provision enabling the whole Bill or certain of its provisions to be extended to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man by Order in Council with such exceptions, adaptations and modifications as may be specified in the order:

• Cable and Broadcasting Bill
• Immigration Offences Bill
• Merchant Shipping Bill
• Prevention of Terrorism Bill
• Public Health (Control of Diseases) Bill
• Repatriation of Prisoners Bill
• Telecommunications Bill
• Data Protection Bill (Channel Islands only)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those recommendations in the report of the Erroll committee on liquor licensing which have not yet been implemented.

I refer my hon. Friend to the summary of conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Departmental Committee of Liquor Licensing—Cmnd. 5154—and to the reply to his question on 17 February 1984 at columns 333–4.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all Acts of Parliament passed since May 1979 which extend to or allow for the possibility of extension to (a) the Channel Islands and (b) the Isle of Man.

I regret to say that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, in relation to the computer system dealing with the prison records at Bedford (a) the purpose or purposes for which personal data are held (b) the source or sources from which data are obtained, (c) a description of any person or organisations to whom personal data have been disclosed, including the number of such disclosures over the last convenient period of time, (d) the Departments that have or intend to have terminal access to the computer system, and (e) a list of the indices held on the computer system and the number of entries in each index.

The computer project at Bedford prison is still being developed. Subject to this, the answers to the points raised by the hon. Member 'are as follows:

(a) the purpose of the computer project is to make information about inmates in Bedford prison more readily available to staff who need to have it and to reduce time spent on manual listing and analysis;

(b) the principal information source is the inmate himself, the details he gives being supplemented by court and police documentation;

(c) there have been no such disclosures; it is not intended to disclose information from the computer data base except to authorised persons or organisations and subject to appropriate safeguards;

(d) there are no plans at present for terminal access outside the prison department;

(e) there are no indices in the conventional sense. Information to be held on the computer data base will be similar to that held in the manually maintained system and will include for each inmate his number, name, home address, next of kin, religion, details of committal, sentence length, date of release and location within the establishment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the views of the Lord Chief Justice and the trial judge were obtained before his predecessor's decision to transfer Mr. R. Honeyman to open prison.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been held in police and court cells for each night since 31 January/1 February.

The number of prisoners held overnight in police and court cells since 31 January/1 February is as follows:

February	Total
1/2	128
2/3	106
3/6	139
6/7	152
7/8	132
8/9	140
9/10	116
10/13	122
13/14	120
14/15	107
15/16	92
16/17	115
17/20	142
20/21	181
21/22	213
22/23	193

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales on its review of European Parliament constituencies.

Financial year
	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	Totals
Aircraft type:
Canberra	49	102	93	105	77	59	107	158	144	864
Hawk	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	19	126	145
Hunter	6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	6
Meteor	445	492	420	363	417	373	330	329	185	3,354
Sea Vixen	30	4	3	—	—	1	11	72	59	180
Varsity	—	—	—	114	46	—	—	—	—	160
Devon	259	311	248	193	318	389	314	372	355	2,759
Unmanned aircraft	158	137	183	132	119	137	162	159	160	1,347
Total number of sorties	947	1,046	947	907	977	959	924	1,109	999	8,815

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants in his Department are currently employed tracing the present whereabouts of several thousand officers commissioned in world war 2 for the sole

I received the commission's report on its review of European Parliament constituencies on 22 February. As required by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 and the European Assembly Elections Act 1978, I will lay the report as soon as may be, together with the draft of an Order in Council for giving effect, whether with or without modifications, to the recommendations contained in the report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of accidents due to (a) glass pane, (b) window pane, and (c) door (to room), invisible glass in (i) Essex and (ii) England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.My Department operates the home accident surveillance system, which collects information—from a rolling sample of 20 hospitals — about accidents occurring in and around the home. This information suggests that annual figures for home accidents involving hospital treatment in England and Wales are of the following order:

	Figures
(a) glass panes	2,000
(b) window panes	10,000
(c) doors (to rooms) involving glass	15,000

The information does not distinguish between clear and opaque glass; nor are separate figures available for Essex.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report details of the number of sorties flown by each type of aircraft from Royal Aircraft Establishment Llanbedr in each year since 1974.

Sorties flown by aircraft based at RAE Llanbedr were as follows:purpose of returning to those officers their commission parchments; and why his Department did not return such parchments to their owners within a reasonable time after the cessation of hostilities in 1945.

No staff in my Department are currently engaged in tracing those officers commissioned in world war 2 who have not received their commissioning parchments. Considerable efforts were made by the War Office between 1948 and 1962 to trace all the former Army officers concerned and some 250,000 commissioning parchments were issued during that period. It was decided in 1962 that, in view of the pressure on staff resources, no further attempt should be made to trace the minority of former Army officers whose commissioning parchments had not been issued by then. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, he may wish to write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the orders that have recently been placed with Hall Russell of Aberdeen for three boom and mooring vessels for the Royal Navy; and if he will give the cost of these.

Three mooring and salvage vessels were ordered from Hall Russell of Aberdeen in January 1984 following a competition in which eight shipbuilders participated. These ships will enter service by the end of 1986 and will replace aging KIN class vessels. They have been designed by Hall Russell to commercial standards and will be civilian manned. The total cost, including the provision of some spares requirements, is in the order of £28 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government plan to privatise the royal ordnance factories by hiving-off individual factories to prospective purchasers, or through a flotation on the Stock Exchange.

As I made clear when the Ordnance Factories and Military Services Bill received its Second Reading on 16 January, it will only be after the royal ordnance factories have been enabled to trade on a commercial basis that the Government can realistically determine the best means by which privatisation can be achieved.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the net additions to or subtractions from the fleet, namely, new ships commissioned less ships being sold, scrapped or put on disposal lists, for cruisers, destroyers and frigates, respectively, for 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983; and what is his estimate for 1984.

I shall answer shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits to the youth training scheme have been taken into the services (a) in the Houghton and Washington constituency and (b) in the north east; and if he will make a statement.

My Department does not collate information which shows the constituencies from which recruits are drawn. Up to 31 January 1984, 59 people had been accepted for training under the armed services youth training scheme at career information offices in Cleveland, Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland—less the offce at Berwick-upon-Tweed. For a statement on the scheme, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stamford and Spalding (Sir K. Lewis) on 16 February 1984 at c. 254.