asked the Lord Privy Seal what are the current stocks of House of Commons stamped envelopes on issue to hon. Members and in stores; and what is the quantity expected to remain with the Stationery Office at the end of March.

It is not possible to estimate the current stocks of old—Official Paid—envelopes held by hon. Members as these may continue to be used for correspondence up until 31 March 1984. Approximately 79,450 envelopes of this type are currently held in stores although this figure may be increased by any stocks returned by individual hon. Members. All stocks of these envelopes which were held by Her Majesty's Stationery Office have been exhausted.

asked the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, in view of the practice of charging for franked House of Commons envelopes before they are issued, what loss the House is expecting to incur through their withdrawal on 31 March 1984.

The introduction of a new format of prepaid envelopes for Members' use arose as a result of the withdrawal of the older style of "Official Paid" envelopes from all other users in April 1982. Members of Parliament would then be the only users of a withdrawn type of stationery, and delays and difficulties in handling of mail were anticipated. The older type of envelopes were originally due to be withdrawn between April and October 1983, during which period both old and new sytles would be valid, in order to allow stock to be run down without undue waste. Subsequently, the period was extended to 31 March 1984, to allow further time to use up the old envelopes. Arrangements have been made with the Post Office to recover the postal charges on envelopes of the old type which are returned. If hon. Members assist by returning all their stocks of the obsolete envelopes to the Serjeant at Arms stores, as many have already done, the cost to public funds of the changeover should be minimal.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will consider overprinting existing stocks of House of Commons franked envelopes.

I refer to the reply given to the hon. Gentleman today by the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) in which he explains that the cost of existing stocks of envelopes of the old type will be recovered from the Post Office. Overprinting would not therefore be likely to result in a saving to public funds.

asked the Attorney-General if he can now announce his decision on the future of, and responsibility for law centres; and if he will make a statement.

These matters are still under consideration. Financial support for law centres continues to be provided by central Government mainly under the urban programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public money has been spent purchasing stock cars for use in the Extern auto project at Dunmore stadium.

It is estimated that approximately £200 per annum of public money is spent on the purchase of unroadworthy cars which are then modified for racing purposes by the young people who take part in the Extern project.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money has been allocated to supply replacement radiators and other damaged parts for cars free of charge to participating young west Belfast drivers involved in the Extern auto project at Dunmore stadium.

It is not possible to itemise the costs of the individual components used in the repair of damaged cars. Since the inception of the west Belfast auto project in May 1980, the amounts of public money allocated to Extern for "workshop expenses", which include the cost of the purchase of vehicles and various replacement parts used in their modification and repair were as follows:

1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84
£	£	£	£
Nil	2,424	2,637	2,767

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list Government Departments associated with the Extern auto project at Dunmore stadium and the amount of public money contributed by each Department annually to the project; whether there is evidence to show that this project has reduced joy-riding or car stealing in Northern Ireland; and how many young drivers who have been members of the Extern auto project have been later involved in car stealing or joy-riding.

The financial information is as follows:

	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84
	£ 000s	£ 000s	£ 000s	£ 000s
Department of Health and Social Services	3·5	14·6	20·25	24·2
Northern Ireland Office	3·5	14·6	20·25	34·2

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he received the most recent forecast of the break-even point on production of the Lear Fan 2100 aircraft from the manufacturers; and how many previous such forecasts he has received.

Of the several forecasts of the break-even point on production of the Lear Fan 2100, the most recent was received by Ministers during 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the Government's intended actions following consideration on 17 January by all the organisations involved, of the results of the experiment in motorway signing of local radio programmes.

I shall make a statement as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in his discussions with the British Railways Board about the privatisation of the catering facilities on British Rail inter-city services.

British Rail has made it clear it would welcome soundly based and cost-effective proposals from the private sector for providing train catering services. My discussions with the board about obtaining more support services generally from the private sector are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he is having with the Greater London council about the future of Holloway Road and St. Paul's Road in Islington.

The consultation paper on the reallocation of transport responsibilities following the abolition of the GLC proposed that the trunk road network in London should include the Al to the A501 — including Holloway Road—and invited views on the inclusion of a link between the Al and the A102 in north east London. The GLC in its response to the consultation paper expressed no views on these specific proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue further guidance on the assessment of road lighting schemes including motorways, in advance of the completion of the final stages of the M25.

The further guidance on the assessment of road lighting is expected to be available later this year. This is unlikely to lead to any different decisions on the lighting of those sections of the M25 which are under construction or at an advanced stage of preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has given any further consideration to arrangements for the maintenance of road bridges which are now the responsibility of the Greater London council, if the Greater London council is abolished.

That is one of the matters being discussed with London local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he will take to ensure the continuation of work on the north-south route in the boroughs of Enfield and Haringey if the Greater London council is abolished.

As our consultation paper said, we will ensure that adequate arrangements are made. Discussions on these are in hand.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that no alteration will be made to the existing public consultations and public inquiry system in so far as it affects those who live on the 70 miles of existing metropolitan roads proposed for designation as trunk roads, when subject to new roadbuilding and traffic management schemes.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he will bring forward to monitor public transport services provided by private operators to ensure their compliance with contract standards of safety and service, should the London Regional Transport Bill become law.

Operators in London will continue to be subject to exactly the same safety requirements as operators elsewhere. compliance with contracts about services is a matter between the parties to the contract.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce measures to regulate the safety of hang-gliding equipment; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans to introduce measures to regulate the safety of hang-gliding equipment. We believe that as a sporting activity it is preferable that through its approved association it should be self-regulating, and in this it is well served by the British Hang Gliding Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the number of accidents in each of the last five years involving hang-gliders which have resulted (a) in deaths and (b) in injuries.

Hang-gliders are not registered and no official records are kept of accidents. The following table shows fatalities known to my Department over the past five years.

Year	Number killed
1979	6
1980	6
1981	2
1982	2
1983	4

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to introduce a public education programme on the problem of marine litter, including means of disposal of shipboard litter; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has consistently stressed to the shipping industry the need to avoid the disposal of garbage at sea and has recommended voluntary compliance with annex V of MARPOL 73/78 pending its entry into force. Shipowners have responded in a positive manner and passenger ferry operators now have standing orders banning the disposal of garbage into the sea. For cruise liners, the separation and treatment of large volumes of wet and dry garbage together with glass, metal and plastic wastes poses particular difficulties. These are generally being solved by fitting processing equipment on board.Whilst my Department's responsibilities relate to the shipping industry, the general problem of marine litter is the subject of interdepartmental discussion, the results of which will be included in the Government's response to the tenth report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution.

asked the Prime Minister when the Government expect to complete their consideration of the proposals they have received for salary increases for members of the Electricity Council; and what are the reasons for the delay in reaching a decision.

A decision will be reached as soon as possible.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her answer of 6 March, if she will give the names of each civil servant by Department who accompanied her on her official visit to Oman in April 1981.

I have written to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries of homes and instances of malicious damages to homes were reported to the police in 1983 in Southwark.

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that in 1982 the police recorded 4,830 offences of burglary in a dwelling and 1,120 offences of criminal damage to dwellings—excluding arson—in the London borough of Southwark. Figures for 1983 will be available shortly, and I will send them to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on 31 January, how many young people aged 21 years and under were held on remand in adult institutions.

The information available is given in the table:

Remand prisoners aged under 21 held in adult prisons* in England and Wales on 31 January 1984
	Untried	Number† Convicted unsentenced	Total
Adult prisons with young offender wings
Male	1	44	45
Female	—	—	—
Other adult prisons*
Male	1,128	191	1,319
Female	65	36	101
All adult prisons*	1,194	271	1,465
* Including Ashford, Manchester and Risley remand centres.
† The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate. Detailed checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are, in relation to the computer system of the broadcasting receiving licensing centre at Bristol (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 organisation 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 purpose of the computerised television licence record system operated by the National TV Licence Records Office—NTVLRO—on the Home Office's behalf is to help to ensure as far as possible that:

(a) persons who install or use television receivers comply with the licensing requirements of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949; and

(b) television dealers register with the licensing authority and notify details of persons to whom they sell or hire television sets in accordance with part I of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1967.

The main integrated system contains personal data obtained by the NTVLRO either directly or through post offices from people who have taken out television licences, from television dealers and from television licence inquiry officers: in all, there are about 18·6 million entries. A secondary index of about 20,000 television dealers is maintained from information provided by dealers for the purposes of registration under the 1967 Act.Personal information from the television licensing records is available only to staff of the NTVLRO, TV licence inquiry offices and the Home Office, and is never disclosed to a third party. No Department has or is intended to have terminal access to the computerised record system.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are, in relation to the police national computer in Hendon (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 organisation 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.

Personal data are held on the police national computer—PNC—for the purpose of assisting the police and the investigation division of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in the performance of their duties. The data are supplied by police forces and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre—DVLC.The information requested about disclosures is not available. Guidance to police forces about the circumstances in which PNC data may be disclosed is contained in the code of practice for the protection of personal data held on the PNC—section 4—and the Home Office consolidated circular on crime and kindred matters—appendix 48B—copies of which are in the Library of the House.In addition to police forces, the DVLC, the investigation division of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and PNC staff have access through terminals to data contained in some or all of the indices held on the computer. There are no plans to provide terminal access to other Government Departments.The number of entries in each of the main indices on 25 February 1984 was as follows:

	Numbers
Stolen and suspect vehicles	312,986
Stolen vehicles (chassis/engine numbers)	451,171
Vehicle owners	32,758,155

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions have taken place under the provisions of section 10 of the Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act 1951 during the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Records available to us, which may be incomplete, do not include details of proceedings under individual sections of the Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act 1951. However, they show no proceedings under this Act in 1982, the latest year for which figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to introduce legislation to put licensing regulations in England and Wales on the same basis.

We have at present no plans to introduce legislation to amend the Licensing Act 1964.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government, independently or as a member of the European Economic Community, to the United States presidential working party on unitary taxation; what are the implications of the further deferment of the expected reporting date of that working party for United Kingdom policy; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to counter the unitary taxation imposed by the United States of America state governments on British and other multinational corporations; and if he will make a statement on current negotiations on the subject.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 16 January 1984 to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) which lists the representations made by the Government up to that date. Since then my right hon. Friend has had further correspondence with Secretary Regan. The chairman of the OECD Fiscal Affairs Committee wrote to Secretary Regan on the subject on 26 January. Further representations were made to Secretary Regan on 27 January by the ambassadors of the member states of the European Community, the European Commission, Australia, Canada, Japan and Switzerland. While the deferment of the final meeting of the working group is disappointing, Secretary Regan had assured me that the working group has made substantial progress and that he is making every effort to resolve the issue in the near future.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether, in view of his announced intention to make interest paid by banks subject to irrecoverable tax at source, he will consider making transitional arrangements for those account holders whose deposits are for a fixed term extending beyond the proposed introduction of the new scheme and who are not currently liable to taxation on interest received; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether, in view of his announced intention to make interest paid by banks subject to tax at source, it is also his intention that all recipients of such interest in the year 1984–85 will be taxed under the provisions of section 121 of the Income Taxes Act 1970; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether, in view of his announced intention to make interest paid by banks subject to tax at source, he has any plans to amend section 17 of the taxes Management Act 1970, so that the present reporting requirement on banks will continue under the new system; and if he will make a statement;(4) whether, in view of his announced intention to make interest paid by banks subject to irrecoverable tax at source, he has any plans to exempt non-resident holders from any provisions introduced; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has made no announcement on this matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effects of duty increases on petrol of (a) two pence, (b) five pence, (c) seven-and-a-half pence and (d) 10 pence on (i) Government revenue, (ii) the cost of living index and (iii) inflation.

The estimates are as follows:

Change in excise duty per gallon	(i) Full year revenue yield	(ii) RPI impact effect
(pence)	(£ million)	(per cent)
2	115	less than 0·1
5	280	0·1
7½	420	0·2
10	560	0·3

The ultimate effect on inflation depends upon many factors and cannot be reliably estimated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the present tax year, how much (a) a single person and (b) a married woman can earn before (i) income tax and (ii) national insurance contributions must be paid.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 March 1984, c. 666–67]: Assuming that no reliefs other than the main personal allowances and the wife's earned income relief were available, income tax would be payable if earnings in 1983–84 exceeded

(a) for single people:£1,785 less the amount of any other income liable to tax;

(b) for wives: £1,785 plus the amount (if any) by which the remainder of the couple's income liable to tax fell short of £2,795 (the married man's allowance).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing United Kingdom consumption of the principal agricultural products, the cost to the economy of the amount consumed in terms of farm gate or landed prices, including levies, and the cost of the same quantity purchased at the current world price.

The following table provides, for the principal foodstuffs, estimates of the total quantities for human comsumption in the United Kingdom in 1982. These have been valued at farm-gate or import prices as appropriate. For most commodities there is no single, accepted measure of the "world" price. The figures shown in the final column have been derived generally by subtracting the export refunds or import charges from the internal prices. But I would caution against drawing conclusions from these raw figures. The situation represented is hypothetical and the prices we might pay for imports in radically different circumstances would almost certainly differ from those indicated. It is also stressed that only part of any difference in values at internal and "world" prices represents a cost to the economy, the major part being a transfer between different sectors of the United Kingdom economy.

Commodity	Supplies of principal foodstuffs for human consumption*	Column (1) valued at farm-gate/import price†	Column (1) valued at "world" prices‡
	'000 tonnes	£ million	£ million
	(1)	(2)	(3)
Wheat	4,933	616	374
Maize	1,560	217	115
Sugar	2,485	834	761
Butter	305	551	450
Cheese	350	620	367
Pork	732	1,027	886
Bacon and ham	476	641	516
Beef and veal	1,050	1,897	1,100
Sheepmeat	450	687	637
Poultry	814	755	655
Eggs	738	415	334
* Total United Kingdom new supplies mainly for human consumption but excluding the volume used for animal feed and seed.
† A range of prices has been used as appropriate including market, intervention and threshold prices: the estimated value of butter consumption is net of the butter subsidy.
‡ Generally taken to be the internal price less the export refund or, in some cases, the import charge, reflecting, where appropriate, the special arrangements for sugar imported from ACP countries and butter from New Zealand.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the proposed appeals system against the recommended new boundaries for less-favoured areas will be uniform and identical in all parts of the United Kingdom.

The boundary of the United Kingdom's less-favoured areas has been decided by the European Council of Ministers and is not a recommendation. Should any further adjustment appear necessary, it will have to be agreed in Brussels. There is no legal right of appeal against exclusion from the less-favoured areas, but we intend to provide for a system of representations, the exact form of which is still being considered. We will be making a statement on the matter in due course.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the results of further monitoring carried out by his Department following the incident at Sellafield in November 1983; and if he will make a statement.

I have today placed copies in the Library of the House of a further report on the environmental monitoring undertaken by my Department following the incident at Sellafield in November 1983. This deals with the period to 28 February.The report confirms the earlier findings of my inspectors that there is no cause for concern, resulting from the incident, over the consumption of fish and shellfish caught in the area.During the period emphasis has been placed on beach monitoring which remains the only area for concern. However, checks have continued to be maintained on other routes of potential exposure to man through the environment. Contaminated objects similar to those previously reported have continued to be found on beaches. Although the overall frequency of finds has shown little change, the particular feature of this period has been the discovery of tar-like material thought to be from the Sellafield plant. While the material has occurred only in isolated patches, its geographical distribution has been fairly widespread. Findings of this material are, however, now decreasing.My scientists do not consider that this new material represents a scientifically significant radiation dose hazard. Nevertheless, while the current situation persists, it continues to be prudent to advise members of the public to avoid unnecessary use of the beach in order to keep to the absolute minimum the possibility of individuals receiving a significant dose.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on his recent discussions in the United States of America on energy conservation and the regulation of private energy utilities.

My right hon. Friend arrives back from the United States of America this morning. He will reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to the proportion of the contract which will be sub-contracted to the United Kingdom offshore construction industry, in the event of the Sun Oil rig order being awarded to Gotaverken Arendal of Gothenburg.

North Sea Sun Oil is still in discussion with a number of contractors who have submitted proposals for the construction of a floating production vessel for the Balmoral project.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will estimate the effect on the costs of the Central Electricity Generating Board of it being free to purchase its coal requirements on the world market from suppliers of its own choice.

The costs of purchasing coal are a matter for the CEGB. I understand the chairman has written to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received from the chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board about the effect on electricity prices of enabling the board to purchase its coal requirements on the world market from suppliers of its own choice; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many representations he has received supporting the proposal by W. S. Atkins and Partners that Leicester should be a lead city for combined heat and power district heating; and if he will make a statement.

Seven representations have been received in support of the proposal that Leicester should be selected as a lead city for combined heat and power district heating.Representations received from interested parties are being taken into account in the Government's consideration of the reports on combined heat and power by W. S. Atkins and Partners and the Select Committee on Energy. A statement on the outcome of these deliberations will be made shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the terms of reference of the official observers to the forthcoming elections in El Salvador will include (a) the question of violation of human rights in El Salvador, (b) an inquiry into the availability in those elections of polling stations which were closed in the 1982 elections and (c) opposition parties; and which embassy will play host to Her Majesty's Government's observers during their stay in El Salvador.

The official observers will be free to take into account all aspects of conditions in El Salvador which they consider relevant to the conduct of the elections. Administrative and other appropriate assistance is being made available by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and by the British ambassador to Honduras who is also accredited to El Salvador.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Kingdom's ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Mr. Alan Goodison, made any personal addition to the formal reply already approved by Her Majesty's Government following the protest by the Dublin Government about the visits by the Duke of Edinburgh to Armagh.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, during the last five years at Porton down, which species and sub-species of animals were used in the manufacture, development and testing of chemical and biological warfare agents; and how many of each species and sub-species were used.

None, since the United Kingdom does not manufacture, develop or test chemical or biological agents for use in warfare. The chemical defence programme, which accounts for the vast majority of animal experiments at CDE Porton Down, is concerned with establishing the toxicity of potential agents which might be used against United Kingdom forces and the efficacy and safety of possible treatments.

asked the Secretary for State for Defence if he will list the experiments that have taken place on animals at the Royal Army medical college, Millbank, London, during each of the last five years; and if such experiments are still taking place.

No experiments on living animals under the terms of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 have taken place at the Royal Army Medical College in the last five years. A small number of guinea pigs, mice and rabbits have been used as controls in the testing of human tissue for disease; such tests do not constitute experiments on living animals under the terms of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the results of the 543 experiments which took place on animals for warfare research at Porton Down have been published; and if he will make a statement.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to wounding studies, which are directed at improving medical understanding and treatment of wounds, not at testing of weapons or ammunition and are, therefore, not accurately described as warfare research. Papers are published from time to time with the aim of sharing and enlarging medical and scientific knowledge through the dissemination of relevant results.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the specific commitment of the United Kingdom and the United States of America to consult their allies, times and circumstances permitting, before releasing their nuclear weapons for use, as made at the North Atlantic Council meeting in 1962, still applies, in view of the proposed development by the United States of America of sea-launched cruise missiles.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many alleged landings by unidentified flying objects have been made in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively; and how many have been investigated by his Department's personnel;(2) how many unexplained sightings there have been in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively; and which of these had been traced by radar and with what result.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report the details which are available of specific visits by ships and submarines of the United States of America's navy to ports in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979.

I shall answer shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, further to the answer of 20 February, Official Report, column 433, what are the distinctive requirements in terms of verification presented by sea-launched cruise missiles.

The distinctive requirements would be to identify the ships and submarines concerned, and the nature and number of weapons they were carrying.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether United States naval vessels assigned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation will carry United States sea-launched cruise missiles.

The United States has not announced the details of its proposed deployment of sea-launched cruise missiles.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the schools closed in Scotland in each of the past three years by education authority, and, in each case, the number of pupils attending each school at the time of closure expressed as a percentage of the design capacity.

I refer to the replies I gave to the hon. Member on 30 November 1983, at column 522, and 23 January 1984, at column 422, on statistics of school closures. Details of school design capacities are not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many times in the past year appeal committees have adjudicated on placing requests for primary schools under the Education (Scotland) Act 1981; and in how many instances the committee ruled in favour of the placing request;

Information about placing requests received in the year ending 31 July 1983, the latest period for which this information is available, is contained in Scottish Education Department statistical bulletin No. 9/B6/1983, a copy of which was sent to the hon. Member and copies of which were placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters and representations he has now received from individuals and organisations in Dundee regarding the consultation procedures being carried out by Tayside region on the proposed closure of primary schools in Dundee.

My right hon. Friend has received 17 such letters and representations referring to the generality of Tayside regional council's recent proposals for closure of primary schools in the Dundee area. Eight included specific reference to the consultation procedures adopted by the council, of which 3 registered complaints under section 70 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. These complaints are being investigated by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the sum awarded to Dundee high school for the provision of places under the assisted places scheme in each year since its introduction.

The figures are as follows:

School session	Total fee remission and incidental expenses
	£
1981–82	52,690
1982–83	110,612
1983–84	*150,196
* provisional

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the latest unemployment figures for Dundee by post code sector.

The table shows the estimated number of unemployed claimants in the Dundee jobcentre area by postcode sector at 9 February 1984, the latest date for which information is available.

Post code sector	Estimated number of unemployed claimants
DD1 1	94
DD1 2	137
DD1 3	84
DD1 4	115
DD1 5	250
DD2 1	316

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what have been the balance of trade and balance of payments figures, respectively, as first announced to Parliament, for each year from 1964 onwards; and what are the latest revised figures for each year.

The information is given in the table. The revisions implied result from changes in definition as well as the incorporation of later information. Whilst sometimes large in relation to the balance, revisions are usually small compared with total trade—viz. imports plus exports.

BoP basis, £ million
	Visible Trade		Current Account
	*First estimate	Latest estimate	†First estimate	Latest estimate
1964	-553	-543	-374	-358
1965	-276	-260	-136	-30
1966	-174	-108	-61	+130
1967	-528	-599	-514	-269
1968	-705	-712	-419	-244
1969	-177	-209	+366	+505
1970	+12	-34	+631	+823
1971	+295	+190	+952	+1,124
1972	-699	-748	+18	+223
1973	-2,348	-2,586	-1,468	-979
1974	-5,190	-5,351	-3,828	-3,278
1975	-3,211	-3,333	-1,702	-1,513
1976	-3,611	-3,930	-1,423	-837
1977	-1,657	-2,284	-35	+54
1978	-1,104	-1,542	+254	+1,158
1979	-3,233	-3,449	-2,437	-553
1980	+1,039	+1,513	+2,737	+3,650
1981	+3,013	+3,652	+6,036	+7,272
1982	+2,170	+2,384	+3,948	+5,551
1983	-954	-500	+2,049	+2,049
* Released by monthly press notice.
† Published quarterly in Economic Trends. A projection of this

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to amend the law so that public advisory committees and consumer monitoring bodies, such as Post Office advisory committees, are required to provide information on their meetings to the public and press; and if he will make a statement.

Posts and telecommunications advisory committees are set up by local initiative on a non-statutory basis. As regards the consumer bodies which my right hon. Friend appoints, I see no need to change the existing arrangements under which these bodies themselves decide how their activities can best be publicised.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is his intention to publish the report of the inquiry of the inspector into the House of Fraser shareholdings under section 172 of the Companies Act 1948.

It is the general policy of the Secretary of State to publish inspectors' reports on public companies, but the decision on whether or not to do so can only be made after completion of the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he has had discussions with representatives of supermarkets on a voluntary code of conduct on price discounting; and if he will make a statement;(2) what representations he has received regarding discriminatory discounts in the food industry from the retail consortium and representatives of supermarkets, respectively; and if he will make a statement.

I and my colleagues are in regular contact with all sectors of the retail trade, as is the Director-General of Fair Trading. I have received many representations on the subject of discounts, and have held discussions with, among others, representatives of the smaller independent retailers and of the food and drink manufacturers. I have had no representations on this subject from the retail consortium as such, though I am aware of the differing views and interests of its membership. I have in the last few days received a request from a multiple grocery retailer for a meeting to discuss this issue, and I look forward to doing so.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the effect on the British Steel Corporation's costs of it being free to purchase its coal requirements on the world market from suppliers of its own choice.

The British Steel Corporation suffers no cost penalty in buying coal from United Kingdom suupliers since such supplies are obtained at prices comparable to those charged on the world market.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the effects on the British Steel Corporation's costs of a 15 per cent. reduction in its electricity costs.

A 15 per cent. reduction in the British Steel Corporation's direct electricity costs—estimated to be £175 million in 1983–84—would amount to a saving of about £26 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) pursuant to the answer of 6 March, what action was taken by the radio interference service when it found the KFM radio station; whether the service sought to impound the transmitter; whether any further steps are to be taken to prevent further transmissions; and if he will make a statement;(2) pursuant to the answer of 6 March, what steps are being taken to locate the operators of the KFM radio station; and if he will make a statement.

I do not think it would be in the public interest to disclose additional details on action taken or planned against a particular pirate radio station. However, if my hon. Friend has any particular point to raise on this case perhaps he would write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the Council of Ministers' meeting on consumer affairs which took place on 2 March.

I attended the Council on 2 March, which was the second to be devoted to consumer affairs.The Council decision on the introduction of a community system for the rapid exchange of information on dangers arising from the use of consumer products, which had been agreed in principle at the previous consumer affairs Council on 12 December 1983, was formally adopted.There was a detailed discussion of the product liability directive which centred on the question of the extent to which there should be a financial limit to a producer's liability. No decisions were taken, but there was further clarification of individual national positions on this aspect and agreement on the matters which should be explored further in the Committee of Permanent Representatives and by specialists.We also discussed the misleading advertising directive. I explained that this proposal as it stands would require a disproportionate upheaval in our present law and practice. It is now to be reviewed in the light of our concerns, with a view to giving member states as much flexibility as possible in the choice of methods used to control misleading advertising. Certain other changes were also agreed to improve and simplify its provisions.A broad consensus on the text of the doorstep selling directive was achieved, although one member state has retained its general reserve on this directive.The Commission made a statement on consumer affairs policy, reviewing the community consumer action programmes and outlining its plans for the future. I made it clear that the United Kingdom wishes to see the removal of technical barriers to trade and the effective functioning of the internal market in goods and services and that we would support action at Community level on consumer affairs subjects which contribute to this objective. But I also stressed our view that legislation is not always the right way to deal with problems and the Council should be given an early opportunity to discuss what form action should take in any a particular case; there are some consumer problems which are best dealt with at a national rather than Community-wide level. The Commission's paper on this subject will be discussed in more detail at the next consumer affairs Council.The Commission also drew attention to its recently issued consultative document on unfair terms in consumer contracts.A further meeting of the Council of Ministers on consumer affairs is expected to take place in June.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the content and aims of youth training schemes courses.

The youth training scheme aims to provide all young people participating in the scheme with a better start in working and adult life through an integrated programme of training, planned work experience and further education; to provide for the employer participating in the scheme a better equipped young work force which has gained some competence and practical experience in a broad range of jobs and skills; and to develop and maintain a more versatile, readily adaptable, highly motivated and productive work force which will assist Britain to compete successfully in the 1980s and beyond.The Government's plans for the scheme's second year are set out in the White Paper "Training for Jobs" — Cmnd. 9135.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what effect the reduction of mode B1 training places to take place in 1984–85 will have on the Doncaster metropolitan district council area; and if he will make a statement.

I have no doubt that the planned provision of all youth training scheme places in the Doncaster area in 1984–85 will be sufficient to meet the needs of its young people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has yet reached a decision on the new level of the block grant for mode A managing agents under the youth training scheme.

The block grant paid by the Manpower Services Commission to managing agents of mode A schemes — that is, those sponsored by employers and centred on factories, offices or other places of work—is currently £1,950 a year for each trainee taken on, which has applied since the youth training scheme came into operation in April 1983. The Manpower Services Commission has recommended that the block grant should be increased by 5 per cent. to £2,050 from 1 September this year, and I have today written to the chairman of the commission accepting the recommendation. Provision has already been made in the forward estimates for the scheme for an increase of this order.The block grant has three elements: the managing agent's fee, the trainee allowance and the contribution to employers' training costs. The commission will this summer be considering the distribution of the new block grant between the constituent elements and the Government will reach decisions on these after taking account of the recommendations submitted by the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what definition of ethnic minority he proposes to adopt for the purposes of monitoring.

My right hon. Friend is considering the future of ethnic minority unemployment statistics and will make an announcement in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the views of the bodies he consulted about ethnic monitoring.

The views of those bodies which were consulted were given to my Department on a basis of confidentiality; and it would not be appropriate for me to disclose them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide details of the number of stoppages in the newspaper industry, notified to his Department, month by month, in each of the past five years.

The information is as follows:

	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
January	2	—	1	—	2
February	1	2	—	2	2
March	3	3	—	1	4
April	1	3	2	3	—
May	1	1	1	—	3
June	1	—	—	—	1
July	1	1	1	—	3
August	1	1	1	—	2
September	1	2	5	1	1
October	1	2	—	3	2
November	2	1	2	—	5
December	2	1	—	2	—

The figures for 1983 are provisional.Individual stoppages are shown in the month in which each began. The number of stoppages in progress in any month may therefore be higher than indicated in the table.The figures do not include small stoppages—those involving fewer than 10 workers or lasting less than one day unless the aggregate number of working days lost exceeds 100.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many days were lost through industrial action in the newspaper industry in each of the past 10 years.

The information is as follows:

Year	Working days lost
1974	42,000
1975	33,000

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any information about the number of stoppages, duration and consequential financial losses to each national newspaper in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is given in the following table. No details of financial losses owing to industrial disputes are recorded.

		Dates of Dispute
Year	Newspaper	Start	End
1979	The Times	1 December 1978	19 October
	Financial Times	28 May	29 May
1980	The Times	22 August	29 August
	Financial Times	5 December	15 December
1981	Financial Times	17 May	27 May
	The Times	25 September	1 October
1982	The Sun	26 April	5 May
	Financial Times	6 October	8 October
	Daily Telegraph	17 November	27 November
	The Times	20 December	31 December
1983	Financial Times	31 May	9 August
	Daily Telegraph	2 November	2 November

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the total cost of the analysis of the responses he has received to Cmnd. 9063 and its consultation papers; and if he will provide a breakdown;(2) what is the total number of Civil Service man hours spent in analysing the responses he has received to Cmnd. 9063 and its consultation papers.

The information is not available because the analysis is still in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many local authority housebuilding starts there were by category in Erdington, Birmingham, at the latest convenient date and one, two and three years earlier;(2) how many homes owned by each local housing authority in Erdington, Birmingham

Figures for individual constituencies are not collected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Nature Conservancy Council applied for an order under section 29 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to protect the proposed sites of special scientific interest which were recently damaged or destroyed in Northamptonshire, Dumfries and Galloway.

No. I understand that the site in Northampton was damaged during an extension to the three-month period which the NCC had agreed with the owner for negotiations to continue. An application for an order was considered by the NCC but not made.I understand that the damage to the sites in Dumfries and Galloway occurred before formal notice of a proposed extension to an existing SSSI had been given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the recent destruction in Northamptonshire, Dumfries and Galloway, if he will now seek to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to ensure that the opportunity to destroy or damage sites of special scientific interest available under section 28 of the Act is terminated.

We are not convinced that the problems which have so far arisen amount to a case for immediate amending legislation. We are nevertheless keeping under review the working of this part of the Act. It is very much in the interests of all concerned to observe its spirit as well as its letter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he has received from the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(2) what representations he has received from the Association of Chief Executives of London Boroughs in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; and what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(3) what representations he has received from the Association of Councillors in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(4) what representations he has received from the Association of County Councils in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(5) what representations he has received from the Association of Directors of Social Services in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(6) what representations he has received from the Association of District Councils in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(7) what representations he has received from the Association of London Authorities in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(8) what representations he has received from the Association of Metropolitan Authorities in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(9) what representations he has received from the Association of Trading Standards Officers in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(10) what representations he has received from Aims of Industry in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties;(11) what representations he has received from the Ancient Monuments Society in response to his White Paper, Cmnd. 9063; what was the organisation's view concerning the continued performance of metropolitan-wide functions with which it is particularly concerned; and whether it was in favour of, or opposed to, abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan counties.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 8 March 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the current level of rate support grant to Welwyn Hatfield district council; and, in particular, if he will specify precisely how the council's allocation was calculated.

The total of rate support grants being paid to Welwyn Hatfield district council for 1983–84 is £2,279,280. This consists of block grant of £529,420 and domestic rate relief grant of £1,749,860 which have been calculated in accordance with the principles determined in the "Rate Support Grant Report (England) 1983–84" and the "Rate Support Grant Supplementary Report (England) 1983–84".

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what role water authorities are expected to play in providing strategic environmental research relevant to the water industry.

Water authorities have a statutory duty

"to make arrangements for the carrying out of research in respect of matters affecting their functions",

some of which raise environmental issues. Some of their functions are environmental and some of their research will be strategic.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied that suitable publicity is available to small builders and do-it-yourself workers on the dangers of asbestos.

A detailed advice note on asbestos materials in buildings has been published by the Department of the Environment and copies are available through Her Majesty Stationery Office. The Department has also published a free leaflet on asbestos in housing for householders and do-it-yourself workers, and a large number have been distributed.The Health and Safety Executive publishes a number of guidance notes on working with asbestos materials and further guidance is in preparation.I am considering what further publicity might be given to these publications in the light of recommendation 7.70 of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution in its tenth report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the surveillance mechanism operated by the Nuclear Energy Agency for controlling the disposal of nuclear waste at sea will next be tested.

Under the mechanism formal notifications are required six months and three months before the internationally designated disposal site in the north Atlantic is used, and no notifications are current at the moment. The Nuclear Energy Agency is also co-ordinating an international research and environmental surveillance programme at the disposal site, and a progress report was published recently; a copy is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table giving details of discharges from nuclear sites into the sea, by year, since 1979.

The information requested appears in the additional tables to my Department's annual digest of environmental pollution and water statistics, which are in the Library of the House. For the period to the end of 1981, it is in additional table 34 to digest No. 5 (1981). The corresponding table for 1982 will become available shortly. The figures for 1983 have not yet been compiled.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to complete his review of the proposals by the Stretford diocese for the reorganisation of secondary education in North Trafford.

It is too early to estimate when my right hon. Friend will be in a position to announce a decision on these proposals published by the Salford diocese since the period for statutory objections expired only on 1 February 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of undergraduates in universities and polytechnics receiving mandatory grants receive full maintenance grants.

In England and Wales in the academic year 1981–82, the latest year for which information is available, 29 per cent. of university students and 39 per cent. of students on courses of advanced further education who were in receipt of full value mandatory or discretionary awards had parents who were assessed for a nil parental contribution.Information on awards to students at polytechnics or on parental assessments for mandatory awards only is not available separately.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total expenditure on maintenance grants for university and polytechnic students in 1959, 1969, 1979 and at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will express the figures at constant prices.

	1969–70		1979–80		1982–83
	Numbers	percentage	Numbers	percentage	Numbers	percentage
	(000s)	of total	(000s)	of total	(000s)	of total
Universities in Great Britain
Full-time and sandwich
Arts	99·3	45·3	140·6	48·0	139·5	47·2
Science	120·0	54·7	152·1	52·0	155·9	52·8
of which engineering	35·3	16·1	42·5	14·5	42·7	14·5
Part-time
Arts	13·5	57·1	18·5	61·8	21·2	63·3
Science	10·2	42·9	11·5	38·2	12·3	36·7
of which engineering	2·7	11·6	2·9	9·7	2·9	8·8
Public sector in England and Wales*
Full-time and sandwich
Arts	143·5	76·0	120·9	63·1	132·1 (74·8)†	60·7
of which teacher training	108·0	57·2	37·1	19·4	26·5 (7·7)†	12·2
Science	45·4	24·0	70·6	36·9	85·7 (64·1)†	39·3
of which engineering	23·1	12·2	30·4	15·9	34·0 (25·9)†	15·6
Part-time
Arts	48·4	42·2	85·8	55·5	88·3 (36·6)†	53·0
of which teacher training	—	—	15·2	9·8	17·7 (6·1)†	10·6
Science	66·2	57·8	68·8	44·5	78·2 (28·5)†	47·0
of which engineering	44·8	39·1	42·2	27·3	53·2 (13·9)†	32·0
* England only in 1982–83.
† Polytechnics in brackets.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many and what percentage of students at

The available information is as follows. The volume of expenditure depends upon the value of awards as well as student numbers.

Expenditure by LEAs in England and Wales on Full Value Maintenance Awards
£ million
Academic Year	Outturn Expenditure		Expenditure at 1981–82 prices
	University	Advanced Further Education	University	Advanced Further Education
1958–59	26·3		—	—
1968–69	37·0	23·6	169·9	108·4
1978–79	155·7	159·8	233·5	239·6
1981–82	244·4	254·2	244·4	254·2

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many and what percentage of students in universities and polytechnics were studying (a) arts subjects, (b) science subjects and (c) engineering in 1959, 1969, 1979 and at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Information in respect of the universities is as follows. As only eight of the 30 polytechnics were in existence in 1969–70, figures relating to courses of advanced further education as a whole have been provided. Comparable information in respect of 1959–60 is not available.

The following information, published in the statistical supplements to the annual reports of the Universities Central Council on Admissions, relates to the number of home candidates accepted into universities in the individual years named. That for 1969–70 was collected on the basis of parental occupation, while that for the latter years is on the basis of the social class of the parent. However, between 1979 and 1982 there was a change in the basis of the social class classification and the figures given are not on a comparable base.

		1979–80		1982–83
	Social class	Number	percentage of total known	Number	percentage of total known
		(000s)		(000s)
I	Professional etc., occupations	15·1	22	15·6	24
II	Intermediate occupations	29·2	42	32·1	49
III	N Skilled occupations, non-manual	9·3	13	6·0	9
III	M Skilled occupations, manual	11·3	16	8·0	12
IV	Partly skilled occupations	3·5	5	3·2	5
V	Unskilled occupations	0·7	1	0·6	1
	Unclassified	7·5	—	7·2	—

Comparable information in respect of 1959–60 and for polytechnics is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the estimated population of three and four-year-old children were receiving education in nursery schools and classes in each local education authority in England on the latest date for which figures are available.