asked the Secretary of State for Transport what was the reason for the long delays in the Ml (south side) near Watford Gap around 20.00 hours on Friday 25 May; and why arrangements were not made for an announcement of the hold-up to be given on local and national radio.

On the Friday evening leading up to the spring bank holiday weekend the combination of high traffic volumes and frequent heavy rain showers at the contraflow system in operation near Watford Gap did regrettably cause delays.The police and motoring associations arranged urgent publicity. Warnings of possible delays at the site were broadcast over national and some local radio stations in advance of the build-up, and I understand warnings were also given on the evening in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when consideration will be given to allowing full access on to the M25 from the A21.

Full access between the M25 and A21 at Sevenoaks is already available, although there may be some temporary delays during construction of the Swanley-Sevenoaks section of the motorway. I hope to make an announcement about connections between the M26 and local roads in the Sevenoaks area shortly.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, what procedures will be followed in the sale of woodland at Hartburn, Northumberland, arising from the disposal of the former vicarage; and whether these procedures will ensure that potential buyers interested in maintaining public access to the woodlands and the grotto, which is a listed building, have an opportunity to tender for the purchase of the land.

This property does not belong to the Church Commissioners, but is glebe land owned by the Newcastle diocesan board of finance. The procedures for sale are laid down by the Endowments and Glebe Measure 1976.Acting under these procedures the board gave notice to the churchwardens of the parish (the benefice being vacant) of its intention to sell the land. No representations were made.

asked the Attorney-General how many of the local organisations that are invited to make nominations for the magistrates' bench in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne have postal addresses in Walker, Walkergate, St. Ann's, St. Laurance's, St. Anthony's, Byker, Crudden Park, Scotswood, Elswick, Benwell or Cowgate.

Four.

asked the Attorney-General if he will describe the mechanism whereby the 44 recent nominations for the magistrates' bench in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne were reduced to 19 before applicants were invited for interview.

The advisory committee rejected those candidates who were either disqualified or would not further the desirable balances of the bench. On this occasion one of the aims of the committee was to recommend to the Lord Chancellor a majority of candidates who do not hold Conservative views.

asked the Attorney-General how many of the newly appointed magistrates for Newcastle upon Tyne reside within the parliamentary boundaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, East constituency.

Four.

asked the Attorney-General how many Welsh council tenants were prosecuted by their local authorities for rent arrears in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982 and (d) 1983; and how many have been prosecuted so far in the current year.

This information is not collected.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list the number of statutory instruments produced each Session since 1954, the number subject to affirmative approval, the number subject to annulment and, of those, the number prayed against, and the number of hours for which such instruments were debated in each year.

The following information is available: The number of statutory instruments, both general and local (printed and unprinted), in each year since 1954 is as follows:

Year	Number of statutory instruments
1954	1,764
1955	2,007
1956	2,122

Year	Number of statutory instruments
1957	2,250
1958	2,280
1959	2,342
1960	2,495
1961	2,514
1962	2,877
1963	2,157
1964	2,102
1965	2,201
1966	1,641
1967	1,976
1968	2,079
1969	1,902
1970	2,044
1971	2,178
1972	2,075
1973	2,236
1974	2,227
1975	2,251
1976	2,248
1977	2,201
1978	1,978
1979	1,770
1980	2,051
1981	1,892
1982	1,900
1983	1,965

The number of affirmative and negative instruments considered by the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments form 1966–67 to 1971–72 (to 6 July 1972) and then considered by the Joint and Select Committees from 1972–73 to 1974 are as follows:

Session	Affirmative	Negative
1966–67	71	363
1967–68	102	663
1968–69	82	488
1969–70	58	381
1970–71	151	765
1971–72	79	449
1972–73	94	368
1973–74	40	381
1974*	75	433
* The delegated legislation return which has been laid before the House each Session since 1974–75 records the number of instruments subject to affirmative approval and the number subject to annulment which were considered by the Joint and Select Committees on Statutory Instruments. Copies of each annual return are held in the Library.

Details for Session 1953–54 to 1965–66 and the number of instruments prayed against could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The following table shows the time for which instruments were debated in each year.

Session	Affirmative Resolution			Negative Resolution
	Days	Hours	Minutes	Days	Hours	Minutes
1953–54	4·72	—	—	1·57	—	—
1954–55	4·39	—	—	0·16	—	—
1955–56	3·52	—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	2·23	—	—	0·93	—	—
1957–58	2·65	—	—	1·53	—	—
1958–59	7·25	—	—	1·08	—	—
1959–60	3·92	—	—	3·64	—	—
1960–61	—	36	45	—	25	30
1961–62	—	51	15	—	12	45
1962–63	—	27	15	—	15	00
1963–64	—	33	45	—	29	30
1964–65	—	42	30	—	17	00
1965–66	—	44	15	—	11	45

Session	Affirmative Resolution			Negative Resolution
	Days	Hours	Minutes	Days	Hours	Minutes
1966–67	—	98	56	—	43	32
1967–68	—	65	29	—	37	59
1968–69	—	53	59	—	22	55
1969–70	—	46	51	—	10	33
1970–71	—	81	11	—	23	37
1971–72	—	72	10	—	8	57
1972–73	—	79	10	—	10	29
1973–74	—	25	09	—	7	05
1974	—	34	06	—	4	26
1974–75	—	96	49	—	10	45
1975–76	—	96	20	—	14	07
1976–77	—	74	49	—	7	26
1977–78	—	82	45	—	9	53
1978–79	—	49	37	—	4	24
1979–80	—	143	59	—	16	16
1980–81	—	89	06	—	19	41
1981–82	—	108	00	—	35	48
1982–83	—	81	29	—	16	05

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list the number of sitting days and the average length of sitting of the House for each Session from 1954 to date.

The information requested is as follows:

Session	Sitting days	Average length of daily sitting
1953–54	187	8 hours 11 minutes
1954–55	84	7 hours 58 minutes
1955–56	219	7 hours 57 minutes
1956–57	159	7 hours 40 minutes
1957–58	156	7 hours 54 minutes
1958–59	159	7 hours 48 minutes
1959–60	160	8 hours 02 minutes
1960–61	168	8 hours 30 minutes
1961–62	160	8 hours 23 minutes
1962–63	162	8 hours 15 minutes
1963–64	155	8 hours 14 minutes
1964–65	177	9 hours
1965–66	65	8 hours 15 minutes
1966–67	246	9 hours 50 minutes
1967–68	176	9 hours 02 minutes
1968–69	164	9 hours 26 minutes
1969–70	122	8 hours 16 minutes
1970–71	206	8 hours 50 minutes
1971–72	180	9 hours 17 minutes
1972–73	164	8 hours 53 minutes
1973–74	60	8 hours 21 minutes
1974	87	8 hours 28 minutes
1974–75	198	9 hours 20 minutes
1975–76	191	9 hours 13 minutes
1976–77	149	9 hours 12 minutes
1977–78	169	8 hours 47 minutes
1978–79	86	8 hours 35 minutes
1979–80	244	8 hours 55 minutes
1980–81	163	9 hours 07 minutes
1981–82	174	8 hours 08 minutes
1982–83	115	8 hours 34 minutes

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will list the number of Select and Standing Committees set up in each Session since 1954, the number of meetings of each Committee and what information he has as to the number of hours each sat for.

The number of Committees set up in each Session since since 1954 and the number of meeting of each Committee are recorded in the Select and Standing Committee returns for each Session, copies of which are held in the Library.Information on the number of hours for which Select Committees sat is not available. The number of hours for which Standing Committees sat can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will make comprehensive arrangements for the Press Association tape machine in the Library Corridor to be attended at regular intervals for detaching the paper and reporting faults.

I understand arrangements have been made for the Press Association newswire machine in the Library Corridor to be attended as requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to the number of partially-built nuclear power stations that have been cancelled in the United States of America during the last five years.

The latest available published information from the US Department of Energy ("Nuclear Plant Cancellations: Causes, Costs, and Consequences" (April 1983)) states that 18 nuclear units on which construction had started were cancelled in the period 1979 to 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the outcome of his discussions on terrorism at the recent conference of the Council of Europe Ministers of Justice.

With my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General and my hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General for Scotland I attended this conference, which was held in Madrid on 29 to 31 May.Against a background of common concern about the growing threat from international terrorism and with the recent tragic incident in St. James's square fresh in my mind, I raised with my European colleagues the need for a common approach to the problem of terrorist activities, including those committed by abuse of diplomatic privileges and immunities. I urged the need for member states to act in concert against this new and dangerous threat to peace and security—for example, by refusing to accept as diplomats those who have been expelled from any other member state on grounds of involvement in terrorism, and by improving arrangements for the exchange of information between us about threatened terrorist acts and the individuals who pose such threats.The Ministers of Justice of the 21 Council of Europe nations subsequently unanimously agreed on the need for a concerted approach to action against all forms of terrorism and international organised crime, including acts of violence against diplomats and the abuse of diplomatic immunities and privileges for terrorist purposes, recognising in particular the urgent need to improve the exchange of information between member states. They recommended to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe that these questions should be studied urgently by an ad hoc body open to all Ministers exercising responsibilities relating to terrorism.I very much welcome this significant new development, which I regard as an encouraging indication of the determination of our European colleagues to work together against international terrorism.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek powers to regulate and monitor the accommodation in which animals, and in particular primates, used in experiments are kept; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Members of the Cruelty to Animals Inspectorate already keep a close watch on standards of care and accommodation at registered places, and are particularly concerned about facilities for primates. With the inspectorate's encouragement, standards for primates have greatly improved in recent years, and the United Kingdom has played a leading part in establishing the new requirements in the draft Council of Europe convention. A Royal Society working group is at present engaged in drafting new guidelines on the care of laboratory animals, including their housing. The new legislation, which will replace the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, however, will provide for a new and more extensive system of controls under which the Secretary of State will be specifically empowered to make requirements as to the provision of adequate care and accommodation appropriate to each species.

asked the Secretary of State for the: Home Department how many contract research organisations there are in the United Kingdom carrying out experiments on animals; and in which counties such organisations are situated.

Our records do not distinguish between organisations which perform research work on a contract basis and those which do not. Many establishments may carry out research under contract from another as well as research on their own behalf but they are not required to inform the Secretary of State. Eight organisations registered under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 are thought, however, to be primarily engaged in contract research. I am not prepared to identify them further, in view of the risk of vandalism by extremist organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken on the 16 cases in which Dr. Clift gave forensic evidence and which he recommended should go to the Court of Appeal; how many individuals have been traced; how many have agreed that their cases should be heard; when the court proceedings are to be held; and if he will make a statement.

With the agreement of the individuals concerned I have referred to the Court of Appeal 11 cases in which Dr. Clift gave evidence. It is for the court to decide when to hear these cases. Two individuals have indicated that they do not want their cases to be referred and I have decided to respect their wishes in the matter. Three others have yet to be traced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders are currently detained at prison establishments in Wales.

Central records, which are approximate, show for 30 April 1984, the latest date for which information is readily available, the population of prisoners aged under 21 in prison department establishments in Wales as 65 untried prisoners, seven convicted unsentenced prisoners and 268 sentenced prisoners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to answer correspondence from the right hon. Member for Barnsley, Central relating to complaints against the police from Yorkshire miners.

I shall reply to the right hon. Member very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in Barnsley and district have been denied their unemployment benefits following redundancy notices from the National Coal Board which were served before the miners' strike began; for what reasons benefits are being withheld; when total backpayments will be paid; and if he will make a statement.

19 claimants in Barnsley and district have been disqualified from receiving benefit in these circumstances and a further 33 have had their benefit suspended until decisions are taken by the independent adjudicating authorities.Section 19 of the Social Security Act 1975 covers entitlement to unemployment benefit during a trade dispute and provides that a person who is made redundant but who stops work because of a trade dispute during the notice period is liable to be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit. The disqualification lasts as long as the stoppage of work continues even if this is some time after the redundancy takes effect.Back-payment can be made only if the original disqualification is reversed on appeal.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to reconvene the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee.

I intend to reconvene the committee shortly to re-examine the treatment of housing costs in the retail prices index, to consider the possibility of rebasing the index and to consider certain points on its coverage and construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of employers he estimates are complying with the recommendations of the Commission for Racial Equality which came into force on 1 April and in particular those recommendations concerning ethnic monitoring.

I am unable to give such an estimate. The status of the Commission for Racial Equality's code of practice is not such as to make the term "enforcement" appropriate, but my Department's Race Relations Employment Advisory Service is in regular contact with industry seeking to persuade employers to consider and apply the practical guidance given in the code of practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many of the courses which his officials have arranged for employers concerning the operation of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality which came into force on 1 April officials of the commission have been in attendance.

I shall include this information in the reply I have promised to give the hon. and learned Member in response to his question of 17 May, at column 228.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will arrange for officials of the Commission for Racial Equality to be in attendance on all future courses given by his officials to explain the operation of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality which came into force on 1 April.

No. However, my Department's Race Relations Employment Advisory Service will continue, where appropriate, to co-operate with local community relations councils and officials of the Commission for Racial Equality in arrangements for courses on the code of practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will arrange for a copy of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality to be supplied to every chairman and member of industrial tribunals.

Copies of the code have already been supplied to all industrial tribunal chairmen and to all those tribunal members who have been specially selected to sit on cases brought under the Race Relations Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has issued guidance to chairmen and members of industrial tribunals concerning the operation of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality which came into force on 1 April.

The industrial tribunals are independent judicial bodies and it would be wrong for the Government to issue guidance on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will arrange courses for chairmen and members of industrial tribunals concerning the code of the Commission for Racial Equality which came into force on 1 April.

The content of training courses for industrial tribunal chairmen and members is the responsibility of the presidents of the industrial tribunals.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has formed of the likely cost of 15 per cent. value added tax on the cost of building extensions and refurbishments of buildings owned by his Department in each of the next five years.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 May 1984, c. 168]: Most of the buildings occupied by this Department are held in the name of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and he gave the relevant information in his reply to my hon. Friend on 3 May, at column 233.An estimate of the likely cost of 15 per cent. value added tax on the cost of building extensions and refurbishment of buildings owned by this Department in each of the next five years is:

Financial year	£
1984–85	412,100
1985–86	291,700
1986–87	309,700
1987–88	291,700
1988–89	288,700

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of companies in the hotel and catering trade which were inspected because of complaints from employees were found to be in breach of the wages council laws.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 June 1984]: In 1983, 68.2 per cent. of the establishments covered by the three wages councils for the hotel and catering trades inspected as a result of a complaint were found to have underpaid one or more workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress in the talks with the United States Government on extraterritoriality.

Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have made recent visits to Washington during which we have emphasised to the US Administration our serious concern about this problem. Both Governments, despite our important differences of principle, are anxious to find practical means of preventing or resolving disputes arising from US claims to extraterritorial jurisdiction in a number of fields, including export controls and anti-trust, and talks between officials are proceeding on this. Some useful progress has been made, but it is too soon to predict the final outcome.

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

I led the United Kingdom delegation to the 12th session of the British/Soviet Joint Commission which reviewed the scope for increased economic, industrial, scientific and technological co-operation between our two countries. I believe that there are opportunities for British firms to obtain further orders in the Soviet Union and that we should be able to increase the levels of our bilateral trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the balance of trade in manufactures for the first four months of 1984.

There was a deficit of £1·2 billion, within the context of an overall trade surplus of £103 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the deficit in trade in manufactures with other European Economic Community countries.

In the first quarter of 1984 the deficit on this trade was £2 billion on the balance of payments basis, within the context of an overall balance of payment of £103 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement concerning British participation in the United States manned space station programme.

The United States have invited Britain and other western countries to participate in the development of a manned space station. We have welcomed this invitation and, together with our partners in the European Space Agency, we are actively evaluating the possibilities for participation in this large and adventurous project. It is one of the topics which will be discussed during the forthcoming economic summit.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many information technology centres are now operating in the United Kingdom.

121 information technology centres are currently fully operational and a further 13 have managers appointed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has given the go-ahead for a national network of 175 IT centres.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any further proposals for the future of the steel industry.

In the short term, the future of the steel industry depends on its success in overcoming the disruption caused by the miners' strike. In the long term, it depends on the ability of the industry to sell effectively in home and overseas markets.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's current balance of payments.

The current account for the first four months of the year was in surplus by some £100 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the criteria for providing support to smaller companies for re-equipment in the textile industry.

I am not yet in a position to give details of the investment support scheme to assist small and medium sized firms in the clothing, footwear, knitting and textile industries. These proposals were notified to the European Commission in April. We shall announce the full particulars as soon as possible after Commission clearance.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will speed up and simplify procedures under which British firms seeking orders abroad can obtain help from the aid and trade provision.

The Government believe that the aid and trade provision is an important element in their support of British companies bidding for capital projects overseas. We are currently reviewing the operation of the scheme to ensure that the scheme operates flexibly and efficiently.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contribution has been made in the year ended 31 March 1984 from the European Coal and Steel Community funds to assist manufacturing companies expand or modernise their facilities in areas affected by the closure of steel plants and coal mines.

The European Coal and Steel Community made available £41·2 million in loans in the year ended 31 March 1984 to assist industrial investment in areas of coal and steel closures.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to see that smaller firms get a share of the Government's research and development expenditure.

Small and medium sized firms are fully eligible to apply for the assistance available under the Department's "Support for Innovation" programme. Additionally, small and medium size firms benefit from a variety of measures introduced for them such as the small firms service and a range of other advisory schemes.Under the small engineering firms investment schemes, applications received represent potential new investment of some £390 million in advanced capital equipment.To increase awareness of Government assistance among small business men, the Department is currently supporting a series of seminars for its professional advisers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to make known his response to the comments sent to him on the Gower report on investor protection.

Not before I have had the opportunity of digesting the comments, numbering more than 100 from interested parties. They raise important and complex issues, which need careful study, but I shall make a statement as soon as I can sensibly do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to meet the leaders of the Trades Union Congress and the Confederation of British Industry to discuss investment in the public sector.

I have at the present time no arrangements to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Government contributed to the shoe and allied trades research association budget in the last year.

During the financial year 1983–84, the Government made payments of £567,000 to SATRA. Over 90 per cent. of this was in the form of payments made in respect of projects assisted under the Department's support for innovation scheme. The balance was made up of small projects supported by the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the value of inward investment into the United Kingdom by information technology related companies over the last 12 months and the number of jobs likely to be associated with this investment.

There are no comprehensive figures on inward investment covering the last 12 months. In 1982, the last year for which such figures are available, inward investment in companies in the IT sector was in excess of £100 million. More recently, particular examples have included: the decision by IBM to manufacture its personal computer in Scotland, an investment of £8 million resulting directly and indirectly in 400 new jobs; Hewlett Packard's investment in Bristol totalling £43 million and involving over 950 jobs; DEC's software engineering project at Reading, involving £53 million and 300 jobs; and Microdata's investment of £10 million at Hemel Hempstead, adding 500 jobs to the 1,000 already there. My Departmen is aware, since the beginning of 1984 alone, of over 20 overseas companies in the IT sector which are undertaking or planning investment in excess of £370 million. These include three major investments in microchip production—National Semiconductor in Scotland, of £141 million, creating 800 jobs; Monsanto in the south-east, of £35 million, creating 400 jobs; and Shin-Etsu Handotai, of £36 million, creating 400 jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage multinational motor manufacturers operating in the United Kingdom to use British steel in their products.

It is for British steel manufacturers to demonstrate to motor manufacturers that their products are competitive on cost, quality and delivery. Moor manufacturers must be competitive and so must their suppliers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the level of competitiveness in British industry.

British Industry has made significant improvements in productivity and cost competitiveness over the last three years. This is an encouraging start to reversing the process of industrial decline.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to announce the Government decision on the future of the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

The issues raised by the recommendations about ECGD in the recent report of the committee chaired by Sir Peter Matthews are being examined. I will announce the Government's decision on those recommendations as soon as possible. If my hon. Friend has any views, I would be delighted to consider them. As I made clear on 11 April, it would be helpful to have comments by 1 July.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to make further savings to reduce the projected total running costs of his Department in 1984–85.

Keeping running costs to the minimum necessary to perform its activities is a continuing objective in my Department. Plans for improving our control over running costs and securing increased cost effectiveness were set out in the White Paper on financial management last year (Cmnd. 9058). As already announced, in July the Government are to publish a further White Paper covering progress on the financial management initiative.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for increasing staff at the Companies Registration Office; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) on 6 April 1984 at column 667.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to inform professional advisers about the help available to small firms through Government schemes.

My Department is sponsoring two series of seminars on financing small businesses and government grants and advisory services specifically for professional advisers. Each of these is being presented at over 60 venues in England and Wales, and more than 11,000 applications to attend have been received. A new book, "Help for Growing Businesses", has also been published to coincide with these seminars, and copies are being widely distributed among advisers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is currently taking to liberalise trade in services in the European Community.

The Government continue to take every opportunity both in the Council of Ministers and in meetings with Ministers of other member states to press for liberalisation of services; and are taking an active part in Community discussions on proposals about freedom of insurance services, about introducing greater competition into civil aviation and abolishing quota restrictions on freight haulage.We are also intervening in support of the Commission actions before the European Court of Justice about the nonlife co-insurance directive.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has yet received the revised corporate plan from British Steel; and if he will make a statement.

I expect BSC to complete its corporate plan very shortly and to submit it to the Government for approval.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether specific plans have been made to protect Patent Office records in wartime.

No specific plans have been made to protect Patent Office records in wartime. However, full collections of British patent specifications are held in several different libraries throughout the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations he has had with the trade unions recognised by British Telecom and the chairman and council of the Post Office Users' National Council on the contents of the new licence for British Telecom plc.

The British Telecommunications Union Committee and the Post Office Users National Council have both made written representations on the draft British Telecom licence, which was published on 25 October 1983. These representations are being carefully considered, along with the others we have received, while the licence is finalised.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he now expects British Telecom to become a private company.

The Government expect to sell a majority of the ordinary voting shares of British Telecom in the late autumn of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce his final decision on the future level of regional aid.

The future level of expenditure on regional aid will depend on the decisions reached on a number of issues on which the White Paper "Regional Industrial Development" (Cmnd. 9111) invited views, including particularly the details of the new regional development grant scheme and the assisted area map. These will be announced in the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the trend in non-oil exports in recent months.

In the three months ending April the volume of exports of goods other than oil was 4 per cent. higher than in the preceding three months and 6 per cent. above the level of the corresponding period in 1983. This trend is satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will update the answer of 2 May, Official Report, column 178, concerning the number of United Kingdom plants that have been closed down since the beginning of 1979; and if he will indicate the number of jobs that have been lost since 1979 in the plants in question.

The latest information available to my Department concerning factory closures indicates that three additional foreign-owned manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom with more than 10 employees have closed since the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry on 2 May. The definition of foreign ownership used is that at least 51 per cent. of the equity of the United Kingdom firm is owned by an overseas company.Since the beginning of 1979, a total of 106,510 jobs have been lost in the closure of all foreign-owned manufacturing plants which employed more than 10 people.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the future of Inmos.

Inmos began to trade profitably in the last quarter of 1983 and this trend has strengthened in 1984. A group of investors had proposed to make a placement of £30 million in new shares in the company, but in the light of Inmos's current performance and its improved prospects the Government have withheld the signature of the British Technology Group to this proposal. The BTG is actively exploring other options for the transfer of the company to the private sector bearing in mind the taxpayer's past investment and the future development of Inmos technology.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the export potential of computers for educational purposes.

As a result of initiatives taken by my Department, the Department of Education and Science and the Scottish Education Department, the use of microcomputers in education is, we believe, more advanced than in any other country in the world. By the end of this year, every school should have a microcomputer. We are also at the forefront in the use of computers as a means for improving teaching across the curriculum as well as for computing and programming studies.Many of the companies concerned are now looking to exports. Acorn Computers and Sinclair Research have, for example, already exported successfully to a large number of overseas countries. Many of the other computer manufacturers, software producers and peripheral manufacturers are also in the early stages of export activity. United Kingdom software is particularly well respected.In addition, the United Kingdom industry has come together to form a loose association under the heading of the Great British Micro Show which has exhibited at educational trade fairs in Singapore and Basle, placing emphasis on the ability of the United Kingdom to provide a total capability in educational information technology, including hardware and software provision, teacher training and support services.Officials in both my Department and the Department of Education and Science have also entered into discussions with the Governments of a range of overseas countries to consider the scope for intergovernmental agreements on educational IT. A joint working party has been set up, for example with India, and offers promising opportunities for our companies. Manufacturing under licence could form a prominent part of this activity.It is too early to place a figure on the potential value of the educational IT market as it is dependent upon decisions by foreign Governments, many of whom have yet to decide the extent to which they are willing to finance the introduction of microcomputing into education. This is clearly an expanding and important world market, however, and the United Kingdom is obviously extremely well placed to benefit from it. I am optimistic that the companies concerned will exploit the opportunities available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when cellular radio will be extended across (a) England and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom.

Under the terms of their licences the two national cellular radio system operators are required to commence services no later than 31 March 1985 and to cover an area where 90 per cent. of the United Kingdom population live by 31 December 1989. The speed and extent of coverage between these dates will depend on the individual plans of the two system operators.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the development of direct broadcasting by satellite.

I refer my hon. Friend to the very full statement made on 8 May by the Home Secretary in this place in which he explained the Government's position. I very much welcome the way that the different interests—broadcasting, programming, industrial—have worked so well together to achieve a new start for direct broadcasting by satellite in Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many local enterprise agencies have been approved for tax relief.

I am pleased to say that to date 156 local enterprise agencies have been approved for tax relief purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many local enterprise agencies have been approved for tax relief.

I am pleased to say that to date 156 local enterprise agencies have been approved for tax relief purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied that small firms enjoy adequate access to Government contracts.

The Government have recognised that small firms have particular difficulties when seeking Government contracts and are taking steps to help them. We have recently raised to £10,000 the threshold for contracts below which firms are normally exempt from approval procedures and have standardised the financial and general information that Departments require from firms seeking approval. Consideration is now being given to standardising the technical information required. My Department's booklet for small firms on tendering for government contracts is now being updated and the Ministry of Defence has also published its own booklet for small firms. I am always looking for new possible steps which would help small firms make the most of the opportunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the employees in his Department are the holders of degrees or diplomas which were awarded by the Open University.

Sixty-nine officers have. informed the Department that they hold degrees awarded by the Open University. A further 70 are currently studying for such degrees.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the British Leyland corporate plan.

I announced our decisions on BL's corporate plan to this House on 22 May, and they were further debated on 24 May.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures his Department has introduced to assist small and medium-sized firms in the application of new technologies.

Small and medium-sized firms are fully eligible to apply for the assistance available under the Department's "Support for Innovation" programme. Additionally, small and medium-size firms benefit from a variety of measures introduced for them, such as the small firms service, and a range of other advisory schemes.Under the small engineering firms investment schemes, applications received represent potential new investment of some £390 million in advanced capital equipment.To increase awareness of Government assistance among small business men, the Department is currently supporting a series of seminars for its professional advisers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps were taken to ensure that the provisions of the Toy Water Snakes Order 1983 were made known to the wholesale and retail trades.

The prohibition order was publicised through a departmental press notice issued the same day the order was made, 8 September 1983. The 16 September 1983 issue of the Department's publication "British Business" carried the text of the press notice, as did the September 1983 issue of "Toy Trader", which is a prominent trade publication.Trading standards department around the country, which are responsible for enforcement, also made suppliers aware of the order's existence.

asked the Secretay of Trade and Industry what inquiries were made by his Department about the supply requirements of manufacturing industry before he agreed the linked closure of the steel producing firms of F. H. Lloyds, John Bagnall and Breckhouse District Steel.

My Department examined the proposal made by the companies concerned in accordance with the rules of the private sector steel scheme. The Government concluded that the supply requirements of customers as well as the industry's own prospects of future viability would be best safeguarded in the longer term by offering support towards the proposed rationalisation. I must stress that it was the companies themselves which decided which of them would stay in the business and which would leave.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he intends to make a statement on the film industry.

We have not yet completed our review of the film industry, but I hope to announce the Government's conclusions before the summer recess.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the total public expenditure by programme consistent with table 1.3 of the latest expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 9143, for the years 1973–74 to date.

Information concerning public expenditure by programme for the years 1973–74 to 1976–77 is only readily available on the definitions of the 1983 public expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 8789. Data for these years, consistent with table 1.7 of Cmnd. 8789, are as follows.

Total public expenditure by programme consistent with table 1·7 of Cmnd. 8789*
	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
Defence	3,449	4,145	5,339	6,183
Overseas aid and other services	606	709	738	1,039
Agriculture, fisheries, food and forestry	448	1,100	1,321	987
Industry, energy, trade and employment	2,321	2,945	3,018	3,093
Transport	1,281	1,828	2,320	2,349
Housing	1,814	3,281	3,244	3,669
Other environmental services	1,205	1,534	1,968	1,913
Law, order and protective services	846	1,098	1,458	1,678
Education, science, arts and libraries	3,777	4,887	6,185	6,982
Health and personal social services	2,949	3,935	5,206	5,937
Social security	5,824	7,324	9,925	11,603
Other public services	412	526	764	871
Common services	369	448	643	708
Scotland	1,626	2,157	2,768	3,060
Wales	635	857	1,090	1,240
Northern Ireland	797	1,101	1,449	1,627
Government lending to nationalised industries	195	709	1,087	284
Adjustments
Public corporations' net overseas and market borrowing	716	713	426	1,166
Special sales of assets	0	0	0	0
Planning total	29,270	39,297	48,949	54,392
* The Cmnd. 8789 programme definitions differed from those employed in Cmnd. 9143 in that government lending to the nationalised industries and the market and overseas borrowing of the nationalised industries and some other public corporations were shown separately in Cmnd. 8789 whereas this expenditure is included in the appropriate functional programme in Cmnd 9143.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total debt of the nationalised industries; and if he will list the individual sums by industry.

Details of the total debt outstanding against each nationalised industry's statutory borrowing limit at 31 March 1983 are given in the "Accounts Relating to Issues from the National Loans Fund" — (HC 159 1983–84).The total amount listed as outstanding at 31 March 1983 was £23,626 million. The figures for 31 March 1984 will be published in due course.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the companies and commercial undertakings in which Her Majesty's Government have an investment, the amounts involved, and the reason for the investment.

Details of Government shareholdings in companies and commercial undertakings in Great Britain as at 31 March 1983 are given in the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts 1982–83, Supplementary Statements (HC 158) published on 21 December last. The historical reasons for such investments are various, but the Government's general policy of disposing of their residual shareholdings in private sector companies was set out in my speech to the House on 14 March at column 420.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what alternatives his Department has to vehicle excise duty; why they have not been introduced; and if he will make a statement.

The possibility of abolishing VED and replacing it with alternative sources of revenue was considered in 1979. The Government decided then that, on balance, the benefits did not justify such a major change. However, the tax system is kept under regular review and the report by the Public Accounts Committee on VED evasion and enforcement is receiving careful consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report estimates of the revenue loss resulting from evasion of vehicle excise duty for each of the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.The extent to which vehicle excise duty is evaded cannot be measured precisely, but a survey conducted by my Department in 1977–78 indicated a level of evasion of 7 to 9 per cent. for cars and 10 to 13 per cent. for goods vehicles and motor cycles. The Department is undertaking similar further work this year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the total revenue collected as vehicle excise duty for each of the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.The revenue from vehicle excise duty in each of the last five financial years was as follows:

	£ million
1979–80	1,162
1980–81	1,360
1981–82	1,618
1982–83	1,840
1983–84	1,992

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the tax revenue of £280 million derived in 1983–84 from taxing the benefit of company cars available for private use was attributable to the vehicle rather than to fuel; from how many cars this revenue was raised; what revenue would have been raised, excluding that raised from fuel, if the benefit had been taxed at its full worth, assuming the same number of cars in this category; and from how many more cars revenue would have been raised if people earning less than £8,500 had not been exempt.

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

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list in the Official Report the numbers of Civil Service staff currently on secondment to nonprofit making organisations, divided into their employing Departments, showing how many are full-time, how many part-time and how many are within five years of their normal retirement date.

Information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.In 1983, 443 civil servants were seconded to organisations other than those operating on a commercial basis, such as regional health authorities, local authorities, international organisations, universities and colleges.A breakdown of the figures by Department is given. Further details of secondments between the Civil Service and outside organisations in 1983 are contained in a report produced by the Management and Personnel Office, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

	Secondments out of Departments
Ministry of Agriculture	14
Cabinet Office	3
Ministry of Defence	118
Department of Education and Science	4
Department of Employment	18
Department of Energy	5
DOE/Department of Transport/PSA	37
Department of Health and Social Security	34
Home Office	5
Inland Revenue	29
Scottish Office	8
Department of Trade and Industry	146
HM Treasury	13
Others	9
Total	443

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will arrange for the supply of a copy of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality to all senior civil servants with a responsibility for management of personnel.

A copy of the code was sent to the principal establishment officer of each Government Department on 21 October 1983 and attention was deawn to its provisions. They have been informed that further copies can be obtained from the Commission for Racial Equality.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has for each of the past seven years as to (a) those local authorities which provide free school transport to children residing between two and three miles from school and (b) those local authorities which do not provide such discretionary free school transport.

This information is not collected by the Department and an answer to the hon. Member's question could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what would be the cost involved in finding out how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have installed lifts in order to accommodate physically handicapped pupils; and how many have sought to do so but have been unable to secure the necessary funds.

The material necessary to estimate the cost is not available centrally, since to obtain the information referred to it would be necessary to inquire of all local education authorities; and only they could estimate the cost of their own consequential inquiries, which would form the major part of the total cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is now able to announce his decision on the introduction of the combined examination to replace O-level and CSE; and if he will make a statement.

No. My right hon. Friend still intends to announce the Government's decision before the end of June.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his recent, meeting with representatives of the Liverpool education authority.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 4 June, at column 70.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, under present arrangements for reimbursing students travel costs, what has been the average amount of reimbursement per student, studying from home and away from home, respectively, in each of the last five years.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to make available the report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate on the effects of local authority expenditure policies on the education service in England in 1983.

	New Undergraduate students	New Postgraduate students	Associate students	Short course students	Learning material sold	Students on specialised short courses
1971	19,581	13	—	—	—	—
1972	15,716	68	—	—	—	—
1973	12,680	92	1,885	—	—	—
1974	11,336	80	1,350	1,584	—	—
1975	14,830	102	4,188	1,768	—	—
1976	12,231	107	4,578	118	—	—
1977	15,146	116	5,576	6,096	—	—
1978	15,622	124	6,923	13,713	—	—
1979	14,854	160	8,778	10,311	—	—
1980	14,022	139	7,889	22,271	3,046	—
1981	14,410	133	7,078	15,752	2,755	—
1982	17,772	174	7,150	16,443	13,375	—
1983	17,627	190	7,367	12,805	26,214	974

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many students are currently enrolled on first degree courses with the Open University;(2) how many students resident in Cheshire are currently enrolled on courses with the Open University;(3) how many degrees have been awarded to residents of Cheshire by the Open University in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 May 1984, c. 445]: I am informed by the Open University that the provisional number of students enrolled on first-degree courses in 1984 is 66,763. In addition, 8,675 have registered as associate students to take courses at the same level. The Open University does not have information readily available about its students by separate local authority level but on the basis of regional information the Open University estimated that about 1,400 students from Cheshire are currently enrolled on its courses and that about 100 Cheshire residents have been awarded Open University degrees in each of the last five years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of the students enrolled with the Open University were (a) under 20 year

The HMI report on the effects of local authority expenditure policies on the education service in England in the autumn of 1983 has been published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office. The report contains much of value for all those concerned with education and deserves to be widely read.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students have been enrolled on courses with the Open University in each of the years since its establishment.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 May 1984, c. 445]: The following information has been supplied by the Open University.sold

[pursuant to his reply, 22 May 1984, c. 445.]: I am advised by the Open University that information is readily available only in respect of all undergraduate students. In 1983 the number of such students by age at 31 December 1982 was:

	Number
Under 21	57
21–25	5,124
Over 25	61,222

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what percentage of the total number of degrees awarded by United Kingdom universities has been represented by those awarded by the Open University in each of the years since its formation;(2) how many first degrees have been awarded by the Open University in each of the years since its formation in the following categories:

[pursuant to his reply, 22 May 1984, c. 445.]: I am informed by the Open University that BA and BA (Hons) degrees are offered but not BSc degrees. The numbers of BA degrees awarded and the percentage this represents of the total first degrees awarded by United Kingdom universities were as follows:

	First Degrees Awarded	as per cent of all first degrees of UK universities
1972	898	1·7
1973	3,640	6·4
1974	5,180	8·6
1975	5,469	8·9
1976	6,027	9·6
1977	5,997	9·0
1978	5,534	8·0
1979	5,835	8·2
1980	6,091	8·2
1981	6,503	8·4
1982	6,440	8·2
1983	*5,600	not available
* Estimate

Information is not readily available of numbers of postgraduate degrees awarded by the Open University.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what specific steps he has taken to encourage the implementation of sections 2(5), 2(6) and 2(7) of the Education Act 1981.

Welsh Office circulars 59/81 and 5/83 included advice on the implementation of the relevant provisions. Her Majesty's Inspectors of schools also consider these provisions on their visits to schools and give any advice they consider necessary. Two relevant HMI reports are in preparation at present and I will let the hon. Gentleman have a copy of each in due course. The reports will be entitled "A survey of provision for special educational needs in the ordinary school". One will relate to primary schools and the other to secondary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many dairy farmers in Wales increased their milk production quotas from 1981 to 1983.

Total milk production in Wales increased by an estimated 12·9 per cent. between 1981 and 1983. Details of the milk sales of individual farmers are not published, but some three quarters of producers are understood to have increased production over the years in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has decided on the way in which the principles of the recommendations of the National Health Service management inquiry are to be implemented in Wales; and if he will make a statement.