asked the Attorney-General whether there has been any recent change in his policy concerning the use of a bill of indictment in cases in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

No. It has always been my policy to exercise my power under section 2(2)(f) of the Grand Jury (Abolition) Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 to direct the presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment where I am satisfied that this is in the interests of justice and that the circumstances are appropriate. I must be satisfied that there is a proper case which should go for trial before the Crown Court and that the procedure can be used without undue prejudice to the accused. Examples where I consider the procedure is appropriate are cases where one or more persons have been committed for trial in respect of certain offences and subsequently another person is made amenable and should be put on trial at the same time and upon the same evidence as his co-accused, cases where there has been a committal which has subsequently been found to be defective by reason of some technicality of procedure and cases where committal proceedings in magistrates' courts have been disrupted or seriously impeded by physical disorder or other improper actions or where I have reason to apprehend that that would happen and where, in either case, I considered that the proper administration of justice would otherwise be prevented.

Health Service: Actual and planed public expenditure*
£ million cash
	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	†1985–86	‡1986–87
England
Hospital and Community Health Services	4,743	5,686	7,371	8,215	8,747	9,223	9,676	10,250	10,660
Family Practitioner Services	1,330	1,549	1,923	2,208	2,547	2,660	2,885	—	—
Central Health and Miscellaneous Services	239	294	368	427	481	574	577	610	630
Total NHS (England)	6,311	7,529	9,662	10,850	11,776	12,456	13,138	13,860	14,560
Scotland
Hospital and Community Health Services	665	792	1,007	1,146	1,226	1,303	1,377	1,470	1,520
Family Practitioner Services	160	186	231	264	302	323	353	370	400
Central Health and Miscellaneous Services	44	57	69	82	86	96	104	110	110
Total NHS (Scotland)	869	1,035	1,307	1,492	1,614	1,722	1,834	1,940	2,030
Wales
Hospital and Community Health Services	298	351	457	520	563	594	627	†	†
Family Practitioner Services	90	104	128	146	170	176	190	†	†
Central Health and Miscellaneous Services	10	11	14	16	18	21	29	†	†
Total NHS (Wales)	398	466	599	662	751	791	846	900	930

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what publications are produced by or for the Management and Personnel Office; what is the annual cost of each; and who is responsible for the editorial policy.

The cost of preparing the Answer would be disproportionate. Information about the Department's publications is given in the HMSO catalogues and in the "Catalogue of British Official Publications Not Published by HMSO" issued by Chadwyck-Healey Ltd. Both of these are publicly available and copies are in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to secure the appointment to the National Economic Development Council of a health representative; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has no present plans to alter the structure of the National Economic Development Council. Expanding the size of the council would risk it becoming unwieldly, to the detriment of effective discussion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide figures for actual public expenditure on the Health Service from 1978–79 to 1983–84 and planned public expenditure from 1984–85 to 1986–87 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, broken down by hospital and community health services, family practitioner services and central health and miscellaneious services.

The information is set out in the following table.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers, by grade, expressed as a percentage of the whole, of the number of posts by which the Civil Service has been reduced between May 1979 and May 1984.

There are about 2,500 grades in the Civil Service. The following table shows the reductions by

Civil Service: Reductions* between 1 April 1979 and 1 April 1984
	Full-time equivalents† and percentages Reductions*
	Numbers as percentage of staff as that level at 1 April 1979		as percentage of total reduction
Non-industrial staff‡
Senior open structure	136	16·7	0·1
Grade 4 and equivalents	24	8·3	0·0
Grade 5 and equivalents	320	10·2	0·3
Grade 6 and equivalents	540	9·8	0·5
Principal and equivalents	1,140	7·8	1·1
Senior executive officer and equivalents	2,500	10·2	2·3
Higher executive officer and equivalents	4,500	8·3	4·1
Executive officer and equivalents	12,200	8·7	11·3
Clerical officer and equivalents	17,400	8·9	16·1
Clerical assistant and equivalents	22,800	17·8	21·1
All non-industrial staff	61,600	10·9	56·8
Industrial staff	46,700	28·1	43·2
Total	108,300	14·8	100·0
* Including a small element of estimation.
† Part-time staff counted as half-units.
‡ All non-industrial grades expressed in terms of their pay equivalents in the Administration Group.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, under the new system agreed by Heads of Government for United Kingdom budget contribution to the EEC, would be the impact on the United Kingdom gross and net contribution, respectively, of the increases in own resources proposed by the Commission.

It is too early to give precise estimates of the effects of the Fontainebleau agreement on the United Kingdom's gross and net contributions in future years. They will depend on the size and composition of the budget. It is nevertheless clear that our net payments will be around half what they could have been if there had been no agreement and the 1 per cent. ceiling had been retained. It is also clear that the VAT rate for the United Kingdom, after abatement, will remain below 1 per cent. for the foreseeable future, even though the rate for other member states may increase to up to 1·4 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, under the existing system of budget contributions would be the impact on the United Kingdom gross and net contributions, respectively, of the increase in own resources proposed by the Commission.

The European Council proposed to increase the VAT ceiling to 1·4 per cent. In any particular year, the actual VAT rate within the 1·4 per cent. ceiling will depend on the size of the Community budget. As a matter of arithmetic, and on the basis of the budget figures for 1984, if the VAT rate had been set at 1·4 per cent., our gross contribution would have been 6,510 mecu (£3,829 million) in that year rather than 5,330 mecu (£3,135 million), the figures shown in the published budget. Our net payments would depend on the proportion of the additional Community expenditure that took place in the United Kingdom.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria he will apply in deciding whether to adjust Government Department cash limits in the light of changes caused automatically to Departments' costs by Budget taxation measures.

Cash limits are normally set before the Budget proposals are known. The presumption is that, once set, cash limits will not be changed even if there are unanticipated fluctuations in costs or other influences on expenditure. Any exception must be considered in the light of all the circumstances of the particular case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a text giving guaranteed effect to the March decision of the European Council, concerning the relationship between growth in agricultural spending and in own resources, will be agreed; why no progress has been made since March; and in what forum the matter is to be discussed.

The European Council invited the Council of Ministers so to proceed that the net expenditure relating to agricultural markets calculated on a three-yearly basis will increase less than the rate of growth of the own resources base and to adopt the measures necessary to guarantee the effective application of this principle. The timing and forum for future discussions of how this principle is to be implemented are primarily matters for the presidency. However, as the Prime Minister indicated in her statement on 27 June the issue is currently being considered by the Council of Finance Ministers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received advocating the removal of payment of value added tax on the cost of extension and renovative work on premises used by charitable housing organisations; and what would be the cost of such a concession.

I have received a number of representations from such bodies. Some have asked for relief from the extra VAT imposed in the Budget, while others, recognising the difficult borderline between alteration and repair work, have asked for relief from VAT on all expenditure on their premises. I did announce a relief for certain alterations to buildings for the handicapped on 29 March. Charitable housing associations providing for the handicapped will derive some benefit from that, but I am afraid that any wider relief could not realistically be confined to charitable housing associations and would therefore seriously erode the extra revenue needed from VAT to finance the other reliefs provided for in the Budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, according to his latest estimates and including loss of tax take, direct, indirect and administrative costs, are the relevant annual costs to the Exchequer of the average person who is (a) unemployed for a year and (b) on enterprise allowance for a year.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to zero rate expenditure on structural alteration to Airey houses which have been sold to their former tenants; and if he will make a statement.

No. VAT zero-rating is not considered a suitable way of assisting owners of Airey houses.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he has reclassified the construction of a road on the same ground as the previous road as attracting the standard rate of value added tax; and if he will return to the previous interpretation.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made to monitor the various freeport experiments.

Her Majesty's Treasury has commissioned Roger Tym & Partners (in association with Arthur Young McClelland Moores & Co., and the Marine Transport Centre, University of Liverpool) to undertake a five-year research study to enable an initial evaluation of the various freeport experiments which I announced on 2 February 1984 at column 411. The results of this research will assist in the reviews of designation of individual freeports, but the contractor will not, however, be asked to advise directly on continuation or otherwise of designation.The primary purpose of the research is to assess, for each of the designated freeports,

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated net contribution by the United Kingdom to the European Economic Community for 1985 following the Fontainebleau agreement.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1984, c. 251]: It is too early to give precise estimates of the effect of the arrangements agreed at Fontainebleau on 1985 or future years since they will depend on the level and composition of Community expenditure. In broad terms, however, we expect in future years to be paying about half what we would have been liable to contribute had there been no settlement and the 1 per cent. VAT ceiling bad remained in place.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the table 2.2.5 in Vol II of Cmnd. 9143, entitled "European Community Budget", in the light of the agreements reached at the Fontainebleau summit.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 July 1984]: Revised figures for net payments to Community institutions will appear in the autumn statement. A fully updated version of table 2.2.5 in Volume II of Cmnd. 9143 will appear in next year's public expenditure White Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report such information as is available to him for each year or financial year, since the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community, showing the maximum, minimum and average rate of interest paid on loans received by organisations and individuals in the United Kingdom from the European Economic Community; and what were the average interest rates on the United Kingdom money market in each of those years.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 July 1984, c. 151]: The available information is as follows. It is not possible to calculate average annual rates on the loans without disproportionate cost. Moreover, information on loans to the private sector was not held centrally before 1978.Loans from Community institutions are normally offered in a mix of currencies and the interest charged is determined by the particular mix for individual loans. Therefore, the private and public sector figures given are not directly comparable.Details of the average money market interest rates can be found in table 13.8 (and its predecessors) in "Financial Statistics".

	*Interest paid on EC Loans to the Private Sector		†Interest paid on EC Loans to the Public Sector
Year	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
1973	‡	‡	—	—
1974	‡	‡	8·3	10·5
1975	‡	‡	8·5	10·5
1976	‡	‡	║6·0	9·6
1977	‡	‡	7·4	9·6
1978	7·5	7·5	5·7	11·0
1979	7·5	9·5	9·5	12·0
1980	9·5	10·0	8·6	13·2
1981	11·0	11·0	11·5	14·6
1982	11·0	11·5	9·4	14·0
1983	8·0	10·0	8·3	11·4
¶1984	8·0	9·0	9·8	10·7
* Loans from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) can attract an interest rebate of up to 5 per cent, depending upon the employment created per project.
† These are minima and maxima weighted average foreign currency interest rates of Public Sector loans drawn under the Exchange cover scheme from European Institutions.
‡ Information not readily available. Prior to 1978 and the setting up of the Exchange Risk Guarantees Scheme information was not kept centrally.
║ Only one loan which had split rates of 6 per cent, for 5 years and 9 per cent, thereafter.
¶ To date.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide an estimate of the tax take on processed and packaged foods at (a) 5 per cent., (b) 18 per cent. and (c) 15 per cent. value added tax in a full year.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 July 1984]: To impose VAT in the manner described by the hon. Member it would be necessary to prescribe in detail the processes and kinds of packaging that would bring a product within the scope of the tax. It is not clear what definition the hon. Member has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the position with regard to compliance in Scotland with the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Campbell and Cosans v. United Kingdom, concerning the use of corporal punishment in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Compliance with the Court's judgment means that there must be respect in schools for the philosophical convictions of parents against the use of corporal punishment. It remains my view that this would be best secured by completion of the voluntary process of elimination of corporal punishment in education authority schools which has been the long-standing general aim in Scotland. Most education authorities have taken positive steps to this end, though not all have met the target date of the end of 1983–84 school session which I suggested. I shall continue to press those few authorities which have not yet taken steps to eliminate corporal punishment in their schools to do so.Most education authorities have also taken measures to ensure that, until the process of elimination is completed, there will be respect in their schools for the philosophical convictions of parents against the use of corporal punishment. The Court's judgment is binding upon the Government and I have decided that it is now right for me to take steps to support those authorities which have already acted and to ensure through legislation compliance throughout Scotland with the judgment.It is therefore my intention to introduce when parliamentary time permits a Bill to provide for parents of pupils in education authority schools to have the option to exempt their children from corporal punishment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the progress of the proposed European fighter aircraft.

Following the agreement by the chiefs of air staff of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom last December of an outline European staff target, the aeronautical industries of the five countries have undertaken exploratory studies into the viability of meeting the joint requirement for a European fighter aircraft on a collaborative basis. Those studies have indicated that such a procurement programme is possible. Accordingly, my right hon. Friend met his French, German, Italian and Spanish counterparts in Madrid yesterday, when they approved the following resolution:

"The Defence Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom met in Madrid on 9 July 1984, and:

Noted, with approval, a report by their National Armament Directors.

Having agreed, in principle, on the need jointly to develop and produce for 1995 a new European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) and an engine designed for EFA, instructed their officials to set in hand between their national industries a six month technical and industrial feasibility study of such a fighter aircraft weapon system on the basis recommended in the NAD's report. The study on the engine should consider in parallel and in the same time scale the implications of using the new EFA engine programme for a re-engining for the Tornado ADV.

Called for a further report from Armament Directors reflecting the results of this feasibility study and making proposals for further work, to be submitted in time for a meeting of Ministers in March 1985."

The five-nation feasibility study will begin immediately, and Ministers will meet in Rome in March 1985 to consider its outcome. Progress has therefore been good.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken by his Department since May 1979 to improve its efficiency; what has been the result; what further steps are currently being taken to improve efficiency; what the results are expected to be; and what output criteria have been developed by his Department to help measure its efficiency.

There has been a continuing programme of work in the Ministry of Defence to improve efficiency in the Department. Over the last five years, many hundreds of studies have been completed, ranging from internal audit and staff inspection to multi-disciplinary management audits and Rayner efficiency scrutinies, 20 of which have been carried out. For the coming year, a full range of audit, inspection and other efficiency studies are in hand, including full-scale management audits of the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service, the defence contracts organisation and a major Defence ADP bureau. In addition, we will continue to seek to improve efficiency in the Services' support and training organisations, thus allowing resources to be shifted to the front line to strengthen our fighting capability. In the Royal Navy, for example, it is expected that the numbers of men employed ashore will have been reduced by 25 per cent. between 1981 and 1988, with a further fall of 15 per cent. thereafter. Similarly, the Army is planning to redeploy 4,000 — or 3 per cent. — of its manpower from the support area to the front line, and the RAF is implementing a range of measures to transfer manpower from training and support units to operational stations.The study programme, together with the introduction in 1983 of the management information system for Ministers and top management—MINIS — has led to numerous improvements in organisation and procedures designed to increase efficiency. Most notably, earlier this year the Secretary of State published a consultative document (MINIS and the Development of the Organisation for Defence—Defence Open Government Document 84/03) outlining his proposals for radical changes to streamline the defence organisation. Detailed plans for their implementation will be presented to the House shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about Exercise Lionheart planned for this autumn; and why it is envisaged that the exercise will not go into a nuclear phase.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Colchester, North (Sir A. Buck) on 28 July 1983, at column 562.An offensive nuclear phase is not relevant to the purpose of the exercise, which is primarily to test our reinforcement procedures and practise our conventional capabilities. Contingency planning has been made, however, for a defensive nuclear phase to the exercise to enable our forces to practise their techniques and procedures for fighting conventionally in a contaminated environment following the use of nuclear or chemical weapons by the Warsaw pact.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implication of the strategy in Exercise Lionheart that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's front line can be held with emerging technology weapons and techniques rather than resort to nuclear weapons, for the possibility of a move to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.

Consideration of the scope for enhancing NATO's conventional capability through the use of emerging technologies is a long-term issue not affecting the scenario for Exercise Lionheart, which is being held this September primarily to test reinforcement procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total number of approvals given per officer rank in the armed forces since 1980 to take up appointments with companies in the defence industry.

	1980	1981	1982	1983	*1984
Lieutenant and below and equivalent	—	—	—	1	—
Captain and equivalent	4	3	12	25	3
Major and equivalent	11	15	57	75	25
Lieutenant Colonel and equivalent	12	22	38	75	16
Colonel and equivalent	6	18	15	37	12
Brigadier and equivalent	7	13	13	16	6
Major General and equivalent	7	8	8	21	5
Lieutenant General and Equivalent	1	1	2	6	1
General and equivalent	—	2	2	1	—
Field Marshal and equivalent	—	—	—	1	—
* Up to end of June.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current cost to his Department of (a) a Challenger tank, (b) a Commander tank transporter, (c) an anti-tank guided weapon Milan, (d) an anti-tank guided weapon Swingfire, (e) a Lynx helicopter, (f) a TOW antitank missile, (g) a new combat high boot and (h) the general purpose night vision goggles.

I cannot disclose some of these costs because to do so could prejudice the result of current negotiations or competitive tenders with manufacturers, or lead to a breach of normal commercial in confidence arrangements. The prices I can give are as follows, all VAT inclusive and as used in the most recent completed long term costing exercise: Challenger—£1·5 million; Milan — £7,500; Swingfire—£7,600; TOW — £8,500; new combat high boot—£16 per pair.Our aim remains to seek value for money taking all considerations into account. But the hon. Member will accept, I hope, that at times we are obliged to preserve the commercial confidentiality of our information to serve best the taxpayers' interests.

Recruitment and losses of United Kingdom-based civilian staff
Financial year	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	Total
Non-industrial
Recruitment	8,825	5,079	4,565	5,451	5,898	29,818
Losses	12,297	10,372	10,632	8,937	9,420	51,658
Industrial
Recruitment	—	9,249	7,649	10,187	10,776	37,861
Losses	—	13,817	14,094	14,157	12,382	54,450

The total number of approvals given per officer rank in the armed forces since 1980 is contained in the table. The figures reflect the total number of applications approved in respect of companies with a contractual relationship with the Ministry of Defence, and in a significant number of cases individual officers have submitted more than one application.Whilst the figures record the number of approvals given to prospective appointments, records do not exist of those appointments actually accepted.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the employees of his Department are registered as disabled.

2,020 registered disabled persons are currently employed in my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many new staff have been employed by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The following table shows the number of staff newly employed in non-industrial grades in each of the last five financial years and in industrial grades for each of the last four financial years. Figures for industrial recruitment were not collated centrally until 1980. For comparison purposes and to illustrate the MOD's contribution to the reductions achieved in the size of the Civil Service since 1979, the table also shows figures for those leaving the Department over the same period.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total amount of money spent by his Department on advertising in each of the last five years for which figures are available (a) of job vacancies and (b) for other reasons.

Details of expenditure on civilian and service recruiting advertising and expenditure relating to advertising for other reasons are as follows:

	Recruiting Advertising (£s million)	Other Advertising (£s million)
1979–80	8·096	0·040
1980–81	6·748	0·080
1981–82	4·168	0·066
1982–83	3·973	0·076
1983–84	5·314	0·081

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report those service departments and depots where (a) privatisation of services has already taken place, indicating which services, the number and nature of jobs involved and the calculated saving and (b) those where privatisation is about to take place, giving the same information.

No privatisation has yet taken place in my Department and the only area in which privatisation is currently planned is in the royal ordnance factories, subject to enactment of the Ordnance Factories and Military Services Bill. 18,500 posts are likely to be affected in all aspects of the ROF's work, from production to administration and sales. The Department will benefit from savings in the context of the Government's overall privatisation programme, and by the promotion of competition. It is too early to give an estimate of the receipts which would accrue to the Consolidated Fund on the privatisation of the ROFs.However, the Department has transferred work to contract. The information requested for work contracted out is as follows:

Location of service	Service/function	Staff savings Actual
MOD Navy,	Transport	*
MOD Air
Met Office	Ocean weather ships	93
Various	Aircraft servicing and repair	*
MOD Navy	Machinery maintenance	*
REME static	Vehicle repair	*
workshops

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report the list and number of service depots or departments closed over the past two years and those planned to be closed for the next two years indicating the number and nature of civilian jobs lost or to be lost.

I shall reply shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from councils which have designated themselves nuclear-free zones concerning the transit of nuclear material within those zones.

My right hon. Friend has received representations or inquiries from four such local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Central Vehicle Depot, Hilton, South Derbyshire.

A review of the central vehicle depot organisation was initiated late in 1982, and its main conclusion was to confirm the need for the existing three depots, of which CVD Hilton in South Derbyshire is one. However, in accordance with the policy set out in the 1984 Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cmnd. 9227–1, paras 234–241), a follow-up investigation is being set in hand to examine whether further economies can be achieved if the tasks currently undertaken at CVD Hilton were carried out under commercial contract. The trade union representatives concerned have been informed of this study and will, of course, be consulted when the results of the investigation have been received and assessed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to reach a decision regarding the instrument of government for Burnley Habergham high school.

My right hon. Friend expects to make the new instrument later this month.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he intends to introduce legislation to control the use of corporal punishment in schools; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on 28 July 1983 at column 545. Issues raised in the consultative document to which my right hon. Friend referred are still under consideration and he is not yet in a position to make a further report.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the total amount of money made available by his Department for research into (a) the cause and (b) the treatment of leukaemia in each of the last 10 years.

The Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid through the Department, is the main Government agency for the promotion of medical research in the United Kingdom. In the last five years, the Council's expenditure on research directed at leukaemia is as follows:

	£ million
1979–80	1·27
1980–81	1·73
1981–82	1·33
1982–83	1·40
1983–84	1·39

The council does not distinguish between work on causes and that which may have implications for treatment. Figures for the years before 1979–80 are not available. In addition, research relevant to leukaemia is carried out in universities, funded by the block grant to the universities for teaching and research; the amount cannot be separately identified.So far as the causes of leukaemia are concerned, I am informed that much research is taking place in relation to chemistries, radiations and viruses as causes of cancers. It is not possible to say how much of this work will prove to be relevant to leukaemia.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of the employees of his Department are registered as disabled.

Forty nine, including one part-time, as at 1 June 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many new staff have been employed by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Information about the number of staff joining the Department since 1979 is as follows. The figures include staff who have joined the Department in that period more than once. The number of staff who have left the Department over the same period is also given; it includes people who have retired, resigned, died or moved to other Departments.

	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Staff joining	248	240	148	220	273
Staff leaving	354	310	298	315	309

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the total amount of money spent by his Department on advertising in each of the last five years for which figures are available (a) of job vacancies and (b) for other reasons.

The figures requested are as follows:

Year	Total expenditure £	Recruitment £	Other reasons £
1979–80	14,476	N/A	N/A
1980–81	11,822	11,792	30
1981–82	10,125	10,106	19
1982–83	20,956	20,901	55
1983–84	29,481	29,411	70

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to encourage those British companies with major cash assets to invest a greater proportion of their cash assets in manufacturing industry.

Investment decisions are a matter for the commercial judgment of individual firms. They will depend on where the most profitable opportunities exist. Government policies are helping to increase the profitability of manufacturing which is at its highest for many years. The net real rate of return on capital employed in the United Kingdom by industrial and commercial companies rose markedly to 10·5 per cent. last year—the highest level since 1965.As a result the Department's latest investment intentions survey indicates that investment by manufacturing industry, including leased assets, is expected to rise by 12 per cent. this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the consequences for manufacturing industry of the decline in capital spending per worker in manufacturing from £1,159 million in 1979 to £944 million in 1983 at 1980 prices; and if he will make a statement.

Despite the fall in capital expenditure per employee in manufacturing during the world recession, there is evidence of more effective utilisation of the capital stock. Output per person employed in manufacturing industry rose by around 6 per cent. in both 1982 and 1983 and is now 13 per cent. higher than its previous cyclical peak in the second quarter of 1979. Capital expenditure by manufacturing industry in the first quarter of 1984 was 14 per cent. higher than a year earlier. The results of the Department's latest investment intentions survey indicate a rise of 12 per cent. in the volume of investment by manufacturing industry in 1984 as a whole, with a further increase in 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will lower the minimum revenue cut-off figure of £185 per annum for the preserving of telephone kiosks after the denationalisation of British Telecom.

No. The figure of £185 for a call box's annual revenue below which the call box can be withdrawn was agreed between British Telecom and the Post Office Users' National Council in 1981. British Telecom's licence, which was laid before the House on 26 June, provides that this arrangement will continue.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to introduce fresh regulations to control the over-the-counter shares market.

I have no plans for introducing any new measures in the short term for this purpose; but the over-the-counter market is of course one of the many areas I am considering in developing proposals for new primary legislation on financial services.

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

In June 1984 the north-west regional office received 19 steering location inquiries. None of these were referred to Cumbria county council's industry development unit. But close liaison between the regional office and the IDU continues.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what publications are produced by or for his Department; what is the annual cost of each; and who is responsible for the editorial policy.

The cost of preparing the answer would be disproportionate. Information about the Department's publications is given in the HMSO catalogues and in the "Catalogue of British Official Publications not Published by HMSO" issued by Chadwyk-Healey Ltd. Both of these are publicly available and copies are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters he has received about Skyline Radio in south-east London.

Two.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether illegal broadcasts have been monitored or reported in the London area in 1984 on any of the following frequencies: (a) 92 Mkz (FM), (b) 212rn/1413 KHz (med), (c) 90·2 Mkz (FM), (d) 102·8 Mkz (FM), (e) 94·4 Mkz (FM), (f) 223m/1287 KHz (med), (g) 90·4 Mkz (FM), (h) 319m1963 Khz, (i) 102·5 Mkz (FM), (j) 227m/1325 KHz (med), (k) 463m/648 KHz (med), (1) 103·8 Mkz (FM), (m) 235m (med) and (n) 93·8 Mkz (FM).

Yes, on all but four of these frequencies.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions of pirate radio stations have been initiated in the current year.

So far this year 21 cases of unlicensed broadcasting involving 49 people have been forwarded to solicitors with a view to prosecution.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give the output figure, in units of vehicle, for the total number of motor cars produced, in the latest comparable 12-month period for which figures are available in each of the four largest European Economic Community member states, including the United Kingdom, Japan and Spain.

Comparable information for 1983 for the countries required is available from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' publication "Monthly Statistical Review" (April 1984 issue, Table 3D), a copy of which is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent word processors are used in his Department; and whether successive drafts of the forthcoming companies consolidation legislation have been produced on a word processor.

The Department of Trade and Industry has 135 word processors installed in its London and regional offices. They are used mainly for the preparation of briefs, reports, draft papers, and other work which may require frequent amendment and retyping where the facilities offered by word processors are of particular benefit.Several Departments are involved in the preparation of the Companies consolidation legislation and the preparation of the text is not the responsibility of my Department. I understand, however, that prints of three of the four draft bills for the forthcoming companies consolidation legislation were prepared for printing by conventional methods and a word processor is being used for the production of the fourth.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made in identifying and rectifying skill shortages in the information technology industry; and if he will make a statement.

As my hon. Friend knows, I am currently chairman of a committee studying the shortage of information technology skills.The committee is progressing well and I hope to lay before the House a copy of the interim report before the summer recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has yet received a response from the European Economic Community Commission to the proposed scheme of investment support for small and medium sized firms in the clothing, footwear, knitting and textile industries; and when the scheme will be introduced.

The European Commission has informed us that it has opened a procedure under Article 93(2) of the Treaty of Rome, whereby other Member States and other interested parties are given an opportunity to comment on the proposed scheme before the Commission decides whether to clear it. It is unlikely that the scheme will be introduced until late in the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out in the Official Report the income and expenditure of each public sector industry for which his Department has been responsible in each of the last 10 years; and if he will indicate the loss or surplus and his Department's level of subsidy in each case.

[pursuant to the reply, 24 May 1984, c. 530]: The available information for the nationalised industries for which the Department of Trade and Industry is currently responsible is as follows:

British Shipbuilders
£ million
	Income	Expenditure	*Net Profit (Loss)	Grants and Subsidies from central Government
1977–78†	548	652	(93)	‡ 50
1978–79	842	891	(60)	‡ 20

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 4 July, he will publish details in the Official Report of any plans which the Government are considering to privatise the British Steel Corporation; and what consultations he intends having with trade unions in the steel industry.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 July 1984, c. 364]: It has been clearly-stated Government policy since 1979 to seek the transfer of BSC's assets and activities to the private sector. The policy was most recently detailed in evidence given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Industry to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry on 8 February this year which was subsequently published in its Report of 26 April on BSC's prospects (Session 1983–84: HC 344–208-i-v). As individual proposals for privatisation are brought forward, they are considered by the Government and announcements are made when decisions are reached. It is for BSC management to carry out appropriate consultation with employees affected by such proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why the Ceylon Shipping Corporation has been selected as the designated shipping line for the carriage of sea mail to the Indian sub-continent for 1984–85.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 July 1984, c. 364]: This is a matter for the commercial judgment of the Post Office but I am advised that the decision was made after the contracts were advertised and competitive sealed tenders were invited from interested parties. It was on the basis of these tenders that the work in question was given to the Ceylon Shipping Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the total value of textile and clothing imports into the European Community in each of the years since 1964 expressed in terms of (a) their value and (b) their percentage share of the total domestic market.

[pursuant to the reply, 9 July 1984, c. 364]: Data on the domestic market are not available on the same basis as imports. The latest readily available information is as follows:

European Community* Imports† of Textiles‡
US $ Billion
1964	1·18
1965	1·20
1966	1·35
1967	1·33
1968	1·52
1969	1·87
1970	2·04
1971	2·64
1972	3·46
1973	5·04
1974	6·43
1975	7·05
1976	8·65
1977	9·85
1978	11·83
1979	16·02
1980	18·52
1981	16·33
1982	15·43
* Current membership.
† Excluding the intra-trade of the Community.
‡ Standard international trade classification (Rev 1) Divisions 65 and 84 throughout. Data for these Divisions on the SITC Rev. 2 basis, published from 1978, are about 1½ per cent, higher as a result of the inclusion of additional items (mainly wool tops).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what resources he is making available to local authorities to enable them to care for ex-patients from psychiatric institutions in the community; and if he will make a statement.

The rate support grant settlement takes account of the general responsibilities of local authorities, including caring for ex-patients from psychiatric institutions, and health authorities can contribute to the cost in appropriate cases. The Government do not earmark particular sums for particular personal social services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the under-fives initiative scheme.

As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 8 May, at columns 722–23, this initiative was launched by my right hon. Friend in October 1983 with some 80 projects to be managed by 14 major voluntary organisations working in the fields of day care and support for families with under fives. Further projects, now totalling 30, run by small local groups are receiving support through the National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations as the Department's agent. A total of £648,000 was paid out to the participating agencies in the financial year 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on his current policy on grant-aid to voluntary organisations.

We seek to encourage voluntary bodies in the health and personal services fields, and to foster working partnerships between such bodies and the statutory services. As part of this policy we make available grants under a wide variety of schemes, which in 1984–85 we expect to total some £34 million, of which about a third is for our basic scheme of general grants. This is a substantial real increase on expenditure in 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement about supervision and support of childminders.

Childminders are required to be registered with their local authority's social services department. Most local authorities provide some continuing supervision and support facilities for childminders as far as their resources permit. Childminders also enjoy support through the self-help network established through local groups by the national Childminding Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress his Department is making to improve services for those suffering from spinal complaints.

Two new spinal units have been opened this year at the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital, Stanmore, and at Odstock hospital, Salisbury.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations will be held and other procedure gone through before the proposed changes at St. Margaret's hospital, Epping, and other hospitals within the jurisdiction of the West Essex health authority are brought into effect; and if he will make a statement.

Health authorities are required to consult local interests, including community health councils, on any proposals involving substantial variation in the provision of health services. If the community health council objects to a proposal it is then referred to the regional health authority. If the RHA endorses the proposal it is referred to Ministers for final decision. The proposed changes in my hon. Friend's constituency will be the subject of such consultation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many pauper burials were recorded in the years 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively.

Information is not held centrally on the number of cases in which local authorities arrange burials under section 50 of the National Assistance Act 1948.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage of prescriptions which are issued free of charge; and how this compares with other west European countries.

In England some 72 per cent. of prescribed items are dispensed free of charge under the exemption arrangements, and a further 6 per cent. are dispensed to holders of prepayment certificates. Comparable information for other west European countries, where the arrangements for payment for prescribed drugs vary is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a further allocation of resources to health authorities for the treatment of heroin addicts and to assist local communities to take measures to prevent the spread of heroin addiction.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to make resources available to regional health authorities additional to the £6 million already provided for drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities.

£6 million was initially made available for a three-year period commencing 1983–84. However, the rate of starts meant that the year's allocation was not fully taken up and the scheme is continuing into 1986–87. This initiative is only one element in the Government's response to the problem of drug misuse. Responsibility for the provision of treatment facilities lies in general with health authorities, which have been asked to take early action to improve services for drug misusers. The Health Education Council and other bodies are being consulted on the report on prevention from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the publication of which was announced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary on 28 June, at columns 511–12.