asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will report on the second international conference on assistance to refugees in Africa in Geneva.

I attended ICARA II on 10 July. There was wide agreement on the need to tackle the root causes of refugee flows and to observe humanitarian principles in dealing with them. Over US $100 million was pledged and interest was shown in one-third of the 128 infrastructure projects submitted by individual African countries of asylum. I offered an additional £5 million to be spent by British and international voluntary agencies on such refugee-related development projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has now received the report on the hospital fire in the Falklands; and what action he proposes to take.

The report of the commission of inquiry into the hospital fire was published on 12 July. The response to the report is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government who are considering its recommendations. We are ready to consider requests from them for assistance in providing advice on fire prevention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the visit to Pakistan by the Minister for Overseas Development.

I visited Pakistan from 16 to 20 July. I had discussions with Pakistani Ministers and signed an agreement for a further £25 million of aid. I visited a number of our aid projects, and found that our aid programme is well balanced and effective. I also saw something of what is being done for Afghan refugees.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the question of human rights abuse was raised during the recent visit to Pakistan of the Minister of Overseas Development.

The question of human rights was not raised during my visit. I am confident that the Pakistan Government are in no doubt that we deplore violations of human rights wherever they occur.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received a reply to his letter of 2 April to Mr. Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow, director general of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation; and what is the current policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

A letter was received on 14 June, to which I replied on 4 July. Copies have been placed in the Library. We are seeking reform of UNESCO from within and will review our position in the light of progress later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage the United States of America to remain within UNESCO.

No. This is a matter for the United States.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will increase his support to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

The United Kingdom contribution is a fixed proportion of the approved budget based on a formula adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the amount of aid given by the Government to Ethiopia over the past year.

Our main contribution has been through the European Community, which has allotted direct to the Ethiopian Government 58,630 tonnes of cereals (including 18,030 in emergency aid) 600 tonnes of butter oil, 2,100 tonnes of skimmed milk powder, and 2,440 tonnes of other foodstuffs. The Community has also allotted 24,000 tonnes of cereals and other emergency aid to non-governmental organisations for refugee and drought relief in Ethiopia. All this will cost about £16 million of which our share is about a fifth.We have given £817,000 to British voluntary agencies working to relieve the victims of the Ethiopia drought and £3 million to the ICRC and the League of Red Cross Societies on behalf of eight severely affected countries including Ethiopia. We also agreed to help meet an urgent appeal from the Ethiopian Government for aid to postgraduate medical education in the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Majesty's Government intend offering retrospective terms adjustment on loans to the East African community.

Under the measure known as restrospective terms adjustment announced in 1978, the Government removed the burden of past aid loans from 17 of the poorest countries, including Kenya and Tanzania. This measure was extended to Uganda in 1982. Following an agreement to dissolve the East African Community signed by the heads of state for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda on 14 May this year, the Government agreed to waive arrears of principal and interest on United Kingdom Government loans to the Community up to 30 June 1984 and apply retrospective terms adjustment to the outstanding principal and interest payments from 1 July 1984. The value of this offer is about £4·7 million.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what information he has as to the number of (a) men and (b) women employed by right hon. and hon. Members in the Palace of Westminster and associated buildings; and what proportion of each group is aged under 25 years.

The information requested is as follows:

	Men	Women
Members' private secretaries	83	465
Members' research assistants	93	97
Members' temporary private secretaries and temporary research assistants	224	157

The information on the age structure is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Attorney-General if the Government intend to appeal against the court's decision regarding employees at Government communications headquarters.

The Prime Minister announced to the House of Commons on 17 July the Government's intention to appeal from the judgment of Mr. Justice Glidewell. The hearing of the case in the Court of Appeal is due to begin on 1 August before the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Justice Tasker Watkins and Lord Justice May.

asked the Attorney-General whether he has discussed the Iranian embassy publication, "Imam," with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

I discussed this publication with the Director of Public Prosecutions on 23 July 1984. Inquiries are proceeding under my personal supervision.

asked the Attorney-General if he will report progress on increasing the number of official referees, and improving court facilities.

As I told my hon. Friend on 30 March, the Lord Chancellor has approved an increase in the establishment from four to six. He is currently considering the recommendations he will make to Her Majesty for the two additional appointments. He is aware that the court facilities available leave much to be desired. Alternative arrangements are therefore being examined with a view to reaching an early decision.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will provide what information is readily available as regards the names, past and present employment and the political views of the justices of Mansfield, Worksop and Retford magistrates' courts.

The Lord Chancellor will write to the right hon. and learned Member, giving the names of the justices. The other information requested by the right hon. and learned Gentleman was obtained in confidence before each appointment.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the proposed placement of stipendiary magistrates at the Chester and Rotherham magistrates' courts, it is intended to send a stipendiary magistrate to the Mansfield, Worksop and Retford courts.

Acting stipendiary magistrate appointments are being made at Chesterfield and Rotherham. The volume of work at Mansfield, Worksop and East Retford courts is being kept under review and the Lord Chancellor is prepared to appoint an acting stipendiary magistrate to those courts if and when he is asked to do so.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the refund of fees by the Land Registry in the light of the High Court ruling of 18 May.

Following the recent High Court judgment that the Land Registration Fee Order 1981 was being wrongly interpreted in certain respects, a supplementary supply estimate will be presented in due course to allow for the repayment of those fees which must now be held to have been overpaid. Pending Parliamentary approval of the supplementary estimate, urgent payments of up to £1,500,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts if there is any financial help he can, if necessary, consider giving to enable Manchester City art gallery to raise the full purchase price of Duccio's painting of "The Crucifixion"; and if he will make a statement.

My noble Friend has extended by a month the period during which an export licence is suspended, to give further time for Manchester City art gallery to raise the sum required. I understand that substantial further contributions have already been received.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what was the amount of Government funding to the Arts Council in each of the past five years and the percentage increase in each year together with the rate of inflation for that year.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 July 1984, c. 393]: The government's grant-in-aid to the Arts Council, together with the percentage increase and the rate of inflation, for each of the past five years are as follows:

	Grant-in-aid £ million	Percentage increase	Rate of inflation*
1979–80	61·476	—	—
1980–81	70·470	14·6	18·8
1981–82	80·361	14·0	9·9
1982–83	90·850	13·1	6·8
1983–84	94·580	4·1	4·7
1984–85	100·000	5·7	4·8
The total increase over the period for the Arts Council was 63 per cent. compared with 53 per cent. for inflation.
* Percentage rate of general inflation is based on the GDP deflator at market prices.

Income tax (IT) less child benefit (CB) and NI Contributions (NIC) as a percentage of gross earnings
Married man with two children under 11
1984–85				1978–79				Change between 1978–79 and 1984–85
Gross Earnings	As percentage of gross earnings			Equivalent gross earnings	As percentage of gross earnings
£	IT-CB Per cent.	NIC Per cent.	IT+NIC-CB Per cent.	£	IT-CB Per cent.	NIC Per cent.	IT+NIC-CB Per cent.	IT-CB Per cent.	NIC Per cent.	IT+NIC-CB Per cent.
*9,485	12·8	9·0	21·8	4,909	14·7	6·5	21·2	-1·9	2·5	-0·6
†4,742	-4·5	9·0	4·5	2,454	-3·6	6·5	2·9	-0·9	2·5	-1·6
‡7,114	7·0	9·0	16·0	3,682	8·6	6·5	15·1	-1·6	2·5	-0·9
25,000	26–8	4·7	31·4	12,939	29·2	3·1	32·3	-2·4	1·5	-0·9
30,000	30·4	3·9	34·3	15,526	33·9	2·6	36·5	-3·5	1·3	-2·2
35,000	33·4	3·3	36·7	18,114	38·4	2·2	40·6	-5·0	1·1	-3·9
40,000	36·1	2·9	39·0	20,702	42·4	2·0	44·4	-6·3	1·0	-5·4
45,000	38·6	2·6	41·2	23,290	46·1	1·7	47·8	-7·4	0·9	-6·6
50,000	40·8	2·3	43·1	25,877	49·0	1·6	50·6	-8·2	0·8	-7·5
55,000	42·5	2·1	44·6	28,465	52·1	1·4	53·5	-9·6	0·7	-8·9
60,000	44·0	2·0	45·9	31,053	54·7	1·3	56·0	-10·7	0·6	-10·1
65,000	45·2	1·8	47·0	33,640	56·8	1·2	58·1	-11·7	0·6	-11·1
70,000	46·3	1·7	47·9	36,228	58·7	1·1	59·8	-12·5	0·6	-11·9
100,000	50·4	1·2	51·5	51,754	66·0	0·8	66·8	-15·6	0·4	-15·2
* Average.
† Half average.
‡ Three quarters average.
Calculations of income tax assume no reliefs or allowances other than the married man's allowance and (in 1978–79) the appropriate child tax allowances. NIC are at the not contracted out rate.
Gross earnings in (a) to (c) are for full-time adult males in all occupations. Equivalent gross earnings in (d) for 1978–79 have been calculated by reference to movements in these average earnings.

asked the Prime Minister what is the number of those aged 45 years and over in the United Kingdom who were unemployed for 12 months and more in May 1979 and now; what is the percentage increase; and if she will make a statement.

The following table gives the available information for the United Kingdom. Figures are given for registered unemployed in April 1979 (not available for May) and in October 1982 and the figures for unemployed claimants in October 1982 and April 1984, the latest date for which an analysis by age and duration of unemployment is available.The comparison is affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982, and by the 1983 Budget provisions which meant that some men aged 60 and over no longer had to sign on in order to receive supplementary benefit or national insurance credits.

asked the Prime Minister what would be the percentage change between May 1979 and now in the income tax and national insurance paid by a person with two dependent children on (a) average income, (b) half average income, (c) three-quarters average income and (d) salaries of £25,000, £30,000, £35,000, £40,000, £45,000, £50,000, £55,000, £60,000, £65,000, £70,000 and £100,000, respectively.

The information is in the following table.

Unemployed for over 52 weeks—aged 45 years and over
	Numbers
Claimants
April 1979	182,464
October 1982	424,434
Percentage change	+132·6
Claimants
October 1982	387,704
April 1984	387,739
Percentage change	Negligible

asked the Prime Minister what was the number of those in the United Kingdom aged 16 to 20 years who were unemployed for 12 months or more in May 1979 and now; what is the percentage increase; and if she will make a statement.

The following table gives the available information for the United Kingdom. Figures are given for registered unemployed in April 1979 (not available for May) and in October 1982 and the figures for unemployed claimants in October 1982 and April 1984, the latest date for which an analysis by age and duration of unemployment is available.The comparison is affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982.

Unemployed for over 52 weeks—aged under 20 years
	Number
Registered
April 1979	19,799
October 1982	101,414
Percentage change	+412·2
Claimants
October 1982	88,595
April 1984	120,568
Percentage change	+36·1

Unemployed for over 52 weeks—aged under 20 years
	West Midlands region	Dudley and Sandwell travel-to-work area	Wolverhampton travel-to-work area	Walsall travel-to-work area
Registered
April 1979	1,837	153	191	90
October 1982	12,805	1,570	1,079	1,245
Percentage change	+597·1	+926·1	+464·9	+1.283·9
Claimants
October 1982	11,387	1,459	820	1,022
April 1984	14,833	2,108	1,142	1,304
Percentage change	+30·3	+44·5	+39·3	+27·6

asked the Prime Minister if she will give the numbers unemployed in the United Kingdom for 12 months and more in May 1979 and at the present time; what has been the percentage increase; and if she will make a statement.

The following table gives the available information for the United Kingdom. Figures are given for registered unemployed in April 1979 (not available for May) and in October 1982, and for unemployed claimants in October 1982 and April 1984, the latest date for which an analysis by age and duration of unemployment is available.The comparison is affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982 and by the 1983 Budget provisions which meant that some men aged 60 and over no longer had to sign on in order to receive supplementary benefit or national insurance credits.

Unemployed for over 52 weeks—United Kingdom
	Number
Registered
April 1979	366,711

asked the Prime Minister what was the number of those in (a) the West Midlands and (b) the Black Country areas aged 16 to 20 years who were unemployed for 12 months and more in May 1979 and now; what is the percentage increase; and if she will make a statement.

The following table gives the available information for the areas specified. Figures are given for the registered unemployed in April 1979 (not available for May) and in October 1982, and the claimant unemployed in October 1982 and April 1984, the latest date for which an analysis by age and duration is available.The comparisons are affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982.

	Number
October 1982	1,169,558
	per cent.
Percentage change	218·9
Claimants
October 1982	989,306
April 1984	1,218,144
	per cent.
Percentage change	23·1

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish the voting record of the United Kingdom on issues relating to nuclear weapons, viz: nuclear-free zones, the testing of nuclear weapons, weapons in outer space and the nuclear weapons freeze during the 38th Session of the United Nations.

The following table contains the information requested by the hon. Member on the issues mentioned. The wording of each resolution was carefully examined to see whether, if passed, the resolution would contribute to genuine arms control.

asked the Prime Minister how many representations Her Majesty's Government have received complaining that the United Kingdom's voting record at the United Nations does not display a positive attitude towards world peace.

I understand the hon. Member to be referring to our voting record on arms control and disarmament issues at the 1983 United Nations General Assembly. Since the end of that session, we have received 661 letters about our record. In reply to these letters, and to Parliamentary Questions, we have stated our determination to support resolutions which are genuinely likely to contribute to the disarmament process.

asked the Prime Minister what was the total fall since the financial year 1979–80 in real terms of public expenditure on housing in Britain; what, in cash terms, was the total expenditure on housing in 1979–80; and what is the projected level for 1984–85.

Public expenditure on housing in Great Britain fell by 52 per cent. between 1979–80 and 1983–84 in cost terms; total public expenditure on housing in 1979–80 in cash terms was £5,460 million; public expenditure provision for housing in 1984–85 is £3,203 million.

asked the Prime Minister what was the number of people of working age receiving supplementary benefit for 12 months or more in May 1979 and now; what is the percentage change; and if she will make a statement.

The information is as follows. The dates given are the nearest to those requested for which information is available.

Number of claimants of working age who have been in receipt of supplementary benefit for 12 months or more
	Great Britain	Northern Ireland
December 1978	646,000	35,000
December 1982	—	62,000
December 1983	1,427,000	—
Percentage change	121	77

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her discussions relating to Diego Garcia with the Prime Minister of Mauritius.

The Prime Minister of Mauritius raised the issue briefly with me. I replied that our position was unchanged.

asked the Prime Minister if she has yet reached a decision as to whether to introduce legislation banning the naming of employees of the intelligence services; and if she will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Gentleman on Friday 11 May 1984 at column. 470.

asked the Prime Minister what is the warship and merchant ship capacity of the British shipping industry; and how this compares with capacity in West Germany, France and Italy, respectively.

Shipbuilding capacity is a difficult concept to measure as it depends, inter alia, upon manning levels and labour productivity. The level of output (completions) may be considered partly indicative of capacity. For merchant shipbuilding, recent information for the countries required is shown in the following table.Annual naval output for the United Kingdom has fluctuated considerably in recent years, peaking at about 40,000 standard displacement tons in 1982. Data on output of naval vessels for Germany, France and Italy are not readily available.

Merchant shipbuilding completions
'000 compensated gross registered tons
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
United Kingdom	584	513	254	418	349
Germany	617	618	922	764	926
France	474	302	394	310	376
Italy	232	320	284	177	143

asked the Prime Minister when a data protection registrar will be appointed under section 3(2) of the Data Protection Act 1984.

I am pleased to announce that the Queen has approved the appointment of Mr. Eric Howe as Data Protection Registrar. Mr. Howe is currently a board member and the deputy director of the National Computing Centre. He is expected to take up his duties as registrar on 20 September.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of the total education budget has been attributed to expenditure on adult education in each year from 1979 to 1983.

The total net expenditure on adult education as a proportion of total net public expenditure on education during the period 1978–79 to 1982–83 was as follows:

Adult Education Expenditure as a Percentage of Total net Expenditure
Financial Year	Percentage
1978–79	0·67
1979–80	0·70
1980–81	0·66
1981–82	0·70
1982–83	0·74

Adult education expenditure does not include expenditure on adult and continued education provided in polytechnics or other maintained FE establishments since such expenditure is not separately identifiable in the expenditure returns submitted by authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all research units funded by the Medical Research Council which have closed since 1979, indicating their main areas of work.

The information is as follows:

Unit	Main areas of work
Experimental Haemotology unit	experimental and clinical studies in the field of haemotology.
Demyelinating diseases unit	aetiological factors in multiple sclerosis and age associated dementias
Unit for the study of environmental factors in physical and mental illness	problems on the borderline of medicine and sociology
Neuropharmacology unit	the actions of drugs on the central nervous system with particular reference to drugs used in psychiatry and also drugs of abuse.
Unit for metabolic studies in psychiatry	the investigation of possible biochemical humoral and electrophysiological abnomalities in patients with mental disorders and aspects of physiology, biochemistry and animal behaviour that may have a bearing on these problems.
Reproduction and groth unit	research on human reproduction and on the development of children.

Unit	Main areas of work
WHO/MRC Tanzania Government Laboratories	studies on filariasis, malaria, schistosomiasis and hookworm
Environmental physiology unit	anatomical, physiological and ergonomic problems arising in working and living envrionments, including the tropics, and relevant problems in ageing and rehabilitation
Unit on experimental pathology of skin	study of the structure and functions of the skin in health and disease
Clinical genetics unit	study of genetic and other factors in the causation of developmental abnormalities in man and the investigation of the role of inheritance in the causation of common diseases
Clinical psychiatry unit	the investigation of clinical problems in a psychiatric hospital and its community services
Development psychology unit	psychopathology of cognitive development with particular reference to the perceptual, phonological, linguistic and motor problems of aphasic, autistic, blind, deaf, dyslexic and subnormal children
Industrial injuries and burns unit	studies into the causes, local and general pathology, complications and treatment of burns and other injuries
Lipid metabolism unit	study of lipid metabolism particularly in relation to the problem of atherosclerosis

In the same period the Medical Research Council has set up ten new units.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many (a) teachers and (b) other staff were employed in the education service and

	Primary Schools*†			Secondary schools*
	No. of pupils		No. of teachers‡	No. of pupils	No. of teachers‡
	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time equivalent	Full-time	Full-time equivalent
1954	4,258,660	—	133,412	1,696,314	83,965
1959	4,024,714	1,500	135,151	2,434,723	115,438
1964	3,937,986	7,222	135,931	2,650,311	138,553
1969	4,497,923	22,051	161,978	2,781,352	155,208
1974	4,835,907	74,260	195,581	3,499,654	200,426
1979	4,370,801	147,473	192,462	3,872,036	231,404
1982	3,838,907	167,804	174,240	3,798,000	228,397
1983	3,660,634	183,491	168,514	3,740,944	227,084
* Including middle schools as deemed.
† Including immigrant centres/centres for teaching English as a second language from 1974 onwards.
‡ From 1974 the number of teachers relate to qualified teachers only.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) in which cases he has modified proposals put forward by local authorities to close or amalgamate secondary schools pursuant to the Education Act 1980; and if he will state the substance of the modifications;(2) if he will publish all the decisions he has made to close and amalgamate secondary schools pursuant to the Education Act 1980;(3) on how many occasions where the Minister has authorised secondary school closures or amalgamations under the Education Act 1980 it has been the case that the statutory period for objections has fallen in whole or in part over a school holiday;

Secondary School Reorganisation
Publication	LEA	Schools	Decision (approval)	Whether modified
3 September 1980	Bolton	Reorganisation to close 18 secondary schools and establish 10	22 June 1981	Yes. Implementation deffered by 1 year and change in use of 2 sets of premises
21 November 1980*	Durham	Reorganise 5 11–18 schools to become 4 11–16 with establishment of Tertiary College in premises of the closed Peterlee Hontetch Comprehensive	3 August 1981
22 December 1982*	North Tyneside	Close 3 middle and 1 secondary school— establish new secondary school	8 July 1983
30 October 1981*	Wirral LEA and Shrewsbury Diocese	Reorganisation of County and RC Schools in Birkenhead and Wallasey (from three tier system to two) 15 secondary schools involved	17 May 1982
8 December 1981*	Manchester	Reorganisation of County secondary schools in the City of Manchester. 11–18 schools replaced by 11–16 and sixth form colleges (close 22; establish 16 and 3 sixth form colleges)	11 March 1982
29 January 1982	Cleveland	7 (11–18) schools become 5 (11–16) and one sixth form college	25 October 1982

Information about numbers of non-teaching staff by sector of education are not available centrally the numbers of pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools in England and the numbers of teachers employed within these schools were as follow:(4) if he will list the names of the local authorities where he has authorised amalgamations or closures of secondary schools under the Education Act 1980, and indicate when the authorisations were made.

The following tables list proposals published under sections 12 and 13 of the Education Act 1980 for the closure, simple amalgamation or reorganisation of secondary schools, which I or my predecessor approved in the period August 1980, when this section of the Act came into force, and December 1983. Eight proposals were approved with modifications, following consultation with the local education authority concerned. The tables show that for a large number of proposals the two-month statutory objection period fell in part during the school holidays; in only two cases did the whole objection period fall within a school holiday.