asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about expenditure on education and science in 1985–86.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his statement today, provision for education and science will be increased by £210 million to £13,590 million from the figures in Cmnd. 9143 after allowing for the abolition of the national insurance surcharge from April 1985. Three-quarters of the programme is local authority current expenditure which, after allowing for the transfer of funds to the Manpower Services Commission, is increased by nearly £300 million. There is a net reduction of £24 million in vote expenditure.2. The level of services that can be afforded within the cash plans will again depend on the ability of local authorities and others to contain their costs, including those of pay settlements. The policies outlined as follows are compatible with the Government's assumption of pay increases of 3 per cent. in 1985–86 for those groups for which the Government are responsible.LOCAL AUTHORITY EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION, SCHOOL MEALS AND MILK3. Within total relevant planned current expenditure in England in 1985–86 of over £21,000 million, it is for local authorities to decide the balance between services, taking into account their statutory obligations and Government policies. The total allocated to education in the Government's plans is £10,259 million. This represents an increase of about 6 per cent. in cash over the sum allocated to the service in 1984–85 after allowing for the abolition of the National Insurance Surcharge and the transfer of some funding to the Manpower Services Commission. In addition, as in the last two years, part of total current expenditure will be treated as an amount not allocated between services. This is in recognition of the fact that some local authorities will spend more than the Government consider to be desirable on services including education and need more time to bring spending into line with Government plans. The size of the sum in 1985–86 will be £600 million.4. Within the planned total for expenditure on education, the level of spending by individual local education authorities will depend upon their local decisions and upon their success in containing costs. If local authorities with education responsibilities spend at their provisional 1985–86 targets, their expenditure would in aggregate increase by about 2·7 per cent. compared with 1984–85 budgets at a time when school rolls are continuing to fall.5. The figure of £10,259 million includes £280 million for school meals and milk. A number of local education authorities have been able to make substantial reductions in net expenditure under this head. I look to authorities to review the provision that they make for school meals in order to secure savings in line with the Government's plans thereby releasing resources to support policies more directed to the educational benefit of pupils and students.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers have been struck off the list of qualified teachers by his Department in the current year; how this compares to previous years; for what offences teachers have been struck off; and what measures are taken to identify and remove such teachers.

During the financial year 1983–84, 36 persons were totally excluded and 3 partially excluded from employment as teachers on the grounds of their misconduct. The comparable figures for the two previous years are as follows:

Year	Total Exclusions	Partial Exclusions
1982–83	36	3
1981–82	40	5

The majority of such exclusions followed sexual, financial and drug offences. The individuals are identified from reports made by their employers and by the police. To make exclusion effective the Department gives details in confidence to local education authorities and all other bodies concerned with the employment of teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of teachers of mathematics in maintained middle schools had no recorded qualification in that subject at the latest available date; and what steps he is taking to reduce this percentage.

In middle schools, mathematics is taught partly by specialist and partly by class teachers. In a survey of 48 maintained middle schools for pupils aged 9–13 undertaken in 1979–80 HM inspectors found 579 teachers teaching mathematics, of whom 110 (19 per cent.) had studied mathematics as part of a first degree or as a main subject in their teaching certificate. Of the 35 teachers who taught mathematics for more than half of their week, 21 (60 per cent.) were so qualified.I have described the measures which the Government are taking to improve initial training in mathematics and the supply of specialist teachers of the subject in the answers I am giving today to my hon. Friend's other questions. These measures will be relevant to raising the level of qualification of those teaching mathematics in middle schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what efforts he is making to attract more mathematics graduates into teaching, following the recommendation of the Cockcroft report.

The Government have maintained the number of initial teacher training places in mathematics within a total provision of training places for intending secondary teachers which has been reduced because of falling secondary school rolls. Recruitment to post-graduate courses in mathematics has been good for the last four years and we expect the supply of newly-trained mathematics teachers to be adequate in relation to the number of vacancies for them. The Department's recruitment literature stresses the good opportunities for mathematics graduates within the teaching profession.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to review and evaluate the courses provided for the initial training of future mathematics teachers following the remarks in the Cockcroft report on the variety of practice that existed at the time of publication of that report.

All initial teacher training courses, including those for intending mathematics teachers, will be reviewed over the next three to four years by the new Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Courses will be assessed against a set of rigorous criteria, which include requirements relating to the academic and professional content of courses and specify a minimum amount of time to be devoted to the study of teaching mathematics in primary training.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of teachers of mathematics in maintained secondary schools had no recorded qualification in that subject at the latest available date ; and what steps he is taking to reduce this percentage.

The latest information currently available relates to November 1977. when it is estimated that 29 per cent. of teachers then teaching mathematics in maintained secondary schools in England and Wales did not have a recorded qualification in mathematics (no information was collected about qualifications at or below A level). A new survey of secondary school staffing was carried out in January this year and results will be available shortly.My right hon. Friend wishes to see a reduction in the amount of teaching carried out by teachers whose qualifications are not well matched to their task. The steps which the Government are taking to achieve this were set out in the White Paper "Teaching Quality" published last year. In particular, the Department pays grant to local education authorities to release for further training teachers of mathematics in secondary schools who are inadequately qualified in the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to set a maximum fee for overseas students; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend sets maximum fees only for overseas students who began their courses before 1 September 1980, who are excluded from the effects of the Government's policy that overseas students should pay fees that cover the cost of their education. For other overseas students, institutions and local education authorities are free to determine the fee to be charged in accordance with the Government's policy and in the light of their own circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to control glue sniffing among schoolchildren.

As part of the Government's policy for tackling solvent misuse among young people, the Department issued in June a safety in education bulletin which included advice about solvent misuse. Copies of the bulletin have been sent to local education authorities for distribution to schools and colleges.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will detail the current procedures for reviewing reports of independent schools' inspectors; and if he has any plans to alter them.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate reports the findings of its formal inspections to me. Since January 1983 I have published all these reports, as written by Her Majesty's Inspectorate. The reports are issued to the local education authorities, schools and colleges concerned a fortnight before being made more widely available. Those responsible are asked to inform the Department within three months of the actions they consider necessary in the light of Her Majesty's Inspectorate's report, what they plan to do, and what implications the report may have for other schools or colleges in the area. I intend to continue these arrangements, unchanged.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information his Department has from the 1981 census on age-participation rates at universities in Scotland by social class.

None. The 1981 census identified full-time students but not by the type of institution they attended.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information his Department now has from the 1981 census on the percentage of young people at university by social class of father; and how these percentages compare with corresponding figures for 1971.

None. The 1981 census identified students in full-time education, but not the type of institution attended.However, information about the social classes of the parents of students accepted for universities through the Universities' Central Council of Admissions (UCCA) in 1983 was published in table E8 of the statistical supplement to its 21st report, a copy of which will be placed in the Library. Similar information has been published by UCCA since 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many computers are available to the University Grants Committee.

The University Grants Committee has a small microcomputer and has access to a computer bureau, and to the Department of Education and Science computer at Darlington.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with his powers under section 71 of the Education Act 1944 in respect of the conduct of independent schools.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list in the Official Report those independent schools on which a notice of complaint has been served under section 71 of the Education Act 1944 in each of the last 10 years and those schools which have consequently been deleted from the independent schools register.

The information requested is as follows:1975

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the proposals outlined in the Queen's Speech concerning the rights of parents to exempt their children from corporal punishment will extend to those parents whose children are educated under the assisted places scheme.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the proposals outlined in the Queen's Speech concerning the rights of parents to exempt their children from corporal punishment will extend to those children whose school fees are paid, in sum or in part, by the Ministry of Defence.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to in how many schools currently educating children of Her Majesty's forces personnel under the boarding school allowance scheme those children constitute, (a) less than 10 per cent., (b) more than 10 per cent., (c) more than 20 per cent., (d) more than 30 per cent., (e) more than 40 per cent., (f) more than 50 per cent. and (g) more than 75 per cent. of its pupils.

The Department does not collect this information.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy regarding amending proposals put forward by local authorities to close or amalgamate secondary schools pursuant to the Education Act 1980, before those proposals are adopted by the local authority concerned.

It is for local education authorities, in consultation with the governors of voluntary aided and special agreement schools, to take a view on the form and pattern of secondary education best suited to local circumstances and the preferences of parents and, when necessary, to publish proposals as required by the Education Act 1980. Where such proposals fall to my right hon. Friend to decide, he may approve or reject them or may approve them with such modifications which, after consultation with the local education authority concerned, he thinks desirable. However his powers of modification are limited since he cannot so change proposals as to make it impossible to regard what is there as still being the original in modified form.Within these limits, my right hon. Friend's policy is to exercise this power where he has certain reservations but is otherwise minded to give his approval, to bring proposals more into line with his policies, particularly those set out in circulars 2/80, 2/81 and 4/82. Once proposals have been determined by the local authority or approved by my right hon. Friend, he may also, at the request of the authority, modify any proposals which they are required to implement by virtue of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to revise any of the cash limits within his programme in 1984–85.

My right hon. Friend proposes to reduce the cash limit on the Central Administration vote by £422,000 from £49,991,000 to £49,569,000. This reduction results from a misallocation of provision transferred from the Property Services Agency in respect of accommodation charges. This announcement reflects one being made by my right hon. Friend the Attorney-General, which, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, will make the corresponding increase to the cash limit on the Treasury Solicitor's vote. class IX vote 9.

asked the Attorney-General if he is satisfied with the rate of disposal of cases by the official referees of the Supreme Court.

Her Majesty has recently appointed two new circuit judges to dispose of official referees' business, thereby bringing the total number of official referees in London to six. These additional appointments should increase the rate of disposal and reduce the backlog of cases. The position will be kept under review.

asked the Attorney-General whether Her Majesty's Government have any proposals for increasing the staffing level in county courts in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Staffing levels are maintained as necessary to ensure a satisfactory level of service having regard to the predicted volume of work in particular courts. Within the overall ceiling of the Department additional manpower is allocated to deal with increases in the volume of business.

asked the Attorney-General if he will seek to make legal aid available in respect of cases of defamation.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend on 19 March 1984 at column 698–99.

asked the Attorney-General what are the duties by statute and convention of the Attorney-General.

My duties, whether deriving from statute, from common law or simply from convention, are too numerous, and in some cases would require too detailed an exposition, to be described both comprehensively and accurately in a parliamentary answer. But the following is a summary list of the more important.

I am the Government's principal legal adviser and, as such, give legal advice to the Cabinet and Cabinet Committees collectively and to my Ministerial colleagues individually (or to the officials of their Departments). This advice may have to concern any aspect of Government business and may involve any branch of the law, whether civil or criminal, public or private, domestic or international. I frequently advise on questions concerning proposed legislation and I have a special responsibility in respect of issues of legal policy (for example, retrospective effect, unusual powers or burden of proof) arising in connection with such legislation. I answer in the House of Commons for the Lord Chancellor and his Department as well as for myself and my own Department, for the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions and for the Treasury Solicitor's Department, and I am responsible for the carriage through the House of Commons of legislation which is promoted by the Lord Chancellor.

I have a general responsibility for litigation to which the Crown (or, in international tribunals, Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom) is a party and I may be asked to advise on specific issues in relation to such litigation: I regularly supervise the conduct of the more important cases. I am myself the formal plaintiff or defendant in proceedings under the Crown Proceedings Act 1974 where there is no Government Department that is specifically authorised under the Act for that purpose. In my capacity as guardian of the public interest, I bring proceedings ex officio to secure the observance of legal obligations, especially by public bodies or by private persons alleged to be committing a public wrong, and I authorise such proceedings to be brought in my name at the relation of other persons. It is in this capacity also that I bring proceedings for contempt of court. It is also my responsibility to initiate proceedings to have somebody declared a vexatious litigant. I act for the Crown, in its capacity as parens patriae, in charity matters and have a variety of functions in that field which sometimes involve my being a party to litigation to determine the duties of charitable trustees or to protect the interests of the objects of charity.

I nominate counsel to act for the Crown in both civil and criminal proceedings. In criminal matters, I superintend the discharge of his functions by the Director of Public Prosecutions and I have certain specific functions of my own in relation to prosecution: for example, prosecutions for certain offences can be brought only by me or with my consent and I also have the power to enter a nolle prosequi. I also have certain functions; in relation to the proceedings of coroners' courts.

The above account relates to my functions as Attorney-General for England and Wales. I have similar, but not in all respects identical, functions in my capacity as Attorney-General for Northern Ireland. In particular, the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland operates under my general superintendence.

In addition to these matters in which I function as the legal adviser to the Government or as the representative of the Crown, I also have certain responsibilities, by virtue of my office as Attorney-General, to the two Houses of Parliament. Thus, I have a limited responsibility for advising the House of Commons or any of its Committees on certain aspects of its business and in particular I am a member of the Committee of Privileges and give advice to that Committee. I also advise the House of Lords in peerage cases. In yet a different capacity, but still by virtue of my office as Attorney-General, I have certain duties and responsibilities as leader of the English Bar and as leader of the Northern Ireland Bar.

For a more comprehensive and discursive, though inevitably still incomplete, account of the functions of the Attorney-General, I refer my hon. Friend to the standard legal textbooks and in particular to Professor J. Ll. J. Edwards' seminal work, "The Law Officers of the Crown" (1964), which he has recently supplemented by a further book entitled "The Attorney General, Politics and the Public Interest" (1984).

asked the Attorney-General whether any change has been made to the class IX, vote 9, cash limit for the Treasury Solicitor's Department.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IX, vote 9, will be increased by £1,295,000 from £12,062,000 to £13,357,000.An additional £94,000 is required by the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions for the establishment on 1 January 1985 of a fraud investigation group. Additional provision of £1,220,000 is required as a result of the misallocation of the provision transferred from the Property Services Agency for the property repayment services.

asked the Prime Minister if she will arrange for detailed information on the cost of the mining dispute to be collected and made available to Parliament in the manner of the information provided by the Secretary of State for Social Services in relation to the dispute at the computer centre in Tyne and Wear.

The final cost cannot be determined until the strike ends, but the scale of what would be involved for the PSBR if the strike continued until Christmas was given to the House by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 30 October at column 1184.

asked the Prime Minister if she will seek to introduce public funding to defray the operating and maintenance costs of the lighthouse boards.

No.

asked the Prime Minister what is the up-to-date cost of all Government operations in the Falklands since 2 April 1982 and the cost per capita in terms of the Falklands population.

Total extra Government expenditure in connection with the Falkland Islands from 2 April 1982 up to the end of the current financial year is forecast to amount to some £2,100 million, equivalent to just over £1 million per head of population. This includes the cost of recovering the islands following the Argentine invasion.

asked the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the security arrangements for the keeping of log books on nuclear submarines.

The circumstances attending the disappearance of Conqueror's control room log for the period April to September 1982 are being investigated by a Royal Navy board of inquiry. Any lessons arising from this inquiry will be incorporated into our security arrangements.

asked the Prime Minister what is the total of local government expenditure in London; and if she will break this down by authority in cash and percentage terms.

The information is as follows:

Local Authority Budgeted Net Current Expenditure—1984–85—London
	1984–85 budgets	1984–85 budgets
	£ million	Per cent. of all London
GLC (adjusted for passenger transport)*	533·954	11·0
Passenger transport*	196·000	4·0
ILEA	899·513	18·5
Metropolitan Police PA	753·697	15·5
City of London	57·886	1·2
Camden	82·100	1·7
Greenwich	51·285	1·1
Hackney	66·204	1·4
Hammersmith and Fulham	48·217	1·0
Islington	66·488	1·4
Kensington and Chelsea	34·886	0·7
Lambeth	80·442	1·7
Lewisham	61·791	1·3
Southwark	81·633	1·7
Tower Hamlets	52·156	1·1
Wandsworth	56·542	1·2
Westminster	61·758	1·3
Barking and Dagenham	58·375	1·2
Barnet	95·059	2·0
Bexley	75·065	1·5
Brent	141·337	2·9
Bromley	91·576	1·9
Croydon	105·905	2·2
Ealing	112·399	2·3
Enfield	88·613	1·8
Haringey	112·626	2·3
Harrow	64·302	1·3
Havering	84·585	1·7
Hillingdon	86·307	1·8
Hounslow	80·079	1·6
Kingston-Upon-Thames	42·429	0·9
Merton	56·779	1·2
Newham	114·813	2·4
Redbridge	73·908	1·5
Richmond-Upon-Thames	49·528	1·0
Sutton	53·971	1·1
Waltham Forest	97·646	2·0
TOTAL ALL LONDON	4,869·854	100·0
* GLC no longer has responsibility for passenger transport. Passenger transport expenditure is assumed here to be equal to the GLC's budgeted revenue support.

asked the Prime Minister if the police have been instructed to make inquiries into the disappearance of the log book from HMS Conqueror.

No. This disappearance is being investigated by a Royal Navy board of inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will give details of his public expenditure programmes for 1985–86.

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced the main changes to the Government's public expenditure plans for 1985–86 and later years. The following table gives details of the changes in my Department's programmes.Resources for spending in the public sector next year will be very limited, and have been further stretched by the continuing over-spending by local authorities. As I announced on 24 July, we have had to increase local authority relevant current expenditure provision (adjusted for changes in the responsibilities of local authorities) by some £800 million. I have consulted local government on the various elements of the 1985–86 rate support grant settlement and will lay proposals before Parliament in December.There was a substantial overspend on local authority net capital provision in 1983–84, and there is again likely to be an overspend in 1984–85. The figures in the table take account of both.For housing we have made a small reduction of £65 million on the gross provision. Expenditure will be supported by a level of capital receipts £430 million higher than we assumed last year for 1985–86; this higher estimate has been made possible by the success and extension of our right-to-buy policies.I shall be announcing later, in the usual way, the apportionment of this total between the local authorities and the Housing Corporation; and individual local authorities will be receiving their detailed housing investment programme allocations. I am considering whether any change should be made in the prescribed proportion of capital receipts which authorities may use to augment their allocations, bearing in mind that local authorities were told in Cmnd. 9143 that they could plan their programmes on the assumption that their allocations for 1985–86 would be not less than 80 per cent. of those in 1984–85.Expenditure at these levels means that it is more important than ever to determine clear priorities for spending on housing and to seek the most cost effective solutions. It will be necessary for local authorities to concentrate more resources on the repair and renovation of their houses and flats and to make a start on dealing with the emerging problem of structural defects. Where authorities have blocks of flats or housing estates which need substantial renovation for which they do not have the resources in the near future, I will expect them to make strenuous efforts to find private sector partners who can take this on.For private sector property, it was never the Government's intention that expenditure on Home Improvement Grants should continue indefinitely at the levels of the last 2 or 3 years. It is primarily the responsibility of owners to keep their own dwellings in repair and where necessary to finance improvements by borrowing on the security of their properties. Accordingly, I would like to see home improvement grants focussed increasingly on those who can least afford to pay for repairs and improvements. I will shortly be issuing a consultation paper on proposals for legislation to secure this objective and I hope that so far as practicable local authorities will be guided by the general sense of these proposals in budgeting for improvement and repairs grants in the next financial year.The urban programme will be continued with total provision (including other Department's contributions) of over £300 million a year for 1985–86 and the following two years. Within this total, provision for partnership and programme authorities will, be continued at about the present cash level next year. The traditional urban programme will be concentrated in fewer areas, but existing revenue grants will be continued for their present term of up to five years. Provision for urban development grant will continue at a level that will enable schemes already approved to proceed and new schemes to be brought forward. In the two later years resources will increasingly be concentrated on the areas of greatest need.Provision for local authority local environmental services capital is unchanged from the White Paper. The reduction of £45 million is the net PES provision for New Town expenditure and reflects a corresponding increase in the forecast receipts from disposal of commercial and industrial assets. Gross New Town expenditure will be maintained at the previously planned level.I have made some additional resources available to the Nature Conservancy Council and the Countryside Commission to reflect costs involved in their obligations under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and a small addition to maintain the Heritage provision.The external finance limit for water authorities in England and Wales for 1985–86 will be £203 million, including £14 million for land drainage grants administered by MAFF and £20 million allocated to the Welsh Water Authority. For the English water authorities, the Government intend that there should be a significant increase in the provision for water investment from this year's provision of £686 million, to £769 million in 1985–86. This will allow us to make faster progress on replacement, repair and maintenance of sewers arid water mains, and on improving the quality of rivers, estuaries and coastal waters. To finance this investment consistently with the reduced external finance limit, the Government have decided to set the financial targets for the water authorities to achieve an average rate of return of 1·4 per cent. in 1985–86 compared with this year's average rate of return of about 1·0 per cent. This is the first step in a policy to raise the average rate of return over three years to 1·7 per cent. and then to 1·9 per cent.As a result water charges will increase by rather more than the general rate of inflation. Discussions will now take place with individual authorities to give effect to these policies.An extra £15 million has been allocated to the Property Services Agency in 1985–86 for major new works and maintenance of the civil estate.

£ million Cash
	1984–85	1985–86
	Cmnd 9143 Provision	Notional allocation of provision in Cmnd. 9143	Revised provision
Total Local Authority Relevant Current Expenditure (covering all Departments' Services)	20,389	*20,829	21,315
Housing (Local Authorities, Housing Corporation, New Towns):
Capital:
Gross Expenditure	3,244	3,121	3,056
Receipts	-1,600	-1,300	-1,730
Net Capital Expenditure	1,644	1,821	1,326

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken on matters within his responsibility to combat the problem of glue sniffing.

We issued a circular to chief officers of police in June this year setting out the various options and facilities open to the police. We have also consulted representatives of manufacturers and retailers on proposals to create an offence of selling substances to under-16s, knowing or believing that they are likely to be inhaled to achieve intoxication. The responses indicated widespread support for such legislation. The Government are prepared to support the introduction of a suitable Bill in Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to establish the new Cable Authority.

In August I announced the appointment of Mr. Richard Burton as chairman of the Cable Authority. I have now appointed Professor James Ring to be deputy chairman and as members Mr. Paul Johnson, Mrs. Elizabeth MacDonald-Brown and Mr. Peter Paine. Further appointments will be announced in due course, but I propose now to make an order bringing into force the relevant provisions of the Cable and Broadcasting Act 1984 so that the authority, comprising the above members, can be formally constituted very shortly. It is intended that the authority will assume its full powers under the Act in a few weeks' time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any changes to announce in the cash limit for the Charity Commission vote, class 13, vote 18.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit on the Charity Commission vote will be raised by £74,000 from £4,762,000 to £4,836,000. The increase provides principally for costs associated with the computer installation in the official custodians division.The additional expenditure will be charged to the Reserve and has been taken into account in the estimated outturn of the public expenditure planning total for 1984–85 given in the autumn statement today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide details as to the occupations of all persons arrested in the past 12 weeks on picket line duty at National Coal Board pits.

During the 12 weeks from 14 August to 16 November 2,079 people were arrested in connection with the miners' dispute. The occupations of those arrested which became known to the police over the same period are as follows:

Occupation	No.
Miners	1,951
Retired Miners	3
Member of Parliament	1
Transport workers	9
Students	15
Medical workers	2
Non-manual workers	12
Manual workers	88
Servicemen	11
Housewives	12
Unemployed	69
Total	2,173

The figures do not exactly tally because during this period the police became aware of the occupations of some of those arrested earlier, and it is not possible to separate the information about these arrests from that given above.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects to publish the report of the committee of inquiry into shop hours;(2) whether he has received the report of the committee of inquiry into shop hours.

My right hon. and learned Friend has now received the report and intends to publish it as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters he has received from hon. Members supporting the reform of the Shops Act 1950

Since the defeat on 4 February 1983 of the Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Whitney), which would have repealed these restrictions, nine Members of Parliament have written to my right hon. and learned Friend supporting the reform of the Shops Act 1950.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which Edward Hopson was released from Broadmoor; what advance warning was given to the police in Ealing; and what steps were taken to reduce the scope for him committing offences against children of the type for which he had originally been committed to Broadmoor.

Mr. Hopson was conditionally discharged from Broadmoor hospital with the consent of the Home Secretary, under section 66(2) of the Mental Health Act 1959, in April 1982. Consent was given in the light of a recommendation for discharge from the responsible medical officer at Broadmoor and of reports from him and other staff there.On discharge Mr. Hopson went to live in a hostel in Kensington. The Metropolitan police were notified so that they would be aware of his residence in their area. In March 1983 he moved to a council flat in Hanwell. The police would normally be informed of such a move; it is not clear from Home Office records that they were informed on this occasion, and we are checking on this.Before being conditionally discharged, arrangements were made for Mr. Hopson to be supervised by a consultant psychiatrist from Broadmoor and by a probation officer, and for both of them to send regular reports to the Home Office, so that Mr. Hopson's progress in the community could be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Mr. Mohammed Siddique, who is on remand at Winston Green prison, has not been allowed to grow a beard and was forcibly shaved during the week ended 2 November.

Mr. Siddique has not been forcibly shaved. He has been advised that if he wishes to grow a beard he must apply to the governor to be allowed to do so; he has not done so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he takes to ensure the reasonable health and comfort of those detained in custody between arrest and trial.

Responsibility for the treatment of persons in police custody rests with the relevant chief officer of police. Home Office guidance to chief officers on the treatment of persons in police custody is contained in section 4 of the "Consolidated Circular to the Police on Crime and Kindred Matters", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.The prison service has the duty of caring for the physical and mental health and welfare of every inmate in its custody, whether convicted or unconvicted. In any establishment this duty is shared between the medical officer and the governor and the governor is required to bring to my right hon. and learned Friend's attention any matter of concern which needs his consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he intends to make with regard to time limits on the period between arrest and trial.

We intend to seek powers in the Prosecution of Offences Bill to apply time limits to the period between an offender's first appearance in court following arrest or summons and his trial. My right hon. and learned Friend will determine the precise way in which these powers should be exercised after considering the results of field trials, which will explore the feasibility of particular time limits and their practical implications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints his Department has received in the last six months concerning lengthy remands in custody.

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. If the hon. Member has particular cases in mind and would write to me, I should be glad to look into the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many United Kingdom passports are currently held by United Kingdom citizens residing in Northern Ireland.

I regret that the information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further aid proposals he intends to take in northern Africa.

Following my initiative the European Community Development Council decided on 31 October to allot £35 million to help fight African drought. £14 million of this is for food aid. This will be available for the Sahel countries in northern Africa, in addition to direct aid from Britain and elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives Her Majesty's Government are currently taking to assist drought affected Africa.

We have food aid on its way shortly to Ethiopia and Mozambique. We have now committed to Ethiopia most of the £5 million I announced recently for drought-stricken countries. We have taken the initiative in getting the Council of Ministers to endorse last week a new allocation by the European Community for the same purpose worth £35 million, of which over £20 million will be food aid. We have encouraged the world food programme and the wider UN system to reinforce their efforts to deal with the Ethiopian drought.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European Economic Community counterparts on increasing assistance to developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

At the Development Council on 6 November, I discussed the various initiatives taken by the Community to aid developing countries. In particular Development Ministers endorsed an addition of 32 million ecu (£19 million) to the 1984 Community aid budget for emergency assistance to those suffering famine in Africa. On 11 October the Community offered 7 billion ecu (£4,140 million) for the 6th European development fund, an increase of over 50 per cent. on EDF V.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects negotiations for a successor to the Lomé convention to be concluded.

I expect negotiations to be concluded in time for the new convention to be signed in Lomé in early December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's role in negotiations on the renewal of the Lomé convention.

Her Majesty's Government have pressed our partners in the European Community to accept further liberalisation of the trade arrangements in the Lomé convention; and urged the Commission to find ways to improve the quality of aid from the European development fund. Progress on both issues has been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the present state of negotiations on the third Lomé convention; and what assessment he makes of the prospects for the successful negotiation of a new convention.

The last set of negotiations between European Community and African, Caribbean and Pacific Ministers took place in Brussels from 9 to 13 October when agreement was reached on all but a limited number of points. I expect the negotiations to be concluded soon so that the new convention can be signed in Lomé in early December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Her Majesty's Government are proposing that the additional money to be provided by the entry to the European Economic Community of Spain and Portugal to the Lomé convention should be used to tackle the problem of the burden-sharing key for European Community member states.

Her Majesty's Government did not put forward this proposal. The Council agreed to it in order to meet the concerns of some member states that their contribution keys to the European development fund were above their shares of Community VAT.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration the Government are giving to the African, Caribbean and Pacific proposals for the third Lomé convention.

The Government and the Community have paid careful attention to African, Caribbean and Pacific state proposals, many of which have been accepted in the lengthy process of negotiating the new convention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will make it their policy to insist that African, Caribbean and Pacific countries accept tighter control on the Stabex funds in the context of the negotiations for the third Lomé convention and that new concessions by the Community are conditional on further concessions from the African, Caribbean and Pacific states.

The arrangements for controlling Stabex transfers have now been agreed ad referendum between the Community and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states. I believe these new arrangements will lead to tighter control over the use of Stabex funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the nature and purpose of the Government's efforts in the context of a new Lomé convention to seek to ensure that African, Caribbean and Pacific countries recognise and encourage private economic operators.

The Government believe that private economic operators have an important role to play in the development of the economies of African, Caribbean and Pacific states. To that end we have been working for provisions to encourage European private investment, in particular to facilitate the negotiation of effective bilateral investment promotion and protection agreements.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts the Government are making with regard to the incorporation of human rights issues into the third Lomé convention.

The Government have been seeking a reference to human rights in the next convention. The Community has proposed mention of standard international texts such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The African, Caribbean and Pacific states have not yet formally responded.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government are seeking references to policy dialogue in the context of the negotiations regarding the proposed third Lomé convention.

The Government have strongly supported the Community's proposal for the concept of policy dialogue to be incorporated in the third Lomé convention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in the light of the success of the Victoria dam project in Sri Lanka, he will ensure that the aid programme continues to include a number of large-scale projects.

I am glad my hon. Friend has noted the success of the Victoria dam project. The aid programme will continue to finance sound development projects of whatever size within the resources available to it.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is satisfied with the level of transport support he has been able to provide for the assistance of famine relief in Ethiopia.

Figures for aid given directly to the Ethiopian Government
£'000
	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Food Aid	1,187	1,921	1,091	22	5,194	2,510
Other financial aid*	1,106	1,063	149	2	48	508
Technical Cooperation	473	679	429	142	58	19
Total	2,766	2,763	1,669	166	5,300	3,037
* Comprises disaster relief and development loans and grants.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he intends to allocate grain from United Kingdom sources to meet Ethiopia's food requirements for 1985.

We will certainly contribute from the 1985 bilateral food aid programme: and I expect the 1985 European Community food aid programme, which is much larger, to make a major contribution also.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Ethiopian authorities about their threat to move the Royal Air Force famine relief operation out of Addis Ababa.

No formal request from the Ethiopian authorities for such a move has been received.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made at the United Nations to ensure that the Government of Ethiopia do not hinder the airlift of food and medical aid to that country.

None. But my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been in touch with Mr. Perez de Cuellar on the need for overall co-ordination of the relief effort, and the Secretary-General has now appointed Dr. Jansson for this purpose.

Yes, so fat, but I expect further needs for spares and perhaps more vehicles to emerge, as well as for British equipment to enhance the handling capacity of the docks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the provision of emergency aid to Ethiopia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on overseas aid to Ethiopia.

I refer my hon. Friends to the comments I made in the debate on Foreign Affairs on 9 November and to my earlier replies today.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will state the amount of overseas aid given to Ethiopia for each of the last six years; and if he will specify the form of such aid.

Following are the details:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the arrangements he has made with the Government of the Falkland Islands concerning purchase of land by Falkland Islanders.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what inquiries were made into damage in the road between the airport and Port Stanley in the Falklands; what was the result of those inquiries; what disciplinary action was taken against those involved; what action is now proposed to repair the damage; and if he will make a statement.

The state of the Port Stanley airport road has been regularly monitored by engineering advisers, and there has also been investigations by the Royal Engineers and the Property Services Agency. This has shown that the Falklands climate and the nature of the usage of the road have led to unusually rapid deterioration, but I am advised that it is unlikely that contractual liability for the damge could be shown. Immediate repair work is being undertaken by the Royal Engineers.

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

I visited Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and Belize between 14 and 24 October 1984, to see something of Britain's aid programme in operation; to discuss development matters with local Ministers and officials; and to review our programmes with the British high commissions and ODA's development division in Barbados. While in Jamaica I signed a loan agreement for £2·5 million, to be spent on British machinery and equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will increase aid from the United Kingdom to India.

We have no plans to do so but will maintain our aid to India at a substantial level.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the priorities which determine the Government's aid to north African states.

In deciding its allocation of aid the Government gives priority to developmental criteria. They also take account of any relevant commercial and political factors. Aid levels to north African states have been set with these points in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes are proposed in the aid programme in the financial years 1984–85 and 1985–86.

For 1984–85 no changes in the aid programme are proposed. I shall shortly be making a statement regarding the position for 1985–86 following the announcement of the Government's expenditure plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support the United States and other countries by withdrawing the United Kingdom contribution to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation if that organisation is not satisfactorily reformed and reconstituted.

I am currently reviewing our policy towards UNESCO. Over the last year Her Majesty's Government have sought reforms but not the reconstitution of UNESCO.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations he proposed before reaching a decision on the future of United Kingdom membership of UNESCO; and if he will make a statement.

I will take into consideration the views of hon. Members and of those Organisations and individuals who have written to me. It was agreed at the United Kingdom national commission for UNESCO on 5 November that it would make a further assessment of the desirability of Britain's continued membership in the light of the outcome of the next general conference in October 1985. I shall remain in close touch with those countries who share our concerns about the organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of gross national product is committed by the Government to overseas aid.

In 1983, 0·35 per cent. of gross national product was provided for official development assistance. This figure is very close to the average (0·36) for all countries comprising the development assistance committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the trend in real terms of expenditure on overseas aid in each of the next three years.

I shall shortly be making a statement on plans for the aid programme in 1985–86. For levels of aid in the two subsequent financial years the hon. Member must await the publication of the White Paper on public expenditure in February 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the present level of assistance given by Her Majesty's Government in overseas aid; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have a substantial overseas aid programme, and will continue to maintain one in the future.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what impact will be made upon the budget of the Overseas Development Administration by any grant of funds or food aid by the European Community to Ethiopia.

Britain's share of overseas aid expenditure financed from the European Community budget is attributed to the public expenditure allocation for financing the United Kingdom aid programme. The United Kingdom share of the European Community's additional food and other emergency aid for Ethiopia, which has recently been approved, is some £2 million. The rate at which this EC allocation will be spent is uncertain so it is not yet known how much of it will count against the United Kingdom aid budget this financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the cost of giving credit for years of war service to post-war entrants of the Colonial Service in computing their pensions.

A broad estimate is that the enhanced entitlements would cost about £3 million a year in 1983 values, assuming no retrospection. The once-for-all administration costs of implementing the concession would amount to some £200,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government have any plans to increase food aid to Bangladesh.

No. But we are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many trucks, Land Rovers and other vehicles were owned by the Overseas Development Administration for the use of its disaster unit on 3 May 1979.

16 trucks, 41 Land Rovers and 2 Land Rover ambulances.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Her Majesty's Government have supported the proposal that seven billion European currency units should be the total financial package for the sixth European development fund; and why it has opposed the French proposal of 7·5 billion European currency units.

The Government believe that the agreed Community offer of 7 billion ecu is fair and generous.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has received any request for aid from the Government of Sudan due to the current drought; and if he will make a statement.

The Sudan Government have appealed generally for drought relief aid. The Sudanese ambassador in London has asked specifically for help for refugees arriving in the country.We are now shipping 11,750 tonnes of wheat flour which will be sold by the UN High Commission for Refugees to provide funds for its refugee programme there. We have also asked the high commissioner for a full report to allow us to consider the Sudan Government's latest request.Much is being done by the voluntary agencies. I expect to approve within the next few days the allocation of £1 million over four years for a refugee agricultural development scheme in the eastern Sudan. We have just agreed to provide £100,000 to the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development for food transport and emergency feeding to support a Save the Children Fund nutrition team to help coordinate the feeding of new refugees and existing refugee camps; and to contribute to the cost of a logistics team from the same agency to help transport and distribute food in Kordofan and Darfur provinces. We shall continue to monitor the possible need for further help.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what participation his Department will have, in the coming year, in the United Nations environment programme.

Co-ordination of British participation in the work of the United Nations environment programme is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office would expect to be represented on the British delegation to the governing council meeting in May and to participate in other UNEP activities throughout the year. In addition, through the aid programme, we support a wide range of projects and programmes designed to support the work of UNEP.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Department's current involvement with the United Nations environment programme human settlements (habitat) project.

The United Kingdom is not a member of the United Nations centre for human settlements (habitat).The majority of the projects initiated by that organisation are funded by the United Nations development programme to which we make a considerable contribution. We are in touch with the United Nations centre for human settlements on the British contribution to the international year of shelter for the homeless, 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, when meeting his European Economic Community colleagues, he will encourage them now to lend, together with the United Kingdom, their full support to the desertification consultative group of the United Nations environment programme.

At the meeting of the Governing Council of the United Nations environment programme in May the United Kingdom, in close consultation with our Community partners, was instrumental in promoting a decision on desertification which, among other things, sought to strengthen the role of the consultative group on desertification control. The issue is now under discussion in the United Nations General Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with the United Nations environment programme desertification project following the Sahelian conferences; and if he will make a statement.

Following the United Nations conference on desertification in 1977, a plan of action to combat desertification was established. Progress in implementing the plan was reviewed by the governing council of the United Nations environment programme in Nairobi in May this year. It was agreed that the plan needed more focus on the most affected countries and that priority should be given to areas offering the best chances for substantial rehabilitation. The governing council called upon affected countries to establish national programmes to combat desertification and urged donors to increase their avid to such countries. The subsequent meeting in Dakar in July, called by the President of Senegal, reaffirmed this. The matter is now under discussion in the Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a table of third world countries that have received food aid from the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1984 and the amount received by each.

The information requested is given in the following table. Statistics to the development assistance

Distribution of food aid United Kingdom national actions$
	1980		1981		1982		1983		1984
									Shipments to end of Oct. 1984	Other commitments 1984
Recipient	Cereals/wheat equivalent metric tonnes (thousands)	Value $ thousands (including transport)	Cereals/wheat equivalent metric tonnes (thousands)	Value $ thousands (including transport)	Cereals/wheat equivalent metric tonnes (thousands)	Value $ thousands (including transport)	Cereals/wheat equivalent metric tonnes (thousands)	Value $ thousands (including transport)	Cereals/wheat equivalent metric tonnes (thousands)	Cereals/wheat equivalent metric tonnes (thousands)	Value $ thousands (including transport)
Multilateral
UNHCR					8·5	842	17·00	3,155	22·8	13·5
UNRWA					8·5	1,298
Bilateral
Afghan refugees (Pakistan)					10·35	6,775	8·50	1,948	8·50
Algeria	1·0	240
Bangladesh			28·00	7,599			8·0	1,766
Cape Verde	5·0	1,686
Cambodia					3·50	623
Cambodian refugees							2·27	472
Congo	0·12	28	0·07	18
Egypt	0·14	30	17·22	4,810
Ethiopia	10·00	3,189							5·0	6·5
Gambia					2·00	226
Jordan	14·4	3,612	11·92	3,283
Kenya			5·0	1,495	5·0	789
Lebanon			0·78	217
Mali			0·50	126	2·50	289	2·5	420	2·5
Mauritania			2·54	681			3·0	774
Morocco			11·00	3,012
Mozambique	15·0	4,564	12·00	3,285			3·0	509	11·5	11·0
Senegal					1·50	155
Somalia	12·84	3,354	11·00	3,387
Sudan							8·49	1,874
Syria			2·57	606
Tanzania					5·0	1,161
Yemen PDRY	6·50	1,572	2·92	838
Ghana										23·5
Zambia	13·00	4,689	7·00	1,813
Zimbabwe									10·0
Balance										3·2
Through WFP
(a) regular programme
Chad										8·8
Ethiopia					37·0	8,220	19·00	4,729		15·0
Egypt					2·74	582	13·50	2,965	2·53
Morocco					9·23	1,960
Lebanon					2·46	556
Malawi					0·16	28
Tunisia					5·00	712	8·50	2,033	10·00	6·9
Syria							9·00	2,076	5·48	14·30
Bangladesh									30·74
Madagascar									0·685
Equatorial Guinea									0·410
Guinea									0·155
Pakistan										5·0
Balance										—
(b) international emergency food reserve
Mali							0·37	107
Mauritania							4·50	1,324
Zambia									3·5
Uganda									1·495
Balance										5·0
Total	78·00	22,964	112·52	31,170	103·44	24,216	107·63	24,152	115·30	112·70	*27,300
		(£9·87m)		(£15·37m)		(£13·83m)		(£l5·92m)			(£21m)
* Estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are being taken by his Department to encourage the development of research projects based upon arid-resistant plant species; what measures are being taken to promote planting nurseries for such species; and if he will make a statement.

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