Written Answers

                    The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
                

Written Answers To Questions

Wednesday 12 December 1984

Home Department

Deportation (Commonwealth Citizens)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how, many Commonwealth citizens were (a) deported and (b) removed from the United Kingdom for the latest year for which figures are available.

The information requested on deportations and the removal of illegal entrants is published annually in "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom" (tables 19 and 20 of the issue for 1983, Cmnd. 9246).

Metropolitan Police

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of the Metropolitan police on the use of dogs.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that Metropolitan police dogs are used at the discretion of local commanders in a wide variety of circumstances. Dogs are trained to track, to search for persons or property, and to detain escaping suspects. They are always deployed under strict supervision, and under force orders should not be used in any situation which might restrict the animal's freedom of movement or reduce the handler's ability to control it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the published figures for clear-up rates in the Metropolitan police area for the first six months of 1984 include any changes which result from the experiment referred to in his written answer of 28 November, Official Report, c. 493.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 December 1984, c. 4]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that offences cleared up as a result of the experimental scheme of interviewing prisoners about otherwise unsolved crimes will be included in the statistics in the usual way. The scheme was introduced in April 1984 after earlier pilot schemes in two divisions, but, as there is inevitably some delay before admitted offences can be verified and recorded, it is unlikely that the statistics for the first six months of 1984 will have been materially affected. The scheme will be fully evaluated after it has been in operation for 12 months.

Table 2. Notifiable offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police
Number
District	1983				1984
	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter	1st quarter	2nd quarter
A (parts) Westminster	2,012	1,886	2,318	2,495	2,147	2,127
B Kensington and Chelsea	5,396	5,705	6,301	5,649	5,758	5,556

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the crime rates and clear-up rates in the Metropolitan police area in each quarter since March 1979; what is the crime rate and clear-up rate in total and for each standard category of crime in each Metropolitan police district in each quarter in 1983 and to date; and if he will give the establishment and number of police actually on duty in each Metropolitan police district in each quarter in 1983 and to date.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 November, 1984, c. 545]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the available information is as given in the following four tables and in the set of more detailed tables which I am sending to the hon. Member and placing in the Library of the House, giving the number of offences recorded and the number cleared up in each district for each of the main offence groups in each quarter from the beginning of 1983 to the second quarter of 1984.Clear-up rates differ markedly according to the type of offence and its circumstances both within offence groups and between offence groups. Variations in clear-up rates between districts reflect variations in the types and circumstances of the offence recorded. The number of offences cleared up and the clear-up rate may also be affected by variations in police recording practices. Offences cleared up in one period may include offences initially recorded in previous periods. Clear-up rates may be particularly misleading if they are based on small numbers of recorded offences.Information is not available on the numbers of police on duty, which vary according to need and depend upon the operation of the shift system, training commitments, the provision of aid to other forces or to other parts of the MPD, annual leave and sick leave, and so on.

Table 1—Notifiable offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police
Year	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter	year
Number of offences (thousands)
1979^*	129	143	138	147	557
1980	140	149	142	153	584
1981	149	161	156	166	631
1982	164	169	171	185	688
1983	159	167	160	173	639
1984	172	177
Clear up rate (percentage)
1979^*	20·8	20·1	20·7	19·8
1980	20·9	20·8	20·7	17·7
1981	18·0	17·0	16·0	16·4
1982	15·7	15·8	15·6	16·8
1983	16·7	17·5	17·1	17·1
1984	17·8	16·8
^* Figures for 1979 are not entirely comparable with those for subsequent years because of changes in the counting rules made in 1980.

District	1983			1984
	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter	1st quarter	2nd quarter
C (parts) Westminster	5,342	5,566	5,481	6,037	5,941	5,537
D (parts) Westminster	6,177	6,682	6,856	7,121	6,973	7,832
E Camden	6,887	6,967	7,276	7,663	7,894	7,959
F Hammersmith	3,917	4,044	4,088	4,283	3,909	4,139
G Hackney	5,828	6,724	6,472	6,840	6,507	7,143
H Tower Hamlets	5,046	5,558	4,930	5,587	5,914	5,772
I Heathrow, etc.	2,644	2,604	2,432	2,505	2,505	2,456
J Waltham Forest, Redbridge, etc.	7,299	7,795	6,831	7,954	7,536	9,066
K Havering, Barking and Newham	10,537	10,095	9,648	11,675	11,901	11,503
L Lambeth	8,773	9,083	9,354	9,436	9,072	10,130
M Southwark	7,568	8,064	7,243	8,714	8,590	8,931
N Islington	5,547	5,750	4,989	5,520	5,670	6,617
P Lewisham and Bromley	10,462	11,170	10,715	11,977	11,857	11,773
Q Brent and Harrow	6,418	7,756	6,754	7,169	6,985	7,024
R Greenwich and Bexley	8,456	9,097	8,293	8,755	8,753	8,878
S Barnet and Hertsmere	4,588	5,133	4,768	5,490	5,154	5,362
T Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow	5,268	5,906	5,016	5,514	5,995	5,377
V Kingston upon Thames Merton, etc.	5,694	5,723	5,150	6,233	5,235	5,406
W Wandsworth	6,502	6,672	6,649	6,631	7,045	7,418
X Ealing and Hillingdon	7,811	7,889	7,337	7,983	8,188	7,981
Y Haringey and Enfield	8,478	8,607	8,835	10,114	9,875	11,031
Z Croydon, Sutton, etc.	9,892	9,812	8,994	9,919	10,104	9,592
Others	2,442	2,847	2,954	2,231	2,616	2,381
Total	158,980	167,135	159,683	173,495	172,124	176,991

Table 3. Clear up rate^ in the Metropolitan Police District by district*
Percentage
District	1983				1984
	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter	1st quarter	2nd quarter
A (parts) Westminster	22·0	23·4	27·4	22·8	23·4	26·1
B Kensington and Chelsea	20·7	21·5	19·5	18·5	22·3	20·6
C (parts) Westminster	25·8	23·3	21·5	25·3	24·9	24·5
D (parts) Westminster	23·7	27·9	23·1	25·0	27·6	24·9
E Camden	16·4	15·4	13·8	14·2	14·6	14·3
F Hammersmith	19·0	17·8	23·0	19·3	20·2	16·6
G Hackney	16·0	13·4	12·9	12·2	16·4	12·1
H Tower Hamlets	12·8	13·3	14·7	17·3	19·0	16·0
I Heathrow, etc.	31·1	26·2	28·3	25·2	25·4	29·8
J Waltham Forest, Redbridge, etc.	15·9	17·6	16·2	14·5	17·1	16·4
K Havering, Barking and Newham	21·2	20·1	18·8	16·4	18·2	17·6
L Lambeth	14·3	13·0	13·6	11·3	12·2	12·5
M Southwark	14·1	14·7	12·5	14·1	15·7	14·1
N Islington	13·8	22·4	17·5	16·0	14·3	13·4
P Lewisham and Bromley	13·0	13·7	13·9	13·6	13·4	15·5
Q Brent and Harrow	15·7	15·6	14·5	14·5	14·7	14·2
R Greenwich and Bexley	13·4	12·1	13·1	15·5	14·4	14·4
S Barnet and Hertsmere	17·4	19·4	20·9	16·0	19·8	16·5
T Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow	20·1	22·8	22·7	25·0	23·0	19·6
V Kingston upon Thames Merton, etc.	18·1	18·6	17·8	19·2	17·3	18·6
W Wandsworth	13·5	17·1	14·5	14·2	13·7	12·8
X Ealing and Hillingdon	11·7	14·1	15·7	19·5	17·0	14·4
Y Haringey and Enfield	16·0	17·3	18·2	18·8	18·5	16·2
Z Croydon, Sutton, etc.	15·0	14·8	16·3	15·4	17·5	18·0
Others	15·6	30·7	23·5	30·7	34·3	31·4
Total	16·7	17·5	17·1	17·1	17·8	16·8
^* Notifiable offences cleared up as a percentage of the total number of notifiable offences recorded by the police.

Table 4 Establishment^* and strength^* of the Metropolitan Police at end of quarter, by district
Number
District	^†Establishment		Strength
	1983	1984	1983				1984
	1st Quarter	3rd Quarter	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter
A	1,057	1,059	827	838	841	835	840	855	849
B	817	816	841	833	848	844	874	897	870
C	969	966	859	848	849	852	843	863	848
D	1,015	1,013	896	891	901	915	919	918	903
E	1,010	1,009	832	834	842	831	841	854	848

District	^†Establishment		Strength
	1983	1984	1983				1984
	1st Quarter	3rd Quarter	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter
F	644	643	638	648	662	660	667	679	671
G	684	686	701	695	712	720	732	726	714
H	748	748	715	712	709	715	712	707	704
I	785	784	696	694	698	704	703	702	710
J	1,140	1,138	979	988	991	1,007	1,002	996	996
K	1,321	1,320	1,206	1,206	1,212	1,206	1,214	1,213	1,214
L	887	889	939	959	977	973	977	1,000	983
M	1,057	1,058	914	919	923	922	930	935	929
N	760	764	698	707	714	721	709	718	721
P	1,136	1,136	1,126	1,132	1,151	1,163	1,174	1,165	1,170
Q	945	946	903	898	902	919	912	917	914
R	958	960	817	824	824	835	839	852	866
S	941	943	761	775	796	789	795	793	795
T	943	943	817	824	831	832	833	837	855
V	826	823	693	706	704	709	710	715	726
W	801	804	803	800	788	780	786	812	814
X	989	992	921	920	943	958	954	956	950
Y	1,171	1,173	1,035	1,042	1,056	1,065	1,065	1,067	1,052
Z	1,075	1,076	969	1,004	1,021	1,040	1,050	1,042	1,042
Headquarters	3,936	4,426	5,993	5,959	5,814	5,807	5,699	5,616	5,701
Total	26,615	27,115	26,579	26,656	26,709	26,806	26,780	26,835	26,845
^* Regular police, all ranks. Excludes special constables and civilian staff.
^† Changes in establishment are less frequent than changes in strength and so figures are given only for the first and last quarters in the period.

Greater Manchester Police Authority

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure incurred by the Greater Manchester police authority in each of the last four financial years; and how that expenditure has compared with the targets set by the Government.

The information requested is as follows:

	Total expenditure of Greater Manchester police authority (net of police grant)	Target of Greater Manchester County Council
	£ million	£ million
1980–81	48,619	—
1981–82	57,575	221·19
1982–83	64·285	216·913
1983–84	66·97	234·227

There is no separate target for police authority expenditure.

Royal College Of Surgeons (Research Establishment)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the specific dates in the last 10 years when his Department's inspectors visited the research establishment of the Royal College of Surgeons at Downe, Kent; and whether on any of those occasions his Department's inspectors made any recommendations for changes.

Records of inspections at Downe over the last five years show visits by inspectors on the following dates:

9 February 1980
4 June 1980
23 September 1980
25 March 1981
7 April 1981
23 June 1981
26 November 1981
26 April 1981

27 April 1982
13 July 1982
1 September 1982
8 September 1982
18 November 1982
30 December 1982
29 March 1983
11 August 1983
18 October 1983
22 February 1984
16 May 1984

Inspectors' reports are made in confidence to the Secretary of State.

Young Prisoners

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the certified normal accommodation for each remand centre for young prisoners aged between 17 and 21 years.

The information requested is as follows:

	Number
Males
Ashford^*	380
Brockhill	177
Cardiff	85
Chelmsford	66
Exeter	48
Glen Parva	120
Latchmere House	128
Low Newton	153
Manchester^*	322
Norwich	60
Pucklechurch	103
Risley^*	511
Swansea	55
Thorpe Arch	164
Winchester	66
Females
Low Newton^*	35
Pucklechurch^*	56
Risley^*	84
^* These remand centres also hold adult prisoners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young persons aged 15 to 21 years who were on remand were drafted out of remand prisons for young prisoners to other Prison Department establishments during (a) 1983 and (b) the first 10 months of 1984.

The information requested is not available.

Parole

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons sentenced to youth custody had been released on parole licence and have been supervised by local authority social workers in England and Wales since the implementation of part 1, sections 1 to 10, of the Criminal Justice Act 1982;(2) how many young persons aged 15 to 21 years have been released on parole from youth custody establishments and are in addition subject to a local authority care order.

The number of persons released on parole licence who have been supervised by local authority social workers and/or who are also subject to a local authority care order are not recorded centrally, and the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. They are, however, a small proportion of the young offenders released on parole licence.

Motorways (Speeding)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the prosecution rate for speeding on Britain's motorways; and whether he is satisfied with it.

The only readily available information on prosecutions for speeding offences on motorways is published annually in "Offences Relating to Motor Vehicles, Supplementary Tables" (table 5 of the issue for 1983). We are satisfied that the police are taking appropriate action against speeding motorists within the constraints placed on them by their other duties.

Police And Fire Brigade Staff

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) police and (b) fire brigade staff have been (i) assaulted and (ii) admitted to inpatient care in hospital, following assaults upon them, in each of the metropolitan counties in each of the last five years;(2) what terms and conditions apply to

(a) police and (b) fire brigade staff when unable to work, following injuries while at work;

(3) how many assaults there have been on (a) police officers and (b) fire brigade staff in the Greater London area in each of the last five years;

(4) how many (a) police and (b) fire brigade staff have been admitted to hospital inpatient care, following assaults on them, in the Greater London area in each of the last five years.

Information about assaults on policemen and firemen and subsequent medical treatment is not collected centrally. The conditions of service of police officers are set out in the Police Regulations 1979 (as amended) which provide for a member of a police force to receive full pay while on sick leave and for the reimbursement of medical and dental charges. The scheme of conditions of service of the National Joint Council for Local Authorities Fire Brigades, on which my right hon. and learned Friend is not reresented, provides for a member of a fire brigade whose duties include a liability to engage in fire fighting to receive full pay while on sick leave and, at a fire authority's discretion, for the reimbursement of medical and dental charges.

Steel-Toothed Traps

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ban the use of steel-toothed traps to take fur—bearing animals in the wild.

The use of steel-toothed traps is already an offence under the Pests Act 1954.

Holloway Prison

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much time the prisoners in the CI unit for the severely disturbed at Holloway prison spend in their cell wing and how much time in the skills training unit; and whether this programme was followed during the week ended 8 December.

Women located on C1 unit leave the unit to attend the skills training unit and also for a variety of other purposes, including visits and exercise. The skills training unit generally operates for one and half to two hours in the morning and for one and a half hours in the afternoon. For the week ending 8 December, the skills training unit opened on two mornings and three afternoons; on two mornings and one afternoon classes were conducted on C1 unit by the skills training unit staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what workshop facilities are available in Holloway prison; how much time each prisoner allocated to this work spends in the workshop each day; and how much time such prisoners spent in the workshop each day during the week ended 8 December.

There are two workshops at Holloway prison; light textiles and engineering assembly. In the quarter ended 30 June 1984 prisoners in each workshop worked an average of one and a half hours daily. The workshops have been closed since July 1984 due to shortage of staff. It is anticipated that they will open again after Christmas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the week ended 8 December, what was the number of prisoners in Holloway prison; how many prisoners were allocated work duties outside their cell wing; and for how many hours per day.

The number of prisoners in Holloway prison during the week ending 8 December ranged from 306 on 2 December to 345 on 8 December. The current work force stands at 61. Normal work hours for 37 prisoners are from 9.15 am to 11.30 am and from 2.15 pm to 4.00 pm. Workers in the kitchen, reception and officers' mess are engaged for rather longer hours.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the full complement of prison officers, of all grades, at Holloway prison; and what was the actual number of officers on duty each day during the week ended 8 December.

The authorised staffing level of prison officers on discipline duties at Holloway is 335. The staff in post figure is 317, but seven additional staff were posted to Holloway on detached duty throughout the week ending 8 December. The number on duty each day varies according to the shift system and routine in operation at the prison and is also affected by the incidence of annual leave and sick leave and the absence of staff undergoing training. During the week ending 8 December the numbers on duty througout each 24 hour period were:

2 December: 184
3 December: 218
4 December: 201
5 December: 208
6 December: 204
7 December: 118
8 December: 122

Television Licences

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of people without a current television licence.

We estimate that about 1.6 million households with television do not have a licence.

Education And Science

Local Authority Higher Education

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the expenditure on local authority higher education (a) nationally and (b) within Stockport metropolitan borough council in the current financial year; and what are the projected figures for 1985–86.

The size of the capped advanced further education pool in England for 1984–85 determined by my right hon. Friend is £580·5 million. The allocation to Stockport MBC is £1·765 million. Outturn expenditure both nationally and in Stockport will not be known until the autumn of next year. My right hon. Friend has determined the size of the capped AFE pool for 1985–86 at £620 million. He expects to announce allocations to authorities later this month after receiving the advice of the National Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education.

School Meals

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of subsidy paid per annum to provide school meals in England; and what proportion is paid to subsidise the cost of midday meals to boarding pupils.

The net recurrent cost of the school meals service in 1982–83, the latest year for which firm figures are available, was £411 million (cash). Information on the subsidy of midday meals to boarding pupils is not available.

Dyslexia

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the British Dyslexia Association about training of teachers of those with special learning difficulties; and if he will make a statement.

In July the British Dyslexia Association submitted proposals for a modular teaching diploma which would offer an additional qualification for teachers working with children with specific learning difficulties. These were carefully considered both within the Department and by Her Majesty's Inspectorate and a reply was sent to the association in October. It is now for the BDA to consider how it wishes to take forward its plans.

Students (Financial Support)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the terms of reference, composition and timetable of the body to review student financial support; whether the review will be conducted by an independent body; and whether its findings and recommendations will be published.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Surbiton (Mr. Tracey) on 10 December 1984, at column 333. The announcement will contain all relevant information about the review.

Support Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the expenditure to be supported through education support grants in 1985–86.

On 12 June I announced the Government's intention to support through education support grants in the financial year 1985–86 up to £30 million of expenditure by local education authorities in England. The activities to be supported were selected following detailed consultation with the local authority associations and were set out in the Education Support Grants Regulations 1984. Ninety-five authorities have bid for grant support and for each of the 11 categories of activity for which bids were invited the total of the bids exceeded the expenditure which could be supported.Education support grants are intended to encourage local education authorities to redeploy a limited amount of expenditure towards activities with national priority in the education service. They should have an important contribution to make in promoting continuing improvements in the education service and in assisting local education authorities to respond to changing demands. Following careful consideration of the bids, local education authorities are being informed of the levels of expenditure for each category of activity which I have approved for the financial year 1985–86 for the purposes of the Education Support Grants Regulations 1984.Table A sets out for each category of activity the level of expenditure and the number of authorities to be supported through education support grants in the financial year 1985–86. Approval has been given so far in respect of £28·85 million of expenditure.Within this total, approval has so far been given in respect of expenditure of £1·85 million for pilot projects concerned with records of achievement. A further £0·15 million, to provide for extensions to planned projects, will be allocated after discussion with the authorities concerned. No decisions have yet been taken about the allocation between authorities of the £1 million to be supported on the management and appraisal of school teachers.Table B sets out the expenditure which I have approved for the financial year 1985–86 for the purposes of the Education Support Grants Regulations 1984 in respect of each category of activity for each authority. Fuller details about the allocations are set out in a note which has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

Table A
The level of expenditure for each category of activity to be supported through Education Support Grants in the 1985–86 financial year
Category of Activity	Expenditure to be supported in the financial year 1985–86 £ million	Number of authorities in respect of which expenditure has been approved
A) The management and appraisal of school teachers	1·00	—
B) The teaching of mathematics in schools	3·26	94
C) The teaching of science as part of primary education in schools	2·02	50
D) The provision of microelectronic equipment designed or adapted for use by children with special educational needs	2·25	89
E) Pilot projects to provide records of achievement for young people in secondary schools and colleges	2·00	14
F) Pilot projects to improve the quality of education provided in primary schools in urban areas	0·54	12
G) Pilot projects to improve the quality or the range of the curriculum provided in primary schools in rural areas	0·45	6

Approved expenditure in respect of each category of activity for each authority

£thousands

Authority

Teaching of mathematics in schools

Science in primary education

Micro-electronic equipment for children with special educational needs

Pilot Projects concerned with

Retraining and updating courses (PICKUP)

Information technology in non-advanced further education

Educational provision for the unemployed

Management systems in further establishments

Total

Records of achievement

Urban primary schools

Rural primary schools

Educational needs in a multi-ethnic society

Outer London

Boroughs

Barking

13·4

17·2

—

‡

—

8·2

38·8

Bamet

19·9

—

28·7

—

92·8

—

13·7

155·1

Bexley

18·7

36·9

—

21·8

39·4

15·0

13·6

145·4

Brent

17·9

37·9

20·9

—

25·0

—

41·2

20·2

6·0

169·1

Bromley

32·0

57·1

—

53·4

76·3

—

15·1

233·9

Croydon

32·0

33·9

25·3

—

45·5

—

43·9

52·3

95·9

27·0

7·2

362·2

Ealing

28·7

—

18·0

—

175·0

—

10·5

232·2

Enfield

28·1

34·3

15·5

—

125·0

—

10·0

212·9

Haringey

26·8

55·0

12·0

—

56·7

—

80·8

‡

72·8

—

9·6

313·7

Harrow

30·0

29·4

27·0

—

82·4

—

11·8

180·6

Havering

24·8

23·8

22·0

—

‡

46·9

—

4·4

121·9

Hillingdon

32·0

—

26·2

—

10·4

22·5

85·4

34·5

7·0

218·0

Hounslow

—

Kingston upon Thames

36·1

50·8

21·6

—

41·2

—

6·2

155·9

Merton

19·9

—

37·0

—

10·5

67·4

Newham

26·1

40·7

24·1

—

‡

61·5

18·4

10·4

181·4

Redbridge

16·9

—

23·0

—

‡

49·6

—

6·4

95·9

Richmond upon Thames

30·9

—

21·8

—

41·2

—

7·7

101·6

Sutton

15·7

—

18·8

—

34·1

—

68·6

Waltham Forest

34·6

31·2

23·9

—

‡143·5

5·0

23·6

9·3

271·1

ILEA

82·1

15·0

60·0

210·9

49·1

—

58·7

182·8

1,218·7

—

18·7

1,896·2

Category of Activity	Expenditure to be supported in the financial year 1985–86 £ million	Number of authorities in respect of which expenditure has been approved
H) Pilot projects to meet the educational needs of those from ethnic minorities, to promote harmony between different racial groups or in other ways to prepare pupils and students for life in a multi-ethnic society	0·98	26
I) The provision of retraining and updating courses directed towards the needs of industry and commerce (PICKUP)	2·00	54
J) The development of the use of information technology at further education establishments, by providing equipment, preparing or providing course material and computer software, or training teachers employed at such establishments	13·00	91
K) The planning, development and coordination of provision to meet the educational needs of those who are unemployed (excluding those currently receiving full-time education)	1·50	45
L) The provision of data processing equipment and accessories and software for use in the management of further education establishments	1·00	85
TOTAL	30	95

Authority

Teaching of mathematics in schools

Science in primary education

Micro-electronic equipment for children with special educational needs

Pilot Projects concerned with

Retraining and updating courses (PICKUP)

Information technology in non-advanced further education

Educational provision for the unemployed

Management systems in further establishments

Total

Records of achievement

Urban primary schools

Rural primary schools

Educational needs in a multi-ethnic society

Metropolitan Districts

Birmingham

31·1

—

29·8

—

60·4

52·3

349·6

58·9

13·9

596·0

Coventry

30·0

—

27·4

^*167·2

—

11·5

—

76·8

20·2

13·6

346·7

Dudley

32·6

—

15·5

—

29·1

68·1

—

18·2

163·7

Sandwell

33·7

—

27·5

—

85·6

37·5

6·9

191·2

Solihull

25·0

—

4·7

—

18·5

41·2

—

6·9

96·3

Walsall

34·5

—

14·2

—

29·4

—

36·8

—

30·4

—

5·0

150·3

Wolverhampton

22·0

—

21·4

—

89·3

36·6

9·9

179·2

Knowsley

20·9

29·1

—

82·4

—

12·6

145·0

Liverpool

50·6

23·8

29·9

—

66·6

—

31·3

—

224·8

41·5

25·4

493·9

St. Helens

19·0

—

20·9

—

49·9

87·4

20·0

11·5

208·7

Sefton

29·3

—

29·3

Wirral

30·0

26·4

28·5

—

46·2

54·1

16·9

202·1

Bolton

25·0

—

22·3

—

40·9

108·2

26·4

6·1

228·9

Bury

25·0

53·8

21·2

—

62·5

—

8·7

171·2

Manchester

30·0

54·2

26·4

—

41·8

52·3

130·9

50·3

5·0

390·9

Oldham

25·4

—

19·4

—

41·5

—

41·2

—

9·8

137·3

Rochdale

26·3

—

28·6

—

36·6

72·3

—

8·8

172·6

Salford

25·2

—

28·2

—

31·2

89·9

28·5

11·8

214·8

Stockport

21·9

—

22·8

—

27·0

42·1

26·1

—

140·1

Tameside

27·4

46·2

23·8

—

24·6

19·9

47·5

15·7

7·1

212·2

Trafford

23·5

—

24·6

—

29·1

—

47·0

—

51·2

—

6·0

131·6

Wigan

30·0

—

23·5

96·7

—

20·9

59·4

—

230·5

Barnsley

35·5

—

32·3

—

56·8

27·5

11·4

163·5

Doncaster

35·2

45·5

27·8

—

26·0

74·3

17·0

9·4

235·2

Rotherham

17·4

—

28·2

—

20·8

31·4

84·7

24·6

11·7

238·8

Sheffield

32·5

39·0

29·8

—

77·9

—

31·3

—

150·7

—

16·1

377·3

Bradford

38·6

28·9

37·6

—

104·3

32·7

156·5

32·8

12·5

443·9

Calderdale

26·8

—

11·8

—

║

37·5

44·6

6·8

127·5

Kirklees

24·4

—

29·0

—

48·7

║53·2

141·4

48·4

11·5

356·6

Leeds

26·0

—

22·3

—

40·4

—

17·7

52·0

198·4

39·7

9·3

405·8

Wakefield

35·1

35·3

27·8

—

42·3

41·2

—

8·9

190·6

Gateshead

10·2

—

23·6

—

41·3

26·9

1·0

103·0

Newcastle upon Tyne

19·8

34·6

25·6

—

36·6

154·4

43·9

15·5

330·4

North Tyneside

23·4

—

28·6

—

18·1

15·7

24·9

—

5·0

115·7

South Tyneside

23·9

—

18·6

—

32·5

88·0

27·0

12·7

202·7

Sunderland

—

25·0

—

43·1

—

153·1

29·9

—

251·1

Shire Counties

Avon

59·4

55·8

29·0

—

376·5

—

520·7

Bedfordshire

53·2

41·6

25·4

—

183·6

20·0

15·3

339·1

Berkshire

35·6

—

31·0

—

62·7

—

118·8

30·9

17·7

296·7

Buckinghamshire

47·1

32·5

29·8

—

31·4

288·2

—

18·1

447·1

Cambridgeshire

48·9

46·9

26·0

—

57·5

—

185·5

—

12·4

377·2

Cheshire

50·2

—

19·3

—

34·0

—

103·5

Cleveland

60·6

38·8

29·3

—

32·1

—

176·2

29·3

8·8

375·1

Cornwall

45·5

36·7

23·7

—

12·5

146·9

23·0

7·9

296·2

Cumbria

52·6

40·3

22·2

—

71·9

—

53·8

254·6

—

495·4

Derbyshire

59·6

—

27·0

†

—

24·3

—

245·7

—

20·4

377·0

Devon

40·1

—

23·7

—

26·1

279·7

75·2

14·5

459·3

Dorset

44·1

51·5

19·2

168·3

—

106·9

—

89·6

—

13·4

493·0

Durham

41·3

—

26·6

—

14·0

128·1

—

12·7

222·7

East Sussex

25·3

16·0

22·0

—

239·8

—

9·3

332·4

Essex

55·4

—

30·4

276·4

—

62·7

377·3

21·9

18·8

342·9

Gloucestershire

42·1

41·4

10·9

—

20·7

41·8

282·0

26·1

12·8

477·8

Hampshire

23·5

56·2

29·0

—

52·3

312·1

—

9·8

482·9

Hereford & Worcester

41·1

—

25·5

—

44·0

201·5

49·1

10·9

372·1

Hertfordshire

61·4

51·7

29·0

—

26·1

278·2

—

16·4

462·8

Humberside

58·2

—

26·0

—

14·7

34·2

155·2

35·4

16·6

340·3

Isle of Wight

14·4

—

20·9

—

41·2

—

2·8

79·3

Kent

44·8

—

27·8

—

18·8

62·7

164·3

—

19·7

338·1

Lancashire

58·7

38·4

27·6

62·7

—

19·1

36·4

249·1

—

11·7

503·7

Leicestershire

55·2

30·8

60·0

^*167·2

—

65·8

29·4

127·1

53·7

22·9

612·1

Lincolnshire

52·2

—

28·0

†

—

96·0

—

8·0

185·0

Norfolk

45·1

46·8

27·2

—

73·4

—

119·7

—

15·5

327·7

North Yorkshire

36·1

28·6

24·9

—

52·3

205·5

—

16·6

364·0

Northamptonshire

33·1

51·0

29·8

†274·9

—

52·3

262·5

53·9

12·6

770·1

Northumberland

25·4

52·0

22·4

—

49·5

9·8

10·5

169·6

Nottinghamshire

55·2

—

26·7

†

—

158·7

—

240·6

Oxfordshire

45·0

58·6

22·2

^*167·2

—

36·1

206·2

39·6

16·7

591·6

Shropshire

50·0

47·4

24·8

—

64·8

—

118·7

—

21·6

327·3

Somerset

32·0

41·5

24·0

^*167·2

—

243·0

59·7

12·8

580·2

Staffordshire

63·5

89·8

30·9

—

42·0

297·3

—

16·9

540·4

Suffolk

13·4

19·3

60·0

88·6

—

12·2

—

31·9

13·1

238·5

Surrey

41·1

29·4

—

25·6

122·8

23·7

—

242·6

Warwickshire

42·9

42·2

22·7

—

166·8

—

16·7

291·3

West Sussex

22·9

43·3

22·0

—

47·0

143·9

—

13·5

292·6

Wiltshire

27·1

28·3

8·3

—

33·9

79·9

—

27·6

176·0

—

10·4

391·5

^*† These two groups of four authorities comprise two consortia for pilot projects concerned with records of achievement. The total amount approved for consortium

^* is £668,000 and for † £274,900. The authorities comprising consortium ^* each submitted their own application: for consortium † Northamptonshire submitted a single application on behalf of the consortium as a whole.

‡║These two groups of authorities comprise two consortia in respect of which expenditure has been approved concerned with the provision of retraining and updating courses. The total amount approved for consortium ‡ is £143,500 and for║is £53,200. Single applications were submitted by Waltham Forest in respect of ‡ and Kirklees in respect of ‡ on behalf of the consortia.

Prime Minister

Lord Cockfield

asked the Prime Minister what representations Her Majesty's Government have received from any of the institutions of the European Community regarding the legal problems arising from the appointment of Lord Cockfield as a European Economic Community Commissioner.

None.

asked the Prime Minister what legal advice from outside Government she sought regarding the appointment of a Member of the House of Lords as a European Commissioner.

The compatibility of Lord Cockfield's appointment as commissioner with his membership of the House of Lords was initially raised by Members of the European Parliament. It was accordingly considered by the Commission and Council Legal Services. They have concluded that there is no incompatibility in such cases where the Member concerned takes leave of absence from the House of Lords for the duration of his appointment as a commissioner.

asked the Prime Minister if she will reconsider the appointment of Lord Cockfield as an EEC Commissioner, in view of the legal problem arising from his position as a Member of the House of Lords.

No.

asked the Prime Minister what remuneration, benefits and payments of any kind are being made or have been made in the current year from public funds to Lord Cockfield.

Until 10 September 1984, Lord Cockfield received his ministerial salary and all necessary expenses incurred as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Since then he has been provided with secretarial support, accommodation and transport in connection with his duties as a United Kingdom member of the next European Commission.

asked the Prime Minister under which head of expenditure the current cost of the office, secretary, ministerial car and driver of Lord Cockfield is met.

The necessary expenses of both United Kingdom members of the next European Commission will be met from Subhead A1 of Class XIII, Vote 19 until they take up their appointments on 6 January 1985. These include the provision of secretarial support, accommodation and travel within the United Kingdom.

Ec (Aid)

asked the Prime Minister, of the 1–2 million tonnes of grain for African countries agreed at the European Council on 3 and 4 December, how much will come from (a) individual member states, (b) stocks under the intervention policies of the common agricultural policy and (c) other sources.

Detailed arrangements to implement the decision of the European Council to provide 1·2 million tonnes of grain to Africa are still under discussion. However, the understanding reached at Dublin was that member states would provide 450,000 tonnes; and that the Community would provide the remainder with financing being drawn from the budget and from the emergency provisions of the Lomé convention. The Commission will make proposals for the procurement of grain when it proposes allocations to recipient countries.

The Arts

British Museum (Redecoration)

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what representations he has received concerning the redecoration of the entrance hall of the British museum, advocating the reinstatement of the 19th century colour scheme.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for the Arts has received representations advocating the reinstatement of the original 19th century colour scheme of the entrance hall of the British museum from The Georgian Group.

National Finance

Pensioners (Taxation)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures showing tax break-even points, defined as the income levels at which tax paid equals state pension received, for each of a single pensioner and a married pensioner, in each year since 1979–80.

The information is as follows for taxpayers over 65 receiving the standard rate of national insurance retirement pension. The operation of the investment income surcharge in years before 1984–85 affects the figures for married couples. The table shows minimum and maximum figures.

Levels of total income at which liability to income tax equals receipt of national insurance pension
£ per annum
	Single	Married
		Minimum^*	Maximum^†
1979–80	5,179	7,418	7,755
1980–81	6,022	8,519	9,000
1981–82	6,369	9,227	9,923
1982–83	7,124	10,259	10,892
1983–84	7,918	11,308	12,028
1984–85	8,342	12,779	12,779
^* Assuming that all income other than national insurance retirement pension is investment income.
^† Assuming that all income is earned.

Scotland (Wealth Statistics)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage of total wealth in Scotland held by the top 1 per cent., top 10 per cent. and top 20 per cent. in 1979–80 and at the latest available date.

I regret that estimates of the distribution of wealth in Scotland are not available.

Scotland (Estates)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the number of estates declared at a value of £1 million or over in Scotland in each year since 1979.

The number of such estates reported to the Capital Taxes Office in Edinburgh were:

	Number
1979–80	4
1980–81	8

	1979–80 percentage	Receipts in latest year
Capital gains tax assessed by districts in Scotland	6	To October 1984 5 per cent, (provisional)
Capital transfer tax/estate duty	11	To March 1984 5 per cent.

Because of centralised collection arrangements it would not be meaningful to express the yields as percentages of the total taxes collected by the Inland Revenue in Scotland.

Ec (Budget Discipline)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the legal status of the Council of Ministers' document on budget discipline; and whether it rests on any Commission proposal.

The Council of Ministers' document on budgetary discipline takes the form of "Conclusions of the Council". By adopting it, the Council has bound itself to observe the rules laid down in it governing both agricultural and non-agricultural expenditure. The legal status of the text could in the last resort be decided only by the European Court.The document does not itself rest on any proposal from the Commission, but the Commission's undertakings relating to its own role in agricultural price fixing have been annexed to the Council document.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Council of Ministers' document on budget discipline is for internal application to the Council only.

The Council of Ministers' document on budget discipline represents the Council's conclusions on the procedures it will observe in its role as part of the budgetary authority. The Commission has also, however, given specific undertakings regarding its role in the agricultural price-fixing and in the management of agricultural spending. These undertakings are an integral part of the system and the text of them is annexed to the Council's conclusions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Council of Ministers considers its budget discipline proposals affect the rights of the European Parliament as one of the arms of budgetary authority.

The conclusions adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on 4 December on measures to guarantee the effective application of budgetary discipline

	Number
1981–82	9
1982–83	10
1983–84	11

Scotland (Taxation)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage of the total taxes gathered by the Inland Revenue in Scotland through capital gains, estate duty and capital transfer tax in 1979–80 and at the latest date.

Estimates can be given of the yields of each of these taxes in Scotland as a percentage of the total yield of the tax in the United Kingdom, as follows:bind the Council to observe them in its role as part of the budgetary authority. The text does not affect Parliament's rights under the treaty in relation to non-obligatory expenditure. In addition, the Council has said it wishes to explore with both Commission and Parliament ways of co-operating over budgetary discipline and has specifically sought a meeting with the Parliament before it establishes the reference framework at the beginning of the budgetary procedure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, taking into account the number of caveats concerning agricultural expenditure, will be the effect of the Council of Ministers' views on budget discipline on non-obligatory expenditure and in particular the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund and Development Co-operation.

Under the budgetary discipline rules, agricultural expenditure must grow less than the own resources base. The rules also contain provisions to avoid base drift in the calculation of the agricultural guideline and to enable any excess agricultural expenditure that does have to be conceded to be clawed back over the following two years. As regards non-obligatory expenditure the Council has undertaken to observe the maximum rate laid down in article 203 of the treaty throughout the budgetary procedure. The provision of finance for the European social fund and the European regional development fund will depend upon how the total amount available for non-obligatory expenditure within the maximum rate is distributed. But the Brussels European Council agreed on the need for increasing the provision for both research and development and structural funds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Council of Ministers' document on budget discipline concentrates on mechanisms of budget discipline.

The principles of budgetary discipline were drawn up by heads of State and Government at the Brussels European Council in March and formally endorsed by them at Fontainebleau in June. The remit to Ministers, which has been fulfilled by the text agreed on 4 December, was to reach agreement on the measures necessary to guarantee the effective application of these principles.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Council of Minister's document on budget discipline does not define the objectives of such discipline; and if he will take steps to secure the inclusion of specific objectives on budget discipline.

The objectives of budgetary discipline were defined by Heads of State and Government at the Brussels and Fontainebleau European Councils. They were that there should be an overall limit on budgetary expenditure, that the rate of growth of agricultural spending should be less than that of the own resources base and that the maximum rate provisions of the treaty should be strictly observed. All three objectives are clearly covered by the provisions of the Council of Ministers' conclusions.

Ec (Aid Provision)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the percentage decrease in (a) nominal and (b) real terms in the level of aid designated in the draft 1985 European Economic Community budget compared to the 1984 European Economic Community budget.

Title 9 of the draft Community budget for 1985, which cover co-operation with developing and non-member countries, shows a decrese of 0·8 per cent. in cash terms following the decision made at the Budget Council on 29 November. No estimate is available of the change in real terms. All Community expenditure, including non-agricultural expenditure has been constrained in 1985 by the need to remain within the 1 per cent. VAT limit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the extra expenditure in the draft 1985 European Economic Community budget necessitated by the provision of 1·2 million tonnes of grain to African countries, as agreed by the European Council; and under what headings the increased expenditure falls.

This commitment will be met from the resources of the Commission and the member states. The Community's contribution will be drawn from the European development fund (which is not part of the Community budget) and from the food aid provisions in the budget.

Financial Management Unit

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a decision has yet been made on the future of the financial management unit.

The financial management unit completes its final term at the end of this year. Its valuable work in helping Departments to imporve financial management will be carried forward by a small group which is being established in the Treasury and Cabinet Office in January. The primary function of this group will be to assist the top management of the two Departments to provide effective leadership in carrying through the programme of management reform in the Civil Service designed to secure better value for money. The setting up of the new group is in line with the recommendations of the report by the Efficiency Unit on consultancy, inspection and review services published on 4 December, and one of its early tasks will be to stimulate and monitor progress in implementing that report.

Trade And Industry

Bankruptcies

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies were declared bankrupt in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively.

Bankruptcies and company liquidations in England and Wales in these years were published in British Business, 26 October 1984. Figures for Scotland are as follows:

	Sequestrations^*	Company liquidations^†
1979	106	238
1980	150	379
1981	181	438
1982	213	503
1983	282	521
^* Equivalent to bankruptcies in England and Wales and covers all individuals and partnerships.
^† Compulsory plus creditors voluntary — the two types which involve insolvency.

Electronic Research

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on electronics research in the last year for which figures are available; and what are the relevant percentages which went to (a) defence and (b) the non-defence areas.

The latest available information shows industry expenditure on research and development in electronics products of £1,221 million in 1981. No information is available on the amount spent for defence.

Tourism

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to encourage tourism by American visitors in the regions.

My department encourages tourism to and within Britain through the work of the statutory tourist boards—the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board. It is mainly for the industry to develop facilities, attractions and hold events to encourage tourists to visit particular regions. Support for this work is provided by the English Tourist Board and the non-statutory regional tourist boards through grants under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 and by way of promotional activity within Britain.The BTA feature a wide variety of attractions throughout Britain in their overseas promotional campaigns. In 1985 the BTA will be continuing with its successful theme of Britain's heritage with numerous events being staged throughout the country. Britain's heritage has a major appeal in the American market.

Biotechnology

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if support for biotechnology is included in the moratorium on research and development assistance, announced on 12 November.

Of the range of assistance offered by the Department in support of biotechnology in industry, only research and development projects from individual firms on standard support for innovation terms are affected by the restrictions on new applications that my hon. Friend the Minister for Information Technology announced on 12 November.Collaborative applied research projects and demonstration projects can still be considered. Grants also remain available for consultancy for strategic studies, feasibility studies and problem solving.Firms with projects in mind should seek advice from the biotechnology unit at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist about the assistance available.

Electronics Components (Aid)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will increase the level of his Department's assistance to the electronics components industry to respond to the report by the National Economic Development Office's electronics components committee; and if he will make a statement.

The Electronic Components EDC, in its report to the National Economic Development Council on 5 December, provided a useful view of the electronic components industry. There is much in the conclusions and recommendations, particularly on integrated circuit manufacture in the United Kingdom, which my Department would support.The report underlines the importance of integrated circuits, especially those designed to meet individual applications, and the connection between a strong bases in this area and a sound and competitive electronics industry. While the United Kingdom's integrated circuit industry has improved markedly in recent years, with the encouragement of Government support, the competition is also growing fast, on average between 20 and 25 per cent. yearly. My Department accepts that the United Kingdom's growth rate in production of integrated circuits must at least reflect worldwide growth, and the prime objective of the £120 million microelectronics industry support programme (MISP 2) has been to aid this development.The EDC recommends an increase in the United Kingdom annual investment in electronics to £400 million and that additional funds and a higher level of grant are needed to achieve this.I informed the House on 12 November that the demands on Government support for research and development have increased over recent years and that the 1985–86 allocation for innovation grants is now virtually committed. I therefore decided to review the balance of this support and announced that no further applications would be accepted while the review is being undertaken. MISP 2 is included within this review.The Electronic Components EDC's findings and recommendations will be considered carefully by my Department and will be taken into account in the review. I undertook to report to the council in six months on the recommendations and how they may be implemented.

Columbus Space Station

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom contribution to the construction of the Columbus space station.

The Government are considering President Reagan's invitation to participate in an international space station in the context of the proposed long-term plan of the European Space Agency, which will be decided at a Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency in January.

Advanced Manufacturing Technology

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support he will give to proposals for a national centre for advanced manufacturing technology.

In its response to the ACARD report "New Opportunities in Manufacturing", the Government accepted that advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) activity should be concentrated in a limited number of centres. These should emerge rather than be created, and strong industrial commitment is essential. The Government will encourage the development of such centres, which would have priority for funding through normal channels. In the west midlands, Warwick university is emerging as such a centre and DTI officials are discussing ways of working with it to promote the application of AMT in the west midlands along the Telford to Rugby axis.

Ec (Manufactured Trade)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the size of the deficit in manufactured trade with the European Economic Community over the past 12 months.

Data for this trade on the balance of payments basis are available only quarterly. In the year ending September 1984 the deficit was £7·9 billion.

Laboratory Accreditation

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the arrangements in his Department for laboratory accreditation.

The British Calibration Service (BCS) and the National Testing Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (NATLAS), both operated by the National Physical Laboratory, are essential elements for laboratory accreditation in the national measurement system. The BCS is responsible for assessing and accrediting calibration laboratories and, on 1 November 1984, there were 129 accreditations in force from both the private and public sectors, with the majority from the former. NATLAS is concerned with the assessment and accreditation of testing laboratories in a wide range of physical, chemical and engineering disciplines and, at present, there are 244 accreditations in force most of which are in the private sector.Both schemes are continuing to grow and I have decided, in the interest of improved efficiency, to merge them into a single unified scheme by 1 October 1985. The unified scheme will be known as the National Measurement Accreditation Service (NAMAS) but the terms BCS and NATLAS which are now widely recognised both in this country and abroad will be retained as groupings within the scheme.

Leeward Islands Air Transport

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has seen copies of the telex exchanges between the Caribbean countries involved and the European commissioner regarding the purchase of Super 748 aircraft for Leeward Islands Air Transport; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 December 1984, c. 439.]: I am aware that there have been extensive contacts between the Caribbean Development Bank, Leeward Islands Air Transport and the European Commission. I understand that these contacts are continuing.

Employment

Community Programme

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on plans for the community programme in 1985–86.

My right hon. Friend set out our plans for the development of the community programme in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Ryder) on 30 July, at columns 121–22. We have previously guaranteed its future until at least October 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to extend the Manpower Services Commission community programme to two years.

[pursuant to his reply, 7 December 1984, c. 312]: No. The position has not changed since the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 7 February 1984, at column 588.

Wages Councils

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if Her Majesty's Government intend to abolish the wages councils and minimum wage legislation.

The Government have yet to make decisions on the future of the Wages Councils Act.

Theatre Technicians

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies for theatre technicians in regional theatres are currently advertised in jobcentres; and what were the corresponding figures in November 1983, November 1982 and November 1981, respectively.

The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Labour Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the numbers of men and women unemployed, and the percentage rate of unemployment, in the Armley, Bramley, Kirkstall, Pudsey North, Pudsey South and Wortley wards of Leeds city council.

Unemployment data for individual wards will not be available until the middle of next year. Furthermore, the smallest local areas for which unemployment rates are calculated are travel-to-work areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the percentage of people in the United Kingdom who, on becoming unemployed, find jobs within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months; and what relationship there is between the corresponding local figures and the local overall unemployment rate.

The information is not available in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage change in employment in England in (a) manufacturing industry and (b) the service industry for each year since 1979; what is the cumulative total since 1979; and if he will give separate figures for men and women.

The information is as follows:

Percentage change in employment in England
June each	Manufacturing industries		Service industries
year	Male	Female	Male	Female
1979–80	- 3·6	- 4·8	0·6	1·3
1980–81	- 9·3	-11·9	-2·5	-1·4
1981–82	- 4·4	- 5·5	-0·4	0·4
1982–83	- 4·1	- 4·9	0·4	0·7
1983–84	- 0·9	- 1·3	2·1	2·2
1979–84	-20·6	-25·7	0·2	3·3

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in each of the travel-to-work areas which have newly been given assisted area status, what percentage of employed people work in (a) manufacturing industries and (b) service industries; and what are the corresponding figures for the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area.

The latest available information from the September 1981 census of employment is as follows:

	Employees in Employment
Travel-to-work area	Manufacturing industries per cent.	Service industries per cent.
Cinderford and Ross-on-Wye	47	42
Birmingham	37	56
Coventry and Hinckley	46	47
Dudley and Sandwell	49	44
Kidderminster	43	48
Telford and Bridgnorth	38	51
Walsall	45	44
Wolverhampton	41	52
Sheffield	35	55
Blackburn	46	49
Oldham	48	45
Stoke	44	44

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people there were per job vacancy, at the latest date for which figures are available, for each of the travel-to-work areas which have newly been given assisted area status; and what are the corresponding figures for the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area.

While unemployment totals are available, vacancy figures have not been compiled for the new travel-to-work areas. Moreover, the available statistics of vacancies notified to jobcentres and careers offices only cover a proportion of the total unfilled vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give figures showing which of the travel-to-work areas newly given assisted area status had their boundaries redrawn for which there was a resultant (a) increase and (b) decrease in the unemployment rate; how large the changes were in each case; and if he will give corresponding figures for the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area.

Comparable unemployment rates for the old and new travel-to-work areas are not available. The complete map of travel-to-work area boundaries has been revised. The new areas were defined using the latest available data on commuting patterns from the 1981 census of population. They represent the best approximation to a subdivision of the country into separate labour markets for which unemployment rates provide a measure of the local mismatch between labour supply and demand, and as such are the local areas for which the Department publishes unemployment rates.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what percentage of the work force in each of the travel-to-work areas which have newly been given assisted area status have been unemployed for more than (a) one year and (b) two years; and what are the corresponding figures for the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area;(2) what are the percentages of unemployed people who have been unemployed for more than

(a) one year and (b) two years in each of the travel-to-work areas which have newly been given assisted area status; and what are the corresponding figures for the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area.

The information requested in respect of claimants unemployed for more than one year is available in the House of Commons Library. The figures are provisional and include an estimate for those whose claims are not dealt with by computer. Full analysis by duration, including figures for those unemployed for over two years, will not be available for the new travel-to-work areas until next year.

North-West Area

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what he forecasts for unemployment trends in the northwest in 1985.

The Department does not make forecasts of unemployment trends.

Northern Ireland

Intervention Stores

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide funds for the construction of storage accommodation suitable for storing European Economic Community intervention grain in Northern Ireland.

No. I am informed that adequate suitable storage accommodation is already available.

Public Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the implications for Northern Ireland public expenditure programmes of the announcement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 12 November.

The autumn statement laid before the House by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 12 November, at column 415, contained a total public expenditure planning total for the Northern Ireland programme of £4,240 million for 1985–86. Because of subsequent technical adjustments the figure now stands at £4,253 million, which is an increase of some £195 million on the forecast outturn for 1984–85 and £30 million on the previously planned total for 1985–86 which underlay the 1984 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9143). As indicated in my right hon. Friend's statement, the figures will continue to be subject to further technical adjustments before publication in the 1985 public expenditure White Paper.I have decided on the following cash allocations to individual programmes (rounded to the nearest £5 million):

	1985–86 £ million
Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Forestry	85
Trade, Industry, Energy and Employment	425
Transport	120
Housing	360
Other Environmental Services	165
Law, Order and Protective Services	440
Education, Libraries, Science and Arts	615
Health and Personal Social Services	700
Social Security	1,275
Other Public and Common Services	70
Total	4,255

These planning figures will form the basis for preparation by Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office of Main Estimates for the coming year. These will provide for the detailed allocation to services for which each Department is responsible and will be presented to Parliament in due course.The allocations reflect my assessment of how best to distribute the Northern Ireland public expenditure total in response to local needs and circumstances. Copies of a more detailed statement on these allocations have been placed in the Library.

Environment

Housing Subsidies

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated amount of housing subsidies for 1984–85, distinguishing between rate-borne and centrally funded subsidies.

Local authorities have claimed £393 million main housing subsidy for 1984–85. Based on their claim forms, it is estimated that net transfers from the general rate fund to the housing revenue account will total £420 million during the year.

Council House Sales

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the assumptions used to estimate the capital receipts to local authorities for 1985–86 in respect of the sale of council dwellings, including the number of sales, the sale price net of discount, the average level of discount and the ratio of private finance.

Total local authority housing capital receipts in England in 1985–86 are forecast to be £1,595 million, of which £1,460 million will be from the sale of council dwellings. The detailed forecasts, including the underlying assumptions about council house sales, are as follows:

	£ million cash
Receipts from sales of land	100
Initial receipts from council house sales	890
Repayments of discounts	15
Repayments of sums left outstanding on sales	400
Repayments of loans to private persons	155
Repayment of loans to housing associations	35
Total	1,595

The assumptions about council houses sales on which these forecasts are based are: Number of completed sales, 95,000.

Average selling price, net of discount	£14,400
Average level of discount	40 per cent.
Average level of private finance	65 per cent.

Seaside And Country Homes

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the 3,400 seaside and country homes at present owned by the Greater London council together with the names of the district councils to which it is proposed to transfer them.

No list of dwellings is held centrally. However, the Library of the House has available the response made by the GLC Conservative group to the White Paper "Streamlining the Cities"; this gives on page 52 the number of dwellings owned by the GLC in 1983 in the area of each district council concerned.

Petrol (Lead Content)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy that unleaded petrol should not be introduced throughout the European Community before 1989.

In my statement on 10 December, at column 741, I explained that the Council of Environment Ministers has reached agreement on a directive which provides for the introduction of unleaded petrol throughout the Community not later than 1989, or earlier if individual member states wish. The Government would welcome the sale of unleaded petrol in this country before 1989 if the oil companies see a market for it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if Her Majesty's Government will support a derogation in the draft directive on lead and benzene content of petrol to allow Italy and France to retain the maximum lead content of 0·4 g per litre.

The directive as originally drafted by the European Commission would have acquired the maximum permitted lead content of leaded petrol to be 0·15 grammes per litre from 1 October 1989; but made provision for temporary waivers for member states with particular difficulties. The text as agreed by the Environment Council now requires members states to reduce the lead content of leaded petrol to this level as soon as they consider it appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider Her Majesty's Government's decision to reduce the lead content in petrol in the United Kingdom from 0·4 g to 0·15 g from the beginning of 1986.

No. This move will reduce petrol-lead emissions by around 60 per cent. immediately; and the Government regard it as an important step towards the eventual elimination of lead from petrol.

Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer on Monday 19 November, Official Report, column 33, if any of the existing areas of outstanding natural beauty designated by the Countryside Commission in East Anglia have suffered intrusions from commercial development or any other activity.

Records are not kept centrally of commercial or other types of development in areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Inner City Partnership Funds

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the totals of inner city partnership funds allotted by authority, distinguishing between funds going to local authorities for their own projects and funds going to the voluntary sector.

The information is as follows:

1984–85 Inner area
£ million
Partnership authority	Programme allocations	^Local authority*	Voluntary sector
Birmingham	24·5	19·11	5·39
Hackney	12·0	6·84	5·16
Islington	10·4	8·22	2·18
Lambeth	13·5	7·42	6·08
Liverpool	24·1	21·69	2·41
Manchester/Salford	24·5	22·05	2·45

Partnership authority	Programme allocations	^Local authority*	Voluntary sector
Newcastle/Gateshead	18·0	15·66	2·34
Total	127·0	100·99	26·01
^* Including projects involving private sector participation.

Urban Development Grant

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total of urban development grant for 1983–84; and in which local authority areas it was spent.

En 1983–84 my Department gave final approval to 57 projects worth £87 million comprising £69 million of private investment and £18 million of urban development grant and other public funds. Since then a further 51 projects worth £155 million, involving £124 million of private investment and £31 million of UDG and other public funds, have been approved. Expenditure on these projects will be spread over several years. Another 24 projects worth £108 million, involving £90 million of private investment and £18 million of UDG and other public funds, have received offers of grant to which responses from local authorities remain outstanding.A list of local authorities with finally approved schemes is below:

Brent	Merseyside County Council
Birmingham	Middlesbrough
Bolton	Newcastle
Coventry	North Tyneside
Dudley	Nottingham
Ealing	Oldham
Gateshead	Rochdale
Greater London Council	Rotherham
Hackney	Salford
Hartlepool	Sandwell
Hull	Sheffield
Islington	Southwark
Kensington and Chelsea	Trafford
Knowsley	Wakefield
Lambeth	Wandsworth
Leeds	Walsall
Lewisham	Wigan
Manchester	Wirral
	Wolverhampton

Ronan Point

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the records of the public inquiry into the Ronan Point disaster will be available for authorised inspection; what is the period during which they have not been available; and what are the reasons for their non-availability.

I understand that access was given to the records of the public inquiry in the period immediately after it reported. When the papers were recovered from storage in order to reply to the hon. Member on 23 October 1984, at columns 553–54 they were found to be in a disordered state and some papers are missing. The task of ordering, securing and cataloguing the papers in order to give the further access which the hon. Member has requested is substantial. The papers should be available for access early in the new year.

Wildlife Inspectorate

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the work of the Wildlife Inspectorate.

I am aware that allegations have been made against a part-time voluntary inspector. I understand that these are being investigated by the police, who are receiving every co-operation from my Department. The investigation will not in any way hamper the very effective work done by the Wildlife Inspectorate in monitoring compliance with the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Power Stations (Emissions)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's estimate of the contribution from emissions from fossil fuel-fired power stations in the United Kingdom to the total acid deposition in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1984, c. 446]: The relationship between emissions and deposition can be derived only from mathematical models. On this basis it is estimated that about half of the total acid deposition within the United Kingdom comes from United Kingdom fossil fuel-fired power stations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the fall in total sulphur dioxide emissions from United Kingdom sources (a) between 1970 and 1980 and (b) from 1980 to date, has been because of reductions in emissions from Central Electricity Generating Board power stations.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 November 1984, c. 446]: The information, based on provisional figures for 1983, is as follows:

(a) none

(b) 30 per cent.

Defence

Correspondence

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the several letters from the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne on a matter originally raised in a letter dated 22 February. and subsequently given his Department's reference D/US of S(AF)DGT/2262.

An extensive search has been made for records that might enable me to answer my hon. Friend's inquiry—which relates to the battle of Monte Cassino in 1944—without success so far. Our inquiries will shortly be drawn to a conclusion and my noble Friend will then write to my hon. Friend.

Royal Artillery Range, Hebrides

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any further consultations have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the United States' Government on the use of the royal artillery range, Hebrides, by the United States Army since the visit of the United States Army delegation to the range in 1982.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the foreign military units or delegations which have visited the royal artillery range, Hebrides, since 1979.

Various foreign units and delegations have visited the royal artillery range, Hebrides, principally in connection with missile sales demonstrations. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to release details of this kind.

Hi-Fix Transmitter Sites (Western Isles)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any plans to instal further Hi-Fix transmitter sites in the Western Isles in addition to those at Ledaig, Scalpay and Uiskevagh.

No.

Stornoway Airport

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many air misses have been recorded in the vicinity of Stornoway airport in each year since 1979; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures into air misses between (a) two civil aircraft, (b) two military aircraft and (c) a civil and a military aircraft.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many practice approaches and practice diversions by military aircraft have been made at Stornoway airport in each year since 1979.

Records are not kept in such a way as to allow me to provide this information.

Raf Stornoway

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans exist for military exercises at RAF Stornoway on completion of the current North Atlantic Treaty Organisation redevelopment work there.

	Numbers in thousands				Percentages
	Dundee travel-to-work area		Scotland		Dundee travel-to work area		Scotland
	1975	1981	1975	1981	1975	1981	1975	1981
Primary	1·0	0·9	84·8	87·9	1·1	1·2	4·1	4·4
Manufacturing	33·9	21·5	636·9	495·5	36·3	26·4	30·7	24·9
Construction	6·7	5·3	173·1	147·2	7·1	6·4	8·3	7·4
Gas, electricity and water	1·0	1·2	25·8	29·1	1·1	1·5	1·2	1·5
Services	50·7	52·6	1,155·1	1,231·0	54·3	64·4	55·6	61·8
Total	93·3	81·6	2,075·7	1,990·7	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the percentage of people in the following age groups in Scotland who were economically active in 1979 and at the latest date for men and women (a) 16 to 17, (b) 18 to 24, (c) 25 to 34, (d) 34 to 44, (e) 45 to 54, (f) 55 to 59 and (g) 60 to 64 years.

The estimated percentages of the population in Scotland who were economically active in the labour force are set out in the table.

No firm plans have yet been made. Peacetime exercises at Stornoway will be limited to six weeks in any one year but no timetable has yet been decided.

Energy

Coal Industry Dispute

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with represenatives of business and industry about energy saving during the miners' strike.

On taking up office I launched a nationwide energy efficiency campaign, including early morning briefings with senior executives. In these I and my fellow Ministers have continued to stress the long-term benefits of switching to coal-firing, despite the damage the strike has done to the prospects of improved markets for coal.

Plutonium

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give information on how his Department calculates the amount of plutonium being produced by British nuclear reactors.

This information is calculated by the operator from the operating records of the reactors.

Scotland

Labour Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the number and percentage of employees in employment in each of the four main sectors in Dundee in 1975; what are the corresponding figures for the latest available date; and what are the corresponding figures for Scotland.

The information requested is set out in the table. It is based on the 1968 Standard Industrial Classification.

	Males		Females
Age	1979	1983	1979	1983
16 to 24	80·2	81·1	73·1	70·6
25 to 34	95·7	93·4	56·8	57·2
35 to 44	95·5	95·1	68·9	68·6
45 to 59	93·7	88·8	64·8	59·8
60 to 64	74·6	57·6	24·7	19·1

The estimates for the most recent date available relate to 1983 and have been prepared by the Department of Employment. Estimates for the precise age groups requested are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the average length of time an unemployed person has remained on the unemployment register in Dundee and Scotland in 1965, 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983.

The information is not available in the precise form requested and could be made available for 1965 only at disproportionate cost. However, the following table shows for Dundee jobcentre area and for Scotland the median length of unemployment of:

(a) registrants remaining unemployed at the October count in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and claimants remaining unemployed at the October count in 1983 and 1984; and

(b) claimants who had completed a spell of unemployment during the 12 months up to the October count in 1983 and 1984.

Median number of weeks unemployed^*
	Dundee	Scotland
(a) Uncompleted spells of unemployment
Registrants at 9 October 1980	21·2	19·8
Registrants at 8 October 1981	30·9	27·1
Registrants at 14 October 1982	38·6	32·9
Claimants at 13 October 1983	33·2	33·1
Claimants at 11 October 1984	37·4	35·2
(b) Completed spells of unemployment^†
12 months ended 13 October 1983	13·5	128
12 months ended 11 October 1984	14·1	12·7
^* The median length of unemployment is the length of time spent unemployed exceeded by 50 per cent, of those included in the count.
^† Median figures for completed spells of unemployment were introduced in August 1983.

Local Authority Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the percentage of local authority expenditure for Dundee and Scotland met by central Government funds in each year since 1980–81.

The table sets out the information in the budgets of local authorities based on the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Publication "Rating Review".

	Dundee District Council per cent.	Scotland (All Authorities) per cent.
1980–81	35·5	57·8
1981–82	28·1	53·6
1982–83	22·3	51·5
1983–84	17·4	49·8
1984–85	18·3	48·8

Notes:

1. for the purpose of this question, local authority expenditure is relevant expenditure for rate support grant purposes, including loan charges, total expenditure on the housing relevant account and rate fund contributions other than to the housing revenue account.

2. Government grants are specific revenue grants, needs and resources elements of rate support grants and housing support grants. In its budget, Dundee assumed no income from housing support grant in the years 1983–84 and 1984–85.

Hospital Waiting Lists (Dundee)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the numbers currently on the waiting list for treatment at Dundee hospitals; and what have been the average annual figures for each year since 1980.

The information is not available in precisely the form requested. The following numbers were on waiting lists for Dundee hospitals at 30 September in the years in question—

	Number
1980	3,283
1981	3,383
1982	4,334
1983	5,626

The 1984 numbers are not available centrally. 1982 waiting list data were seriously affected by the industrial dispute and the figure quoted includes an estimate for Ninewells hospital.

School Meals

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the amount of subsidy paid per annum to provide school meals in Scotland; and what proportion is paid to subsidise the cost of midday meals to boarding pupils.

The Government does not directly subsidise school meals. However provision for net expenditure by local authorities on school meals of £37·6 million has been included in the relevant expenditure for 1985–86, on which rate support grant is payable. This figure includes provision for midday meals for pupils accommodated in school hostels, but the amount involved cannot be separately identified.

Lothian (Nurses)

asked the Secretary of Stale for Scotland what is the current number of qualified nursing staff in the Lothian health board area; what were the corresponding staff figures for 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983; and how many vacancies currently exist.

The numbers of qualified nursing staff in the Lothian health board area were:

At 30 September	Number of qualified staff	Wholetime equivalent
1980	4,842	4,159·7
1981	5,080	4,367·8
1982	5,426	4,683·4
1983	5,568	4,852·6
1984	5,550	^*4,859·1
^* Provisional.

I understand that there were 120 vacancies at mid-October 1984.

Nhs (Privatisation)

asked the Secretary of Stale for Scotland what proposals he has received from the Lothian health board about the privatisation of parts of the National Health Service in Lothian.

None. I have asked Lothian and other health boards to report in April 1985 what progress they have made in testing the cost-effectiveness of their support services.

Ambulance Staff

asked the secretary of state for Scotland how many (a) ambluance staff, (b) police, and

Year	Number of assaults			Numbers admitted to in-patient care
	Ambulance staff	Police	Fire Brigade staff	Ambulance staff	Police	Fire Brigade staff
1979	Nil	1,488	Nil	Nil	Information not available	Nil
1980	1	1,633	Nil	Nil		Nil
1981	4	2,106	Nil	Nil		Nil
1982	1	2,168	3	Nil		Nil
1983	2	^*2,175	6	Nil		1
^* Includes 1 police officer murdered while on duty.

Police Houses

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many police houses there are in each of the regions of Scotland; and how many have been sold and how many are held vacant in each region.

Information is not readily available in the form requested. I shall reply to my hon. and learned Friend as soon as possible.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Middle East

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current peace initiatives in the middle east.

11.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is planning new initiatives in the middle east; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Her Majesty's Government's policy in the middle east.

50.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press for a European initiative on the middle east.

52.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he proposes to take following his recent visit to the middle east to help towards a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, particularly regarding the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

56.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he proposes taking to assist in progress toward peace in the middle east.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends making any fresh proposals designed to resolve the Palestinian issue; and if he will make a statement.

66.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are any (c) fire brigade staff have been (i) assaulted and (ii) admitted to inpatient hospital care, following assaults upon them, in the Strathclyde area, in each of the last five years.

Precise records are not kept. The information available is set out in the table.plans for a European Economic Community initiative to bring about a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict in the middle east.

The Heads of State and Government of the European Community reaffirmed in Dublin their desire to see urgent efforts made to establish peace and stability in the middle east, and their willingness to assist efforts to that end. We shall continue to do all we can to encourage negotiated solutions. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister held talks with King Hussein earlier this week, and I discussed the middle east with Mr. Shultz yesterday. But it must be for the parties themselves to take the initiative in peace efforts.

Gulf War

12.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives the European Community is taking to bring about an early end to the Iran-Iraq war.

The European Community wishes to see the earliest possible end to this tragic conflict and believes that the differences between Iran and Iraq must be resolved through dialogue and negotiation. On 4 December leaders of the Ten announced that they would continue to work for an early, just and honourable settlement and would give full support to any efforts to limit the scope of the conflict.

Chemical Weapons

13.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been in the Geneva negotiations on chemical weapons.

Further progress has been made towards a treaty, but more slowly than we would have wished. Key problems of verification remain to be resolved. When the negotiations resume in January we trust that other countries, including the Soviet Union, will join us in showing the flexibility and determination needed to achieve a total ban.

South Africa

14.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the effect on bilateral relations of the failure of the South African Government to return the four South African nationals who failed to answer to their bail at Coventry.

I strongly condemned the South African Government's action in my statement of 23 October. Their continuing failure to return the four to the United Kingdom is a factor we shall have to take into account in future bilateral dealings.

48.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of United Kingdom—South African relations.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mr. Proctor).

Cyprus

15.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now call upon the United States Government to join Britain in new initiatives with Ankara, following the breakdown of the proximity talks in regard to Cyprus.

The proximity talks organised by the United Nations Secretary General have not broken down. We, the United States Government and our allies have given every support to the Secretary General's initiative. We are in constant touch with all the parties to the dispute to that end.

36.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current negotiations in New York on the future of Cyprus.

The third round of proximity talks held under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary General, started on 26 November. We have given every support to the Secretary General in his search for a settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Syria

16.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the Syrian Government that they will assist the international fight to combat terrorism and disband all organisations based in Syria, whose methods include those of terrorism; and what response he has had to any requests he has made to the Syrian Government for co-operation in dealing with terrorism.

During my right hon. and learned Friend's visit to Damascus in January, he made clear our views about terrorist activities, as I did in December 1983. The Syrian Government have assured us of their opposition to terrorism.

East-West Relations

17.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of East-West relations.

We continue to work, with our allies, for a better relationship between East and West. We look forward to discussions later this month with Mr. Gorbachev and to a visit next year by Mr. Gromyko. We welcome signs of a somewhat more forthcoming attitude on the part of the Soviet Union, and in particular the announcement that Mr. Gromyko and Mr. Shultz will meet in Geneva next month. Nevertheless, we recognise that progress on matters of substance is likely to be slow, and that to achieve results will require patience, persistence and realism.

Nicaragua

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to seek to visit Nicaragua in the near future; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has at present no plans to visit Nicaragua. He met the Nicaraguan Foreign Minister at the San José conference in September and told him that we strongly support a peaceful settlement of the problems of the region in accordance with the Contadora principles.

23.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Nicaragua.

We have normal diplomatic relations with Nicaragua.

28.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to pay an official visit to Nicaragua.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing).

41.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in relation to the International Court's decision on United States action in Nicaragua.

We have taken note of the decisions by the International Court of Justice of 10 May and 26 November 1984.

58.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to increase the level of United Kingdom diplomatic representation in Nicaragua.

No.

India

19.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of relations with the Government of India.

37.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to develop Anglo-Indian relations following the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Our relations with India are excellent. We shall continue to work closely with the Government of India under their new Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.

Northern Ireland

20.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to meet the fish Foreign Secretary to discuss further the future of Northern Ireland.

I frequently meet the Foreign Minister of the Irish Republic during EC meetings and discuss with him matters of mutual concern. These from time to time include aspects of the situation in Northern Ireland.

Arms Control

21.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives he is considering in the various areas of arms control.

22.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiative Her Majesty's Government are taking to stimulate talks to achieve mutual, balanced and verifiable arms reductions.

We are strongly committed to the pursuit of arms control agreements. We have already, with our allies, put many proposals on the negotiating table in Stockholm, Vienna and Geneva. We will continue to pursue proposals which make a practical contribution to progress in arms control; and to support the United States in its search for agreements with the Soviet Union at the bilateral talks which resume in Geneva on 7 January.

27.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role he expects the United Kingdom to play in the Geneva discussions on arms control in January.

We will continue to maintain close consultations with the United States and its other allies on the whole range of arms control matters, including those relating to nuclear and space questions. We hope the meeting between Mr. Shultz and Mr. Gromyko in Geneva will lead to agreement on how to carry forward negotiations on these matters. The negotiations will, of course, be bilateral.

Udf Activists (Durban)

24.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will allow visits by lawyers representing the three UDF activists in the British consulate in Durban to obtain instructions for their appeals to the South African Supreme Court.

47.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now permit family and solicitor visits to the three men currently in occupation of the British consulate in Durban.

Our main objective must be to resolve this difficult problem. We are therefore prepared to consider a visit by the three men's lawyers if its purpose would be to contribute to the early departure of the three men from the consulate.

Bbc (External Services)

25.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what will be the allocation from his Department's budget for 1985–86 to the external services of the British Broadcasting Corporation; and if he will indicate the criteria which he has applied in determining that figure.

The total allocation for external broadcasting for 1985–86 will be approximately £110 million. This sum includes the cost of relay stations operated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on behalf of the BBC external services.This amount has been arrived at on the basis of the planned expenditure on the 10-year audibility programme announced in 1981 and estimated running costs of the broadcasting services prescribed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, taking into account the financial resources available to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

73.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received since 22 November on the future of the external services of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

We have received no formal representations on this subject, but we are aware of the concern in the House and among the public that the British Broadcasting Corporation's level of broadcasting should be maintained.

74.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to act on the findings of the report he has recently received on the efficiency and effectiveness of the British Broadcasting Corporation external services.

I have nothing to add at this stage to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Morley and Leeds, South (Mr. Rees) on 16 November.

Central America (Contadora Process)

26.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's contribution to the Contadora process in Central America.

As my right hon. and learned Friend told the House on 9 November, we together with our European partners, are giving our wholehearted support to the Contadora process. The presence of my right hon. and learned Friend at the San José meeting in September underlined our determination to support that process.

59.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Governments of Mexico, Panama, Columbia and Venezuela about the future of the Contadora talks.

We strongly support a peaceful solution to the problems of Central America in accordance with the Contadora process. My right hon. and learned Friend was able to make this clear to the Foreign Ministers of the Governments listed above at the San José meeting in September.

Honduras And Nicaragua

29.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British doplomats there are in Honduras and Nicaragua at present.

There are three United Kingdom based staff in Honduras and one in Nicaragua.

Law Of The Sea Convention

30.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the United Nations law of the sea convention.

We have received representations from a number of Governments, including those of some European and Commonwealth countries, and from various private organisations and individuals in the United Kingdom.

55.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the terms and conditions upon which Her Majesty's Government will continue their participation in the development of the United Nation's convention on the law of the sea.

I draw the attention of the hon. Member to the statement I made during the Adjournment debate on the law of the sea convention last Thursday, 6 December. We remain entitled to be observers at the Preparatory Commission.

Belize

31.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications for Her Majesty's Government's defence responsibilities in Belize of the presence of United States service men in Honduras.

The British presence in Belize is in no way related to the presence of United States service men in the region. British troops are in Belize at the request of the Belizean Government to assist that country in its external defence. They are not involved in any other Central American country.

Privatisation (Departmental Savings)

32.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the current estimated savings by his Department for 1984–85 as a result of privatisation schemes.

The privatisation of the hydraulic research station of the Department of the Environment in 1982 will result in estimated savings of some £80,000 to the Overseas Development Administration in 1984–85.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is also contracting out some cleaning services and this will be extended at the end of this financial year. This will result in savings in the long term. The Department will also be considering whether there are any other areas of work, including travel and canteen services in the Overseas Development Administration, which can be put out to contract.

Falkland Islands (Peruvian Peace Proposals)

33.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what day and at what time his Department first received indications of Peruvian peace proposals in May 1982.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated in paragraph 15 of the annex to her letter of 19 September to the hon. Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes), which was published in the Official Report on 29 October at columns 788–91,

"as has been frequently made clear the first indications of these proposals did not reach London from Washington until 11.15 pm London time on 2 May—over three hours after the attack on the Belgrano—and from Lima until 2 am London time on 3 May".

Islamic States (Religious Freedom)

34.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to Governments of middle eastern Islamic states, such as Saudi Arabia, regarding the right of Christians living or working in those countries to celebrate religious services, especially at Christmas time; and whether he will make a statement.

None. The difficulty is not a widespread one, but we are, of course, concerned that British subjects in all countries should be able to worship in private groups in accordance with their conscience at Christmas as at other times. In places where problems may occur, the embassy monitors the situation closely in consultation with concerned members of the British community, and endeavours to ensure that suitable arrangements for worship are made.

Mr Abu Nidal

35.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information. Her Majesty's Government have as to whether Mr. Abu Nidal is still alive.

We have seen several reports that Abu Nidal has died, but others claiming that he is still alive. It is not possible to judge which version is correct.

Soviet Union

39.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has for discussions with the members of the delegation of the Supreme Soviet, which is shortly to visit Britain as the guests of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

My right hon. and learned Friend will be having talks with the leader of the delegation, Mr. Gorbachev, during his visit.

Space Weapons

40.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed negotiations on space weapons between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks.)

Brazil

42.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to seek to visit Brazil; and if he will make a statement on current relations between that country and the United Kingdom.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Belfast, North (Mr. Walker).

Ethiopia

43.

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

The visit to Ethiopia by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development lasted from 25 to 27 November. He had useful discussions with Chairman Mengistu and other members of the Ethiopian Government, and met representatives of the voluntary agencies and international organisations. He visited relief camps at Korem and Mekele and the port of Assab and was impressed by the superb operation of the RAF detachment. Following his visit he announced to the House on 3 December further British assistance to Ethiopia of 15,000 tonnes of cereals, costing about £2·7 million, and other measures to assist relief operations.

65.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Anglo-Ethiopian relations.

We have normal diplomatic realations with Ethiopia. Over the past 12 months, we have resumed a modest technical co-operation programme and cancelled repayment of certain development loans. (Retrospective Terms Adjustment.) In addition, we have announced £11·3 million of emergency relief and food aid in the past two months, over and above the £15·5 million already allocated since 1982.

Departmental Budget (Overseas Representation)

44.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on that proportion of his Department's budget to be spent on overseas representation for the next financial year; and whether such proportion represents a cut in real or cash terms.

Detailed information on the allocation of funds to the overseas representation and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes in 1985–86 will be presented in the 1985 public expenditure White Paper.

Honduras (E1 Salvadorean Refugees)

45.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had any discussion with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about E1 Salvadorean refugees in Honduras.

No. We continue, however, to monitor the refugee situation in Honduras.

Diplomatic Immunity

46.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to seek to renegotiate the Vienna convention on diplomatic immunity.

My right hon. and learned Friend intends to make a statement to the House on the review of the vienna convention in due course.

Iraq

49.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the bilateral and international issues raised during the recent visit to Baghdad by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

53.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Minister of State, during his visit to Iraq, informed the Iraqi Government of Her Majesty's Government's policy of strong abhorrence of terrorism, especially state-sponsored terrorism; and what representations were made by him concerning the implications of this policy for future relations between Iraq and the United Kingdom.

61.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during the recent visit to Iraq of the Minister of State, indications were given concerning the release of two British subjects currently serving long prison sentences in that country.

A number of subjects were discussed during my visit to Iraq. These included:

Our bilateral political relations, on which it was agreed that there should be a regular dialogue in the future.

The Iran-Iraq conflict, where I made clear our wish to see an early end to the fighting.

The cases of the two British subjects currently serving long prison sentences in Iraq for whom I strongly urged clemency. Unfortunately, I received no assurance that either prisoners would be released in the near future.

Our cultural relations, with particular reference to the good work of the British Council in Baghdad.

Our commercial relations, in the light of my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade's earlier visit.

I also reiterated our strong condemnation of terrorism.For their part, the Iraqi authorities declared that they were firmly against terrorist actions.

E1 Salvador

51.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to pay an official visit to E1 Salvador.

My right hon. and learned Friend has at present no plans to visit E1 Salvador.

Soviet Union (Foreign Minister's Visit)

54.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if a date has yet been fixed for the planned visit of the Soviet Foreign Minister to Great Britain.

Mr. Gromyko has accepted my right hon. and learned Friend's invitation to him to come to the United Kingdom next year. Dates are still under discussion.

Gibraltar

57.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in the light of the agreement reached between Her Majesty's Government and the Spanish Government on 27 November on the removal of all restrictions at present in existence between Gibraltar and Spain, the restrictions will be lifted progressively in the near future or will all be removed on 15 February 1985.

Our agreement with the Spanish Government announced on 27 November envisages the establishment of the free movement of persons, vehicles and goods between Gibraltar and the neighbouring territory not later than February 1985. This does not rule out action before that date.

70.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the negotiations he has been having with the Spanish Foreign Minister as to Gibraltar.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House on 28 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Spanish building contractors will be permitted to compete for work in Gibraltar using their own labour and equipment as a result of the Brussels agreement.

Under the Brussels agreement, Spanish labour working for an employer would remain subject to prior national authorisation; that is, the Gibraltar work permit regime. Subject to the terms of proposals to be introduced in the Legislature of Gibraltar, self-employed Spanish contractors would be entitled to compete for work in Gibraltar on the same basis as other European Community nationals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the right of residence being granted to Spanish nationals under the Brussels agreement will qualify them for the right to apply for inclusion on the Government housing waiting list.

The allocation of Government housing in Gibraltar is a matter for the Gibraltar Government under the housing allocations scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Moroccan nationals made redundant by the naval dockyard will have priority of employment over Spanish nationals in the commercial dockyard.

The selection of employees in the commercial dockyard is a matter for judgment by the employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Spain will permit the reintroduction of a Gibraltar — Madrid flight on the lifting of restrictions.

The question of air services between Spain and Gibraltar is governed by the 1950 air services agreement between the United Kingdom and Spain. Aviation will, of course, also be among the matters discussed in the negotiations envisaged by the Lisbon declaration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign amd Commonwealth Affairs whether there will be a ferry service between Gibraltar and Algeciras on the lifting of restrictions

The Lisbon declaration envisages the re-establishment of direct communications in the region of Gibraltar. The nature of the services to provide such communication will be a matter for the commercial operators concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign amd Commonwealth Affairs whether Spain has indicated that it expects to obtain landing rights at Gibraltar for Iberia Airlines as a result of the Brussels agreement.

We have received no communication on this subject from the Spanish Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign amd Commonwealth Affairs whether Spanish nationals will be free to use Gibraltar medical services on the same terms as visiting European Economic Community nationals.

On implememtation of the Lisbon declaration, emergency medical assistance would be provided in Gibraltar to visiting Spaniards as to visiting European Community nationals.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign amd Commonwealth Affairs whether persons providing cross-frontier services will be liable to income tax in Gibraltar if they are paid for their services in Spain.

The tax system in Gibraltar is a matter for the Gibraltar Government. The rules for the charging of tax when two countries are involved are often complex, and only the authorities concerned could express a view.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign amd Commonwealth Affairs if Spanish nationals in employment in Gibraltar will be able to claim family allowances in respect of dependent children living in Spain on the implementation of the Brussels agreement; and if the same rights will be granted to Moroccan nationals at the same time.

The question of the payment of family allowances to Spanish nationals employed in Gibraltar remains subject to the proposals for legislation to be introduced into the Gibraltar Legislature on the advance implementation of the European Community rights in accordance with the Brussels agreement. In principle, Spanish nationals employed in Gibraltar would not be entitled to claim family allowances for children who are not resident with them in Gibraltar. The position of Moroccan nationals will be unchanged.

Namibia

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in implementing United Nations resolution 435 in relation to the future of Namibia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of talks on Namibia.

The Angolan and South African Governments have now put forward separate proposals on the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola. The United States is discussing these with both parties in an effort to help achieve an agreement which would enable implementation of Security Council resolution 435. This process offers the best prospect for early Namibia independence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support proposals on Namibia made by the Angolan President in his letter to the United Nations Secretary General of 20 November.

We welcome any move which will bring a Namibia settlement closer. The South African Government have also made proposals on Cuban withdrawal. Negotiations are continuing. We much hope that the parties concerned can reach an early agreement.

Guatemala

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit Guatemala.

My right hon. and learned Friend has at present no plans to do so.

Disarmament Talks

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current disarmament talks and prospects for the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ministerial meeting in January 1985.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Malone).We remain anxious to make progress towards agreements in the current negotiations in Stockholm, Vienna and Geneva and will continue to make an active and positive contribution to that end.

72.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the mutual and balanced force reduction talks at Vienna.

In the latest round—27 September to 13 December—of the mutual and balanced force reduction talks, the West has continued to promote the initiative it tabled in April which offers a real opportunity to resolve the long-standing dispute over the size of Eastern forces. The East's response is still very negative. It maintains that each side should determine for itself the size of reductions necessary to reach the agreed common ceiling of 900,000 ground and air forces on each side.

Chile

67.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to review British relationships with Chile in the light of developments within that country.

69.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect the state of seige in Chile will have on British relations with that country.

We continue to review the situation in Chile so as to ensure that our relations with that country properly reflect both our concerns and our interests there.

Human Rights

68.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Soviet Union's adherence to the human rights articles of the Helsinki agreement.

Our most recent assessment is contained in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Upminster (Sir N. Bonsor) on 17 July. I regret to say that there have been no signs of any general improvement in the Soviet Union's compliance with the provisions of the Helsinki final act since then, though we welcome the decision to grant exit visas in three cases raised by my right hon. and learned Friend in Moscow last July.

Poland

71.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Anglo-Polish relations.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) on 14 November. My recent visit to Poland marked the successful resumption of United Kingdom-Polish contacts at ministerial level.Our aim now is to work for a more normal bilateral relationship and to encourage the much needed process of reconciliation in that country.United Kingdom-Polish commercial relations are developing satisfactorily. The United Kingdom-Polish joint commission for economic, industrial, scientific and technological co-operation resumed its work with a meeting in Warsaw in October.

Unesco

75.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United States Government about the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The Government have kept in regular touch with the United States Government about UNESCO.

76.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the scientific implications of any decision by Her Majesty's Government to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Before taking the decision to give notice, we consulted interested bodies, including the Natural Sciences Advisory Committee of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO, the Royal Society and Government Departments. This consultation will continue and all the views will be taken into account before a final decision is made after the 1985 general conference.

77.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries of the Commonwealth and the European Community have made representations to Her Majesty's Government against the United Kingdom giving notice of leaving the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

As I told my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Mr. Best) on 29 November, exchanges between Governments are confidential. We have been in touch with a number of Community and Commonwealth Governments since the announcement of our intention to submit formal notice of withdrawal this year. Some have expressed regret, but most of these have said that they understood our position.

Argentina

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what talks are currently in progress with the Government of Argentina.

None. We are not prepared to negotiate on sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. But we remain ready to talk about practical ways of improving bilateral relations with Argentina, as we had hoped to do during the talks in Berne in July. These talks regrettably ended in deadlock because the Argentines, contrary to what had been agreed, insisted on linking discussion of the normalisation of relations with discussion of sovereignty. This remains their position.

Umelco Delegation (London Visit)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the scope and purpose of the recent visit from Hong Kong of the UMELCO delegation to London.

A delegation representing the Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Hong Kong, led by Sir S. Y. Chung, arrived in London on 1 December. During their stay, the delegation had meetings with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and myself, when they explained the view of the people of Hong Kong on the draft agreement on the future of Hong Kong. They also attended the debate on the draft agreement in the House of Commons on 5 December. Some members of the delegation attended the debate on the draft agreement in the House of Lords on 10 December.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of the recent visit of UMELCO members to London; and if Her Majesty's Government or the Hong Kong Government will bear the cost.

The estimated cost of the recent visit of Unofficial Members of the Executive Council and Legislation Councils — UMELCO — to London is approximately Hong Kong $500,000 — approximately £52,600. This will be met by the Hong Kong Legislative Council from the public funds appropriated each year for the expenses of the UMELCO office.

Decade For Women Conference, Nairobi

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will be representing the United Kingdom at the United Nations conference on the decade for women in Nairobi in July of next year.

The composition of the United Kingdom delegation to this conference has not yet been decided. It is likely to be similar to that of our delegations to the two previous conferences of the United Nations decade for women.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated cost of sending the United Kingdom delegation to the forthcoming Nairobi conference on the United Nations decade for women.

It is too early to be able to give the information sought by my hon. Friend. The cost of the British delegation will depend on its composition, which has still to be decided.

Discrimination Against Women Convention

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received objecting to the ratification by the United Kingdom of the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

We have received 13 such representations this year from private individuals, Members of Parliament and members of interested organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amendments he would consider essential to the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women before it would be ratified by the United Kingdom.

States cannot seek amendments to the convention before ratifying it, but they may enter reservations and make interpretative declarations upon ratification.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report those organisations with which his Department has discussed the possible ratification of the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received, and taken into account, representations from a wide range of non-governmental organisations, including, during the last year, the National Council of Women of Great Britain, the British Federation of University Women, Change, the Responsible Society and the Family and Child Protection Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from religious organisations concerning those aspects of the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women which would affect the conduct of such organisations.

We have not received representations from religious organisations. We have informed individuals who have inquired about this aspect that the reservations we would enter upon ratification would cover the affairs of religous ministries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the effects upon domestic legislation of ratification of the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women in those English-speaking nations which have already ratified it.

The Austrialian Government introduced the Sex Discrimination Act following ratification of the convention. One of the Act's stated objects is to give effect to certain provisions of the convention. The Canadian Government have recently been reviewing their legislation on equality. The convention's provisions have been borne in mind during this process.

Hong Kong

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about the introduction of direct elections in Hong Kong prior to 1997.

The Hong Kong Government White Paper, published on 21 November, set out arrangements for the indirect election of 24 Members of the Legislative Council which will be introduced in 1985. There will be a review in 1987 which will cover matters such as the introduction of direct elections.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Environment

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give a date for the publication of a Green Paper on agriculture and the environment.

I am considering whether to publish a statement of the Government's views on future agricultural and food policy, including environmental aspects.

Agricultural Buildings (Asbestos)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to cease subsidising the construction of buildings on agricultural land with asbestos roofing.

The Health and Safety Executive has published guidelines for the safe handling of asbestos material in building work. We have therefore no plans to disallow its eligibility for grant.

Pesticides

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what speaking engagements either he or others in his Department have undertaken or are proposing to undertake at meetings or conferences, dinners or luncheons, arranged by, or with organisations concerned with, production, marketing or use of pesticides in 1984.

I and my officials are in regular contact with organisations concerned with the production, marketing and use of pesticides, through all the means mentioned. My concern extends well beyond those organisations with a direct financial interest in pesticides.

Council Of Ministers (Meeting)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food held in Brussels on 11 December.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made earlier today.

Grain Stocks

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the level of grain stocks held by the European Economic Community under the intervention policies of the common agricultural policy on 1 January; and what has been the increase in those stocks for each month since 1 January.

The following table shows the EEC's intervention stocks of cereals on the first day of each month since 1 January 1984:

	Million tonnes
January	8·92
February	7·80
March	6·96
April	5·71
May	5·30
June	4·95
July	4·59
August	4·33
September	4·98
October	5·98
November	7·62
December	10·30

Source:

EEC Cereals Management Committee.

Transport

Seafarers (Health And Safety)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what resources were provided to the section of his Department responsible for the occupational health and safety of seafarers for each of the financial years since 1978–79 expressed in cash and in constant prices.

The information is not fully available, but the costs would include providing the following services:

In addition to the direct and the general costs incurred by the staff mentioned in my answer to the hon. Member on Tuesday 11 December, at columns 407–8, my Department bears the costs of: enforcing legislation, various occupational health and safety publications issued free of charge to seafarers or to masters or shipowners; the collection and analysis of accident data; certain research projects; and various other activities, including a number associated with enforcing legislation.

East London River Crossing

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether his Department is able to estimate the change in traffic volume for the A206 if the east London river crossing is constructed; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether his Department is able to estimate the change in traffic volume for the A2016 if the east London river crossing is constructed; and if he will make a statement;

(3) whether the current proposals for the east London river crossing include a location for an interchange between that road and the A2016; and if he will make a statement;

(4) whether the current proposals for the east London river crossing include a location for an interchange between that road and the A206; and if will make a statement;

(5) whether any consultation has taken place between his Department and the London borough of Bexley concerning the east London river crossing; and if he will make a statement.

The traffic data for the east London river crossing, including that on the A206 and A2016, are currently being updated and I shall let my hon. Friend have the relevant figures when these are available early next year. The proposals provide for an interchange with the A2016, but not with the A206. The London borough of Bexley has been fully consulted about the proposals and has attended presentations on them, and has had a number of discussions with my Department.

Railway Investment

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how railway investment approved by Her Majesty's Government since 1979 north of Manchester compares with that elsewhere in England.

Of the 16 major railway investment projects approved by Government since 1979, six relate wholly or partly to the area north of Manchester. In addition, BR itself has authorised other investment projects in that area which did not require our approval.

A1 (Improvements)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what further plans he has to improve the English section of the A1.

"Policy for Roads in England 1983" (Cmnd. 9059) shows the major improvements intended for the A1 (including the Newcastle western bypass and other improvements on the A69). It also shows that we are undertaking a study of further needs of the road between Dishforth and Scotch Corner in north Yorkshire.

Radar Station (Tiree)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the function of the new radar station under construction on Tiree.

The Tiree radar is part of the National Air Traffic Services' programme to improve and modernise radar facilities in the United Kingdom. It replaces outdated equipment located elsewhere. The new station will improve the coverage of radar used for control of air traffic over Scotland and in the western approaches.

Cycle Lanes

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider recommending the conversion of some bus lanes into partial cycle lanes, with the remaining areas reverting to car lanes.

Bus lanes can normally be used by cyclists. Whether they should be installed or retained should depend on whether they provide a net benefit to the community.

Motorways (Lighting)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the likely reduction in accidents that would occur on unlit sections of motorways if they were lit.

Research results show the reduction in casualty accidents to be extremely variable. Further studies are in hand to try and improve the information.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost of lighting (a) the remaining stretches of the M1 and (b) all other stretches of the motorway network.

The estimated cost (at 1982–83 prices) of lighting the unlit lengths of the M1 and all other stretches of the motorway network are £9 million and £81 million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the completion of lighting between the Newport Pagnell service centre and junction 16 of the M1; and whether he has any plans to provide additional lighting on the remaining unlit stretches of the M1.

The installation of lighting on the M1 motorway between Newport Pagnell service area and junction 16 will be done in phases to accord with the programme for other roadworks and should be completed by spring 1987.I am keeping under review the need to provide additional lighting on the remaining unlit stretches of the M1.

Civil Aviation Authority

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he proposes to introduce quantified non-financial objectives for the Civil Aviation Authority.

The agreement of objectives, both financial and non-financial, is a fundamental part of the Department's discussion with the Civil Aviation Authority of its corporate plan. Discussions on the 1985 corporate plan are to begin very shortly and I hope that as a result of these it will be possible to agree more quantified objectives. However, the agreement of a full set of quantified objectives will have to await the completion of the authority's work on performance indicators.

National Air Traffic Services

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he last discussed with the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority the authority's response to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the national air traffic services.

The Civil Aviation Authority has kept me and my officials in touch with the progress made in following up the commission's recommendations and the chairman and I discussed this when we met on 4 October. I expect to make a statement on this shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the main objectives in the current corporate plan of the Civil Aviation Authority.

The primary objectives of the authority stem from its statutory duties and are:

—to promote high safety standards in civil aviation by information, consultation and judicious administration of safety regulations;
— to maintain and develop, in association with the Ministry of Defence, an efficient national air traffic system geared to the requirements of the users;
—in carrying out its air transport licensing functions, and in related activities, to impose the minimum of constraint consistent with the promotion of high safety standards, the interests of air travellers and the economic health of the industry.

In pursuing its primary objectives the authority will have regard to the importance of strict control of costs so as to contain, and where possible reduce, its charges to those it regulates and serves.A fuller summary of the 1984 corporate plan may be found in appendix 2 of the CAA's annual report and accounts 1983–84, a copy of which is available in the Library.

M25 (Accident)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has anything to add to the information given by his hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker) about the accident on the M25 on 11 December.

The latest information available to me is that it is hoped to open both carriageways tomorrow morning, Thursday. Repairs are being carried out overnight.Yesterday I said that a 30 mph limit had been in operation for all vehicles throughout the night. I made this statement on the information available to me at the time, but I am sorry to say that I have since learnt that this was not the case. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary has called for full reports from the chief constables of Kent and Surrey. When these have been received, consideration will be given to what further action may be required. I repeat my assurance that my Department will examine all the data, using all relevant resources, to see what we can learn from this terrible tragedy.

Trinity House Lighthouse Board

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the Trinity House Lighthouse Board.

Under the Merchant Shipping Act 1894, the Corporation of the Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the general lighthouse authority for England and Wales. The day-to-day management is undertaken by a subordinate, non-statutory body, the Trinity House Lighthouse Board, the members of which up to now have been drawn from the Elder Brethren and their senior staff.The Public Accounts Committee, in its twenty-ninth report for the session 1981–82 (HC 438), dealing with the general lighthouse fund, said it found it anomalous that the Department has no power to appoint the lighthouse authorities, despite its specific responsibility for the fund and its general responsibility for marine safety.

In view of those observations, and with close regard to the work that has been done in pursuing them, I am glad to say that Trinity House has responded constructively and decided to restructure the Lighthouse Board so that, under the chairmanship of the deputy master, Sir Miles Wingate, it will in future consist of four further Elder Brethren and four nominees of the Secretary of State, as voting members, with three senior Trinity House officials as nonvoting members.

My right hon. Friend warmly welcomes this initiative; he is particularly concerned that the notable marine skills of Trinity House should be augmented from the financial and business world, and accordingly has invited the corporation to appoint to the board Sir Michael Colman, finance director of Reckitt and Colman Limited; Mr. Lester George, a director of Ferranti plc; Rear Admiral Hubert Hollins, CB, formerly general manager of the Middle East Navigation Aids Service; and Mr. William Thomson, the chairman of the Forth Ports Authority.

Transport

Glc (Lorry Ban)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will now take steps to set up a public inquiry into the Greater London council's proposed lorry ban; and if he will make a statement.

Following the decision by the GLC's transport committee today in favour of implementation of its night-time and weekend lorry ban proposals; I am formally consulting the council under schedule 9 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.In the letter of consultation I am making it clear to the GLC that I am disposed to think that the duty of the GLC under section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 is not being satisfactorily discharged. Because of this, I am minded to issue a direction to the council prohibiting it from making (or if made, from bringing into effect) the order for this scheme without my consent.If I do give such a direction, it would then be my intention to establish a public inquiry into the GLC's proposals, and the objections duly made to them. I would then determine whether to give or to withhold my consent to the order in the light of the findings of that inquiry.The GLC is being given until 20 December to provide me with its formal views.My objective is to ensure that, given the potentially far-reaching effects of the GLC's proposals on the movement of traffic, particularly commercial traffic, those proposals and the thousands of objections duly lodged to them are fully and impartially examined at public inquiry. An inquiry would provide an independent assessment of the environmental benefits of the GLC's proposals and their disadvantages to the movement of traffic.

Social Services

Pesticides

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give figures for the numbers of people aged 0 to 4, 5 to 11, 12 to 20, 21 to 60 and over 60 years poisoned by pesticides in each of the years from 1970 to 1984.

Information is not available in the exact form requested. The tables give the numbers of deaths in England and Wales in the available age groups from 1970 to 1983 attributed to accidental poisoning and the estimated number of discharges (excluding deaths) from National Health Service hospitals following

Numbers of deaths in England and Wales resulting from accidental poisoning by pesticides.
	Age group
Year	0–4	5–9	10–14	15–19	20–59	60 and over	All ages
(i) Accidental poisoning by pesticides, fertilisers or plant foods (ICD Code E865)
1970	—	—	—	—	—	2	2
1971	2	—	—	—	3	1	6
1972	1	—	—	1	1	3	6
1973	1	—	—	—	3	—	4
1974	—	—	—	1	5	2	8
1975	—	—	—	—	6	2	8
1976	—	—	—	—	5	2	7
1977	—	—	—	—	3	—	3
1978	—	—	—	—	1	—	1
(ii) Accidental poisoning by agricultural and horticultural chemical and pharmaceutical preparations other than plant foods and fertilisers (ICD Code E863)
1979	—	—	—	1	2	—	3
1980	—	—	—	—	1	2	3
1981	—	—	—	—	7	3	10
1982	—	—	—	—	—	2	2
1983	—	—	—	—	2	—	2

Estimated numbers of in-patient discharges (excluding deaths) from National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales following treatment for poisoning by pesticides.

	Age Group
Year	0–4	Others	All ages
1970	340	80	420
1971	680	70	750
1972	390	180	570
1973	420	240	660
1974	590	250	840
1975	630	370	1,000
1976	560	440	1,000
1977	670	480	1,150
1978	450	460	910
1979	560	440	1,000
1980	450	300	750
1981	560	480	1,040
1982	450	450	900

Electorate (Statistics)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the shire counties, London boroughs and metropolitan boroughs in England in ranking order according to the degree by which their electorates vary from the nationally averaged electorate appropriate to the number of parliamentary constituencies within them.

The information requested is given in the table.

Area	1984 Parliamentary Electorate	Average Parliamentary Electorate Per Constituency
		Number	Percentage difference from national average
Isle of Wight	96,614	96,614	41·1
Wiltshire	401,618	80,324	17·3

treatment for poisoning by pesticides from 1970 to 1982. The sample information held centrally in the latter is too small for reliable estimates to be made of the number of discharges in the older age groups. The figures for hospital discharges do not distinguish whether administration was accidental or due to self-administration.

Area	1984 Parliamentary Electorate	Average Parliamentary Electorate Per Constituency
		Number	Percentage difference from national average
Gloucestershire	391,412	78,282	14·4
Dudley	233,429	77,810	13·7
Harrow	155,625	77,813	13·7
Sunderland	232,614	77,538	13·3
Sefton	232,336	77,445	13·1
West Sussex	537,696	76,814	12·2
North Tyneside	152,092	76,046	11·1
Solihull	151,651	75,826	10·8
Suffolk	453,049	75,508	10·3
Hampshire	1,131,745	75,450	10·2
North Yorkshire	524,702	74,957	9·5
Cambridgeshire	448,923	74,821	9·3
Berkshire	523,495	74,785	9·3
Bedfordshire	373,2:25	74,645	9·0
Hertfordshire	736,783	73,678	7·6
Hounslow	147,305	73,653	7·6
Doncaster	219,884	73,295	7·1
Calderdale	146,493	73,247	7·0
Warwickshire	364,987	72,997	6·6
Humberside	656,707	72,967	6·6
Buckinghamshire	435,725	72,621	6·1
Leicestershire	651,837	72,426	5·8
Avon	723,416	72,342	5·7
Shropshire	288,750	72,188	5·5
Haringey	144,314	72,157	5·4
Essex	1,146,023	71,626	4·6
Cheshire	715,785	71,579	4·6
Surrey	786,102	71,464	4·4
Kirklees	285,475	71,369	4·3
St. Helens	142,347	71,174	4·0
Sheffield	425,578	70,930	3·6
Lincolnshire	425,555	70,926	3·6
Kent	1,134,343	70,896	3·6
Cleveland	425,176	70,863	3·5
Staffordshire	778,441	70,767	3·4
Hackney	141,261	70,631	3·2
Derbyshire	705,829	70,583	3·1
Wigan	231,918	70,278	2·7

Area	1984 Parliamentary Electorate	Average Parliamentary Electorate Per Constituency
		Number	Percentage difference from national average
Hereford and Worcester	491,837	70,262	2·6
Lancashire	1,053,832	70,255	2·6
Dorset	488,660	69,809	2·0
Nottinghamshire	764,709	69,519	1·6
Bradford	344,675	68,935	0·7
Salford	185,433	68,679	0·3
Norfolk	549,316	68,665	0·3
Camden	137,219	68,610	0·2
Ealing	204,736	68,245	-0·3
Cities of London and Westminster	135,891	67,946	-0·7
East Sussex	542,708	67,839	-0·9
Cornwall & Isles of Scilly	338,775	67,755	-1·0
Northamptonshire	405,882	67,647	-1·2
Somerset	337,199	67,440	-1·5
Devon	739,945	67,268	-1·7
Oxfordshire	403,135	67,189	-1·8
Enfield	201,648	67,216	-1·8
Durham	469,662	67,095	-2·0
Sutton	133,884	66,942	-2·2
Wandsworth	200,163	66,721	-2·5
Walsall	199,946	66,649	-2·6
Bury	133,160	66,580	-2·7
Leeds	550,038	66,270	-3·2
Gateshead	165,414	66,166	-3·3
Stockport	223,904	65,854	-3·8
Bolton	197,043	65,681	-4·0
Wirral	261,967	65,492	-4·3
Liverpool	389,466	64,911	-5·2
Manchester	341,622	64,457	-5·8
Oldham	167,505	64,425	-5·9
Newcastle Upon Tyne	224,836	64,239	-6·2
Rotherham	192,550	64,183	-6·2
Merton	128,172	64,086	-6·4
Tameside	166,608	64,080	-6·4
Wakefield	236,353	63,879	-6·7
South Tyneside	127,477	63,739	-6·9
Rochdale	152,853	63,689	-7·0
Wolverhampton	190,931	63,644	-7·0
Trafford	171,729	63,603	-7·1
Birmingham	759,854	63,321	-7·5
Brent	188,911	62,970	-8·0
Cumbria	375,513	62,586	-8·6
Knowsley	124,577	62,289	-9·0
Havering	186,816	62,272	-9·0
Croydon	245,581	61,395	-10·3
Richmond upon Thames	122,444	61,222	-10·6
Lewisham	183,506	61,169	-10·6
Islington	120,267	60,134	-12·2
Coventry	239,549	59,887	-12·5
Hillingdon	179,219	59,740	-12·7
Redbridge	177,878	59,293	-13·4
Lambeth	177,857	59,286	-13·4
Bromley	235,558	58,890	-14·0
Sandwell	235,468	58,867	-14·0
Northumberland	232,491	58,123	-15·1
Barking & Dagenham	116,082	58,041	-15·2
Southwark	173,383	57,794	-15·6
Barnsley	172,132	57,377	-16·2
Bexley	169,120	56,373	-17·6
Tower Hamlets	112,255	56,128	-18·0
Barnet	223,760	55,940	-18·3
Greenwich	164,325	54,775	-20·0
Waltham Forest	164,164	54,721	-20·1
Newham	163,038	54,346	-20·6

Area	1984 Parliamentary Electorate	Average Parliamentary Electorate Per Constituency
		Number	Percentage difference from national average
Kingston-Upon-Thames	105,314	52,657	-23·1
Kensington & Chelsea	101,378	50,689	-25·9
Hammersmith & Fulham	98,779	49,390	-27·8
England	35,800,362	68,452	—

Single Payments (Gas Appliances)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will instruct his Department's local officers to authorise single payments for the purchase of gas appliances bought only from approved dealers and to instruct them positively to discourage claimants from purchasing such items from non-approved dealers.

Single payments for gas appliances are intended to meet the cost of reconditioned items if these are available and of new items if they are not. We believe it right that our claimants should have the freedom to locate reasonably priced items of their own choice, and we would not wish to introduce a general restriction on where claimants should spend their single payments. However, our guidance (in paragraph 7214(2) of the S manual—a copy of which is in the Library) tells local office staff that, where a reconditioned item is to be provided for, the claimant should be advised to obtain one that has been checked and will be installed by a suitably qualified person.

Limited List Prescribing

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement about the effects upon the pharmaceutical industry of the Government's decision to introduce a limited list of generic drugs for the treatment of certain therapeutic conditions under the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what response he has sent to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry in answer to its representations on the effects of limited drugs prescription on investments, production and exports within the sphere of the pharmaceutical industry.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend on 10 December, at column 384.

Homeless Households

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households in London are in receipt of board and lodging allowance for accommodation in bed and breakfast hotels; and if he will provide the information for people aged (a) up to 25 years, (b) 25 to 40 years and (c) over 40 years, giving the average and the total amount of such benefits paid.

The information is not available in the precise form requested. Estimated numbers of boarders in ordinary board and lodging accommodation and hostels and common lodging houses for December 1982, the latest date for which reliable estimates are available, are as follows:

Estimated number of Boarders in Greater London Council area 1982
	Thousands
Over Pension Age	2·5
Unemployed under 25	3·3
Unemployed over 25	7·4
All other allowance cases	2·5

Source: "Annual Statistical Enquiry".

Supplementary Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households are in receipt of supplementary benefit housing addition payments for mortgage interest in (a) London and (b) Great Britain.

Provisional estimates for December 1983^* indicate that in some 250,000 cases in Great Britain an amount for mortgage interest was included in the supplementary benefit assessment.Separate estimates for London are not available.

^* The latest date for which information is available.

Source: "Annual Statistical Enquiry".

Families and Single People in Scotland with Income at Specific Levels.
	Below supplementary benefit level		In receipt of supplementary benefit		Above supplementary benefit level but less than 40 per cent above
	1981	1979	1981	1979	1981	1979
Estimated number of families and single people (thousands)	110	110	300	260	400	270
Percentage of all families in Scotland	4	5	12	11	16	11

Note:

The figures for 1979 and 1981 are not strictly comparable because of changes in the rules relating to heating additions.

Health Authorities (Strategic Plans)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the timetable allowed to district health authorities to prepare their strategic plans.

The amount of time allowed to districts is a matter for regional authorities to decide upon. I am not aware of any existing general problem. If the hon. Member has a particular instance in mind he should write to the chairman of the appropriate regional health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what representations he has received regarding the timetable arranged for the submission of strategic plans by regional health authorities;(2) if he will extend the timetable for submission of strategic plans by the regional health authorities.

We have held discussions with regional health authorities where they have told us they may have a problem in meeting the deadline for submission. As a result, it has been agreed that five regions may submit their plans after the original deadline.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated total for 1984–85 of mortgage interest paid for recipients of supplementary benefits.

I regret that an estimate for 1984–85 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 22 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Staffordshire (Mr. Heddle), at columns 510–11, which gives the latest available information.

Family Incomes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number and percentage of households in Scotland at the latest available date whose incomes were (a) below supplementary benefit level, (b) at a level eligible for supplementary benefit and (c) at or up to 40 per cent. above supplementary benefit level; and what were the corresponding figures for May 1979.

The latest available information relates to estimates of numbers of families and single people on low incomes in 1981. These estimates and those for 1979 represent the average over each year and are shown in the table. The assumptions on which the estimates are based are those used and described in a set of tables entitled "Low Income Families — 1981", a copy of which is lodged in the Library.Two regions have already submitted their strategic plans and the remaining regions are still working to the original deadline of 31 March 1985. We have not received any other representations on this matter.

Doctors (Prescription Forms)

asked. the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to curb the incidence of doctors issuing pre-signed blank prescription forms.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to her on 7 December. at column 315.

Blond Mcindoe Centre (Exhibition)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange for an exhibition relating to the Blond McIndoe Centre to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I am very pleased to confirm that arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 17 to 21 December.

Ambulance Staff

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many ambulance staff have been admitted to inpatient hospital care, following assaults on them in the Greater London area in each of the last five years;(2) how many ambulance staff have been

(a) assaulted and (b) admitted to inpatient care in hospital, following assault, in each of the metropolitan counties in each of the last five years;

(3) how many assaults there have been on ambulance men in each of the last five years in the Greater London area.

We do not collect this sort of detailed local information centrally. The hon. Member may wish to seek information from the chairman of the South West Thames regional health authority, which is responsible for the management of the London Ambulance Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what terms and conditions apply to ambulance staff who are unable to work, following injuries received while at work.

An agreement of the ambulance-men's Whitley Council provides for payment equivalent to full pay for up to six months, followed by half pay for up to a further six months. There are additional provisions applying to all Health Service employees who are absent on reduced or no pay because of an injury or whose earning ability is permanently reduced.

NHS Hospitals in England: activity during the year
	1970	^†l975	1980	1983
Inpatient discharges and deaths	5,011,713	4,975,750	5,670,001	6,018,585
Day case attendances	^*N/A	421,698	670,794	813,218
Total outpatient attendances	32,354,802	30,947,482	35,242,980	36,519,550
Total Accident and Emergency attendances	13,321,653	12,791,720	13,052,622	13,603,075
^* Day case figures not collected separately before 1972
† Activity levels in 1975 were affected by industrial action in the health service.

Staffing in NHS Hospitals in England at 30 September (whole-time equivalents)
	1970	1975	1980	1983
^*Medical and Dental staff	23,692	29,752	34,732	36,628
^†^‡Nursing and Midwifery Staff	240,080	304,510	330,170	350,560
^* Includes hospital practitioners, clinical assistants and locums
^† Includes all agency staff: in 1983 around 2 per cent, of these were employed in the community but it is not possible to separate these from hospital staff for all the years requested.
^‡ Not adjusted for the reduction in working hours in 1980 (from 40 to 37½ hours per week).

Housing Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has anything to add to his reply of 30 October, Official Report, column 959, about housing benefit high rent schemes.

[pursuant to his reply, 3 December 1984, c. 79]: I now understand that the hon. Member is referring to my reply of 30 October, at columns 957–59, in which I listed those local authorities which, on the information available to the Department, would have qualified for high rent scheme authorisations but had not applied at that time.

Doctors And Nurses

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the ratio of nurses to patients in National Health Service hospitals in 1970, 1975 and 1980 and at the latest available date;(2) what was the ratio of doctors to patients in National Health Service hospitals in the years 1970, 1975 and 1980 and at the latest available date.

[pursuant to his reply, 23 November 1984, c.326]: I do not consider that meaningful ratios of the type requested can be produced. Manpower statistics cover staff working in hospitals and are collected at a particular point in time; but they do not show what activities within the hospital the staff are engaged upon —for example, whether they are providing treatment to inpatients, outpatients or accident and emergency patients. By contrast, activity statistics show the number of cases treated during the year in NHS hospitals divided into day cases, inpatient and outpatient cases (including accident and emergency cases). Any overall staff-patient ratio is an extremely crude measure both for these reasons and because it does not take into account varying factors such as age of patients and type or complexity of treatment given.Relevant information on manpower and activity for 1970, 1975 and 1980 and 1983 (the latest available date) is given in the tables.My reply needs to be revised to take account of fresh information about some of the authorities listed and to correct certain errors, as follows:

Ashford would qualify for authorisation for council tenants as well as private tenants;

Castle Point, Havering, Isle of Wight and Peterborough development corporation were listed as qualifying for authorisation for council tenants, but do not do so;

Dover and Wokingham were listed as qualifying for authorisation for private tenants, but do not do so.

Racism (Nursery Schools)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he intends to take on the report by his Department on racism in nursery schools and playgrounds.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1984, c. 381]: I assume that the question refers to the recently published report on provision for under-fives from ethnic minority communities, copies of which are in the Library. The report, which is not about racism, was commissioned by the inter-departmental consultative group on provision for under-fives, jointly with representatives of the local authority associations, the National Association of Health Authorities, and voluntary organisations working in the under-fives field. The commissioning bodies decided that the report should be made widely available without charge, which has been arranged by the Department, and that there should be a series of regional seminars further to disseminate the report's recommendations. The National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations has agreed to make arrangements for such seminars next year, with some financial support from this Department.

Volume 69: debated on Wednesday 12 December 1984

Written Answers To Questions

Home Department

Deportation (Commonwealth Citizens)

Metropolitan Police

Greater Manchester Police Authority

Royal College Of Surgeons (Research Establishment)

Young Prisoners

Parole

Motorways (Speeding)

Police And Fire Brigade Staff

Steel-Toothed Traps

Holloway Prison

Television Licences

Education And Science

Local Authority Higher Education

School Meals

Dyslexia

Students (Financial Support)

Support Grants

Prime Minister

Lord Cockfield

Ec (Aid)

The Arts

British Museum (Redecoration)

National Finance

Pensioners (Taxation)

Scotland (Wealth Statistics)

Scotland (Estates)

Ec (Budget Discipline)

Scotland (Taxation)

Ec (Aid Provision)

Financial Management Unit

Trade And Industry

Bankruptcies

Electronic Research

Tourism

Biotechnology

Electronics Components (Aid)

Columbus Space Station

Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Ec (Manufactured Trade)

Laboratory Accreditation

Leeward Islands Air Transport

Employment

Community Programme

Wages Councils

Theatre Technicians

Labour Statistics

North-West Area

Northern Ireland

Intervention Stores

Public Expenditure

Environment

Housing Subsidies

Council House Sales

Seaside And Country Homes

Petrol (Lead Content)

Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Inner City Partnership Funds

Urban Development Grant

Ronan Point

Wildlife Inspectorate

Power Stations (Emissions)

Defence

Correspondence

Royal Artillery Range, Hebrides

Hi-Fix Transmitter Sites (Western Isles)

Stornoway Airport

Raf Stornoway

Energy

Coal Industry Dispute

Plutonium

Scotland

Labour Statistics

Local Authority Expenditure

Hospital Waiting Lists (Dundee)

School Meals

Lothian (Nurses)