asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the outcome of the discussions which she had with President Mitterand of France on 29 November.

Discussions during the Anglo-French summit in Paris on 29–30 November covered a wide range of bilateral and international questions and took place in a constructive and co-operative atmosphere. The President and I discussed collaborative projects, including the Channel tunnel, East-West relations and future development of the Community.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement on her objectives in her forthcoming meeting with the President of the United States of America.

At my meeting with President Reagan on 22 December I expect to review a range of international questions of importance to both our countries. Our meeting will provide a timely opportunity for me to hear the President's assessment of his Administration's priorities and policies for the next four years and to give my views on a number of issues of particular concern to Britain.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's contribution and attitude to multilateral disarmament negotiations since June 1983.

Our aim in the current multilateral arms control negotiations is the achievement of balanced and verifiable agreements which will guarantee security at a reduced level of armaments. To that end, since June 1983 we have continued to play an active and positive part in all areas of multilateral disarmament negotiations:CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT (CD) IN GENEVA

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Baldernock.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 December.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 December.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 13 December.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 December.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 13 December.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 13 December.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

asked the Prime Minister (1) if, in view of the policies publicly stated by the Secretary of State for Transport regarding plans for a third London airport, he will have any role in determining quasi-judicially the Government's decision on the inspector's report on the Stansted inquiry;(2) whether the speech by the Secretary of State for Transport, given in Manchester on Friday 7 December, regarding plans for a third London airport, represents Government policy.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport explained in his speech to the Manchester Central Conservative Association on 7 December that the Government's policy is to encourage the maximum use of regional airports where this can be justified by demand. It is not part of this policy to force traffic to the regions by constraining capacity in the southeast. The speech in no way prejudices his quasi-judicial role in determining the Stansted applications, which will be decided by him and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

asked the Prime Minister when the Government will appoint a chairman for the National Health Service Management Board as recommended by the Griffiths inquiry.

With the agreement of the Secretary of State for Social Services, I have approved the appointment of Mr. Victor Paige, CBE, to the post of chairman of the NHS management board., Mr. Paige will take up this new post, which carries the rank of second permanent secretary in the Department of Health and Social Security, on a three-year contract beginning 1 January 1985.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make it her policy that the funding of the "Soil Survey of England and Wales" should be shared between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of the Environment.

No. The Soil Survey of England and Wales, although forming part of the Agricultural and Food Research Council organisation, has, since 1973–74, been funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. At present my right hon. Friend is reviewing the level of funding by his Ministry.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the Welsh units in primary schools in Wales, by county, and indicate which of these are in schools with monoglot English head-teachers.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the linguistic effects of the establishment of (a) bilingual classes in English medium schools and (b) Welsh medium primary schools.

I am satisfied that pupils can recieve a satisfactory Welsh medium education in both bilingual classes and in Welsh medium schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department has made any assessment of the likely growth in demand for Welsh medium education over the next 10 or 20 years.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many firms in Wales have been convicted under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations Act 1980, since 1981.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many schoolchildren in (a) Clwyd, (b) Mid Glamorgan and (c) Wales now receive free school meals.

The latest available information relating to the academic year 1983–84, is as follows:

	Number of pupils in maintained schools taking free school meals
(a) Clwyd	10,021
(b) Mid Glamorgan	18,892
(c) Wales	85,204

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the percentage of children receiving free school meals in each Welsh county, for Wales as a whole and for the United Kingdom.

The latest available information relating to the academic year 1983–84, is as follows:

	Percentage of pupils present on census day* taking free school meals
Clwyd	15·6
Dyfed	15·2
Gwent	22·8
Gwynedd	19·6
Mid Glamorgan	21·7
Powys	13·8
South Glamorgan	20·5
West Glamorgan	19·8
Wales	19·3
United Kingdom*	16·6
* Autumn term 1983–84 in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Spring term 1983–84 in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were employed by the Post Office in Wales for each of the years 1978–79 to 1984–85, inclusive.

The information is as follows:

Date	Number of employees
December 1978	6,977
December 1979	7,107
December 1980	7,228
December 1981	7,033
December 1982	6,943
December 1983	6,848
November 1984	6,929

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales are over retirement age; and what this figure represents as a percentage of the total population.

At 30 June 1983 the estimated population over retiring age was 528,100, representing 18·8 per cent. of the total.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the area of land newly afforested since 1980 to the latest available date in Wales, making a distinction between coniferous plantations and other forestry schemes.

Planting statistics are published by the Forestry Commission in its annual reports. During the period 1 April 1980 to 31 March 1984 a total of 5,260 hectares of new planting — 4,997 hectares of conifers and 263 hectares of broadleaves—was carried out in Wales by the Forestry Commission and by the private sector with the aid of grants from the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the area of land newly afforested since January 1980 to the latest available date in Wales; and if he will indicate the proportions planted by the Forestry Commission and private landowners, respectively.

Planting figures are compiled centrally on the basis of financial years beginning 1 April. During the period 1 April 1980 to 31 March a total of 5,260 hectares of new planting was undertaken in Wales, of which 1,720 hectares were planted by the Forestry Commission and 3,540 hectares by the private sector with the aid of grants from the commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales to which education establishments outside the state sector he has given regional development grant and special financial assistance.

Under arrangements announced in July 1974, details of selective financial assistance are published in British Business after the first payment is made. Pending such publication, information relating to individual applications is normally treated in confidence. In fact, only one offer of selective assistance has been made in respect of a private sector educational establishment in Wales. Exceptionally, the principal of the establishment concerned, New College, Cardiff, has agreed to my confirming that an offer of grant of £80,000 has been made subject to a number of conditions relating to the overall financing of the project.No regional development grants have been paid in respect of such educational establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish details of the Mid-Wales grant for the Development Board for Rural Wales for each of the years after the loss of assisted area status by Mid-Wales in 1980; and if he will indicate the amount of Mid-Wales grant for 1985–86 and 1986–87.

The Mid Wales development grant scheme was launched in November 1982. The basic allocation for 1983–84 was £175,000. The figure for 1984–85 is £380,000.Details of the 1985–86 allocation will be published in the 1985–86 Supply Estimates. Allocations for subsequent years have not yet been determined.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the amounts of cash to be given by the Development Board for Rural Wales to the Laura Ashley company for its expansion projects, as announced in the House on 10 December, and details of aid given by his Department and the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Development Board for Rural Wales has not grant-aided the projects; its role will be to provide a new factory in Newtown for use by the company. Under arrangements announced in July 1974, details of selective financial assistance are published in British Business after the first payment is made. Pending such publication, information relating to individual applications is normally treated in confidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish all evidence received by his Department concerning the establishment of bilingual classes at Tiryberth primary school.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what submissions have been made to him by Mid-Glamorgan county council: concerning the establishment of bilingual classes at Tiryberth primary school; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with section 12(3) of the Education Act 1980, Mid-Glamorgan local education authority submitted observations on the objections.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales on what information he bases his decision to establish bilingual classes at Tiryberth primary school, Mid-Glamorgan.

Information was received from objectors, Mid-Glamorgan local education authority and Her Majesty's inspectors of schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on Welsh medium schools;(2) if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on Welsh units in English language schools in Wales.

The Government's policy for Welsh medium education was set out in "Welsh in Schools". It is for local education authorities, acting within the statutory framework, to decide what provision for- such education is required and whether it should be made in units or separate schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how his Department and its sponsored agencies classify, describe or define the plutonium, or the types of plutonium, produced in British nuclear reactors.

The plutonium produced in British civil nuclear reactors is not classified into different grades by the Department or its sponsored agencies. It is described simply as "plutonium".

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) how much coal per annum his Department and the Central Electricity Generating Board expect will be used in the generation of electricity in Britain by 1990, 2000, and 2010;(2) what projections his Department and the Central Electricity Generating Board have made for the amount and percentage of electricity which will be generated by coal by 1990 and 2000.

My Department's most recent projections were published in October 1982 in an annex to its proof of evidence to the Sizewell inquiry.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many times per week on average the 10 o'clock rule has been suspended in this Parliament to date; and what is the corresponding figure for the last Parliament.

Up to 7 December, the 10 o'clock rule has been suspended on average, 1·34 times per week in this Parliament; the corresponding figure for the last Parliament was 1·39.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many times per week on average the House has sat after 11 o'clock in this Parliament to date; and what was the corresponding figure for the last Parliament.

Up to 7 December the House has sat, on average, 2·6 times per week after 11 o'clock in this Parliament; the corresponding figure for the last Parliament was 2·6.

asked the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, how many visits were made by each of the Departmental Select Committees, including visits by Sub-Committees, in the last Session, abroad and within the United Kingdom; and what is the total cost for each Committee for this Parliament to date, together with global figures for each Committee and for all Departmental Committees for the last Session.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1984, c. 361]: The information for Session 1983–84 is as follows. The accounts for some of the visits are not complete and the figures given represent the costs to date.

Select Committee	Number of visits	Cost of visits £
United Kingdom visits in 1983–84
Agriculture	2	1,466
Defence	9	4,674

asked the Lord Privy Seal when it is proposed to implement the recommendations of the Second Report of the Services Committee, 1983–84, dealing with all-party and parliamentary groups.

It has not proved practicable to bring the new system into force in time to affect bookings made by all-party and registered groups for the period between Christmas and Easter. Bookings for the period after Easter, which will open when the dates of the Easter adjournment are announced, will be the first to be made under the new system.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money was spent advertising the British Telecom share issue in evening or weekly newspapers published in Greater Manchester; and how much in total was spent on advertising on independent television channels, nationally and in the Granada viewing area.

Payments to individual suppliers of services are commercially confidential, but the hon. Member may be assured that media expenditure in the Greater Manchester area was commensurate with that in other areas of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much public money has been made available to British Leyland in the last year.

None: the final tranche of £90 million equity funding was paid in November 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on micro computers in schools in each of the last five years; how many computers were procured for the money; and if he will make a statement.

The Department of Trade and Industry has spent some £13·4 million on the various micros in schools schemes over the past five years. The detailed figures are as follows:

	£ million
1980–81	nil
1981–82	1·2
1982–83	3·3
1983–84	6·7
1984–85*	2·2
	13·4
* To date.

6,511 computers were provided to secondary schools under the schemes representing almost all secondary schools. To the end of November, just under 26,000 primary schools had applied for a computer out of an estimated 27,000 primary schools. The relevant offer to primary schools closes at the end of 1984 and it is anticipated that the majority of the remaining thousand will apply.The figures represent assistance towards schools in purchasing computers, monitors and printers and a range of peripheral equipment.These figures represent a considerable investment in educational micro-computing. They represent, however, only a small proportion of total spend in this area as schools have brought considerable numbers of additional micro-computers from their own resources and latest figures available suggest that the average number of micro-computers per secondary school is about 10. The average in primary schools is approximately 1·8. In addition, the Department of Education and Science and the Scottish Education Department have provided considerable financial support through the Micro-electronics Education Programme and the Scottish Micro-electronics Development Programme which have provided resources for curriculum development, software and teacher training.As a result of these initiatives, the United Kingdom has a more advanced educational IT programme than any comparable country. No other country has a similar level of penetration within schools and most experts believe that United Kingdom educational software in particular is the most advanced in the World. The use of the computer as a teaching aid throughout the curriculum is a particular strength of the United Kingdom programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the proposed sale by the British Steel Corporation of its Stanton and Staveley works.

My right hon. Friend announced on 5 December 1984 that he had decided, on the information before him and in accordance with the recommendation of the Director-General of Fair Trading, not to refer the proposed acquisition of Stanton and Staveley Ltd. by la Compagnie de Saint Gobain to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission under the provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to end discrimination by Spain against the United Kingdom export of cars; whether he would favour the establishment of a three-year programme for the progressive and substantial liberalisation of the Spanish car market independent of European Economic Community accession negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

The Spanish car market is, in comparison with the United Kingdom market, heavily protected although United Kingdom car imports are riot treated any less favourably than imports from other Community countries. The only long term solution is through Spanish membership of the Community and during the accession negotiations the Government have been attempting, in consultation with our EC partners, to aim at a satisfactory solution of the high tariff problem in particular as it affects cars.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether he will review the working of the Auctions (Bidding Agreements) Act 1927; and if he wall make a statement.

The Auctions (Bidding Agreements) Act 1927, which was amended in 1969, is not being considered for review at this lime. I therefore see no need to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received with regard to the new provisions for regional policy; and if he will make a statement.

Over 500 written representations were received in response to the invitations in our White Paper "Regional Industrial Development". In addition, Ministers at the Department saw a great number of delegations representing a wide range of opinion.My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Industry, made a statement announcing the outcome of our review of regional industrial policy on 28 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will now take steps to ban the import of skins of fur-bearing animals taken in the wild by steel-toothed traps.

Trade in skins of endangered species is already regulated under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976. It would not be practicable to ban imports on the basis of trapping methods because of the difficulty in determining how furs had been obtained.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what evidence he has of third countries exploiting the free trade agreement between the EEC and Israel for the purpose of gaining duty-free access for manufactured goods to the EEC.

I have no information that there are any goods being imported into the Community duty-free from Israel which are not of Israeli origin for the purposes of the Community's agreement with Israel.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the recent changes to the assisted areas map for the purpose of regional aid will affect the eligibility of areas presently the subject of preparatory studies prior to integrated operations where a recommendation for an integrated development operation is made.

The areas under study remain wholly or partly eligible for United Kingdom regional assistance and European regional development fund assistance, but there are no detailed EEC procedures or eligibility criteria for integrated operations and it is not possible to assume that integrated operations will follow after any of the studies. The studies should be seen as part of a continuing exploration of the concept of integrated operations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the amount of money saved on each of the industrial assistance programmes as a result of the moratorium for the rest of the current financial year; and when he will entertain new applications for aid under each of these programmes.

When the review was announced on 12 November, offers of innovation assistance to individual companies were running at the rate of about £10 million to £15 million per month. As my hon. Friend said in his announcement, the review will be completed within five months and a further announcement will be made then both on the balance of the Department's support and on when new applications can be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the report by Professor Silberston on the multi-fibre arrangement is to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Today. A copy of the Report has been placed in the Library of the House.My right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State, asked Professor Silberston in July 1983 to carry out an independent study into the effect of trade restrictions in textiles and clothing, both on the British textiles and clothing industries and on the British economy generally. I am grateful for Professor Silberston's report, which I hope will be read widely.The report notes that temporary restrictions have for some years applied to imports of textiles and clothing from developing countries under the multi-fibre arrangements, which suspends the normal trading obligations of the GATT. The report indicates that:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he intends to make any new arrangements to facilitate the restructuring, in accordance with Paris club or other similar international agreements, of credits guaranteed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

In order to facilitate the restructuring, in accordance with the terms of Paris club or other, similar, inter-governmental agreements, of commercial credits granted by United Kingdom suppliers and banks and guaranteed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department, I intend to use the powers contained in section 2(1) of the Export Guarantees and Overseas Investment Act 1978 to give guarantees in the national interest for the purpose of rendering economic assistance to countries outside the United Kingdom. The Export Credits Guarantee Department will give such new guarantees as may be necessary to implement such international debt restructuring agreements. The use of these powers in the circumstances I have described will assist the orderly repayment of debts owed to the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement about the review of the scheme for providing grants for mineral exploration under the Mineral Exploration and Investment Grants Act 1972.

When I announced the review of the mineral exploration grants scheme on 30 July, I hoped to be able to complete the review by November. However, on 12 November my hon. Friend the Minister of State announced a wider review of the balance of the Department's support for industrial research and development. Completion of the mineral exploration grant scheme review is now expected to be delayed until this wider review of the Department's support for innovation has been completed, in about four months' time.The suspension of further offers of grants for mineral exploration, announced on 30 July, will continue during this extended review period.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he proposes to take further to promote trade between Britain and the People's Republic of China.

[pursuant to the reply, 10 December 1984, c. 345]: There are good prospects for the steady development of trade between Britain and China. The government will continue to give active support to the British companies' exporting efforts to China. During her visit to Beijing, my right hon. Friend the prime Minister, hopes to discuss trade questions with Chinese leaders.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures.

The Government are deeply concerned about the current level of unemployment, and some 698,000 people are at present benefiting from our employment and training measures. Sustainable employment depends on a healthy economy, competitive industry and a more flexible labour market. Our policies are directed to those ends and we continue to look for ways of building on what has been achieved so far.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage of men in the following age groups who were economically active in (a) 1979 and (b) 1983: (i) 18 to 24, (ii) 25 to 34, (iii) 35 to 44, (iv) 45 to 54, (v) 55 to 59 and (vi) 60 to 64 years of age.

The proportions of men in the civilian labour force in Great Britain were as follows:

Per cent.
Age	1979	1983
16–24	79·4	79·5
25–34	95·4	93·7
35–44	96·3	95·4
45–54	95·4	93·2
55–59	90·8	84·2
60–64	73·0	59·5

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of new engineering apprenticeships (a) starting and (b) completed as a result of the work of the engineering industries training board in each of the latest two years for which data are available.

The engineering industry training board reports that it was notified of 10,857 new registrations for craft and technician apprenticeships for the year ended 31 March 1983, and 8,911 for the year ended 31 March 1984.The board issued 13,137 certificates of craftsmanship to apprentices completing a second training module in the year ended 31 March 1983 and 11,919 certificates in the year ended 31 March 1984.The number entering traditional apprenticeships will increasingly become irrelevant as a measure of the amount of skill training being undertaken in industry, due to the reform of existing training arrangements and public funding of first-year training under the youth training scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment further to his reply of 30 November, Official Report, column 620, how many unfilled places there are on the community programme; and where they are located.

At the end of October, the community programme was some 4,000 places below its national target of 130,000 filled places. All those places would have been taken up in London and the south-east if their rate of progress in providing job opportunities on the programme had matched other regions. My hon. Friend announced on 26 March at c. 29 our targets for correcting imbalances in filled places between regions up to October 1986. On that basis, London will need to increase its current number of filled places by 60 per cent., the south-east by 35 per cent. and the midlands by 8 per cent. while other regions will either remain constant or make some reductions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, using information from the latest community programme follow-up survey, and in respect of the over 25-year-olds, over 52 weeks duration grouping, what percentage of those in employment at the time of the follow-up survey were (a) male (i) supervisory-married and (ii) supervisory-single, widowed, divorced or separated, or (b) female (i) supervisory-married and (ii) supervisory-single, widowed, divorced or separated; what proportion of each married sub-grouping has an employed spouse; and what percentage of each sub-category has children within the 0 to 15 years age range.

The information is not available exactly in the form requested. The information, where available, is:

per cent.
Male:
Married	41
Single, Widowed, Separated or Divorced	30
Total	71
Female:
Married	28
Single, Widowed, Separated or Divorced	0
Total	28

Some survey forms were completed giving no indication of marital status.The survey of former participants does not provide information on whether participants were supervisors, the employment status of any spouse or the ages of any children.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, using information from the latest survey of participants on the community programme, if he will give the percentage of participants within the following categories: for the two standard eligibility groupings of 18 to 24 years of age, over 26 weeks duration grouping, and over 25 years of age, over 52 weeks duration grouping, what proportion are (I) married (a) male (i) supervisory and (ii) non-supervisory and (b) female (i) supervisory and (ii) non-supervisory; what proportion are (II) single, widowed, divorced or separated (a) male (i) supervisory and (ii) non-supervisory or (b) female (i) supervisory and (ii) non-supervisory; what proportion of each married sub-grouping have an employed spouse; and what proportion of each sub-grouping have children within the 0 to 15 years age range.

The information is not available exactly in the form requested. The information, where available, is:

per cent.
Those aged 18–24
Married
Male	7
Female	4
Total	11
Single, Widowed, Divorced or Separated
Male	68
Female	19
Total	87
Those aged 25 and over
Married
Male	42
Female	18
Total	60

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, for the year to date, for Avon, the southwest and for Great Britain as a whole, for the Manpower Services Commission standard groupings of 18 to 24 years of age, over 26 weeks duration grouping and over 25 years of age, over 52 weeks duration grouping, what percentage of community programme participants are male (i) married and (ii) single, widowed, separated or divorced; what proportion of each sub-group are supervisory; and what percentage of each sub-group are not in receipt of any major benefit, such as housing benefits, supplementary benefits or family income supplement.

The information is not available exactly in the form requested. The information, where available, is set out in the table:

Entrants during the year ending 31 October 1984	South-West Per cent.	Great Britain Per cent.
Aged 18–24	58	57
Aged 25 and over	42	42
Male	78	77
Female	22	23
Married	27	30
Single, widowed, divorced or separated	73	70
Not in direct receipt of unemployment and/or supplementary benefit at the time of entry to the Programme	8	13

Figures for the County of Avon are not available.Information is not collected on whether entrants are supervisors or were in receipt of housing benefit or family income supplement.

asked the Secretary Employment if Her Majesty's Government negotiate an international convention on the of hazardous chemicals.

The manufacture of hazardous chemicals is already subject to extensive controls in the United Kingdom in respect of potential health hazards and risks to safety.My right hon. Friend will this month be laying before the House the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations implementing the European Community Directive on major accident hazards. Aside from this directive, there are other international instruments relevant to the subject of hazardous substances. The Government will be ready to join in discussion of any proposals for further instruments prepared by the international agencies concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in the last year for which figures are available, how many visits to hospitals were made by health and safety inspectors; and how many hospitals have not had a basic visit from a Health and Safety Executive inspector under the programme basic visits and follow-up.

During 1983, 3,788 visits to hospitals were made by inspectors of the Health and Safety Executive.

Crown improvement notices relating to hospital activities
Hospital activity	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Safety organisation, safety policy instruction and training	—	—	2	6	5	3
General environmental conditions (heating, lighting etc.)	—	1	—	5	2	3
Asbestos (works departments)	—	—	—	2	5	3
Laboratories	—	2	5	29	25	6
Post mortem facilities	—	—	—	4	9	1
Disposal of clinical waste	—	1	—	7	1	1
Other matters connected with potentially infected material	—	1	—	—	1	—
Anaesthetic gases (theatres)	—	—	—	—	1	1
Dangerous machinery (workshops, kitchens, laundries)	—	—	2	13	5	3
Pressure plant (works department)	—	—	—	—	—	1
Storage and use of liquids, gases and solids (not already included above)	—	3	10	21	18	12
Unsafe places of work and dangerous buildings	—	2	—	6	3	1
X-ray departments, radiotherapy departments and other uses of ionising radiations	—	2	5	—	1	—
Electricity	—	—	—	—	2	—
Other	—	—	—	—	1	3
Totals	—	12	24	93	79	38

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he hopes to issue the revised police manual of home defence, nuclear weapons, to include the effects of conventional and chemical or biological attack.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many Crown improvement notices and Crown prohibition notices were issued in each year since 1978 relating to hospital activity; and to what areas of hospital activity they related.

The following tables provide a summary of the numbers of Crown notices issued relating to hospital activities:

A revised version which includes the effects of conventional attack will be issued early next year. The Government are a party to the 1972 convention banning biological weapons. In the absence of a chemical weapons ban active consideration is being given to the detection and warning of danger presented by them and what protective measures can be taken. When this work is completed the results will be incorporated into the manual.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young persons had been released from youth custody establishments on parole aged (a) 15 to 16 years, (b) 16 to 17 years, (c) 17 to 21 years, by the most recent date available.

The latest available information is given in the following table; it is not possible to distinguish between those discharged from youth custody establishments and those discharged from local prisons. Of the 1,483 young persons discharged, 444 were discharged in the 13¼ months up to 30 June 1984, and 1,039 (including all those aged under 17) in the following four months after the reduction of the minimum qualifying period for parole.

Young persons discharged from Prison Department establishments on parole licence, by age, 24 May 1983–31 October 1984
Age	Number
15 and under 16	6
16 and under 17	27
17 and under 21	1,450
Total	1,483

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what criteria he uses when considering whether to approve capital projects such as centralised command and control systems within the fire services;(2) what criteria he uses to approve capital projects, such as centralised vehicle repair workshops, within the fire services in England and Wales.

The approval of my right hon. and learned Friend is not required.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria under which he gives approval to the establishment numbers of the police forces in England and Wales.

My right hon. and learned Friend considers applications for additional police officer posts in the light of the resources available nationally for increases in police manpower, and advice from Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary. The main factors which he takes into account are set out in paragraphs 3 to 5 of Home Office circular No. 114/83, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Rank	April 1983		April 1984
	Minimum £	Maximum £	Minimum £	Maximum £
Constable	6,189	9,798	6,708	10,620
Sergeant	9,369	10,749	10,155	11,652
Inspector	10,749	12,789	11,652	13,863
Chief Inspector	12,204	14,160	13,230	15,348
Superintendent	16,848	18,411	18,102	19,959
Chief Superintendent	18,564	20,241	20,124	21,750
Assistant Chief Constable	21,069	—	22,809	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for drug pushing have been secured in the Merseyside county police area in each of the last five years.

The information requested is given in the following table:

Persons found guilty of unlawful supply of a controlled drug or possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply unlawfully
Mersey side police force area, 1979–83			Number of persons
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Unlawful supply	4	8	4	4	29
Possession with intent to supply unlawfully	5	2	7	11	24
Total*	9	10	10	15	46
* In some cases the same person was found guilty of both offences so the sum of the individual figures is not always equal to the total.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the efforts being made to stop drug trafficking and drug abuse.

We are satisfied that Her Majesty's Customs, the police and other agencies are acting vigorously to combat drug trafficking and drug misuse. As shown by the recent initiatives described in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Mr. Eggar), on 22 November, at column 397–98, we attach a high priority to measures directed at achieving this objective.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps he is contemplating to encourage self-service stores to take preventive measures against shoplifting; and if he will make a statement.

Following the report published last year by the Home Office standing committee on crime prevention on "Shoplifting and Thefts by Shop Staff', we are now preparing a new publicity leaflet aimed primarily at small retailers which will contain a wide range of advice on preventive measures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing the salary scales of police officers for April 1984 and April 1983; and if he will express these figures in both cash terms and in April 1980 prices.

The salary scales were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are his plans for diverting as many young people as possible from the criminal justice system.

We intend shortly to issue to chief officers of police new guidelines on cautioning which will encourage the more consistent and effective use of the caution. The guidelines will embody the principle that in the case of juvenile offenders there should be a presumption in favour of courses of action which fall short of prosecution, unless the individual circumstances of the case, in particular the seriousness of the offence, dictate otherwise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that Mr. Edward Hopson does not return to Coxley Close, Ealing, following his release from prison after serving his current sentence; and if he will make a statement;(2) what steps he proposes to take to ensure that Mr. Edward Hopson does not have private access to children after release from serving his current prison sentence;(3) what psychological psychiatric help and personal supervision he is arranging for Mr. Edward Hopson while serving his current prison sentence and after his release.

Mr. Hopson's position as a restricted patient who has been conditionally discharged from hospital under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 will he reviewed during his current prison sentence in the light of the medical and other reports my right hon. and learned Friend receives, and a decision will be made towards the end of the sentence. The particular points mentioned by my hon. Friend will be fully considered.The prison authorities are considering Mr. Hopson's needs while he is in prison. Responsibility for his medical care rests with the prison medical officer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the county police force areas without a prosecuting solicitors department.

Wiltshire is in the process of establishing a prosecuting solicitors' department. The remaining police areas without prosecuting solicitors' departments are Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, north Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Surrey.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the management consultants are likely to report on their study of various prosecuting solicitors departments.

My right hon. and learned Friend expects to receive the report early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department intends to reply to a letter dated 17 September from the hon. Member for Barking concerning self inflicted injuries suffered by three prisoners; and why, after nearly three months, the hon. Member was informed on 5 December that a reply would take a further few weeks.

The hon. Member enquired in her letter about three prisoners involved in incidents in Holloway prison. Her letter also covered general questions of staffing and the new powers of remand to hospital under the Mental Health Act. Detailed inquiries were necessary: these had to be pursued against a background of the heavy pressure of work and correspondence which has resulted from the critical interest in Holloway prison this autumn. The recent consideration of the future of Holloway has led to the appointment of a project committee which will advise the Director General.My noble Friend will reply very shortly and will I then explain developments in greater detail.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the reply of 5 December, Official Report, column 184, how many incidents of attempted drug smuggling into Walton prison there have been over the past three years; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will make a statement on the problems of drug smuggling into Her Majesty's Prisons at the latest date.

We attach much importance to keeping unauthorised drugs out of prisons and are determined that all appropriate counter-measures should be taken. These include calling in the police to investigate (and, if necessary, carry out a search) where there is reason to believe that a visitor intends to smuggle drugs. At Liverpool prison during 1984 so far (up to 11 December) the police have detected attempts of drug smuggling on 19 occasions and prison officers on nine occasions. No reliable figures are available for earlier years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has asked the Post Office and British Telecom to notify him of the results of their investigations into allegations of telephone tapping and interference with the mail of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

The complaints which have been made about the provision of postal and telephone services are matters for the Post Office and British Telecom, but I would expect them to draw my attention to any matters arising from their investigations that may be relevant to my Ministerial responsibilities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide details of (a) the number of offences reported and (b) the number of prosecutions for voting more than once in the general elections of 1983, 1979 and 1974 in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) Great Britain.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 November 1984, c. 349]: In England and Wales the information collected centrally on notifiable offences recorded to the police does not separately distinguish offences against the Representation of the People Act 1949 or 1983. The available information on court proceedings is given below and does not separately distinguish offences of personation from other voting offences or between offences committed at general elections from those at by-election or local elections; information for 1974 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Persons proceeded against for offences under sections 47 and 48 of the Representation of the People Act 1949 under sections 60 and 61 of the Representation of the People Act 1983
England and Wales	Number of persons
Year	Persons proceeded against
1979	4
1983	14

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to increase the investment allowances available to British shipowners.

I have no plans, beyond those already announced, for a provision in the next Finance Bill which will provide shipowners with greater flexibility in the use of writing down allowances on new ships.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the governor of the Bank of England regarding the rescue of Johnson Matthey; and if he will make a statement.

I have discussed with the governor of the Bank of England the events leading up to the rescue operation for Johnson Matthey Bankers. I hope to make a statement to the House shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what areas of policy currently financed by the United Kingdom budget will in future be financed by the European Economic Community budget in the event of an increase in United Kingdom gross payments to the European Economic Community.

The main effect of the agreement reached at the Foreign Affairs Council in Dublin on 4 December will be to restrain the growth in agricultural expenditure. This should allow non-agricultural expenditure such as regional and social expenditure, research and development, energy, science and technology expenditure, to take an increasing share of the Community budget.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received opposing the imposition of value added tax on books.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick).