asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost to his Department of the visit of the hon. Member for Medway (Mrs. Fenner) and her party to banana-producing countries in the Caribbean.

The cost to my Department of the visit of my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and her party to banana-producing countries in the Caribbean is expected to be about £13,500. The precise cost will not be known until the party returns.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what percentage agricultural expenditure has increased in the European Economic Community for each year since 1970.

Annual percentage changes in EC agricultural expenditure from 1970 to 1984 have been as follows:

	Per cent.
*1970–71	+21
*1971–72	-13
*1972–73	+33
1973–74	-15
1974–75	+46
1975–76	+23
1976–77	+23
1977–78	+26
1978–79	+21
1979–80	+10
1980–81	-2
1981–82	+11
1982–83	+28
	+16
1983–84	(estimate)
* The current system of charging EAGGF guarantee expenditure to particular years was introduced by the financial regulation of 7 November 1972. To achieve comparability the percentage changes for earlier years have been shown as though the current system applied for the whole period.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton on 22 January, Official Report, column 384, he will now give whatever statistical information is available to him about the financial help given by the countries listed in that question to African countries in need; and which were the countries assisted.

Detailed information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if the amateur radio licence issuing department has been fully computerised;(2) what representations he has had from the Radio Society of Great Britain in relation to the introduction of a novice amateur radio licence;(3) when he expects to introduce a novice amateur radio licence.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the cost of pharmaceutical imports, and the value of pharmaceutical exports, during 1983.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c.46]: In 1983, United Kingdom imports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products were valued at £470 million (cif) while exports were valued at £1,073 million (fob).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any of the artificial sweeteners which have been approved in the United Kingdom had been tested by the Industrial Bio Test Laboratories in Chicago, United States of America.

I have been asked to reply.Studies by the Industrial Bio Test Laboratories were considered in respect of one artificial sweetener now permitted in the United Kingdom, namely hydrogenated glucose syrup. Of the two studies performed by IBT and reported in 1969 which are relevant to the safety evaluation of this sweetener, one has been repeated and confirmed by an independent laboratory while the other has been verified following audit by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.

asked the Prime Minister when she next intends to pay an official visit to Hyndburn.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit east Anglia in 1985.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when the joint Anglo-French working group on guidance for prospective promoters of a Channel tunnel project is expected to complete its work; and if she will make a statement.

At my meeting with the French President on 30 November 1984 we agreed that the joint working group should pursue its work with real urgency and submit its report within three months. I have nothing to add to the joint statement we made on that occasion, in which we welcomed and endorsed the terms of the communiqué issued on 15 November 1984 by the Transport Ministers of the two countries.

asked the Prime Minister what plans she has to visit Caernarfon.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 29 January.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 29 January.

This morning I 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 if she will give details of the instructions given to drivers of ministerial cars that are not related to security.

As these instructions are fairly extensive, I am arranging for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member direct.

asked the Prime Minister what would be (a) the loss of revenue if income tax thresholds and national insurance thresholds were raised to £3,250 for a single person and £4,250 for a married couple and additional tax allowances of £780 were given for each child and (b) the saving in expenditure if all benefits, including family income supplement, child benefit and all housing benefits and tax allowances were abolished; and what would be the net weekly spending power of a man with two children earning £110 per week with a rent of £25 and rates of £5 per week: (i) now and (ii) assuming all these changes have been made simultaneously.

[pursuant to her reply, 28 January 1985, c. 261]: (a) The cost of increasing the single person's income tax allowance to £3,250, the married man's allowance to £4,250 and of introducing child tax allowances of £780 per child would be about £10 billion in a full year at 1984–85 levels of income. The reduction in national insurance contributions if the lower earnings limit was raised to £3,250 per year for single people and to £4,250 per year for married couples, in relation to their joint earnings, would be about £1·25 billion in 1984–85. This estimate assumes no change in the contracted-out rebate in respect of people remaining liable to contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received urging tighter control for the issue of shotgun certificates; and if he will make a statement.

We have received representations from various sources, including hon. Members, local authority associations, local authorities and police authorities, and members of the public. In 1984 these numbered approximately 50. The majority suggested that the controls which at present apply to pistols and rifles should be applied to shotguns. On that issue, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend, the Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) on 22 November 1984 at column 246.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total cost of administering the firearm and shotgun licensing system, annually, at the latest available date and five years ago.

Annual figures of costs and income are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Surveys to provide such information were conducted in sample police forces in 1979 and 1981 from which it was estimated that in 1979–80 the total costs were £5,000,000 and the income £3,700,000; and in 1981–82 £5,398,707 and £4,376,631 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the most likely effect on attendance at race tracks and consequently on the level of betting and payment of on-course betting tax that will arise from the provision of better facilities at off-course betting shops.

We intend to issue a consultation document soon about the facilities permitted within betting shops. Before reaching any decisions we shall take account of views expressed about the effect of better facilities on attendances at racecourses as well as a number of other considerations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the amounts paid in out-of-court settlements of claims arising from the wrongful acts of Metropolitan police officers in 1983, the amounts paid under awards made by courts in similar cases in 1983, the number of cases initiated in 1983 and the number concluded in 1983.

The total amount paid in 1983 by Metropolitan police in settlement of claims arising from allegations of misconduct by police officers (whether or not formal proceedings were instituted) was £57,455. The total amount paid by the force under awards made by the courts in similar cases during 1983 was £5,855. The number of such civil actions initiated against the force during 1983 was 135, and the number disposed of was 83.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained in west Yorkshire under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in 1982, 1983 and 1984; and how many of these were subsequently convicted of criminal offences.

One person, who was not subsequently charged, was detained in west Yorkshire under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in 1982. No such detentions were recorded in 1983 or 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons have been arrested on Merseyside under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act to the latest available date; how many were subsequently (a) charged and (b) convicted; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many persons have been detained in England and Wales under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act to the most recent available date; and how many were

[pursuant to his reply, 14 January 1985, c. 141]: The available information for England and for Merseyside on persons detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Acts and subsequently charged relates only to the period from 1 January 1979. From that date up to 30 September 1984, of 328 subsequently charged in England and Wales 248 had been found guilty and of 24 subsequently charged on Merseyside 21 had been found guilty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, after the revision of the Metropolitan police organisation, described in the police press release of 20 November 1984, it is the intention that each of the borough-based consultative groups will have, as their main police links, several chief superintendents of equal authority and status representing each of the divisions within the borough, instead of the single district commander as at present; and how it is envisaged they will tackle problems of police/community relationships that cross division boundaries.

The precise arrangements for consultation with the community following the reorganisation of the force have not yet been decided. Discussions will be held with borough and district councils, community/police consultative groups and representatives of the local community to ensure that the arrangements established in each area are well adapted to its needs and have the support of the local community.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, after the revision of the Metropolitan police organisation, it is the intention to appoint community liaison officers within the police for each division, instead of one for the whole borough as at present; and whether he considers that the officer with the rank of superintendent, responsible for deputy assistant commissioner services within each area, will have adequate time to devote to community relations, as well as to his other responsibilities including administration, press and publicity.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that it is his intention to appoint a community liaison officer for each division. Instead of one for each district. No final decision will be made about the rank or range of duties to be performed by the officer responsible for "DAC services" at area headquarters until local discussions have taken place with those involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the structure of the branch of the Metropolitan police with functions similar to that of A7 after the revision of the Metropolitan police organisation, described in the police press release on 20 November 1984; what its terms of reference will be; what authority it will have within the divisions on community and race relations issues; and whether it will be the place of reference within the Metropolitan police to which consultative groups and London-wide organisations with an interest in these matters can make representations about the overall policy of the force.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that he has no detailed plans at present to change the structure and role of A7 branch. Existing functions of the branch will remain an integral part of his organisation; any changes which become necessary as a consequence of force reorganisation will be implemented only after full discussion with interested parties.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the Secondary Examination Council has any duty to report to him variations over time in the standard of O and A-level examinations.

The council is obliged to report to my right hon. Friend on the discharge of all its functions.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about methods for enforcing discipline in maintained secondary schools other than corporal punishment; and what steps he takes to disseminate information about effective methods to teachers throughout the country.

A considerable amount of information about this topic reaches my right hon. Friend through HM Inspectorate which, in the course of its work observes, discusses and disseminates information about a range of disciplinary issues. These issues are sometimes raised in school inspection reports, which are now published.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the value of the Government grant to the Open University for each year since 1971 in real terms, using 100 as a base in 1971.

The following table gives the recurrent grant for each financial year; the recurrent grant revalued to 1983–84 cost terms^*; and also expressed as an index using 100 as a base for the financial year 1971–72.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the real cost of Open University tuition fees and summer school fees for each year since 1971, using 100 as a base for 1971.

The following table gives the undergraduate tuition fees and summer school fees revalued to 1983–84 cost terms^*; and expressed as an index using 100 as a base for 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has received concerning the pupil-teacher ratio in maintained primary and secondary schools in Yorkshire and Humberside, west Yorkshire and Kirklees, respectively, since January 1984.

I have no information for later than January 1984 when the pupil-teacher ratios were as follows:

	Pupil-teacher ratio within maintained primary schools	Pupil-teacher ratio within maintained secondary schools
Yorkshire and Humberside* region	21·4	16·5
West Yorkshire metropolitan authority	21·8	17·0
Kirklees local education authority	22·5	17·1
* This includes Humberside LEA, North Yorkshire LEA, South Yorkshire metropolitan county and West Yorkshire metropolitan county.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce a decision on the proposals of the Advisory Committee on Supply and Education of Teachers for withdrawing the mandatory requirement for a specialist qualification for teachers of the blind, deaf and partially hearing.

My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Wales are still considering the report of the committee on teacher training for special education which contains this proposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science by how much public expenditure would be reduced if parents accepted the full cost of school meals.

Local education authorities have budgeted to spend £415 million on school meals in 1984–85. Public expenditure would fall by that amount if parents accepted the full cost of school meals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the stopping of research on resistance to aphids at the Plant Breeding Institute; and what response he has given.

I received two letters early last year from an hon. Member about the Agricultural and Food Research Council's decision to stop research on resistance to aphids at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge. In reply, I explained that it is for the AFRC to decide and continually to review, its scientific priorities within the resources available to it; and that against that background I understood that the work on aphid resistance at the PBI had been reviewed by the institute's director and his senior staff and judged to be a relatively low priority, a view which was shared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which commissioned the work.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimate of salaries at the proposed computing sciences centre at Milton Keynes compared with equivalent posts in universities.

The proposed institute of information technology to which the hon. Member refers is to be a private venture sponsored by a number of industrial concerns. The renumeration of its academic staff will be a matter for decision by those responsible for managing the institute.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from Sir James Gowans about saving the project at Hammersmith hospital in London on refining imaging techniques using nuclear magnetic resonance scanners.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to receive the report of Sir John Kendrew's committee on the future of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson) on 28 January 1985 at columns 35–36.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current cost estimate for restructuring the Agricultural and Food Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council.

The current estimates of the additional costs of restructuring the Agricultural and Food Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council in the four years 1984–85 to 1987–88 are as follows:

	Agricultural and Food Research Council	Natural Environment Research Council
	£ million	£ million
1984–85	3·3	0·25
1985–86	6·0	3·1
1986–87	6·7	5·15
1987–88	3·6	1·75

As my right hon. Friend announced on 10 January, the grants-in-aid for 1985–86 to the Agricultural and Food Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council will be £50·3 million and £67·3 million respectively. These grants-in-aid include sums of £4·8 million and £1·25 million, respectively, which the Advisory Board for Research Councils intends for use in assisting these councils with their restructuring plans. The possibility of providing further special support for this purpose in 1986–87 and 1987–88 will be reviewed later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what projects of high scientific promise his Department is supporting.

The Department does not directly support any research in the natural sciences. The most recent information about particular research projects and programmes supported by the Research Councils, which receive grants-in-aid from the Department through the science budget, can be found in its 1983–84 annual reports, copies of which are in the Library. The councils' peer review systems aim to ensure that only work of the highest scientific promise receives support.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the current level of and trends in the provision of education for children between 16 and 19 years who have been assessed as having special educational needs.

The number of pupils in the age range 16 to 19 in special schools rose from 5,586 in 1980 to 8,767 in 1984. This reflects a welcome trend in the extension of provision for this group of pupils. Although there are no equivalent figures available for students with special educational needs in full-time further education I am aware that colleges are increasingly providing for such students, particularly for those with moderate learning difficulties.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance has most recently been issued by his Department regarding the duty of local education authorities to provide education for handicapped pupils in the 16 to 19 years age range.

I have made clear on a number of occasions my view that local education authorities have a duty to provide full-time education for young people aged 16 to 19 who seek it, including those with special educational needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list his powers regarding the education of young people between 16 and 19 years who have been assessed as having special educational needs.

My powers are as follows:—

(1) to determine appeals under section 5(6) of the Education Act 1981 against a decision by a local education authority not to issue a statement of special educational needs in respect of such a young person who is a registered pupil at a school;

(2) to determine appeals under section 8(6) of the Education Act 1981 against the special educational provision to be made under a statement of special educational needs;

(3) to investigate and determine complaints under sections 68 and 99 of the Education Act 1944 that a local education authority has acted, or is proposing to act, unreasonably, or has failed in a statutory duty.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend the Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1983 so as to require that on public service vehicles no children over five years of age will be permitted to sit three to a seat whose normal capacity is two persons.

No. A seat designed for two adults can safely be used by three children, and this has always been permitted under PSV (Carrying Capacity) Regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from private investors seeking a share of the ownership of the Tyneside Metro.

There have been no such proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if it is proposed to introduce the Marconi MET-3 fog detection system on motorway black spots at an early date.

Marconi fog detection systems will be installed on a number of selected sites on the M25 motorway. Further installation will depend on the results of the trials on the M4 motorway and the benefits of other sensing devices.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what aircraft would be capable of using the proposed Stolport at the Royal docks, Newham, if the runway length was 1,200 metres which would not be capable of using it if the runway length was 762 metres.

The considerations which determine whether an aircraft can safely operate on a runway of given length are complex and I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the use of helicopters at airports.

Provided that helicopter operators satisfy the Civil Aviation Authority that their proposed operations are safe, that where applicable the authority has granted an air transport licence, and that they do not cause undue noise disturbance to people on the ground, the Government regard the provision of helicopter services as a matter for operators' commercial judgment.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many accident investigation and prevention road safety measures have been carried out in the Bolton area during the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

This information is available only from Greater Manchester county council or Bolton county borough council. I much regret that neither council is passing this information to the Department at present, so that I cannot pass it to my hon. Friend. The Department does not keep records of local road safety activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the recent visit to Merseyside of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

I visited Merseyside on 25 January to see Liverpool airport and hold discussions with the airport committee chairman and airport director. I also visited Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive and had discussions with the directors of the executive.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what parts of the section of the M25 from the A13 to the M20 are placed in cuttings.

The information requested is as follows:

(1) 200 metres of the interchange with the new A13 (Junction 30).

(2) 100 metres of the interchange with the old A13 (Junction 31).

(3) 2·8km of the 4·7km length of M25 between Swanley and Dartford.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the frequency of cargoes of nuclear waste through the Minch; what material the ships carry; and what are the ports of departure and arrival of these cargoes.

Movements of plutonium nitrate take place between Dounreay and Sellafield using the ports of Scrabster and Workington. These are in full compliance with national regulations based on the recommendations of the International Maritime Organisation, which do not depend for their effectiveness on the choice of a particular route. Accordingly, my Department does not collect detailed information of the kind requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to increase the cash limit on Class VI, Vote 6, as a result of the slippage of the sale of shares in British Airways plc.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for class VI, Vote 6 will be increased by £1,259,000 from £250,000 to £1,509,000, to meet costs arising from preliminary work on the sale. The increase will be charged to the reserve. We had expected to offset these costs against the proceeds of the sale of British Airways this year, but the recent slippage in the privatisation timetable has made this impossible.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those organisations which have recently approached him seeking the expansion of Manchester airport.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 12]: I cannot release the names of such organisations without their specific agreement. But, since July 1983, my department has received 124 letters from individuals and organisations in the North-West region advocating increased use of Manchester airport.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications have been made for new scheduled services from Manchester airport by (a) British airlines and (b) foreign airlines; and which of those services would involve new scheduled destinations.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 12]: The Civil Aviation Authority has the following licence applications outstanding for scheduled services from Manchester:

Points or points to be served	Applicant
(i) Domestic routes
Blackpool	Spacegrand
Birmingham/Bournemouth/Cardiff/Newcastle	Metropolitan Airways
City of London STOLPORT	Brymon Airways
Jersey	Guernsey Airlines
(ii) International routes
Alicante	Orion Airways
Athens	British Airways
	Britannia Airways
	Orion Airways
Amsterdam	Dan-Air Services
Cork	Air Ecosse
	British Airways
Dublin	Dan-Air Services
Dusseldorf	Dan-Air Services
Faro	Britannia Airways
	Orion Airways
Hamburg	Air Ecosse
	Metropolitan Airways

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all those foreign airlines which operate scheduled services out of Manchester airport; and what is the total number of passengers to have travelled with each such airline using Manchester airport in the last year for which figures are available.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 12–13]: The following foreign airlines operate scheduled services out of Manchester:

Quantas	Iberia
Aer Lingus	TAP
Air France	Yugoslav Airlines
Sabena	Cyprus Airways
KLM	Air Malta
Lufthansa	Swiss Air
SAS

The number of passengers carried on the airlines' Manchester services in 1983 was 472,327, but I am unable to give the number of passengers travelling with each of these airlines from Manchester since that information is commercially confidential.Detailed figures for 1984 are not yet available, but the total number of passengers using Manchester in 1984 was almost 6 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report all those destinations from Manchester airport currently served by (a) domestic flights and (b) international flights; and in the case of each destination how many passengers travelled that route in the latest year for which figures are available.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 13]: The following destinations were served in 1984 by international scheduled services from Manchester airport:

Amsterdam	Dusseldorf
Athens	Faro
Bangkok	Frankfurt
Barcelona	Larnaca
Brussels	Lisbon
Copenhagen	Madrid
Cork	Malaga
Dublin	Melbourne
Dubrovnik	Milan

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the annual report of the Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways for 1984 to be published formally; and what is the earliest date on which a copy could be made available to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 15]: I expect the chief inspecting Officer's annual report to be published before the end of September. I cannot give a precise date for its publication, but I shall ensure that a copy of the report is made available to my hon. Friend as soon as it is published.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth of 24 January, if he will explain the circumstances in which a British Rail engineer's train was propelled past a signal at danger on to the main line; at what estimated closing speed the two trains collided; what damage was caused to the two trains involved, to the track, to signalling equipment and to overhead lines and how long they were each out of service as a result; what was the nature of the minor injuries sustained and if those affected are eligible for compensation; what is the nature of the action taken by British Rail to prevent a reccurrence; whether the driver of the passenger train involved has been commended for his action; what is the nature of the disciplinary action taken against those members of British Rail Staff held responsible for the accident and what were their functions at the time of the accident; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 15]: I shall write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much expenditure he estimates will be incurred during 1984–85 by his Department on activities related to the Falkland Islands, including recruitment costs at local offices.

Minimal expenditure has been incurred by certain jobcentres in connection with recruitment for vacancies in the Falkland Islands. Precise figures are not available. There is no other known expenditure by this Department on activities related to the Falkland Islands.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received concerning the future of the annexe to the Southampton skillcentre; if he will now reconsider his decision to close down the annexe; and if he will make a statement.

The skillcentre training agency's proposals to the Manpower Services Commission for the future development of the skillcentre network were announced by my right hon. Friend on 29 November 1984, at column 1108. Since then, my right hon. Friend and I have received two letters about the proposed closure of the annexe to Southampton skillcentre. I know that the commission chairman has also received a number of letters on the subject and that meetings have been held between his officials and Southampton city council, Hampshire county council and the Hampshire development association.The commission endorsed the agency's proposals when it met on 24 January.We are considering the commission's advice.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are presently employed under the community programme.

On 14 December, the latest date for which figures are available, 130,027 people were in jobs funded under the community programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, pursuant to his reply of 13 December, Official Report, columns 558–59, he will provide, for each of the given percentages of former participants who were in work at the time of the follow-up survey, that proportion who had participated as full-time workers on the community programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 10 January, at column 537.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the current level of careers advice given to schoolchildren in the Yorkshire and Humberside region; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of careers advice in schools is the responsibility of local education authorities. If the hon. Member knows of any particular problems in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and I would be pleased to hear from him.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people currently receiving unemployment benefit have never been in employment.

Information on claimants who have been unemployed since leaving full-time education is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has anything to add to the answer of 17 January to the hon. Member for Gower regarding notifiable installations constituting a major hazard in respect of such installations in the county of South Glamorgan.

By the end of December 1984 the number of installations notified to the Health and Safety Executive under the Notification of Installations Handling Hazardous Substances Regulations 1982 in the county of South Glamorgan was 12. I am sorry that this information was missed out of my reply to the hon. Member's earlier question on 17 January 1985, at column 214.

Forecast of destination of 1984–85 school leavers*by December 1985
	16 year olds				17 year olds				18 year olds
Boroughs within each training division area	Leaving school† entering labour market		Employed outside YTS		Leaving school† entering labour market		Employed outside YTS		Leaving school† entering labour market		Employed outside YTS
	000's	per cent.	000's	per cent.	000's	per cent.	000's	per cent.	000's	per cent.	000's	per cent.
Barking	1·5	71	0·9	42	0·2	42	0·2	36	0·1	56	0·1	50
Hackney	1·1	54	0·4	18	0·3	43	0·1	17	0·1	45	0·1	36
Havering	2·4	62	1·4	36	0·3	27	0·1	18	0·3	46	0·3	41
Islington	0·9	54	0·3	18	0·3	44	0·3	30	0·1	41	0·1	25
Newham	1·8	58	0·8	25	0·4	40	0·1	15	0·2	47	0·1	24
Redbridge	1·3	46	0·5	18	0·4	31	0·2	15	0·2	29	0·1	18
Tower Hamlets	1·4	66	0·5	23	0·4	58	0·1	21	0·2	63	..	15
Waltham Forest	1·3	46	0·6	19	0·5	39	0·3	21	0·2	52	0·2	40
London—North East	11·8	57	5·3	26	2·7	39	1·4	20	1·4	45	1·0	30
Bexley	1·5	46	0·7	20	0·4	33	0·3	24	..	3	..	3
Bromley	1·4	39	0·4	10	0·5	31	0·3	19	0·3	34	0·3	29
Croydon	2·5	57	1·1	26	0·3	25	0·2	18	0·1	16	0·1	9
Greenwich	1·9	58	0·8	25	0·6	48	0·2	15	0·4	69	0·1	20
Lambeth	1·1	53	0·5	21	0·3	43	0·1	15	0·2	46	0·1	34
Lewisham	1·5	47	0·3	8	0·6	48	0·2	21	0·4	59	0·2	30
Southwark	1·8	62	0·8	26	0·2	25	0·1	13	0·3	69	0·1	30
London—South East	11·7	52	4·4	19	2·9	36	1·5	18	1·7	39	0·9	21
Ealing	1·6	52	1·0	32	0·5	30	0·4	27	0·2	32	0·2	27
Hammersmith/Kensington	1·0	42	0·4	17	0·4	38	0·2	18	0·3	51	0·2	28
Hillingdon	1·7	55	0·9	30	0·4	36	0·3	31	0·2	32	0·2	31
Hounslow	1·0	37	0·4	14	0·2	21	0·1	11	0·3	39	0·2	34
Kingston	0·6	41	0·4	28	0·2	32	0·2	28	0·2	39	0·1	32
Merton	0·9	43	0·6	31	0·1	10	0·1	7	0·1	11	..	8
Richmond	0·6	43	0·4	28	0·3	39	0·2	29	0·1	43	0·1	37
Sutton	1·1	47	0·6	25	0·2	27	0·1	14	0·1	19	0·1	18
Wandsworth	1·7	51	0·7	20	0·9	72	0·5	39	0·4	71	0·2	33
London—South West	10·0	47	5·3	25	3·2	35	2·1	23	1·8	37	1·3	27
Barnet≑
Brent	1·0	36	0·5	16	0·6	41	0·3	17	0·2	44	0·1	22
Camden/Westminster	0·9	29	0·3	9	0·3	19	0·2	9	0·1	10	0·1	7
Enfield	1·8	47	1·0	26	0·5	31	0·3	21	0·3	33	0·2	27
Haringey	1·1	47	0·4	16	0·4	41	0·1	14	0·1	29	..	10

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he will publish the Green Paper on the self-employed.

I know of no such Green Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish, for each borough in the London region of the Manpower Services Commission, and for (a) 16-year-olds, (b) 17-year-olds and (c) 18-year-olds the latest careers service estimates of the number and proportion expected to leave school and further education college, and the number and proportion expected to find work outside the youth training scheme by 31 December.

The information requested is as follows and is subject to the comments I made in reply to similar questions on 21 January 1985, at columns 286–96.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish for each Manpower Services Commission region and area the number of (a) 16-year-olds and (b) 17-year-olds expected to enter the youth training scheme in 1985–86 on the basis of the eligibility rules announced on 12 November 1984.

I regret the information is not yet available in the form requested. I shall write to the hon. Member when I can give him further information.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of Manpower Services Commission mode A trainees in inner Merseyside during 1984 were from ethnic minorities.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1985, c. 18]: Information on the ethnic origin of youth training scheme participants is collected through managing agents and sponsors and this shows that some 2·3 per cent. of entrants to mode A schemes in the Manpower Services Commission inner Merseyside area in 1984 were from ethnic minorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the annual cost of the job-splitting scheme as a crude figure and as a percentage of job creation schemes; if he will give the number of entrants to date according to sex and marital status, subdivided according to age, and further subdivided according to the preceding length of unemployment; and if he will make a statement about the relative success and the possibilities of extending the scheme.

In 1983–84, expenditure on the job splitting scheme was £323,000, slightly over one tenth of 1 per cent. of total expenditure in that year on the employment and training measure. 1,023 applications have been approved to date, creating 2,046 part-time jobs. Women were engaged initially in three quarters of the jobs created and young people under 25 were engaged in just under a half. Further information on marital status and length of unemployment could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Take-up under this experimental scheme has been disappointing. However, as my right hon. Friend announced on November 12 1984, at column 444, changes are to be made to the scheme designed to improve its attractiveness to employers and thus the help it can give to the unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available from the January 1984 survey of those having joined the enterprise allowance scheme, and in respect of only those who were still trading after 18 months, the percentage of those entrants who had been unemployed for more than 12 months prior to joining the scheme by age, sex and marital status.

The January 1984 survey of enterprise allowance scheme participants relates to data collected from a representative sample of those receiving the allowance in the pilot areas in the middle of June 1983. The survey does not provide any information on scheme participants who were still trading after 18 months.Information from the separate follow-up survey of entrants to the pilot schemes six months after they had left is not at present available broken down in the way requested by the hon. Member. I shall write to him in due course when it has been possible to determine how much information on the basis he has requested can, at reasonable cost, be derived from the survey results.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in the light of the recommendation of the Select Committee on Employment that he should approve the Equal Opportunities Commission's draft code of practice, he now intends to do so.

I have today laid the draft code before Parliament for its approval under the negative resolution procedure. I welcomed the Select Committee's report and I consider the draft code to be a sensible and practical document which should be of help to employers in promoting equal opportunities and in avoiding claims of sex discrimination.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what report he has received of the Manpower Services Commission's discussion on 24 January of the proposals in the commission paper MSC/84/66 for the future development of the skillcentre training agency.

The chairman of the Manpower Services Commission wrote to me on 24 January with a full report of the commission's discussion, which concluded with the commission endorsing the skillcentre training agency's proposals in the paper MSC/84/66. A copy of the chairman's letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in each of the past five years have appealed against having unemployment benefit refused to them on the basis that they are deemed to be seasonal workers.

I have been asked to reply.The information requested cannot be obtained quickly because of the effects of the Newcastle computer strike, now ended, which will take some time to resolve. I will, therefore, reply to the hon. Member when the information is available.

Table 1
Local authority: energy conservation programme
Number of dwellings
	Work completed by:
	Direct labour	Contractor	Temporary employment programmes*	All	Cost
					£000
1978
2nd quarter	—	—	330	330	21·9
3rd quarter	449	645	748	1,842	114·4
4th quarter	1,626	4,309	3,072	9,007	542·5
1979
1st quarter	2,267	24,624	5,102	31,993	1,475·0
2nd quarter	862	10,758	5,225	16,845	680·1
3rd quarter	812	7,042	6,928	14,782	576·5
4th quarter	2,837	9,899	7,407	20,143	1,094·7
1980
1st quarter	2,291	25,422	5,593	33,306	1,973·4
2nd quarter	74	9,084	3,875	13,033	750·9
3rd quarter	—	6,987	3,619	10,606	632·5
4th quarter	664	9,801	5,410	15,875	1,015·9
1981
1st quarter	1,089	17,567	4,365	23,021	1,375·6
2nd quarter	—	8,512	3,932	12,444	639·6
3rd quarter	—	4,049	3,965	8,014	269·0
4th quarter	653	6,321	4,005	10,979	467·8
1982
1st quarter	837	19,224	2,306	22,367	1,113·2
2nd quarter	1,283	4,889	2,054	8,226	336·4
3rd quarter	—	2,945	1,980	4,925	126·2
4th quarter	74	4,015	2,120	6,209	364·8
1983
1st quarter	249	17,926	699	18,874	1,309·9
2nd quarter	—	4,559	1,900	6,459	303·1
3rd quarter	—	8,557	1,145	9,702	436·5
4th quarter	13	7,002	1,472	8,487	515·3
1984
1st quarter	72	8,790	4,026	12,888	1,045·6
2nd quarter	—	2,603	1,680	4,283	176·2
3rd quarter	20	2,302	1,316	3,638	120·7
4th quarter†	—	—	—	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a table giving, by quarter since their inception, for Scotland (a) the number of dwellings insulated under the local authorities energy conservation programme and a breakdown of the body which completed the work, (b) the cost of the programme and (c) the number of dwellings insulated under the home insulation scheme and a breakdown of tenancies to whom the grants were paid, (d) the amounts of the payments, (e) the number of 90 per cent. grants paid and their costs and (f) the financial allocation for each of the past financial years to each of these schemes and the allocation for the current financial year.