asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the level of funding of the Medical Research Council.

My right hon. Friend is advised on the level of funding for the research councils by the Advisory Board for Research Councils. Following their advice, the allocations to the Medical Research Council in recent years have broadly maintained the council's share of the science budget at a constant proportion.The hon. Member will be aware that for 1985–86 there will be an injection of new money of £11 million into the science budget; the Medical Research Council's share will be £2·1 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average salary of lecturers at Oxford university; and what information he has about the average college stipend received by such lecturers.

The average annual salary of non-clinical academic staff, paid wholly from general university funds, at Oxford university in the academic year 1983–84 was £11,800; my right hon. Friend has no information on the average college stipend received by such staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the private endowments to the colleges and the university are taken into account in the calculation of grant from his Department for Oxford university.

The University Grants Committee and the Government both wish to encourage universities to increase their income from private sources. Universities that attract additional income whether by endowment or otherwise do not thereby suffer a reduction in grant. Endowment income has not been a factor in determining the distribution of recurrent grant to individual institutions since the quinquennial system was abandoned, except to the extent that such income is already implicitly taken into account in the historic baseline.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many lecturers are currently employed at Oxford university.

In 1983–84 the latest year for which figures are available, there were 1,318 full-time academic staff at Oxford university paid wholly from general university funds. In addition there were 732 full-time academic staff who were not wholly university financed and 93 part-time academic staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many undergraduates are currently attending Oxford university.

In 1983–84 the latest year for which figures are available, there were 9,350 full-time and 104 part-time undergraduates at Oxford university.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council over Its corporate plan; and if he is satisfied that the Natural Environment Research Council is not strengthening its administrative corps to the detriment of environmental and geological survey work.

While my right hon. Friend has not himself discussed the Natural Environment Research Council's corporate plan with the council, I have recently met the chairman twice to discuss it with him. I am satisfied that the council is not acting in the way described in the second part of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further representations he has received in favour of the abolition of automatic membership of student unions.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stirling (Mr. Forsyth) on 12 February, at column 114.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has been asked for any advice by local education authorities concerning their response to industrial action by teachers; and if he will make a statement.

No. A local authority's response to industrial action by its employees will depend on a variety of factors including the nature of the action and the employees' terms and conditions of service. The National Union of Teachers contends that school teachers are not contractually bound to stand in for absent colleagues. What a teacher is contractually bound to do as part of his job depends upon the express and implied terms of the contract of employment between him and his employer. It is for those parties to interpret the contract in the first instance: in the event of dispute it must be for the courts ultimately to decide. The question cannot be resolved, as the National Union of Teachers contend, by reference to a quotation from a letter written by my noble Friend, Baroness Young in 1979. In this letter to my hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow) dated 1 November 1979 and dealing with the effects on a particular school of a dispute between Surrey county council and the local teachers' associations, my noble Friend concluded that this was not a matter in which the Secretary of State could intervene under the provisions of the Education Act 1944 and wrote that

"the teachers are not contractually bound to stand in for absent colleagues and they are not in breach of any statutory duty in refusing to do so."

However, my noble Friend wrote again on this matter on 2 April 1980. This letter concluded as follows:

"I said in my letter of 1 November that teachers were not contractually bound to stand in for absent teachers. I based this view on the fact that as I understood it there is no written requirement in the contract of teachers in Surrey nor I understand in most local authorities, which specifically requires them to provide cover. I understand that a copy of my letter has subsequently been used by teachers in the Midlands who are seeking to demonstrate that teachers generally are not contractually bound in this way.

Surrey County Council have asked me to make it quite clear that in their view, in certain circumstances, failure on the part of a teacher to provide cover could be regarded as a breach of the teacher's contract despite the fact that there is no specific reference to cover in the written contract. The teacher's liability would apparantly depend on whether the instruction to provide the cover was itself reasonable, given the circumstances in the school at the time and the past practice in the particular school."

We offer this account for the record to avoid risk of misunderstanding based on the limited version apparently circulated by the National Union of Teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has reached a decision on the report presented to him by the Voluntary Council for Handicapped Children on the need for a national advisory committee on special educational needs; and if he will make a statement.

The Voluntary Council for Handicapped Children has performed a valuable service in preparing the report. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have concluded that it is not necessary to establish an advisory committee in order to safeguard and to promote the interests of pupils with special educational needs. I have written as follows to the Senior Officer of the Voluntary Council for Handicapped Children:

Mrs Philippa Russell

Senior Officer

Voluntary Council for Handicapped Children

8 Wakley Street

London EC1V 7QE

14 February 1985

Dear Mrs. Russell,

Thank you for your letter of 29 June enclosing a copy of the report "A National Advisory Committee for Special Educational Needs?" Nicholas Edwards and I are grateful to the Voluntary Council for Handicapped Children for the valuable service they have performed in preparing this thorough review of the question.

As the report makes clear, most of the organisations consulted by your working party felt the need for some type of national body in this field. So far as the replies were specific however there was considerable variation in the views expressed about the nature and the functions of such a body. It therefore fell to the working party to consider a number of possible options and the report recommends the establishment of a body whose functions would be rather different from those of the former Advisory Committee on Handicapped children. Its main task would abe to monitor the implementation of the 1981 Education Act and the ideas underlying it, to promote interdisciplinary co-operation, and to help to overcome difficulties. The Committee would also offer advice to the Secretaries of State; and would promote research and development, publish reports and hold seminars and conferences. The report estimates the Committee's annual budget at about £150,000.

We have looked very carefully at each of these functions and are not convinced that the case has been made for creating an Advisory Committee. To take first the question of monitoring the implementation of the 1981 Act: this Act imposes certain duties on local education authorities and other statutory authorities and has some implications for voluntary bodies. The responsibility for ensuring that these functions are carried out properly rests firmly with Ministers who have the machinery — their Departments and HM Inspectorates—for obtaining information and advice. Clearly we shall need to draw on other sources from time to time but it is clear that the Secretaries of State do not need an additional national agency for this purpose; and to create one would run the risk of confusing lines of responsibility. It is true that the written evidence submitted to the working party drew attention to problems experienced in the early stages of implementing the 1981 Act. Many of these, however seem to arise from a lack of co-operation at local level between statutory authorities — a problem which the Warnock Committee had identified under the previous arrangements—and it seems to us that a solution to this sort of problem is more likely to be achieved by the efficient working of appropriate machinery at local and regional levels rather than by a national committee. It was inevitable that there should have been some difficulties in the early stages of the implementation of the 1981 Act, particularly in view of the changed obligations imposed on local authorities. As you probably know the Government have commissioned a research project by the University of London Institute of Education on developments following the 1981 Act, which is due to produce its report in 1986. There would, we think, be a real danger of confusion if another Government sponsored body were also looking at the implementation of the 1981 Act.

The second function envisaged for the Committee would be the traditional one of offering advice to Ministers. Although Ministers have their "in house" advisers there are many occasions when we need to sound the opinions of a wider group of people outside the Departments; and when the outside interests feel the need to let us know their views. It is however not clear to us how the creation of a committee, by itself, would add to our ability to obtain advice from our Departments, HM Inspectorates and the voluntary organisations. We already have a great deal of direct contact with the voluntary organisations which I know they value. If the voluntary organisations wish to approach Ministers, either individually, or collectively through organisations such as your own, they know they are welcome to do so. It is not at all clear that the interests of either side would be served by interposing between us a small body of individuals faced with the task of trying to interpret often widely varying views and trying to achieve sufficient common ground to give advice to Ministers.

If the Government needs advice on a particular topic, it is always open to them to establish a committee for a particular purpose. It is perhaps significant that the major reports on handicapped children were made, not by the Standing Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children, but by groups set up for a specific purpose.

The third broad function envisaged for the Advisory Committee would be to promote research and development. Once again the question arises as to what an Advisory Committee could do that is not capable of being done already through other channels. At present the Departments and the voluntary bodies commission research; the Departments, HM Inspectorate, local education authorities and voluntary bodies hold seminars and conferences. At the beginning of this year the Department of Education and Science had allocated over £800,000 for research into children with special educational needs. A further £300,000 has now been allotted for curriculum work. It is doubtful whether an Advisory Committee could argue that a larger share of the research budget should be devoted to this field. Most of these research projects are carried out by university departments or institutes of education since that is where the expertise lies. An Advisory Committee would not be able to carry out the research itself and would need to commission it from other bodies. It would rely heavily, as do the Departments, on reports produced by HM Inspectorate and on seminars held by the Inspectorate to publicise good practice.

Nicholas Edwards and I believe that it was right for the Government to provide financial support to enable this question to be reviewed by an independent body: and I was grateful for the opportunity to discuss the report with Lady Faithfull and others. We are, however, not convinced that the case has been made out for the establishment of an Advisory Committee at this time. This does not, however, rule out the possibility that we may wish to reconsider the position later; given that a number of the initiatives mentioned in this letter are due to produce results in the latter part of 1986, the time for a review might be two or three years from now.

I am sending a copy of this letter to Lady Faithfull, Mr. Hannam MP and Mr. Cooke.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Joseph.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many persons in Wales were ordered to be held in psychiatric hospitals under the provisions of the Mental Health Acts during 1984, or the most recent year for which figures are available; and what is the total number of such persons detained under orders in Wales at present.

Figures for 1984 are not yet available. Those for the previous year are set out in the following table. Further information on admissions is to be found in section 7 of the Mental Health Statistics for Wales No. 4 1984, copies of which are in the Library.

Patients Compulsorily Admitted/Detained in Wales under the Mental Health Act 1983 at 31 December 1983
Legal Status	Total Number of Admissions During 1983	Total Number of Patients Detained at 31 December 1983
Section 2	194	32
Section 3	69	92
Section 4	523	9
Section 5(2)	—	1
Section 37 (without section 41 restrictions)	15	14
Section 37 (with section 41 restrictions)	11	26
Section 46	—	—
Section 47 (with restrictions)	—	1
Section 47 (without restrictions)	—	1
Section 136	15	—
Other Powers*	22	—
Total	849	176
* Other powers refer to other Sections of the Mental Health Act 1983 and other Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the projects of the Welsh Development Agency's service industries division being considered for financial support are related to tourism.

The Welsh Development Agency is not at present considering investment in any companies with projects related to tourism. However, it is considering proposals for a number of special projects which would be designed to use public funds to attract private investment in tourism. These activities would be complementary to those of the Wales tourist board, Mid-Wales Development and local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will review the facilities for disabled students in those colleges in Wales which come under his Department, and where necessary seek improvements in co-operation with the college authorities.

It is the responsibility of the education authorities and others providing educational buildings to make provision for disabled students. My right hon. Friend has no plans for undertaking a review of the facilities in all colleges in Wales. However in carrying out inspections of colleges Her Majesty's Inspectors take note of the facilities provided for the disabled and where necessary draw attention to any inadequacies. In such cases the authority responsible for the college is asked to say what improvements it proposes to make in the light of the inspectorate's report.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of housing starts in Wales in (a) the public and (b) the private sector from 1979 to the latest available date.

Information for the period 1979 to 1983 is published in "Welsh Housing Statistics" (Nos. 1–4) copies of which are available in the library. Provisional estimates for 1984 are for 1,200 starts in the public sector and 5,200 in the private sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of council houses to be built in Wales in 1985 and 1986, respectively.

It is estimated that 1,600 local authority dwellings will be completed during 1985. A reliable estimate for 1986 is not currently available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to arrange for repairs to a small area of badly pitted road surface which presently constitutes a danger to traffic on the westbound carriageway between junctions 31 and 32 of the M4 in Wales; if, in the interval before the repair work is completed, he will cause appropriate warning signs to be erected; and if he will make a statement.

There is some deterioration in the surface of the westbound carriageway at a point about three and a half miles east of the Coryton junction (No. 32). Remedial works will take place as soon as weather conditions permit. The present condition of the carriageway does not warrant the use of warning signs, but the situation is being carefully monitored.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many 1960s-built deck-access flats or maisonettes there are in Wales; and (a) how many are currently unoccupied due to repairs or renovation work and (b) if he will estimate the amount of money needed to repair these dwellings.

There are approximately 1,300 deck access dwellings built in the 1960s in Wales. Information on the numbers currently unoccupied is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many homeless people there are per 1,000 households in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Mid-Glamorgan and (d) Clwyd for the latest date for which figures are available.

For Wales, Mid-Glamorgan and Clwyd the rates requested for 1983 were 13, 18 and 7

Households accepted as homeless
	Type of action taken by local authority:
	Placed in hostels	Placed in caravans	Placed in local authority dwellings	Placed with relatives/friends	Other*	Total number accepted as homeless
1979	385	32	1,220	242	2,797	4,676
1980	423	40	1,285	289	3,409	5,446
1981	519	28	941	252	3,722	5,462
1982	702†	31†	825†	227†	3,194†	5,611
1983	666	17	951	242	3,122	6,008
1984 (January-September)‡	500	10	795	209	2,296	3,810
* Including those enabled to stay in or return to previous accommodation, those otherwise placed, those referred to another local authority or to a voluntary organisation, and those given advice or assistance.
† Excludes data for one local authority.
‡ Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, what is the proposed after use for Cefn Mably hospital in respect of which an application for regional selective assistance has been made.

I cannot add to the answer I gave to the hon. Gentleman on 11 February 1985 at column 50.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the proposed reforms of the legal aid system; and if he has any plans to extend legal aid to libel cases.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the proposals put forward in the 34th Legal Aid Annual Reports. The Lord Chancellor is grateful to The Law Society and the Legal Aid Advisory Committee for their reports, and to the advisory committee for its review of the principle underlying the eligibility limits for civil and criminal legal aid and of the non-financial criteria for the grant of legal aid in both civil and criminal proceedings, which he referred to them in 1983. The Government will give careful consideration to the recommendations they make in the light of the resource and other implications. The Lord Chancellor hopes that the advisory committee's report will provide the basis for an

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the breakdown for each year since 1979 of the numbers of households accepted as homeless by Welsh local authorities; and what type of accommodation was made available for them, giving numbers of those housed in hostels, caravans, council houses or returned to relatives per each year.

The information is give in the following table:informed discussion about the financial and non-financial criteria. The Lord Chancellor has no plans to extend legal aid to defamation proceedings.

asked the Attorney-General what steps the Lord Chancellor takes when assessing persons for appointment as judges, to test the adequacy of their understanding of the British constitution.

Judges are selected on the basis of their professional ability, experience and standing. No specific test is appropriate; the Lord Chancellor takes into account the adequacy of candidates over a wide range of legal disciplines.

asked the Prime Minister if she will now ensure that all briefings to journalists held by her or by her officials are conducted on an attributable basis.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit the City of York during 1985.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit Auchenshuggle.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to the parish of North Mymms.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement about the Government's policy on recruitment for the civil defence volunteers.

The Government are well aware of the importance of volunteer effort, particularly at community level. Action by local authorities is supported by grant aid and guidance in order to harness the potential contribution of all those citizens who wish to add their efforts to civil defence on a voluntary basis.

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 14 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 14 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

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 will be having further meetings later today including one with the Prime Minister of Italy.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her talks with Vice-President Sergio Ramirez of Nicaragua on 9 February.

Vice-President Ramirez called on me on 8 February at his own request. I expressed my concern about the substantial build-up of arms, troops and foreign military advisers in Nicaragua and Nicaraguan support for attempts to destabilise democratic Governments elsewhere in central America. I made clear that the Government's future relations with Nicaragua would be determined by progress towards establishing genuine democracy there, scaling down of armaments and the cessation of support for subversion.

asked the Prime Minister, in the light of the evidence given in the case of R. v. Ponting, if she will now dismiss the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Mailing (Mr. Stanley).

No.

Young asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the acquittal of Mr. Clive Ponting, she will now initiate a revision of the Official Secrets Act to ensure that its scope is limited to matters of national security.

Considerable thought has already been given to the possible revision of section 2 of the 1911 Act, leading to the conclusion (accepted by the Franks committee) that legislation would not be adequate if it limited criminal sanctions to matters of national security. The Government will continue to give careful consideration to the views which have been or may be expressed on this issue, but I do not see the hon. Member's suggestion as providing an acceptable way forward.

asked the Prime Minister what arrangements have been made to commemorate the end of the second world war.

It is our intention to hold a national commemoration which will both honour the dead and recall the reconciliation and reconstruction that has been achieved in 40 years of peace with freedom and justice. Her Majesty the Queen has graciously agreed to attend a service in Westminster abbey on 8 May in commemoration of the end of the second world war and of the sacrifices made in all the theatres of war. We shall seek the widest participation from this country of those who contributed to the victory. We shall also invite the ambassadors and high commissioners of all countries represented in London. Further details of the arrangements will be announced in due course. Last year the Government arranged for a party of widows and veterans to visit Normandy, it is also the Government's intention that a party of widows and veterans should be able to make a pilgrimage to the Far East in remembrance of husbands and comrades who died. Dates have yet to be fixed but it is hoped that it can be arranged around Remembrance Day this year. The details will be announced in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many steering location inquiries had been received in the north-west region of his Department; and, of these, how many had been referred to the Cumbria county council industrial development unit during the last month for which statistics are available.

In January 1985 the north-west regional office received 18 steering location inquiries; one of these was referred to Cumbria county council's industry development unit. Close liaison between the regional office and the IDU continues.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is in a position to announce a revised external financing limit for the British Steel Corporation.

An EFL for BSC of £275 million in 1984–85 was announced in November 1983 and was subsequently reduced following the Budget abolition of the national insurance surcharge to £273 million. Since then, BSC and its partners have terminated an uneconomic arrangement for the production of iron ore in Canada. The total cost to BSC of these arrangements is estimated at £130 million. BSC's EFL is being increased by £70 million to £343 million on this account, the balance to be funded from savings within BSC's existing EFL. Provision for additional grant will be sought in a Spring Supplementary Estimate and the increase in the EFL charged to the reserve.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to receive from the Director General of Fair Trading advice on whether the proposed merger between the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and Sealink is a qualifying merger under the Fair Trading Act 1973.

The proposed merger does appear to qualify for investigation under the Fair Trading Act, and the Director General will be advising on the question of reference within the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the freedom provided to Common Market-based insurance companies to solicit and secure insurance business in the United Kingdom is in practice provided to United Kingdom insurance companies soliciting and securing insurance business from residents of other member states; and if he will make a statement.

Assistance	Number assisted	Amount £ million	Period
Regional selective assistance (s.7)	†465	27·1	*1984–85
Support for Innovation (General Facility)	†417	23·1	1984
Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme	‡3,347	110 (loan value)	1984
Design Advisory Service Funded Consultancy Scheme (DASFCS)║	790	3	1984–85
Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS)║	960	5·5	1984–85
Small Firms Technical Enquiry Service (SFTES)	3,000 (enquirers)	4·4	1984–85
Quality Assurance Support Scheme (QASS)¶	24	0·2	1984–85
Small Engineering Firms Investment Scheme●

In most other Community countries, United Kingdom insurance companies cannot obtain direct insurance business unless they are established in the country concerned. It is because we want a real common market in insurance that we are continuing to press for a liberal non-life insurance services directive and are intervening in support of the Commission in the insurance cases they are bringing before the European Court.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he intends to employ external advisers on any aspects of BL privatisation.

I intend to appoint a merchant bank to advise the Department on possibilities for privatising BL businesses.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has agreed revised strategic objectives with the BL board.

Yes. The Board's objectives are:

1. To return BL and its constituent businesses, either together or separately, to the private sector as soon as practical, while satisfying the Board's fiduciary duties. In any case where this objective cannot be achieved, the Board will review the future of that business.

2.To pursue in the Corporate Plan a specifically targeted programme of profitability improvement, within stated limits of public funding, so as to achieve a rate of return that would attract external funds on normal commercial terms without Government support.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small firms, by Bolton committee definition, he has assisted by regional development grant, selective financial assistance or any other financial assistance in the course of the last 12 months to the latest convenient date; and how much money was involved in each region of the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to the reply, 13 February 1985, c. 174]: The following table sets out the schemes of assistance for which information on support for small firms is available. None of the information requested is available for regional development grants. Except where indicated, the Bolton committee definition of 200 employees has been used. Information on the amount of assistance given by region could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proposals he has for the future occupation of empty prison houses on the Isle of Wight;(2) how many houses built to provide accommodation for prison officers are at present empty on the Isle of Wight.

Of 103 quarters currently vacant, 11 have been allocated to staff, 36 are being refurbished, and 18 are being sold. Thirty-eight are earmarked for future staff needs. As more become vacant they will be sold.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notices to quit or eviction orders in respect of prison houses have been served on former prison officers or members of a prison officer's family in the Isle of Wight over the past three years.

Fifty-one notices to quit and nine eviction orders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides were recorded in remand centres for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The information is as follows:

	Number
1979	Nil
1980	2
1981	Nil
1982	Nil
1983	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he anticipates receiving the independent report on the changes in the licensing laws in Scotland.

This report has been commissioned by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland. I understand that he expects it to be published in the summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about progress in negotiations with Spain for a new extradition treaty.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question on 11 February from my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Griffiths) at column 11.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has as to the effect of vandal-proof high luminosity lighting on the crime rate associated with big inner city blocks of flats; and if he will call upon his crime prevention unit to recommend local authorities and private blocks to install high luminosity low consumption lighting on all balconies and passageways.

Although there is no conclusive research evidence, a recent report on the Department of the Environment's priority estates project concluded that improved estate lighting can deter crime and reduce tenants' fear of crime.Last year's joint departmental circular on crime prevention issued to local authority chief executives and others, recognised the importance of improved public lighting in local preventive measures. At the request of the Home Office, the British Standards Institution is preparing a guide for architects and planners on the security of new dwellings, including estates. This is to be published later this year and is expected to include advice on lighting as a crime prevention measure. The Home Office crime prevention unit is in contact with the Institution of Public Lighting Engineers on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the £1·5 million television and press campaign had on reducing crime in London and the Midlands last autumn.

The results of the campaign are still being evaluated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Leicestershire as to the cost of policing various rallies in Leicester on Sunday 3 February and the number of police being brought in from outside police forces; which forces were involved; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the chief constable of Leicestershire that assistance was provided by 250 officers from the Metropolitan police. I will write to my hon. Friend about the cost of the police operation as soon as the information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis regarding the visit of chief superintendent Ron Hardy and a colleague to St. Lucia; by whom the visit was authorised; and whether the officers returned with the navigational log (helmsman's log) of HMS Conqueror.

I understand that two officers from the Metropolitan police travelled to St. Lucia last week at the request of the Director of Public Prosecutions, to whom they will be reporting on their return.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the most recent figures he has for the total number of persons who have been charged with criminal offences alleged to have been committed in Yorkshire and arising out of the miners' strike.

Up to 5 February the figures were as follows:

(1)	(2)	(3)
Police force area	Number of those charged	Number of charges preferred
North Yorkshire	141	149
South Yorkshire	1,231	1,477
West Yorkshire	313	437

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to promulgate the draft code of practice relating to means of escape from houses in multiple occupation.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to questions from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Garston (Mr. Loyden) and my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Mr. Knox) on 28 January at column 21.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received concerning means of escape in case of fire in premises in multiple occupation; and if he will make a statement.

We have received representations from the Liverpool city council, supported by hon. Members, about the need for early publication of the code of practice on fire safety in houses in multiple occupation. My noble Friend responded to these representations on 11 February.

	New addicts notified during year	Former addicts notified during year	Addicts recorded as receiving notifiable drugs in treatment of their addiction at 31 December
United Kingdom
1975	922	536	1,949
1976	984	541	1,874
1977	1,109	622	2,016

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have lost their lives due to fires in multiple occupied premises in each of the past five years.

The number of deaths from fires in dwellings in multiple occupation is published annually in "Fire Statistics, United Kingdom" (table 30 of the 1983 volume and corresponding tables in earlier years). Information for 1984 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to oppose the European Economic Community recommendation to harmonise summer time throughout the Community, in view of its potential effect on the United Kingdom farming industry.

The Government have decided, following consultation and agreement within the European Community, that for the years 1986 to 1988 the present system shall continue whereby the starting date for summertime at the end of March is common to all member countries of the Community, but the end date, during the fourth week-end in October, is four weeks later than continental member States. A draft order setting out the dates will be laid before Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much leave was given to each of the two inmates of Lowdham Grange youth custody centre who were give leave to attend the funerals of friends or relatives in January.

Eight hours and 29 hours, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers identified as taking notifiable drugs in each year since 1975; if separate figures are available for Scotland; and if he will also publish them.

The available information relates to persons notified to the Home Office as addicted to notifiable drugs, and figures for the United Kingdom and Scotland for the years 1978 to 1983 are given in tables 3.11 to 3.13 of "Statistics of the Misuse of Drugs, United Kingdom, Supplementary Tables, 1983," a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The corresponding figures for 1975 to 1977 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will be the total cost to public funds of the Metropolitan Police in 1985–86; and if he will make a statement.

As police authority for the metropolis, I have approved estimates which provide for net revenue expenditure (as currently defined) by the Metropolitan police of £747·641 million in 1985–86, an increase of 5 per cent. on the cash limit of £711·8 million which I set for 1984–85.I have decided, however, that an accounting change should be made to the Metropolitan police estimates to bring them into line with the Supply Estimates presented to Parliament. In future, the net revenue expenditure figure in the Metropolitan police estimates, which is the basis of the cash limit, will be calculated without reference to certain Government grants, which in 1985–86 amount to £15·543 million. Accordingly, the cash limit for 1985–86 will be set at £763·184 million. This is a purely technical adjustment to secure consistency between the two sets of estimates: it has no effect on the force's level of expenditure or on the level of precept levied on the boroughs and districts in the Metropolitan police district.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement about the reply given by the Government to section D of part II of the United Nations End of Decade for Women questionnaire;(2) if he will request the British Broadcasting Corporation and Independent Broadcasting Authority to provide him with the information required by question 2.2 of section D of part II of the United Nations End of Decade for Women questionnaire.

[pursuant to his replies, 12 February 1985, c. 93]: The Government's reply reflects the constitutional position that editorial and administrative decisions are matters for the broadcasting authorities alone. I shall, however, ask if they can provide the information to which the hon. Member refers and I shall write to her.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many tonnes of coal were purchased by the Central Electricity Generating Board in 1983.

Details of the coal delivered to the Central. Electricity Generating Board are published in the board's annual report and accounts. In 1983–84 74 million tonnes of coal were delivered to the board's power stations.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of the energy market in the United Kingdom was held by (a) coal, (b) oil, (c) natural gas and (d) nuclear energy in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980 and at the nearest available date in 1984.

Energy consumption figures on a primary fuel input basis are set out below. Those for 1984 are provisional.

Percentage sparest† (fuel equivalent basis)
	1950	1960	1970	1980	1984
Coal	90	74	47	37	25
Petroleum	10	25	45	37	43
Natural gas	—	—	5	22	25
Nuclear electricity	—	*	3	4	†7
* Less than ½ per cent.
†Includes hydro electricity

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give his reasons for not allocating lead city status in the combined heat and power scheme to Newcastle upon Tyne; and whether this decision was based soley on the strength of the submission by that city.

In the reply of 25 January 1985 to the hon. Member for Erewash (Mr. Rost) at column 547 my right hon. Friend listed the criteria which were taken into account in arriving at the decision to offer grant support.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the reason for the delay in the publication of his Department's report on the investigation by the North-Eastern electricity board into its responsibilities for the accuracy and operation of time switches used in the supply of dual tariff to domestic customers.

My Department has not been asked to investigate or report on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list, for each major grade, imports of petroleum into the United Kingdm for each month in 1984;

Information of the type requested is not readily available. Information about the amounts and values of petroleum imported to and exported from the United Kingdom under major category headings is however available in "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the increase or decrease in oil production in Britain for each month in 1984.

The information requested is given in the following table:

United Kingdom production of crude oil and natural gas liquids
Million tonnes
	1984	Change from previous month
January	10·8	-0·1
February	10·4	-0·4
March	10·6	+0·2
April	10·2	-0·4
May	10·5	+0·3
June	9·7	-0·8
July	10·5	+0·8
August	9·8	-0·7
September	10·1	+0·3
October	11·2	+1·1
November	10·8	-0·4
December*	11·3	+0·5
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will institute and maintain an official register of blind and partially sighted persons.

The present informal arrangements for the maintenence of information about blind persons by local authorities, or by voluntary agencies acting on their behalf, appear to work satisfactorily. The position remains subject to review, but I see no case for altering the existing practice meanwhile.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when a decision will be made on the request for a trout protection order, currently being sought for the Tay system under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1976.

It is not possible to indicate when such a decision may be taken. Draft proposals for a protection order for the River Tay were discussed informally at a meeting between representatives of the proposers and the Consultative Committee on Freshwater Fisheries on 25 September 1984. A formal application has not yet been received.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up a committee of inquiry, under independent chairmanship, to consider the decrease in migratory and indigenous fish stocks and its implications for conservation and the Scottish economy.

My right hon. Friend does not consider that there are circumstances to justify the setting up of such a committee of inquiry at this time.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to halt the decrease of migratory fish stocks brought about by excessive exploitation by commercial concerns; and if he will make a statement.

Catch statistics published by my right hon. Friend's Department for the period since 1952 show substantial year to year variations in catches of migratory fish. The position varies from year to year but, for the country as a whole, it is the netting catch that has fluctuated; the rod and line catch has been relatively steady. There is no evidence of a decrease in stocks through excessive exploitation by legal netting methods.A number of measures have been taken to try to improve runs of fish to Scottish rivers. These include a permanent ban on drift netting, increased efforts to reduce poaching and a reduction of the quotas of salmon to be taken in Greenland and the Faroes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the objectives of national forestry policy.

I refer the hon. Member to the statement on forestry policy made to the House by my right hon. Friend on 10 December 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will call for a report on the allegations of ill-treatment made by Stephen Anthony Godden of Orpington, Kent, while in police custody at Perth, as detailed in the letter he has received from the hon. Member for Orpington.

I am making inquiries into the circumstances described in my hon. Friend's letter of 10 February and will write to him as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) why the hypothermia thermometers issued to old people during the winter of 1983–84 have been withdrawn; what savings have resulted from this; and what plans he has to reintroduce them;(2) how many Scottish Health Education Group packages, "Keep Warm This Winter", were printed in 1983–84 and 1984–85; and how many are currently available for old people.

Ten thousand "Keep Warm This Winter" packages were assembled by the Scottish Health Education Group in 1983–84 and in 1984–85. The packages are made up of leaflets produced by a variety of organisations and are distributed through health boards and other appropriate organisations. I am unable to say how many are still available throughout Scotland.No hypothermia thermometers have been withdrawn. Supplies were not available in time for inclusion in the packages this year, but some 2,300 were subsequently distributed. The group hopes to issue packages, including thermometers, next winter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the police forces in Scotland which have set up special drug squads.

Of the eight police forces in Scotland, Grampian, Lothian and Borders, Northern, Strathclyde and Tayside have drug squads. Fife constabulary is in the process of establishing a squad and in the remaining two forces — Dumfries and Galloway and Central — designated officers are responsible for collating and disseminating intelligence on drugs matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the numbers of charges preferred under the Misuse of Drugs Act by each police force in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

The information is not available in the precise form requested. The table shows the number of drugs offences cleared up by the police for the years 1979 to 1983. The classification of crimes and offences used by my Department does not separately identify the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 but includes in the relevant category various other statutes dealing with misuse of drugs.

Drugs offences cleared up by the police.
	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Central	38	55	61	74	118
Dumfries and Galloway	25	31	32	32	23
Fife	55	44	53	50	66
Grampian	126	105	123	239	222
Lothian and Borders	181	256	220	631	709
Northern	98	111	121	160	199
Strathclyde	892	655	875	1,072	1,536
Tayside	131	170	125	246	331
Scotland	1,546	1,427	1,610	2,504	3,204

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to meet the President and Executive of the National Farmers Union of Scotland to discuss the European Economic Community Commission proposals for farm prices for 1985–86; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State, together with other Agriculture Ministers, met representatives of the National Farmers Union on 6 February to discuss the Commission's proposals for this year's price fixing. A further meeting is likely to be held in the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the farming industry in Scotland on the cuts in capital grants; and what action he proposes to take on the matter.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State recently met the president of the Scottish National Farmers Union. In addition, representations have been received from a number of branches of the union and from a small number of farmers and agricultural contractors. These representations will be borne in mind in drawing up the scheme to implement the EC farm structures policy, currently being negotiated in Brussels.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now restore to farmers in the less favoured areas the capital grants to their former level for draining, fencing and re-seeding; and if he will make a statement.

No. The Government fully acknowledge the importance of these activities but consider that the revised rates of grant, allied to the good rate of return which, for example, sound drainage provides, still provide a worthwhile incentive.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the loss to farm incomes for the current year of the capital grants cuts made by Her Majesty's Government on the farming industry; if he will estimate the combined effect of these cuts together with the higher level of interest rates on the industry; and if he will make a statement.

The changes in the capital grant schemes announced in December 1984 are expected to provide savings of £5 million in Scotland in 1985–86. They carry no direct implicationfor farm incomes. The overall effect of the changes on future investment levels or costs cannot at present be estimated.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if it is his intention to retain the existing variable premium scheme for cattle and sheep.

It is our intention to press for the continuation of the beef variable premium in the 1985 CAP price fixing negotiations.The European Commission is not proposing that we discontinue our sheep variable premium scheme, nor do we envisage the scheme's removal. At the price fixing we will therefore seek to secure improvements in the regime and the removal of elements in the Commission's proposals which would discriminate against our producers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when Her Majesty's Government and the European Economic Community Commission propose to implement the decision of the Agricultural Council in March 1984 to make an advance payment of 30 per cent. of the annual ewe premium for 1984–85 to producers in less favoured areas; and if he will make a statement.

The European Commission has not yet published its regulation authorising the 30 per cent. advance payment of the annual ewe premium for the 1984–85 marketing year. Payments will issue immediately the rate has been confirmed.I hope that the regulation will be published within the next few days.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases were reported to the Forestry Commission in 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85 to date of broadleaved woodland felling being carried out without felling licences when a felling licence was required by law; what was the total area so felled in each period; and how many prosecutions resulted from these cases in each period.

The information is as follows:

	Number of Cases	Area (hectares)	Number of Prosecutions
Year to 31 March 1983:	19	46	9
Year to 31 March 1984:	37	298	14
Period of 9 months to December 1984:	9	25	1

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications for felling licences for broadleaved woodlands clearance were rejected by the Forestry Commission in 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85 to date against the advice of the agriculture ministries and departments.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total amount of European Community aid received by (a) Strathclyde regional council, (b) Glasgow district council and (c) private organisations in Glasgow, up to the most recently available date.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report (a) the number of beds in Scottish hospitals allocated for special use for drug abusers and (b) the proportion these beds are of total beds in Scottish hospitals.

No beds in mental hospitals or psychiatric units are designated specifically for drug misuse patients. If a consultant psychiatrist decides that it is necessary to admit a drug misuser to hospital, he will utilise one of the psychiatric beds at his disposal.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the number of drug clinics in Scottish hospitals; and where in Scotland they are located.

Hospital-based treatment for drug misusers is usually provided as part of the out-patient service available at all mental hospitals and psychiatric units, but there are three hospital-based clinics in Scotland providing services specifically for drug misusers. These are at the Southern general and Woodilee hospitals, Glasgow, and at Ninewells hospital, Dundee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the projects in Scotland allocated funds as part of the central initiative to improve services for drug misusers.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Hirst) on 9 April 1984 at columns 32–33.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new dental undergraduates were admitted for dental education in Scotland in 1983 and 1984.

The numbers of students admitted to the Scottish dental schools in the academic years 1983–84 and 1984–85 were 181 and 161, respectively. The 1984–85 figure is provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish the report of the Bonnybridge/Denny morbidity review under the chairmanship of Professor Lenihan.

I have arranged that the report of Professor Lenihan's independent review group will be published today. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library and will also be available from the Scottish Office.The outcome of Professor Lenihan's independent review is that the general state of human, animal and plant health in the Bonnybridge/Denny area is normal. In particular, there is no evidence of a raised incidence of cancer nor of unusual morbidity effects which can be attributed to the chemical incineration plant in the area operated by Re-Chem International Ltd. Further investigation of the incidence of congenital eye defects in young children in the area is recommended, but the Lenihan group has found no evidence to suggest that these are individually anything more than the congenital defects of this type which occur throughout the country, albeit in small numbers.The report's recommendations are being studied carefully and I shall be acting promptly on those that concern me. The public in general should be reassured by the findings of the Lenihan report. I am most grateful to Professor Lenihan and his colleagues for the time and energy they have devoted to this important review and for producing their conclusions with commendable promptness.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts how many representations the Minister for the Arts has received about the future of Croxteth hall, Liverpool; what his response has been; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts how many representations the Minister for the Arts has received about the future of Speke hall, in Liverpool; what his response has been; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts how many representations the Minister for the Arts has received about the future of the Philharmonic hall, in Liverpool; what his response has been; and if he will make a statement.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have suffered injury by way of amputation, crushing, or associated injuries from power presses, whether hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical or otherwise, in each year from 1961 to date.

Information is not available in the form requested. In particular it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to give details about the nature of injuries received. However, using the legal definition for power presses given in the Power Presses Regulations 1965 (which includes mechanical machines with a flywheel and clutch mechanism and mechanical press brakes but excludes hydraulic and pneumatic machines) the following figures for accidents are available.

	Accidents at the tools of machines subject to the Regulations	Accidents at the tools of fluid powered hydraulic and pneumatic press brakes
1962	299	—
1963	350	—
1964	498	—
1965	441	—
1966	342	—
1967	230	—
1968	234	—
1969	245	29
1970	203	31

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancy notifications were given for each of the last 12 months for which figures are available in the Burnley travel-to-work area.

The available information, relating to confirmed redundancies, is given in the following table:

Redundancies*confirmed as due to occur in the Burnley travel-to-work area†
January to December 1984
	Number
January	149
February	55
March	82
April	34
May	Nil
June	4
July	52
August	4
September	Nil
October	Nil
November	Nil
December	‡39
Total January to December	‡419
* Confirmed by the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur and based on notifications of impending redundancies involving ten or more workers.
† Groupings of jobcentre areas approximating to Burnley travel-to-work area.
‡ Provisional.