Written Answers

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

Written Answers To Questions

Tuesday 26 March 1985

Overseas Development

Overseas Aid

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her

	May 1979	April 1983	May 1984	January 1985
Average price of gas (including standing charge) to domestic credit meter consumers in Great Britain using 400 therms per annum Pence per therm	17·9	43·0	44·7	44·7
Average price of electricity (including standing charge) to consumers in England and Wales on the standard domestic tariff using 3,300 kWh per annum Pence per kWh	3·191	5·924	6·027	6·027
Average price of standard grade burning oil Pence per litre	9·90	22·08	18·99	21·60

Sources: BGC; Electricity Council; Department of Energy.

The April 1983 figures illustrate that since then gas and electricity prices have actually fallen in real terms.

Redundant Mineworkers

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will take steps to ensure that mineworkers who have been disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit after taking voluntary redundancy under the redundant mineworkers payments scheme during the recent dispute suffer no financial loss as a result of accepting in good faith the National Coal Board's offer of redundancy.

All claims for national insurance benefits are decided by independent adjudicating authorities specially appointed under the Social Security Act. I am continuing to monitor the position of mineworkers who have accepted redundancy but who have been disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit because of the dispute.

Nuclear Reactors

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what research he is sponsoring into the use of fuels other than plutonium for fast breeder nuclear reactors.

None.

Attorney-General

Social Security Commissioner (Appeals)

Majesty's Government towards proposals for transferring the United Kingdom overseas aid programme to the responsibility of the European Commission.

I am not aware of any such proposals.

Energy

Energy Prices

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the average domestic price per unit of (a) gas, (b) electricity and (c) domestic fuel oil in (i) May 1979, (ii) May 1984 and (iii) January 1985.

The information requested is given in the table.of a medical appeals tribunal concerning mobility allowance; and in what numbers of cases the appeal (i) succeeded and (ii) resulted in award of the allowance.

No decisions were made on appeals by the Secretary of State and 62 on appeals by the claimant. Fifty-one appeals, including one association appeal, succeeded. I understand that the information requested regarding the actual award of the allowance is not immediately available, but I will write to the right hon. Member shortly.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give details of the average time taken to grant leave of appeal to the Social Security Commissioners in cases concerning (a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance; and if he will in each case also give details of the average time between receipt of an appeal after leave to appeal has been granted and a decision on that appeal.

The Lord Chancellor will write to the right hon. Member.

asked the Attorney-General how many decisions were made in 1984 by the Social Security Commissioner on appeals (a) by the Secretary of State for Social Services and (b) by the claimant in cases concerning attendance allowance; and in what number of cases the appeal (i) succeeded and (ii) resulted in award of the allowance.

Two decisions were made on appeals by the Secretary of State and 44 appeals by the claimant. Twenty-six appeals, including one by the Secretary of State, succeeded. The information requested on the actual awards is not immediately available but I will write to the right hon. Member shortly.

Coal Industry Dispute

asked the Attorney-General how many miners arrested for picket line offences in England and Wales have had jury trials.

According to the information available, as at 15 March 1985 the cases of 158 defendants indentified as arising in some way from the miner's dispute had been disposed of by the Crown court whether following trial or otherwise.

Transport

Railways (Electrification)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total level of expenditure planned for the electrification of railways in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that BR's latest forecasts of expenditure on currently approved electrification schemes, excluding rolling stock, are:

	£ million (mid-1984 prices)
1985–86	65·0
1986–87	49·7
1987–88	51·1
1988–89	43·1
1989–90	24·8

Marine Pilotage

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the organisations which have made submissions on his consultative document on marine pilotage; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Evennett) on 13 March at column 139. The following organisations and groups have commented on the consultative document.

Aberdeen Harbour Board
Amalgamated Gloucester Pilots
Amoco (U.K.) Limited
Anglian Water Authority
Associated British Ports
Association of Forth Pilots
Association of Liverpool Pilot Apprentices
Association of Pilotage Authorities of the United Kingdom
Barry Dock Pilots' Association
Bartlett Brothers (Hauliers) Limited
Blyth Harbour Commission
Borough of Boston
Boston and Spalding Pilotage Authority
Brightlingsea Harbour Commission
British Aggregate Construction Materials Industries
British Motor Ship Owners Association Limited
British Ports Association
British Shippers' Council
British Tugowners Association
British Waterways Board
Port of Bristol Authority
Bristol Pilotage Authority
Bristol Steamship Owners Association
Chartered and International Shipbrokers' P and I Club Limited
Clyde Pilotage Authority
Clyde Pilots
Clyde Port Authority
Company of Watermen and Lightermen

Cowes Harbour Commissioners
Crouch Harbour Authority
Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority
Deal and Walmer Inshore Fishermen's Association
Dover Harbour Board
Dundee Port Authority
Essex Naturalists' Trust Limited
Esso Petroleum Company Limited
Falmouth District Pilot Boat Association
Falmouth Docks and Engineering Company
Falmouth Harbour Commissioners
Federation of Dredging Contractors
Port of Felixstowe
Folkestone Yacht and Motor Boat Club
Forth Pilotage Authority
Forth Ports Authority
Fowey Harbour Commissioners
Frinton and Walton Town Council
Gardline Shipping Limited
General Council of British Shipping
Gloucester Harbour Trustees
Gloucester Pilotage Authority
Gravesend Pilots' Cutter Committee
Gravesham Borough Council
Great Yarmouth Pilot Service
Great Yarmouth Port and Haven Commissioners
Great Yarmouth Port Users' Association
Hartlepool Pilotage Authority
Harwich Harbour Board
Harwich Town Council
Hoo Ness Yacht Club
Hoverspeed
Humber District Wharf Owners' Association
Humber Pilots Society
Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, East Anglia Branch
International Maritime Pilots Association
Ipswich Pilots
Ipswich Port Authority
Ipswich Port Users
Ipswich and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce Industry and Shipping
John Lee Barber and Company Limited
Joint Committee of London Sea Pilots
Joint Executive Committees of UK Marine Pilots (representing the United Kingdom Pilots Association and the Maritime Pilots' Branch of the Transport and General Workers Union)
Kent County Council
Kent Trust for Nature Conservation
King's Lynn Conservancy Board
Lerwick Harbour Trust
Littlehampton Harbour Board
Liverpool Pilots' Association
Liverpool Shipowners' Association
Liverpool Steamship Owners' Association
Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners
London General Shipowners' Society
London Sea Pilots (West) Association Limited
London Sea Pilots (South) Cinque Ports Pilots' Committee
London Sea Pilots (North) Committee
Lothian Regional Council
Manchester Helmsmen's Association
Manchester Pilots' Association
Manchester Ship Canal Company
Manchester Steamship Owners' Association
Medina Borough Council
Medway Pilots Committee
Medway Ports Authority
Mercantile Marine Service Association
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
Milford Haven Conservancy Board
Milford Haven District Pilots
Milford Haven District Pilotage Authority
Mistley Quay and Forwarding Company Limited
Motor Barge Owners Association
National Federation of Sea Anglers
National Waterways Transport Association
Nature Conservancy Council
Neath Harbour Commissioners
Newport Harbour Commissioners

North Devon District Council
Orkney Islands Council
Passenger Shipping Association
Penwith District Council
Penzance Pilots and Boatmen
Peterhead Bay Authority
Peterhead Pilotage Authority
Pilotage Commission
Pilots National Pension Fund
Port Talbot Pilotage Authority
River Thames Pilots Committee
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Yachting Association
Sand and Gravel Association Limited
Scarborough Borough Council
Sea Angling Liaison Committee of Gt. Britain and Ireland
Sealink British Ferries
Shetland Islands Council
Shoreham Port Authority
Sir William Reardon Smith and Sons Limited
Solent Protection Society
Southampton and Isle of Wight Pilots
South East Wales Pilots Association
Sunderland Pilotage Authority
Swansea Pilotage Authority
Tay, Pilots
Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority
Tees Pilotage Authority
Tees Pilots Association
Tees Wharf Operators Association
Teignmouth Harbour Commission
Teignmouth Pilots
Teignmouth Quay Company Limited
Thames Water Authority
Thanet District Council
Tideway Sea Club
Borough of Torbay
Torbay and Brixham Shipping Agents Limited
Torridge District Council
Transport and General Workers Union—Docks Waterways and Fishing Group
Transport and General Workers Union — Regions No. 1 and 4
Transport on Water Association
Trent Pilots Association
Trent Wharfage Limited
Trinity House, Hull
Trinity House, London
Trinity House London Pilotage Committee
Trinity House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Trinity House Pilotage Department Staff Association
Trinity House Sub-commissioners of Pilots for Falmouth, Ipswich, Penzance, Poole and Teignmouth
Port of Tyne Authority
Tyne Pilotage Authority
Wells Harbour Commissioners
Whitehaven and Maryport Pilotage District
Wisbech Pilotage Authority

In-Car Telephones

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied about the safety aspect of the use by car drivers whilst on the move of in-car telephones.

Drivers with in-car telephones should never use them whilst on the move. My Department's manual "Driving" advises that drivers should stop before making or receiving a call and I understand that British Telecom and other manufacturers offer similar advice. While there appears to be an increase in the use of in-car telephones, there is at present no evidence to suggest that they are giving rise to any road safety hazard, but I shall be keeping a close watch on the situation.

Mot Testing Scheme (Examiners)

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the new conditions of appointment for authorised examiners under the MOT testing scheme.

From 13 May 1985 applications for new authorisations for MOT testing will again be accepted following the ending of the embargo on applications introduced on 5 May 1983.Applicants and existing examiners will have to meet more stringent conditions of appointment, in line with the Department's aim of raising the standard of the MOT testing scheme.This is to be achieved through higher standards of entry to the scheme. Applicants will have to satisfy the Department as to their repute and financial standing; stiffer requirements will apply to premises and equipment specifications, and better working conditions will be required for the tester. There is to be increased security for test certificates, and provision will have to be made for motorists to observe the test being carried out.New applicants will be required to meet the new conditions in full. Existing examiners will have five years in which to comply, but requirements on pit dimensions and guard rails will not apply to them. Where changes in ownership of a testing station take place, the new conditions will apply after one year. Existing examiners are to have one year in which to provide improved security arrangements.In order that these new conditions should not reduce the availability of MOT testing in rural areas, the existing testing stations in "remote rural areas" will be extended to cover stations doing fewer than 500 tests a year and more than 10 miles by road from the nearest station which meets, or will be required to meet, the full conditions of appointment. Existing examiners in this category will be able to represent to my Department their case for exemption from those of the new conditions which it would be impracticable for them to meet.

Prime Minister

Civil Service (Pay)

Q10.

asked the Prime Minister by what amount Civil Service pay has increased since 1979.

For the main grades, increases in pay between 1 April 1979 and 1 April 1984 have ranged between 57 and 84 per cent. Average non-industrial Civil Service earnings increased by 71 per cent. over that period.

Franks Committee

Q16.

asked the Prime Minister if, in the light of further relevant documents which have become available, she will reconvene the Franks committee on the events leading up to the Falklands conflict.

No.

Mr Chernenko (Funeral)

Q115.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement on her recent visit to Moscow to attend the funeral of the late Mr. K. Chernenko.

Accompanied by my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary, I attended the funeral of the late President Chernenko on 13 March. After the ceremonies, I made a call on the new General Secretary, Mr. Gorbachev, and had a good and useful discussion which lasted a little under an hour. While I was in Moscow I was able to have meetings with President Zia, President Machel, Vice President Bush and Secretary Shultz, Prime Minister Mulroney, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Prime Minister Gonzalez.In my talks with Mr. Gorbachev I stressed the hope of the Government and people of the United Kingdom that the Geneva arms talks would be successful and result in increased security at a lower level of weapons. Mr. Gorbachev raised the question of the American strategic defence initiative. I drew his attention to the significance of the four points which I had agreed with President Reagan at Camp David in December, and which were reaffirmed during my visit to Washington in February.We touched briefly on relations between our two countries and agreed that we should develop contacts in a wide variety of fields so that we could achieve a better understanding and thus contribute towards an improvement in East-West relations.

Research (Code Of Conduct)

Q121.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will open discussions with the appropriate learned societies to agree an updated voluntary code of conduct on all medical, biological and bio-chemical research which is consistent with the dignity and sanctity of human life.

There are voluntary codes of conduct on scientific research involving humans, which have been drawn up by scientific and professional organisations. Each code deals with an aspect of such research. In addition, the Medical Research Council has published guidelines on research involving embryos fertilised in vitro. It is for the organisations themselves to ensure that these guidelines remain relevant both to the conduct of research and to the legitimate concerns of the community at large.

Engagements

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 26 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 March.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 26 March.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

Mr Peter Levene

asked the Prime Minister on which date the contract with Mr. P. Levene, head of defence procurement, was signed.

19 March 1985.

asked the Prime Minister when she first met Mr. P. Levene, new head of defence procurement, in an official capacity.

It would be neither practicable nor desirable for me to answer questions about where and when I meet specific officials or private named individuals: and I do not propose to do so.

asked the Prime Minister why the new head of defence procurement, Mr. P. Levene was not considered suitable for a certificate of qualification from the Civil Service Commissioners.

I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member on 21 March at column 570.

Education And Science

University Students

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has for each university in the United Kingdom, as to the total number of (a) full-time and (b) part-time students enrolled at the institution for each of the last 10 years.

The information is as follows:

University or College	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
	1973		1974		1975		1976
Aston	3,818	270	4,137	296	4,529	287	5,072	344
Bath	3,025	191	3,181	320	3,351	254	3,519	427
Birmingham	7,575	348	7,757	409	7,980	511	8,479	548
Bradford	3,521	842	3,822	902	4,175	457	4,448	476
Bristol	6,203	510	6,349	445	6,637	453	6,717	473
Brunel	2,019	978	2,209	1,116	2,375	1,088	2,414	1,018
Cambridge	10,799	942	10,873	864	10,849	913	10,986	986
City	2,099	251	2,126	271	2,202	360	2,498	393
Durham	3,881	96	4,060	98	4,192	132	4,318	141
East Anglia	3,118	59	3,276	66	3,472	91	3,562	97
Essex	2,031	56	2,003	36	2,294	50	2,499	87
Exeter	3,581	363	3,751	405	4,076	449	4,177	470
Hull	3,894	254	3,953	257	4,174	259	4,563	192
Keele	2,058	134	2,176	371	2,320	422	2,346	450
Kent	2,598	63	2,605	71	3,008	82	3,296	130
Lancaster	3,104	188	3,419	213	3,828	229	4,168	248
Leeds	9,348	671	9,187	612	9,480	644	9,657	661
Leicester	3,568	463	3,676	525	3,774	582	4,009	530
Liverpool	7,053	401	7,073	442	7,151	376	7,443	449
London Graduate School of Business Studies	170	—	158	—	194	—	229	—
London University	34,881	7,746	35,260	7,722	35,941	8,015	37,060	8,131
Loughborough	3,104	232	3,398	228	3,684	277	3,934	247
Manchester Business School	132	2	123	6	132	10	139	6
Manchester	9,529	764	9,966	787	10,381	850	10,532	829
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology	3,339	110	3,422	104	3,540	196	3,793	155
Newcastle	6,409	395	6,437	422	6,682	317	6,967	373
Nottingham	5,696	503	5,806	528	5,988	606	6,208	628
Oxford	11,367	988	11,345	1,007	11,591	1,216	11,779	1,221
Reading	5,093	274	5,079	253	5,329	270	5,401	314
Salford	3,462	267	3,734	225	3,968	230	4,270	270
Sheffield	6,638	251	6,777	235	7,121	232	7,392	298
Southampton	4,639	302	5,067	311	5,437	274	5,763	311
Surrey	2,576	346	2,471	415	2,770	313	2,982	262
Sussex	3,772	157	3,952	170	4,191	176	4,341	142
Warwick	2,991	144	3,334	157	3,944	180	4,279	392
York	2,642	64	2,667	65	2,814	72	2,896	88
Total England	189,733	19,625	194,629	20,354	203,574	20,873	212,136	21,787
Aberystwyth U.C.	2,771	9	2,861	9	2,974	9	3,092	10
Bangor U.C.	2,444	155	2,614	152	2,720	118	2,909	137
Cardiff U.C.	3,755	264	4,071	196	4,568	253	4,608	321
St. David's, Lampeter	411	3	471	3	536	13	574	19
Swansea U.C.	3,391	70	3,222	72	3,221	165	3,421	220
Welsh National School of Medicine	402	49	566	10	587	9	687	14
University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology	2,234	53	2,387	47	2,530	59	2,717	55
Total Wales	15,408	603	16,192	489	17,136	626	18,008	776
Total England and Wales	205,141	20,228	210,821	20,843	220,710	21,499	230,144	22,563
Aberdeen	5,204	124	5,208	114	5,325	110	5,348	107
Dundee	2,745	157	2,667	164	2,758	190	2,844	196
Edinburgh	9,268	732	9,425	886	9,337	883	9,330	800
Glasgow	8,619	859	8,863	903	9,241	1,122	9,543	1,144
Heriot-Watt	2,298	296	2,609	292	2,792	316	2,900	188
St. Andrews	2,965	135	3,034	133	3,037	121	3,134	267
Stirling	2,075	49	1,995	94	2,075	94	2,199	111
Strathclyde	5,779	710	5,943	716	5,983	674	6,337	628
Total Scotland	38,953	3,062	39,744	3,302	40,548	3,510	41,635	3,441
Total Great Britain	244,094	23,290	250,565	24,145	261,258	25,009	271,779	26,004

University or College	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
	1973		1974		1975		1976
Queen's, Belfast	5,563	886	5,502	914	5,735	933	5,799	926
Ulster, Coleraine	1,569	212	1,617	314	1,721	375	1,743	407
Total Northern Ireland	7,132	1,098	7,119	1,228	7,456	1,308	7,542	1,333
Total United Kingdom	251,226	24,388	257,684	25,373	268,714	26,317	279,321	27,337

University or College	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
	1977		1978		1979		1980
Aston	5,460	339	5,557	388	5,599	417	5,306	540
Bath	3,537	277	3,561	257	3,478	209	3,581	205
Birmingham	8,707	603	8,919	661	8,929	758	8,884	956
Bradford	4,825	388	4,934	396	5,018	348	5,060	322
Bristol	6,775	486	6,755	499	6,894	454	7,010	525
Brunel	2,553	948	2,722	801	2,762	1,024	2,826	1,026
Cambridge	11,043	958	11,299	1,023	11,337	962	11,479	1,055
City	2,708	430	2,834	415	2,670	377	2,825	358
Durham	4,358	226	4,301	199	4,728	186	4,770	193
East Anglia	3,687	97	3,872	132	4,085	162	4,206	141
Essex	2,671	120	2,795	159	2,878	192	2,970	190
Exeter	4,281	557	4,949	614	4,963	706	5,064	712
Hull	4,919	346	5,192	303	5,453	314	5,498	505
Keele	2,500	423	2,690	424	2,818	420	2,801	441
Kent	3,728	179	3,809	253	3,835	294	3,956	313
Lancaster	4,432	287	4,531	310	4,652	287	4,627	380
Leeds	10,026	740	10,297	840	10,720	849	10,885	930
Leicester	4,061	654	4,208	755	4,542	690	4,789	651
Liverpool	7,329	546	7,435	483	7,540	531	7,859	530
London Graduate School of Business Studies	216	12	224	10	227	8	229	13
London University	37,829	8,608	39,337	8,419	39,892	8,642	40,538	8,704
Loughborough	5,075	377	5,151	470	5,198	604	5,399	695
Manchester Business School	149	7	138	4	145	7	162	6
Manchester	10,710	866	10,982	918	11,102	1,077	11,327	1,109
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology	3,758	132	3,862	141	3,832	310	4,137	460
Newcastle	7,280	447	7,619	515	7,712	503	7,805	516
Nottingham	6,367	604	6,500	638	6,847	645	7,053	685
Oxford	12,162	1,154	12,203	1,195	11,829	1,676	11,802	1,717
Reading	5,623	338	5,849	357	5,707	344	5,819	360
Salford	4,157	184	4,376	332	4,584	398	4,549	452
Sheffield	7,553	312	7,576	374	7,724	359	8,369	428
Southampton	5,966	275	6,106	347	6,217	371	6,168	483
Surrey	3,156	282	3,309	359	3,272	379	3,255	421
Sussex	4,336	164	4,321	201	4,441	220	4,463	227
Warwick	4,530	303	4,378	270	4,908	333	5,002	447
York	3,042	125	3,163	186	3,252	188	3,357	162
Total England	219,509	22,794	225,754	23,648	229,790	25,244	233,830	26,858
Aberystwyth U.C.	3,157	14	3,173	16	3,133	17	3,224	94
Bangor U.C.	3,048	116	2,978	145	2,853	159	2,962	187
Cardiff U.C.	5,060	456	5,347	448	5,474	542	5,724	542
St. David's, Lampeter	587	26	665	26	713	24	767	43
Swansea U.C.	3,534	257	3,846	186	3,904	269	4,022	273
Welsh National School of Medicine	697	22	778	28	732	49	742	49
University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology	2,662	56	2,808	64	2,854	66	2,961	77
Total Wales	18,745	947	19,595	913	19,663	1,126	20,402	1,265
Total England and Wales	238,254	23,741	245,349	24,561	249,453	26,370	254,232	28,123
Aberdeen	5,249	120	5,457	149	5,512	171	5,590	179
Dundee	2,850	187	2,867	199	2,796	227	3,060	209
Edinburgh	9,713	934	9,869	930	9,542	749	9,783	884
Glasgow	9,486	1,148	9,404	1,251	9,727	1,314	9,830	1,299
Heriot-Watt	2,983	196	3,066	229	3,074	344	3,205	365
St. Andrews	3,198	215	3,277	129	3,398	108	3,348	98

University or College	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
	1977		1978		1979		1980
Stirling	2,448	146	2,645	162	2,692	227	2,925	310
Strathclyde	6,344	600	6,455	508	6,544	474	6,707	472
Total Scotland	42,271	3,546	43,040	3,557	43,285	3,614	44,448	3,816
Total Great Britain	280,525	27,287	288,389	28,118	292,738	29,984	298,680	31,939
Queen's, Belfast	5,878	928	5,873	934	6,105	948	6,248	963
Ulster, Coleraine	1,732	464	1,661	501	1,683	480	1,686	409
Total Northern Ireland	7,610	1,392	7,534	1,435	7,788	1,428	7,934	1,372
Total United Kingdom	288,135	28,679	295,923	29,553	300,526	31,412	306,614	33,311

University or College	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
	1981		1982		1983
Aston	5,057	569	4,524	528	4,054	574
Bath	3,614	251	3,578	267	3,730	286
Birmingham	8,848	997	8,821	958	8,736	917
Bradford	4,878	317	4,733	313	4,574	348
Bristol	7,067	427	7,022	434	6,907	412
Brunel	2,838	1,014	2,703	959	2,654	811
Cambridge	11,663	968	11,447	935	11,598	911
City	2,776	388	2,753	387	2,798	537
Durham	4,813	211	4,694	236	4,704	300
East Anglia	4,334	367	4,133	388	4,031	458
Essex	3,208	172	3,184	200	3,188	177
Exeter	5,055	721	5,000	730	4,758	785
Hull	5,619	645	5,396	515	5,025	526
Keele	2,881	419	2,803	424	2,729	404
Kent	4,197	339	4,145	399	4,159	410
Lancaster	4,612	405	4,486	432	4,438	457
Leeds	10,914	1,076	10,721	1,108	10,569	1,096
Leicester	4,855	649	4,707	684	4,668	644
Liverpool	8,066	528	7,516	505	7,519	558
London Graduate School of Business Studies	232	14	233	12	252	72
London University	40,893	8,854	40,694	8,604	40,512	8,614
Loughborough	5,403	706	5,487	740	5,232	600
Manchester Business School	176	29	193	41	206	52
Manchester	11,325	1,249	10,917	1,189	10,931	1,205
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology	4,504	426	4,630	246	4,301	284
Newcastle	7,726	510	7,633	527	7,538	485
Nottingham	7,055	685	6,987	685	6,829	749
Oxford	11,803	1,718	11,729	1,751	11,708	1,843
Reading	5,780	335	5,744	472	5,576	513
Salford	4,347	489	4,143	623	3,835	697
Sheffield	7,907	483	7,834	621	7,648	570
Southampton	6,200	484	6,202	449	6,416	503
Surrey	3,316	477	3,257	507	3,240	581
Sussex	4,469	284	4,325	289	4,360	313
Warwick	5,320	445	5,227	443	5,377	481
York	3,436	129	3,429	171	3,338	198
Total England	235,187	27,780	231,030	27,772	228,138	28,371
Aberystwyth U.C.	3,232	97	3,216	120	2,981	135
Bangor U.C.	2,983	182	2,854	191	2,673	199
Cardiff U.C.	5,514	532	5,299	605	5,103	551
St. David's, Lampeter	765	59	749	64	739	71
Swansea U.C.	3,887	283	3,890	249	3,695	257
Welsh National School of Medicine	728	17	746	22	743	37
University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology	2,945	76	2,811	72	2,801	65

University or College	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
	1981		1982		1983
Total Wales	20,054	1,246	19,565	1,323	18,735	1,315
Total England and Wales	255,241	29,026	250,595	29,095	246,873	29,686
Aberdeen	5,557	215	5,498	190	5,470	239
Dundee	3,272	193	3,294	183	3,198	121
Edinburgh	9,898	920	9,791	894	9,866	1,013
Glasgow	9,996	1,558	9,986	1,824	10,043	2,106
Heriot-Watt	3,186	340	3,284	357	3,185	380
St. Andrews	3,426	119	3,369	146	3,454	144
Stirling	2,743	337	2,608	372	2,470	358
Strathclyde	6,876	477	6,969	450	7,163	579
Total Scotland	44,954	4,159	44,799	4,416	44,849	4,940
Total Great Britain	300,195	33,185	295,394	33,511	291,722	34,626
Queen's, Belfast	6,376	988	6,561	1,005	6,645	1,196
Ulster, Coleraine	1,823	440	2,010	426	2,226	497
Total Northern Ireland	8,199	1,428	8,571	1,431	8,871	1,693
Total United Kingdom	308,394	34,613	303,965	34,942	300,593	36,319

Teachers (Pay)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to increase the amount of money available to local education authorities to enable them to improve their current pay offer to teachers.

No, but the employers and teachers know that I stand ready to receive and consider salary structure proposals and, if I judge them negotiable, good for education, and affordable, to put them to my colleagues for their consideration. I cannot guarantee the outcome of any such consideration but in any event talks on salary structure broke down over three months ago when the teacher side refused to continue discussions.

Further And Higher Education (Science Facilities)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he is having about establishing a range of schemes for promoting further places in science as opposed to arts faculties in further and higher education and about the levels of financing for universities and polytechnics.

My right hon. Friend will be seeking advice from the University Grants Committee and other interested bodies about the distribution of the £43 million being made available for additional high quality engineering and technology places announced on 19 March 1985 at cols 482–84. The Government will continue to promote a significant shift in the balance of provision towards scientific, technological and vocational subjects across higher education as a whole. These matters will be further considered in the proposals for the future development of higher education which the Government intend to publish later this year. Future levels of financing for higher education will be considered in future public expenditure surveys in the usual way.

Research Councils

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish and place in the Library a list of titles and proposals of all the alpha grade research projects by each of the research councils in the financial year 1984–85 to date.

Full details of alpha grade research projects from all research councils are not yet available for 1984–85, but the overall number thus graded exceeded 3,000 in each of the four years 1980 to 1984, and the list of titles and proposals asked for could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

A And O-Level Passes

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) on 12 February, Official Report, column 126, whether the table of O-level passes includes passes by pupils remaining in the sixth form with the intention of taking A-levels.

Yes, it includes all leavers from both the fifth and sixth forms with five or more higher grades at O-level or CSE, regardless of whether A-levels were also obtained.

Food Standards

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to local education authorities about meals in schools in line with the nutritional standards recommended in the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) report.

No. Under section 22 of the Education Act 1980, it is for local education authorities to decide what food they should provide to pupils at school. They have access to a wide range of authoritative advice on nutritional standards.

Pupil-Teacher Ratios

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the pupil-teacher ratio in Sefton local authority nursery education in January 1980 and January 1985, respectively.

The pupil-teacher ratio in nursery schools and classes in Sefton in January 1980 was 22·9; in January 1984, the latest date for which information is available, it was 25·1.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has concerning pupil-teacher ratios in different subjects in schools in England and Wales.

Pupil-teacher ratios cannot readily be applied to individual subjects within a school. Information on average class sizes by subject is as follows. It is derived from a survey carried out by this Department in the autumn of 1977 of the staffing of a sample of maintained secondary schools in England and Wales.

Subject group	Average class size
English	23·7
Mathematics	23·3
Physical education	22·6
General science	24·5
Biology	20·2
Chemistry	19·3
Physics	20·0
History	22·1
Geography	22·3
Economics	14·2
Social studies	18·5
French	23·8
Music	20·2
Religious education	23·4
Metalwork and woodwork	15·1
Technical drawing	17·1
Shorthand and typewriting	17·4
Home economics	14·9
Art/craft	18·1
Remedial	11·8
All other subjects	19·6
All subjects	20·8

No comparable information is available about other schools in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the average pupil-teacher ratio in schools in England and Wales in each of the years since 1977.

Cost per pupil
£ (cash)
Financial years England and Wales	Nursery schools^*	Primary schools	Secondary schools	Special education
1976–77	—	294	454	1,337
1977–78	656	323	487	1,447
1978–79	699	367	539	1,662
England only
1979–80	817	429	612	1,932

The pupil-teacher ratios overall and within maintained primary and secondary schools in England since 1977 are as follows:

	Primary	Secondary	Overall^*
1977	23·9	17·0	19·7
1978	23·6	16·9	19·4
1979	23·1	16·7	18·9
1980	22·7	16·6	18·7
1981	22·6	16·6	18·6
1982	22·5	16·6	18·5
1983	22·3	16·5	18·1
1984	22·1	16·2	17·9
^* The overall pupil-teacher ratio relates the number of all full-time equivalent pupils in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools to the full-time equivalent of qualified teachers paid by local education authorities and employed for service in these schools.

The information for Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Animals (Experiments)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his policy relating to the inclusion of animal dissection and experimentation in school syllabuses.

The Department has issued advice on the care and maintenance of living animals in schools; the use of such animals is normally restricted to observation of behaviour and growth and to husbandry. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer on dissection which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks).

Education Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the average expenditure per pupil in schools in England and Wales in each of the years since 1977.

Average expenditure per pupil is available for England and Wales for the financial years 1977–78 and 1978–79. Since 1979–80 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales kept separate information on the costs of education in Wales; but unit costs remain broadly comparable with earlier years. On this basis the net recurrent institutional expenditure per full-time equivalent pupil in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools and in special education was as follows in each year, in cash terms:

Financial years England and Wales	Nursery schools ^*	Primary schools	Secondary schools	Special education
1980–81	989	547	771	2,454
1981–82	1,112	619	867	2,763
1982–83	1,140	680	944	3,059
1983–84 (provisional)	1,229	724	1,010	3,439
^* Reliable figures are not available for the years before 1977–78.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the total expenditure upon teachers' salaries in schools in England and Wales in each of the years since 1977.

The expenditure in each financial year since 1976–77 by local education authorities in England and Wales on the salaries of school teachers was as follows:

Expenditure on teachers' salaries^*
	£ million cash
1976–77	2,418
1977–78	2,597
1978–79	2,885
1979–80	3,265
1980–81	4,132
1981–82	4,583
1982–83	4,845
1983–84†	5,069
^* Includes salaries plus employers' contributions to national insurance and superannuation.
†Provisional.

Percentate of pupils in maintained secondary schools in England in 1979
	1984			1979
	Comprehensive	Secondary Modern	Grammar	Comprehensive	Secondary Modern	Grammar
Barking	100	0	0	100	0	0
Barnet	91	0	6	92	0	6
Bexley	48	22	11	38	31	13
Brent	100	0	0	100	0	0
Bromley	94	0	6	77	8	9
Croydon	100	0	0	99	1	0
Ealing	100	0	0	100	0	0
Enfield	94	0	6	94	0	6
Haringey	100	0	0	100	0	0
Harrow	81	0	0	86	0	0
Havering	100	0	0	100	0	0
Hillingdon	97	3	0	100	0	0
Hounslow	100	0	0	97	0	3
Kingston upon Thames	8	74	18	0	84	16
Merton	100	0	0	100	0	0
Newham	100	0	0	100	0	0
Redbridge	91	0	9	91	0	9
Richmond upon Thames	100	0	0	100	0	0
Sutton	29	47	24	25	53	22
Waltham Forest	100	0	0	100	0	0
Inner London	94	0	0	92	0	1
Birmingham	90	0	7	94	0	5
Coventry	100	0	0	99	0	0
Dudley	97	0	0	97	0	0
Sandwell	96	0	0	97	0	0
Solihull	94	0	0	96	0	0
Walsall	95	0	5	95	0	5
Wolverhampton	97	0	3	94	0	5
Knowsley	100	0	0	100	0	0
Liverpool	95	0	2	56	24	13
St. Helens	100	0	0	100	0	0
Sefton	98	0	0	97	0	0
Wirral	64	19	17	59	23	18
Bolton	96	0	0	24	53	19
Bury	90	0	0	12	66	15

Youth Service Policy

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to issue the circular on youth service policy.

The circular has been issued today and copies have been placed in the Library.

Pupils (Statistics)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list in the Official Report the proportion of pupils in comprehensive, secondary modern and grammar schools respectively, in each local education authority in 1979 and each subsequent year for which figures are available.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 March 1985, c. 481]: To provide the information requested for the past six years would incur disproportionate cost. However, the following table lists that for 1979 and 1984.

	1984			1979
	Comprehensive	Secondary Modern	Grammar	Comprehensive	Secondary Modern	Grammar
Manchester	87	0	0	93	1	1
Oldham	100	0	0	97	3	0
Rochdale	100	0	0	85	10	5
Salford	92	0	0	92	0	0
Stockport	99	0	0	100	0	0
Tameside	92	0	0	13	66	21
Trafford	5	59	36	6	62	32
Wigan	95	0	0	95	0	0
Barnsley	97	0	0	100	0	0
Doncaster	100	0	0	100	0	0
Rotherham	98	0	0	98	0	0
Sheffield	100	0	0	100	0	0
Bradford	100	0	0	100	0	0
Calderdale	47	30	23	43	33	24
Kirklees	89	4	2	80	12	4
Leeds	100	0	0	100	0	0
Wakefield	100	0	0	97	3	0
Gateshead	100	0	0	100	0	0
Newcastle upon Tyne	100	0	0	100	0	0
North Tyneside	95	0	0	96	0	0
South Tyneside	100	0	0	100	0	0
Sunderland	100	0	0	100	0	0
Isles of Scilly	100	0	0	100	0	0
Avon	97	0	2	97	1	2
Bedfordshire	96	0	0	97	0	0
Berkshire	84	9	7	82	10	8
Buckinghamshire	25	44	31	21	49	30
Cambridgeshire	97	0	0	98	0	0
Cheshire	98	0	0	81	13	4
Cleveland	92	0	0	95	0	0
Cornwall	97	0	0	86	8	5
Cumbria	97	1	1	74	16	9
Derbyshire	100	0	0	96	2	1
Devon	71	17	9	56	26	11
Dorset	47	22	13	35	28	17
Durham	99	0	0	91	6	3
East Sussex	95	0	0	79	12	2
Essex	89	3	5	83	6	6
Gloucestershire	62	21	18	57	26	17
Hampshire	91	0	0	92	0	1
Hereford and Worcester	97	0	2	78	16	5
Hertfordshire	100	0	0	99	1	0
Humberside	99	0	0	99	0	0
Isle of Wight	100	0	0	100	0	0
Kent	45	35	17	43	38	11
Lancashire	89	6	3	88	6	3
Leicestershire	96	0	0	97	0	0
Lincolnshire	40	40	20	36	45	19
Norfolk	95	1	3	45	37	18
North Yorkshire	78	12	8	72	17	10
Northamptonshire	100	0	0	100	0	0
Northumberland	99	0	0	100	0	0
Nottinghamshire	98	0	0	95	2	1
Oxfordshire	98	0	0	99	0	0
Shropshire	90	3	2	64	22	11
Somerset	97	0	0	91	4	2
Staffordshire	99	0	0	91	5	2
Suffolk	100	0	0	95	4	1
Surrey	90	0	0	90	0	0
Warwickshire	65	23	7	63	24	7
West Sussex	95	0	0	95	0	0
Wiltshire	90	6	4	86	9	5
England	89	5	3	83	9	5

Note:

The percentages for each LEA will not necessarily add to 100 because secondary pupils in sixth form colleges, middle deemed secondary schools, technical and other schools have been excluded.

Home Department

Philip Trusty And Alan Chard (Trial Evidence Review)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will review the evidence of converted terrorist Billy Williams upon which Philip Trusty, Alan Chard and others were convicted at the Old Bailey in 1975.

My right hon. and learned Friend is having inquiries made in order to establish whether such a review is necessary.

Prisoners (Razor Blades)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if prisoners are ever issued with razor blades for shaving which have been used previously by other prisoners.

No. In most establishments inmates are issued weekly with their own disposable safety razor. In others, razor blades are issued individually to inmates each day under a paper wrapper bearing the inmate's name and returned to the landing staff daily in the same way.

British Union Of The Abolition Of Vivisection

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis asking for what purpose the police entered the offices of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection on 20 March; who issued the warrant; and what material was removed;(2) if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to why the police removed a list of names of hon. Members from the offices of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection on 20 March.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that with a search warrant issued by Horseferry road magistrates' court his officers entered the premises of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection in connection with the theft on 16–17 March of documents from the Wellcome Research Laboratories, Beckenham, Kent. A large quantity of documents were removed, some of which have now been recognised as irrelevant to this police inquiry and are accordingly being returned to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection. The list of names to which the hon. Member refers has been so returned.

Drunkenness (Statistics)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the policy currently being introduced by several police forces, he will ensure that the number of persons cautioned for drunkenness offences will appear in the official statistics.

The information requested is published annually in a Home Office statistical bulletin "Offences of Drunkenness, England and Wales", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The next issue is planned for September 1985.

Coal Industry Dispute

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the Official Report information on the mining dispute showing the number of arrests in each police area from 13 March 1984 to 5 March 1985.

The number of arrests connected with the miners' dispute in police force areas in England and Wales was as follows:

Police force area	Number of arrests
Cleveland	58
Cumbria	25
Derbyshire	1,192
Durham	487
Dyfed-Powys	16
Essex	212
Greater Manchester	274
Gwent	236
Hampshire	11
Humberside	121
Kent	311
Lancashire	26
Leicestershire	54
Merseyside	195
Metropolitan	255
Northumbria	637
North Wales	31
North Yorkshire	163
Nottinghamshire	2,417
South Wales	509
South Yorkshire	1,533
Staffordshire	417
Sussex	5
Thames Valley	3
Warwickshire	197
West Yorkshire	423
Total	9,808

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of policing the mining dispute on crime figures in non-mining areas.

No satisfactory estimate can be made of the effect which the redeployment of police officers may have had on the crime figures in non-mining areas. Any such effects would be masked by the normal variations in the figures for each kind of offence within each police force area.

Probation Centres

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the guidelines for consultation with local communities in which it is proposed to set up a new probation centre.

This is a matter left to the discretion of area probation committees which are aware of the need to consult local communities.

Leeds Prison

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the general review of rule 43 procedures at Leeds prison, which was planned in 1981, was carried out.

The report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in 1981 recommended that the governor of Leeds prison should improve the quality of life of prisoners segregated under prison rule 43 for their own protection. As a result, the governor was asked to consider ways of improving conditions for rule 43 prisoners within resource constraints, and the facilities and regime of these prisoners have been improved. Action was also taken to reduce the number of these prisoners held at Leeds.

After-Care Grant Scheme

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the freeze on the development of further after-care hostels, he will seek to complete the review of the after-care grant scheme as a matter of urgency.

Work on the review is progressing as speedily as is practicable.

Prisoners (Segregation)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many male and how many female prisoners are currently segregated under rule 43 (a) for their own protection and (b) for good order and discipline.

The most up-to-date information centrally available on adult convicted males is for 31 August 1984 when:

(a) 572 were segregated for their own protection;

(b) 94 for good order and discipline.

Figures are not available for female or for male unconvicted prisoners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if any action has been taken to set up a specialist unit for rule 43 prisoners in the north of England, as recommended by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in 1981;(2) whether any more specialist units for rule 43 prisoners, similar to those at Maidstone and Gloucester, are planned.

In addition to units at Gloucester, Maidstone and Wakefield prisons, it is planned to open a further special unit at Parkhurst prison to which prisoners serving long sentences who are segregated under rule 43 for their own protection may be transferred to enable them to resume association with other prisoners. The unit will be operated on lines similar to those described in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons' report 1981. I accept that an increase in provision in the north of England would provide a better geographical balance of accommodation, but it has not so far been possible to identify a suitable location because of the constraints upon accommodation generally. We shall continue to keep the position under review.The hon. Member may also wish to note that units for vulnerable prisoners have now been set up at Gartree and Albany prisons: allocation to these facilities is not at present managed centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any action has been taken, as recommended by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in 1981, to transfer segregated prisoners to other prisons where they are not known and where it might be possible for them to relinquish rule 43 status.

It is our policy that all cases of prisoners segregated under prison rule 43 should be reviewed at regular intervals. Prison governors are required to submit reports to regional offices of the prison department on prisoners segregated under rule 43 for their own protection at monthly intervals making recommendations for future action and in doing so are required to consider whether it would be possible to enable the prisoner to be removed from rule 43 by means of transfer to another establishment. In the prison department's reply to the report of the Chief Inspector of Prisons for 1981, it was promised that consideration would be given to enabling transfers to take place between, as well as within, regions. Arrangements for such transfers have since been developed between all four regions of the prison department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fewer prisoners are currently segregated under rule 43 than when the Chief Inspector of Prisons reported on the matter in 1981.

The inspectorate report stated that 714 convicted adult males were segregated for their own protection in July 1981. Comparable figures for July 1984 show 578, a reduction of 136. The most recently available figure is for August 1984 at which time the number was 572.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are currently segregated under rule 43 at Leeds prison.

On 22 March 1985 the figures for prisoners segregated under rule 43 at Leeds prison were as follows:

	Number
For their own protection
unconvicted	16
convicted	45
	61
For reasons of good order and discipline
unconvicted	4
convicted	1
	5

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any action has been taken to improve the physical conditions, in particular the plumbing and sanitary arrangements, of accommodation for segregated prisoners at Durham prison.

A programme of refurbishing all the existing recesses at Durham prison is currently under way. Some improvements to the drainage facilities in A wing, where segregated prisoners are accommodated, have already been undertaken. Further improvements to the recesses on this wing will be carried out over the next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if segregated prisoners have now been allocated a separate area at Birmingham prison;(2) whether all young offenders segregated under rule 43 at Birmingham prison now have access to the prison's education facilities.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether steps have been taken to ensure that the authorisation procedure for rule 43 prisoners is properly followed in all establishments, as recommended by the Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Recommendations concerning the need to adhere to the procedures laid down for authorising the segregation of prisoners under rule 43 of the prison rules have been made by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in a number of reports on individual establishments. It is primarily the responsibility of the governor to ensure that these recommendations are followed. However, where the Chief Inspector has made recommendations of this nature, compliance with the procedures is monitored in the course of routine operational assessments by regional offices of the prison department. It has also been monitored through a series of follow-up visits by the deputy director general of the prison service to establishments which have been inspected and I understand that in general observance of the procedures has been found to be satisfactory.

Crime Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the latest crime statistics.

I am disappointed that recorded crime in England and Wales increased by 8 per cent. in 1984, following a reduction of 1 per cent. in 1983. The Government have a clear strategy for dealing with crime by strengthening the police, extending the prison building programme, improving the effectiveness of all the criminal justice services and other measures. More has still to be done, but I am satisfied that our programme is realistic and effective.

Immigration

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average daily prison population of those detained under Immigration Act powers during 1984.

In 1984 the average number of persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 in prison department establishments in England and Wales was 143.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will provide a table indicating the total number of people served with detention orders under Schedule 3 paragraph 2(2) of the Immigration Act during 1983 by nationality and category.

The following table gives the available information. The breakdown by category of deportation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Detention orders served under paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 3 of the Immigration Act, 1971 in 1983
	Number of persons
Foreign nationals
Bolivia	1
Burma	1
Columbia	2
Eygpt	2
France	1

	Number of persons
Hungary	1
Iran	1
Italy	2
Japan	1
Morocco	1
Pakistan	2
Philippines	2
Poland	1
Portugal	1
Sudan	1
Tunisia	1
Turkey	7
Total	28
Commonwealth citizens
Cyprus	3
Ghana	8
Hong Kong BDTC's	1
India	4
Jamaica	1
Mauritius	2
Nigeria	9
St Helena BDTC	1
Seychelles	1
Sri Lanka	3
Uganda	1
Zimbabwe	1
Total	35
All persons	63

Northern Ireland

Roadworks (Carrickfergus)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to publicise in the area of Carrickfergus affected by major road works the entitlement of residents to claim compensation under the Land Acquisition and Compensation Order (N.I.) 1973 in respect of property devaluation on account of noise arising from the roadworks.

Yes; the claim period under the Land Acquisition and Compensation (N.I.) Order 1973 starts 12 months after completion of the relevant scheme, and in accordance with normal practice an appropriate notice will be published in the local press at about that time.

Labour Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the latest available figures which indicate unemployment in each parliamentary constituency and each electoral ward in Northern Ireland.

The numbers of unemployed claimants in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland at 14 February 1985 are set out. As there are more than 500 electoral wards in Northern Ireland, I will write to the hon. Gentleman giving February unemployment figures for each electoral ward.

Numbers of Unemployed Claimants by Parliamentary Constituency in Northern Ireland at 14 February 1985
Parliamentary Constituency	Male	Female	Total
Belfast East	3,091	1,330	4,421
Belfast North	6,388	2,155	8,543
Belfast South	3,773	1,721	5,494
Belfast West	9,580	2,518	12,098
East Antrim	4,876	2,140	7,016
East Londonderry	6,403	2,098	8,501
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	6,241	2,151	8,392
Foyle	9,677	2,366	12,043
Lagan Valley	3,956	1,917	5,873
Mid-Ulster	6,363	2,073	8,436
Newry and Armagh	6,286	2,355	8,641
North Antrim	4,442	1,578	6,020
North Down	2,588	1,468	4,056
South Antrim	4,285	1,775	6,060
South Down	4,317	1,970	6,287
Strangford	2,676	1,524	4,200
Upper Bann	4,839	2,037	6,876
NI Totals	89,781	3,176	122,957

Social Security Offices

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the electoral wards served by each social security office in Northern Ireland.

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Supplementary Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the latest available figures which indicate the number of people claiming supplementary benefit at each social security office in Northern Ireland.

The numbers receiving supplementary benefit on 12 February 1985 were as follows:

Social Security Office	Claimants
Andersonstown	6,571
Antrim	5,824
Armagh	4,676
Ballymena	5,718
Ballymoney	4,330
Ballynahinch	1,262
Banbridge	3,185
Bangor	4,240
Carrickfergus	2,973
Coleraine	5,756
Cookstown	3,376
Corporation Street	10,999
Downpatrick	2,281
Dungannon	5,528
Enniskillen	7,990
Falls Road	8,970
Holywood Road	8,545
Kilkeel	1,326
Knockbreda	6,287
Larne	2,906
Limavady	3,105
Lisburn	6,311
Londonderry	14,244
Lurgan	5,422
Magherafelt	4,487
Newcastle	1,690
Newry	9,190

Social Security Office	Claimants
Newtownabbey	5,749
Newtownards	4,251
Omagh	4,716
Portadown	3,722
Shaftesbury Square	6,190
Shankill	5,613
Strabane	6,151

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate the number of persons claiming unemployment benefit, who are not also receiving supplementary benefit, at each social security office in Northern Ireland.

The numbers of people receiving unemployment benefit only are estimated twice yearly on a sampled basis. The latest available information is as follows:

	Number
Andersonstown (Belfast)	505
Antrim	870
Armagh	680
Ballymena	740
Ballymoney	430
Ballynahinch	210
Banbridge	495
Bangor	770
Carrickfergus	655
Coleraine	805
Cookstown	360
Corporation Street (Belfast)	980
Downpatrick	280
Dungannon	480
Enniskillen	725
Falls Road (Belfast)	555
Holywood Road (Belfast)	1,125
Kilkeel	265
Knockbreda (Belfast)	785
Larne	355
Limavady	365
Lisburn	1,120
Londonderry	1,275
Lurgan	690
Magherafelt	440
Newcastle	195
Newry	855
Newtownabbey	1,250
Newtownards	825
Omagh	585
Portadown	695
Shaftesbury Square (Belfast)	785
Shankill (Belfast)	740
Strabane	385

Women Prisoners (Armagh)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the monthly breakdown since November 1982 of the number of women held in Her Majesty's prison, Armagh, indicating for each month the number held on remand and the number sentenced and distinguishing between those remanded or sentenced for scheduled and non-scheduled offences.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 March 1985]: The details requested are set out in the following table:

	Remand		Sentenced		Total Female Population
	Scheduled	Non Scheduled	Scheduled	Non Scheduled
1982
November	13	11	33	6	63
December	13	3	34	5	55
1983
January	10	5	35	8	58
February	8	4	34	11	57
March	10	4	35	9	58
April	8	4	36	9	57
May	8	2	32	5	47
June	11	4	29	5	49
July	10	3	28	4	45
August	7	3	26	3	39
September	9	2	29	6	46
October	7	2	27	13	49
November	8	2	27	9	46
December	8	—	25	9	42
1984
January	8	3	25	9	45
February	7	1	26	8	42
March	7	—	26	9	42
April	7	—	26	4	37
May	9	3	25	6	43
June	9	—	26	8	43
July	8	3	25	4	40
August	9	1	23	3	36
September	9	1	20	4	34
October	9	1	20	1	31
November	10	2	21	8	41
December	8	—	20	10	38
1985
January	8	3	20	15	46
February	8	4	19	8	39

The figures include those detained in the young offenders' centre.

Trade And Industry

Industrial Activity (Merseyside)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest figure for the level of industrial activity on Merseyside; and how this compares with the equivalent month in 1979.

While there is no single figure which can be used as an index to denote the level of industrial activity on Merseyside, in the period between end-1979 and end-1983, the total business stock on Merseyside increased from 20,633 to 21,629.

Redditch

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications have been received from, and how many applications granted to, companies in the Redditch area for assistance under the terms of the new assisted area status of the regional development policy.

Under section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982, three applications for assistance have been received from companies in the Redditch area and these are being considered by officials.

Ec (Spain And Portugal)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the effect on the amount of European regional development fund money received by the United Kingdom of the possible entry of Spain and Portugal to the European Economic Community.

Such estimates are not practicable in the absence of information about the ERDF quota ranges for Spain and Portugal and the future size of the ERDF budget.

Laser Technology

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government funds have been allocated for laser technology (a) for metal cutting, (b) for communication techniques and (c) for other purposes.

The Department of Trade and Industry is currently supporting a number of projects concerned with laser technology. The total cost of these projects is approximately £20 million, of which the Department is providing funding as follows: (a) £1·6 million for metal cutting, (b) £2·85 million for communications and (c) £570,000 for other purposes.

Mineral Exploration

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

This review has now been completed, taking into account the wider review of the Department's support for industrial research and development whose conclusions were announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 25 March. The central conclusion of the wider review is that the balance of the Department's support should shift away from assistance to projects for individual companies and towards measures promoting widespread benefits across industry.In line with this conclusion and the planned decrease in real terms in our support for industrial research and development, it has been decided that no further offers of assistance will be made under the mineral exploration grants scheme, which is being brought to an end. Grants in respect of projects for which offers have already been made will be payable under the Act over the next year or so, as claims are received for projects completed.

Ec (Anti-Dumping Procedures)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if goods and materials entering Germany from East Germany in terms of the inner German trade agreement are subject to the Common Market's antidumping procedures; and if the Common Market Commission has any role in supervising these arrangements.

[pursuant to the reply, 25 March 1985]: The Community's anti-dumping procedures do not apply to inner German trade. However, member states can act to ensure that the special provisions for inner German trade do not undermine any anti-dumping measures imposed by the Council or the Commission in the rest of the Community. Member states would wish to maintain contact with the Federal German Government and with the Commission in relation to any such action.

Ec (Steel Industries)

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has as to the percentage reduction in the numbers employed in the steel industries of the various Common Market countries since the Council of Ministers agreed on a plan to reduce and restructure the industry; and if he will make a statement outlining the extent to which the various nations have fulfilled their agreed obligations in this area of policy.

[pursuant to the reply, 25 March 1985]: The most recent information on the reduction in the numbers employed in the production of steel products covered by the treaty of Paris in Community member states since 1980 when the steel aids code was agreed is shown in the following table:

TABLE 1
Number of employees ('000)
	1980 average	January 1985	Percentage reduction
West Germany	201	151·7	24·5
France	114	84·5	25·9
Italy	101	75·7	25·0
Netherlands	21	18·8	10·5
Belgium	47	36·9	21·5
Luxembourg	16	12·3	23·1
United Kingdom	133	61·7	53·6

Source: Eurostat.

In June 1983, the European Commission issued a series of decisions addressed to member states specifying the minimum capacity reductions required between 1980 and the end of 1985. These requirements and the Commission's figures for capacity reductions actually carried out up to 20 March 1985 are shown in the following table:

Table 2
'000 tonnes of hot-rolled steel capacity
	Reductions
	Capacity 1980	Minimum required	Implemented at 20 March 1985
West Germany	53,117	6,010^*	6,370†
Belgium	16,028	3,155	3,183‡
Denmark	941	66	66
France	26,869	5,311	4,143
Italy	36,294	5,834	5,724≑
Luxembourg	5,215	960	1,045‡
Netherlands	7,297	950	82
United Kingdom	22,840	4,500	4,654
Source: Commission of the European Communities.
^* Excluding Kloeckner.
† Including Kloeckner.
‡ 250,000 tonnes of reductions have been transferred from Luxembourg to Belgium.
≑ According to the Commission, the 2 million tonnes accounted for by the Italian private sector has been shut down and will be scrapped under Commission supervision.

Wales

Household Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what increase on Office of Population Censuses and Surveys projections he estimates in the number of households in Wales by the year 2001; and if he will make a statement on the implications for housing policy.

It is estimated that between 1985 and 2001 the number of private households in Wales will increase by approximately 100,000. The total number of private households by 2001 is now projected to be less than the figure underpinning the assessment of housing need which I gave the hon. Gentleman in my answer on 22 October 1984 at column 428. We are considering the implications.

Council Houses (New Tenants)

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authority dwellings were let to new tenants in the year 1983–84 (a) through the waiting list, normal allocation and (b) other.

11,400 and 2,500, respectively.

Health Authorities (Members' Overseas Trips)

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report the cost to each health authority in Wales of overseas trips by officers of the authorities in each of the past five years.

This information is not kept centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Roads (Construction Programmes)

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, for each of the following road schemes, he will itemise (a) the original programme for construction, (b) any slippages in either starting or completion dates and (c) the reasons for any slippages identified: A5 Glyn Bends, Ty Nant to Dinmael School, A487 Furnace Bridge, Eglwys Fach, A4042 Penperlieni bypass, M4 Baglan-Lonlas, A40 Pengawse Hill diversion, A40 Carmarthen Eastern bypass, A48 Pont Faen-Coed Hirion-Pound Farm-Pont Pibwr (scheme changed), A48 Cross Hands-Drefach

Scheme	Provisional Planning Start Date in roads in Wales 1983	Latest Provisional Planning Start Date where known to be different
A5 Glyn Bends Tynant-Dinmael School	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A487 Furnace Bridge-Eglwys Fach	post 1988
A4042 Penperlleni Bypass	post 1988
M4 Baglan-Lonlas	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A40 Pengawse Hill Diversion	Jan. 83-Dec. 85
A40 Carmarthen Eastern Bypass	post 1988
A48 Nant-y-Caws to Coed Hirion	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A48 Cross Hands-Llanddarog Bypass	Jan. 83-Dec. 85
A55 Bodelwyddan Bypass	Jan. 83-Dec. 85
A55 Rhuallt Hill Improvement	Jan. 86-Dec. 88	post 1988
A55 Conwy Morfa-Aber
Penmaenbach-Dwygyfylchi Improvement	Jan. 83-Dec. 85	under review
Llanfairfechan Bypass	Jan. 83-Dec. 85	1986–88
Penmaenmawr Bypass	Jan. 83-Dec. 85	1986–88
Pen-y-Clip Tunnel	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
Aber Improvement	Jan. 86-Dec. 88	post 1988
A55 Travellers Inn Improvement	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A465 Glynneath-Aberdulais	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A470 Llanidloes Bypass	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A470 Pentrebach-Cefn Coed	Jan. 86-Dec. 88	post 1988
A470 Builthwells Bypass and Llandwedd Junction	Post 1988
A470 Llanrwst Bypass	Post 1988
A483 Ruabon Bypass	Jan. 83-Dec. 85
A483 Welshpool Relief Road	Jan. 86-Dec. 88	Post 1988
A483 Gresford Pulford Bypass (Wrexham-Chester)	Jan. 83-Dec. 85	1986
A487 Port Dinorwic Bypass	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A487 Pont Seiont and approaches	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A4042 Llantamam Bypass	post 1988
A55 Northop Bypass	Jan. 86-Dec. 88
A55 Conwy Crossing	Jan. 83-Dec. 85	1986

As was made clear in "Roads in Wales 1983," the periods in which schemes are expected to start must be regarded as provisional. The progress of schemes is dependent on the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures and of engineering design as well as the availability of resources. Thus, the provisional planning start dates adopted at any time are liable to change.

Solicitor-General For Scotland

Procurator Fiscal, Peterhead

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he has now made plans to meet the procurator fiscal at the Peterhead sheriff court; and if he will make a statement.

I intend to meet the procurator fiscal of Peterhead at his office on Monday 1 April.

(scheme changed), A55 Bodelwyddan, A55 Rhuallt Hill improvement, A55 Conwy Morfa-Aber (scheme changed), A55 Travellers Inn improvement, A465 Glynneath-Aberdulais, A470 Llanidloes bypass, A470 Pentrebach-Cefn Coed, Ruabon by pass, A483 Welshpool Relief Road, A483 Wrexham-Chester (scheme changed), A487 Port Dinorwic bypass, A487 Pont Seiont Bridge approaches, A4042 Llantamam bypass, stage 1, stage 2, A55 Northop bypass and A55 Conwy crossing.

The information is as follows.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Arms Talks

59.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent Her Majesty's Government are able to gauge that United Kingdom interests will be safeguarded in the latest round of United States—Soviet disarmament negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

As I told my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Cash) on 13 March, at column 166, we shall continue to maintain close and constant contacts with the United States, both bilaterally and in NATO. These contacts include discussion of our common interests that the Geneva negotiations achieve effective agreements aimed at preventing an arms race in space, terminating it on earth and achieving security with reduced levels of offensive systems on both sides. We shall use appropriate opportunities to ensure that the Soviet Government remain fully seized of our views and interests.

60.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the progress of the Geneva arms talks and Government policy on disarmament.

We have warmly welcomed the opening of the talks in Geneva. We recognise that the issues under discussion are complex and intricate. Long and difficult negotiations may well be required if our aim of balanced and verifiable measures of arms control is to be achieved. We hope nevertheless that progress will be made.

62.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding the issues to be discussed at the Geneva talks on disarmament; and what steps he proposes to take to make Her Majesty's Government's position known to the negotiators.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister emphasised during her recent meetings with President Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev that we share the objective of the United States that the negotiations should work out effective agreements aimed at preventing an arms race in space, terminating it on earth and achieving security with reduced levels of offensive systems on both sides.

Chemical Weapons

61.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in multilateral negotiations relating to chemical weapons.

At the 1985 session of the Geneva negotiations we and our allies are concentrating on the key issues of verification where we hope to see faster progress than in 1984. As part of this concerted effort, I presented at Geneva on 12 March a new British working paper containing proposals for the routine inspection of civil chemical plants to ensure that under a total chemical weapons ban certain toxic chemicals are not diverted for secret military use. We urge the Soviet Union to join us in building upon this and other Western verification proposals so that a complete ban, which is urgently required, can be achieved quickly.

Employment

Labour Statistics

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure for the number of unemployed; and how many of them are black.

The latest available information on unemployment by ethnic origin comes from the revised results of the 1983 labour force survey. These show that in the second quarter of 1983, there was a total of 2,998,000 people unemployed in Great Britain, of whom 215,000 were of non-white ethnic origins.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures in the Official Report indicating the levels of unemployment in the constituency of Bootle, in May 1979, June 1983 and in February 1985 of (a) 16 to 21-year-old males, (b) 16 to 21-year-old females, (c) 22 to 35-year-old males, (d) 22 to 35-year-old females, (e) 35 to 65-year-old males and (f) 35 to 65-year-old females.

This information is not yet available. Detailed analysis of unemployment in parliamentary constituencies will be available later this year. Unemployment levels by age group for jobcentre areas are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table in the Official Report indicating the level of unemployment in the constituency of Bootle, in May 1979, June 1983 and February 1985, respectively.

The information requested, which is also available in the Library, is as follows:

Bootle Constituency: Numbers of unemployed
	Numbers
May 1979	Not available
June 1983	10,764
February 1985	11,494

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has about the number of building trade workers who are now unemployed in the north-west region; and if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the figures by craft and skill.

Results of the 1983 labour force survey indicate that in the north-west region in the second quarter of 1983 there were 40,000 people without a job and looking for work, who had been employed at some time during the previous three years, with their last job in the construction industry. A detailed breakdown of this figure by craft and skill is not possible because of the sampling error that would be involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a breakdown by region of the number of people in employment, whole-time equivalent, in each of the years since 1977; and what percentage this figure represents of total work force in the region in each of those years.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

Youth Training Scheme

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme providers reported to the last meeting of the Manpower Services Commission's youth training board, the number and proportion of trainees on mode A, mode B1 and mode B2 schemes, respectively, who will spend fewer than 13 weeks on off-the-job training;(2) if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme leavers reported to the last meeting of the youth training board, the number and proportion of mode A, mode B1, and mode B2 work experience placements provided in each of the industrial categories used in the survey, and in each of the occupational training families;(3) if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme providers reported to the last meeting of the Manpower Services Commission's youth training hoard

(a) the number and proportion of mode A managing agents who require prospective trainees to have one or more O-levels and (b) the number and proportion of mode B1 and mode B2 sponsors, respectively, who require prospective trainees to have one or more O-levels;

(4) if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme providers reported to the last meeting of the Manpower Services Commission's youth training board, the number and proportion of mode A managing agents who deploy, per 100 trainees (a) fewer than three, (b) from three to five, (c) from six to eight, (d) from nine to 11, (e) from 12 to 14 and (f) more than 14 full-time equivalent staff in managing, administering, and providing off-the-job training for their scheme.

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

"Noise And The Worker"

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how long the health and safety pamphlet, "Noise and the Worker", has been out of print; when it will be reprinted or replaced; and, when it was in print, what measures were taken to ensure that it was available to interested workers.

The pamphlet "Noise and the Worker" (HSW 25), which was first issued in 1963, has been out of print since May 1983, and the Health and Safety Executive has no plans to reprint. While in print HSW 25 was an on-sale publication available through HMSO bookshops.As part of its current awareness campaign on the problems of industrial noise, HSE has taken a number of initiatives addressed to all sections of industry. In particular, it has issued a free "Noise" leaflet on the protection of workers' hearing.

Hairdressing (Self-Employment Grants)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what criteria of assessment are applied in awarding self-employment grants to individuals engaging themselves in hairdressing.

The same eligibility tests are applied to all applications for the enterprise allowance scheme irrespective of the nature of the proposed business. The conditions which the enterprise must satisfy in order to qualify for support are described in the leaflet EPL124 "Enterprise Allowance Scheme, A Guide", which is available in the Library.No special conditions apply to hairdressing ventures.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many individuals have been in receipt of self-employment grants for their establishment in hairdressing in (a) Cleveland county, (b) the northern region and (c) England and Wales.

I regret the figures are not available in the form requested. However, experience in the pilot enterprise allowance scheme suggests that about 1 per cent. of those joining the scheme start up in hairdressing.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of individuals, having received self-employment grants for their establishment in hairdressing, have continued operating in that industry 12 months after the receipt of the grant.

No separate information is available on the survival rates of hairdressing businesses set up with the help of the enterprise allowance scheme. However, experience in the pilot scheme suggests that about 70 per cent. of all businesses supported are still trading up to 18 months after joining the scheme.

Budget Changes

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how he calculates his figure of £146 million to be incurred by the Department of Employment as a result of changes announced in the Budget; and if he will list the specific programmes which are to benefit.

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

Secret Ballots

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many times in the past 12 months he has met representatives of the Trades Union Congress to discuss balloting procedures; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 March 1985]: My right hon. Friend and I have had no meetings with the TUC on this subject since June last year when the Trade Union Act 1984 was still before Parliament. We are always ready to meet representatives of the TUC to discuss with them how the trade unions can best fulfil their statutory obligations in relation to secret ballots.

Coal Industry

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the National Coal Board has applied for any alteration or exemption to the Mines and Quarries Act or other such legislation relating to the coal mining industry in the last six months.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 March 1985]: The National Coal Board has not applied during the last six months for any alterations of existing health and safety legislation for coal mines. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Mines and Quarries has received and granted exemptions although the precise numbers are not readily available. Such requests relate to individual mines and come from individual NCB colliery managers. Provisions in mining legislation empower the Health and Safety Executive to grant specific exemptions, so long as the safety of employees will not be prejudiced by the granting of such exemptions, and these exemptions are always subject to conditions on either scope or application and often time.

Environment

Local Authority Funds

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total of (a) rate fund balances, (b) special funds and (c) capital funds available by local authorities at the end of each financial year from 1974–75 to 1983–84.

Based on returns from local authorities, following is the information for England:

	Rate Fund Balances	Balances of Special Funds^*(excluding capital funds)	Balances of Capital funds
	£ million	£ million	£ million
At the end of:
1974–75	493	160	24
1975–76	987	152	75
1976–77	1,289	202	93
1977–78	1,480	264	171
1978–79	1,466	325	238
1979–80	1,156	454	148
1980–81	1,056	445	210
1981–82	1,379	719	211
1982–83	1,420	1,296	269
1983–84†	1,232	1,745	315
^*For 1977–78 and earlier years not all non-statutory special funds are included. Details of extent of coverage for individual years may be found in the relevent "Local Government Financial Statistics" publication. Superannuation funds are excluded.
† Provisional.

Planning Zones

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what responses he has received from (a) local authorities and (b) industry, commerce and the relevant professions to his consultation paper on simplified planning zones; and when he proposes to make a further statement on the matter.

My right hon. Friend has received a wide range of responses from local authorities, industry and commerce and professional bodies which he is at present considering. My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement shortly.

Control Of Pollution Order 1983

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment by what date he expects to revoke the Control of Pollution Act (Exemption of Certain Discharges from Control) Order 1983.

Government proposals for a phased withdrawal of the exemptions conferred by the Control of Pollution (Exemption of Certain Discharges from Control) Order 1983 were published in a consultation letter issued on 20 September 1984. Decisions on implementing the revocation of the order will be made when the responses to the consultation letter have been fully considered.

Greater London Council (Mortgages)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the number of mortgages the Greater London council has currently effected and the current value of the Greater London council mortgage book; and what he proposes for the Greater London council mortgage book upon abolition.

I understand that at 31 July 1984, the GLC had outstanding loans totalling £306 million secured on 55,000 mortgages for house purchase and improvement. We intend that, on abolition, the GLC's mortgage account for these loans should pass as a whole to the London residuary body. All the existing terms of the mortgages will be unchanged, including the fixed rates of interest which apply to about half of those loans. The residuary body will be directed to adopt the normal practice of local authorities and leading private lending institutions in managing the account, including in the treatment of any borrowers who fall into arrears. It will be the job of the residuary body to arrange for as many as possible of the transferred mortgages to be refinanced with bodies in the private sector like building socieities and banks, but only with the agreement of the borrower. The prescribed proportion of virtually all the residuary body's mortgage receipts will be distributed among the London boroughs and we intend that this should be done in proportion to HIP allocations. The boroughs will be able to use them to supplement their housing investment programme allocations. By pursuing an active policy of securing refinance, the residuary body may be able to unlock resources for investment in local authority housing in the capital.

London Housing (Shac Report)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has considered the recent report by SHAC, "The London Housing Aid Centre, Bed and Breakfast: Slum Housing of the Eighties", a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend and. I have read this report with interest. Many of the proposals put forward will be for local authorities to consider. The proposals for Government action are in the main not new, but the views expressed in the report will nonetheless be taken into account. In particular any implications which the present level of public sector capital investment in housing may have for other fields of public expenditure will continue to be carefully considered.

Housing

162.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total housing stock for each housing authority in England and Wales; what is the total number of empty dwellings for each housing authority; and what was the number of council houses built or started in 1984 for each housing authority.

Each English local authority's estimate of the total dwellings in its area at 1 April 1984 and the number which were vacant, are contained in its housing investment programme return: the figures for each authority are listed in cols Al5 and A75, respectively, of the "Print of data from form HIP1 (1984)" which is available in the Library. Reported figures of starts and completions of dwellings for the local authorities and for other owners during the first nine months of 1984, appear in "Local Housing Statistics" No. 72 which is also in the Library.For information about housing in the Welsh authorities' areas, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Empty Premises

165.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the total area of empty (a) office space for sale or hire, (b) retail premises for sale or hire and (c) factory or warehouse space for sale or hire, for each housing authority in England and Wales.

Vacant floorspace statistics for offices, shops, factories and warehouses are not maintained by the department of the Environment.The Department does produce detailed estimates of floorspace stock for commercial offices, shops, factories and warehouses by local authority district throughout England, in "Commercial and Industrial Floorspace Statistics, England" published annually. Similar figures for Wales are publishd by the Welsh Office, in "Commercial and Industrial Floorspace Statistics, Wales". Both publications are available in the Library.Information on vacant office, factory and warehouse floorspace and on take-up of premises is published regularly by a number of leading firms of surveyors and estate agents. The supply of, and demand for, commercial and industrial accommodation is mainly a matter to be determined and monitored by the market.

Town And Country Planning Act

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Staffordshire of 29 January, Official Report, column 127, he has any plans this session to introduce a provision seeking to amend the Town and Country Planning Act to give greater flexibility of the use of commercial and industrial buildings engaged in the field of high technology industries.

My right hon. friend proposes to introduce legislation at the earliest available opportunity, but I am unable to give an undertaking that time will be available during the current session.

Wideawake Air Base

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the capital cost of the expansion of the Wideawake air base; and what are the recurrent costs of the facility to Great Britain.

The total capital cost for providing hardstandings, a fuel pipe line, technical and domestic accommodation for the air base on Ascension Island, amount to approximately £49 million at September 1984 prices. Of this the domestic accommodation cost approximately £18 million and the technical facilities £31 million. Average annual works maintenance costs are expected to be in the region of £1 million.

Local Authorities (Employees)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in descending order for each district authority the number of local authority employees per 100 inhabitants allowing for higher tier authority employees and setting out the higher tier authority or authorities involved.

The information is as follows:

Staff per hundred population
District	County	Staff per hundred population
METROPOLITAN DISTRICTS/COUNTIES (ENGLAND)
Manchester	Greater Manchester	8·31
Newcastle upon Tyne	Tyne and Wear	6·78

District	County	Staff per hundred population
Liverpool	Merseyside	6·57
Sheffield	South Yorkshire	6·42
Wolverhampton	West Midlands	6·15
Coventry	West Midlands	5·85
Sunderland	Tyne and Wear	5·84
Bradford	West Yorkshire	5·83
Walsall	West Midlands	5·65
Salford	Greater Manchester	5·60
North Tyneside	Tyne and Wear	5·59
Doncaster	South Yorkshire	5·53
South Tyneside	Tyne and Wear	5·51
Barnsley	South Yorkshire	5·44
Gateshead	Tyne and Wear	5·41
Kirklees	West Yorkshire	5·41
Rochdale	Greater Manchester	5·41
Rotherham	South Yorkshire	5·41
Wakefield	West Yorkshire	5·38
Tameside	Greater Manchester	5·22
Leeds	West Yorkshire	5·10
Calderdale	West Yorkshire	5·02
Sandwell	West Midlands	5·01
Wigan	Greater Manchester	5·00
Birmingham	West Midlands	4·97
Bolton	Greater Manchester	4·97
Oldham	Greater Manchester	4·90
Wirral	Merseyside	4·52
Stockport	Greater Manchester	4·25
Sefton	Merseyside	4·18
Bury	Greater Manchester	4·13
Trafford	Greater Manchester	4·11
Dudley	West Midlands	3·81
Solihull	West Midlands	3·75
Information not available for:
Knowsley (Merseyside)
St. Helens (Merseyside)
NON-METROPOLITAN DISTRICTS/COUNTIES (ENGLAND)
Kingston-upon-Hull	Humberside	6·13
Middlesbrough	Cleveland	5·95
Hartlepool	Cleveland	5·84
Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	5·82
Stockton-on-Tees	Cleveland	5·82
Chesterfield	Derbyshire	5·69
Scunthorpe	Humberside	5·55
Langbaurgh	Cleveland	5·48
Barrow	Cumbria	5·40
Burnley	Lancashire	5·34
Derwentside	Durham	5·32
Darlington	Durham	5·30
Blackburn	Lancashire	5·26
Derby	Derbyshire	5·24
Easington	Durham	5·24
Sedgefield	Durham	5·24
Bristol	Avon	5·22
Blackpool	Lancashire	5·18
Corby	Northamptonshire	5·17
Great Grimsby	Humberside	5·16
Carlisle	Cumbria	5·10
Mansfield	Nottinghamshire	5·10
Cleethorpes	Humberside	5·07
Rossendale	Lancashire	5·07
Durham	Durham	5·05
Wear Valley	Durham	5·04
Reading	Berkshire	4·99
Northampton	Northamptonshire	4·97
Thamesdown	Wiltshire	4·97
Chester-le-Street	Durham	4·96
East Yorkshire	Humberside	4·96
Stoke-on-Trent	Staffordshire	4·95
Copeland	Cumbria	4·93
Luton	Bedfordshire	4·91
Preston	Lancashire	4·91
Wansbeck	Northumberland	4·91
Bassetlaw	Nottinghamshire	4·88

District	County	Staff per hundred population
North East Derbyshire	Derbyshire	4·87
Slough	Buckinghamshire	4·87
Bolsover	Derbyshire	4·86
Bournemouth	Dorset	4·84
Portsmouth	Hampshire	4·84
Ellesmere Port and Neston	Cheshire	4·81
West Derbyshire	Derbyshire	4·81
Halton	Cheshire	4·80
Blyth Valley	Northumberland	4·79
Bath	Avon	4·78
Hyndburn	Lancashire	4·78
South Lakeland	Cumbria	4·77
Erewash	Derbyshire	4·75
High Peak	Derbyshire	4·75
Brighton	East Sussex	4·74
Ashfield	Nottinghamshire	4·73
Boothferry	Humberside	4·72
Crewe and Nantwich	Cheshire	4·71
Stevenage	Hertfordshire	4·71
Warrington	Cheshire	4·70
Broxtowe	Nottinghamshire	4·69
Norwich	Norfolk	4·69
Holderness	Humberside	4·68
Chester	Cheshire	4·67
Congleton	Cheshire	4·66
Allurdale	Cumbria	4·65
Amber Valley	Derbyshire	4·63
Rushcliffe	Nottinghamshire	4·63
South Derbyshire	Derbyshire	4·63
Vale Royal	Cheshire	4·63
Beverley	Humberside	4·62
Glanford	Humberside	4·62
Lancaster	Lancashire	4·61
York	North Yorkshire	4·61
Lincoln	Lincolnshire	4·60
Newcastle-under-Lyne	Staffordshire	4·59
Wellingborough	Northamptonshire	4·59
Eden	Cumbria	4·58
Gedling	Nottinghamshire	4·58
Watford	Hertfordshire	4·58
Ipswich	Suffolk	4·57
Newark	Nottinghamshire	4·55
Southampton	Hampshire	4·55
Scarborough	North Yorkshire	4·52
The Wrekin	Shropshire	4·52
Cannock Chase	Staffordshire	4·50
Macclesfield	Cheshire	4·49
Nuneaton	Warwickshire	4·47
Tynedale	Northumberland	4·47
Woodspring	Avon	4·46
Alnwick	Northumberland	4·45
South Ribble	Lancashire	4·45
Fylde	Lancashire	4·44
Tamworth	Staffordshire	4·44
Milton Keynes	Buckinghamshire	4·43
Welwyn Hatfield	Hertfordshire	4·43
Wyre	Lancashire	4·43
Chorley	Lancashire	4·42
East Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	4·41
East Staffordshire	Staffordshire	4·41
Southend-on-Sea	Essex	4·41
Eastbourne	East Sussex	4·40
Berwick-upon-Tweed	Northumberland	4·39
Daventry	Northamptonshire	4·39
North Bedfordshire	Bedfordshire	4·39
Wansdyke	Avon	4·38
West Lancashire	Lancashire	4·38
Stafford	Staffordshire	4·34
South Bedfordshire	Bedfordshire	4·32
Thurrock	Essex	4·32
Wycombe	Buckinghamshire	4·32
Kingswood	Avon	4·31
South Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	4·31
Cheltenham	Gloucestershire	4·30
Teasdale	Durham	4·29

District	County	Staff per hundred population
Harrogate	North Yorkshire	4·28
South Buckinghamshire	Buckinghamshire	4·28
Aylesbury Vale	Buckinghamshire	4·27
Crawley	West Sussex	4·27
Northavon	Avon	4·26
Ribble Valley	Lancashire	4·26
Chaswood	Leicestershire	4·25
Plymouth	Devon	4·24
Chiltern	Buckinghamshire	4·23
Melton	Leicestershire	4·23
North West Leicestershire	Leicestershire	4·23
Sedgemoor	Somerset	4·23
Dacorum	Hertfordshire	4·22
South Shropshire	Shropshire	4·22
Gloucester	Gloucestershire	4·21
Hinckley and Bosworth	Leicestershire	4·20
Lichfield	Staffordshire	4·20
Taunton Deane	Somerset	4·20
Bracknell	Berkshire	4·19
Rugby	Warwickshire	4·19
Rutland	Leicestershire	4·19
Hertsmere	Hertfordshire	4·18
Warwick	Warwickshire	4·17
Cambridge	Cambridgeshire	4·17
Oadby and Wigston	Leicestershire	4·17
Torbay	Devon	4·17
Boston	Lincolnshire	4·16
Harborough	Leicestershire	4·16
Oswestry	Shropshire	4·16
Hereford	Hereford and Worcester	4·15
Rushmoor	Hampshire	4·15
South Staffordshire	Staffordshire	4·15
Richmondshire	North Yorkshire	4·14
Staffordshire Moorlands	Staffordshire	4·14
Blaby	Leicestershire	4·13
Colchester	Essex	4·13
Broxbourne	Hertfordshire	4·12
Kennet	Wiltshire	4·12
St. Edmundsbury	Suffolk	4·12
Craven	North Yorkshire	4·11
Hastings	East Sussex	4·11
North Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire	4·11
West Somerset	Somerset	4·09
Exeter	Devon	4·08
Salisbury	Wiltshire	4·08
North Shropshire	Shropshire	4·07
North Wiltshire	Wiltshire	4·07
Oxford	Oxfordshire	4·07
Waveney	Suffolk	4·07
Wyre Forest	Hereford and Worcester	4·07
Bridgnorth	Shropshire	4·04
Stratford-on-Avon	Warwickshire	4·03
West Wiltshire	Wiltshire	4·03
Great Yarmouth	Norfolk	4·02
Three Rivers	Hertfordshire	4·02
Yeovil	Somerset	4·02
Worcester	Hereford and Worcester	4·01
Gosport	Hampshire	4·00
Dartford	Kent	3·99
South Wight	Isle of Wight	3·99
Hambleton	North Yorkshire	3·98
St. Albans	Hertfordshire	3·98
Epping Forest	Essex	3·97
Test Valley	Hampshire	3·97
Windsor and Maidenhead	Berkshire	3·97
Forest of Dean	Gloucestershire	3·96
Mid-Bedfordshire	Bedfordshire	3·96
Medina	Isle of Wight	3·95
South Hams	Devon	3·95
Christchurch	Dorset	3·93
Brentwood	Essex	3·91
Mid Devon	Devon	3·90
Stroud	Gloucestershire	3·90
East Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire	3·89
Poole	Dorset	3·89

District	County	Staff per hundred population
Ryedale	North Yorkshire	3·89
Worthing	West Sussex	3·89
South Holland	Lincolnshire	3·88
Chelmsford	Essex	3·87
Teignbridge	Devon	3·87
Winchester	Hampshire	3·87
Havant	Hampshire	3·86
Hove	East Sussex	3·86
Mendip	Somerset	3·86
Mid-Suffolk	Suffolk	3·86
Penwith	Cornwall	3·85
Restomel	Cornwall	3·85
Rochford	Essex	3·85
Torridge	Devon	3·85
Braintree	Essex	3·84
Carrick	Cornwall	3·84
Kerrier	Cornwall	3·84
Basingstoke and Deane	Hampshire	3·83
Fenland	Cambridgeshire	3·83
Newbury	Berkshire	3·83
Wokingham	Berkshire	3·83
Caradon	Cornwall	3·82
Forest Heath	Suffolk	3·82
Tendring	Essex	3·82
Fareham	Hampshire	3.81
North Devon	Devon	3·81
Castle Point	Essex	3·80
Eastleigh	Hampshire	3·80
New Forest	Hampshire	3·80
Rother	East Sussex	3·80
Uttlesford	Essex	3·80
North Cornwall	Cornwall	3·78
Suffolk Coastal	Suffolk	3·77
Thanet	Kent	3·77
Adur	West Sussex	3·76
East Hampshire	Hampshire	3·76
Maldon	Essex	3·76
Huntingdon	Cambridgeshire	3·75
Gravesham	Kent	3·74
South Kesteven	Lincolnshire	3·74
East Devon	Devon	3·73
Babergh	Suffolk	3·72
Redditch	Hereford and Worcester	3·72
Cotswold	Gloucestershire	3·71
Dover	Kent	3·70
Kettering	Northamptonshire	3·69
Lawes	East Sussex	3·69
West Devon	Devon	3·69
Maidstone	Kent	3·68
East Lindsey	Lincolnshire	3·67
West Dorset	Dorset	3·67
Hart	Hampshire	3·66
Wychavon	Hereford and Worcester	3·66
Canterbury	Kent	3·65
Cherwell	Oxfordshire	3·65
East Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire	3·65
Ashford	Kent	3·63
West Lindsey	Lincolnshire	3·62
Arun	West Sussex	3·61
North Dorset	Dorset	3·61
Shepway	Kent	3·61
South Oxfordshire	Oxfordshire	3·59
Swale	Kent	3·59
North Kesteven	Lincolnshire	3·57
Tunbridge Wells	Kent	3·56
Purbeck	Dorset	3·55
Rochester-upon-Medway	Kent	3·55
South Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire	3·55
Vale of the White Horse	Oxfordshire	3·55
Horsham	West Sussex	3·54
Leominster	Hereford and Worcester	3·53
West Oxfordshire	Oxfordshire	3·53
Wealden	East Sussex	3·52
Wimborne	Dorset	3·51
Breckland	Norfolk	3·50

District	County	Staff per hundred population
Bromsgrove	Hereford and Worcester	3·50
Tunbridge and Malling	Kent	3·50
South Hereford	Hereford and Worcester	3·49
Mid-Sussex	West Sussex	3·48
Gillingham	Kent	3·47
West Norfolk	Norfolk	3·47
Sevenoaks	Kent	3·44
Epsom and Ewell	Surrey	3·42
Woking	Surrey	3·38
Shrewsbury and Atchan	Shropshire	3·37
Reigate and Banstead	Surrey	3·33
South Norfolk	Norfolk	3·33
Mole Valley	Surrey	3·30
Elmbridge	Surrey	3·29
Broadland	Norfolk	3·26
Guildford	Surrey	3·25
Runnymede	Surrey	3·25
Spelthorne	Surrey	3·22
Surrey Heath	Surrey	3·15
Waverley	Surrey	3·14
Tardridge	Surrey	3·12
Information not available for: Basildon (Essex)
Castle Morpeth (Northumberland)
Chichester (West Sussex)
Harlow (Essex)
Leicester (Leicestershire)
Malvern Hills (Hereford and Worcester)
North Norfolk (Norfolk)
North Warwickshire (Warwickshire)
Pendle (Lancashire)
Peterborough (Cambridgeshire)
Selby (North Yorkshire)
Weymouth and Portland (Dorset)

Notes:

1. The figures relate to total number of employees (full time and part time).

2. Employees of county councils have been distributed to the districts pro rata to the population in each district, and added to the number of employees in each district.

Rate Capping

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if any meetings with local authority associations have been arranged for future dates to discuss with him the operation of his rate-capping policy; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will list all the representations he has received from local authority associations, individual local authorities or groups of local authorities requesting a meeting with him to discuss the operation of his rate-capping policy; what response he has made in each case; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will list the criteria he uses in deciding whether a group of local authorities which has requested a meeting with him to discuss the operation of his rate-capping policy is representative; and if he will make a statement;(4) if he will make it his policy, in arranging meetings with local authorities to discuss the operation of his rate-capping policy, to see groups of authorities together where common problems have been identified.

Following the meeting which I held with leaders of some rate-capped and certain other local authorities on 4 February, I have been sent copies of resolutions passed by a number of those authorities, and have received other correspondence from them, including requests for further joint negotiations. I have noted the contents of the resolutions.For the reasons set out in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Watson) on 14 March at column

219, I have no intention of negotiating with this group of authorities, which is unrepresentative of local government as a whole.

I have made it clear that I am not prepared to reconsider the rate limits or the precept limits or the rate support grant settlement for 1985–86.

There is now no excuse for any rating authority to delay setting a lawful rate.

Housing Defects (Assistance)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities are currently giving assistance by way of either a repurchase or reinstatement grant under the Housing Defects Act 1984; and what are the totals in each case.

Under the Housing Defects Act 1984, which came into effect on 1 December 1984, local housing authorities have a duty to provide assistance, upon application, to eligible owners. Information about the number of authorities currently giving assistance is not available.

Local Government Officers (Fraud)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the number of cases of fraud involving local government officers in the last five years for which figures are available.

Prior to the establishment of the Audit Commission in 1983 the Chief Inspector of Audit issued an annual report which contained a detailed breakdown of reported frauds. The following numbers of frauds were reported involving local authority employees for the three years ending 31 March 1982:

Year	Cases
1979–80	118
1980–81	114
1981–82	116

Copies of the reports of the Chief Inspector of Audit are available in the House of Commons Library, giving further information.With the transfer of responsibility to the Audit Commission in 1983, an annual report was not published for 1982–83. The Audit Commission did publish an annual report for the year ended 31 March 1984, but this contains only brief details of cases of fraud exceeding £500 and does not show the number of cases involving local authority employees. However, I understand from the Commission that local authority employees were involved in the following numbers of cases exceeding £500:

Year	Cases
1982–83	56
1983–84	52

Figures are not available for petty frauds involving less than £500. If my hon. Friend requires further information I am sure that the Audit Commission would be pleased to assist, subject to the provisions of section 30 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982. This precludes the Commission from providing information about a particular body or person without the consent of the body or person to whom the information relates.

My hon. Friend may be interested to know that the Audit Commission will be publishing on Thursday 28 March a report on computer assisted frauds.

Glc (Farms)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards ownership of the farms owned by the Greater London council in the green belt after 1 April 1986.

Any farms on land acquired by the GLC or its predecessors under the Green Belt (London and Home Counties) Act 1938 would be transferred in accordance with my statement of decisions on 1938 Act land, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. I have said that I am fully committed to the protection of this land, which I regard as inalienable.

Colne Valley Regional Park

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy with regard to the future of the Colne valley regional park following abolition of the Greater London council.

I hope soon to meet the hon. Member, other hon. Members, and the leader of the London borough of Hillingdon to discuss future arrangements for the regional park.

National Finance

Self-Employed Persons

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report for the years 1977–78 onwards the number and total incomes of self-employed persons in agriculture and horticulture by range of income; and whether he will specify separately the total amount for the group capital allowances, stock relief and losses.

I regret that information for years before 1980–81 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. For 1980–81 to 1982–83 — the latest year for which information is available — the information provided in the table is in terms of tax units (that is, a married is counted as one unit); self-employed persons in agriculture and horticulture comprise single people and husbands whose main source of income, usually but not always the largest source, is self-employment income from those trades.

	1980–81		1981–82		1982–83
Range of total income (lower limit)	Number of tax units	Amount of total income	Number of tax units	Amount of total income	Number of tax units	Amount of total income
£	'000	£ million	'000	£ million	'000	£ million
Nil or Negative	3	-3	5	-3	5	-2
1	7	5	15	7	8	4
1,000	48	89	41	74	40	70
2,500	80	290	71	259	75	275
5,000	40	246	47	289	47	292
7,500	21	181	23	201	29	246
10,000	19	223	28	330	27	331
15,000	7	125	7	119	11	192
20,000	10	330	13	410	13	426
All ranges	236	1,490	250	1,690	255	1,830

	£ million	£ million	£ million
Capital Allowances	384	368	368
Stock Relief	133	104	81
Losses	32	54	40

Source: Surveys of Personal Incomes 1980–81, 1981–82 and 1982–83.

Notes:

Total income includes investment income and is before personal allowances. Non-taxable social security benefits are excluded. Profits from self-employment included in total income are after deducting capital allowances, stock relief, losses and allowable expenses.

Figures for 1981–82 and 1982–83 are for the trade classification based on the standard industrial classification (SIC), (Revised 1980). Figures for 1980–81 use the 1968 SIC and are not strictly comparable because they will include certain activities (for example, hiring out agricultural machinery without operatives) no longer classified to agriculture and horticulture.

Ec (Vat Base)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing (a) the European Economic Community harmonised value added tax base for 1984 and 1985, together with the authorised percentage payable for both years and (b) the amount payable by the United Kingdom under own resources, in European currency units and pound sterling, for 1984 and 1985, together with the amounts paid so far in 1985, indicating any advance payments and their amounts in European currency units and pound sterling: and if he will estimate the date at which the authorised own resources based on the 1984 European Economic Community budget will be equalled by payments in 1985.

Details of the value added tax base and authorised percentage for 1985 are not available as the Community has no 1985 budget, and until a budget is adopted it is not possible to assess when payments of own resources in 1985 will equal the payment made in 1984.The other information requested is as follows:

A. (i) the 1984 EC harmonised VAT base is 14,377 mecu^*;

(ii) the authorised percentage for 1984 was one per cent.

B. (i) The amount payable by the United Kingdom under own resources as shown in the Supplementary and Amending Budget No. 1 for 1984 is 5,516,349,726 ecust†, the sterling equivalent being £3,406,809,188‡≑.

(ii) The United Kingdom's 1985 own resources contribution (including overdrafts and advances) paid to the EC to 20 March amounts to £919,712,957·73¶, which is equivalent to 1,539,982,482 ecus at the exchange rate on 20 March.

C. There have been three advances in 1985, £99 million in January, £125 million in February and £115 million in March; equivalent to 165,767,226 ecu, 209,302,053 ecu and 192,557,889 ecu respectively at the 20 March rate of exchange. The actual payment made in March was reduced to £61·2 million, which allowed for the recovery of the current overdrawing.

^* In addition Greece made a financial contribution to the Community budget in 1984 of 224,156,962 ecus.

† Includes non-VAT own resources of 2,682,390,000 ecu, and a negative amount of previous financial years own resources of 93,042,074 ecus carried forward into 1984.

‡ Converted at the Community budget exchange rate of £=1·619213 ecus.

≑ The amount actually paid in 1984 varied from the figure for the following reasons:—

(a) Non VAT own resources are paid upon the basis of the sums collected in pound sterling by the United Kingdom;

(b) fluctuations in the exchange rate.

¶ own resources payments made to the Community in 1985 have been adjusted to recover the amount of the moneys overdrawn by the Commission under article 12(2) of Council regulation 2891/77. Neither the advances under article 10(2) of regulation 2891/77 nor the 12(2) overdraft facilities add to the total resources to be paid by the United Kingdom to the Community in 1985; not increase the amount the Community is authorised to spend in 1985.

Vat

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons are registered for value added tax in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire; and if he will give the numbers registered in each economic classification for value added tax purposes.

As at 2 March 1985 the number of persons registered for VAT at local VAT offices situated within these five areas totalled 165,713. The breakdown is as follows:

	Number
Cumbria	21,721
Lancashire	76,128
Greater Manchester	20,048
Merseyside	13,345
Cheshire	34,471

I regret that statistics categorising registered persons by turnover and trade classification are maintained on a national basis only.

European Monetary System

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the essential conditions necessary to be established before the United Kingdom joins the European monetary system.

The United Kingdom is already a member of the European monetary system, but sterling does not participate in the exchange rate mechanism. Participation would require assessment of a wide range of factors. But we would in particular need to be satisfied that it would be consistent with the effective conduct of our monetary policies and that entry would not introduce instability into the mechanism. We do not believe that this is the case at present.

Exchange Rate

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the change in the real exchange rate of the pound since the last quarter of 1976 to the latest available date against the deutschmark, French franc, United States dollar, yen and gilder.

[pursuant to his reply, 21 March 1985, c. 598]: The information is as follows:

Percentage change in sterling's real^*exchange rate fourth quarter 1976 to fourth quarter 1984
	Percentage changes
Deutschmark	+50·5
French franc	+37·9
United States dollar	-6·3
Yen	+8·7
Netherland gilder	+37·2
^* The real exchange rate is calculated here by using the nominal bilateral exchange rates adjusted for movements in United Kingdom price movements relative to those in the countries of its major competitors (using GDP deflators).

Such comparisons can be misleading, as they are highly sensitive to the particular time period chosen.

Miras

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of any circulars or official statements of practice or statements of intention issued by the Inland Revenue to major lenders in connection with the mortgage interest tax relief at source scheme in February.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 March 1985]: My hon. Friend is probably referring to a letter of 1 February sent to all MIRAS lenders by the Inland Revenue central unit, which covered a number of aspects concerning the operation of the MIRAS scheme. I am arranging for copies of this letter to be placed in the House of Commons Library, as my hon. Friend requests.

Johnson Matthey Bankers

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that his review of the supervisory arrangements for the banking system investigates whether Johnson Matthey was warned by the director of the International Maritime Bureau of the risks of lending money to Mr. Mahoud Sipra front 1982 onwards.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 March 1985]: It is not the intention of the review to conduct a detailed inquest into JMB's past commercial judgments. Its purpose is to consider the present system for banking supervision in the United Kingdom and whether any changes in supervisory procedures are called for in the light of the problems at Johnson Matthey Bankers.

Civil Service

Senior Civil Servants

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list by Department the number of civil servants at principal and assistant secretary level who have resigned voluntarily from the service in each of the years 1980 to 1984; and if he will state their age at date of resignation and number of years service.

[pursuant to his reply, 22 March 1985, c. 632]: Table 1 gives the number of resignations from the grades of principal and assistant secretary from 1980 onwards. It also expresses these as a percentage of the staff in post at the beginning of each year. Table 2 breaks down numbers of resignations by Department. Table 3 breaks them down by age and length of service.

Table 1
Resignations of Assistant Secretaries and Principals 1980–84
	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
Assistant Secretaries
Number	7	8	8	7	^*6
Per cent.	0·6	0·7	0·8	0·7	^*0·6
Principals
Number	41	34	32	39	45
Per cent.	0·9	0·8	0·8	0·9	1·1
^* The assistant secretary grade was subsumed into grade 5 from 1 January 1984. The figure quoted is an estimate of the number of staff who were previously assistant secretaries.

Table 2
Resignations of assistant secretaries and principals 1980–84 By Department
	1980		1981		1982		1983		^* 1984
Department	Assistant secretary	Principal	Assistant secretary	Principal	Assistant secretary	Principal	Assistant secretary	Principal	†Assistant secretary	Principal
CO/MPO/CSD	1	4	—	—	—	—	—	4	—	—
Treasury	3	—	1	4	1	4	1	8	1	7
Defence	—	1	1	2	2	5	1	3	—	3
Home Office	—	1	—	1	—	2	—	—	—	3
DOE/Transport	1	2	—	5	—	1	—	4	—	9
Scottish Office	1	1	1	—	—	2	—	—	—	1
Employment Group	—	3	1	5	1	4	1	2	—	1
DES	—	—	2	1	—	1	—	4	—	1
DHSS	—	8	1	5	1	1	1	1	—	1
MAFF	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	3	1	2
DTI	1	8	—	3	1	1	1	6	2	4
Inland Revenue	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	—	—	—
Other departments	—	12	1	8	2	9	2	4	2	13
Total	7	41	8	34	8	32	7	39	6	45
^* Provisional.
† Subsumed in Grade 5 from 1 January 1984.

Table 3
Resignations of assistant secretaries and principals 1980–84 By age and length of service
	1980		1981		1982		1983		^* 1984
	Assistant secretary	Principal	Assistant secretary	Principal	Assistant secretary	Principal	Assistant secretary	Principal	†Assistant secretary	Principal
Age (years)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Under 30	—	3	—	4	—	4	—	2	—	2
30–34	1	9	—	9	—	9	—	14	1	9
35–39	2	4	3	2	2	5	1	10	1	17
40–44	—	1	1	1	1	2	2	1	2	6
45–49	1	3	—	6	2	2	1	2	1	4
50–54	—	5	—	1	1	3	1	4	—	2
55 or more	3	16	4	11	2	7	2	6	1	5
Total	7	41	8	34	8	32	7	39	6	45
Length of service‡ Under 5	2	6	—	7	2	4	2	2	—	6
5–9	—	5	—	11	1	11	1	17	1	14
10–14	3	5	3	1	2	4	1	7	1	10
15–19	—	4	1	3	1	2	—	2	1	9
20–24	—	2	—	1	—	—	—	2	2	2
25–29	—	1	1	2	—	2	—	1	—	1
30–34	—	7	—	3	—	3	—	2	—	1
35 or more	2	11	3	6	2	6	3	6	1	2
Total	7	41	8	34	8	32	7	39	6	45
^* Provisional.
† Subsumed in Grade 5 from 1 January 1984.
‡ Years.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Pesticides

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a list of toxic substances imported into the United Kingdom that are banned in the country of production, including specifically those which are used as pesticides in the United Kingdom.

I have been asked to reply.The information requested is not available. Controls on the import and use of toxic substances are based on decisions by the United Kingdom regulatory authorities, observing European Community obligations where appropriate.

Social Services

Management Information System

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will name and describe each form used as part of his Department's management information system.

The Department's management information system uses statistical returns made on forms MR150, MR250, MR251, MR650 and MR351. Generally working sheets are used in local offices to collect and collate the statistics but not all of the statistics are obtained in this way; some are, for example, extracted from local office registers. The table lists the statistical return forms and the actual working sheets which are used on a regular basis; additional forms may be used for "ad hoc" inquiries and so on.

Return Form	Working Sheets
(1) MR150: 4-weekly return on contributory benefits	MR101, MR102, MR103, MR104, MR140, MR205, MR302, EF482
(2) MR250/MR251: 4-weekly returns on supplementary benefits	MR201/MR221, MR202/MR222, MR203, MR205, MR206/MR226, MR207/MR227, MR225, MR240, MR241, MR302, MR303, EF482
(3) MR650: 4-weekly return on contributory and supplementary benefits	MR302, MR640
(4)MR351: quarterly return on contributory and supplementary benefits	MR341
(5) MR350: "ad hoc" inquiries (obsolete with effect from 10 April 1985)	MR340 (obsolete with effect from 10 April 1985)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information in respect of supplementary benefit case-check visits is given in regular reports from local offices as part of his Department's management information system.

The Department's management information system collects supplementary benefit visiting information in three major categories—new claim visits, repeat claim visits and all other visits. Case-check visits—that is where a claimant's full circumstances are reexamined during a visit—are included in each of these categories and separate figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will place copies in the Library of report forms MR150, MR250/251, MR650 and MR351 used as part of his Department's management information system.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list and describe the performance indicators contained in the regular four-weekly reports made from local offices as part of his Department's management information system.

The table lists and describes the performance indicators contained in the regular four-weekly reports made from local offices, as part of the Department's management information system.Most of the performance indicators relate, in a percentage form, to work which was cleared (processed) during the four-week statistical period to the work which was available. The work available consists of the total work on hand. It would not be possible to clear all of the work during the four-week period as further inquiries and so on have to be made and this will vary according to the type of work.The performance indicators are one means by which management monitors the progress of work.

Contributory Benefits

The calculations used to determined the performance indicators at (1)-(6) below is:

Work processed / Work available × 100

Performance Indicator	Description
1. Sickness Benefit	Relates to claims for sickness and invalidity benefits.
2. Maternity Allowance	Relates to claims for maternity allowance.
3. Retirement Pension Claims	Relates to claims for retirement pension.
4. Retirement Pension Load	Relates to queries and changes arising after retirement pension has been finally put into payment.
5. Contributions Files	Relates to queries arising on national insurance contributions and liability.
6. Contributions Pouches	Relates to less complex contributions matters which do not merit a file being made up.
7. Contribution files over 6 weeks old	This indicator expresses the number of contribution files over six weeks' old as a percentage of the contribution files which are outstanding at the end of the return period.
8. Short Term Contributory Benefit Payment Accuracy	This indicator expresses the number of errors found as a result of managerial checks of payments as a percentage of the total number of benefit payments thus checked.

Supplementary Benefits

The calculations used to determine the performance indicators at (1)-(5) below is:

Work processed / Work available × 100

Performance Indicator	Description
1. Non Caller Claims	Relates to all new and repeat claims to supplementary benefit which are dealt with by post or by visit.
2. Caller Claims	Relates to all new and repeat claims to supplementary benefit which are dealt with by an interview at the local office.
3. Local Officer 1 visits	Relate to cases which require a home visit and can be in respect of a new or repeat claim to supplementary benefit or as a result of matters arising on an existing claim.
4. Local Officer 2 visits	Relate to cases which require a home visit and can be in respect of a new or repeat claim to supplementary benefit or as a result of matters arising on an existing claim.
5. Assessment Review	Relates to assessment changes or further assessment action arising on a case after supplementary benefit has been put into payment.
6. Supplementary Benefit Payment Accuracy	This indicator expresses the number of errors found as a result of managerial checks of payments as a percentage of the total number of benefit payments thus checked.

Personal Social Services

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the latest available data on personal social services gross current expenditure, including joint finance, in similar form to that provided in 1984 to the Social Services Committee and published on page 14 of HC 395; and if he will publish a similar table showing (a) net current expenditure in constant prices, (b) gross unit costs, (c) net unit costs and (d) activity levels.

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

Neonatal Mortality

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will initiate consultations between paediatricians and officials of his Department to discuss the provision of resources to regional health authorities to enable them to improve facilities and trained staff levels in paediatric units in order to reduce the number of deaths of new-born babies.

It is for regional health authorities to consider what improvements are required in their neonatal services and then, using the resources already allocated to them, to take action in the light of local needs and priorities.

Children In Care (School Attendance)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children in care over statutory school leaving age attend school; and what guidance he issues to local authorities about enforcing school attendance on a child in care who is over statutory school leaving age.

Information is not available centrally on the number of children in care who are attending school beyond school leaving age. No guidance about enforcement has been issued. In promoting a child's welfare, and having ascertained his wishes and feelings, local authorities may make whatever educational arrangements are reasonable for such children.

Number of persons on in-patient waiting lists for admission to surgical specialties in NHS hospitals in South Sefton District Health Authority on 30 September
	Urgent		Non-urgent
Year	All cases	Cases on list for more than one month	All cases	Cases on list for more than one year	Total cases
1979	38	6	5,354	1,792	5,392
1980	38	30	4,833	1,974	4,871
1981	51	21	5,531	2,207	5,582
1982	17	4	6,011	2,254	6,028
1983	14	2	5,883	2,138	5,897
1984 (provisional)	28	nil	4,809	1,281	4,837

Number of persons on in-patient waiting lists for admission to NHS hospitals in South Sefton District Health Authority on 30 September
Surgical specialty	1979	1983	^*1984
General surgery	1,241	1,506	1,145
Ear, nose and throat	1,623	1,559	644
Orthopaedics	1,470	1,771	1,696
Ophthalmology	133	43	34
Urology	97	83	93
Oral surgery	285	484	573
Neurosurgery	189	112	97
Gynaecology	354	339	555
Total	5,392	5,897	4,837
^* Provisional.

Benefits

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to publish the report of the Social Security Advisory Committee on the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Amendment Regulations 1983, and the Government's response.

We have today laid the committee's report and the Government's response before the House.

Hospital Waiting Lists

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many people in the constituency of Bootle have been on hospital waiting lists for major operations for over one year since May 1979;(2) if he will publish in the

Official Report a table indicating the number of people on hospital waiting lists in the constituency of Bootle for major operations, categorising each operation with its respective waiting list, in May 1979, June 1983 and February 1985, respectively.

Waiting list information is available centrally by the specialty of treatment and not by operation. The available information for the South Sefton district health authority, which covers the Bootle constituency area, is given in the tables. In general, figures on waiting lists are believed to include a significant proportion of duplicated entries and patients who no longer require treatment. The amount of overstatement cannot readily be estimated, but is thought to exceed 10 per cent. nationally and could be considerably more. About half of all admissions to hospital are immediate, and many of those on waiting lists already have a planned date of admission.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to achieve the reduction of hospital waiting lists by 20 per cent.

Before the health service industrial action in 1982, hospital inpatient waiting lists had fallen by 17 per cent. from 752,400 in March 1979 to 622,500 in March 1982. The latest available figure, for September 1984, is 682,000 (provisional), some 9 per cent. lower than the December 1982 figure of 746,100 and we expect this downward trend to continue. In general, figures on waiting lists are believed to include a significant proportion of duplicated entries and patients who no longer require treatment. The amount of overstatement cannot readily be estimated, but is thought to exceed 10 per cent. nationally and could be considerably more. About half of all admissions to hospital are immediate, and many of those on waiting lists already have a planned date of admission.

Mobility Allowance

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will break down the national figure for the number of people in receipt of mobility allowance on 31 December 1984 by the length of time for which the awards were made.

The information is as follows:

	Number
Awards of 1 year	8,330
Over 1 year and up to and including 2 years	22,620
Over 2 years and up to and including 3 years	5,520
Over 3 years and up to and including 4 years	660
Over 4 years, but not up to age 75	18,040
Up to age 75	271,530
Awards for life under the Mobility Allowance (Vehicle Scheme Beneficiaries) Regulations 1977	26,120

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many reviews of mobility allowance there were during the currency of an award in 1984 nationally which were instituted (a) by the insurance officer and (b) by the claimant; and in what proportion and number the allowance with withdrawn.

The information is as follows:

	Reviews at request of adjudication officer	Reviews at request of claimant or his representative
Number	75	287
Number in which allowance withdrawn	54	268
Percentage in which allowance withdrawn	72	93

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will give details of the numbers of decisions there were in 1984 on renewal claims for mobility allowance (a) nationally and (b) in each social security region; and if in each case he will give the proportion and number which were awarded;(2) if he will give details of the number of decisions made on mobility allowance applications in 1984

(a) nationally and (b) in each social security region; and if he will in each case state the number of decisions in which an award of the allowance was made.

The information for Great Britain is as follows:

	Initial claims	Renewal claims	Total
Number of decisions	108,050	23,950	132,000
Number of awards	73,600	19,900	93,500
Percentage awarded	68·1	83·1	70·8

I regret that separate information is not available for each social security region.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will break down by age the numbers of those receiving (a) mobility allowance and (b) attendance allowance; and if he will break down the numbers awarded each allowance during 1984 in the same way.

The available information is as follows:

Mobility Allowance^*
Age	Recipients of mobility allowance
Up to 9	7,260
10 – 14	9,600
15 – 19	10,820
20 – 24	11,095
25 – 29	9,390
30 – 34	10,770
35 – 39	15,380
40 – 44	17,920
45 – 49	23,990
50 – 54	35,245
55 – 59	54,410
60 – 64	79,630
65 – 69	49 435
70 – 74	1,260
Total	336,205

Age	Recipients of mobility allowance under the Mobility Allowance (Vehicle Scheme Beneficiaries) Regulations 1977
Under 16	3
16 – 19	4
20 – 24	19
25 – 29	635
30 – 34	1,290
35 – 39	2,035
40 – 44	1,810
45 – 49	1,955
50 – 54	2,315
55 – 59	2,970
60 – 64	4,055
65 – 69	3,365
70 – 74	2,915
75 – 79	1,730
80 – 84	660
85 and over	250
Total	26,011
^* Numbers at 11 March 1985

I regret that information about the number of awards of mobilty allowance is not available by age groups.

Attendance Allowance
Age	Recipients of attendance allowance†
2 – 15	57,000
16 – 19	13,000
20 – 24	15,000
25 – 29	11,000
30 – 34	10,000
35 – 39	10,000
40 – 44	9,000
45 – 49	10,000
50 – 54	13,000

Age	Recipients of attendance allowance†
55 – 59	20,000
60 – 64	30,000
65 – 69	33,000
70 – 74	47,000
75 – 79	54,000
80 – 84	56,000
85 and over	81,000
Total	469,000

Age	Awards in 1984
2 – 15	10,138
16 – 19	1,016
20 – 24	1,003
25 – 29	1,111
30 – 34	1,473
35 – 39	1,941
40 – 44	2,259
45 – 49	3,119
50 – 54	4,541
55 – 59	7,320
60 – 64	11,959
65 – 69	14,052
70 – 74	22,314
75 – 79	28,964
80 – 84	32,160
85 and over	38,400
Total	181,770
† Estimates as at 31 March 1984. the latest date for which figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of mobility allowance at 31 December 1984 nationally; and if he will break down the national figure by social security region and the rate per thousand population in each region.

The available information is as follows. I regret that it is not possible to give a regional breakdown.

	Number in receipt of mobility allowance^*	Rate per 1,000 population (mid-1983 estimates)
England	281,940	6·0
Scotland	40,515	7·9
Wales	30,365	10·8
^* Includes recipients under the Mobility Allowance (Vehicle Scheme Beneficiaries) Regulations 1977.

	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
Total decisions made in each year on initial claims	85,730	60,770	88,100	106,800	108,050
Total decisions resulting in disallowance	25,550	19,330	29,100	36,950	34,450

Details of appeals and references to local tribunals on the non-medical conditions for mobility allowance in the years to 1983 are given in "Social Security Statistics 1984", table 15.20. It is not possible to break down the information into social security regions. Equivalent details for 1984 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in the case of initial and renewal claims for mobility allowance, how many appeals by claimants from a decision of an insurance officer were decided upon by medical boards and how many appeals from a decision of a medical board were decided upon by a medical appeal tribunal in 1984; and in each case what number was successful.

The available information is as follows:

	Numbers
Appeals and references decided by medical board	14,750
Decided in claimant's favour	4,800
Appeals decided by medical appeal tribunal	3,933
Decided in claimant's favour	1,107

I regret that it is not possible to identify initial and renewal claims separately.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of time between receipt of a claim for mobility allowance and the issue of an order book (a) when the allowance is awarded on the initial application, (b) when it is awarded by a medical board and (c) when it is awarded by a medical appeal tribunal on appeal from a board.

The time taken from receipt of a claim for mobility allowance until an order book is received by a successful claimant is about eight and a half weeks where the award is made by the adjudication officer on the basis of a report by an examining medical practitioner, and about 16 weeks where the allowance is awarded by a medical board. Such information is not available about claims which go on appeal either to a medical board or to a medical appeal tribunal because the length of time between the disallowance of a claim and the making of the appeal varies so widely. However, the average time taken by a medical board or medical appeal tribunal to deal with an appeal is five and a half weeks and 99 18 weeks respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims have been made for mobility allowance; how many claims for mobility allowance have been rejected; how many appeals to local tribunals against decision to reject payment of mobility allowance have been made; and how many of these appeals have been found in favour of the claimant in each of the social security regions, in each of the past five years.

The available information is as follows:

Attendance Allowance

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what number and proportion of reviews of attendance allowance awards initiated by him in 1984 followed notification of a change in circumstances by the claimant.

None. Notification of change of circumstances by the claimant is treated as an application for review by the claimant.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average length of time between receipt of a claim for attendance allowance and the issue of an order book (a) when the allowance is awarded on the initial application and (b) when it is awarded after a review.

At 28 February, the latest date for which information is available, the times taken for payment to be sent to the claimant were (a) 10 weeks, (b) 18 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list the number of applications for renewal of attendance allowance in 1984 nationally and in each social security region; and in each case what proportion and number (a) were awarded (i) the higher rate and (ii) the lower rate on the initial application, (b) requested a review after (i) refusal of the allowance and (ii) award of the lower rate and (c) upon review were (i) awarded the lower rate and (ii) awarded the higher rate, (iii) had the lower rate increased to the higher rate and (iv) had the lower rate withdrawn;

Table 1
Attendance allowance—initial decisions 1984
Region	Number of decisions	Higher rate awards		Lower rate awards
		Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.
January to March
Northern	2,225	556	25·0	983	44·2
Yorkshire and Humberside	5,532	1,523	27·6	2,691	48·6
East Midlands and East Anglia	4,186	1,183	28·3	2,001	47·8
London North	6,908	1,886	27·3	3,453	50·0
London South	9,057	3,446	38·0	4,723	52·1
London West	77	35	45·5	34	44·1
South Western	5,195	1,701	32·7	2,674	51·5
West Midlands	7,762	1,655	21·3	4,075	52·5
North West (Manchester)	5,879	1,181	20·1	3,093	52·6
North West (Merseyside)	4,376	1,814	41·4	1,867	42·7
Scotland	6,208	1,198	19·3	2,412	38·9
Wales	6,216	2,489	40·0	2,409	38·8
April to December^*
Northern	4,570	1,174	25·7	2,325	50·9
Yorkshire and Humberside	22,753	5,653	24·8	10,048	44·2
East Midlands	3,669	1,007	27·4	1,928	52·6
East Anglia	1,477	427	28·9	792	53·6
South East (GLC)	11,904	3,954	33·2	5,714	48·0
South East (Remainder)	36,257	11,220	30·9	18,405	50·8
South West	13,828	4,061	29·4	7,116	51·4
West Midlands	25,877	7,159	27·7	12,776	23·0
North West	24,171	6,651	27·5	12,118	50·1
Scotland	17,092	3,333	19·5	6,936	40·6
Wales	14,585	4,139	28·4	5,752	39·4
^* Since April 1984 statistics have been collected by reference to standard regions.

Table 2
Attendance allowance—renewal decisions 1984
Region	Number of decisions	Higher rate awards		Lower rate awards
		Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.
North Eastern	2,646	874	33·0	1,301	49·2
Midlands	4,614	1,735	37·6	2,200	47·7
London North	3,215	1,060	33·0	1,752	54·5
London South	3,328	1,333	40·1	1,541	46·3
South West	1,224	473	38·6	578	47·2
North West (Manchester)	1,283	502	39·1	597	46·5
North West (Merseyside)	1,736	694	40·0	783	45·1

(2) if he will list the number of applicants for attendance allowance in 1984, nationally and in each social security region; and in each case what number and proportion (a) were awarded (i) the higher rate and (ii) the lower rate on the initial application, (b) requested a review after (i) refusal of the allowance and (ii) award of the lower rate and (c) upon review were (i) awarded the lower rate, (ii) awarded the higher rate, (iii) had the lower rate increased to the higher rate and (iv) had the lower rate withdrawn;

(3) if he will list the number of awards of attendance allowance which were made in 1984 nationally and in each social security region; and if he will break down the national figure by the length of time for which they were made.

The information available is as follows. It relates to decisions given in 1984, not to applications made in that year. For Great Britain, the total number of decisions made was 239,774 of which 67,445 (28·1 per cent.) resulted in a higher rate award; 114,325 (47·7 per cent.) resulted in a lower rate award. A regional breakdown is given in the tables.

Region	Number of decisions	Higher rate awards		Lower rate awards
		Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.
Scotland	1,515	409	27·0	708	46·7
Wales	1,640	710	43·3	686	41·8
North Fylde Central Office	29,909	10,332	34·5	19,577	65·5
Great Britain	51,110	18,122	35·5	29,723	58·2

Table 3
Attendance allowance—reviews 1984 ^*
	Requests for review†				Result of review
	After refusal of award		After award≑		Awards made¶ after disallowance		Award increased from lower to higher rate		Award reduced● or withdrawn
Region‡	Number	Percentage of all decisions▀	Number	Percentage of all decisions▀	Number	Percentage of all decisions▀	Number	Percentage of all decisions▀	Number	Percentage of all decisions▀
Northern⋆	139	0·4	115	0·3	49	0·2	55	0·2	6	—
North Eastern	1,613	4·8	2,844	8·5	917	2·7	2,227	6·7	121	0·4
East Midlands#	610	1·8	1,036	3·1	319	1·0	756	2·3	70	0·2
London North	1,445	4·3	2,634	7·9	963	2·9	2,077	6·2	128	0·4
London South	862	2·6	3,268	9·8	511	1·5	2,537	7·6	158	0·5
London West⋆	4	—	35	0·1	2	—	27	—	2	—
South West	587	1·8	2,053	6·2	359	1·1	1,692	5·1	81	0·2
Midlands	1,244	3·7	2,681	8·0	676	2·0	1,949	5·8	138	0·4
North West (Manchester)	1,053	3·2	1,679	5·0	530	1·6	1,300	3·9	61	0·2
Merseyside	753	2·3	1,658	5·0	410	1·2	1,351	4·0	51	0·2
Scotland	2,110	6·3	2,014	6·0	1,129	3·4	1,365	4·1	67	0·2
Wales	1,256	3·8	1,681	5·0	674	2·0	1,309	3·9	62	0·2
Great Britain	11,676	35·0	21,698	65·0	6,539	19·6	16,645	49·9	945	2·8
^* It is not possible to distinguish between reviews on initial claims and reviews on renewal claims.
† Details are of reviews because of dissatisfaction with the award or because of a change in the need for attention or supervision.
‡ Comparisons cannot readily be made because of changes in social security regions.
≑ It is not possible to provide separate figures for lower rate awards.
¶ It is not possible to distinguish between lower and higher rate awards.
● It is not possible to distinguish between reviews which led to withdrawal from those which resulted in a lower rate.
▀ These percentages are overstated to an extent because some decisions on renewal claims are taken at North Fylde central office (see table 2).
⋆ Till June 1984.
# Till September 1984.

Table 4
Attendance allowance awards (new and renewal claims) 1984
Duration of awards (years)	Number
Fewer than one	1,930
One fewer than two	20,286
Two fewer than three	26,104
Three fewer than four	9,134
Four fewer than five	4,268
Five and over	15,178
Life^*	163,858
Total	240,758
^* Includes certificates awarded to children up to 16th birthday.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of people in receipt of attendance allowance at each rate at 31 December 1984; and if he will break down the figures by (a) social security region, (b) the rate per 1,000 population in each region and (c) the rate per 1,000 of population over 65 years of age in each region.

The total number of people estimated to be in receipt of attendance allowance at 31 March 1984, the latest date for which figures are available, is as follows:

	Number
Higher rate	192,000
Lower rate	277,000

The analysis requested will take a few weeks to prepare. I shall reply as soon as it is ready.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of reviews of attendance allowance during the currency of an award in 1984, nationally and in each social security region, which were instituted (a) by him and (b) by the claimant; and in case what was the number and proportion in which (i) the allowance was withdrawn, (ii) the existing award was retained, (iii) the higher rate was decreased to the lower rate and (iv) the lower rate was increased to the higher rate.

Attendance allowance 1984
Region†	Total number of reviews after award	Award reduced or withdrawn‡		Award maintained		Award increased from lower to higher rate
		Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.	Number	Per cent.
Northern≑	115	6	5·2	54	47·0	55	47·8
North Eastern	2,844	121	4·2	496	17·5	2,227	78·3
East Midlands¶	1,036	70	6·8	210	20·2	756	73·0
London North	2,634	128	4·9	429	16·3	2,077	78·8
London West≑	35	2	5·7	6	17·1	27	77·2
South West	2,053	81	3·9	280	13·7	1,692	82·4
Midlands	2,681	138	5·1	594	22·2	1,949	72·7
North West Manchester	1,679	61	3·6	318	19·0	1,300	77·4
North West Merseyside	1,658	51	3·1	256	15·4	1,351	81·5
London South	3,268	158	4·8	573	17·5	2,537	77·6
Wales	1,681	62	3·7	310	18·4	1,309	77·9
Scotland	2,014	67	3·3	582	28·9	1,365	67·8
Great Britain	21,698	945	4·3	4,108	19·0	16,645	76·7
^* Includes reviews because of dissatisfaction with the award and because of a change in the need for attention and supervision.
† Comparisons cannot readily be made because of changes in social security regions.
‡ It is not possible to distinguish between reviews which led to the withdrawal of the allowance and those which resulted in a lower rate.
≑ To 29 June.
¶ To 29 September (no decisions made in these regions after these dates).

Attendance allowance 1984 Reviews instituted at request of Secretary of State after award
Great Britain^*	Number	Per cent.
Total number of reviews after award	850
Award withdrawn	318	37
Award maintained	428	51
Award reduced from higher to lower rate	72	8
Award increased from lower to higher rate	32	4
^* It is not possible to provide a breakdown by social security region.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for the last three years for which figures are available what was the number and proportion of reviews of attendance allowance decisions with an outcome favourable to the appellant in which the award was backdated to the date from which it would have been payable had the initial claim succeeded.

The numbers of reviews of attendance allowance made because the claimant was dissatisfied with the original decision, and which had an outcome favourable to the claimant, are as follows:

	Numbers
1982	6,978
1983	8,085
1984	9,116

Backdating applied in all these cases.

	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
Initial claims received in each year	147,000	167,000	193,000	233,000	258,000
Total decisions made in each year on initial claims	139,000	149,000	182,000	217,000	240,000
Total decisions resulting in initial disallowance	40,000	41,000	46,000	58,000	58,000

The information available is in the table. It relates to decisions given in 1984 and not to applications made in that year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people requested a review of an attendance allowance decision on the grounds that (a) the first decision was wrong and (b) their condition had deteriorated.

In 1984 the numbers were (a) 15,175 (b) 16,838.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claims have been made for attendance allowance; of these, how many claims for attendance allowance have been rejected; how many appeals to local tribunals against decisions to reject payment of attendance allowance have been made; and how many of these appeals have been found in favour of the claimant in each of the social security regions in each of the past five years.

Information on claims and decisions unfavourable to the claimant is as follows:

Details of appeals and references to local tribunals against disallowance of the non-medical conditions for attendance allowance in the years to 1983 are given in "Social Security Statistics 1984," table 14.20. It is not possible to break down the information into social security regions.

Equivalent details for 1984 are not yet available.

Medicines Act (Infringements)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on how many occasions during 1984 his Department has (a) investigated infringements of the Medicines Act, (b) warned companies that the Act was being infringed and requested remedial action and (c) prosecuted companies for infringement of the Act; and why publicity is not given to such investigations.

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

Nhs Computer Policy Committee

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the future of the National Health Service computer policy committee and the steering group on health services information.

We have been reviewing the management of the work which needs to be done centrally on management information and information technology for NHS hospital and community health services. As soon as the NHS managment board is in place, we propose to strengthen arrangements at the centre in two main ways.First, the NHS computer policy committee and the steering group on health services information will be wound up and replaced by a single information advisory group. The new group will be chaired by the member of the board who is responsible for information matters. It will have no executive responsibilities, but will be asked to advise the board on strategic issues and management priorities in the information field. We are consulting regional health authorities on the membership of the group, which will consist primarily of senior managers from regions and districts.Secondly, the work which needs to be done at the centre will be brought under the direct control of the management board, through the same board member. A substantial proportion of this work will continue to be undertaken by health authority staff.I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the considerable achievements of the computer policy committee and the steering group on health services information.

High Rent Area Authorisation

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of tenants who will be adversely affected by the proposed changes in the threshold for high rent area authorisations effective from 1 April (a) in authorities which will lose the authorisation entirely and (b) in authorities which will continue to receive an authorisation but at a higher threshold, and if he will estimate the average loss per tenant (i) in authorities losing authorisation for both public authority and private tenants, (ii) in authorities losing authorisation in respect of public authority tenants alone, (iii) in authorities losing authorisation in respect of private tenants alone, (iv) in respect of authorities losing class authorisations and (v) in authorities continuing to receive an authorisation but at a higher threshold.

[Pursuant to his reply, 5 March 1985, c. 515–16]: Information on which to base the detailed estimates requested is not available. However, we estimate that nationally some 120,000 claimants will be affected by the proposed changes to the high rent scheme. This is higher than the figure originally estimated because more authorities are now participating in the high rent scheme. Claimants living in an area where the authority will retain its high rent authorisation will lose an average of 42p per week. Losses for claimants living in an area where the authority will lose its high rent authorisation will depend on the level of rent paid.

Defence

Northern Europe

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom commitment to the defence of Northern Europe.

There is a strong United Kingdom commitment, through NATO, to the defence of the NATO countries of northern Europe. This commitment is reflected in the fact that 3 Commando Brigade, as part of the United Kingdom/Netherlands amphibious force, and the United Kingdom mobile force have the reinforcement of the northern region as their principal role. The United Kingdom also makes a significant contribution to the Allied Command Europe mobile force which has options to deploy there. In addition, RAF Jaguars are specifically assigned to the northern region, and Harriers and Tornados are assigned to SACEUR's strategic air reserve which could also be deployed there.

Strategic Defence Initiative

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the United States Government concerning the strategic defence initiative.

49.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's allies on the strategic defence initiative.

My right hon. Friend has discussed the strategic defence initiative with the United States Secretary of Defence on a number of occasions, most recently when he accompanied the Prime Minister to the United States in February.

18.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement concerning British participation in the strategic defence initiative.

43.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what input, financial or manpower, the United Kingdom will make towards the United States star wars research project; and if he will make a statement.

I can add little to the written answer I gave my hon. Friend on 15 March. I can confirm that we shall be discussing shortly with the United States Government how best to pursue this matter. As far as United Kingdom industry is concerned, it has a wide range of expertise in relevant areas of technology and we have already received expressions of interest from several of our leading defence companies. It is our intention to ensure that United Kingdom industry is kept as fully informed as possible.

22.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give his assessment of the effect of the United States strategic defence initiative on Britain's defence capability.

The strategic defence initiative is a long-term research programme still in its early stages. Its overall aim is to enhance deterrence, the maintenance of which is central to the security of the nations of the NATO alliance.

Anti-Nuclear Protest Groups

11.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any civil servants in his Department are currently required, as part of their responsibilities, to monitor the activities of anti-nuclear protest groups.

15.

28.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any civil servants in his Department are required, as part of their responsibilities, to monitor the activities of anti-nuclear protest groups.

As stated in reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang) on 9 April last year, it is the Ministry of Defence's responsibility to be aware of any activities which might have security or operational implications, and to follow closely the public debate on nuclear issues. This work is undertaken by staff across the Ministry of Defence as part of their normal duties.

Trident Missile

17.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on the development of the Trident programme.

27.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on the development of the Trident programme.

55.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on the development of the Trident programme.

The programme for replacing Polaris with Trident in the mid-1990s is proceeding satisfactorily and on schedule. Tenders have now been received from Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited for the construction of the first of the four United Kingdom Trident class submarines, and negotiations are in hand with a view to concluding a contract by the end of 1985. As regards the strategic weapon system, the full-scale engineering development phase has been under way in the United States for some time and is making good progress. As far as the development of the Clyde submarine base is concerned, on 7 March the Secretary of State for Scotland gave his approval to the Department's notice of proposed development subject to a number of requirements being met in order to minimise, as far as possible, the impact of the proposed developments.

33.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of the cost to Britain of Trident missiles.

I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence to the hon. Members for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang), for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) and for Leeds, West (Mr. Meadowcroft) on 29 January at columns 134–37

38.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with control of servicing arrangements for the Trident missile system.

Yes.

44.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what implications there would be for Trident if the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics goes ahead in the development of a defence in space against ballistic nuclear weapons.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 26 February 1985 at column 157.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the purchase of Trident from the United States includes the transfer of warhead design or components.

The nuclear warheads to be fitted in the British Trident D5 missile system will be of British design and manufacture.

Cruise Missiles

19.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in view of the disarmament negotiations opening in Geneva, he will consider postponing the further deployment of cruise missiles.

No. We have, however, always made it clear that NATO's deployment, which is planned to be completed over a five year period, can be halted, modified or revised at any time if results in arms control negotiations warrant it. To halt our own deployment of intermediate nuclear forces unilaterally would perpetuate the very substantial superiority of the Soviet Union in this area and remove any incentive on it to negotiate reductions.

American W82 Shell

20.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if it will be possible to fire the American W82 shell from the British/German/Italian FH70 howitzer.

Although the W82 shell is the same calibre as the FH70 howitzer, we have made no attempt to ascertain whether in fact the shell is suitable for use with the FH70. In any case, the question does not arise, since the FH70 howitzer in United Kingdom service has no nuclear role and is not intended to be a nuclear delivery system.

Chemical Weapons

21.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the United Kingdom would be prepared to accept the pre-positioning of either the present generation of United States chemical weapons, or a possible new generation of such weapons, in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

No such request has been made to us. Like the United Kingdom, the United States Government have made clear that they are fully committed to seeking a comprehensive, verifiable and world-wide ban on chemical weapons at the conference on disarmament in Geneva.

Nato Nuclear Planning Group

23.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group.

31.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group.

42.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group.

46.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning his meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Ministers on 26 March.

The current meeting of the nuclear planning group in Luxembourg is one of a series of biannual meetings of NATO defence Ministers, the purpose of which is to discuss nuclear matters within the alliance.

25.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he will be putting to the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group on 26 and 27 March.

My right hon. Friend will, as usual, be making his full contribution to the discussions of the NATO nuclear planning group today and tomorrow. The details of the discussions are confidential, but a communiqué will be issued at the end of the meeting.

European Anti-Ballistic Missile System

24.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on proposals for a European anti-ballistic missile system.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Hackney, South and Shoreditch (Mr. Sedgemore) and for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms. Short)

Defence Procurement Costs

26.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what rate of inflation in defence procurement costs he expects up to 1987–88; and whether he expects to differ from general inflation in the United Kingdom economy.

The extent to which future rates of inflation in defence procurement may differ from inflation in the economy generally will be influenced by factors which cannot be reliably predicted, such as differences in the pattern of inputs and in productivity. It will be my Department's aim to reduce procurement costs through continued emphasis on value for money and the exercise of competition.

Royal Dockyards

29.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to introduce his White Paper on the future of the royal dockyards.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Cornwall, South-East (Mr. Hicks) earlier today.

United Kingdom Forces Overseas (Motor Vehicles)

30.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent it is his policy for forces personnel serving overseas to be provided whilst on duty with motor vehicles made in the United Kingdom.

We buy British vehicles whenever it is sensible, practicable and consistent with our international obligations to do so. We resort to overseas procurement only when this offers substantial advantages of cost, performance and time scale. At present over 95 per cent. of our motor vehicles come from United Kingdom-based suppliers.

Bomber Command (Medal)

32.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider striking a medal in recognition of the service of Bomber Command air crews in the 1939 to 1945 war.

No. While we do, of course, accept that many acts of courage and heroism during wartime went unrecognised, the striking of new medals for service during the second world war came to an end many years ago and no further review is contemplated.

P120 Aircraft

34.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the relative advantages to the British aviation industry of developing P120 as opposed to the European fighter aircraft.

Evaluation of possible means of satisfying the need for a replacement for Jaguar and Phantom aircraft is proceeding. It would be premature to comment on the relative merits of the P120 and EFA at this stage.

Raf Molesworth

35.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the present state of security at Molesworth.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs) by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement on 1 March 1985 at column 298.

Defence Establishments (Security)

36.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in the light of the case of R. v Rigley and McCarthy, he has taken further measures to ensure the security of establishments where defence equipment is produced.

No special measures have been taken as a result of this case; but we do continuously review security arrangements of companies which have classified defence contracts.

Phantom And Jaguar Aircraft (Replacement)

37.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with the Phantom and Jaguar replacement.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Preston (Mr. Thorne).

Offshore Patrol Vessel Ii Programme

39.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received concerning the future of the offshore patrol vessel II programme.

Three. No decision has been taken yet on whether to order any additional Castle class offshore patrol vessels (OPV II).

Soviet Union (Ss Missiles)

40.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the current types and deployment of SS missiles targeted by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Western Europe.

The situation as at the early part of last year was set out in figure 11 "The Balance of Nuclear Forces" on page 43 of Vol. I of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1984. All those SS missiles shown as longer range INF, shorter range INF and short range forces in Europe would be directed towards Western Europe. In addition, some of the strategic system SS missiles could also be targeted on Western Europe. This data will be revised in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1985.

Crown Proceedings Act

41.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek to amend section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to the right hon. Member for Stoke on Trent, South (Mr. Ashley).

Tornado Aircraft

45.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a further statement on the progress of the deployment of the air defence variant of the Tornado.

The first two Tornado F2s were delivered to RAF Coningsby last year for ground training and familiarisation. Crew training for the operational conversion unit has started at British Aerospace, Warton. The Tornado F2 will enter front-line service next year as planned, although some rephasing of the deployment plan will be necessary as a result of delays during the development of the air intercept radar.

British Army Of The Rhine

47.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he next proposes to review force levels in the British Army of the Rhine.

We stand by our commitment to maintain the strength of BAOR at not less than 55,000 in peace, consistent with our obligations under the Brussels treaty. Within that commitment, the detailed composition of BAOR is under constant review to achieve the optimum and most cost-effective mix of forces.

Nuclear Artillery

48.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has taken steps to include on the agenda of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's nuclear planning group the deployment in Europe of nuclear artillery shells.

Nuclear planning group agendas are confidential.

Reserve Forces (Recruitment)

50.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about recruitment to the reserve forces since March 1984.

With the greater emphasis on the role and importance of the reserve forces, the need to recruit the necessary volunteer reservists is increasingly important.The following is a table showing the intake for the reserves from 31 March 1984 to 31 September 1984.

Volunteer Services Intake—31 March 1984–30 September 1984
Service	Intake	Total Strength as at 30 September 1984
RNR	473	5,226
RMR^*	134	1,047
TA	18,756	71,425
R. Aux AF	342	1,156
RAFVR	7	61
Totals	19,712	78,915
^* RMR figures cover period 31.3.84–31.12.84

Measures to further improve levels of recruitment are currently in hand.

Stockholm Conference

51.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if anyone from his Department has participated in the work of the United Kingdom delegation to the Stockholm conference on security and confidence building in Europe.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe, which was set up under the auspices of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe to discuss confidence and security-building measures in the military field.Staff of the defence arms control unit work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on a day-to-day basis in evaluating reports from and formulating advice to the United Kingdom delegation to CDE. In addition DACU staff occasionally attend sessions of the CDE, and are directly involved in consultations with members of the United Kingdom delegation on visits to London. Two members of the delegation are on secondment from the Ministry of Defence.

Royal Irish Rangers

52.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration has been given to the future disposition of the Royal Irish Rangers.

It is not our policy to comment on future operational deployments. Arrangements for the training of recruits to the Royal Irish Rangers were set out in my answer to the question from my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Colchester, North (Sir A. Buck) on 14 March at column 204.

Airframe Manufacture

53.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he proposes to introduce greater competition to his Department's requirements for airframe manufacture.

Our policy is to procure our defence equipment by competitive means whenever practicable and reasonable.

European Fighter Aircraft

54.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on current international negotiations over the European fighter aircraft project.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Preston (Mr. Thorne).

Defence Equipment (Aish Company)

56.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those items of defence equipment supplied to or on behalf of his Department by the Aish company in each of the last five years.

Over the last five years this company has supplied electrical and electronic equipment to the Ministry and to shipbuilders for installation in warships. The principal items have been:

Main switchboard and switch gear.
Versatile console systems (both consoles and units).

Information on equipment supplied is not readily available on a year by year basis.

Defence Procurement

57.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in introducing greater competition to defence procurement; and if he will make a statement.

Provisional figures indicate that during the 1984 calendar year, over 40 per cent. by value of new headquarters contracts were placed following effective competition between two or more firms. When the value of contract amendments, which comprise a considerable proportion by value of our procurement expenditure, is also taken into account, we would expect the annual figures for the financial year 1984–85 to show a welcome increase of 4 to 5 percentage points over the figures for 1983–84, when 22 per cent. by value of contracts and amendments were placed following effective competition.

Youth Training Scheme

58.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent his Department is participating in the youth training scheme; and what is the annual cost.

There are over 650 young people currently participating in the civilian youth training scheme operating in my Department. Approximately half are in the "Special" YTS operating in Germany for the young dependents of the British forces and civilians serving there. Precise figures relating to the annual cost of running the scheme are not available; however, in a full year based on these numbers, and with "additionality", receipts from the MSC amount to £2 million out of which we pay the trainees' allowances and their college fees, and use the remainder to purchase training equipment and machinery for the use of both the trainees and apprentices in our establishments.The armed services youth training scheme (ASYTS), although running parallel to the civil YTS scheme, is separate from it. The scheme has continued to provide worth while work and training opportunities for young unemployed people. There have so far been some 5,500 applications, of which 1,481 have been accepted, since the commencement of the scheme.The estimated net cost to public funds of the ASYTS for FY 84/85 (April-January) is about £1.4 million.

Defence School Of Music (Deal)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about the siting of a new joint defence school of music in Deal.

We have received six approaches about the siting of the defence school of music at Deal. We have also received a number of representations about the closure of Kneller hall.

Military And Defence Establishments

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the military and defence establishments situated in Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire and, in each case, the numbers of service and civilian personnel stationed or employed in them.

I shall write to the right hon. Gentleman.

Service Personnel (Regulations)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how the regulations of the British armed forces compare and differ from the armed forces of each of the other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states with regard to (a) the active participation of service personnel in public meetings, (b) the writing of letters to the press by service personnel, (c) equal pay for service women and men of the same rank, (d) maternity leave for service women and their right to return to their former jobs in the armed forces after childbirth, and (e) the opening up of all military occupations, including hi-tech and combat roles, to service women on an equal basis with men;(2) how the regulations of the British armed forces compare and differ from the armed forces of each of the other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states

with regard to

(a) the segregation of service women in all-female corps, (b) the legislation on homosexuality for service personnel, (c) the existence of an independent military ombudsman to investigate the individual complaints and grievances of service personnel, and (d) the right of service personnel facing disciplinary charges to have legal representation;

(3) how the regulations of the British armed forces compare and differ from the armed forces of each of the other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states with regard to (a) the active involvement of service personnel in political parties, (b) the active involvement of service personnel in political campaign and pressure groups, (c) the active participation of service personnel in trade unions and their right to take industrial action and (d) the active participation of service personnel in marches and demonstrations.

The information requested for other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states could be provided only at disproportionate time and effort.My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write in response to the various issues as they affect our own services.

Team Spirit 1985

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if any of the British service men in South Korea will be involved in a Team Spirit 1985 manoeuvres.

No British service men are participating in this exercise, although it will be observed by our defence attaché in Seoul.

Falkland Islands

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the opening of the airport at Mount Pleasant on the Falkland Islands will result in a decrease in the numbers of Harriers, Phantoms and Hercules aircraft, and in the numbers of radar operators, aircraft maintenance ground crew and Royal Air Force Regiment personnel based in the Falklands.

As stated in paragraph 448 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1984 (Vol. 1), once the airfield is complete it should be possible to reduce the levels of permanently-stationed forces on the islands. It would not be in the public interest to detail our intentions as to the future make-up of the forces defending the islands.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans Her Majesty's Government have to deploy, for short or long periods, Tornado GR1, Nimrod MR1/2, Buccaneer, Jaguar or Victor/Hercules tanker aircraft to the Falklands.

All the aircraft to which the hon. Member refers could be deployed to the Falkland Islands at short notice, if necessary. It would not be in the public interest to detail our reinforcement plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what the frequency of TriStar and/or VC10 flights will be to the Falklands when Mount Pleasant airport is completed.

We currently expect two or three flights a week to Mount Pleasant airport, depending upon the type of wide-bodied aircraft used and the actual passenger and priority freight requirement.

Space Weapons

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies concerning space weapons.

My right hon. Friend meets his fellow Defence Ministers frequently for discussions on a range of subjects of common interest including the implications of new defence technologies.

Nuclear Testing Area (Wick)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the files relating to the consideration given to an area near Wick as a possible testing area for an atomic device in 1954 have not yet been made available for public inspection; if Her Majesty's Government will now arrange this; and if he will also make arrangements to place a copy in the Library.

In accordance with the normal rules, the file from which was extracted the letter used in evidence at the Australian Royal Commission was not due for public release until 1998. However, the very considerable number of unclassified documents and records which has been released to the Commission is in the process of being made available to the Public Records Office, some of them, such as the letter relating to the consideration given to trials at a location near Wick, in advance of their normal release under the Public Records Act. Because of the number of documents involved, it may take a little time before all the records are publicly available, but I am placing a copy of the letter concerning the area near Wick and other related documents in the Library.

United States Military Hospitals

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any United States National Guards units are earmarked to provide security at United States military hospitals in Britain in wartime

[pursuant to his reply, 18 March 1985, c. 411]: Although detailed information about plans for the security of military establishments in war is classified, I can confirm that, at present, no United States National Guard units are earmarked to provide security at United States military hospitals in Britain in wartime.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether British or United States services are responsible for security at United States Air Force and Navy hospitals in the United Kingdom in wartime

[pursuant to his reply, 18 March 1985, c. 411]: The United States authorities will be responsible for the protection of their own hospitals in the United Kingdom in circumstances beyond the capability of the civil police who have primacy in such matters.

United States Marine Corps (Materials And Supplies)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for the prepositioning of military material and supplies for the United States Marine Corps in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to the reply, 18 March 1985, c. 410]: Arrangements exist but the details are classified.

Practice Bombing Runs

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish figures to show the number of practice bombing runs carried out in each year since 1981 at the air-to-ground weapons ranges at Rosehearty and Cape Wrath; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures into Royal Air Force, United States air force, other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air forces and non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air forces.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 March 1985, c. 409]: The figures are as follows:

	1981	1982	1983	1984
Rosehearty
Royal Air Force	1,190	1,476	1,474	2,346
United States air force	6,669	6,820	4,826	4,626
Other NATO air forces	24	35	4	52
Tain
Royal Air Force	8,305	9,045	8,838	7,051
United States air force	3,486	4,920	3,487	2,246
Other NATO air forces	28	26	8	99
Cape Wrath
Royal Air Force	n/a	^*255	439	438
United States air force	n/a	^*237	123	206
Other NATO air forces	n/a	^*0	0	0
^* From May.
n/a=Not available.

There has been no use of these ranges by non-NATO air forces.

Scotland

Cormorants

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications for licences to kill cormorants were received in 1984; how many were issued; to whom the licences were issued; how many cormorants the licences allowed to be killed; how many cormorants were killed under licence in 1984; and if he will provide the same information for 1985 to date.

Twenty-five applications were received and 25 licences were issued to owners and occupiers of inland salmon and freshwater fisheries and district salmon fishery boards in 1984 for the protection of salmon and trout fisheries. No limits were placed on the number of birds to be killed. A total of 886 cormorants were killed under licence.In the current year 17 applications have been received and 16 licences have been issued. One application is still under consideration. Returns received to date indicate that 45 birds have been killed.Licence applications are treated in confidence, so it would not be appropriate to list the names of the licensees.

Cervical Screening

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the percentage of women aged over 35 and under 35 years, respectively, who have been tested for cervical cancer in each Scottish health board area in the latest year for which figures are available; and in what percentage of cases in each area the test proved positive.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, in 1983 a total of 315,044 smears for cervical cancer were examined by NHS laboratories in Scotland which represented approximately 16 per cent. of women aged 20 and over. An estimated 31 per cent. of women aged 20–34 and 10 per cent. of women aged 35 and over were tested. Of the smears examined, 1,694 or 0·54 per cent. proved positive.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the present arrangements for notifying women in Scotland of the results of smear tests for cervical cancer; and what advice he has given to health boards on this matter.

A report by a working group on cervical cytology services in Scotland, which the Scottish Home and Health Department drew to the attention of health boards on 1 December 1978, specifically advised on the action to be taken on positive, atypical and negative smear test results. The report emphasised that clearly defined procedures should be established to ensure that the appropriate follow up is initiated and co-ordinated. It is for health boards to determine how this advice is implemented in operating the cervical cytology service.

Cervical Cancer

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of women who died in Scotland of cervical cancer 10 years ago, five years ago and in the latest year for which figures are available.

210 in 1974, 224 in 1979 and 224 (provisional figure) in 1984.

Raptores

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of each of the protected raptores; and if their numbers are increasing or declining.

The Scottish Home and Health Department does not keep wild bird population statistics but I am advised by the Nature Conservancy Council that the most recent available estimates for Great Britain are:

	Numbers
Common Buzzard	12,000 pairs	Increasing
Honey Buzzard	4–10 pairs	Stable
Golden Eagle	4–500 pairs	Increasing
Goshawk	70 pairs	Increasing slowly
Marsh Harrier	25 pairs	Increasing
hen Harrier	600 pairs	Stable
Montagu's Harrier	2–9 pairs	Decreasing
Hobby	100–180 pairs	Stable
Kestrel	70,000 pairs	Stable
Merlin	3–400 pairs	Decreasing
Peregrine	8–900 pairs	Increasing
Red Kite	46 pairs	Stable
Sparrowhawk	20,000 pairs	Increasing
Osprey	25–30 pairs	Stable

Separate estimates for Scotland are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions of persons illegally taking eggs from the nests of protected raptores in 1984.

This information is not available.

Housing Finance

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report for each district and islands council in Scotland the net change in housing support grant to be paid in 1985–86 over that paid under the 1984–85 order.

The information is set out in the following table and takes account of the increases in grant under The Housing Support Grant (Scotland) Variation Order 1985.

Net changes in housing support grant from 1984–85 to 1985–86
Authority	£
Berwickshire	-125,322
Ettrick and Lauderdale	-61,775
Roxburgh	-211,268
Tweeddale	—
Clackmannan	—
Falkirk	—
Stirling	—
Annandale and Eskdale	-137,470
Nithsdale	—
Stewartry	-102,328
Wigtown	-155,970
Dunfermline	—
Kirkcaldy	—
North East Fife	-16,878
Aberdeen	-1,857,181
Banff and Buchan	-765,809
Gordon	-403,758
Kincardine and Deeside	-65,948
Moray	-664,971

Authority	£
Badenoch and Strathspey	-47,946
Caithness	-203,813
Inverness	-68,153
Lochaber	+13,191
Nairn	-50,530
Ross and Cromarty	-111,906
Skye and Lochalsh	+22,605
Sutherland	-21,230
East Lothian	-257,795
Edinburgh	—
Midlothian	—
West Lothian	—
Argyll and Bute	-484,862
Bearsden and Milngavie	—
Clydebank	-305,279
Clydesdale	—
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	—
Cumnock and Doon Valley	—
Cunninghame	—
Dumbarton	—
East Kilbride	—
Eastwood	—
Glasgow	-5,436,947
Hamilton	—
Inverclyde	-985,080
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	—
Kyle and Carrick	—
Monklands	-1,710,546
Motherwell	—
Renfrew	—
Strathkelvin	—
Angus	—
Dundee	—
Perth and Kinross	—
Orkney	-59,568
Shetland	-215,054
Western Isles	+114,174

Housing Improvement Grants

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many applications for home improvement grants are currently waiting to be processed by district councils in Scotland;(2) what information he has as to the total number of applicants waiting for housing improvement grants in Inverclyde at the latest date on which figures are available.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Local Authorities (Expenditure)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the total expenditure and of revenue expenditure of local authorities in Scotland is met by domestic, commercial and industrial ratepayers, respectively, in the latest year for which figures are available; and what he estimates these figures will be in the year 1985–86.

Figures based on budget information for 1984–85 contained in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy publication "Rating Review" are set out below. A provisional estimate for 1985–86 has also been provided.

Percentage of total local authority expenditure met by:
	1984–85 per cent.	1985–86 per cent.
Domestic ratepayers	15·9	17·8
Commercial ratepayers	12·7	13·6
Industrial ratepayers	4·9	4·8

Notes:

1. For the purpose of this question, total local authority expenditure is relevant expenditure for rate support grant purposes, including loan charges, total rate fund contributions to the Housing Revenue Account and total rate fund contributions to other non-relevant services.

2. The domestic rate income figure used in the calculations excludes the domestic element of rate support grant.

Broadleaved Woodland

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy that decisions as to the species with which felled broadleaved trees should be replaced should take into account soil suitability and economic factors, including job opportunities, in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Policy proposals for broadleaved woodland are being developed by the Forestry Commission under the broadleaves in Britain review, and the considerations mentioned by my hon. Friend will be taken into account. I expect a statement arising from that review to be made to the House by the summer Recess.

Peterhead Prison

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further progress has been made in the preparation of the architect's brief for the new Peterhead prison; when he anticipates that this brief will be issued; and if he will make a statement.

An outline architect's brief for the new Peterhead prison is nearing completion and should be issued within the next month. The brief will then be developed in consultation with the architects to arrive at sketch plans and a final design. Construction on site is programmed to begin in 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many incidents of unrest at Peterhead prison have been reported to him in the year 1984 and to the latest date in 1985, which involved injuries to prison officers serving in the prison; and if he will make a statement.

The number of incidents at Peterhead prison in 1984 and 1985 to date in which members of prison staff sustained injuries was 19 and 5 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will arrange to visit Peterhead prison to discuss with the governor and representatives of the Prison Officers Association any further action which may be required for additional isolation units and an increase in the number of officers who are employed within the prison.

I have no plans at present to visit Peterhead prison. A senior official from prisons group headquarters has already visited the prison since the recent incident and I have asked my officials to make a further visit to Peterhead to discuss what action may need to be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will investigate the circumstances in which seven prison officers at Peterhead prison recently sustained injuries; and if he will make a statement.

Police investigations have resulted in four prisoners being charged on a number of counts. Until these charges have been disposed of I can make no further comment.

Forestry (Felling Licences)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions in 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1985–86 to date the Forestry Commission consulted the agriculture departments over applications for felling licences to clear woodland for agricultural purposes.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 March 1985, c. 224]: The information is as follows:

	Number of Consultations
Year to 31 March 1983	135
Year to 31 March 1984	185
9 months to 31 December 1984	144

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there are any cases in the last three years when applications for felling licences for conversion of woodlands to agriculture were refused by the Forestry Commission, even though the agriculture department concerned had confirmed that the proposed conversion would make a significant contribution to the viability and economy of the remainder of the agricultural holding, and there were no other objections to the proposed felling from any other authorities consulted.

Name of Property	Area (Hectares)	County/Region
Land at Oxhouse Batch	3·8	Avon
Odell Castle Estate	35·0	Bedfordshire
Bucklebury Manor Estate	84·0	Berkshire
Westrop Wood	22·0	Berkshire
Round Wood	11·0	Buckinghamshire
Lenborough Wood	37·0	Buckinghamshire
Penley Wood	49·0	Buckinghamshire
Land at Wood Park	0·9	Cornwall
Bodithiel Wood (part)	0·3	Cornwall
Low Park	90·0	Cumbria
Heggle Wood	29·0	Cumbria
Sawmill Wood and Francismoor Wood	79·5	Cumbria
Sowerby: Lot 1 Sowerby Wood	110.0	Cumbria
Blacksnib	12·5	Cumbria
Murthwaite	11·7	Cumbria
Hopesike Wood (part) and Sandysike Bends	0·1	Cumbria
High Dale Park Exchange	74·0	Cumbria
Past Monk Wood, Haddon Estate	11·0	Derbyshire
Rousdon	7·0	Devon
Widworthy Wood	37·5	Devon
Wynford Woods (West)	39·5	Dorset
Clifton Wood	80·0	Dorset
Gundrys Inclosure	1·5	Dorset
Crab Coppice	11·7	Dorset
Duncliffe Wood	87·0	Dorset
Bracket's Coppice and Birch Common	30·4	Dorset
Wynford Woods (East)	37·0	Dorset
Powerstock Common	95·0	Dorset
Hardwick Hall Estate:
Hardwick cpt 56	4·7	Durham
Bath	3·5	Durham
Tile Shed and Pheasant	6·2	Durham

[pursuant to his reply, 14 March 1985, c. 224]: There have been no cases of outright refusal in these circumstances but some of the licences have required the replanting of part of the woodland or the planting of an alternative site on the same farm.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions in 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85 to date officials from his department confirmed to the Forestry Commission that a proposal to clearfell a broadleaved woodland and convert it to agriculture would make a significant contribution to the viability and economy of the agricultural holding concerned.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 March 1985, c. 301]: The information which covers all three Agriculture Departments is as follows:

	Number of Occasions
Year to 31 March 1983	36
Year to 31 March 1984	61
9 months to 31 December 1984	12

Forest Estates (Sales)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the forest estates, together with their acreage, which have been sold by the Forestry Commission over the last 12 months.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 March 1985, c. 446]: The properties sold during the 12 months to 21 February 1985, the latest date for which information is available, were as follows:

Name of Property	Area (Hectares)	County/Region
Mordon Wood	3·4	Durham
Cpts 53 and 54 and Brick Kiln	6·7	Durham
Sprucely, Knotty Hill and Dog Kennel	16·0	Durham
Weardale	1 052·5	Durham
Killhope Wheel	13·1	Durham
Weardale compartment 635	7·0	Durham
Newlands Wood and Long Shaw	6·0	East Sussex
Harlow Woods	64·5	Essex
Navestock Estate	53·8	Essex
Waverley Farm (part)	21·5	Gloucestershire
Stanway Estate	158·4	Gloucestershire
Siccaridge Wood	27·7	Gloucestershire
Cowley Woods	71·9	Gloucestershire
Windmill Estate	108·9	Hampshire
Land at Bradley Farm	3·0	Hampshire
Headley Wood	21·5	Hampshire
Headley Farm Woods	31·5	Hampshire
Ham and Bushy Leane Copses	14·0	Hampshire
Stubbs and Berrydown Copse	25·1	Hampshire
Little Leafy Grove	3·5	Hampshire
Wallop Hill Down	21·7	Hampshire
Andover Package	386·0	Hampshire
Ramridge Copse	29·0	Hampshire
Great Covert	82·0	Hampshire
Corehampton Woods	102·0	Hampshire
Weston Common (part)	27·5	Hampshire
Round Wood	2·6	Hampshire
Itchen Row	5·0	Hampshire
Land at Hut Hill Wood	0·1	Hampshire
Wood Norton	33·8	Hereford and Worcestershire
Tiddesley Woods	75·3	Hereford and Worcestershire
Kyre Park (part): The Rookery	7·1	Hereford and Worcestershire
Weethley, Williams and Cowley Woods	84·0	Hereford & Worcestershire and Warwickshire
Blackwater Wood	3·0	Hertfordshire
Deepdale Plantation	33·0	Humberside
Combley Quarr Hill (part):
Elenors Grove	5·6	Isle of Wight
Puckers Copse	14·5	Isle of Wight
Staynes Copse	1·6	Isle of Wight
New Copse	7·6	Isle of Wight
Land at Covet Wood	0·1	Kent
Brook Wood	19·0	Kent
Sharsted Wood and Sharsted Plantation	83·0	Kent
Little Sharsted Wood	6·0	Kent
Longbeech Wood	40·0	Kent
The High Chart	75·0	Kent
Norland and Pierland Wood	35·0	Kent
Doe Wood	2·7	Lancashire
Metheringham Woods	39·4	Lincolnshire
Congham Heath (part)	18·0	Norfolk
Rougham	51·5	Norfolk
Gunton Park (part)	91·5	Norfolk
Foxley Wood	118·0	Norfolk
Spring Wood	19·0	Norfolk
Greenhills Wood	7·0	Norfolk
Bridgham Heath	3·7	Norfolk
Land at Weybourne	4·3	Norfolk
Wishaw	216·0	Northumberland
Lemmington Estate (part)	3·4	Northumberland
Wooley Plantation	8·0	Northumberland
Juniper and Potgate Woods	13·0	North Yorkshire
The Avenue	6·5	North Yorkshire
West Wood	8·5	North Yorkshire
Wragby Wood	21·0	North Yorkshire
Hawkshaw Gill and Clarks Carr Wood	65·4	North Yorkshire
Peep o Day Woods	4·9	North Yorkshire
Southwold	31·5	North Yorkshire
Swinton Estate and President's Wood	459·1	North Yorkshire
Knapton	53·0	North Yorkshire
Leppington Wood	8·6	North Yorkshire
Bishopwood Mainline Diversion	3·3	North Yorkshire
West Moor Plantations	2·9	North Yorkshire
Jackal Wood	6·2	North Yorkshire
Burnt Yates Woods	9·2	North Yorkshire
Sherburn and Butterwick Whins	17·0	North Yorkshire

Name of Property	Area (Hectares)	County/Region
Gotham Hill Wood (part)	32·0	Nottinghamshire
Middleton Stoney Park (part)	51·5	Oxfordshire
Flowercroft Wood (part)	22·0	Oxfordshire
Whitecross Green and Oriel Wood	63·0	Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Mogg Forest	19·0	Shropshire
Burnhill Green Waterworks	0·2	Shropshire
Boons and Bullers Copse	3·8	Somerset
Land at Silkstone	1·0	South Yorkshire
Swinston Hill Wood	20·0	South Yorkshire
Cuthbright Wood	11·0	South Yorkshire
Loscar Wood	16·0	South Yorkshire
Lowe Wood, Wentworth	17·8	South Yorkshire
Enville Estate (The Million)	230·2	Staffordshire
Northfield Wood	33·0	Suffolk
Bruisyard Wood	50·0	Suffolk
Land at Padley Water	4·6	Suffolk
Ledgers Park—Holt Wood	26·0	Surrey
Quornden Wood	13·0	Surrey
Barrow Green Court	36·5	Surrey
Ford Manor Estate:
Middleroom Wood (part) and Coalheath (part)	18·5	Surrey and Kent
Burnpit Wood (part) and Pond	5·5	Surrey and Kent
Bowshott Wood (part)	7·5	Surrey and Kent
Bidbury Wood (part)	2·0	Surrey and Kent
Old Furzefield Wood (part)	6·0	Surrey and Kent
Hartshill Hayes	47·0	Warwickshire
Southwater	142·5	West Sussex
Brinsbury Estate (part)	18·0	West Sussex
Woodshill	38·0	West Sussex
Land at Wildham	1·2	West Sussex
Land at Tullecombe	0·8	West Sussex
Browsholme Estate	47·0	West Yorkshire
Land Girl and Thornhills	24·0	Wiltshire
Hanging Wood and Basin Covert	9·4	Wiltshire
Bentley Wood	735·0	Wiltshire
Sheephouse Wood	6·0	Borders
Whitslade (part)	1·2	Borders
Penmanshiel Road Diversion	1·5	Borders
Land at Eshiels	2·2	Borders
Cockburndean	13·0	Borders
Rachan West (part)	11·8	Borders
Spottiswoode (part)	4·9	Borders
Trabrownhill and Whitlaw Plantation	20·3	Borders
Pilmuir and Dipper Woods	30·9	Borders
Kinnel	115·0	Central
School Wood	5·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Bargaly (part)	2·6	Dumfries and Galloway
Strathmilligan	28·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Barend Wood	15·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Dalskairth (East)	8·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Crossford	16·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Caitloch	26·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Clonyard	12·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Lochnaw (part)	5·8	Dumfries and Galloway
Barrhill, Mainhill and Whitelhill	19·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Land at Ruttonside	11·3	Dumfries and Galloway
Auchengibbert	35·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Townhead of Glengaber	70·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Glenmaid	10·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Craigieland Wood (part)	1·3	Dumfries and Galloway
Kirkland (part)	1·3	Dumfries and Galloway
Land adjoining Sheep Park Lodge, Barnbarroch	0·3	Dumfries and Galloway
Shaw Rig	22·0	Dumfries and Galloway
Luscar Dean (part) and Quarry Wood	13·5	Fife
East Wemyss, North Wood	57·0	Fife
Rough Park	32·0	Fife
Goat Quarry II	13·3	Fife
Easter Clune	94·5	Grampian
Road Improvement at Tyrebagger	1·3	Grampian
Castlehill (part)	8·7	Grampian
Gordon Castle (part)	12·0	Grampian
Craighill	9·0	Grampian
C 25 Alves—Burghead Road Improvement	0·5	Grampian
Tollohill (part)	19·4	Grampian

Name of Property	Area (Hectares)	County/Region
Land at B9136	0·5	Grampian
Drumgoudrum	73·4	Grampian
Stonehaven By-pass	13·8	Grampian
Drumtochty Glen (part)	3·2	Grampian
Navidale	65·0	Highland
Laggan Locks	0·8	Highland
Roshven East	116·0	Highland
Roshven West	114·0	Highland
Dunnet Plantation	103·0	Highland
Craggie	48·0	Highland
South Strathy (part)	940·0	Highland
Tore and Glackmore (part)	22·3	Highland
Clunie Plantation (East)	17·0	Highland
Achandunie Wood (part)	5·5	Highland
Land at Shin Falls	0·6	Highland
Sandside Estate North	25·0	Highland
Boundary Adjustment at Ault-na-Goire	1·4	Highland
Langwell Plantation	117·0	Highland
Lawhead	5·8	Lothian
Archerfield/Muirfield (part)	114·0	Lothian
Drumshoreland South	18·0	Lothian
Muirfield (part) (Jamies Neuk)	22·0	Lothian
Wakenway	6·0	Lothian
Cousland	14·0	Lothian
Carfin	36·0	Strathclyde
Church Plantation	2·5	Strathclyde
Carmacoup and Penbreck	1,562·0	Strathclyde
Rosneath (North)	484·0	Strathclyde
Laggish and Dochroyal	167·1	Strathclyde
Howgate	188·0	Strathclyde
Dungavel Plantation	1,311·5	Strathclyde
Lesserlinn	8·0	Strathclyde
Achnacarron and Fanans	230·5	Strathclyde
Loch Sween Woodlands:
Lots 1 and 3	23·5	Strathclyde
Sundale (part)	25·5	Strathclyde
Blarchaorain and lag Na Luinge (part)	25·0	Strathclyde
Millbrae (part)	0·1	Strathclyde
Kilmichael Beg (pan)	36·4	Strathclyde
A83 Castleton Road Improvement	1·0	Strathclyde
Sightline Clearance at Kilmichael Beg	0·5	Strathclyde
Rosneath South Package (part)	7·0	Strathclyde
Barr Fam (part)	4·0	Strathclyde
Fordie (part)	31·0	Tayside
Redgorton (Pitmutchly)	12·0	Tayside
Denmarkfield North and South	10·5	Tayside
Glassie Hill Exchange	28·0	Tayside
Tamano Wood	14·0	Tayside
Ardtrostan and Gleann Ghoinean	158·5	Tayside
West Shurrach	4·0	Tayside
Kippen Hill	13·2	Tayside
Muir of Holm	27·7	Tayside
Pont y Meibion	2·0	Clwyd
Ty Cerrig Wood	7·0	Clwyd
Gop Hill (part)	19·5	Clwyd
Blaen-y-Cwm Wood	1·4	Clwyd
Middle Blaen-y-Cwm	0·3	Clwyd
Lower Blaen-y-Cwm	3·0	Clwyd
Ochr-y-Fron	18·5	Clwyd
Coed-y-Moelfre	16·0	Clwyd
Coed yr Ynys	6·0	Clwyd
Coed Maes Robert	6·0	Clwyd
Church Wood	7·0	Clwyd
Bod Hamer	1·0	Clwyd
Ty'n-y-ffynnon	1·0	Clwyd
Ty Gwyn (part)	9·4	Dyfed
Glanmarlais and Cwn Marlais (part)	10·0	Dyfed
Banc Fronllwyd (part)	0·1	Dyfed
Plantations near Lampeter (Caeo/Brechfa Package): Lot 7	26·5	Dyfed
Cilrhedyn Uchaf	4·5	Dyfed
Banc Grip (part)	5·2	Dyfed
Flynnon Ddu Wood	27·0	Dyfed
Tegfan	2·9	Dyfed
Allt Llwyd Plantation	8·9	Dyfed

Name of Property	Are a (Hectares)	County/Region
Allt Goch South (part)	0·6	Dyfed
Tintern Package (part):
Lot 3 Yew Tree Wood	6·0	Gwent
Lot 8 Highmeadow Wood	61·0	Gwent
Lot 11 Colebrook Wood	7·5	Gwent
Lot 5 Lower Pen-y-Clawdd	24·0	Gwent
Tal-y-Coed Court Woods (part)	0·4	Gwent
Pontypool Park Exchange	19·5	Gwent
Tal-y-Coed Court Woods (part)	0·2	Gwent
Barbadoes Wood	2·0	Gwent
Rogiett Brake	4·0	Gwent
Youngs Grove	1·3	Gwent
Bangor By-pass	1·9	Gwynedd
Bedw (part)	47·7	Gwynedd
Penbryn Piogod	1·8	Gwynedd
Coed Bryn Goleu	4·7	Gwynedd
Coed Cae Fali (part)	63·2	Gwynedd
Taldrwst	46·9	Gwynedd
Coed Fron Goch	6·5	Gwynedd
Coed Tyn-y-nant	4·4	Gwynedd
Cefn-Llech	2·9	Gwynedd
Coed Craflwyn	5·3	Gwynedd
Bwlch y Gwynt	8·5	Gwynedd
Coed-y-brain	10·4	Gwynedd
Coed Maenan and Coed Bryn-rhudd	21·6	Gwynedd
Cae Goch	1·0	Gwynedd
Cwn Mynach Isaf	190·2	Gwynedd
Coed Pen y Cefn	16·1	Gwynedd
Tyddyn mawr	2·6	Gwynedd
Land adj Fridd Bryn Coch	0·8	Gwynedd
Bryn Eisteddfod Woods	21·0	Gwynedd
Coed Bron Garth	5·4	Gwynedd
Aberglaslyn Wood	28·0	Gwynedd
Coed Pen y Bryn	2·9	Gwynedd
Coed Nant y Rhiw Felen	10·8	Gwynedd
Coed Fron Acre	5·7	Gwynedd
Coed y Garth	4·4	Gwynedd
Plas Bodafon (part)	4·0	Gwynedd
Caerhun (part)	1·3	Gwynedd
Hafod-y-morfa	0·1	Gwynedd
Ffridd-y-mynydd	31·5	Gwynedd
Coed-y-bedw	16·0	Mid Glamorgan
Gwarallt Wood	15·0	Powys
Robins Bank	3·9	Powys
Glangwesyn (part)	9·0	Powys
Lluast (part)	2·7	Powys
Banhadlog Hall	6·3	Powys
Penpontbren (part)	13·8	Powys
Pentrenant Dingle	9·5	Powys
Hay Package (part):
Lot 7 Burnt House Wood	1·5	Powys
Lot 18 Lloyney Dingle	5·0	Powys
Lot 9 Wern Frank (part)	6·0	Powys
Lot 20 Cpt 146	3·0	Powys
Lot 10 Cpt 122	7·0	Powys
Lot 14 Coed Mawr (part)	6·5	Powys
Lot 15 Coed Mawr (part)	12·0	Powys
Lot 21 Bettws Dingle (part)	16·0	Powys
Penybanc Wood	7·8	Powys
Pen-y-garn goch	65·0	Powys
Esgair Gronwen Plantation	3·6	Powys
Tylwch Wood	26·1	Powys
Coed Neuadd	3·7	Powys
Coed Erw Ddol	6·0	Powys
Coed Ty-canol	4·2	Powys
Pencae	6·0	Powys
Hendre Ladis	29·0	Powys
Llanfechan Wood	10·0	Powys
Brycheiniog Main Block	634·0	Powys
Allt Fawr	20·5	Powys
Sugar Loaf	87·5	Powys
Tair Onen Package (part):
Lot 1 Coed Breigau	10·0	South Glamorgan
Lot 5 Hill Farm (part)	2·0	South Glamorgan
Coed Pen-y-ffordd Fawr	7·0	South Glamorgan

Public Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will publish a table, otherwise identical to page 51 of "Public Expenditure in 1987–88: A Commentary on the Scottish Programme", but expressed in (a) cost terms and (b) volume terms and showing percentage changes over 1978–79;

Programme: 15.5: Housing	£ million: Constant Prices
	1978–79	1979–80	% of 78–79	1980–81	% of 78–79	1981–82	% of 78–79	1982–83	% of 78–79	1983–84	% of 78–79	1984–85	% of 78–79	1985–86	% of 78–79	1986–87	% of 78–79	1987–88	% of 78–79
Current Expenditure
General subsidies
Central government subsidies to LA housing	262	309		279		180		110		72		60
Rate fund contributions to LA housing	93	106		100		119		129		123		103
Subsidies to new towns	46	44		40		36		33		33		32
Subsidies to Scottish Special housing Association	46	45		38		29		27		23		22
Housing association revenue deficit grants	3	3		2		2		1		1		1
Grant in aid to Housing Corporation	2	1		1		1		1		2		2
Total General Subsidies	452	510	113	462	102	367	81	302	67	253	56	219	48	180	40
Administration
Central government	—	—		0		0		0		0		0
Local authorities	2	1		1		1		2		3		3
Total Current Expenditure	453	511	113	463	102	369	81	304	67	255	56	221	49	183	40
Capital Expenditure
Local authority gross expenditure
Land	10	4		4		4		4		5		6
New dwellings	132	125		107		73		70		69		98
Improvement Investment	190	202		178		185		188		215		143
Other	14	19		16		19		23		21		19
Improvement grants	15	22		24		36		67		178		136
Gross lending to private persons for house purchase and improvements	30	39		32		23		27		10		11
Loans and grants to housing associations	10	7		9		8		11		9		10
Total local authority gross expenditure	411	420	102	367	89	351	85	379	92	506	123	422	103	371	90
New towns gross investment
Land	2	0		0		1		0		1		1
New dwellings	51	42		43		30		23		15		10
Improvements	—	—		—		10		7		10		14
Total new towns gross investment	53	42	79	43	81	40	75	31	58	26	49	24	45	19	36
Scottish Special housing Association gross investment
Land	2	4		1		1		3		0		1
New dwellings	34	32		38		24		17		10		15
Acquisition	2	0		7		0		1		—		—
Improvements	19	26		20		23		42		42		32
Total SSHA gross investment	56	62	111	66	118	49	88	63	113	52	93	48	86	46	82
Housing Corporation schemes loans and grants to housing associations
Gross	53	71		81		184		215		224		200
Repayments	—	-1		-2		-90		-106		-130		-115
Total housing corporation	53	70	132	77	145	94	177	109	206	94	177	86	162	83	157
Other capital expenditure
Savings bonus and loans scheme for first time purchasers (loans net)
Grants to first time purchasers
Sales and repayments (Land and dwellings)
Local authorities	-8	-15		-36		-76		-112		-136		-118
New towns	-10	-22		-15		-18		-17		-22		-14
Scottish Special Housing Association	—	—		-20		-19		-20		-30		-17
Associated lending (local authorities)	—	3		11		17		14		9		10
Associated lending (new towns)	5	15		7		12		0		-2		2
Associated lending (Scottish Special Housing Association)	—	—		9		8		3		0		4
Repayments (local authorities)	-2	0		0		0		-2		-5		-3
Repayments (new towns)	-2	-1		-1		-2		-3		-4		-2
Repayments (SSHA)	—	—		0		0		-2		-9		-4
Repayments of loans to private persons for house purchase and improvements	-20	-15		-15		-19		-22		-22		-19
Repayments of loans to housing associations	-2	-1		-1		-2		-1		-1		-1
Total sales and repayments	-39	-36	92	-60	154	-99	254	-162	415	-222	569	-163	418	-155	397
Total capital expenditure (net)	533	555	104	495	93	434	81	420	79	457	86	417	78	364	68
Total Programme	985	1,066	108	958	97	804	82	725	74	712	72	639	65	548	56	546	55	550	56

Note: GDP deflator applied (1983–84 base year). Figures in the table, owing to rounding, do not necessarily sum to their totals.

(2) if he will publish a table, otherwise identical to page 51 of "Public Expenditure in 1987–88: A Commentary on the Scottish Programme", but expressed in (a) cost terms and (b) volume terms.

[pursuant to the reply, 21 March 1985, c. 608–9]: There follows a table in cost terms, which includes percentage changes over 1978–79 for the programme as a whole and the main sub-totals within the programme. Since public expenditure is now planned in cash, the information needed to construct volume figures is no longer collected comprehensively.

Volume 76: debated on Tuesday 26 March 1985

Written Answers To Questions

Overseas Development

Overseas Aid

Redundant Mineworkers

Nuclear Reactors

Attorney-General

Social Security Commissioner (Appeals)

Energy

Energy Prices

Coal Industry Dispute

Transport

Railways (Electrification)

Marine Pilotage

In-Car Telephones

Mot Testing Scheme (Examiners)

Prime Minister

Civil Service (Pay)

Franks Committee

Mr Chernenko (Funeral)

Research (Code Of Conduct)

Engagements

Mr Peter Levene

Education And Science

University Students

Teachers (Pay)

Further And Higher Education (Science Facilities)

Research Councils

A And O-Level Passes

Food Standards

Pupil-Teacher Ratios

Animals (Experiments)

Education Expenditure

Youth Service Policy

Pupils (Statistics)

Home Department

Philip Trusty And Alan Chard (Trial Evidence Review)

Prisoners (Razor Blades)

British Union Of The Abolition Of Vivisection

Drunkenness (Statistics)

Coal Industry Dispute

Probation Centres

Leeds Prison

After-Care Grant Scheme

Prisoners (Segregation)

Crime Statistics

Immigration

Northern Ireland

Roadworks (Carrickfergus)

Labour Statistics

Social Security Offices

Supplementary Benefit

Women Prisoners (Armagh)

Trade And Industry

Industrial Activity (Merseyside)

Redditch

Ec (Spain And Portugal)

Laser Technology

Mineral Exploration

Ec (Anti-Dumping Procedures)

Ec (Steel Industries)

Wales

Household Statistics

Council Houses (New Tenants)

Health Authorities (Members' Overseas Trips)

Roads (Construction Programmes)

Solicitor-General For Scotland

Procurator Fiscal, Peterhead

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Arms Talks

Chemical Weapons

Employment

Labour Statistics

Youth Training Scheme

"Noise And The Worker"

Hairdressing (Self-Employment Grants)

Budget Changes

Secret Ballots

Coal Industry