asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which parts of the programme of the Commission of the European Economic Community for 1985 Her Majesty's Government agree; and with which they disagree.

Copies of the Commission's programme, which is primarily designed to inform the European Parliament of the Commission's plans for its first year in office, have been placed in the Library of the House.The programme contains much which coincides with our own priorities, for example:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy towards the proposed election of the President of the European Commission by all voters in European Community member states.

We are not aware of any proposal of this kind. The treaties provide that the members of the Commission (including the President) are appointed by common accord of the member states' Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy towards greater political and economic co-operation between European Community member states and towards eventual European union.

We wish to see greater European unity brought about in practical ways, including concerted action in the political co-operation framework; completion of the common market for goods and services; and institutional development. Our detailed ideas were set out in "Europe—The Future", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list his Department's principal achievements since 1979; and if he will list separately the achievements with respect to overseas development.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Murphy) on 18 May 1984. at columns 289–90. Since then the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has continued to make a significant and useful contribution towards the promotion of British and Western interests overseas. There have been several notable achievements during the past 10 months.In NATO, we continued to work with our transatlantic and European allies to maintain peace and strengthen the Alliance. The Alliance's firmness of purpose in pursuin consistent defence and arms control policies has been instrumental in persuading the Russians to return to the negotiating table. Particular attention has been paid to strengthening the European contribution to NATO, and we have supported the reactivation of the Western European Union and greater European collaboration on arms procurement. We have also played a leading role in efforts to achieve a comprehensive ban on chemical weapons.Together with our Western allies and partners, we have worked to promote a more constructive relationship between the West and the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Mr. Gorbachev's visit to the United Kingdom in December, and the discussions which my right hon. and learned Friend had with the Foreign Ministers of the Soviet Union, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, have contributed to that process.We have played a significant role in strengthening the internal and external policies of the European Community. Notable achievements in 1984 were the settlement at Fontainebleau including an abatement in 1984 of £600 million of the United Kingdom contribution to the Community budget and an agreement under which future contributions will be reduced by about half; agreement on the control of Community expenditure, particularly agriculture expenditure; progress in negotiations to enable Spain and Portugal to join the Community on terms acceptable to the United Kingdom; and the priority now being given within the Community to bringing about a full common market in Europe.Substantial progress has been made on some of the outstanding problems affecting Britain's remaining dependent territories. The successful negotiation with the Chinese Government of an agreement on the future of Hong Kong has provided an excellent framework for the future prosperity and stability of the territory. This has been welcomed by the international community as a major achievement for British diplomacy. Spain has lifted restrictions on Gibraltar in conformity with the Lisbon statement of 1980. In this connection we have made clear our commitment to honour the wishes of the people of Gibraltar. We have continued to honour our responsibilities to the other dependent territories, including in particular to the people of the Falkland Islands.We have continued to take active steps to promote stability and democratic values in many developing countries including the strengthening of political, economic and cultural links, and the provision of military training assistance. We have worked with like-minded Governments for peaceful solutions in areas of international tension, such as the middle east, Afghanistan, Southern Africa and Central America. We have continued to play a constructive role in the United Nations and to participate in United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus and Sinai. We have participated actively with Commonwealth partners in discussion of the special needs of small states and have maintained contingents in Belize and Brunei. We have also worked closely with our allies on measures to thwart terrorism through effective international co-operation.At the London economic summit, participants reached a large measure of agreement on basic economic objectives, including a 10-point programme for future action. This recognised the needs of developing countries, provided a framework for action on international indebtedness, and looked forward to further trade liberalisation.Those achievements have been secured despite a continuing increase in the workload of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and reductions in its manpower of about 10 per cent. over the last five years. This reflects an increasingly efficient and cost-effective performance by the Diplomatic Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received regarding diplomatic recognition of Bophuthatswana by Her Majesty's Government; and if he will make a statement.

In the past 12 months we have answered two parliamentary questions and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has answered three letters from members of the public. It remains our position that Bophuthatswana does not meet our criteria for recognition as an independent state.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the Government's intentions with regard to advanced supplementary level examinations; and if he will make a statement.

The White Paper "Better Schools" (Cmnd. 9469), published yesterday, announces the Government's decision that advanced supplementary (AS) level examinations should be introduced on broadly the lines proposed in the consultative paper of May 1984, with adjustments to take account of comments received on those proposals. The first courses will begin in September 1987, and the first examinations will be held in summer 1989.I am writing to the chairman of the Secondary Examinations Council setting out the background to the Government's decision and giving more details of it; and to the convenor of the GCE boards inviting the boards to prepare syllabuses in consultation with those concerned. Copies of my letters will be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the cost per pupil for rate support grant purposes in Nottinghamshire for (a) primary, (b) secondary under 16 years and (c) secondary over 16 years, in the current and projected financial years; what are the highest, lowest and average costs in these three categories nationally; and what added percentage should be allowed for building maintenance and central establishment costs, to establish the total cost of education in the maintained sector.

The unit grant-related expenditure associated with pupils in each age group is as follows:

	1984–85	1985–86
	5–10 (Primary)	£ cash
Nottinghamshire	845	943
Highest (Brent)	1,051	1,174
Lowest (Stockport)	804	897
Average	863	963
	11–15
	(Secondary)	£ cash
Nottinghamshire	1,073	1,155
Highest (Brent)	1,344	1,448
Lowest (Stockport)	1,027	1,107
Average	1,094	1178
	16+
	(Secondary)	£ cash
Nottinghamshire	1,778	1,872
Highest (Newham)	1,927	2,052
Lowest (Stockport)	1,732	1,818
Average	1,795	1,888

The grant-related expenditure assessed by the Government includes allowance for the costs of special schools; central administration; school transport; child guidance; pupil support; and for current expenditure on buildings maintenance. It does not include the cost of school meals and milk, or of the revenue consequences of capital expenditure which are dealt with separately in GREs. An addition of some 13 per cent. to the figures above for these two items would give the total cost of education in the maintained sector as assessed by the Government.

asked the Secretary for Education and Science if he will give the entry qualifications to start a course as a state registered chiropodist; what is the length of time studied for such a course; if he will place in the Official Report the time given to theoretical and practical studies; and if he will make a statement on the possibility of giving graduate status for such students.

The normal entrance requirements for courses leading to state registration as a chiropodist consist of five GCE passes, including one in English language, and one in a science subject, and of which two should be at advanced level. Courses are of three years duration. An average of about 40 per cent. of course time is devoted to practical clinical work and the remainder to theoretical work. Applications for degree courses within the

	Infant classes in primary schools		Nursery schools and classes
	Number of pupils	Percentage of 3 and 4-year-old population	Number of pupils	Percentage of 3 and 4-year-old population
Barking	1,291	34	1,339	35
Barnet	1,875	27	2,229	31
Bexley	805	15	592	11
Brent	1,950	30	2,277	35
Bromley	1,017	15	120	2
Croydon	2,477	31	608	8
Ealing	974	13	2,762	36
Enfield	1,977	31	1,372	21
Haringey	1,563	32	2,209	45
Harrow	657	13	809	16
Havering	1,822	31	236	4
Hillingdon	1,123	19	2,586	43
Hounslow	385	7	3,221	60
Kingston-upon-Thames	758	24	916	30
Merton	888	22	1,619	42
Newham	840	13	3,634	60
Redbridge	776	14	463	9
Richmond-upon-Thames	948	26	594	17
Sutton	48	1	624	15
Waltham Forest	1,024	18	2,287	39
Inner London	7,680	14	20,779	40
Birmingham	8,546	32	7,746	28
Coventry	2,519	31	1,901	23
Dudley	970	13	1,951	25
Sandwell	2,474	31	3,088	39
Solihull	1,558	33	1,206	25
Walsall	2,366	33	3,941	56
Wolverhampton	1,072	16	3,753	56
Knowsley	1,164	22	1,444	28
Liverpool	3,897	31	5,630	45
St. Helens	1,653	33	954	19
Sefton	2,230	31	2,019	28
Wirral	2,586	29	1,552	17
Bolton	2,209	29	2,415	33
Bury	1,391	30	832	18
Manchester	1,969	17	5,834	52
Oldham	1,997	32	1,779	28
Rochdale	1,907	30	1,749	28
Salford	1,851	31	2,894	49
Stockport	2,321	32	962	12
Tameside	1,784	32	2,240	39
Trafford	341	6	588	11
Wigan	2,726	32	1,925	23
Barnsley	1,009	18	2,722	49
Doncaster	2,387	31	2,964	38

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will state for each local authority in England and Wales the number of pupils under five years of age in infant classes in primary schools in January 1985; and what is this number as a proportion of the population of three and four-year-olds in each relevant local education authority area;(2) if he will state, for each local authority in England and Wales, the number of full-time and part-time pupils in nursery schools and nursery classes in January 1985; and what is this number as a proportion of the population of three and four-year-olds in each relevant local education authority area.

Information for January 1985 is not available. The information requested for nursery and primary schools in England in January 1984 is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the functions of, and the staffing resources available to, the new youth service unit; and if he will make a statement.

The unit will be responsible for advising Ministers on youth service policy issues, including the allocation of the grants made direct by the Department in this field. Six and a half members of the Department's staff, in full-time equivalent terms, have direct responsibility for these youth service matters, and these will form the staff of the new unit. In addition, Her Majesty's Inspectorate is involved with youth service matters and other staff within the Department have separate responsibilities directly relevant to the youth service including, for example, arrangements for youth exchanges and vocational education for young people. The new unit will have access to the full range of the Department's supporting services. I believe that it will be helpful to those outside the Department in the youth service field to know that there is a specific unit dealing with their concerns.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the present system of hotel classification; and if there are any plans to change that system.

The English Tourist Board has been asked to examine ways of strengthening its voluntary registration and classification scheme for hotels to make it a more effective weapon against inadequate standards. A new scheme providing for verification of standards and a simplified classification system has been agreed with the other statutory tourist boards and is currently under discussion with trade and consumer interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the prospects of trade with the United States of America.

There are excellent prospects for a further substantial increase in our exports to the United States in 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has had any consultation on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report "The Sisyphus Syndrome"; and if he will make a statement.

No. The report was commissioned by the OECD secretariat to help it to assemble background information for work on trade in high technology and it has not been distributed to OECD member Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what effects he forecasts for manufacturing industries for 1985–86 arising from the Budget.

Manufacturing industry has been fully participating in the recovery of the economy. I have no doubt that the Budget will benefit manufacturing industry as well as other sectors of business.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the most recent figure for output in manufacturing industry; and how this compares with the figure for the same month five years ago.

For the three months ended January 1985 the index of production for manufacturing industry was 101, based on 1980 equal to 100, 8 per cent. lower than its value in the three months ended January 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of grants and loans made through the English Tourist Board are granted to the north of England.

Approximately one third of all offers made by the English Tourist Board in 1984–85 under section 4 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 have been to projects in the north of England. I shall write to my hon. Friend with more details.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of public purchasing policy on the efficient operation of market forces.

The Government's policy is that contracts should be let as the result of competition wherever possible so that the opportunities presented by public sector business are open to a wide range of potential suppliers. The Treasury guidelines encourage an effective dialogue between purchasers and suppliers so that decision-taking on both sides is better informed; and the use of performance specifications rather than detailed designs so that suppliers can offer alternative solutions which take into account the potential for sales in other markets. Steps have been taken to improve small firms' access to Government contracts. In these ways public purchasing policy contributes to the efficient operation of market forces and obtains better value for money. The Cabinet Office (MPO) report on "Government Purchasing", published in December 1984, makes a number of recommendations to strengthen the application of policy in these respects.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factors other than the need for competition he takes into account in deciding whether a proposed takeover or merger might act against the public interest or whether to refer any such case to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

In making decisions on merger references to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the Secretary of State takes into account the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading and all relevant information available to him. It is for the commission to determine once a reference has been made, whether a merger might be expected to operate against the public interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the staffing, funding and responsibilities of the British National Space Centre.

There is nothing I can add at present to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend on 4 February.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received about the effects of the Government's inward investment policy.

The number of representations received by my Department about the effects of the Government's inward investment policy is not recorded. However, I can assure my hon. Friend that the Government receive widespread support for their policy of encouraging foreign companies to invest in the United Kingdom when their investment would be of net benefit to the United Kingdom economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is yet in a position to announce his decision as to whether he will refer the offer by the Al Fayed family for the House of Fraser to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend announced on 14 March 1985 that he had decided, in accordance with the recommendation of the Director General of Fair Trading, not to refer the proposed acquisition of House of Fraser plc by Alfayed Investment Holdings plc to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce a decision arising out of the range of options presented to him by the chairman of the British Steel Corporation and relating to the future conduct of the business.

The opportunity for the corporation to undertake the review of its strategic plan has been delayed until very recently by the uncertainty created by the miners' dispute. It is too early at this stage to say what the outcome of this process will be.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the 43·7 per cent. tariff imposed on products from Brother Industries by the European Economic Community (document No. 3643/84 of 20 December 1984).

On 20 Decemmber 1984, the Commission announced the imposition of provisional antidumping duties against electronic typewriters originating in Japan, falling within sub-heading ex 84.51A of the common customs tariff. The rate of duty varied according to the exporter: in the case of Brother Industries it was 43·7 per cent. This followed an investigation by the Commission under EC regulation 2176/84 which showed that these imports were being dumped and were causing injury on the Community market. The duties will last initially for up to four months. They are likely to be extended for a further two months, after which a decision must be made regarding a definitive remedy.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with his European Economic Community counterparts on a new general agreement on tariffs and trade round.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary reported to the House on 25 March that the EC Foreign Affairs Council of 17–21 March had considered, inter alia, the Community position on a new GATT round. I attended the discussion of this topic between the Trade Ministers of the Ten. The Community declared its readiness to participate in the launching of a new round, subject to the establishment of an adequate prior international consensus on objectives, participation and timing.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by how much productivity has increased in each nationalised industry for which he is responsible within the manufacturing sector since the end of 1980.

The industries in question are the British Steel Corporation and British Shipbuilders. In the British Steel Corporation, productivity has improved from 14·5 man-hours per tonne of liquid steel in 1980–81 to the current level of 6·9 man-hours per tonne in the third quarter of 1984. In the case of British Shipbuilders, productivity is difficult to measure, but there are indications that, after a period of low work load and correspondingly low productivity, it is now improving.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to assist with the rehabilitation of companies in financial difficulties.

Generally, the market is the best judge of prospects for companies in financial difficulties. But I am anxious to see that satisfactory procedures exist to enable the affairs of a company facing a financial crisis to be placed in the hands of an independent expert who will be able to pursue a programme for the rescue or reorganisation of the company's business. This is why the Government have incorporated in the Insolvency Bill the company administration procedure which it was recommended should be established by the review committee on insolvency law and practice.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received following the publication of his design for design policy document.

The publication of the policy document, "Design for Design: a Framework for Action", has attracted comments from representative bodies and individuals which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary will take fully into account in his deliberations about future priorities and initiatives. The vast majority welcomed this policy statement, and requests for the document have been received from many parts of the world.A design strategy group was established to consider the most effective ways of meeting the objectives described in the document. The group has produced a constructive report, which we have welcomed, and my hon. Friend is now considering its recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the balance of trade with eastern Europe.

Provisional statistics for 1984 show that the United Kingdom had a deficit of £333 million in its trade with eastern Europe, excluding the Soviet Union. The deficit in 1983 was £70 million. Exports increased from £501 million to £568 million while imports rose from £571 million to £902 million. Just over three quarters of the deficit was incurred on fuels, mainly petroleum and petroleum products.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that the criteria for regional assistance take sufficient account of unemployment black spots.

The current assisted areas map, like its predecessor, is based on travel-to-work areas. As the closest available approximations to self-contained labour markets covering the whole country, these are both the most sensible basis for a policy aimed at encouraging additional employment opportunities in areas where they are most needed and the fairest way of making nationwide comparisons of areas' relative needs for such additional jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he expects to see an increase in trade with Brazil in the next financial year.

There is considerable scope for improvement in our bilateral trade with Brazil.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made as to the extent to which the arts and heritage act as a draw for tourism into the United Kingdom.

There is no doubt that Britain's arts and heritage are a major attraction for overseas visitors. While it is difficult to provide a definitive assessment, the British Tourist Authority's 1984 overseas visitors survey reveals, for example, that around two thirds of our overseas visitors had visited historic towns and churches during their stay and around one third had visited art galleries.Last year the British Tourist Authority adopted Britain's heritage as its central theme for promoting tourism to Britain under the banner "Heritage 84." A record number of overseas visitors came to Britain last year — 11 per cent more than the previous record in 1983. This successful theme is being continued during 1985 with special reference to the 500th anniversary of the Tudor dynasty. The BTA will be drawing attention to a wide variety of arts and heritge attractions throughout the country in its promotional campaigns overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what studies have been undertaken by his Department on the effects of the tourist industry on employment.

Economists in my Department have carried out a detailed study to produce estimates of total employment supported directly and indirectly by tourism spending. Provisional results from the study show that around 1 million jobs were supported by tourism spending in 1983. The final results of the study are expected to be available shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the arrangements for the signposting of tourist destinations.

My Department is in regular contact with the Department of Transport, which has responsibility for signposting matters, about ways in which the signposting of tourist attractions and facilities might be improved. I particularly welcome the tourism signposting experiments which are taking place in Kent and Nottinghamshire with the co-operation of the Secretary of state for Transport, and I very much hope that these will in due course lead to the introduction of more effective tourism signposting arrangements at national level.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives have been taken by his Department to improve the marketing abroad of areas of the United Kingdom outside London.

My Department encourages tourism to Britain through the work of the British Tourist Authority. One of the BTA's objectives is to give emphasis to Scotland, Wales and the regions of England in order to increase the extent of travel by overseas tourists throughout Britain. In its overseas promotional campaigns the BTA features a wide variety of tourist attractions throughout the country. It produces material covering particular regions in association with the English regional tourist boards and the national boards for Scotland and Wales. It co-operates with commercial interests in the regions through joint marketing schemes and representation at exhibitions and trade fairs abroad, and it is active in promoting conference centres in overseas markets around Britain, including Bournemouth.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has for the promotion of the publishing industry.

I have no specific plans for promoting the publishing industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with progress within the European Economic Community on the harmonisation of standards in goods.

Techinical harmonisation within the Community has proved disappointingly slow. The Government therefore support fully current initiatives under which members states would

— co-operate under directive 189/83/EEC to avoid the introduction of national requirements likely to impair operation of the internal market;

— adopt a new approach to technical harmonisation and standardisation along the lines proposed in the Commission's communication of 31 January 1985 to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(85)19 final);

—seek to strengthen the capacity to standardise at European level.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will introduce legislation to require the Post Office to take account of social factors in relation to closure decisions involving sub-post offices.

Such a requirement already exists by virtue of section 59(2) of the British Telecommunications Act 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress made in establishing the Securities Investments Board and the related investor protection measures.

Sir Kenneth Berrill has agreed to undertake the task of establishing the Securities and Investments Board. The Government hope to announce appointments to the marketing of investments board organising committee very shortly. The Department is considering comments on the financial services White Paper and preparing legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he has taken to monitor the affairs of the Insurance Corporation of Ireland in the United Kingdom; if the investments by United Kingdom clients are still secure; and if he will make a statement on recent developments within that company.

The Insurance Corporation of Ireland Limited has its head office in the Republic of Ireland and carries on insurance business in the United Kingdom through a branch. Under the terms of an EEC directive, the Government of the Republic of Ireland must verify the state of solvency of the company with respect to its entire business, and the United Kingdom Government have to be satisfied that the United Kingdom branch has assets at least sufficient to meet the liabilities of the branch.The Department of Trade and Industry receives, in the form and on the basis required by United Kingdom legislation, an annual return of the business of the company carried on in the United Kingdom. The branch's return for the year ended 31 December 1983 showed its assets to be substantially in excess of its liabilities. The return for 1984 is not yet due.According to recent statements by the company and the Irish Government, there are now substantial losses expected on the United Kingdom business. The company has been acquired by a company controlled by the Irish Government and an administrator has been appointed by the Irish court to carry on the business of the company. The Irish Government have stated that any financial assistance required to enable the company to meet its liabilities will be provided by means of the insurance compensation fund. My Department is in contact with the Irish authorities and the administrator.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1955 United Kingdom production, imports and exports of motor cars by volume.

The following is the information.

Annual totals in thousands of units
	United Kingdom motor car production	Exports of new motor cars from the United Kingdom	Imports of new motor cars into the United Kingdom
1955	898	389	11
1956	708	335	7
1957	861	424	9
1958	1,052	484	11
1959	1,190	569	27
1960	1,353	570	57
1961	1,004	371	23
1962	1,249	545	29
1963	1,608	616	48
1964	1,868	679	66
1965	1,722	628	56
1966	1,604	556	67
1967	1,552	503	93
1968	1,816	677	102
1969	1,717	772	102
1970	1,641	690	158
1971	1,742	721	281
1972	1,921	627	450
1973	1,747	599	505
1974	1,534	565	375
1975	1,268	516	449
1976	1,333	496	534
1977	1,328	475	699
1978	1,223	466	801
1979	1,070	410	1,061
1980	924	359	863
1981	955	349	805
1982	888	313	934
1983	1,045	274	1,076
1984	909	219	1,020

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the reply of 5 March to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds Official Report, column 447, by how much he expects the accommodation costs that are charged for type approval of weighing machines to be reduced by the transfer he has announced of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory from central London to Teddington.

On present assumptions, I would expect a substantial saving on accommodation costs to be achieved when the national weights and measures laboratory moves to Teddington. However, it is too early to provide specific cost data at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Liverpool.

I have not visited Liverpool recently.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is satisfied that the re-allocation of the British Overseas Trade Board resources since 1979, reducing support for overseas trade fairs and increasing support for the overseas project fund and the market entry guarantee scheme, has led to an increase in United Kingdom manufactured exports as a proportion of total United Kingdom exports.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied that the interests of small companies are adequately represented on the British Overseas Trade Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is satisfied that the re-allocation of British Overseas Trade Board resources since 1979, reducing support for overseas trade fairs and increasing support for the overseas projects fund and the market entry guarantee scheme, has assisted small United Kingdom manufacturing companies to increase their exports.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what effect the rise in the value of the United States dollar against the pound sterling will have on the number of overseas trade fairs supported by the British Overseas Trade Board where the cost of stand space and cost of stand construction is quoted in United States dollars.

The rise in the value of the US dollar over the past year increases the sterling cost of running BOTB groups at overseas trade fairs in those areas where exhibition space and stand construction are paid for in dollars. With a cash limited sterling budget, if other factors remain constant this reduces proportionately the number of British groups that can be supported by the BOTB at overseas fairs in those areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the help now available for small businesses.

My right hon. Friend has announced the relaunching of the support for innovation programme, with special provisions to help small firms, and the repackaging of our schemes to make them more easily understood. The Budget speech contained a number of measures for small firms, and a report proposing reductions in administrative and legislative burdens is about to be published.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has reached a decision about the future of Warren Spring laboratory.

After careful consideration of the options, it has been decided to retain Warren Spring laboratory in the public sector. Privatisation could not be achieved on terms which would have been financially advantageous to the Government. It is nevertheless the intention to require Warren Spring laboratory to adopt a more commercial approach to its activities and to obtain a greater industrial return on its programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what regulations govern blasting in quarries; and if he will amend them to seek to prevent a reocurrence of the type of incident in which a school in Clwyd was recently showered with rocks.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Mines and Quarries Act 1954 apply to operations at quarries and the use of explosives is specifically regulated by the Quarries (Explosives) Regulations 1959. The provisions of the regulations, which are currently under review, are directed not only to the protection of quarry workers but also those members of the public who may be threatened by quarry activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what evidence he has as to a relationship between employment and (a) wages and (b) wages councils' awards.

A recent publication by the Treasury "The relationship between employment and wages" surveys the available evidence on the general link between pay and jobs. A copy is available in the Library. I would also refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North East (Mr. Leighton) on 22 October 1984, at column 481.The effect of wages councils on employment, including the effect of their awards, is considered in amongst others:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many factories in the west midlands were visited by factory inspectors for each of the last five years for which records are available; what percentage this figure represents of the total number of factories in the area; and whether he is satisfied with the present number of factory inspectors in post in the west midlands.

It is not possible, without disproportionate time and cost, to separate the number of factories from the total number of premises visited by factory inspectors in the last five years.The number of premises visited by factory inspectors in the west midlands during each of the last five years and the percentage of total premises this figure represents are as follows:

	Number of visits	Percentage of visits in relation to total number of premises in the area Per cent.
1980	15,013	Figures not obtainable
1981	9,050	18
1982	12,958	31
1983	15,232	24
1984	14,030	17
1985*	2,392	6
* To date.

I am satisfied with the number of factory inspectors in post in the west midlands.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many prohibitions, improvement notices and prosecutions on noise problems have been taken since the start of the recent campaign.

The relevant figures sought in each case, from the start of the campaign on 1 October 1983 to the latest date readily available, are:

• Two prohibition notices (up to 30.4.1984)
• Sixty two improvement notices (up to 30.4.1984)
• and one prosecution (up to 31.12.1984).

The answer covers the activities of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate, Her Majesty's Agricultural Inspectorate and Her Majesty's Mines and Quarries Inspectorate, although the notices concerned were in each case issued by Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were employed in his Department's offices in Scotland in 1979; and what is the latest available figure.

5,084 staff were employed in the Department's offices in Scotland at the end of February 1979, compared with 6,050 at the end of February 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people were undertaking craft apprenticeships in the engineering industry on (a) 31 December 1979 and (b) 31 December 1984; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 March 1984, c. 473]: The information is not available in the precise form requested. However, the engineering industry training board estimates that the number of young people undertaking engineering craft apprenticeships was 61,000 for the training year from September 1979 to August 1980, and 37,500 for the last complete training year, to August 1984.The numbers entering traditional apprenticeships will become increasingly irrelevant as a measure of the real level of skills training being undertaken by industry because of both the reform of existing arrangements and the substantial provision of initial skills training now taking place under the youth training scheme.

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.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 March 1985]: No figure of £146 million has been quoted in connection with these changes.However, £140 million is being provided based on the estimated cost in 1985–86 of the expansion by 100,000 places of the community programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the prospects for tidal energy projects.

The current study of a Severn barrage, jointly funded by Government and the Severn Tidal Power Group, is to establish the technical and financial viability of a private sector barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point.I have recently received a proposal from the Severn Tidal Power Group, jointly with Wimpey Major Projects, to extend the group's current study to include a barrage at the English-Stones line which is just downstream of the existing Severn bridge.The proposed extension to the study will cost an additional £220,000 and the expanded group have asked for a 50 per cent. contribution from the Government. I have decided that it would be worth while to carry out the proposed study, and subject to agreement on the terms and conditions of contract, matching funds will be provided from my Department's non-nuclear R and D budget, up to a total of £110,000.Although the STPG has completed most of its work on the Brean Down to Lavernock Point barrage, the report will now include an examination of the technical and financial viability of a private sector barrage on the English-Stones line and a comparative analysis of both barrages. The final report should be available by the end of the year.Financial support for this extended study will be given on the understanding that there is no Government commitment beyond the study.The Severn Tidal Power Group, comprising Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons, GEC Power Engineering, Taylor Woodrow Construction, Northern Engineering, and Balfour Beatty will now include Wimpey Major Projects Ltd., representing Wimpey/Atkins, and W. S. Atkins will carry out part of the study on the English-Stones line. I am pleased that this development has made this latest initiative on the Severn barrage possible.In addition to the extension to the Severn study, I announced to Parliament on 11 March that I had agreed in principle to make a contribution towards funding a £40,000 study of a Mersey barrage to refine cost and engineering estimates. I have decided that my Department will provide up to about 20 per cent. of the cost of the study.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created by the development of the 45 gas fields which the British Gas Corporation assessed would be needed to exploit United Kingdom North sea reserves; and how many additional jobs there will he as a result of his decision to cancel the Sleipner contract.

Many thousands of new jobs will flow from new projects at both the construction and servicing stages. I am confident that British industry is sufficiently competitive to attract a high proportion of the available orders. The Sleipner decision will accelerate the development of United Kingdom gasfields and associated job creation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what new pipeline systems will be required to develop United Kingdom gas reserves, in the light of his decision to cancel the Sleipner contract.

The development of UKCS gasfields following the Sleipner decision is expected to result in the need for new pipelines. Some new projects will rely on spare capacity as it develops in existing pipelines. The precise pattern of new pipeline systems will emerge as new gasfield developments come forward.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect upon the costs of all institutions of the European Economic Community of the possible entry of Spain and Portugal to the Community.

The Commission has estimated that the total net cost of enlargement might eventually amount to some 0·1 to 0·2 percentage points of the VAT own resources base. Her Majesty's Government see no reason to dissent from this.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to establish a European capital market; and what has been the response of France, Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The United Kingdom is in favour of the free movement of capital throughout Europe. Since the abolition of exchange controls in 1979, capital flows both into and out of the United Kingdom have been unrestricted. Overseas companies are thus free to raise capital in the United Kingdom capital market on the same basis as British companies. By contrast both France and Italy retain substantial exchange controls. The Federal Republic of Germany does not maintain exchange controls and is a supporter of the free movement of capital.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to permit the self-employed to make provision for pension arrangements within the capital account of their business.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action his Department has taken or plans to take to increase economic co-operation between the United Kingdom and other European Community member states.

Although the right of initiative strictly rests with the Commission, European Community member states are always exploring ways to improve economic co-operation, and Her Majesty's Government as a whole take a leading part in this. The United Kingdom is particularly anxious to see the development of a genuine internal market covering services as well as goods, and is supporting Commission proposals to bring this about. The Prime Minister at Dublin welcomed the Commission's annual economic report, which calls for member states to act together to increase growth and reduce unemployment. This question will be discussed at the European Council this week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the United Kingdom and the principal industrial countries the increase between 1955 and 1983 in consumer prices and export prices for manufactures as a percentage of the increase in producer/wholesale prices together with the corresponding figures for the period 1978 to 1983.

Data for consumer prices, export prices for manufactures, and producer prices covering the period requested can be found in the IMF's "International Financial Statistics, 1984 Yearbook".

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what annual level of income a single person begins to pay less income tax than in 1979 following the Budget changes.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the level of total tax receipts from double glazing companies for the 12 months prior to implementation of value added tax on double glazing, and for the 12 months thereafter.

I regret that the information is not available, since figures of taxes paid by sectors of industry are not compiled at this level of detail.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average salary for civil servants in the executive officer grade for each year since 1973 in current prices and constant 1983–84 prices.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 March 1985, c. 100]: Average salaries for civil servants are not readily available over this period. The following table gives the maximum and minimum of the executive officer pay scale as at 1 July for each year since 1973 both in cash and in real terms. The figures take no account of changes in tax and employees' National Insurance contributions which, of course, affect take-home pay.

	Salary on 1st July		Salary in 1984 prices*
Year	Minimum†	Maximum	Minimum†	Maximum
1973	951	2,288	3,575	8,601
1974	1,387	2,782	4,495	9,016
1975	1,885	3,670	4,918	9,575
1976	2,198	3,983	4,922	8,920
1977	2,329	4,182	4,501	8,082
1978	2,549	4,579	4,549	8,171
1979	2,831	5,043	4,455	7,936
1980	3,775	6,745	5,035	8,997
1981	4,069	7,247	4,850	8,637
1982	4,262	7,700	4,677	8,452
1983	4,546	8,078	4,771	8,478
1984	4,728	8,492	4,728	8,492
* In 1984 prices.
† Minimum of entry scale for period 1973–79 inclusive; minimum of main scale thereafter.

asked the Prime Minister (1) if she will cause to be published in the Official Report a table showing for the last year for which figures are available the sums of money spent on (a) roads and road improvement, (b) sewerage, (c) new housing, housing repairs and house modernisation, (d) hospital and health service building works, (e) education building, (f) new works on airstrips, (g) harbours and repairs and (h) modernisation of such facilities;(2) if she will cause to be published in the

I shall reply to the right hon. Member shortly.

asked the Prime Minister if she will cause to be published in the Official Report a table showing for the last year for which figures are available the sums spent on (a) roads and road improvement, (b) sewerage, (c) new houses, housing repairs and house modernisation, (d) hospital and health service building work, (e) education building, (f) new work on airstrips, (g) harbours and repairs and (h) modernisation of such facilities in the Falkland Islands.

Relevant expenditure against the commitments of £15 million for rehabilitation and £31 million for development announced in 1982 was as follows in 1983–84, the last year for which firm figures are available:

	£1 milion
Roads and road improvements	1·1
New houses, housing repairs and modernisation	1·9
Education building (school hostel)	0·2

Expenditure on harbour improvements in 1983–84 was confined to the first stage of a consultancy, at a cost of £14,299.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will take steps to restore oral questions to the Member answering for the Church Commissioners to a three-weekly rota rather than a six-weekly rota; and if he will make a statement.

No. With the appointment of the Paymaster General on 10 September 1984 it was necessary to provide time on the question roster for questions addressed to the Paymaster General. Following discussions through the usual channels it was decided that this could best be achieved by varying the times for questions to the Member answering on behalf of the Church Commissioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many housing estates or groups of houses have been modernised in the constituency of Newry and Armagh since 1976; and if he will list them.

This is a matter for the chairman of the Housing Executive, who has advised me that records are not available in the form requested for the period prior to the regionalisation of the Housing Executive's operations in 1980. Since then general modernisation schemes have been carried out to 323 dwellings as follows:

Location	Number of dwellings
Rural cottages in County Armagh	65
Mournview Park, Tandragee	19
Camlough Park, Bessbrook	34
St. Brigids Park, Newry	14
Navan Terrace/Crescent, Armagh	51
Montague Villas, Tandragee	4
Doctors Hill Millvale, Bessbrook	12
Camlough/Meigh/Forkhill	28
Callanbridge, Armagh	13
Crannard Gardens, Newry	12
Lisanally/Lonsdale, Armagh	71

In addition, individual elements of modernisation such as rewiring, insulation, re-roofing or heating improvement have been carried out to a further 4,707 dwellings in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many elderly people died as a result of hypothermia in Northern Ireland in the last three years for which figures are available; and how many of these deaths occurred during the six months winter period in each of these years;(2) what percentage of those elderly people who have died as a result of hypothermia in each of the last three years for which figures are available were over the age of 65 years.

The information is as follows:

	1981	1982	1983
Number of deaths (all over 65 years of age)	18	9	10
Number of deaths which occurred in the period January to March or October to December	14	9	9

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths of elderly people in the last three years for which figures are available were indirectly attributable to hypothermia or involved elderly patients dying soon after recovery from hypothermia.

The information is not available in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total cost of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's activities in the current and the last financial year; and what figures in respect of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive are available to indicate (a) the dwelling stock, (b) the collectable rent which should have been received from tenants, (c) expenditure on repairs and maintenance of stock, (d) expenditure on new buildings, (e) expenditure on rehabilitation of stock, (g) expenditure on salaries and administration, (h) expenditure on grants to the private sector, (i) expenditure incurred on interest charges and (j) grant received from the Department of the Environment.

The available information is as follows:

Total cost of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's activities 1983/84 £446·6M, 1984/85 £522·3M (estimated).
	£ million (estimated)
(a) Effective dwelling stock	175014 (at December 1984)
(b) Gross collectable rent (dwellings and garages)	131·3
(c) Expenditure on housing and grounds maintenance	49·1
(d) Expenditure on new housebuilding	89·7
(e) Expenditure on improvement of the existing stock	67·8
(f) Expenditure on supervision and management	33·4
(g) Expenditure on House Renovation Grants	58·5
(h) Expenditure on Loan Charges	157·2
(i) Grant from the Department of the Environment	169·2

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average period of remand without bail in each of the following cases involving accomplice witness's evidence: (a) persons convicted, (b) persons acquitted and (c) persons who were released as a result of such evidence being retracted; and how these figures compare with those for persons charged with terrorist-type offences on the basis of evidence other than accomplice evidence.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has studied recent cancer investigations made by the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States of America, relating to the herbicide alachlor; if this pesticide is in use in the United Kingdom; and what plans he has to issue a warning to users.

[pursuant to her reply, 22 February 1985, c. 638]: The advisory committee on pesticides has now recommended a review of the data supporting the use of Alachlor. The recommendation was made in the light of a request to the manufacturer by the United States authorities for new studies, made on the grounds that the original data submitted in the 1960s had become out-of-date. The case is therefore separate from the issue of fraudulent data originating at IBT, which has also caused concern. The replacement data package has been received in the United Kingdom and is under study.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the sale of Sealink was covered by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (SI 1794).

BR sold Sealink UK Ltd. by selling the entire share capital of the company. I am advised that the regulations would not apply in those circumstances, since the change in ownership of the company did not disturb existing terms of employment with Sealink UK Ltd.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Manchester Council for Voluntary Services about his proposals for deregulating current road transport systems; what reply he is sending; if there is any action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a letter from the Manchester Council for Voluntary Services expressing concern at the Government's proposals for the bus industry. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has replied explaining the benefits of our proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce detailed proposals for the allocation and adminstration of the transitional bus grant which was announced in the White Paper, "Buses", Cmnd. 9300.

My Department has today written to various representative organisations explaining in detail our proposals for paying this grant. Following the answer given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Kettering (Mr. Freeman) on 14 January, at column 5, we have considered further how to define rural areas for this purpose. Our letter proposes that grant should be payable from 1 April 1986 on all mileage run outside larger urban areas as measured by data provided by the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys and the Registrar General, Scotland. In the light of work by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, and representations by hon. Members, we have concluded that such mileage within metropolitan countries should be eligible for grant.Grant will not be payable in any rural areas within London, because the Transport Bill's proposals for deregulation do not apply to London. We are inviting views on whether our proposed definition of larger urban areas as those with populations of 25,000 or more is the most appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 21 March, what information he has as to the breakdown (a) by regions and (b) by diesel or electric locomotives of the percentage of trains which ran late in 1984.

I understand from British Railway's that the information is as follows:

	On time	On time or less than 5 minutes late	Over 30 minutes late*
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
Eastern Region	73·8	89·2	3·6
London Midland Region	79·9	90·4	3·4
Western Region	64·3	82·1	3·0
Southern Region	76·1	92·0	1·1
Scottish Region	84·7	91·2	4·5
WEIGHTED TOTAL	77·0	90·5	2·8
* Class 1 trains only (that is, all inter-city services, Scottish express services and some long distance provincial services).

Statistics on punctuality standards by traction types are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 21 March, what information he has as to the basis upon which British Rail calculates the figures relating to the punctuality of trains; an if he will make a statement.

I understand that British Rail compiles its punctuality statistics by analysing data on all passenger train arrivals at terminating stations. There are records for each terminating station held by the station supervisors. Statistics are then collated at area, regional and then headquarters level.