asked the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement about the future of the Sadler's Wells theatre.

The Arts Council has announced that it will increase the funding of the three main dance companies using Sadler's Wells. Sadler's Wells has raised money by its own efforts. A new sponsor has also come forward. The immediate dangers have thus been overcome. I hope that those concerned will be able to build on this foundation to secure the future of the theatre.

asked the Minister for the Arts what political affiliations he took into account when appointing the trustees of the Merseyside museums and galleries.

I have appointed the trustees of the Merseyside museums and galleries on the basis of personal suitability and experience for the task. Two of the new trustees happen currently to be Merseyside county councillors, and will relinquish that office at abolition on 1 April. They have been particularly closely involved with work on the museums and galleries.

asked the Minister for the Arts whether he will take steps to assist the promotion of arts in the east midlands.

It is for the Arts Council to determine its allocation of funds between art-forms and areas; but I am happy to say that there is a strong level of support for the performing arts in the east midlands.

asked the Minister for the Arts when he expects arts organisations in the metropolitan counties to learn of their grant allocations from the Arts Council for the financial year beginning 1 April 1986.

asked the Minister for the Arts when arts organisations, presently receiving grants from metropolitan counties, will be informed of their funding allocations from public sources for the financial year 1986–87.

Arts Council clients not affected by the abolition of the metropolitan counties have been informed of their allocations for 1986–87; the Arts Council will publish the figures this week. Those affected by abolition are being given interim assurances that their Arts Council funding will be no less than in the current year. Their final figures will depend upon the outcome of negotiations with the local authorities concerned. These are in progress. There are considerable anxieties over the unwillingness of Liverpool to accept a reasonable share of the responsibility. In all other cases in metropolitan areas, negotiations are going well. I understand that announcements can be expected in most cases over the next few weeks, and that it will then be seen that most local authorities have made a major contribution.

asked the Minister for the Arts when he expects arts organisations in the Greater London council area will be informed of their funding allocations from public sources for the financial year 1986–87.

Arts Council clients not affected by the abolition of the Greater London council have been informed of their allocations for 1986–87; the Arts Council will publish the figures this week. Those affected by abolition are being given interim assurances that their Arts Council funding will be no less than in the current year. Their final figures will depend upon the outcome of negotiations with the local authorities concerned. These are in progress. There are considerable anxieties over the unwillingness of Islington to accept a reasonable share of the responsibility. In all other cases in London, negotiations are going well. I understand that announcements can be expected in most cases over the next few weeks, and that it will then be seen that most local authorities have made a major contribution.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last visited the Duchy of Lancaster's estates on Merseyside.

There are no Duchy of Lancaster estates on Merseyside.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, how many companies in which the Church Commissioners own shares control shops which are open on Sunday.

The Commissioners invest in 20 retailing companies. It is possible that some of these companies may trade on Sundays, but the Commissioners have no information on this.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, what representations the Commissioners have received following publication of the Archbishop of Canterbury's commission report, "Faith in the City."

None.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, if he will detail all expenditure by the Church Commissioners on 1–3 The Sanctuary, London, SW1, over the past 20 years.

The Church Commissioners have approved expenditure totalling £163,000 on 1–3 The Sanctuary, London, SW1 over the past 20 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish guidelines to prospective promoters of a third crossing of the Thames at Dartford.

I did so today. Copies of the guidelines have been placed in the Library. I am both sorry that it has taken so long to complete this work, and that I have not yet had the benefit of the Select Committee on Transport's report on tolls.This invitation to promoters is designed to give the Government a choice of engineering solutions and methods of finance in providing enhanced capacity for the Thames crossing at Dartford. Any engineering solution meeting the Department's standards, summarised in an annex to the guidelines, will be considered.Promoters are invited to submit proposals on any of three alternative bases: to design, construct and finance a new crossing, recovering their investment from tolls; to design and finance during the construction period a new crossing for sale to the Government at a pre-determined price; or to design and build a new crossing with the Government financing the construction as it progresses. The guidelines contemplate that a promoter who chooses to construct and operate the new crossing would also assume responsibility for the existing tunnels—and their outstanding debt—at present owned and operated jointly by Essex and Kent county council.Any proposal by a promoter to levy tolls must include a clear statement of the initial toll, the conditions governing toll revisions and the period over which tolls are proposed to be levied.Proposals must be submitted by 31 May. I hope to make a decision before 1 August. I shall select the proposal which offers the best value for money. The starting date for construction will depend on the passage of legislation in Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the board of British Airways sought his consent for the disposal of British Airways Helicopters; and on what date that consent was given.

British Airways informed my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State of its intention to dispose of British Airways Helicopters Ltd. on 2 May 1985. The Secretary of State indicated that he was, in principle, content for this to happen on 10 May 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the rules on manning of radio officers on small ships applying in other European countries; if he has any plans to alter the rules as they apply to British ships; and if he will make a statement.

The requirements on radio stations and their operation on ships are specified in the Safety of Life at Sea Convention 1974 to which the United Kingdom and other European countries are signatories. Exemptions from the requirements of the convention are permitted and have to be notified to the International Maritime Organisation. From such notifications my Department is aware of exemptions issued by other European Administrations.During the past year trials have been arranged on a number of United Kingdom ships in order to assess whether the regulations about radio officers might be relaxed, in the light of developing technology, without endangering safety at sea.Two trials were involved. The first exempted deep-sea ships from the full requirements of the convention subject to certain conditions. The second exempted short-sea cargo ships from the requirement to carry a radiotelegraph (Morse) station and radio officer, again subject to certain conditions.In the light of the results of those trials my Department will now be prepared to grant exemptions from the relevant regulations to cargo ships engaged in the short-sea trades and all ships in the unlimited trading area provided certain other conditions are met.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a further statement on negotiations within the European Community to open closed cabotage trade to British vessels.

There has been no Transport Council since my last statement on 13 January—Volume 89, column 764–65. The next Council will be on 14 March and shipping matters will be further discussed then.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will add Woking borough council to the list of local authorities to be consulted in connection with his aircraft noise index study.

I have arranged for Woking borough council to be included in the formal consulation process on the aircraft noise index study.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to have completed his review of the question of trade licensing within the motor trade.

This review has now been completed and an announcement will be made shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many persons are employed by the commissioners of Irish lights around the coast of (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland.

The commissioners at present employ 595 people. I understand that 29 are employed in Northern Ireland and 566 in the Republic of Ireland.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on possible charges arising out of the Johnson Matthey Bankers frauds investigation.

The investigation continues to be vigorously pursued by the fraud investigation group. The question of charges in relation to any particular individual cannot be decided until the appropriate stage of the investigation has been concluded.

asked the Attorney-General if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen), 25 February, Official Report, column 484, there are any proposals to charge any persons in the four cases referred to which involve the misappropriation of public money; and if he will make a statement.

In each case the investigation is continuing and I understand that in one case an individual has been charged with a criminal offence. That decision and any future decisions as to charges are matters for the Director of Public Prosecutions and not Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Attorney-General what progress has been made in the interim application made by the United Kingdom in the European Court of Justice relating to the use by the Commission of funds supplied under the illegal budget of the European Assembly; when he expects the issue to be heard by the European Court; and if he will make a further statement.

The application for interim relief has been lodged with the European Court of Justice and is due to be heard on 10 March.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the size of the present prison population in Northern Ireland divided into terrorist type offenders and other offenders categorised by age and sex in the following groups: under 18 years old, 18 to 25 years, 25 to 30 years, 30 to 40 years, 40 to 50 years, 50 to 60 years and over 60 years; and if he will give a breakdown of the length of sentence being served by each age group.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 February 1986, c. 728.]: At 9 February 1986 there was a total of 1,653 sentenced prisoners in Northern Ireland prison establishments. This figure includes inmates in the young offenders centre.The breakdown of the population is as follows:

asked the Paymaster General (1) if he will publish a table showing (a) the percentage unemployment rate for each month since May 1979 and (b) the rate recalculated to include the number of self-employed now to be taken into account;(2) if the change in the basis of calculating the rate of unemployment by including the self-employed in the calculations was requested by the statisticians in his Department.

The more widely based unemployment rate which I announced on 19 February will be published together with the rate calculated on the previous basis.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give the latest figures for the number of men aged 60 to 64 years who are currently in work.

It is estimated from the labour force survey conducted in the spring of 1984 that there were 768,000 men aged 60 to 64 years in paid employment in Great Britain.

asked the Paymaster General if an instruction has been issued to Health and Safety Executive inspectors preventing them, following a site visit, from writing to union representatives at the site with a copy of the advice given by the Health and Safety Executive to the site operator.

No such instruction has been issued. There has been no change in the guidance on the provision of information by inspectors and other staff to employees or their representatives.

asked the Paymaster General how many grade 1B Health and Safety Executive inspectors he expects to leave the Health and Safety Executive in 1986 based on previous years; and how many Health and Safety Executive grade 1B inspectors are to be appointed in 1986.

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

asked the Paymaster General if he will list the help being provided by his Department for (a) the young unemployed and (b) the long-term unemployed in Batley and Spen.

The numbers currently benefiting from our employment and training measures in Batley and Spen are set out below. Because of the various bases on which local statistics are collected an unknown proportion may fall outside the constituency. YTS and the young workers scheme are particularly designed for young people, and our principal measure for the long term unemployed is the community programme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his policy towards the European Economic Community on the question of hormones.

The possibility of proceedings in the European Court of Justice is under active consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will reconsider his decision to deduct the co-responsibility levy on an annual basis rather than every six months as at present; and if he will make a statement.

I am not aware of any proposal to change the current arrangements for monthly collection of co-responsibility levy. The Commission has, however, proposed six monthly collection of the supplementary levy, which is currently collected on an annual basis, as part of the 1986–87 price proposals. We are still considering the proposal in detail, but my initial view is that although it might cause some difficulties, it could well reduce the risk of exceeding quota in the Community as a whole.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his reply of 20 February, Official Report, column 332, why the price at which sugar was made available to eastern Europe from the EEC fell between 1984 and 1985 by the amount shown; and if he will make a statement.

The statistics given in my right hon. Friend's reply were extracted from Eurostat sources which in turn are collated from statistics provided by member states. The average unit value quoted for sugar exported in 1984 from the European Community to eastern Europe, excluding the USSR, related to exports of about 1,000 tonnes. The possible inclusion of special sugar products in this small quantity could explain the high average unit value. The larger volume of exports in 1985—January-October—includes a substantial proportion of raw sugar and the average unit value was more in line with the average world price.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the information he presented on 20 February, Official Report, column 334, on the price at which various foodstuffs were made available to the Soviet Union included special sales agreed by the management committee of the EEC; and if he will make a statement.

The information contained in my right hon. Friend's reply of 20 February was extracted from the Eurostat trade data base constructed by the Statistical Office of the European Community (SOEC) from information provided by the member states. The exports recorded represent all sales from the Community reported to SOEC as having taken place in the period shown. The figures shown for 1985 were provisional.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a table showing the amounts spent by the EEC on the storage of surpluses, the provision of export rebates and for the withdrawal of perishable food-stuffs from the market, respectively, over the most recent annual period for which figures are available, expressed in pounds sterling per week of the year in question.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has as to how many acres of land in the United Kingdom during the next 12 months are to be used for the cultivation of the opium poppy; and if he will make a statement.

Statistics are not available but reports indicate that up to about 200 acres of poppies of the type papaver somniferum may be grown in commercial trials in the United Kingdom this year. Imported poppy seed is currently used in the confectionery industry and the seed oil has potential uses both in food, medicine and other products.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the most recent price per pound at which the EEC has agreed to sell butter to the Soviet Union; what subsidy that represents per pound of butter; and if he will make a statement.

The price at which butter is sold to the Soviet Union is a commercial matter to be decided by individual traders when negotiating export contracts. Such sales attract the normal third country export refund. this refund is currently equivalent to approximately 50p per pound for eighty per cent. fat butter. On 28 February the Commission proposed special arrangements for the sale of butter from intervention stores at reduced prices to certain destinations including India, pakistan and the USSR. The butter is question is at least 18 months old and the amount of the price reduction will be determined by competitive tender. Normal export refunds will also apply to sales under these arrangements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much liquid skimmed milk was subsidised for use as stockfeed in 1985 to date in the United Kingdom; and what was the cost of the subsidies involved.

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

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantities of (a) beef, (b) butter and (c) skimmed milk have been made unfit for human consumption under European Economic Community policies from 1984 to date; and, in each case, what was the ultimate use of the product.

In 1984 3,739,000 tonnes of liquid skimmed milk and 3,198,000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder were made available for animal feed through EC schemes which provide for denaturing, although not all the milk was denatured before use. Figures are not yet available for later years. No beef or butter has been deliberately rendered unfit for human consumption.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a list of United Kingdom and European Community agricultural produce in public intervention and assisted private storage in England and the United Kingdom, respectively, and the amount held at the latest available date.

The quantities of agricultural produce held in intervention and assisted private storage at 31 January 1986 were:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the latest arrangements for Spain's accession to the European Economic Community.

Spain and Portugal acceded to the European Community on 1 January 1986. The terms of their accession are contained in their treaty of accession, signed on 12 June 1985 and debated in this House on 4 and 10 December at columns 313–53, 859–91.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with Oscar Arias following the latter's election as President of Costa Rica.

No opportunity for discussions has yet arisen. However, a message of congratulation was sent to Dr. Arias on his election and we look forward to continuing the very good relations which we enjoy with Costa Rica.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to inform himself as to the nature and directors of the two European legal entities referred to in the reply of 27 January, Official Report, column 369.

In response to our inquiries, the South Atlantic Islands Development Corporation Ltd. has informed us that it has no knowledge of these details.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department has had any discussions with the Government of the Soviet Union on the stationing of tamper-proof seismic detection stations inside the Soviet Union; and if he will make a statement.

There have been no recent discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are any reasons, other than concerns over verification, that prevent Her Majesty's Government from pursuing comprehensive test ban treaty negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

In the event of a resumption of negotiations on a comprehensive test ban questions other than verification would no doubt have to be addressed, but, as the hon. Member is aware, our view remains that it would be premature to resume negotiations while outstanding verification issues remain unresolved.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any discussions have been held with the Contadora group on the proposed military training in the United Kingdom of members of the El Salvador armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to discuss with the Government of El Salvador the arrangements for the training of members of the El Salvador armed forces in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

No. Our offer to train one or two Salvadorean officers still stands, but the arrangements have not yet been finalised.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he last met the chairman of the National Coal Board; and what subjects were discussed.

I meet the chairman of the National Coal Board frequently and discuss a wide range of subjects affecting the coal industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, when next he meets the chairman of the National Coal Board, he will discuss the consequences of the new accounting procedures whereby the National Coal Board attributes interest charges on capital investment and the costs of subsidence damage to individual collieries and their particular consequences for coal mines situated close to built-up areas; and if he will make a statement.

The accounting procedures applied by the National Coal Board are matters for the board in consultation with its external auditors.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he makes of the effect of the downward turn in oil prices on the National Coal Board's break-even point and on the expected demand for coal; whether he will have to seek to extend the borrowing powers legislation; and if he will make a statement.

It is too soon to make an assessment of the impact of lower oil prices on the NCB's finances in view of the many uncertainties involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what were United Kingdom oil production and oil exports, respectively, in million barrels per day in 1985; what were total export earnings; and what was the value of oil exports as a proportion of total United Kingdom exports.

United Kingdom oil production in 1985 was 2·65 million barrels per day, and exports of crude oil and petroleum products are provisionally estimated at 2 million barrels per day. The total value of exports in 1985 was £78,072 million: exports of oil and oil products accounted for £16,050 million, or 21 per cent. of this total.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has as to the total cost, including interest on capital, depreciation and all overheads, of producing each barrel of United Kingdom oil in 1985.

The average cost before taxation of producing oil from fields in production in 1985 was £7 per barrel, equivalent to $9 per barrel at the average exchange rate for the year. This estimate includes all relevant development and overhead costs with capital costs annuitised at 10 per cent. in real terms over field life.Details on the 1984 costs are given in chapter 6 of the Department of Energy's 1985 Brown Book.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he has given any guidance to the Central Electricity Generating Board or area boards on how they may participate in combined heat and power consortia; what equity percentage they may inject; and what criteria on discounted rate of return on such investment is required.

In July 1983 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State told the chairman of the Electricity Council to encourage electricity boards to adopt and support schemes for the combined production of heat and electricity, in accordance with the provisions of the Energy Act 1983. Boards are also expected to aim at maximising the involvement of private risk capital in areas of their operations wherever possible. CHP schemes should meet the financial criteria applied by boards in relation to their other expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received opposed to the privatisation of plant breeding work at the National Seed Development Organisation and the Plant Breeding Institute.

None. However, I understand that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has received four representations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the number of educational welfare officers in England in each of the last five years.

This information is not collected by the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the maintenance of freedom of speech in universities, with special reference to the views expressed to his Department by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals.

The Government have consistently made clear their view that the protection of freedom of speech at institutions of higher education should be of primary concern to all members of such institutions. They have therefore welcomed both the publication before Christmas by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of its guidance to universities on freedom of speech and lawful assembly, and the assurance that nothing in that guidance should be a pretext for an institution to cancel a meeting other than in extreme circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on which institutions of further or higher education have established creches for their students' and employees' children.

No record of such information is held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will introduce a system of student grants biased in value in favour of those subjects beneficial to manufacturing industry; and if he will make a statement.

The mandatory grant system does not distinguish between subjects of study, and there are no plans that it should do so. The regulations do, however, allow for students to benefit from an industrial scholarship of up to £1,600 without any reduction in basic grant: and from September 1986 new tax-free bursaries will be available in addition to maintenance grants for certain students training to teach craft, design and technology, mathematics or physics.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average length of time taken by his Department to reach a decision on proposals for secondary school reorganisation submitted by local education authorities over the last three years.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 February 1986, c. 581]: The average period between publication of secondary school reorganisation proposals and the final decision by the Secretary of State over the last three years was 8·8 months. This includes the two-month period during which statutory objections can be made and the further month allowed before a local education authority must submit these objections and their comments to the Secretary of State.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students from (a)

[pursuant to his reply, 26 February 1986, c. 576]: The available information is given in tables 1 and 2. The percentages shown relate to the total numbers of full-time and part-time students. Overseas students are defined as those whose permanent domicile is outside the United Kingdom. In 1984 the numbers of overseas university postgraduate students have been taken as those who paid the overseas rate of fees as the numbers with overseas domicile is not available for each individual university. The numbers of students from the USA at each individual university could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he used in deciding whether the grant of aid to India to finance the purchase of Westland helicopters represented value for money; what steps he took to satisfy himself that those criteria had been fulfilled; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that the usual procedures were followed before the decision was reached to offer grant aid to finance the purchase of Westland helicopters for India.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any arrangements have been made or discussed with Westland plc with a view to reducing the cost of the aid project for the supply of helicopters to India by any payment by or on behalf of Westland to the Exchequer, or by any other means; and if he will make a statement.

It would not be appropriate to disclose discussions relating to commercial negotiations. However, I can confirm that no such payment has been or will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the aid contracts for the supply of helicopters to India are expected to be signed; who are the parties to the contract; and if he will make a statement.

The contract for the supply of helicopters to India will be signed by the Indian Helicopter Corporation and Westland plc. The grant aid agreement providing finance for the purchase of the helicopters will be signed by the Governments of the United Kingdom and India. Both agreements are expected to be signed shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has altered his instructions to the German executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank in view of Nicaragua's decision to permit a technical review in respect of the proposed loan for agriculture; and if he will make a statement.

This project is still under discussion between the bank's management and the Nicaraguan Government. Instructions will be sent to the executive director of the constituency containing the United Kingdom before the matter comes to the board.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the level of Government support for tourism in Wales for the current year.

For 1985–86 the Wales Tourist Board has been allocated £7·696 million. of which £2·5 million is for section 4 projects. Tourism support also comes from the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and CADW; from expenditure on the urban programme, roads, museums and art galleries; and from certain MSC schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage unemployment in 1979 for the Rhondda valleys; and what is the present percentage based on the 1979 criteria.

The February 1979 rate of unemployment in the Pontypridd travel-to-work area, which included the Rhondda valleys, was 8·1 per cent. A percentage for February 1986 is not available on the 1979 criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were unemployed shown in unadjusted figures in 1979 and at the latest available date in 1986 in (a) Wales and (b) Clwyd; and if he will express the increase both as totals and as percentages.

The unadjusted February 1986 unemployment figures for Wales and Clwyd are 188,405 and 25,549 respectively. Unadjusted figures for 1979 were produced on a different basis and cannot properly be compared with this year's.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total value of grants which Wales has received from the European regional development fund in each of the past three years and in the current year to date.

Net commitments for the European Commission's financial years of 1983, 1984 and 1985 now stand at £41·7 million, £58·2 million and £56·9 million respectively. No allocations have yet been made for 1986.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are unemployed in Wales; what percentage of the population of working age they represent; and how these figures compare with the figures for corresponding months in the last six years.

The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in Wales on 6 February 1986 was 176,900. Estimates of the population of working age are only published annually by the Registrar General and the latest figure relates to June 1984, when the unemployed in Wales represented 9·8 per cent. of the population of working age. The equivalent percentage for the years 1979 to 1983 were 4·3 per cent., 5·2 per cent., 8·1 per cent., 8·9 per cent. and 9·6 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of state for Wales what are the latest unadjusted figures for unemployment in (a) Newport, (b) Gwent and (c) Wales; what were the equivalent figures in May 1979; and what was the percentage increase in each case.

The unadjusted February 1986 figures for Newport, Gwent and Wales are 13,288, 30,602 and 188,405. Unadjusted figures for 1979 were produced on a different basis and cannot properly be compared with this year's.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many new jobs have been created since 1979 up to the latest convenient date in Wales, in the county of South Glamorgan and in the area of the Vale of Glamorgan borough council; and how many new jobs are in prospect in each case.

As I have made clear in my answer to an earlier question from my hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Mon (Mr. Best), it is impossible to say how many new jobs have been created since 1979. However, projects for which offers of regional selective assistance or, where applicable, regional development grants were accepted, or which were allocated Government-financed factories have promised to provide over 90,000 jobs in Wales, over 8,000 jobs in the county of South Glamorgan and 1,300 jobs in the area of the Vale of Glamorgan borough council. Other jobs will have been created without Government assistance, particularly in the service sector and among the self-employed.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many grants, giving their total value, have now been received from the European regional development fund in Wales, in South Glamorgan and in the area of the Vale of Glamorgan borough council, respectively.

Since the fund's establishment, 1,050 grants to the value of £322·8 million have been committed to schemes in Wales, of which 108 grants to the value of £65·7 million in commitment have been in respect of schemes in south Glamorgan and 18, totalling £21·5 million in respect of schemes in the Vale of Glamorgan.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, consequent upon privatisation of the Welsh water authority, what conditions he will impose to ensure all domestic water in Wales is fit to drink.

The Welsh water authority is currently under a statutory duty, and takes all appropriate precautions, to supply wholesome water. That duty will continue, as is indicated in paragraph 66 of Cmnd. 9734 — "Privatisation of the Water Authorities in England and Wales."

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the current unemployment situation in the Cynon Valley; and what action he proposes to take in consequence.

The hon. Lady knows of the representations which she herself made to me at our meeting on 10 February, and I have of course received other approaches on this question from time to time. The Government will continue to deploy the full range of available measures to create new jobs in the Cynon valley.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made towards the objectives set out in "Better Schools."

The Bill to reform the government of schools, to provide for the appraisal of teachers, and for new financial arrangements for the training of teachers, is now before Parliament. Discussions with the education partners on size of schools and targets for the removal of surplus places are under way; preparations for the introduction of the GCSE are in train; the preparation and evaluation of a national formula for records of achievement for school leavers is proceeding; and steady progress is being made towards agreement on the form and content of the curriculum.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had about the practice of the Welsh Development Agency in seeking to entice firms to move their factories from East Devon to Wales; and whether he will issue a direction to the authorities to desist from seeking to entice firms in this way.

I have had no such representations. The role of the joint Welsh Development Agency/Welsh Office inward investment body, WINvest, is not to entice firms to move but to encourage companies seeking a new location to consider Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether there are any plans to extend and improve the radio therapeutic and allied cancer treatments provided for the south-west Wales area.