asked the Secretary of State for Wales what additional resources are being made available to local education authorities specifically to reduce the size of classes taking the new general certificate of secondary education syllabus.

It is for local education authorities to manage the resources available for education. Funding secondary schools for the GCSE is clearly a high priority, and I am pleased to see that some authorities have already made additional resources available for this purpose. So indeed has the Welsh Office, which has made available over £3 million for purposes specifically related to the introduction of the GCSE.

Is the Minister aware that no teachers or headmasters, and only a very few parents, believe that we can introduce this syllabus, with classes of 30-plus for mainstream subjects, although that is what the majority of our children will face when the new system is introduced? Will he therefore look again at the pupil-teacher ratios for the introduction of the scheme, because they are vital to the success of the introduction of a new syllabus and examination system?

I wholly disagree with the hon. Gentleman. I believe that teachers are showing the will and commitment that is needed to introduce the new examination. As for the pupil-teacher ratio, in the hon. Gentleman's own county, Mid Glamorgan, the pupil-teacher ratio is 16·7.

My hon. Friend will be aware of the parental concern, even cynicism. Is he satisfied that local councils will deploy these additional resources at the chalk face?

I have already said that two local authorities have announced their plans, and I have exhorted local authorities to do so. There has been some concern about books and materials. The Government are making available this year £5,000, on average, per secondary school in Wales. A similar sum will be available over the next two years. That is in addition to the capitation allowances that are to be provided by the local authorities.

Is the Minister aware that the extra £5,000 that is to be given to each secondary school is quite pathetic? The general certificate of secondary education is a new philosophy which will depend upon project work, more laboratory work and continual assessment. The resources that are being given to it are quite inadequate. When will the Government properly fund this particular examination?

We are funding it properly. I have already announced what extra finance is available from the Welsh Office specifically for this examination. I remind the House that in Wales about £659·5 million is available to local authorities for education in the current year.

Will my right hon. Friend seriously consider allocating further resources over the next three years to ensure that teachers can develop the new range of skills that are required to supervise and evaluate GCSE course work, bearing in mind that to release a teacher for one day costs a local education authority at least £50?

In the amount that I have announced as being available from the Welsh Office, there is a grant scheme for in-service training, teacher training seminars and syllabus-specific training. We have sought to meet practically every reasonable requirement for additional finance for this examination.

Would not the biggest boost for this important examination be more teachers? Is not the crucial mechanism for the funding of the school system the rate support grant? We demand a generous rate support grant settlement. Would not a means of helping education authorities in Wales be a switch of cash from private schools to the budgets of the local education authorities? Would that not give the new examination a better start, because the Minister is throwing more cash at the private schools than he is giving extra case to the new examination?

I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's last remark. The amount given to private schools is over £1 million, but I have just added it up, and the total that we have given to the new examinaton is £3 million. That is additional to the support given through the rate support grant, which, under this Government, has increased from £601·8 million in 1979–80 to £628·5 million in 1984–85, at a time of falling pupil numbers. Therefore, expenditure per pupil has increased over that period by £100 in real terms.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the chairman of the Welsh water authority to discuss the authority's budget.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to meet the chairman of the Welsh Water Authority to discuss with him the decision by the Government not to proceed with the plans to privatise the water industry in the next Session of Parliament.

My right hon. Friend and I meet the chairman of the Welsh water authority regularly to discuss a variety of issues. I last saw him on 15 July.

As the Welsh water authority recently announced a record £12·3 million profit, is it not scandalous that water rates in Wales should be increased next year by 9 per cent., an average of £10 per household, at a time when the Government are increasing pensions by only 1 per cent.? Does that not put an unacceptable burden on the lowly paid in Wales?

No final decisions have yet been taken on the charges that are likely to be levied by the Welsh water authority in the coming year. The £12·3 million profit has been used to finance an increase in the capital programme from £41 million in 1984–85 to £54 million in 1985–86.

We have no objection to the coupling of questions, but one expects the Minister to reply to the second question. My question relates to the discussions with the chairman of the Welsh water authority about the Government's decision. On 9 June, only six weeks ago, the Minister was arguing for the privatisation of the water industry. Now the Government have changed their mind. It is no good the Minister shaking his head. If he reads Hansard for 9 June he will see what he said about privatisation. As the Government have changed their mind, one would have expected a Welsh Office Minister to make a statement to the House so that Labour Members in particular Welsh Members, could advocate what they wanted with regard to the water authorities, not what the Minister wants. In future, if the Minister is minded to couple my question with another, will he ensure that he answers it properly?

In my reply I said that I met

"the chairman of the Welsh water authority regularly to discuss a variety of issues."

I welcome the extra £30 million of capital expenditure by the Welsh water authority in 1984–85, but will my hon. Friend join me in welcoming the chairman's foreword to his annual report, which says that it sets the authority on the road to even higher levels of capital spending over the next three years?

My hon. Friend is right to point that out. The chairman is very keen that capital investment by the Welsh water authority in the water industry should continue to go on apace. The chairman's report sums up the position well.

When the Minister last met the chairman to talk about the water authority's budget, did he discuss providing extra money to enable the Welsh water authority to monitor the caesium levels in sheep within its area? If not, will he give an assurance that Welsh Members will be given all the information necessary to enable them to judge the caesium levels in sheep in Wales? Furthermore, will he ensure that that includes all the statistical data in the Welsh Office's possession?

That was not on the agenda at my meeting with the chairman of the Welsh water authority, but I assure the hon. and learned Gentleman that we are publishing all the relevant information that is available on that topic.

I rise with great deference to intervene in Welsh Question Time, but why do the latest figures for England include the caesium level for brown trout, rainbow trout—

Order. The hon. Gentleman is going very wide of the question.

I accept that, Mr. Speaker, but—

The trouble is, I cannot accept it.

Why did the Minister not discuss the absence of any figures from the Welsh Office on the caesium levels in fish? It got figures on cabbage, rhubarb and gooseberries. Why not on fish?

We are publishing all the statistics available to us.

It may be premature to question my hon. Friend about the greater flexibility of capital raising after privatisation, but in the meanwhile can he confirm that he will issue firm advice to the Welsh water authority on the importance of ensuring that future rate increases are not significantly higher than the prevailing rate of inflation?

I know that the water authority will do everything in its power to keep down rate increases to the lowest level possible.

The Minister will be aware that more than 30,000 houses in Wales are served by unadopted sewers. Will he say when the Government will introduce measures to correct that, in line with their consultation paper, "Water and Sewerage Law"?

As the hon. Gentleman has said, we have issued a consultation paper and we are now studying the responses that we have received.

Is it not true that a privatised authority would not be a viable enterprise? Would not a commercialised water industry be disastrous for the country? Do not the Government's plans excite the hostility of tens of thousands of anglers in the Principality? There is no mandate in Wales for the privatisation of the water industry, and the party that proposes privatisation will be electorally wiped out.

It is very likely that we shall be seeking a mandate for the privatisation of the water authorities. We certainly believe that the authorities have a great future as a privatised industry, as they will then be able to raise much-needed funding on the capital markets. There is every possibility that the Welsh water authority will be able to expand any recreational activities after privatisation.

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 has been the percentage increase in each case.

On 12 June 1986 the total numbers of unemployed claimants in the Newport travel-to-work area, Gwent and Wales, were 12,775, 29,229 and 173,708, respectively. Unadjusted figures for 1979 are not available on a comparable basis.

Has the Secretary of State recently looked at the population statistics for Newport? They show that the population is apparently declining in numbers. Moreover, there is evidence that it is the young who are leaving. Is that any wonder when, for a week or so, the local press has been full of reports of our young people frequenting amusement arcades, with all the debauchery that is associated with them? Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that last Saturday I received a deputation of ladies, who presented me with a petition containing horrific details about glue sniffing in one area of the town? After more than seven years in office, is it not time that the Government started to think about providing some real jobs for young people?

I am glad to say that Gwent is one of the areas that has proved to be successful in attracting a wide range of new industries. The kind of approach adopted by the hon. Gentleman to these matters will hardly encourage investment of the kind that we all want.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the continued creation of new jobs is important, not the old dreary ritual of despair that we keep getting from the Opposition? Is not one of the best pointers the latest survey from the Cardiff chamber of commerce, published in this morning's Western Mail? That survey, carried out among its members throughout south Wales, shows that approximately two thirds expect to increase their business in the coming year. Does my right hon. Friend also agree that we ought not to ignore the fact that over 20 per cent. of them report difficulties in recruiting suitable labour, especially skilled tradesmen?

I am sure that my hon. Friend is quite right. There are other favourable indications, such as a very high level of factory allocations by Government agencies this year. Inquiries to the small business unit are at an all-time record high and there is continued success in attracting a high proportion of the United Kingdom's total inward investment.

Does the Secretary of State tell the House that the welcome reduction in inflation is wholly due to the success of the Government's policy and that the alarming increase in unemployment is wholly due to external factors?

I make no claims of the kind just put into my mouth. We are attracting a high level of investment in new jobs in Wales, and there are some signs that unemployment is stabilising and marginally improving relative to the situation elsewhere in the United Kingdom. That suggests that at least the long decline of the basic industries from which we have suffered for so long is coming to an end and that the Welsh economy is more arid more dependent on the large number of new companies that we attracted in recent years and on the large number of new small businesses that are starting up.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many new kidney patients per million head of population received dialysis treatment in 1979 and in the latest year for which figures are available.

In 1985 approximately 56 new patients per million population received dialysis treatment in Wales, compared with 19 new patients per million population in 1979.

I trust that Welsh Members will forgive me for venturing into health questions, but it is a subject in which I am interested. Can my hon. Friend tell me whether the wonderful improvement in kidney dialysis provision in Wales is due to a partnership between the private health sector and the National Health Service? Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, could not scarce resources as well as lives be saved by following the excellent example of Wales?

I welcome my hon. Friend's question. This has been an outstandingly successful experiment in Carmarthen and in Bangor. In order to see what has been achieved in terms of co-operation between the public and private sectors in health care provision, I have written to my colleagues in the Scottish Office, the Northern Ireland Office and in England to inform them of what has been done and to urge them to look at it if they are so minded.

I welcome the increase in the number of dialysis treatments in Wales, but can the Minister guarantee that this will continue, especially in the light of the Western Mail report this morning, which talks of shortages of doctors in Welsh hospitals? It says that authorities have to pay as much as £1,000 a week for locums and that young junior doctors have to work 104 hours a week. What will he do about that to ensure that the Health Service in Wales can continue successfully?

Not only can I guarantee to the hon. Gentleman that the service will be maintained, but I can tell him that at the moment we are working on plans to extend the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to construct a link road between the A55 and the A548 in Delyn; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans to do so.

As Delyn borough council regards this as the most urgent priority road scheme in the borough, and as industrial growth will be hampered until the link is created, will my hon. Friend consider giving financial help to Clwyd county council to enable it to carry out its promised evaluation study of the proposed link road as soon as possible?

As my hon. Friend will realise, the link road which he proposes, which is supported by Delyn borough council, is a matter for Clwyd county council. If and when the county council produces proposals, they will be considered in the usual way for support by means of the transport supplementary grant. I understand that Clwyd is prepared to carry out an evaluation study in due course, but that it gives higher priority to the second Dee crossing.

Apart from the A55, will there be a statement on Thursday about the building of a second Severn crossing? Have the Government rejected the report of the Select Committee on Transport on estuarial crossings, which calls for their abolition—

Order. I am reluctant to interrupt a Front-Bench spokesman, but does this relate to the A55?

It relates to the Government's road programme.

The question relates to a link road between the A55 and the A548.

Is it not time that the Government employed some plumbers to stop the perpetual leaks? At least they should start to show a little respect for the House of Commons.

Whatever may be said about a second Severn crossing, it will not go over the A55 or the A548.

Does the Minister agree that the A55, with or without the link road, is only one part of the roads necessary for a reasonable east-west crossing in Wales? Will he give immediate consideration to giving greater priority to the mid-Wales east-west crossing?

The hon. and learned Gentleman will have read "Roads in Wales 1985" and "Roads in Wales —the 1990s and Beyond." We are consulting on those proposals, which refer in part to mid-Wales.

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.

Net commitments in 1983, 1984 and 1985 amounted to £45·1 million, £63 million, and £54·9 million, respectively. Allocations to Wales in 1986 to date total £12·6 million, with applications for a further £37·2 million of aid under consideration in Brussels.

Does my right hon. Friend believe that the size of the grants has been sufficiently well publicised? If not, what steps is he taking to ensure that the public are made aware of the extent of the assistance that Wales receives from the fund?

The assistance has made a valuable contribution to the provision of infrastructure. The most recent example was the announcement by the Commission of financial support for the splendid new innovation centre on the campus of Swansea university, which was opened by the Prince of Wales a fortnight ago. Every opportunity is taken to publicise such support through press notices and by other means. When I was at the university last week the principal expressed his gratitude for the support and said how important it was.

As one of the most important European grants for Gwynnedd — that to the lamb and sheep farmers—is being lost because of the radioactivity ban, thus causing an immense cash flow crisis for the farmers, when will the Secretary of State make a clear and detailed statement on compensation for those farmers? When will he come out of his bunker and come to Gwynnedd—he has not yet been there, although the crisis has continued for a month—and meet those farmers, who are facing a desperate time?

I understand the importance of the questions being asked, which is why we are taking urgent steps to ensure that the areas are reduced as quickly as possible. But this does not arise under a question about the ERDF.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the latest assessment of the effect upon transport services in Wales of the operation of the Transport Act 1985.

The evidence available so far suggests that the new arrangements will help to check the decline in the bus industry and encourage the provision of public transport services better suited to the needs of passengers.

Does the Minister appreciate that there is great anxiety about the problem in Wales and that there is great apprehension that evening stage carriage services and the problems of bussing children to and from school will become much worse as a result of the Transport Act? If he does not agree that that will happen, what guarantees can he give on those two points?

The hon. Gentleman is being unduly alarmist. He must consider the whole picture, not just of registered commercial services, but of the subsidised services as well. He will know that no county in Wales has yet evaluated the tenders for subsidised services, but they all seem confident that they will be able to buy additional services through the subsidy tender system, and that includes Clwyd. I understand that Clwyd proposed to award contracts on the basis of competitive tenders, including those for school transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance he will give to local authorities to protect the safety of those in houses of multiple occupation.

My right hon. Friend has recently issued detailed guidance to local authorities on 22 May about their powers to control houses in multiple occupation and protect the safety of the people who live in them.

The Minister must be aware from representations from the Institution of Environmental Health Officers and those working in the field of their continued concern about the real dangers to the health and safety of that vulnerable section of our population who live in houses in mulitiple occupation. Will he at least undertake to look sympathetically at the Bill that has been introduced by Baroness Vickers in the other place, which would impose duties on local authorities to enforce certain standards for health and safety and would provide regular inspections by local authorities of houses in multiple occupation?

We are aware of the Bill to which the hon. Gentleman referred. Indeed, many of its provisions contain sympathetic and sensible ideas. However, our current legislation is adequate. Indeed, we have introduced some new legislation fairly recently and we want to see how that works before taking the matter further.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what current steps are being taken by his Department to prepare the Welsh water authority for privatisation.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment said in his statement to the House on 3 July, the Government intend to proceed with water privatisation as soon as practicable. Preparatory work to that end is continuing.

I take it from that answer that the Minister is confirming that staff in the Welsh Office are now carrying out preparatory work. Will he confirm that staff of the Welsh water authority are being directed to carry out preparatory work? Is not that expenditure of public money and use of public servants' time fundamentally dishonest when neither the Welsh Office nor the Government have any mandate for their privatisation proposals? Will the Minister now take steps to direct staff in his Department to cease forthwith action on privatisation and direct the Welsh water authority to do the same? Will he confirm that the Government's privatisation proposals will form a centrepiece in the Government's manifesto at the next election?

It is very likely that our privatisation proposals will form a central part of our manifesto. The hon. Gentleman has great first-hand experience of water as a result of his valiant attempt to push the Welsh Eight off the rocks during the regatta last week.

Can the Minister tell the House something about the debt of the Welsh water authority? Are we to understand that if the industry is privatised the debt will be wiped out, but if it stays in public ownership the debt will remain?

There will be a major restructuring to take account of privatisation, but until that time comes we have no plans to change the capital structure of the water authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales which schools in Wales he has visited from November 1985 to June 1986.

My right hon. Friend has visited Pembroke comprehensive school; I have visited Cardiff high school, while my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Robinson), visited Malpas Church in Wales junior school in Newport.

Will the Secretary of State show more commitment to the local education authority schools in Wales? Is the Under-Secretary aware that the Social Security Bill may well eliminate some 27,000 free school meals in Wales, yet the community health experts and nutritionists are already worried about the low nutrition levels of many Welsh families? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that many Welsh children depend for their nutrition upon free school meals? Bearing in mind nutritionists' worries, what will the Government do? Surely the Bill is wrong and will hit Welsh schoolchildren from the poorest families.

The hon. Gentleman might be right in saying that a certain number of children will lose free school meals under the Social Security Bill, but an even greater number will benefit from the alternative scheme. We are totally committed to the maintained sector.

Is my hon. Friend aware that he will be a most welcome visitor to the Howardian high school in my constituency? That school is under threat of closure by the south Glamorgan authority, although it is one of the most successful in the county.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I know of his close connection with the Howardian high school. He will understand that there is scope for the rationalisation of secondary school provision, particularly because of the fall in pupil numbers. Local education authorities make proposals that are the subject of consultation. A closure proposal is referred ultimately to

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on hospital waiting lists in the Cynon Valley and Wales.

Representations on matters relating to waiting lists have been received from many parts of the Principality, including Cynon Valley. I indicated the extent of our response to the hon. Lady in replying to her question on 30 June.

Is the Minister aware that there are far fewer general surgeons in post than when the Government came to power in 1979, and that there are now fewer consultant surgeons per head of population in Britain than in any other Western country? Does that not nail the lie perpetuated by the Government that they have put more into the National Health Service? Does the Minister agree with the president of the Royal College of Surgeons, who said recently:

"Wards are being closed, beds are being closed, surgeons are being told to reduce their operating sessions. Many of us, including myself, have been criticised for doing too much work. That is unbelievable. The prime reason is finance."

I am pleased to tell the hon. Lady that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State opened no fewer than two new hospitals on Friday. Staff directly concerned with front-line patient care, including the categories to which the hon. Lady referred, have increased by 12·5 per cent. since 1979, nursing staff are up by 10 per cent., medical and dental staff are up by 13 per cent.—an overall increase of 18 per cent. I am astonished that the hon. Lady should refer to falling resources, because expenditure that we have made available to the Health Service since we came to power has increased by no less than 26 per cent. in real terms.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to meet the Welsh Joint Education Committee.

I attended the annual meeting of the Welsh Joint Education Committee on 4 July 1986 and set out Government policy over a range of educational issues of current concern in Wales. I have placed a copy of my speech in the Library.

Did my hon. Friend take the opportunity to raise the important TVEI programme with the WJEC?

I touched upon the subject and was delighted to tell the WJEC of my pride over the fact that every local education authority in Wales is involved in TVEI. We have announced an extension of the TVEI scheme and have published the White Paper "Working Together — Education and Training" which relates to TVEI.

At the meeting to which the Minister referred, Councillor Emyr Currie-Jones asked him why the suggested plan for the Welsh language, given to the Welsh Office by the Welsh Joint Education Committee in November, had received no response. Why has the Welsh Office been sitting on that plan for seven months?

The WJEC has certainly put forward proposals on that matter. However, they involve a somewhat complex machinery of committees and subcommittees and a complex programme of work. What the WJEC has not done is to meet the requirements spelt out by my right hon. Friend in his letter to it of 23 July last year.

The Minister is being unnecessarily laggardly about this matter. Was it not a major error of judgment to attack the WJEC while failing to indicate the financial resources available to it? There is a bitter taste in the mouths of people in Wales because of the Minister's mistake. Should he not apologise to the WJEC?

My intention was to spur on the WJEC, and I think that what I said achieved the desired effect. After all, it is a year since my right hon. Friend wrote to it, and I have openly regretted the fact that we have not been able to make more progress together in such a long time.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, what criteria the Commissioners use in the provision of funds for church halls.

The Church Commissioners do not provide funds specifically for church halls. However, they do make grants to dioceses for the provision of church buildings in new housing areas, and that could include church halls.

Do the Church Commissioners share my concern at the number of unsightly annexes to churches? Do they think that the Church should remain free from planning control? Does my hon. Friend recall that in France and Italy clerical iconoclasts have been restrained by municipal authorities?

If that were the position, it would be a matter for anxiety. However, I am happy to reassure my hon. Friend completely by telling him that all church buildings are subject to normal planning control. I think that he has in mind exemption from listing building control. If a particular case offends his susceptibilities—and he may be right, I do not know—he has to blame those who gave the planning consent, not the Church authorities.

Does my hon. Friend agree that too many parish churches confine the use of their church halls to their congregations? Would it not be far better if parish churches were prepared to provide, for example, meals for the elderly and social activities for the elderly and for under-privileged children? After all, many committed Christians would be only too pleased to undertake such excellent work if their vicar were to give a lead.

I am afraid that I must avoid taking any responsibility for the work of individual parishes. I mean no discourtesy to my hon. Friend, and if he has a specific case in mind I shall willingly pass it on to the diocesan bishop concerned.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the current level of Church Commissioners' expenditure on Church buildings.

The Church Commissioners' expenditure on church buildings during the year ending 31 December 1985 totalled £3·3 million.

As the Church raises about £55 million —whether through the Church Commissioners or parish fund-raising—to conserve and preserve its architectural heritage, and as the Church has a 3:1 better record in preserving its heritage than owners of secular buildings, does my hon. Friend agree that that is a matter of commendation and that it would be foolish to seek to change the laws related to listed buildings consent by getting rid of the ecclesiastical exemption? We should leave things exactly as they are.

I am obliged to my hon. Friend. As he knows, the matter is under the scrutiny of the Select Committee on the Environment. It will be interesting to see what the Committee contributes. In the meanwhile, I am able to confirm that congregations provide £55 million each year for the upkeep and maintenance of their buildings, compared to about £4 million received in the form of state aid.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy occupy parsonage homes maintained partly or wholly with funds provided by the Church Commissioners; if any scheme exists to assist clergy to purchase their homes; and if he will make a statement.

There were 8,223 in 1985. The Church of England pensions board also operates a scheme to assist clergymen to purchase a home on retirement and the commissioners contribute financially to it.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. I recognise that the Church of England, through the commissioners, is generous in its provision of clergy housing. I understand that £8·8 million was provided in 1985, which was 7p in each pound. Does my hon. Friend agree that many clergy would like the flexibility of movement that would come from owning their own homes? Could not some help be given to them to allow them to buy their own homes, recognising that at present they have to live on the job and are contacted regularly at home day in and day out? They do a magnificent job, but they could do with some flexibility.

This issue was last considered as recently as 1982, before my hon. Friend joined the General Synod. A paper was circulated at that time. It was clear that the ownership of houses by the serving clergy would have a serious effect on deployment, and there was little desire among the clergy for such a change. The emphasis is put upon making it infinitely easier than it ever was before to purchase a house, or to be provided with retirement housing, once active service has come to an end.

asked the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what information he has as to the monitoring of the sex and ethnic origin of staff at the Palace of Westminster and applicants for employment at the Palace of Westminster.

The House of Commons is an equal opportunity employer and, following arrangements agreed for the Civil Service, a programme for monitoring the ethnic origins of staff of the House is to be conducted in the near future. The details of this programme are subject to discussion between management and trade union representatives. There is currently no monitoring of the sex of staff of the House or of applicants for employment.

Can the hon. Gentleman say why the House of Commons, of all places, has not yet complied with the codes of the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission? Surely it should be for the House to set an example to others and not to drag behind in what is an important area of equal opportunities, in which it is not good enough merely to say that the House is an equal opportunities employer and then to continue to operate what appears to me from casual observation to be a sexist and racist organisation in which employees do not reach the top unless they are from the majority?

The House of Commons Commission is making every effort to implement the code of practice. Indeed, it is statutorily bound to follow the Civil Service in doing so. The timetable by which it is carrying out the proposals is based upon adhering to that statutory obligation and consulting the trade union representatives within the House. I know of no basis for the hon. and learned Gentleman's wild charge that the House is either racist or sexist in the way in which it carries out its employment responsibilities.

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that for jobs in the Palace of Westminster the only criteria should be suitability for the post and loyalty to this country?

Perhaps I should remind the hon. Gentleman that the Commission is responsible only for its employees and not for the entire staff in the Palace of Westminster. A number of separate organisations employ staff here. The features to which the hon. Gentleman has referred are, of course, part of our employment policy. We have a duty to ensure that there is no discrimination on the grounds of race or sex in employment within the House.

As there is a House of Commons barber, does the Commission have any plans for establishing a ladies' hairdresser?

I am delighted that, from the Liberal Bench, we may have increased the demand for ladies' hairdressing facilities within the House. However, I must tell my hon. Friend that the matter is one for the Services Committee. Were she to address her question to the Leader of the House, I am sure that he could give her an account of the lengthy discussions that have taken place on this subject.

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that many hon. Members think that the question on the Order Paper appears thoroughly racist and sexist, and that we should have nothing to do with discrimination, one way or the other?

The House of Commons Commission is carrying out its proper duties to ensure that there is no discrimination in employment. It is also seeking to ensure, by the monitoring process that has been agreed for the Civil Service generally, that it has full knowledge of whether people of particular ethnic groups and the two sexes have appropriate opportunities for promotion within the service of the House.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what information he has as to which Parliaments in the EEC have morning sittings; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the following EC countries have arrangements for morning parliamentary sittings, either on a regular or an occasional basis: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Recognising that I am not the greatest supporter of the European Assembly, may I suggest that our House should consider sitting, at least occasionally, in the morning, in addition to the regular Friday morning sittings. It costs far too much to run the House of Commons. We are sitting far too late into the night, although, happily, not as much as in the past.

My hon. Friend's observation overlooks the fact that many hon. Members recall the period when the House sat in the morning on an experimental basis. That experiment has never led to an informed demand for its renewal.

Does the Leader of the House recollect that one of the problems with the late Dick Crossman's ill-starred attempts to bring in morning sittings lay with the Law Officers? Is there not a general problem with the accountability of the Law Officers? Should there not be an opportunity for the Attorney-General to explain why he gave immunity to Miss Colette Bowe, when on 30 January he told us that he was first informed of the involvement of the right hon. and learned Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Brittan) on 22 January?

Order. That is ingenious but wide of the original question.

I stayed here till the closing minutes on Friday to hear the hon. Gentleman. I now realise with what sadness I missed his contribution. I am glad to take note of it now. It would be quite inappropriate for me to follow the hon. Gentleman in that question, except to say that he seems to have had much more difficulty than the late Dick Crossman did with the Law Officers.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the difficulties that the House would face with morning sittings is that Governments do not always have a large majority and that, if a Government's majority were much smaller, Government Members would be required to start all the House's Committees? In addition, Scottish Members would be required to start all the Scottish Committees and the Scottish Grand Committee. Therefore, most of the time, they would be excluded from attending the morning sittings.

My hon. Friend makes a fair point. When the Crossman experiment took place, it was recognised that because Ministers would often be doing work within the Ministry, no votes could take place during morning sittings. Therefore, they were all left over to the evening, when some quite esoteric subjects suddenly found that they had the most extraordinary turn-out because of their proximity to a three-line Whip. I refer to the future of the Oswestry market, which was under consideration. [Interruption.] That happens to be true, and it is for any historian to judge. Once the practices of this House are disturbed, we cannot suppose that automatically we have an improved position as a consequence.

Does the Leader of the House not find it more than slightly surprising that the request for morning sittings has come from, of all people, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Brunivels), who, after all, was eager to bounce to his feet claiming the discredit for having sank the morning sitting that my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) should have had on a Friday?

I would find it surprising if the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) had not torpedoed himself last Friday.

Many hon. Members feel that there is insufficient time for debating private Member's motions and Bills. Will the Leader of the House consider having an experiment, even one morning a week, and if hon. Members did not turn up to debate their own material, the experiment could be abandoned?

The House should be careful before engaging the whole bureaucracy of morning sittings to meet such a narrow point as that suggested by the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Lord Privy if he will review the policy of curtailing the normal line of route for a week on the occasions when Her Majesty's Government invite foreign dignitaries to speak in the Royal Gallery; and if he will make a statement.

No, Sir.

As this is the people's Parliament, and not the Government's Parliament, does my right hon. Friend not think that it is unfair, unreasonable and unkind that groups of schoolchildren and pensioners who have saved up for a long time to come to Parliament for pre-arranged visits should have their tours disrupted because of one of these occasions? Cannot such meetings be held in a Committee room? As the last three visits have been by representatives of Spain, France and Italy, and none have been by representatives of the Commonwealth, will my right hon. Friend tell us exactly who selects the people who come to these privileged occasions?

That is a touching reference by my hon. Friend to the Commonwealth. Doubtless he will elaborate at some time on who he thinks would be suitable to make an address in the Royal Gallery. The Heads of State who are invited here for this accolade are relatively few. There have been about 10 during the past 20-odd years. The Government, of course, give the invitation, but they do so knowing that they speak for the British people at large. It would be a poor day if that proper degree of pomp and ceremony, which should be associated with Government were relegated because of schoolchildren's parties.

The right hon. Gentleman is missing the important point. Many hon. Members have experienced this problem showing parties around this year. It must be borne in mind that these groups of pensioners, schoolchildren and so on are coming on a once in a lifetime visit arranged months in advance and, in many cases, at considerable expense. They deserve some consideration. Because it seems that the only rooms that need to be closed are the Royal Robing Room the Royal Gallery and the Prince's Chamber, it is inconceivable that we cannot arrange these visits so as not to close the line of route for a full week in advance.

That point is, of course, frequently considered by those who are responsible for looking after such visits [Interruption.] There are various serious responsibilities concerning security—a problem that has been compounded in recent years. I know that it is inconvenient that we must close down the line of route for about a week, but I do not belive that that period would reasonably be shortened without giving rise to other hazards, which I do not believe the House would wish to undertake.

asked the hon. Member for Wokingham, as representing the Church Commissioners, what was the total amount paid out by the Church Commissioners in 1985 for the stipends of bishops and clergy; what information he has as to the amount contributed by church congregations for this purpose; how these figures compared in real terms with those for 1975; and if he will make a statement.

The total was £76·3 million in 1985. This included £33·9 million from church congregations. The figures for 1975— when payment arrangements were different — were £21·3 million and £1·4 million respectively. That is an increase in real terms of 30 per cent. and 769 per cent.

Are not those figures impressive? Will my hon. Friend give the comparative size of the congregations who contributed the sums mentioned in 1975? What was the average size of the congregation per ordained clergyman then compared with now? Does he think that the congregations get value for money?

The Church Commissioners do not keep statistics of the type requested, because they are not responsible for those matters. I was able to give only the broad figures for which my hon. Friend asked, and I am grateful to him, because they show two things. First, the gross figures are substantial. Secondly, the fact that contributions from church congregations have increased by 769 per cent. in that comparatively short period shows the enormous increase in voluntary giving that is willingly undertaken.

Do bishops get a secretarial allowance?

The Church Commissioners pay the salaries of secretarial help for bishops.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of 16-year-old school pupils in Wales achieve grades A to C at 0-level in foreign languages.

An answer cannot be given in the precise terms requested. In 1985 there were 13,566 6-year old pupils in Welsh schools. In the same year there were 4,141 passes at grades A to C in foreign languages. However, some pupils taking or re-taking 0-levels were over 16, and some sat more than one foreign language examination.

Does my hon. Friend nevertheless agree that the overall figures for Wales, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, are deeply disturbing and quite extraordinarily poor in a European context? What will his Department do to try to persuade young people of the value of foreign languages in economic as well as in cultural terms?

My hon. Friend will know that my right hon. Friends have published a draft statement of policy on foreign languages in the school curriculum. I agree that there is plenty of scope for further teaching and learning of foreign languages. There is spare teaching capacity in foreign languages and new opportunities are presented by the advanced secondary courses. Further, many sixth forms undertaking foreign languages are comparatively empty.