asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest unadjusted figures for unemployment in (a) Newport, (b) Gwent and (c) Wales; and if he will give the equivalent figures for 1979 on the most nearly comparable basis.

On 12 March 1987 the total numbers of unemployed claimants in Newport, Gwent and Wales were 9,524, 26,782 and 166,000 respectively. Unadjusted figures for 1979 are not available on a basis that enables a valid comparison to be made.

Does the Secretary of State appreciate than many thousands have been out of work for two years or more—approximately 1,400 in Newport, East? Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that people are being bullied off the register, that schemes are introduced which mean no real jobs, and that there have been 19 changes in the method of compiling the statistics? Is it not time that a stop was put to that fiddling and that the Government introduced suitable economic policies that will produce real jobs for our people?

The rate of long-term unemployment has been falling more rapidly in Wales than in the rest of the United Kingdom. The hon. Gentleman talks about real jobs. I am sure that he will have welcomed the announcement by Plessey on 15 April that it will expand its operations in Newport to create 137 jobs, the announcement by LRC Products today that it will create 110 jobs in Llanelli, and other announcements this April. Diversified Products announced 125 jobs in Gorseinon, Pulse Computers 30 jobs in Newport, Sebastian International 127 jobs at Bridgend, Graphaprint 100 jobs in Deeside, Action Express Packaging 30 jobs in Kenfig Hill, Brother Industries 191 jobs in Wrexham, Microloom 111 jobs in Swansea, and Anglo Swedish Homes 59 jobs in Port Talbot. If that is fiddling the figures, I am delighted to announce them to the House as real jobs.

One feels a certain sympathy for the Labour party in its plight, but is there not something embarrassing about its attempt to extract bad capital from the crop of consistently good news that now comes every day from Wales?

I entirely agree. We have seen the headline total down by 18,200 over the year and we have seen seasonally adjusted unemployment in Wales fall for 10 consecutive months and for 11 out of the past 12 months. That is good news. I am surprised that it causes misery on the Opposition Benches.

Can the Secretary of State tell the House what are the latest developments in the worst unemployment black spot in Wales, the Teifi valley?

In the Teifi valley, as in every other travel-to-work area in Wales, unemployment has fallen over the past 12 months. I am confident that the unemployment figures will continue to improve. I say that because of the confidence being expressed by business and industry generally in Wales.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the provision of 200 jobs by Brother Industries in Wrexham represents just the latest in a staggering record of achievements in reducing unemployment over the past six months? Will my right hon. Friend encourage further industries to move to that corner of north-east Wales?

The truth is that that corner of north-east Wales is proving to be one of the most attractive industrial locations in the whole of Britain. It has attracted a considerable amount of overseas investment. The number of jobs there has grown substantially during our term in office. I am particularly struck by the number of projects that are being negotiated currently there and elsewhere in Wales.

Does the Secretary of State accept that, of course, we welcome all new job announcements in Wales, whether from multinational companies, from within Wales or from the public sector? Our concern is the context in which those announcements are made. Does the right hon. Gentleman not understand that he has to set the job gains against the 150,000 jobs that have been destroyed since he took office as Secretary of State for Wales? That is what his successor as the candidate in the county of Pembrokeshire will be answerable for to the electorate now that the right hon. Gentleman is to retire.

I am glad that the hon. Gentleman, unlike the spokesman for the Labour party, has welcomed the good news. Of course we have suffered from high levels of unemployment in Wales. Indeed, Wales has suffered from the decline of the old basic industries for generations. However, I believe that we have now come to the end of that process and have a strengthening and broadening Welsh economy. I should have thought that both sides of the House would welcome the series of consistently good figures that have been emerging for at least a year in Wales.

Is it not a fact that, historically, there has always been high unemployment in the valleys of Wales? Is it not also a fact that no Government have done more to produce jobs and small businesses in Wales than have this Conservative Government?

All I can say—it is an absolute fact—is that unemployment has fallen more rapidly and for a longer period in Wales than in any other region of the United Kingdom and that the relative position of Wales in the unemployment tables has improved markedly during the past 12 months. I am confident that that process will continue.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received in response to his Department's circular 30/86 entitled "Housing for Senior Management."

Forty four local authorities responded to the circular, and 14 other organisations and individuals made representations.

In view of the fact that the circular is to be inflicted on the people of Wales, but not on the people of England, will the Under-Secretary of State accept that it will undermine the entire planning process? Does he further accept that an overwhelming body of people in Wales are against the circular, and will he arrange to withdraw it as soon as he can?

The answer to the last question is no. I stress that the circular is concerned only with sites for individually designed single, new houses or low-density groups of houses in attractive locations commanding the privacy and space that executives in business and industry expect, and can often find elsewhere. I find it hard to believe that that could in any way undermine planning policies in Wales.

Will my hon. Friend make it clear that that will not mean the abandonment of sound planning principles, but is merely an additional consideration that planning authorities should have in mind in their aim of creating new jobs in the Principality?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the total number of new jobs created in the Delyn enterprise zone since it came into operation on 21 July 1983.

Between 21 July 1983 and 30 March 1987 a total of 1,155 new jobs have been created in the Delyn enterprise zone.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that most encouraging figure. Does he agree that the continued dramatic success of the Delyn enterprise zone, which has been largely responsible for the 13 per cent. drop in Delyn's unemployment figures during the past year, would be threatened by the return to power of the Labour party, which has shown nothing but outright hostility to the concept of enterprise zones?

I agree entirely. It is notable that 85 per cent. of the 2,000 jobs in the zone are in manufacturing and that 55 per cent. are full-time jobs for males. It is equally encouraging to see the success of the neighbouring green field business park, which has attracted companies such as Breger and Gibson, Huurral and Christie Tyler.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total square footage of factories built by the Welsh Development Agency since May 1979.

The WDA has completed more than 9·7 million sq ft of factory floor space since May 1979.

Can my right hon. Friend say what the average square footage of factory space produced by the agency has been since the present Government came into power, and how that compares with the figure under the previous Labour Government?

Between January 1976 and March 1979 the agency completed 1·5 million sq ft—an average of 0·5 million sq ft per year. Under this Government there has been an average of 1·2 million sq ft per year, which is more than double the rate under the previous Labour Government. However, perhaps even more important has been the record level at which those factories have been occupied. The allocation rate is currently running at an all-time high.

We greatly welcome the Secretary of State's conversion to support for the Welsh Development Agency. We only wish that he had given that enthusiastic support from the beginning. What will be the real expansion in the money that is to be allocated to the Welsh Development Agency? The right hon. Gentleman must know that there are areas, such as mine, where we still have about 20 per cent. unemployment and are fighting as hard as we can against it. We need a considerable increase in the factory programme to enable us to attract more new industries into our areas, and I hope that we will get it from the right hon. Gentleman's successor.

We have a far bigger factory programme than that of the previous Administration, so I do not need lectures on that from the right hon. Gentleman. The agency's total budget for 1987–88 is £86·5 million, and it is planning on the basis of £93 million gross being available for factory development over the next three financial years. It is remarkable that the agency allocated 2 million sq ft of factory space in the past financial year and 566,000 sq ft in the first three months of this year. Therefore, the pace of allocation is accelerating.

Will the Secretary of State look at the situation in Gwynedd in detail and observe that the WDA's three-year programme has virtually no investment programmes in factories, other than at Llandudno junction, although in places such as Holyhead and the Pwllheli area unemployment is between 20 and 25 per cent.? When will the WDA deliver the goods to those areas?

I shall certainly look at those factors with the WDA, but by far the biggest contribution that has been or could be made to the economy of that area is the present road construction programme—the dualling of the A55 across north Wales and the work on the Conway crossing. The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that the improvement of those road links to the rest of Britain will make the biggest possible contribution to creating jobs in his area.

The WDA has done well for Wales, and I remind the House that a Labour Government created it. The Secretary of State puts a complacent gloss on the record, bearing in mind that under his stewardship unemployment has doubled since 1979. Has he forgotten his 6,473 jobless constituents? Not for them the rich pickings of the City. The right hon. Gentleman should present his WDA plans to restore his constituents to work. Does he know that more than 4,000 of my constituents are jobless and that recent job losses announced at the Modo factory are a serious blow? Has the WDA any plans to intervene to help my shocked constituents? The work of the agency in Clwyd would be much easier if the Government would give the £750 million loan for the airbus. Why has there been no statement on that?

The hon. Gentleman draws attention to the loss of 50 or 60 jobs at Modo, but not to the 100 jobs created, for example, by Graphoprint on Deeside, which was the subject of my recent announcement, or the 100 jobs created at DRG Plastics, which were announced in March. Within one mile of DRG's new factory there are now nine foreign-owned companies employing about 1,400 people. In my constituency I have created an enterprise zone which already, in the short period of its history, has created more than 500 jobs. I greatly welcome the announcement made only this weekend of a major new ferry service operating from Pembroke dock to Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the impact of Her Majesty's Government's privatisation policy on the economy of Wales.

Privatisation, which is an essential part of the Government's policy of stimulating enterprise, has already proved of considerable benefit to the people of Wales.

Does the Secretary of State think it ethical or desirable that Cabinet Ministers who make important decisions on privatisation should be allowed to buy shares in privatisation issues, as he did in British Telecom? What is his view of those of his colleagues who made multiple share applications?

My hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Mr. Best) has sadly wrecked his career by his action, but he should be remembered as well for his outstanding contribution to Ynys Môn as a constituency Member of Parliament. Like all Cabinet Ministers, all my investments are made without reference to me and at the complete discretion of my investment advisers.

If I may use a slightly different meaning of the word "privatisation", does my right hon. Friend appreciate that some Conservative Ministers are most disappointed that this has not gone further in Wales, in particular in freeing workers in local authorities and the National Health Service? Can we look for further action on this in the next Conservative Government?

The answer to the final part of my hon. Friend's question is that he can look to further action. Indeed, we are already taking vigorous action in the Health Service. I have had recent discussions with the chairmen of a number of health authorities in Wales about carrying this action forward. I am glad to say that the health authority covering my hon. Friend's constituency is taking real and positive steps.

If privatisation of the public services in Wales were ever to take place it would lead to the loss of at least 3,000 jobs in the very early years in which it was implemented. Is not the right hon. Gentleman's record since 1979 in Wales a ghastly one? Manufacturing investment is down, regional grants are down, transport jobs are down, mining jobs are down by 23,000 and metals and chemicals are down by 45 per cent. Does the right hon. Gentleman not realise that his complacent policies have lost us 36 per cent. of our manufacturing jobs? To lose further jobs through privatisation would make the problems far worse. For these betrayals, the right hon. Gentleman should not be given a peerage to go back to the City, he should be sacked.

I have seldom heard such nonsense. The truth of the matter is that every privatisation has greatly improved the efficiency of the organisation. In Wales, for example, we have benefited from Amersham International, Associated British Ports and Allied Wire and Steel. I hope that in due course, the steel industry will return to the freedom of the private sector. The hon. Gentleman seemed to suggest that he would like to see the steel industry return to the over-manned, uncompetitive condition in which we inherited it from the Labour party. I am glad to say that today it is among the most competitive steel industries in Europe and that its future is assured by that fact.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that privatisation by local authorities and health authorities has led not only to lower rates, which must be good for business and for jobs, but to better services, because money saved can be reallocated to areas of greatest need?

That is true. If we get improved efficiency, we are able to provide better services for the same outlay. It seems quite incredible that spokesmen from the Labour party should argue against efficiency in the public services, yet that seems to be the case that they are to present to the people of Britain and of Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what research his Department has made into the cost and effectiveness of appointments and waiting times for patients attending clinics at National Health Service hospitals in Wales.

Information is not regularly collected centrally about cancellations of either in-patient or out-patient appointments. In surveys conducted in 1985 it was estimated that about 2 per cent. of out-patient clinics were cancelled by hospitals and that about 15 per cent. of new out-patients and 19 per cent. of follow-up outpatients did not attend for their appointments. The Welsh Office's waiting list team will be examining the impact of cancelled appointments on waiting lists during the course of its work over the next year.

Is my hon. Friend aware of the survey in south Glamorgan, which estimates that 1,000 patients a week do not turn up, that this is costing the University hospital of Wales £2 million a year, that having everyone ordered to turn up for 10 o'clock in the morning causes a loss of money and ill will among both medical staff and patients, and that something ought to be done about it?

I realise the problems that such cancellations cause and the difficulty for those waiting for appointments. Responsibility for running an efficient appointments system rests with the district health authorities. As long ago as 1985 the Welsh Office asked authorities to validate their waiting lists. This should reduce non-attendance by eliminating those who no longer require treatment. As part of its work of disseminating good practice, the Department's waiting list team will be investigating further the procedures for health authorities in this regard.

Does the Minister agree that it is bad and inefficient when all the out-patients are sent for at one time, either at 10 o'clock in the morning or 2 o'clock in the afternoon? Will he ensure that his Department tells district health authorities that appointments should be staggered? That is one of the reasons why there are so many defaulters.

Once again, it is the responsibility of each health authority to decide how it runs its appointments system. That is precisely why we embarked on the validation exercise and why we are giving the sort of advice to health authorities that we are at present.

Does my hon. Friend agree that the 9 per cent. increase for nurses will do a great deal to improve morale in the Health Service? Does he also agree that it is highly desirable that so much of the funding for that should come not from the area health authorities but from central Government?

I listened carefully to what my hon. Friend said. It is perhaps worth recording that under the previous Labour Government the value of nurses' salaries actually fell by 21 per cent., whereas with this pay award the overall increase in nurses' pay, after allowing for inflation, is 30 per cent.

Would it not be wiser for the Government to tackle the basic problems relating to ill health in Wales—unemployment, substandard housing, inadequate nutrition and a poor environment? Surely such measures would be more beneficial than pressing our general practitioners to distribute glossy Government propaganda.

The one thing that the hon. Gentleman absolutely hates is the truth. The truth is that we have increased total cash resources available to health authorities in Wales in the current year by 7·9 per cent. That is why revenue provision for health authorities has increased by 33 per cent. in real terms since 1979; that is why we have invested £495 million in the capital estate of the Health Service in Wales; that is why the numbers of staff are up by 13·5 per cent. since 1979; and that is why tens of thousands more patients are being cared for in Wales today than was possible in 1979.

The hon. Gentleman gave the House particulars about nurses' salaries under the previous Labour Government, but will he tell us the exact dates with which he makes the comparison, because, if he makes an investigation, he will find that, unfortunately, he has been supplied with misleading figures.

The figures given were for 1974 to 1979, and they were given in the House recently by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.

I should like to make a plea on behalf of my constituents and the people of mid-Wales. Will the Minister consider giving extra financial aid to the East Dyfed health authority to enable it to build the urgently needed second phase at Bronglais hospital, Aberystwyth?

I remind the hon. Gentleman that we have given increases to the East Dyfed health authority for its current expenditure—nearly 6 per cent. this year—and for its capital programme. Indeed, at this moment, at a cost of £24 million, we are building a brand new hospital in Llanelli. The local health authority has a continuing capital programme and has many developments and plans within that programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many domestic leaseholders in Wales he expects to be affected by the provisions of the Landlord and Tenant (No. 2) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Specific statistical information in the form requested is not available. On 30 June 1986 I informed the hon. Gentleman that legislation would be introduced

"which would extend to all domestic leaseholders a right to challenge the coverage and premiums for the insurance of their properties proposed by owners of freeholds."—[Official Report, 30 June 1986; Vol. 100, c. 684.]

Will the Minister acknowledge that on 30 June he implied a lot more when he answered questions in the House? Will he confirm that the legislation as it now exists with the amendments that he is now proposing will neither extend to leaseholders the right to choose their own insurance company nor give them the right to purchase their freeholds at a precise and predetermined level? Those are the things that the Minister promised the House. How can he justify that betrayal of his own constituents, many of whom are faced with the predations of companies such as Castle Beg and Banana Bliss, and of the promises that he gave in this Chamber?

The hon. Gentleman obviously has not read Hansard, and I would have had a lot more sympathy with him had he attended the Second Reading debate in question. I have already quoted what I said on 30 June, and I shall do so again. I said:

"which would extend to all domestic leaseholders a right to challenge the coverage and premiums for the insurance of their properties proposed by owners of freeholds"—[Official Report, 30 June 1986; Vol. 100, c. 684.]

The Minister still misses the point. Labour Members support the legislation as far as it goes, but we also support my hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) in his understanding that this legislation would extend to all domestic leaseholders. If the Minister cannot now fulfil the promise that he made, he should not have made it in the first place.

The hon. Gentleman did not listen to what I said. It does extend to all domestic leaseholders. The matters that are now being raised are really ones for the Committee stage of the Bill. That Committee stage is being dealt with in a bipartisan manner and the discussion is constructive on both sides. I find it strange that the kind of rancour that is now coming from the Opposition Benches is in no way manifesting itself in the work of the Committee.

Jones asked the Secretary of State for Wales to how many (a) state schools and (b) private schools he has paid official visits this year.

I have visited four local education authority maintained schools and one Roman Catholic voluntary aided school so far this year. I have not visited any independent schools.

Is it not the case that if the money spent by Welsh Office Ministers on sponsoring pupils in private schools was spent on the state sector it would mean at least £5 per child in secondary education? Is it not also true that, according to the latest polls, parents believe that, under this Government, standards have fallen largely because the state sector is still underfunded, even in an election year? Her Majesty's Inspectorate points to an alarming situation where parent-teacher associations are now bailing out our schools throughout the length and breadth of Wales. Is it not a fact that since 1979 Welsh Office Ministers from public schools have neglected our state schools and favoured their own?

The hon. Gentleman's first point is quite wrong. I have already told him in the House that, even if we were not to spend on the assisted places scheme, it would add only 30p to the £1,400 spent per child in the maintained sector. The amount spent is only 0·126 per cent. of total spending on the maintained sector. As for falling standards, I deny that absolutely. We have taken steps to improve education in Wales, and will continue to do so. As for spending, the hon. Gentleman must know that, while spending has remained roughly constant, pupil numbers are now 14·5 per cent. down on what they were in 1977–78, whereas the number of teachers has declined by only 7 per cent. We are spending more per pupil than was spent under the last Labour Government.

Does my hon. Friend agree that if we are to find more resources for state schools in the Principality the most effective way is to remove surplus places at a faster rate? I instance the example of Clwyd, where at present 22,300 surplus places in the primary and secondary sectors are costing £3·5 million a year just to keep empty. Why do Labour Members not get off their backsides and support the Government in trying to reach their target of removing two fifths of those surplus places so that we can spend the money on where it is most needed—in the hard-pressed urban primary and secondary schools?

The hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) could begin by supporting his education spokesman, the hon. Member for Durham, North (Mr. Radice), who is encouraging teachers not to take industrial action. The hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside should give his hon. Friend the Member for Durham, North his support. However, with regard to surplus places, my hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr. Raffan) is absolutely right. There are about 150,000 surplus places in Wales and I know of some schools—in Clwyd, for example—where there are more surplus places than pupils at individual schools. I am also glad to say that a number of local education authorities are at various stages in the consideration of plans for rationalising school provision, particularly in the face of the declining secondary pupil numbers.

On his school visits, has the Minister visited any of the smaller comprehensive schools in western and mid-Wales to see the problems that they face in trying to provide for a broad-based bilingual curriculum with very scare resources?

The hon. Gentleman put his finger on the matter when he described the schools as "smaller comprehensive schools". Obviously, the smaller the school, the more difficult it is to provide a broad-based curriculum, particularly at secondary level. That is why so many local education authorities are considering sixth-form and tertiary colleges and other such reorgansiations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the adequacy of resources for the general certificate of secondary education examinations.

I have had representations from about 35 individuals and organisations.

Are not the resources available for the examination, whose introduction was very warmly supported by the main teachers' unions, perfectly adequate provided that the teachers' unions, which have now received a very large pay award, are prepared to show the very minimum of co-operation to make the new scheme work, rather than seeking to wreck the whole education system in pursuit of wage claims?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The teachers' unions were foremost in calling for a single examination at 16. Massive preparations followed the decision taken by the Government in 1984. Alas, the training that we provided was disrupted and boycotted during the industrial action last year. I note that the NAS/UWT is still highly critical of the GCSE, for which it called. Additional resources have been made available. Current education spending has been increased by 11 per cent. for Wales this year under the rate support grant settlement. We have given special assistance over three years of £2·4 million, and of £1 million additionally for INSET training over a period of two years. I am glad to say that local education authorities in Wales have increased their capitation allowances to provide additional funds for the GCSE.

For the examination to go well the teachers' morale must be restored, because the Government have destroyed that morale. Is it not the case that the Government have destroyed the teachers' free negotiating machinery? Has not the Secretary of State for Education and Science chosen to take greater powers over teachers than any Minister in peacetime, with the Secretary of State for Wales embarrassingly on his coat-tails?

Is it not the fact that the Government had to take that action and Parliament had to pass the relevant Act because of the inability of the unions to come to an agreement? With regard to the hon. Gentleman's point about destroying morale, I am sure that many workers in the country would like to have a 16·4 per cent. increase imposed upon them, over 18 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the level of water rates in the Welsh water authority area.

My right hon. Friend has received eight written representations about the level of water charges in the Welsh water authority area.

Does the Minister accept that an increase in water rates that is double the rate of inflation is unacceptable to Welsh water ratepayers, and will he tell the House why Mr. Bernard Doyle, the chief executive of the Welsh water authority, resigned? Do the Government intend to go ahead with the privatisation of the water industry in Wales?

I am satisfied that the increase in charges was the minimum necessary to meet higher costs due to inflation and to enable the board to continue to invest in improving the quality of services, such as water supply and sewerage, and to improve the environment, including coastal waters. The increase for the Welsh water authority is within the band of increases for all water authorities in England and Wales.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many persons are employed by the Duchy in the north-west region.

Nineteen, Sir.

Is my right hon. Friend also pleased that there has been a continuous fall in unemployment in the north-west during the past eight months in respect of both male and female unemployment, and that the percentage of unemployment is low compared with the previous period?

Indeed, and that contrasts starkly with the predictions made not that long ago by Labour party spokesmen to the effect that unemployment would rise inexorably and would exceed 5 million by the time of the next general election. As usual, another of their alarm scares and smears has been shown to be as untrue as they always have been.

Notwithstanding the welcome increase in employment prospects for people in the north-west, does the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster accept that there is a major problem of unemployment in the region and that only when the Government recognise the need to put money into construction projects, such as the creation of improved housing and the building of something like the Mersey barrage, will many of the unemployed in that important sector find work?

I accept what the hon. Gentleman says about the major problem of unemployment that still exists in the region, but it would be foolish to return to the policies that brought about that structural imbalance in the region—high public spending, state intervention and things of that sort. Of course there is a need for infrastructure spending, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will shortly have something to say on our roads programme. Of course it has been right to help Liverpool by giving it the amount of urban aid grant that we have. Of course it is right to improve the water supply in the north-west. But in the long term the salvation of the north-west will be the private sector of enterprise creating firms which produce goods that people wish to buy.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many official meetings he has had in the last month.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

But what—[Interruption.]

Order. I do not think we have yet had that answer.

The hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist) was not here to ask his Question No. 19; he must be out somewhere. The answer to the hon. Gentleman's question — this is one fewer than the previous answer—is 18.

What amount of time can the right hon. Gentleman devote to meetings when he seems to be so busy intimidating and bullying the broadcasting authorities? Is it not true that a recent independent report that examined the BBC coverage of the American raids on Libya shows that there was no justification for the criticism levelled by the right hon. Gentleman? Is it too much to expect him to apologise?

The hon. Gentleman seems to be complaining that my productivity, like the productivity of most people in industry, is expanding greatly and that I work too hard. I have to tell him that I shall continue to behave in that way. As for his complaints about the BBC, my independent report on the BBC's coverage of the Libyan incident came to a very different conclusion. That conclusion was accepted by most independent observers. I thought that the hon. Gentleman was going to ask me about the fact that the BBC recently confessed that it was entirely wrong to omit from one of its news broadcasts an item of news favourable to the Government. The director general was kind enough to say that he was wrong. I accept that he was wrong and I hope that the BBC will improve its journalistic standards.

May I ask my right hon. Friend how many meetings he has had in the last month with the chairman of the party and whether agreement has been reached between both offices about the advice that should be given to the Prime Minister about the date of the next election?

The two of us have had a number of meetings, but fortunately I do not have to answer at the Dispatch Box for the advice that the chairman of the party will give to the Prime Minister. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is very well content that the Prime Minister will make her own decision in her own time. I know that right hon. and hon. Members opposite are eager to have a general election—[Interruption.]—although I suspect not quite as eager as some others.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total expenditure on telephone calls by his office for the last financial year.

I regret that it is not possible to arrive at a figure disaggregated from the bill for the Cabinet Office as a whole.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether he telephoned any of the British Telecom shareholders instead of sending them letters that invaded their privacy for the sake of party political propaganda? I have had letters from my new constituency in Devon, from professional people, objecting very much to this unsolicited mail. Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether there was any public expense involved in that, or was he behaving purely as a party-political hack?

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman has had complaints from professional people and, that being so, they are professional complainers. As Members of Parliament we have all known those in our time. Of course, facilities for the Government that are provided by the taxpayer are not used by the party. The two things are kept entirely and completely separate. The hon. Gentleman asked about invading privacy. There are many complaints about direct mail. For example, my friend the chairman of the National Union was a little disturbed the other day when he received a begging letter from Mr. John Pardoe asking for funds on behalf of the alliance.

In his capacity as a telephone user, has my right hon. Friend noted a substantial improvement in the performance of British Telecom since privatisation? Does he expect similar improvements in the performance of the electricity industry after it has been privatised?

A few years ago there were great queues to obtain telephones, but telephones are now freely and readily available and the service is very good. On the generality of the case, very few companies that have been privatised have not improved their performance. Perhaps the most marked improvement of all is in the National Freight Corporation, which was sold to its employees. I trust that the Opposition are not threatening to re-nationalise that, for a start.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his office spent on telephone calls in the last financial year.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave some moments ago.

I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on getting his lines right this time. Is he aware that there is considerable misgiving about the way in which he has used his dual offices—one party political and the other in government — to browbeat and bully people into being afraid of what an alternative Government would do to Telecom shares and at the same time asking for finance for his party? Is that not something that his Government and people in his job should avoid doing in future?

Come, come I think, Mr. Speaker, that the hon. Gentleman is being a little silly about these things. All that I have done in any of the many offices that I hold is to make sure that the public are well aware of Opposition policies. Provided we stand on our record as a Government and set out the Opposition's policies as against ours, we shall have no problems whatever about walking the next general election, whenever it comes.

Would my right hon. Friend care to say whether any of the telephone conversations that he has had were with Langbaurgh town hall, where the police have been called in to investigate the activities of the Labour-controlled housing department? They were called in by the Labour leader of the council, who is one of seven deselected Labour councillors who will fight as individual Labour against official Labour in the local elections in just over a week's time.

Fortunately, I am not responsible for the Labour party's internal affairs. If I were, I should have to agree with the hon. Member, not for South Hams, but for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton), who, in the Daily Telegraph not so long ago criticised the intolerant and bigoted attitude of the Labour party, but that was when he was writing articles about why the Labour party must change, with the hon. Members for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) and for Stockton, South (Mr. Wrigglesworth) — somewhat peculiar company for the hon. Gentleman to keep.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what consideration he has given to changes in the procedures and facilities of the House designed to improve the handling of Scottish business.

I have no such proposals for change in mind at present.

Will the right hon. Gentleman improve on the position whereby a letter to me as a Scottish Member of Parliament from the Secretary of State for Scotland was highlighted at 11 am on Thursday 23 April by the Prime Minister's press secretary at a meeting with the Lobby press? Does that not prove yet again that in the matter of the raid on the BBC in Glasgow in relation to the Zircon affair Mr. Bernard Ingham was the organ grinder and the Secretary of State one of the monkeys?

Order. I find it difficult to relate this to the handling of Scottish business.

It is entirely a matter of the procedures of the Scottish Office. It is a unique procedure in the history of the Scottish Office that a letter to a Scottish Member of Parliament should be highlighted—

Order. The hon. Gentleman has asked his question. I just find it difficult to understand.

I had naturally expected the supplementary question to relate to Scottish business as such, but I appreciate that the hon. Gentleman has raised a point concerning the administration of the Scottish Office and I will, of course, refer it to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many (a) self-seal and (b) non self-seal envelopes were provided for use by hon. Members and others during the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

During the period March 1986 to February 1987, 850,000 white self-seal post-paid envelopes and 2,550,000 gummed envelopes of the equivalent type were provided for the use of right hon. and hon. Members.

Will my right hon. Friend be kind enough, in his capacity as Lord Privy Seal, to move entirely to self-seal envelopes for hon. Members, bearing in mind the obnoxious taste of gummed envelopes? Alternatively, will he arrange for a more pleasant flavour of gum for the benefit of hon. Members' secretaries?

This is essentially a matter for the Services Committee. I am sure that my hon. Friend's comments will be noted, and I have reason to believe that his view is more widely held.

Self-sealing envelopes are a long-awaited innovation, but is my right hon. Friend aware that the quality is very poor and that they do not stick down? Will he have a word with the suppliers?

Yes, the point has been noted. I gave a reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Staffordshire (Mr. Heddle) on 8 April, at column 230 of Hansard, explaining the remedial action being taken.

How much do these navel-contemplating questions cost to answer? Could they not be left off the Order Paper?

My mind boggles at assessing the cost of answering such questions or, indeed, the supplementary question that I have just been asked. I believe that my time is costed at rather less than other activities in the House, but I note what my hon. Friend has said.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what representations the Select Committee on House of Commons (Services) has received on the railings in Westminster Hall; and if he will make a statement.

The hon. and learned Member addressed a question to me on this matter on 25 June last year, and I refer him to the reply that I gave on that occasion. Neither I nor the Services Committee have received any other recent representations on this subject.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the once temporary railings in Westminster Hall should not be there, that they are ugly, inexpensive and unpleasant, and that they spoil one of the most beautiful buildings in this country? Even if other people seem not to have noticed this, will the Services Committee at least consider replacing the railings with others that are more sightly?

I could not accept any of those strictures. All these are matters of aesthetic taste, and I would back my taste against that of the hon. and learned Gentleman any day. As he asked that the matter be referred to the Services Committee, I shall do so and point out that he is unique in making his complaint, and that money spent on this is money that cannot readily be spent elsewhere.

to ask the Lord Privy Seal if he will give his latest estimate of the cost of (a) answering an oral question, (b) answering a written question, (c) printing all questions on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the 1985–86 Session and (d) printing all answers in the Official Report in the 1985–86 Session.

The cost in officials' time of replying to questions vary considerably, but the current average cost is estimated at £75 for;—

Order. I did not see the hon. Gentleman rise, so we must go back to questions to the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of citizens of the Principality needing cardiac surgery are able to have their operation within Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Comprehensive information on numbers of patients receiving cardiac surgery outside Wales is not readily available. However, during 1985, the most recent period for which information is held centrally, of 798 patients from Wales reported as having been treated in hospitals in England and Wales and whose specialty on discharge was recorded as cardiac surgery, 704, or 88 per cent., were treated at hospitals in Wales.

Does the Minister recall, in 1982, a report on the needs of cardiac surgery in Wales from Professor Williams? Does he not realise that the shortfall in cardiac surgery in Wales is such that we need two centres for south Wales, one serving the south-west and the other Cardiff?

It is because of that shortfall that the Government have increased the number of open heart operations being carried out in the Principality. At the moment we have a target of about 600 a year, but we intend to increase that number to about 1,100. As a result, a paediatric cardiac unit is to be built at the University hospital of Wales, in Cardiff, as the first phase of a substantial development of the regional cardiac service.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the present state of the dairy industry in Wales.

The December agreement by the Council of Agriculture Ministers produced a further package of measures designed to curb the problem of over-supply in milk. While individual dairy farms continue to face financial difficulty as a result of the imposition of quotas, the dairy sector as a whole in Wales showed a marked improvement in incomes during 1985–86.

I am sure that the Minister would be the first to admit that many dairy farmers in west Wales face financial problems, which many will find it difficult to overcome. To whom does the Secretary of State attribute blame? Is it the Government of the day, the EEC, his colleague the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, or himself?

It is a pleasure to see the hon. Member in his place asking his question, unlike the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Livsey), who publicised his question in the newspapers but did not come to the House to ask it. The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that, with substantial surpluses being produced in this country and outside, an adjustment of the milk sector is inevitable. I hope that he will not pretend to his electors that such an adjustment can take place without any pain and discomfort.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the number of notified vacancies for jobs in Wales and in the Vale of Glamorgan, respectively, at the latest convenient date.

The number of vacancies notified to jobcentres and career offices in Wales on 6 March 1987 were 12,100 and 300 respectively. This information is not available on a constituency basis, but the corresponding figures for South Glamorgan are 1,580 and 83.

Do these figures show an increase over the past 12 months?

There has been a satisfactory level of unfilled vacancies, showing the number of jobs that are available. My hon. Friend should understand that only a proportion of job vacancies are notified to jobcentres and career offices, and there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of newspaper advertising for jobs, particularly in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. I am sure that he will have seen with pleasure the recent survey by the Cardiff chamber of commerce and industry, which says that south Wales is heading for an economic boom.

Will the right hon. Gentleman agree with me that, in Clwyd, British Aerospace is going great guns? Will he take this opportunity to demonstrate his full support for the £750 million launch-aid for the Airbus A330, A340, and will he say whether the Government will make a statement? Does he know that many Welsh jobs hang on that decision?

I am glad to agree with the hon. Gentleman that that company, like so many others in Wales, is going great guns. The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that the question whether a statement is made from the Dispatch Box is not my responsibility.

I support the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) in emphasising the enormous importance of that project, not only to north Wales, but to the aviation industry generally. I hope that my right hon. Friend will exercise what influence he can to ensure that the necessary launch-aid is forthcoming.

I agree with my hon. Friend that this is an extremely important project, and that it is a company whose future is of the greatest significance to his constituents and many others. He would not expect me to make a statement on the subject this afternoon because, as he knows, I am not the Minister who is primarily responsible.