asked the Minister for Trade if he will make a statement on his discussions with, and on progress made by, the Taiwanese authorities since the statement on industrial counterfeiting in December 1980.

The United Kingdom has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan. We have therefore had no discussions with the authorities. Firms with evidence that their goods are being counterfeited in Taiwan may make representations directly or through the Anglo-Taiwan trade committee, which has been instrumental in securing the de-registration of several offending trade marks in Taiwan.New measures introduced in Taiwan last year were aimed at preventing the export of goods with counterfeit trade marks or false indications of country of origin. We understand also that the Taiwan authorities have recently set up a counterfeiting prevention task force to investigate complaints and provide evidence for prosecutions.These measures show that the warnings which this Government have given on the practice of counterfeiting have been heeded. We continue to watch the situation closely and will not be satisfied until the problem has been eliminated.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will list in the Official Report the categories of anti-dumping applications made by United Kingdom firms and organisations during the past three years.

Successful anti-dumping applications have been made to the European Commission by a wide range of United Kingdom industries. In the great majority of instances they have been made on a Community basis where the United Kingdom industry and those of other member States have acted in concert. In particular, the chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, timber, paper and board, domestic electrical appliance and light engineering sectors have all put forward such applications.

asked the Minister for Trade what was the number of anti-dumping applications made by United Kingdom firms and organisations to the European Commission in each of the past three years; how many were substantiated; and what action was taken by the Commission in each case.

Anti-dumping action is undertaken by the European Commission at the request of Community industries and it is not always possible to quantify the extent of United Kingdom interest in any one case. However, since January 1979, over 60 anti-dumping or countervailing cases have been opened by the Commission. We believe that in more than half of these United Kingdom industries had a major interest. The outcome in most cases has been the imposition of definitive duties or the acceptance of price undertakings, but in three instances no remedy was found to be necessary. Nineteen cases are still under investigation. About half of these are of considerable interest to United Kingdom industry.

asked the Minister for Trade when he expects the agreement establishing the common fund for commodities to enter into force.

The agreement establishing the common fund will enter into force when it has been ratified by 90 countries whose subscriptions comprise two-thirds of the directly contributed capital and certain other conditions are fulfilled. The deadline for receipt of ratifications was 31 March 1982, but by then only 25 countries had ratified the agreement. The United Kingdom ratified it at the end of last year. At a meeting attended by 18 of those 25 countries on 3 June, the deadline was extended to 30 September 1983. It may then be extended once more. Four more countries have ratified since 31 March. Progress in ratifying the agreement has been slow, despite two United Nations General Assembly resolutions urging ratification without delay. Unfortunately, the prospects for the fund entering into force in the foreseeable future are not good, but the United Kingdom will continue to support the fund and take an active part in the meeting of the preparatory commission. We have also offered London as a site for the eventual headquarters of the fund.

asked the Minister for Trade what is the rate of European Coal and Steel Community levy on production or sales of iron and steel; what was the total amount collected, respectively, in England, Scotland and Wales in each of the past three years; and how much was received from the European Coal and Steel Community in each of the three countries in each of these years.

I have been asked to reply.The European Coal and Steel Community—ECSC—levy on coal and steel production is currently set at 0·31 per cent. In ecus per tonne this is assessed for iron and steel as 0·3682 for pig iron, 0·51594 for steel ingots and 0·24191 for finished steel.Levy payments and some United Kingdom receipts from the ECSC are not broken down for England, Scotland and Wales. Estimated levy payments by steel companies and allocations related to steel of grants and loan interest rebates from the ECSC budget were as follows:

(million pounds)
	1979	1980	1981
Levy payments by United Kingdom producers	7·6	4·3	6·4
Allocations of Grants and Interest Rebates
England	5·2	12·4	17·3
Scotland	1·2	0·4	1·0
Wales	1·6	7·8	17·5
Unallocated	1·5	1·6	2·1
United Kingdom Total	9·5	22·2	37·9

In addition, allocations of interest rebates on ECSC reconversion loans for projects which employ either redundant coal or steel workers were as follows:

	1979	1980	1981
England	1·1	2·1	0·6
Scotland	—	0·7	1·6
Wales	1·8	1·9	5·9
Unallocated	3·3	3·0	1·7

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage deviation of the £ sterling above and below the central rate of the European monetary system each month since its inauguration.

The information is as follows:

	Percentage change of sterling against its notional ecu central rate
End-month	1979	1980	1981	1982
January	—	+2·7	+25·4	+7·2
February	—	+4·6	+19·8	-0·7
March	+1·2	+7·9	+0·2	-0·5
April	+3·0	+5·2	+1·0	-2·6
May	+4·0	+8·0	+2·3	-2·2
June	+5·4	+7·0	-0·6
July	+8·3	+7·4	-2·4
August	+7·8	+10·2	-2·4
September	+0·1	+10·8	-8·3
October	-1·7	+17·5	+2·7
November	-0·1	+15·5	+6·5
December	+0·4	+18·6	+6·1

The notional central rate of sterling against the ecu is reset after each realignment to reflect the prevailing market rates and the realignment itself; and was adjusted on 24 September and 30 November 1979, 23 March and 5 October 1981 and 22 February and 12 June 1982.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to increase investment incentives in view of the large amount of unclaimed reliefs under corporation tax.

The future of investment incentives is discussed in the Green Paper on corporation tax on which the Government have invited views.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of reliefs currently unclaimed under corporation tax.

The most recent figure of reliefs and allowances claimed but not yet used against profits is some £30 billion—excluding public corporations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of extending vehicle excise duty exemption to people who are unable or virtually unable to walk but are too old to be eligible for mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 20 April 1982—[Vol. 22, c. 64.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the light of the further information contained in the letter of the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury dated 24 June and the further representations made by the Highland regional council, he will reconsider his decision not to provide Customs clearance facilities at Wick airport to allow a scheduled air service between the Faroes, Wick and Aberdeen to be started.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the present financial targets for the electricity supply industry in England and Wales will be relaxed to reflect the increases on electricity prices announced in the last Budget.

Following the announcement made in the last Budget of new arrangements to help large industrial users of electricity, I have now agreed with the Electricity Council that the industry's financial target should be relaxed correspondingly. The financial target, defined as an average return on net assets over the period 1980–81 to 1982–83, will be reduced from 1·8 per cent. to 1·7 per cent. Targets for the individual boards are being adjusted accordingly.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he intends to continue to take royalties in oil rather than in cash from North Sea licensees.

I have reviewed the practice of taking royalty in kind and the contribution it makes to the security of the United Kingdom's oil supplies. I have decided to continue to take royalty in kind on broadly the present scale, but to discontinue taking it from some of the smaller fields. The licensees of four of the smaller fields have accordingly been notified that, with effect from 1 January 1983, they will no longer be required to deliver royalty in kind. My decision will apply similarly to fields which have recently come on stream.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for England and Wales, respectively, the amount of aid distributed to hill farmers under various categories in 1970 and in each of the past three years directly from the United Kingdom Budget and from the European Economic Community.

Expenditure in special areas of England and Wales in 1970–71 and in 1978–79 to 1980–81 is shown in the following table. All payments are made initially from United Kingdom funds, but the European Community subsequently reimburses 25 per cent. of eligible expenditure on hill livestock compensatory allowances, the farm and horticultural development scheme and forage groups.

£ million
	1970–71	1978–79‡	1979–80‡	1980–81
Hill cattle	5·4	—	—	—
Hill sheep	5·1	—	—	—
Winter keep	2·2	—	—	—
Hill land improvement	1·5	—	—	—
Hill livestock compensatory allowances	—	17·0	49·6	47·1
Additional benefit under capital grant schemes*	—	2·7	5·6	9·2
Other†	0·2	…	…	…
Total	14·4	19·8	55·2	56·4
* Enhanced rates for less favoured areas under the farm and horticultural development scheme and the farm capital grant scheme.
† Covers livestock rearing land improvement, rural roads and forage groups; may include some expenditure in Northern Ireland in 1970–71.
‡ Because of an industrial dispute some payments which would normally have been made in 1978–79 were delayed until 1979–80.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will initiate an inquiry into prices and profits in licensed premises on the sale of non-alcoholic drinks.

No. Her Majesty's Government consider competition rather than price control to be the most effective means of restraining prices. Complaints about prices charged might best be directed to the companies concerned.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress towards an agreement on a renegotiated common fisheries policy at the Council of Fisheries Ministers held in Brussels on 28 and 29 June 1982.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement that I made in the House earlier today.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting in Brussels on 28 June; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement that I made in the House earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest year for which he has figures for prosecutions and convictions under sections 2 and 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959; and how many relate wholly or mainly to video cassettes.

1980 is the latest year for which information is available centrally. Records available to us, which may be incomplete, show in that year 239 prosecutions and 162 convictions under section 2 and 562 orders made under section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act, 1959 as amended in 1964. Information on the circumstances of such offences is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which, if any, of the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners Her Majesty's Government do not accept as a matter of policy; and what are the reasons for non-acceptance.

As regards England and Wales, we accept the principle of all the standard minimum rules of the council of Europe and of the United Nations. We do not follow the letter of all the recommended procedures. For example, prisoners' complaints to the central administration are not made under confidential cover—rule 36(3) of the European rules—because it would add to the work of dealing with them and the time taken; and although women prisoners are mostly attended and supervised by women officers—rule 53(3) of the UN rules—we do not require this in all circumstances because we do not think it necessary in our system. Practice elsewhere in the United Kingdom is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information is being compiled on the United Kingdom's compliance with the standard minimum rules for treatment of prisoners for the Council of Europe or the United Nations; when the work will be completed; and whether he will undertake to make it publicly available.

This information is compiled in response to periodic requests by the Council of Europe and the United Nations. No such requests are currently outstanding, but when the next returns are made we should be very ready to consider placing copies in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now consider introducing changes in the electoral law to enable 18 to 21-year-olds to stand for election to Parliament and local authorities.

We have no present plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any provision is made for sanctions to be applicable if the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1973 are infringed; and where details of such sanctions may be obtained.

The Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1973 govern the conduct of district, London borough and county council—including GLC—elections in England and Wales. The conduct of an election is a matter for the returning officer. Section 51(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1949, as amended, provides inter alia that if the returning officer at a local government election is, without reasonable cause, guilty of any act or omission in breach of his official duty he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds. An election may also be questioned through an election petition under part III of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any rules apply to the appointment of the returning officer and his clerks referred to in paragraph 40(2) of the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1973; and, if so, if he will list them.

The appointment of returning officers at local government elections in England and Wales is governed by section 41(1) of the Local Government Act 1972. Clerks are appointed under rule 22(1) of the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1973, which provides inter alia that the returning officer shall appoint such clerks as may be necessary for the purposes of the election, but that he shall not appoint any person who has been employed by or on behalf of a candidate in or about the election.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what calculation he has made of the manpower and cost implications for the police of his circular 54/1982 on consultation between the county and the police and of his letter and guidelines on the same subject to local authorities in the Metropolitan Police district.

The pattern of consultation arrangements is likely to vary between or within police force areas, depending on local needs and the frequency of meetings. It is, therefore, not possible to quantify the likely manpower and cost implications. Consultation will involve the time of some police officers and administrative support but, as the guidelines make clear, this is likely to be relatively small.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the new discipline block at Highpoint prison recommended in the Chief Inspector of Prisons' report, agreed by his prison department to be necessary, is not to be built for the foreseeable future; and whether he has considered the undertaking of the work by the inmates in view of the inspector's conclusion which accepts that large numbers of inmates have insufficient work to do.

The priority for the provision of segregation and punishment facilities at Highpoint prison is not such that funds can be allocated for this purpose at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which buildings previously scheduled for demolition at Highpoint prison are now to be refurbished and modernised; and at what additional cost to the public.

Consideration is at present being given to the future use of existing buildings and to the provision of additional facilities to meet the overall needs of the current and eventual population of Highpoint prison. At this stage it is not possible to say what further work, if any, will be required to the existing buildings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to utilise underdeployed inmates at Highpoint prison on the construction of the new permanent cell block for 250 prisoners.

None. This building is under construction by outside contractors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the non-availability of personal accident insurance for police officers.

Up to 20 June, we had received representations from 69 hon. Members and the chairman of the Greater Manchester police authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to provide personal accident insurance for police officers; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to a question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) on 28 May, in which he explained why personal accident insurance could not be provided for police officers.—[Vol. 24, c.433.]. The possibility of improving the compensation payable under the police pension scheme for death or incapacitating injury sustained on duty is now being considered by the police negotiating board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Basildon of 17 June, Official Report, column 317, when he expects to publish the study of a statistical analysis of people arrested in 25 police force areas during the incidents of serious public disorder in July and August 1981.

A report will be published as soon as possible but it is not yet possible to say when this will be.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the announcement of the official declaration of the fall of the military junta in Argentina and an announcement that action is to be taken towards the establishment of democracy in that country, she will offer the assistance of Her Majesty's Government in achieving these aims.

We naturally welcome the promise of more representative Government in Argentina and will be watching developments closely. It is not for us to become involved in the internal affairs of another country, and I do not think this would be the most auspicious moment to offer the assistance the hon. Gentleman suggests.

asked the Prime Minister why those Chinese sailors from Hong Kong who had been serving in the South Atlantic underwent immigration procedures on entry to the United Kingdom; and if she will ensure that such procedures are not in future applied to this group of seamen, in order to demonstrate Her Majesty's Government's appreciation of their work in the exclusion zone.

As these sailors are not members of Her Majesty's Forces, they are subject to control under the Immigration Act 1971. However, they were not individually examined on their arrival and were admitted with the minimum of formality. The same will be done for any future arrivals.

asked the Prime Minister how the financial arrangements of the next of kin of the Hong Kong Chinese sailors killed or wounded in the South Atlantic compare with those for (a) British Service men and (b) merchant seamen.

The lump sum compensation for the death or injury of Hong Kong Chinese Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel is the same as for United Kingdom merchant seamen, but no occupational pension will be provided since the Hong Kong Chinese were not members of a pension scheme. The lump sum is greater than for Service men of junior rank, but with the same proviso. Hong Kong Chinese embarked on Her Majesty's ships to provide laundry and similar services under contract were covered by private insurers indemnified by the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied that adequate arrangements have been made to assist the families of those Chinese sailors from Hong Kong killed and injured in the South Atlantic.

Yes. Apart from the financial arrangements, welfare visits have been paid to all the next of kin and will be paid to the injured; and advice on money and other problems is being provided.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement on the award of the Civil Service arbitration tribunal and the reports of the review bodies on the pay of the Armed Forces, the doctors and dentists and top salaries.

[pursuant to her reply, 6 May 1982, c. 109–11]: Following the earlier acceptance in full of the recommendations of the eleventh report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, the Government have now decided to increase the pay of Service medical and dental officers by amounts averaging 5·8 per cent. from 1 April 1982 in accordance with recommendations contained in a supplementary report by the review body, which is published today as Cmnd. 8573. Copies are available in the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) how much in total of Government grant has been received by Imperial Metals Industries;(2) what has been the total amount of Government grants so far received by Yorkshire Imperial Metals, Kirkby.

Details of some forms of grant provided to individual companies are confidential and total figures cannot therefore be supplied.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he has any plans to give special assistance to individuals from the ethnic minorities to set up new businesses and to expand existing businesses; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have introduced many measures and have expanded their advisory services to help all small business men, including those from the ethnic minorities. Following discussions which the Secretary of State, my staff and I had with the banks, a number of banks have appointed specialist managers for inner urban areas, and this initiative may be of especial benefit to ethnic minority businesses. I maintain regular contact with the United Kingdom Caribbean chamber of commerce to discuss ways in which business men from the ethnic minorities might make fuller use of the help available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will improve payments under the shipbuilding redundancy payments scheme.

I shall shortly bring forward to the House an order proposing certain improvements to the scheme which are supported by BS and its unions. The proposals help particularly those under 40, whose benefits are limited to £300 under the present scheme, but there are also improvements for those over 40. I shall also be asking the House to prolong the scheme until June 1985. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will be proposing parallel changes to the scheme for Harland and Wolff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total expenditure of further and higher education in the United Kingdom outside the university sector; and how many students the various institutions are serving.

In 1979–80, the latest date for which data are available, expenditure on further and higher education in the United Kingdom outside the university sector was £1,724 million. The numbers of students at the various institutions in the autumn of 1979 was as follows:

	Number
Full-time—including sandwich—students	560,000
Part-time day students	836,000
Evening only students	2,547,000
of whom, at adult education centres	1,849,000

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of university students are dependent on parental contributions to supplement their student grants; whether he is yet able to announce the result of his consideration of a scheme of loans to help students to bridge the gap between the grant and the cost of maintenance at university where their parents are unable or unwilling to supplement their grants; and if he will make a statement.

A parental contribution was assessed in respect of 67 per cent. of all university students in England and Wales in the academic year 1980–81. My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make a statement on a possible loans scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether arrangements exist to re-employ (a) trained teachers after absence, for example, for bringing up children, and (b) formerly redundant teachers, rather than continuing recruitment of new teachers; and what retraining arrangements exist.

Local education authorities and other employers frequently re-engage teachers after a break in service; according to provisional figures 26,200 full-time teachers were appointed to maintain schools in England and Wales in the financial year 1980–81. Of these, 10,400 were re-entrants and 15,800 new entrants. A teacher made redundant may apply for a teaching vacancy on the same terms as any other teacher; but most teachers who have been made redundant have left the service under the early retirement arrangements.It is for local education authorities to make provision, where appropriate and within available resources, for the further training of teachers who return to their service. Where a teacher wishes to convert to teach a new subject after a break in service, assistance is currently available under the Government's scheme for training and retraining to teach priority subjects.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether Her Majesty's Government have taken any steps to obviate teacher unemployment; and what assessment he has made of the results of such measures.

Under the Government scheme for training or retraining to teach priority subjects, teachers who have been unable to get a job or whose subject is in surplus may retrain to teach a subject for which there is a continuing demand. Up to summer 1981, 1,600 teachers had successfully completed retraining courses since the scheme was introduced in 1977.In view of the fall in the demand for new teachers the Government have reduced the intake to courses of postgraduate teacher training in England and Wales this autumn by 20 per cent. My right hon. Friend is now considering advice from the Advisory Committee on the Supply and Education of Teachers about intakes to teacher training in 1983, 1984 and 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the percentage increase or decrease in the pupil-teacher ratio in each sector, primary or secondary, of the educational system for which he is responsible in each of the past three years for which figures are available; and whether the future figures are expected to go up or down.

The information requested in respect of maintained primary and secondary schools in England is given below.

	Primary		Secondary
January	Pupils per qualified teacher	Percentage change from previous year	Pupils per qualified teacher	Percentage change from previous year
1978	23·6	—	16·9	—
1979	23·1	-2·1	16·7	-1·2
1980	22·7	-1·7	16·6	-0·6
1981	22·6	-0·4	16·6	No change

The numbers of teachers assumed in the Government's public expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 8494, for the period up to 1984–85 fall broadly in line with total pupil numbers, but with some tightening of staffing standards especially as the balance of pupil population continues to shift to older age groups.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the total reduction in clerical and commercial placements on the training opportunities scheme to date.

Figures on training opportunities scheme placements before 1979–80 are not directly comparable with later figures. It is estimated, however, that the level at present planned for 1982–83—13,033—is about the same as when the scheme was set up in 1972. This represents a reduction of about one-third over the last two years, reflecting the Manpower Services Commission's decision that the scheme should focus sharply on skills of greatest value to the economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total unemployment in the United Kingdom among persons classed as professional and executive; how many of these are in the North-West region; and how the current position compares with that in the same month of 1979, 1980 and 1981.

The following table gives the numbers of unemployed people registered at professional and executive offices at the dates specified for Great Britain and the North West region.As corresponding information is not available for Northern Ireland, it is not possible to provide figures for the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Institute of Manpower Studies has carried out an assessment of the young workers scheme; what is the nature of its report; and if he will make a statement.

The Institute of Manpower Studies has carried out a preliminary assessment of employers' likely reactions to the young workers scheme. The survey, which was launched in December last year and closed in early February, was intended to predict the take-up rate and employment impact of the scheme and to report on employers' attitudes to it.My Department has been monitoring the operation of the scheme. We intend to send reports on both the IMS and internal surveys to the Select Committee on Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to bring into force the draft regulation on provision of information to employees, which was issued in 1977.

The Health and Safety Commission issued in October 1975 a consultative paper on the provision of information by employers to employees about health and safety at work. This paper contained no draft regulations and none has since been published on this subject. Differing views on the need for regulations were expressed by those consulted, and discussions are continuing with the TUC and CBI to seek an agreed way forward. I believe that the Health and Safety Commission is right to continue to seek broad agreement on this subject before proceeding further.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of new foreign-owned industrial plants established in Wales each year since 1960.

The number of foreign-owned industrial plants which opened in Wales each year since 1960 is as follows:

Year	Number of Plants
1960	4
1961	5
1962	6
1963	4
1964	2
1965	5
1966	8
1967	10
1968	11

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many foreign-owned plants in Wales have closed down since 1978; how many jobs have been lost; and in which industries.

Thirty-five foreign-owned plants are known to have closed down in Wales since 1978 with a loss of 4,679 jobs. These closures were distributed as follows:

industry	Number of plants	Peak employment 2 years prior to closure
Chemical and Allied Industries	5	290
Metal Manufacture and Metal Goods	5	1,379
Mechanical Engineering	6	490
Instrument Engineering	1	45
Electrical Engineering	6	1,216
Vehicles	1	30
Textile, Clothing and Footwear	5	390
Printing and Publishing	2	79
Other Manufacturing Industries	4	760
Total	35	4,679

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of foreign-owned manufacturing enterprises in Wales at the latest count, the breakdown by industrial classification, the number of plants and the numbers employed.

The information is as follows:

Number of Enterprises=173
Number of Plants=190
Industrial Classification	Enterprises	Latest Available Employment
Food and drink	7	1,854
Coal, petroleum products and chemicals	33	7,250
Metal manufacturing	11	5,383
Mechanical and instrument engineering	27	4,305
Vehicles	13	7,249
Metal goods	16	2,013
Electrical engineering	17	10,310
Paper, printing and publishing	14	3,341
All other industries	35	5,792
Total	173	47,497

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing in terms of 1975 prices the amount of new inward investment, excluding retained profits, and so on, in manufacturing industry in Wales in each of the past three years, in 1971 and in 1977 distinguishing between the European Economic Community, European Free Trade Association and the principal supplying countries;(2) if he will provide such information as is available as to the proportion of

I regret that it is not possible to provide this information. Inward direct investment covers a wide range of financial transactions between overseas direct investors and the accounting centres of their United

Numbers and size of holdings and enterprises*
			June 1976	June 1981
Crops and grass area	Number of holdings ('000) with	0·1 to 19·9 hectares	14·7	11·8
		20 to 49·9 hectares	11·0	9·9
		50 to 99·9 hectares	5·0	5·1
		100 hectares and over	1·5	1·8
		Total	32·2	28·6
	Average crops and grass area per holding (hectares)† Per cent. of total crops and grass area on holdings with		32·9	37·9
		0·1 to 19·9 hectares	12·7%	10·4%
		100 hectares and over	21·0%	27·2%
Size of business (smd)‡	Number of holdings ('000) with	Under 250 smd	18·7	16·2
		250 to 499 smd	7·7	6·5
		500 to 999 smd	4·9	5·2
		1,000 smd and over	1·3	1·6
		Total	32·6	29·6
	Holdings 250 smd and over≑	Average size of business (smd)	603·4	649·5
		Average total area per holding (hectares)	83·4	87·0
		Contribution to total output (%)	83·6%	86·1%
Total cereals (excluding maize)	Number of holdings ('000) with	0·1 to 19·9 hectares	8·4	5·8
		20 to 49·9 hectares	0·7	0·7
		50 hectares and over	0·2	0·2
		Total	9·3	6·8
	Average area (hectares)		8·6	10·7
	Per cent. of total cereals area on holdings with 50 hectares and over of cereals		18·6%	23·6%
Potatoes	Number of holdings ('000) with	0·1 to 9·9 hectares	5·0	3·2
		10 to 19·9 hectares	0·1	0·1
		20 hectares and over	—	—
		Total	5·1	3·4
	Average area (hectares)		1·2	1·8
	Per cent. of total potato area on holdings with 20 hectares and over of potatoes		21·8%	24·2%
Sugar beet	Number of holdings ('000) with	0·1 to 9·9 hectares	—	—
		10 to 19·9 hectares	—	—
		20 hectares and over	—	—
		Total	—	—
	Average area (hectares)		13·7	10·0

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing Welsh agricultural holdings by size of (a)owned and (b) tenanted farms together with the total area covered by each size group.

This information is given in tables 4.08 to 4.11 of "Welsh Agricultural Statistics, No. 3, 1981", a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report information for Wales on the same basis as table 3 of the annual review White Paper, Cmnd. 8491.

The information is as follows:

			June 1976	June 1981
	Per cent. of total sugar beet area on holdings with 20 hectares and over of sugar beet		51·9	49·3
Dairy cows	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 29	6·8	3·8
		30 to 59	3·2	2·9
		60 and over	1·3	1·9
		Total	11·3	8·6
	Average size of herd		30·5	41·4
	Per cent. of total dairy cows in herds of 60 and over		34·1%	49·0%
Beef cows	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 19	10·7	8·9
		20 to 49	3·0	2·7
		50 and over	0·6	0·5
		Total	14·3	12·1
	Average size of herd		14·4	15·0
	Per cent. of total beef cows in herds of 50 and over		20·4%	21·5%
Breeding sheep	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 99	7·0	6·1
		100 to 499	7·3	7·4
		500 and over	1·7	2·2
		Total	16·1	15·8
	Average size of flock		216·3	252·6
	Per cent. of total breeding sheep in flocks of 500 and over		42·2%	48·2%
Breeding pigs	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 19	2·7	1·5
		20 to 49	0·1	0·1
		50 and over	0·1	0·1
		Total	2·9	1·7
	Average size of herd		7·3	9·4
	Per cent. of total breeding pigs in herds of 50 and over		29·1%	44·7%
Fattening pigs	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 199	1·9	1·1
		200 to 999	0·1	0·1
		1,000 and over	—	—
		Total	2·0	1·2
	Average size of herd		44·0	61·1
	Per cent. of total fattening pigs in herds of 1,000 and over		19·2%	24·5%
Laying fowls	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 4,999	10·1	7·4
		5,000 to 19,999	0·1	—
		20,000 and over	—	—
		Total	10·2	7·4
	Average size of flock		180·6	268·2
	Percent. of total laying flocks of 20,000 and over		44·4%	62·1%
Broilers	Number of holdings ('000) with	1 to 9,999	0·1	0·1
		10,000 to 99,999	—	—
		100,000 and over	—	—
		Total	0·1	0·1
	Average size of flock		37,560	46,395
	Per cent. of total broilers in flocks of 100,000 and over		83·5%	74·8%
* The figures in this table do not include minor (statistically insignificant) holdings.
†The average size of holdings based on total area (excluding common rough grazing) per holding is
1976 46·1 hectares, of which 70·4 per cent. was under crops and grass
1981 50·9 hectares, of which 73·2 per cent. was under crops and grass.
‡ These figures include holdings with no crops and grass which are excluded from the first section in the table.
≑ Data for 1981 are provisional.
—=Less than half the final digit shown.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report information for Wales corresponding to table 21 of the annual review White Paper, Cmnd. 8491.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report information for Wales corresponding to table 13 of the annual review White Paper, Cmnd. 8491.

The information is not available.

Crop areas and livestock numbers*
	At June each year
	Average of 1970–72	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981
(A) Total area ('000 hectares) of which:	1,680	1,682	1,695	1,698	1,693	1,686
Wheat	7	5	6	7	7	8
Barley	47	59	59	59	59	57
Oats	19	11	9	7	7	6
Mixed corn	10	3	2	2	1	1
Rye	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total cereals†	84	78	76	75	74	72
Potatoes	7	7	7	6	6	6
Sugar beet	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oilseed rape	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hops	—	—	—	—	—	—
Vegetables grown in the open	1	1	1	1	1	1
Orchard fruit	—	—	—	—	—	—
soft fruit‡	—	—	—	—	—	—
Omamentals≑	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total horticulture¶	2	2	2	2	2	2
Total tillage●	114	109	108	107	103	100
All grasses under five years old▀ ⋆	182	170	163	153	164	167
Total arable	297	279	271	260	267	267
All grasses five years old and over#	741	776	793	837	843	835
Rough grazing:
Sole right	441	406	407	375	357	360
Common (estimated)	181	181	181	181	181	181
Other land	20	40	43	46	44	43
(B) Livestock numbers ('000 head)
Total cattle and calves of which:	1,380	1,428	1,414	1,420	1,408	1,414
Dairy cows	359	351	354	359	352	356
Beef cows	180	202	194	194	189	185
Heifers in calf	82	74	80	81	80	85
Total sheep and lambs of which:	6,109	7,109	7,633	7,571	8,014	8,202
Ewes	2,509	2,872	2,980	3,029	3,161	3,257
Shearlings	607	681	726	766	738	759
Total pigs of which:	241	146	135	140	135	131
Sows in pig and other sows for breeding	30	16	14	15	14	14
Gilts in pig	5	2	2	3	2	2
Total poultry of which:	5,700	7,372	7,256	7,162	7,672	7,483
Table fowls (including broilers)	2,174	4,103	3,874	3,909	4,424	4,183
Laying fowls	2,177	1,971	2,135	2,115	2,049	2,027
Growing pullets	959	931	847	722	732	824
* Figures for 1978 to 1981 relate to all known agricultural holdings, including minor (statistically insignificant) holdings.
† Cereals for threshing, excluding maize.
‡ Includes small area of soft fruit grown under orchard trees.
≑ Hardy nursery stock, bulbs and flowers.
¶ Includes glasshouse area.
● Includes area of other crops and bare fallow not shown in the table.
▀ Includes lucerne.
⋆ Before 1975, collected as "clover, sainfoin and temporary grasses".
# Before 1975, collected as "permanent grass".
— = Less than half the final digit shown.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report information for Wales on the same basis as table 2 of the annual review White Paper, Cmnd. 8491.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1970, based on 1970= 100, the estimated change in real income of farmers in Wales.

The information is not available in the form requested. Figures based on the farm management survey relating to a sample of full-time dairy and cattle and sheep rearing farms, which show average net farm incomes excluding breeding livestock stock appreciation, after allowing for inflation as measured by the retail price index, are as follows:

Old farm classification (1970–71 = 100)
1970–71	100
1971–72	157
1972–73	192
1973–74	202
1974–75	126
1975–76	162
1976–77	178
1977–78	178

New farm classification (1977–78 = 100)
1977–78	100
1978–79	113
1979–80	65
1980–81	73

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the production of wool in Wales in the years 1960 to 1963, 1970 to 1972, and each of the past three years.

The information, based on purchases made by the British Wool Marketing Board, is as follows:

Clip year*	Million kilograms
1960–61	4·2
1961–62	4·6
1962–63	4·7
1963–64	4·4
1970–71	4·9
1971–72	5·2
1972–73	5·6
1979–80	6·8
1980–81	7·5
1981–82	7·7
* The figures relate to a clip year, May to April.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether, in his answer of 13 May Official Report, c. 310, concerning the number of building workers unemployed in Wales, he included the numbers of semi-skilled and unskilled workers who have lost employment in the construction industry; and what were the figures for craftsmen and skilled workers, and semi-skilled and unskilled workers, respectively.

The number given based on the most recent statistical return available included semi-skilled workers but not unskilled workers; figures for the latter were not collected for the relevant date. At that date there were 5,290 craftsmen and skilled workers and 2,115 semi-skilled workers unemployed in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current contribution by the United Kingdom towards the education of Namibian students in the United Kingdom and elsewhere; and whether Her Majesty's Government have any plans for increasing this in preparation for Namibian independence.

£250,000 is being provided from United Kingdom bilateral technical co-operation funds in 1982–83 financial year. I keep this programme under careful review. In addition, as I informed the House on 3 February 1982, Her Majesty's Government intend to contribute £50,000 in 1982 to the United Nations Education and Training Programme for Southern Africa which provides scholarships for Namibians and South Africans.—[Vol. 17, c. 150–51.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many students from Namibia are currently studying in the United Kingdom; and whether there are any plans for increasing this number.

Sixty-three in programmes administered by the British Council of whom 32 are financed from United Kingdom bilateral technical co-operation funds and 31 under UNESCO, FAO and United Nations education and training programme for Southern Africa arrangements. I shall keep the number bilaterally financed under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by the European Economic Community to ensure that EEC medical and relief supplies for the civil population of the Lebanon do in fact reach the people for whom they are intended.

I understand that the Presidency of the Council of Ministers is to take up with the Government of Israel the question of difficulties in getting Community relief aid for the Lebanon through.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is now possible to give estimates of United Kingdom aid flows to developing countries.

On the new basis which has been agreed for reporting of aid flows to the development assistance committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, our latest estimate of net official development assistance to developing countries in 1981 is £1,082 million, representing provisionally 0·43 per cent. of gross national product.These figures include administrative costs involved in operating the aid programme, which have not previously been included in United Kingdom aid statistics but which the DAC has now decided should be included in order to ensure comparability of different donors' aid statistics.On the previously used basis, excluding administrative costs, United Kingdom net official development assistance amounted to £1,049 million or 0·42 per cent. of gross national product.The figure for 1980 on the old basis was £766 million or 0·34 per cent. of gross national product; and £796 million or 0·35 per cent. on the new one.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the high costs of wigs and gowns as used by counsel in courts, and difficulties experienced by new entrants in meeting the cost of them, he will take whatever steps may prove necessary either to ban their use in courts or to have them usable on a voluntary basis.

No. The appropriate dress in court is a matter for the profession itself in consultation with the judiciary. There is no reason to suppose that new entrants face insuperable difficulties in equipping themselves to appear in court properly dressed or that the financial burden is greater on them than on many others who must provide themselves with the necessary equipment with which to practise a profession.

asked the Attorney-General what are the numbers of (a) men and (b women presently serving as magistrates.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. and learned Friend gave to her on 23 June.—[Vol. 26, c. 97.] Magistrates are the same thing as justices of the peace.

asked the Attorney-General what is the average cost and time of executing a will; whether he is satisfied with the present procedure in regard to banks; and if he will consider introducing legislation to standardise the procedures.

The formal requirements for the execution of a will are set out in section 9 of the Wills Act 1837. These do not, of themselves, necessarily involve any significant expenditure of time and money. There are no special provisions in respect of banks, which do not play any part in the execution of a will, although they may provide an executorship service. The Law Reform Committee has recently made various recommendations for changes in the law relating to making wills. These will be implemented by the Administration of Justice Bill at present before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of general practices have attached nurses in inner London and in England and Wales.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will institute an experimental scheme to create posts of salaried assistants in single-handed general practices, where the principal agrees to retire within two years.

No. A decision on whether to employ a salaried assistant in his practice is a matter for the principal concerned as an independent contractor.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Dr. Thomas) on 8 March, Official Report, c. 329, whether agreement has yet been reached on special assistance for general practitioners working in deprived areas, who find it impossible to insure their premises without paying excessive premiums.

No. We have asked the profession's representatives for details of any cases where general practitioners are either unable to insure their premises or are having to pay excessively high premiums. None has yet been reported to us.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will direct district health authorities to ensure that their hospitals provide general practitioners with complete access to their patients and their patients' case notes.

No. I would expect that appropriate arrangements could be worked out locally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will issue guidance to health authorities to facilitate co-operation with local authorities in the provision of joint premises for social and health workers.

Guidance to health authorities on this matter is contained in circular HC(79)8 on the development of health centres and other premises, as amended by circular HC(80)6.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will issue guidance to district health authorities to establish primary health care planning teams.

No. It is for health authorities themselves to determine what health care planning teams to establish.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will examine the finances available for the care of those infants who require admission to neonatal intensive care units; and whether he has any evidence that in some regions the demand of children born during domiciliary confinements exceeds the available facilities for such care.

Regional and district health authorities finance their neonatal care facilities out of the general funds allocated to them for all types of health care; the provision made is a matter for their judgment in the light of their own priorities, needs and local circumstances. The available evidence does not suggest that babies born in domiciliary confinements—who make up less than 2 per cent. of all births—make particular demands on neonatal intensive care.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will direct the South Lincolnshire district health authority to site its administrative headquarters at Boston instead of Sleaford, in view of the considerable costs involved.

I will not direct the South Lincolnshire district health authority to site its administrative headquarters at Boston. I have asked the authority to consider the case for doing so very carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department has now collected statistics on the placement of children in secure units in community homes in 1980 from local authorities; whether these are held by his Department on an area basis; and if he will publish them in the Official Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, whether his Department has now collected statistics on the number of placements of children in secure units in community homes for the year 1980 from local authorities in England and Wales; whether such statistics are held on an area basis; and if he will publish them.

I have sent the statistics to the hon. Members and a copy has been placed in the Library. It would be inconvenient to publish the data in the Official Report, but the Department will provide copies on request.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the average overtime worked by a full-time male ancillary worker in the National Health Service is four hours per week longer than the overtime worked by women.

This is a matter for local NHS management rather than for Ministers. The Government are fully committed to the principle of equality of employment opportunities for the sexes in the NHS. I am advised that men are more frequently employed in those occupations, for example portering and transport, where a service has to be maintained round the clock and overtime is therefore more commonly required. Among full-time manual workers generally in Great Britain men worked an average of 4 ·8 hours per week more than women in 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the differences between average weekly earnings for full-time men and women ancillary workers in the National Health Service are entirely accounted for by differences in the amount of overtime worked.

No. Men and women share common rates of pay and conditions of service but more men are employed full-time in the higher ancillary grades so that their average basic pay is higher. Basic pay is enhanced by a number of additions including allowances for working shifts, weekends, night and unsocial hours as well as overtime, all of which are more frequently earned by men than by women.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of extending the invalid care allowance to married women looking after their husbands.

The gross annual cost is estimated to be about £50 million. The net cost would be less than £5 million because the increase of social security benefit which a husband gets for his wife would be correspondingly reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was his estimate of the cost of a blindness allowance for all registered blind people which led to his conclusion, Official Report, 29 March, c. 32, that the resources necessary to provide such an allowance were not available.

An allowance of, say, £10 a week would cost about £65 million a year. An allowance at the same rate as mobility allowance—£16·50 a week—as is sometimes proposed, would cost over £100 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the numbers of (a) men and (b) women currently serving as chairmen of supplementary benefit appeals tribunals.

Currently there are 281 men and 59 women serving as chairmen of supplementary benefit appeal tribunals.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will explain the relationship between the current reductions for the housing contributions for non-dependants in the supplementary benefits scheme and the rent and rate rebate schemes; what changes are proposed in the new housing benefit scheme; and if he will make a statement.

At present, both the supplementary benefit and local authority rebate and allowance schemes make fixed deductions from claimants' benefits in respect of non-dependants in their household, although the rates and conditions under which deductions are made are different. We propose to bring the two schemes together using the structure of the existing local authority schemes, but adopting the standard rate of deduction in the supplementary benefit scheme. We consider the former to be the better structure and the latter to reflect the more appropriate level of deduction.This harmonisation of the two systems will produce a complex pattern of changes.Supplementary benefit householders, with non-dependants in their households aged 18 to 21, will benefit through lower deductions and no deduction will be taken from non-dependants aged 16 or 17 years old. But as a corollary of the decision to abolish deductions in respect of non-dependants aged 16 or 17 the supplementary benefit housing addition will be withdrawn from 16 and 17 years old non-householders.Supplementary benefit householders with non-dependants of pensionable age will benefit through lower deductions made because of such non-dependants. The position of all other supplementary benefit householders will remain unchanged.Many housing benefit recipients with non-dependent couples in their households will benefit because one deduction, instead of two, will be taken in future. Other housing benefit recipients—namely, those with single non-dependants aged 21 and over but below pensionable age—will have deductions made at the higher supplementary benefit level rather than at the lower levels in the existing local authority schemes.The detailed proposals are as follows:

1982–83 rates	Deduction taken from claimants receiving:	Rate rebate
	(i) rent rebate allowances
	(ii) supplementary benefit †
	£	£
Non-dependant* is:
Aged 16–17 no deduction to be made
Aged 18–20	3·95	1·60
Aged 21 to pensionable age	4·70	1·85
Of pensionable age	2·20	0·90
In receipt of supplementary benefit	2·20	0·90
Notes:
* non-dependent couples will count as one unit.
† for owner-occupiers with non-dependants who continue to receive help from supplementary benefit towards their housing costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now make a further statement on action taken with regard to the report of the national advisory council on employment of disabled people concerning liaison between health, social and employment services for the rehabilitation and resettlement of disabled people.

Comments on the report have been received from major interests and officials of this Department together with those from the Manpower Services Commission, the Employment Medical Advisory Service and Scottish Home and Health Department have met on several occasions to consider the best way to proceed. In respect of the report's three principal recommendations, officials of this Department and the Scottish Home and Health Department are considering where two HELP—Health Employment Liaison for Patients—pilot schemes might be mounted. It is hoped to begin these pilot schemes by the end of 1982. A joint DHSS—College of Occupational Therapists conference will be held in October to identify what contribution that profession might make towards further progress in establishing common standards in work assessment. The possibility of mounting hospital-based research into the nature and causes of discontinuity in rehabilitation between health social and employment services is being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which specific areas of National Health Service administration or policy it is proposed should be the subject of Sir Derek Rayner's scrutiny.

The first scrutiny is a study of the collection of payments due to health authorities under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act. My right hon. Friend hopes to announce the rest of the 1982–83 programme of scrutinies before the summer recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what initiatives his Department supports in the field of nursing-home type care for elderly people; and if he will make a statement.

On 4 February—[Vol. 17, c. 558]—my right hon. Friend announced an initiative to set up three experimental nursing homes for elderly people within the National Health Service. They will each provide between 25 and 30 beds and will be located in Fleetwood, Portsmouth and Sheffield. The schemes will be funded jointly by the Department and the three health authorities concerned, and will be evaluated from the Department's research funds. In total, the departmental contribution will amount to between £1,750,000 and £2 million. I hope that two of the schemes will become operational within the next 12 months and the third shortly thereafter.In addition to the three experimental nursing homes we are hoping to set up a second set of experimental schemes for elderly patients with psychiatric disorders, and we may try out more than one pattern of care.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many hospitals where there is multidisciplinary working, social workers or geriatric liaison officers are involved in discharging elderly people; and how many hospitals have no such working.

In geriatric departments where there is a multidisciplinary team working, the social workers or geriatric liaison nurses are normally involved at an early stage following admission to prevent problems following discharge. There is no information available centrally which identifies individual hospitals in this respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what developments have occurred in the specialist training of medical and social work staff dealing with elderly people since the publication of "Growing Older".