asked the Minister for Trade how many firms in Bolton have gone bankrupt in each year since 1979; if he will break down these firms industry by industry and indicate the numbers of workers unemployed as a result; and how many of these were local firms and how many were employees of national or international firms.

The number of net cases administered by the county court at Bolton were 22 in 1979, 22 in 1980 and 45 in 1981; these figures would include any private individuals as well as sole traders and partnerships. I regret that neither breakdowns by industry nor numbers unemployed as a result of these bankrupcies are available. The number of company liquidations in Bolton is not known.

asked the Minister for Trade what study he has made of the environmental aspects of the establishment of free ports; what discussions he has had and with whom on this question; and if he will make a statement.

Consideration of the arguments in the Adam Smith institute report that free ports at selected airports would confer special benefits is now in its final stages. If the Government were to decide in principle to permit such areas to be established in the United Kingdom it would then be necessary to consider the environmental aspects for any specific location.

asked the Minister of Trade (1) whether any views of Her Majesty's Government on the proposals of the Commission of the European Economic Community for a relaxation of the tied-house system in the licensed trade have been conveyed to the Commission;(2) if there will be new regulations following the expiry at the end of 1982 of European Economic Community regulation 67/67 to regulate the tie between brewers and public houses; and whether these will incorporate any changes;(3) what proposals are currently before the Commission of the European Economic Community affecting the sales of beer; if he will arrange for copies of any such proposals to be available in the Vote Office and the Library; and if such proposals will be subject to parliamentary approval;(4) what representations he has received from the beer brewing industry regarding the proposals of the European Economic Community for a relaxation of the tied-house system in the licensed trade; and to what effect.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1982, c. 8.]: The Commission is proposing to replace Regulation 67/67/EEC when it expires at the end of 1982 with two new regulations. These would respectively grant "block exemptions from the general ban on restrictive agreements in the treaty to exclusive distribution agreements and to exclusive purchasing agreements. The latter proposal would introduce special provisions for agreement on tied public houses.The draft regulation on exclusive purchasing is about to be published in the

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what machinery exists to monitor landings of herring in the countries of the EEC and to check on catches over the agreed quotas.

Landings of herring in the countries of the EEC are monitored by the control and enforcement services of the member States where landings are made. Member States are required to report all landings of herring to the Commission monthly; and more frequent reports of herring catches were called for during 1981.There are no agreed quotas at present, but the Council of Ministers is considering a comprehensive set of quotas proposed by the Commission.A new EEC control regulation was adopted by the Fisheries Council on 29 June 1982. This will empower the Commission both to make on-the-spot checks of member States' monitoring and control machinery, and to prohibit fishing by regulation when a member State has exhausted its quotas, once these are agreed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the food and drink industries concerning the date of implementation of the Labelling of Food Regulations 1980.

I have now received a reply from Commissioner Narjes to my letter of 19 April in which I asked how the Commission intended to deal with the problem of ensuring that all member States comply with the Community's food labelling directive by a common date. Mr. Narjes has assured me that all the legislative instruments by which member States implement the directive are being examined in detail, and that the Commission will use all the powers given to it by the treaty to ensure that the directive is correctly applied in all 10 member States. Correct application does of course include

Real weekly net income at November 1979 prices
	Single	Married	Married with one child under 11 years	Married with two children under 11 years	Married with two children two children one under 11 one 11–16 years	Married with four children two under 11 one 11–16 years
	(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)	(f)
	£	£	£	£	£	£
1976–77
½ Average Earnings	36·70	40·20	43·10	46·90	47·30	53·50
¾ Average Earnings	51·50	54·90	57·90	61·70	62·10	70·10
Average Earnings	66·30	69·70	72·60	76·50	76·80	84·90
1 ½ Average Earnings	96·50	99·90	102·80	106·70	107·00	115·10
2 × Average Earnings	125·70	130·10	133·90	138·20	138·60	147·20
1977–78
½ Average Earnings	36·50	40·80	43·70	47·00	47·30	51·80
¾ Average Earnings	50·90	55·10	58·00	61·40	61·70	68·60
Average Earnings	65·20	69·50	72·40	75·70	76·00	82·90
1 ½ Average Earnings	94·30	98·60	101·50	104·80	105·10	112·10
2 × Average Earnings	124·50	129·60	132·80	136·20	136·50	143·50
1978–79
½ Average Earnings	39·40	43·40	47·00	50·60	50·80	58·20
¾ Average Earnings	54·70	58·80	62·60	66·40	66·70	74·50
Average Earnings	70·10	74·20	78·00	81·70	82·00	89·80
1 ½ Average Earnings	101·40	105·50	109·30	113·10	113·40	121·20
2 × Average Earnings	135·40	139·50	143·30	147·00	147·30	155·10
1979–80
½ Average Earnings	40·30	44·10	48·10	52·20	52·20	60·40
¾ Average Earnings	56·60	60·40	64·50	68·60	68·60	76·70
Average Earnings	72·90	76·70	80·80	84·90	84·90	93·00
1 ½ Average Earnings	106·70	110·50	114·60	118·70	118·70	126·80
2× Average Earnings	14·70	146·60	150·60	154·70	154·70	162·80
1980–81
½ Average Earnings	39·50	43·40	47·10	50·90	50·90	58·30

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will bring up to date his answer to the hon. Member for Barking (Miss Richardson) of 22 January 1980, Official Report, c. 188–192, by giving the figures for 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82 of the average real weekly net income, expressed in December 1979 prices, of a man on half average earnings, three-quarters average earnings, average earnings, one and a half times average earnings and twice average earnings who is (a) single, (b married with no children, (c) married with one child aged under 11 years, (d) with two children aged under 11 years, (e) with two children, one aged under 11 and one aged 11 to 16 years and (f) with four children, two aged under 11 and two aged 11 to 16 years.

The information (including revisions to some earlier years) expressed at November 1979 prices is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the measures he has taken since he took office to encourage small businesses; and if he will give the numbers of small businesses which have taken advantage of such measures.

Since the Government took office, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has introduced over 20 individual measures in taxation that help to encourage small firms directly. The main schemes and initiatives concerned are:

1. Business Start-up Scheme

2. Venture Capital Scheme

3. Reductions in the weight of Small Companies Corporation Tax

4. Small Workshop Scheme

5. Increases in the threshold below which small traders do not have to register for VAT

6. Other tax reliefs eg on pre-trading expenditure and on interest on borrowing to invest in close companies

The Secretaries of State for Employment, Environment, Industry, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Trade and Wales have also introduced a large number of measures to assist small firms. In total over 50 measures designed specifically to help small firms have been implemented, and some 40 more which help indirectly.It is not possible to estimate the total number of businesses helped by such Government measures. There is no means of identifying those taking advantage of lower tax payment, for example, and many small businesses, in order to expand, will have benefited from more than one Government initiative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish, from international sources the growth rates of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Belgium from 1958 to the most recent available date.

Following is the information:

Gross Domestic Product at Constant Market Prices Average Annual Rates of Growth 1958–80
	Precentage
United Kingdom	2·5
France	4·7
West Germany	4·1
Italy	4·6
Netherlands	4·3
Belgium	4·1

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of revenue which would arise from the zero-rating of women's sanitary products for the purpose of value added tax.

It is estimated that the loss of revenue from the zero-rating of all types of sanitary protection for women would be of the order of £15 million a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether further consideration has been given to the representations s of the Joint Committee on Mobility for the Disabled for an extension of exemption from vehicle excise duty to disabled drivers and disabled non-drivers who are unable to claim the mobility allowance, being over the age of 65 years.

I have on a number of occasions, and always sympathetically, considered representations for extensions of this kind to the existing exemptions from vehicle excise duty. I have however concluded with regret that the resources available do not at present permit any extension.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing changes in real disposable income from 1977 to 1982, and disposable income as a proportion of average disposable income for all households, for a single retired adult and retired married couple.

Estimates of the real household disposable income for the years 1977 to 1980, expressed in index form with 1975 = 100, are as follows:

RHDI (1975 = 100)
1977	97
1978	106
1979	113
1980	115

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of taking out of taxation pensioners with an annual income of (a) £1,000, (b) £2,000 and (c) £5,000 above the present threshold for (i) single pensioners and (ii) married couples.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the report of the inquiry into Civil Service pay will be published.

The Government announced on 29 June 1981 the establishment of an independent inquiry under the chairmanship of the right hon. Sir John Megaw into the future arrangements for determining the pay of the non-industrial home Civil Service.—[Vol. 7, c. 577–84.] The committee of inquiry has now submitted its report. The report was laid before Parliament today and is being published as a command paper later this afternoon. Copies are being made available in the Vote Office.I am most grateful to Sir John Megaw and his colleagues for their work and for completing it so promptly. The Government intend to discuss the inquiry's recommendations with the Civil Service unions as soon as both sides have had the opportunity to consider them fully.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 24 June, Official Report, c. 156, concerning Mr. Fred Hill, he will give as much information as may be readily available without incurring disproportionate costs, dealing with the matters raised in that question.

I regret that there is no readily available information about the offences which led to Mr. Hill's 25 prison sentences or about the length or location of the periods he actually spent in prison; this information would be needed to calculate the cost of his imprisonment. Information about the average weekly cost of imprisonment in 1981 is, however, given in paragraph 81 of the report of the work of the prison department 1981, and similar information appears in earlier annual reports. The marginal cost of imprisoning any single additional inmate would in general be much less than these figures would suggest.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 24 June, Official Report, c. 156, to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West, he will give the actual or estimated costs involved in providing an answer relating to the cost of the occasions upon which Mr. Fred Hill has been imprisoned for failing to pay a £40 fine and the costs of such imprisonment.

The cost of replying to the earlier question could be established with any precision only by taking the steps necessary to answer it, which would involve disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to establish to what extent the police have incurred legal costs in arresting and charging Mr. Fred Hill, a 73-year-old pensioner, for failing to wear a crash helmet; what manpower hours have been involved; and what costs on police time have been involved.

No; this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will give for any convenient stated period of time the numbers of persons who have failed to pay stated motoring offence fines; how many of these were for £40 or less; in these latter cases, how many have been sentenced to imprisonment; and, in such cases, how many have been sentenced and imprisoned more than once for not paying the imposed fines;(2) whether he will give for any stated period of time the number of persons imprisoned for failing to pay a £40 fine.

Information is not collected centrally on the number of persons failing to pay fines. Information on those imprisoned in default of payment of a fine is published annually in "Prison statistics: England and Wales"—chapter 7 of the issue for 1980, Cmnd. 8372. In the case of those sentenced to imprisonment in default of payment of a fine, neither the total amount of the fine nor the amount remaining unpaid is recorded centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the total numbers employed in his Department dealing with the answering of parliamentary questions and the costs at the latest stated date and on a similar date in each of the years since 1979.

The information requested by the hon. Member is not available. The number of staff involved and the cost incurred in dealing with parliamentary questions vary according to the nature of the question and are not recorded. In the 1980–81 parliamentary Session some 60 administrative divisions within my Department were concerned in preparing replies to 2,288 questions from right hon. and hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department upon what criteria he decides that replies to parliamentary questions cannot be given without disproportionate costs.

On an estimate of the amount of work likely to be required to collect and analyse the information requested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been imprisoned for failing to wear a crash helmet for any stated period of time.

The maximum penalty under the Motor Cycle (Wearing of Helmets) Regulations 1973 for driving or riding on a motorcycle without wearing protective headgear is a fine of £50 and so a sentence of immediate imprisonment cannot be imposed under those regulations. The number of persons received into prison department establishments in default of payment of a fine imposed for such offences cannot be separately identified. Information on sentences given is published annually in "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales"—table 4, page 17 of the supplementary tables to the publication for 1980—a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is now able to state, in accordance with his policy of reducing the prison population, the numbers of the 5,000 persons in prison who have not been found guilty of any crime and are awaiting trial who have been released from prison during the past three months.

The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The only information readily available on the disposal of untried prisoners is that published annually in "Prison statistics, England and Wales"—table 2.1 of the issue for 1980, Cmnd. 8372.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the savings which would result from the introduction of a system whereby any person who has been arrested and taken into custody to await trial was automatically released on bail if his trial had not commented within four weeks of arrest and the consequent reduction in the prison population if this were to be applied now to the more than 5,000 persons in prison awaiting trial.

About 3,000 of the untried prisoners in prison department establishments were first remanded in custody one month or more ago. On this basis, it is estimated that the system proposed might reduce the untried prison population by some 3,000, but it is estimated that over half of this saving would be offset by the longer time served in custody after sentence by those given a custodial disposal.As local prison and remand centres are overcrowded by some 5,000 inmates a reduction of this order would produce only marginal savings, which cannot be quantified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will examine the working of the law prohibiting parking on pavements.

The law on pavement parking is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary, of State for Transport, who keeps it under review. The police enforce it within the constraints imposed by available resources and their other commitments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the case of Mr. Phil Robins of Merseyside, who was imprisoned at Birkenhead on 28 April; and if he will make further inquiries into this case.

One right hon. Member and five hon. Members have forwarded to me representations on behalf of the "Free Phil Robins Campaign" and one other hon. Member has written to me about the case. I have instituted inquiries to see whether there is any evidence now available which was not before the courts and which would justify my intervention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many concessionary television licences have been withdrawn from retirement pensioners living in South Tyneside since the Television Licence Records Office decided that only retirement pensioners living in specially built accommodation for the elderly would qualify.

Seven thousand, five hundred and seventy-four retirement pensioners living in the South Tyneside area, whose accommodation does not fulfil—and never has fulfilled—the conditions of eligibility for the special old persons' home television licence—as laid down in the relevant regulations under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949—will require an ordinary television licence on the expiry of their special licences after 1 August 1982.

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the promotion of managerial skills in the Civil Service; if she will arrange for the management information system for Ministers (MINIS) to be introduced in all Government Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Not quite. Good progress is being made and much of the work of the Management and Personnel Office is directed to this end. More emphasis is being put on managerial skills in selection for promotion, in training, and in succession planning arrangements for key posts. MINIS has been very successful in the Department of the Environment and the Property Services Agency, and each Department should have a system that suits its functions. In addition, we have initiated a specific programme to improve financial management in Departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many split-site comprehensive schools there are in each of the local education authorities in Wales; and how many of these schools are divided into junior and senior departments, each being on a separate site.

This information is not held centrally, but from informal enquiries I understand the situation is as follows:

	All split-site Comprehensive schools	Junior and Senior departments on separate sites
Clwd	3	1
Dyfed	0	0
Gwent	7	5
Gwynedd	6	6
Mid Glamorgan	20	20
Powys	1	1
South Glamorgan	7	6
West Glamorgan	9	8
Total	53	47

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will give details of the effects of the pay dispute on the availability of health care to patients in the Mid-Glamorgan area health authority area and other area health authority areas in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Grist) on 24 May—[Vol. 24, c. 638–39.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales suffering from renal failure are being treated with peritoneal dialysis; and what progress is being made in getting renal transplants for these patients as quickly as possible.

One is being treated and three are in training for home peritoneal dialysis; 27 are being treated and eight are in training for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services told the hon. Member on 12 May 1982, the number of transplants is constrained mainly by the supply of donor kidneys.—[Vol. 23, c. 276.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if his Department has studied the recommendations contained in the report "The Home That Jill Built" by the Scottish Council for Single Parents; and if he will make a statement.

This report was not submitted formally to my right hon. Friend; it covers many aspects of social life for which he is not responsible and he does not consider it necessary to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the projects in Dundee currently supported by joint funding through the urban aid programme and the Manpower Services Commission; and if he will ensure that none of these will be discontinued due to changes in Manpower Services Commission financial support for such schemes.

At present two projects involving funding from the urban programme and the Manpower Services Commission are running:

Kirkton Housing Environmental Improvements.

Dundee and Tayside ITEC Ltd. (Information Technology Centre).

No changes in MSC funding are proposed that would affect these projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many young people there are in Scotland in the following age groups (a) 15 to 19 (b) 20 to 24 and (c) 25 to 29 years; and if he will list the projected numbers in the groups for the years 1986, 1991 and 1996.

The numbers of those usually resident at the time of the 1981 census are shown in the following table with the latest available projections. The projected figures are based on the 1979 mid-year population estimate, do not take account of 1981 census results, and are not directly comparable with the figures for 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people there are in Scotland in the following age groups (a) 15 to 19 years, (b) 20 to 24 years and (c) 25 to 29 years who are single, married, divorced, widowed or separated.

The numbers usually resident in Scotland at the 1981 census were as follows:

	Marital condition
Age	Single	Married*	Widowed	Divorced	Total
15–19	431,971	14,497	35	102	446,605
20–24	241,900	148,064	402	3,946	394,312
25–29	84,124	245,923	778	11,404	342,229
* Includes separated (not distinguished in census)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many one-person households there are in Scotland; what percentage of all households this represents; what are the projected numbers of such households for the years 1986, 1991 and 1996; and what percentage of all projected households these figures represent.

The information requested, for 1981 OPCS, is contained in table G of the census 1981 monitor "Great Britain: National and Regional Summary". Projected figures of one-person households for 1986 and 1991 are given on page 7 of "Scottish Housing Statistics No. 13." The projected figures represent 23·8 per cent. and 24·9 per cent. of all projected households in 1986 and 1991, respectively. Projections for 1996 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many one-person households there are in Scotland in the following age groups (a) 15 to 19 years; (b) 20 to 24 years and (c) 25 to 29 years; and what type of housing tenure they occupy.

The information requested is not readily available from the 1981 census tabulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the number of one-person households under 30 years of age who have applied to Scottish local authorities as being homeless under the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 in each year since it came into effect; and what were the numbers for whom permanent accommodation was secured under the Act.

The number, regardless of priority need category, of individual applicants aged under 30 applying as homeless, and of those for whom permanent accommodation was secured, in each year was as follows:—

Year	Number of Applicants	Number for whom permanent accommodation secured
1978–1979	692	135
1979–1980	640	150
1980–1981	686	153

In 784 cases over the three years contact with the applicant was lost.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people aged (a) 15 to 19 years, (b) 20 to 24 years and (c) 25 to 29 years live in communal establishments in Scotland as defined by the census.

The information is not available in precisely the form requested. At the 1981 census there were approximately 15,000 residents in communal establishments who were in the age range 16 to 24, and 8,000 in the age range 25 to 34.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people aged 15 to 19 years are in care of local authorities in Scotland.

At 31 March 1980, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of young people aged 15 and over but below the age of 18 who were in care or under supervision of local authorities, other than in Glasgow for which this information is not available centrally, was 4,111. Young people over 18 are not normally in the care of local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many illegal fishing nets have been discovered on the salmon and trout rivers during each of the past five years; how many offences under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act involving salmon poaching have been dealt with by the courts in the last 12 months; if he will list the offences concerned and the penalties imposed; in how many cases the penalty imposed was the maximum for the offence; and what proposals he has to check the illegal netting of salmon in the rivers of Scotland.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 June 1982, c. 287]: I regret that statistics on illegal fishing nets discovered in Scottish rivers are not available. The following table gives information on court proceedings for offences relating to salmon and freshwater fisheries for 1980, the latest year for which figures are available:

Offences Relating to Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries, Scotland 1980
	No.
Persons tried	382
Persons against whom charge proved	338
of whom: admonished	14
fined*	305
case remitted to children's hearing	1
sentenced to borstal training	2
sentenced to imprisonment†	16
* Highest fine recorded was £650.
† Longest sentence recorded is in range of over 1 year and up to 2 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the production of man-made fibres increased in the United Kingdom in 1981.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much his Department has spent annually on aid to industry in the area covered by the constituency of Macclesfield in the last two years.

Payments have been made to industry in the Macclesfield constituency under parts I and II of the Industry Act 1972 during the last two years as follows:

	Part I	Part II
	Payments of regional development grant in amounts over £25,000	Section 7 payments	Section 8 payments
	£'000	£'000	£'000
1980–81	666	184	389
1981–82	981	39	162

Firms in Macclesfield can also benefit from national schemes of assistance, but expenditure on these cannot be identified without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on Government policy on ship repairing; and whether he intends to seek to return the nationalised ship repair yards to the private sector.

The losses made by British Shipbuilders on ship repair are of considerable concern to the Government who do not wish to see the private sector undermined by public sector losses. BS is urgently examining measures by which ship repair can be brought to viability. It remains the Government's intention, time permitting, to introduce legislation in this Parliament to facilitate the introduction of private capital in British Shipbuilders.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) how many factories the English Industrial Estates Corporation has built in the Sefton Street estate, Liverpool; what is the floor area of each; when they were built; and how many are currently unoccupied;

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1982, c. 10–11]: The Department of Industry is not responsible for marketing or management of individual EIEC estates and factories, and the information requested is not available in the Department. I have accordingly asked the chairman of the EIEC to provide the hon. Member with the information he requires.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what applications have been made, and by whom, to survey and prospect the area of the Norfolk Broads to ascertain whether or not there is a supply of oil within the region.

Most of the area to the north of a line joining Norwich and Great Yarmouth is covered by two exploration licences, of which one is operated by Quintana Anglia Inc. and the other by Cluff Oil plc. I have received no applications for licences for the remainder of the area of the Norfolk Broads.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which nations continued a policy of economic sanctions against Argentina after the European Economic Community declined to continue them on 21 June; and if he will make a statement.

The United States and New Zealand continue to apply their economic measures. Since the European Community's decision, Norway, Canada and Australia have decided to lift their measures. The Japanese Government now consider that their commitments on official credits and non-undermining no longer apply. Arms embargoes continue to be applied by all countries that instituted them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports Her Majesty's Government have received as to who was responsible for the killing of the Norwegian soldier, attached to the United Nations interim force in the Lebanon.

According to the report of the United Nations Secretary General a Norwegian soldier attached to UNIFIL was killed by shrapnel during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The report does not specify which party was responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information Her Majesty's Government have on breaches of the ceasefire in the Lebanon by Palestinians since the implementation of the ceasefire in July 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports Her Majesty's Government have received from the United Nations concerning violations of the Lebanon ceasefire by the Palestine Liberation Organisation as recorded by the United Nations interim force in the Lebanon between July 1981 and June 1982.

There have been different interpretations of the ceasefire agreement negotiated by Mr. Habib in July 1981. We do not know of any PLO breaches of the ceasefire by shelling or incursions into Northern Israel across the Lebanon-Israel border from the 24 July 1981 until the 9 May 1982. On that date the PLO shelled Northern Israel, in response to a second series of Israeli air attacks on Palestinian targets in Lebanon.Details of other incidents in the area during this period are contained in the reports of the United Nations Secretary General on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Copies of which have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the situation in the Lebanon.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in the Lebanon.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Huckfield).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current relations with the Government of the Lebanon.

We remain in close touch with the Lebanese Government. We have made known to them our wish to see the Government's authority restored throughout the country and have provided aid for the victims of the conflict both directly and through the European Community. We are ready to consider any request for further help.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with a view to restoring the role of the United Nations interim force in the Lebanon.

We have had discussions with all parties concerned, including the Israeli Government and the United Nations Secretary-General, about the future of the United Nations interim force in the Lebanon. We voted for security resolutuion 511 of 18 June, which renewed UNIFIL's mandate for two months. Decisions on the future nature and role of peacekeeping forces in Lebanon must wait the outcome of current negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy for reestablishing the Falkland Islands Government Air Service—FIGAS—amongst the islands and for replacing lost aircraft.

One of the Government's early priorities is the re-establishment of the Falkland Islands Government Air Service, and we are urgently investigating the precise requirements for aircraft, hangars and other facilities, equipment and personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest situation in the Falklands.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet) on 27 April, Official Report, c. 244, in view of the fact that no active hostilities are taking place, if Her Majesty's Government will approach the Argentine Government afresh with a view to referring the question of sovereignty of the Falkland Islands to the International Court of Justice.

No. The situation remains as set out in my earlier reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international negotiations have taken place on the future of the Falkland Islands subsequent to their recapture; and if he will make a statement.

None, and until we have discussed their future with the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands it will not be appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to enter into any international negotiations on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he proposes to take steps to encourage foreign investment in the development of the Falkland Islands.

Lord Shackleton's report of 1976 covered investment incentives, and he will be looking at this area again in updating his report. The decision on whether to take action to encourage foreign investment is one for the Falkland Islands Government, in consultation with Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in the Falkland Islands; and if he will consider paying an official visit to the islands in the near future.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick). My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans for visiting the Falkland Islands.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will request the Israeli authorities to make available to Her Majesty's Government information about those European terrorists under training by the Palestine Liberation Organisation who have been captured by Israeli forces.

The Government have been in touch with the Israeli authorities about this matter. They have not confirmed the reports of IRA terrorists being trained in Southern Lebanon.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received any approaches from the new Government of Mauritius to institute restoration of the people of Diego Garcia from Mauritius to the island.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the United Nations special session on disarmament.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on latest developments in the United Nations conference on disarmament and the contribution which the United Kingdom Government are making, or intend to make.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister addressed the special session on 23 June. I refer the hon. Member to her statement in the House on 24 June—[Vol. 26, c. 433.] The general debate ended on 23 June and was followed by two days of presentations by nongovernmental organisations. Working groups have been set up to consider a comprehensive programme of disarmament, a review of progress since the first special session on disarmament in 1978, and a world disarmament campaign. The United Kingdom delegation is taking a full part in all these discussions. The special session is due to finish on 9 July.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present discussions pertaining to Gibraltar.

When my right hon. Friend saw the Governor of Gibraltar on 23 June he was able to discuss with him the implications of postponement of implementation of the Lisbon agreement. As my right hon. Friend said on 22 June, he hopes soon to have talks with Sir Joshua Hassan and Mr. Peter Isola, although no date for a meeting has yet been fixed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the European Council of Foreign Ministers intends making a further initiative in respect of the Middle East situation; and if he will make a statement.

In their statement of 29 June, the Ten set out the principles which in their view could serve as the basis for the lasting restoration of peace and security in the Middle East. The Ten remain ready to help in the achievement of this objective.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, further to the answer of 9 June, Official Report, c. 198, he has taken the opportunity of the appointment of a new British ambassador to renew constructive pressure on the Chilean Government about continuing breaches of human rights.

The British ambassador to Chile will continue, as did his predecessor, to raise with the Chilean authorities on all appropriate occasions our concern over human rights in that country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit Nicaragua for the purpose of consulting with the Government of that country about the future relations between the United Kingdom and Nicaragua.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how Her Majesty's Government propose to discharge their obligations as a high contracting party under article 1 of the Geneva convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war with regard to the non-compliance of Israel with the conventions in respect of that country's treatment of prisoners of war.

In response to representations by Her Majesty's Government, the Israeli Government have stated that captured Palestinian prisoners are being treated as civilian detainees under the fourth Geneva convention and not as prisoners of war under the third Geneva convention. According to the Israeli Government this is because the Palestinians have been engaged in terrorist activities and are not themselves a party to the Geneva conventions. The Israeli Government assure us that Palestinian prisoners are being treated properly and humanely by the Israeli armed forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current state of negotiations with the front-line States about the proposed elections in Namibia; and whether it is still feasible for the election to take place in March 1983 as originally planned.

While continuing with discussions of other outstanding issues, the Five remain in touch with the parties concerned with the aim of reaching early agreement on the electoral system for the Namibian Constituent Assembly. With goodwill and flexibility from those involved, the Five hope to begin implementation of the United Nations plan during 1982, leading to elections in early 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are currently any British citizens in Saudi Arabian gaols who are awaiting trial.

There are at present three British citizens in Saudi Arabian gaols who are awaiting trial.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present position of the intercommunal talks on Cyprus.

Since the tabling of the United Nations Secretary-General's evaluation last November there have been frequent meetings, and some progress, in the intercommunal talks. We understand that, at a meeting on 25 May, the Secretary-General's representative introduced discussion of the organs of a possible future federal Government. In separate meetings with Senor Perez de Cuellar on 8 and 9 June President Kyprianou and Mr. Denktash both reaffirmed their commitment to the talks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to take a decision on publishing the records of the tripartite security working group in 1951 which are held in the Public Record Office and have not yet been released.

Because of their sensitivity these records were not transferred to the Public Record Office and are being retained within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is not possible to forecast when they will be released for public inspection.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which members of the Organisation of African Unity are not recognised by Her Majesty's Government.

The Saharan Arab Democratic Republic, whose membership of the Organisation of African Unity is still under debate within the organisation, is not recognised by Her Majesty's Government. We recognise the other 50 independent African countries which are members of the Organisation of African Unity.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will seek to ensure in negotiations concerning the law of the sea convention, that the United Kingdom will not relinquish certain rights, including her claim to mineral rights, in relation to uninhabited islands.

The law of the sea convention states that rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf. During the negotiations on the convention we and some other delegations sought unsuccessfully to delete this provision. In deciding our attitude to the convention we shall be examining the implications of this and other provisions of the convention for United Kingdom interests, including mineral rights.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received about the elections in E1 Salvador supplementary to that of the official observers; and whether he remains satisfied with their findings.

We have seen a number of reports by official and unofficial observers on the conduct of the elections in E1 Salvador; we remain satisfied with the findings of the British observers.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit E1 Salvador.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British relations with Nigeria.

We enjoy very good relations with Nigeria in political, commercial, cultural and other fields. Nigeria is our largest export market outside Western Europe and the United States. President Shagari paid a State visit to this country last year, and we have frequent ministerial and official contacts at all levels, both bilaterally and in international fora such as the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received any further information since the completion of the Falklands campaign on the source of missiles and other significant weapons supplied to the Argentine during the course of the campaign; and whether he is now able to identify the countries concerned.

Our investigations of course continue and we remain concerned to prevent any supplies of weapons from reaching Argentina for the present time. The task force is carefully examining all captured equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received against hangings in Malaysia.

In addition to two previous parliamentary questions asked by the hon. Member, I have received three recent representations by letter. Early-day motion 466 has also been brought to my attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the percentage contribution to the United Nations regular budget of each of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries in the most recent two-year budgeting period, with an approximation in £ sterling of the cost value of each contribution.

The following are the figures requested:

OECD Members	Percentage contribution to UN regular budget for 1980–81	Approximate sterling equivalent
Australia	1·83	9,033,618
Austria	0·71	3,504,846
Belgium	1·22	6,022,412
Canada	3·28	16,191,403
Denmark	0·74	3,652,938
Finland	0·48	2,369,473
France	6·26	30,901,886
FRG	8·31	41,021,513
Greece	0·35	1,727,741
Iceland	0·03	148,092
Ireland	0·16	789,824
Italy	3·45	17,030,592
Japan	9·58	47,290,744
Luxembourg	0·05	246,820
Netherlands	1·63	8,046,337
New Zealand	0·27	1,332,828
Norway	0·50	2,468,202
Portugal	0·19	937,917
Spain	1·70	8,391,886
Sweden	1·31	6,466,688
Turkey	0·30	1,480,921
United Kingdom	4·46	21,665,856
United States	25·00	123,410,080

Switzerland, though not a Member of the United Nations, pays 1·05 per cent. of the cost of certain activities in which she participates, while Yugoslavia, which has a special status in the OECD, pays 0·42 per cent.—£2,073,289—of the United Nations budget.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will oppose in the Council of Ministers the granting of any further funds to the European Assembly until such time as an audit investigation into recent financial irregularities has taken place.

No. The European Community Court of Auditors has already conducted an investigation and the President of the Parliament has made clear his intention to correct the irregularities which that investigation has identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the development of political co-operation within the European Economic Community.

Yes. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Leek (Mr. Knox).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency provision has been made by the Council of Ministers in the budget for 1982; and what item is most likely to be a charge on any such provisions.

The Council's 1982 Budget contains a contingency reserve of 1·2 million ecu (£627,600 at the 1982 budget rate of exchange of 1·91 ecu to the pound). It is impossible at this stage to say what item, if any, is likely to be a charge on this.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether further progress has been made in resolving the problem over the Luxembourg compromise and the right of veto in the European Economic Community Council of Ministers.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire).

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of persons of working age not in full-time education who are unemployed and (a) seeking work and (b) not seeking work; and how many of them receive unemployment benefit.

Preliminary estimates from the 1981 European Community labour force survey show that in Great Britain in the second quarter of 1981 2·3 million persons of working age who were not in full-time education were out of employment and seeking work. A further 6 million such persons, the majority of whom were housewives, were neither in employment nor seeking work. Of these 8·3 million, the survey showed 1·8 million persons to be receiving unemployment benefit or supplementary benefits associated with being registered as unemployed.

	Numbers		Percentage rate
	June 1979	June 1982	June 1979	June 1982
Accrington travel-to-work area	1,250	4,793	4·2	16·3
North East Lancashire	10,096	30,272	4·8	14·1
United Kingdom	1,343,865	3,061,229	5·5	12·8

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons have been registered as unemployed for more than (a) 52 weeks and (b) two years for each of the counties of England for each month since January 1979.

[pursuant to his reply, 29 June 1982, c. 281]: I am writing to the hon. Member sending him information for each quarter month from January 1979. A copy of the tables is also being deposited in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of the unemployed aged under 21 years in the United Kingdom, the West Midlands area and the Walsall travel-to-work area; what were the figures for May 1979, July 1980 and July 1981; and what was the change in percentage terms for each of the years.

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1982, c. 12]: The numbers registered as unemployed are analysed by age in January, April, July and October. The following table gives the information for the age range nearest to that specified and for comparable dates.

Unemployed aged under 20 years
	Number	Percentage change
United Kingdom
July 1979	411,153	+35·6
July 1980	557,333	+14·6
July 1981	638,644
April 1981	408,697	+24·6
April 1982	509,313
West Midlands
July 1979	46,089	+36·3
July 1980	62,813	+11·9
July 1981	70,269
April 1981	45,164	+22·3
April 1982	55,230
Walsall travel-to-work area
July 1979	4,051	+50·6
July 1980	6,100	+3·1
July 1981	6,290
April 1981	4,128	+15·1
April 1982	4,751

Note: The July figures include summer school leavers not present in the April figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the monthly and percentage unemployment figures since June 1979 for (a) Accrington, (b) North East Lancashire and (c) on a national basis.

The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed and the percentage rates of unemployment in the areas specified at June 1979 and June 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage of (a) male and (b) female entrants to the community enterprise programme in 1981.

In the year 1981–82, 83 per cent. of entrants to community enterprise programme schemes were made, 17 per cent. female.