asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on recruiting for the police force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police manpower and recruitment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the net increase in police strength in England and Wales for 1970; and what were the comparable figures for 1968 and 1969.

The strength of the police in England and Wales at the end of 1970 is provisionally estimated at 93,748. The authorised establishment had been increased to 109,416, leaving a net deficiency of 15,668. During 1970, recruits totalled 6,614, giving a net increase of 1,986. The net increase in 1968 was 142, and in 1969, 980.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many graduates were recruited into the police service in England and Wales during 1970; and what were the comparable figures for 1968 and 1969.

In 1970, 21; in 1969, 26; and in 1968, 28.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions the Metropolitan Police have with regard to the action they should take when cases of serious assaults on babies and small children by their parents are brought to their attention.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that he has not issued special instructions about these criminal offences which, like others, are carefully investigated when they come to the notice of the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it took his Department until Tuesday, 8th December to reply to a communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, dated 12th November concerning Prisoner No. 197686; why it was necessary for a telephone call and a Parliamentary Question from the hon. Member eventually to obtain this reply; and whether he will in future expedite his replies to Members of Parliaments' correspondence.

There was no undue delay in this case, having regard to the need to verify the facts and to ascertain whether the prisoner had suffered any injustice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it took him until 11th January, 1971, to reply to the communication sent to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North, regarding bravery of West Ham school boys, when his reply contained only a paragraph and rephrasing of the information sent to him by the hon. Member; what information as contained in his reply was not available to him and his Department within 24 hours of receipt of this communication; and whether he will expedite replies to correspondence.

All proposals for the recognition of brave conduct are examined with great care. There was no unreasonable delay in considering and replying to the hon. Member's letter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pending comprehensive legislation arising in due course from the final proposals of the Departmental committee on the adoption of children, he will introduce legislation to amend Section 2 of the Children Act, 1948, to strengthen the powers of local authorities in the tug-o-war situation.

My right hon. Friend would prefer to await the Committee's final report before considering legislation in this difficult field.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Visiting Forces Act, 1952, so as to exempt from its operation persons against whom no offence is alleged other than the bona fide exercise of the right of conscientious objection.

My right hon. Friend has no plans for any amendment of the present provisions for the arrest military deserters under the Visiting Forces Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will amend the law to facilitate the removal of illegal squatters from private property.

In consultation with his colleagues, my right hon. Friend is considering the operation of the law of trespass in the context of public order. But he has at present no proposals for altering the law in that or other related fields.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enable local authorities to have the earliest possible warning of drug taking among the 16 to 18-year-old age group.

My right hon. Friend is not persuaded that further statutory powers are needed in addition to those already proposed in the Bill now before Parliament for obtaining information likely to be helpful to those concerned with social and other problems arising from the misuse of drugs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has of amphetamine taking by 15 to 18-year-olds who have left school.

Reports from the police and other sources indicate that the mis- use of amphetamines by young people presents a problem. This was the subject of a report by the Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence published last year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable as to how many policemen have tendered their resignations from the police force of Cheshire County Council during the period 16th November to 14th December inclusive, and as to what percentage gave inadequate pay and conditions as their reason for so doing.

I understand from the chief constable that 13 police officers resigned from the Cheshire Constabulary during this period and that four of these gave inadequate pay as the reason. None expressed dissatisfaction with other conditions of service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he now has for the provision of remand accommodation for women in the Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made regarding the provision of a women's remand home in the West Midlands to replace Brockhill Remand Centre which was closed in June, 1968.

I have at present nothing to add to the Answers given to Questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr. Dance) on 23rd July and 29th October 1970.—[Vol. 804, c. 748 Vol. 805, c. 171.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends taking to deal with the problem of child prostitution in Birmingham.

It is for the police to investigate allegations of criminal offences. Thorough investigations put in hand by the Chief Constable do not confirm the suggestion that the problem occurs on a serious scale in Birmingham.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Committee of Inquiry into the licensing laws will take into account the interests of residents living adjacent to licensed premises.

I will see that my hon. Friend's Question is brought to the Committee's attention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider the introduction of a graduated naturalisation charge so that the fee payable by an alien becomes inversely proportional to his length of residence in the United Kingdom.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to make naturalisation free of charge available to those who have worked in the British coal mining industry for 20 years or more.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to differentiate between aliens and non-aliens on the basis of whether or not those concerned are subjects of the Crown or citizens of republics.

No. Parliament decided in the British Nationality Act, 1948, that citizens of other Commonwealth countries and of the Irish Republic should not be aliens in this country. The Government have no plans to disturb this arrangement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he is satisfied with the effectiveness of the present arrangements for the emergency closing of the M1 motorway in dense fog or after serious accidents; and if he will make a statement;(2) whether he will take steps to ensure that fog warning signs on the M1 motorway are only displayed when fog is actually present or imminent and that they are not displayed after all fog has dispersed, so that motorists may be thereby encouraged to pay more attention to the warnings when they are displayed.

With the equipment at present available on most of the M1 motorway, there are practical difficulties for the police in putting on or off the signs quickly that give warning of fog or other hazards, and both closing and opening a motorway creates serious problems for them. Chief officers of police, however, make the most effective arrangements possible. They are well aware of the importance of switching signs off as soon as they cease to be needed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to improve the salary and working conditions of prison officers.

I would refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave today to a Question by the hon. Member for Wandsworth, Central (Mr. Thomas Cox).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the working of the parole board system; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave today to a Question by the hon. Member for Acton (Mr. Spearing).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to improve safety precautions at football grounds.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. James Johnson) on 13th January.—[Vol. 809, c. 75.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a White Paper giving all the details pertaining to the stay in this country of the German student Rudi Dutschke; and if he will list the presentations made on behalf of this person.

No, but I would refer my hon. Friend to the determination of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet completed his analysis of the returns submitted to him by the hospitals regarding fireworks accidents which occurred on 5th November, 1970; how many injuries were severe, giving rise to absence from work; and how many were detained for one night or more.

As stated in reply to a Question by the hon. Member on 10th December, my right hon. Friend expects to publish accident figures for the 1970 Guy Fawkes period in about a month's time. I will then send to the hon. Member the details requested of accidents which occurred on 5th November, 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a progress report on his plans for the reorganisation of the fire service in England and Wales.

The consultations to which my right hon. Friend referred in reply to a Question by the hon. Member on 5th November are in train; but he has no further statement to make at present.—[Vol. 805, c. 1234–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice has been given to the National Executive of the National Joint Council concerning the pay and conditions of firemen; and on what grounds the 1969–70 agreement on firemen's pay, hours, leave and overtime has not been honoured.

As regards the first part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer which I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Sillars) on 13th January. I am not aware that there is any question of the National Joint Council's 1969–70 agreement not being honoured by them.—[Vol. 809, c. 76.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the security forces are expected to return to normal civil police jurisdiction those parts of Belfast where it is not now effective.

I understand from the Northern Ireland Government that there is no part of Belfast which is not subject to normal policing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the policing of cities in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

No Home Secretary could ever be so satisfied, and in particular there is at present a need for additional strength. But in general the police forces of England and Wales make effective use of the manpower and equipment at their disposal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable on the number of drunken driving offences in Portsmouth for the latest convenient period.

In 1969, 144 persons, and in 1970, 161 persons, were prosecuted in Portsmouth for offences under Part I of the Road Safety Act, 1967, or Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make provision in the impending legislation on immigration, naturalisation and citizenship to harmonise the rights of Commonwealth citizens and aliens already in this country.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the introduction of the Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a statement about the legality of pools which are promoted for the purposes of raising funds for sporting and charitable purposes.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday to a Question by the hon. Member for Wythenshawe (Mr. Alfred Morris).—[Vol. 809, c. 301.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ban the sale of crossbows or to institute a system of licensing.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents involving damage to liquid-carrying vehicles and the spillage of dangerous liquids on to roads and into drains and ditches have occurred in England and Wales during the last 12 months; and whether he will make a statement on the adequacy of present safety requirements for such vehicles.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. There is a statutory requirement for the owner of a vehicle carrying an inflammable liquid with a flash-point below 73°F to notify immediately any accident involving the vehicle which gives rise to death or injury by fire or explosion, but there is no such requirement where the accident involves only damage to the vehicle or spillage of the liquid being conveyed. There are also regulations governing the construction and operation of vehicles which carry petroleum spirit, petroleum mixtures and carbon disulphide, and similar regulations are being prepared in respect of the conveyance of other dangerous liquids.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to lay before the House of Commons amending regulations to ensure that a policeman who is suspended during an inquiry does not lose any wage or salary until a misdemeanour is proven against him.

Next month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the £5,434,049 fines outstanding on 30th June was arrears of payment; what were the figures for 31st December, 1970; and how these figures compared with those for each of the last five calendar years.

The amount of fines and fees outstanding in England and Wales outside Inner London on 30th September, 1970, was £5,561,801. The corresponding figures for the quarter ended 31st December, 1970, are not yet available.It is not possible to identify, in respect of any period, the amount of arrears in payment, as distinct from the amount of fines imposed but not yet due for payment.Figures for the amount of fines outstanding before 31st December, 1967, are not readily available. The figures for the years ended 31st December, 1967, 1968, and 1969, which include amounts not then due for payment, were £2,921,000, £3,749,625, £4,759,051.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that, although promised a communication by his Department before the Christmas Parliamentary Recess, concerning the allegations of nine months of neglect and maladministration on the part of officers connected with the immigration department of the Home Office concerning Mr. K. Patel, made by the hon. Member for West Ham, North, by 7th January, 1971, no such letter had been received; and when this may be expected.

I wrote to the hon. Member on 5th January, as the hon. Member has acknowledged in subsequent correspondence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why, in view of the fact that all the details were readily available to him, he was unable to give a substantive public reply to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning the admittance into this country of Mr. Kanayalal Patel's fiancée, in view of the fact that this matter has been outstanding for nine mouths;(2) why he was unable by 21st December to give to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, a full and detailed reply concerning the loss of files, delay and neglect on the part of his Department concerning Mr. Kanayalal Patel and the entrance into this country of his fiancée from India, in view of the fact that the hon. Member was able to obtain this information privately in 24 hours.

Particulars of this case were not available to me in time to enable me to give a substantive reply before the Recess. I have since written to the hon. Member to explain that the delay in dealing with the application by Mr. Patel's fiancée was due partly to the temporary loss of some of the papers, which I regret, and partly to the need to make extensive inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the effect on those who have entered this country under the rules relating to Commonwealth citizens of their own country leaving the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Immigrants Acts would continue to apply until Parliament made other legislative provision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if citizens of South Africa entering this country are treated in every way as aliens.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he now has regarding the pay of probation officers; and if he will make a statement.

The pay of probation officers is a matter for consideration in the first instance by the Joint Negotiating Committee for the Probation Service. The Committee held a first meeting to review the current position on 15th January. I shall give careful consideration to any recommendations which the Committee may in due course make to me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the traditional attitudes are regarding the permanent stay in this country of foreign artistes of international repute; and why Commonwealth citizens are not treated on the same basis.

A request by an artiste of international repute to settle in the United Kingdom is normally considered favourably. There is no distinction between foreign nationals and Commonwealth citizens.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department as Her Majesty's Government have given salary increases totalling 66·2 per cent. to higher-paid civil servants, judges and chairmen of nationalised boards between April, 1966, and January, 1971, and since 18th December, 1970, no settlement of the wage dispute on the offer to the police of 10 per cent. as made on 11th December has been effected, why he will not instruct his representative on the Police Council to propose to the Council that all police wages and salaries should be increased by 66·2 per cent.

Because I do not accept the hon. Member's argument.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the average weekly number of new strikes outside the coal industry in the 10 years 1950 to 1959 and 1960 to 1969, in the year 1969, and the year 1970;(2) what was the number of working days lost in 1964, in 1969 and in 1970;(3) what was the number of strikes in 1964, in 1969 and in 1970;(4) what was the number of strikes outside the coal industry in 1964, in 1969 and in 1970.

Excluding the coal mining industry, the average weekly number of stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in the United Kingdom in the 10 years 1950 to 1959 was 11; in the 10

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN THE AREA COVERED BY THE MEXBOROUGH, GOLDTHORPE AND WOMBWELL EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
(Thousands)
					Males	Females	Total
June, 1950	…	…	…	…	35·4	5·8	41·2
June, 1960	…	…	…	…	33·9	8·0	42·0
June, 1969	…	…	…	…	27·9	10·9	38·8
Employment estimates are made for Mexborough and Goldthorpe collectively but not separately Also, separate estimates are not compiled for men, women, boys and girls.

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED IN THE AREA COVERED BY THE MEXBOROUGH AND WOMBWELL EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
					Men	Women	Boys	Girls	Total
June, 1950	…	…	…	…	158	158	16	17	349
June, 1960	…	…	…	…	374	262	33	36	705
June, 1969	…	…	…	…	1,207	186	63	26	1,482
January, 1971 (provisional)				…	1,388	161	61	57	1,667

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many requests for the operation of his conciliation machinery he has received since the beginning of October, 1970; if he will give the source of request on each occasion; and if he will state his action in each case.

In the 14 weeks ended 31st December, 1970, my Department received 226 requests for conciliation,

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of males, females, boys and girls registered in employment, and also unemployed, at the Mexborough and Wombwell employment exchanges, for the years 1950, 1960, and at the latest available date.

Following is the information:an increase of 41 per cent. over the previous year. This included 165 from trade unions, 45 from employers and 16 joint requests. Conciliation action was taken in all but 33 cases concerning disputes over pay, where it was considered inappropriate for the Department's services to be used in view of the level of the claim and/or offer.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of redundancies notified to his Department in Scotland, month by month, since July, 1970, to the nearest convenient date.

Comprehensive information is not available as all redundancies are not notified to the Department. Records show that redundancies involving the following numbers of work-people were notified in Scotland during the periods stated:

9th June, 1970 to 13th July, 1970	2,900
14th, July, 1970 to 10th August, 1970	2,800
11th August, 1970 to 14th September, 1970	3,900
15th September, 1970 to 12th October, 1970	3,200
13th October, 1970 to 9th November, 1970	4,000
10th November, 1970 to 7th December, 1970	2,400
8th December, 1970 to 11th January 1971	3,500

A number of the redundancies listed are not due to become effective until later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many building trade workers were unemployed within each employment exchange area in Fife; and what were the comparable figures for last year.

Following is the information:

	January, 1971 (provisional)	January, 1970
Anstruther	25	15
Burntisland	35	38
Cowdenbeath	309	269
Cupar	45	34
Dunfermline	247	252
Glenrothes	144	144
Inverkeithing	42	49
Kirkcaldy	260	218
Leven and Methil	239	177
St. Andrews	17	20

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will request her representative on the Burnham Committee to raise the question on any difficulty young teachers teaching in the Inner London Education Authority area may be finding in raising mortgages for house purchases in connection with negotiations on teacher's salaries.

The Burnham Committee have already been made aware of this difficulty, which is not confined to teachers, or to Inner London.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will ensure that the Medical Research Council, which recently received a grant from her Department to investigate the standard of fitness of the over 40's, will include in their investigation the extent to which cycling promotes fitness.

No. The conduct of research projects carried out under the auspices of the Medical Research Council is entirely a matter for the Council's own scientific judgment. The purpose of the project to which the hon. Member is no doubt referring is not primarily to measure standards of physical fitness but to study the effects of controlled exercise therapy on the middle-aged sedentary person and in cardiac rehabilitation. This research may provide clearer evidence of the value of light exercise, which may well include cycling.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of schools in the Inner London Education Authority area built before 1900, between 1900 and 1939, and between 1939 and 1969, respectively, and the respective figures for the London Borough of Wandsworth.

The only figures collected by the Department relate to the period 1945–69 and are as follows:

	Total Numbers of Schools Built
I.L.E.A.	232
Wandsworth	30

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which boroughs she regards as educational priority areas, in the Inner London Education Authority area.

It was explained in Circular 11 issued in 1967 that there was to be no designation of educational priority areas from the centre by the Department of Education and Science. Local education authorities were invited to identify the districts in their own areas which suffered from the kind of social and physical deficiencies which the Plowden Council described in Chapter 5 of their Report. On the basis of proposals submitted by the Inner London Education Authority parts of all Inner London boroughs have benefitted from one or more of the following:

(i) the 1968–70 school building programme for educational priority areas;

(ii) nursery and other provisions under the Urban Programme; and

(iii) the special addition of £75 per annum to the salaries of teachers in schools of exceptional difficulty.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will establish a committee of inquiry into the methods of appointing, promoting and dismissing teaching staff.

No.

asked the Minister of State for Defence how many attacks have been made on members of the British Army in Northern Ireland since 17th December, 1970; what areas and Army posts were involved; what weapons were used against the Army; and how many of the rioters were arrested.

Between 17th December, 1970 and 18th January, 1971 there were 34 instances of attacks on members of the British Army in Northern Ireland. The areas involved were: Central Belfast; Springmartin, Belfast; Ballymurphy, Belfast; Ardoyne, Belfast; New Lodge-Woodvale, Belfast; Bogside, Londonderry; Creggan, Londonderry. Army posts involved were the Henry Taggart Memorial Hall and a company base in Brown Square, both in Belfast. Weapons used against the Army were: stones and bottles, a CS grenade, catapult and ball bearings, crossbow and arrows, petrol bombs, acid bombs, air pistol, ·22 rifle, and an automatic weapon. 91 arrest were made.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is his estimate of the amount of time and expense that would be involved in calculating the cost per week of keeping prisoners in military prisons and naval detention quarters.

Of the order of 70 man/days, spread over eight weeks, and about £650.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what discussions are proceeding or are proposed in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the South East Asia Treaty Organisation about the future size of United States naval forces in the Mediterranean or the eastern Pacific.

No such discussions are taking place or are proposed.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will revive No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit as the title of the Jaguar Operational Conversion Unit soon to be established at Royal Naval Air Station, Brawdy, in view of No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit's former location in South-West Wales and in view of its history in the comparable rôle of single-seater fighter conversion.

This title has already been allocated to the Operational Conversion Unit for Harriers which formed at R.A.F. Wittering on 1st October, 1970.

asked the Minister of State for Defence until what date he estimates that No. 229 Tactical Weapons Unit will be equipped with Hunter aircraft; and whether he foresees a rôle for this unit after they have been phased out of service.

It is planned that No. 229 Tactical Weapons Unit will be equipped with Hunter aircraft until the latter half of this decade. The answer to the second part of the Question is, "Yes".

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the level of apprentice recruiting in each of the Royal Naval Dockyards and on its implications for the future of each of the yards.

The recruitment of apprentices in each of H.M. Dockyards will continue at a level sufficient to maintain the craft labour force planned for the future.At Rosyth, the level of recruitment has been abnormally high for the past few years to provide craftsmen for the nuclear submarine refits. This requirement has now been largely met and recruitment will return to normal.However, there are likely to be changes in the balance of trades required to meet the future programme of work.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a progress report on the implementation of the capital development programme for Portsmouth Royal Naval Dockyard.

The detailed planning of the work associated with the modernisation and rationalisation of facilities in H.M. Dockyard, Portsmouth is proceeding satisfactorily. Work has just started on Stage II of the Central Office Block complex. Two other major projects, the redevelopment of No. 2 Basin and the new Pipe Shop, are planned to start later this year.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on negotiations for industrial technician grade for laboratory mechanics in naval establishments.

Agreement has been reached between the Official and Trade Union Sides of the Joint Co-ordinating Committee for Government Industrial Establishments (the J.C.C.) to the introduction of the grade of Industrial Technician as part of a new craft allowance structure. An examination of proposals for the use of the grade in a wide range of establishments is currently taking place. These include Naval establishments employing Laboratory Mechanics. Decisions on the proposals will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of State for Defence how and in what circumstances, the information referred to by the Under-Secretary of State for the Army, in his reply to Written Questions numbers 84 and 85 by the hon. Member for Manchester. Ardwick on 20th January, 1971, came to light.

it came to light in the course of inquiries made in the locality.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a further statement on the progress made in his Department on the development and installation of the Linesman Mediator system of air traffic control for defence purposes.

Linesman, which forms the air defence element of this system, consists essentially of improved radars and computer based control facilities. The new radars are operational; work is continuing on the computer system. As regards Mediator, I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to increase the penalties for sheep worrying.

No. It is too early to judge the effect of the increase to £20 in the maximum penalty.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the breakdown, as between different sections of the United Kingdom farming industry, of his estimate of receipts by the United Kingdom from the European Economic Community budget for 1977.

We have estimated that, assuming the Community's present financial arrangements continue, we might expect to receive some 200 million units of account per annum (£84 million) from the Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (FEOGA) by the end of the transition period. About one-third of this total represents what might come from the Guidance Section of the Fund, which is concerned with the improvement of the structure of agriculture; another one-third for subsidised wheat and skimmed milk for use in animal feeds and the rest for subsidised food exports and to finance market intervention measures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that in Austria, Belgium, the German Federal Republic, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and Yugoslavia, motorists are required to display red warning triangles in case of an accident or breakdown; and what consideration he has given to having similar requirements in Great Britain.

We are considering the whole question of hazard warning devices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) in respect of what projects he is committed to provide loans or grants to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, and to what values;(2) what loans have been made to the Mersey Dock and Harbour Board; on what terms and for what purposes; and how much has been repaid;

The following loans and grants have been made:

Project	Loans (£000)	Grants (£000)
Seaforth	14,292	2,283
Car Ferry Terminal (British and Irish Line)	37	7
Gladstone Container Berth	1,129	131
Vittoria Peninsula Dock	1,531	229
Tranmere Oil Stage	393	83
Channel Deepening	559	98
Other expenditure	59	934
	18,000	3,765

The above loans have been made available as work has been completed and are repayable over periods ranging from 10 to 40 years. No repayments have yet fallen due. The rates of interest vary between 7½ per cent. and 10 per cent.Major projects on which work is still outstanding, and their estimated total costs, including work already done, are as follows:

Seaforth	about £40 million
Car Ferry Terminal	£2·1 million

I have indicated to the Board that, provided the immediate viability of the port is assured and that necessary remedial measures are taken, Government funds will continue to be made aavilable for the Seaforth Scheme and for other approved capital works. For the purposes of these arrangements, authorisations for individual items of work and for instalments of Government grant or loan are being dealt with from time to time as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he intends to take to strengthen the powers of the Alkali Inspectorate.

The Inspectorate's task is to enforce the Alkali Acts, which require the owners of scheduled works to use the best practicable means to prevent the discharge of noxious emissions and render them harmless where discharged. While I am satisfied that the Inspectorate's powers are adequate I propose, subject to my consideration of the report of a recent public inquiry, to extend their scope by applying the Acts to certain industrial processes not previously scheduled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is with his authority that detailed financial information in connection with applications for operators' licences is now being requested by the South Eastern Licensing Authority; and whether he will make a statement.

No. Licensing Authorities are entitled by statute to require applicants to provide particulars of their financial resources.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the extent of oil pollution along the Kent coast resulting from the sinking of the tanker "Texaco Caribbean" and the German freighter "Brandenburg"; what will be the cost of cleaning the beaches; and how much of this will be recoverable as compensation from the owners of the vessels involved.

My Department has had reports from the local authorities of coastal pollution in varying degrees from Lydd to Broadstairs.The cost of the beach-cleaning work which the authorities have put in hand has been estimated at about £3,000. The total cost will depend on the extent of clearance ultimately found to be necessary and on the methods used.It is too early to say how much of this may be recoverable. Inquiries are proceeding and every effort will be made by the Government to secure compensation towards the cost of clearing the oil from whatever source is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the approximate number of rented dwellings in the United Kingdom, stating separately the number of furnished and unfurnished dwellings, the number of the former which are at present rent-controlled, the number in the two sectors which have an inside w.c., bathroom and hot water system; and when he proposes to end all the present rent controls.

It is estimated that there are about 3·4 million private tenancies in Great Britatin, of which about 2·9 million are unfurnished. Of the unfurnished tenancies about 1·4 million are rent-controlled. The 1967 House Condition Survey estimated that 44 per cent. of private tenancies had all the standard amenities, but gave no separate figures for different types of privately rented dwellings.I have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's statement of 3rd November, 1970 on moving rent-controlled dwellings into the fair rent sector.—[Vol. 805, c. 852–68.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the approximate average increase in rents, when taken out of their present control and put through the machinery of the rent officer and the rent assessment committee, compared with the 2·6 times increase stated in 1969 by the then Housing Minister.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Evelyn King) on 25th November, 1970.—[Vol. 807, c. 133–34.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to allocate to all housing authorities a sum equalivent to the tax relief for owner-occupiers to enable some council houses to be built out of revenue.

No. Building out of revenue makes the available funds go much less far than the normal practice of financing major capital expenditure by borrowing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent consultations regarding the recasting of housing subsidies have taken place with individual local authorities as distinct from consultations with local authority associations.

Consultations are taking place only with the associations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the report of a public inquiry held on 9th September, 1969, into a compulsory purchase order made by the Cornwall County Council on 25th February, 1969, on land at Bellevue Terrace, Newquay.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend hopes very shortly to notify his decision in this matter to the Cornwall County Council and to the statutory objector and at the same time to send them copies of the report of the public inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans have been made for the payment of supplementary benefit by Giro to be replaced by alternative arrangements for payment in the event of the postal strike; and what has been done to inform supplementary benefit claimants of these alternative arrangements.

Giro orders should continue to be encashable during the postal strike and no alternative method of payment is proposed at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what statutory authority plans and drawings of persons' teeth and false dentures are circulated to persons and organisations unconnected with the National Health Service; whether this is limited to giving this information to the police authorities; and whether, in these instances, he will give an assurance that it only applies to convicted criminals who may have escaped and are on the run where such photographs may be used in assisting in recapturing the criminal.

National Health Service hospital dental records are confidential and are not made available without the patient's consent to persons and organisations unconnected with his treatment. Records of treatment provided under the General Dental Service are the property of individual dentists. The Dental Estimates Board, which retains for up to two years details of courses of dental treatment provided under the General Dental Service, will provide information from these records only at the request of coroners' officers or the police for the purpose of identifying dead bodies, and subject to the consent of the practitioner concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the 256 cases of brucellosis confirmed in humans by the National Health Service in the first 47 weeks of 1970 were from the West Riding and the Colne Valley constituency, respectively; and what were the corresponding figures for 1968 and 1969.

The numbers of cases confirmed in laboratories in the West Riding and reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service are set out below:

1968	7
1969	3
1970	4

None was recorded as being resident in the Colne Valley constituency. The medical officer of health for the urban district councils of Colne Valley, Denby Dale, Holmfirth, Meltham and Saddle-worth which comprise the constituency has, however, been informed of the following numbers of cases, confirmed in hospital laboratories but not reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service, in persons resident in these districts:

1968	3
1969	2
1970	3

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many trade union representatives serving, voluntarily, on supplementary benefit appeals tribunals will be relieved of their duties on 1st July, 1971, in the United Kingdom, and by regions, respectively.

This information is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member when the reconstitution of the Tribunals has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what centres will be used for the supplementary benefits appeals tribunals as newly constituted from 1st July, 1971, in the East Midland and East Anglian region; and which centres will no longer be used.

The proposed centres for the supplementary benefit appeals tribunals in the East Midland and East Anglia region from 1st July, 1971, are as follows:

Cambridge.	Lincoln.
Chesterfield.	Lowestoft.
Derby.	Mansfield.
Great Yarmouth.	Northampton.
Ipswich.	Norwich.
King's Lynn.	Nottingham.
Leicester.	Peterborough.

The following centres will no longer be used:

Boston.	Bury St. Edmunds.
Grantham.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what will be the average distance appellants to the newly constituted supplementary benefits appeals tribunals will travel compared to the present system, taking into account the proposed 20 per cent. reduction in the number of centres.

This information could be obtained on a national basis only by special studies to determine how far each appellant lives from the appropriate Tribunal centre. I do not think that the results would justify the work involved. Local situations are always investigated before local tribunal arrangements are decided.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the shortage of pharmacists at the Don- caster Royal Infirmary; and what steps he is taking to overcome it.

Two. The Hospital Management Committee are advertising the vacancies and meanwhile have arranged for outpatients' prescriptions to be dispensed by retail chemists.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to control price rises for batteries used in National Health Service and other hearing aids.

Batteries are available free of charge to all users of National Health Service hearing aids. Bulk supplies for this service are purchased on behalf of the Department under fully competitive fixed-price contracts.The prices of batteries obtained privately by hearing aid users are subject to normal competitive market forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give an estimate of the amount of national assistance which will be paid out per week to the Post Office strikers and their families.

The average supplementary benefit weekly payment to strikers' families during all disputes is £6; in any particular dispute it depends on the availability of other resources to the striker and his family and, in particular, strike pay and P.A.Y.E. refunds.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has yet completed his examination of the allocation of responsibility for answering Parliamentary Questions between himself and other Ministers in the House.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend has neither made nor intends to make any changes in existing practice.

asked the Prime Minister whether he expects to be able to relieve the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster of his Common Market duties in 1971.

I have been asked to reply.The Common Market is expected to continue beyond 1971.

asked the Prime Minister, in view of the fact that discrepancies in statistics were produced by two Ministers relating to the effects of the recently announced mini-Budget on a man with wife and two children under 11 years of age, earning £1,000 a year, if he will now take steps to ensure better co-ordination between Departments to avoid any recurrence of such inaccuracies.

I have been asked to reply.If the hon. Member will study the precise terms of the Questions and Answers to which he refers, I think he will see that there are no such discrepancies.

asked the Prime Minister how many letters he has received from pensioners and pensioners' organisations this year; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.101 Letters can be identified as such. One-third of them are about pensions.

asked the Prime Minister how many letters he has received this year from members of the public, including pensioners, urging an immediate increase in pensions; and what replies he has sent.

I have been asked to reply.137; and replies are sent explaining the policy of the Government.

asked the Prime Minister what further appointments he intends to make to the multi-disciplinary Central Policy Review Staff of the Cabinet Office.

I have been asked to reply.I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave on behalf of my right hon. Friend to a Question by the hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Alfred Morris) on 17th December.—[Vol. 808, c. 446.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the European Economic Community Council of Ministers is insisting that the United Kingdom must accept the European Economic Community common fisheries policy.

Her Majesty's Government are at present examining the detailed national and local implications of the Common Fisheries Policy with a view to formulating a position.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he proposes to discuss the provision of assistance to United Kingdom farmers, under the terms of the European Economic Community's common agricultural policy, before or after the current negotiations are concluded.

The operation of the Community's Common Agricultural Policy as it would affect British farmers will be discussed in the context of the transitional arrangements for British agriculture. This would not exclude Her Majesty's Government subsequently, in the event of accession to the Communities, from raising matters of concern to British farmers.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to discuss with the European Economic Community Council of Ministers the Government's reservations about the common fisheries policy.

There has so far been no substantive discussion with the European Economic Community Council of Ministers of the Common Fisheries Policy, on which Her Majesty's Government have reserved their position.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent the Government accept that signing the Treaty of Rome implies a commitment to political unity in an enlarged European Eoconomic Community.

Accession to the Treaty of Rome does not carry any specific commitment to political unity. We have received and commented on the Davignon Report and participated in the meeting of Ten in Brussels on 2nd December. Progress in this field will be by negotiation in which, if we become members of an enlarged Community, we will play our full part.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in the negotiations for the entry of the United Kingdom into the European Economic Community, he will seek to ensure that the British Steel Corporation can continue to operate without major changes in its size as a steel producer and in its structure as a publicly-owned industry.

We regard the size and structure of the British Steel Corporation as a matter for Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has yet formulated firm plans to sell off any part of any nationalised industry.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what benefits of Commonwealth preference still exist for South Africa; and what corresponding trade benefits for the United Kingdom in South Africa still exist.

South African exports to the United Kingdom enjoy the same tariff benefits as those of other Commonwealth Preference Area countries. In turn we receive preferences on some of our exports to South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms which were planning new industrial or commercial projects, and extensions of existing ones, in the Merseyside Development Area, have now indicated to him that they are reviewing their position, following the changes in financial incentives announced in October 1970.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement on the request by the British Overseas Airways Corporation for approval to order more Boeing 747 aircraft.

Yes. Approval has been given for B.O.A.C. to purchase four more Boeing 747 aircraft for delivery in the spring of 1973. These aircraft will cost about £45 million, including spares, and will bring B.O.A.C.'s fleet of 747s up to 16.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) when Linesman Mediator will be operating; and whether he will make a statement;(2) whether he will make a further statement on the progress made in his Department on the development and installation of the Linesman Mediator system of air traffic control.

Development of the air traffic control system under the Mediator project will be implemented in stages. The first stage, in which control of traffic in the airways in Southern England will be integrated and concentrated in the new London Air Traffic Control Centre at West Drayton, is now installed and will come into operation next month. Improved radar and display facilities are being introduced at the same time.The Mediator project, when completed, will be an integrated civil and military system of control of all air traffic flying en-route over this country. It will consist, on the one hand, of a network of radars to track and identify aircraft and on the other hand, of systems of computers processing the information on aircraft movements and intentions which the control task requires. Linesman is a related air defence project, regarding which I would refer the hon. Member to the reply being given to him today by the Under-Secretary of State (R.A.F.)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated cost to the revenue of making war widows' pensions exempt from income tax.

I regret that I cannot make the desired estimate.