asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to grant concessionary telephone rentals to registered charities.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the net cost to public funds of the introduction of legislation which results in free transport in London.

This is a matter for the Greater London Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement with regard to the presence of a film of coal dust in the River Orwell off Cliff Quay, Ipswich, on 10th March, 1972.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on Wednesday, 15th March.—[Vol. 833, c. 115.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will act upon the eight suggestions made to him by the Thurrock Urban District Council about the tipping of waste on 28 sites in Thurrock where minerals are being worked, eight sites where authorised tipping is taking place, five sites where consent for tipping is being sought, four sites considered suitable for industrial or other use, and eight sites worked out but restoration not done.

Since the Clerk to Thurrock Urban District Council wrote to him on 25th February, my right hon. Friend has introduced, and the House has agreed to, the Deposit of Poisonous Waste Bill. This provides heavy penalties for people who deposit poisonous, noxious or polluting wastes in circumstances in which they can cause danger to persons or animals or pollute water supplies. The notification procedures in the Bill will provide local authorities and river authorities with full information about wastes generated or deposited in their areas.These measures should help substantially with the matters about which the council has expressed concern.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many personnel in the employ of British Railways were assaulted during the course of their employment in the year 1971; how this compares with previous years; and if he will give a general direction to the Railways Board to deal with the problem.

261 employees of British Railways were assaulted on duty in 1971, compared with 197 in 1970. Information for earlier years is not available. A general direction would be inappropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will make a statement on grant-aid as it affects unremunerative railway lines for which he has not yet announced a decision.

As soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated average cost per acre of clearing and restoring derelict land.

The average gross cost per acre of local authority derelict land reclamation schemes in England approved by the Department since 1st April, 1970, is £1,581, including land acquisition. Because of the great diversity of problems to be tackled, too much importance should not be placed on average costs of reclamation. Leaving aside very small schemes, gross costs per acre vary from about £100 to £30,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet the Secretary of the Football League with a view to discussing legislation to regulate the transfer of football players.

I am always glad to see the Secretary of the Football League, but I see no cause for legislation, or for the Government to become involved, in this particular matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement clarifying the position of blind passengers under the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) Regulations, S.I., 1971, No. 1492.

In drafting the regulations, the Government were concerned to help those physically handicapped persons who found difficulty in walking. I am considering the position of the blind.

asked the Lord President of the Council what facilities are available in the Library of the House of Commons for the use of Members' private research assistants.

Up to 30 research assistants can now use the facilities of the Library on Monday mornings during the Session and on other days on which the House does not sit.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will take some action to prevent the practice of ministerial Departments issuing statements to the Press prior to Parliamentary Questions which are on the Order Paper being answered and which deal with the same matters upon which the Press have been given the answers.

It is, in fact, the practice of Departments to ensure whenever possible that this does not happen.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement about the supply of stationery to Members.

Yes. At present Members are entitled to a free allowance of stationery to the value of £25 a year. Any stationery above this amount has to be paid for. It has been calculated that the cost of the recovery of this money is not much less than the amount of money recovered. It has therefore been decided that from 1st April next all stationery should be supplied free to Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will extend the area of the Highlands and Islands Development Board to include the County of Bute.

The position of Bute, and of certain other areas, will be considered in this connection as local government reform is carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many schools have been provided for handicapped children within the meaning of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1962; how many places have been provided; and if he is satisfied that the provision is adequate to the need.

There are 211 special schools provided by education authorities and 13 by grant-aided bodies. There are about 16,000 places in these schools and in special classes attached to normal schools. Special education is also provided, normally for short periods, in 101 child guidance clinics.I am satisfied that the changing demands are kept under constant review and that education authorities are seized of the need to ensure that adequate provision is made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the current regulations defining the several categories of pupils requiring special educational treatment; and what steps he has taken to ensure that local authorities have met the requirements of the regulations.

The current regulations are the Special Educational Treatment (Scotland) Regulations, 1954. The provision made for handicapped pupils is kept under review and I have no reason to suppose that authorities are failing to meet the requirements of the regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce a national policy for the location of airports.

From 1st April the Civil Aviation Authority will have the duty of making recommendations to my right hon. Friend on the development of new and existing aerodromes. I doubt, however, that it will be possible for it to produce comprehensive recommendations on a national scale for some time, in view of the amount of work involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will announce the details of his plans regarding the financial investment and capacity requirements of the British Steel Corporation up to 1980; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Atter- cliffe (Mr. Duffy) and my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Edward Taylor) on 20th March.—[Vol. 833, c. 1072–3.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government's review of regional policies will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement I made in today's debate.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations he has had with North Sea oil licensees to co-ordinate their plans for laying pipes over the ocean bed.

We are in close touch with the licensees concerned to establish how oil they have discovered can best be got ashore.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what units his Department has approved for the calibration of tenderometers.

None. There are no statutory requirements for the calibration of tenderometers.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement on the current state of progress on implementing the Fulton Report.

A fourth report by the Joint Committee of the National Whitley Council entitled "The Shape of the Post-Fulton Civil Service" will be issued tomorrow. I am arranging for copies to be available in the Vote Office tonight. The report opens with a summary of the broad position reached on post-Fulton work as it affects staff. It then describes progress in the restructuring of the Civil Service and on the abolition of classes.Down to and including under-secretary level a scheme of unified grading has been introduced. Below that level it is proposed to concentrate resources at the present time on the extension of the system of broad categories and occupational groups—which has already been introduced for over half the non-industrial Civil Service—and on the development of personnel management practices aimed at flexible deployment of staff in the interests of efficiency and personal development.The report also describes other important developments in personnel management, including training. Finally, it refers to progress made on recruitment, describes the new system for premature retirement and reports on proposals for improving the working environment in the Civil Service.The report will be widely distributed within the Civil Service with a view 10 discussion at the annual conferences of the staff associations to be held in the late spring.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which leading brewers have recently notified him of price increases affecting a selected number of their lines; and what was the wholesale turnover value of each leading brewer.

Since the beginning of the year, the Minister has received one or more notifications from each of the seven largest brewers, and from two medium-size brewers. Information about turnover contained in such notifications is confidential.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what safeguards exist in the European Economic Community for consumers against the high prices of many foodstuffs caused by the system of levies inherent in the common agricultural policy of the European Economic Community.

The implementation of the common agricultural policy is subject to the objectives of the Treaty of Rome, one of which is to ensure supplies of foodstuffs for consumers at reasonable prices. There is no harmonisation of retail prices in the Community, and I am confident that United Kingdom food prices will remain among the lowest in Europe.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now prepare a revised estimate of the increase in food prices in the first six months after Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton) and others on 29th February, 1972.—[Vol. 832, c. 226–7.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on his discussions in Brussels during the week of Monday, 13th March, on the higher contributions by Great Britain into the Common Market's Central Fund; to what extent the Commission's proposal of an average 8 per cent. increase in farm prices will increase Great Britain's contribution and costs on entry into the European Economic Community; and how this will be affected if the 11 per cent. to 12 per cent. as proposed by the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations are adopted.

I have had no such discussions. We shall be consulted under the interim period arrangements on the Community's agricultural price and structure proposals once they are formulated. Questions about the United Kingdom contribution to Community funds are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now introduce legislation to enable him to give assistance, after a means test, to individuals who may be involved in involuntary expenditure under plant health regulations, such as those concerned with Dutch elm disease, rather than giving financial assistance only to local authorities.

No. It is normally appropriate to expect the owner or occupier concerned to meet the cost of plant health control measures, but orders may provide that an enforcing authority may at its discretion remove a source of infection at its own expense. The Dutch Elm Disease (Local Authorities) Order, 1971, confers such powers on the designated local authorities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people were prosecuted and convicted in England and Wales for failing to have a dog licence in each year from 1960 to 1971.

I have been asked to reply.Following is the information:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a detailed statement on his Department's survey published on Monday, 13th March, showing to what extent the 10 per cent. increase in the fourth quarter of 1971 spent on food as compared with the fourth quarter of 1970 was due to the rise in the price of food; and to what extent the average expenditure of 21½p per head was due to the same reasons.

The increase of 21½p, or 10 per cent., in the average weekly household expenditure on food recorded by the National Food Survey between the fourth quarters of 1970 and 1971 reflected a large number of variations in both prices and levels of consumption of many different items of food. The results of the survey showed that housewives had continued to shop selectively and in this way mitigate the effect of rising prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the 442 male workers made redundant within the Hamilton constituency in March and April, 1971, have yet to find new employment.

As I have explained to the hon. Member, the correct figure of male redundancies notified in the Hamilton constituency for these two months is 487. I regret that information is not available in the form required but it may help the hon. Member to know that at 20th March, 1972, 17 of the 325 male workers made redundant in the Hamilton constituency in March, 1971, were identified as still registered as unemployed. These workers were among those discharged in the Rolls-Royce redundancy, the outcome of which has been monitored by the Department. Similar follow-up information, however, is not available in respect of the male workers made redundant in the constituency in April, 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain from chief constables the figures for crimes of violence in the north of England for 1970 and 1971; and, in view of the prevalence of these crimes, if he will expedite his research into this problem with a view to bringing forward early proposals.

The supplementary Criminal Statistics for 1970 give, for each police force in England and Wales, figures of indictable offences of violence against the person known to the police; a copy is in the Library of the House, and I am sending one to the hon. Member. Corresponding figures for 1971 should be available in the summer. Research into violence which the Cambridge Institute of Criminology is carrying out, with financial assistance from the Home Office, will be completed this year; further research on this subject is in hand or under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give guidance to coroners deprecating the practice of not empanelling women on their juries.

The Brodrick Committee on Death Certification and Coroners made some recommendations on coroners' juries and these, together with the other recommendations of the committee, are under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy to continue to provide forward cover for nationalised industry and local authority borrowings of foreign currency averaging 10 years or over.

No. In view of the much improved external position my right hon. Friend proposes to discontinue these arrangements for the time being. The public sector bodies concerned may continue to borrow abroad, subject to the usual Treasury and exchange control consents.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consideration his Department has given to the chairmobile for severely disabled people designed by Lord Snowdon; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

This interesting innovation has been demonstrated to officers of the Department; and both the design details and intended application have been carefully considered. On present advice, I do not see a National Health Service rôle for it.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has now taken to recognise vibration syndrome as an industrial disease; and whether he will make a statement.

The question whether the vibration syndrome should be prescribed under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act, 1965, cannot be considered until the report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has been received. I understand that the council is still awaiting the outcome of the further research which was commissioned under Section 71 of the Act at its request.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was paid out weekly by his Department in supplementary benefit to, respectively, strikers and dependants during the recent miners' strike inclusively from 8th February till a fortnight after the end of the strike, in respectively, the Northern, Yorkshire-Humberside, East Midlands, East Anglia, London South, South West, Wales, West Midlands, North West Manchester, North West Merseyside and Scottish Regions.

The information is as Table (see cols. 341–342).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost to public funds of supplementary benefits paid to those involved in the British Leyland strike at Bathgate and their dependants, and of payments made after the resumption of work, and also of the administrative costs of making these payments to suit the convenience of recipients.

The amount paid up to 14th March in the dispute at British Leyland, Bathgate, was £11 to strikers themselves and £33,219 for dependants. Amounts paid after resumption of work are not yet known, nor is the administrative cost of paying supplementary benefit in this dispute.