asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to introduce amendments to Section 45 of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963.

This was covered by the review of the Interdepartmental Working Party on Lotteries, whose report was published in December. My right hon. Friend will be assessing reaction to the proposals in that report, which have to be considered as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to require all prosecutions for shoplifting to be brought by the police.

No, but a working party of the Association of Chief Police Officers is studying the recommendation of the Home Office Working Party that chief officers of police should adopt a more uniform policy on the prosecution of these offences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the procedure for handling complaints against the police; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now publish the report of the departmental consultations concerning a new complaints procedure under the Police Act 1964.

The report of the Working Group on Police Complaints Procedure in England and Wales, which was presented to my predecessor, is being published today. Time will be needed to consider the issues discussed in it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the nature of the investigation he has ordered into the case of Mr. Dougherty, whose conviction was quashed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Dougherty was convicted on 22nd February 1973 of shoplifting. His conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal on 14th March 1974 after my predecessor had referred the case to the court under Section 17 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968.Following representations by Justice on Mr. Dougherty's behalf, the Chief Constable of Durham arranged for a senior officer of the Northumberland Constabulary to make a full inquiry into the circumstances in which Mr. Dougherty was charged. The implications of the report of that inquiry, and a number of other issues which arise from the case, are being carefully studied.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had about merging the Community Relations Commission into an Equal Opportunities Commisson; and if he will now make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has, as yet, had no consultations about the possibility of merging the Community Relations Commission in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet received the Crawford Report on Broadcasting; and what steps he proposes to take to improve television reception in the north Somerset area, in particular of English rather than Welsh programmes.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No". Improvements in television reception are primarily the responsibility of the BBC and IBA, but my right hon. Friend will consider any recommendations which the Crawford Committee may make for changes in the broadcasting authorities' present plans.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Crawford Committee on Broadcasting Coverage.

During the summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to include in any proposed legislation on equal rights for women the securing of equality in respect of women who marry foreign or Commonwealth nationals so as to permit registration of husbands as British citizens unless there are substantial objections personal to the applicant.

I shall consider this when reviewing the law of nationality. I think that is the right context.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the last edition of Rules and Standing Orders for the Government of Prisons was published; and when a new edition including all amendments made since the last edition will be published.

Prison rules are statutory instruments made under the Prisons Act 1952 and are published accordingly. The revision of standing orders, which are internal instructions for the guidance of governors, is a continuing process.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Minister has specific responsibility for Government policy on the legal status of women.

My right hon. Friend has the responsibility for co-ordinating progress in removing the legal disabilities of women and achieving equal status for them. It is, however, for other Ministers to answer for specific aspects of this subject which come within their particular spheres of responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will cause an investigation to be made by someone unconnected with the police into all matters concerning the relationships between ex-Commander Drury of Scotland Yard and the strip club owner James Humphreys.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to repeal the retrospective provisions of the Immigration Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will take steps to secure an amnesty for all immigrants who entered the United Kingdom illegally before 1971;(2) if he will introduce early legislation to remove the retrospective effects of the Immigration Act 1971.

I am considering how to exercise the powers in the Immigration Act 1971 for the removal of illegal entrants. I hope to announce a decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign husbands of United Kingdom citizens have applied for permission to settle in Great Britain; how many of these applications have been refused; and what factors are taken into account in allowing or refusing these applications.

I regret that statistics are not kept in the form requested. The Immigration Rules provide for account to be taken, in determining applications, of any special considerations, whether of a family nature or otherwise, which render the husband's exclusion undesirable—for example, the degree of hardship which, in the particular circumstances of the case, would be caused if the wife had to live outside the United Kingdom in order to be with her husband. I am examining this question generally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the side arms supplied for police use in the United Kingdom is made in Great Britain.

In England and Wales the responsibility for equipping each force with firearms rests with the chief constable and the police authority and no information has been collected centrally since police forces began to re-equip with new weapons following a review completed in 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the testing and efficiency of weapons used by personal bodyguards in the Metropolitan Police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to review the side arms supplied to police officers on personnel protection duties; and if, in particular, he will discontinue the use of the Walther pistol.

These points are being currently examined as part of the review of protection measures following the incident on 20th March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why police officers on personnel protection duties are not equipped with British firearms.

The provision of firearms for each police force is a matter for its chief officer and the police authority. A review conducted in consultation with chief officers of police in England, Wales and Scotland found in 1971 that there were no automatic pistols or revolvers manufactured in the United Kingdom which could be recommended as suitable for police purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent Members of Parliament who serve on the justices' bench are allowed to claim expenses and loss of income in addition to their parliamentary salaries and expenses; and on what basis of statu- tory arrangements such claims are made or permitted.

To the extent provided by the Justices' Allowances Regulations 1971, as amended. The regulations allow claims for subsistence and travelling expenses necessarily incurred, and loss of earnings that would otherwise have been received, in consequence of the performance of duties as a justice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if legislation will now be introduced extending the Television Act 1964 to 1976 or to 1981.

The Independent Broadcasting Authority Act 1973, which consolidated the Television Act 1964 and the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972, already enables the authority to provide its services until 31st July 1976. As to the possibility of a further extension I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to his Question for oral answer earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Pay Board on the pay and conditions of the Fingerprint Section of the Metropolitan Police.

The Pay board's report on the method of determining the pay of the scientific Civil Service, to which the pay of Metropolitan Police fingerprint officers is linked, is expected very soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dwellings are currently owned by the Metropolitan Police in the Metropolitan Police area; and how many were unoccupied at the latest convenient date.

4,437, of which 596 were unoccupied on 11th March. Of these, 242 are being disposed of as surplus and 354 will be reoccupied by police officers and their families. The figure 354 includes 75 awaiting occupation by officers who have accepted them, 135 being made ready for occupation for officers who have also accepted, and 111 on offer, leaving only 33 unallocated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans for extending the present range of community development projects outside the 12 areas in which they operate at present.

Not at the moment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to the requests of Irish political prisoners to be transferred to prisons nearer their homes in Northern Ireland.

All applications for transfer to Northern Ireland from prisoners in England and Wales are given careful consideration, having regard to compassionate and security considerations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek powers to discontinue the practice of presiding officers at polling booths of making marks upon the counterfoils of ballot papers issued to voters in statutory elections, as this can lead to the identification of electors and to the manner in which they have voted.

The whole procedure is carefully regulated by statute so as to ensure the secrecy of the ballot. The matter was considered by the Speaker's Conference in 1967, which recommended no change, and was included in the terms of reference of the Speaker's Conference convened in the last Parliament.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in his consideration of the ban on potato movements, he will bear in mind that Europe is the traditional market for many ware potato varieties produced in Northern Ireland and the current situation in the ware potato market there, where the market is depressed and prices are below production costs; and if he will consider lifting the export ban as it applies to Northern Ireland or introducing a stock feed scheme.

We do of course take full account of circumstances in all parts of the United Kingdom in deciding policy on potatoes. We do not consider that the measures suggested would be justified at the present time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement about any recent changer that have been made in the law that affect the growing of potatoes in private gardens.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 21st March to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton).—[Vol. 870, c. 139–40.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the effect of the depleted numbers in the veterinary service on the progress of the brucellosis eradication scheme.

The shortage of veterinary staff continues to hamper the progress of brucellosis eradication. My Department is currently reviewing the forward programme for compulsory eradication areas and I hope to make an announcement at about the end of April.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation banning the importation of eggs and poultry meat from those countries in the Common Market which freely allow the use of antibiotics in poultry feed and which refuse to take egg and poultry meat exports from Great Britain because the use of antibiotics is banned in the United Kingdom, or seek to ensure that the EEC Feed Additives Directive is implemented.

No. As explained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 25th March—[Vol. 871, c. 17.]—the use of antibiotics in poultry feed for laying birds is controlled by EEC legislation; and imports of poultry meat from member countries which do not control the use of antibiotics are not significant. Our control of the use of antibiotics provides no ground for refusal to take egg and poultry meat exports from Great Britain but it is understood that France prohibits the importation of eggs and poultry meat from countries which do not ban the use of arsenical and certain other substances for poultry feeding. We have proposed the amendment of the EEC Feed Additives Directive to permit the use of arsenical and other additives at present permitted in the United Kingdom. When Community decisions have been reached on these additives it will be possible for us to complete implementation of the directive.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the increasing cost of fertilisers and the wish of farmers to economise, what steps he is taking to ensure that up-to-date soil analyses are available in Suffolk, especially as regards potash and phosphate deficiencies.

Suffolk farmers may send field soil samples to the regional laboratory of the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service at Cambridge for analysis to determine for example pH value and lime requirement, available phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and soil texture. A small charge is made for this service. Similar services are available to growers in respect of glasshouse soils and composts.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the terms of the regulation of the common agricultural policy under which suet has been withdrawn from butchers' shops.

There is no such EEC regulation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that the EEC Feed Additives Directive is implemented so that British egg producers can compete fairly with those in France.

The necessary action to implement this Directive has already been taken, except in relation to a limited number of additives on which the Community has not yet reached decisions. We are pressing for decisions on those outstanding additives which are currently used in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps designed to avert a depression in the egg production industry in 1974 in the light of the evidence contained in the Eggs Authority memorandum dated 13th March 1974.

I am not satisfied that such action is called for at the moment, but I am, of course, keeping the situation under constant review. I am sure the industry will take sensible note of the advice given by the Eggs Authority.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated increase in the United Kingdom's contribution to the CAP funds consequent upon the recent negotiations in Brussels.

The Commission has informed the Council of Ministers that the existing provisions in the 1974 Community Budget should be adequate. On this basis no increase in the United Kingdom contribution would be needed in 1974 above the level required by the existing Budget.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the rate of slaughterings of cows in calf over the last six months; and what action he proposes to take to retain confidence among beef producers so as to prevent beef shortages next autumn and for the next two years, in view of the fact that there is now no guaranteed end price.

There are no statistics showing the number of cows in calf going for slaughter. My right hon. Friend has already announced in the House, on 25th March, measures to be taken to safeguard the position of beef producers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tons of wheat were produced in the United Kingdom for the years 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, respectively; and how many tons, in each year, were denatured.

Estimated United Kingdom wheat production in the years 1970–73, was as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agricultural workers are receiving craft rates of pay or above and how many are not.

No precise statistics are available. However, allowing for the increase which took effect on 1st April 1973, the average value of the craftsman's statutory premium last year was £1·87; and according to the Agricultural Census there were 142,000 hired, regular, whole-time, male agricultural workers in England and Wales in June 1973.Provisional figures for the sample taken under the Department's wages and employment inquiry for 1973 indicate that about 60 per cent. of these workers were receiving basic wages at least £2 above the statutory minimum.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he now intends to introduce legislation to repeal the Counter-Inflation Act before proceeding to the repeal of the Industrial Relations Act.

The Gracious Speech did not contain any proposal to repeal the Counter-Inflation Act.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been, at the latest available date, the percentage decrease in the value of the £ sterling for each of the years since 1961.

It is estimated that the percentage decreases in the internal purchasing power of the pound compared with the previous year were as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that school caretakers and others who have to live on premises due to the exigencies of their employment have the benefits of their house, coal, fuel and light assessed as an emolument for tax purposes; and whether he will place all ministerial residences on the same basis as that now applied to the general taxpayer so far as beneficial emoluments are concerned.

An employee who is required for the proper performance of his duties to live in accommodation provided for him by his employer ranks for tax purposes as a representative occupier of the accommodation. In law it is the employer who is the true occupier and the employee is not taxable on the value of the accommodation. Caretakers are an example of representative occupiers, and so are Ministers of the Crown who occupy official residences.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when parliamentary salaries were raised to their present levels; and, taking the £ as then having a purchasing value of 100p, what has been the depreciation of the purchasing value of this salary to date using the fall in the £ sterling, the rise in the cost of living index figure and the rise in the retail price index figure.

Parliamentary salaries were raised to their present levels in January 1972. Taking the internal purchasing power of the £ sterling to be 100p in January 1972, its value in February 1974, the latest available date, is estimated to be 81½p. This estimate is based on movements in the General Index of Retail Prices. The cost of living index terminated in June 1947 on the introduction of the Interim Index of Retail Prices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the total tax yield of Great Britain was from Scotland at the latest available date.

On the basis of arbitrary and uncertain assumptions about the tax attributable to economic activity in Scotland it is estimated that, for the year 1971–72, Scotland contributed 8¾ per cent. of total United Kingdom central Government tax revenue—that is, excluding national insurance contributions and local rates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the minting of sovereigns.

Yes. The Royal Mint will be resuming the production of sovereigns within the next few months. This will make it possible to meet the continuing overseas demand for these coins at prices significantly higher than the value of their gold content.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make provision for a review of public service pensions at six-monthly intervals.

No. I am satisfied that the current annual reviews adequately protect public service pensions.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of official political advisers brought into different Departments by the new Government with an indication of their responsibilities.

As has been the practice in recent administrations, some members of the Government are appointing special advisers. As these appoint- ments have not all been finalised it would not be appropriate to list them yet, however, when a meaningful list can be prepared I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to improve the pay structure and manpower position of the Defence Police.

The pay structure of the Ministry of Defence Police is a matter for the Civil Service Department, although the Ministry of Defence is consulted. I have nothing to add to the answer which my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Civil Service Department gave to the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) on 22nd March on this aspect.It is too early to forecast the outcome of the discussions which are taking place between the Civil Service Department and the Defence Police Federation, but I am hopeful that one of the results will be an improvement in the current manning position.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with the current figures for recruitment for the TAVR; and whether he will make a statement on the future of this Service.

Recruitment to the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve has for some time been lower than we should like. The Ministry of Defence is at present examining the report of a thorough review of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve initiated last year. The Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve is, and will remain for the foreseeable future, an important part of our contribution to NATO.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT the numbers of Commonwealth and foreign nationals at present under training in naval and Royal Marine establishments in the United Kingdom, specifying their nationalities and the type of training being undertaken.

It is not the practice to reveal detailed arrangements being provided for foreign and Commonwealth navies. However, currently there are 806 overseas naval personnel from 37 countries undergoing training in the establishments of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines in the United Kingdom. The courses which they are attending cover a wide spectrum of professional naval skills and much of the training is related to sales of naval equipment by British firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement as to the cost of training Commonwealth and foreign nationals in the defence establishments in the United Kingdom, specifying whether such training constitutes a burden on Defence Votes, or otherwise.

We charge tuition fees for training Commonwealth and foreign nationals in United Kingdom defence establishments and seek by this means to recover at least the extra costs involved. I have, however, recently set in hand an examination into the basis of our charging policy which will consider the particular question whether any burden is placed on Defence Votes on account of this training.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of engagements the "Know Your Navy" teams have undertaken since the current series of presentations started, together with the approximate number of persons who have attended such presentations and the comparative figures for an approximately corresponding period last year.

During its current tour, which began on 26th September 1973, the Royal Navy Presentation Team has so far given 145 presentations. These have been attended by about 17,300 people. A further 12 presentations are planned before the conclusion of the tour at the end of April. During the corresponding period from 1972 to 1973 the team gave 73 presentations attended by about 11,200 people.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Regular Army are used solely in County Armagh on security duties.

It is not the practice to disclose figures of strengths in Northern Ireland of particular units, or in particular areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on recruitment for the Ulster Defence Regiment during 1973.

In 1973–74 about £41,000 will have been spent on recruiting publicity for the Ulster Defence Regiment. Other recruiting costs, including those of staff, offices and medical examinations, cannot be assessed without disproportionate time and effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he will be in a position to announce that the site at Colby Newham is suitable for the purposes of his Department.

The Colby Newham area is one which the local authority has suggested could offer a suitable site as a location for Government offices if it were decided to disperse Civil Service posts to Teesside following the Hardman Report. I can, therefore, add nothing to the answer given to my right hon. Friend by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Civil Service Department on 18th March.—[Vol. 870, c. 661–62.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures of the number of cases brought under the unfair dismissals provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, the number of them that were successful, and the total amount of compensation awarded.

In the period from 28th February 1972 to 22nd February 1974, conciliation officers of my Department received 17,878 complaints of unfair dismissal referred by industrial tribunals and 1,033 requests for help under Section 146(4) of the Industrial Relations Act. The latest statistics available on completed cases relate to the period between 28th February 1972 and 31st December 1973: of the 14,565 cases dealt with in this period, 3,568 were successful through conciliation and 2,096 at a tribunal hearing. There is no readily available record of the total amount of compensation awarded in this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of unemployed persons in Leicestershire at the latest available date; and what is that figure expressed as a percentage of the available working population in the county.

On 11th March 1974, 5,240 people were unemployed and the rate of unemployment was 1·6 per cent. Rates of unemployment are calculated by expressing the numbers unemployed as a percentage of the estimated number of employees, employed and unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take action to permit the implementation of the Clegg industrial arbitration award for employees of the Tyneside Passenger Transport Executive, following the rejection of part of that award by the Pay Board.

I understand that the union concerned is having further talks with the Pay Board on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if his Department will organise a day conference in West Wales before the end of the year to discuss the implications for the area of oil exploration and possible discovery in the Celtic Sea.

At present I have no plans to do so but my Department would be pleased to be represented at any such conference.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the present comparative costs, per therm, of coal, gas and oil.

Energy costs to the user vary greatly, depending on the class of consumer supplied, location, terms of supply and the grade or quality of fuel used. For a typical industrial consumer, current prices for coal and oil are estimated to be of the following order:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give his most recent assessment of the cost of a unit of electricity sent out, derived from coal, oil and nuclear sources, on the basis of increased coal and oil prices already announced.

This is a matter for the Central Electricity Generating Board and I am asking the Chairman to write to the hon. Member giving such information as is readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current value of coal imports.

I have been asked to reply.Information is published monthly under SITC(R) 321.4 in Table III of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom. An advance copy of the January 1974 issue is lodged in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current value of fuel oil exports from the United Kingdom to (a) the EEC, (b) Scandinavia, and (c) other countries.

I have been asked to reply.The information is published under SITC(R) 332.4 in Table VI of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom. An advance copy of the January 1974 issue is lodged in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will arrange for the printing in the OFFICIAL REPORT before 1st April 1974 of a list of those district councils which have been accorded the status and dignities of a borough, and of those former boroughs in which charter trustees have been appointed.

I am informed that Her Majesty has granted, or has signified her intention to grant, borough status to the following districts in England:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in the last five years for which statistics are available, how many accidents were caused wholly or partially by defective eyesight.

No statistics are available. Research in this country and the United States of America suggests that defective

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will itemise applications for compulsory purchase orders submitted for approval since 1st January 1972 by the London borough of Lambeth, the dates on which they were submitted and the dates on which such applications were approved or disapproved.

Since 1st January 1972 the London borough of Lambeth has submitted 17 compulsory purchase orders under Part III and 32 under Part V of

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what official representations have been made to him concerning the mandatory wearing of crash helmets by motor cyclists.

The following have written to my Department:

• The National Council of Civil Liberties
• The Society for Individual Freedom
• Several organisations representing motor cyclists
• Several Community Relations Councils and Sikh religious organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of prosecutions in England during 1972 and 1973 of motor cyclists for not wearing crash helmets.

I have been asked to reply.I regret that figures of prosecutions for this offence, which was created on 1st June 1973, are not yet available. My noble Friend the Minister of State will write to my hon. Friend as soon as they are.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue an order prohibiting coaches using the outside lane on motorways and limiting the speed to 60 mph.

Neither road safety nor traffic flow considerations would appear to justify such action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of his inspector's observations in refusing the proposed gipsy caravan site at Bury St. Edmunds as a result of the public inquiry in September 1973, he will now institute a public inquiry into the proposed encampment at Glemsford, or require the West Suffolk County Council to initiate an inquiry before granting planning permission.

No. The hon. Member has already been informed that the Glemsford proposal has been left to the local planning authority to determine as it sees fit. It is open to that authority to hold an inquiry if it wishes; but I have no power to require it to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to prevent the practice whereby the effect of an enforcement notice requiring the discontinuance of a use which is only intended to be short-term can be nullified by an exercise of the right of appeal before the result of which the use can at present be legally continued.

I am asking Mr. Dobry to look at enforcement problems generally and I should prefer to await his findings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he anticipates that work on the Wigston bypass will commence;(2) what is the total estimated cost of the Wigston bypass; and how long he estimates it will take for construction to be completed.