asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will announce the plans that have been made for the Conference of Commonwealth Agricultural Ministers to be held in London next month.

Planning for this meeting under the direction of the Commonwealth Secretary General is now well advanced. We will clearly have fully representative attendance and wide-ranging policy debates on food production, improving living prospects in rural areas and the decisions required on economic and social questions to give proper emphasis to rural development. A series of seminars on more specific issues, such as water management and prevention of crop losses, will be another important feature of the meeting. Practical plans for further Commonwealth co-operation will be made.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will make a statement on the extent to which the Crown Agents have been able to mitigate their investment losses and on what steps have been taken to prevent a repetition of the loss situation disclosed recently.

The new Board of Crown Agents is following policies agreed with me, following my statement last July, which will result in an orderly withdrawal from investment in the property and secondary banking sectors which gave rise to the need for Government support. I am confident that it is generally managing its investments in such a way as to minimise the risk of losses in future operations.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development to what purpose Common Market shipments of skimmed milk powder are put when exported as food aid; and if she will tabulate such arrangements made in 1973, 1974 and to date in 1975.

Most Community skimmed milk exported as food aid is given for emergency relief or in connection with well-established projects, such as Operation Dairy Flood in India, or through such agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP). The remainder, about one-fifth, is distributed as aid for development projects and plans. The agencies have efficient methods of distribution and use control, and some recipient Governments have also issued special instructions as to use. Community financed aid programmes in skimmed milk powder from 1973 to date have totalled as follows:

1973
Country	Metric tons
Upper Volta	1,800
Mali	2,100
Mauritania	1,800
Niger	2,500
Senegal	2,400
Chad	2,400
1973 total—13,000 metric tons.

1974
Country	Metric tons
Upper Volta	2,600
Mali	2,900
Mauritania	2,000
Niger	3,200
Chad	800
Ethiopia	2,500
Morocco	100
Tunisia	100
Sudan	300
Jordan	600
Libya	100
United Arab Republic	450
Yemen Arab Republic	300
Afghanistan	300
Bangladesh	2,000
Indonesia	250
Pakistan	600
Philippines	100
India	2,750
Peru	100
Uruguay	100
International Red Cross	3,000
UNICEF	2,250
UNRWA	1,600
World Food Programme	20,000
Reserve	6,000
1974 total—55,000 metric tons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost of detaining a young person during borstal training and detention centre treatment, respectively.

In England and Wales the estimated weekly cost of maintaining an inmate in a borstal or young prisoners centre in the financial year 1973–74 was £51 and in a detention centre was £45.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the comparative success, as measured by the rate of reconviction, of detention centres and borstals over each of the past five years.

The information available relates to known reconvictions for standard list offences within two years from the date of discharge from custody and is published in the Annual Report on the work of the Prison Department (Statistical Volume). The following tables give information for those discharged from custody in the years 1966–70. Figures for those discharged in later years are not yet available:

Young men discharged from borstal
Year	Per cent. not reconvicted
1966	39·0
1967	34·6
1968	34·9
1969	32·5
1970	34·8

Young women discharged from borstal
Year	Per cent. not reconvicted
1966	65·6
1967	62·1
1968	61·2
1969	61·3
1970	72·6

Young men discharged from detention centres
Year	Per cent. not reconvicted
1966	45·9
1967	44·9
1968	41·8
1969	41·6
1970	46·4

The only detention centre for young women was closed in March 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost of detaining a male person in prison (a) on remand awaiting trial and (b) after sentence.

In England and Wales the estimated weekly cost of maintaining an adult male prisoner in the financial year 1973–74 was £41. I regret that it is not possible to isolate the separate cost of maintaining unsentenced or sentenced prisoners since some prisons hold both groups.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost of detaining a female person in prison (a) on remand awaiting trial and (b) after sentence.

In England and Wales the average weekly cost of maintaining an inmate in a prison or borstal for women or girls in the financial year 1973–74 was £53. I regret that it is not possible to isolate the separate cost of maintaining unsentenced women or girls since they are held in institutions also holding other groups of inmates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants were employed by his Department on 1st January 1975 and on the same date in each of the three preceding years.

The figures are as follows:

1st January 1975	30,288(a)
1st January 1974	28,261
1st January 1973	28,462(b)
1st January 1972	27,254

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Chilean refugees are currently known to be seeking admission into the United Kingdom; how many of them are known to be between the ages of 16 and 65 years, and not nursing mothers; and what percentage this group forms of the total working population of the United Kingdom.

Many of the applications from Chilean refugees have lapsed or been withdrawn. The number of applications outstanding is about 1,500—including dependants—of whom rather more than half would fall into the category mentioned in the second part of the Question. This represents less than 0·005 per cent. of the working population of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is proposed in order to reduce the length of time spent in prisons for assessment by young persons who have been sentenced to borstal training.

Changes in the system of assessment and allocation of young men sentenced to borstal training have resulted in a further reduction in the time taken to reach their training borstal. The shortage of places in closed borstals is still a constraint in some areas but a number of new units in closed borstals will become available later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juveniles who have been in custody or on remand have subsequently been found (a) to be not guilty, (b) have had the case against them dismissed, and (c) had the charges dropped, in the last year for which figures are available.

In total, 56 in 1973. It is not possible to subdivide this figure into the three categories requested as the distinctions between them are not clear-cut. I would refer my hon. Friend to Table 7 of the Report on the Work of the Prison Department 1973 (Statistical Tables) published as Cmnd. 5814.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will investigate the adequacy of the procedures for investigating complaints against the Police (RUC) under Section 13(1) to (3); and if he will make a statement on their operation.

A working party was set up last year to consider whether an independent element should be introduced into the procedure for the investigation of complaints against the Royal Ulster Constabulary. As far as the operation of the present system is concerned, the Gardiner Committee stated in its report (Cmnd. 5847) that the procedures for investigating complaints against the RUC are already more thorough than those at present in existence anywhere else in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many allegations of torture, brutality and degrading treatment accompanied by medical evidence have been made against the RUC in the period 1968 to 1975; how many have been formally investigated and in how many cases the allegations have been sustained in whole or in part.

Between 1st January 1970 and 31st January 1975, 1,345 complaints alleging assault were made against members of the RUC. All have been, or are being, investigated in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Police Act (NI) 1970. 1,006 cases were referred to the Attorney-General or the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland. Prosecution was ordered in 31 cases; there were convictions in eight cases. It is not possible without disproportionate effort to provide comparable statistics for 1968–69 or to say how many complaints in the subsequent period were accompanied by medical evidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the other sites considered for the new prison to be built at Megberry.

It would be inappropriate to give details of the other sites considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants were employed by his Department on 1st January 1975 and on the same date in each of the three preceding years.

The Northern Ireland Office was set up on 1st April 1972. The numbers of United Kingdom civil servants employed on 1st January each year since that date are shown below:

1st January 1973	108
1st January 1974	175
1st January 1975	224

asked the Prime Minister if, on his recent visit to Moscow, he discussed with the Russian leaders the industrial potential of Rolls-Royce; and if these discussions included references to the RB 211 aero-engine.

I have nothing to add to the statement which I made in the House on 18th February.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in his discussions with the Russian leaders, he asked for a statement on the expansion of the Soviet Navy's strength and of its operations, especially in the Indian Ocean.

I have nothing to add to the statement which I made in the House on 18th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when the board of the Nuclear Power Corporation will be appointed.

The organisation of the Nuclear Power Company, including the appointment of the board, will be determined as soon as the consolidation of the nuclear design and construction industry has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the National Coal Board borrowing requirement was raised from the European Investment Bank.

None. The board has not yet received any loans from the European Investment Bank, but is currently negotiating a loan of £15 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on his examination of the social implications of various possible modifications to the structure of gas and electricity tariffs.

The examination of the structure of energy tariffs is a continuing process. My right hon. Friend will, however, have noticed that the recent gas price increases were weighted so as to bear less heavily on the small consumer. The Electricity Council's price proposals now before the Price Commission have a similar effect. The basic problem of carrying the process much further is, however, that substantial numbers of the poorer members of our society are also quite substantial consumers of gas or electricity.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many tons of oil he now expects to be landed from the North Sea in 1975 and in each of the succeeding five years.

Up-to-date estimates of production of offshore oil from the United Kingdom Continental Shelf will be contained in my right hon. Friend's 1975 report to Parliament, which I hope to publish shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what plans are being made for using the gas from the northern North Sea oil fields.

Where it is economically feasible, associated gas will be brought ashore for use in Great Britain. British Gas is currently negotiating for gas from the Brent and Forties fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will require the nationalised coal, gas and electricity industries to show in their annual reports their working surpluses or deficits before the deduction of interest charges, and that each such annual report should state the total sum contributed in the year under review to the National Exchequer in the form of interest payments.

The annual reports and accounts of these industries already provide information in this form.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the net loss of the coal, electricity and gas industries has been from 1948 to the present day.

Over the financial years 1948–49 to 1973–74 inclusive the nationalised energy industries made a net profit of £16·8 million. The individual industries' results for the period concerned were as follows:

Coal: £497·3 million net loss.

Electricity: £446·3 million net profit^*.

Gas: £67·8 million net profit.

These results are given before Government grants to meet deficits on the revenue account and compensation for price restraint, but after grants received for other specific purposes.

^*Up to 1954–55 these figures include South of Scotland Electricity Board. Thereafter, the figures refer to England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the output per £100 of labour and capital, of the nationalised industries for which he is responsible, has been in the year 1971, and in subsequent years, as compared with private manufacturing industries.

On a very crude basis of calculation, about two-thirds over the period as a whole. But the comparison is meaningless not least because of the form of the price restraint policies operated by the previous Conservative Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of the total national investment in fixed assets has gone to the nationalised industries for which he is responsible on average since 1948.

Calculated as an un-weighted average of the proportions in each year, gross fixed capital formation in the coal, electricity and gas industries in the period 1948 to 1973 of the corresponding United Kingdom total was 11·1 per cent. Figures for 1974 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what subsidies have been received by the nationalised industries for which he is responsible from 1956 to the present day, including subsidies on current accounts, capital grants and debts written off.

Following is the information requested:

NATIONAL COAL BOARD

£m.

1956–65

1965–66

1966–67

1967–68

1968–69

1969–70

1970–71

1971–72

1972–73

1973–74

Grants in connection with pit closures

…

…

—

—

1·3

5·2

10·8

9·2

8·5

9·3

9·1

17·0

Reimbursement of contributions to early retirement benefits

…

…

…

—

—

—

—

3·1

1·3

2·3

0·8

1·2

2·5

Reimbursement of losses incurred in postponing pit closures

…

…

…

—

—

—

1·0

1·4

—

—

—

—

—

Reimbursement of contributions towards increased pensions

…

…

…

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

8·3

Operational grants

…

…

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

109·0

Grants to meet deficits on revenue account

…

…

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

100·0

—

2·5

Debt written off in capital reconstruction

…

…

—

415·0*

—

—

—

—

—

—

449·6†

—

Total

…

…

…

—

415·0

1·3

6·2

15·3

10·5

10·8

110·1

459·9

139·3

Grand Total for the period 1956 to 1974–75=£1,168·4.

* Includes 90·8 in respect of accumulated revenue losses to the end of March 1965 and 24·8 for revenue losses in 1965–66.

† Includes 174·5 in respect of accumulated revenue losses to the end of March 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the net return on assets since 1955 for the nationalised industries for which he is responsible as compared with privately-owned companies.

I regret that I am not yet in a position to give the hon. Member an answer on this matter, but I shall let him have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what sum has been paid by the nationalised industries for which he is responsible in United Kingdom taxes on income during the period 1962 to the present day, as compared with privately-owned companies.

No payments of taxes on income were made by these industries during the period 1962 to 1973 inclusive. During the same period taxes on income paid by privately-owned companies amounted to £13,691 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the average increase in output per £100 of extra capital investment has been in the nationalised industries for which he is responsible from 1938 until the present day, as compared with private manufacturing companies.

I regret that this information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of of State for Energy what his estimate is of the quantity of oil which will be saved annually by his programme of energy conservation announced on 9th December 1974.

Insufficient information is available to make precise estimates of the savings which will be achieved by the measures my right hon. Friend announced on 9th December. Approximate estimates have, however, been made, and these suggest that savings of at least 1 million tons of oil and probably much more should be possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a state- ment on the response of industry to his energy-saving measures.

It is not possible to estimate with precision the energy savings which will emerge from the measures announced on 9th December last year. But in terms of requests for information and material the response from industry has been encouraging, and many companies are keeping us informed of the savings they are making.

asked the Secretary of State for energy if he will give the price of coking coal on 1st January in each of the past five years.

Following is the information requested:

Average pithead proceeds for coals supplied to coke ovens
	£/ton
1st January 1970	6·7
1st January 1971	7·1
1st January 1972	8·2
1st January 1973	8·8
1st January 1974	9·6
1st January 1975	17·3

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will list the separate increases in the price of domestic coal during the past three years, including the recent announcement;(2) if he will detail the separate dates on which domestic coal prices were increased during the past five years and the rate of increase on each occasion, including the increases already announced.

Following are the average increases made by the NCB in domestic coal prices over the last five years:

	£/ton
1st July 1971	1·0
26th March 1972	0·7
1st November 1974	2·5

From 1st April 1975 NCB prices will be increased by an average of £3 a ton. The immediate effect of this increase will be offset by a summer discount of £2 a ton effective from 1st April to 30th September.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the separate price increases of industrial coal during the past three years, including projected rates.

PITHEAD PRICE INCREASES IN INDUSTRIAL FORMULA COALS
			26th March 1972	1st July 1973	1st April 1974	1st October 1974	1st March 1975
Average percentage increase	…	…	7½	7½	43	26	30

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the total cost of any wage awards given annually to the National Union of Mineworkers in the periods 1964 to 1966, 1966 to 1970, 1970 to 1974 and 1974 to 1975, respectively.

I am asking the Chairman of the National Coal Board to write to the hon. Member about these costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he has continued with the review of compensation for the victims of mining subsidence set in motion by the previous administration; if so, whether the terms of the review are substantially the same; what organisations and individuals have made representations or been consulted on this matter; and when he expects the review to be completed.

I am writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest available figure for electricity disconnections in England and Wales.

I am informed by the Electricity Council that the latest figure available is for the year ended 31st March 1972 when approximately 119,000 credit customers were disconnected for debt.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what the saving in oil imports would be in a full year if petrol consumption fell by (i) 5 per cent., (ii) 10 per cent., and (iii) 15

Following is the information requested:per cent.; and what percentage of total oil imports these figures would represent at present.

Satisfying the United Kingdom demand for petroleum products involves balancing a complex international trade in both crude oil and petroleum products. Simple reductions in consumption of a particular product cannot be equated to corresponding reductions in total oil imports.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what reduction in petrol consumption would be required to reduce the total energy consumption in the United Kingdom by 1 per cent.

About 12 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exechequer if he will now make an announcement about the rate of the petroleum revenue tax.

I hope to make an announcement about the rate of petroleum revenue tax very shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been received from the National Federation of the Self-Employed; and what meetings he has had with members of this organisation.

A telegram was received from the National Federation of the Self Employed, North-East Region, on 8th February 1975 concerning the privacy of bank accounts. My right hon. Friend has received no other direct representations from this organisation, and no meetings have taken place with its representatives.

ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the net effect of take-home pay for a married man who takes a cut in gross salary from £47,915 per annum to £30,000 per annum.

Assuming that 1974–75 tax rates and allowances applied to both salaries the reduction in annual pay net of tax would be £3,045.55.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what would be the increase in the standard rate of income tax if the total amount raised by the domestic rate 1974–75 were transferred to the Exchequer;(2) what increase in VAT would be necessary if the total amount raised by the domestic rate in 1974–75 were raised by that means.

It is estimated that net receipts from domestic ratepayers in 1974–75 will amount to some £1,140 million. To raise the same amount of revenue would require an increase in the basic rate of income tax or the standard rate of VAT of about 4 percentage points.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates would be the loss of revenue to the Exchequer if the rent received from letting a room or rooms in an occupier's own home were to be considered free of income tax up to limits of £500 and £1,000 per annum, respectively.

I regret that the information on which to base an estimate is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the notice sent out by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise reference number 19/74/VMC, relating to relief from VAT on wood logs, firewood and firelighters from 1st January 1975, was sent in a large-sized envelope; what was the cost of 632,000 of these envelopes; and what is the cost of 632,000 official envelopes of the smaller size in which the circular could have been despatched.

The envelopes used were the only ones available that were suitable for machine processing; they cost £2,528. Had the smallest sized suitable envelopes been available they would have cost roughly £1,600.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will start to collect figures for British portfolio, oil and miscellaneous investment in each of the Common Market States.

The collection of figures of transactions with individual countries would impose a heavy form-filling burden on those who supply the statistics. However, alternative methods of estimating the United Kingdom's investment transactions with the EEC, taken as a whole, are being explored.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methods of investigation are used by the Board of Inland Revenue to check the accuracy of VAT returns.

Customs and Excise test the accuracy of VAT returns by a combination of computer checks and visits by officers to inspect records and other evidence of business activities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest available figures for the upkeep costs of the British Head of State as compared with the Heads of State of West Germany, Belgium, Holland, and the USA.

The latest available figures of expenditure on services connected with the Royal Family were published on 12th February 1975 in the Report of the Royal Trustees, (HC 199). Because of differing accounting arrangements and the difficulty of defining the upkeep costs of Heads of State on a consistent basis, it is not possible to provide a fair comparison with similar expenditure in other countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report full details of payments currently made under the Civil List Acts to members of the Royal Family and indicate which payments are not subject to income tax.

The following annual amounts are currently paid to members of the Royal Family under the Civil List Acts:

	£
Her Majesty The Queen—Civil List	980,000(a)
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	95,000
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh	65,000
HRH The Princess Anne	35,000
HRH The Princess Margaret	35,000
HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester	20,000
HRH The Duke of Gloucester	5,000(a)
HRH The Duke of Kent	30,000(a)
HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Mrs. Angus Ogilvy	22,000(a)
HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone	3,000(a)

The payments marked (a), being contributions towards expenses, are not subject to income tax. The Civil List (Increase of Financial Provision) Order 1975 (SI 1975/133) which comes into operation on 1st April 1975 increases the amount of the annual payment to Her Majesty The Queen to £1,400,000 with effect from 1st January 1975. It also increases the annual sum available to the Royal Trustees from £60,000 to £85,000 and this will allow of some increase in the payments made to the last four members of the Royal Family listed above.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the income to public funds for the latest available financial year from the Duchy of Cornwall, Duchy of Lancaster and other Crown Estates.

Payments into the Consolidated Fund from the Crown Estates in 1973–74 amounted to £5,200,000. The amount voluntarily surrendered by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales from the net revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall and paid into the Consolidated Fund in 1973–74 was £132,523. No income accrued to public funds from the Duchy of Lancaster in 1973–74.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will extend his proposed allowance for tax purposes of expenditure on thermal insulation to non-industrial buildings used by businesses for their trade or profession.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th February 1975; Vol. 886, c. 477], gave the following information.I would refer the hon. Member to what my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary said in Standing Committee on 28th January, but I cannot hold out any prospect of early action on this matter.—[

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will pay an official visit to Switzerland to discuss with the various international telecommunication bodies there the future of international telecommunications.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to do so at present, but I hope that I shall be visiting the International Telecommunication Union as soon as the opportunity occurs.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will recommend and encourage a wider use of diesel engines to conserve fuel oil, in view of the recent EEC report which postulated for all EEC countries an annual saving of 9 million tons of fuel equivalent from such a policy.

My Department is having discussions with firms in the automotive industry about the increased use of diesel engines.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what are his obligations in respect of consultation with the EEC prior to the provision of financial assistance to British firms.

Article 93.3 of the Treaty of Rome requires that the Commission should be informed, in sufficient time to enable it to submit its comments, of any plans to grant or alter grants of aid. If it chooses to object, the treaties give the Commission the power to prevent our action unless we are able to persuade the European Court or the Council, which by unanimous agreement of member States can reverse a Commission decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations he has received from the British Textile Confederation representing the views of trade unions and employers' organisations on Great Britain's membership of the European Economic Community; and whether he will place in the Library of the House of Commons its statement on the subject.

The British Textile Confederation represented to me last year the advantages, as it sees them, for the British textile industry of the United Kingdom remaining a member of the European Economic Community. I will place the BTC's statement made at that time—July 1974—in the Library of the House of Commons.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many civil servants were employed by his Department on 1st January 1975 and on 1st March 1974.

10,239 on 1st January 1975 and 10,149 on 1st April 1974, the first date for which information was collected following the creation of my Department on 5th March 1974. Included in these totals are more than 4,000 staff providing various common services for my Department and the Departments of Trade and Prices and Consumer Protection.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry on what basis his consultation document on the nationalisation of the aircraft industry attributed to the 1965 Plowden Committee of Inquiry the recommendation that the Government should take a majority share in the British Aircraft Corporation and the airframe and guided weapons interests of the Hawker Siddeley Group as the only way to achieve a satisfactory framework for the industry's future.

On the basis of paragraphs 474 and 493 of the Plowden Committee's report—Cmnd. 2853, December 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the 150 firms which are listed by his Department as being of Class 1 status.

The latest report of the Price Commission listed 170 companies as falling within the Category 1 for the purpose of the Price Code. A copy of the report—covering the period 1st September to 30th November 1974—which gives this list is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations he has received from the United Kingdom Zip Manufacturers' Association about the effect of Japanesse imports of fasteners and parts on the United Kingdom fastener industry; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

The Zip Fastener Manufacturers' Association has made representations to us on the need to restrain imports of Japanese zip fasteners and parts. In support of its case it has recently submitted a detailed report on the effects of these imports on the home industry and, as I said in the Adjournment debate on 19th February, we are considering this in consultation with the Department of Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what views the Government have conveyed to the Board of Sunderland Shipbuilders Limited in respect of its pay negotiations.

My Department has drawn the company's attention to the TUC's guidelines on pay, which the Government support.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether, in the talks he is having with the British motor industry, he has considered the use of spare capacity in that industry, as evidenced by short-time working at Ford's in Southampton for the construction of long wheelbase freight wagons, of which there is currently a shortage of 200,000.

I do not know exactly what sort of vehicle my hon. Friend has in mind when he refers to "long wheelbase freight wagons", but in general it is not possible to use spare production capacity for the manufacture of a vehicle of an entirely different nature from that for which facilities were originally intended. If my hon. Friend cares to provide additional information, I will look into the matter further.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what proposals he has to maintain and develop manufacturing industry in South-East London following the official visit the Minister of State paid there on 28th January 1975.

Applications for industrial development certificates for locations in South-East London will be considered sympathetically, subject always to the overriding need to consider truly mobile projects as candidates for the assisted areas. My Department is additionally contributing to a number of studies of the special problems of inner city assisted areas being carried out by the Government as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection in respect of how many industries she has asked the DGFT to consider the marking of maximum recommended prices on their goods; and on what criteria she makes such requests.

I have made one such request in the special circumstances of the market for contraceptive sheaths, following the finding by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission that retail margins were abnormally and unreasonably high.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will cause the Monopolies Commission to investigate the practice of a brewery, whose name has been supplied to her, which has ordered some of its retail outlets to discontinue the sale of a particular brand of draught beer on the ground that this is an exercise of dominant market power to the detriment of the consumer.

No. I have no evidence that competition is deficient in the area which the brewer supplies, nor that consumers are unable to obtain the beer of their choice within that area.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what action she is taking to prevent the sale or to control the disposal of credit rating files on the liquidation of debt collecting and similar agencies.

I have no power to do as my right hon. Friend suggests. However, when the relevant provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 are in operation, it will be an offence to carry on a debt collecting or credit reference agency without a licence from the Director General of Fair Trading. This will provide effective supervision over the use of information in such files. Further, the attention of the Director General has been drawn to the problem so that it can be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will list the individual limits of lending or borrowing powers obtained by her Department by means of legislation or affirmative order in the past 12 months.

I have no specific powers in these respects.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether the Prices Commission applies to professional firms when preventing them (a) from passing on to their clients the whole of their increased labour costs resulting from wage and salary increases and (b) from increasing their profits to allow for the falling value of the pound; and, if so, what effect this is intended to have on the real income of their owners.

The criteria applied to professional firms by the Price Commission are set out in paragraphs 123–126 of the Counter-Inflation (Price Code) Order 1971 (S.I. 1974 No. 2113). Like others subject to the code, those offering professional services are expected to absorb a percentage of increases in labour costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will refer to the Price Commission the proposal by the Macclesfield Borough Council to increase the charge for emptying septic tanks from 55p to £5.

Government policy is to encourage local authorities to charge economic rates for this sort of service. The Price Code applies to charges for local authorities' trading services only.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1) what is the estimated increase in the retail price index which will result from the proposed increase in the price of milk of 1p per pint which will take effect on 6th March 1975;(2) what is the estimated increase in the retail price index which will result from the proposed increase in the price of cheese which will take effect on 6th March 1975;(3) what is the estimated increase in the retail price index which will result from the proposed increase in the price of butter which take effect on 6th March 1975.

The 1p per pint increase in the price of milk on 2nd March will add 0·3 points to the retail price index.The new United Kingdom intervention price for butter and the future levels of subsidy on butter and cheese will be announced in the near future. It is not possible at this stage to estimate the extent to which retail prices of butter and cheese will be affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she will introduce legislation to make all advertised prices inclusive of VAT.

Any supplier of goods who quotes a VAT-exclusive price, without making it clear that VAT is to be added to the price, risks prosecution under Section 11(2) of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968. The Director General of Fair Trading is collecting information about the practice of quoting VAT-exclusive prices for goods and services, with a view to possible action to regulate it under Part II of the Fair Trading Act 1973.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will propose to fellow members of the ECC that a conference be held on the preservation of fishing stocks in the North Sea.

I will bear the right hon. Member's suggestion in mind, but I do not think it would be appropriate to hold such a conference while the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference is still in progress. The United Kingdom will continue to work for the preservation of fish stocks through the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total of Government funds invested in the British glasshouse industry via improvement and similar grants in the last five years.

No statistics are available of improvement grants actually paid to particular sectors of the horticulture industry in the United Kingdom. However, it is estimated that the total amount of these grants paid to the glasshouse sector in the five years ended 31st March 1974 was about £23 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she is satisfied that the work undertaken by nursery nurses is sufficiently recognised in terms of status, remuneration and conditions of service.

Responsibility for pay and conditions of service for local authority nursery staff was taken over by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Professional Technical and Clerical Services on 1st January 1973. The council is independent of the Government and comprises representatives of staff interests and employing authorities. I understand that it recognised a need to bring salary scales for nursery staff into line with those for other comparable local authority staff, and the salary award made from July 1974 meant that, over the 15 months up to that date, basic grade staff received increases ranging from 36 per cent. to 64 per cent. The council is examining further steps needed to bring conditions of service for nursery staff into line with those for other comparable staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is her most recent estimate of the number of physically handicapped or chronically sick young people who are kept in hospital because of the absence of any other suitable accommodation.

Although reliable estimates are not available, there are unfortunately a number of younger disabled people in hospital who could, given the provision of sufficient support services, live either independently in the community or in a residential home. While it is for the consultant concerned to ensure that the need for every younger disabled person in his care to remain in hospital is reviewed frequently, decisions about discharge must depend on the availability of alternative forms of care.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will seek to reduce the qualifying age for noncontributory retirement pensioners from 80 to 75 years.

My right hon. Friend has no proposals to this effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will take no steps that would in any way limit the dispensing of prescriptions by doctors practising in rural areas.

Discussions are taking place with the medical and pharmaceutical professions about the arrangements for the supply of medicines to patients living in rural areas. My main concern is the patient's interests, and I have made it clear that I cannot agree to any change in the regulations except with the agreement of both professions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what financial support her Department gave to referral services and accommodation for single homeless people in Greater Manchester under her Department's Circular 37/72, in 1973–74 and 1974–75; what support is to be given in 1975–76; and if she will make a statement on the likely effect on the projects in the area.

My Department granted £65,000 in 1973–74 and has made available nearly £68,000 so far this year. The exact amount for 1975–76 has yet to be determined but full consultations are taking place with all those concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what quantity of foreign textiles was purchased for the National Health Service in the last year for which figures are available.

I would refer the hon. Lady to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. Hoyle).—[Vol. 885, c. 569–70.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what changes were made in the draft EEC directives on doctors when they were considered by the Council of Ministers on 11th February 1975.

As my hon. Friend promised during the debate in the House on 6th February—[Vol. 885, c. 1739]—we sought a strengthening of the powers to assess language ability particularly in relation to doctors wishing to enter practice privately or in under-doctored areas. We obtained agreement to an additional provision in the directives which will enable member States to see that doctors acquire the linguistic knowledge necessary for the exercise of their profession in the country to which they are moving.In addition, a committee of officials of member States will be set up to collect information and to consider any difficulties which may arise as a result of the implementation of the directives. If necessary the committee will be able to make recommendations for modification of the directives. With these safeguards, the directives were adopted in principle subject to the resolution of certain outstanding minor issues and formal agreement by the Danish Government.

asked the Attorney-General how many civil servants were employed in the Lord Chancellor's Department and in his Department on 1st January 1975 and on the same date in each of the three preceding years.

The figures for my noble and learned Friend's Department are: —

1st January 1975	9,599
1st January 1974	9,342
1st January 1973	9,311
1st January 1972	8,852

These figures do not include holders of judicial office or staff in the Public Trustee and Public Record Offices and the Land Registry.The figures for the Law Officers' Department are:—

1st January 1975	21
1st January 1974	20
1st January 1973	19
1st January 1972	16

asked the Attorney-General if he will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions the broadcast on Ulster Television on Monday 17th February by a spokesman of the Provisional Sinn Fein with a view to prosecution for incitement to criminal assault against the RUC.

I would be grateful in the hon. Member would inform me of identity of the spokesman, and of the relevant passage of the broadcast to which he refers. When I receive this information I will consider whether there are good grounds for referring the matter to Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how the fares proposed by Laker Airways for the Skytrain service to the USA compare with those charged by existing scheduled airlines.

A comparison should include the conditions, which are very different for these fares, but Sky-train equivalent return fares would be about £42 lower in the peak summer period and roughly the same during the rest of the year as the lowest promotional fares proposed by existing scheduled airlines, the advance purchase APEX fares.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is now able to give an approximate estimate of the net deficiency of assets of Nation Life.

No. The directions of the court on the bases to be used in determining the claims of policyholders have to be sought by the liquidator, while the value of some assets remains problematical. However, I understand that the liquidator has now realised assets amounting to £13 million. Policyholders can expect to receive interim and final distributions in due course which, in total, should amount to substantial sums.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will introduce legislation to cover bid and performance bonding procedures.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement which my right hon. Friend made to the House on 20th February—[Vol. 886, c. 1565–72.]—ECGD is already discussing with the commercial market how it might share in the risks of raising bonds. Pending the result of these discussions ECGD will make support available under the Export Guarantees Acts to facilitate the raising of bonds for projects on cash or near cash terms. ECGD will apply its usual underwriting standards and no new statutory powers will be required.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will ensure, when increasing Patent Office fees, that those filing new complete patent specifications do not have to subsidise those who filed such specifications during the period when the Patent Office has been running a deficit.

The extent to which past deficits should be taken into account in fixing fees is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects to complete his review of the soundproofing grant scheme for those affected by aircraft noise.