asked the Secretary of State for Employment what sums have been allocated to the United Kingdom from the European Social Fund in respect of 1975 up to the latest convenient date.

As of today, formal notification has been received of allocations amounting to just over £6 million. Further allocations likely to be recommended as a result of the last meeting of the Social Fund Advisory Committee amount to about £44½ million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any further plans to meet the National Union of Journalists to discuss current legislative proposals affecting them.

I have no plans to do so at present, but I am prepared to listen to the views of the National Union of Journalists or of any other body on the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Amendment) Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now make further proposals for reducing the level of inflationary wage settlements in the public and private sectors.

As I and my colleagues have repeatedly made clear, it is certainly most urgent that there should be firmer adherence to the pay guidelines. The means of achieving this are currently under consideration by the TUC.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will invite the TUC to alter the guidelines in the social contract on incomes before the autumn wage bargaining begins.

The TUC is already reviewing the operation of its pay guidelines.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied that the guidelines in the social contract are sufficiently explicit to enable wage increases to be monitored.

The TUC General Council has recommended unions to seek advice when in doubt about the application of the guidelines policy to their circumstances. Monitoring of individual pay increases, however, has not been thought by the Government to be necessary or appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of students who sign on at the employment exchange in the Southampton area during vacations are actually found employment.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of registered unemployed in the Rhyl travel-to-work area to the latest available date; and what was the figure for the corresponding dates in 1974 and 1973.

The numbers unemployed in the Rhyl employment office area were 1,659 at April 1975, 1,100 at April 1974 and 1,117 at April 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will introduce legislation to prevent management and trade unions from fixing hours of employment so that unemployment benefit can also be drawn.

No. We do not think it appropriate that legislation should restrict agreements freely reached between employers and unions concerning mutually-convenient arrangements for short-time working.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, in the light of the report from the Distributive Trades EDC on manpower and pay in retail distribution, he will now take action on pay and working conditions in the retail trades.

In the greater part of retail distribution, minimum remuneration remains a matter for the independent wages councils. My right hon. Friend has no power to direct the councils on pay and conditions of employment but all wages councils have been asked to take account of the TUC guidelines, including movement towards the £30 low pay target, when negotiating fresh proposals. On the general question of the effectiveness of the wages council machinery in retail distribution I have had meetings with the two sides and independent members of all the nine retail councils to discuss the proposals for amalgamation of councils in the reports by the Commission on Industrial Relations and the Distributive Trades EDC.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest total number of unemployed in Wales; how this compares with the figure for the previous month; and what was the corresponding change between these two months in 1974.

On 14th April 1975, 59,554 people were unemployed in Wales, an increase of 11,620 on the figure for 10th March 1975. In 1974, the increase between 11th March and 8th April was 5,205. The figures include unemployed adult students and school leavers, the numbers of whom increased by 10,160 between March 1975 and April 1975 but by only 6,291 between March 1974 and April 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans his Department has for providing workshops for handicapped people run by disabled people themselves.

Officials in my Department have been tentatively discussing with a disabled person the possibility of setting up a pilot sheltered workshop run by disabled people themselves. But no firm plans have as yet been prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the Government will support and encourage the planned Free Enterprise Day on 1st July.

It might be regarded as self-defeating if Government support and encouragement were needed to inaugurate a festival extolling the virtues of free enterprise.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report his most recent estimates of the ownership, in per capita terms, of colour television sets, deep freezers, and refrigerators in Scotland and in the regions of England.

The information in the table below is from the Family Expenditure Survey, and is for the two years 1972 and 1973 taken together in order to reduce sampling variation. Estimates are not available for the ownership of colour television, or for deep freezers, separately. The estimates relate to households with the goods, as the coverage of the survey does not enable true per capita estimates to be made.

FAMILY EXPENDITURE SURVEY 1972–73 PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS WITH GOODS AVAILABLE
	Refrigerator (including deep freezers)	Television (including colour)
Scotland	65	95
North	62	93
Yorkshire and Humberside	69	95
North West	70	93
East Midlands	76	95
West Midlands	74	94
East Anglia	76	93
South East	88	92
South West	83	92

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he proposes to establish a skillcentre at Preston.

The Manpower Services Commission informs me that the Training Services Agency plans to open a new skillcentre at Preston, which will provide 192 training places. The expected completion date for the project is summer 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, for the two killcentres—training centres—nearest to Preston, the average waiting

Key:

1=3 months or less.

2=3 to 6 months.

3=6 to 12 months.

4=Over 12 months.

5=Recruitment suspended due to long waiting time.

Trade				Blackburn	Hindley
Bricklaying	…	…	…	3	3
Carpentry and joinery	…	…	…	5	5
Heating and ventilating fitting	…	…	…	1	2
Plastering	…	…	…	4	3
Plumbing	…	…	…	1	1
Street masonry and paving	…	…	…	—	2
Woodcutting machining	…	…	…	—	1
Capstan setting/operating	…	…	…	3	1
Centre lathe turning	…	…	…	—	3
Milling setting/operating	…	…	…	1	1
Precision grinding	…	…	…	—	1
Welding—electric arc (plate)	…	…	…	4	3
Instrument fitting and machining	…	…	…	—	2
Electrical installation and maintenance	…	…	…	—	5
Fitting electrical	…	…	…	—	1
Radio, TV and electronics servicing	…	…	…	—	5
Contractors' plant repair and maintenance	…	…	…	4	—
Heavy vehicle repair and maintenance	…	…	…	—	3
Motor vehicle—repair and maintenance	…	…	…	4	4
Commercial cookery	…	…	…	2	—
Store keeping	…	…	…	—	4
Miscellaneous engineering	…	…	…	—	1

Applicants wishing earlier allocation may elect to go to a skillcentre beyond daily travelling distance and go into lodgings for which payment is made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to reduce the number of strikes in leading car manufacturers in the United Kingdom: and whether he anticipates proposing legislative changes in this area.

I do not think that legislation specifically relating to strikes in the car industry would be either necessary or appropriate. Our legislative programme on labour relations is designed to deal with many of the matters which occasion disputes, and will establish on a statutory basis machinery for the promotion of better industrial relations and for the settlement of disputes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the average waiting time for applicants who wish to train at Blackburn and Hindley skillcentres is as follows:comparing the strike records of the leading motor car manufacturers in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, France and Italy.

It is regretted that the information is not available from international sources.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list in the Official Report those local authorities which have made application to him for a grant to improve literacy and the amount of money allocated to each of them for this work;(2) what sum of money has been made available from public funds for the use of agencies engaged in campaigns to improve literacy.

The Adult Literacy Resource Agency, which invited the National Institute of Adult Education to establish, is administering a sum of £1 million, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have made available for use by the end of the present financial year, to assist local education authorities and other bodies to combat adult illiteracy. The information given below has been provided by the agency:

APPLICATIONS FROM LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
TABLE 1
ALLOCATIONS MADE AT 12TH MAY 1975
Counties	Allocation
	£
Bedfordshire	4,650
Berkshire	8,395
Buckinghamshire	9,500
Cheshire	1,980
Cleveland	7,670
Cumbria	8,650
Derbyshire	9,843
Devon	10,000
East Sussex	9,730
Essex	8,840
Humberside	9,525
Isle of Wight	1,000
Kent	6,100
Leicestershire	9,850
Northumberland	6,065
Oxfordshire	3,646
Warwickshire	9,900
Metropolitan Districts	Allocation
	£
Bolton	7,188
Bury	3,635
Oldham	1,846
Rochdale	1,596
Salford	6,224
Stockport	5,347
Tameside	1,000
Trafford	8,077
Knowsley	3,058
Liverpool	3,650
Sheffield	9,500
Bradford	7,132
Leeds	2,020
Coventry	3,870
Walsall	3,684
Wolverhampton	1,337
Newcastle upon Tyne	2,896
Sunderland	7,719
Greater London Boroughs	Allocation
	£
Croydon	5,540
Enfield	1,389
Haringey	1,400
Kingston upon Thames	187
Merton	2,536
Newham	2,858

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many of his Department's forms, pamphlets and leaflets, booklets and books are available in the Welsh language.

With a few important exceptions, my Department's documents of this kind are issued in English only.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is now in a position to make a statement about introducing uniform school leaving dates for pupils in schools in England and Wales.

I have nothing to add to the Answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett) on 28th April.—[Vol. 891, c. 17.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has yet received any information of recommendations made by the Standing Commission for Museums and Galleries on Centres of Excellence; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received advice from the standing commission about a number of museum capital projects which might justify the sympathetic consideration by the Government of possible assistance on the grounds that they were of more than local significance. I am considering this advice but it is by no means certain that any assistance in these cases can be given under present conditions of limited resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the current shortage of British-born doctors, if he will take steps to encourage medical schools to relax the entrance qualifications for British-born students in line with the requirements expected from non-national medical students and thus increase the intake of British-born students wishing to study medicine.

Standards of admission are a matter for the universities and medical schools concerned, but I understand that no medical school lays down entrance requirements which are more severe for British-born students than for others.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many

			Overseas candidates		United Kingdom candidates		Percentage of overseas students in all medical schools in the United Kingdom
Academic year of admission			Total Applicants	Applicants Refused	Total Applicants	Applicants Refused
1972–73	…	…	1,903	1,812	9,274	6,442	3·7
1973–74	…	…	2,156	2,048	10,759	7,809	3·6
1974–75	…	…	2,257	2,169	10,746	7,875	Not yet available

Some additional United Kingdom applicants may have applied outside the UCCA scheme direct to Aberdeen and Glasgow medical schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what have been the number of applications to UCCA for each of the last five years: and what is the estimate for the current year.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Mother-well and Wishaw (Dr. Bray) on 28th January 1975—[Vol. 885, c. 102]. The number of applications received up to 15th May this year for entry in October 1975 is 127,635, compared with 122,774 at the same time last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what

The number of candidates applying through the Universities Central Council on Amissions (UCCA) for entry to medical schools in the United Kingdom and the number refused are given below, together with information from the University Grants Committee about the percentage of overseas students attending medical schools in the United Kingdom:estimates have been made since 1964 of the size of the school population in maintained schools in England and Wales in 1981.

The following are the projections of the 1981 maintained school population made since 1964 that have been most extensively used:

Year of projection	Projected 1981 Maintained school population
	('000)
1964	10,368
1965	10,454
1966	9,952
1967	10,022
1968	9,747
1969	9,627
1970	9,339
1971	9,345
1971 (Revised)	9,562
1972	9,447
1973	9,107
1974	8,670

The figures include pupils in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools—including middle but excluding special schools—at January 1981, counting each part-time pupil as 0–5 of a full-time pupil.The overall decline in the projections for 1981 between 1964 and 1974 reflects a decline in the number of births and successive reductions in the numbers of estimated future births over this period, although other uncertainties are also present, including changing indications of the proportions of pupils staying on at school. Changes in Government policy have also contributed to the variations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in the discussions held by the Minister for the Arts on 20th April about the future rôle of the youth service, how many representatives he met, from which organisations, and how many were young people within the statutory definition.

On 21st April officials met 16 young people chosen by the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, the British Youth Council, the National Youth Assembly and the National Youth Forum Council to participate in a non-representative capacity. Their ages are not known but, with one exception, appeared to be under 25.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has reached a decision about the revaluation of rates of undergraduate student grants for the academic year 1975–76; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have now completed the revaluation of student grants. The main rates of grant to apply for the academic year 1975–76 will be increased as follows: for students living away from home in London from £665 to £810; for students living away from home other than in London from £605 to £740; for students living at home from £475 to £570. Supplementary grants will also be increased.In addition, a number of changes will be made in the awards arrangements to ensure there is no sex discrimination; to deal with certain anomalies; and to meet the requirements of the Education Act 1975, which extends the scope of mandatory awards. In particular the lower rate of grant for the married woman student living at home with her husband will be abolished and the main rates of grant will apply equally to all students—whether men or women, married or single.The parental contribution scale will be changed to help parents at the lower end of the income scale. The starting point for the parental contribution will be raised from a residual income of £1,600 to £2,200, and contributions will be reduced for parents with residual incomes in the range from £2,200 to just below £3,400. The scale for the spouse's contribution will be similarly adjusted.The £50 minimum grant will be retained.Improvements are also being made to the students' dependants' allowance scheme, which is intended to relieve hardship when students do not qualify for allowances under the main regulations.Copies of a statement giving full details of the new rates and arrangements are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about fees payable by overseas students for degree courses; what response he has made: and if he will make a statement.

The representations I have received fall into three broad categories:

(i) urging that fees for overseas students should be increased,

(ii) urging that they should be reduced, and

(iii) seeking to establish the costs of tuition of overseas students and who bears, or should bear, them.

The Government's response to many of these representations was contained in the reply I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford (Mr. Luard) on 18th March 1975—[Vol. 888, c. 364–5.]—to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children there are in each of the education authorities within the Greater Manchester area, who are aged between 2 and 5 years and for whom the authorities have a statutory duty under the Education Act, 1944, Section 33, provision for handicapped children, to make provision; and how many actual plans are available for such children.

Information obtained from the local education authorities is as follows:

	Children aged 2 to 5
	Found to require special education	Receiving special education
Bolton	23	17
Bury	34	23
Manchester	160	134
Rochdale	45	22
Oldham	36	28
Salford	73	66
Stockport	64	61
Tameside	43	34
Trafford	34	24
Wigan	62	50

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his letter to the Chairman of the British Insurance Association concerning proposals to direct pension fund investment to companies which are parties to planning agreements.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Oxon (Mr. Hurd) on 15th May.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received from other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference to his initiative on commodity marketing arrangements.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received from other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica to his initiative on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received from the other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica to his initiative on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a further statement about his scheme for international commodity agreements which he proposed at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received from the other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica to his initiative on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister what responses have been received from Heads of Commonwealth Governments to his initiative on commodities at the recent Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received to his initiative on commodities at the recent Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has had from the other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica to his initiative on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received from the other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica to his initiative on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received from the other Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica to his initiative on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister what further response he has received to his initiative on commodities at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on his discussions at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference on commodities.

asked the Prime Minister what response he has received, from other Commonwealth Heads of Government to his initiatives on commodities at the Commonwealth Conference in Jamaica.

asked the Prime Minister whether, following the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government, he will make a further statement on Rhodesia.

asked the Prime Minister if, following the Commonwealth Conference, he will make a statement on Rhodesia.

asked the Prime Minister whether, following the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government, he will make a statement on Rhodesia.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 13th May, and to the text of the Communiqué of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which has been issued as a White Paper (Cmnd. 6066).

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Madrid.

I have no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to Coppenhall.

asked the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Paris.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on industrial investment made at the opening of the City branch of the Co-operative Bank on Thursday 1st May represented Government policy.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if he will arrange a meeting between himself and the chairmen of the nationalised industries.

I have now received a request to arrange a meeting of this kind and have agreed to do so in the fairly near future.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has been invited to make a ministerial broadcast before the referendum.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if he will consider the publication of a White Paper setting out the views of each Commonwealth Prime Minister as expressed to him concerning the United Kingdom's continued membership of the EEC.

No, but my hon. Friend will have noted what I said about the statement setting out the unanimous views of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers at Kingston in the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 13th May.

asked the Prime Minister when he next expects to make a ministerial broadcast.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will take the chair at the next meeting of the National Economic Development Council.

asked the Prime Minister if he will take the chair at the next meeting of the National Economic Development Council.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, West (Mr. Horam).

asked the Prime Minister what personal discussions he has had with Chrysler Limited in connection with the future viability of the company, with special reference to the nature of the Government financial involvement requested by the company.

I met representatives of the Chrysler management on an informal occasion last January but there was no discussion of Government assistance for the company and no proposals of this kind were put to me.

asked the Prime Minister if he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to consider the operation of the Stock Exchange.

No. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade has already instituted a study of the arrangements for the supervision of the securities market and I do not think that any further inquiry into the operation of the Stock Exchange is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to allow new town development corporations and the New Towns Commission to offer to their tenants the opportunity to buy the homes they occupy.

None at the moment. I have this matter under constant review and I shall make a statement at the appropriate time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect he estimates the latest wage claims of the railway unions will have upon the future size of the British Rail network.

The future of British Rail depends on a number of factors, none of which should be considered separately from the others.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been the total numbers of fatal and serious injuries to riders of two-wheeled motor bicycles for each of the years 1968 to 1974.

Following are the figures:

CASUALTIES TO RIDERS* OF 2-WHEELED MOTOR VEHICLES—GREAT BRITAIN: 1968 TO 1974
Years	Deaths	Seriously injured casualties	Fatal and serious casualty rate per 100 million vehicle miles
1968	736	14,672	527
1969	692	13,395	546
1970	652	13,242	576
1971	657	12,809	571
1972	626	11,748	565
1973	644	12,428	568
1974	705	12,766	548
* Excludes passengers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local government capital work was awarded to direct labour departments, in the last year for which figures are available; and what is the value of such contracts.

Aggregate statistics are not available of the value of contracts for local government capital work awarded to direct labour departments.The Department does, however, collect figures for the total value of new building work carried out by the direct labour departments of local authorities in Great Britain in the first and third quarters of each year. For 1973, the last year for which two quarters' figures are available, the estimated value of the output of new building work—excluding repair and maintenance and housing improvement work—by these direct labour departments was of the order of £150 millions, which was probably about 8 per cent. of the total output of new building work for local authorities in that year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now reply to the letter of 24th January from Lieutenant-Colonel R. G. Satterthwaite, OBE, Director and General Secretary of the National Playing Fields Association, requesting the precise terms of reference for the information and research programme

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE HOUSING INQUIRY: EXPECTED AND ACTUAL PRIVATE SECTOR DWELLING STARTS, GREAT BRITAIN
Thousand dwellings
		1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Date of inquiry		May	May	April	April	April	April	April	April	April	April	March
Expected starts		248	220	222	205	190	170	200	225	250	155	135
Actual starts	…	211	193	234	200	167	165	207	227	215	105	—

Estimates from inquiries at other dates appear in Table 19(

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if she will list the amount of official overseas aid, stated as a percentage of the gross national product, provided by each of the member States of the European Economic Community in the latest year for which figures are available.

The latest figures are for 1973 and are as follows:

Belgium	0·51 per cent.
Denmark	0·47 per cent.
France	0·58 per cent.
Germany	0·32 per cent.
Italy	0·14 per cent

When contract details with the Children and Youth Action Group have been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will set out in tabular form the results of his Department's sample inquiry of builders' expectations of private housing starts for each of the last 10 years; and what was the actual outturn of private starts in each year.

Following are estimates from the inquiries made in or around April of each year and the outturn of starts:

Netherlands	0·54 per cent.
United Kingdom	0·34 per cent.
Luxembourg	Not Available
Ireland	Not Available

The 1974 figures should be available early next month. As I told my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 19th May, the United Kingdom figure for 1974 was 0·38 per cent.

asked the Lord President of the Council what are the rules governing Press photography in Ministers' rooms; and how and by whom any necessary permission is given.

No permits are required for photography in Members' private rooms, which includes Ministers' rooms, provided the Member is present.This followed a resolution of the Services Committee.The Member concerned is held responsible for the use made of any such photography.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether citizens of the Irish Republic included on the United Kingdom electoral registers will be entitled to vote in the Common Market referendum.

Yes.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will move to refer to the Select Committee on Procedure the operation of the Exchequer and Audit Act 1866, to cover the scope and authority of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee compared with State audit systems of other countries, the definition of public funds and the relationship of the Exchequer and Audit Department to the Treasury.

No. The subjects covered by my hon. Friend's Question extend far beyond the scope of the Select Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children at the latest available date were in Lincoln Prison.

On 15th May 1975 two boys aged 16 were held in Lincoln Prison.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to reduce the prison population.

I stated the Government's policy in the debate on the motion for the Adjournment on 21st March—[Vol. 888, c. 2151–2162]—and the matter is under continuous review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why information on prison rules is not provided in the cells in Holloway Prison as laid down in Prison Rule 7(1); and what sanctions are imposed for the failure to adhere to prison rules.

Cell cards containing the information required by Rule 7(1) are available for all prisoners, but where their availability in cells has led persistently to their destruction it is the practice to display them prominently on the wings. One of the important responsibilities of boards of visitors is to consider any complaints from prisoners about the application of the prison rules and to advise me accordingly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, as a matter of urgency, he will set up an inquiry to investigate the number of children sent on remand to prison establishments and, in particular, to consider the use of unruly certificates; and whether these ought to be phased out or their use restricted to certain well defined circumstances.

No. These matters are already being considered as part of the current review of the operation of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the persons who have been transferred from prisons in Great Britain to Northern Ireland in the last 12 months are known to have been members of, or acting on behalf of, the IRA; and why the transfers were granted in each case.

Four persons serving sentences in England and Wales for acts of acknowledged IRA terrorism have been permanently transferred to Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. I would refer the hon. Member to my replies to Questions by the hon. Member for Cleveland and Whitby (Mr. Brittan) on 25th March—[Vol. 889, c. 118]—and the hon. Member for Armagh (Mr. McCusker) on 16th April—[Vol. 890, c. 121].

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in open prisons absconded in each of the years 1972, 1973 and 1974; and what percentage of the total in such prisons these figures represent.

In 1972, 194 men and 15 women absconded from open prisons in England and Wales. The corresponding figures for 1973 were 227 men and 19 women and for 1974 236 men and 20 women. I regret that it would be possible to provide an accurate answer to the second part of the Question only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the capital value of National Coal Board tied houses in the United Kingdom; what is the annual cost of repair and maintenance for these houses; and what is the average rent charged for them;(2) how many National Coal Board tied houses there are in the United Kingdom.

These are questions of day-to-day administration, and I am asking the Chairman of the National Coal Board to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the future programme of oil rig production.

Estimates of platform requirements are kept under regular review and I expect to make a statement on the latest position very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to prevent the waste of gas at those oilfields where the amount of gas produced in association with the oil may be insufficient to justify a separate pipeline to the shore.

Before consenting to any flaring I should need to be fully satisfied that there is no economically viable alternative. For this reason I intend to commission an independent feasibility study to evaluate the relative economics of alternative ways of bringing the associated gas ashore, possibly through a gas-gathering pipeline. I have invited the licensees in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea to co-operate in such a study.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, without reference to any individual's tax affairs, if he will calculate what the gross salary of a Prime Minister would have to be in order for the Prime Minister's net salary to remain unchanged if the special tax-free allowance of the Prime Minister were abolished, assuming a Prime Minister with a husband and two children over 21 years of age.

The official salary of the Prime Minister is £20,000 a year, and under Section 191 of the Taxes Act the Treasury has fixed a sum of £5,000 to be deducted in respect of expenses. This fixed deduction represents for 1972–73 and subsequent years the Treasury's estimate of the average annual amount which would qualify for tax relief under the Schedule E expenses rule. The withdrawal of the fixed deduction would not affect the Prime Minister's right to claim a deduction for such expenses under the general law: there would therefore be a difference in net salary only to the extent that the actual deductible expenses in any year differed from the Treasury's estimate under Section 191 of the average annual amount.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can now announce the locations of the offices which will administer the proposed development land tax and wealth tax: and whether the Inland Revenue plans to transfer further PAYE work from London and the South-East to the assisted areas.

The Development Land Tax Office, which is expected to employ up to 350 staff, will be established at Middlesbrough. Wealth tax will be administered, with capital transfer tax and estate duty, in a network of capital tax offices, which will involve the creation of new posts outside London and the relocation of a substantial number of existing posts now in the Estate Duty Office in London. Apart from staff who will occupy existing offices in the London area, offices will be opened in the following towns; and planning is proceeding on the basis that the number of posts at each place will be broadly as stated:

Stockton-on-Tees	200
Stockport	400
Sheffield	300
Derby	200
Solihull	200
Wrexham	350
Plymouth	400
Worthing	150

There will also be about 125 new posts in a capital tax office in Edinburgh, which will incorporate the existing Scottish Estate Duty Office.The Inland Revenue proposes to transfer further PAYE work relating to London and the South-East to new London provincial districts to be located—with the approximate number of posts—as follows: Bradford, 200; Glasgow, 220.Out of this total of 3,095 posts, 2,545 will be in the assisted areas.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the borrowers who have drawn upon the Iranian Government's line of credit of $1,200 million since July 1974, the amounts so drawn, the purpose for which drawn, and the cost to the Exchequer, if any, of any guarantee for repayment at real values following upon the devaluation of sterling as at the most approximate date.

The only drawing so far on the Iranian Government's $1,200 million line of credit is the $400 million borrowed by the National Water Council in November 1974. The proceeds are being used to finance the capital investment programme of the water industry in England and Wales. The Treasury has guaranteed the repayment of the principal of $400 million.The loan was under the exchange cover scheme which applies to most public sector borrowing in foreign currencies. Under this scheme the Government relieve the borrower of the exchange risk, and in return receive all but about 1 per cent. of the interest rate advantage of borrowing in dollars rather than sterling. The cost to the Exchequer, if any, of cover in this case cannot be estimated now, as it will depend on the exchange rate between the dollar and sterling at the time of repayment, in 1979, and on the movement of interest rates during the life of the loan.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Imported Tobacco Products Advisory Council and member companies requesting a period of credit from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise on imported tobacco products; and whether he will make a statement.

The Imported Tobacco Products Advisory Council has had a meeting with Customs and Excise, and a number of its member companies have made representations through hon. Members requesting a period of deferment for payment of tobacco duty. My right hon. Friend considered carefully before his Budget whether some measure of duty deferment should be introduced, but concluded that this would be incompatible with his Budget strategy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many additional civil servants will have to be employed by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise as a result of the introduction of multi-rate VAT.

In his Budget Statement, my right hon. Friend said that an allowance of 1,000 staff had been made for the contingency of a multi-rate VAT and Customs and Excise are in the process of recruiting these staff. The number of staff eventually employed will, of course, depend upon experience of operating the new rate structure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the extra annual cost of administering VAT due to the recent introduction of a higher rate on certain items.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 19th May 1975], gave the following information:On the basis of 1,000 staff, as mentioned by my right hon. Friend in his Budget Statement, the figure would be in the region of £6 million; but the staff actually employed will, of course, depend upon experience of operating the new rate structure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will detail all the grants and loans, from any EEC source, that have gone to the Yorkshire-Humber-side region since Great Britain joined the EEC.

Since 1st January 1973 the European Investment Bank has provided the following loans for projects in the Yorkshire-Humberside region:

	£ million
BSC Teesside	14·7
BSC Thrybergh	12·0

In the same period the European Coal and Steel Community has made the following loans under Section 54 of the Treaty of Paris for projects in the region:

	£ million
BSC Scunthorpe	27·75 (two loans)
BSC Orgreave	4·0
BSC Templeborough	1·25
NCB Barnsley	1·0
Woodhead components (Sheffield)	0·5

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food gave to the hon. Member for Lancaster (Mrs. Kellett-Bowman) on 24th March—[Vol. 889, c. 62]—for a complete list of individual projects approved for FEOGA Grant 1973.Information on other receipts from the European Communities to the Yorkshire-Humberside Region is not separately available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion in each of the last 10 years Government expenditure bore to the gross national product.

The following table shows both central Government expenditure and total public expenditure as a percentage of GNP:

RATIO OF EXPENDITURE AT MARKET PRICES TO GNP AT FACTOR COST
	Central Government Expenditure	Total Public Expenditure
	Per cent.	Per cent.
1965	34·9	44·7
1966	36·2	45·7
1967	39·3	49·6
1968	41·1	50·6
1969	40·1	49·7
1970	40·2	50·1
1971	40·4	49·7
1972	40·9	49·8
1973	40·0	50·3
1974	44·4	56·8

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of the duties, levies, etc., collected by Her Majesty's Customs on foodstuffs, etc., in each of BN Chapters 1 to 21 in 1970–71; what was the amount collected on behalf of the EEC in 1973, 1974 and the first quarter of 1975; what was the average incidence of the duties in each case on total imports under these headings; and what was the average incidence on the dutiable items, excluding goods of Common Market origin in the years 1973 onwards.

For the financial year 1970–71, net receipts of protective duties on foodstuffs in each of Chapters 1 to 21 of the Brussels Tariff Nomenclature are shown in Table 67, on page 154, of the Report of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for the year ended 31st March 1973: total net receipts of import levies raised under the Agriculture and Horticulture Act 1964 were £727,000, but for these figures for the separate tariff chapters are not available.During the transitional period to 1977 the United Kingdom contribution to the EEC budget is determined not by the amounts of "own resources" collected in the United Kingdom but by reference to a percentage of the budget expenditure, determined under the Treaty of Accession. The proportion of duties and levies collected in the United Kingdom which are paid to the Community could not, therefore, be estimated without making some artificial assumptions about the split of the United Kingdom contribution between customs duties and import levies.The average incidence of duty on imports of all foodstuffs was 1·3 per cent. in 1973 and 16 per cent. in 1974. The detailed information on tariff incidences by chapters is not readily available, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost in time and expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was collected by Her Majesty's Customs for the United Kingdom Government and the EEC on imports of foodstuffs in each of the Chapter/Division headings in each of the financial years 1970–71 to 1974–75 in the form of (1) customs duties, (2) levies, (3) additional levies, (4) compensatory payments, and (5) other.

Net receipts of protective duties, by tariff chapter headings, in each of the financial years 1970–71 to 1973–74 are shown at Table 67 on page 154 of the Annual Report of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for the year ended 31st March 1973, and at Table 51 on page 122 of the report for the year ended 31st March 1974. Comparable figures for 1974–75 are not yet available.Total net receipts of import levies collected under the Agriculture and Horticulture Act 1964 for the years 1970–71, 1971–72 and 1972–73 were £727,000, £6,061,000 and £16,079,000 respectively. No breakdown of these figures by commodity headings is available.Receipts, net of compensatory amounts, of EEC agricultural levies for the years 1972–73 and 1973–74 by commodity headings are shown in the table below. The equivalent figures for 1974–75 are not yet available. During the transitional period to 1977, the United Kingdom contribution to the EEC budget is determined not by the amount of "own resources" collected in the United Kingdom but by reference to a percentage of the budget expenditure. The proportion of agricultural levies and customs duties collected in the United Kingdom which are paid to the Community could not, therefore, be estimated without making some artificial assumptions about the split of the United Kingdom contribution between customs duties and import levies.

NET RECEIPTS OF EEC AGRICULTURAL LEVIES
	£'000
	1972–73	1973–74
Soft Wheat	Nil	Nil
Hard Wheat	Nil	Nil
Rye	7	1
Barley	Nil	6
Maize	Nil	Nil
Oats	Nil	Nil
Sorghum	Nil	Nil
Other Cereals	Nil	Nil
Other Cereal Products	93	1,007
Beef and Veal	Nil	5
Pig Meat	836	3,181
Poultry	20	260
Sugar	1,794	10,272
Rice	25	149
Eggs	12	398
Milk and Milk Products	172	4,682
Apples and Pears	1,119	4,750
Other Products	90	705
Total levies	4,168	25,415

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are his best estimates of yield of corporation tax paid by all companies eligible for small business relief in 1974–75 and the similar figures for the remaining companies in the private sector and for nationalised industries.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th May 1975; Vol. 892, c. 190], gave the following information:The total corporation tax due on profits arising in 1974–75 is estimated as approximately £2,400 million. Of this companies eligible for small companies relief are estimated to account for about 15 per cent. The amount due from nationalised industries is likely to be negligible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his best estimate of the cost in 1974–75 and 1975–76 of reducing the level of small business corporation tax to 39 per cent. and 40 per cent., respectively.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th May 1975; Vol. 892, c. 190], gave the following information:The cost of reducing the small companies rate of corporation tax on profits arising in 1974–75 from 42 per cent. is estimate as follows (£ million):

Small companies rate reduced to	Cost in 1975–76	Cost in a full year
39%	18	23
40%	12	15

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what he estimates to be the capitalised value of the guaranteed inflation-proof pension at current interest and inflation rates of (1) a Deputy Secretary, (2) an Assistant Secretary and (3) a Principal in his Department.

The pension of an individual civil servant depends on his length of service and his pay during the last year of service. Therefore it is convenient to answer in terms of a given level of pension.On the unreasonable assumption that the annual rate of inflation and the interest rate on long-term fixed-interest investments were to remain at their present levels over the next 40 years the capital value of a £1,000-a-year pension to a male civil servant retiring at age 60 would be about £35,000.It is not reasonable, however, to assume that the present imbalance between the rate of inflation and the rate of interest could be sustained for this length of time.On the more likely assumption that, over the longer term, the rate of inflation will be lower than interest rates, the capital value of a pension starting at £1,000 a year is estimated to be £12,500.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will introduce amending legislation to enable persons losing employment due to an industrial dispute where it has been established they were neither directly nor indirectly involved to be eligible to receive unemployment benefit; and if she will make a statement.

A provision is included in the Employment Protection Bill, now before Parliament, which will limit the disqualification for unemployment benefit to those who are participating in a trade dispute or who are directly interested in it. This is in line with the recommendations of the Donovan Commission in 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will provide financial assistance for the immediate care schemes now being operated in the United Kingdom.

Not at the moment, but I shall consider the matter in the light of the evaluation of the operation of such schemes which the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention is undertaking.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of self-employed persons in the How-den constituency as revealed by the 1971 Census, and also the percentage of self-employed persons in the population of that constituency.

According to a 10 per cent. sample from the 1971 Census the number of self-employed persons in the Howden constituency was 4,890, which represents 15·7 per cent of the population in employment aged 15 and over.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she proposes to increase the dietary allowance available to diabetics.

The discretionary allowances for special diets are under review by the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons were repatriated at public expense under the provisions of the Social Security Acts and the Mental Health Acts, respectively, for each of the years 1965 to 1974, indicating the receiving countries in each case and the numbers of those who have since returned to this country, where appropriate.

Repatriations under the Mental Health Acts are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Following is the available information about immigrants

	New Commonwealth Countries
			European (Cyprus and Malta)				Foreign Countries				Old Commonwealth Countries
Year	Non-European				Dependent Territories		Non-European		European				Totals
1965	—		—		—		—		—		—		96
1966	—		—		—		—		—		—		75
1967	—		—		—		—		—		—		72
1968	—		—		—		—		—		—		93
1969	—		—		—		—		—		—		85
1970	—		—		—		—		—		—		103
1971	—		—		—		—		—		—		86
1972	67	(127)	5	(10)	20	(47)	3	(7)	5	(15)	3	(7)	103	(213)
1973	53	(122)	4	(5)	14	(27)	5	(9)	2	(2)	3	(7)	81	(172)
1974	48	(78)	2	(3)	12	(20)	3	(7)	7	(15)	4	(6)	76	(129)
Note: The numbers outside brackets are the numbers of families repatriated as indicated. Where available the numbers of adults and children making up those families are shown within the brackets.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she has received the final report of the Working Party on the Laboratory Use of Dangerous Pathogens; and if she will make a statement.

The final report of the working party has been published today as a Command Paper (Cmnd. 6054). I am grateful to the Chairman, Sir George Godber, and the members for their efforts in producing this report.My predecessor appointed this working party to consider whether there was a need for further precautions to be taken in laboratories to prevent infection by pathogenic micro-organisms and, if so, to advise on the nature of the measures required. The working party has recommended that various levels of precaution should be adopted related to the potential hazard involved in working with any particular pathogen, and to assist in this it has grouped together pathogens presenting a similar degree of hazard. It recommends that those pathogens which it identifies as being of particular danger to humans or animals should be used only with the approval of the appropriate department of health or agriculture, which would seek the views of a central advisory

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many forms, pamphlets and leaflets, booklets and books published by his Department are available in the Welsh language.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the estimated total value of small boats and equipment sold in the United Kingdom during 1974–75; and what is the estimate for 1975–76.