asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to increase the penalties for those people who demolish listed buildings without planning consent.

No. A person who demolishes a listed building without consent is already liable, on conviction, to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or to an unlimited fine, or both.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total public expenditure on accommodation for the homeless (i) in special units of accommodation and (ii) in hotel or hostel accommodation in (a) the areas controlled by the Cheshire County Council and (b) in each separate district authority in Cheshire during the periods October 1974 to April 1975 and April to October 1975, respectively.

The information is not readily available to central Government and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many requests for assistance were made by homeless families to the Warrington District Council Housing Authority between (a) April 1974 to April 1975 and (b) April to October 1975 and with what results.

Statistics about homeless people were collected from social services authorities—counties and metropolitan districts—by the Department of Health and Social Security until 31st December 1974. Since 1st January 1975 figures have been collected by my Department from housing authorities, and the first results from the new system will be available shortly. Figures for Warrington District Council for the periods requested are not therefore readily available, but as they are I shall write to my hon. and learned Friend with information about the position in warrington.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homeless families have been provided with bed and breakfast accommodation for over a month since January 1974 (a) in Cheshire and (b) in the Warrington district.

There are at present 19 families in Cheshire—none in Warrington district—being provided with bed and breakfast accommodation who have been in it for over a month. Further details, including information about the position in the past, could be sought from the local authorities responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to amend the street lighting regulations.

There are no regulations affecting street lighting. Lighting authorities' powers are discretionary and standards of lighting which are published in BSI codes of practice, although observed by most, are not mandatory.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a general direction to British Railways to provide half fares for children up to the age of 16 years.

My right hon. Friend has no power to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many desks are allocated for Members of Parliament's usage and how many for their secretaries' usage within the 79,900 sq. ft. allotted for their use within the precincts of the Palace of Westminster.

447 desks are provided for Members and 58 for secretaries within the Palace of Westminster.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment who uses the 63,300 sq. ft. of office space in the precincts of the Palace of Westminster not used by Members of Parliament and their secretaries.

Office space in the Palace of Westminster, other than that used by right hon. and hon. Members, is allocated as follows:

	Square Feet
Administration (Vote Office and Hansard, offices of the Speaker, the Clerk of the House, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, the Serjeant at Arms and the Journal Office)	36,640
Record Office	10,000
Lord Chancellor	10,000
Department of the Environment	3,330
Inter-Parliamentary Union, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Post Office account for the remaining	3,300

All figures given are approximate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many roadside spot checks have been carried out during each of the past 24 months on defective brakes; what are the nature of such tests; and what results and conclusions he has drawn therefrom.

The figures are available only on a quarterly basis as follows:

ROADSIDE SPOT CHECKS
Quarter Ending	No. of Tests	No. of Prohibitions
December 1973	14,042	637
March 1974	14,968	701
June 1974	38,044	1,801
September 1974	32,207	1,558
December 1974	11,197	550
March 1975	8,542	538
June 1975	34,448	1,738
September 1975	30,107	1,353

The percentage of defective vehicles indicated by these statistics must be viewed with caution because there is a natural tendency to pick out the apparently bad vehicles for testing.Roadside spot checks entail a detailed inspection of the vehicle which includes a test of the brake performance using a decelerometer. More tests take place in the summer months when the weather conditions are less likely to interfere with the test programme. Defective lorries are issued with prohibition notices; defects on private vehicles are notified to the driver.The number of vehicles warranting prohibition notices points to the need for continued vigilance by owners, drivers and examiners in order to ensure the road-worthiness of all vehicles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take to introduce new consolidating legislation or new orders under the Road Traffic Act 1972 on minor safety requirements for heavy vehicles including passenger transport, with particular regard to lighting and braking equipment.

The regulations governing the construction and use of motor vehicles are kept constantly under review, and amended as circumstances require. If the hon. Member has a query on a particular aspect, I shall be pleased to look into it if he will write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is proposed to instal traffic lights at the junction of Oakley Road and the A6 (Clapham, Bedfordshire) or a pedestrian crossing instead in the north end of Clapham High Street (A6) to permit the safe crossing by children in peak hours.

The provision of traffic control signals has been agreed in principle. The junction poses a number of problems which will take time to resolve, but the necessary investigations are now proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what powers are available to local authorities to deal with nuisance caused by horses roaming wild in urban areas or tethered on public or private open space.

Sections 24 and 25 of the Town Police (Clauses) Act 1847 provide for the impounding and disposal by local authorities of stray horses found in the street, and under Section 7 of the Animals Act 1971 any person can, subject to conditions impound livestock straying on his land.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions have taken place between the Health Department of the Walsall Borough Council and the Alkali Inspectorate with regard to the control of air pollution in Walsall.

There are regular discussions between the Alkali and Clean Air Inspectorate and the environmental health department of the Walsall Borough Council about local air pollution problems. The most recent took place last week.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take action through the Alkali Inspectorate to eliminate the obnoxious emission of smoke, dust and fumes from the Walsall power station.

The Alkali and Clean Air Inspectorate has set emission requirements for the Walsall Power Station and these are being met. The inspectorate will keep emissions from the power station under regular review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest estimate of the total capital value of land in the United Kingdom.

I do not have the information on which to base such an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest estimate for the gross and net annual value of all land in the United Kingdom.

The nearest figures I have are the rateable values for the countries in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the financial year 1975–76. These are, to the nearest £ million, £6,496 million in England, based on the level of values obtaining in the period immediately before the 1973 revaluation; £246 million in Wales, on the same basis; £318 million in Scotland, on 1971 revaluation levels and £19 million in Northern Ireland, on 1956 revaluation levels. I understand that the figure for £19 million in Northern Ireland will rise to about £131 million in the revaluation which takes effect on 1st April 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's estimate for the gross annual revenue under the Community Land Act, based on 1975 values, during the first full year of operation of the Act.

Receipts under the Community Land Act will come from the disposal of land bought under the Act. It would be unrealistic to expect significant receipts in the first year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present annual revenue from rates for the whole of the United Kingdom.

The latest estimates of rate income for 1975–76 for the United Kingdom are:

	£million
England	3,580
Wales	145
Scotland	385
Northern Ireland	70
	4,180

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report from international sources of information available to him all those countries which raise national or local revenue by taxation upon land values.

No comprehensive information is available, but wide-ranging surveys on urban land policies and land use control measures published by the United Nations in 1973 showed that some form of taxation of land values was in force in most of the developed countries covered by the surveys.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the ratio between the percentage unemployed in each region and the percentage unemployed in the United Kingdom for each quarter in the past five years.

In the following table the rates of unemployment for regions have been expressed as ratios of the rates for the United Kingdom taking the United Kingdom figures as unity. In April 1974 the boundaries of the regions marked with an asterisk were revised, and the figures from June 1974 onwards are therefore not strictly comparable with those for earlier years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage increase in unemployment has occurred in the Greater London area over the last 12 months compared with Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Following is the information available:

Percentage increase in the numbers unemployed between February 1975 and January 1976*
Greater London	102·2 per cent.
Scotland	60·0 per cent.
United Kingdom	80·6 per cent.
*Provisional.

Because of industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency, information for January 1975 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs in the defence field that were carried out by Service men and Service women were converted to civilian jobs in each of the following years 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975.

I regret that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only by a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence at which base it is proposed to station the new RAF Sea King search and rescue helicopter.

The final deployment has not yet been decided but it is provisionally planned to locate detachments at RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Boulmer, RAF Coltishall and RAF Brawdy.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is proposed to remove the Royal Navy Sea King squadron from Prestwick; and, if so, what will replace the search and rescue facilities it has provided in that area.

There are no plans to remove the Royal Navy Sea King squadron currently based at Prestwick.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, during 1975, or the latest part thereof for which figures are available, how many authorised low-level flights were made over the area within a 10-mile radius of (a) Ledbury, (b) Hereford, (c) Bromyard and (d) Leominster.

Military pilots are forbidden to overfly Ledbury, Hereford, Bromyard and Leominster when engaging in low-level training. Specific figures of flights are not available for the districts within a 10-mile radius of these places.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum number of flying hours per month that he is advised is required to maintain Harrier instructor pilots at full efficiency at No. 230 Operational Commission Unit; and how many practice hours on the Harrier simulator are required in conjunction with this.

The unit referred to should be No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit —[Vol. 904, c. 51.]The number of flying and simulator hours required to keep an instructor properly efficient varies according to the individual's experience and capability. The target aimed at for an average instructor is 15 flying hours and two simulator hours per month. This allows a significant margin over the minimum hours considered necessary for maintaining flying efficiency.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average of flying hours on Harriers and the practice hours on the Harrier simulator logged by instructor pilots at No. 230 Operational Commission Unit in each three-month period (a) in 1975, (b) in 1974 and (c) in 1973.

The figures are as follows:

Flying hours		Simulator hours
1973
	46	1·5
	36	1
	46	0
1974
	41	1·4
	42	0·7
	50	0
	36	0
1975
	49	0
	52	0·9
	43	2·3
	44	2

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether there is a minimum number of flying hours required to be logged by instructor pilots at No. 230 Operational Commission Unit each month; whether this has been reduced since he took office; and, if so, on what occasions, to what extent and for what reason.

The number of flying hours required to keep an instructor efficient varies according to the individual's experience and ability. The flying hour target set for the unit attempts to reflect this. With the exception of the month of March 1974, the target has remained unchanged since my right hon. Friend took office. For March 1974 only the target was temporarily reduced by 28 per cent. to help overcome the acute national fuel shortage.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the minimum number of flying hours per month that he is advised is required to maintain Harrier pilots at operational efficiency in the RAF squadrons with which they are in service in conjunction with how many practice hours on the Harrier flight simulator;(2) what is the average of the flying hours on Harriers and the practice hours on the Harrier simulator logged by pilots in each operational Harrier squadron in each three-month period

Whilst it would not be in the public interest to disclose the exact information, I am satisfied that the level of operational efficiency in those squadrons is entirely adequate, and this has been confirmed by recent Alliance evaluations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the minimum number of flying hours required to be logged by operational Harrier pilots each month has been reduced since he took office; and, if so, on what occasions, to what extent and for what reasons.

The flying task of operational Harrier squadrons was reduced for the month of March 1974 only, in order to save fuel.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Harrier aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force have been (i) destroyed or (ii) seriously damaged through pilot error, as determined by inquiry, in each three-month period (a) in 1975, (b) in 1974 and (c) in 1973.

One aircraft was destroyed in the third quarter of 1973 and one in the first quarter of 1974 through pilot error as subsequently determined by inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has for replacing HMS "Endurance".

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) on 23rd January.—[Vol. 903, c. 587.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total amount paid in pensions to retired members of Her Majesty's Forces in the last convenient 12-month period; and what was the number of pensioners involved.

The total amount paid in pensions to retired members of Her Majesty's Forces, including locally enlisted personnel, during the 12-month period ended 31st March 1975 was £137 million. The number of pensioners involved was of the order of 238,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if any members of the Armed Forces have been involved in hostilities in Oman since the Sultan proclaimed that victory over the insurgents had been achieved; and if he will make a statement.

Organised resistance by the Dhofar rebels has virtually ceased, although a few scattered groups of them are still active, and shelling of positions in Oman from the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen has continued inter mittently. In operations against the remaining rebels in Dhofar isolated incidents have occurred, in some of which members of Her Majesty's Forces have been involved. There have been no casualties among these personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what form is used on official documents to describe the citizenship of members of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

Enrolment into the UDR is open to citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies and the normal practice for official documents in the Army is to describe nationality as British (Scots), British (Irish), etc.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the SAS Regiment have been killed in Oman since 1965.

I regret that, since 1965, 11 members of Her Majesty's Forces who were serving in the SAS Regiment at the time have been killed in Oman.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what further steps he intends to take to ensure that nuclear fuel reprocessing capacity and technology has and will continue to keep pace with nuclear power development on a national and on a community basis; and what further steps should be taken.

The development plan of British Nuclear Fuels Limited, which is at present being considered by the Government, contains proposals for the provision of further reprocessing capacity to meet the requirements of the home programme together with business from overseas countries, subject in the latter case to Government decisions on whether further overseas business should be taken. Arrangements for the co-ordination of activities and the exchange of technology exist through the Anglo/French/German reprocessing organisation, United Reprocessors G.m.b.H. These provide a good foundation for the provision of reprocessing capacity on a basis adequate and appropriate to future needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the capacity of the United Kingdom for dealing with the reprocessing of nuclear fuels on an international basis, having regard to the need to make adequate provision for the safe custody of radioactive waste.

I am informed by British Nuclear Fuels Limited that enlargement of existing reprocessing capacity at Windscale will be necessary to enable uranium oxide type fuels from the second generation United Kingdom nuclear power stations, as well as any additional fuel of the type used in most overseas reactors, to be dealt with. These plans, which I am currently considering, include the necessary provision for the safe storage of the resulting radioactive waste. If further foreign business is undertaken it is proposed that it should be on the basis that there will be an option to return waste to the country of origin.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the death of a diver operating from the vessel "Smit Lloyd" on 17th January 1976; and what form of inquiry is to take place.

The two divers involved in this incident were working on a flow line in the Argyll Field. They were operating from a diving bell at a depth of 78 metres when the weights on the bell broke away. The bell surfaced rapidly and one man died from the consequent decompression. The other is still seriously ill.The procurator fiscal is investigating the causes of the accident in conjunction with a diving inspector from my Department, and with the full co-operation of the diving company and ships master. Once their investigations are complete the Lord Advocate will be able to consider holding a fatal accident inquiry either under the provisions of the Continental Shelf (Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Order 1975 or, if and when enacted, under the retrospective powers contained in Clause 1(2) of the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will indicate the percentage refining capacity utilisation in every country in the EEC for the years 1973, 1974 and 1975.

Percentage refinery utilisation in EEC member States for the years in question was:

	1973	1974	1975
Belgium	97	83	61
Denmark	92	86	76
France	90	82	64
Germany	84	78	61
Ireland	90	83	83
Italy	81	79	56
Netherlands	74	65	49
United Kingdom	92	79	62

NOTES:Luxembourg has no refining capacity.The 1975 figures are for the first quarter only except for Ireland and the United Kingdom.The figures are based on EEC and OECD statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the yield of light petroleum distillate in refineries in the United Kingdom, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and Benelux.

The 1973 figures for light petroleum distillate—gas, gasoline, naphtha and kerosene—in millions of metric tonnes and as a percentage of total refinery yield are:

	million tonnes	per cent.
United Kingdom	32·3	30
France	32·6	24
Federal Republic of Germany	30·7	27
Italy	35·5	28
Benelux	28·9	27

NOTES:The percentage of light petroleum distillate in 1974 and 1975 may, with lower refinery utilisation, have increased.Figures were extracted from statistics published by the OECD.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the recent increase in sheep rustling in Scotland, he will take early steps to introduce stiffer penalties for those involved.

Since sheep stealing is a crime at common law, there is no limit, other than the limit on the power of the court concerned in respect of common law offences, on the penalty—whether imprisonment or fine—which may be imposed on a convicted offender. I am therefore satisfied that the courts have adequate powers to deal with these offences. If the hon. Member has evidence in his possession suggesting that there has been a recent increase in sheep stealing, I shall be glad to consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what additional powers he has, and under what statute to protect Nessiteras Rhombopteryx should he deem the need to arise; and if he will make a statement on the standard of proof he would demand to exercise them.

Under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act 1975 I have power, on a representation from the Nature Conservancy Council, to make an Order adding any wild creature to the list of protected wild creatures in the Schedule to the Act if it appears to me to be necessary to do so in the interests of the proper conservation of wild creatures. It would be for the Nature Conservancy Council therefore to take the lead in making a representation. It has the appropriate professional staff to assess the validity of any evidence for the existence of the creature referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will raise the housing improvement grant to 75 per cent. for a period of two years, with a view to improving the housing stock and reducing unemployment.

No. 75 per cent. grants—up to 90 per cent. in cases of financial hardship—can already be made available where local authorities declare housing action areas for the improvement of concentrations of houses below the tolerable standard. The improvement of public sector houses continues at a high rate, and additional funds amounting to £1·9 million were made available to selected public authorities for house improvement work under the measures announced by the Government last October to provide additional employment in areas of high unemployment.

asked the Lord Advocate if he will raise the limit on the liability of wages to arrestment in execution under the powers of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1966.

As the law stands at present a debtor's wages can be arrested in the hands of his employer to the extent on one-half of the surplus of wages over £4 a week. Under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1966 there is provision to amend this sum by Order in Council. The Scottish Law Commission is currently examining the whole question of diligence and I know that this matter of arrestment of wages is one which it is currently considering and on which it will report. In these circumstances it would be inadvisable to deal with this matter before the Scottish Law Commission has reported.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report references to current studies on information concerning the utilisation and wastage of scientific manpower outside industry and Government policy in this sphere; and if he is satisfied with current practice.

My Department works closely with other interested Departments in studying questions relating to scientific manpower, but on its utilisation and wastage my responsibility lies in the fields of research and teaching. Government policy in these fields is to secure an adequate supply of scientists but, except for those scientist members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate and small numbers in some museums, I am not directly responsible for the employment of scientists as such. The efficient management of scientific manpower in teaching and research is primarily a matter for the local education authorities, the universities and the research councils.There is a large number of studies of varying degrees of relevance in this field. I will write to my hon. Friend to draw his attention to some of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the size or timing for a rise in the mandatory student grant.

I expect to make an announcement in the spring.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present programme of expansion of the Sheffield University Medical School; and how far this programme will be affected by reductions in public expenditure.

The annual intake at Sheffield University Medical School is planned to increase from 80 in 1970 to 150 in 1976. This increase is expected to be achieved, although I understand that redevelopment of one of the teaching hospitals has been deferred.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities in the North-West have not taken up (a) all and (b) part of their allocation for nursery education; and what amounts they have therefore relinquished.

The local education authorities in the North-West which have informed my Department that they are not taking up all or part of their nursery education building allocations for the current year, 1975–76, and the amounts involved, are:

Authority	Allocation£	Amount Relinquished£
Bolton	107,500	74,800
Lancashire	364,910	7,910
Trafford	69,375	69,375

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is now the 1981 target for full-time and

				Former Colleges of Education	Grant-aided major establishments of further education
		Universities Great Britain			England and Wales
Academic Year		Full-time and Sandwich	Part-time	Full-time	Full-time and Sandwich	Part-time
1970–71	…	228,131	22,538	107,315	274,361	1,485,084
1971–72	…	234,985	22,585	109,449	288,800	1,463,953
1972–73	…	239,366	22,626	110,534	304,135	1,476,806
1973–74	…	244,095	23,290	109,070	304,146	1,483,493
1974–75*	…	250,565	24,145	103,512	340,218	1,517,514
* Provisional.

Planning figures for higher education as a whole and for non-advanced further education over the next five years will be published shortly in the White Paper on Public Expenditure. The division between maintained and university institutions will be discussed with those responsible for their planning.

I cannot make an announcement yet about higher education numbers in 1981.On present plans some 4,000 places in colleges of education will be incorporated in universities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is now the 1981 target for teacher training places; and what proportion will comprise in-service places.

Present plans are set out in Reports on Education No. 82 and provide for about 60,000 places of which 12,000–13,000 are expected to be for induction and in-service training.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students were at universities, in non-university further education, and at teacher colleges in each of the last five years; and what is the forecast for each of these for 1980.

Information up to 1974–75 is:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former patients of Broadmoor have committed crimes of violence following their release, during the last 10 years.

I regret that comprehensive figures are not available. The following table, based on such information as is readily available in departmental records, gives particulars of convictions during 1966–75 of offences of violence committed by persons who had at some time been detained in Broadmoor as patients subject to the special restrictions in Section 65 of the Mental Health Act 1959. These figures relate to patients who were discharged into the community, whether direct from Broadmoor or otherwise, and who were at the time of leaving Broadmoor still subject to the special restrictions.During the same period the total number of restricted patients discharged, or transferred to National Health Service hospitals, from Broadmoor was 736, but the particulars of convictions given below also include offences by persons discharged before 1966.

Offence	No. of former patients convicted
Murder	4
Manslaughter	3
Attempted murder	2
Wounding	1
Rape	2
Buggery	1
Indecent assault	1
Kidnapping	1
Firearms offences	1

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in his consideration of new procedures in connection with the release of patients from Broadmoor; and if he will make a statement.

I am currently reviewing the administrative procedures in respect of those patients for whose discharge I have a statutory responsibility, that is to say, those detained subject to the special restrictions set out in Section 65 of the Mental Health Act 1959. As I have already announced, I share the view of the Butler Committee that there should be an extension of the existing arrangements for submitting proposals for discharge or transfer to the scrutiny of an independent advisory board, and I intend to introduce a wider procedure on these lines as soon as possible. For this purpose an enlarged advisory board will be needed and its constitution and functions are now being worked out.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet in a position to announce the membership of the Royal Commission on Gambling.

Not yet, but I hope to be able to do so shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any staff have yet been seconded to the Royal Commission on Gambling.

The secretary of the Commission has been chosen and has started on preparatory work. It is expected that further support staff will be available shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will have consultations with the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Jockey Club with a view to retaining the category of lady rider which may have to be abolished under the Sex Discrimination Act, and thereby allow girls employed in racing stables to enjoy the same opportunities to ride in public as before.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ensure that girls employed in racing stables and at the present time able to ride under the rules of racing will not be barred by the Sex Discrimination Act.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish an estimate in the Official Report of the number of (1) single parents and (2) married couples with

000s
				Numbers partially benefiting from child tax allowances		Numbers not benefiting at all from child tax allowances
				1974–75	1975–76	1974–75	1975–76
Single parents	…	…	…	60	45	285	280
Married parents		…	…	280	195	375	335

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of the £ sterling in terms of the dollar at the latest available date compared to October 1964 and February 1964; and what was the internal purchasing value of the £ sterling at the latest available date compared to the same dates.

The sterling/dollar rate at the close of 26th January was 20·258, compared with average monthly rates of 2·7976 and 2·7837 in February and October 1964 respectively.The internal purchasing power of the pound at the latest available date, December 1975, was equivalent to 37½p and 38½p, respectively, compared with a purchasing power of £1 in the same months of 1964.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total of public funds from all sources paid within the latest financial year to the following categories of persons not engaged as full-time civil servants, namely: (i) architects, (ii) chartered surveyors, (iii) quantity surveyors, (iv) chartered and certified accounts, (v) mechanical and other professionally qualified engineers, (vi) dentists, (vii) consultants, (viii) other doctors, (ix) solicitors, and (x) barristers.

This information is not available and could not be assembled. The records of payments made do not necessarily include the profession of the recipient.

For 1974–75 and 1975-76 the estimated numbers are as follows. I regret that insufficient information is available to provide estimates for earlier years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of printing and distributing 73,000 copies of tax inquiry form P.265 to war pensioners.

About £25,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the reasons for the delay between the pension increase in November 1975 and the distributing of 73,000 inquiries to war pensioners; and if he will exclude from tax assessment pensions received between the two dates.

It was not intended that the distribution of these inquiries should coincide with the date of the pension increase, and there is no question of tax becoming due as a result of the difference between the two dates. With regard to the tax position, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Rodgers).—[Vol. 899, c. 796]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the tax revenue expected as a result of his inquiries in connection with form P.265 to war pensioners.

I regret that information about the taxable income of war widows, on which to base an estimate, is not at present available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of his answer on 12th November 1975 (Official Report, column 796), he will now ask the Inland Revenue to send a letter to the 73,000 war widow recipients of form P.265 explaining that they will not be subject to increased tax in the current tax year 1975–76.

Tax offices will shortly be writing to these war widows to give them a full explanation of their tax position.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to reactivate the building construction industry so as to absorb unemployed building workers.

Steps have already been taken in recent months which will provide more employment for workers in the construction industry. Measures to relieve unemployment generally, announced on 24th September 1975, included an allocation of £6·9 million for Northern Ireland. Whilst these measures were not aimed primarily at the construction industry, the latter will derive direct and indirect benefit from them, estimated to amount to 700 jobs. On 18th November 1975 the allocation of a further £2 million specifically to aid the construction industry in Northern Ireland was announced, providing an employment target of an additional 400 jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek powers to establish small claims courts similar to those created in Great Britain.

This question is being actively considered but I cannot yet add anything to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 26th June 1975.—[Vol. 894, c. 221.]

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the number of electors on the current parliamentary register for each of the constituencies in Northern Ireland.

The number of electors in the current parliamentary register for each of the constituencies in Northern Ireland is given below:

Belfast, East	79,266
Belfast, North	71,386
Belfast, South	74,131
Belfast, West	64,600
Antrim, North	104,472
Antrim, South	121,313
Armagh	92,071
Down, North	95,148
Down, South	91,038
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	71,901
Londonderry	93,906
Mid-Ulster	81,885

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of purchasing property from 1st January 1972 till 31st December 1975 to provide living accommodation for Westminster civil servants attached to the Northern Ireland Office.

The purchase of housing to provide living accommodation for NIO staff and their families who are required to serve in Northern Ireland on detached duty terms away from their home station has involved an expenditure of about £700,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total financial aid given to the Ben Sherman Shirt Company up to 31st December 1975; and if the company is now totally Government-owned and under Government control

Between December 1972, when the Northern Ireland Finance Corporation acquired a majority shareholding in the Ben Sherman Group, and 31st March 1975 the sum invested by the Corporation was just over £3·71 million, including accrued interest.In November 1974 the group informed the Government that it could not continue without further financial help. The Government decided to support the group temporarily through extra-statutory assistance which totalled £375,000.In March 1975 the Department of Commerce acquired a new company, Ben Sherman (1975) Ltd., and sufficient assets and goodwill of the group to continue trading; the former group ceased to trade and is being wound upBetween March and 31st December 1975 the Department made payments totalling £55,140 to creditors of the old group and invested just under £994,000 in the new company in the form of assets, stock, goodwill and working capital.The Department of Commerce is the sole shareholder in Ben Sherman (1975) Ltd.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why British subjects in Moscow are flown to Helsinki at public expense for dental treatment.

Members of Her Majesty's Embassy in Moscow go to Helsinki for dental treatment at public expense only when facilities equivalent to those available under the national health scheme in this country are not available in Moscow.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the recruitment by Southern Placement Services, Johannesburg, of Service personnel for the illegal Rhodesian Smith regime; and if he will make a statement.

I referred this matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions who, I understand, is arranging for inquiries to be made. I am also taking steps to draw the attention of the Newspaper Proprietors Association to the purpose which appears to underly advertisements of the kind for which Southern Placement Services is responsible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when representations were last made to the Rhodesian regime for the release of detainees.

This Government have repeatedly made it clear, as I said most recently on 26th November 1975 in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Newens), that they deplore the detention of Mr. Smith's political opponents without trial. I take this opportunity to appeal once more to the Rhodesian regime to release or bring to trial all those they are holding in detention for political reasons.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the Rhodesian regime to release Mr. Garfield Todd.

The Government deplore the continued restriction of Mr. Todd and have repeatedly called for his release and that of others held in restriction or detention without trial in Rhodesia. I am glad to see that so many right hon. and hon. Members have put their names to the Early Day Motion on the Order Paper calling for Mr. Todd's release. I hope this will bring home to the régime the strength of the House's feelings on the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision he has made for Dr. Sheila Cassidy to make a personal submission to the UN Human Rights Commission following his public statement of 30th December 1975 on the torture of Dr. Cassidy whilst in custody in Chile.

The United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva has delivered Dr. Sheila Cassidy's own written testimony to the Human Rights Commission's ad hoc Working Group on Chile. Dr. Cassidy gave oral evidence to the Group on 19th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reply he has made to the Chilean response to his protest about the torture of Dr. Sheila Cassidy in view of the fact that the Chilean reply is clearly no answer to the comprehensive and convincing account she has given.

We have informed the Chilean Ambassador that the replies which the Chilean Government have given to my right hon. Friend's request for an inquiry into the behaviour of the security police on the night of 1st November are unconvincing and unsatisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress towards direct elections to the EEC.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to publish his promised Green Paper on direct elections to the European Parliament.

Work has begun in the Council machinery on the text of the draft Convention on direct elections which the European Council plans to consider at its next meeting. The Government hope to publish a paper early in February as a basis for consultations and a debate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action has been taken or response made by Her Majesty's Government to the Tindemans Report on steps towards European Union.

In a speech in Hamburg on 22nd January I made some preliminary comments on the report. A copy of this speech has been placed in the Library of the House. The Government as a whole have not yet considered it.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether long-term credits can be arranged to facilitate the purchase of HS748 aeroplanes by the Yemen.

It has, for good commercial reasons, been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on individual transactions which are confidential between the parties involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the outcome of the discussion, referred to in the reply by the Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Consett on 22nd January, with the Brazilian Government on Brazilian import restrictions.

In the course of the informal discussions the Brazilians have explained the background to their recent import restrictions. It has been confirmed that they have acted under the provisions of Article XII of the GATT in order to safeguard the Brazilian balance of payments.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will encourage British-

Country					Tariff on United Kingdom exports of machine tools	United Kingdom import duty on lathes
EFTA countries		…	…	…	Nil	Nil
United States		…	…	…	7·5 per cent.	6·3–9· 6 per cent.
South Africa		…	…	…	Nil or 30 per cent.	4·8–7·2 per cent.
Canada	…	…	…	…	2·5 per cent.	4·8–7·2 per cent.

In many cases, the rates of duty vary considerably according to the type of equipment, and if my hon. Friend would write to me to let me know the particular types he is interested in and the destinations or sources I would try to give him more detailed information.

Walker asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he has received the advice of the Civil Aviation Authority Vietnam trade; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Although Vietnam's capacity for external trade is still very limited, opportunities are likely to increase as the country's economy is reorganised on a peace-time basis. The British Ambassador in Hanoi is in regular contact with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the trading corporations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the overall percentage rise in the cost of agricultural machinery over the past 18 months.