asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the rise in the retail price index for each year since 1970 and in total; and if he will compare this increase with the rise in prices of (a) electricity, (b) gas (c) coal (d) paraffin and (e) central heating oil.

[pursuant to his reply, 30 November 1979, c. 809]: Increases in the retail price index—RPI—on a year earlier are as follows:but excluding the Health and Safety Executive:

Visits	118
Man-days involved	182
Total Costs	£16,972

It is not possible without undue expenditure of time to provide figures for the amounts refunded from Community sources for the period covered by the question. Depending on the nature of particular visits, about 50 per cent. of costs are refunded by the Community.For the Health and Safety Executive:

Visits	188
Man-days involved	367

It is not possible to distinguish costs of EEC visits to Brussels from costs of other overseas visits without undue expenditure of time but it is thought that the costs would be approximately pro rata the same as for the remainder of the Department of Employment group.All the above figures relate to community business in Brussels—that is under the EEC, ECSC and Euratom treaties.