asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree that the Post Office Review Committee's report should be debated at the earliest possible opportunity in the next Parliamentary Session.

This is an important report which merits full consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm that Section 11(4) of the Post Office Act 1949, designed to prevent the exercise by the Post Office of "value discrimination", need not "inhibit the adoption of short-run marginal cost pricing" by the postal business.

I am advised that Section 11(4) of the Post Office Act 1969 need not inhibit the Post Office relating prices to the relevant short-run marginal costs. This policy would, however, have to be consistent with the Post Office's other statutory obligations, including its duty to pay its way taking one year with another.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many family practitioners have practices in excess of 3,500 patients; and what figure is regarded as the top limit.

The maximum number of National Health Service patients a family doctor is allowed by regulation is 3,500. If he practises in a partnership he may have up to 4,500 provided the average for each member of the partnership does not exceed 3,500.Because of such circumstances as the death or retirement of a partner the number of patients in a practice may sometimes exceed the prescribed maximum. Provided another partner or assistant is being sought and no new patients, other than the children of existing patients, are taken, the extra patients may, with the consent of the Family Practitioner Committee, be retained for a limited period. In certain other special circumstances additional patients may be retained with the consent of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Social Services. Doctors with an excess number of patients are required to reduce their lists by taking a partner, engaging an assistant or by having patients removed from their list.During the quarter ending 30th June 1977, my right honourable friend consented to eight family doctors retaining more than 3,500 patients for a limited period. No records are kept centrally of the number of consents given by Family Practitioner Committees.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action is being taken to provide storage for oil when there is a surplus from the North Sea oilfields in order to provide a reserve should there be a dispute with other suppliers in the future.

EEC Council Directives 68/414 and 72/425, which have been implemented by issuing directions under Section 6 of the Energy Act 1976, already require the United Kingdom to maintain petroleum stocks equivalent to 90 days' inland consumption of petroleum for energy purposes. Fulfilment of this requirement also meets the United Kingdom's lesser obligation as a member of the International Energy Agency to maintain reserve oil stocks at a level equivalent to 70 days' of net imports.In view of this and the direct access we shall have to United Kingdom Continental Shelf oil, there should be no need to make special arrangements when United Kingdom Continental Shelf production exceeds total United Kingdom consumption.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many otters are known to have been killed or taken in England and Wales (

I regret that figures of this kind are not available. I would, however, refer to the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to him on 27th April, and to the infomation contained in the recently published Report of the Joint Otter Group of the Nature Conservancy Council and the Society for the Promotion of Nature Conservation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to ensure that the mail presently held up at the Cricklewood Sorting Office will be delivered, in order to safeguard the livelihood of many small business firms in that area.

The Government recognise and sympathise with the difficulties caused to small businesses by the unofficial action of Cricklewood postmen. However, they believe that the Post Office, with the co-operation of the Union of Post Office Workers, is best placed to deal with the dispute. As my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Industry has made clear in another place, he considers any intervention by himself at this stage would not be helpful.House adjourned at twenty minutes past six o'clock.