asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to reach conclusions on the Report of the Working Party on the Hospital Pharmaceutical Services; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he now has to improve the conditions and prospects of the Hospital Pharmaceutical Service; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will take action arising out of the Report on the Hospital Pharmaceutical Services.

The Working Party's Report includes important recommendations designed to improve the efficiency of the Hospital Pharmaceutical Service and the career prospects of its staff. I shall reach conclusions on the recommendations after I have received and considered the views of the bodies mentioned in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Ogden) on 25th February. They have been asked to send them to me by 31st May.—[Vol. 796, c. 355–7.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will introduce amending legislation to ensure that the name of the father of an illegitimate child may be entered in the birth register where an affiliation order has been obtained and the father is unwilling to co-operate with the mother in terms of the Family Law Reform Act, 1969.

This is one of a number of acceptable changes in the law relating to the registration of births and deaths. I cannot say when it will be possible to introduce a Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many illegitimate births there were in the years 1969, 1968, 1967 and 1966; and how many there were in the years 1960 and 1961.

The following are the figures:

ILLEGITIMATE BIRTHS (ENGLAND AND WALES)
	Live births	Still births	Total live and still births
1960	42,707	1,092	43,799
1961	48,490	1,201	49,691
1966	67,056	1,268	68,324
1967	69,928	1,332	71,260
1968	69,806	1,232	71,038
1969 (January-September (provisional))	51,500	900	52,400

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what plans he has to implement the Bonham-Carter Report's recommendations in relation to East Anglia;(2) what decision has been made on the siting of a district general hospital for the Yarmouth-Lowestoft area; when it is to be built; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now make a further statement about the provision of a new hospital for the coastal region including Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

No decisions have yet been taken on the Bonham-Carter Report, but I am glad to have this opportunity to allay the misapprehension in the Yarmouth and Lowestoft area concerning the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board's plans for the future provision of hospital services. I understand that the Board intends to provide a district general hospital for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft on a site on the coast which would serve this area effectively. It is not yet possible to state when this provision will be made or which site will be selected. When the Board has considered the requirement further there will be local consultations concerning the proposal, including the site to be used. The Board envisage, that these facilities will replace the service provided by most, if not all, the existing hospitals in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, but this will be a matter for consideration later.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action is to be taken to meet the requirements of the South-East Northumberland Hospital Group for authorisation by him of further facilities in answer to the letter sent by the hon. Member for Tynemouth.

The Newcastle Regional Hospital Board accepts that a new district general hospital is needed for South-East Northumberland but, as I have explained to the hon. Lady in reply to her letter, this is not one of its first priorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will pay an official visit to Manchester.

I hope to visit the Manchester region later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
Benefit	April 1959 (came into force Jan 1958)			Sept. 1959			April 1961			Sept. 1962			March/May 1963			March 1964
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
WAR PENSIONS
Ex-private for 100 per cent. Assessment	4	5	0		—		4	17	6		—		5	15	0		—
War widow	3	6	0		—		3	16	0		—		4	10	0		—
NATIONAL INSURANCE FLAT RATE BENEFITS
Retirement pension,(1) widowed mother's allowance, widow's pension, unemployment benefit,(2) sickness benefit,(2) maternity allowance	2	10	0		—		2	17	6		—		3	7	6		—
Increase for wife, and retirement pension for wife (1) on her husband's insurance	1	10	0		—		1	15	0		—		2	1	6		—
Increase of widowed mother's allowance for each child, inclusive of family allowance	1	0	0		—		1	5	0		—		1	10	0	1	17	6
Increase of other benefits for each child, inclusive of family allowance	0	15	0		—		0	17	6		—		1	0	0		—
INDUSTRIAL INJURIES BENEFITS
Injury benefit	4	5	0		—		4	17	6		—		5	15	0		—
Disablement benefit for 100 per cent. Assessment	4	5	0		—		4	17	6		—		5	15	0		—
Widow's pension	2	16	0		—		3	4	0		—		3	15	0		—
FAMILY ALLOWANCES
Second child	0	8	0		—			—			—			—			—
Third child	0	10	0		—			—			—			—			—
Each subsequent child	0	10	0		—			—			—			—			—
SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFITS
Husband and wife	3	16	0	4	5	0	4	10	0	4	15	6	5	4	6		—
Single householder	2	5	0	2	10	0	2	13	6	2	17	6	3	3	6		—

No. Exemption is available on grounds of certain specified medical conditions not including schizophrenia, of age or low income. The prepayment certificate is designed to help those patients who are not entitled to exemption but require frequent prescriptions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as full and detailed information as may be readily available to show on comparable terms how each and all of the various social welfare benefits have improved on an annual basis since October 1964 with the same period immediately prior to October 1964.

The following rates were effective from the dates stated in the 5½ years respectively before and after October 1964:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action is being taken in 1970–71 to relieve the overcrowding at St. George's Hospital at Morpeth.

Following the opening of a new 40-bed unit last year and a 36-bed prefabricated unit currently under construction, some 76 beds are to be removed from the older wards as part of an upgrading programme. 75 new geriatric beds which the Board hopes to open at other hosiptals in the current year and a further 30 being planned will also contribute to relief of overcrowding at St. George's.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of the recent further improve- ment in Great Britain's economic situation, he will now restore the whole of the social services to the situation pertaining prior to October 1964, and end prescription charges and other impositions made at the time of the last economic crisis.

No. Great progress has been made in the social services since October 1964. Given the need to control the level of public expenditure, charges and other measures play a necessary part in maintaining this progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will instruct regional hospital boards to undertake the widest consultations with local authorities and other interested parties before implementing the terms of his recently published circular H.M.69(97) Mass Miniature Radiography Service.

The Department's circular specifically asked regional hospital boards to consult local health authorities, executive councils, and local medical committees in replanning their radiological services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why private patients visiting hospitals for X-ray treatment are required to sign for acceptance of the charges over a 6d. stamp.

The undertaking to pay the hospital charges is a memorandum of agreement between the patient and the hospital and a 6d. stamp duty is therefore chargeable under the Stamp Act, 1891.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the unjustified fears as to the prevalence of the disease, he will reconsider his request to local authorities not to publish the number of cases of leprosy in their areas.

It is the existence of fears about the disease which makes it undesirable that any information should be made public which might allow patients to be identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what communications he has received from the public health officers following their March, 1970, conference concerning a ban on the sale of loose cigarettes, a total ban on cigarette advertising and the compulsory printing of health hazard warnings on all cigarette packets; what reply he has sent; and whether he will make a statement.

I have not yet received any such communications.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations have been made to his Department from the Catterick Accident Aftercare Unit for financial support; what assistance he intends to give; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of no specific representations. Analysis of the available information relating to this scheme gives no firm evidence of any effect on mortality or length of stay in hospital. Before reaching final conclusions about the value of projects of this kind we have arranged for a study to be made of comparable schemes now in operation on the Continent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give a table showing the fees charged by doctors in the National Health Service hospitals in the various regions, in respect of the signing of cremation forms, for National Health Service and private patients who die in the National Health Service hospitals.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he proposes, in view of the pre-registration posts being fewer than the number of medical students now qualifying, to enable those qualified to become registered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why many medical students after five years of successful study fail to obtain pre-registration house jobs; and what action is being taken by his Department in this matter.

The number of pre-registration posts in Great Britain listed by the General Medical Council is between 2,900 and 3,000 while the number of medical students graduating is at present about 2,200 a year.A few students graduating in this country have nevertheless experienced difficulty in finding posts partly because some of the designated posts are filled by fully registered doctors and partly because some overseas doctors are required by the General Medical Council to undertake such posts.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to implement the proposals of the hospital building programme to convert the Willesden General Hospital to a district hospital; and if he will make a statement.

The hospital building programme of 1966 envisaged further development of both the Willesden General and the Central Middlesex Hospitals but stressed that its proposals were flexible. The North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board has reviewed provision for this area in consultation with local interests and is now of the opinion that it would best be served by concentration of district hospital services on the site of the Central Middlesex Hospital where land is available. This is a proposal for the long term and the matter will be kept under review: the Board has reached no conclusion on the ultimate use of Willesden General Hospital, where space for development is restricted.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is aware that some local authorities are continuing to reduce the number of home helps for which there is a need; and what steps he now proposes to take to encourage local authorities to expand the home help service.

While there may have been some recent reductions in staff in a few areas, the home help service as a whole has expanded considerably in recent years. I propose to discuss shortly with the local authority associations how the service can be improved in the light of the findings of the Government Social Survey report published on 1st April.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what instructions he has given to local authorities to alter their existing establishments and structures in the field of health and social services in anticipation of the enactment of the Local Authority Social Services Bill.

I have no powers to instruct local authorities to anticipate decisions of Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has for the rebuilding on the present site or otherwise of Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham; what date has been fixed for such work to begin; and if he will make a statement.

The Birmingham Regional Hospital Board has had since 1966 a programme for the provision of a district general hospital on the Selly Oak Hospital site; currently contracts are being let to upgrade two further wards at a cost of £54,892. For the longer terms, and in the context of a reassessment of district general hospital requirements for this part of Birmingham, my Department has recently asked the board to consider whether there would be advantages in providing the district general hospital on some other site.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many dental surgeons have surgeries located in the constituency of Putney, Wandsworth; how many of these provide National Health service dentures; and if he will name them.

I am sending my hon. Friend the names of the dental surgeons on the National Health Service list with surgeries in the constituency. All received some payment for dentures in the last financial year except one who appears to have done no National Health Service work at all during the period.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a further statement on the claim of the catering officers employed in the National Health Service for a revised management structure and improved salaries and conditions of service.

Negotiations are in progress; the next meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee of the Whitley Council will be held on 17th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the cost of providing an additional 10s. and an additional £1, respectively, to all persons in receipt of the state retirement pension out of public funds; and what estimate he has made of the increase in National Insurance contributions required to meet such increases solely out of stamp contributions.

The cost of increasing the basic retirement pension for a single person by 10s. and £1, with proportionate increases for a married couple, would be about £170 million and £340 million a year, respectively. If the additional cost were to be met out of flat rate contributions, with no increase in the Exchequer supplement, the contribution for an employed man would go up by ls. 9d. a week for the 10s. increase and by 3s. 5d. a week for the £1 increase, with similar increases for his employer. Consequential alterations to other benefits would increase the cost considerably.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many domiciliary visits were made during 1969 by headquarters administrative staff and regional office staff, respectively.

Domiciliary visits are not ordinarily made by staff from Headquarters, and totalled only about 60 in 1969. During that year 6¼ million visits were made by local staff in connection with claims to supplementary benefit; 370,000 visits were made to claimants of sickness or industrial injury benefit; and 75,000 by War Pensions welfare staff. Other domiciliary visits were made in connection with enquiries about the payment of national insurance contributions, but the number of these is not separately recorded.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total amount recovered in Social Security payments in each of the last 10 years as a result of investigations into fraudulent claims; and how much this figure represented as a proportion of total payments of benefits in each year.

The information is not available in the exact form requested but the following figures relating to recoveries of overpayments in the last 10 years may help my hon. Friend.

TABLE SHOWING RECOVERIES OF OVERPAYMENTS OF NON-CONTRIBUTORY BENEFIT IN THE LAST TEN YEARS AS A PROPORTION OF BENEFIT PAID
Year	Gross payments of supplementary pensions and allowances*	Recoveries of over-payments	(3) as percentage of (2)
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
	£	£
1959–60	161,000,000	480,000	0·30
1960–61	182,000,000	478,000	0·26
1961–62	175,000,000	525,000	0·30
1962–63	204,000,000	511,000	0·25
1963–64	222,000,000	589,000	0·27
1964–65	228,000,000	547,000	0·24
1965–66	252,000,000	589,000	0·23
1966–67	305,000,000	575,000	0·19
1967–68	397,000,000	625,000	0·16
1968–69	442,000,000	816,000	0·18
* Assistance grants and non-contributory old age pensions before 28th November, 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the gross and net cost of increasing family allowances by 10s. for the second and subsequent child using the claw-back method to limit the increase to those paying less than the standard rate of tax.

Disregarding consequential effects on other social security benefits the gross and net costs for 1969–70 would have been about £180 million and £30 million, respectively.Retirement Pensions and Social Security BenefitsMr. Arthur Lewis asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of the fact that during the past few months most sections of the population have had large increases in wages and salaries, he will now increase retirement pensions and all social security benefits by a minimum of 35 per cent.

No. I would remind my hon. Friend that Social Security benefits have increased by between one-fifth and one-sixth in real terms since the present Government took office in October, 1964, that total expenditure on these benefits is now half as much again in real terms as it was in 1964–65.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in recommending loan sanction, he will give priority to hostel projects for mentally handicapped adults.

Yes. I recognise the pressing need for adult hostels, and have been able to include over 90 per cent. of hostel projects put forward by local authorities for the next three years among the schemes for which I intend to recommend loan sanction.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether it is his practice to hold non-attributable Press briefings.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authorities in Merioneth have submitted plans for undertaking sewerage schemes during 1970–71; and how many of these schemes have been approved.

Two local authorities have submitted a total of six schemes. One of these has been approved and one stands deferred. On the other four there are various points outstanding.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make an investigation into the daily failure of traffic during rush hours to filter expeditiously through the roundabout on the Treforest Industrial Estate near Upper Boat and which prevents good access for workers going to and from their employment.

Stage II of the improvement of the A470 road for which the contract is about to be let includes the construction on the site of a much larger roundabout complex. This should eliminate the congestion occurring at peak periods. I do not think that a further investigation now would help to alleviate the position.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his practice to hold non-attributable Press briefings.

Yes, on selected occasions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has now succeeded in arranging an early international conference to consider an agreement whereby criminals hijacking aircraft or threatening passengers and crews of aircraft should be arrested on landing in their respective countries and returned to the countries where they joined the aircraft for trial and punishment.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave in the House on 6th April. In accordance with the undertaking I then gave, we are taking soundings to see whether it is possible to hold the international conference earlier than December. I share my hon. Friend's concern about this and I will keep him and the House informed.—[Vol. 798, c. 12–15.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any United Kingdom citizen is included in the Committee of Experts set up by the Security Council to advise the Secretary General on the problem of micro-States.

Yes. The Committee of Experts comprises all members of the Security Council and the United Kingdom is represented as on the Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT those territories at present under British jurisdiction which will fall within the category of micro-States and will be affected by any proposals which the Committee of Experts appointed by the Security Council make.

No. In the absence of agreement as to what constitutes a micro-State, such a forecast would be impossible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals have been made by the United Kingdom to the Committee of Experts appointed by the Security Council to study the problem of micro-States.

The proceedings of the Committee are private, and it would be premature to make public any details of Her Majesty's Government's contribution to them. I can say, however, that our general approach is to seek a relationship between very small States and the United Nations which is helpful to the former and satisfactory for both.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate net annual yield during the financial year 1969–70 from an increase of one shilling in the standard rate of income tax, with consequent increases for those who pay taxes below the full rate, and without any increase at lower rates, respectively.

If the increase in the reduced rate is proportionate to the shilling increase in the standard rate the figures are about £565 million and about £360 million respectively for 1969–70.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will express as a weekly average the increase in tax revenue which has been collected by the Government between 1964 and the most recent annual period for which estimates are available.

The estimated weekly average of the difference, at constant prices, between Central Government tax revenue in calendar 1964 and calendar 1969 is £73 million.This change mainly reflects some of the measures by which the Government achieved the transformation of the record balance of payments deficit of 1964 into the record surplus of 1969.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many income tax payers there were in October, 1964; how many there were on the most recent date for which figures are available; and if he will express the increase in the number as a weekly average for the relevant period.

The estimated figures, counting married couples as one unit, for 1964–65 and 1969–70 are 18·5 million and 21·5 million respectively, an average weekly increase of about 11,500.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the extra cost in imports of an increase of 1 per cent. in the rate of stock accumulation by manufacturing industry and the distributive trades, respectively; and if he will show separately his estimates for materials and fuel, work in progress and finished goods.

Estimates do not exist in the detail required and could not he made with any confidence. There is evidence that the import content of stocks of materials and fuel is substantially greater than that of finished goods.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of forms P8 and P10 which have been issued to employers to whom no corresponding deduction cards P9 and P11 have been issued; and what has been the cost of producing and issuing them.

Under Departmental instructions, P.A.Y.E. documents, including forms P8 and P10, should not be issued where there are no known employees. If the hon. Member has in mind any case where these forms appear to have been issued unnecessarily or incompletely and will let me have details of it, I shall be glad to have enquiries made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of National Insurance Act graduated contribution tables that have been dispatched by the Inland Revenue within the last 12 months to employers who have no employees in the graduated contribution scheme; and what has been the cost of producing and issuing these forms.

No estimate can be made. The Inland Revenue does not know which employers operating P.A.Y.E. will not have any employee who earns more than £9 in a week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Inland Revenue Staff Federation or other bodies concerning income tax evaders; and what steps he intends to take to eliminate the problem.

My right hon. Friend has not received any such representations. The law provides for substantial penalties for tax evasion and in appropriate cases criminal proceedings are taken. The detection of evasion and the recovery of unassessed tax are part of the normal duties of inspectors of taxes and the Inland Revenue devote the maximum available resources to this.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the number of tax fraud cases uncovered in each of the last 10 years, indicating how much tax was recovered in each year as a consequence.

The information is given below.The following figures, which reproduce Table 25 in the 112th Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue cover cases where there has been fraud, wilful default or neglect.

UNDER-ASSESSMENT OF PROFITS 1959–60 to 1968–69
Year ended 31st March	Number of cases	Total charge raised	Penalties included in total charge †	Interest included in previous column
		£	£	£
1960	13,734	19,642,073	8,491,884	—
1961	9,752	12,905,544	5,549,820	Not available
1962	11,868	18,770,906	5,200,427	2,271,975
1963	10,944	14,020,699	4,289,258	1,887,282
1964	12,216	15,563,617	4,655,467	2,117,258
1965	12,405	15,965,295	4,897,498	2,131,602
1966	11,618	14,200,366	4,648,336	1,985,981
1967	11,154	14,722,018	4,731,028	1,965,013
1968	10,487	13,556,419	4,268,122	1,781,875
1969	8,983	13,230,101	4,248,896	1,863,516

Smaller cases of under-assessment, mostly concerning interest received or credited without deduction of tax, have been settled as follows:—

Year ended 31st March	Number of cases	Total charge raised
		£
1960	31,586	735,026
1961	22,740	535,390
1962	25,632	694,629
1963	39,800	1,141,370
1964	37,977	1,153,607
1965	35,634	1,052,040
1966	34,772	1,006,306
1967	55,181	1,515,934
1968	56,995	1,577,495
1969	41,000	1,200,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to introduce the sale of duty-free goods, such as spirits, tobacco and cigarettes, on the sea routes between Great Britain and Ireland as are obtainable on the routes between Great Britain and the Continent.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the premium bond issue is held in Scotland; and what proportion of prize money over the latest convenient period was won by holders in Scotland.

I regret that it is not possible to say what proportion of Premium Savings Bonds are held in Scotland as a geographical record of repayments is not available. Bonds sold in Scotland since the inception of the scheme in 1956 represent 4·88 per cent. of the total sales; and an analysis of the prizes of £50 and over won in 1969, shows that 5·48 per cent. of the prize money was won by holders in Scotland. Because of the large numbers involved the £25 prizes were not included in the analysis.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many £25,000 premium bond prizes have been won by holders in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.

Scotland 3, England 86, Wales 4, Northern Ireland 1. In addition to the weekly £25,000 prizes these figures include the £25,000 prizes paid quarterly from February, 1966, to August, 1968.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the cost of allowing companies to depreciate all capital assets against profits freely, over a period of five years, and over a period of 10 years, respectively.

I am not clear what the hon. Member has in mind, but the written down value of the stock of capital assets far exceeds the net profits of companies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the proportion of the yield of corporation tax which arises in the development areas.

If the hon. Member means the tax on profits made in development areas, no useful estimate can be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to reduce the age for the purposes of retire- ment relief to sole proprietors for capital gains tax purposes.

I have noted the hon. Lady's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from representative bodies, including the staff of the Inland Revenue, to simplify taxation by the elimination of short-term capital gains tax; and what reply he has sent.

My right hon. Friend has received representations on this topic from a number of representative bodies, but none representing the staff of the Inland Revenue. Where a reply was called for, the bodies were told that their views had been noted and were being considered.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to abolish the principle of differentiation between earned and unearned income and thereby simplify the tax system.

I have noted the hon. Lady's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he now has to repay the National Debt.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now authorise payment to holders of post-war credits and Post Office savings accounts at the same rates of interest as those in the Save as You Earn Scheme.

I have noted the hon. Lady's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in order to recognise the equality of the sexes, he will grant each man and woman, married or unmarried, an equal personal allowance.

I have noted the hon. Lady's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of the 220 full-time civil servants employed in connection with the Government Social Survey, how many have visited Scotland in connection with the survey since its inception; and of the 364 fee-paid interviewers, how many are based and will work in Scotland.

One home-based supervisory officer lives in Scotland. As to other full-time civil servants employed by the Department, records of travel do not go back to the inception of the Social Survey in 1940, but in the financial year just ended 15 headquarters officers paid 30 visits to Scotland. Of the fee-paid interviewers 26 are based in Scotland and habitually work there. Some of them may have assignments from time to time in England, as English-based interviewers may have assignments in Scotland, according to the varying incidence of survey work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what date the 3,000 jobs will be located in the Edinburgh area in connection with the Inland Revenue Computer Centre.

On present plans, the Computer Centre at Edinburgh will be fully set up by 1979 and at that date will employ approximately 3,600 staff.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons were in receipt, after tax, of an income of £500, £1,000, £2,000, £3,000, £5,000, £7,000 and 10,000, a year, respectively, in 1939 and 1969, on the basis in each case that the income is wholly earned.

I regret that the required figures are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether, in view of the fact that the building industry and the cost of new houses are adversely affected by selective employment tax, he will now take steps to exempt the industry from selective employment tax;

:I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his practice to hold non-attributable Press briefings.

Yes, when appropriate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what amount Great Britain's overseas debt increased between October, 1964, and the most recent date for which figures are available; and if he will express this increase as a weekly average for the relevant period.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Written Answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State to the hon. Member for Barkston Ash (Mr. Alison) on 8th April, 1970.—[Vol. 799, c. 81–4.]

asked the Lord President of the Council whether it is his practice to hold non-attributable Press briefings.

Yes, as and when appropriate.

asked the Attorney-General whether it is his practice to hold non-attributable Press briefings.

Yes, as and when appropriate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the average size farm holdings in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, respectively, at the latest convenient date.

The figures, which relate to agricultural holdings exceeding one acre in extent (one acre or more in Northern Ireland), are as follows:

Based on June, 1969 Census	Crops, Grass and Rough Grazing	Crops and Grass only
	(acres)	(acres)
England*	113	105
Wales*	96	68
Scotland	276	81
Northern Ireland†	65	51
* Excludes holdings with less than 10 acres of crops and grass and negligible agricultural output.
† Excludes statistically insignificant holdings the' land on which is let on a seasonal basis and recorded as part of another farm business.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is now the total cost of Ministerial salaries; and what was the total on 4th April, 1968.

£571,100 in March, 1970, and £591,225 on 4th April, 1968.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will express as a weekly average increase the increase which has taken place in the numbers of non-industrial civil servants between October, 1964, and the most recent date for which figures are available.

229. This figure excludes former Post Office staff transferred to the Department for National Savings and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on the setting up of these Departments on 1st October, 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much land in Scotland is occupied by Service Departments.

55,051 acres

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the terms of reference or mandate under which the Head of Defence Sales does his work.

The responsibilities of the Head of Defence Sales are set out in paragraph 1 of Section VII on page 51 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1967 (Cmnd. 3203).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total sum of money per annum paid in salaries to members of his Department, including both civil servants and service officers, who are engaged in promoting the sale of arms and warlike equipment to countries overseas.

About £467,000 based on current rates of pay.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what further payments will be made in the years after 1974–75 for United States military aircraft and spares.

Repayments of capital and interest beyond 1974–75 for the purchase of Phantoms and Hercules and support and initial spares are estimated to amount to £47 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she is aware that following the removal of limitations on dividend rate increases the distribution by companies reporting in March was the highest for over four years; whether this accords with the policy of Her Majesty's Government; and whether a corresponding percentage increase in the pay of lower-paid workers is in accordance with the policy.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the analysis of company reports for March which has recently been made and published by a newspaper. These results were dominated by two large companies who increased their dividends after several years of stability, and whose dividend increases represent something less than 3 per cent. a year on average over the past six years. There has been no evidence requiring action under the Government's policy towards company distributions, which remains as set out in the statement of my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 6th November, 1969. With regard to the last part of the question my hon. Friend will have learned from Cmnd. 4328 that the 1969 level of dividends was about 13 per cent. above the 1964 level and that the change in the levels of income from employment was some 32 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the average number of working days lost through strikes per 1,000 persons employed in mining, manufacturing, construction and transport for the periods 1959 to 1963 and 1964 to 1968, respectively; how this average compared with those published in international statistics available to him for the United States of America, Belgium, France, Eire, Italy, Japan and Canada, respectively; and which figures excluded losses due to workers laid off at the same establishment.

Following is the information:

	Average for
	1959–63	1964–68
United States of America*	1,106	1,122
Belgium†	202	186
France‡	352	263
Ireland	416	1,240
Italy	1,170	1,006
Japan	368	196
Canada†	410	1,158
United Kingdom	292	232

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if, in view of the concern amongst employers about the Construction Industry Training Board's proposed occupational-based levy in spite of the modifications made following representations, she will give further consideration to the matter with a view to more control from industry direct and with powers to control its own finances and responsibility for these matters.

My right hon. Friend has approved the Board's proposals and the relevant Levy Order was laid on 19th March. The Board is already constituted so as to reflect the different interests of the industry it serves.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what new proposals she has to improve the employment prospects for unemployed persons over 45 years of age.

The various measures taken by the Government to secure a fuller utilisation of resources are designed to help the unemployed of all ages. I am, however, considering what further steps can be taken to improve training opportunities for older people and thus enhance their prospects of fresh employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what further action she proposes to take to enforce the Factories Acts having regard to the number of prosecutions compared with the figures of industrial accidents.

The great majority of accidents do not result from breaches of the law. Proceedings are taken in respect of all contraventions where prosecution is judged to be clearly the most appropriate means of enforcing the Factories Act.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether it is his practice to hold non-attributable Press briefings.