asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information regarding the number of collective agreements in the United Kingdom which are subject to legal enforceability, with a breakdown by industry.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce legislation to provide compensation for employees other than apprentices who suffer loss of status through wrongful dismissal from their jobs.

Under our proposals in the Industrial Relations Bill, the industrial tribunals will be able to take into acount all the circumstances of an unfair dismissal.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total net decline in employment in the North-Western Region between April, 1966, and June, 1970.

Provisional estimates show a decrease between March, 1966, and March, 1970, of 108,000 employees in employment in the North-Western Region. There are no estimates for April, 1966, and estimates for June, 1970, are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total net decline in employment in Wales between April, 1966, and June, 1970.

Provisional estimates show a decrease between March, 1966, and March, 1970, of 41,000 employees in employment in Wales. There are no estimates for April, 1966, and estimates for June, 1970, are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will consider representations about the future of industrial training boards from individual firms and associations in connection with his proposed review.

Yes. I shall consider any such representations before reaching a decision on future policy for industrial training.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to complete his review of the working of the industrial training boards.

Early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in his review of the work of industrial training boards, he will ensure that there is no weakening of the rôle of trade unions in the work of the boards.

My right hon. Friend will certainly want to ensure that trade unions continue to be closely associated with industrial training at all levels.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to set up an industrial training board for banking, insurance and finance.

My right hon. Friend is deferring a decision on this until he has considered the findings of my Department's review of the work of industrial training boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when his Department plans to complete its examination of the future of the industrial training boards; and whether he will authorise substantial reductions in levies from wool textile firms to the Wool Industry Training Board in the interim.

As my right hon. Friend said in the House on 12th November, the Department's review of the work of industrial training boards should be completed early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will request the industrial training boards to publish separate statistics in their annual reports for the number of male and female trainees for each category of employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will request industrial training boards in their annual reports to indicate the number of trainees who are of the female sex.

The attention of the boards has been drawn in the past to the desirability of maintaining information about male and female trainees separately. It would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to attempt to direct the activities of the Board in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the average numbers of new industrial disputes, resulting in stoppages, per working day during 1950 to 1958, 1959 to 1968, 1969, and during 1970 for the period for which figures are available.

On the basis of 255 working days in a year, the average numbers of new stoppages per working day outside the coal mining industry were 2·2 between 1950 and 1958, 5·4 between 1959 and 1968, 11·5 in 1969 and 15·8 up to 31st October, 1970. The figure for 1970 is provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number of strikes and the number of days lost through industrial disputes for the first 10 months of this year; and how these figures compare with those for the same periods in 1968 and 1969.

The number of stoppages of work due to industrial disputes which began in the first 10 months of 1970 was 3,491, and the number of working days lost in all stoppages in progress in the period was 8,828,000. These figures are provisional. Corresponding figures for the same periods in the preceding two years were 2,015 stoppages and 4,283,000 days lost in 1968, and 2,634 stoppages and 5,918,000 days lost in 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether he proposes to include in the official figures for industrial disputes published by his Department the days lost as the result of unofficial strikes called for 8th December;(2) which strikes are not included in the official figures published by his Department; and what estimate he has made of damage done to the national economy by such strikes.

The official series of statistics relates to all except insignificant stoppages of work due solely to industrial disputes connected with terms and conditions of employment. Figures relating to sizeable non-industrial stoppages are publicised by my Department but are not included in this series. It is not possible to estimate with any degree of accuracy the damage done to the national economy by these strikes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the action taken by his Department in relation to the unofficial strike called for 8th December in protest against Government industrial policies.

The Government have made clear that, while it respects the right of people to disagree with its proposals, it deplores the use of industrial action to bring pressure on it not to proceed with them. The House will have noted that the great majority of trade unionists did not join in the strike. No special action by my Department was called for in the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how the number of strikes during the first 10 months of 1970 compares with the number during the first 10 months of 1964.

The number of stoppages of work due to industrial disputes which began in the first 10 months of 1970 is provisionally estimated at 3,491. This compares with 2,149 in the first 10 months of 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has now received from Scottish teachers' organisations about the Consultative Document on the proposed Industrial Relations Bill; and what replies he has sent.

The Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association has questioned the effect of the proposals on existing statutory machinery for determining the pay and dismissals of teachers in Scotland and has been assured that it is not out intention that the Bill should change this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the consultation he has had following the publication of the Consultative Document on Industrial Relations.

My right hon. Friend met representatives of several interested organisations and has received written representations from a large number of organisations and individuals. These have been carefully considered. My officials have also had meeting with some of the organisations concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultations he has had with trade unions on the proposals contained in the Consultative Document on Industrial Relations he published in October.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met members of the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the T.U.C. on 13th October. A general invitation to comment on the document was issued to organisations concerned with industrial relations and a number of trade unions have done so.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to consult the Trades Union Congress about the vacancy on the Commission for Industrial Relations following the resignation of a part-time member.

It is not the practice to disclose from which sources advice is sought and what advice is given to the Queen on the appointment of members of Royal Commissions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to fill the vacancy on the Commission for Industrial Relations following the resignation of a part-time member.

It is not the practice to disclose from which source advice is sought and what advice is given to the Queen on the appointment of members of Royal Commissions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are currently gainfully employed; and what percentage of this total are members of trade unions.

At 31st December, 1969, the latest date for which figures are available, the total membership in the United Kingdom of trade unions with headquarters in the United Kingdom was about 10,242,000. The estimated number of employees, employed and unemployed, in December, 1969, was about 23,609,000. The percentage of employees who were members of trade unions was, therefore, about 43 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in extending the scope of industrial re-training in the last six months; and what are the prospects for 1971–72.

A new Government training centre opened at Stoke-on-Trent in October, and two more will open at Basildon and at Twickenham this month. The number of Government-supported trainees at colleges of further education has also increased. In 1971–72 four more Government training centres are to be opened, and the scope of industrial retraining will be extended by the measures announced by my right hon. Friend in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for the High Peak (Mr. Le Marchant) on 4th November.—[Vol. 805, c. 383–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that all weekly-paid employees receive their wages no later than Friday and that wages are paid in a sealed envelope accompanied by a statement of stoppages.

My right hon. Friend does not intend to introduce legislation on the lines proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to implement the findings set out in paragraph 893 of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations 1965–68, namely, that the protection of Section 3 of the Trades Disputes Act, 1906, be extended to cover all contracts.

The Industrial Relations Bill is framed to give effect to the recommendation of the Donovan Commission that protection from legal action in tort for inducing, in the context of an industrial dispute, a breach of contract of employment should be extended to cover breaches of contract in general. The Bill makes certain kinds of secondary boycott action (in such a context) involving inducement of a breach of contract an unfair industrial practice unless done by a registered trade union or employers' association or a person acting within the scope of his authority, on behalf of a trade union or an employers' association.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to amend the Trade Disputes Act, 1965; and in what respect.

The Industrial Relations Bill provides for abolition of the 1965 Act, but the protection given by that Act from legal proceedings in tort for threatening to induce a breach of con- tract of employment in the context of an industrial dispute is conferred by the Bill itself.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received about the need for legislation on industrial relations.

My right hon. Friend has received a large number of representations, both before and since the publication of the Consultative Document in October supporting the principle of legislation on Industrial Relations. The Donovan Royal Commission in 1968 also recommended that an Industrial Relations Act should be passed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total net decline in employment in the Northern Region between April, 1966, and June, 1970.

Provisional estimates show a decrease between March, 1966, and March, 1970, of 57,000 employees in employment in the Northern Region. There are no estimates for April, 1966, and estimates for June, 1970, are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to make changes in the form or amounts of assistance available for employees' removal expenses under the current schemes for mobility of labour.

The allowances are now being reviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what communication he has received from the Construction Industry Training Board about its financial position; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on his discussions with the Chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board regarding its financial problems.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is yet in a position to make a statement about the finances of the Construction Industry Training Board.

The Chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board has reported that the board is unable to raise from commercial sources the additional borrowing authorised to meet its present financial difficulties. He has asked whether the Government can assist the board, and I am at present considering the situation.—[Vol. 808, c. 94–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will suspend activities of the Construction Industry Training Board pending his review of industrial training boards.

My right hon. Friend has no power under the Industrial Training Act to suspend for a temporary period the activities of an industrial training board.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now authorise an inquiry into the structure and finances of the Construction Industry Training Board.

The Construction Industry Training Board has already commissioned and received a report by independent consultants on its organisation and financial procedures.

asked the Secretry of State for Employment what steps he will take to assist salaried men and executives in middle life whose lose their jobs.

The services of the Professional and Executive Register of my Department are available to help people at the appropriate levels of employment in their search for suitable work. We are also considering how retraining facilities for unemployed older executives might be improved.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to increase the mobility of labour among salaried workers; whether he is giving special attention to the problems of those over 45 years of age; and wheher he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present. Salaried workers transferring to jobs with a salary of up to £2,000 a year are already covered by our Department's Resettlement Transfer Scheme. We are considering what more can be done to provide the retraining required to help the older unemployed executive.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the future of the Manpower and Productivity Advisory Service.

The Manpower and Productivity Service will continue to offer an advisory service to industry and commerce in the field of industrial relations and related questions of labour utilisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is aware that the country's unemployed figure in November, 1970, was 601,874, 3,972 more than the previous month; and, as this figure was the highest for 30 years, whether he will state what the latest trend is and what the figures are for the current month.

During the past four years we have had the highest figure and most prolonged period of unemployment since the 1930s. The underlying trend at present is difficult to evaluate because of the unusually large numbers of adult students who registered for vacation employment this summer. Figures for the current month are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number and percentage rate of people unemployed in each development area at the latest convenient date, and in the same months in 1964 and 1966.

For the year 1964 the information is available for June but not for November. The following is a table showing November figures for 1970

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the proportion of redundant miners of 55 years of age or over that have found work; and what fresh proposals he is making for those remaining out of work.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry that about 6 per cent. of the workers aged 55 and over who have benefited from the Redundant Mineworkers Payments Scheme have returned to coalmining or found fresh employment in other industries. Many of the older ex-coalminers are in development and intermediate areas and their prospects of finding employment should be improved as a result of the new training grants scheme we announced on 4th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment by what amount the Retail Price Index increased between September and October.

The General Index of Retail Prices rose from 141·5 at 22nd September to 143·0 at 20th October, that is by 1·5 points or 1·1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will institute an inquiry into the causes of low wages in the South-Western Region.

No. There are regions where average earnings are lower than in the South-West. The Government have

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what approach has been made to his Department for its conciliation services to be used to resolve the industrial dispute in the electricity supply industry.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend made this afternoon.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment for how long the National Board for Prices and Incomes has had a membership less than the nine laid down in the Prices and Incomes Act, 1966; and whether he will make a statement.

Since the resignation of the former Chairman on 31st October, 1970, the Board has had eight members. I am advised that this is permissible in accordance with paragraph 7 of Schedule 1 of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of registered disabled people on the current register in St. Helens; how many have been placed in remunerative employment in each of the last five years for which he has information; and what measures his Department have taken to obtain employment for them.

At the last count there were 2,313 registered disabled people in the St. Helens area. 435 of these were unemployed on 9th November this year. During the years ending October, 1970, 1969, and 1968, 180, 280 and 284 registered disabled people were placed in employment by the local exchange. Figures for earlier years are not readily available. The whole range of the employment services for the disabled is available to those at St. Helens, as elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce legislation to place a top limit upon incomes.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table of figures giving, since 1958, the employees' average income per year to date in each of the countries of the Six, compared with the United Kingdom figures; and, on average, what was the differential in 1958 between Great Britain's average wage and that of the Six, and how this had changed by 1968 and 1970; and as generally Common Market workers are now £7 per week in advance of those in Great Britain, what action he proposes to take to increase British wage rates to facilitate British entry into the European Economic Community.

The figures are given below. As regards the latter part of the Question, I do not think any special action to raise earnings in the United Kingdom is called for in connection with our application to join the European Economic Community.International comparisons of this kind present many problems; they must be made in terms of a chosen currency and changes in the rate of exchange complicate the position. Furthermore there are differences in the purchasing power of

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men, women, boys and girls registered for employment at the St. Helens office in the years 1965, 1968, and at the latest convenient date for which he has details.

The following table shows the numbers registered as unemployed at St. Helens.the currencies and in the levels of direct and indict taxation and of social benefits between one country and another but the following figures have been published by the European Community Information Service and relate to 1958 and 1968.Figures for 1970 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what instructions have been given to his officials with regard to special classification for immigrants at local offices; and whether he will make a statement.

The Government are determined to promote equal opportunity in employment for all and, in doing so, it is necessary to know the extent and location of unemployed coloured immigrants. This is why my staff identify all coloured unemployed who were born overseas or whose parents were born overseas. A Select Committee of this House accepted that such information is essential.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what conclusions he has reached on the Report of the Commission on Industrial Relations in respect of the Medical Research Council and appropriate union representation for its staff.

The Report is for consideration by the management and unions concerned and it is not for me to comment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will state the reasons given to him by Mr. Will Paynter for his resignation from the Commission on Industrial Relations.

No. The reasons were given to my right hon. Friend in confidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of unemployed men and women, respectively, in the Easington Constituency, at the last convenient date; and how many of those have been unemployed for more than three years.

At 9th November, 1970, 1,417 men, 117 women and 133 boys and girls were registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Peter-lee and Wingate Employment Exchanges, which approximates broadly to the Easington constituency. The statistics do not distinguish those unemployed for more than three years but at 12th October this year, when 1,345 men and 132 women were registered as wholly unemployed, 399 men and 6 women, had been on the registers for more than 52 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present rate of unemployment in the north-east of Scotland in numbers and as a percentage; and how this compares with the last five years.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will seek powers to curb absenteeism at the stock exchanges and other financial institutions on New Year's Day.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present employment rate for coloured people in the following age groups: 16–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, and 55–65 years of age; and what are the corresponding figures for the total work-force.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of levels of earnings and of overtime worked following strikes; and what estimate he has made of the net effect on remuneration of strikers when supplementary benefits and earnings in post-strike periods are taken into account.

My Department publishes estimates of changes in rates of pay and earnings levels which reflect the impact of collective agreements. These statistics do not distinguish separately the changes which follow strike action from those which are agreed without recourse to strike action. The net effect of strikes on the income of strikers varies enormously from family to family, and from strike to strike; and I do not consider that any general estimate would be practicable or useful.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will introduce legislation to prohibit the payment of overtime rates after a strike until such time as is equivalent to the lost working hours has been made up.

No. This would not be practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees are employed by employers who employ a total of four people or less.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial accidents, and what proportion of industrial accidents, occurred during the last hour of work and/or during overtime working in 1969.

These particulars are not included in the prescribed form of report for accidents at premises subject to the Factories Act. The information is therefore not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what he estimates will be the cost of servicing and staffing the new National Industrial Relations Court and the extended function of industrial tribunals in the event of the passing of the Industrial Relations Bill.

The approximate costs are set out in the Financial Memorandum to the Industrial Relations Bill. They amount to about £300,000 per annum for the National Industrial Relations Court and about £1·25 million per annum for the Industrial Tribunals. If jurisdiction in respect of damages for breach of contract of employment is conferred on tribunals, the additional cost would be about £0·5 million per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research, financed by her Department, is being undertaken in the British Indian Ocean territory.

Research into the geology, evolution and ecology of the area is being undertaken by the Royal Society, the Natural History Museum and the National Institute of Oceanography, a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. The council has also made grants to university teams to carry out research in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the amount of public money spent on books and equipment in the West Riding of Yorkshire over each of the past six years; and what will be the extra amount granted when the school-leaving age is raised to 16 years.

In thousands of pounds in the financial years 1964–65 to 1969–70 respectively: 503, 578, 628, 711, 745 and 787. Expenditure on school books and equipment, including what is needed when the leaving age is raised, is a matter for the local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will now make a further statement on admission charges and exemptions to national museums and galleries.

My noble Friend the Paymaster-General will make a further statement when he has completed his discussions with the institutions concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made to implement the Lewis Committee's recommendation that there should be research into the use of manual communication in the education of deaf children; and what further action she proposes to take on the committee's proposal.

My Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children is considering what research projects may be possible in this among other fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will seek to send a representative to investigate the methods used by the Russians in educating deaf children, in view of the results achieved there.

My right hon. Friend will bear this suggestion sympathetically in mind in considering the Department's allocation of overseas visits.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make and publish a survey of the degree to which intelligible speech and lip-reading ability is acquired by severely deaf children, excluding those with multiple handicaps and of the educational standards of the children.

A survey of the ability of deaf school-leavers to communicate by speech and lip reading was carried out in 1962. The report of this survey was published in "The Health of the School Child 1962–63". A similar survey is at present in progress and the report should be ready for publication during next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what efforts she is making to increase the proportion of qualified teachers of the deaf

Since 1968 the number of places in the two training courses provided by university departments has been increased; and a new course has been set up in a college of education. The number of teachers annually obtaining the special qualification for teaching deaf and partially hear- ing children has risen since 1967 by nearly 50 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of first-year students in all higher education establishments in Great Britain who are taking science-based subjects; what percentage of the total first-year student intake this represents; and how this compares with the previous five years.

In the autumn of 1969 some 55,400 students started full-time and sandwich science-based courses at undergraduate level in universities or in further education institutions in Great Britain. This represents 53·6 per cent. of the total full-time student intake at this level. Corresponding figures for the three previous years are:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current number of university places in Scotland and the remainder of Great Britain, respectively; and how many Scottish domiciled students hold places in Scottish and other British universities.

At the beginning of the current academic year there were approximately 36,700 full-time students at universities in Scotland and 191,180 in England and Wales. Separate figures for students domiciled in Scotland are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will authorise the building of two additional nursery schools in the Easing-ton Rural District.

The Durham authority has asked for six nursery schools, including one in the Easington Rural District, to be authorised under Phase Three of the Urban Programme. Decisions on the programme, which it is expected will be announced at the end of the year or shortly afterwards, have not yet been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which of the 15 proposals made to her in the report, "Youth and Community Work in the 70s", a copy of which is in her possession, she intends to implement, and when.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eton and Slough (Miss Lestor) on 28th October, 1970.—[Vol. 805, c. 135.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will consider establishing a new medical school at the University of Surrey.

Any proposals for new medical schools will have to be considered in the light of the long-term need for doctors which is now being considered by the Departments concerned. No case has yet been made for a medical school at the University of Surrey.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the new medical school at Leicester will be in operation.

It is expected that it will be ready to admit about 100 pre-clinical students a year by 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish the allocation of moneys to the Derbyshire County Council for replacement of primary schools in respect of the years 1970–71 and 1972–73 in both monetary and percentage terms.

The value of Derbyshire's programme of primary school replacements in 1970–71, when most of the resources are being concen- trated in socially deprived areas, is £0·45 million. The corresponding figure for 1972–73, when resources are being more widely distributed, is £0·15 million. These figures represent 3·8 per cent. and 0·4 per cent. of the national allocation for improving old primary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he proposes to take for rehousing the National Library for Science and Invention.

My noble Friend has this matter under consideration and expects to be able to make a statement in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what replies have been received from the chairmen of area training organisations to her predecessor's request for a review of the content of courses in colleges of education; and if she will place copies or a summary in the Library.

Replies received so far have only indicated the arrangements being made to meet my predecessor's request. Substantive recommendations were requested by next spring but I do not think it would be helpful to give them publicity before they have been considered by the committee which I have set up to inquire into teacher education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average expenditure per primary school pupil in the country as a whole and in the City of Nottingham, respectively.

For 1968–69, the latest available year, £84·25 in England and Wales and £74·78 in Nottingham.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he is aware of the state of dereliction of part of Royal Air Force Sealand, Thirteenth Maintenance Unit, adjacent to the trunk road; what plans he has for this property and buildings; if he will consider its sale to the public; and if he will make a statement.

There is no dereliction on any part of Royal Air Force, Sealand. An adjacent area known as West Camp was sold to a private company in 1968 and is no longer the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether it has now been decided to salvage the carrier "Ark Royal"; and what is the estimated cost.

The position is unchanged since my answer given on 24th July to the hon. Member.—[Vol. 804, c. 243.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the number of

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the number of local recruited uniformed personnel serving in naval shore establishments or ships in the Far East station; what is the current basic rates of pay for these men; and how they compare with the previous three years.

The following table gives the total number of local recruited uniformed personnel serving in naval shore establishments or ships in the Far East station for each of the last four years. These figures include such Goan and Maltese Locally Entered Personnel as were serving in ships on the Far East Station on the dates quoted.civilians employed by his Department's establishments in Scotland; how many have skilled jobs; and what is the total monthly civilian wage bill.

There were about 23,300 civilians employed in defence establishments in Scotland on 1st July, 1970. This figure includes 15,900 industrials, of whom some 3,900 were skilled. The total monthly civilian wages bill is of the order of £2·4 million in the current financial year.

asked the Minister of State for Defence why, in view of the Government's policy of increasing the salaries of the higher paid civil servants by 43 per cent., he will not increase the pay of all ranks in the Services as from 1st January, 1971.

I refer to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 19th November. —[Vol. 806, c. 459.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence in view of the fact that the Government decided many weeks ago that the London Borough of Tower Hamlets should pay the actual costs incurred in using troops for clearing refuse, why it is taking him so long to publish the actual costs; and when these are likely to be published.

A bill of £348 16s. 3d., assessed on extra costs basis, has been presented to the local authority, and payment is awaited.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a progress report on negotiations for a productivity agreement for civilian employees in Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Workshops.

Productivity agreements have already bene negotiated in 10 static workshops of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the United Kingdom. Negotiations are currently in progress at two more static workshops, and proposals for discussion at three other workshops are under examination. Preliminary talks are also taking place at other workshops.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will review the effectiveness and acceptability of the Craftsmen Grade 1 and Grade 2 Scheme as applied in Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Workshops; and whether he will make a statement.

The Craftsmen Grade 1 and 2 Scheme in R.E.M.E. and in all other Government establishments is being superseded following one of the recommendations of the National Board for Prices and Incomes Report No. 146 (Cmnd. 4351).The new scheme of allowances is intended to reflect more closely the levels of special skills, experience, responsibility and working conditions in the industrial Civil Service.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a progress report on inter-Service rationalisation of servicing and maintenance of vehicles and other equipment, with particular reference to naval and army facilities in the Portsmouth area.

Considerable progress has been made in the inter-Service rationalisation of maintenance and repair of various types of equipment. Rationalisation schemes for the maintenance and repair of vehicles have been introduced in various stations at home and overseas in order to achieve economies and to enable the Services to make the best use of each other's workshop facilities. The arrangements in the Portsmouth area are currently under examination.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that in the London area a moving taxi is not regarded as plying for hire when its for hire sign is illuminated, but that this only applies if the cab is on a cab rank or stationary in the street; and if he will take steps to amend the law so that plying for hire includes a cruising taxi when its sign is so illuminated.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the position but is not satisfied that an amendment to the law requiring a taxi cruising with its sign on to stop when hailed would be either enforceable or desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place since 12th November with the Northern Ireland Government about the application of the Government's economic measures; and whether he will now make a statement.

There have been continuing discussions between officials of the Northern Ireland and United Kingdom Governments, and in a statement on Tuesday the Minister of Finance in Northern Ireland announced the conclusions reached so far. Two issues, housing subsidies and industrial incentives, are still being discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many United Kingdom citizens from East Africa have taken up residence in India under the Indian-British agreement of July, 1968; how many of those have subsequently applied to come to the United Kingdom; and how many such applications have been granted.

From 1st August, 1968, to 31st October, 1970, the passports of 5,371 United Kingdom citizens in Kenya who wished to settle in India were endorsed to the effect that they would be admitted to the United Kingdom. The number who travelled to India is not known, but 829 subsequently applied to come to the United Kingdom from India and all these applications were granted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what were the total number of casualties admitted for attention to hospital following injury as the result of accidents due to fireworks upon Guy Fawkes Day, 5th November, 1970; and if he will give corresponding figures for 1969 and 1968.

My right hon. Friend expects to publish the 1970 figures in about two months' time and I will meanwhile send to the hon. Member the information available for 1968 and 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will immediately abolish British Standard Time, in view of the danger to the lives of schoolchildren and others occasioned by traffic light failure on dark mornings as a result of the unexpectedly severe effects of the electricity workers dispute.

No. The electricity workers' dispute is affecting the power supply at both ends of the day and I have no reason to believe that the situation would be improved by an immediate reversion to Greenwich Mean Time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek powers to review decisions on particular cases arrived at by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

My right hon. Friend has no present proposal for an amendment of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in this sense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, to relieve the authorities concerned of the time and costs involved in prosecutions for the offences of not having the necessary vehicle documents, he will instruct the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis to impound vehicles which do not show a current road fund licence and to ensure that these vehicles are not released from the pound until the production of all relevant documents and licences.

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

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, under date of 12th November concerning prisoner 197686; and why it is taking so long to send either an interim or substantive reply.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8th December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research policy is being followed by the Committee on Race Relations under Professor Little's Chairmanship; and what are to be the criteria for evaluating projects initiated or recommended by the Committee.

The Advisory Committee's aim is to survey existing and prospective research and to advise my right hon. Friend about those areas and topics on which additional research, by whatever body is appropriate in the circumstances of each case, could be of practical help in the race relations aspects of public policy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been carried out by his Race Relations Research Committee; what evaluation studies have been undertaken or are being considered; and if any research is contemplated by the Committee in association with the Department of Education and Science into the home-school environment.

This Committee exists to advise my right hon. Friend on the directions in which it considers research is desirable rather than to carry out research projects itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for amending the law in the light of the recent decision of the House of Lords in the case of Singette and others v. Martin.

I have received representations from charitable and sporting organisations which benefit from schemes of the kind which have now been ruled to be unlawful. I recognise the anxieties of such organisations at the loss of a substantial source of income and I am considering as a matter of urgency how far the law should be changed to enable organisations which are not run for private gain to benefit from income from these or similiar sources subject to suitable safeguards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in view of the concern regarding the possible effects of data-banks, if he will seek to expedite the report of the Committee on Privacy.

As I said in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Iremonger) on 29th October, the Committee hopes to submit its report by the end of next year. It would be unrealistic to expect them to do so earlier.—[Vol. 805, c. 170.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last 10 years boys under 17 years of age have been committed to Oxford Prison on remand before being sent to Borstal institutions.

The numbers of boys under 17 held before sentence in Oxford prison and subsequently sentenced to borstal training were 8 in 1968 and 12 in 1969. I regret that the information for earlier years could not be obtained without disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the commodities which may legally be sold in shops after closing time.

The trades and businesses listed in Schedule 2 to the Shops Act, 1950, are exempt from the general closing hours laid down in Section 2 of the Act. Subject to local authority requirements, confectioners and tobacconists may open to a limited extent beyond these hours, and local authorities may exempt shops at holiday resorts for limited periods of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases, during the last convenient 12-month period, there have have been prosecutions of shopkeepers in respect of shop hours offences.