asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will take urgent steps to find employment in Leicester and other areas for persons suffering as a result of redundancies caused by the Rolls-Royce disaster and its subsequent effect on sub-contractors.

My Department is already taking all possible steps to find employment in Leicester and other areas for those made redundant as a result of the Rolls-Royce failure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what wage and salary increases have been awarded in the car manufacturing industry since June, 1970.

In September, 1970, my Department asked the four major firms for notification of their principal settlements.Following is the information on the settlements notified:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are suffering long-term unemployment in the St. Helens employment exchange area; what is the figure as a percentage of those out of work; how many of them are termed unemployable; whether retraining has begun at the Department's training centre; and if he will make a statement.

At 5th April, 295 persons in the St. Helens Employment Exchange area had been registered as wholly unemployed for 12 months or more. This represents 14·4 per cent. of all those registered as wholly unemployed in the area. No one on the unemployed register is regarded as unemployable, but some may have considerable difficulty in obtaining or retaining employment. Training at the Government Training Centre in St. Helens is expected to start on 17th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of people now registered for employment in the St. Helens employment exchange area; what this figure represents as a percentage of the total employable population; how the latest unemployed returns compare with each of the previous five years; and what steps are being taken to counter the growing trend towards fewer job opportunities in the St. Helens area.

At 5th April, 2,084 persons were registered as unemployed in the St. Helens Employment Exchange area. This represents 3·6 per cent. of all employees in the area. The following table gives the corresponding information for the previous five years. The Government's national and regional policies are designed to secure conditions in which industry can expand.

UNEMPLOYMENT—ST. HELENS EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREA
			Number	Percentage rate
April, 1966	…	…	1,217	2·0
April, 1967	…	…	1,599	2·8
April, 1968	…	…	1,502	2·7
April, 1969	…	…	1,228	2·1
April, 1970	…	…	1,442	2·5

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he can now state when he will be able to make a statement on the future of industrial training.

I have nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leek (Mr. Knox) on 23rd February.—[Vol. 812, c. 117–119.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he proposes to take steps to encourage further the payment of wages by cheque or by credit transfer.

The National Joint Advisory Council's Committee on methods of Payment of Wages which is considering this matter is expected to report later this year. Future policy will be considered in the light of the recommendations of this Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many building industry workpeople were unemployed in Wales at the latest available date; and how this figure compares with that for the previous five years.

There were 9,254 people registered at 5th April as unemployed in Wales who last worked in the construction industry.The comparable figures for the previous five years were:5,247 in 1966; 9,028 in 1967; 8,971 in 1968; 9,215 in 1969 and 8,969 in 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he intends to take following publication of, and arising from, the report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes on low pay.

I welcome the Board's four reports on low pay problems, as a valuable contribution to knowledge on this subject.I shall study them fully, but as they were only published yesterday it is too early to come to any conclusions about what action can be based on them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many fatal or serious accidents have been reported involving the collapse of scaffolding in the last 12 months; and what surveys he has instigated into this problem.

In 1970, the latest period of 12 months for which figures are available, there were 31 reported accidents, of which one was fatal, resulting from 22 scaffolding collapses. These figures include all accidents which caused absence from work for more than three days and so include some relatively minor ones.The Factory Inspectorate is reporting all scaffold collapses that come to its notice, whether or not injury is sustained, in order to keep a close watch on the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total unemployment figure as recorded by his Department's exchange area at Hartlepool; what percentage this represents of the working population; and what are the figures and percentages for men and women, respectively.

At 5th April there were 2,972 people, 2,471 males, 501 females, registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland Employment Exchanges. The percentage rates of unemployment were 7·6 in total, 9·9 for males and 3·5 for females.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young persons between 15 years and 18 years of age are unemployed in Hartlepool; how many of these have been out of work for more than three months; and how many have failed to find work since leaving school.

On 5th April, 1971, 133 boys and 82 girls under the age of 18 were registered as unemployed at the Hartlepool Careers Office. Of these 41 boys and 21 girls had been registered for more than 13 weeks, and six boys and three girls were school leavers still registered for first employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the unemployed in Hartlepool have been out of work for three months, between three months and six months, and more than six months, respectively.

In the area covered by the Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland Employment Exchanges there were, at 5th April, 1,428 wholly unemployed people who had been on the registers for up to 13 weeks, 530 who had been registered for over 13 and up to 26 weeks and 994 who had been registered for more than 26 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons out of work at Hartlepool are between 45 years and 50 years of age, 50 years and 55 years of age, 55 years and 60 years of age, and 60 years and 65 years of age, respectively.

At 11th January, the latest date for which a detailed age analysis is available, there were 2,713 people registered as wholly unemployed in the area covered by the Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland Employment Exchanges. Of these, 229 were aged 45 to 49, 164 were aged 50 to 54 and 161 were aged 55 to 59. There were 227 men aged 60 to 64 but the analysis does not identify separately women in this age range.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many boys and girls are expected to leave school in the North-East of England at the end of the summer term, 1971, and to what extent he expects difficulty in placing them in employment.

It is expected that the number of summer term school leavers will be about the same as last year, 24,000. While it is too early to anticipate their prospects, I am hopeful that, as usual, the vast majority will find work within a few months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number of men unemployed and the number of adult male vacancies notified to the employment exchanges in the North-East of England at the latest convenient date.

At 5th April there were 52,970 men aged 18 and over registered as wholly unemployed in North-East England, and 3,282 notified vacancies for men remained unfilled. The vacancy statistics do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make arrangements to combine the analysis of the length of the current spell of registration and the occupations of the unemployed.

No. Information about duration of unemployment of registrants and about their occupations is collected at separate times in order to spread the workload. It would be too expensive to extend the scope of either analysis to incorporate details of the other.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the workings of the Redundancy Payments Act.

The review I have mentioned previously is still in progress, and for the present I have no statement to make.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the Clauses in the Industrial Relations Bill which provide that a worker who calls a strike because of intolerable working conditions, for which his employers are responsible, will be liable to a heavy fine.

There are no such Clauses.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the provisions of the Industrial Relations Bill which will provide redress for a union member in circumstances where workers are disciplined by their trade union for failing to comply with a strike ordered by their union.

Clause 63(7) of the Bill provides that a union may not take disciplinary action which is unfair or unreasonable and which in particular arises from a member's failure to participate in an unfair industrial practice. A complaint alleging a breach of this provision may be made to the Registrar or to an Industrial Tribunal under Clauses 79 and 103. It is the Government's intention to move in another place an Amendment to apply similar provisions to other unlawful strikes, like political strikes, that are not in furtherance of an industrial dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were made redundant through the collapse of the Vehicle and General Insurance Company Limited.

About 500 persons have so far been made redundant as a result of the collapse of the Vehicle and General Insurance Company Limited.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what machinery he has set up in his Department for monitoring the progress towards equal pay.

My Department already receives details of the larger company settlements and of national industrial agreements covering more than 14 million out of approximately 16 million manual workers, and this information will be used to maintain progress towards equal pay. I do not at present see the need to set up any special additional machinery for the purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, following his decision to initiate action to wind up the Hairdressing and Allied Services Industrial Training Board, he will consult interested parties with a view to preserving Government assistance for training within this sphere.

I do not anticipate that the winding-up of this board will have any significant effect on the scale of Government assistance to the industry. My Department is ready to give any help it can to any initiative that the two sides of industry may choose to make to improve training standards.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will decline to approve the application of the Distributive Industry Training Board for an increase of 80 per cent. in the rate of their levy upon traders, in view of the fact that the present levy rate will yield an increased income to the Board because of the increased wage rates being paid.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Croydon, North-West (Mr. Robert Taylor) on 19th April.—[Vol. 815, c. 350.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have been notified to his Department in the past two months; and if he will indicate the sources of notification, by town or area, whichever is the most administratively convenient.

Information about the numbers of redundancies notified in the past two months is not available for all areas. However, as at 31st March, 1971, the numbers recorded by my Department as due to take effect in February and March, 1971, in each of the Department's regions were as follows:

Region	February	March
Northern	1,250	2,850
Yorkshire and Humberside	2,450	3,700
Eastern and Southern	2,800	3,550
London and South Eastern	4,700	5,200
South Western	1,000	1,700
Wales	1,550	1,200
Midlands	4,550	7,900
North Western	4,450	7,050
Scotland	3,550	6,600

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been lost in the Northern Region since 30th June, 1970, to date as a result of closures and reorganisation; and what estimate he has made of such losses over the next year.

The number of jobs lost in the Northern Region since 30th June, 1970, is not known, but 6,700 redundancies were notified to my Department resulting from closures and re-organisations. I have made no estimate of the numbers of jobs likely to be lost during the next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many wages councils' proposals are waiting to be made into orders; and what is the longest waiting period involved.

Proposals submitted by the following seven Wages Councils have not yet been embodied in wages regulation orders:

Wages Council	Proposals submitted
Rope, Twine and Net	3rd February, 1971
Retail Drapery	6th April, 1971
Retail Bespoke Tailoring (E. & W.)	7th April, 1971
Pin, Hook and Eye	13th April, 1971
Keg and Drum	14th April, 1971
Brush and Broom	16th April, 1971
Licensed Non-Residential Establishment	16th April, 1971

The proposals from the Rope, Twine and Net Wages Council were referred back to the Council for reconsideration because less than a year had elapsed since the submission of the previous proposals. They were resubmitted on 15th April and an order giving them legal effect will be made on 4th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many wages council orders have been made since June, 1970; and what has been the average percentage increase involved, expressed at an annual rate, for both wage rates and earnings.

Forty-three wages regulation orders have been made since June, 1970, of which 38 concerned increases in statutory minimum remuneration. On an annual basis the unweighted average increases in minimum rates for the lowest paid adult workers were 10·3 per cent. for men and 13·4 per cent. for women. No information is available about the likely effect of these orders on earnings.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons registered with his Department at Hartle- pool are receiving training for industry in the Government training centres.

There were 25 on 27th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in full-time employment he estimates are at present earning less than their family's entitlement to supplementary benefits.

My Department has made no estimates of this kind but I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services hopes to provide some estimates of numbers of families shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will recommend the establishment of a Royal Commission to investigate and report on conditions of employment.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of his action taken on the occasion of the last wage award to local government manual workers, he will give an assurance that he will not take any action to interfere with the further wage application for dustmen and other workers covered by the National Joint Industrial Council for Local Authorities' Manual Workers.

No further wage claim for local authority dustmen and other manual workers has been submitted and the Question is accordingly hypothetical.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give the reasons why he has not had discussions with trades unions and others connected with industry on his proposed Code of Industrial Relations Practice; whether he will do this before he publishes his consultative document on the Code; and whether he will make a statement.

Interested parties will have plenty of opportunity to express their views after the draft Code has been published in a few weeks' time. I hope they will take full advantage of this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the Press concerning the possible curtailment of its freedom as a result of recent legislation; and what reply he has sent.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy regarding the clause in the recent Ford pay agreement banning the legal enforcement of the agreement.

It is a matter for the parties to that collective agreement to decide for themselves how they wish it to be enforced.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will classify the redundancies notified to his Department since 1st September, 1970, at Hartlepool in skills and occupations as registered by his Department.

The information required is not readily available and could only be obtained by a disproportionate charge on public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms employing more than 50 persons at Hartlepool have notified his Department of redundancies since 1st September, 1970; what is the total number involved; and how many men included are over 45 years of age.

Between 1st September, 1970, and 27th April, 1971, eight firms employing more than 50 persons in the Hartlepools area notified the Department of redundancies involving 525 employees.Information regarding the number of men aged over 45 years included in this figure is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present number of unemployed workers in the constituency of Ilkeston; what estimate he has made as to the extent to which this level of unemployment is due either to cost inflation or to industrial action in support of wage claims; and if he will make a statement.

At 5th April, 1971, 5,475 persons were registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Ilkeston, Heanor and Alfreton Employment Exchange which is the area nearest equivalent to the Ilkeston constituency for which figures are available. No estimate has been made of the extent to which this level of unemployment is due to cost inflation or industrial action in support of wage claims.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will take steps to set up a research institute to investigate techniques which negate the need for the use of animals in laboratories.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the debate on the Adjournment on 31st March, 1971.—[Vol. 814, c. 1641–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will introduce legislation to give herself power to control and co-ordinate the purchasing policies of local education authorities with a view to ensuring that bulk quantities are purchased wherever possible and that British contractors are given an opportunity of quoting.

No. This is best left to local education authorities, many of which already operate joint purchasing arrangements where these are advantageous. I do not know of any instances where British contractors have not been given the opportunity to quote for educational requirements which they are able to supply.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will issue a circular to local education authorities requesting them to consider minimising their expenditure on imported musical instruments, in particular glockenspiels and xylophones.

No. The provision of equipment for schools is a matter entirely within the discretion of the local education authorities. I am sure that authorities are more than willing to consider suitable instruments of British manufacture when these are available at competitive prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will consider the publication of a leaflet to be distributed to pupils in all schools, explaining entitlement to free school meals.

Free school meals have a prominent place in the major publicity campaign, including 30 million leaflets on welfare and social security benefits, launched by the Government on 14th April. I have had early reports that as a result many more parents are making inquiries of local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the level of provision of nursery school training places in colleges of education; and if she will make a statement.

There has been an encouraging increase in the number of students admitted to courses which include training for work with children of pre-school age, but I would like to see more students taking such courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether her agreement was sought by the Hove Museum, under Section 35 of the Charities Act, 1960, for the proposed sale of some of its exhibits at Sotheby's in May; and whether she will make a statement.

No. This museum is provided by the local authority and my right hon. Friend has no reason to suppose that her approval to the sale is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of persons who are qualified teachers currently employed by English education authorities either in administration or as advisers and inspectors; and if she will express the total number of persons holding such appointments as a proportion of the total number of persons qualified as teachers who are employed in schools on a full-time basis.

This information is not available in the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the amount spent by the West Riding County Council in meeting the costs of travel by pupils between home and school in each of the last three years.

The information is as follows:

Financial Year				Amount (£000)
1967–68	…	…	…	753
1968–69	…	…	…	792
1969–70	…	…	…	844

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of students reading for first degrees in the United Kingdom successfully completed their courses; and what was the comparable figure for each of the member countries of the European Economic Community in the latest year for which figures are available to her from international sources.

13·3 per cent. of undergraduate students in universities in Great Britain who would normally have graduated at the end of the academic year 1965–66 left without having obtained a first degree. Comparable figures for the member countries of the European Economic Community are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is

PUPIL/TEACHER RATIOS IN MAINTAINED SCHOOLS, JANUARY, 1970
County				Primary	Secondary	Primary and Secondary
Bedfordshire	…	…	…	27·1	18·4	23·2
Berkshire	…	…	…	26·7	17·8	22·6
Buckinghamshire	…	…	…	25·8	16·7	21·3
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely	…	…	…	25·6	17·0	21·5
Cheshire	…	…	…	29·1	18·4	24·1
Cornwall	…	…	…	28·6	17·5	22·9
Cumberland	…	…	…	25·3	17·1	21·2
Derbyshire	…	…	…	26·6	17·5	22·3
Devon	…	…	…	25·6	18·5	22·3
Dorset	…	…	…	26·5	18·4	22·5
Durham	…	…	…	27·1	19·7	23·8
Essex	…	…	…	29·6	18·1	23·8
Gloucestershire	…	…	…	27·3	18·2	23·1
Hampshire	…	…	…	27·2	18·4	23·2
Herefordshire	…	…	…	25·3	17·5	21·5
Hertfordshire	…	…	…	26·1	16·2	21·0
Huntingdon and Peterborough	…	…	…	26·3	17·3	22·2
Isle of Wight	…	…	…	27·4	18·6	23·0
Isles of Scilly	…	…	…	15·2	8·2	11·8
Kent	…	…	…	27·5	18·1	23·0
Lancashire	…	…	…	28·8	18·1	23·8
Leicestershire	…	…	…	28·3	18·7	23·6
Lincolnshire—
Holland	…	…	…	26·5	17·4	21·8
Kesteven	…	…	…	26·6	17·8	22·4
Lindsey	…	…	…	26·8	17·7	22·4
Norfolk	…	…	…	24·3	18·7	22·0
Northamptonshire	…	…	…	29·0	18·2	23·9
Northumberland	…	…	…	26·8	19·6	23·5
Nottinghamshire	…	…	…	28·5	18·6	23·8
Oxfordshire	…	…	…	27·8	18·0	23·2
Rutland	…	…	…	25·4	14·9	20·8
Shropshire (Salop)	…	…	…	26·4	17·7	22·3
Somerset	…	…	…	28·1	17·5	22·9
Staffordshire	…	…	…	28·4	17·9	23·4
Suffolk, East	…	…	…	25·6	16·8	21·4
Suffolk, West	…	…	…	24·2	17·7	21·4
Surrey	…	…	…	26·7	17·0	21·9
Sussex, East	…	…	…	26·9	17·6	22·4
Sussex, West	…	…	…	28·4	17·6	22·7
Warwickshire	…	…	…	28·1	18·1	23·3
Westmorland	…	…	…	25·7	16·8	21·3
Wiltshire	…	…	…	27·1	18·0	22·8
Worcestershire	…	…	…	28·5	19·3	24·2
Yorkshire—
East Riding	…	…	…	24·6	18·2	21·7
North Riding	…	…	…	28·1	18·1	23·5
West Riding	…	…	…	27·5	19·2	23·6

NOTES:1. The figures take account of unqualified as well as qualified teachers.2. Differences between areas are to a considerable extent the effect of the quota which allocates teachers according to need, taking account of ages of pupils, sizes of schools and other factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the percentage increases between 1955 and 1967 compared with the latest

Following is the information:available figure in full-time and part-time enrolments in education for Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, United States of America and the United Kingdom, respectively, from information available from international sources.

The following table shows the percentage increases between 1955 and the latest available year (1967) in full-time and part-time enrolments as given in the U.N.E.S.C.O. Statistical Year Book for 1969. First and second level figures include all years of compulsory education:

		First and second level	Third level
Sweden	…	14	334
Denmark	…	6	226
Norway	…	27	304
Switzerland	…	19	125
United States	…	21	159
United Kingdom	…	15	210

The education systems of the various countries have salient differences which can affect the comparability of these figures. Care must be exercised in any use made of them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why she will not cease the present practice whereby her Department keeps under constant review the prices and charges for which she has responsibility and initiate a system of monthly reviews of such prices and charges to enable her to show from month to month to what extent since June, 1970, the Government's policy of reducing prices and costs is operating so far as it affects her Departmental responsibilities; and whether she will make a statement.

I do not think that monthly reviews would be a worthwhile activity.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prohibit the offering for sale or hire of obscene films for exhibition to children of school age.

This is already an offence in certain circumstances. I am considering proposals for extending the relevant provisions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the circumstances surrounding the savaging by guard dogs at the premises in Finsbury, where police intervention was necessary.

On the afternoon of Sunday, 25th April, the police were called to the premises of Messrs. Johnson Belfar and Company, Wharf Road, London, N.1, a timber yard and factory. The police found a four-year-old boy being savaged by two alsatian dogs inside the yard. They forced the gate, drove the dogs off and removed the boy, who was taken to hospital by ambulance. The police subsequently shot the dogs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ensure that all dogs used for security purposes shall be trained to police approved standards, subjected to regular checks by veterinary surgeons, and not used for security purposes other than in the presence of a handler trained to police standards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the growing number of persons and organisations establishing themselves as suppliers of guard dogs, and factory guard dog companies, many with lack of knowledge of handling and caring for these dogs, where deliberate near starvation of the animals is practised to make them ferocious; and whether he will initiate legislation for a system of a special guard dog licensing and registration scheme, under controlled conditions, supervised by his Department and/or the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will take steps to ensure that trained dog-handlers are available on all sites where guard dogs are used for security patrols;(2) if he will consider introducing legislation requiring commercial security organisations using dogs for security patrol to be registered, and subject to the same inspection as the police force, including regular examination of the guard dogs by properly qualified persons.

I should like to express my deep sympathy, and, I am sure, the sympathy of the whole House, for the boy who was injured, and for his family.I am consulting the police and the security industry. I shall consider, in the light of the full report I have called for, what lessons are to be learned from this tragic incident.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the grades of staff employed by the Government in all three districts affected by the Licensing (Abolition of State Management) Bill; what are their rates of pay in all cases; which grades are not covered by a pension scheme; and what are the detailed employee entitlements to holidays and sick leave with pay.

As the answer is lengthy and detailed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I propose to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the practice whereby women awarded maintenance payments by a court following separation or divorce have to go personally to collect the money; and if he will arrange to pay such maintenance through his Department or through the Post Office and collect the same from the payee.

I am reviewing the arrangements for paying maintenance through the magistrates' courts. But I do not have in mind proposals of the kind envisaged in the second part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been prosecuted by the Metropolitan Police for damaging telephone boxes in the London Borough of Wandsworth during the last 12 months; and how many convictions have resulted.

I regret that the way in which the criminal statistics are collected does not enable this information to be provided.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it took him six weeks to reply to the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North relating to his communication dated 10th March regarding vehicle OYT 150F about which he has taken action within his responsibilities; what was the nature of the reply and what information as contained in this reply was not available within a few days of 10th March; and whether he will make a statement.

The hon. Member was informed on 18th March that his inquiry had been referred to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. My reply gave the latest available information. In view of the need to make police inquiries, the time taken to reply to the hon. Member was not unreasonable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why information is not available for the one week ended 9th April, 1971, of the total amount of moneys and valuables stolen in robberies which took place in homes, offices, and banks, and by means of smash and grab raids, and how much of the total proceeds were recovered; and whether he will take the necessary action to keep weekly, monthly or quarterly records of such matters;(2) whether he will take action to ensure that information of the total amounts of moneys and valuables stolen in robberies from homes, offices and banks and by smash and grab raids, and how much of the total of these proceeds of robberies have subsequently been recovered, is collected and made available in the future.

Certain relevant information about the Metropolitan Police District is being supplied to the hon. Member. In general, the classifications in the criminal statistics are based on the legal definitions of offences, not on the circumstances of the offences; and my right hon. Friend is not at present satisfied that the extra staff and expenditure which would be needed to record further information would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give as much information a,; he has available for the longest convenient period of time, about the total amount of moneys and valuables reported to the police as having been stolen in robberies which have taken place in homes, offices and banks, and by means of smash and grab raids; and how much of the total proceeds of these reported robberies has been subsequently recovered.

The only information that is readily available relates to the Metropolitan Police District.Following are the figures.

Year		Estimated value of cash and property stolen in robberies in Metropolitan Police District £ thousands	Estimated value recovered £ thousands
1965	…	2,000	174
1966	…	1,500	242
1967	…	2,200	254
1968	…	2,400	470
1969	…	2,700	317

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why statistics are not available for the longest and most convenient stated period of time up to and including Friday, 26th March, of how much stolen property involving security firms has been recovered, how many arrests have been made and how many of the security firm personnel were subsequently found to be involved with the robberies; and why he will not institute a system of certification of this type of security firm.

Because the value of these statistics would not match the effort of providing them; and because my right hon. Friend is not satisfied that a system of certification would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in order to relieve the police of work connected with robberies affecting security vans, why he will not request the police in the Metropolis to advise security firms to introduce a system of combination locks on their vans with the number known only to the sender, not to be divulged until the vehicle has arrived at its destination, and then only by telephone to an appointed person.

Because my right hon. Friend is not satisfied that a system of this kind would improve security.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not take action to review the pay of police officers in general, and those earning above £42 per week in particular, in view of the depreciation in their take home pay of social security payment increases since their last wage award.

Because the higher rates of national insurance contribution, when they are payable, will be of general application and because, anyway, the review of police pay is a matter for the Police Council in the first instance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in view of the fact that the new rates of pay for police were effective from 1st September, 1970, it took until the end of March for the Police Council agreement to dispense with age points in the pay scales; and whether he will ensure that such delays do not occur in the future.

Discussions in the Police Council were protracted, not because of the principle of dispensing with age-pointing, but because on the main issues of the claim a wide gap between the two sides had to be bridged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not cease the present practice whereby his Department keeps under constant review the prices and charges for which he has responsibility and initiate a system of monthly reviews of such prices and charges to enable him to show from month to month to what extent since June, 1970, the Government's policy of reducing prices and costs is operating so far as it affects his departmental responsibilities; and whether he will make a statement.

Monthly reviews would be inappropriate. The miscellaneous fees and charges with which my Department is concerned are not subject to rapid fluctuation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek to amend the classification of industrial training boards as educational charities and thereby relieve ratepayers of the obligation to subsidise the boards by the 50 per cent. mandatory relief on the premises which they occupy.

I shall be examining the question of rate relief to charities, including educational establishments such as industrial training boards, in the current review of local government finance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the annual tonnage of brine effluent that will be discharged to the sea from the Ipswich desalting project on the assumption that the plant produces a million gallons of fresh water a day.

About 1·6 million tons containing salt at a concentration of about 7 per cent. This compares with the present estimated annual flow in the estuary of 36,500 million tons containing salt at a concentration of about 3·5 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many low-paid workers have claimed and received rate rebates during each month since this benefit was introduced, and what proportion of these figures are estimated to be eligible.

Totals of householders who receive rate rebates in each six-monthly rebate period are published annually in "Rate Rebates in England and Wales", copies of which are available in the Library. I cannot say how many are low-paid workers, but about 80 per cent. of recipients are retired. Statistics are not kept of those who have claimed rebate but have been found not to be eligible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the findings of his Department's latest River Pollution Survey.

I hope to publish a full report by the end of this year. There is still much information to be processed but it is being dealt with as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average purchase price of a three-bedroomed and semi-detached house in the Greater London area in June, 1970; and how this compares with the average price in October, 1964.

This information is not available. Available information on house purchase prices is given in "Housing Statistics—Great Britain" published quarterly, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average cost of building a council house in the Greater London area in June, 1970; and how this compares with the average cost in October, 1964.

Available statistics do not enable a direct comparison to be made. The information which is available will be found in the Department's quarterly publication "Housing Statistics—Great Britain."

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take to ensure that public authorities properly pre-plan jobs which they let on firm price tenders, that they accept tenders quickly and that they pay their accounts promptly; and what machinery is available to him to supervise public authorities in this regard.

All Government Departments and local authorities have in the past six months been reminded of the special importance of observing the prerequisites of the firm price tendering policy. I have no means of supervising these aspects of the tendering practices of public authorities; but I trust that they will give due weight to the guidance they have been given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new town tenants have expressed an interest in buying their houses; and how many firm offers of sale have been made, in each of the new towns in England and Wales, respectively.

The numbers concerned, following the start of the new arrangements in October, are as follows:

Town	Tenants interested in purchasing houses they occupy	Number of firm offers made
ENGLAND
Aycliffe	210	210
Basildon	4,233	1,550
Bracknell	598	195
Central Lancashire	Nil	Nil
Corby	73	73
Crawley	2,156	603
Harlow	1,440	540
Hatfield	304	48
Hemel Hempstead	760	129
Milton Keynes	Nil	Nil
Northampton	Nil	Nil
Peterborough	Nil	Nil
Peterlee	80	80
Redditch	25	Nil
Runcorn	26	Nil
Skelmersdale	112	108
Stevenage	1,750	740
Telford	6	Nil
Warrington	Nil	Nil
Washington	26	26
Welwyn Garden City	504	98
TOTAL—ENGLAND	12,303	4,400
WALES
Cwmbran	80	Nil
Newtown	Nil	Nil
TOTAL—WALES	80	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the progress of the Committee on Construction Statistics; and when it is expected to provide a report designed to reduce the number of man hours spent by contractors in filling up Government forms.

The Standing Consultative Committee on Statistics of the National Consultative Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industries has the task of keeping under review matters concerning the collection, interpretation and presentation of construction statistics. At its next meeting at the end of May it will discuss reports of two working groups on measurement of construction output and on output price indices. The Committee will also receive a progress report on the detailed work being undertaken in an attempt to improve the design of the forms sent by my Department to the construction industry and to reduce their number.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will obtain from the local authorities concerned details of the rent and rates charged for one, two, and three-bedroomed council houses on 18th June, 1970, and at the latest convenient stated date and publish these details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

No. Housing authorities already make annual returns of rents charged for dwellings of various types and sizes to the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants. Their latest figures are in "Housing Rent Statistics (England and Wales) as at 31st March, 1970", available in the Library.No analysis is available of rates payable on council houses by number of bedrooms and I do not propose to incur the considerable expense, to the authorities and to the Exchequer, of making one.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage home ownership.

The removal of the monetary ceiling on local authority lending to the priority classes which I announced on 24th March should make a substantial contribution to the expansion of home ownership; the increase in the S.A.Y.E. limit assist the inflow of funds to the building societies; the abolition of stamp duty on mortgages will mean some reduction in the initial outlay on house purchase; and other measures announced in the Budget statement and the recent cut in Bank Rate should encourage recovery in the house-building industry to the benefit of prospective house purchasers. I am considering certain other matters but am not yet in a position to make a statement about them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will issue a circular to local authorities urging that home loans be given as a priority to those of their existing tenants wishing to buy council houses.

I am sure local authorities are well aware of the importance I attach to promoting the sale of council houses to sitting tenants, but they do not lend money for this purpose, as the purchaser can simply pay them over a period for the house itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to give assistance to housing associations.

Housing Associations are already eligible for the same kinds of Exchequer assistance as local authorities if they operate under approved arrangements with local authorities, while a co-ownership housing society may receive the option mortgage subsidy collectively. Their position will of course be examined as part of the reform of local authority finance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the latest total of unemployment in the building industry; and if he will take emergency measures to increase the number of houses started.

At 8th March, 1971, the total number of persons in Great Britain who were unemployed and were last employed in the construction industry was 129,275. The Government have already announced a number of measures which will encourage the recovery of the construction industry, including house-building.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the discussions which he has had with the London Borough of Hackney concerning general improvement areas in the Borough.

Not while discussions with the local authority are still proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his proposals for alleviating homelessness in the London Borough of Hackney.

The Department is continually in touch with the London Borough of Hackney on all aspects of the housing shortage, and the means of dealing with them. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services, has set up a working party, on which my Department and the London Boroughs are represented, to consider other aspects of homelessness.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his discussions with the London Borough of Hackney concerning the non-availability of four-bedroom and five-bedroom dwellings for families with high priority on the housing waiting list in the London Borough of Hackney, and as to the action which is to be taken to remedy the position.

Not while my general discussions with the council are still proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the London Borough of Hackney concerning the classifying of land which had been earmarked for municipal development by the council.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply given to him earlier today in answer to a similar Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he has refused to take steps to collect information within his Department on the numbers of families at present on housing waiting lists of local authorities in England and Wales, in view of the fact that such figures are being collected for Scotland.

It has been the practice under successive Governments not to collect these figures mainly because waiting lists are not an accurate measure of housing need.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has considered the comments of the London Transport Executive made at the Greater London Development Plan inquiry with regard to the need for special priority in local authority housing to be given to transport and other public service staff on shift work; and if he will make a statement as to the Government's policies on this subject.

The allocation of local authority dwellings is entirely a matter for the local authority concerned. I understand that the G.L.C. is discussing this particular problem with the London Transport Executive.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware of the low level of response in the private sector of the construction industry to the metrication programme; and what action he proposes to take.

Yes; according to statistics published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the value of private sector metric projects which had reached the production drawings stage by the end of September, 1970, totalled £129 million, representing 11·5 per cent. of the private sector's total design workload as compared with a public sector figure of more than 60 per cent.The latest statistics, however, reveal a significant increase in the fourth quar- ter of 1970, during which private sector metric projects to the value of £49 million, or 17 per cent. of the total, reached the design stage.Action is primarily a matter for the professional institutions but my National Consultative Council's Working Party on Metrication is considering means of helping them with their task.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware of the concern of contractors at the present firm-price contracts policy and whether he will take action to allay it.

I informed the National Consultative Council of the Building and Civil Engineering Industries on 17th March, 1971, that I could not meet the industry's request for a relaxation of the Government's firm-price tendering policy.I have, however, promised to reconsider the situation if an improvement in economic conditions is unduly delayed.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many starts were made on houses in the private sector in Wales in the past six months; and how this compares with the figures for the past six years.

In the six-month period September, 1970, to February, 1971, work was started on 3,867 new dwellings in the private sector in Wales: the figures for the corresponding periods in earlier years were:

1964–65	…	…	…	5,363
1965–66	…	…	…	4,297
1966–67	…	…	…	3,395
1967–68	…	…	…	4,748
1968–69	…	…	…	4,157
1969–70	…	…	…	3,951

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of primary schools in Wales were built before 1903.

About 42 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales in view of the report of the Coastal Anti-Pollution League, details of which have been sent to him, dropping a number of Welsh beaches from their list of golden beaches, whether he is satisfied with the condition of the remainder of the beaches of Wales from the health standpoint; and what steps he is taking to limit additional building and occupation around these areas which would place an increased strain on existing sewage disposal systems.

Local authorities are responsible for public health, and I have no evidence that any beaches in Wales are unsatisfactory from a health standpoint. Local planning authorities, when considering applications for further development, have regard to the adequacy of the existing and planned sewage disposal facilities. I shall be writing further to the right hon. Gentleman about this in reply to the letter he has sent me on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many starts were made in Wales on new council houses in the past six months; and how this compares with the figures for the past six years.

In the six-month period September, 1970, to February, 1971, work was started on 2,798 new council houses in Wales: the figures for the corresponding periods in earlier years were:

1964–65	…	…	…	4,770
1965–66	…	…	…	5,347
1966–67	…	…	…	4,126
1967–68	…	…	…	3,122
1968–69	…	…	…	2,867
1969–70	…	…	…	2,650

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what financial measures he intends to make available for the provision of bilingual nursery schools in Wales during the next two years.

Resources are not yet available for a general expansion of nursery education. My first priority is the improvement of old and inadequate primary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the cost of the Report on the Dee Estuary Scheme Phase Ha by Binnie and Partners; how much was borne by the local authorities and the Government, respectively; what were the criteria by which Binnie and Partners was selected to make its report; and what was the length of time taken between commissioning and publishing the report.

The estimated cost of the Phase IIa studies is £390,000; 25 per cent. will be borne jointly by the Flintshire and Cheshire County Councils and the Dee and Clwyd River Authority and 75 per cent. by central Government; the studies were a continuation from Phase I—the feasibility study—for which Messrs. Binnie and Partners was appointed in 1966, following interviews with consultants having relevant experience in this field of research; work on Phase Ha has taken a little over three years to publication of the Report.

asked the Attorney-General having regard to the specific complaint by Dr. Eichoff, M.D., child psychiatrist at the Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, supported by 100 letters from adults in all parts of Great Britain, all submitted to him by the hon. Member for South Worcestershire, in connection with the film Growing Up, whether he will cause the Director of Public Prosecutions to view the film for the purpose of instituting proceedings on grounds of obscenity and pornography.

I have asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether there is evidence that a criminal offence has been committed.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a Ministerial broadcast on 18th June, 1971 to explain the Government's achievements since June, 1970 in cutting prices, reducing the cost of living, improving the purchasing value of the £ sterling, reducing unemployment, reducing the number of civil servants and Government expenditure, and reducing industrial disputes; and whether he will, during such programme, give official facts and figures to show to what extent the Government's policy is succeeding.

I will bear in mind the suggestion of a broadcast on 18th June. If I did so, I should be able to describe the rapidly accelerating inflation which we inherited from our predecessors, and the substantial progress made by the Government towards restoring a soundly-based economy.

asked the Prime Minister what plans he has to make an official visit to Jarrow.

I have a present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Her Majesty's Consulate in Los Angeles.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the public speech which he made in Glasgow on Friday, 26th March at the Glasgow 1980 Exhibition concerning the economic problems of Scotland.