asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities have introduced regulations to control the use of power boats near their beaches; how many prosecutions have been brought against persons contravening these and with what results; and how many local authorities whose areas include coastal regions have not taken any steps to protect bathers who are at risk when power boats are allowed to be used close to beaches.

Sixty-eight local authorities have made byelaws under Section 76 of the Public Health Act, 1961, regulating the use of pleasure boats. I have no information as to the number or outcome of any resulting prosecutions.There are other means, such as local Acts, of dealing with this matter. I cannot say how many local authorities in coastal areas have made use of none.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient period of time, the actual or estimated number of cases reported by the Metropolitan Police and the traffic wardens of vehicles in the Greater London area which were, contrary to the law, seen on the public highway without the display of a current road fund licence.

From 1st January to 31st August, 1971, 187,928.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to restore capital punishment for the murder of policemen, prison warders and murder in pursuit of armed robbery.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions he has given to Metropolitan Police officers to exercise surveillance over the underground Press; what reports he has received from them; and whether he will make a statement.

I have no authority to give instructions to the police on these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what special powers affecting the normal rights of citizens may be exercised by police officers in a search for a person believed to be dangerous.

The police have no special powers in this regard.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to increase the penalties under section 1 (1) of the Firearms Act, 1968, for those convicted of possessing firearms, or ammunition, without a certificate.

My right hon. Friend has it in mind to propose an increase in the penalties for a number of offences under the Firearms Act, 1968, but he sees no reason to think that the existing penalties for the particular offence to which my hon. Friend refers are inadequate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that no demographic map showing the geographical disposition of Catholic and Protestant populations in Northern Ireland is available within his Department except for one dated 1911; and if, in the light of the necessity for informed discussion, he will give orders for an up-to-date map to be prepared and made available in the House of Commons Library.

I have arranged for a map of Northern Ireland to be placed in the Library showing the percentage of the population in each local authority area who were recorded as Roman Catholic in the 1961 Census. The answer to the question about religious faith was not compulsory.The analysis of the answers to this question in the 1971 Census is not yet available.

(1) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the physical condition of Thomas Sinclair and Sheamus Lynch, at present in the hospital wing of Crumlin Road Jail, will be the subject of a report by the Compton Commission;(2) whether the physical condition of Brendan Hannifan, Sheamus Mullin and Michael Murphy, at present in the Crumlin Road Jail, will be the subject of a report by the Compton Commission.

I understand that these men were arrested after 9th August.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will extend the terms of reference of the Compton Commission to include allegations of brutality against the security forces made by or on behalf of men arrested under the Special Powers Act after 9th August, 1971.

I do not think that it would be apropriate to convert the Committee into a standing inquiry of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he was first informed that Sir Edmund Compton was investigating torture and disorientation and brainwashing in Northern Ireland.

I would refer the hon. Member to what I said in answer to Questions on 19th October.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in integrating the computerised records of vehicle owners maintained in the national police and vehicle licensing computers.

There are no proposals for integration. The police national computer will contain a limited amount of information from motor taxation records which is needed by the police in order to prevent and detect crime.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police forces in Great Britain he has permitted to buy foreign vehicles for road patrol duties;(2) what are the criteria by which he judges an application to buy foreign vehicles for police forces in preference to a vehicle of a comparable performance and reliability made by a British car manufacturer.

Police authorities do not require my right hon. Friend's permission to buy foreign cars. As police authority for the Metropolitan Police District, he has authorised the purchase of a few foreign cars for use on special duties outside the ordinary range of police operational work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to extend bankruptcy procedures to those convicted of large thefts.

I hope to take an early opportunity of introducing legislation to provide for an experimental scheme of criminal bankruptcy on the lines recommended by the Advisory Council on the Penal System.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of the members of the parole board who released Arthur Skingle after his record of violence; and whether he will give new guidance to parole boards.

This prisoner was not on parole. He was nearing the end of the 7-year sentence imposed on him in March, 1967, being due for release on 18th October, and was selected for the pre-release employment scheme. Under this scheme, he was temporarily released each day to engage in employment, and was allowed periods of home leave. The authority for his temporary release was Rule 6 of the Prison Rules, 1964. Instructions to prisons now make it clear that men with recent records of serious violence are unsuitable for the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when, on what advice, and on what authority parole was granted to Arthur Skingle.

I would refer my right hon. Friend to the reply I gave today to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Torrington (Mr. Peter Mills).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to publish the Report of the Police Advisory Board Working Party on complaints against the police.

No, but I hope to make a statement on the Working Party's recommendations in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables as to the steps they take to ensure that un licensed aerodromes are not used for illicit purposes.

Chief officers of police are aware that unlicensed aerodromes could be used for criminal purposes and they do all they can to prevent this. Guidance has been given to them on how to deal with suspected illegal landings and departures at such aerodromes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek an interim report from the Franks Committee on the Official Secrets Act, in view of the concern at the delay in the introduction of amending legislation.

I do not consider any purpose would be served by asking for an interim report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what level of traffic the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis will reconsider his present decision not to provide a crossing patrol for children from the Ronald Ross Primary School at Beaumont Road, London, S.W.18.

The Commissioner informs me that traffic density is one of a number of factors which are taken into account. It is therefore difficult to define the point at which an increase in density would call for the matter to be re-opened, but the increase would have to be considerable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards the provision of remand accommodation in the Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Before the end of next year more overnight accommodation for women and girls will be available at Birmingham prison. Following informal discussions with the local planning authorities feasibility studies are being carried out at two sites which might prove suitable for a new purpose-built remand centre.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Commonwealth and other students from overseas who continue their studies in the United Kingdom beyond a period of five years automatically qualify for permanent residence.

Under the present law, a Commonwealth citizen is entitled to register as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies after five years' ordinary residence. He also becomes exempt from deportation after five years' continuous ordinary residence without registration. A foreign national has no such entitlement or exemption. Under the new immigration legislation Commonwealth citizens will be brought into line with foreign nationals unless settled or ordinarily resident here before the provisions come into force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are made available by Metropolitan Police to agents in London of the South African Government's Bureau of State Security; and if he will make a statement.

Liaison between the Metropolitan Police and the South African authorities is limited to criminal matters and the protection of individuals and property.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from chief constables as to what reciprocal facilities exist for training or other purposes between British police forces and the police forces of the Republic of South Africa.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the procedure adopted by the immigration authorities at Southampton on M.V. "Achille Lauro", on 27th August, 1971, when British citizens were not put in a separate queue to aliens, represents Home Office policy for British citizens returning to their own country by ship; and why the procedure at airports is different.

The practice varies according to the circumstances. The aim is to clear all passengers as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to check the rise in the number of crimes of violence.

I am pressing ahead with measures to strengthen the police; and I have in mind a number of proposals for increasing the powers of the courts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the statutory and other obstacles to the disposal of old prisons; and what is being done to remove them.

My right hon. Friend is considering whether Section 38 of the Prison Act, 1952, should be repealed. But the real obstacle is the size of the prison population we have to accommodate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the Chief Constable concerned on the details of the compensation and pension payable to the widow of Superintendent Gerald Richardson, murdered by a gunman in Blackpool.

I understand that the awards by the police authority to Mrs. Richardson have been made at the highest rates permissible under the Police Pensions Regulations. It is, in addition, open to Mrs. Richardson to approach the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will organise an independent investigation into how and why Daniel Burns, a man sentenced to nine years imprisonment, was, whilst serving his sentence in Wakefield Prison Hostel, allowed to purchase a car and a rifle; and what action he proposes to take to tighten up prison discipline in general and in this prison in particular.

The prisoner, who was due for release on 30th August, 1971, secured these articles without the knowledge of prison staff, while temporarily released from custody under the pre-release employment scheme. He has been dealt with by the courts on charges arising out of his possession of the rifle.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will institute an inquiry to ascertain what proportion of the prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons in England were born in the Irish Republic, in the new Commonwealth, and elsewhere outside the United Kingdom, respectively.

Information about the place of birth of prisoners is already recorded on the central prison index. I am having the relevant information extracted, and will write to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the territories outside Europe, with their respective populations, whose citizens have freedom of movement in the countries of the European Economic Community.

The effect of the free movement of labour provisions of the Treaty of Rome is limited to citizens of member countries of the European Economic Community. These include citizens in the four French Overseas Departments—Guadeloupe, Martinque, French Guiana and Reunion—with a total population of just over one million.Association agreements with Greece and Turkey provide that nationals of those countries shall eventually have the benefit of the free movement of labour provisions; but Association agreements with countries outside Europe make no such provision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, in the case of the recent robberies at a Baker Street bank and the Army and Navy Stores, action was not taken more speedily by the Metropolitan Police.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis considers that his officers acted as speedily as possible in the circumstances of the Baker Street case. He is not aware of any complaint in the other case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) under what statutory authority the Metropolitan Police allow security firms to park their vehicles on double and treble yellow banned parking areas outside banks, etc., and to park within a few inches of pedestrian crossings;(2) whether he is aware of the practice of high-ranking police officers of the Metropolitan Police failing to implement the law against security firms, details of which have been supplied to him, these officers awarding contracts to guard police headquarters and obtaining sinecures with the firm on their retirement; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made into the evidence available showing nepotism upon the part of the police.

I do not accept the premises on which the hon. Member's Questions are based.

asked the Secretary for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions over the longest and most convenient stated period of time four policemen with a black maria were called to arrest ratepayers for failing to pay their rates, in the Metropolitan Police district in general and the London Borough of Newham in particular;(2) what is the general rule regarding the Metropolitan Police being used by private landlords and local authorities to enforce payment of rates; and how many police officers are employed on this type of work in the Metropolitan Police area.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, in pursuance of a statutory obligation, has attached 289 officers to magistrates' courts for the purpose, among others, of executing warrants, including warrants for the arrest of rate defaulters. Statistics of the kind sought by the hon. Member are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has agreed to a further increase in the salary of Lord Wigg, the Chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, from £6,900 to £7,200 per annum back dated to 1st July; why the award is retrospective; and whether he will give a list of all salary awards made to Lord Wigg since he was first appointed and the dates when they were made.

This increase, determined by the Levy Board with my right hon. Friend's approval, represents the third and last annual stage in the adjustment of the Chairman's salary in the light of the Report of the National Board for Prices and Incomes "Top Salaries in the

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not introduce the necessary legislation to enable the courts to impose an automatic prison sentence where a fine has not been paid within six months of imposition, unless the person so fined has made an application to, and obtained from, the court an extended period of payment.

Because it is better to leave the enforcement of fines to the discretion of the courts in individual cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost per week of one prisoner at Holloway Prison, London, N.7, and how this compares with the previous five years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the deportation order made against Mr. Mohammudally will render him liable to arrest.

My noble Friend has written to the hon. Member about this case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department Private Sector and Nationalised Industries" issued in 1969. The award has been related to 1st July because that is the date on which each of the two other stages in the increase took effect in previous years. Following is a list of salary awards to the present Chairman:whether he will give details to show to what extent, out of the £5½ million outstanding fines, time for payment had not expired, at any stated period of time.

This information is not at present available, and could not be obtained except by diversion of a disproportionate element of the resources available in justices' clerks' offices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Police Federation with regard to local government and police reorganisation; what reply he has made; what further action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

That existing force areas should be maintained within a regional structure; that I have carefully considered these representations, but think that the boundaries of police areas should continue to coincide with the boundaries of local authority areas; the consequences of the changes in police areas which will be necessary will be worked out, in consultation as appropriate with the police representative organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1965 the Secretary of State has not accepted the recommendation of the Lord Chief Justice with regard to the release of life sentence prisoners convicted of murder or manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility; what, in each case, was the type of homicide committed, and how long each prisoner actually served; and how many of these prisoners have been convicted of further criminal offence since release, and how many of them have been recalled.

There have been five such cases; in each case the crime was murder. The prisoners had served periods of detention of 14¾, 12, 10½—in two cases—and 9¼years. Since release only one has been convicted of any further offence. This did not involve any violence, but the Parole Board recommended his recall and my predecessor accepted the recommendation. But when the Parole Board considered the offender's representations it recommended his immediate release, and he was released as required by law.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the extent of unemployment in Walsall and throughout the West Midlands, he will consider reopening the Bloxwich Employment Exchange.

Facilities in Walsall are shortly to be improved by the opening of a new employment office, in Baynard House, Lichfield Street, which should greatly ease the situation in the exsiting exchange. We do not propose opening an outhouse at Bloxwich, but, should the new employment office fail to provide the expected relief, consideration will be given to an additional benefit office at Aldridge.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest unemployment figures for Birmingham.

At 11th October, the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the Birmingham travel-to-work area was 35,891, including 10,138 who were temporarily stopped.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many foreign workers were asked for by British employers during 1970; and how many during the first half of 1971.

69,510 and 33,060 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what sum his Department paid out in unemployment benefits last year; and what is the amount paid out in 1971 to date in absolute terms and at an annual rate, respectively.

I circulate the figures below.I can tell the right hon. Lady that at annual rates the amount paid in unemployment benefit has increased by approximately £36 million between 1970 and 1971 and from £140 million in 1970 to £176 million in 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the ratio of wholly unemployed to outstanding vacancies in the Wearside area at the latest available date.

At October, 1971 there were in the Wearside area three notified vacancies to every hundred people registered as wholly unemployed. There is no obligation on employers to notify their vacancies to my Department. The vacancy statistics relate only to those vacancies which are notified and remain unfilled on certain dates, and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the newspaper dispute of 18th September; and what part was played in its solution by the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act.

Although the stoppage on 19th September was precipitated by union members holding meetings in working hours, this was in fact a pay dispute. The unions were unable to agree a common approach acceptable to their members. With the help of the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, a common approach was eventually agreed by five of the six unions, and the dispute was settled on 22nd September.None of the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act was in force at the time.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men above 65 years of age are now in full-time employment; and how many are in part-time employment.

At June, 1970, the latest date for which figures are available, there were in Great Britain 449,000 male employees aged 65 yars and over. The statistics do not identify full-time and part-time employees separately.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies there are for employment which have yet to be filled; and if he will tabulate the number of vacancies for each grade of industrial activity making up this total, also indicating in each grade or category the average wage being paid at the present time.

There is no obligation on employers to notify their vacancies to my Department, but at 6th October of those that had been notified, 158,870 remained unfilled in Great Britain. It is too early for an industrial analysis of this provisional figure, but I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT an analysis of the vacancies which were unfilled at 8th September.The latest available industrial analyses of wages and salaries relate to October, 1970 and were published in the February and March, 1971 issues of the Department of Employment Gazette. More up-to-date analyses for April, 1971, de- rived from the New Earnings Survey, will be published shortly.Following is the vacancy information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many local authorities have reduced staffs as a result of the drop in the number of school children taking school meals since these meals were increased in price; what are the location of these local authorities in England and Wales and the numbers of staff rendered unemployed in England and Wales; and what is the number of staff now on short time as a direct result of the increase in school meals.

I regret the information is not available. Both the employment returns from local authorities and the unemployment statistics include, but do not separately identify, the numbers concerned with the provision of school meals. There are no statistics of short-time working for this category of employee.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of school-leavers registered as unemployed in Lanarkshire giving the various exchanges at the latest available date, and the corresponding figures for the previous year.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he will make a statement on the proposals made to Her Majesty's Government by the Confederation of British Industry for dealing with unemployment in the Northern Region; and when action can begin.

My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Trade and Industry had a very useful discussion with the representatives of the Confederation of British Industry on unemployment in the regions. We are giving close consideration to the various ideas put forward, which were concerned with both short-term and longer-term measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have been notified to his Department by employers in Wales between July, 1970, and September, 1971, and, of these, how many have been in the mining, steel and metal manufacture, engineering and chemical industries, respectively. vacancies have been notified to his Department by employers in Wales at the present time, and of these how many are for supervisory and managerial staff, how many for skilled engineering workers, how many for men in total and how many for women.

At 6th October provisional figures show that there were 6,106 notified vacancies remaining unfilled in Wales. Of these, 2,948 were for men, 1,564 for women and 1,594 for boys and girls.A limited analysis of these figures shows that the vacancies for men included 503 in engineering occupations which are generally regarded as skilled. Vacancies for supervisory and managerial staff fall broadly within the group "Other administrative, professional and technical workers" for which figures for October are not available. At 8th September, however, when a more detailed analysis was made, there were 320 vacancies in this classification.The statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the age distribution of unemployed males in Wales in September, 1967, and September, 1971, given in terms of 21 to 30, 31 to 40, 41 to 50, 51 to 60, and 61 to 65 years of age.

Detailed age analyses of the numbers of males registered as wholly unemployed are made in January and July each year, and the following table shows information for age groups similar to those specified for July, 1967 and July 1971:

Not all redundancies are notified to my Department, and it is not the practice to keep records of every minor redundancy. However, our records show that redundancies involving 20,315 people were declared by employers in Wales from July, 1970 to September, 1971 inclusive. Of these redundancies 205 were in mining, 4,746 in engineering, 925 in chemicals and 5,207 in steel and metal manufacture.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the total United Kingdom labour force has the Welsh labour force constituted in each of the years 1945 to 1970, and what proportion of total United Kingdom unemployed has Welsh workers constituted in each of the years 1945 to 1970.

Comparable statistics are not available for the whole of the period 1945 to 1970. The following table shows information on employment from 1951 and on unemployment from 1949:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what number of those Welsh male workers unemployed for more than three months is over 40 years of age; what percentage this is of the total number of such unemployed; and what study he is devoting to the problem of providing employment for this age group. were unemployed in Wales and what percentage of the total Welsh labour force this constituted in November of each year 1945 to 1970.

Comparable statistics are not available for the whole of the period 1945 to 1970, and the following table shows information from November, 1948:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were unemployed in Wales in September, 1971, and September, 1967, respectively; and in each case how many were males, how many were females, and what proportion was wholly unemployed.

Following is the information:

At July, 1971, the latest date for which detailed age analysis is available, 18,250 wholly unemployed males in Wales had ben on the registers for more than 13 weeks. Of these, 11,700 (64·1 per cent.) were 40 years of age and over.This problem is one which is under constant review. Older workers can expect to benefit from the Government's measures to stimulate the economy and from the new training scheme which was introduced for those over 45 in development and intermediate areas earlier this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men were wholly unemployed in each of the Edinburgh and Lothian employment exchange areas in July, August and September, 1971, who last worked in the

Following is the information:construction industry; how many were registered as bricklayers, plumbers and pipe filters, painters, plasterers, slaters, joiners and electricians, respectively; and what were the corresponding figures in 1970.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the total adult male and adult female percentage rates of unemployment in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area in the months of

Rates of unemployment can be calculated for males and

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many boys and girls under 18 years of age were registered as unemployed at careers offices in each of the four major Scottish

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated level of unemployment amongst women; how this compares with the actual level; and what is the percentage level of the total labour force in each case.

On 11th October, 1971, there were 140,400 unemployed females (115,741 women aged 18 and over, and 24,659 girls) registered for employment at employment exchanges and careers offices of the Youth Employment Service. This figure constituted 1.6 per cent, of total female employees. It was obtained by counting all registrants without jobs who were available for work on this date. No methods of estimation were involved.