asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will seek to take immediate steps to relieve the burden of taxation on working widows who have young children to support.

The special claims of taxpayers with responsibility for the care of young children are recognised by the additional personal allowance of £100 which is given in addition to any child allowances.

LONG-TERM LOANS MADE BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE UNITED KINGDOM
Total outstanding at 31st December, 1971: U.S. $3,915 million or £1,502 million at the middle rate of exchange £1 = U.S. $2·6057.
Loans				Amount borrowed U.S. $ million	Rate of Interest Per cent.
First World War:
U.S. Government Loan	…	…	…	4,213	4¼, 3 or 3½*
Marketable securities	…	…	…	583	Various
American Loan	…	…	…	250	5
Second World War and later:
Reconstruction Finance Corporation Loan	…	…	…	390	3
Line of Credit	…	…	…	3,750	2
Lend-Lease	…	…	…	622	2
Economic Co-operation Administration	…	…	…	337	2½
Mutual Security Agency	…	…	…	48	2½
Export-Import Bank Line of Credit—1957	…	…	…	250	4
Export-Import Bank Lines of Credit (military aircraft)			…	800	4¾ or 6†
* 4¼ per cent. until 14th December, 1922, 3 per cent. from 15th December, 1922 to 15th December, 1932, and 3½ per cent. thereafter.
† 4¾ per cent. on drawings made up to 30th June, 1968 and 6 per cent. on drawings made thereafter.

LONG-TERM LOANS MADE BY CANADA TO THE UNITED KINGDOM
Total outstanding at 31st December, 1971: Can. $895 million, or £345 million.
Loans						Amount borrowed Can. $ million	Rate of Interest Per cent.
First World War:
Canada Government loan	…	…	…	…	…	181·5	4¼, 3 or 3½
Second World War:
Line of Credit	…	…	…	…	…	1,185	2

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will include, in his next Budget, provisions to enable Football League clubs to obtain tax relief on capital expenditure incurred in providing improvements to their grounds.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion but I am sure that he will not expect me to anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table of figures giving the amount of money owed to America by Great Britain at the latest convenient stated date, the amount of the principal and interest borrowed during the First World War and the loans and credits during and since the Second World War

Following are the figures:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the quantity of tobacco consumed in the year preceding the report of the Royal College of Physicians and the quantity consumed in the subsequent year according to Customs and Excise records.

In the nine months February to October, 1971 (the latest date up to which figures are available), the net quantity of tobacco which paid duty was 164·2 million pounds: this compares with 173·5 million pounds in the corresponding period in 1970.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the tax changes on nonprofit-making companies he is proposing to introduce arising from the proposals made by the hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Northwich (Sir J. Foster) in his Report on Scientology.

I am not convinced that the law needs to be changed, but the matter will be kept under review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average amount per annum of mortgage interest relief to owner-occupiers of houses and dwellings in Wales.

The aggregate tax relief for mortgage interest to owner-occupiers of dwellings in Wales is estimated at about £9 million for 1970–71. The average amount of relief is not known.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the yield of duties and taxes on hydrocarbon oils during the financial year 1972–73, assuming no change in present rates.

An estimate will be included in the Financial Statement on Budget Day.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of total personal wealth is represented by land, other real property, shares, works of art and jewellery, respectively.

The latest estimates available are based on the estate duty statistics for 1969 and they show that 3 per cent. of total personal wealth is held as land, another 27 per cent. as building with land attached (which include owner-occupied houses) and 22 per cent. as stocks and shares (including shares in property companies). No estimates are available for works of art or jewellery but the proportions must be small. Full details are given in Inland Revenue Statistics 1971, table 129.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what study has been made into net saving to the Treasury if individuals were allowed income tax deduction for all private education fees.

Proposals for saving in Government spending are constantly under review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider reducing the level of estate duty in real terms to the level applying in 1949.

I have noted my hon. Friend's proposal to reduce the level of estate duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the annual yield from estate duty in each financial year since 1949–50.

The net receipts of estate duty for Great Britain were as follows:

	£ million
1949–50	166·3
1950–51	174·2
1951–52	176·3
1952–53	150·6
1953–54	160·1
1954–55	186·6
1955–56	174·4
1956–57	167·2
1957–58	171·4
1958–59	186·7
1959–60	226·2
1960–61	235·9
1961–62	261·1
1962–63	270·4
1963–64	312·4
1964–65	296·5
1965–66	292·9
1966–67	300·9
1967–68	329·9
1968–69	381·9
1969–70	364·8
1970–71	356·6

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library, as soon as they are available, samples of the forms which retailers will have to complete on the introduction of value-added tax.

Yes, when the actual format of each has been decided.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give an assurance that when the proposed value-added tax is introduced no goods will be presented to the public bearing both value-added tax and purchase tax;(2) if he will give an assurance that the form and scope of value-added tax will be known well enough in advance of its introduction to ensure that manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers do not, out of fear of double taxation on goods, rundown stocks and thereby create shortages and further unemployment.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stirling and Falkirk Burghs (Mr. Ewing) on 24th January.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an assurance that discussions between trade and professional organisations and Customs and Excise on value-added tax are intended to lead to a long enough period of preparation, and a suitable date of introduction of the tax, to ensure that firms, large and small, are properly prepared for the operation of the tax.

The timetable for the introduction of value-added tax has been arranged with this in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, when value-added tax is introduced, there will be any relief in cases of bad debt.

Representations have been made about this and they are being carefully studied, but my right hon. Friend is not yet ready to announce a decision.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in cases of goods passing from one company to another within a group, these transactions will be zero rated for value-added tax purposes.

I will bear the hon. Member's point in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether special arrangements will be made when value-added tax is introduced in cases of long-term contracts in the forward costing of which the impact of value-added tax was unknown.

I will bear the hon. Member's point in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, when value-added tax is introduced, there will be clear definitions of what is taxable and what is not taxable, so as to ensure, for example, what constitutes a book on which tax may not be chargeable and what constitutes an advertising brochure on which tax may be chargeable.

I will bear the hon. Member's point in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has completed his consideration of the abolition of the 25 per cent. surrender provision operative in the premium dollar currency system, in the light of the change of circumstances since this provision was originally imposed, and the prospect of British entry into the European Economic Community.

The 25 per cent. surrender scheme is kept under continuous review, but I have no change to announce at the present.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the amount of revenue received by the Treasury on all forms of betting, gambling and gaming taxes, and to what extent greyhound racing has contributed to these returns.

The following are the figures:

£ million
Financial Year	Total betting and gaming duty receipts	Receipts of betting duty from dog totes	Receipts of betting duty from on-course bookmakers at dog tracks (estimated)
1967–8	67·9	1·8	1·9
1968–9	99·7	3·3	2·8
1969–70	119·0	3·1	2·5
1970–71	130·4	3·0	2·5

Information is not available on the receipts of betting duty from off-course betting on dog racing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what percentage of the population leave less than £1,000 on death;(2) what percentage of the population leave more than £10,000 on death;(3) what percentage of the population leave more than £100,000 on death.

It is estimated, on the basis of the estate duty statistics, that of the people who died in 1969 65 per cent. left less than £1,000, 6 per cent. more than £10,000 and about ¼ per cent. more than £100,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in order to obtain greater funds for spending on the social services, housing and education, he will increase corporation tax to the levels applicable in Japan, the United States of America and Canada.

No. This would discourage investment and so hamper efforts to reduce unemployment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants were employed in the Enquiry Branch of the Inland Revenue in the year 1971–72; how much tax was collected in the year 1971–72 as a result of cases handled by this branch; and what were the total emoluments paid to members of the branch.

At 31st December, 1971, there were 138 staff in the Enquiry Branch. The settlements made by the branch in the nine months to 31st December, 1971, were for a total of £5,061,927 of which £3,415,288 was tax. The total emoluments of Enquiry Branch staff for the year ending on 31st March, 1972, will be about £500,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants are currently employed in connection with selective employment tax.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to my reply to the right hon. Member for Stepney (Mr. Shore) on 1st December, 1971.—[Vol. 827, c. 120.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the revenue deriving from selective employment tax in the 14 months from April, 1972 to May, 1973, inclusive; and if, in view of the need further to stimulate consumption and reduce unemployment, he will now seek to bring forward the abolition of selective employment tax to 1st April, 1972.

The net yield of S.E.T. in the 12 months of 1972–73 is estimated at £250 million. In the 2 months April and May, 1973, no S.E.T. will be collected but about £50 million will be refunded.As regards the second part of the Question, my hon. Friend will not expect me to anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of the silver, copper and other metals recovered from the switch to decimal coins in 1971.

At current market prices, the value to the Royal Mint of the metal in the pennies, threepenny pieces and sixpences withdrawn since D-Day which is being recovered is roughly £10 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates to be the cost of allowing as a tax deductible allowance the cost of travel to work.

No reliable estimate is possible; but the cost could well exceed £200 million, and the administrative problem would be formidable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to extend the agreement reached between the Custom and Excise Authorities and a goldsmith and silversmith group to other retailers to avoid double taxation by purchase tax and value-added tax, by a switch to consignment taxation.

Consignment and similar methods of trading operated between manufacturers or wholesalers and retailers may in certain circumstances defer the supplier's liability to account for purchase tax until retail sale. The tax position is explained in Customs and Excise Notice No. 77 (paragraphs 28 and 42(b)(v)) which is issued to every trader registered for purchase tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the prospects for world trade.

The prospects are good.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will introduce a differential tax between on-course and off-course betting, in order to prevent loss of revenue caused by closures of greyhound tracks and to enable totalisator operators on racetracks and bookmakers on tracks to pay 5 per cent. less in betting and gambling taxes to those who operate off the track.

A differential rate of duty already operates in favour of on-course bookmakers who pay duty at the rate of 5 per cent. as against the 6 per cent. which is charged on off-course bets. Any question of an alteration in either rate of duty would, of course, be a Budget matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a comparison of the largest private companies and the major nationalised industries in terms of profit per employee.

Figures for average profit per employee which ignore the capital employed in, and the nature and scale of, different undertakings could be very misleading; it would require a disproportionate amount of time and effort to produce a meaningful comparison on this basis.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of per- sonal incomes is estimated to be taken in the present quarter by tax and insurance contributions; and what were the equivalent percentages in each quarter in the last three years.

Following is the reply:

TAXES ON INCOME AND NATIONAL INSURANCE, ETC CONTRIBUTIONS AS A PERCENTAGE OF PERSONAL INCOME
	Taxes on income	National insurance etc. contributions	Total
1969
1st quarter	13·1	5·8	18·9
2nd quarter	13·3	5·8	19·1
3rd quarter	13·6	5·7	19·3
4th quarter	13·8	5·9	19·7
1970
1st quarter	13·8	6·2	20·1
2nd quarter	14·2	6·2	20·5
3rd quarter	14·0	6·3	20·3
4th quarter	14·1	6·2	20·2
1971
1st quarter	14·4	5·7	20·1
2nd quarter	14·1	6·2	20·3
3rd quarter	13·9	6·0	19·9

The figures are based on the definitions of personal income, tax and contributions used in the National Accounts and are seasonally adjusted.Estimates for the fourth quarter of 1971 and the first quarter of 1972 are not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how is the £132 million repayment of post-war credits estimated to be distributed between those with incomes below £1,000 per year, £1,000–£2,000 per year, £2,000–£5,000 per year, and over £5,000 per year, respectively.

Information on which to base an estimate is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of special grants to nationalised industries so far agreed to enable them to observe the five per cent. ceiling on price increases; and what estimate he has made of the total cost of such grants, agreed and to be agreed, during 1972.

The only grants so far approved in this connection are those for the British Railways Board and the National Bus Company announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport Industries on 22nd December. I cannot anticipate how other cases will be treated.—[Vol. 828, c. 355–366.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gold and foreign exchange reserves was held in dollars on 15th August, 1971; and what was the consequential loss in the sterling value of the reserves resulting from devaluation of the dollar.

We do not publish the component parts of the reserves except for the last day of the month, quarterly in arrears. Nor is the foreign currency component broken down into individual currencies. We intend to keep to this policy.The difference between the sterling value of the total reserves at the end of December, 1971, calculated at the present middle rate rather than $2·40, was £146 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Community Court of Justice has ruled that Article 16 of the Rome Treaty which prohibits the levying of all export taxes must apply to the export of works of art by individuals as well as by companies; and to what extent this will bar the Treasury from imposing an export tax on British works of art on this country's entry into the European Economic Community.

Successive British Governments have relied on non-fiscal measures to control the export of works of art and Article 36 of the Treaty of Rome explicitly allows for measures other than taxes to protect

"national treasures possessing artistic, historic or archaeological value".

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the introduction of metrication and the adoption of all the changes in weights, measures, and units of measurement which Great Britain will have to adopt on entry into the European Economic Community was included in the overall estimate of the cost of entry into the European Economic Community, as published by Her Majesty's Government in the White Paper.

The estimates of the cost of entry in Cmnd. 4715 did not include the costs referred to by the hon. Member since British industry's commitment to the use of metric units is not derived from or dependent upon membership of the Community. The costs and benefits of metrication will be dealt with in the forthcoming White Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he remains satisfied with the steps so far taken by the Government to publicise the new attendance allowance for the severely disabled; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Already about 60,000 people have been awarded the allowance, substantially more than the 50,000 whom we expected to qualify, and over 30,000 further claims are being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will establish a committee of inquiry into the problem of loneliness amongst the old and the disabled.

This matter will be within the scope of the new Personal Social Services Council which is to be set up shortly, and I will see that the hon. Member's suggestion is brought to its attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the extra cost incurred in employing 1,415 agency nurses in London teaching hospitals for the month of November over the sum required for National Health Service nurses.

An estimate is not possible as the charges of different agencies vary and National Health Service nurses are paid on a scale and not a flat rate. But in many cases there is little difference in cost between agency and directly-employed National Health Service nurses of similar grade when account is taken of the paid sick leave, holiday and superannuation provisions for the latter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of patients per family doctor in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region for each of the past four years; what were the national figures over the same period; and what steps are being taken to improve the present position.

The figures are as follows:

Year	Yorkshire and Humberside Region	England
1968	2,587	2,493
1969	2,560	2,495
1970	2,549	2,478
1971 (provisional)	2,536	2,460

There is a gradual improvement, both in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region and nationally. Special allowances are payable to doctors in areas with high average lists, and from 1st April, 1970, the allowance was substantially increased for those areas with the highest average lists.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services taking the value of retirement pensions for single persons and married couples, respectively, as 100 in November, 1969, what is the value in each case at the latest available date.

101·3 and 101·1, respectively, based on the movement in the General Index of Retail Prices from November, 1969, to December, 1971. For pensioners over age 80 the figures are 105·6 and 106·3, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the research projects into methods of contraception for both men and women sponsored by his Department; where these are being carried out; and when he expects to receive the results of each project.

Research into methods of contraception is a matter for the Medical Research Council which has a programme of work in this field.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate the total cost of the research projects into contraception currently being sponsored by his Department.

£34,000 for work related to the provision of family planning services sponsored directly by the Department. In addition a survey is being carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys at a cost of £51,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the 10,659 qualified midwives engaged at National Health Service hospitals in 1971 were men and how many were women.

All were women. Under the provisions of the Midwives Act, 1951, men cannot become certified midwives.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of abandoned, or rarely visited, children in hospitals; what advice he has now given to hospital and local authorities on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Surveys by my Department in 1969 and 1970 suggest that the number of children at present in hospital who have not been visited by relatives for three months or more is about 2,000; a number will receive regular visits from voluntary and local authority workers. The circular to which my right hon. Friend referred in his reply to the hon. Member on 22nd December, 1971, has now been published and I am sending a copy of it to him.—[Vol. 828, c. 389–90.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many geriatric patients in hospitals of the Cornwall Hospital Management Committee area could be classified as abandoned as at 31st December, 1971, or the most recent date.

Information in this form is not available. It was estimated on 12th January, 1972, that about 20 patients in geriatric beds in the area had no known relatives or friends.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the bed/day total of bed occupation in hospitals of the Cornwall Hospital Management Committee area in each of the months of March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October, 1971, in respect of patients normally resident in the County of Cornwall; and what was the bed/day occupation over each of the same months in respect of non-Cornish residents.

Information in the form requested is not available. During the period 1st March to 31st October, 1971, there were 25,452 patients discharged from hospitals in this area and of these 1,453 were not normally resident in Cornwall.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average age of patients in 1971 in 1 to 6-day, 7 to 13-day, and in excess of 14-day stays in hospitals of the Cornwall Hospital Management Committee area for 1971.

The information is as follows:

	Length of Stay in 1971
	1–6 days	7–13 days	in excess of 14 days
Average age of patients in
1971	31	44	58

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he is taking to deal with the incidence of sub-acute myelo-optic neuropathy and its possible cause by Clioquinol and the inclusion of this ingredient in a commonly used diarrhoea mixture.

I am aware of reports which suggest that a serious outbreak of sub-acute myelo-optic neuropathy in Japan may possibly be associated with the use of Clioquinol. I do not know of any incidence in the United Kingdom, but the Committee on Safety of Medicines has the matter under consideration and we are awaiting its advice.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many consultants in teaching hospitals in London are engaged in cancer research.

My information is that some 300 consultants in the London teaching hospitals are contributing to cancer research either directly or by publishing the results of their treatment of patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the fall in National Health Service work by dentists since the increase in charges.

It is still too early to reach final conclusions as to the effect of the new system of charges; but the number of estimates scheduled for payment during the first nine months following the introduction of the new system was 8 per cent. higher than in the corresponding period in the previous year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish and display in public places a list of dentists in each National Health Executive Council area who are prepared to undertake work under the National Health Service.

Lists of dental practitioners who are prepared to provide general dental services are available for inspection at the offices of executive councils, most main post offices and some, public libraries. Practitioners whose names appear in these lists, are not, however, obliged to accept any particular patient for treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many dentists are permitted, under the regulations, to practise in Great Britain; and how many have indicated to his Department that they will be unwilling to undertake National Health Service work.

At 1st January, 1971, 17,598 registered dentists were legally entitled to practice their profession in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the scale of reimbursement paid by his Department to dentists for undertaking various work under the National Health Service.

The scale of fees currently payable to dentists for the various items of treatment provided under the general dental services are set out in the National Health Service (General Dental Services) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations, 1970 (Statutory Instrument No. 1970/1329). These fees are designed to provide general dental practitioners on average with the agreed target net income and to reimburse practice expenses.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total amount paid by his Department to dentists for undertaking National Health Service work in each of the financial years 1961 to 1971.

Fees paid to dentists for the provision of general dental services in England and Wales were as follows:

	Payments by Executive Councils £ million	Gross Fees received including Patient's Charges £ million
1960–61	42·1	51·4
1961–62	43·8	53·7
1962–63	44·5	54·7
1963–64	45·2	55·8
1964–65	47·1	58·2
1965–66	48·4	59·7
1966–67	55·7	67·4
1967–68	57·8	70·0
1968–69	58·6	72·6
1969–70	63·1	78·5
1970–71	76·9	93·9

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many registered blind persons, how many unemployed blind persons and how many blind persons receiving Social Security there are in the City of Coventry.

There were 544 registered blind persons on 31st December, 1970, the most recent figure available. Information is not available about the number in receipt of social security. I understand that 15 are unemployed and registered for employment with the Department of Employment at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons are awaiting admission as in-patients to the hospitals in Coventry; and how long the person who has been waiting the longest has been on the waiting list.

There were 4,778 on 31st December, 1971. The longest waiting time is over four years but these patients have declined offers of admission whilst at the same time asking to remain on the waiting list.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) when he expects a report from the Committee on Safety of Medicines about the use of hexachlorophane in preparations for child and baby care; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will publish a complete list of products used for child and baby care which contain hexachlorophane; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will take steps to have a warning to the public circulated about the possible harmful effects of baby care preparations containing hexachlorophane, pending a report by the Committee on Safety of Medicines;(4) what consultations he is having with the companies marketing child care preparations containing hexachlorophane.

Hexachlorophane is a long-established antibacterial agent which is included in a wide range of medicines, cosmetics and disinfectants because it is less liable to induce skin irritation and sensitisation than some alternative compounds.Whilst there is recent evidence from America that hexachlorophane can induce brain damage in animals there has been no evidence during the 22 years it has been available that it is harmful to man when used in accordance with the manufacturers' recommendations. The reports from America must however be accepted as providing circumstantial evidence of potential toxicity to man. This is so when hexachlorophane solutions are repeatedly applied to the whole surface of the body as when bathing infants. Although current evidence suggests that such use is best avoided there are occasions when the advantage of the agent's potent germicidal properties can outweigh the potential risk provided the skin is thoroughly rinsed after use. Officials of my Department have been engaged in discussion with representatives of manufacturers and have secured agreement that a prominent warning about the need for overall rinsing in such circumstances will appear on the instructions for use.As yet I am advised that there is insufficient evidence to decide whether a similar risk is associated with the use of medicated talcs containing hexachlorophane. In the circumstances I do not think it right to take any further steps until I have received a report from the Committee on Safety of Medicines who are urgently considering the question of hexachlorophane and other medical antiseptic preparations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will undertake to ensure that persons in receipt of pensions or supplementary benefit are not impeded from obtaining dental treatment by their inability to pay rates which are above those specified under the National Health Service regulations.

It is assumed that hon. Member's Question relates to dental services provided privately outside the National Health Service. So far as such services are concerned the Supplementary Benefits Commission is statutorily precluded from helping with the cost of dentures; as to private dental treatment it does not meet charges to the patient in excess of those payable for comparable work under the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many retirement pensions were given up, due to the death of pensioners, in each month during 1971.

I regret that information for 1971 will not be available for some time to come, and then only on a quarterly basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is aware that during 1971 the average price of food rose by 11 per cent. and that the price of basic foodstuffs rose by amounts varying between 22 per cent. to 50 per cent., and that this resulted in the fall-off in take-up of 38 items of food; and to what extent this has affected those on social welfare benefits in general and those on retirement pensions in particular.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 20th January.—[Vol. 829, c. 267.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received the communication from the Clerk of the National Health Service Executive Council for North-East London dated 21st December, 1971, regarding the adverse effect on the general ophthalmic services of the revised system of charges introduced in April, 1971; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes; I am sending the hon. Member a copy of my Department's reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the monthly take-up rate of the invalidity allowance and the invalidity pension, respectively, since these benefits were introduced; and what has been the monthly expenditure on each of these benefits, respectively, over the same period.

Information is not available in the form asked for by the hon. Member, but a special sample count made when invalidity benefit was introduced on 23rd September, 1971, showed that about 400,000 people were receiving an invalidity pension, about 325,000 of whom also received the invalidity allowance. The estimated additional gross cost to the National Insurance Fund of all the improved benefits for invalidity pensioners is £24 million in a full year. It is estimated that about 200,000 people a year will newly qualify for invalidity pension but that the total at any one time will remain at about 400,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the total amount spent on advertising for nurses in each of the last three years.

Expenditure by my Department on nursing and midwifery publicity was:

	£
1968–69	180,350
1969–70	180,745
1970–71	229,418

Separate figures are not kept for such advertising by hospital authorities but a study carried out for the Committee on Nursing indicates that expenditure was about £700,000 in England and Wales in 1969–70.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number on the hospital lists in England and Wales; how the figure compares with each of the years following 1960; and what are the comparable figures for the Hartlepool hospital district.

551,331 in England and Wales and 1,174 in the Hartlepool district on 30th June, 1971. Figures for previous years on 31st December are as follows:

	England and Wales	Hartlepool
1961	474,177	685
1962	469,091	749
1963	475,834	823
1964	498,834	704
1965	517,142	810
1966	536,447	694
1967	537,005	741
1968	534,890	1,209
1969	561,365	1,712
1970	555,883	1,272

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will collect from all local authorities in England and Wales the latest statistics regarding the amount of temporary accommodation each provides for whole families at the initial stage of their homelessness.

No. I do not consider that the collection of such statistics would serve a useful purpose at the present time having regard to the quarterly statistics of the numbers of families living in temporary accommodation which are already collected. The need for changes in the statistics collected will be reviewed when the working parties on homelessness in London, Wales and the South-West have completed their work.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will undertake a survey of what happens to those 76 per cent. of families whose application for temporary accommodation because of homelessness is rejected, according to the latest statistics.

Since the criteria for accepting applications varies among local authorities, and many authorities record applications made in anticipation of homelessness which does not in fact occur, I do not consider that a survey of this kind would be useful. I will however consider what further studies should be undertaken in the light of the final reports of the working parties now studying these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the present variations in provision of temporary accommodation for the homeless as between different local authorities; and what action he is taking to remedy this problem.

The extent of the need for temporary accommodation varies from area to area, and so therefore must the provision made to meet it. As indicated in my reply to the hon. Member on 6th Juy last the Department's Regional Social Work Service keeps the services provided by local authorities under review, and where appropriate authorities are encouraged to increase their provision.—[Vol. 820, c. 332.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the level of supplementary benefit or national assistance provided for, respectively, a single person, a married couple, and a married couple with two children aged five and 10 years, at November each year since 1948; and what percentage of national average earnings are represented by each of these benefit levels.

The information about supplementary benefit and national assistance rates is contained in the annual reports of my Department, the Ministry of Social Security and the National Assistance Board which are available in the Library.As information about average earnings is published by the Department of Employment for October each year, the comparison has been made with national assistance/supplementary benefit rates in that month in the table below. The information in regard to a married couple was contained in my reply to the hon. Member on 6th April, 1971.

Year	National assistance and supplementary benefit scale rates for householder as percentage of average male earnings	National assistance and supplementary benefit scale rates for married couple with 2 children (aged 5 and 10) as percentage of average male earnings
1948	17·4	42·0
1949	16·8	40·7
1950	17·3	42·2
1951	18·1	44·0
1952	19·6	48·2
1953	18·5	45·5
1954	17·1	42·1
1955	16·8	41·3
1956	16·8	41·2
1957	15·9	39·0
1958	17·5	42·9
1959	18·5	45·4
1960	17·2	42·3
1961	17·4	42·4
1962	18·1	43·3
1963	19·0	44·9
1964	17·5	41·6
1965	19·4	45·8
1966*	18·7 (20·0)	44·2 (46·6)
1967	20·1	47·0
1968	19·8	46·3
1969*	18·3 (19·3)	42·9 (44·9)
1970*	17·1 (18·5)	39·8 (43·1)

NOTES:—(1) Average earnings for October, 1971, have not yet been published.(2) In the years marked with an asterisk, scale rates were increased in November; the figures in brackets show the percentage of average earnings represented by the increased rate.—[Vol. 815, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set a deadline for the transfer of all remaining patients from the old traditional mental hospitals, as these are gradually phased out.

This would not be practicable. The timing of closure of a mental hospital is dependent firstly on providing, in all districts of its catchment area, general hospital psychiatric departments and services for patients suffering from mental deterioration due to ageing or physical illness, sufficient to take all new admissions; and secondly on the length of time it will take after that for the final rundown of the old hospital including possible eventual transfer of remaining patients elsewhere. The first stage is bound up with the timing and phasing of general hospital developments in each area. In many parts of the country these will extend into the 1980s or possibly beyond. The second stage is dependent on and follows the first.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the percentage of national average earnings constituted by the retirement pension for, respectively, a single person and a married couple at November each year since 1948.

National average earnings figures for November of each year since 1948 are not available. I would however refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 26th April, 1971, which gave the information on the basis of October figures to 1970. The average earnings figures for October, 1971, will be published next month.—[Vol. 816. c. 39–40.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost to public funds of supplementary benefit payments to those involved in industrial disputes, and their dependants, respectively, and of payments following return to work, in 1971; what was the cost of these three types of payment, aggregated together, per day lost through industrial disputes during the course of the year; and how each of these figures, respectively, compares with the corresponding figures for the average of all years between 1951 and 1966.

In 1971 £3,708 was paid to strikers and £3,878,177 for their dependants during the larger disputes. A further £524,763 was paid after return to work. The cost of these three types of payment per day lost through industrial disputes in 1971 was 32·50 new pence.Over the years 1951 to 1966 the average cost of payments to strikers was £541 and to their dependants £70,960. The average cost of payments after return to work over the years 1964–66 (earlier figures are not available) was £30,073. The average cost per working day lost through disputes over the years 1951 to 1966 was 2·06 new pence but this does not include payments made after return to work. The average cost, including payments made after return to work (in larger strikes only), over the years 1964 to 1966 was 4·39 new pence per day lost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the results of his review of the type face used in the warning notices on cigarette poster advertisements.

I came to the view in the light of the working of the present agreement that the prescribed type-face was not sufficiently eye-catching. I informed the tobacco manufacturers of this and I am glad to say that they immediately agreed to the adoption of bolder forms of print. The detailed arrangements for this are now being worked out with a view to the changes being made as soon as practicable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the concern expressed by the Chairman of the National Farmers' Union Poultry Committee as to the effect of proposed Common Market regulations in banning all trade in clean-plucked poultry, the terms of which have been sent to him, what steps he proposes, in the event of British entry, to safeguard consumer choice in this matter.

We shall be discussing with the Community any problems that may be created for our poultry trade, and once we are a member we shall of course play a full part in the development of the common agricultural policy in a way which takes account of conditions in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he intends taking to protect glasshouse crops that are dependent on coal-fired boilers during the coal miners' strike.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry has enlisted the help of coal merchants and the National Coal Board in an effort to minimise the risk of hardship being caused to those especially dependent on coal.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will seek to ban the use of the Protecta system for sows.

No. A high standard of stockmanship is required if the welfare of the animals is to be safeguarded under this system, and so far our veterinary staff have seen no evidence that the animals are suffering any unnecessary pain or distress. The code of recommendations for the welfare of pigs contains guidelines applicable to this system.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will end the practice of the Forestry Commission requiring that a licence should be obtained before trees affected by elm disease are felled, in view of the fact that this requirement, by delaying felling, increases the risk of infection spreading to other trees.

In the great majority of cases, including those where a felling notice has been served by a local authority, licences are not required for felling infectious elms. There is, however, one remaining technical exception, which the Forestry Commission is seeking to remove in regulations which will be shortly laid before Parliament. I would like to emphasise that only recently dead or very badly affected elms need be felled in order to check the spread of the disease, as these are the source of infection.

Name of Company			Number of Shares	Total Value (Nominal) £
Avoncroft Cattle Breeders Ltd.	…	…	1	1·00
Blaenpenal and District Agricultural Co-operative Society	…	…	1	1·00
Brandsby Agricultural Trading Association	…	…	1	1·00
Carmarthen Farmers Co-operative Society Ltd.	…	…	4	1·00
Clynderwen and District Farmers Association Ltd.	…	…	1	1·00
Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd.	…	…	56	280·00
Eastern Counties Farmers Ltd.	…	…	80	20·00
Eifionydd Farmers Association Ltd.	…	…	5	5·00
Foel Agricultural Co-operative Society Ltd.	…	…	1	0·50
Gloucestershire Marketing Society	…	…	250	250·00
Haverfordwest Agricultural Co-operative Society Ltd.	…	…	1	1·00
Hitchen Bacon Factory Ltd. (in liquidation)	…	…	200	200·00
Isle of Scilly Growers Ltd.	…	…	10	10·00
Kent Wool Growers Limited	…	…	1	1·00
Kintyre Farmers Ltd.	…	…	5	5·00
Littleton & Badsey Growers Ltd.	…	…	150½	150·50
Lyonesse Growers Ltd.	…	…	1	1·00
Midland Shires Farmers Ltd.	…	…	21	10·50
National Seeds Development Organisation Ltd.	…	…	8	8·00
North Cardiganshire Farmers Co-operative Society	…	…	2	2·00
North Devon Farmers Trading Society	…	…	2	8·00
North Western Farmers Ltd.	…	…	25	25·00
Nursery Trades (Lee Valley) Ltd.	…	…	317	317·00
Preston & District Farmers Trading Society Ltd.	…	…	10	5·00
Pumpsaint and District Agricultural Co-operative Society Ltd.		…	2	2·00
South Western Farmers	…	…	10	10·00
Southern Counties Agricultural Trading Society	…	…	30	30·00
St. Edmunds Bacon Factory Ltd.	…	…	136	136·00
Thames Valley Eggs Ltd.	…	…	487	487·00
West Breconshire Farmers Association Ltd.	…	…	1	1·00
West Cumberland Farmers Trading Society Limited	…	…	40	40·00
West Midland Farmers Association Ltd.	…	…	8	8·00
Yorks and Northern Wool Growers Ltd.	…	…	1	1·00
Yorkshire Egg Producers Ltd.	…	…	412	206·00
Yorkshire Farmers Bacon Factory (1932) Ltd.	…	…	378	94·50

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the change in price during the past 12 months of eggs.

Egg prices fluctuate seasonally but figures for shop sales supplied by the Eggs Authority indicate that the average retail price in the first three weeks of January was about 2½p per dozen lower than in the same period last year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate his Department has made of price increases amongst those prices he

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the mixed agricultural enterprises in which the Government has shares, indicating the extent of the involvement.

Following is the information:collects during the Christmas period, taking one week before and one week after as the time scale.

The information available to the Ministry indicates that there was little movement in the average retail prices of most foods over the Christmas period.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of the latest estimate he has made of the cost of agricultural support in the United Kingdom for 1971–72, together with comparable figures for the preceding year.

Following are the details of the latest estimates of the cost of agricultural support in the United Kingdom in the financial year 1971–72 in the form adopted in Table 18 of the 1971

I. IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRICE GUARANTEES
					£ million
					Latest Estimate of outturn 1971–72			Actual Outturn 1970–71
Cereals:
Wheat and rye	…	…	…	…	33·9		13·9
Barley	…	…	…	…	16·6		7·8
Oats and mixed corn		…	…	…	11·6	62·1	2·1	23·8
Potatoes	…	…	…	…		16·9		6·2
Eggs	…	…	…	…		5·7		9·3
Fatstock:
Cattle	…	…	…	…	4·5		31·0
Sheep	…	…	…	…	18·3		9·7
Pigs	…	…	…	…	25·5	48·3	7·5	48·2
Wool	…	…	…	…		7·2		6·1
Total I	…	…	…	…		140·2		93·6

						Latest Estimate of Outturn 1971–72		Actual Outturn 1970–71
II. RELEVANT PRODUCTION GRANTS (OTHER THAN IV BELOW						£ million
Calves	…	…	…	…	…	31·3		29·1
Beef cows	…	…	…	…	…	6·7		5·8
Hill cows	…	…	…	…	…	14·6		13·9
Hill sheep	…	…	…	…	…	9·5		9·0
Winter keep	…	…	…	…	…	5·1		5·1
Brucellosis Eradication Incentives		…	…	…	…	1·9		0·5
Fertilisers	…	…	…	…	…	35·7		40·9
Lime	…	…	…	…	…	5·0		5·0
Ploughing	…	…	…	…	…	0·3		0·3
Field beans	…	…	…	…	…	—		0·9
Field drainage (except tiling)		…	…	…	…	0·7		0·8
Small farmers	…	…	…	…	…	0·8		1·1
Farm business records	…	…	…	…	…	1·1		1·3
Crofting (cropping etc.)	…	…	…	…	…	0·5		0·5
Other	…	…	…	…	…	1·3		1·2
Total II	…	…	…	…	…	114·5		115·4
III. OTHER GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES
Field drainage (tiling)	…	…	…	…	…	4·6		6·3
Water supply	…	…	…	…	…	0·6		0·5
Livestock rearing land	…	…	…	…	…	0·4		0·4
Hill land	…	…	…	…	…	2·4		2·2
Farm Capital Grants	…	…	…	…	…	18·5		0·3
Farm improvements	…	…	…	…	…	16·6		15·8
Farm structure	…	…	…	…	…	1·0		1·3
Investment incentives	…	…	…	…	…	21·3		15·0
Crofting improvements	…	…	…	…	…	0·3		0·3
Other	…	…	…	…	…	0·2		0·1
Total III	…	…	…	…	…	65·9		42·2
Totals I, II and II	…	…	…	…	…	320·6		251·2
Administrative expenses estimate				…	…	14·7		14·0
						335·3		265·2
IV. OTHER SERVICES
Payment from U.K. Government for the benefit of agricultural producers in Northern Ireland					…	2·1		1·9
Payments in respect of agricultural training				…	…	1·9		1·9
Total estimated cost of agricultural support					…	339·3		269·0

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, now that the Treaty of Accession to the Rome Treaty has been signed, he is able to state the estimated Exchequer cost of the special help which is to be given to the horticultural, agricultural and fruit industries by way of compensation to offset the adverse effects to these industries on Great Britain joining the European Economic Community.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent, on entry into the European Economic Community, the present rules and restrictions imposed by Great Britain on the import and transport of animals and cattle will have to be altered; and whether he can give an assurance that all present restrictions to prevent rabies will still be possible when Great Britain enters the Common Market.

Our precautions against rabies will not be affected when we join the Common Market. In reply to the first part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave on 18th January to Questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Mr. Charles Morrison) and others.—[Vol. 829, c. 195–7.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent the European Economic Community Regulations establishing a common organisation of the Community's seed market affecting the common rules covering dryhusked vegetables, hybrid maize, oil seeds, and fruit and other seeds for sowing will apply to Great Britain on Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community; and how this will affect the British seed growing industry.

Subject to arrangements for the transitional period, the regulations on the common organisation of markets for seeds would apply to the United Kingdom as to any other member country. Although a regulation affecting in particular hybrid maize seed and certain herbage seeds has been made by the Community, it is not yet in operation and at this stage it is not possible to assess its possible effects on the interests of the British seed growers. These interests will be among those borne in mind in any consultations with the Community concerning this regulation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he will not publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a revised estimate of entry on the cost of living as set out in paragraph 88 of the White Paper, The United Kingdom and the European Economic Community, Cmnd. Paper No. 4715, using as the basis the cost of living index figure in Great Britain as at 1st December, 1971, and comparable figures with the European Economic Community at that date.

Because comparisons of existing cost of living index figures are not a satisfactory basis for estimating the effect of entry on the cost of living in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the increase in the price of butter between 1st January, 1971, and 1st January, 1972.

Between 1st January, 1971, and 1st January, 1972, butter prices on the United Kingdom market increased by between about 46 per cent. and about 61 per cent. depending on variety.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest estimated cost of answering a Parliamentary Question; and what is the estimated cost of answering all the Questions addressed to him on the occasions when Questions were arranged by Ministers to be tabled to his Department.

The answer to the first part of the Question is £14 and £10 for an oral and a written answer, respectively, as at May, 1971; from those figures the hon. Member can calculate an estimated total cost for Questions referred to.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants in his Department are engaged on parliamentary questions.

Officials of my Department contribute as necessary to the preparatory work to enable Ministers to reply to Parliamentary Questions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many schemes for major investment involving construction, enlargement or re-equipment of industrial premises and plant are currently awaiting the completion of procedures relating to planning permissions; what is their total estimated value; and, in view of the employment opportunities consequent thereon, what steps he proposes to reduce procedural delays.

The latest information available about planning applications dealt with by local planning authorities is in the booklet "Statistics for Town and Country Planning—Series 1, Planning decisions 1970", which is in the Library. This does not distinguish between major and other schemes. On the second and third parts of the Question, I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend on 17th January.—[Vol. 829, c. 57.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria his Department employs in determining distribution of capital expenditure between local authorities.

Capital allocations for locally determined schemes are determined by a formula based on various factors including actual payments in earlier years, population, housing development and non-domestic rateable value. The formula used for 1971–72 was set out in paragraph 23 of the D.O.E. Circular 2/70 (Welsh Office 116/70) and that for 1972–73 in a circular letter dated 28th September, 1970, a copy of which I am placing in the Library.