asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office Corporation to give priority to placing contracts with firms in special development areas as part of the programme to reduce unemployment in these areas.

No. The Post Office informs me that a large proportion of its telecommunications equipment is already produced in development areas.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if, in view of the difficulty of television reception in Mid-Wales, he will set up a feasibility study to discover the best way of bringing television reception into this area.

No, the problems are fully understood already; and until U.H.F. stations to serve the area are built, no additional information of practical value would be forthcoming.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what action is being taken to recover outstanding television licence fees in Northern Ireland, in view of the 6,815 licences more than three months outstanding at 1st January, 1972.

Visits are being made to as many people as possible whose television licence renewals were more than three months outstanding at 1st January, 1972.

asked the Lord President of the Council if, in his consideration of the provision of classes in European languages, he will study the desirability of providing language laboratory facilities in the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, but problems of accommodation impose inevitable limitations on what might be done.

asked the Lord President of the Council when all telephones in the House of Commons will be on an automatic self-dialling system.

The new automatic telephone exchange will be completed and brought into operation early in the next Summer Recess.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will take urgent action to limit culinary odours in the Palace of Westminster to kitchens and dining-rooms.

I have been asked to reply.I regret that on Tuesday of last week cooking smells did pervade the Library and corridors. This was due to the main extractor fan being inadvertently switched off.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on the parapet on the raised terrace of the House of Commons, so far as Members' safety is concerned.

The terrace wall has been raised by about 18 inches as a protection against possible flooding, thereby increasing Members' safety. In order to preserve the amenities of the terrace the level of the terrace is being raised so that it will be about three feet below the top of the raised wall.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement defining the problems of space which he has in providing better facilities for visitors to the House of Commons.

The problem is quite simply that there is at present no spare space here that could be allocated to the use of visitors to the House. But the Services Committee are continually seeking improvements to the existing facilities for visitors, including the queueing and seating arrangements.

asked the Lord President of the Council on how many occasions he has answered the debate on the Adjournment, immediately before the rising of the House.

Once.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure that foreign lorry drivers have access to a simplified version of the Highway Code either in English or a translation into German, French, Italian or Spanish, on entry to Great Britain.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the large stock of old houses requiring improvement in Bradford, he will arrange that the percentage of grant for house improvement available to Bradford is increased to the percentage obtaining in the Skipton Rural District.

No. The higher rate of house improvement grants under the Housing Act, 1971, applies only in local government areas wholly or partly within development and intermediate areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dwellings received improvement grants in 1971; and how this figure compares with each of the previous five years.

In 1971 there were 198,800 approved applications in England and Wales.From 1966 to 1970 the figures were 107,700, 113,100, 114,200, 108,900 and 156,600 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will have further discussions with the Southampton City Council concerning the proposed Portswood link road, in the light of experience of urban motorways in other towns.

My officials are in constant touch with Southampton City Council about this scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held with the Southampton City Council concerning the availability of housing in Southampton for those people who may lose their homes if the proposed Portswood link road is constructed.

Southampton City Council, as both highway and housing authority, are responsible for rehousing those affected by the scheme. I understand they foresee no difficulty in meeting their statutory obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to make an announcement about the provision of a third lane in each direction on the M5 motorway in Worcestershire.

The possible widening of the M5 in Worcestershire is being considered within the study of a proposed new route between Strensham and Solihull. My right hon. Friend hopes to be able to announce his intentions within the next few months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to screen towns and villages from motorway noise where it is excessive.

Avoiding excessive noise is an important consideration among the many factors on which the siting and detailed design of motorways depends. Forms of noise barriers are being studied.The Government are also considering a recommendation by the Noise Advisory Council that existing dwellings should not as an act of conscious public policy be subjected to excessive noise without remedial or compensatory action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which of the new housing schemes for which he granted loan sanction to be built by direct labour in 1971 had not been won by the direct-labour department in competition with private contractors.

Exemption from competition was granted for 14 direct labour housing schemes approved for capital expenditure in 1971. Following are the details:

ENGLAND AND WALES
Authority	Dwellings approved	Site
Northern
Sunderland C.B.	72	Moorgate Street, Phase 1.
Hetton U.D.	91	Hetton Downs, Phase 2.
Shildon U.D.	19	Middridge North Site.
	32	Adamson Street.
Chester-le-Street R.D.	17	Brian Close.
Yorkshire and Humberside
Scunthorpe B.	76	Ashby High Street.
East Midlands
Derby C.B.	104	Sinfin Moor, Phase B.
North West
Wigan C.B.	17	Hamilton Square.
Swindon and Pendlebury B.	8	Wenlock Street/ Shelley Road.
West Midlands
Warley C.B.	40	Tame Rise.
South Eastern Counties
Swancombe U.D.	24	Gilbert Close.
London Boroughs
Barking	156	Crown Street.
Greenwich	12	Glyndon, Phase 2.
Southwark	36	Dundas Road.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish noise contour diagrams, similar to those published for airfields, to show the intensity of noise pollution that will be caused by proposed motorways to the proposed Foulness Airport, and give estimates of the number of people likely to be affected by such noise.

No decisions on the routes for motorways to Maplin have yet been taken. I will consider what information can be made available on noise when work on these routes is further advanced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria he proposes to use to decide on the areas with greatest housing need.

Under the Housing Finance Bill, the local authorities with the worst financial problems owing to housing stress will receive the greatest financial help.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority dwellings were completed in 1971, and what percentages of these were detached or semi-detached houses, terraced houses, flats in blocks not exceeding four storeys, and flats in blocks of five storeys or more.

In 1971 in England and Wales, 117,215 dwellings were completed by local authorities and new towns. Of these, 47·3 per cent. were detached, semidetached or terraced houses, 32·2 per cent. were flats in blocks of 2–4 storeys and 20·5 per cent. were flats in blocks of five or more storeys.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local authority dwelling units completed in 1971 had no form of central heating.

All local authority dwellings completed in 1971 were required to comply with mandatory minimum heating standards. The heating was provided by individual appliances in about 10 per cent. of the dwellings, and by some form of central heating in the remainder.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority dwellings have been built by each local authority during each of the last five years; and what proportion of the total local authority housing stock each of these five-year totals represents in each case.

Figures of dwellings built by individual local authorities from 1966 to September, 1971, have been published in Local Housing Statistics, copies of which are in the library. Comprehensive stock figures of local authority dwellings as at 31st December, 1971, are not available. Housing Statistics (England and Wales) Part I, published in December, 1971, by the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants, gives the stock of dwellings of a large proportion of authorities at 1st April, 1971, and a copy is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the numbers of houses built by councils, and for sale, respectively, in the administrative county of East Suffolk for each year since 1965, inclusive.

Following is the information.

DWELLINGS COMPLETED
East Suffolk administrative county
	Local authorities	Private sector
1965	272	1,743
1966	335	1,970
1967	488	1,868
1968	619	2,056
1969	229	1,470
1970	349	1,321
1971	416	1,656

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will approve as a matter of urgency the Gloucestershire County Council decision on 19th January to proceed with the Cheltenham High Street Plan.

No. The County Council have not irrevocably decided to proceed with the plan. They have informed my Department that they are not disposed to accept the advice of their consultants that the proposal for the redevelopment of 109–117 High Street would seriously prejudice the preparation of comprehensive proposals for the centre of Cheltenham.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will, as a matter of urgency, call for a report on the toxic heavy metals content of major rivers.

Six months ago I initiated a survey of concentrations of heavy metals and other substances in river waters and sediments in seven river authority areas. As soon as the results have been evaluated I shall consider whether any change is required in the arrangements for monitoring for toxic substances in rivers; meanwhile, a close watch is being kept on critical areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what investigations are made by his Department into the toxic effect of fumes and effluvium from factories which manufacture antibiotics, drugs and other organic chemicals.

The Chief Medical Officer advises me on the health effects of toxic substances in the environment. My alkali inspectors undertake the control and monitoring of air pollution from chemical industries in so far as they involve scheduled processes; other emissions to air and water are controlled and monitored locally by the responsible authorities, which seek further expert advice as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what efforts his Department are making to arrange for playing fields to be made available for the Bentley area of Walsall.

This is a matter for the local authority concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the action of the Brent Borough Council in securing an injunction preventing the use of pile-driving machinery, he will. as a matter of urgency. revise the contracts given for the building of the Neasden Underpass to secure relief from noise and nuisance for those still resident in the vicinity; and if he will make a statement.

The Council have neither applied for nor obtained an injunction. However, the method of pile-driving which caused complaints has ceased and arrangements have been made for a quieter system to be used. I much regret the inconvenience caused to residents while roadworks are being carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which of the 17 local authorities who provided caravan pitches for gipsies and other travellers before 1st April, 1970 have provided further pitches since, and which have not; and what were the numbers in each case before and after that date.

Following is the information:

	Pitches provided
	(1)	(2)
	Before 1st April, 1970	After 1st April, 1970
Counties
Berkshire	21	—
Buckinghamshire	25	—
Essex	12	16
Gloucestershire	8	20
Hertfordshire	42	30
Kent	72	12
Lines. Lindsey	15	—
Surrey	61	—
Sussex (East)	13	—
Worcestershire	12	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what repre- sentations he has received from the Newcastle-under-Lyme Rural District Council concerning financial assistance towards the making up of roadways: and what was his reply.

I assume that the Hon. Member is referring to a request from the Staffordshire County Council They have asked for sanction to make ex gratia payments to certain frontagers at Audley in the rural district, in connection with the making up of roadways. My right hon. Friend has agreed and the County Council have been informed

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek powers to establish a Maplin Airport and Seaport Development Corporation on the lines of a New Town Development Corporation.

I am considering the type of organisation needed for this project and will announce our decisions in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average estimated cost to his Department of an inquiry by circular to all local authorities requiring a yes-or-no answer, and incorporating the result in the answer to a Parliamentary Question.

It is not the practice of the Department to issue circulars of this sort. If it were, it is estimated that the cost of printing and postage alone would exceed £80 to the Department, plus the cost to the local authorities of supplying the answers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received the report of the working party on camping and camping sites; and when he proposes to publish this report.

The answer to the first question is, "Yes". As regards the second part, I have invited comments from the bodies concerned and copies of the report have been made available to interested persons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the total acreage of derelict land in the Urban Districts of Blackrod, Horwich and Kearsley, and state how many acres were restored between 1966 and 1970, inclusive.

The following information is taken from the annual local authority surveys:

Total acreage of derelict land at 31st December, 1970		Acreage included in Column (1) justifying treatment	Acreage of derelict land restored in the period 1st January, 1966 to 31st December, 1970
	(1)	(2)	(3)
Blackrod U.D.C.	62	62	4
Horwich U.D.C.	123	100	1
Kearsley U.D.C.	15	15	22

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the 1970 derelict land survey in full; and if he will invite local autho-

Local Authority				Name of Scheme				Acreage	Estimated Gross Cost
									£
Horwich U.D.C.	…	…	…	Telford Street Tip	…	…	…	1	3,261
Kearsley U.D.C.	…	…	…	Manchester Road	…	…	…	1	1,540
Kearsley U.D.C.	…	…	…	Howard Avenue	…	…	…	2	2,640
Kearsley U.D.C.	…	…	…	Springfield Road/Birch Road		…	…	3	1,900
Kearsley U.D.C.	…	…	…	St. Saviours Grave Yard		…	…	1	3,447
The following further scheme has been accepted in principle by the Department:
Horwich U.D.C.	…	…	…	Railway Station Site	…	…	…	6	38,000

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations for increased government financial support have been made to him by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents; and what reply he has sent.

My right hon. Friend is currently considering a request for re-imbursement of the Society's loss on kerb drill material following the introduction of the Green Cross Code.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure that smoke levels do not in future rise above 40 microgrammes per cubic metre of air in any local authority

My Department circulate widely the survey results for each administrative county and county borough in England and make additional copies freely available on request. I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend. I would welcome the publication by local authorities of particulars of their targets and performance but since individual programmes are under continuing review I prefer to leave this to their discretion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the land reclamation schemes currently in progress or planned in Blackrod, Horwich and Kearsley, giving the acreage covered by each scheme and the estimated cost of each project.

The following schemes submitted by the three urban district councils have been given final approval by the Department, allowing work to start.area in England and Wales; and whether he will make a statement.

I am pressing local authorities, particularly those in the "black areas" to extend smoke control as quickly as possible so as to reduce smoke levels everywhere. I do not consider it desirable to set any particular target figure as my objective is to reduce smoke as far as is reasonably possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for the years 1961, 1966 and 1971, or the most recent year for which statistics are available, the total land acreages with percentages in England and Wales used for agriculture, forestry, housing, industrial and commercial purposes, communications and other miscellaneous uses.

Land acreages used for agriculture and forestry in England and Wales for the dates requested are:

	Agricultural Land*		Forestry Land
	Million acres	per cent. of total land	Million acres	per cent. of total land
1961	27·7	74·5	2·5	6·9
1966	27·4	73·8	2·7	7·2
1971	26·9	72·6	2·8	7·5
* Crops and grass plus rough grazing to which the owner has sole right, but excluding common grazing.

Statistics are not available relating to the national acreages of land used for housing, industrial and other purposes. The total amount of land in urban use in England and Wales is estimated at 3·6 million acres (9·6 per cent.) in 1950–51 and 4·3 million acres (11·6 per cent) in 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the final contract for the building of the Ministry of Defence office for the Ordnance Division of the Ministry of Maendy, Cardiff, was allocated; what is the total cost involved; what number of Ministry of Defence personnel is going to be employed there; and from what date.

31st December, 1971; £2¼ million; the building is designed for 1,500 staff and will be ready for occupation by the end of 1974. The occupying departments will be decided in the light of the dispersal review announced in October 1970 in the White Paper "Reorganisation of Central Government".

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now include in his programme a bypass for Collingbourne Ducis on the A338; and if he will make a statement.

This scheme has been submitted by Wiltshire County Council as a candidate for the Principal Road Preparation List. My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement on the List within the next month or two.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of home owners in Great Britain who have a second home.

It has been estimated that about 1 per cent. of households own or rent two homes but no estimate is available specifically about home owners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the action which he is taking to achieve the co-ordination of policy by the relevant local authorities and other organisations to overcome the problem of polluted matter trapped in the Solent.

Oil pollution in the Solent is dealt with by the county and county borough councils in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry. In other respects pollution of the Solent is primarily a matter for the Hampshire River Authority and the Isle of Wight River and Water Authority. I understand that there is regular consultation between them on proposals by local authorities to construct new or altered outlets for the discharge of sewage and other effluents to the Solent, which is a "controlled water" under the Clean Rivers (Estuaries and Tidal Waters) Act, 1960. Under present proposals, requiring legislation, the Solent is likely to come under the control of one regional water authority in April, 1974. More generally, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is conducting a general inquiry into the problems of pollution in tidal waters, estuaries and inshore seas; and, as my right hon. Friend announced yesterday the Government share the opinion of the working party on sewage disposal that full control of discharges should be extended to tidal rivers and estuaries, and that protection of the sea needs to be improved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of houses which are owned by local authorities in England and Wales which are not housing authorities.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number and total cost of new sewage treatment schemes which have been completed in each of the last 10 years and the number and total estimated cost of those schemes which are expected to be completed in 1972 and 1973.

Figures relating to the number of sewage treatment schemes are not available but I list below the capital expenditure on sewerage and sewage disposal by local authorities and new town development corporations in England and Wales over the last 10 years, followed by the Department's estimate of the amount to be spent on these services in 1971–72 and 1972–73. Separate figures are not available relating to sewage treatment schemes only.

Year	Actual Expenditure
	£ million
1961–62	47·6
1962–63	54·6
1963–64	59·9
1964–65	64·1
1965–66	64·4
1966–67	75·2
1967–68	96·2
1968–69	109·0
1969–70	113·0
1970–71	133·3
	Estimated Expenditure
1971–72	155·0
1972–73	185·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of new sewage treatment schemes which still require to be constructed in England and Wales in order to achieve satisfactory effluent levels.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the publication later this year of Volume 2 of the report on the River Pollution Survey. This will give information about the, number of existing sewage treatment works where the effluent is unsatisfactory and where schemes are required to make it satisfactory. These schemes may take the form of either an extension at the existing site, or construction of new works or diversion of the effluent to another works for treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of houses built before World War 1 in each region of England and Wales for which fair rents have been determined; and what are the average fair rents for such houses which have been arrived at in each region.

Fair rents registered in the period 1967–1970 for dwellings built before 1919 totalled some 40,000 in Greater London and 80,000 in the rest of England and Wales. Regional figures are not available.A sample analysis of rents registered in 1970 for terraced houses built before 1919 shows that the average fair rent was £275 per annum in Greater London, £147 in the rest of England and Wales. For flats in converted houses built before 1919 the figures were £287 and £217.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to interdict the movement of heavy lorries over 25 tons through residential districts between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m on weekdays and from 8 p.m. on Saturdays through to 8 a.m. on the following Monday.

Although I share my hon. Friend's concern, I have no reason to think that the existing powers available to local authorities are inadequate. I believe there is more to be gained by concerted and constructive action by authorities and the haulage industry itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on his additional intentions in regard to the recent working party report on heavy lorries.

I have nothing to add at present to the answer I gave to the hon. Members for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. James Johnson) and Bolton, West (Mr. Redmond) on 15th December.—[Vol. 828, c. 108–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to approve the total of £1,300 million that the Greater London Council envisages being spent on public transport capital improvements for purposes of infrastructure grant; and how much of the total capital sum is concerned with new routes as distinct from improvements to existing ones.

I shall continue to consider each infrastructure grant application on its merits. I understand that the other information requested is contained in the Greater London Council's evidence to the Panel of Inquiry on the Greater London Development Plan (GLDP Inquiry Proof E.12/1 of November, 1970).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what he is doing to encourage the provision of indoor sports facilities.

My Department pays grants and does all it can to facilitate the capital investment projects of local authorities. From next 1st April, specific grants for sports purposes will be made by the Sports Council out of a grant in aid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the public inquiry into the proposed West Cross Route in west London; and what reply he has sent.

My right hon. Friend has received representations that the inquiry should be postponed until the Greater London Development Plan report is received. In reply he has confirmed that this proposal for a local relief road should be considered separately from the Greater London Development Plan proceedings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of air pollution caused by energy-conversion processes is attributable to the internal combustion engine and to aircraft, respectively.

The Warren Spring Laboratory's study of air pollution at and around Heathrow Airport in 1970 showed that pollution levels there were lower than is normal in an urban residential area; the contribution of aircraft exhausts to national pollution is therefore negligible. Of total carbon monoxide emissions in Great Britain about 40 per cent. comes from motor vehicles. Other pollutants emitted by motor vehicles include hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen and lead. In these cases, exact emission figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet set up the poposed working party on the European Economic Community directives and their effect on local authority contracts and work carried out by direct labour departments; and who will be the members of this working party.

Local authority associations and Government Departments concerned have been invited to nominate representatives to sit on the working party.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the visit of the Minister for Transport Industries to the Transport and Road Research Laboratory at Crowthorne, Berkshire, on Friday, 28th January, 1972; and whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the Minister's conclusions concerning the faulty cars on the roads and matters connected with the road vehicle testing system.

I visited the Laboratory to open and attend a meeting entitled "Towards Safer Road Vehicles", which was held to demonstrate publicly the activity of British industry and Government in the field of vehicle safety, and to provide for an exchange of views on projects and objectives in that field.My proposals for a review of the quite separate matter of vehicle testing were announced on 20th September, 1971; this review is now in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that the present system of testing old cars is unsatisfactory; and whether he will introduce new legislation to strengthen the law with regard to the road testing of cars three years or more of age.

I am reviewing the whole system of tests for cars and vans.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) why he will not publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the text of his letters to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, on the subject of correspondence from Mr. Bert Reeves, marked A and B;(2) why he will not publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the text of his letter to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, on the death of a schoolboy in West Ham.

Because they cannot be properly understood apart from the preceding correspondence, and because I am aware of no reason which would justify the cost and labour of publishing that correspondence.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he is satisfied with the present procedures for enforcing warrant sales in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will take steps to ensure that household effects subject to sale by warrant in consequence of debts incurred by the householder are carried out elsewhere than in the debtor's own home.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh. South (Mr. Clark Hutchison) on 7th February. I have no doubt that the 'Working Party which has been set up by the Scottish Law Commission will have regard to my hon. Friend's suggestion: there is no rule which requires a sale under warrant to take place in a debtor's home, although this is the normal practice.—[Vol. 830, c. 281.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the names of authorities invited, and if he will state how many delegates have been appointed, to attend the conference about North Sea oil which has been sponsored by his Department and which is to take place on 14th February.

The following authorities have been invited to send representatives. Some replies are still awaited but it is expected that, in all, some 50 delegates will attend.

• Highlands and Islands Development Board.
• North East of Scotland Development Authority.
• Tayside Development Authority.
• Aberdeen Corporation.
• Aberdeen County Council.
• Angus County Council.
• Banff County Council.
• Caithness County Council.
• Dundee Town Council.
• Fife County Council.
• Inverness County Council.
• Kincardine County Council.
• Moray and Nairn County Council.
• Orkney County Council.
• Ross and Cromarty County Council.
• Sutherland County Council.
• West Lothian County Council.
• Zetland County Council.
• Aberdeen Harbour Board.
• Dundee Harbour Trust.
• Forth Ports Authority.
• Scottish Council (Development and Industry).
• Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce.
• Dundee Chamber of Commerce.
• Small Industries Council for the Rural Areas of Scotland.

Representatives of:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will arrange for hon. Members from Scottish constituencies to receive individually a copy of the proceedings of the conference on 14th February, immediately that conference ends.

I assume the hon. Member has in mind the meeting which I have arranged to consider the question of industrial developments associated with North Sea oil.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost of the additional projects submitted by Scottish local authorities in July, 1971, at the Government's request, as a measure to curb unemploy-

						Miscellaneous
Area			Education	Social Work	Health	Roads	Local Services	Other Items	Totals
			£000s	£000s	£000s	£000s	£000s	£000s	£000s
CITIES
Aberdeen	…	…	660	110	179	248	116	256	1,569
Dundee	…	…	530	1,134	107	697	191	250	2,909
Edinburgh	…	…	1,254	45	168	490	3	74	2,034
Glasgow	…	…	3,095	284	1,150	2,241	627	1,200	8,597
COUNTIES
Aberdeen	…	…	994	70	60	161	5	236	1,526
Angus	…	…	693	30	93	166	135	45	1,162
Argyll	…	…	713	—	80	135	220	70	1,218
Ayr	…	…	3,229	534	416	972	183	249	5,583
Banff	…	…	254	—	40	105	—	11	410
Berwick	…	…	268	—	—	71	—	6	345
Bute	…	…	46	—	106	16	—	5	173
Caithness	…	…	272	19	—	115	25	1	432
Clackmannan		…	50	—	—	140	130	—	320
Dumfries	…	…	100	—	—	175	—	6	281
Dumbarton	…	…	3,429	355	532	1,199	—	55	5,570
East Lothian		…	420	—	14	146	—	39	619
Fife	…	…	599	50	140	592	49	227	1,657
Inverness	…	…	278	—	117	160	23	158	736
Kincardine	…	…	319	—	—	52	—	—	371
Kirkcudbright		…	56	8	—	69	—	12	145
Lanark	…	…	7,703	566	286	2,244	571	230	11,600
Midlothian	…	…	589	2	37	227	20	201	1,076
Moray and Nairn		…	135	140	—	101	—	6	382
Orkney	…	…	10	—	—	28	—	—	38
Peebles	…	…	55	—	—	45	—	—	100
Perth and Kinross		…	357	—	75	160	84	93	769
Renfrew	…	…	2,614	293	648	1,159	188	—	4,902
Ross and Cromarty			302	130	28	159	258	23	900
Roxburgh	…	…	364	31	69	162	90	35	751
Selkirk	…	…	154	—	43	106	—	40	343
Stirling	…	…	865	35	—	412	—	205	1,517
Sutherland	…	…	236	6	—	52	—	60	354
West Lothian		…	66	—	163	285	—	2	516
Wigtown	…	…	159	16	—	89	—	—	264
Zetland	…	…	67	—	—	31	30	1	129
WATER BOARDS		…	—	—	—	—	1,104	—	1,104
TOTALS, approximately			£30·9m	£3·9m	£4·6m	£13·2m	£4·1m	£3·8m	£60·4m

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what emergency action will be taken to repair the pier at Isle of Whithorn and protect the inhabitants from the next high tide; and whether he will make a statement.

Repairs to the pier are the responsibility of the owners,

pursuant to his reply, OFFICIAL REPORT, 2nd February, 1972, c. 421–22:The following table gives details by city and county area—except in the case of expenditure by water boards—of the £60 million of work approved between July and December under the special programme of additional works to relieve unemployment.the Isle of Whithorn Harbour Company. Any coast protection measures which may be needed are a matter for Wigtown County Council. As an emergency measure the County Council are arranging for sandbag barricades to protect premises fronting the harbour, and they are also consulting the Army authorities about possible assistance. An engineer from my Department visited the area on 7th February and took part in discussions. I will write to my hon. Friend when I have the further views of the County Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will call for reports from chief constables as to what instructions have been issued to police forces in Scotland in relation to policing the miners' strike.

No. I do not think such action is necessary. I am confident that the police are fully aware of their responsibilities in relation to any industrial dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the adult prisoners in Scottish prisons are currently receiving vocational training.

Thirty-six at 1st February, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the inmates of borstals, young offenders' institutions and detention centres, respectively, are currently receiving vocational training.

At 1st February, 1972, 82 borstal inmates and 44 inmates of young offenders institutions. It is not practicable to provide such courses at the detention centre, whose inmates are in custody for too short a period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what he estimates to be the loss of revenue of allowing capital losses of companies to be deducted from their revenue profits;(2) what he estimates to be the loss to the revenue of abolishing the different treatment of the various categories of profit and loss in the case of companies and allowing the full amalgamation of profits and losses.

The information on which to base such estimates is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now review the opinion made by the Law Officers in 1913 and in 1931 concerning the tax liability of the revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Royal Mint intends to cease accepting orders for the proof sets of British sterling coinage.

No date has yet been fixed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what communication he has received from the Hull Employment Committee regarding the rising level of unemployment in North Humberside; and what steps he is taking to remedy this.

My right hon. Friend has received a resolution passed by the Committee on 21st January. This expresses concern about the high level of local unemployment. We share that concern. However, I expect North Humberside to benefit from the extensive measures which we have taken to expand the economy and to encourage industrial expansion in the assisted areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in how many employment exchange areas in England was the percentage rate of male unemployment greater than 19·8 per cent. in January; and how many of these are in development areas.

At 10th January, three employment exchange areas in England had male rates of unemployment in excess of 19·8 per cent. All were in development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were trained in Government training centres in each year from 1964 to 1971 in Wales.

Following is the information

Year	Number of trainees completing courses
1964	176
1965	490
1966	737
1967	862
1968	863
1969	944
1970	1,912
1971	1,776

NOTE. The figures for 1968 onwards include trainees sponsored by their employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the target 100,000 people per year who will receive training in Government centres will receive such training in Wales.

It is not intended that 100,000 people will be trained at Government training centres; many will be trained in colleges of further education and in employers' establishments. It is not at present possible to forecast the demand for vocational training by region, but Wales will benefit fully from the expansion of training facilities announced by my right hon. Friend on 1st February.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has for training centres in Lanarkshire.

Training facilities at Government training centres in Lanarkshire will be expanded as quickly as possible. The capacity of existing centres will be increased and use will be made of unused industrial premises as training annexes. Suitable premises have already been identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total insured population in the Aberavon constituency now, and what is it likely to be in 1973, 1974 and 1975, in current full employment.

In the area covered by the Port Talbot, Porthcawl and Cymmer Employment Exchanges, which is similar to the Aberavon constituency, the estimated number of employees in employment at June, 1970, the latest date for which information is available, was 37,300. Projections for 1973 and later years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the numbers of adult male and female unemployed at present at Port Talbot and Porthcawl; and what percentage this is of the insured population.

At 10th January, 916 men and 276 women aged 18 years and over were registered as unemployed at the Port Talbot employment exchange and 236 men and 61 women were registered at Porthcawl. For the Port Talbot, Bridgend, Cymmer, Maesteg and Porthcawl travel-to-work area, the percentage rates of unemployment were 5·5 for males and 4·9 for females. Rates cannot be calculated either for parts of a travel-to-work area or separately for adults.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the results and comments of the investigation by his officials at Southend into the illegal claiming of unemployment benefit; and whether he will give instructions for many more such inquiries to be put in hand so that major frauds against the taxpayer can be avoided.

One of the Department's special investigators recently examined the validity of unemployment benefit payments made to a number of persons who had been registered as unemployed at Southend. Evidence of fraud was found in six of the 289 cases examined. Prosecution is being considered. Investigation of suspected fraud is carried out mainly by local office staff of whom the equivalent of about 140 are at present engaged on this duty in the country as a whole. They are supported by 30 special investigators who undertake the more complex cases and also initiate larger inquiries such as the one at Southend. My Department will continue to carry out investigations of this kind wherever appropriate. A Committee of Inquiry into Abuse of Social Security Benefits is at present sitting under the Chairmanship of Sir Henry Fisher.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new places of Government training centres are to be created in Wales in the next three years.

Our 1972–75 expansion programme provides for about 300 additional places to be made available at Government training centres in Wales, including about 100 places at the new centre to be located in the Newport/Cwmbran/Pontypool area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will show the current wage rates in the Hospital Service as they affect senior medical staff, state the date of the last increase, giving the amount and its percentage value; and if he will state the date of the four previous increases, giving the amount and percentage value in each case.

I have been asked to reply.The current (whole-time) basic salary of the consultant grade effective from 1st April, 1971, ranges from £4,512 at the minimum to £6,840 at the maximum: the average increase was approximately 6·7 per cent.Details of the four previous increases are set out below.

Effective date	Basic salary scale		Approximate average increase per cent.
	Minimum	Maximum
1st April, 1970	£4,512	£6,330	21·5
1st January, 1969	£3,470	£5,275	8·3
1st October, 1966	£3,200	£4,885	10
1st April, 1963	£2,910	£4,445	14

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment his Department has made of the number of new jobs which must be created in Wales within the next three years in order to maintain the present total of male jobs.

Since employment changes over the next three years depend upon many unforeseeable factors, it is not possible to make a precise assessment. However, I recognise the continuing need to create more employment opportunities in Wales, to replace those lost through the decline of traditional industries. We have introduced extensive measures to encourage industrial expansion in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to introduce a standstill measure akin to the South Africa (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1961, following upon the departure of Pakistan from the Commonwealth; and for what duration.

I have been asked to reply.As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has indicated, this is one of the questions we are considering. Many complex issues are, of course, involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reply he has sent to the Ghana Government's announcement that many outstanding debts to British firms contracted while Dr. Nkrumah was President will be unilaterally cancelled by the Government of Colonel Acheampong.

None. The details and implications of the announcement are being studied.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those treaties entered into by each one of the European Communities with or without any of the member States, and those treaties entered into as a treaty ancillary to the Community Treaties by the United Kingdom. respectively.

The treaties entered into by each one of the Communities with or without any of the member States are listed in Part C of the Appendix to Cmnd. 4862-I. There are as yet no treaties entered into by the United Kingdom as treaties ancillary to the Community Treaties.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the treaties referred to in paragraph 7 of Part I of Schedule 1 of the European Communities Bill.

The treaties referred to are included in the Community Treaties and related instruments listed in the Appendix to Cmnd. 4862-I.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations and directives, respectively, were issued by the European Commission in 1969, 1970, and 1971.

Figures for the instruments of secondary legislation issued by the European follows:

	1969	1970	2971
Regulations	2,667	2,700	2,900
Directives and decisions	502	557	410

A large number of the instruments made in these years have already lapsed or been superseded.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the concessions obtained for Pakistan trade during the United Kingdom's negotiations with the European Economic Community will apply to that former part of Pakistan, now recognised by Her Majesty's Government, and the majority of members of the European Economic Community, as Bangladesh.

The question of the application to Bangladesh of the Joint Declaration of Intent on the development of trade relations with Ceylon, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore annexed to the Treaty of Accession is a matter for discussion between Her

CIVIL SERVICE STAFF IN POST
1st January, 1972
Ministerial Responsibilities		Central Administration	Public Services	Executive Functions Trading and Repayment Services	General Support Services
CABINET OFFICE
Secretariat and central support staff	…	426	—	—	—
Central Statistical Office	…	164	—	—	—
		590	—	—	—

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will now provide an analysis of Civil Service staff in post on 1st January, 1972, on the same basis as the analyses published in 9th and 24th November, 1971.

The analysis is as follows: