asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to be ready to make his statement on the review of basic retirement pensions.

The next uprating will be in October. I will announce the details in due course but I cannot yet say when this will be.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated additional administrative cost to his Department arising out of the review of retirement pensions annually.

About £135,000 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which cars of British manufacture can be converted for driving by the disabled by standard conversion kits; and what plans he has for encouraging the extension of the range of vehicles that can be so converted.

Most can be readily converted to hand operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now announce the outcome of the Government's review of the vehicle service for disabled people.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said in the debate yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the amount spent on medical facilities in Leicestershire in the latest available year per head of the population; and what were the comparable figures in Nottinghamshire, and nationally.

Current expenditure on hospital services in Leicestershire and Rutland in 1970–71 was £12·2 per head of population, and £16·3 in Nottinghamshire. The corresponding figure for regional hospital board hospitals in England was £16·5. The expenditure per head of population on executive council services was £8·7 in Leicestershire and Rutland, £7·9 in Nottinghamshire and £8·9 in England as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many senagraphic X-ray machines have been ordered by the National Health Service; and how many will be used for screening purposes in the National Health Service in the South Eastern Metropolitan area and the Brighton area.

Twelve machines of this type are in use in National Health Service hospitals, including two in hospitals in the South East Metropolitan Region. All are used for diagnostic purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to arrange for an up-to-date collection of his Department's leaflets and booklets to be accessible for public inspection in social security offices, post offices, local council offices and public libraries.

It would be impracticable to provide at all points up-to-date collections of all the Department's leaflets, booklets and claim forms. Offices of my Department, local authority health and social service departments and main post offices have readily available leaflets relating to benefits for which there is likely to be a regular demand. Supplies are available for any library which wishes to have them for reference or display.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the level of financial support provided by his Department to international voluntary service.

I have no power to finance international voluntary service overseas. I am making grants totalling about £40,000 over a period of three years to two international voluntary bodies for work in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many applications for social security benefit have been received since 1st January from single men on strike; and what percentage of these have been refused.

I regret this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is now in a position to give the total sums paid out by his Department as a consequence of the coal miners' strike.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the cost to public funds of supplementary benefits paid to those involved in the mining strike and their families, of tide-over payments after resumption of work and of administrative arrangements made for these payments.

The total cost from the beginning of the dispute to 15th February was £3,912,517. The administrative costs are not yet known.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost to public funds of supplementary benefits paid to those involved in the Chrysler strikes at Linwood and Bathgate, their families, and tide-over payments made after the return to work, plus the cost of administrative arrangements for his Department necessitated by these payments.

During the dispute at Chrysler Linwood, £17 was paid to the strikers themselves and £60,248 for dependants. Up to 15th February a further £46,732 had been paid to strikers and their dependants following the resumption of work. The amount paid up to 15th February in the dispute at British Leyland, Bathgate, was £7 to strikers themselves and £26,297 for dependants. This dispute is still in progress. The administrative cost of paying supplementary benefit in these two disputes is not yet known.

asked the Secretary of of State for Social Services what is the total amount of social security benefit, from 1st January to the latest available date, which has been paid to men on strike; and how much of this was paid to single men on strike.

From 1st January, 1972, to 15th February, 1972, the total amount paid out during the larger disputes was £4,017,902. Of this amount, £91,447 was paid to single strikers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will require assurances from the Family Planning Association that it will not extend its activities to include the encouragement and provision of facilities for abortion as a precondition of the further provision of public funds to the association.

I have no plans for making a grant to the association beyond those which have already been announced. Should a further application be received I would consider it in the light of all relevant factors.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he now proposes to introduce extra heating allowances for pensioners in receipt of supplementary benefit.

The supplementary benefit scale rates, which were increased last September, include provision for the normal heating needs of supplementary pensioners. Where there is special need for extra heating which is not met by the long-term addition paid to all supplementary pensioners, the Supplementary Benefits Commission already allows extra benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will now make the statement he promised last October on the efficacy of his agreement with tobacco manufacturers on voluntary health warnings; and whether he will proceed with negotiations with cigarette manufacturers for gift vouchers to carry clear health warnings when enclosed in cigarette packets, for gifts to be marked denoting their derivation from cigarette gift coupons, and for the Royal Warrant not to be reproduced on packets;(2) what diminution of cigarette smoking has occurred since his voluntary agreement was concluded with manufacturers.

During 1971 the number of cigarettes sold was about 41 per cent less than in 1970, but I would hesitate to ascribe this to any one event in a year in which there were a number of events in the field of smoking and health. I am not yet in a position to announce any further decisions on this matter, but I will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many old people died of hypothermia in the three months preceding 9th January, 1972.

The latest available figures relate to the December quarter, 1971. In England and Wales the total number of deaths in that period at ages 65 and over, where hypothermia was a contributory cause, was 77.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many, and what proportion of, local health authorities have had plans approved by him to operate a comprehensive family planning service, as provided for in the National Health Service (Family Planning) Act, 1967.

At 31st March, 1971, 70 local health authorities in England out of 158 reported a family planning service in both medical and non-medical cases including a service for the unmarried.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total expenditure on family planning services from Government funds in England and Wales, including rate support grant, urban aid programmes, prescriptions and hospital provision and other funds in the years 1968–69, 1969–70 and 1970–71; and what is the estimated expenditure from these Government funds in 1971–72.

I regret that not all the information is available. The elements of expenditure from Government funds on rate support grant, the pharmaceutical service and the hospital service that relate to family planning services are not separately identifiable. Central Government grants to voluntary bodies are as follows:

Estimated
1968–69	1969–70	1970–71	1971–72
—	—	£20,000	£30,000

Government specific grants to local authorities in relation to family planning are:

Estimated
1968–69	1969–70	1970–71	1971–72
—	£6,250	£8,640	£29,510

Local authority expenditure over the last three years was set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 18th January. Provision has been made for local authority expenditure in England and Wales in 1972–73 to be three times that of 1970–71, and present indications are that this will be achieved.—[Vol. 829, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for how long the Woolavington Wing Theatres of the Middlesex Hospital, serving private patients, will be closed; how many routine sessions for National Health Service patients have been cancelled between 20th January and 6th April; what is the number of National Health Service patients likely to be displaced; if payments will be made for the services of the National Health Service staff and equipment which will be used for private patients; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to Questions from the hon. Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Lomas) on 18th February.—[Vol. 831, c. 180–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider taking steps to reduce the age of retirement for men from 65 years to 64 years.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he intends to take to prevent further abuses of social security payments subsequent to the disclosures in Southend.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Employment to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. John Page) on 9th February. The work of prevention and detection of abuses of social security payments receives constant attention in both Departments, and procedures are kept under close review. The provisional number of prosecutions for all types of benefit fraud in 1971 was 9,648 as against 7,707 in 1970.The whole question of abuse of benefit is at present the subject of a special inquiry by a committee under the chairmanship of Sir Henry Fisher.—[Vol. 830, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the present arrangements for the prescribing of birth control pills by general practitioners in the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

This is one aspect on which I shall reach a conclusion in my review of family planning under the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received about the Government provision of behind-the-ear hearing aids.

A number of inquiries have been made by hon. Members and members of the public. As the hon. Member is aware, we are at present considering the possibility of supplying these aids through the National Health Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will initiate an inquiry into the price of deaf aids supplied to the National Health Service.

No. National Health Service hearing aids are purchased under fully competitive fixed price contracts which provide the best value for the money spent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of continuing concern in the dental profession about the effect of his decision to reduce the age of free dental treatment from 21 years to 18 years and the opposition of the Inner London Executive Council, he will reconsider this decision.

I have nothing to add to my reply on 13th July, 1971, to the hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Frank Allaun).—[Vol. 821, c. 188–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average time that the Dental Estimates Board takes to give approval for treatment when a dental surgeon is required to seek prior approval.

A recent check by the board showed that, including weekends and public holidays, just over 82 per cent. of estimates for treatment—other than orthodontic treatment—requiring prior approval were approved within eight days of receipt and 93½ per cent. within 10 days.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many dentists are employed by the National Health Service in South-East England; and, in particular, what is the number attending schools and clinics.

Following is the information:

DENTISTS EMPLOYED IN SOUTH EAST ECONOMIC PLANNING REGION
	Number
Hospital and Specialist Services	345*
General Dental Services	5,196
School and Priority Dental Services of Local Authorities	531*
* Whole-time equivalent.

NOTES:1. Figures for hospital and general dental services are as at 30th September, 1971: those for the local authority services as at 31st December, 1970.2. Dentists employed in local authority dental services carry out inspections at schools and provide treatment at clinics.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce amendments to the National Insurance Act (Old Persons and Widows Pensions and Attendance Allowance), 1970, to enable the attendance allowance to be extended to a wider range of severely handicapped people who are suffering continued financial hardship as a result of the rejection of their applications.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now take steps to amend the conditions surrounding the granting of constant attendance allowances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further consideration he has given to the continuing hardship of severely handicapped people who do not qualify for the attendance allowance because they do not require prolonged attention during the night; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot add to my reply to similar Questions on 21st December, 1971.—[Vol. 828, c. 1284–6.]

		Number of claims received (approximate)		Number of applicants who initially failed to satisfy the medical conditions (approximate)
		4th January,	15th February,	4th January,	15th February,
Regional Centre		1972	1972	1972	1972
Scotland	…	10,700	11,900	4,200	5,200
Wales	…	10,400	11,800	3,700	5,100
Northern	…	7,900	8,800	2,600	3,100
Yorkshire and Humberside	…	10,700	11,900	3,800	4,600
East Midlands and East Anglia	…	11,600	13,100	2,800	3,800
London North	…	9,700	10,900	2,500	3,400
London South	…	13,400	14,900	3,200	4,200
London West	…	10,600	11,800	2,700	3,900
South Western	…	8,900	10,000	3,100	4,000
West Midlands	…	9,600	10,700	4,000	5,200
North Western (Manchester)	…	8,600	9,700	2,500	3,300
North Western (Liverpool)	…	8,900	10,000	3,300	3,800
TOTALS	…	121,000	135,500	38,400	49,600

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many letters he has received from hon. Members in the last two months complaining about rejection of claims for the new attendance allowance of £4·80 per week; how many such cases have been reviewed; and what allowance was awarded.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what the figures are at the latest available date of applications for attendance allowance, of applicants who initially failed to satisfy the medical conditions, of applications for a review and unsuccessful reviewed cases, and what is the breakdown of the figures for the regional centres in England and for Scotland and Wales, and how they compare with the figures for 31 st December, 1971.

At 4th January about 121,000 claims had been received, 38,400 applicants had initially failed to satisfy the medical conditions, over 10,000 had applied for a review, and nearly 1,400 of the 6,200 whose applications for review had been dealt with had failed to satisfy the conditions at the review stage. The corresponding figures for 15th February are 135,500, 49,600, 14,500 and 2,400, respectively. A breakdown for Scotland and Wales and for each of the 10 English regional centres can only be given in respect of the number of claims received and the number of applicants who initially failed to satisfy the medical conditions.The figures are as follows:

In the last two months about 240 letters have been sent to my hon. Friend and myself by hon. Members concerning individual claims to attendance allowance which have been disallowed. It would not be possible, without undue expenditure and effort, to obtain the other information asked for by the hon. Member; but representations from hon. Members and direct from applicants do of course in appropriate cases lead to review action.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he intends taking to set up national screening programmes to test young children for blood lead levels.

My right hon. Friend has established a new division in the Department to deal with the medical aspects of chemical contamination of food and the environment. Its duties include coordinating and arranging screening programmes on specially exposed population groups. One such survey is already in progress and others are being planned to start as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total take-up so far of pensions payable to women who have been widowed between 40 and 50 years of age and the total cost of this benefit.

About 96,000 widows who were aged 40–49 when their husband died or their widowed mother's allowance ceased are now drawing a pension. It is estimated that the net additional cost is about £15 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will improve unemployment insurance benefits and ease benefit disqualifications on the unemployed while unemployment remains at present levels.

We have already postponed the six-day suspension rule because of the level of unemployment, and we see no need for other changes at present. Pension and related benefit rates will be reviewed in October and annually thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children are currently in the care of local authorities as a result of homelessness.

The latest available information is that local authorities in England recorded the reception of 2,829 children into care in the year ending 31st March, 1971, on the ground that their families were homeless.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to encourage, and to co-ordinate, social research carried out by voluntary bodies.

Voluntary bodies pursue their independent interests as regards social research. My Department receives information about such research and is increasingly involved in encouraging projects that voluntary bodies themselves wish to carry out. My Department will spend £120,000 in support of such research in 1971–72. It would not be practical, nor I think acceptable, for my Department to intervene as a co-ordinator in fields of work which may go far beyond its remit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate what proportion of employees will pay less than they do at present, under national insurance contributions, if his proposals contained in "Strategy for Pensions" are implemented.

About one-half, on the assumptions made in the White Paper. No attempt has been made to allow for possible changes in contributions or earnings levels between now and April, 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the means tests to which a family in need is subjected if it claims all the benefits or rebates to which it may be entitled.

The answer would clearly depend on the circumstances of the family including the nature of their need. Certain benefits are administered by local authorities at their discretion and their availability would vary from one area to another.The following list gives the main national statutory assessments. Receipt of supplementary benefit and family income supplement is a passport to entitlement to several of the other benefits listed without a further means test.MEANS TESTS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to amend the Human Tissue Act with a view to increasing the number of kidneys available to the 2,000 patients who die annually from kidney disease.

No. After careful examination of the matter I have reached the conclusion that the provision of an adequate supply of kidneys is not a question of legislation but of motivation and education. I have therefore arranged for steps to be taken to establish whether an effective and acceptable donor recruitment scheme can be devised.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances National Health Service consultants can be contracted only on a whole-time basis; and whether he will make a statement.

Under the terms of my Department's agreement with the profession's representatives, where a new appointment is being made, unless the board decides that the needs of the hospital service demand a whole-time appointment, the competition should be open to all applicants who are prepared to give substantially the whole of their time to the post, whether they prefer a whole-time or a maximum part-time contract.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that the regulations requiring National Health Service pharmacists, when their pharmacies are closed, to exhibit a prescribed form of notice showing the addresses and times on which chemists in the area are required to be opened outside normal hours are enforced.

I have no reason to think that the requirement is not generally observed. Any specific complaint should be made to the local executive council, whose pharmaceutical service committee is responsible for investigating allegations of failure by chemists in the area to comply with their terms of service.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give consideration to self-employed persons being included in the State basic scheme of pensions in addition to their employees, so that small tradesmen can be afforded this security, by such means as an assessment of their profits on which a percentage contribution could be calculated.

Under the proposals in "Strategy for Pensions" the self-employed will continue to qualify for pensions through the State basic scheme, paying flat-rate contributions plus a percentage of any Schedule D profits between £1,000 and the same upper limit as will apply to the earnings of employed persons. It would not be practicable to set up a system of fully earnings-related contributions from the self-employed comparable with that proposed for employed persons and their employers and for this reason the self-employed cannot be included in the State reserve scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his new plans for hospital building will advance the date for reconstruction of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

I understand the Wessex Regional Hospital Board has been enabled to bring forward a mental illness unit costing some £600,000 into the second phase which will follow completion of the maternity unit now under construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the known number of alcoholics: and what action is being taken to deal with the problem.

Estimates derived from various surveys suggest that there may be between 200,000 and 400,000 people in England and Wales whose dependence on alcohol significantly affects their bodily or mental health or personal and social relations. Following my announcement in November, 1970, that I was setting aside an extra £2 million over four years for this purpose, my Department is working in co-operation with local authorities, hospitals and voluntary bodies to improve and develop services on a comprehensive basis.I am also in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary about meeting the needs of drunken offenders within this comprehensive service.To date, apart from local authority expenditure, some £400,000 has been committed to developments including expansion and improvement of hospital facilities and grants to voluntary bodies undertaking counselling and rehabilitation.—[Vol. 806, c. 391–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what hospital buildings are planned for completion during the next three years in the area of the Manchester Regional Hospital Board; how many autistic children in the Manchester area are still in hospital wards; what action is being taken to train specialist staff to aid autistic children in the Manchester area: and whether he will reconsider the criterion for the definition of constant attendance.

The hospital buildings each costing £150,000 or more expected to be completed by Manchester Regional Hospital Board by March, 1975, are:

• Lancaster Royal Infirmary—Maternity Unit
• Victoria, Blackpool—Maternity Unit.
• Burnley General—Boiler House.
• Billinge, near Wigan—Geriatric Wards and Residential Accommodation.
• Leigh Infirmary—Theatres and X-Ray 90 Bed Ward Block.
• Hope Hospital, Salford—Residential Accommodation.
• Crumpsall, Manchester—Improvements to Maternity Departments.
• Ancoats, Manchester—Out-Patients and Accident Departments.
• Withington, Manchester—Theatres and Theatre Sterile Supply Unit and Research and Student facilities. Improvements to X-Ray Department Out-Patients Department Extension Nurses Accommodation (Phase 2).
• Wythenshawe, Manchester—Major Developments—Phase IIB Ward Blocks etc.
• Stepping Hill, Stockport—Laundry and Residential Accommodation. 4 Standard Ward Units, 2 Operating Theatres.
• Birch Hill, Rochdale—Surgical Wards.
• Prestwich—Laundry Extensions.
• Calderstones, near Blackburn—New Boiler House.
• Ladywell, Salford—Younger Chronic Sick Unit.
• Sharoe Green, Preston—Younger Chronic Sick Unit.

The Board is reviewing its capital programme for 1973–74 and subsequent years and the above list excludes any scheme which might start in 1973–74 and be completed by 1974–75. Schemes with a building and engineering cost of below £150,000 are not individually listed by my Department. In July, 1971, there were in hospitals in the Manchester Region 31 persons under age 17 diagnosed as autistic; this is the most recent figure available. The training of the medical and nursing staff covers all relevant aspects of treatment. So far as attendance allowance is concerned I would refer the lion. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to Questions on 21st December, 1971.—[Vol. 828. c. 1284–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the financial benefit in the reduction of the payment of supplementary benefits if all the Government retirement pensions were exempt from income tax.

Minimal. Records are not kept of the very small number of supplementary pensioners liable for income tax.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will grant a special allowance for kidney patients to cover the costs of extra electricity, food and clothing used as a result of their illness.

Help with extra expenses of heating, diet and, where this arises, clothing is already available to those within the scope of the supplementary benefits scheme. If my hon. Friend has any particular case of difficulty in mind and will let me know I shall of course be glad to look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient stated period since June, 1970 the amounts of unemployment and supplementary benefits paid on a weekly or monthly basis to the unemployed and those out of work due to industrial disputes; and how these figures compare with a like period of time immediately preceding June, 1970.

The average cost of unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit for unemployed persons during the period from January, 1969, to June, 1970, was £3·8 million a week and during the period from July, 1970, to December, 1971, £5·3 million a week. Averaged over the same periods, the cost of payments of supplementary benefit to strikers and their families was £17,000 a week and £61,000 a week, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in view of the constant need for community service, what steps he is taking to assist voluntary youth organisations in this field.

I am giving financial support to two such organisations and financing a research study of a third, and am very willing to consider proposals from national bodies which serve in my fields of responsibility.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a re-examination of ali hospital appointments cards with a view to strengthening the privacy of the information given; and to examine the need for change in regard to questions covering religion and nationality.

Appointment cards show the date and time of attendance and do not contain such questions. The forms used by general practitioners to obtain appointments for their patients are likely to contain personal details and these are treated in full confidence as part of the patient's medical record.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the level, and on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the development, of auxiliary medical services such as incontinent laundry services, home helps, chiropody and medical social workers in major urban centres of England and Wales, in particular the City of Portsmouth.

The Government's policy of seeking to encourage the development and extension of these and other services throughout the country has been clearly stated on a number of occasions. As an example I am sending the hon. Member a copy of my Department's circular of October last advising local authorities about the need for home help and laundry services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a further statement on the implementation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, 1970.

As regards Section 1, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 1st February. Information about services provided under Section 2 will be obtained for the year ending 31st March, 1973.—[Vol. 830, c. 60.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons over 80 years of age have applied unsuccessfully to local offices of his Department for retirement pensions; and what reasons were given for their refusals.

Unsuccessful applications arise mainly because of failure to satisfy the residence tests but I regret that information about numbers is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from the Cruse Club organisation for widows and their children on the subject of making public money available for its work; and what assistance he has decided to give.

Discussions between my Department and the director of the organisation have revealed that the purposes for which money is wanted unfortunately fall outside the scope of my powers to make grants to voluntary organisations. I am considering whether there is any other way in which I can assist.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what grounds he stated that the cost of the General Household Survey is not higher than would have been incurred by a commercial market research organisation; and if he will publish relevant information including that listed in the Market Research Society's Standards, a copy of which is in his possession, particularly description of universe, size and nature of sample, planned as well as achieved, geographical distribution, and questionnaire.

A detailed statement of the design of the sample for the General Household Survey and the response rate as well as a description of the content of the survey is about to appear in the next issue of Statistical News and I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of this and of the questionnaire.The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, which is responsible for conducting the survey, employs market research organisations for a number of purposes. This allows the Office to compare the costs and performance of these agencies with its own. It is, therefore, possible to say that, bearing in mind the terms of reference and the conditions necessary to obtain satisfactory results on this survey, there is no reason to think that the costs are any higher than any other survey organisation would incur.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will specify the regulations by which chemists are required to exhibit a prescribed form of notice showing the addresses and times at which other chemists in the area are required to be open outside normal hours.

This requirement forms part of the terms of service for chemists, which are set out in Schedule 4 to the National Health Service (General Medical and Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations, 1966 (S.I., 1966, No. 1210).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received asking for the reinstatement of the mobile mass radiography service to its former levels throughout the country; and what replies he has sent.

My Department has received many letters asking for the service to be continued. These have been carefully considered but they do not cause me to alter the guidance issued to hospital authorities for the run-down of this service. In my replies I have explained that general population surveys now reveal relatively few cases of active tuberculosis for the number of persons examined, but that mobile X-ray units will continue to be used for surveys of population groups at special risk; and in some areas to meet the needs of general practitioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take steps to increase the number of staff at Broadmoor Hospital.

Staff complements and recruitment are under constant review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provisions are currently available for the examination of women for early detection of cancer of the breast in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Women attending local health authority clinics for cervical cancer screening are offered clinical examination of the breast; instruction in self-examination is also given.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time in the Central Middlesex Hospital Management Committee Group for sterilisation by vasectomy operation under the National Health Service; and what is the average time for private patients.

The waiting time for National Health Service patients varies between two and four weeks. Admission of private patients depends on individual arrangements between patient and surgeon.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the average waiting time for a vasectomy operation under the National Health Service in the area of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board;

This information is not readily available and it would require a disproportionate amount of time to seek returns from all hospitals in the region which provide surgical facilities. So far as private patients are concerned, waiting time depends on individual arrangements made between the patient and the surgeon.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number on the hospital waiting list in the Southampton area at the end of 1971 and what were the comparable figures for each year from 1961 to 1970. inclusive.

The figures are as follows:

Year	Total Number on waiting list at 31st December
1971	4,956
1970	5,083
1969	4,841
1968	4,313
1967	3,952
1966	2,785
1965	2,804
1964	2,573
1963	2,597
1962	2,731
1961	2,993

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of general hospitals, having 500 to 900 beds and over 900 beds, respectively, has no in-patient accommodation for ear, nose and throat diseases; and how many of such hospitals have been built in the last 10 years.

Thirteen out of 73 and two out of six, respectively; one.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present position concerning the shortage of nursing staff; and whether he will list the total number of nursing vacancies in the different geographic areas of Great Britain.

Meaningful esimates of shortages cannot be made because there is is no generally accepted yardstick for determining nursing staff requirements and information is not collected centrally about vacancies; but the total number of nursing staff in hospitals in England and Wales is rising steadily and the increase in the year to 31st March, 1971, was the highest ever recorded. Preliminary figures for 30th September, 1971, indicate a further increase.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the staffing of hospitals in the Northern Region, the availability of doctors and consultants and the length of patient waiting lists.

Waiting List			General Medicine	General Surgery	Geriatrics and Chronic Sick	Ear, Nose and Throat	Traumatic and Orthopaedic Surgery	Gynaecology
per 1,000 population
England	…	…	0·08	3·2	0·18	2·2	1·5	1·8
Newcastle	…	…	0·07	2·7	0·10	1·4	1·3	1·3
per 1,000 discharges
England	…	…	5·8	155·4	50·6	375·1	183·0	179·9
Newcastle	…	…	4·5	133·7	19·3	237·0	168·0	124·1

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of claims for family income supplement has been refused by his Department, returned to the applicant due to inadequate answers on the official form, or abandoned by the applicant after his Department had required further personal details of the applicant or of his family.

The proportion of claims for family income supplement which have been rejected is 48 per cent. The reason for returning a claim form is usually because a signature has been omitted; no record is kept of the number of these. Claimants are asked for additional information in more than half of the claims. In well over half of these cases the information required is a statement of earnings from the employer. The proportion of claims assumed to be abandoned because the claimants do not provide information asked for is just under 5 per cent.

The recruitment of staff to meet requirements is a matter for the individual hospital authorities subject to any special approval required from the regional hospital hoard or my Department: there has been general expansion in recent years; on 30th September, 1970, there were in the Newcastle Region, in whole-time equivalents, 440 hospital doctors, including 176 consultants, per million population: the corresponding figures for England and Wales were 461 and 165.Proportionately the number of patients awaiting admission to hospital in the Newcastle Regional Hospital Area is less than the average for England. Comparative figures for waiting lists in the major specialties in relation to population and to discharges from hospitals are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on the compensation claims of Far Eastern prisoners of war or their widows;(2) how many Far Eastern prisoners of war are currently in receipt of compensation and how many have been rejected; how many have had compensation claims met since the end of the war; how this figure compares with the claims made; and how many widows' claims have been accepted and rejected.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to war pensions. Claims from Far Eastern prisoners of war and their widows are dealt with under the same rules as claims from any other members of Her Majesty's Forces. Where it is relevant to the disability for which a pension is claimed the effects of captivity on health are, of course, taken fully into account. I regret that no separate figures are available of pensions claimed by and awarded to Far Eastern prisoners of war and their widows.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will instruct his representatives on the Whitley Council to make initiatives to expedite the completion of the negotiations on the current wage claim of nurses within the National Health Service.

Negotiations are conducted by the management side as a whole but my representatives will certainly play their full part in seeking an early and reasonable settlement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he is not sponsoring any major exhibit at the 1972 Floriade in Amsterdam.

This event has a primarily cultural and gardening content and commercial benefit would be minimal. A British presence is therefore not justified. When an event has sound commercial potential, the Department of Trade and Industry considers applications for financial assistance through representative trade organisations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether milk producers and distributors in the United Kingdom will be required to comply with the European Economic Community regulations under which there are only two grades of milk for liquid consumption, based on butter fat percentages, or whether it will be permissible to retain the present system; and what advice he is giving to the milk industry on this matter.

We have negotiated a derogation until 31st December, 1975, from the minimum butterfat standard of 3·5 per cent. for whole milk for liquid consumption. From that date whole milk, which is defined to exclude raw milk, for liquid consumption will have to meet this minimum standard, but, provided that the minimum standard is met, dairymen will be free either to standardise their milk or to sell it as it comes from the cow. We have also negotiated an amendment of the regulation so that we can set a higher minimum butterfat standard for special milks such as Channel Islands milk.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that, while 44 million Sitka spruce were planted by the Forestry Commission in 1970–71, only 280,000 of the more commonly used broadleaf tree were planted; and whether he will instruct the Commission to take a long-term view of their obligations and to plant more broadleaved trees.

Nearly all the land that the commission now acquires is in the uplands and very little of it is suitable for broadleaved trees. My hon. Friend will, however, be glad to know that the commission is laying increased emphasis on keeping up the numbers of broadleaved trees in its existing plantations.The 280,000 trees to which my hon. Friend refers were beech. Altogether the commission planted 440,000 broadleaved trees during the year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many applications have been received by the Forestry Commission from mining companies wishing to explore for mineral under plantations; how many have been granted; and what his policy is with regard to such applications.

Applications to the Forestry Commission for permission to prospect for minerals are considered on their merits, having regard to the obligations of the commission and the forestry Ministers under the Countryside Acts. During the last two years 40 such applications have been received of which 25 have so far been granted.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now state the locations of the proposed post-war credit repayment centres.

The main centres will be at Bootle, Salford, Cardiff, Llanishen and Pontypridd. There will also be small centres at Portsmouth and Bristol. All the Scottish work can be done in the individual tax districts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice from sources outside his Department he has received on the ability of a single computer centre to handle the total national flow of paperwork for value-added tax.

Advice has been received from a number of other Government Departments with considerable experience in handling total national flows, from the Civil Service Department Computers Division and from Operational Research consultants.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent information on the proposed value-added tax being given to professional and trade associations exceeds that given in the Green Paper.

Many ideas and possibilities have been discussed with professional and trade bodies in the process of consultation on the basis of the Green Paper, but information about decisions on the proposed value-added tax legislation must await the forthcoming Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will cease the practice of addressing hon. Members who belong to Her Majesty's Opposition by their Christian names when answering letters on controversial issues, as this causes offence to their constituents.

This has always been regarded as a matter best left to the discretion of the correspondents.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek the necessary powers to require non-profit companies to submit form P11D in respect of all employees and their expenses in the same manner as for other companies; and if he will make a statement.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the lack of information available to him on non-profit companies, if he will list the grounds on which he has refused to act on recommendations of the hon. and learned Member for Northwich (Sir J. Foster) in his reference to such companies in his report on Scientology.

As I told the hon. Member in a reply on 25th January, I am not convinced that the law needs to be changed. The absence of statistics does not mean that claims to exemption on mutuality grounds are not closely scrutinised by the Inland Revenue. I cannot of course comment on the tax affairs of individual taxpayers.—[Vol. 829, c. 357.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many goods vehicle drivers were killed or seriously injured during each of the past three years.

The information asked for is as follows:

	Killed	Seriously injured	Total
1969	256	3,704	3,960
1970	270	3,660	3,930
1971	287	3,311	3,598
The figures include drivers of privately-registered vans.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many organisations have made representations to him requesting a national concessionary fares scheme for retirement pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

A number of such representations have been received but I still regard concessions as a matter of local discretion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will expedite his plans for the provision of lorry parks, in view of the increased casualties to children in road accidents due to overnight parking of lorries, particularly in the Newham area.

I want to see as rapid progress in dealing with this problem as possible. In London it is a matter for the Greater London Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of motorway were completed in 1970 and 1971.

The information is as follows:

	Miles
1970	97·0
1971	209·7

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the Hatfield to Wadworth section of the M18 motorway to be completed.

By the end of 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now announce his decision concerning the Wadworth/Hatfield section of the M18 motorway.

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. Harold Walker) on 31st January.—[Vol. 830, c. 40.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many primary school children and how many secondary school children suffered personal injuries as a result of road accidents in the immediate proximity of their schools, in each of the years 1951 to 1971, inclusive;

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why such a small proportion of the total acreage of derelict land in the South-West Region is considered to justify treatment.

The decision whether or not derelict land justifies treatment is essentially a matter for individual local authorities carrying out the survey. A great deal of the derelict land in the South-West Region, particularly in Cornwall, has resulted from mining activities long ago. Much of it has become naturalised and is in remote areas where the impact on the environment is not serious.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many accidents have taken place on motorways in the past five years owing to drivers having become unduly tired or fallen asleep.

This information is neither available nor obtainable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the current level of starts in local authority house building.

The latest figures for local authority house building indicate a distinct levelling off in the downward trend, which has prevailed since 1968. After adjusting for normal seasonal movements, starts in the last six months of 1971 were as high as in the second quarter. This suggests that the decline has stopped. Moreover, approvals in the last quarter of 1971 were well up on the corresponding quarter of 1970. I am particularly concerned about the rate of progress in the stress areas, and the House will be glad to know that public authority housing starts in 1971 were 8 per cent. up in London over 1970. While it was down in Manchester, in Birmingham—where there is a progressive Conservative authority—local authority housing starts were up by no less than 27 per cent., not 37 per cent. as stated in my previous answer to the hon. Member on 16th February, 1972.—[Vol. 830, c. 418–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will reduce the fee for driving licences for controlled epileptics in view of the fact that they are issued annually; and if he will make a statement.

No. These cases are particularly expensive to handle, both because the licences have to be issued three times as often as others, and because of the need to make medical inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will cease the practice of addressing hon. Members who belong to Her Majesty's Opposition by their Christian names when answering letters on controversial issues, as this causes offence to their constituents.

This has always been regarded as a matter best left to the discretion of the correspondents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when and where the exhibition of the results of the Commonwealth architectural competition for the design of the new Parliamentary building will be held.

The exhibition will be held in Westminster Hall and will be open from the afternoon of Friday, 3rd March, until Saturday, 8th April. There will be a special preview for Members from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. on Thursday, 2nd March. The public will be able to visit the exhibition on those days and at those hours when Westminster Hall is normally open to the public.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will extend the monitoring systems which measure the efficiency of departmental performance.

Systems for monitoring the efficiency of departmental performance, expenditure and manpower are operated at both departmental and central levels and these are continually being developed and improved.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many additional primary school places have been provided in the Kettering Parliamentary constituency since 1st July, 1970;(2) how much money has been spent on building new primary schools in the Kettering parliamentary constituency since 1st July, 1970.

The Department does not collect figures about school building by reference to parliamentary constituencies, but only to complete local education authority areas. Some of the information asked for may be obtainable from the local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the 30 organisations she intends to consult on the James Report.

Nearer the time I shall decide which organisations to invite specifically, but it will of course be open to any other organisation to submit its views.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in view of the problems of the Medical Research Council staff concerned with the welfare of experimental animals in obtaining a satisfactory career structure, if she will consider allowing the Medical Research Council freedom to implement the recommendation of the working party on recruitment and career problems amongst animal technicians completed on 29th May, 1970.

Proposals from the Medical Research Council on this subject are currently under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many new primary schools, and at what cost, have been built in the Eye division in East Suffolk in each year since 1965; and what plans there are for new primary schools in the next five years.

The Department does not collect figures about school building by reference to parliamentary constituencies, but only to complete local education authority areas. Some of the information asked for may be obtainable from the local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will state the number and location of all polytechnics and make a statement concerning the future of polytechnics.

Twenty-eight polytechnics have now been established. The following list includes the locations of main sites where appropriate: Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Central London, City of London, Glamorgan (Pontypridd), Hatfield, Huddersfield, Kingston (Kingston-upon-Thames), Lanchester (Coventry and Rugby), Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North-East London, North London, North Staffordshire (Stoke and Stafford), Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, South Bank (South London), Sunderland, Teesside, Thames (South-East London), Trent (Nottingham) and Wolverhampton.Two further polytechnics have yet to be formally designated, one (to be maintained jointly by the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey and to be called the Middlesex Polytechnic) and one in central Lancashire (to be main- tamed jointly by the Preston and Lancashire Authorities).These 30 polytechnics will play an increasingly important part in meeting demand for higher education, and large building programmes are now under way. They are financed by local education authorities and provide opportunities in a diversity of subjects and at a number of levels, as envisaged in the White Paper "A Plan for Polytechnics and other Colleges" of 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the effect of the new criteria for whether or not derelict land justifies treatment in Wales; what reclamation will now become feasible in the East Flintshire constituency; and if he will make a statement.

The revised criteria set out in Welsh Office circular 38/72 allow land which is neglected or unsightly, although not necessarily derelict, to be considered for grant-aided treatment. The increased acreage within this definition is not known. The new scheme applies only to development areas intermediate areas and derelict land clearance areas; and those parts of the East Flint-shire constituency falling within these categories will qualify for grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many starts were made on new council houses in Wales in 1971; how many were completed; and how these figures compare with those for the previous four years.

4,423 were started and 5,453 were completed. The figures for the preceeding four years were:

	1970	1969	1968	1967
Started	4,849	6,484	7,425	9,067
Completed	6,513	7,819	8,265	9,841

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the local authorities in Wales which have acted to raise rents in advance of the Housing Finance Bill becoming law.

Local authorities are not required to inform me of proposed alterations in their rents.