asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultations he has had concerning the blacking of containers by members of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

Blacking action by members of the Transport and General Workers' Union against certain employers has been the subject of orders by the National Industrial Relations Court and the union has appealed to the Court of Appeal against them. I have not entered into consultation with the union or employers about these particular instances, though the general question of the stuffing and stripping of containers was included in my discussions about the national dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in his consideration of altering the present conventional method of collection of unemployment figures.

I am reviewing this question in consultation with other Departments concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people who left school at Christmas and Easter, respectively, are still unemployed in the Southampton area.

None of the young people who left school at Christmas were still registered as unemployed at the Southampton County Borough careers office on 8th May. Of those who left at Easter, only 11 were still registered as unemployed on that date.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school leavers are registered as unemployed in the greater London area; and what action he is taking to reduce this number.

458 school leavers were registered as unemployed in the greater London area in May. Careers officers are doing all they can to help them find employment. The Government's economic measures should increase job opportunities in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of students leaving school in the Newark area in the summer; and what action he is taking to secure employment opportunities for them.

About 500 young people will be leaving school in the Newark area this summer. Careers officers are doing all they can to help them find jobs and I expect exployment opportunities to improve as the Government's economic measures take effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of redundancies recorded in public sector administration posts in Scotland since June, 1970.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have been notified to his Department by employers in Scotland to the latest available date.

During the period 1st January, 1972, to 26th May, 1972, my Department was notified of redundancies in Scotland involving 12,130 workpeople.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to improve the re-employment prospects of older men who are declared redundant.

My right hon. Friend provides a range of services and grants designed to improve the re-employment prospects of redundant workers of all ages. In the assisted areas grants are available to employers who are prepared to retrain and employ certain unemployed workers over 45.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimates he has made of the number of new trade unions that have been created in the last two years which were not the result of mergers between existing unions.

The information available to my Department does not provide a reliable basis for making such an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the cost of living index of recent major pay awards.

Labour costs represent by far the largest single component of industrial costs; so pay settlements above the increase in productivity are bound to lead to price increases. The Government will continue to emphasise the need to secure more moderate pay settlements as the basis for greater price stability.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures of male unemployed over the age of 60 years who have been continuously unemployed for over six months.

At 10th January, the latest date for which information is available, the number of wholly unemployed males aged 60 years and over in Great Britain who had been registered for more than 26 weeks was 68,797.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will instruct his Department to prepare records to show the number of persons registered as unemployed who are not prepared to accept jobs available.

Where claimants to benefit or those seeking credits of national insurance contributions refuse offers of suitable employment, reports are made to independent statutory authorities. Last year 20,318 cases were so referred, of which 16,221 were disqualified.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing in percentage terms how many registered unemployed are in the age groups 35 to 45 years, 45 years to 55 years, and 55 years to 65 years.

Following is the available information for 10th January, the latest date for which a detailed age analysis is available:

AGE ANALYSIS OF THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED IN GREAT BRITAIN AT 10TH JANUARY, 1972
	Number	Percentage of total
Up to 34 years	454,599	49·2
35 to 44 years	137,873	14·9
45 to 54 years	134,362	14·5
55 years and over*	197,683	21·4
Total, all ages	924,517	100·0
* The analysis does not separately identify the number of women aged 65 and over.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will indicate which age group of registered unemployed remain unemployed for the longest period; and how long this period is.

The numbers of people registered as wholly unemployed are analysed according to the length of their current period of registration and the analysis identifies as a single group those registered for more than 52 weeks. At 10th January, the latest date for which a detailed age analysis is available, out of 129,961 males in Great Britain who had been registered for more than 52 weeks, 43,988 were 60–64 years of age. Out of 12,012 females registered for more than 52 weeks, 3,474 were in the 55–59 age range.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers over 50 years of age and how many school-leavers were unemployed in each economic planning region in May in each of the years since 1968.

The unemployed register is analysed by age groups only twice a year, in January and July. The following table gives a regional analysis of the numbers of registered wholly unemployed workers aged 50 years and over for each January and July since 1968,

NUMBERS OF WORKERS AGED 50 AND OVER REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED BY REGION
			1968		1969		1970		1971		1972
			January	July	January	July	January	July	January	July	January
South East	…	…	44,912	40,136	46,257	40,025	47,589	43,130	50,793	49,988	60,192
East Anglia	…	…	5,323	4,438	5,412	4,557	5,696	4,877	6,495	6,705	8,224
South West		…	15,011	12,402	15,918	13,835	16,629	14,315	17,619	15,838	20,804
West Midlands		…	12,752	12,911	14,060	13,339	14,534	14,506	17,062	19,146	23,435
East Midlands		…	8,321	8,460	10,318	9,909	10,924	11,652	13,060	14,117	15,790
Yorkshire and Humberside			14,106	14,850	17,534	15,938	18,846	18,433	20,963	22,655	25,982
North West		…	22,575	21,087	23,400	21,037	23,217	23,359	26,854	28,992	35,666
North	…	…	16,524	18,769	22,611	21,186	22,467	20,939	22,093	21,484	24,997
Wales	…	…	11,980	10,973	12,776	11,659	12,883	11,637	12,922	12,759	14,843
Scotland	…	…	23,756	21,426	24,051	21,298	24,520	23,316	27,471	28,117	32,076
Great Britain		…	175,260	165,452	192,337	172,783	197,305	186,164	215,332	219,801	262,009

NUMBERS OF SCHOOL LEAVERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED
					May, 1968	May, 1969	May, 1970	May, 1971	May, 1972
South East	…	…	…	…	615	530	545	945	905
East Anglia	…	…	…	…	102	73	70	154	168
South West	…		…	…	141	146	147	198	258
West Midlands		…	…	…	433	159	191	443	901
East Midlands		…	…	…	180	129	190	300	400
Yorkshire and Humberside				…	504	412	410	830	1,205
North West		…	…	…	439	307	356	1,010	1,741
North	…	…	…	…	645	650	677	1,118	1,806
Wales	…	…	…	…	527	427	375	679	857
Scotland	…	…	…	…	443	393	458	847	1,811
Great Britain		…	…	…	4,029	3,226	3,419	6,524	10,052

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage increase in the number of men registered as wholly unemployed in Scotland between May, 1970, and May, 1972.

Between May, 1970, and May, 1972, the number of males registered as wholly unemployed in Scotland increased by 53·3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures, in numbers and as percentages of total unemployment, for persons aged over 60 years and 62 years, respectively.

At 10th January, 924,517 people were registered as wholly unemployed in Great Britain of whom 124,260—13·4 per cent.—were 60 years of age and over. The statistics do not separately identify those over 62 years of age.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment by how much the rise in average earnings over the past year has differed from the rise in the cost of living.

During the 12-month period ending in March, 1972, the latest period for which earnings figures are available, average earnings rose by 10·4 per cent. and retail prices by 7·8 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many stoppages of work due to industrial disputes have been recorded by his Department so far in 1972 and how this compares with the same period in each of the past five years.

675 in the four months ending 30th April, 1972. For the same period in the preceding five years the figures were: 1971, 783; 1970, 1,642; 1969, 970; 1968, 717; 1967, 709.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many appeals to the industrial tribunals in cases of alleged unfair dismissal have been made since the relevant section of the Industrial Relations Act came into force.

Between 28th February and 31st May, 1972, 1,624 complaints of alleged unfair dismissal were received by industrial tribunals and referred to my Department's officers with a view to the settlement of the issue by conciliation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in his Department's efforts to obtain fuller information on available vacancies and increase the number of placings achieved by the employment exchanges.

Immediate action is being taken to improve services to employees and employers by extension of job-display, improved vacancy circulation and other longer-term measures. However, the plans for modernising the Employment Service outlined in "People and Jobs" will take time to accomplish and it is too early to expect clear results as yet.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unfilled vacancies there were at the end of April, 1972, in the employment exchange areas of Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth; and what were the comparative figures for each of the previous five years.

At 3rd May the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled in the areas covered by the Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth employment exchanges were 170, 61 and 46, respectively.Following is the information:

NOTIFIED VACANCIES REMAINING UNFILLED IN THE AREAS COVERED BY THE STIRLING, FALKIRK AND GRANGEMOUTH EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES
	Stirling	Falkirk	Grange-mouth
May, 1971	139	90	9
May, 1970	177	227	100
May, 1969	159	272	203
May, 1968	164	304	112
May, 1967	167	139	138
The statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy regarding the future payment of levy in the context of the Road Transport Industry Training Board.

Decisions on payment of levy can only be made in the context of policy on the future of industrial training generally. My right hon. Friend is now considering the policy in the light of comments on the Government's proposals received during the consultative period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when the White Paper on Industrial Training will be published.

I have nothing to add to the answer which my hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Rose) on 16th May.—[Vol. 837, c. 60–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to improve the facilities for industrial retraining in the Principality of Wales.

The number of training places available at Government training centres in the Principality will be increased from about 1,100 at present to about 1,700 by 1975. Full use will also be made of all suitable training facilities available in employers' establishments and colleges of further education.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to establish a Trades Union Industrial Training Board.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what further plans he now has to refer industrial disputes to the National Industrial Relations Court.

It is the Government's view that industrial disputes should be settled whenever possible by negotiation, conciliation and arbitration, and that recourse to the National Industrial Relations Court should be made only in the last resort.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give as much information as may be readily available of the costs involved in the applications made by him to the National Industrial Relations Court for orders under Sections 138 and 141 of the Industrial Relations Act; and what fees were paid, or are due to be paid, to Mr. T. H. Bingham, Q.C., Mr. B. Davenport and Mr. P. Scott.

No further information about costs is available at present. It is not the practice to disclose fees paid to individual counsel.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why he will be unable to give the legal cost of action by Her Majesty's Government in connection with references to the National Industrial Relations Court for some considerable time; and whether he will take action to speed up the presentation of information available to hon. Members.

Proceedings involved counsel acting for the Secretary of State for Employment in hearings before the National Industrial Relations Court and the Court of Appeal. It is always some time before the appropriate fees in such cases can be finally agreed and approved; but my right hon. Friend will see that this is done as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will initiate discussions with industry and local authorities in an effort to increase job opportunities in inner London.

Since London is well placed to benefit from the extensive measures we have introduced to secure sustained economic growth, my right hon. Friend sees no advantage in such discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now seek to make loss of hearing caused by excessive industrial noise a notifiable industrial injury; and if he will make a statement.

No. This would not help much, even if it were prac- ticable. The interests of those at risk can best be served at the present time by the Factory Inspectorate identifying areas of excessive noise and advising on protective measures in accordance with the recently published "Code of Practice on Noise".

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of professional and executive vacancies are notified to his Department.

Firm information is not available. The best estimate we can make suggests a proportion of about 20 per cent. This percentage could vary considerably in particular areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons on the Professional and Executive Register at the latest convenient date; and how many of these are unemployed.

On 8th March, 1972, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of persons on the Professional and Executive Register was 50,378. Of these, 31,371 were registered as unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the support that the professional and business register is receiving from commerce and industry; and if he will make a statement.

At the present time the register is not being used by employers to the extent that we should like but the restyled service, which will operate from the beginning of 1973, should command considerably greater support.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now give the total inclusive costs to the Exchequer of all items of expenditure involved in resolving the industrial dispute affecting the railways, including legal costs of the National Industrial Relations Court, printing, and the ballot.

As regards the cost of the ballot I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Ted Fletcher) on 25th May. No further information about costs is available at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the conduct by the Commission on Industrial Relations of the ballot of railwaymen, including what steps were taken to ensure fairness, to control expenditure on propaganda by the disputants, and to appoint impartial tellers; and whether representatives of the disputants were invited to act as tellers, and with what result.

Under Section 144(4) of the Industrial Relations Act, a ballot relating to industrial action has to be conducted according to rules made by the commission for the proper conduct of the ballot and for keeping the voting secret. A copy of the rules for the conduct of the ballot of railwaymen has been placed in the Library.The commission has no control over expenditure by the parties on propaganda.I understand that the British Railways Board and the three unions concerned nominated observers who were present while the votes were checked and counted by CIR staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why the staff of the National Industrial Relations Court refused to work on Saturday and Sunday, 27th and 28th May, 1972, at counting the railway workers' ballot papers; how many of his Department volunteered for this work and at what salaries; and how these compared with the pay of those employees who refused to work.

The counting of the ballot papers is the responsibility of the Commission on Industrial Relations, not of the Industrial Court. I understand that some members of the commission's staff belonging to grades not entitled to overtime payments refused weekend work because they were dissatisfied with the proposed arrangements for time off in lieu. Sixteen officers of my Department volunteered to assist the commission with the count. They were employed under the appropriate Civil Service conditions and these were also followed in the case of the CIR staff engaged in the work.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to reduce the number of unemployed persons in the Easington constituency.

The Budget and the Industry Bill include considerable inducements to industrial expansion in special development areas, including Easington. These preferential incentives should be all the more effective since they are being made available at a time when we are introducing measures to secure sustained economic growth nationally.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of boys and girls of 17 years of age who have not yet found employment in the Lanarkshire exchanges.

1,676 young persons under 18 years of age, including 420 school leavers, were registered as unemployed in Lanarkshire on 8th May, 1972. I regret that the statistics do not distinguish separately those aged 17 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what arrangements he is making to increase the number of trainee craftsmen for the building industry.

Over 950 more places for trainees in the construction trades are being provided this year in Government training centres, including 470 places in bricklaying.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the immediate employment prospects in Sunderland.

The appreciable reduction in unemployment over the past month both in Sunderland and in Great Britain as a whole shows that the measures we have taken to encourage industrial expansion are beginning to work. Employment prospects in Sunderland should continue to improve as the full benefits of our policies are felt.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many seamen were registered as unemployed at the last available date; and how this number compares with that for the equivalent dates in 1969, 1970 and 1971.

At March, 1972, the latest date for which information is available, the number of wholly unemployed men in Great Britain who were registered for employment as seamen was 4,275. The corresponding figures for March, 1969, March, 1970, and March, 1971, were 2,808, 2,638 and 3,526, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what decline in male unemployment has occurred this year in Birmingham and the West Midlands; and whether he will make a statement.

Between January and May, 1972, the provisional number of males registered as wholly unemployed decreased by 4,869 to 70,110 in the West Midlands region and by 1,254 to 24,558 in the Birmingham travel-to-work area. Over the same period there was also a substantial reduction in the number of workers temporarily stopped and a significant increase in the number of notified unfilled vacancies.Taken together, these figures suggest that the Government's measures to stimulate the economy are now beginning to make an impact upon unemployment in the West Midlands.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many steel workers in Scotland have become redundant yearly during the last five years.

According to records held by my Department the following numbers of workers in the steel industry in Scotland became redundant in the last five years:

9th May, 1967 to 13th May, 1968	2,230
14th May, 1968 to 12th May, 1969	550
13th May, 1969 to 11th May, 1970	550
12th May, 1970 to 10th May, 1971	1,170
11th May, 1971 to 8th May, 1972	1,470
Total	5,970

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many teenagers are registered as unemployed in the Principality of Wales.

3,612 young persons under 18 years of age were registered as unemployed in Wales on 8th May, 1972. The statistics of adult unemployed for the month of May do not distinguish separately those aged 18 and 19.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how soon he expects to be able to complete his study of difficulties encountered by women in securing equal treatment in employment and training.

The study will probably take about 18 months to comlete.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of working days lost through strikes in 1971;what was the figure for the first quarter of 1972; and how this later figure compares with the comparable statistics in each of the last five years.

13,551,000 working days in the whole of 1971;in the first quarter of 1972 the total was 12,488,000. For the preceding five years the corresponding quarterly figures were: 1971, 9,496,000; 1970, 2,201,000; 1969, 1,552,000; 1968, 714,000; 1967, 459,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many reportable industrial injuries in the last period of 12 months for which figures are available were due to, or exacerbated by, the absence of safety clothing or personal equipment.

There were about 70,000 injuries to heads, eyes, hands and toes in 1971. There would certainly have been less damage if safety gear had always been worn, but how much less it is impossible to say.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) to what extent he estimates the imposition of 10 per cent. value added tax on food in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(2) to what extent he estimates the imposition of 10 per cent. value added tax on new residential accommodation in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(3) to what extent he estimates the imposition of 10 per cent. value added tax on fuel and power in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(4) to what extent he estimates the imposition of 10 per cent. value added tax on newspaper advertising in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(5) to what extent he estimates the imposition of 10 per cent. value added tax on water in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(6) to what extent he estimates the imposition of 10 per cent. value added tax on books in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(7) to what extent he estimates the imposition of a 10 per cent. value added tax on large caravans in Great Britain will raise the cost of living if such tax is passed on to the consumer;(8) to what extent he estimates the imposition of a 10 per cent. value added tax on building construction, other than new residential accommodation, in Great Britain will raise the lost of living if such tax is passed on to the consume;

I have been asked to reply.Estimates of the hypothetical revenue yield of a 10 per cent. value added tax on these supplies, which are in fact to be zero-rated under Schedule 4 to the Finance Bill, were given in reply to the hon. Member for Heywood and Royton (Mr. Joel Barnett) on 9th May. No estimates have been made of the hypothetical increase in the cost of living which might occur if such supplies were to be charged with tax.—[Vol. 836, c. 326–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why disabled people in category 3, whose walking ability is limited, are compelled to surrender their invalid vehicles when they cease work permanently.

I cannot usefully add to the last sentence of my reply to the hon. Member on 15th May, 1972.—[Vol. 837. c. 37–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Hunter Working Party on Medical Administrators.

The report was published on 31st May and copies have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the document he has sent to local medical committees concerning possible changes in their terms of service is marked confidential; if it is permitted for members of these committees to obtain the views of the doctors they represent before making their decisions; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Rossendale (Mr. Bray) on 23rd May.—[Vol. 837, c. 328.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that all general practitioners are acquainted with the details of the draft revised proposals for terms of service before the forthcoming conference of local medical committees so that negotiations between his Department and the General Medical Services Committee of the British Medical Association may be concluded before the proposed regulations are laid before the House of Commons.

No, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale (Mr. Bray) on 23rd May.—[Vol. 837, c. 328.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, having regard to the contents of the letter dated 15th May addressed to his Department by the Ware Rural District Council, he will defer the decision to dispose of Ware Park Hospital and review the possibility of its use as accommodation for the mentally handicapped.

Yes. I understand that Hertfordshire County Council is currently reconsidering possible use of part of the site for mental handicap purposes and the question of disposal will be considered in the context of this new development.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number of persons registered as unemployed who are retired persons drawing occupational pensions and not seeking further employment.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the basic grade rates of wages paid to nurses employed under the National Health Service; and what percentage increases they have received during each of the past four years.

The basic scales for nurses in general hospitals are:

Enrolled Nurse	£954–£1,134
Staff Nurse	£1,089–£1,383
Ward Sister	£1,407–£1,821

Nurses in psychiatric and geriatric hospitals receive an additional £99 per annum. Increases in the basic scales during the past four years were as follows:January, 1969–5 per cent. with 10 per cent. for certain grades.April, 1970–20 per cent.April, 1971–8½ per cent.April, 1972–8½ per cent. with a minimum increase of £72 to all nurses on adult rates.In addition a number of changes have been made to allowances and conditions of service adding significantly to the wages bill; thus for example the total value of the 1971 settlement was 12½ per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many agency nurses are being employed by the National Health Service on the latest available date; and how this figure compares with the numbers employed on the preceding 12 months' date.

2,992 in National Health Service hospitals at 30th September, 1971, compared with 2,705 at 30th September, 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in how many cases in Scotland in 1971 the Supplementary Benefits Commission provided telephones.

The commission met the installation cost of one telephone, and provided additional weekly help towards telephone costs in four other instances where supplementary benefit was in payment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households and adults, respectively, gave full or partial information which was analysed for use in the General Household Survey in its first year.

In 1971, the first full year of the General Household Survey, either full or partial information was obtained from 13,175 households throughout Great Britain. 28,551 individuals aged 15 or over were interviewed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many private operations were carried out in the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board area in National Health Service hospitals during 1971.

This information is not recorded centrally and to obtain it would involve a disproportionate expenditure of time and money. In all 10,452 private in-patients were treated in National Health Service hospitals in this area in 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many special units have been provided for the mentally sick or seriously maladjusted adolescents over each of the past four years; what is the number of beds now available; and if he will make a statement on the plans he is now considering to make more beds available.

Additional hospital units have been provided as follows: —

1968	1
1969	3
1970	2
1971	6

About 500 beds are now available in such special units. Hospital authorities have provisional plans to provide some 750 more.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will state the number employed in forestry, tree-felling and associated haulage work in the Forestry Commission in Northumberland and make an examination of the jobs prospects arising from an increased demand for the timber grown in the area.

At 1st April, 1972, the number employed by the Forestry Commission on these activities in its Northumberland forests was 180. In addition about 60 workers were similarly employed in these forests by timber merchants, contractors and hauliers.There are established markets for the output from the Commission's forests in Northumberland for many years ahead, and there is very little scope for increased production. Therefore, even if there was an increased demand for timber from this area, the number of jobs would not be affected in the foreseeable future.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he now expects to publish the Report of the Food Standards Committee.

The committee has now submitted to me its report on the date marking of food. The report is being printed and will be published early in July.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the charges he is imposing for advisory services for cattle disease checks, milk checks and soil analysis, which have hitherto been free.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Leek (Mr. Knox) on 11th May. Details of the charges, which apply to England and Wales, are set out in a leaflet for farmers, copies of which were placed in the Library on 11th May. I have arranged for copies to be sent to the hon. Member direct.—[Vol. 836, c. 423–34.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2501/71/EEC of 22nd November, 1971, amending Regulation No. 787/67/EEC on the methods of purchasing olive oil by intervention agencies; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

As this Regulation concerns only Member States producing olive oil, discussions here were not required. It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2495/71/EEC of 19th November, 1971, on the procedure relating to imports of olive oil from Tunisia; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

As this Regulation does not affect British industry, no discussions outside the Department were required. It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Directive 71/393/EEC of 18th November, 1971, Second Directive of the Commission laying down methods of Community analysis for the official control of animal feeding stuffs; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

In reply to a Question by the hon. Member on 25th May I said that consultations were being held with all the interests concerned with the application of the methods of analysis contained in Directive 71/393. These consultations follow the well-established pattern whereby organisations representing the trade, farming and enforcement interests are invited to comment on and suggest amendments to proposals for national legislation on feeding stuffs. Their views will be taken fully into account in any discussions between my Department and the Commission on this measure.Incorporation into our national law of methods of analysis for the official verification of certain constituents of animal feeding stuffs, such as those contained in Directive 71/393, can be effected by Orders made under existing United Kingdom legislation and laid before Parliament under the negative Resolution procedure.—[Vol. 837, c. 465–6.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2808/71/EEC of 23rd December, 1971, Supplementing Annex 1 to Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 1109/71 of 28th May, 1971, concerning the rules establishing the entry price for certain fishery products; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

There have been no discussions to deal specifically with Regulation 2808/71. There will be a continuing dialogue between Her Majesty's Government and the Commission on the changes that may need to be made to the levels fixed in respect of a number of Community pricing arrangements for fish, in order to take account of the changed situation following enlargement.It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2469/71/EEC of 17th November, 1971, amending Regulation (EEC) No. 757/71 on detailed rules of application concerning the amount to be charged on exports of denatured skim milk powder or compound feeding stuffs; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

No discussions have been held with interested parties on this regulation which strengthens the provisions for recovery, on export from the European Economic Community, of subsidies paid on skimmed milk powder that has been denatured, or on compound feeding stuffs which include subsidised skimmed milk powder.It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2732/71/EEC of 20th December, 1971, amending Regulation (EEC) No. 876/68 concerning adjustments to be made to refunds fixed in advance for milk and milk products; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

No discussions have been held with interested parties. This regulation provides more flexibility in the restitution arrangements.It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2814/71/EEC of 23rd December, 1971, amending Regulation (EEC) No. 756/70 on granting aid for processed skim milk intended for the manufacture of casein and caseinates; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

No discussions have been held with interested parties on this regulation that reduces the rate of subsidy on Community skimmed milk which is processed into high quality casein and caseinates.It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 73/72/EEC of 12th January, 1972, amending Regulation (EEC) No. 210/69relating to communications between Member States and the Commission with regard to milk and milk products; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

This regulation makes a small change in the arrangements under which Member States provide information to the Commission, and no other parties are involved. However, it is always open to any interests to make representations about proposed changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2503/71/EEC of 22nd November, 1971, amending Regulation (EEC) No. 615/71 on the procedure for applying the production refund on olive oil used in the manufacture of certain preserved foods; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

Trade representatives concerned were consulted on Regulation No. 615/71 and saw no difficulty in applying the arrangements for this production refund. The changes made by Regulation No. 2503/71 did not require further consultations. It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2718/71/EEC of 21st December, 1971, amending the method of calculating the weight of oil seeds;what machinery exists under which these parties can propose alterations or amendments and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

The small change made by this Regulation in the minimum moisture content to be taken into account when calculating the weight of oilseeds did not require further discussions with the trade. It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 2436/71, of 11th November, 1971, amending for the second time the Regulation (EEC) No. 223/70 relating to the non-levying of countervailing charge on certain imported wines originally in or coming from certain third countries; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

Since, as indicated in my reply to the hon. Member on 25th May, the effect of this regulation on United Kingdom interests would be negligible, there have been no discussions. It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.—[Vol. 837. c. 465.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he had with the interested parties on Regulation 91/72/EEC of 13th January, 1972, amending Regulation (EEC) No. 1437/70 on storage contracts for table wine; what machinery exists under which those parties can propose alterations or amendments; and whether the House of Commons will be able to alter or amend it.

Since, as explained in my reply to the hon. Member on 25th May, the situation for which this Regulation provides is not expected to arise in this country, there have been no discussions. It is always open to interested parties to make representations about changes in Community law either to their own Governments or as members of the appropriate European organisations. Community law once enacted can be amended only by Community institutions.—[Vol. 837, c. 465.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the net receipts from selective employment tax and purchase tax, respectively and combined, during the years 1969–70, 1970–71 and 1971–72, giving in each case the percentage the figure would represent of the estimated yield from value-added tax in a full year.

Following is the information:

RECEIPTS OF SELECTIVE EMPLOYMENT TAX AND PURCHASE TAX
			£ million
Year	S.E.T. (net) from private sector and public corporations	Purchase Tax	Total
1969–70	527	1,111	1,638
1970–71	501	1,270	1,771
1971–72	222	1,429	1,651

The estimate of the net receipts in a full year from the value added tax proposed for 1973–74—excluding purchases by central Government and sales of tobacco products, spirits, beer, wine, British wine, matches and mechanical lighters—is given in the Financial Statement as £1,475 million. No estimates are available for the hypothetical yield in earlier years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on food;(2) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of value added tax on new residential accommodation;(3) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on fuel and power;(4) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on newspaper advertising;(5) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on water;(6) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on books;(7) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on large caravans;(8) what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on building construction other than new residential accommodation;(9)what estimate he has made of the revenue product of 10 per cent. value added tax on transport.

Estimates of the hypothetical revenue yield of a 10 per cent. value added tax on these supplies, which are in fact to be zero-rated under Schedule 4 to the Finance Bill, were given in reply to the hon. Member for Heywood and Royton (Mr. Joel Barnett) on 9th May. No estimates have been made of the hypothetical increase in the cost of living which might occur if such supplies were to be charged with tax.—[Vol. 836, c. 326–8.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the details of the promise that he gave to the National Grocers' Federation that there would be no tax on food; and when this was given.

My right hon. Friend's proposals for relieving food of VAT were given to the House on Budget Day.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will obtain from the Community and publish in the Official Report a detailed statement giving the list of items used by the sick and physically handicapped which carry a value added tax, and the amount of tax imposed on each item in each of the counties of the Six;and how these compare with the proposals for a value added tax on such items in Great Britain.

No. This would require a disproportionate expenditure of resources. Moreover the treatment of such items under value added tax in EEC countries depends not only on the character of the article itself but also—as in the case of the Government's proposals in the Finance Bill—on the circumstances of the supply.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will veto proposals to impose value added tax on food during discussions with the European Economic Community.

I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's comment on this subject on 9th May during the Committee stage of the Finance Bill—[Vol. 836, c. 1154.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals have been paid their post-war credits under the new scheme; what is the total amount; if this is in line with his original estimate; and if he will make a statement.

Up to 26th May, 1972, about 1 million had received credits of about £30 million. This is broadly in line with what had been expected.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the reduction in the cost of food as a direct result of the lowering of the costs of distribution through reductions in selective employment tax.

It is estimated that the halving of SET in July, 1971, reduced the incidence of SET on food by about £25 million. Some price reductions were made immediately upon the announcement of 30th March, 1971, of the halving of SET and others followed when the cuts became effective on 5th July, 1971.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to public funds of the imposition of sanctions on Rhodesia in each of the years 1965 to 1972 inclusive.

Direct payments from the Exchequer arising from the illegal declaration of independence by Rhodesia followed by the imposition of sanctions have been as follows:

	£ million
i.d.i. to 31.3.67	19·0
1.4.67 to 31.368	10·5
1.4.68 to 31.3.69	6·9
1.4.69 to 31.3.70	3·5
1.4.70 to 31.3.71	3·0
1.4.71 to 31.3.72	3·1
Total	46·0

These include payments made to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development under guarantee in respect of Rhodesian default, contingency aid to Zambia and the cost of operating the Beira patrol.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the total net weekly income of a man with a wife and one child, under 11 years of age, assuming a weekly wage of £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40, £45 and £50, respectively, and that the previous year's pay was at the same rate, allowing for relevant tax repayments and any welfare benefits, in the following circumstances; for one week's work after 39 weeks at the appropriate rate, and when unemployed after 39 weeks' employment and when qualifying for earnings related supplement;(2) what is the total net weekly income of a man with a wife and no children, assuming a weekly wage of £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £45 and £50, respectively, and that the previous year's pay was at the same rate, allowing for relevant tax repayments and any welfare benefits, in the following circumstances, for one week's work after 39 weeks at the appropriate rate, and when unemployed after 39 weeks' employment and when qualifying for earnings related supplement.

The figures are:

	Married man	One child under 11	Married man
Weekly wage	A	B	A	B
£	£	£	£	£
15	13·82	13·00	13·72	12·75
F.I.S.	2·50	2·50	—	—
	16·32	15·50	13·72	12·75
20	18·12	20·88	16·92	19·33
25	21·34	24·22	20·14	21·12
30	24·65	25·60	23·45	22·40
35	27·86	25·55	26·66	22·45
40	31·17	25·60	29·82	22·40
45	34·24	25·75	33·04	22·40
50	37·62	25·70	36·42	22·45

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the results of his consultations with the European Economic Community for lowering of the proposed 1 per cent. stamp duty on company capitalisation and the ½ per cent. in the case of mergers to be completed; to what extent the imposition of such a duty will raise the revenue return to the Treasury based on the latest information available; and whether the House of Commons will be able to amend or change any agreement arrived at with the European Economic Community.

It is not possible to forecast when the consultations will be completed. The proposal in question will not impose the capital duty, but fix common rates from a future date, probably 1st January, 1976; until its final form is known, it is premature to calculate what its effect on the revenue will be. We shall observe the terms of Article 189 of the EEC Treaty in relation to the directive when finally settled.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs are expected to arise from the occupation of Government advance factories at present lying empty in the Blyth constituency and throughout the Northern Region.

The employment which future occupants will provide depends on the nature of their business, but I would expect about 250 and 1,450 jobs respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he is holding with the heavy electrical engineering industry concerning the improvement of employment prospects.

I am in close touch with the industry and well aware of its problems. The measures we have introduced to promote and sustain a higher level of economic growth will benefit the industry in the future. In the meantime, capital investment programmes are being brought forward specifically to help the industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken to prevent any occurrence at British airports of the murders at Lord Airport in Israel on Tuesday, 30th May; and what instructions have been issued to the airport authorities to ensure security and safety for all air passengers and crews arriving and departing from British airports.

Arrangements have been made for appropriate measures to be applied and the airlines and the airport authorities are taking special precautions. The House will understand why I cannot give details. The House will, I am sure, wish to join with me in expressing sympathy to the relatives of the victims of the Lod Airport tragedy.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a general direction to gas boards to cease purchasing malleable iron pipe fitting made in Japan.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations concerning the bacon trade were received from the Polish Government by the delegation, led by Mr. Peter Preston, an official of his Department, which visited Warsaw in early May; what representations are now planned with the European Economic Community on the question of United Kingdom imports of Polish pigmeat products; what is the expected level of such imports over the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

The Polish delegation expresed its anxieties about the possible adverse effects of our accession to the European Economic Community on their exports to us of agricultural commodities, especially bacon. The application of the regulations governing imports of bacon into the enlarged Community from all sources including Poland is a matter we shall shortly be discussing with our Community partners. In the meantime it is not possible to forecast the future level of such imports.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will give an undertaking that the United Kingdom Government will join the post-Apollo programme even if other European countries decided not to join:(2) if he will ask the United States Government to postpone their closing date for the United Kingdom's decision on joining the post-Apollo space programme.

In accordance with the expresed preference of the United States authorities for a collective response to their offer of participation, we are examining the merits of participation jointly with our European partners. A meeting of the European Space Conference is being planned for July with the objective of taking decisions on participation. It is too early to say whether or not circumstances may arise which would necessitate any European initative to seek further time for consideration. Bilateral participation has not been considered by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Concorde contract terms and conditions being offered to Air France are identical to those which are available to the British Overseas Airways Corporation.

The manufacturers' aim has been to harmonise the main contract provisions with BOAC and Air France. But the terms cannot be identical because each individual airline has its own operating and engineering requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Concorde sales contracts with airlines will be subject to English or French law.

This will be a matter for negotiation with individual airlines. But it is customary for such contracts to be subject to the law of the seller's country.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give an estimate of the amount of money spent so far on the development of more powerful versions of the RB211.

There has been no Government funding of work on uprated versions of the RB211. Rolls-Royce (1971) Ltd. has however done some preliminary work on its own account.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications to register companies are currently before the Registrar of Com- panies; and what is now the average length of time that it takes the Registrar currently to consent to the use of a name for a company and to register a company.

Some 19,000 applications are outstanding at present. The average time for name clearance and registration is currently about eight weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer the proposed Rank Organisation-Watney merger to the Monopolies Commission.

Any decision on the question of a reference to the Monopolies Commission will be announced as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs are in prospect in each economic planning region; how these compare with the equivalent figures at 30th June, 1970; and how many in each instance are jobs in manufacturing industry.

I regret that figures for jobs in prospect are calculated for the development areas only and do not include jobs arising in the service industries. In development areas the jobs expected to arise over the usual four year period in new industrial buildings for which IDCs have been granted and in existing buildings taken over by manufacturing industry were:

	30th June, 1970	30th May, 1972
Northern Region	43,400	24,200
South West Development Area	6,100	3,300
North West Development Area	24,000	11,700
Scotland	39,400	33,500
Wales	30,900	18,300

The exemption limits below which IDCs are not required were raised in December, 1970. The two sets of figures are not therefore comparable.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the volume of imports from Japan during 1971;and what was the figure for exports to Japan.

Information on the value of imports and exports is given in Tables II and V of the December, 1971, issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics; figures of the volume of trade by country are not compiled.