asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why he returned under the signature of a Private Secretary, a communication sent to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North, concerning his Ministerial responsibility for Mr. George Pottinger.

The communication consisted of a copy of the Written Answer which I gave to the hon. Gentleman on 2nd August, together with a letter I sent to him on 7th August, returned to me from the hon. Member with manuscript comments written on them. Since it was not clear that he had kept copies, I thought it only courteous that the originals should be sent back to him. I have, of course, recorded the comments he made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he now proposes to recommend lowering the legal age for public house customers from 18 years of age to 16 years of age.

Any proposals for changes in liquor licensing law must await the report of the Clayson Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take to bring additional employment to the Ballantrae and Girvan areas of South Ayrshire.

I have been asked to reply.The Government's measures to expand the economy, including provisions under the Industry Act, are expected to help industrial growth and improve employment prospects in Ballantrae and Girvan as elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the official opening of the new comprehensive school in Inverkeithing will take place; and what will be the name of the school.

These are matters for Fife Education Authority to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he hopes to publish his circular to education authorities on safety for pupils in the mountains.

About the end of November. The proposed circular has been discussed with representatives of the Association of Directors of Education and I am now awaiting the comments of the other interested bodies which have been consulted. These bodies include teachers' organisations, the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland, the Scottish Mountain Leadership Training Board, the Scottish Standing Conference of Voluntary Youth Organisations and the Scottish Sports Council who are themselves planning a pilot publicity campaign for Scotland on "Mountain Sense and Safety" this winter. The three sports councils are jointly considering the possibility of a Great Britain campaign for next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now convene a conference of all local authorities to discuss existing planning powers to deal with problems of pollution.

I am not convinced that existing planning powers are inadequate to deal with pollution problems and that a conference of this kind would be justified. If the hon. Member has any evidence to the contrary I should be glad to consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the difficulties experienced by local authorities in obtaining the relevant detailed information from the Department of Health and Social Services offices to enable them to operate the Government rent rebate scheme.

In general the arrangements for introducing the model rebate scheme are working satisfactorily. Difficulties in Stirlingshire in adjusting related supplementary benefit claims have now been overcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients suffering from tuberculosis were in hospital at the end of September this year; and what

Number of discharges from and deaths in hospital with a disagnosis of tuberculosis
DISCHARGES
				1967	1968	1969	1970	1971
Respiratory tuberculosis		…	…	2,885	2,648	2,452	2,164	1,932
Other forms	…	…	…	1,169	909	877	794	809
Total	…	…	…	4,054	3,557	3,329	2,958	2,741
DEATHS
				1967	1968	1969	1970	1971
Respiratory tuberculosis		…	…	199	165	142	149	99
Other forms	…	…	…	31	26	22	27	25
Total	…	…	…	230	191	164	176	124
Note: These figures relate to incidents and not to individual patients. A patient may be admitted to and discharged from hospital more than once in a particular year or over a period of years.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will now announce the setting up of a committee of inquiry into the future of broadcasting, bearing in mind the report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommendations following its investigation of the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend is considering the recommendations of the Select Committee.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications when a medium-wave frequency for BBC local Radio Derby will be allocated by his Department.

I have been asked to reply.

Information in this form is not available centrally. I can, however, give the number of discharges from, and deaths in, hospital with a diagnosis of tuberculosis during a calendar year. The numbers for the years 1967 to 1971 are shown below. I am glad to say the trend is steadily downwards.The information is as follows:I have authorised MF support at all BBC local radio stations. The BBC tell me that Radio Derby will transmit on medium frequencies as well as on VHF as soon as they can bring a suitable transmitting station into service.

asked the Lord President of the Council what action he is taking as a result of the Third Special Report of the Select Committee on Procedure.

Now that the European Communities Bill has received Royal Assent, I very much hope that it will be possible to get agreement to appoint the proposed ad hoc Select Committee with appropriate terms of reference.

asked the Lord President of the Council what was the cost to public funds of the explanatory leaflet, Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund.

There was no cost to public funds for the publication of this leaflet. One thousand copies were printed at a cost of £101·25 but, as in the case of all other Pension Fund expenses, this was defrayed from the Fund itself.

asked the Lord President of the Council what arrangements will now be made for an experiment in broadcasting the proceedings of the House.

As the hon. Member will recall, the House decided in the debate on 19th October that it did not wish to hold such an experiment.

asked the Lord President of the Council on what basis the report of the Docksey Committee on the Exploitation of Invention has been made available to the members of the Select Committee on Science and Technology, but not to other Members of the House of Commons.

The Docksey Report was a personal report containing information which it would have been a breach of confidence to publish. In order to assist the Select Committee in its inquiries the edited version was provided to it in a form which could be published, in its report to the House, as part of the evidence received, without any breach of confidentiality.

asked the Lord President of the Council what action he is taking as a result of the Report of the Select Committee on Parliamentary Questions.

The Government are considering this Report, and a statement will be made to the House in the near future.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the details as supplied by him to the hon. Member for West Ham, North, under date of 11th August of the times and dates of overseas travel by Members of Parliament in relation to meetings of Western European Union, the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic Assembly.

No. The information I gave to the hon. Member on 11th August is of such a length that I do not consider it appropriate to publish it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.I shall of course be only too pleased to supply the information to any hon. Member who approaches me with such a request.

asked the Lord President of Council if he will propose in the Services Committee asking the University of Virginia to return the portrait of Nancy, Lady Astor, in order to have it hung in the Palace of Westminster.

The Minister for Housing and Construction has appointed the Works of Art Committee to advise Mr. Speaker and himself on the selection of pictures to be hung in the House of Commons area in the Palace of Westminster, and I suggest that my hon. Friend should approach the Committee about her request.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will move to appoint a Select Committee to examine the growing practice of companies and their directors failing to carry out their duties as laid upon them by the Companies Acts, and the continuing failure of the Department of Trade and Industry to take action to enforce these Acts.

No.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of the Environment and the Department of Education and Science in matters relating to research on the environment; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply to Questions about the co-ordination of policy on research and development issues. Co-ordination between the Departments concerned on research on the environment is at present satisfactory and will be further improved as the Government's decisions announced in the White Paper "Framework for Government Research and Development" (Cmnd. 5046) are implemented.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he is taking to introduce more Civil Service jobs to Scotland.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. David Steel) on 15th March, 1972. In addition, Scotland, along with other parts of the country, is being considered as a possible receiving area for work which may be dispersed from London as a result of the current Location Review; I can give no assurances at this stage as to where work might go.—[Vol. 833, c. 107–8.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants are employed in the Northern Region; how the numbers compare with other regions; and if he will make a statement on future employment policy of civil servants in the development areas.

At 1st January, 1972, 31,500 non-industrial civil servants, or 6·2 per cent. of the total, were employed in the Northern Region. The figures for the other regions are as follows:

Nonindustrial Civil Servants at 1st January, 1972, by Region:
	Thousands	per cent.
London	150·6	29·8
Remainder of SE	81·5	16·2
East Midlands	17·2	3·4
West Midlands	23·5	4·7
Northern	31·5	6·2
Yorks and Humberside	24·0	4·8
East Anglia	10·4	2·1
South Western	41·6	8·2
Wales	19·9	3·9
North Western	44·8	8·9
Scotland	41·9	8·3
Elsewhere	17·5	3·5

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what arrangements have been made for Anglo-German co-operation in the field of Civil Service training.

The Lord Privy Seal recently exchanged letters with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to establish machinery for joint consultation on training and study visits to each country by civil servants from the other. Training courses have already taken place under these arrangements at the Civil Service College and the Bundesakademie in Bonn. A group of British civil servants returned earlier this month from a course in Bonn.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what taxes, and at what rates, are paid by those employees of the Commission of the European Economic Community who are resident in Brussels in respect of their remuneration.

The information is contained in Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No. 260/68 of the Council of the European Communities, copies of which are available in the Library.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list the Commissioners of Income Tax in Wales, together with their professions, the areas in which they serve and the period of office for which they are appointed.

There are 514 General Commissioners of Income Tax serving the 44 Divisions in Wales. 129 Commissioners were appointed before January, 1960, when the Lord Chancellor became responsible for appointments. Details of their professions and occupations are not available and it would take a disproportionate length of time and expense to produce them. General Commissioners hold office during the pleasure of the Lord Chancellor but are required by law to retire at the age of 75.

asked the Attorney-General (1) why he will not review the present system of his appointment of general commissioners of the Inland Revenue to ensure that such persons when appointed are themselves not in debt so far as tax payments to the Inland Revenue are concerned, and that all appointed persons should sign a declaration to this effect;(2) whether he can give an assurance that the 4,700 local commissioners of income tax, other than Mr. Poulson, are free of debts to the Inland Revenue, so far as their tax payments are concerned; and whether he will ensure, in future appointments to such positions, that persons appointed are not in debt to the Inland Revenue for more than their current year of income tax and surtax payments.

My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor does not consider such a review would be of any practical use. Mr. Poulson is not now a General Commissioner of Income Tax. My noble Friend can give no such assurance about General Commissioners.

asked the Attorney-General what representations the Government have received regarding thalidomide children and their needs; what replies have been sent; and if he will make a statement.

Eight letters have been received from hon. Members and from Members of the public within the last month complaining of delay in settling these cases and of the level of the proposed settlement. The Government's responsibility in relation to private litigation is for the proper administration of the courts, which has not been called in question.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is now able to give the total costs involved in the apprehension, trial and sentence of Frederick Sewell; and to what extent this man has been or will be asked to contribute towards these costs.

The cost of the prosecution of the trial and sentence of Frederick Sewell was £21,033. It is not yet possible to ascertain the cost to public funds of the legally aided defence as the defendant's contribution is still being ascertained. The cost of the apprehension of Frederick Sewell is not available.

asked the Attorney-General whether he can now detail the net cost, current and capital, of administering the law courts in England and Wales, excluding magistrates and juvenile courts, for 1971–72.

The estimated net cost of administering the courts, other than magistrates' courts, in England and Wales during the year 1971–72, so far as it falls on the Lord Chancellor's Office and Courts Vote, was £5,611,000. This does not include expenditure by local authorities up to the 31st December, 1971 on Quarter Sessions and other courts abolished by the Courts Act, nor receipts from tines imposed by those courts.Details of the expenditure on court accommodation, both on capital and current account, are not readily available, but my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor will write to my hon. Friend about this as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department with what bodies he has consulted regarding the report of the Criminal Law Revision Committee; and with what results.

I have invited comments from the following:

• The Lord Chief Justice.
• The General Council of the Bar of England and Wales.
• The Law Society.
• The Magistrates' Association.
• The Justices' Clerks' Society.
• "Justice".
• The Prosecuting Solicitors' Society.
• The Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges.
• The Association of Chief Police Officers.
• The Superintendents' Association of England and Wales.
• The Police Federation.

I have still to receive a number of replies.I have also made it clear—and gladly repeat—that I shall welcome the views of other persons or organisations interested in the report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been found guilty of offences involving mugging so far in 1972; what the figure was for 1971; what are the ages of those sentenced for this offence; and what is the number who were unemployed when the offence was committed.

There is no agreed definition of "mugging". The most relevant figures are those for offences of robbery or assault with intent to rob.The following table gives particulars of the persons found guilty in England and Wales in 1971 of these offences. No figures for 1972 are yet available. Information about the occupation of an offender is not at present collected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were disciplined by prison governors following the recent prison riots; and how many were referred to the prison visitors' committees.

1,499 by prison governors and 240 by boards of visitors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he now expects to receive the report of the Erroll Committee; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has just received the report. It is hoped to publish it early in December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what, for the latest convenient stated date, is the total number of Asians admitted into the London Borough of Newham during 1972; and to what extent financial grants have been paid or claimed to the Council of the London Borough of Newham for the admission of Ugandan Asians in accordance with the Government's recent announcements.

On the number of refugees from Uganda who have gone to Newham, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to his Question on the subject on 23rd October. The local authority has not yet applied for financial assistance in connection with resettlement expenditure.—[Vol. 843, c. 196.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Asians expelled from Tanzania, Malawi, and other African countries, with the same passport qualifications as the Ugandan Asians, are entitled to enter Great Britain on the same basis and in the same way as the Ugandan Asians.

Holders of United Kingdom passports in Tanzania, Malawi and elsewhere in Africa who are subject to immigration control have to obtain special vouchers if they wish to come for settlement. Conditions are not comparable with those in Uganda.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present quota of Kenyan Asians being admitted into Great Britain; whether Kenyan Asians are entitled to claim entry into the country on the same basis as Ugandan Asians; and what procedure they should adopt to receive the same treatment regarding entry into Great Britain.

United Kingdom passport holders in Kenya are eligible according to need for the issue of special vouchers for settlement in the United Kingdom. The issue is made from the global allocation. last fixed at 3,500 heads of households a year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, as a means of strengthening the Government's desire for wage and salary restraint, he will suspend the retrospective salary award to the retiring chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board; what this increase is to be; how many increases in cash and percentage in the chairman's salary have been paid since he held this position; and whether he will make a statement.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No".In the answer to the second part, it is for the Levy Board to determine the salary of the Chairman, but my right hon. Friend has informed them that he will be prepared to approve an increase to the sum of £10,000 a year.In answer to the last part, this will be the fourth increase in the Chairman's salary since his appointment was put on a full-time basis in September, 1968. For the details I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to his Question on 2nd December, 1971.—[Vol. 827, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is aware that the price of steel produced by the British Steel Corporation is below that of steel produced in the European Economic Community; and, as the British Steel Corporation now faces a substantial loss in the current financial year, what action he intends to take to ensure that the pricing policy of the British Steel Corporation does not conflict with the pricing policies of the European Coal and Steel Community regulations.

The Corporation is currently reviewing its pricing policies in the light of the requirements of the Treaty of Paris and the contribution it would wish to make to restraining inflation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the multi-national European links which the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, British nuclear companies and contractors have negotiated in recent years and the rôle each such enterprise was designed to perform.

The UKAEA has not in recent years negotiated the setting up of any new enterprises with organisations in other European countries. However, it has well established and good working arrangements with its European counterparts for the exchange of research and development information. In particular, the Authority has been a signatory to agreements covering the OECD Dragon (HTR) project since 1959.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the minimum qualifications re- quired of candidates for admission into the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate; what is the current salary scale for such inspectors; and what are the present numbers.

Candidates for appointment as Inspectors of Nuclear Installations are normally required to possess a first or second class honours degree, or equivalent, in science or engineering or to be corporate members of an appropriate professional institution.The current national salary scale for inspectors is £2,910–£3,760 and the total professional staff of the Inspectorate is 66.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state the minimum qualifications required of candidates for the Inspectorate of Mines and Quarries, the current salary scale for inspectors, and the present strength of the Inspectorate.

The Mines Inspectorate comprises three main disciplines: mining, electrical and mechanical engineering. Mining Inspectors must have a first class certificate of competency under the Mines and Quarries Act, 1954, and must for not less than two recent years have been employed as a manager or under manager of any mine under that Act, preferably a coal mine. Electrical and mechanical engineering inspectors must have a degree in mechanical or electrical engineering or be corporate members of the appropriate professional institution, and must for not less than two recent years have had practical experience at coal mines.The present national salary scale for inspectors is £4,115–£5,350 and the professional strength of the Inspectorate is 116.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for the registration of business names by educational establishments have been received; and how many such applications have been refused on the ground of undesirability, in each of the last 10 years.

56 applications to register business names including the words "college, "institute" or "school" were received during the year ended 30th September, 1972, 39 of these applications were refused on grounds of undesirability. Information for earlier years is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of educational establishments trading under business names not registered under the Registration of Business Names Act, 1916, have come to the notice of his Department for every year from 1962; what action has been taken; and with what result in each case.

One such case is being investigated at present, but information for earlier years is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a list of the directors of the boards of the nationalised industries, stating whether they are whole- or part-time directors, and their salaries.

This information is published in a White Paper in January each year. Since the current edition (Cmnd. 4876) was published the salaries have been revised in accordance with the recommendations made in the Interim Report by the Review Body on Top Salaries (Cmnd. 5001).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will now be reporting the proposed changes in the organisation of the coal-mining industry; and if he will make an interim statement.

I hope to present proposals shortly on the finances of the National Coal Board, but changes in organisation are matters for the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will now make a statement concerning the estimated rate of growth of the total demand for fuel and the likely demand for coal within the total.

A number of projections of possible future energy patterns are being examined as part of the routine work of the Department. It would be misleading to publish any one of these in isolation from the context in which it was prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to be advised by the European Economic Community Commission of the areas in Great Britain which they intend to classify as central and non-central for the purpose of regional aids; and if he will make a statement.

We expect to reach agreement on this matter in the first half of 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the alterations he proposes to make in regional development aids as a consequence of the decision of the Heads of Government of the European Economic Community that the regional development aids in their respective countries would be co-ordinated pending the establishment of the proposed Regional Fund.

We are not proposing any alterations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the tariff policy of the European Economic Community covering the import of fruit and vegetables from associate states and other developing countries.

The regime applied by the Community towards imports of fruit and vegetables from African States associated under the Yaoundé and Arusha Conventions is dictated by the provisions of the agreements. The United Kingdom will not accede to these conventions in their existing form, but will participate fully in their renegotiation after accession. The Community's Generalised Scheme of Preferences, covering certain processed fruit and vegetables, will be adopted by the United Kingdom on 1st January, 1974.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, giving details of the costs to the British taxpayer of the higher costs for grain and substitute cattle feedstuffs on Great Britain's entry into the Common Market; and whether he will make a statement in connection with this matter.

Yes. Higher prices for cereals are expected to lead to some increase in cereal production and at the same time to result in some substitution of cereals by other cheaper ingredients in compound feeding stuffs. This increased production should reduce the need for imported cereals, but it may also result in some home-grown grain being sold into intervention.The costs of intervention buying and storage and any losses on subsequent sales would be largely borne by the EEC's Agriculture Fund (FEOGA) and not by the British taxpayer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take immediate action to assist landowners in Bedfordshire in combating Dutch elm disease, in view of the fact that they find it too expensive to fell affected trees at their own expense and that there is no market for the timber to offset the cost, as explained in the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for Bedford.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has now made of the extent of Dutch elm disease; and what advice he has given to local authorities regarding measures to control it.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Petersfield (Miss Quennell) on 20th October, 1972.—[Vol. 843, c. 161–2.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the present number of Her Majesty's ships protecting the British trawler fleet off Iceland; and what immediate proposals he has to increase the protection afforded to British trawlers fishing off Iceland.

Two frigates of the Royal Navy are at present assigned to fishery protection duties off Iceland. This is being kept under review.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the current position of the negotiations on the pay claim of Her Majesty's dockyards.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Civil Service Department to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, West (Mr. Judd) on 18th October.—[Vol. 843, c. 95.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether the rescheduling of programmes involves any diminution of work prospects for Her Majesty's Dockyard, Chatham.

No. A full programme of work is envisaged at Chatham for the foreseeable future.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will initiate a review of the criteria for the payment of danger money in establishments under his control.

It is not my present intention to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans the Government have to set up a Department of Nautical Archaeology within the National Maritime Museum or in some other suitable institution.

The organisation of the National Maritime Museum, as of the other national museums and galleries, is a matter for the Trustees. I am aware that they have growing interests in nautical archaeology, principally in relation to ships' structures. Most of the national museums will conitnue to be concerned with objects in their fields recovered from historic wrecks.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science for what period of years the position of Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory and Astronomer Royal have been joint appointments held by the same person; and if she will name the present holder of these positions.

The office of Astronomer Royal, although referred to differently in early Royal Warrants and other instruments, originated with the founding in 1675 of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Until last year the "Royal Astronomer at Greenwich" (later known as the Astronomer Royal) and the person in charge of the Royal Greenwich Observatory were one and the same. In July, 1971, the Queen approved that the two appointments should in future be regarded as separate. Sir Richard Woolley held both posts until his retirement as Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in January, 1972. The present Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory is Dr. Margaret Burbidge, FRS, whose appointment was announced by the Science Research Council in October, 1971. The present Astronomer Royal is Sir Martin Ryle FRS, whose appointment was announced in June, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of days lost due to official strikes, sickness and injury, respectively.

Following is the information for the most recent period for which figures are available for all the items:

	Days of certified incapacity* Year ended 6th June, 1971† (Great Britain)
Sickness	314 million
Industrial injury (industrial accidents and prescribed industrial diseases)	20 million
	Working days lost in all stoppages in progress known to be official Year ended 31st May, 1971 (United Kingdom)
Stoppages of work due to industrial disputes	8·8 million
* For national insurance purposes on the basis of six working days in a week. Days of incapacity following termination of injury benefit are included under sickness.
† 53 week period

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many Scottish workers are known to him to be presently employed in West Germany; and, so far as it is known, what was the yearly flow of Scottish workers to West Germany in each of the years 1964 to 1971.

I regret the information is not available. The German authorities do not maintain statistics of the number of Scottish workers employed in Germany. During the first six months of 1972 the German Consulate General in Edinburgh issued entry visas to 588 people to work in Germany.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated number of British passport holders and their dependants in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, respectively.

The estimated number of persons with no other citizenship who are subject to control under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, is as follows:

Kenya	50,000
Tanzania	20,000
Zambia	6,000

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated number of British passport holders and their dependants or those who are entitled to hold British passports in Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji and Hong Kong, respectively.

The estimated numbers of persons with no other citizenship who are subject to control under the Commonwealth Immigrants Acts are:

Malaysia	110,000
Singapore	30,000

There are a small number of persons in Fiji eligible for United Kingdom passports but in most cases that entitlement is derived from connections with British Dependencies in the Pacific and not with the United Kingdom.Latest estimates put the number of citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies in Hong Kong at two million. The vast majority of these persons have that citizenship because of their birth in the colony and their entry to the United Kingdom is subject to control under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1962. However, as Hong Kong remains a British Colony, these persons unlike those in independent Commonwealth countries, have an absolute right of abode in their present territory of residence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will extend an invitation to Mr. Chi-Ping Fei, Foreign Minister of China, to visit London in 1973, when he is due to visit Europe.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 12th June to my hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Dodds-Parker). Dates for the visit still remain to be settled.—[Vol. 838, c. 993–6.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider his refusal to grant rollover relief to Oldham Rugby Union Club, in view of the similar relief from capital gains tax given to the Pharmaceutical Society in the Finance Act, 1972; if he will now ensure that the same relief is given to amateur sports organisations and others finding themselves in the same position as Oldham Rugby Union Club; and if he will make a statement.

Rollover relief was originally designed for persons carrying on a trade, profession, vocation or employment; and we accepted the case for extending the relief to bodies representing trades and professions, by an Amendment introduced in this year's Finance Act by my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, West (Mr. Parkinson). I could not accept that an extension of the relief beyond the area of trades and professions, for example to the bodies mentioned by the hon. Member, would be justified.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total value of duty-free alcohol and goods made available to British travellers during the most recent 12 months; and if he will seek to keep this privilege for travellers after Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community.

The information asked for in the first part of the hon. Member's Question is not available; as regards the second part I would refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Handsworth (Mr. Sydney Chapman) on 17th October.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the suspension of Bank Rate, he will consider legislation to clarify the position under contracts where the payment of interest is fixed at a percentage over Bank Rate.

No. The interpretation of "Bank Rate" in existing legal documents is a matter for the courts to decide. So far as new contracts are concerned, it will be for the parties to decide whether interest payments should be linked to the minimum lending rate of the Bank of England or to some other rate which they consider appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from parties in Northern Ireland in regard to the postponement of the promised referendum on the border; and what reply he has made.

Representations have been received from several political parties in Northern Ireland about the holding of a poll on the border and in particular against its being held after the local elections. My right hon. Friend has undertaken to consider these representations.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made in the draft Rating (NI) Order, 1972, since it was first published; and at whose instigation.

Apart from minor amendments of a drafting nature, one change has been made. In Article 41(2)(b)(ii), the words

"or for purposes of any charity"

were inserted following a suggestion received from the Presbyterian Church. The effect of the change is that a church hall qualifies for exemption from rates if it is used for the purposes of the religious body concerned or for the purposes of a charity. The change preserves the effect of a decision of the Lands Tribunal for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made in the draft Planning (NI) Order, 1972, since it was first published; and at whose instigation.

Apart from some drafting and printing corrections two significant changes were made.Article 14(2) originally provided for the Ministry of Development to have discretionary power to make regulations requiring the Ministry to consult the appropriate district council before granting or refusing planning permission for any development. At the instigation of the Northern Ireland Advisory Commission the Article was amended to make this requirement mandatory.A new article, now numbered 105, provides power for the Minister to appoint advisory bodies or committees to assist the Ministry in connection with any of the functions conferred on the Ministry in order. This change was made at the instigation of the Ministry of Development.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council to report on whether or not degrees of noise-induced hearing loss satisfy Section 56(2) of the Industrial Injuries Act; if he will make it available to the public; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot yet say when the Council will be in a position to report. Decisions regarding any action to be taken must await receipt of the report, but it is customary to publish reports by the Council on questions of major interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the arrangements made by his Department and local authorities to ensure that retirement pensioners and the disabled will have adequate heating during the coming winter; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I wrote to all local authorities on 25th August about the action they might take to help elderly people to meet their heating problems. This has been followed this week by the supply of leaflets of guidance for those engaged in helping old people. I am sending copies of both to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the estimated weekly or monthly payments in supplementary allowances and welfare payments to Ugandan Asians now being paid, and the total lump sum payments made in grants on arrival and since.

Amounts of supplementary benefit paid to Ugandan Asians are not recorded separately.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will be able to announce his conclusions on the Roderic Bowen Report on bilingual road signs in Wales before Christmas this year.

Yes. I shall soon publish the report and make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to stimulate the co-ordinated development of services in the Welsh countryside.

The co-ordinated development of infrastructure services is one of the objectives of structure and local plans under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1971. The Welsh Office liaises with the local planning authorities to ensure integration of their plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many out-patients were treated at the Llanelly General Hospital and the West Wales Hospital, Glangwili, respectively, in the year ended 31st December, 1971; and how many consultants were on the staff of each hospital during that year.

The information requested is as follows:

	Llanelli	Glangwili
Out-patients seen or treated	16,287	20,811
Consultants on Staff	19	39

Consultants, although generally based at one main hospital, divide their time on a sessional basis between several hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of fishing in lakes and rivers in Wales is privately owned; and if he will request the Welsh Economic Council to make a study of the availability of fishing facilities for the general public in Wales.

I regret that the information is not available. As regards the second part of the Question, it is for the Welsh Council to assess its own priorities for further work.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the amount of money spent on trunk and classified roads in Cardiganshire in 1971; and what are the corresponding figures for Merionethshire and Pembrokeshire.

The amounts spent on trunk and principal roads in the financial year 1971–72 were as follows:

	Trunk Roads	Principal Roads	Total
	£	£	£
Cardiganshire	415,000	322,000	737,000
Merioneth	907,000	655,000	1,562,000
Pembrokeshire	457,000	456,000	913,000

Separate expenditure figures are not available in respect of non-principal classified roads.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the new parliamentary building with particular reference to estimates of time between a decision to proceed, the commencement of work and its completion.

Until the House has decided on the design of its new building and the Services Committee has settled details of the accommodation to be provided in it, my right hon. Friend can make no firm predictions. But if he receives adequate instructions by the end of this year demolition work could begin next year. It would then be possible to complete the building in 1978 as forecast earlier.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an assurance that, having approved a town expansion scheme for Hastings, he has no intention of advising British Rail to curtail the direct rail links between Hastings and London during the period of the town expansion programme.

My right hon. Friend has no such intention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware of the need for a motorway link across the Pennines to join Merseyside with the Humber; and what action his Department is taking to meet this requirement.

The M62 Lancashire—Yorkshire motorway will provide a very effective link between Merseyside and Humberside. Over 50 miles of the 100-mile motorway are already open and the full route will be completed during 1975. A scheme for a new major trans-Pennine route from Sheffield to Manchester was included in the Trunk Road Preparation Pool in August.