asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to announce the timetable for the application of metrication to food.

The White Paper, Metrication (Cmnd. 4880) makes it clear that it is the Government's policy to encourage voluntary progress towards metrication and the timing of the changeover in the case of individual foodstuffs is thus a matter primarily for the manufacturers concerned. But in the case of the commodities for which standard quantities are prescribed, legislation will be necessary before any changes can be made. I am in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about this and consumers' representatives will be consulted in all cases before decisions are reached.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what restrictions will be placed on home brew- ing and winemaking as a result of entry into the European Community.

Provided products are consumed in the home and are not offered for sale, no further restrictions will arise when we enter the Community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what intervention price for milk has been agreed by the European Economic Community for the 12 months commencing 1st January 1973; and how this compares with the present situation.

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the provisional agreement reached by the Council of Ministers (Agriculture) on 21st November and would refer him to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 27th November—[Vol. 847 Cols. 35–36].

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the terms of compensation for owners under the brucellosis scheme; and if valuation is on the basis of the individual animal or as part of a herd.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply received by my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster (Mrs. Kellett-Bowman) on 19th May. The valuation is on the basis of the individual animal, but is related to the status of the herd: animals in accredited herds are valued as accredited and in non-accredited herds as non-accredited.— [Vol. 837, c. 211–13.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many valuers in Wales his Department has refused to recognise as valuers for claimants under the brucellosis scheme.

I cannot say how many valuers are not acceptable to my Department for the purpose of this scheme. The selection of a valuer to value reactors under the brucellosis scheme is a matter for agreement between the Ministry and the herd owner. In deciding whether to agree to the use of a particular valuer the Ministry takes into account his knowledge and experience of valuations under the Diseases of Animals Act. If agreement cannot be reached with the herd owner the President of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is asked to nominate a valuer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many brucellosis-free herds there are in Wales; and what percentage of all herds in Wales this represents.

At the end of October there were 9,803 accredited herds in Wales, representing 31 per cent. of all herds in the Principality.

asked the Attorney-General whether he intends to institute proceedings under the Official Secrets Act against the Railway Gazette or departmental officials on the leakage of confidential information regarding future railway plans.

This matter is under investigation. No decision can be taken about any possible prosecution until the Director of Public Prosecutions has received a report from the police.

asked the Minister of State for Defence how many independent infantry companies of the Regular Army remain as a nucleus for expansion as a result of the Government's decision in 1970 to halt the run-down of the Army; and what are their present designations.

The remaining representative infantry companies are:

• 4th Battalion The Queen's Regiment Albuhera Company.
• 4th Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment Tiger Company.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many thalidomide children have been assessed by a team of assessors including medical, para-medical, technological, social service and educational experts with a view to providing technical equipment to assist thalidomide children to receive a full education; and how much progress has been made;(2) if she is satisfied with the amount of technical equipment being provided from public funds for the education of thalidomide children; and if she will have a discussion with organisations concerned with thalidomide victims on this matter.

All severely physically handicapped children will have been seen by a multi-disciplinary team by the time they reach school age; and they are kept under review and their individual needs reassessed throughout their school years. Local education authorities provide whatever technical equipment is needed for educational purposes, and I have no evidence to show that children's education is suffering through lack of suitable equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children receive free school meals in Oldham; what this is as a percentage of meals taken; and how this compares with each of the last three years.

In October 1972, 3,706 and 31·9 per cent. Corresponding figures for the three previous years were:

	Children receiving free meals	Free meals as percentage of meals taken
1971	3,425	31·8%
1970	2,479	23·6%
1969	2,327	18·7%

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why she has refused the application from the Union of Women Teachers to be represented on the Burnham Committee.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer which I gave yesterday to the Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Homchurch (Mr. Loveridge).—[Vol. 847, c. 241.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will break down the total unemployed in

	15–24	25–29	30–39	40–49	50–54	55 and over	Total all ages
South East	37,877	15,130	22,638	21,247	11,380	43,557	151,829
East Anglia	4,089	1,345	1,935	2,205	1,296	5,334	16,204
South West	12,061	3,626	4,693	5,075	3,009	14,248	42,712
West Midlands	24,843	7,926	11,901	11,993	5,838	16,788	79,289
East Midlands	11,365	3,725	5,860	6,078	3,083	11,504	41,615
Yorkshire and Humberside	25,366	7,044	11,058	11,796	6,043	18,168	79,475
North West	46,775	14,136	21,466	19,271	8,962	25,473	136,083
North	26,822	7,080	10,549	11,528	5,523	16,864	78,366
Wales	16,527	4,567	6,558	6,524	3,263	9,994	47,433
Scotland	51,030	14,308	21,964	20,305	8,592	21,428	137,627
Great Britain	256,755	78,887	118,622	116,022	56,989	183,358	810,633

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the Government request for the notification of wage claims, he will list the number of claims notified during the week ended 25th November, indicating the size of the claim and the number of workers involved.

Seven claims were notified to my Department, including one case in which a number of claims for one company were grouped together. Individual claims notified under these arrangements are confidential unless made public by the parties.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many scaffolders and mechanical plant operators have been trained during each of the last three years at the Bircham Newton training centre.(2) what is the total number of places available at Bircham Newton training centre for the training of scaffolders and mechanical plant operators; what has been the intake of trainees in each of the last three years; how many trainees have remained in the construction industry; and how many vacancies currently exist;(3) if he is satisfied that facilities for the training of scaffolders and plant operators for the construction industry are adequate; and if he will make a statement.

The following table shows an anlysis by age ranges at 10th July, 1972, the latest date for which information is available.

The Construction Industry Training Board has supplied the following information about training facilities at the Bircham Newton Training Centre:

	Plant Operators	Scaffolders
Current Number of Places	400	250
Numbers trained:—
1970	976	307
1971	465	299
1972	556	471

Training facilities are provided to meet demand both current and foreseen, and the board is expanding the number of places available at Bircham Newton to 780 for plant operators and 500 for scaffolders by March 1973.It is not possible to give the proportion of trainees who have remained in the construction industry as records are not kept.At the last count, in October 1972, the numbers of unfilled vacancies notified to local offices, for scaffolders and plant operators in the construction industry were 73 and 370 respectively.The Construction Industry Training Board advises me that training facilities at Bircham Newton for scaffolders and plant operators are adequate to keep pace with training demand in the construction industry. The board will continue to keep the position under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the level of earnings of labour-only sub-contractors in the construction industry.

None, since the Department's statistics of earnings are based on information obtained from employers in respect of employees and do not cover the self-employed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals have been made by any institution of the European Economic Community which would have the effect of reducing the present standard of 90 per cent. bio-degradability of detergents marketed in the United Kingdom; and what estimate he has made of the effect that any reduction of this standard would have on the operation and efficiency of sewage works.

The Commission of the European Communities has proposed a directive which would require certain categories of detergents to attain a minimum level of biodegradability of 80 per cent, and which would permit free trade within the Community of all detergents which did so. This proposal is now under discussion and the United Kingdom, with its existing achievement of 90 per cent, for the detergents most widely used in this country, is resisting any action which might place the existing quality of our environment in jeopardy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the railway lines in Wales at present receiving grant aid under the Transport Act where the grant expires on 31st December, 1972.

Grant undertakings for the following rail passenger services in Wales expire on 31st December, 1972:

• Services wholly in Wales
• 1. Whitland-Pembroke Dock.
• 2. Cardiff-Penarth.
• 3. Cardiff-Rhymney.
• 4. Cardiff-Coryton.
• 5. Barry Island-Cardiff-Treherbert/ Merthyr.
• Services partly in Wales
• 1. Cardiff-Gloucester.
• 2. Cardiff-Bristol.
• 3. Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth.
• 4. Wrexharn-New Brighton/Birkenhead North.
• 5. Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury-Wrexham-Chester.

These are all under consideration for renewal and an announcement will be made early in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what appointments he has in mind in connection with the proposed Maplin Development authority.

I am appointing Sir Frank Marshall to advise me on the organisation and operation of the proposed development authority which will be charged with the task of reclaiming, maintaining, and where appropriate developing land for the Maplin project.Further appointments will be made at the appropriate time.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the European Economic Community member and applicant countries have a nationally financed textile museum and a nationally financed transport museum, respectively.

I am making inquiries and will write to the hon. Member as soon as information is to hand.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish details of the Hong Kong Government's hospital building programme since the end of the last war.

The major Government hospitals opened in Hong Kong since the last war are as follows:

• Tsan Yuk Government Maternity Hospital opened in 1954 (300 beds);
• Castle Peak Mental Hospital opened in 1961 (1,242 beds);
• Drug Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre opened in March 1961;
• Queen Elizabeth General Hospital opened in September 1963 (1,596 beds);
• Tang Shiu Kin Hospital opened in April 1969 (76 beds).

Major Government projects in hand are the new Lai Chi Kok Hospital and the Shiu Lam Hospital for the mentally subnormal.Since the end of the war the total number of beds in Government and Government-assisted hospitals has risen from some 2,800 to more than 14,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, when a passport issued to a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies is agreed to be incorrectly endorsed and the applicant requests a replacement, he will direct that the replacement be issued without further fee.

It is already the practice to replace without further fee any United Kingdom passport which has been prepared incorrectly by an administrative error. If the right hon. Gentleman has a particular case in mind perhaps he will write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made concerning amendments in legal procedures to deal with terrorism in Southern Ireland; and at what level consultations have taken place on these matters.

Amendments in legal procedures within the Republic of Ireland are entirely the concern of the authorities in the Republic: there was no prior consultation about them with Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on his latest official talks with the Spanish Government in respect of Gibraltar.

My talks with the Spanish Foreign Minister marked a further stage in our exploratory discussions about the question of Gibraltar on which we have agreed to work together. The talks were, of course, confidential. I will, with permission, circulate the text of the joint communiqué in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases during 1970, 1971 and 1972, respectively, Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians were admitted to the United Kingdom by immigration officers for an initial limited period of less than six months.

Information on the periods initially given by immigration officers is not available in the form asked for by my right hon. Friend, but I have made renewed inquiries at our ports and I can confirm that in the case of visitors from the Commonwealth admission for less than the normal period of six months is very rare.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the light of the article by Mr. Michael Zander in the New Law Journal of 23rd November 1972, a copy of which is in his possession, he will now initiate a study of the proportion and number of men and women, who have been imprisoned before, who are sentenced to imprisonment by magistrates' courts without being legally represented.

No. But I shall continue to keep this matter under review in the light of the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Legal Aid in Criminal Proceedings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, having regard to the known fire hazard created by the use of polyure-thane foam, he will issue instructions to the appropriate authorities to ensure the separate tabulation of all fires where polyurethane foam, polystyrene and other polyesters are involved.

I prefer to await the outcome of a number of research projects into the flammability of foam plastics before considering whether further statistical information is required.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold discussions with the fire prevention branch of the London Fire Brigade, other brigades, and the Fire Brigades Union on the concern felt by those engaged in fire fighting about the fire hazards and danger from toxic fumes when dealing with burning polyurethane foam.

No. The safety of firemen at fire-fighting operations is kept under review by the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council, on which all fire service interests are represented. The fire service is fully aware of the hazards arising from fires involving polyurethane foam.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of new regulations promulgated in the United States of America and due to come into force in 1973, appertaining to the safety tests required to be made on bedding mattresses containing polyurethane fillings, a copy of which is in his possession, he will seek powers to ensure that similar tests are carried out in the United Kingdom.

I shall consider the need for regulations when I receive the findings of the comprehensive research now being undertaken into the burning behaviour of plastic materials.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what observations he has received from the Council on Tribunals on the Immigration Appeals Rules, 1972, No. 1684, and 1970, No. 1683; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the council's report for 1969–70 (HC 72) and to its Report for 1971–72 which I understand was published yesterday. In both instances the council was consulted on the drafts of these rules and the draft rules were amended to its general satisfaction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government will now follow the action of the Eire Government and introduce legislation to make the Irish Republican Army illegal in Great Britain in order to prevent Great Britain from becoming a sanctuary for those members of the Irish Republican Army who flee from Northern Ireland and Eire.

I shall continue to watch the position carefully, but on the information at present available I am not persuaded that there are grounds for seeking fresh powers from Parliament. I shall not hesitate to make use, where appropriate, of the extended powers of deportation which I shall have under the new Immigration Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why there was omitted from the new immigration rules the consideration of a proposed deportee's strength of connections with the United Kingdom, in contradistinction to the provisions contained in Command Paper No. 4295, rule 38.

This was an inadvertent omission. I am grateful to the hon. Member for pointing it out. It will be corrected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it is planned to spend on the urban aid programme in the present financial year and in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement about the aims of that programme and the progress being achieved as a result of it.

In the White Paper (Cmnd. 4829) published in November 1971 total expenditure on the urban programme in 1972–73 to 1975–76 in Great Britain was then estimated at some £48 million at 1971 prices. Details are given in the White Paper.Revised estimates at 1972 prices will be available when the new White Paper on Public Expenditure is published.The aim of the programme is to provide special help for urban areas with particularly acute social problems. Since 1968, when the programme began, some £25 million has been approved in England and Wales for about 2,260 projects in 185 local authority areas.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give an early reply to the correspondence sent to him by the hon. Member for Both-well, concerning the coming into force of value added tax.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a single mother, whether divorced, separated or unmarried, who receives maintenance payments from her ex-husband or the father of her child of, for example, £4 per week and who earns £7 a week, would be entitled under his current tax credit proposals to the married credit plus the child tax credits for her children.

On the assumptions made in the Green Paper she would not come within the tax credit scheme unless her earnings amounted to £8 a week or more; but the paper makes it clear that the position of parents with single-handed responsibility for children will need to be considered in relation to the work of the Finer Committee on one-parent families.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs and what grades, male and female, will be finally involved by the end of 1972 in the movement of Pay-As-You-Earn work now done in London to Edinburgh; and what is projected for 1973.

About 1,150 staff in the chief Inspector's and Accountant General's Branches of the Inland Revenue are now employed in Edinburgh on PAYE work originally done in London. Of the present staff about 500 are male and 650 female. 266 Officers are in grades equivalent to Executive Officer and above. A further 86 units of London work are expected to be transferred to Edinburgh in early 1973.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further progress has been made by the Central Statistical Office in its review of the benefits and costs of providing computer terminal facilities within the Palace of Westminster.

The Computer and Data Systems Unit of the Central Statistical Office, in conjunction with the House of Commons Library, is hoping to arrange for International Computers Ltd. to set up an experimental demonstration whereby Members will be able to obtain access via a computer terminal to a copy of the data bank maintained by Treasury and the Central Statistical Office. The purpose of the demonstration, which should take place during June or July, 1973, is to obtain further information needed for a cost-benefit analysis of providing an operational service along these lines.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made in the Detention of Terrorists Order 1972, and at whose instigation.

No changes in this order have been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the progress being made in the Auchinleck health centre project.

Formal approval of the sketch plan for the health centre has now been received from all concerned and cost estimates are now being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services by how many nurses the North Staffordshire hospitals are understaffed.

These hospitals have no approved nurse staffing establishments against which under or over-staffing can be measured, but over the last 12 months the number of nurses on the wards and in the departments of these hospitals has risen by 45 from 805 to 850.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the accuracy of the census figures so far published, especially so far as recent immigrants are concerned; and whether he will make a statement.

Figures published in both the Preliminary Report and the Advance Analysis of the 1971 Census are provisional, but I do not expect that there will be any major differences in the final figures which are now in course of publication. I accept the importance of demonstrating beyond doubt the accuracy of census figures and appropriate statistical evaluations will be published in due course.The Advance Analysis shows the numbers of persons resident in Great Britain at the time of the census who were born in various countries. National volumes to be published next year will give final versions of these statistics analysed additionally by parents' country of birth and date of entry but census figures do not relate directly to colour, ethnic origin or nationality.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many abortions were carried out by National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales for the years 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971; what was the number of medical and hospital staff required for this purpose; and what is his estimate of the cost including administration overheads for each year.

The information asked for in the first part of the question is:

1968	14,560
1969	33,728
1970	47,678
1971	53,706

The statistical and costing information collected centrally does not enable the staff engaged on abortions or the cost of abortions to be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the ratio of known abortions to live births registered in England and Wales for the years 1969, 1970 and 1971.

The ratios of legal abortions to live births in 1969, 1970 and 1971 for women resident in England and Wales were 0·063, 0·097 and 0·121 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of in-patients at the Hospital of St. Cross, Rugby, during the past 12 months lived in Coventry.

1.5 per cent in the year ending 31st December 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, for each week since 1st January 1972, what were the total number of households in receipt of family income supplement, the percentage which each of these figures represented of the total estimated to be eligible, the number who in that week were in receipt for the first time of family income supplement, the number who in that week entered a second or further period of receipt following a successful

(1) JANUARY-MARCH 1972
Week ending				Number receiving FIS	Awards expiring*	Awards—new or following a break in payment†	Renewal awards—continuous with previous awards†
7th January	…	…	…	66,000	1,300	980	530
14th January	…	…	…	66,000	1,200	1,010	750
21st January	…	…	…	66,000	1,200	1,200	1,050
28th January	…	…	…	68,000	1,100	1,280	1,300
4th February	…	…	…	67,000	2,200	1,300	1,870
11th February	…	…	…	65,000	5,700	1,390	2,170
18th February	…	…	…	62,000	5,800	1,470	2,330
25th February	…	…	…	60,000	5,000	2,070	2,260
3rd March	…	…	…	59,000	3,900	2,120	2,160
10th March	…	…	…	58,000	3,700	1,960	2,500
17th March	…	…	…	59,000	3,000	2,140	2,460
24th March	…	…	…	59,000	2,900	2,560	2,310
31st March	…	…	…	60,000	3,100	1,610	1,580

(2) APRIL-SEPTEMBER 1972
FIS pay day				Number receiving FIS	Awards expiring*	Commencements of awards on first claims	Commencements of awards on second and later claims
					(in 4–5 weeks to date shown)
25th April	…	…	…	65,000	10,600	— 28,800‡	—
30th May	…	…	…	84,000	10,500	11,000	5,500
						(estimated)	(estimated)
27th June	…	…	…	87,000	7,600	6,200	4,200
25th July	…	…	…	91,000	6,500	6,000	4,700
29th August	…	…	…	87,000	19,900	4,300	11,200
26th September	…	…	…	84,000	13,700	3,600	7,800
*i.e. payments ceasing during the period shown, whether renewed or not.
† Payments resulting from these awards did not normally commence in the same week as the award was made.
‡ Separate figures of first and later awards not available.
Take up is about half the number estimated to be eligible (three-quarters in the case over awards of £2); periodic estimates of the number eligible are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the Hendon arms have been produced; how many are in actual use; what was the total cost of the research and development; and to what extent they are fulfilling their purpose.

Nine prototype arms have been fitted of which eight are still being used. Expenditure on research and development has so far amounted to about £146,000. An assessment of the value of the Hendon arm is at present in progress.

Information in the form requested is not available for the period before April 1972, but can be provided on a monthly basis for later periods. Following is the available information:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many thalidomide children have applied for the attendance allowance; how many have been successful; how many of those unsuccessful have appealed; and how many of the reviews have been successful.

Separate information is not maintained concerning numbers of children for whom attendance allowance has been claimed, whose disablement is due to thalidomide. Information about thalidomide is not required by the Attendance Allowance Board in order to decide whether the medical requirements for the allowance are satisfied and would not necessarily be recorded by the general practitioner or other doctor completing a report for the board.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions his Department has had with overseas countries regarding possible aids for thalidomide children; and what exchanges of information and equipment have taken place.

My Department informs itself about possible aids available in other countries for use by the disabled, including thalidomide children. This is done through visits by medical and technical experts, participation in the work of international bodies, purchase and evaluation of hardware, and in other ways. It is a continuing process.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many thalidomide victims need ramps to obtain access to and from their homes and to and from their place of education; how many such ramps have been provided; and who provided them and at what expense;(2) if he will take steps to make sure that all services referred to in the Prime Minister's letter to the hon. Member for Eccles on 15th November are made known to the parents and guardians of thalidomide children; and if he will appoint a departmental committee to make certain that full provisions are available for all these children as individuals;(3) in view of the discrepancies of local authority services as between one area and another regarding the provision of practical assistance to thalidomide victims, if he will make representations to local authorities who are not giving at least average support; and if he will publish the records of such local authorities in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Information about services provided by local authorities to individual families is not available centrally, but as I intend to write as soon as possible to authorities about services for the families of thalidomide children generally I see no need for any departmental committee. I shall also ask authorities to ensure that these families are fully aware of all available statutory and voluntary services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children have been provided with advanced Possum type equipment by his Department for educational purposes; how many have been provided by private funds for educational purposes; and what progress has been made with each patient.

My Department has provided two children with type-writer control systems to enable them to communicate and another will be supplied shortly. Provision of equipment specifically for educational purposes is a matter for local education authorities. Information about supplies from private sources is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what grounds he has recommended a payment into the National Insurance Fund equivalent to 18 per cent. of basic scheme contributions after certain deductions.

A contribution from general taxation has been a feature of social insurance in this country since its inception in 1911. The proposal to continue the Treasury supplement at the equivalent of its present level of 18 per cent, of the contribution income is an earnest of the State's continuing interest, will help to spread the cost fairly throughout the community and will enable the share related directly to employee's earnings to be kept to a reasonable level.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances he foresees that a payment may be required in the form of a loan to the Reserve Pension Board.

To enable expenditure to be met by the Reserve Pension Board in establishing and bringing into operation the reserve pension scheme until such time as it receives an income by way of contributions after the scheme comes into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for industrial development certificates in the South-Eastern Region were turned down by his Department over the last 12 months; to what industries they applied; and if he will give details for the Greater London Council area separately.

In the period 1st November, 1971 to 31st October, 1972, 39 IDCs were refused in the South-Eastern Region; the industries to which they applied—with the Standard Industrial Classification Order Nos.—were:

		Refusals
SIC	Industries	South Eastern Region	of which GLC area
III	Food, drink and tobacco	1	—
V	Chemicals and allied industries	1	—
VI	Metal manufacture	1	1
VII	Mechanical engineering	5	—
VIII	Instrument engineering	3	—
IX	Electrical engineering	12	1
XI	Vehicles	1	—
XII	Metal goods	1	1
XV	Clothing and footwear	3	2
XVI	Bricks, pottery, glass, cement etc	1	1
XIX	All other manufacturing industries (including speculative development)	10	4

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what general directions are in force with regard to the outside business interests and activities of the management and staff of nationalised industries for which he is responsible.

There are no general directions. Members of the nationalised boards for which I am responsible are required either in the relevant Act or supporting regulations to declare their business and financial interests to me so that I can be satisfied that they do not prejudice the performance of their functions and are not incompatible with the appointment. Rules concerning staff are a matter for the board concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the average price of crude oil imported into this country at the latest available date and three years earlier; and what is his estimate of the price of imported oil in three years' time.

Following is the information:

• Average value of imported crude petroleum per ton c.i.f.
• October 1972 £8.99—January-October 1972 £8.81.
• October 1969 £6.80—January-October 1969 £7.15.

It must be realised that these average c.i.f. values are influenced by the sources of supply, by transport costs and other factors.The future price of imported crude oil will depend on very many factors and I will not speculate on what the figure might be three years from now.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to encourage Anglo-Brazilian trade; and for what reasons Great Britain's volume of exports to Brazil have increased at a slower rate than Brazil's total imports.

My predecessor paid an official visit to Brazil last April; Her Majesty's Government took an active part in a special seminar on Brazil in London in September; and the British Overseas Trade Board is planning to stage a major British Industrial Exhibition in Sao Paulo in August 1974. These events indicate the special importance which my Department attaches to this large and rapidly growing market. Volume figures for British exports are not available, but in value terms the average rate of increase in British exports to Brazil between 1969 and 1971 was 39 per cent., against an average increase of only 28 per cent, in total Brazilian imports.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the foreign quota of the import of vehicle rubber tyres.

There are no quantitative restrictions on imports of rubber tyres into the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to prevent dumping of road vehicle rubber tyres from Japan and Spain.

Any application for antidumping action under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act 1969 supported by reasonable prima facie grounds for the complaint will be promptly considered. Generally speaking dumping in this connection means exporting to the United Kingdom at prices lower than those obtained in the home market. The Act also requires the dumping to be causing or threatening material injury to the British producers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that vehicle rubber tyres made outside the United Kingdom carry markings of countries of origin.

I shall consider any evidence presented to me that origin marking of tyres would be in the interest of consumers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many accidents have been reported in the British coalmining industry since 1st April 1972; and how many fatalities were involved.

382 persons have suffered serious injury and 44 persons have been killed in accidents at coal mines since 1st April 1972 as reported to HM Inspectors of Mines and Quarries under Section 116 of the Mines and Quarries Act 1954.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken, in particular by hiring more staff, to speed up the routine check by his Department of returns at the Central Companies Register, in order to overcome the two-year backlog of inspections.

The Companies Registration Office has taken on an additional 89 staff since May; and the computer system already being installed should be in full operation in about a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much expenditure as authorised by his Committee of Inspection Mr. H. O. Raphael, liquidator of the Pinnock Finance Company, has incurred in seeking to trace Mr. Ross Wright who is named in the Inspector's Report as being a debtor of £1,000,000.

I understand that the Committee of Inspection has authorised expenditure of up to £5,000 in seeking to trace Mr. Ross Wright and that so far Mr. H. O. Raphael, the liquidator of Pinnock Finance Company (Great Britain) Limited, has applied about £1,100 to that end.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider seeking powers to centralise the United Kingdom's space effort under a single authority: and if he will make a statement.

The adequacy of existing arrangements for co-ordination of United Kingdom space activities is under consideration. This question is bound up with the outcome of the discussions currently taking place on a new organisation of European space activities. It would therefore be premature to take firm decisions on future United Kingdom organisation at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many house building starts there have been in Wales in the first nine months of 1972 in the public and private sectors, respectively; and what were the figures for 1970 and 1971.

The figures are as follows:

	Public Sector	Private Sector
January-September,1972	2,725	10,190
January-September,1971	4,090	7,715
January-September,1970	3,530	6,492

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses have been built in Wales in the first nine months of 1972 in the public and private sectors, respectively; and what were the figures for the equivalent period of 1970 and 1971.

The figures are as follows:

	Public Sector	Private Sector
January-September,1972	3,271	7,956
January-September,1971	4,606	6,795
January-September,1970	5,231	6,212

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consult with the Welsh Council with a view to submitting a report to Her Majesty's Government on the scale of regional aid which is required in Wales from the Community fund which is to be set up for that purpose.

The Welsh Council reviewed Government regional policy in relation to the needs of Wales earlier this year. The council's views will be taken fully into account in discussions with the Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if, in view of the uncertainty facing the steel industry in Wales, he will now publish a White Paper on the Government's economic strategy for Wales for the next three years.

No. These matters are kept under continuous review in the light of the changing circumstances and of the Government's wide-ranging measures to assist regional development.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce legislation to create a Welsh Water Authority.

The Government have already announced their intention to introduce legislation for the reorganisation of water services in England and Wales.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether those Members appointed to the European Parliament at £24 a day tax-free allowance will also be able to claim the London living allowance although they will not be living or residing in London; and whether he will make a statement.

The eligibility of a Member for the London supplement does not depend upon his place of residence, but—providing he is not a Minister or salaried office holder—on whether he represents one of the constituencies listed in the schedule to the resolution providing for a London supplement passed by the House on 20th December, 1971.