asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the future of the Madog Memorial Hospital, Porthmadog, and in particular the fortnightly clinic held at the hospital.

The Welsh Hospital Board has no proposals to change the use of the hospital. The fortnightly outpatient clinics were recently suspended but the board is currently considering with the hospital management committee how best to maintain an outpatient service. I will write to the right hon. Member when I have received their report.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for reducing youth unemployment in Wales.

The Government's policies of stimulating general economic growth have, as we had intended, already helped to provide additional employment opportunities for our young people.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for reducing the rate of outward migration of young people from Mid-Wales.

The Government's economic and social policies will make mid-Wales more attractive and thereby reduce the rate of outward migration.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many children who are suffering from the drug thalidomide are living in Wales.

The most recent survey conducted by the Lady Hoare Thalidomide Trust suggests that there may be about 26 such children living in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the services at present provided in Mid- and South-West Wales for children and young persons who are deaf.

The health and social service authorities in Mid- and South-West Wales are conscious of the problems of children and young persons who are deaf, and do all they can to meet their needs. I am glad to pay a tribute to the excellent work they do.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if it is his policy to assist the construction of modern port facilities on the Severn Estuary; and if be has selected a site for long-term development.

The existing South Wales ports are well equipped to meet present traffic demands. They have spare capacity and resources which can be developed to meet future needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to promote the use of low-lying land adjoining the River Severn for industrial purposes.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I would be ready to consider any specific proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will revise the cost yardstick for council housing.

No. A special market allowance has only recently been introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will publish a breakdown of the expenditure on housing in Wales shown in table 2.24 of the Public Expenditure to 1976–77 White Paper, into the categories shown in table 2.11 relating to housing.

£ million at 1972 Survey Prices
	1971–72 Provisional Outturn	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77
Subsidies	15·3	19·4	14·6	13·7	13	13
Option mortgages	0·3	0·4	0·5	0·6	1	1
Improvement grants	3·8	8·1	8·9	5·2	5	6
Local authority improvement investment	3·2	4·8	6·9	4·5	5	5
Other investment and central administration
Gross	24·2	24·3	24·0	26·3	26	27
Sales	-1·6	-1·6	-1·6	-1·5	-1	-1
Net	22·6	22·7	22·4	24·8	25	26
Lending
Gross	15·9	18·4	17·8	17·8	18	18
Repayments	-5·4	-6·1	-7·0	-7·8	-9	-9
Net	10·5	12·3	10·8	10·0	9	9
Total	55·7	67·7	64·1	58·8	58	60
Changes from Cmnd. 4829
Policy changes	—	+1·6	+5·4	-0·1	—	—
Estimated charges	-7·1	-6·4	-9·5	-4·4	-5	—
Cmnd. 4829 revalued	62·8	72·5	68·2	63·3	63	—

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the share for Wales resulting from the increase in grant to the Arts Council for the current year.

This is a matter to be settled between the Arts Council of Great Britain and the Welsh Arts Council, but I anticipate a further substantial increase for 1973–74 in the provision for Wales, which has risen by more than 40 per cent. over the last two years.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is taking regarding road improvements at Alltwen, Pontardawe, in connection with the trunk road route; and if he will make a statement.

My Department is at present considering a major improvement scheme for Graig Road, Alltwen, proposed by the Glamorgan County Council.

Figures of expenditure on housing in Wales on the same basis as those contained in Table 2.11 of Command Paper 5178, Public Expenditure to 1976–77, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received an application under Section 17 of the Companies Act 1948 from Sadlers Wells Opera at the Coliseum to change its name to the National Opera Company Limited; and, if so, whether he has approved that application.

This application has been rejected.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on EEC proposals for research and development finance and how they affect the United Kingdom.

The EEC Commission has prepared a programme of research and development, in the main for five years, at a total cost of 237 million units of account. Most of this is to be carried out at the Joint Research Centre of Euratom. The Member countries have so far failed to agree on the details of the programme or on its total cost. Discussion continues this afternoon in the Council of Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in order to assist small firms, he will review the requirements of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947, with a view to raising the limit on the size of firms obliged to provide data under the Act.

We are conscious of the need to assist small firms by reducing the burden of form filling on them, but this does not require an amendment to the Statistics of Trade Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will call for a further report from the National Film Finance Corporation on the future of Shepperton Studios in the light of the latest developments.

The National Film Finance Corporation is keeping me regularly informed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what negotiations he has had with the Indian Trade Ministry to secure a replacement for the trade agreement of 1939; and if he will make a statement.

The Indian Minister of Foreign Trade visited this country at the invitation of Her Majesty's Government last month and had a series of wide ranging talks with Her Majesty's Ministers. It was noted with satisfaction that the EEC Council of Ministers has now agreed that the Community should negotiate a commercial co-operation agreement with India, and it was agreed that the very special understanding which both countries had of each other's problems should be maintained and developed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received asking him to reconsider the extension of the time in which local authorities may qualify for derelict land clearance area grants; what replies he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

The chairman of the East Midlands Economic Planning Council has asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to consider how industrial development in the derelict land clearance area may be promoted after March 1974. In reply, my right hon. Friend has said that he has no power to extend the period during which regional development grant for buildings is payable.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the counter-inflation measures include restrictions on price increases on fixed-price and other local authority and public contracts since 6th November; and what action he is taking to ensure that the policy of Her Majesty's Government on this matter is being complied with.

Yes; the scope of the measures extend to fixed-price contracts and other local authority and public contracts. During the standstill, my Department has disseminated advice to maintain prices relating to contracts at levels obtaining before 6th November 1972, and powers are available under the Counter-Inflation (Temporary Provisions) Act to ensure compliance with the standstill arrangements.During the second stage of the programme for controlling inflation, it is proposed that the Price Commission should have powers to ensure implementation of the provisions relating to prices which will be contained in the price and pay code.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will identfy the draft regulation issued by the Commission covering insurance designed to harmonise the rules within the nine members of the Community; and what is the policy of the Government thereon, with particular relation to its application to all insurance companies.

There are two directives in the course of preparation which, with some minor exceptions, would apply to all insurance companies engaged in direct insurance other than life. The first is designed to harmonise the rules under which an insurer may establish a branch in another Community country, and the second to eliminate existing national discrimination. The Government support this move towards liberalisation, and discussions are continuing in Brussels on amendments to meet the particular needs of the new members.

INVESTMENT BY MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
£ million
		Current prices, not seasonally adjusted
		1970	1971	1st quarter	1972 2nd quarter	3rd quarter
Total	…	2,133	2,169	515	487	565
Food, drink and tobacco	…	270	302	78	85	95
Coal and petroleum product	…	86	134	34	32	31
Chemicals	…	381	362	80	77	68
Metal manufacturing	…	267	337	102	68	65
Engineering, shipbuilding and metal goods	…	425	402	89	90	101
Vehicles	…	223	165	28	28	32
Textiles, leather and clothing	…	156	140	27	30	31
Paper, printing and publishing	…	130	106	23	26	27
Other manufacturing	…	195	222	55	53	56

£ million
		1963 prices, seasonally adjusted
		1970	1971	1st quarter	1972 2nd quarter	3rd quarter
Total	…	1,629	1,511	367	330	326
Food, drink and tobacco	…	208	213	55	55	60
Coal and petroleum products	…	63	89	26	21	19
Chemicals	…	280	243	56	51	47
Metal manufacturing	…	205	234	70	45	37
Engineering, shipbuilding and metal goods	…	330	287	64	64	69
Vehicles	…	174	119	23	19	20
Textiles, leather and clothing	…	119	98	18	21	20
Paper, printing and publishing	…	102	75	16	18	19
Other manufacturing	…	148	154	40	37	35

Additional quarterly data are shown in "Trade and Industry" of 11th January, deposited in the House of Commons Library.Analyses of total investment, for the economy as a whole, by industry groups and by public and private sectors, are shown in Table 7 of the Monthly Digest of Statistics which is also in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the present arrangements with regard to the provision of investment grants and other types of financial assistance to help British firms in the United Kingdom in the development and construction of drilling rigs; and whether, in view of the importance of ensuring that United Kingdom firms get an adequate proportion of orders for such rigs, he intends to improve the investment grant facilities in any way.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish a table setting out the rate of industrial investment in the United Kingdom sector by sector, from 1970 to the nearest convenient date, in cash and real terms.

The information is shown in the following table:

Investment grants have been discontinued, and various forms of financial assistance are now available under the Industry Act 1972. Builders of oil rigs are now eligible for regional development grants, free depreciation for plant, and 40 per cent. initial allowances for new buildings. In addition, shipbuilders can receive tapering construction grants for building mobile offshore platforms; and a British or foreign firm placing an order for an offshore platform in the United Kingdom is given access to credit facilities comparable to those available abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications have been made for industrial development certificates in the borough of Stafford since 1968; and how many have been granted.

Fifty industrial development certificates have been approved, and one refused, in the Stafford employment exchange area since the beginning of 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why he authorised paper and board makers to increase their prices by up to 7 per cent. with effect from 15th January 1973.

Consent has been given to increases in paper and board prices in view of the higher cost of imported raw materials. The permissible increases vary between 2 per cent. and 7 per cent. according to the raw material content. Manufacturers are being required to absorb a substantial proportion of the increased raw material costs and increases in other costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set up a committee to look into the operation of the Design Copyright Act 1968 and its effect on competition.

I am considering setting up a committee to examine the law of copyright and expect to make an announcement shortly. Design copyright will be one of the subjects for consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what are the figures, in numbers and expressed as a percentage, of passengers and aircraft movements for charter and schedule aircraft, respectively, at London (Heathrow), London (Gatwick), Standsted and Luton for 1972; and what is his estimate of the position in 1980;

This information is not readily available, but I am having it collected and will publish it in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will introduce legislation to make in an offence for a director of a public company to deal in the shares of the company during the month preceding the publication of the semi-annual statements.

The question of insider dealings by directors of companies is one of the issues I am at present considering in my review of company law.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government intend to ratify the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1969, and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage 1971.

The Government intend to ratify both conventions—which have been presented to Parliament in Cmnd, 4403 and Cmnd. 5061—and will introduce the necessary legislation as soon as parliamentary time is available. The Government favour simultaneous entry into force of the two conventions and are in touch with other Governments for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent talks with the Caribbean representatives about the Caribbean banana trade, and on any steps that the United Kingdom can take to safeguard West Indian banana interests, particularly when Commonwealth preferences are phased out.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement issued after the talks, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, and to the assurance given by my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in this House on 26th April 1971.—[Vol. 816 c. 7–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the dates on which the Council of Ministers of the EEC will be discussing the various draft regulations, directives and proposals made available to the House of Commons since 1st January, 1973; and if he will make a statement on what method he proposes for keeping the House informed of such dates so that it can express its views on each such regulation, directive or proposal.

It is not possible to give dates because proposals put forward by the Commission normally require first to be considered in other institutions of the Community and are inscribed on the agenda of the Council of Ministers, if at all, only shortly before the council meets.The question of keeping Parliament informed about questions to be considered by the European Economic Community Council of Ministers is to be discussed by the Select Committee to consider procedures for scrutiny of proposals for European Community secondary legislation. It would not be appropriate to anticipate the decisions of of the committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in order to keep the public aware of the decisions of the EEC which affect them, he will arrange for copies of all relevant proceedings, articles, treaties and amendments to be made generally available at places for the public convenience, having regard to the fact that ignorance of the law is no reason for not complying with it.

I agree that it is important that the public should be kept well informed about European Communities matters. The more important developments will normally be covered in the press and other media. The Official Journal and other Community publications are also readily available through Her Majesty's Stationery Office, as agents for the publishers. But other possible ways of improving public access to such information are being looked into.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the agreement between Sweden and the EEC is a Community treat; and if so when he proposes to make an order under Section 2(1) of the European Communities Act.

The agreement between Sweden and the EEC was signed by representatives of the Council of the European Communities on the 22nd July, 1972 in accordance with the provisions of Article 228 of the EEC Treaty.Since Her Majesty's Government were not signatories to the agreement, it is, by virtue of Section 1(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, a Community treaty as defined in the Act, without the need for an Order in Council under Section 1(3).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the agreement between the EEC and Greece in 1961, setting up an association between them, and the association agreement with Turkey in 1963 are included among the pre-Accession Treaties entered into by the United Kingdom in accordance with paragraph 7 of Part I of Schedule 1 of the 1972 European Communities Act; and whether he intends to make an Order in Council to that effect.

The association agreement of 1961 between the EEC and Greece and the association agreement of 1963 between the EEC and Turkey are pre-accession treaties for the purpose of the European Communities Act 1972.Protocols to adapt both association agreements in the light of the circumstances of enlargement of the Community are still under negotiation. It is consequently premature to forecast the timing of any Order in Council which might be required in relation to these Protocols.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why his Department has expressed dismay at the proposal of the Liverpool City Council to twin with Haiphong, North Vietnam; and what advice and assistance he is giving to ensure that this proposal is brought to fruition.

My Department has not commented on this proposal by Liverpool City Council. It is entirely a matter for the city council to decide which cities it wishes to twin with.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the leader or any of the members of the British delegation to the European Assembly are authorised to make statements to the Assembly on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

In accordance with Article 138 of the European Economic Community Treaty the British delegates to the European Parliament were designated by Parliament. They are not an official governmental delegation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what terms Great Britain has granted rights for constructing a staging post or base to the United States Government on Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

The terms for the construction by the United States Government of a limited naval communications facility on Diego Garcia atoll in the Chagos Archipelago are set out in the United States/United Kingdom exchange of notes of October 1972, published in November 1972 (Cmnd. 5160).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will explain how the figure allocated to overseas aid in the public expenditure programme analysis on page 127 of the supplementary civil estimates (H. of C. 40) is derived from the figures in the table of which it forms part.

The additional £3,494,870 estimated requirement for overseas aid expenditure was, as stated in the Economic Classification, partly offset by savings on certain other pensions, etc.,—of members of the former Indian and Burma Services and their dependants—which are not classified as overseas aid or as items constituting direct public expenditure (£1,104,870). Additional receipts, estimated at £100,000 are credited to another public expenditure programme. The Supplementary Estimate, of course, sought provision only for the net estimated additional requirement. It is, however, correct that the additional charge to the aid programme arising from this Supplementary Estimate would be £3,494,870.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many pre-investment studies for possible insurance of long-term capital investment are now in train, territory by territory.

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to pre-investment study agreements under Section 3 of the Overseas Investment and Export Guarantees Act 1972. Three such agreements have been concluded and others are expected to follow soon. The studies to which these agreements relate are to be made respectively in Indonesia, Kenya and the Sudan.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what help the Government have offered the Government of Nepal in alleviating famine conditions in some areas.

pursuant to his reply, [OFFICIAL REPORT, 29th January, Vol. 849, c. 936–7] provided the following information:I am glad to say that Her Majesty's Government have now agreed that Royal Air Force aircraft may undertake an airlift of food grains to certain hill areas of Nepal. The airlift will begin as soon as arrangements for fuel supplies and other support facilities can be made with the Nepalese Government, and will last up to two months. Subject to the availability of fuel in sufficient quantity, four Hercules transports and one Puma helicopter, with about 270 RAF and Army personnel will be deployed for the operation.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what plans the Government have to move the offices of the Charity Commissioners; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no plans to move the offices of the Charity Commissioners, but in common with other Government Departments with headquarters offices in London, the London office of the commission has been included in the current location review under Sir Henry Hardman.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the recommendations for a new pay structure for the probation service as recommended by the Butterworth Committee in its report of August 1972 are now in operation; and if not when action will be taken to implement the proposals in full.

The main probation salary recommendations in the Butterworth Report were implemented by 1st November last, and the new pay scales had effect from 1st July 1972. The joint negotiating committee for the probation service is arranging to meet within the next month to consider the longer-term arrangements for the selection of main grade officers for the higher "B" salary scale.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can now state what was the cost to public funds of the recent Angry Brigade trial at the Central Criminal Court.

As the persons convicted in this case have lodged appeals, I cannot say anything at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will set out the administrative procedure followed in his Department in dealing with discipline appeals to him under Section 37 of the Police Act 1964;(2) what is the rôle of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector and Inspectors of Constabulary in discipline appeals under Section 37 of the Police Act 1964;(3) what is the average length of time between receiving an appeal under Section 37 of the Police Act 1964 and the making of an order;(4) what was the length of time between receiving the appeal made to him under Section 37 of the Police Act 1964 and the order being made by him in the case of P.C. Fox of the Birmingham City Police;(5) what was the length of time between receiving the appeal made to him under Section 37 of the Police Act 1964 and the order being made by him in the case of P.S. Bailey of Thames Valley Police;(6) what was the length of time taken between receiving the appeal made to him under Section 37 of the Police Act 1964 and the order being made by him in the case of P.C. Powell of the Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The Police (Appeals) Rules 1965 require a formal notice of appeal, with a statement of the grounds of appeal and any supporting material, to be submitted to me within 21 days of the notification to the appellant of the decision appealed against. I have power to extend this period, and I frequently exercise it so that the appellant may complete his grounds of appeal. The chief officer of police is then asked, in accordance with the rules, for his response to the appeal. When all the relevant documents have been received, my Department undertakes any further inquiries which may be necessary, prepares a full summary of the facts of the case, considers all the issues arising on the appeal, and submits the papers to me for my decision. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector and inspectors of constabulary give advice as appropriate on profesional matters.The time required varies widely, depending on the difficulty of assembling all the documents and the complexity of the issues. The average time taken to deal with the 45 appeals decided in 1972 was just over 10 weeks from receipt of a formal notice of appeal to the final receipt of all relevant documents, and just over a further 11 weeks from then until the making of my order.The times taken to deal with the three cases mentioned were:

	Notice of appeal to final receipt of documents	Final receipt of documents to making of order
P.C. Fox	1 week 4 days	10 weeks
P.S. Bailey	21 weeks 3 days	19 weeks
P.C. Powell	9 weeks	13 weeks 4 days

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he anticipates laying the commencement order in relation to the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972, in view of the hardship suffered by women whose husbands have deserted them and emigrated.

This depends on the speed with which we can negotiate reciprocal arrangements with other countries. Several negotiations are in train, and I hope that some of them will be concluded this summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the county councils and the county borough councils with bye-laws prohibiting the pasturing of bulls at large in fields containing public footpaths broadly according to the Home Office model;(2) if he will list the county councils and county borough councils which have byelaws permitting bulls in fields containing public footpaths provided cows or heifers are also present;(3) if he will list the county councils and county borough councils with no bulls byelaws in respect of fields containing footpaths.

A total of 45 county and 42 county borough councils have made byelaws, broadly according to the Home Office model, prohibiting the pasturing of bulls at large in fields containing public footpaths; 10 counties have made bye-laws which permit bulls to be pastured in fields containing public footpaths provided cows and heifers are also present; and in two counties and 41 county boroughs there are no byelaws in force on this matter. I shall send the particulars to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made as a result of his contact with the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees to deal with divided families following upon their expulsion from Uganda.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave on 1st February to a Question from the hon. Member for Kensington, North (Mr. Douglas-Mann).—[Vol. 849, c. 1587–8]

asked the Lord President of the Council how many Parliamentary Questions marked with a "W", up to the latest convenient date, have been given complete answers on the date set down; and what proportion this figure represents of the total of such Questions tabled.

Up to the evening of Thursday 1st February 1973 a total of 301 Question for Written Priority Answer had been tabled. Of these, 296 were answered in full on the specified date.

asked the Lord President of the Council how many Parliamentary Questions were answered during 1972; and what was the approximate cost.

In the Session 1971–72 a total of 28,594 Parliamentary Questions were asked. Of these, 4,547 received Oral Answers; 6,561 which were tabled for oral answer received written replies and 17,486 for written reply were also answered.An exercise undertaken by the Civil Service Department in 1972 determined that the average cost of preparing an answer to an Oral Question was £16 and for a Written Answer, £10. Using this as a basis for calculation, the total cost of answering Questions in the Session 1971–72 was, therefore, approximately £352,588.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been agreed about EEC restitution payments after 1st August in the event of a fall in world cereal prices.

The agreed compensatory amounts on cereals will be reduced by one-sixth on 1st August when the first of the transitional steps will be taken. These reduced amounts will be abated if they exceed the Community levies at that time.The compensatory—or abated—amounts are paid as refunds on exports from the Community to the United Kingdom. They are deducted from the Community restitution on exports to third countries to give the amount of the United Kingdom export restitution.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the agenda for the next meeting of EEC Agriculture Ministers.

It is not the practice to publish a formal agenda for these meetings, but I am prepared to announce nearer the time the main items likely to be discussed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied as to the efficacy of poisons available to kill rodents; whether new poisons are being tested and developed; and whether any poisons containing the ingredient chlorafacinone have been tested by his Department and with what results.

Anti-coagulants like warfarin are safe, human and fully effective against those rates and mice which have not developed a resistance to this type of poison. In areas where resistance is known to occur, alternative poisons such as zinc phosphide may have to be used, but special precautions are needed, notably to ensure that domestic animals are not put at risk.We are continuing the quest for improved methods of control, including new poisons, on the lines described in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 17th December 1971. Chlorophacinone was tested several years ago and found to be similar in effectiveness to warfarin, but, unfortunately, rodents resistant to the latter proved resistant also to the former. —[Vol. 828, c. 199.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the percentage increase in the price of agricultural land between January 1972 and January 1973; and what is the current average price of an acre of arable agricultural land in England and Wales.

The latest figure available from the Inland Revenue's series showed that the average price of sales of agricultural land notified during the six months ended 30th September 1972 was £234 per acre, an increase of about 24 per cent. over the corresponding price a year earlier. Details were given in a Press notice issued on 5th December 1972. It is not possible from these data to separate arable from other agricultural land.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she intends to make a contribution towards the total costs of £300,000 for the restoration and adaptation of Holy Trinity Church, Southwark, for its newly agreed orchestral performance purposes.

The Arts Council of Great Britain is considering whether and to what extent support might be offered towards the cost of conversion of Holy Trinity Church.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in the light of the recommendations of the Nineteenth Report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, Cmnd. No. 5194, she will exclude British historical portraits to which the criteria of the Reviewing Committee's terms of reference apply, from the classes of material to which a figure of monetary value of £4,000 applies.

No. An analysis of applications for export licences when the limit was £2,000 showed that expert advisers found hardly any cases to refer to the reviewing committee under the present limits of value. Moreover, portraits of this range of values are normally within the range of the purchasing power of both national and local institutions. As announced on 30th January, it is proposed to increase the Victoria and Albert Museum and Royal Scottish Museum funds to assist local purchases in the next financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in the light of the recommendations of the Nineteenth Report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, Cmnd. No. 5194, she will recommend that the fund administered by the Victoria and Albert Museum for assistance to local collections should be substantially increased.

I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's answer of 30th January to the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Robert Cooke).—[Vol. 849, c. 358.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in the light of the recommendations of the Nineteenth Report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, Cmnd. No. 5194, she will appoint an independent committee to inquire into the whole problem of the protection of modern documents.

No. The subject has been exhaustively examined by the de Beer Committee and later by a working party of officials whose report was the subject of a Green Paper issued by the last Government. My noble Friend has extended the export control to documents more than 70 years old, established a fund of £30,000 for the purchase of documents by local collections, and added photographs to the list of controlled items.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in the light of the recommendations of the Nineteenth Report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, Cmnd. No. 5194, she will recommend that, in view of the risk that outstanding works of art may be lost to the United Kingdom, particularly at a time when the resources of the National Gallery and the major artistic trust funds have been depleted in saving Titan's "Death of Actæon" for the nation, that consideration should be given to further financial support for the export control.

My noble Friend is satisfied with the present arrangements, which have been recently improved. These include regular purchase grants to the national institutions totalling £2 million a year; special grants for exceptional purchases if the merits of the case justify; assistance to local collections; substantial financial benefits for owners who retain outstanding works of art, or who sell them by private treaty to national, university or local authority collections, or offer them to the Inland Revenue in lieu of estate duty; and exemption from estate duty of bequests to national, university and local authority collections.My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury, announced in this House on 20th June, 1972 an extension of the field in which owners of works of art are entitled to the financial benefits mentioned. The exemption from estate duty of bequests to public collections was announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1972 Budget; and as my noble Friend announced on 30th January, 1973, grants to assist local purchase will, subject to Parliamentary approval, be substantially increased in April.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in the light of the recommendations of the Nineteenth Report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, Cmnd. No. 5194, she will approve that a simple statement of the provisions in the various Finance Acts which may assist United Kingdom owners to retain works of art, or encourage them to dispose of works of art to public collections or to the Treasury rather than sell them abroad, may be prepared and made widely available.

A statement is under preparation and will be issued by the Treasury as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will appoint a standing committee to review the control of works of art falling within the terms of the Waverley criteria by semi-public bodies, such as universities, colleges, schools and charitable foundations.

No. The Waverley criteria relate not to the sale, but to the export of works of art. They are not involved unless the owner applies for an export licence. My noble Friend sees no grounds for seeking to regulate the sale as such of works of art by the bodies referred to many of which are private and not public.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will make a statement with regard to the progress of the preparation and the listing of exceptional art masterpieces announced for consideration by the Under-Secretary of State on 22nd July 1971, in the OFFICIAL REPORT, volume 821, column 1842, for the purpose of their retention in the United Kingdom.

The position is as I stated in the debate on Museums (Purchase Grants) on 31st January.—[Vol. 849, c. 1523.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is yet able to say when discussions between her Department and the trustees of the national museums and galleries relating to admission charges will be resumed, in the light of Phase II of the prices standstill.

The Government will announce their decision about the introduction of admission charges as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action she has taken to implement Recommendations Numbers 33 and 34 in the Report of the Fifth Commonwealth Education Conference.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the recommendations in the Report of Committee D (Chapter VI of Cmnd. 4688) which were directed towards encouraging education about the Commonwealth.The Department of Education and Science does not control the school curriculum but has made available comprehensive information about sources of information on international and Commonwealth affairs suitable for use in schools. This information has recently been revised and is about to be published in a new booklet.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if social workers may be attached to primary schools under the provisions of the urban aid programme.

So far as resources allow, proposals of this kind by local authorities will be considered sympathetically.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it is proposed that the trustees of the British Museum and the British Museum (Natural History) should be subject to the provisions of the Counter-Inflation Bill.

The Bill contains no exemption in respect of the bodies referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information is available to her Department about the numbers of primary schoolchildren who come from broken homes; and if this factor is taken into account in determining amounts of urban aid.

This information is not collected centrally but where details are provided by a local authority in support of educational proposals put forward under the urban programme they are taken into account by my right hon. Friend along with other available evidence of the level of deprivation in the area concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list her responsibilities for dealing with family problems which have an adverse effect on the education of primary schoolchildren.

This falls primarily within the sphere of responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services and of social services departments of local authorities who maintain close contact with local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion, in number and value, of research grants awarded by the Social Science Research Council in the past three years have gone to Scottish institutions.

For the past three years for which information is available the percentages are as follows:

Year				Number	Value
1969–70	…	…	…	12	12
1970–71	…	…	…	12	9
1971–72	…	…	…	12	13

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why she has not yet notified local education authorities of the withdrawal of circular 8/60; and when she intends to do so.

Circular 8/60 was withdrawn on 31st January and replaced by circular 2/73. I am sending a copy to the hon. Lady.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the average number of people employed in the aerospace manufacturing and repairing industry in the last year and at the most recent date; and what was the average wage for men and for women

AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS AND WEEKLY HOURS OF WORK FOR WAGE EARNERS IN 1971
			Non-Agricultural Sectors		Manufacturing Industries
Country			Earnings per hour in £ Sterling*	Hours worked per week	Earnings per hour in £ Sterling*	Hours worked per week
United Kingdom	…	…	69·2p(1)	44·7	72·0p(1)	43·6
USA	…	…	£1·43	37·0(2)	£1·48	39·9(2)
Japan	…	…	£98·52(3)	42·9	£93·7(3)	42·6
France	…	…	38·9p(4)	45·1	38·9p(4)	44·5
Germany	…	…	77·7p(5)	43·2(2)(6)	75·9p(5)	43·0(2)
Italy	…	…	47·5p(7)	7·8(8)	46·9p(7)	7·7(8)
Notes:
* Exchange rates are those declared to the International Monetary Fund by Member Countries.
(1) Adult males only.
(2) Hours paid for.
(3) Per month, including family allowances and mid and end of ear bonuses; including salaried employees.
(4) Hourly rates—adults.
(5) Including family allowances paid directly by employers.
(6) Excluding commerce and transport.
(7) Including value of payments in kind.
(8) Per day.
Source: International Labour Office—Bulletin of Labour Statistics 4th Quarter 1972.

The estimated number of employees in November 1972, the latest date for which information is available, was 205,000. The average number for the 12-month's period ending in November was 206,500. The figures are provisional. The latest date for which information is available about the average earnings of manual workers is April 1972. At that date, the average weekly earnings of full-time men (aged 21 years and over) and full-time women (aged 18 years and over) were £34·73 and £18·69 respectively. Comparable figures for October 1971 were £32·02 and £17·18.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table, from information available to him from international sources, showing the average weekly earnings and hours worked of British industrial and commercial workers by classification, compared with their counterparts in other industrial countries similar to ours.

I regret that information about average weekly earnings is not available. The following table gives details of average hourly earnings and hours of work of wage earners in non-agricultural sectors and in manufacturing industry, for six industrialised countries:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of unfilled vacancies registered in offices of his Department in the Northern Region on the last day of January.

On 3rd January, the latest date for which information is available, there were 9,556. The figure relates only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and does not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of vacancies for skilled building trade workers registered in the Northern Region on the last day of January.

Following is the information for 3rd January, the latest date for which figures are available:

OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS OF NOTIFIED VACANCIES FOR MEN REMAINING UNFILLED IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Carpenters and joiners (construction sites and maintenance)	377
Electricians (installation and maintenance) premises and ships	32
Cable jointers and linesmen	2
Plumbers, pipe fitters	50
Gas fitters	1
Heating and ventilating engineering fitters	2
Scaffolders/stagers	5
Steel benders, bar benders and fixers	4
Painters and decorators	76
Bricklayers	360
Fixer/Walling masons	5
Plasterers	75
Floor and wall tilers, terrazzo workers	2
Roofers and slaters	17
Other roadmen	5
Asphalt and bitumen road surfaces	2
General builders	2
Mains and service layers and pipe jointers (gas, water drainage oil)	4
Mechanical plant drivers/operaters (earth moving and civil engineering)	23
Crane drivers/operators	6
Fork lift and other mechanical truck drivers/operators	1
All other occupations	422
Total, all occupations	1,473

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 study he has made of the pay increases for 9,000 provincial journalists proposed by the Newspaper Society of between £2·50 and £3·50 per week; what numbers would be adversely affected by the application of paragraph 26 of Cmnd. Paper No. 5205; and if he will make a statement.

The pay increase represents one step in a staged agreement reached before 6th November 1972, due for payment during the standstill. As such it will become payable in full at the end of the standstill, and no question of applying paragraph 26 of Cmnd. 5205 arises.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers from Merioneth are at present attending Government training centres.

Two on 29th January. The number in training is expected to increase shortly as 16 applicants are now under consideration or awaiting allocation to centres.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in Merioneth have been registered as unemployed for three winters in succession whilst returning to the same employer each summer.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will keep a central register of unemployed Chinese waiters on a national basis so that he can advise employers in areas where there are no such persons seeking work of potential employees skilled in that field who are seeking work.

No. The Department's normal machinery for circulating vacancies which cannot be filled locally to other areas of the country can deal with this.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of employees made redundant in the building industry to the latest convenient date.

Redundancies involving 2,790 workpeople were recorded by my Department as due to occur in the building industry during the period 1st June 1972 to 31st December 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of unemployed in the building industry at the latest convenient date, and compare these figures with those for the same periods for the past five years.

Following is the information:

Numbers unemployed in Great Britain who last worked in the Construction Industry
8th January 1973	…	…	119,961
10th January 1972	…	…	160,478
11th January 1971	…	…	132,676
12th January 1970	…	…	135,602
13th January 1969	…	…	118,722
8th January 1968	…	…	123,349

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in view of the extent of unemployment amongst school leavers in Scotland, whether he will consider the extension of the Community Industry projects.

I have nothing yet to add to my reply to the hon. Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) on 3t0h January.—[Vol. 849, c. 1134.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) when he expects to be able to publish an audited account of the finances of the Hairdressing Industry Training Board;(2) if he will hold an inquiry into the absence of financial documents relating to the deficit of the Hairdressing Industry Training Board.

The report and statement of accounts of the Hairdressing and Allied Services Industry Training Board published on 31st January show that in the year ended 31st March 1972 income exceeded expenditure by £16,788 that is that contrary to Press reports the board had a surplus. In the subsequent six months prior to the board's winding-up on 1st October 1972, expenditure exceeded income by £1,895. The board throughout derived its income from my Department and did not raise a levy on employers. As stated in the report, the board's accounting records for the year ended March 1972 were lost and the accounts for that period have been based on the opening balances in April 1971 and an analysis of the income and expenditure shown by bank statements during the year. The auditors were therefore unable to form an opinion on the accounts for the two periods but the report records their opinion that the balance sheet as published gives a true and fair view of the state of the board's affairs as at 30th September 1972.The accounting records and documents for year ended March 1972 were lost in the course of removal from one of my Department's buildings to another. After extensive inquiries, including notification of the police, it was concluded that the documents had been accidentally lost and that there was no hope of recovering them. I am satisfied that no useful purpose would be served by further inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the exact figure which the Lord Chancellor's Department has agreed to pay to him for Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, near Preston, Lancashire.

The Lord Chancellor's Department is not required to pay for Bilsborrow Hall. The purchase price of £100,000 is met from the Votes of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment who examined Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, near Preston, to assess its suitability for judge's lodgings on behalf of his Department.

The Lord Chancellor's Department having confirmed that size and location were suitable, professionally qualified persons employed by or commissioned by my Department examined and reported favourably on the soundness of the structure and general condition of Bilsborrow Hall.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of maintaining Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, near Preston, as a judge's lodgings.

At this stage, it is difficult to provide an estimate, but it is not expected that, on average, such expenditure will exceed £1,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what authority owns the judge's lodgings at Lancaster.

I understand that the judge's lodgings at Lancaster are owned by the Lancashire County Council, which has the future use of the premises under active consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment at what figure the district valuer valued Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, near Preston, Lancashire, when its acquisition for judge's lodgings was under consideration.

The figure, being the open market value assessed as for compulsory purchase at November 1972, was £40,000. But the decision to purchase at a price of £100,000 was based on the overall economics of the case and if possible alternatives which had little relation to the open market value of Bilsborrow Hall.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what figure has been agreed to be paid for furniture and funishings at Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, near Preston.

The amount to be paid is £3,834.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what he estimates will be the total need of new homes for sale in the next five years; and if this need will be mainly for houses now sold at under £6,000, £6,000 to £8,000, or over £8,000;(2) if he will give the price range, at current prices, of the type of house most likely to be needed for sale in the next five years.

There is a deep and widespread desire for home ownership, which can be met only by an increase in the supply of houses for sale. The Government's policy is to encourage the expansion of owner-occupation, and they have, therefore, helped create conditions in which the private sector housing programme has risen from 165,000 starts in 1970 to 227,000 starts in 1972. There is every prospect of a strong continuing demand for owner-occupation, which will call for a high level of house building of all types, and in all price ranges, in the next five years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will give consent for approval of the Cribbs Causeway shopping development in the county of Gloucester.

The seven separate shopping proposals at Cribbs Causeway, which were the subject of an inquiry last year, will have far reaching planning implications for Bristol. The inspection report has not yet been received, and I am unable to say when decisions on them are likely to be announced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to retain powers for British Railways over the Hamsey Loop route since this line may still be required for future rail services, notwithstanding the closure of the Uckfield and Lewes line.

These powers expired on 31st December 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the proposals of the European Economic Commission for the harmonisation of driving licences; when it is proposed that they should come into effect; and whether an English text is available.

I am considering my policy in the light of views expressed by interested organisations in this country. The proposed effective date is 1st January 1974, but the directive will take only if it is approved by the Council of Ministers. An official English text is not yet available, but I am sending the right hon. Member a copy of an unofficial translation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the powers of local planning authorities to insist that oil storage installations should be protected against leakage by bund walls.