asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the relationship between the Offshore Supplies Office and the Industrial Development Executive, with particular reference to financing research and development.

The Offshore Supplies Office is part of the Industrial Development Executive and, as I said in Glasgow on Friday, will work closely with the Industrial Development Unit, which helps in appraising industrial development needs. On research and development questions, it will work closely with the DTI's Research Division, which deals with research funds through the Ship and Marine Technology Requirements Board.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much aid was given in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region during 1972 under the hotels development incentive scheme; and how this compares with the national total.

Figures published by the English Tourist Board show that, as at 15th December 1972, applications for loans and grants from hotels in Yorkshire amounted to approximately £2·2 million. This compares with a total of about £50 million for England. Separate figures for the Parts of Lindsey are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has asked the National Coal Board, arising out of the internal investigation carried out by the board of dealings with firms supplying equipment, to forward the new regular declaration of interest of senior board officials to himself.

No. The conduct of NCB officials is a matter for the board.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in view of the persistent high level of unemployment in development and special development areas, he will consider establishing Government-owned and managed factories in the said areas.

No, though, as the right hon. Member will know, we provide many factories for others to occupy and have recently announced a major new programme for the construction of advance factories.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of the recommendations of the Holland Martin Report on deep-water trawling he intends to implement during the present Session; and, in particular, when he intends to act on that relating to hours of work.

A unit is being set up within the Department in order to speed up the implementation of those outstanding recommendations which concern the Government; but statutory rules on construction and survey are unlikely to be laid before the House until next Session. We are at present consulting the fishing industry on the content of regulations relating to rest periods at sea.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress being made with the experimental process of extracting natural gas from coal by the Gas Council at Westfield, Fife, a project which he has welcomed.

I am advised by the British Gas Corporation, and this confirms the views I gained when I visited Westfield, that the preliminary engineering and research work is proceeding satisfactorily.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further financial assistance he intends to make available for the continued development of the tracked hovercraft train.

The question of the Government's providing financial assistance for the continuation of this project is still under consideration. I shall make a statement shortly

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is satisfied that Concorde will be a viable aeroplane and will sell well enough to recoup development investment; and whether he will make a statement.

Successive Administrations have made clear that there is no possibility of recovering more than a part of the research and development investment in Concorde. We shall aim to recover as much as we can through sales of the aircraft.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the contracts the Government have placed with United Kingdom shipbuilding companies during the past year.

The Department of Trade and Industry placed no shipbuilding contracts in this period. Contracts have, however, been placed by

£ million
	1965–66	1966–67	1967–68	1968–69	1969–70	1970–71	1971–72
Reduction of liabilities and creation of reserve fund (Coal Industry Act 1965 s.2)	415	—	—	—	—	—	—
Emergency revenue grant to keep deficit within statutory limit	—	—	—	—	—	—	100
Extra cost of using coal in place of cheaper fuels (Coal Industry Act 1967 s. 6):
Central Electricity Generating Board	—	—	1·5	9·2	3·4	0·7	0·8
Area Gas Boards	—	—	—	1·2	1·2	0·6	—

Payments have also been made which do not subsidise the production or sale of energy but help the industries to achieve the Government's wider objectives. Payments totalling £44·5 million have been made to the National Coal Board in the years 1966–67 to 1971–72 to help meet the social costs of pit closures and £2·4 million was paid in 1967–68 to 1968–69 to reimburse the Board for losses incurred in consequence of postponed closures. Payments totalling £149,471 were made to the gas

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met representatives of London borough councils to discuss with them job improvements in the GLC area.

This was one of the subjects discussed when my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industrial Development met representatives of the borough councils of Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark and Bexley on 23rd January.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the amount of subsidy to each of the nationalised energy-producing industries in each of the past 10 years, including amounts of capital written off.

Amongst the energy producing industries, the National Coal Board has been the principal recipient of assistance, as follows:industry in 1970–71 to 1971–72 to increase coke stocks, and up to £20 million has been allowed in the 1972 Revised Estimates to help the CEGB with the costs of rebuilding coal stocks after the miners' strike.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of United Kingdom exports was produced from the private sector industries in each of the past five years.

Statistics of foreign trade do not distinguish between types of exporting enterprises. However, the available information indicates that private sector industries accounted for all but about 3 per cent. of United Kingdom exports in the past five years.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what proportion of United Kingdom total industrial output in 1971 and in 1972 was accounted for by the private sector of industry;(2) what proportion of United Kingdom total industrial output in 1971 and in 1972 was accounted for by the nationalised industries.

Estimates made from the information readily available show that the nationalised industries accounted for approximately 12 per cent. of total United Kingdom industrial output in 1971 and 1972. The private sector accounted for the bulk of the remaining 88 per cent.; but a small proportion is produced by the public sector other than nationalised industries, which cannot be estimated precisely.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent in each of the past 10 years on research designed to find new uses for coal; and what increased funds are planned for future research into new uses for coal in order to give the industry a broad base of sales.

The expenditure in the United Kingdom since 1963 on research to find new uses for coal as follows:

						"000
1963	…	…	…	…	…	50
1964	…	…	…	…	…	85
1965–66*	…	…	…	…	…	45
1966–67	…	…	…	…	…	45
1967–68	…	…	…	…	…	110
1968–69	…	…	…	…	…	155
1969–70	…	…	…	…	…	200
1970–71	…	…	…	…	…	190
1971–72	…	…	…	…	…	195
1972–73	…	…	…	…	…	300
* 15 month period to March 1966.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will initiate discussions between the gas boards and the electricity boards designed to operate a pilot scheme in a limited area to examine the practicability of having one meter reader for both services.

No. My hon. Friend will be aware that past studies have led to the conclusion that the organisational problems and the costs involved in joint meter reading would outweigh the likely benefits. Much as I was attracted to the concept of joint meter reading, I have now closely examined the problem again, and I am sorry to say that I cannot find reasons to suppose that further studies would upset the earlier general conclusions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people he employs in the South-West Scotland planning region; and how this compares with the previous eight years.

The number of staff is seven, and in the previous eight years it has varied between six and nine.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for assistance under the Industry Act his Department has received from persons seeking to locate new employment in the South-West planning region of Scotland.

Details of regional development grant claims and payments for this region are not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate effort but there have been two applications for assistance under Section 7 of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if negotiations on the draft air services agreement between Her Majesty's Government and the Chinese People's Republic have begun; whether it includes direct services between Heathrow and Peking; and if he will make a statement.

As indicated in my reply to the right hon. Gentleman on 30th January, we are waiting to hear from the Government of the Chinese People's Republic when they are ready for bilateral negotiations. We hope that an agreement will include arrangements for services between London and Peking.—[Vol. 849, c. 348–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the Soviet Union to establish an air services agreement for Concorde to overfly Northern Russia to Far Eastern destinations; and if he will make a statement.

The existing bilateral air services agreement provides a British route across the USSR to the Far East. No governmental consultations with the USSR have yet taken place regarding supersonic corridors or use of supersonic aircraft on the services.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list all coal-fired power stations that have received his consent for conversion or partial conversion to alternative fuels since June 1970, stating what reductions in coal consumption were planned as a result of such conversions.

The following is the list:

Station	Conversion	Consent
Richborough	Oil	23rd July 1970
Aberthaw A	Oil	23rd July 1970
Portsmouth	Oil	3rd December 1970
Kirkstall	Oil	3rd December 1970
West Thurrock	Gas/Coal (dual firing)	3rd December 1970
Fulham	Oil	12th February 1917

The reductions in coal consumption depend upon the extent to which the stations would be used and I am asking the Chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board to write to the right hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what coal-fired power stations are at present under consideration by him for conversion or partial conversion to other fuels.

Padiham B and York.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when ministerial approval was given to the Central Electricity Generating Board in response to its proposal for power station orders of Heysham and Sizewell B nuclear stations, the Isle of Grain oil-fired station and Drax B coal-fired station; what progress has been made in their construction; whether he has withdrawn consent for Drax B coal-fired station; and if he will make a statement.

Consents under Section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909 were given for Drax B power station in September 1964 and September 1965 and for Heysham, Sizewell B and the Isle of Grain in October 1969. The Central Electricity Generating Board did not proceed with an order for construction of Sizewell B and Drax B and, under the arrangements for separating planning and financial consents announced in the House on 16th June 1972, any proposals for ordering these stations will have to be approved by the Secretary of State as part of the board's capital development programme. The Central Electricity Generating Board has not made such proposals. Planning consent for Drax B has not been withdrawn.I am asking the Chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board to write to the right hon. Member about progress on the construction of Heysham and the Isle of Grain power stations.—[Vol. 838, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that the construction of the Taylors Lane generating station will comply with his approval condition that no houses in the vicinity will be subject to vibration and a noise level in excess of 50dBA.

The approval condition is that noise and vibration should be avoided as far as reasonably practicable and that noise should not exceed 50dBA at a distance of 100 metres or more. The Greater London Council which asked for this condition will no doubt inform me if any question of noncompliance arises.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the figures, in numbers and expressed as a percentage, of passengers and aircraft

		Scheduled Services		Charter Services		Total
			Per cent.		Per cent.		Per cent.
Heathrow:
Terminal Passengers	…	17·7 m.	73	6·6 m.	27	24·3 m.	100
Air Transport Movements	…	250,000	97	6,700	3	256,700	100
Catwick:
Terminal Passengers	…	1·1 m.	20	4.2 m.	80	5·3 m.	100
Air Transport Movements	…	28,400	39	44,500	61	72,900	100
Stansted:
Terminal Passengers	…	90,200	29	217,000	71	307,200	100
Air Transport Movements	…	1,100	29	2,800	71	3,900	100
Luton:
Terminal Passengers	…	41,500	1	3·028 m.	99	3·069 m.	100
Air Transport Movements	…	1,200	4	29,500	96	30,700	100

Present forecasts being used are for the total London area and in 1980 amount to 63·3 million terminal passengers and 546,000 air transport movements.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the statistics and forecasts of aircraft movements used by the Roskill Commission when considering the siting of a third London airport; what have been the actual movements for the years since; and what are the latest forecasts for 1980 and 1990.

pursuant to his answer [OFFICIAL REPORT, 5th February 1973; Vol. 850, c. 10], circulated the following information:The Roskill Commission forecast a total of 277,000 air transport movements at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton in 1969 and 366,000 in 1975. The Commission did not publish forecasts for the intervening years. Actual figures of movements in 1969–72 were:

		1969	1970	1971	1972
Heathrow	…	237	246	249	257
Gatwick	…	48	54	64	73
Luton	…	18	22	28	31
Total	…	303	322	341	361

pursuant to his answer [OFFICIAL REPORT, 5th February 1973; Vol. 850, c. 10], circulated the following information:Final figures for 1972 are not yet available but estimated totals are as follows:The table shows that actual movements in 1972 practically reached the total forecast by Roskill for 1975.It is estimated that in 1980 and 1985 total air transport movements at all the London airports will be 546,000 and 666,000 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, to what capacity of maximum utilisation the following airports were used in 1972 and what are the figures for aircraft movements in 1972 for London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Birmingham (Elmdon), Bristol (Lulsgate), Cardiff (Rhoose), Gloucester (Staverton), Manchester (Ring-way), Liverpool (Speke), and Leeds/Bradford (Yeadon).

pursuant to his answer [OFFICIAL REPORT, 5th February 1973; Vol. 850, c. 10], circulated the following information:No single maximum utilisation figure can be given as this depends on variable factors including acceptable noise levels and safety considerations. A reasonable estimate for a single runway provincial airport carrying principally non-scheduled traffic is 70,000 air transport movements per annum. For Heathrow and Gatwick

maximum utilisation figures using existing runways and taking account of current restrictions on use for noise abatement purposes might be in the region of 300,000 and 100,000 movements respectively. Provisional estimates of air transport movements in 1972 are:

(000's)
Heathrow	…	…	…	…	256·7
Gatwick	…	…	…	…	72·9
Stansted	…	…	…	…	3·9
Luton	…	…	…	…	30·7
Birmingham	…	…	…	…	17·7
Bristol	…	…	…	…	7·4
Cardiff	…	…	…	…	5·0
Gloucester	…	…	…	…	1·2
Manchester	…	…	…	…	42·2
Liverpool	…	…	…	…	15·5
Leeds/Bradford	…	…	…	…	8·0

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the workings of the British Tourist Board; and whether he will consider seeking powers to change the organisation of the tourist industry by establishing one central national governing advisory and information service.

I see no reason for a change in the present organisation of the tourist boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many projects are being considered within Yorkshire and Humberside which have been submitted for recognition for special financial assistance; how many have been approved and in which districts of the region; what job prospects are in the offing; and if he will make a statement.

To date, 30 formal applications for regional selective assistance under Section 7 of the Industry Act have been received. More than 100 other potential applications are in various stages of discussion with firms. Seven have been approved. I am unable to give details of location without breaking commercial confidence. Similarly, I cannot yet give details of jobs likely to result.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the short-range and long-range radio stations around the coast which have in operation direction finding equipment.

No Post Office coast radio stations now operate direction finding equipment because experience has shown that it is rarely of value for search and rescue purposes. Experiments are being conducted at selected coastguard stations to evaluate the use of direction finding equipment on the radiotelephone distress frequency.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the staff in his Department is located in the assisted areas; and how this compares with the situation when the present Administration came into office.

The total number of staff in the Department at 1st October 1972 was 18,610. Of these 4,631 or 24·9 per cent. were located in assisted areas. Comparable figures for April 1970, after making adjustments for the transfer of various functions out of the Department, were 18,972 of whom 4,282, or 22·6 per cent., were located in assisted areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many persons are employed in the headquarters of nationalised industries for which he is responsible.

The Department does not keep figures of the staff employed in nationalised industries' headquarters, as this is a management question for the boards concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries he has had for the empty factory space available at the Meadowfield Industrial Estate during the six months ended 31st January 1973; and what steps he is taking to find suitable tenants.

The only empty factory was provisionally allocated recently. It had been suggested to four other inquirers.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what further study he is giving to the problem of the residents at Allesley Park, Coventry, who are unable to receive satisfactorily 625-line television signals; and what proposals he has for improving such reception.

As I explained to the hon. Member in my letter of 22nd January, the problem is one to be solved by local initiative.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what percentage of people living in Cardiganshire are able to receive: (a) BBC 2 programmes, and (b) 625 line colour television; and what improvements he expects in these percentages by the end of 1975.

Fifty-two per cent. in each case. The BBC tells me that it will rise to 71 per cent. when the Presely main station opens later this year. Thereafter progress will depend on the provision of relay stations, but it is too early to say when these will be built.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will introduce legislation to enable members of the Independent Broadcasting Authority to declare interests on appointment and in regard to matters which they have to deal with in the course of their duties.

I do not consider that the provisions of Schedule 1 of the Television Act need amendment.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications when he will announce the composition of the inquiry into the structure of broadcasting after 1976.

I have nothing to add to the answers I gave on 7th February to the hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Dormand).—[Vol. 850, c. 443–4.]

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he will now authorise the establishment of a second independent television channel to operate by the end of 1975; and whether he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what percentage of telephone subscribers in Great Britain are connected to STD in their areas.

The Post Office tells me that 95 per cent. of subscribers in Great Britain have STD facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received the communication dated 30th January 1973 from the hon. Member for West Ham, North, giving details of company directors who are increasing their salaries in excess of the Government's norm; and what action he has taken or proposes to take in these cases.

I have written to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the loss by his Department of all the accounting records covering the final year of the Hairdressing Industry Training Board; what has happened to the £16,788 which is missing; and what action he has taken or will take against those responsible.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. Harold Walker) on 5th February, from which he will have seen that the £16,788 in question was a surplus and not, as first reported in the Press, a loss.Those mainly concerned with the transit of the package containing the accounts were interviewed during the inquiry into its loss. Although the inquiry concluded that the loss was accidental and that delivery to the addressee had been interrupted because the package weighed 56 lb. and the necessary lifts were not working at the time, there had been some negligence in not keeping the package in closer custody and those responsible were so informed.—[Vol. 850, c. 330.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the level of male unemployment in the employment exchange areas of Swansea, Llanelly, Port Talbot, Cardiff and Newport at the latest available date.

Following is the information for 8th January 1973:

Percentage rates of unemployment for males
Swansea	…	…	…	…	6·1
Llanelly	…	…	…	…	3·2
Port Talbot	…	…	…	…	4·1
Cardiff	…	…	…	…	6·2
Newport	…	…	…	…	5·5

The rates relate to travel-to-work areas which include other employment exchange areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many successful prosecutions were brought under the Factories Acts and other regulations relating to industrial safety in 1972; and how many persons were seriously injured at work during that year.

1,547 persons or firms were prosecuted under the Factories Act and associated regulations by Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate in 1972 involving a total of 3,604 charges, on which there were 3,386 convictions. Of these charges, 2,616 related to safety, on which there were 2,468 convictions. It is regretted that all of the information required for an estimate of the number of persons seriously injured during 1972 in premises or operations subject to the Factories Act is not yet available.

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

Following is the information:

8th January 1973	…	…	8,851
10th January 1972	…	…	11,070
11th January 1971	…	…	10,505
12th January 1970	…	…	11,257
13th January 1969	…	…	12,166
8th January 1968	…	…	15,350

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

Following is the information:

UNFILLED VACANCIES IN CONSTRUCTION IN GREAT BRITAIN
3rd January 1973	…	…	…	…	22,011
5th January 1972	…	…	…	…	10,956
6th January 1971	…	…	…	…	9,347
7th January 1970	…	…	…	…	9,415
8th January 1969	…	…	…	…	11,005
3rd January 1968	…	…	…	…	11,963

The figures 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 how many persons who are included in the figure of unemployed are aged 60 years and over, 61 years and over, 62 years and over, 63 years and over, and 65 years and over, respectively.

The information is not available in this degree of detail, but on 8th January there were 119,491 men aged 60 to 64, 1,644 aged 65 and over and 582 women aged 60 and over, who were registered as unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the male job loss in each of the Scottish planning regions in each year since 1960 to the nearest available date; and if he will show the loss as a percentage of the insured male population in each given year.

Precise information about job losses and job gains is not available, but an indication of net annual changes can be obtained by comparing the levels of the mid-year employment estimates, the latest of which, for the Scottish planning regions, relate to June

CHANGES BETWEEN MID-YEAR ESTIMATES OF THE NUMBERS OF MALE EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT
(thousands)
		Glasgow	Falkirk/Stirling	Edinburgh	Tayside	Borders	South West	North East	Highlands
1960–61	…	-1·0	—	+1·6	-1·5	—	—	—	—
1961–62	…	+1·8	—	+1·3	+3·5	—	—	—	+1·6
1962–63	…	-18·5	-1·2	—	—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	…	+10·9	—	+2·7	—	—	-1·8	—	—
1964–65	…	—	-1·2	-3·4	—	—	—	—	-1·6
1965–66	…	-4·7	—	+ 1·6	-3·0	—	—	—	—
1966–67	…	-16·7	—	-3·4	-4·1	—	-1·1	-3·5	-2·6
1967–68	…	-20·0	+5·2	-4·3	—	-1·3	—	—	—
1968–69	…	-2·7	+1·3	-5·6	+1·6	—	+1·0	-2·8	—
1969–70	…	-13·9	—	-6·4	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	…	-22·8	-11·1	-4·6	-5·7	—	—	+1·8	-1·1

CHANGES BETWEEN MID-YEAR ESTIMATES OF THE NUMBERS OF MALE EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF MALE EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED
		Glasgow	Falkirk/Stirling	Edinburgh	Tayside	Borders	South West	North East	Highlands
1960–61	…	-0·1	—	+ 0·6	-1·4	—	—	—	—
1961–62	…	+ 0·3	—	+0·5	+ 3·2	—	—	—	+ 2·8
1962–63	…	-2·7	-1·9	—	—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	…	+ 1·6	—	+ 1·0	—	—	-5·3	—	—
1964–65	…	—	-1·9	-1·3	—	—	—	—	-2·8
1965–66	…	-0·7	—	+0·6	-2·7	—	—	—	—
1966–67	…	-2·5	—	-1·3	-3·9	—	-3·5	-3·5	-4·6
1967–68	…	-3·1	+ 8·3	-1·7	—	-5·4	—	—	—
1968–69	…	-0·4	+1·9	-2·2	+1·6	—	+3·3	-2·9	—
1969–70	…	-2·2	—	-2·6	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	…	-3·7	-15·9	-1·9	-5·4	—	—	+1·9	-2·0

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men currently registered as unemployed in the South-West Scotland Planning Region have exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit; and if he will express this as a percentage of the total number of male unemployed.

On 6th November 1972 the number was 822. This represented approximately 37 per cent. of the total number of men registered as unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young men and women are currently unemployed in the South-West Planning Region of Scotland; and how many young men and women have been placed in employment in each of the past six months.

Following is the information:

	Boys aged under 18	Girls aged under 18
Unemployed
8th January 1973	101	94
Placings made by Careers Offices
7th December 1972 to 3rd January 1973	20	23
9th November to 6th December 1972	44	19
5th October to 8th November 1972	47	34
7th September to 4th October 1972	39	21
10th August to 6th September 1972	64	54
6th July to 9th August 1972	73	60

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new male jobs in manufacturing were created in 1970, 1971 and 1972 in the South-West Planning Region of Scotland; and how many were lost.

Precise information about jobs lost and jobs created is not available, but an indication of net annual changes can be obtained by comparing mid-year employment estimates, the most recent of which relate to June 1971. Between June 1970 and June 1971 there was no significant change in the number of males employed in manufacturing industries in this area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many males and females are employed in posts and telecommunications, public transport, other

(000's)
		Transport and communication		Medical and dental services		Construction		Local government service
		Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
1965	…	2·3	0·5	0·5	1·8	4·3	0·2	1·4	0·7
1971	…	2·5	0·5	0·6	2·4	3·6	0·2	1·3	0·5

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of vacancies available per 100 unemployed men in each planning region of Scotland; and if he will show how this compares

January		Glasgow	Falkirk/Stirling	Edinburgh	Tayside	Borders	South West	North East	Highlands
1973	…	4·5	5·7	6·1	6·4	15·3	5·7	8·1	8·3
1972	…	1·6	2·1	3·1	2·2	7·0	1·3	1·5	2·7
1971	…	4·0	8·5	4·4	4·5	8·2	3·1	2·2	3·5
1970	…	7·2	17·4	9·4	10·8	48·6	3·7	3·4	3·8
1969	…	8·0	25·5	12·5	11·7	24·1	2·5	5·0	3·9
1968	…	5·3	13·9	12·2	9·5	8·4	2·7	18·2	2·7
1967	…	8·1	14·0	16·5	6·3	23·6	2·1	21·0	2·5
1966	…	16·3	19·9	14·1	8·9	38·0	3·6	9·2	6·6
1965	…	10·4	6·5	16·5	9·0	32·9	4·8	5·8	5·6

The statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the male and

The precise information is not available, but the following table shows the total numbers of males and females employed in certain industries. The figures relate to June of each year and the most recent are for June 1971. The estimates are subject to sampling and other errors and little significance can be attached to small variations from one year to another. Figures have therefore been given for only the first and last year in the period.with the same period in each of the last eight years.

Following is the information:female percentage rate of unemployment in the South-West Scotland Economic Planning Region at the nearest convenient date; and if he will show how this compares with the same period in each year since 1960.

Following is the information:

		Males	Females
8th January 1973	…	7·7	4·2
10th January 1972	…	9·6	4·3
11th January 1971	…	7·1	4·2
12th January 1970	…	8·3	4·1
13th January 1969	…	8·0	4·9
8th January 1968	…	7·9	4·8
9th January 1967	…	7·4	5·1
10th January 1966	…	5·9	5·6
11th January 1965	…	5·7	5·4
13th January 1964	…	5·9	5·2
14th January 1963	…	5·9	5·0
15th January 1962	…	4·9	4·0
16th January 1961	…	4·5	3·6
11th January 1960	…	5·6	4·1

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current percentage rate of male and female unemployment in each of the Scottish planning regions.

Following is the information for 8th January 1973:

		Males	Females
Glasgow	…	9·7	4·2
Falkirk-Stirling	…	6·3	4·2
Edinburgh	…	7·0	2·6
Tayside	…	7·1	3·2
Borders	…	3·1	1·2
South-West	…	7·7	4·2
North-East	…	4·9	2·2
Highlands	…	9·4	5·5

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people his Department employs in the South-West Scotland Planning Region now; and if he will show how this compares with each of the past eight years.

Following is the information for 1973 and previous years for which records are still available (as at 1st January in each case):

1973	…	…	…	…	95
1972	…	…	…	…	98
1971	…	…	…	…	96
1970	…	…	…	…	97
1969	…	…	…	…	88

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what improvements have been effected for industrial training by his Department and by employers in the South-West Scotland Economic Planning Region.

The South-West Economic Planning Region, in common with the rest of Scotland, has benefited from the overall increase in training facilities provided by my Department. Under the Training Opportunities Scheme, the training needs of the South-West area are served by the Irvine Government Training Centre, the capacity of which has doubled since its opening in 1964; and by courses in colleges of further education at Dumfries, Ayr and Kilmarnock which have been started in the last 18 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the amount of grant paid for industrial training purposes, in the private sector, in each of the past four years in the South-West Scotland Planning Region.

Under the Department's grants schemes for training workers in assisted areas the following amounts were paid to employers in the South-West Scotland Planning Region:

• 1969—Information not available.
• 1970—£67,000.
• 1971—£26,000.
• 1972—£28,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers unemployed in the Minehead, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe employment areas at the latest available date.

Following is the information for 8th January 1973:

Employment exchange area
Minehead	…	…	…	…	578
Barnstaple	…	…	…	…	695
Ilfracombe	…	…	…	…	441

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will give the average monthly figure of the number of people made redundant in Wales in 1972; and what were the figures for 1970 and 1971;(2) if he will give the average monthly number of people made redundant in Great Britain in 1972; and what were the figures for 1970 and 1971.

The average monthly figures of redundancies notified to my Department as due to occur in Wales and Great Britain respectively in the last three years are as follows:

			Wales	Great Britain
1970	…	…	750	18,420
1971	…	…	1,250	28,000
1972	…	…	940	15,610

The figures for 1972 are provisional at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has yet reached a decision on the future of the Gas Industrial Training Board.

As required by the Industrial Training Act 1964, I have consulted the board and the relevant organisations. There is general agreement that continuation of the board will not be warranted following the reorganisation of the gas industry under the British Gas Corporation. I have therefore decided to initiate action to wind up the board with a view of phasing out its activities after July 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the position of civil servants at the commencement of stage 3 of the counter-inflation policy.

I have been asked to reply.I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 24th January.—[Vol. 489, c. 481–3.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will dismiss a civil servant, whose name has been sent to him, because he is associated with controversial public political activities.

Thousands
			1972 (approx.)	1971	1970	1969	1968
Inner and Outer London	…	…	167,000	173,200	177,100	166,000	169,900
Rest of Great Britain	…	…	504,000	503,200	503,100	486,900	496,200

No, and I do not accept the implication.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total number of Civil Service staff employed in the Teesside county borough in 1972; how this compares with the numbers employed in 1962 and 1967, respectively; and what percentage changes these figures represent.

No figures for 1962 and 1967 are available for the area which in 1968 became the Teesside county borough. In 1972 the figure was some 2,500.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what percentage of the total Civil Service establishment is located in the development areas.

This information is not readily available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total Civil Service establishment in 1972 compared with 1962 and 1967, respectively; and what percentage change these figures represent.

The figures, adjusted to exclude Post Office staff before 1969, are:

Year		Staff in Post	Percentage change
1st April 1962	…	647,000	—
1st April 1967	…	680,000	+5·1
1st April 1972	…	690,000	+1·5

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants are employed in the greater London area and in the rest of Great Britain, respectively; and what were the comparable figures in each of the past five years.

The information available is as follows:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the cost of Government-sponsored advertising on television and in newspapers for the years 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972; and what is his estimate for such expenditure in 1973–74.

The cost of Government-sponsored advertising on television and in newspapers is as follows:

		Press	TV
Year		£	£
1968–69	…	5,449,039	1,045,346
1969–70	…	7,179,361	1,167,640
1970–71	…	8,090,381	2,137,140
1971–72	…	8,320,469	2,223,185
1972–73 (estimated)	…	10,726,338	3,118,027
1973–74 (estimated)	…	11,034,340	3,414,800

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many Civil Service jobs have been dispersed from the London area since June 1970, and of these how many went to the South-West Scotland Planning Region.

Information is not available in precisely this form. Between April 1970 and October 1972, 6,500 Civil Service posts were dispersed from the London area. None of these went to the South-West Scotland Planning Region although 1,900 were dispersed to Scotland in this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has received from the West German Government regarding a joint settlement with the Icelandic Government upon the fisheries dispute; and if he will make a statement.

We remain in close consultation with the Federal German Government on this issue.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to inform the British people about the implications of the Government's commitment to Common Market economic and monetary union and political union.

The programme of action decided upon in these areas at the summit meeting last October was set out in the communiqué issued after the meeting (Cmnd. 5109). The implications of these decisions have been and will continue to be the subject of discussion both in this House and elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about the pensions of past employees of the former Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which are the subject of a memorandum by the Federal Pensioners' Association, a copy of which has been forwarded to him.

These pensions are paid from the Central African Pension Fund established under Section 24 of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Dissolution) Order in Council 1963.I have much sympathy for the Federal pensioners but the Federal service was a local service, the members of which were recruited by the Federal Government and not by Her Majesty's Government. Her Majesty's Government's role is to ensure with Zambia, Malawi and Southern Rhodesia that funds are available to the Central African Pension Fund for the payment of pensions under the fund. The rates of pensions are not under our control.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Rye may expect the promised statement about children's holiday passages for overseas officers; and whether the arrangements will be effective for the coming Easter holidays.

My right hon. Friend still has this question under consideration but he now hopes to be able to make an early statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last representation was made by the Foreign Office to the Government of the Republic of Eire concerning IRA activity in the United Kingdom, and to what particular incident it referred and how many similar representations have been made since 1st December 1972, and to what particular incidents each referred.

Representations were made to the Irish Government on 5th February about the threats made against two British journalists by the Irish Republican Press Bureau on 3rd February for alleged slander and "felon setting" against the IRA. There have been other exchanges since 1st December 1972 on other aspects of IRA activities: details must remain confidential. The Irish Government are in no doubt that we seek firm action, on both sides of the border, against extremists of any faction.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the question of EEC negotiations with Norway.

The Council of Ministers, at its meeting on 5th February, reached agreement on a mandate to the European Commission to negotiate a free trade agreement between Norway and the European Economic Community. Negotiations are expected to begin shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the incidents on the border between Northern and Southern Ireland in the months of November and December 1972 and January 1973, and if lie will break them down to indicate their nature, and give the number of casualties resulting therefrom.

Between 1st November 1972 and 31st January 1973 there were 121 border incidents involving violence initiated by IRA units south of the border. The totals month by month were:

November	…	…	…	…	52
December	…	…	…	…	41
January	…	…	…	…	28

By categories these incidents comprised:

Shootings	68
Customs Posts destroyed	4
Other buildings attacked	13
Armed robberies and similar attacks	8
Booby traps	17
Kidnappings	2

The balance comprises miscellaneous acts of violence.I regret to state that, as a result of these cross-border attacks, six persons lost their lives and 13 persons were wounded in Northern Ireland. IRA casualties are not included in these figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government is offering the Senegalese Government in connection with the serious drought in that country.

Her Majesty's Government have made a gift of 100 tons of wheat flour, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, during his visit to Dakar, will make a cash donation of £2,500 to the fund which the Senegalese Government have opened to alleviate distress. Parliament will be asked to approve the necessary Supplementary Estimate in due course. Meanwhile, an advance will be sought from the Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the most recent projected completion dates for the various sectors of the M5 between Bristol and Exeter.

Subject where applicable to statutory and other procedures the expected or actual completion dates of the M5 Motorway—Bristol-Exeter section—are as follows:

I will certainly look into into this. I should, however, indicate that the evidence available to my Department suggests that the costs intended to be covered by the scale of statutory deductions have not risen nearly as much as gross values since the scale laid down in 1925 was amended in 1962. On this basis the existing scale provides for greater deductions in respect of properties with low gross values than a new scale which took account of this evidence would give. To achieve equity between properties assessed first to gross value and those assessed direct to net annual value, the statutory deductions ought to reflect fairly the relevant maintenance costs. In the light of the evidence available, I consider that the present scale will broadly achieve this objective for the 1973 revaluation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he anticipates that the River Churnet will cease to be grossly polluted, according to the Department's definition.

Improvements to the Leek Urban District Council sewage treatment works were seriously delayed by strikes but, I understand, are to be completed shortly. These should allow

LOCAL AUTHORITY DERELICT LAND SCHEMES
1971–72
Region				Number of schemes	Acreage derelict land	Estimated gross eligible cost £
Northern	…	…	…	79	2,484	3,883,054
North-West	…	…	…	117	818	1,598,076
Yorkshire and Humberside	…	…	…	59	410	781,372
Fast Midlands	…	…	…	16	488	711,659
West Midlands	…	…	…	35	526	900,035
South-West	…	…	…	2	15	46,834
East Anglia	…	…	…	—	—	—
South-East	…	…	…	5	104	37,934
Total	…	…	…	313	4,845	7,958,964

1972–73 (first nine months)
Region				Number of schemes	Acreage derelict land	Estimated gross eligible cost £
Northern	…	…	…	52	1,094	1,934,406
North-West	…	…	…	70	503	2,444,799
Yorkshire and Humberside	…	…	…	41	651	1,108,336
Fast Midlands	…	…	…	17	571	1,361,067
West Midlands	…	…	…	28	528	592,520
South-West	…	…	…	2	17	39,694
Fast Anglia	…	…	…	4	45	15,208
South-East	…	…	…	2	10	26,953
Total	…	…	…	216	3,419	7,522,983

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many projects under Operation Eyesore were approved during 1972; and at what total cost, specifying the figures for each region.

More than 10,000 projects had been approved under Operation Eyesore by 31st December 1972 at a total cost of over £23 million. The regional figures are:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many land reclamation schemes were approved and at what total cost during 1972; and what were the figures for each region.

The following tables set out the derelict land reclamation schemes in England given final approval. Separate figures for calendar years are not readily available.

Region	Number of Projects Approved	Estimated Cost
		£
Northern	2,232	4,713,459
North West	4,823	12,391,814
Yorks. and Humberside	2,512	4,679,383
East Midlands	96	786,252
West Midlands	395	572,504
South West	104	208,789
All Regions	10,162	23,352,201

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what submissions have been made to him for financial assistance to be spent in 1973 on land reclamation schemes and Operation Eyesore, giving the regional figures and estimated costs.

DERELICT LAND RECLAMATION
Region		Number of projects approved during January 1973	Acreage of derelict land	Estimated gross eligible cost	Number of projects under consideration at 31st January 1973	Acreage of derelict land	Estimated cost
				£			£
Northern	…	5	144	477,072	11	650	2,059,514
North West	…	14	184	637,168	2	5	157,900
Yorkshire and Humberside	…	5	61	226,662	13	110	286,703
East Midlands	…	1	17	10,732	5	14	81,000
West Midlands	…	1	40	40,000	13	153	126,000
South West	…	—	—	—	—	—	—
East Anglia	…	—	—	—	—	—	—
South East	…	—	—	—	1	3	32,000
Totals	…	26	446	1,391,634	45	935	2,743,117

OPERATION EYESORE
Region		Number of projects approved during January 1973	Estimated cost	Number of projects under consideration at 31st January 1973	Estimated cost
			£		£
Northern	…	274	673,375	258	1,368,602
North West	…	699	2,015,744	125	482,538
Yorkshire and Humberside	…	399	1,063,422	79	198,810
East Midlands	…	21	72,705	16	88,392
West Midlands	…	14	29,167	38	167,150
South West	…	35	128,783	15	22,000
All Regions	…	1,442	3,983,196	531	2,327,492