asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consents he has recently given to increases in the price of bread.

None.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Polaris firing from HMS "Repulse" off the Florida coast.

On Tuesday, off Cape Kennedy, HMS "Repulse" carried out a routine firing of a standard A3 Polaris missile, without its nuclear warhead, to test the ship's system following her refit. There was a failure of the missile during the first stage of its powered flight and it was destroyed. There was no danger either to the submarine or of any other kind. The launch itself was successful and the incident was not the result of any failure on the part of the ship's company or equipment. The precise cause is being investigated.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will give recruiting figures for the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force, respectively, for the latest six-month period, and for the equivalent period over each of the last five years.

The figures for the recruitment of United Kingdom Servicemen are as follows:

Six-month period ended 31st December			Royal Navy and Royal Marines	Army	Royal Air Force	Total
1967	…	…	3,757	9,656	3,019	16,432
1968	…	…	2,791	8,902	3,651	15,344
1969	…	…	3,235	11,050	4,372	18,657
1970	…	…	3,728	11,334	4,481	19,543
1971	…	…	5,500	15,798	3,442	24,740
1972	…	…	5,370	13,437	2,184	20,991

asked the Minister of State for Defence what rule applies for the pension of a widow whose husband is killed serving in Northern Ireland: (a) for a soldier with over 12 years' service and (b) for a soldier with under 12 years' service.

Length of service does not affect war pensions administered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services but it does affect pensions payable under the Armed Forces occupational pensions scheme. Under present arrangements, a pension may be paid under the occupational scheme to a soldier's widow only if he had served for at least 12 years and was on a pensionable engagement. We are currently making a general review of these arrangements.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what was the estimated cost of military operations in Northern Ireland during 1972.

The estimated extra cost of military operations in Northern Ireland in the financial year 1972–73 is £29 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action she is taking to implement the recommendations of the Vernon Committee's Report on the Education of the Visually Handicapped; and if she will make a statement.

My Department has invited comments on the report by 28th Total February, but one voluntary organisation with a substantial interest in this area has requested and is being allowed further time. Decisions on the committee's recommendations will be taken in the light of comments received.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether funds are being made available to enable the London Museum to acquire a silver tankard hallmarked 1675 commemorating the Fire of London and the services of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey.

Yes. An amount of £5,000 is being made available, and an advance of this sum will be made from the Contingencies Fund in the first instance. Parliamentary approval will be sought in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons under 18 years of age are unemployed in Scotland at the latest available date.

On 8th January 1973 there were 9,692.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures showing in percentage terms the earnings gap between the average weekly earnings of adult male manual workers in manufacturing in Scotland and the United Kingdom, from 1960 to the latest available date.

The following information, relating to overall averages, is derived from the regular inquiries into earnings. It is affected by influences such as variations in the pattern of industry and may not therefore give a precise indication of differences in earnings for comparable work.

MEN MANUAL WORKERS, 21 YEARS AND OVER, IN MANUFACTURING
Average weekly earnings in Scotland expressed as a percentage of those in the United Kingdom
1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966
91·1	93·1	91·8	92·1	93·3	94·3	97·1
1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972
97·0	97·2	97·3	97·2	96·6	97·9

The figures relate to April in 1960 and October in other areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, using the latest available figures, he will show the number of wholly unemployed in Scotland and Great Britain as a percentage of total employees for each full year since 1966, and for the early months of 1973.

Following is the information:

UNEMPLOYED PERCENTAGE RATES
			Scotland	Great Britain
Monthly average:
1966	…	…	2·7	1·4
1967	…	…	3·7	2·2
1968	…	…	3·7	2·4
1969	…	…	3·7	2·4
1970	…	…	4·2	2·5
1971	…	…	5·8	3·3
1972	…	…	6·4	3·7
January 1973	…	…	6·1	3·5

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, using the latest available figures, he will show the unfilled notified vacancies for Scotland and Great Britain as a percentage of total employees for each full year since 1966, and for the early months of 1973.

Following is the information:

NOTIFIED VACANCIES REMAINING UNFILLED AS PERCENTAGES OF MID-YEAR ESTIMATES OF THE TOTAL NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES
			Scotland	Great Britain
Monthly average:
1966	…	…	1·0	1·6
1967	…	…	0·7	1·1
1968	…	…	0·8	1·2
1969	…	…	0·9	1·2
1970	…	…	0·7	1·1
1971	…	…	0·4	0·8
1972	…	…	0·4	0·8
January 1973	…	…	0·5	1·0

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 if he will show the unfilled vacancies per 100 of wholly unemployed in Scotland, Great Britain, and in each county and city of Scotland in each of the last 12 months.

The following table shows information for January 1972 and January 1973. The full information requested could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

NOTIFIED VACANCIES REMAINING UNFILLED PER 100 UNEMPLOYED
	January 1972	January 1973
Scotland	4·4	8·8
Great Britain	14·4	29·5
Analysis for Scotland:
Part 1—Counties:
Zetland	28·0	30·4
Orkney	5·7	11·4
Caithness and Sutherland	3·1	4·9
Inverness-shire, Ross and Cromarty	4·2	16·5
Argyll	6·0	5·3
Moray and Nairn	5·0	11·5
Banffshire	4·9	11·8
Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire	5·2	14·3
Angus	3·4	9·1
Perthshire	14·8	18·2
Fife and Kinross-shire	3·0	6·1
Edinburgh and Lothians	7·0	12·4
Stirling and Clackmannanshire	4·1	6·1
Dunbartonshire	1·5	4·0
Renfrewshire	2·2	4·4
Lanarkshire	2·0	4·7
Ayrshire and Bute	3·3	7·4
Dumfriesshire	4·4	17·3
Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire	2·4	4·7
Berwickshire, Peebleshire, Selkirk and Roxburghshire	19·2	33·7
Part 2—Counties of Cities:
Glasgow City	5·2	9·9
Edinburgh*	10·1	16·7
Aberdeen*	6·1	15·0
Dundee*	3·4	8·7
*Also included in the appropriate county figures in Part 1.

NOTE:The vacancy 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 if he will show to the latest available date the unfilled vacancies per 100 wholly unemployed in electrical and electronics, engineering and allied trades, and construction, in Scotland, Great Britain, and in each county and city of Scotland in each of the past 12 months.

The following table shows information for Scotland and Great Britain in January 1972 and January 1973. I regret that figures for each county and city of Scotland are not readily available and could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the movement in the average individual wage for the years 1960, 1970 and the latest convenient date in 1973, taking the figure for 1950 as 100.

The indices set out below relate to the average weekly earnings of all full-time manual workers in the industries included in the regular inquiry into earnings and hours.

			October 1950=100
October 1960	…	…	…	190·8
October 1970	…	…	…	374·8
October 1972	…	…	…	481·8

October 1972 is the latest date for which information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many new jobs in manufacturing industries were created in Carmarthenshire for each year from 1962 to 1972, inclusive; and how many similar jobs were lost in each year during the same period;(2) how many new jobs in the service industries were created in Carmarthen-shire for each year from 1962 to 1972, inclusive; and how many similar jobs were lost in each year during the same period.

Precise information about jobs created and jobs lost is not available, but an indication of net changes can be obtained by comparing the levels of employment over the period.The following table gives estimates for June 1962, June 1969 and June 1971, the latest date for which figures are available. The employment estimates for local areas are subject to sampling and other errors and little significance can therefore be attached to small variations from one year to another.

(thousands)
			Manufacturing Industries	Service Industries
June 1962	…	…	14·3	20·7
June 1969(a)		…	18·9	19·1
June 1969(b)	…	…	19·0	19·1
June 1971	…	…	18·3	17·9

The estimates for 1962 and 1969(

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the numbers of dockers in each National Dock Labour Board local area who have decided to use the voluntary severance scheme; the number of employees in each local area currently employed on the supplementary register and the extent of the shortage of dock labour in each local area.

The information provided by the National Dock Labour Board is given below. It includes details of surpluses, shortages and outstanding demands. The labour supply position varies from day to day.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has resulted from the special studies which were commissioned to consider the conservation and preservation of the historic cities of Bath, Chester, Chichester and York and from the Preservation Policy Group which was set up to co-ordinate those studies and consider the results; and if he will make a statement.

Consideration of the special studies by the Preservation Policy Group resulted in a number of recommendations designed to facilitate the conservation of our historic towns and areas. Many of these recommendations have already been put into effect, the most important being the introduction last Session of a new grant for works for the enhancement of preservation of the character of outstanding conservation areas. The first applications for grant are now being processed and cover a wide variety of schemes from voluntary bodies and private owners as well as local authorities. Some pilot projects have also been initiated, with the participation of my Department, in these towns.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any evidence of a significant level of forgery of Road Fund licences, including minor forgeries such as the obliteration or alteration of the vehicle registration number on otherwise genuine licences.

There were just over 13,000 police prosecutions for these offences in England and Wales in 1971. The present licence disc is not very easy to forge. I hope that the slightly different disc to be used when vehicle licensing is centralised will make it more so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will propose a scheme for diverting heavy lorries on their way between the motorways M1 and M4 away from busy residential roads in Wembley.

When the modernisation of trunk road direction signs in north-west London is substantially complete in the autumn there will be clear direction to and on the A406 and A41. The continuing improvement of the A406 should further encourage drivers to follow this route.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will propose heavy lorry routes which will bypass Macclesfield;(2) what action he will take to deal with the problem of heavy lorries on trunk roads in the Macclesfield area.

A trunk road bypass of the centre of Macclesfield is proposed. The rerouting of heavy lorries is a matter for the local highway authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations apply to the size and form of signposts on secondary roads in order that these may be visible to traffic at night.

The size, colour and type of fingerpost direction signs are governed by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1964, which continue in force the relevant provisions of the previous, 1957, regulations. Such signs may be illuminated, by means of lighting or by the use of reflectors or reflecting material.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will impose a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour on motorways when only one lane of a three-lane motorway is in use.

Yes, if appropriate, but in most cases an advisory limit or other safeguard is preferable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he is having with local authorities about the provision of off-street parking in their areas; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the areas in Great Britain that will be receiving London overspill between 1st January 1973 and the end of 1979; and what is the estimate of the number of people that each area will receive during that period.

London overspill is accommodated in both new and expanding towns.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the fact that no decision has been made in regard to the power station at Inswork Point and that the contract under the compulsory purchase order for the land on which this power station was to be sited lapsed on 8th February 1973, if he will now make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.I regret that owing to the complexity of the issues in this case it has not yet been possible to reach a decision, but an announcement will be made as soon as possible.The question of the lapse of the contract for the land is a matter for the parties concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what discussions he has had with the police authority about extra pay for the RUC during the present circumstances of terrorism in Northern Ireland;(2) what discussions he has had with the RUC representative body about extra pay during the present circumstances of terrorism in Northern Ireland.

None. The claim for special duty allowance is primarily a matter for the Police Council for the United Kingdom, by which it has been considered. I understand that discussions have also taken place between the Northern Ireland Police Authority and the Police Federation. It would have been improper for me to have been a party to these discussions.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the number of personal searches which have been carried out on people visiting men interned at the Maze prison, Long Kesh; on how many occasions visitors have been found to be carrying prohibited articles to pass on to the detained men; whether the persons carrying these articles were men or women; what was the nature of their relationship with the internees; and what were the articles discovered.

Records have not been kept of the number of visitors to the Maze prison who have been searched, nor of the number of times on which prohibited articles have been taken from visitors. Most of these articles have been returned at the end of the visit; but some, including hacksaw blades, plans of the prison, maps and drugs, have been confiscated. Relatives and friends of inmates, both men and women, have been found to carry prohibited articles.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what further study he is giving to improving the unsatisfactory reception of television programmes on BBC Wales and HTV now enjoyed by persons living in the Lampeter and Llandyssul areas of Cardiganshire.

None; the facts are already known. The BBC and IBA which are primarily responsible for the improvement of reception of their services tell me that parts of Lampeter and most of Llandyssul will benefit from the commissioning, later this year, of the main UHF station at Presely.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will publish the costs per head of the population of the BBC's radio and television services in Wales compared with similar costs in England and Scotland.

On the basis of the analysis of expenditure in the BBC's annual report for 1971–72, £2.70 for Wales, £2.25 for Scotland and £1.90 for England.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what special assistance he proposes to make available to Scottish local authorities faced with urgent demands for short- and long-term housing facilities.

The new subsidy arrangements give local authorities every encouragement to build to meet need wherever it arises. Where houses are required to meet economic expansion, I am prepared to consider authorising assistance by the Scottish Special Housing Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Chairman of the Highland Board about the provision of holiday cottages by the Board.

The board operates its holiday cottage scheme in accordance with arrangements approved by me under Section 8 of the Highlands and Islands Development (Scotland) Act 1965; and I have also approved special arrangements enabling crofters to benefit under the scheme. On 5th February the board announced the arrangements made for crofters and its decision to give priority to new applications from crofters.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many in the age groups 15 to 17 years and 18 to 20 years receive day or block release in Lanarkshire; and what percentages they represent of their age groups.

In session 1971–72, of young people resident in Lanarkshire approximately 4,040 in the 15–17 age group and approximately 4,030 in the 18–20 age group received day or block release. This represented respectively 13 per cent. and 15 per cent. of the age groups.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provision is made for alternative transport to disabled drivers, when their vehicle is being repaired or maintained; and what financial assistance is given for this purpose, if the vehicle is on issue from the Department of Health, and owned by the disabled driver, respectively.

Every effort is made to replace temporarily an invalid three-wheeler if it has to be taken out of service, although in some instances the individual nature of the modifications needed on the vehicle makes this impossible. It is not practicable to make similar arrangements for users of motor cars provided by the Department or privately by an individual.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence was given to the committee of inquiry into the fire at Coldharbour Hospital, Sherborne, concerning flammability of polyurethane foam; and what were the names and qualifications of the experts who gave such evidence.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what considerations were given to Technical Data Sheet No. 29 and the 1971 Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories when the committee of inquiry into the fire at Coldharbour Hospital, Sherborne, made its recommendations under paragraph 66, Cmnd. No. 5170.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the technical reasons that led the committee of inquiry into the fire at Coldharbour Hos- pital, Sherborne, to ignore the presence of considerable quantities of polyurethane foam; and why it was not considered to be a factor affecting the spread of the fire.

No. Flammability tests were conducted for the committee of inquiry by the Fire Research Station at Boreham Wood. Only those materials present in sufficient quantities to have significantly affected the spread of the fire were included; polyurethane foam was not one of them, and I am writing to the hon. Member to explain the position.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he accepts the statement in paragraph 71, Cmnd. No. 5170, that the high fire risk and emission of toxic fumes from the use of polyurethane foam in bedding supplied to hospitals must be accepted; and in what way such risk and fumes are catered for in hospitals, geriatric wards and mental establishments.

I do not accept the hon. Member's interpretation of the paragraph quoted since the committee of inquiry does not appear to have had its attention drawn specifically to the use of polyurethane foam in the bedding. Some fire and fume risk is inevitable in all items of bedding including all acceptable types of mattresses and pillows. My Department actively encourages research which I hope may lead to reductions in these hazards. I place the greatest importance on measures to prevent fires and to ensure their early detection; and to the close supervision by staff of smoking by confused patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is now able to announce his decision relating to the application of the Central Electricity Generating Board to build an oil-fired power station at Inswork Point, Mill-brook, following receipt of the inspector's report; and, if not, when he hopes to be able to make an announcement.

I regret that owing to the complexity of the issues in this case it has not yet been possible to reach a decision, but an announcement will be made as soon as possible.The question of the lapse of the contract for the land is a matter for the parties concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further action he is taking to advance and safeguard the interests and employment opportunities of the British textile industry.

We are actively engaged in discussions with our European partners on the development of a textile policy for the enlarged Community. A fundamental element of such a policy must be the need to further the interests of the existing textile industries in the nine member States, by providing effective mechanisms for dealing with immediate problems as well as guidelines for longer-term policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will permit consortia discovering small quantities of natural gas on the Continental Shelf to export the same if the British Gas Corporation is not prepared to offer the developers the European market price for the gas.

I cannot say in advance how the Government would deal with any application to export gas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the current balance of trade with Algeria and the amount of British investment in that country.

The monthly Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom give current figures for Algeria of imports cif and exports fob, but the difference between these figures is not a precise measure of the visible trade balance because, inter alia, of the difference in the basis in valuation. Figures for British investment in Algeria are not separately available, but it is very small.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total amount of bearings imported from Japan in 1972; how this compares with the quota agreed with the Japanese; what is the quota for 1973; and what steps are being taken to monitor imports from Japan.

The Japanese industry decided to limit exports of ball and roller bearings to this country to 2,550 tons in 1972 and 2,805 tons in 1973. Imports of such bearings from Japan amounted to 2,753 tons in 1972, but the Japanese have stated that the excess will be taken into account in 1973. Imports from Japan are monitored on a monthly basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in view of the substantial orders now accruing to shipbuilders' yards in the United Kingdom, he will consider reducing the level of public funds being made available to them.

Whilst the improvement in the United Kingdom shipbuilding order book is welcome, a statement on future Government policy towards the industry must await the outcome of our consideration of the Booz-Allen Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a further statement about the companies referred to in the report of the Monopolies Commission on asbestos and asbestos products.

The company referred to as "Beldam" in the Commission's recommendations at paragraph 370(iii) of its report was the Beldam Packing and Rubber Co. Ltd. The Beldam Asbestos Company Limited was not the subject of any of the Monopolies Commission's recommendations.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will request the Procedure Committee to investigate the possibility of amending Standing Orders so as to prevent a Minister or any member of the Government from holding up or interfering with Private Members' business.

No, Sir.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will consider displaying the symbol for "Access", issued by the Central Council for the Disabled, on all those parts of the Palace of Westminster which satisfy the criteria for display.

Every effort is made to make it as easy as possible for disabled persons to visit the House of Commons and there are always staff available to direct them. The symbol for "Access" is already displayed outside the lavatory in the Lower Waiting Hall but its wider display is inevitably restricted in a building such as the House of Commons, where it is difficult to meet the necessary criteria and where movement of strangers is necessarily curtailed. If however it is possible to make more extensive use of the symbol, this will be arranged.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, and if so at what rate, the new European capital duty established by EEC Directive 69/335 is now applicable to all new company formations in the United Kingdom; and whether the reliefs at present afforded by Section 55 of the Finance Act 1927 will extend to the new duty.

I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Horn-church (Mr. Loveridge) on 2nd February. I can confirm that provision will be made for relief similar to that afforded by Sec- tion 55, Finance Act 1927 to be given from the new capital duty.—[Vol. 849, c. 481–2.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in work are below the tax threshold at the latest available date.

This information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount invested by British residents by way of direct investment in the countries of the eight other members of the EEC during the final two quarters of the years 1970, 1971 and 1972.

Following is the information:

Direct Investment in the eight other EEC member countries by UK residents
(Estimated figures for July-December each year)
					£ million
1970	…	…	…	…	50
1971	…	…	…	…	45
1972	…	…	…	…	not available

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount invested by British residents by way of portfolio investment in the countries of the eight other members of the EEC during the final two quarters of the years 1970, 1971 and 1972, respectively.

Following is the information:

Portfolio investment by UK residents in the other eight member countries of the EEC (July-December of each year)
					£ million
1970	…	…	…	…	14
1971	…	…	…	…	24
1972	…	…	…	…	130

Most of this investment is financed with borrowed foreign currency or investment currency and has not affected the rate in the official exchange market or the reserves.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of borrowing, for which permission was required, by British residents in the countries of the other eight members of the EEC during the years 1970, 1971 and 1972, respectively.

This information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount invested by way of direct investment in the United Kingdom by residents of the other eight member countries of the EEC during the final two quarters of 1970, 1971 and 1972, respectively.

Following is the information:

Direct investment in UK by residents of the other eight member countries of EEC
(Estimated figures for July-December each year)
	£ million
1970	6
1971	18
1972	not available

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Paymaster-General's Department is not able to pay a service pension directly into a pensioner's National Giro account.

In considering methods of paying pensions the Paymaster-General's Office, like other Departments, must have regard to the obligation to carry on its business in the most efficient and economical manner. The production of the special document required by the National Giro would be a costly alternative to its standard computerised system of payment through banks, nor has the National Giro been able to agree to the refund of any excess pension paid after the death of a pensioner. Discussions with the National Giro with a view to resolving these difficulties are continuing.