asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether he is satisfied with the operation of Section 9 of the Television Act 1964 relating to the appointment of advisory committees to give advice to the Independent Broadcasting Authority and a general advisory council; and if he will make a statement.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will now answer Questions relating to issues of particular commemorative stamps.

No. These are matters for the Post Office.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what plans he has for improving the reception of the existing BBC Wales channel in West and Mid-Wales.

The BBC, which is primarily responsible for improvements to its services, tells me that the high-power station at Presely is expected to start transmitting BBC Wales later this year. Over 20 low-power relay stations are being planned in West and Mid-Wales, but it is too early to announce when they will be built.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to seek an agreement with all other countries with which Great Britain has telephone links for a standard form of wording to be used when asking telephone subscribers in this country to accept transfer charge calls from abroad and, in particular, to seek to ensure that the question "Will you pay for the call?" is put to the subscriber in this country.

No. It would not be appropriate for me to issue a direction about day-to-day matters of Post Office management such as that with which the Question is concerned.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications how many complaints have been received by the Post Office in the past year about the cost of transfer charge calls from abroad when the recipient was unaware that he or she was expected to pay for the call; what was the cost of the most expensive call about which complaint was made; and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for dealing with such complaints is a matter for the Post Office, and I am asking it to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications whether vandalism in coin boxes has declined; and whether he will make a statement.

The Post Office tells me that serious incidents of vandalism were slightly fewer in the quarter ended 31st December 1972 compared with the previous three months.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what measures are being taken to prevent evasion of television licence payments; what is the cost of these measures; from which public funds the cost is met; and whether he will make a statement.

The measures are reminders to renew licences, follow up of statutory notifications from dealers, other routine checks on apparently unlicensed households, detector car operations and publicity. The cost, some £6 million in 1971–72, is borne on Votes. Anti-evasion costs, together with issue costs and interference investigation costs, are deducted from the amount of the gross licence revenue in order to arrive at the amount payable to the BBC.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if the Welsh Office will undertake a study to investigate the economic effect of expected redundancies in Wales on the Welsh economy as a whole.

No. Government policies already take full account of the need for increased employment opportunities in the Principality.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will co-operate with local authorities in Wales to publicise the assistance available to house owners in the form of improvement grants.

I am already doing so. In particular, no fewer than 100 local authorities have asked for the Welsh Office exhibition caravan publicising improvement grants to visit their areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number by which his Department's staffing has been increased consequent upon the formation of his three task forces; and what is the rank of each person in the enlarged staff.

No additional staff have been appointed, but there has been some reallocation of responsibilities in order to give this work high priority. Those participating in the work of the task forces include officials of undersecretary, assistant secretary, principal and equivalent grades.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the amount per head of population in Wales of agricultural grants, subsidies and support payments paid to farmers in Wales in the last year; and how this figure compares with the corresponding figure for England.

The amount of farming grants and subsidies paid per head of population in Wales during the financial year ended 31st March 1972 was £6·38 and in England during the same period it was £2·23. It is not possible to include expenditure under the agricultural price guarantees in the calculations.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the net income of hill farmers in Wales is derived from Government grants and subsidies.

I regret that information is not available from which this percentage can be calculated for hill farmers.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for extending Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth.

There are no current proposals for major extensions of Bronglais Hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how soon he expects Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth to have a full range of specialist services.

The major acute specialties are already provided at Bronglais but the sparsity of the population in the area precludes its development to include all specialties.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek powers to require the names or identification numbers of gravel dredgers to be displayed prominently at all times, and lit at night.

It is already required that every British ship over 15 tons should be marked permanently and conspicuously with her name on her bows and with her name and port of registry on her stern. If my hon. and gallant Friend has information about vessels not complying with this requirement, my Department will be glad to investigate it.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research work is being carried out by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority upon the technical and economic feasibility of extracting uranium from those parts of the oceans where the maximum concentration is about 0·3 milligrams per cubic metre or more.

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority studied the extraction of uranium from seawater for some years. Work was taken to the point where it was established that the process was technically feasible, but as it appeared that the costs would not be competitive with other sources of uranium the work was terminated. The project would be re-examined if this were justified in the future by a substantial increase in the price of uranium.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will provide a breakdown of the £900 million on steel investment it is proposed to spend in Wales over the next decade, specifying the estimate for each plant.

The estimate of as much as £900 million that may be spent in Wales under the BSC's development strategy covers: (a) projects already in progress or announced; (b) those mentioned in the White Paper (Cmnd. 5226); (c) a high level of continuing investment for modernisation and replacement. It is impossible to give detailed estimates for each plant.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the number of employees of the British Steel Corporation likely to be declared redundant in each of the Scottish works as a result of the recently published announcements.

No. The proportion of redundancies deriving from the net reduction in employment of some 6,500 jobs in Scotland under the corporation's development strategy will depend on the scope for redeployment and retirement at each works and the rate of natural wastage in the interim.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many licences have been granted for the export of objects from the Pitt Rivers collection.

Records of export licences granted would not disclose the number of objects originating from a particular collection.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the quantity of naphtha imported into the United Kingdom and the countries of origin in the last year for which figures are available.

Naphtha is not separately distinguished in the trade statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will investigate the circumstances under which a series of confectionery and tobacconist shops in Oxford Street, Regent Street and Leicester Square, impose a surcharge over the recommended price of one new penny on every packet of cigarettes and surcharges rising from two new pence to three new pence on chocolate and packets of sweets when sold after 6 p.m.; and if he will make a statement.

If my right hon. Friend will arrange to provide me with the names and addresses of any firms imposing these surcharges to which she refers, I shall have the cases investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much help he expects will be allocated to each area in Scotland from the EEC regional development plans; and if he will make a statement.

Both the regional development fund to be set up by the end of this year, and the regional funds that already exist, should help in dealing with Scottish problems. But it is too early to predict the allocation of these resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects a decision by OECD on whether Greece, Spain and Turkey are to be regarded as developing States for purposes of the UNCTAD generalised preference scheme.

The discussions in the OECD were inconclusive. The tariff treatment of these countries' exports to the enlarged EEC is under discussion in the context of the EEC's trading relations with Mediterranean countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider placing all major Government contracts for the purchase of textile goods with British companies in the United Kingdom.

In placing contracts the Government have to take into account both the need to obtain best value for public money and the United Kingdom's international obligations. However, it is our policy to work closely together with the textile industry in such matters as industrial development and new specifications so that British companies should be well placed to bid competitively for Government business.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in view of a possible world shortage of crude oil towards the end of the current century, what research he is sponsoring into the synthetic production of liquid fuels.

Research on a limited scale based primarily on the production of special carbon products from coal is being carried on by the National Coal Board. Research and development work on the conversion of coal into oil is being carried out abroad in certain countries, and the progress of this work is kept under very close review by the scientists of the National Coal Board and the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will undertake to refer to the Director of Fair Trading the information sent to him by the hon. Member for Bassetlaw concerning restrictions on the sale of tickets for the 1974 World Cup Finals imposed by a consortium of travel agents and the Football Association.

I shall certainly consider the information sent by the hon. Member as soon as it reaches me.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new appointments he will make to the British Airways Board.

As indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend on 22nd November 1972, further appointments are being made to the British Airways Board. With effect from today, the Secretary of State has appointed Mr. Howard Phelps as a full-time member of the board and Mr. William de Vigier and Mr. John Gardiner as part-time members. This brings the board to its full complement of 15 members.—[Vol. 846, c. 445.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider amending the regulations for VAT to allow persons building their own houses to be supplied with the essential materials without the addition of VAT.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has now been made with registration for value added tax.

Over 1 million applications for registration have now been received. Registration is, of course, a continuing process, and the total can be expected to go on rising in the remaining weeks before VAT comes into operation. It now seems clear that the number of traders to be registered initially will be less than the original estimate of 1½ million, because a significant number of potential repayment traders who are below the compulsory registration limit have not opted to register at this stage, and because of other factors such as group registration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the indirect effects of VAT on agricultural marketing operations by individual farmers, co-operatives, groups and wholesalers, respectively.

The effects of VAT on these activities have been discussed with representative bodies concerned. I do not think that the indirect effect will differ substantially from that on other sections of trade and industry.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a person wishing to build his own house himself can register with the Commissioners of Customs and Excise as a trader in order that the essential building materials could be zero rated, thus putting him in a not less favourable position as regards costs, compared with the purchaser of a house built by a building contractor.

Not under existing legislation, because he would not be making or intending to make taxable supplies in the course of a business carried on by him.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer from information available from international sources, what was the gross domestic product per head at factor cost in Australia for the most recent year for which information is available; and how this compares with the figure for the United Kingdom.

The figures are given in the table below. The figure for Australia is taken from the latest United Nations Yearbook of National Accounts and relates to the fiscal year beginning 1st July 1969. The figures for the United Kingdom are based on the latest published estimates, adjusted to international definitions. The Australian figure has been converted to £ sterling at official exchange rates, but these do not necessarily reflect differences in internal purchasing power.

Gross domestic product at factor cost per head of population
Australia 1969–70	…	1,013
United Kingdom 1969	…	698
United Kingdom 1970	…	764

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has now completed his study of the implications of EEC provisions for consultation on budgetary matters; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add at present to my answer to the hon. Member on 2nd May last year.—[Vol. 836, c. 112.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families have at least one dependent child under the ages, respectively, of five, seven and 12 years; what would be the gross cost of providing a £4 per week taxed cash allowance for families in each of these groups; and what would be the cost of such an allowance for families in each of these groups if those families were excluded where the mother was in full-time work.

Up-to-date information is available only for those families with at least one dependent child under 5. The number of such families is about 3·2 million, and the gross cost of giving £4 a week after tax to each family is about £900 million. If families in which the mother works for more than 30 hours a week are excluded, the figures are about 3 million and about £850 million. The estimates of numbers are based on a 1 per cent. sample of the 1971 Census of Population and relate to Great Britain.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect of introducing tax credits on households with the same breakdown as that given on page 32 of the Green Paper, but assuming that the tax credit system has the same total cost as the system it replaces, on the basis that the levels of credit are reduced by an aggregate £1,300 million whilst maintaining their relative values.

		Weekly pay	Present net income of family	Pay after tax and credits
		£	£p	£p
Single	…	10	10·00	10·30
		15	13·93	13·80
		20	17·43	17·30
		25	20·93	20·80
		30	24·43	24·30
		35	27·93	27·80
		50	38·43	38·30
		100	73·43	73·30
Married without children	…	10	10·00	11·90
		15	14·97	15·40
		20	18·47	18·90
		25	21·97	22·40
		30	25·47	25·90
		35	28·97	29·40
		50	39·47	39·90
		100	74·47	74·90
Married with two children under 11	…	10	15·90	15·20
		15	19·00	18·70
		20	21·50	22·20
		25	24·56	25·70
		30	28·06	29·20
		35	31·56	32·70
		50	42·06	43·20
		100	77·06	78·20
Married with four children—
two under 11 and two between 11–16	…	10	17·90	18·50
		15	22·00	22·00
		20	24·50	25·50
		25	27·90	29·00
		30	31·48	32·50
		35	34·98	36·00
		50	45·48	46·50
		100	80·48	81·50

NOTES:
1. The levels of credit used are:	Single	…	£3·30
	Married	…	£4·90
	Child	…	£1·65.
2. The cut, of about 18 per cent., in each of the credits—plus corresponding cuts in the equivalent tax allowances—reduces the cost of the tax credit system to nil. The aggregate cut in the total credits is, however, more than £1,300 million, because of savings elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonweath Affairs if he will now make a statement on the report to be given to to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Association by the British Government on the use of napalm.

We have undertaken to let the United Nations Secretary-General have our comments on his Report on Napalm and Other Incendiary Weapons in time for him to convey the views of member Governments to the next General Assembly.

On the basis that the cost of the tax credit system is reduced to nil, the figures are:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will propose in the appropriate agencies of the United Nations the initiation of international action for the relief of famine in Northern India.

India is a member of the appropriate United Nations agencies, including the World Food Programme. The Government of India are, therefore, able to call for any international action which they may think necessary.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether, when a civil servant's continuity of service was interrupted owing to the exigencies of the war, he will arrange for pre-war service to be aggregated with post-war service for pension purposes.

Provision was made for this end under the Superannuation (War-time Interruption of Service) Regulations 1948, which were published as Statutory Instrument 1948 No. 1879. I am satisfied that no further arrangements are either necessary or justified.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service which is to be the year of retirement under Section 8(2) of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971, Schedule 1, where a retired civil servant or other public sector servant receives further temporary and unestablished employment.

A civil servant's pension is treated as having begun on the day following his last day of service and further pensionable service does not immediately affect this. On final retirement, reading Sections 8 and 4 together, we take either the original year or the final year, whichever is the more favourable in terms of total pension.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if the multiplier used under Schedule 1 to the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 is applied equally to all pensioners in all Departments.

Yes, the multipliers contained in Schedule 1 to the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 are applied equally to all pensions which, under Section 8(2) of the Act, are treated as having begun in the same year.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is: (a) the total amount deducted from pensions under Option A and Option B, respectively under Section 2 of the Superannuation Act 1935, (b) the total amount paid to widows under Option A and Option B, respectively, and (c) the number of pensioners and average amounts allocated under Option A and Option B, respectively.

Records are not maintained in a form from which this information can be readily obtained, and it would involve a disproportionate cost to public funds to carry out the necessary research.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service under existing Civil Service superannuation regulations, where a wife has predeceased her husbands' retirement, whether his allocation will in future cease to be deducted.

The allocation rules specifically provide that an allocation declaration shall become null and void if either the person making an allocation or the beneficiary dies before midnight on the day preceding the first day in respect of which the civil servant's pension is payable. Once effective, an allocation may not be cancelled even during re-employment following retirement.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will clarify whether his declared intention to use Phase 3 to sort out anomalies will mean that the fair comparisons criterion will be fully met in the Civil Service pay claim.

I cannot anticipate the measures to be taken in stage 3.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he intends that the recent pay research unit findings will be implemented for civil servants at the end of the period of freeze on incomes.

If the evidence from the pay research unit shows that problems of relativities and anomalies remain after the negotiation of Civil Service increases for stage 2, they will be considered alongside others in relation to stage 3 of the counter-inflationary programme.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will give further consideration to the report of the Select Committee on Members' Interests (Declaration); and if he will make a statement as to the Government's policy and intentions in regard to this matter.

I suggested on 1st February in a reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Vauxhall (Mr. Strauss) that there would be advantage in having consultations in all parts of the House on this complex matter—[Vol. 849, c. 1622.] I have, in fact, subsequently had some preliminary discussions.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will remove certain pictures such as "Alfred inciting the Saxons to prevent the landing of the Danes" in Committee Room 10, from the walls of the House of Commons.

While I can appreciate the consideration which prompted my hon. Friend's Question, the selection of pictures to be hung in the House of Commons part of the Palace of Westminster is not my responsibility but is a matter for the Advisory Committee on Works of Art which has been appointed by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing Construction to advise you, Mr. Speaker, and himself in these matters. I am sure the committee would always welcome suggestions from my hon. Friend.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will seek to change the date on which the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is next top of the list for oral Questions in the House because this date, 8th March, is the date of the border poll.

I do not think the change proposed would be for the general convenience of the House. Such a change would necessarily affect a number of Departments and would make uneven the intervals when those Departments would be top for Questions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the recording of movements and individual identification of stock passing through markets for livestock and stores, in order to help in tracing foot-and-mouth disease contacts.

The records required to be kept by the Movement of Animals (Records) Order 1960 and the Swine Fever Order 1963 used in conjunction with the auctioneer's record of sales and licences issued under the Regulation of Movement of Swine Order 1959 provide a satisfactory means of tracing movements of animals which may be foot-and-mouth disease contacts.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will, immediately following future initial outbreaks of suspected foot-and-mouth or swine vesicular disease, ban the holding of livestock store markets within a wide radius of the outbreak.

When my Department's veterinary officers suspect foot-and-mouth disease they immediately impose "Form C" restrictions, which means that all markets and most livestock movements are prohibited within a radius of five miles of the suspected outbreak. If the disease is confirmed, an infected area of not less than 10 miles radius is imposed immediately and store markets are prohibited within the area.Swine vesicular disease is dealt with on similar lines, but in the present emergency controlled area restrictions were imposed on 20th January covering English counties south of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and Glamorgan and Monmouth. The restrictions include a prohibition on store markets for pigs.

asked the Minister of Agricuture, Fisheries and Food what information be has on trends in the human consumption of horse meat.

Human consumption of horse meat in the United Kingdom has been negligible for many years, and thereare no indications of any change.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what has been the percentage rise in the price of Danish bacon since 6th November 1972; and what further rise he anticipates in bacon prices as a result of the recent EEC agreement;(2) what increase he anticipates in wholesale and retail prices of British bacon as a result of the recent EEC agreement on phasing-out stabilisation payments.

Since 6th November 1972 the first-hand prices of Danish bacon have risen by 22·2 per cent. on average.As to the further matters raised 1 have nothing to add to the reply given to Questions from the hon. Members for Putney (Mr Hugh Jenkins) and Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton) on 15th February.— [Vol. 850, c. 1421–1422.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a supplementary grant for the scheme submitted by the Central Flintshire Water Board and Holywell Rural District Council for bringing water supplies to those properties in the parish of Nercwys, which do not at present have them.

An application for agricultural supplementary grant on this scheme was received on 9th February 1973. The necessary inquiries to determine eligibility for grant are in hand. We shall write to the water board as soon as our inquiries are completed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he can now state what consultations with United Kingdom National Farmers' Unions he intends to hold as part of a national review of agriculture before the EEC fixes farm prices for 1973.

The farmers' unions have already been consulted in the statutory annual review of the economic condition and prospects of the agricultural industry in the United Kingdom. Consultations are continuing.

	Notified in half-year ended
Acreage size group	March	September	March	September	March	September
	1970	1970	1971	1971	1972	1972
10–49	182	184	178	205	215	240
50–99	136	119	128	146	142	150
100–149	127	92	102	126	138	156
150–299	109	91	92	81	103	140
300 acres and over	86	54	53	44	111	174

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements have been agreed with the EEC for keeping the situation in the pig-meat and bacon market under review.

There is established machinery within the Community, including in particular the Pigmeat Management Committee, for keeping developments in the pigmeat sector under review. Directly, both my right hon. Friend and Department officials will continue to keep in the closest possible touch with representatives of producers, processors and overseas suppliers about the situation in the pigmeat sector.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now introduce legislation for the control of pesticides, as recommended in the First Report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) on 11th April last year.—[Vol. 834, c. 172.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the price of farm land in Carmarthenshire and Wales, respectively, for farms under 49 acres, 50–99 acres, 100–149 acres, 150–199 acres, 200–249 acres, and 250 acres and over, respectively, giving figures for March and September, 1970, 1971, 1972 and for the latest convenient date.

Information for Carmarthenshire, for the groups of acreage requested and for later than September 1972, is not available. The available information on the average prices per acre of all sales of agricultural land in Wales notified to the Inland Revenue is as follows:

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his talks with Lee Kwan Yew and Goh Keng Swee in relation to maintaining British troops in Singapore and Malaysia.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Defence had useful talks with the Singapore Government on a number of subjects. The Singapore Government welcomed his confirmation that Her Majesty's Government would maintain their present contribution to the ANZUK military presence in Singapore and Malaysia so long as these Governments wished the five-Power defence arrangements to continue.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the sale of 200 Harrier aircraft to China.

The Government are aware that the Chinese Government have made inquiries about the possible supply of Harrier aircraft. At the moment, the matter is one for discussion between the Chinese Government and Hawker Siddeley Aviation.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what provision is made by his Department for the assistance or rescue of mariners and others in distress at sea around Great Britain; and with which other authorities and Government Department such provisions are coordinated.

For its own purposes the Ministry of Defence provides search and rescue helicopters, operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force in support of the military flying programme over the sea; and a long-range maritime aircraft of the Royal Air Force is always on standby for incidents outside the range of the helicopters. These facilities, as well as any other suitable Service vessels and aircraft, are always made available for the assistance and rescue of mariners and others in distress at sea, subject only to overriding military requirements. My Department is in regular touch with the Department of Trade and Industry, which is responsible for the overall co-ordination of the provision of services of this type and which takes full account of the military resources in considering whether additional provision is required for civil purposes.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he intends to impose admission charges at the National Army Museum during any period of price restraint.

I have nothing to add to my hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member on 9th August last.—[Vol. 842, c. 479.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence how many research contracts his Department has with university departments at present; and how many were held in 1971 and 1972, respectively.

The Ministry of Defence has 607 current research contracts with universities. In 1971 there were 578, and in 1972 there were 540.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of classes in primary schools in Staffordshire has 40 or more pupils; and how this figure compares with the previous two years.

In January 1972, for classes of 41 or more, 3·1 per cent.; in January 1970 and January 1971, 12·0 per cent. and 6·8 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many and what proportion of classes in secondary schools in Cheshire have 30 or more pupils; and how this figure compares with each of the last five years.

Information for classes "as taught" with 31 or more pupils in them is as follows:

January					Per cent.
1969	…	…	…	618	23·1
1970	…	…	…	634	23·0
1971	…	…	…	685	24·2
1972	…	…	…	636	20·5

No comparable information is available for 1968 nor, yet, for January 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the average number of patients treated per full-time dental officer in the school dental service in 1971; and what the comparable figure was for the county of Staffordshire.

1,000 and 930 respectively; some allowance has been made in these figures for staffing fluctuations during the year and the work of dental auxiliaries is included.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the salary range for a teacher with a first class honours degree in each of the past 10 years.

For an assistant teacher in a maintained school—other than a special school or a school of exceptional difficulty—outside the London area the figures are:

From 1st April				£
1963	…	…	…	850–2,150
1965	…	…	…	950–2,330
1967	…	…	…	1,020–2,470
1969	…	…	…	1,090–2,622
1970	…	…	…	1,210–2,742
1971	…	…	…	1,359–3,005
1972	…	…	…	1,491–3,489

NOTES:1. The figures do not relate to deputy head teachers and head teachers. The 1972 maximum relates to the new grade of senior teacher.2. The maxima include, for 1963, increments for training; and up to 1970 inclusive the highest head of department allowance which was then consolidated into a new scale.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children between 7 and 11 years of age in the London Borough of Waltham Forest are getting free school milk on medical grounds.

Twenty-eight at the October 1972 census of milk and meals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if her Department is now collecting information about spending on books in polytechnics and other colleges of further education.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in view of the fact that most of the Leicestershire Education Authority's minor works allocation has to be spent on mobile classrooms, she will increase this allocation to help the authority cope more readily with the expanding school population.

Minor works allocations are related mainly to expected increases in authorities' school population. Leicestershire's allocation for the period 1972–74 was recently increased by £50,000, and is now 30 per cent. greater in real terms than in the two previous years. It is for authorities themselves to decide how to use their allocations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of primary schools in Leicestershire still using nineteenth century buildings; and what was the number five years ago.

In June 1971, the only date for which figures are available in the Department, there were 134 such schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will now announce the preliminary list for primary school improvements due to be undertaken in 1975–76.

I hope to do so before Easter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science who will be replacing the hon. Member for Willesden, West as a member of the Medical Research Council.

I am still considering this.

INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL HEARINGS 1972
Jurisdiction	Cases heard	Decided in applicant's favour	Still being processed
*Industrial Relations Act 1971	7,398	†	3,029
Redundancy Payments Act 1965		‡
Contracts of Employment Act 1973		‡
Selective Employment Payments Act 1966	71	45	24
Compensation Appeals. (Under various Acts relating, for example, to nationalisation or denationalisation of an industry or re-organisation of local authority areas)	12	5	475
Industrial Training Act 1964	87	23	15
Docks and Harbours Act 1966	4	2	Nil
* Separate statistics are not maintained by the tribunals in respect of each jurisdiction under these three Acts.
† Not yet available.
‡ Not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the average gross earnings for all manual workers in November 1970, 1971 and 1972.

The regular inquiry into the earnings and hours of manual workers in the United Kingdom is held in October each year. Set out below are details of average weekly earnings for full-time adult manual workers in the industries and services covered.

			Men 21 years and over	Women 18 years and over
			£	£
October
1970	…	…	28·05	13·99
1971	…	…	30·93	15·80
1972	…	…	35·82	18·30

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of cases, listed by subject matter, heard by industrial tribunals during 1972, with the outcome and the number of cases currently outstanding similarly listed.

The following information has been derived from the records of the Central Offices of Industrial Tribunals in England and Wales and in Scotland:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what new proposals his Department has published for assisting young persons leaving school at 18 years of age-plus to obtain suitable employment;(2) what new proposals his Department has published for assisting young persons leaving school at 16 years of age-plus to obtain suitable employment.

In "People and Jobs", published in December 1971, the Government stated their intention of giving local education authorities the power to provide a careers guidance and placing service for school leavers of any age. Provision will be made for this service in the Employment and Training Bill which my right hon. Friend hopes to bring before the House shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from interested parties about his plans to reorganise the youth employment service.

My right hon. Friend has received representations both personally and by letter from many interested individuals and organisations. He is taking these fully into account in coming to decisions on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he now expects to publish his final proposals for the reorganisation of the youth employment service.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon.

AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS FOR FULL-TIME ADULT MANUAL WORKERS
	Men 21 years and over October			Women 18 years and over October
	1970	1971	1972	1970	1971	1972
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Gas supply	28·02	31·37	35·40	12·94	14·20	17·10
Coal mining*	28·01	31·65	38·21	NA	NA	NA
Electricity supply	25·33	30·82	35·66	15·49	19·18	21·81
Railways†	29·31	31·65	NYA	17·76	20·66	NYA
Port and Inland Water Transport	36·28	37·79	43·67	18·03	13·77	16·19
NA=Not available.
NYA=Not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number of workers involved in the recorded closures of establishments in manufacturing industry in Barnet, Finchley, Enfield, Wood Green, Tottenham and Leyton in each of the last seven years.

Following is the information:

Year				Number of Workpeople involved
1966	…	…	…	1,250
1967	…	…	…	850
1968	…	…	…	1,170
1969	…	…	…	1,730
1970	…	…	…	2,030
1971	…	…	…	3,670
1972	…	…	…	1,800

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers of men and women employed in industry in the greater London area in each of the last 10 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the average gross earnings for manual workers in the gas, coal mining and electricity supply industries, the railways, and in the docks in November 1970, 1971 and 1972.

The nearest available information is in respect of October:

The following table shows the numbers of employees in employment in manufacturing industries in greater London. The most recent estimates available relate to June 1971.

		(thousands)
		Males	Females
June 1971	…	809·6	391·5
June 1970	…	822·0	415·5
June 1969—
(b)	…	857·1	441·6
(a)	…	852·7	439·2
June 1968	…	860·9	448·4
June 1967	…	898·8	463·2
June 1966—
(b)	…	939·9	496·9
(a)	…	929·3	494·7
June 1965	…	960·0	507·3
June 1964	…	987·9	518·6
June 1963	…	1,014·2	529·5
June 1962	…	1,031·4	543·2

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the growth of cleaning costs to Government Departments over the last five years; and what growth there has been of sub-contracting of office cleaning.

I have been asked to reply.The sum of the provisions made in Estimates 1969–70 for the cleaning of Government Departments by contract and for the salaries only—that is, excluding overheads—of cleaners directly employed to clean Government offices was some £6·2 million. This is expected to rise to some £8·8 million in the 1973–74 Estimates, subject to Parliament's

					Great Britain	Scotland	Column (2) as percentage of Column (1)
Manufacturing units employing					(1)	(2)
11–24 employees	…	…	…	…	23,581	1,817	7·7
25–99 employees	…	…	…	…	19,566	1,598	8·2
100–499 employees	…	…	…	…	10,834	922	8·5
500–999 employees	…	…	…	…	1,654	145	8·8
1,000–1,999 employees	…	…	…	…	755	73	9·7
2,000 or more employees	…	…	…	…	422	42	10·0
The number of manufacturing units—that is, separate factories—are those recorded on the Business Statistics Office's Register at November 1972.
The figures of employment are those reported in the Census of Production for 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the regulations applying to the parking of touring coaches; and if he will investigate the possibility of setting up compulsory central car parks in order that these vehicles should not block many minor roads and narrow streets often for up to 12 hours.

The parking of touring coaches is a matter for local authorities, which have powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967 to regulate the parking of any class of traffic and to provide off-street parks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land within the local authority areas covered by the Macclesfield constituency were restored in each of the past two years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing, at the latest available date, the number of manufacturing establishments with 11 to 24 employees, 25 to 99 employees, 100 to 499 employees, 500 to 999 employees, 1,000 to 1,999 employees, and 2,000 or more employees, in Scotland and Great Britain; and if he will show Scotland's percentage share in each category.

I have been asked to reply.The information is as follows:

No derelict land has been restored in the Macclesfield constituency in the past two years. The local authorities' returns showing the amount of derelict land in their areas indicate that there is no problem there.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress was made in the Northern Economic Planning Region in 1972 in reclaiming derelict land; and what further work of this nature in the region he anticipates this year.

1,800 acres—an increase of 20 per cent. over 1971—were reclaimed in 1972, with the aid of grant at an estimated gross cost of £2·9 million. Work was in progress on 1st January 1973 on 839 acres. Forty-five schemes covering 1,317 acres have also been approved, and work will start on most of them during 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land were restored in Leek, Biddulph, Kidsgrove and Cheadle in each of the past two years.

None in 1971. Work on two sites totalling 23 acres was completed in 1972; reclamation work on a further 52 acres was approved in 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of planning appeals outstanding relating to the county of Cheshire at the most recent convenient date; and how many of these appeals relate to the local authority areas covered by the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency.

334 and 33 respectively, as at 15th February 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the reason for the delay in setting up the Advisory Committee on Rent Rebates and Allowances; and if he will make a statement.

There is no delay. My right hon. and learned Friend is anxious to obtain a widely representative and knowledgeable committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many, and what percentage of, motorway accidents involving personal injuries were caused through burst tyres in each of the months in the last 10 years for which record are available.

Address	Purchase price	District Valuer's valuation	Date of Exchange of Contracts
Lancaster House, Vine Street, Salford, Lanes.	£28,000	£28,000	Letters of offer and acceptance exchanged with Manchester Corporation in December 1972.
Kirklevington Hall, Yarm, Co. Durham (nr. Teesside).	£60,000	Not applicable	Transfer from Ministry of Defence on 28th July 1972.
Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, Nr. Preston, Lanes.	£100,000	£40,000	17th November 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Inland Revenue's code of approval for new local government superannuation schemes can be interpreted or modified to allow a

Information is not available in the form requested, but research carried out by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, covering the years 1968 to 1970, indicates that about one in six of all personal injury accidents on motorways is preceded by tyre failure in one of the vehicles involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had with interested parties about the proposal to introduce concessionary fares on public transport for young people under the age of 16 years.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now able to announce his decision about the controls required on vehicle exhaust pollutants.

I have already announced controls on smoke, lead, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions from vehicles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will specify the properties which have been purchased by his Department for use as judges' lodgings within the past 12 months with the prices paid or agreed to be paid for each such property and specifying the amount at which each such property was valued by the district valuer.

Details are as follows:local government worker to continue paying contributions based on his former rate of pay; and if he will make a statement.

I am considering the point on the code which the hon. Member put to me in a recent letter. But payment at the employee's former rate of contributions is not essential in order to maintain the level of benefits appropriate to the former level of pay. The scheme permits benefits to be related in these circumstances to former pay levels, on the basis agreed between employers and employees, while contributions continue to be on remuneration actually received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to make it obligatory for map-makers to indicate the last date of the Ordnance Survey on which maps are based and the corrections applicable to each map as applies to navigational charts.

Ordnance Survey maps already carry information on dates of survey and revision, and most are revised at intervals to incoporate corrections. My right hon. and learned Friend has no power to impose the obligations which my right hon. Friend suggests on other map publishers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report of the joint planning team on a strategic plan for the North-West.

The joint planning team expects to submit a report to me, the local planning authorities and the North-West Economic Planning Council at the end of July 1973. Publication can be expected by December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is his intention to discuss with the local authorities concerned the possibilities of extending the activities of the strategic plan for the North-West joint planning team for a further period beyond the original 10-year programme.

I shall be inviting the views of authorities on the continuation of the team's work beyond the report due in July 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is in a position to make a statement on the organisation and operation of the Ordnance Survey.

The Government have recently completed a review of the operation of the Ordnance Survey, the products, services and professional standards of which are justifiably held in worldwide esteem. Government decisions now taken as a result of the review imply no criticism of the Ordnance Survey but are aimed at providing a better base than hitherto for fulfilling its national role and meeting its customers' needs with increased effectiveness and efficiency.The Ordnance Survey will continue to function as the central survey and mapping organisation in the public sector with the following aims: