asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive a report from chief constables about procedures regarding the arming of the police.

I have received these reports and am writing to the hon. Member.While there has been no change in the policy and procedures controlling the issue of firearms to police officers, there has been a substantial increase over the last three years in the number of occasions on which firearms have been issued. I intend to keep this situation under close review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to chief constables about picketing in industrial disputes.

I have drawn the attention of chief officers of police to the provisions of the law on picketing and I have discussed with them means of preventing violence and intimidation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a statement on his review of the law of picketing.

I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this matter but hope to be able to do so shortly. Meanwhile I took the opportunity of a recent speech to explain the limits to the protection given by the law to those who engage in picketing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider initiating a review of the working of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 up to the present date; and if he will make a statement.

Together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend is keeping the working of this Act under review. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services has, in particular, arranged for a follow-up of the review of certain aspects of the working of the Act which his Department carried out in 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an inquiry into crowd behaviour at football matches.

This was the subject of a full inquiry in 1969 by Sir John Lang, whose report called for action mainly by the clubs. So far as the police were concerned, appropriate guidance was issued by the Home Office, and Lord Wheatley took the report into account in his more recent inquiry into crowd safety. In these circumstances my right hon. Friend sees no further for a further inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken by the Metropolitan Police to provide suitable rooms and equipment at Scotland Yard and in their other main police stations to enable recordings to be taken of interviews both for the advantage of police administration and for the questioning of witnesses and suspected persons; and what are the proposals for improving the system.

None, Sir. But the tape recordings of police questioning is one of the possibilities that my right hon. Friend is considering in connection with the recommendations in the Criminal Law Revision Committee's report on evidence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any further proposals aimed at promoting racial harmony; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have substantially increased their grants-in-aid to the Community Relations Commission and the Race Relations Board. My right hon. Friend has recently asked the commission to inquire into adolescent unemployment and homelessness among ethnic minorities. The Home Office is financing, jointly with the Gulbenkian Foundation, a survey by Political and Economic Planning of racial disadvantage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many references he has made to the Community Relations Commission since 1st January 1972; and if he will make a statement.

Under Section 25(3)(b) of the Race Relations Act 1968 my right hon. Friend referred the subject of adolescent unemployment and homelessness among ethnic minorities to the commission in November 1972. He hopes to refer further matters in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with progress to date with the urban aid programme.

Over 2,600 projects have so far been approved in England and Wales in 196 different local authority areas. I welcome the rising scale of the programme and the growing local support for this valuable form of special aid to areas with acute social problems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reach a conclusion on the proposals of the Departmental Committee on the Adoption of Children.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can now say when he expects to be able to announce decisions on the report of the Departmental Committee on the Adoption of Children.

My right hon. Friend cannot yet make a forecast. A number of bodies whose views the Government will wish to take into account are still considering the committee's proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Shops Act 1950 so as to allow local authorities to prescribe closing hours for shops providing cooked food for consumption off the premises.

My right hon. Friend can see no early prospect of introducing such legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Home Office circular ES 1/1972 makes no provision for the training of life-saving personnel as a precaution for wartime emergencies.

As training in first-aid and similar life-saving activities forms part of our peacetime services, a special civil defence training for wartime emergencies is not necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to ensure that emergency plans of other essential services, especially those provided by Government Departments, hospitals, nationalised industries and public utility undertakings, are kept up to date and co-ordinated with local authority plans for dealing with wartime emergencies.

It is the responsibility of the authority providing the service to keep its plans up to date. Co-ordination of local plans lies with the county emergency planning team and senior representatives of the essential industry or undertaking. As was stated in paragraph 14 of Home Office circular No. ES 1/ 1972, work is in progress on issuing extensive guidance on the operational assumptions against which authorities should prepare their own war plans.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in order to counter terrorism, subversion and illegal immigration, he has studied the identity card system of other member States of the European Economic Community; and whether he will take steps to introduce identity cards for the United Kingdom.

The requirement to carry and produce an identity card exists in only four of the member States of the EEC, and my right hon. Friend is not at present convinced that the introduction of this system, to which many people would take strong exception, would be a significant help in dealing with the matters mentioned by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that, notwithstanding the Government's appeal to the Ugandan Asians not to go to "Red" areas, by 24th January 1973, 1,002 refugees had said they were going to Barnet, 2,003 to Brent, 1,017 to Ealing, 1,001 to Harrow, 700 to Newham, 349 to Haringey and 2,202 to Leicester; and what special aid has been or is to be given to these areas to assist in coping with the various problems which this influx of immigrants has caused and is causing in the areas stated.

I am familiar with the figures quoted by the hon. Member. Local authorities that incur expenditure in connection with resettlement of the refugees from Uganda may apply for grants from the Uganda Resettlement Board. Details were given in a letter sent by the board to all local authorities on 1st November 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the research being undertaken by his Department into the inter-relationship of lead poisoning, its damage to the brain and consequential behavioural disorders which may be related to criminal behaviour.

Examination of the medical effects of lead ingestion, including possible behavioural effects, is primarily a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services. I understand that a committee under the chairmanship of his chief medical officer is considering the physical effects of lead in the environment, including the possible mental effects of lead poisoning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will abolish the A and B scales for probation officers and revert to a single pay scale.

Both sides of the joint negotiating committee for the probation service were parties to the committee's recommendation in favour of these scales and any revision of the present salary structure would be a matter for consideration by that committee in the first instance. Any further recommendations by the committee would fall to be considered in the context of the Government's programme for controlling inflation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why only 78 per cent. of main grade probation officers with five years' service have been selected for B scale in inner London, when the proportion over the rest of England and Wales is 86 per cent.

Under the salary settlement reached by the joint negotiating committee for the probation service last year it was for each probation and aftercare committee to decide, in the light of the criteria and procedure for selection agreed by the joint negotiating committee, which of its officers should be selected for advancement to scale B with effect from 1st July 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what opportunities will be provided for those willing to offer voluntary services in the preparations being made for dealing with emergencies in peace and war.

There are ample opportunities for people wishing to serve in a wide variety of voluntary organisations and societies. These were described in paragraph 33 of our home defence circular ES 1/1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list, by reference to the electoral register of February 1973, of the 20 constituencies in England, with, respectively, the highest and lowest electorates, specifying same, and the number and per cent. by which each exceeds, or falls short of, as the case may be, the prescribed electoral quota of 64,000.

I regret that this information is not yet available. I shall write to my right hon. and learned Friend as soon as it is.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons from the new Commonwealth who entered Great Britain as visitors or students were given leave during 1972 to remain here for settlement.

5,443 citizens of new Cornmon wealth countries who had been admitted as visitors or students were accepted for settlement in 1972.The chief categories consisted of:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons from the new Commonwealth entered Great Britain for permanent settlement in December 1972; how many entered in that month under the special scheme for East African Asiatics, and how many under the special Ugandan arrangements; and, if there is any overlap between these categories, what is the total number of those who so entered.

2,160 people from new Commonwealth countries were admitted for settlement in December 1972, together with 224 United Kingdom passport holders and dependants from Uganda and 800 United Kingdom passport holders and dependants from other East African territories and India; that is, a total of 3,184 people in these three categories.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to ban the practice of giving live animals as prizes for competitions.

I am not persuaded that this is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether prisoners, who have been treated as political prisoners in Northern Ireland, will be asked to sew mail bags as well as losing other privileges on being transferred to a prison in Great Britain.

Prisoners are transferred from Northern Ireland to serve their sentence in England and Wales only at their own request and are then treated on the same footing as any other prisoner sentenced here.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now take the necessary action to change the names of Her Majesty's prisons to State penitentiaries or houses of correction.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the provisions of the immigration rules regarding grand patriality are intended to extend to descendants of citizens of the Irish Republic who were British nationals before 1920.

For the purpose of the provisions of the immigration rules relating to Commonwealth citizens who have a grandparent born in the United Kingdom, birth anywhere in Great Britain or Ireland before 31st March 1922 will be regarded as birth in the United Kingdom. This is in accordance with the provision made in regard to patriality by Section 2(3)(c) of the Immigration Act 1971. But to benefit from these provisions of the immigration rules the descendant must himself be a citizen of another Commonwealth country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been made to him regarding the import of replica firearms; and what replies he has sent.

I have received a number of representations from hon. Members and others suggesting that the sale or import of realistic replica firearms should be banned, and I have replied that this issue is being considered in connection with the current review of the whole of the law relating to firearms. I would also refer my hon. Friend to my answer today to a Question by the hon. Member for Bradford, East (Mr. Edward Lyons).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a further statement about the incident which led to the death of two Pakistanis at the Indian High Commission on Tuesday 20th February 1973.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Walthamstow, West (Mr. Deakins) on 27th February.—[Vol. 851, c. 347.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now announce his decisions in respect of the warding arrangements for the first elections to the district councils in North Yorkshire and Humberside.

My right lion. Friend expects to be able to do so later this month.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the system for collection of capital gains tax as it applies to profits from the speculative buying of new houses for immediate resale; and if he will make a statement.

Such profits are liable to income tax, not to capital gains tax, and I have no reason to think that they are not being duly assessed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many British subjects holding United Kingdom passports are now working overseas; what is his assessment of the income that they are earning; and how much of this is remitted directly or indirectly to the United Kingdom to assist the balance of payments situation.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention that art and antique dealers who operate the special VAT scheme contained in Customs and Excise Notice No. 712 can include in the special scheme goods which they own jointly with one or more of the following: (1) registered dealers operating the special scheme, (2) registered dealers operating the standard scheme, (3) nontaxable persons and (4) overseas residents, whether registered or not.

The joint owners will have to decide for any given transaction whether to exercise the option to use the special scheme or not.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individual members of the fine art and antique trade as distinct from representatives of trade organizations have sought interviews with him before 1st January 1973 to discuss the VAT special scheme; and how many such interviews he has granted.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and other Treasury Ministers have received a number of deputations from the art and antique trade. No individuals have been seen separately. Customs and Excise has also had discussions with members of the trade. No analysis of the number of requests for individual interviews has been made.

TAKE-HOME PAY AFTER DEDUCTING NATIONAL INSURANCE AND INCOME TAX
Average male manual earnings
	June 1970		January 1973		Percentage increase in take-home pay June 1970-January 1973
	Average earnings	Take-home pay	Average earnings	Take-home pay
Single man	27·07	19·35	36·09	26·46	36·7
Married couple with two children under 11	27·07	22·56	36·09	30·12	33·5
Note: Figures for average earnings of full-time male manual workers in industry are only published annually with reference to October. Figures for June 1970 and January 1973 are estimated by adjusting the October 1969 and October 1972 figures respectively in accordance with movements in the monthly index of average earnings.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the estimated take-home pay of a full-time male manual worker on average earnings, assuming standard PAYE and other deductions, in October 1970, 1971 and

TAKE-HOME PAY AFTER DEDUCTING NATIONAL INSURANCE AND INCOME TAX AVERAGE MALE MANUAL EARNINGS
	October 1970		October 1971		October 1972		Percentage increase in take-home pay
	Average earnings	Take-home pay	Average earnings	Take-home pay	Average earnings	Take-home pay	1970–71	1971–72
Single man	28·05	19·98	30·93	22·18	35·82	26·32	11·0	18·7
Married couple with two children under 11	28·05	23·20	30·93	25·85	35·82	29·99	11·4	13·9

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the estimated take-home pay, assuming standard PAYE and other deductions, of an unmarried male manual worker, with no

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the estimated average take-home pay of a full-time male manual worker on average earnings, assuming standard PAYE and other deductions, in June 1970 and at the latest available date; and what was the percentage increase between the two dates assuming that the man was (i) single, with no dependants, and (ii) married, with two children of school age under 11 years old.

The information is as follows:1972, giving the percentage increase from year to year, if he was (i) single, with no dependants, and (ii) married, with two children of school age under 11 years old.

The information is as follows:dependants, in the gas, coal mining and electricity supply industries, the railways and in the docks in October 1970, 1971 and 1972; and what was the percentage increase from year to year.

The information is as follows:

TAKE-HOME PAY AFTER DEDUCTING NATIONAL INSURANCE AND INCOME TAX UNMARRIED MALE MANUAL WORKER ON AVERAGE EARNINGS
	October 1970		October 1971		October 1972		Percentage increase in take-home pay
	Earnings	Take-home pay	Earnings	Take-home pay	Earnings	Take-home pay	1970–71	1971–72
Gas supply	28·02	19·96	31·37	22·45	35·40	26·02	12·5	15·9
Coal mining*	28·01	19·96	31·65	22·65	38·21	27·85	13·5	230
Electricity supply	25·33	18·24	30·82	22·11	35·36	26·21	21·2	18·5
Railways†	29·31	20·81	31·65	22·65	NYA	—	8·8	—
Port and inland water transport	36·28	25·52	37·79	26·67	43·67	31·42	4·5	17·8
*Including payments for holidays and rest days, but excluding the value of allowances in kind.
† All wages staff.
NYA=Not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the estimated take-home pay, assuming standard PAYE and other declarations, of a married man with two children of school age under 11 years, in the gas, coal mining and electricity supply industries,

TAKE-HOME PAY AFTER DEDUCTING NATIONAL INSURANCE AND INCOME TAX UNMARRIED MALE MANUAL WORKER ON AVERAGE EARNINGS
	October 1970		October 1971		October 1972		Percentage increase in take-home pay
	Earnings	Take-home pay	Earnings	Take-home pay	Earnings	Take-home pay	1970–71	1971–72
Gas supply	28·02	19·96	31·37	22·45	35·40	26·02	12·5	15·9
Coal mining*	28·01	19·96	31·65	22·65	38·21	27·85	13·5	230
Electricity supply	25·33	18·24	30·82	22·11	35·36	26·21	21·2	18·5
Railways†	29·31	20·81	31·65	22·65	NYA	—	8·8	—
Port and inland water transport	36·28	25·52	37·79	26·67	43·67	31·42	4·5	17·8
* Including payments for holidays and rest days, but excluding the value of allowances in kind.
† All wages staff.
NYA=Not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the loss in revenue if charities were to be zero-rated, assuming the rate of value added tax to be 10 per cent., 7½ per cent., and 5 per cent., respectively.

This information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many registrations for VAT had been made by 26th February under classification No. 8798 as specified in Her Majesty's Customs and Excise VAT trade classification notice No. 41;(2) how many registrations for VAT had been made by 26th February under classification No. 8821 as specified in Her Majesty's Customs and Excise VAT trade classification notice No. 41.

The information is as follows:

The latest date for which figures are available is 21st February when they were 2,400 for trade code 8798—artists, sculptors, designers, authors, freelance journalists, composers—and 227 for trade code 8821—dance halls and dancing schools.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will initiate a scheme whereby a value added tax credit is allowable in relation to a bad debt on which value added tax has already been paid on a solicitor's account, as otherwise the solicitor will be paying value added tax on a bad debt.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bear in mind the position of the organisation War on Want and the adverse effect on it of the imposition of VAT, in view of its record of international aid to the needy, in preparing his Budget Statement.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt chiropractitioners who treat privately persons with spinal complaints from VAT; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many male manual and non-manual employees were in the public and private sectors, respectively, at any convenient dates in 1956, 1963, 1967 and 1971;(2) how many female manual and non-manual employees were in the public and private sectors, respectively, at any convenient dates in 1956, 1963, 1967 and 1971.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make it a condition of aid from public funds to British shipowners that a part of their repair work goes to ship repairers in Great Britain, provided the price is competitive.

The only aid at present being paid from public funds to British shipowners consists of grants payable under the Industrial Development Act 1966. Such a condition was not applied during the qualifying period, but the study of the ship repair industry which my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industrial Development has just commissioned will be looking at the factors which influence the attitude of shipowners to repairing in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether gaseous discharges from nuclear plants into the atmosphere or the discharge of low activity wastes into watercourses cause any injury to humans either through isolated emissions or cumulatively over a period of years.

No member of the public in this country has suffered injury as the result of gaseous discharges into the atmosphere or the discharge of low activity wastes into watercourses. The authorised disposal of nuclear wastes by such means is of course strictly controlled under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 in accordance with the principles set out in the White Paper "The Control of Radioactive Wastes". Cmnd. 884.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, though gaseous discharges from nuclear plants into the atmopshere may be subject to dilution, whether there is any danger to humans within a distance of under one mile from nuclear facilities.

Any health hazard to human beings from gaseous discharges from nuclear plants must be assessed having regard to the type and quantity of the discharge. The greater the distance from the point of discharge the greater the dilution. Accordingly special attention is always paid to the siting of a nuclear installation and to existing and future development in the immediate vicinity.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action is being taken to prevent damage from accidental emissions from nuclear facilities; and on how many occasions these have occurred in the post-war era.

All operators of nuclear installations are under a statutory obligation to secure that no injury to persons or damage to property arises or results from the radioactive properties of nuclear matter at the installation or from the emission of ionising radiations from the installation.In the case of sites licensed under the Nuclear Installation Acts, the Secretary of State has a duty to impose such conditions on the licensee as appear to him necessary or desirable in the interests of safety both in normal circumstances or in the event of any accident or emergency on the site. By this means the Department of Trade and Industry maintains close control over the design, construction and operation of the plant, as well as an efficient system for detecting and recording the presence of ionising radiations emitted from anything on the site or from anything discharged on or from the site.Although Government Departments and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority do not need a licence under the Act, similar steps are taken and controls exercised in the interests of safety. Since 1960 licensees of nuclear sites have been required to report any occurrence involving the emission of ionising radiations or the release of radioactive or toxic substances in such circumstances as to cause or be likely to cause the death of or serious injury to the health of persons on or outside the site at the time of the occurrence. No such occurrences have been confirmed. Minor releases are known to have taken place from time to time but apart from the incident at Windscale in 1957 there has been no significant emission of radioactivity.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in so far as he has agreed to some 48 trade association federations, their membership and firms increasing their prices by amounts ranging from 3 per cent. of increased raw material and wage price increases up to 70 per cent. thereof, to what extent he estimates these increased prices have raised the cost of living during this period.

It would mislead the House to ascribe any movement in the cost of living to the agreements listed in my reply to the hon. Member on 22nd February.—[Vol. 851, c. 163–4.] Those agreements may by now be partly reflected in the wholesale price index for manufactured goods—excluding food, drink and tobacco—which increased between November and January by only 0·2 per cent., from 149·0 to 149.3. I would expect the final effect on the retail price index to be very small.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the reason for the recent gas explosion in a kiosk in Botley; whether any people were injured; and whether an inquiry is to take place.

I am informed that very shortly before the incident a gas service pipe was damaged in the course of work on sewer reconstruction, and escaping gas passed through a post office duct into a telephone kiosk nearby. Two people using the kiosk suffered burns as a result of a slight explosion which apparently occurred when one of them lit a cigarette. I see no reason for an inquiry to take place.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement about the purchase of additional Boeing 747 aircraft by the British Airways group.

BOAC expects to take delivery of its thirteenth Boeing 747 aircraft in the early summer of this year. Approval has also been given for it to purchase two more of these aircraft for delivery towards the end of this year. These three aircraft, including spares, will cost about £34½ million and will bring BOAC's fleet of B747s up to 15.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the rate of interest relief grant now available under Section 7 of the Industry Act.

The normal rate of interest relief grant is 3 per cent. for up to four years. However, a higher rate of grant is now available in respect of projects where it would be appropriate to allow an initial interest-free period if the applicant were to apply for a Section 7 loan. In these cases the interest relief grant may be at the rate of up to 10 per cent. per annum of the notional loan from public funds for up to two years, and then at the rate of 3 per cent. for up to four further years.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will hold discussions with the Confederation of British Industry with regard to encouraging British firms to use Esperanto to increase sections of the export market.

No. I am not aware that there is any appreciable demand from industry for this kind of facility.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received a report from the Metra Consulting Group of its study of the movement of passengers and baggage through Heathrow Airport, which he announced in the House on 3rd August 1972; and if he will make a statement.

I have just received the report from the Metra Group which I shall study with interest. I intend pursuing with the British Airports Authority and the British Airways Board as soon as possible the feasibility of adopting the recommendations suggested in the report.

Name	Appointment	Date of appointment and salary at appointment	Duration of appointment
A. Currall, C.B., C.M.G., formerly, Director Dept. of National Savings.	Member, Post Office.	1st August 1972, salary in the range £12,000-£17,000.	Expires 31st July 1977
F. J. Doggett, C.B., formerly Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Technology.	Deputy Chairman, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.	1st July 1971, £13,500 p.a.	Expires 30th June 1974.
R. R. Goodison, C. B., former Deputy Secretary, DTI.	Deputy Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority.	1st April 1972, £11,500 p.a.	Expires 21st December 1976.
F. J. M. Laver*, formerly G.P.O.	Member, Post Office.	1st October 1969, salary in the range £7,700-£10,450 p.a.	Expires 30th September 1973.
J. H. Lawrie*, formerly Chairman Air Transport Licensing Board.	Member, Civil Aviation Authority.	22nd December 1971, salary in the range £7,501-£12,500 p.a.	Expires 21st December 1973.
Prof. J. H. H. Merriman*, C.B., O.B.E., formerly G.P.O.	Member, Post Office.	1st October 1969, salary in the range £7,700-£10,450 p.a.	Expires 30th September 1973.
A. H. Norris, formerly, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Power.	Chairman, North Eastern Area Electricity Board.	20th February 1969, salary in the range £7,700-£10,450 p.a.	Expires 19th February 1974.
A. W. C. Ryland, C.B.* formerly G.P.O.	Deputy Chairman, Post Office (subsequently Chairman on 22nd April 1971 at £20,000 p.a.	25th July 1969, £12,000 p.a.	Appointment as Chairman expires 24th July 1974.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will investigate the effect on the administration of the Civil Service of the practice of senior civil servants on retirement in taking part-time or full-time appointments outside the Civil Service at higher rates of salary, thus increasing their entitlement to pension.

No. There are rules about outside business appointments taken up by senior civil servants on resignation or retirement.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the names and positions of civil servants who have been appointed to boards of nationalised industries in the past five years, giving details of the boards and remuneration.

The table below provides the information requested about people who were previously civil servants.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if the unsigned message handed to employees of the employment exchange in Harlesden, a copy of which has been sent to him by the hon. Member for Willesden, West, had the approval of Her Majesty's Government; if the second paragraph means that after 1st April not only phase 1 but phase 2 of the freeze will end in respect of civil servants; what is the amount of the worthwhile pay increases which the document offers; and if he will make a statement.

The message referred to had the approval of the Government. The second paragraph means that civil servants will be eligible from

		1st July 1970 Staff in post*	1970–71 Estimates including Supple mentary Estimates Wage/Salary provision £m.	1st January 1973 Staff in post†	1972–73 Estimates including Supplementary Estimates Wage/Salary provision £m.
Non-industrials:
established	…	361,980	748	504,141	945
unestablished	…	133,985
Industrials:
established	…	75,040	189	188,515	226
unestablished	…	130,785
Total	…	701,790	937	692,656	1,171
NOTES:
*No separate figures for established and unestablished staff are available for 1st June 1970.
† Following the introduction of the new Civil Service superannuation arrangements in June 1972 under which unestablished staff became pensionable, the distinction between established and unestablished was significantly changed and the numbers of unestablished staff greatly reduced. Statistics showing the new distinction are not collected.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as full and detailed statements as may be available, giving the total numbers of, respectively, established and non-established civil servants, both industrial and non-industrial, and the total wage and salary bill as on 1st June 1970 and at the latest most convenient stated date.

The available information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communication he has had with the Danish Government relating to a recent incident involving British trawlers fishing off Faröe; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation he has made to the Danish authorities regarding the incident in which two Aberdeen trawlers were ordered by a Danish gunboat on Saturday to cease fishing outside the 12-mile limit off the Faroe Islands and to move to an area 16 miles off the coast.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communication he has had from the Danish Government regarding the extension of fishing limits from 12 miles to 16 miles in Faröese waters; and if he will make a statement.

It seems that this incident relates to certain areas around the Faroes in which line and fixed fishing gear were being used. The Danish Government have promised to provide further information; but, in the meantime, they have made it clear that the action of the Danish fishery protection boats in no way represents an attempt to extend Faröese fishing limits.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether agreement has been reached with the Government of Eire as to the amount of compensation to be paid for the burning of the British Embassy in Dublin; what is the amount agreed; and when it will be paid.

The Irish Government, with the agreement of the lessors of the embassy building at 39 Merrion Square, will, at their own expense, restore the property to its original condition. The question of financial compensation does not therefore arise except with regard to damaged contents of the embassy and vehicles. A claim covering the latter will be submitted to the Irish Government shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the international conference on Vietnam in Paris.

Discussions and negotiations are still in progress in Paris. My right hon. Friend will inform the House of the outcome of the conference when it is appropriate to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will indicate in which other cities it is proposed to stage an overseas aid and development exhibition which opened in Birmingham on 19th February; and what further plans he has for publicising Great Britain's overseas aid programme.

The exhibition will be at Wythenshawe, Manchester, next week and London, Waterloo, from 22nd to 29th April. It will later go to Liverpool and Nottingham. Other sites are being sought for showing after that. This exhibition was prepared following a suggestion made by the last Select Committee on Overseas Aid.Further plans include a film, which I hope will be available later this year; new pamphlets and other information materials, especially for use in schools and teacher training colleges; continuing support for the United Nations Second Development Decade Standing Conference—in which more than 70 national organisations have joined—and support for other voluntary groups, notably for a conference to be held in Oxford in September on Europe and the Third World.My Department will continue its regular publications, which include the newspaper, fact sheets, and Press releases, and we shall go on trying to give informative answers to the large number of letters we receive.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of the fact that rights to explore for and exploit minerals on the Continental Shelf vest in the Crown by virtue of Section 1 of the Continental Shelf Act 1964, what is the position and ownership of oil and natural gas in place on the shelf.

I have been asked to reply.Ownership of oil and natural gas existing in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf is vested in the Crown.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ban the importation of all nitrite-treated cured bacon which can cause cancers by means of the consumption of dimethyl-nitrosamine and nitrosopyrrolidine.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 6th February to the hon. Member for Wood Green (Mrs. Joyce Butler).—[Vol. 850, c. 71.] Ministers are advised on these questions by committees of independent medical and scientific experts who have not considered it necessary to recommend controls, other than those currently in force in this country.The use of nitrite is necessary for the preservation and safety of certain foods. The products, whether home produced or imported, in which nitrites are a permitted preservative and the limits on the quantities which may be used are controlled in this country by the Preservatives in Food Regulations 1962 as amended by the Preservatives in Food (Amendment) Regulations 1971.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will define the phrase "food supplies moving into consumption" used in the title of his Department's tables of consumption.

The tables are based on an assessment of the total supplies of food moving into consumption from all sources in a given period. Deductions are then made from this total figure for exports, waste and uses other than human consumption. The resulting supplies moving into human consumption are divided by the population to give average consumption per head. The figures are all national averages, and are the only available figures for total consumption by the population as a whole. They provide the only means of comparing the overall food position in different periods. Further details of the methodology of these statistics were published in the Board of Trade Journal, 8th March 1968, Vol. 194, No. 3703, page 753.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the figures for consumption of carcase meat in the United Kingdom given in his Department's tables "food supplies moving into consumption" includes meat used for pet foods and meat and offal unfit for human consumption used in the preparation of animal feeding stuffs; and what proportion of the figure relates to "eating out" other than in canteens and other institutions.

The tables exclude meat used for pet foods and meat and offal unfit for human consumption used in the preparation of animal feeding stuffs.The estimates are designed to measure total consumption of carcase meat for human consumption in whatever form it is finally purchased but they do not distinguish the proportion consumed outside the home. It is estimated that about 15 per cent. of carcase meat goes to hotels, restaurants, canteens and other catering institutions but no more detailed breakdown is available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider, in future outbreaks of foot-and-mouth or swine vesicular disease, imposing a ban on the holding of major store markets outside the infected area until all movements of animals out of the area have been traced.

Immediately foot-and-mouth disease or swine vesicular disease is confirmed the Ministry imposes an infected area and all movements of contact animals are traced and restrictions imposed on their further movement. Movement of animals out of an infected area is prohibited. If infected or contact animals have been moved through a recent market, a controlled area may be imposed over a wider area if this will facilitate the tracing of contact animals. Store markets are prohibited in a controlled area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the average real earnings of agricultural workers in Northern Ireland, England and Wales and Scotland at the latest convenient date.

The latest available figures of the total average earnings of hired regular whole-time adult male workers are as follows for the year ending 30th September 1972:

	Earnings (a) £ per week
Northern Ireland (provisional)	17·04
England and Wales	22·61
Scotland	22·39
(a) Earnings are all cash earnings plus the value of payments-in-kind valued in accordance with wages board orders. Cash earnings in all countries include overtime, pay for statutory holidays and other payments over the statutory minimum.

asked the Minister of State for Defence how many collisions there have been involving Royal Navy vessels in each of the past six months; what is the estimated cost of repairing the damage; what is the impact on training, operational and development programmes; whether he will undertake a study into the causes with special respect to equipment at present in use in the Navy; and whether he will make a statement.

The number of collisions involving Royal Navy vessels in each of the past six months is as follows:

September 1972	…	…	Nil
October 1972	…	…	2
November 1972	…	…	1
December 1972	…	…	Nil
January 1973	…	…	3
February 1973	…	…	2

This list includes all collisions involving HM Ships and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries during the period in question and in the great majority of cases any damage caused was very minor.The estimated cost of repairs is not yet available in respect of all the incidents but the total cost is unlikely to exceed £25,000.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what consultations he has held and on what dates with the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, concerning the proposal of the Home Office to build a prison for Category C prisoners at Arnhem Camp, Watchfield.

Consultations with the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham are an internal matter for the Ministry of Defence but the implications of the proposal for the college are being fully taken into account.

asked the Attorney-General how many times the husband has consented to a divorce under Section 2(1)(d) of the Divorce Reform Act 1969, on condition that he should not pay any costs; in how many of those cases has the burden been borne by legal aid; and whether, in future matrimonial legislation, he will propose to reverse the decision of the High Court in Beales versus Beales.

This information is not available. It is not at present proposed to introduce legislation on the decision in Beales v. Beales.

asked the Attorney-General how the Court of Protection disposes of the personal effects of patients in mental hospitals when their houses are sold, when there are no relatives.

They are sold or stored, the choice mainly depending upon the prospects of a patient wanting them again and upon his ability to afford the cost of storage.

asked the Attorney-General whether consideration is given by the Court of Protection to the leasing of the houses of patients in mental hospitals to a hospital or a local authority until the patients die, thus keeping open the possibility of their being cured or being released to reside in their properties under the care of competent and qualified persons.

When the house is not required for occupation by the patient's relatives and an immediate sale is not desired, a furnished letting is normally preferable to any kind of leasing transaction.

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

835 and 1,050 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 is the average number of pupils in primary school classes in England and Wales; and how this figure compares with the figure for autumn 1970.

The figures for maintained schools, for January, are

1970	…	…	…	…	32·5
1971	…	…	…	…	31·8
1972	…	…	…	…	31·3

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what restrictions he has arranged on polyurethane furnishings and other materials in hospitals in view of the fire hazard.

My Department has arranged for no restriction on the use of polyurethane in furnishings. Advice has been issued to hospital authorities on the materials to be used in construction for internal linings and finishes; and on textiles used for clothing, bedding and furnishings. Research to quantify and if possible to reduce the flammability risks on a wide range of materials is continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many telephones were installed under the provisions of the Health Services and Public Health Act and the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act in 1972 in England and Wales by his Department; and what estimate he has made of those installed by local authorities;(2) what estimate he has made of the number of television sets installed, and payment of licences made, respectively, under the provisions of Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 and under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

I have called for returns from local authorities relating to both telephones and television provided by them during 1972–73, but this information will not be available until the late summer. My Department has no power to provide telephones under either of these Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the progress which has been made by local authorities in fulfilling all their duties under Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948 in the matter of providing homes for the homeless; and if he will make a statement.

We are satisfied that social services authorities generally are seeking to discharge their responsibilities towards homeless families, but following the recent joint working parties on homelessness in London and parts of South-West England my right hon. Friend has been discussing with my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction and representatives of certain local authorities what further steps can be taken to deal with homelessness and to improve arrangements for accommodating homeless families.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will issue advice and information to all local medical committees and local authority social services departments to engage in joint activity to trace the chronically sick and disabled on the pattern which has proved successful in Worcestershire.

I specifically advised all local authorities to enlist the help of general practitioners in identifying disabled people when giving guidance in 1971 about ways of implementing Section 1 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act. Reports which I have received show that authorities generally are well aware of this, and I do not consider that any further action on my part is needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to be able to reply to the letter sent to him on 2nd January last by the hon. Member for Hemsworth about the case of heating allowance refund in connection with the tenants of Mellwood House flatlets, South Elmsall, Pontefract.

MINIMUM PERSONAL PENSIONS UNDER CLAUSE 51(7) OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY BILL SUBJECT TO INCREASES AFTER AWARD
TABLE 1
ASSUMING CONSTANT EARNINGS
Age on birthday in tax year of entry			Weekly pension for person earning					Pension as percentage of earnings
					£10	£20	£30		£40	£48
			£	£	£	£	£
MEN:
55	…	…	1·0	2·0	3·0	4·0	4·8	10
45	…	…	2·0	4·0	6·0	8·0	9·6	20
35	…	…	3·0	6·0	9·0	12·0	14·4	30
25	…	…	4·0	8·0	12·0	16·0	19·2	40
22	…	…	4·3	8·6	12·9	17·2	20·6	43
WOMEN:
50	…	…	0·7	1·4	2·1	2·8	3·4	7
40	…	…	1·4	2·8	4·2	5·6	6·7	14
30	…	…	2·1	4·2	6·3	8·4	10·1	21
25	…	…	2·4	4·9	7·4	9·8	11·8	24
22	…	…	2·7	5·3	8·0	10·6	12·8	27

I have been informed that the Chairman of the Supplementary Benefits Commission sent the hon. Member an interim reply on 27th February and promised to write more fully as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in respect of minimum personal pensions at retirement, under Clause 51(7) of the Social Security Bill, tables comparable with Table 1 and Table 2 in Appendix E of Command Paper No. 5142 which will show minimum personal pensions at retirement on different assumptions regarding age of entry, weekly earnings and both assuming constant earnings, and real earnings rising at 3 per cent. per annum, and on such other assumptions as seem to him appropriate.

The tables are set out below. The amounts of pension are based on the percentages of reckonable earnings in Clause 51(7) of the Social Security Bill which apply to pensions subject to increases in payment complying with the provisions of Clause 54. This is appropriate for the purposes of comparison with benefits in the reserve pension scheme, which will similarly be subject to increases in payment-by the addition of bonuses.