asked the Lord President of the Council what advice has been given to individual Departments of State concerned in respect of the preparation of explanatory memoranda relating to proposals for regulations, directives and relevant decisions by the Council of Ministers that have been published during the period 1st January to 12th March 1973; and if he will request that this information should be made available to Members as soon as is possible.

Departments are preparing explanatory memoranda, on the lines set out in paragraph 7 of the First Report of the Select Committee on EEC Secondary Legislation, on draft EEC Council instruments which have been published since 1st January 1973. They will be sent to the House as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what area of land in Sherwood Forest is still used for training purposes by Her Majesty's Forces.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 14th November 1972.—[Vol. 846, c. 106.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will make a statement about the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which was recently concluded in Washington.

This convention, which is intended to control international trade in species of wildlife threatened with extinction, was signed by a representative of Her Majesty's Government on 3rd March. The text of the convention, which does not come into force until it has been ratified by 10 countries, has been placed in the Library for the information of Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in respect of 1953, 1963, 1966, 1970 and 1972 an analysis of the method of settlement of disputes as published by him in respect of 1933 and 1943.

I regret that the information requested is not available. The collection of data for this analysis was discontinued in 1945.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the provisions of the Transport Act 1968 or similar provisions in factory legislation which cover compulsory minimum rest periods for conductors on public service vehicles.

I have been asked to reply.There are no such provisions. Rest periods are, however, prescribed under Article 11 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 543/69, which applies from 1st April 1973 to international journeys and from 1st January 1976 to all journeys except regular services on routes not exceeding 50 kilometres.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the company and municipal bus operators which are in receipt of 50 per cent. grants for new buses, and give details of the buses for which these grants are being used.

The information is not immediately available. I am having it collected and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the Passenger Transport Authority and local authority public transport projects which are being supported by 75 per cent. grants from the Department.

Grants at the rate of 75 per cent. have been authorised towards the cost of the following major public transport projects:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will seek to ascertain and publish the proportion of public service buses manufactured in this country which have accommodation for wheelchairs used by invalids;(2) if he will consider introducing legislation to ensure that the design of new buses should allow for capacity to carry an invalid wheelchair.

Quantifiable information would not be readily available. But the needs of disabled passengers, including luggage space, are being discussed with the bus industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations are currently taking place between his Department and the Hillingdon Council with a view to the installation of street lighting on the Western Avenue between Hillingdon Roundabout and the Polish War Memorial at Northolt.

Tenders will shortly be invited for the lighting of A40 between its junction with Long Lane and Uxbridge Circus. For part of the length between Uxbridge Circus and the Polish War Memorial the needs of road safety have still to be reconciled with those of Northolt airfield.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department intends to take to investigate the vulnerability of construction workers to low temperatures.

Investigation into low temperature site conditions for construction workers have already been carried out. In particular a Committee set up by the National Consultative Council of the Building and Civil Engineering Industries reported in 1971 on the promotion of weather protective clothing. Stemming from this work there is now a British Standard for protective clothing and new designs based on it are now available. In addition the use of temporary covers for building sites has been encouraged with increasing success.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the report of Dr. Geoffrey Taylor on his site examination of construction workers' vulnerability to the cold.

The survey carried out by Dr. Taylor was part of an inquiry into the promotion of weather protective clothing by a Committee set up by the National Consultative Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industries. The findings of Dr. Taylor were made available to the industry in the Committee's report to the NCC and I see no need for further publication.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to British Rail to improve the facilities provided for handicapped chairbound people when travelling.

No. The adequacy of such facilities is the responsibility of the Railways Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of households for each year since 1960, and, for each of these years, what was the percentage of this total number of households who were, respectively, owner-occupiers, local authority tenants and private tenants.

From the censuses of 1961 and 1966, it is estimated there were 16·5 million and 17·8 million private households in Great Britain. Information from the 1971 Census for the whole of Great Britain is not yet available.Of those households present on census night in 1961, 41 per cent. were owner-occupiers, 25 per cent. were tenants of local authorities and new towns and 34 per cent. were private tenants. The corresponding figures in 1966 were 45, 28 and 27 per cent., respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to estimate the stocks of approved-standard safety helmets for motor cyclists which are at present held in shops and by wholesalers; and if he will make a statement on their quality.

I am assured that adequate stocks of approved safety helmets are available. All helmets sold for motor cycling use must comply with one of the prescribed British Standards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of motor cyclists and pillion passengers who do not currently wear safety helmets.

About 400,000 motor cycle, scooter and moped drivers. The number of pillion passengers who do not wear helmets is not known.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates to be the annual sale of safety helmets for motor cyclists required to satisfy the demands of the British market after helmets are made compulsory; and if he considers that production capacity is sufficient.

Assuming a three-year life for motor-cycle safety helmets, about 350,000. I am satisfied that British manufacture will be able to meet this demand.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place a copy of the Road Research Laboratory's Report T.N.491 of 1970 in the Library.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much he estimates the aggregate rate bill for domestic and industrial ratepayers, respectively, will rise in the year 1973–74; how much of this rise is due to higher rate poundages and the rate

Year						1968–69 per cent	1969–70 per cent	1970–71 per cent	1971–72 per cent	1972–73 per cent
Domestic	…	…	…	…	…	4·1	7·1	6·6	17·0	14·0
Industrial	…	…	…	…	…	11·5	9·3	8·4	16·1	12·9

The estimated rises over the period of 58·6 per cent. in the domestic rate bill and 69·1 per cent. in the industrial rate bill have been based on average increases of poundages of 39·5 per cent. and 56·4 per cent. respectively. Revaluation was not a factor. It is not yet possible to say what the figures for 1973–74 will be as many authorities are still considering their rate estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether, in his planning of improvements to the A41 and A405 trunk roads in Watford as part of the longer-term solution to the orbital traffic around London, it is his policy to utilise the southern part of the Maple Cross to Hunton Bridge section for the North Orbital Extension for a tangential route to be constructed in the early 1980s;(2) whether it is his intention to widen both the A41 and the A405 in Watford to dual three-lane carriageways;(3) if he will give an assurance that the A405 and the A41 in Watford will not be improved to greater than dual two-lane carriageway standards or to greater than dual two-lane carriageways until some firm decision has been taken on the need for and alignment of such an outer orbital route, particularly bearing in mind the recommendations of the Layfield Report on the Greater London Development Plan.

I have nothing further to add to the answer given to the hon. Member on 5th March.—[Vol. 852, c. 21.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recom-

The rises in aggregate rate bills for domestic and industrial ratepayers in each of the past five years, comparing each year with the preceding year, are estimated as follows:mendation he has received from the Greater London Council regarding the future of the Wimbledon-West Croydon railway line; and if he will make a statement.

I hope to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to improve co-operation between the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police.

New arrangements have been introduced by which members of the Special Operations Group of the City of London police will be attached to the Metropolitan Special Patrol Group for a period of training and familiarisation. The car radios of the City Group are being given frequencies that will enable them to work jointly with the Metropolitan Group under direct control from Scotland Yard. Equipment is also being installed that will enable controllers at Scotland Yard to speak to City patrol cars without the need for relaying messages through a City control room. In addition to these regular arrangements a City officer of the rank of inspector or above will be present in the operations room at Scotland Yard whenever it is activated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of the £ sterling in terms of units of account on the following dates: June 1970, July 1971, January 1972, October 1972 and March 1973.

There are a number of different EEC units of account. In general, the relationships between a member State's currency and these units of account are based on parity as declared to the International Monetary Fund; in the case of the United Kingdom this is the parity declared in November 1967, which gives a rate of £1=2·40 units of account, and the United Kingdom's payments to the Community budget are being calculated at this rate. In such cases there has been no change in the relationship between the £ sterling and the unit of account over the dates in the Question. In the case of the agricultural unit of account a conversion rate of £1 = 2·1644 units of account has been agreed, as my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food informed the House on 29th January.—[Vol. 849, c. 941–2; c. 343.] For the customs tariff the conversion rate is calculated in accordance with Article 2(b) of the Import Duties (General) (No. 4) Order, 1972 (S.I. 1972, No. 1909).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend the special scheme for value added tax on works of art and antiques contained in Customs and Excise Notice 712 so that the certificate required from the purchaser under the provisions of paragraph 5 may be in a document other than the copy sales invoice if this is more convenient, provided it is cross-referenced to the copy invoice.

Customs and Excise will consider such a variation in the requirements if the trader concerned applies giving details.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost of the Government's planned advertisements for publicising VAT; and what will be the estimate for newspaper advertisements only.

About £653,500, including £533,000 for newspaper advertisements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the list of regional newspapers selected for advertising the VAT campaign to include the Wolverhampton Express and Star so that all housewives in the West Midlands can be informed of the operation of this tax.

No. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. David Clark) on 15th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention that taxable persons acting in their own names on behalf of clients for the purchase of goods from auctioneers and others may operate the disbursement arrangement described in paragraphs 6A and 7 of supplement No. 1 to Customs Notice No. 710, and if so what evidence of the transaction should be retained, bearing in mind that many transactions of this nature are made verbally.

The procedure explained in supplement No. 1 to Notice No. 710 is of general application. The evidence to be retained is the available commercial evidence relating to the payment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much would the standard rate of income tax have to be increased if the whole cost of teachers' salaries projected for 1973–74 was provided from national funds alone.

About 2p on the basic rate, taking no account of private education.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the standard rate of income tax would have to be increased if the whole cost of education projected for the year 1973–74 was provided from national funds alone.

About 4p on the basic rate, taking no account of private education.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now introduce legislation to control the rate of interest charged by building societies to borrowers on first mortgages; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the situation regarding the manufacture and supply of centre-controlled bifocal lenses to National Health Service applicants.

The production of centre-controlled bifocal lenses is very high precision work. Each lens is made individually direct from the ophthalmic blank to a precise degree of accuracy occupying many man hours. The demand for this type of lens is small and there is only one manufacturer in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the recruitment of staff for training in the manufacture of centre-controlled bifocal lenses for the National Health Service.

Centre-controlled bifocal lenses are only one particular type of bifocal lens and it would be unreasonable to require the industry to train staff for this sole purpose. The skill needed to produce the various forms of ophthalmic lenses takes many years to acquire together with an extensive theoretical knowledge which is acquired in industry and by attendance at any of the recognised colleges. The industry is free to recruit the staff it considers necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what encouragement he intends to give to preventive dentistry within the National Health Service in order to counteract the effect of the zero-rating from VAT of sweets and chocolates.

I am awaiting the recommendations of the Working Party on Dental Services which is currently considering the need for including additional preventive treatments available under the National Health Service. Meanwhile one effect of the introduction of value added tax should be a reduction of between 5½ and 8½ per cent. in the retail price of toothpaste, the third occasion in less than two years on which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has reduced the tax on toothpaste.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will extend the women doctors' retainer scheme to women above the age of 55 years.

This scheme was introduced last summer and I am not considering any changes in it at present. The main value of the scheme in staffing the National Health Service lies in the contribution doctors will make in whole-time or substantial part-time employment after a period in the reserve; this would necessarily be a limiting factor in relation to women over 55.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated total cost to the taxpayer paying British family allowances to the families resident in the Republic of Eire and of citizens of the Irish Republic working in the United Kingdom.

Families in receipt of family allowances in this country who go to the Irish Republic temporarily can continue to receive the allowance for up to six months; the cost of this provision is not known. Families who go to the Irish Republic permanently do not receive family allowances from the United Kingdom. Citizens of the Irish Republic working in the United Kingdom, having left their children in the Irish Republic, do not receive United Kingdom family allowances. Fresh rules, applicable to EEC countries, will apply from 1st April 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether citizens of the British Commonwealth, working in the United Kingdom, are entitled to claim British family allowances in respect of their children living in their country of origin.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men and women who suffer from kidney disease have applied for partial attendance allowances; and how many and what percentage of such applications have been successful.

Up to 1st December 1972 there had been 124 successful claims for attendance allowance at the higher rate from disabled people suffering from kidney diseases. Such information is not yet available in respect of people qualifying for the lower-rate allowance, and is not maintained in respect of unsuccessful claims.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give some indication when the Morris Finer Committee will report.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wells (Mr. Boscowen) on 6th February.—[Vol. 850, c. 54.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list, in regional hospital board areas, the numbers of National Health Service and private patients who have been admitted to hospitals since the hospital ancillary workers dispute began, and also the numbers of those admitted in the preceding similar period.

This information cannot readily be obtained from hospital authorities in present circumstances. It is estimated that some 28,000 hospital beds in England are closed to admissions as a result of industrial action by ancillary staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the cost of the loss of hospital equipment of all kinds due to the current strike of hospital workers.

I would rather not ask hospital authorities for this information until the present difficulties are over.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will hold an immediate meeting with representatives of the trade unions representing the hospital ancillary workers.

I am in touch with the trade unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate the amounts and circumstances under which war pensions are payable to the widows and orphans of soldiers killed in Northern Ireland.

War pensions are payable to widows of soldiers whose death is due to service whether in Northern Ireland or elsewhere. Where children of these deceased soldiers are, or become, motherless, orphans' pensions are awarded. They are payable in addition to any allowances under the Family Allowances Act.The rates of war widows' pensions vary according to the widow's age, her late husband's rank, the number of children, and her entitlement to rent and education allowances. The standard basic pension rates for a private's widow (unless she is under 40, childless, and able to support herself), is £8·80 a week, increasing to £10·10 in October.The standard rates of orphans' pensions are:

		Current weekly rate £	From 1st Oct £
Under 15	Eldest child and any other children with no family allowances	3·50	4·00
Over15		5·00	5·50
Under 15	Other children with family allowances	3·00	3·50
Over 15		4·50	5·00

An orphan's pension normally ceases at age 16 but continues if the child is receiving full-time education or is an apprentice. It also continues if the child is infirm and unable to earn a living. In this case it is further increased to a maximum of £6·75 at age 18 (£7·75 from 1st October).

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is now the average allowance made for rent in calculating the supplementary benefit of a married couple and of a single person in the country as a whole and in central London.

I regret that information is not available in the precise form requested. The latest available information is that in November 1971 the average rent allowance for all householders in Great Britain was £2·23 and for the Greater London Council area £3·17. I will write to my hon. Friend shortly with some additional information about married couples and single persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated weekly cost of running the hospital services in the Worksop and Retford Hospital Management Committee jurisdiction; and what would be the extra cost in money and percentage terms of meeting the ancillary workers' wage claim in full.

The current weekly cost of running the hospital services of the Worksop and Retford Hospital Management Committee is approximately £25,000 exclusive of the costs of regional administration. It is estimated that the extra cost to the hospital management committee of meeting the ancillary workers' wage claim in full would be about £1,900 per week or 7·6 per cent. of the total weekly cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if any linen or laundry has had to be destroyed at

				Number of Advance Factories at present Planned for Completion in Intermediate Areas	Sq. ft.
Year ending 31st December 1973	…	…	…	10	130,000
Year ending 31st December 1974	…	…	…	3	110,000
The figures include completions tinder previous programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the number and square footage of advance factories planned to be com-

				Number of Advance Factories at present Planned for Completion in Development Areas	Sq. ft.
Year ending 31st December 1973	…	…	…	18	342,000
Year ending 31st December 1974	…	…	…	49	829,000
The figures include complections under previous programmes, replacement factories authorised in special development areas Development Commission factories.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his current estimate of likely oil pro-

No linen or laundry has been destroyed at the Worksop and Retford hospitals as a result of industrial action by ancillary workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the industrial action taken by hospital ancillary workers in hospitals run by the Worksop and Retford Hospital Management Committee.

There was a withdrawal of labour by hospital ancillary workers at all four hospitals in the group from 6 a.m. on 8th March to 6 a.m. on 11th March. Full cover was provided for emergency and essential services. The return to work was coupled with a ban on overtime.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what square footage of advance factories are planned to be completed in the years ending 31st December 1973 and 1974 in intermediate areas.

Following is the information:pleted in the years ending 31st December 1973 and 1974 in development areas.

Following is the information:duction from off the coast of Scotland in 1980, in the light of recent remarks by Mr. F. G. Thackeray of IMEG, details of which are in his possession.

The current estimate is 75 million tons, but estimates are reviewed in the light of the results of the annual drilling programmes. I cannot anticipate the results of the present review, but I hope that they will be announced shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations have been made to him about directory entries under the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a number of complaints about documents circulated by directory publishers. These have been passed to the police, who are responsible for the enforcement of the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimated sugar beet yield per acre is represented by the Common Market allocation of 900,000 tons of sugar to United Kingdom beet producers when related to the 1972 annual price review guarantee acreage of 443,000 acres; and how this national yield compares with the actual yields of the past five seasons.

The average sugar beet yield during the last five seasons has been as follows:

Season	Long tons per acre
1968–69	15·75
1969–70	13·63
1970–71	14·31
1971–72	17·33
1972–73	13·78

Because production of sugar from a given acreage also depends on other variable factors, including particularly the sugar content of the beet, it is impossible to say what yield of beet per acre is implied by any particular quantity of production. However the United Kingdom's basic quota of 900,000 metric tons white sugar equivalent, which was negotiated in 1971 and embodied in the Treaty of Accession, represented more than the average annual production from 443,000 acres in the five seasons up to and including 1970–71.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made to the EEC Commission about the imposition of a supplementary import levy on lard from third countries.

There is at present no supplementary levy on imports of lard.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make representations to the EEC Commission to reduce the lard coefficient of pig carcases.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make representations to the EEC to substitute an ad valorem tariff on imports of lard into the United Kingdom, in place of the present levies.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied that lard is appropriately listed under the Common External Tariff with pig carcases.

We will be discussing further in Brussels the levy treatment of lard imports.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations have been made by the United Kingdom Government to the EEC on behalf of the United Kingdom lard industry during entry negotiations and since.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the dates on which representations were made to his Department about the effects of EEC membership on the United Kingdom lard industry.

I would refer the hon. Members to my reply today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Gorbals (Mr. McElhone) and others.My officials are in frequent contact with members of the lard trade on the one hand and with the European Commission on the other hand to ensure that the United Kingdom's interests as a major importer and consumer of lard are well understood. It was largely as a result of these contacts that special transitional arrangements were negotiated for lard.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the amount of compensatory payment payable in the EEC on export to the United Kingdom of refined lard and of bulk lard.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make representations to the EEC Commission to increase the level of compensatory payments on refined lard.

Allowing for monetary adjustments, the net amounts currently payable on exports of all lard to the United Kingdom are equivalent to:

Country of origin	Net payment £/ton*
Belgium/Luxembourg	52
Denmark	41
France	45
Germany	54
Irish Republic	21
Italy	30+
Netherlands	51
*Converted from national currencies at spot rates on 14th March 1973
+ Payment net of UK monetary import charge

My right hon. Friend does not believe that in present circumstances higher compensatory payments for refined lard are necessary or desirable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what import duties are now imposed on imports of lard into the United Kingdom from the United States of America.

The United Kingdom levy on lard from non-EEC sources applicable since 5th March after adjustment for transitional and monetary compensatory amounts is £3·49 per ton, equivalent to approximately 2 per cent. of cif values of United States supplies.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether imports into West Germany of lard from East Germany are duty-free.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement about the effect EEC Regulations will have on the lard industry in the United Kingdom.

Over transition all subsidies on sendings of lard from within the Community will be removed, and the full EEC import charge will take effect on our third country supplies. A sluice gate price aleady operates, intended to prevent imports below the cost of production. The introduction of these arrangements must necessitate some adjustments by United Kingdom lard interests.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make representations to the EEC about the quality of lard exported to the United Kingdom for human consumption.

I have no information suggesting that this needs to be done.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to complete his review of the minimum values for the export of certain types of horses and ponies specified in various orders under the Diseases of Animals Act 1950 and in the Ponies Act 1969.

Following informal consultations we expect to circulate proposals for amendment to the organisations concerned early next month.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average value of agricultural land per acre in England, Scotland and Wales in each of the following years, 1965, 1970, 1972.

The average prices per acre of all sales of agricultural land notified to the Inland Revenue—Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in the case of Scotland—were as follows:

	Scotland
	England	(£ per acre)	Wales
1965	182*	56†	99*
1970 (September)	212	93†	123
1972 (September)	231	n.a.	154
* March 1966—September 1965 figures no available.
† Calendar years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will clarify the position in respect of agricultural rents and leases involving farms and agricultural land which are due for review either at the end of the freeze period or during the course of phase 2 of the Government's anti-inflation policy; and if he will make a statement.

Under the Counter-Inflation (Agricultural Rents) Order 1972 (S.I., 1972. No. 1849) agricultural rents in Great Britain are frozen for the period of the standstill at the level which applied on 5th November 1972. Increases in rent in return for new improvements carried out by the landlord are not affected.The order does not interfere with rent reviews and other regular procedures for negotiation and arbitration of new increases in rent, but landlords are required for the period of the standstill to forgo

15.02. Fats of bovine cattle, sheep or goats, unrendered; rendered or solvent-extracted fats (including "premier jus") obtained from those unrendered fats:
				Rate of duty
				autonomous per cent or Levy(L)	conventional per cent
A. For industrial uses other than the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption (a)	…	…	…	2	Free
B. Other:
i. Unrendered fats of bovine cattle; rendered or solvent-extracted fats (including "premier jus") obtained from those fats	…	…	…	10	7
ii. Other	…	…	…	10	7

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he can now announce his proposals for special help to horticulturists who are threatened with the loss of their livelihood as a result of entry into the European Economic Community.

The Government recognise that apple and pear growers will be called upon to face particular difficulties as a result of entry into the EEC, and that in consequence some of them may no longer find it possible to continue in commercial production. My right hon. Friends and I are therefore proposing to seek legislation providing for special payments to be made to growers of dessert or culinary apple or pear trees which are grubbed up, in

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the items with which tallow—edible beef fat—is listed in the common external tariff.

Chapter 15 of the Common Customs Tariff covers oils and fats. Tallow falls under heading 15.02 which reads as follows:addition to reimbursement of the full standard cost of grubbing. Entry into the EEC does not seem likely to affect any other major sector of the horticulture industry so seriously, but the Government would be willing to consider representations from the industry if in the event it were found that any other sector had suffered very extensively, and the proposed legislation would enable payments to be made to such growers if the Government decided that was necessary.It will be a condition of the grant that the grower must grub up all his dessert apples or all his culinary apples or all his pears, and that for five years from the completion of grubbing he must not in-increase any remaining acreage of apples or pears. I am placing in the Library of the House a note giving additional information on the proposed conditions and rates of grant. The maximum special payment will be £200 per acre, over and above the reimbursement of standard grubbing costs; the payment will vary according to the size and type of trees and the density of planting. The total cost is estimated at between £4 million and £5 million. Applications will be accepted from 1st August next. No applications will be accepted after 31st July 1976; but an earlier closing date for applications under this scheme may be necessary if comparable measures are introduced on a Community-wide basis. As it will not otherwise be possible to obtain specific statutory authority for the grant in time for the next grubbing season, we intend to rely temporarily on the authority of the Appropriation Act and a Supplementary Estimate will be presented to Parliament in due course to secure approval for this new service. The necessary horticultural legislation will be introduced as soon as possible. Growers who contemplate applying for grant should await the explanatory leaflet which will be made available when the scheme is open for applications. No grant can be paid on trees which have been grubbed up before an application for grant has been officially approved.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he proposes to give effect to the recommendation of the Office Internationale des Epizooties in Paris regarding the importation of equine animals from countries previously infected with African horse sickness but now clear of the disease.

My right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Scotland have today made the Equine Animals (Importation) Order 1973 which will come into effect on 16th April 1973. In future all importations of equine animals will be subject to the granting of licences and there will be no statutory list of prohibited countries. This means that applications to import equines from countries previously infected with African horse sickness but now clear of the disease will be considered on their individual merits.