asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the estimated effects on regional unemployment of the proposed withdrawal of the regional employment premium in 1974.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much assistance the United Kingdom Government intend to seek from the European Social Fund this year; and for what purposes.

An initial application has been made to the European Social Fund for approximately £31 million towards the cost for 1973 of Government-supported training and resettlement schemes for people in assisted areas and of the resettlement services for the disabled. I am considering what further claims on the fund might be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will instigate a market research survey into the effectiveness for both employers and employees of the modernised employment services of his Department.

As announced in "Into Action", the Office of Populalation Censuses and Surveys has already been commissioned to carry out market surveys this year covering both employers and job seekers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in what areas the Community Industry Scheme for employment of young people is to be extended.

The new areas have not yet been decided. Over 40 local authorities are interested and discussions with them are proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of cases of unfair dismissal referred to industrial tribunals up to the latest date.

In the 12 months to 23rd February 1973, 8,528 complaints of alleged unfair dismissal were referred by industrial tribunals to conciliation officers of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of cases involving infringement of the right to join and take part in trade union activities referred to industrial tribunals at the most recent date.

In the twelve months to 23rd February 1973, 453 complaints of infringement of rights under Section 5 of the Industrial Relations Act were referred by industrial tribunals to conciliation officers of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to encourage more employers to pay wages and salaries by cheque or direct to the bank of an employee, instead of by cash at the place of work.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to take active steps in this matter. The report in July 1972 of the committee of the National Joint Advisory Council on Methods of Payment of Wages, on which the TUC and CBI were represented, concluded that the movement away from payment in cash is an evolutionary process which can best continue with the good will of all concerned, but did not recommend any special action by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will refer to the Pay Board, as soon as practicable, the desirability of establishing a single common standard for assessing the London weighting of all public service employees.

Most London allowances in the public services are derived from the formula recommended by the National Board for Prices and Incomes in its Report No. 44: "London Weighting in the Non-Industrial Civil Service" (Cmnd. 3436). This already provides a common standard for their assessment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, whether he will introduce legislation to prohibit the setting up and operation of private employment agencies for the hiring of lorry drivers.

No, but a Bill has been introduced to the House by my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Stamford (Mr. Kenneth Lewis). The Bill was welcomed by the Government. If it becomes law, it will require all employment agencies and businesses to be licensed. It will also empower my right hon. Friend to make regulations to secure the proper conduct of such agencies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what changes he is considering to the rules governing redundancy payments benefits.

The review of the redundancy payments scheme is a general one to see whether any changes are needed in its objectives or in the means of securing them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met representatives of the London Boroughs Association to discuss with them employment opportunities in the Greater London Council area.

My right hon. Friend has not been approached by the association. He would be prepared to consider any representations it may wish to make.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why the number of men and women employed in industry in the greater London area fell from 1,574,600 to 1,201,100 between 1962 and 1971.

The main reasons were the low rate of economic growth nationally after 1966 and the movement of firms to other areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that pension expectations, in occupational schemes governed by the amount of the earnings in the last year of employment, are not diminished by the operation of the Government's legislation limiting increases in pay.

This is a matter for individual employers, provided that they keep within the limits for Inland Revenue approval.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for further Government retraining centres in Wales and the North-West.

It is planned to provide one new Government training centre in Wales located at Newport, and two new centres in the North-Western Region at Old Trafford and at Rochdale. Courses arranged under the Training Opportunities Scheme at colleges of further education and employers' establishments will also continue to increase

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the effect of the Aldington-Jones proposals on the Hull and Goole Docks; and to what extent those docks are now under- or over-manned.

329 registered dock workers from Hull and 26 from Goole have left the industry under the special severance scheme, reducing the registers in the two ports to 2,136 and 303 respectively. During the four weeks ending 16th March there was an average net daily surplus of 25 men in Hull and 15 in Goole.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will initiate discussions with both sides in the motor car industry regarding the impact of industrial relations in that industry on its export prospects.

I doubt whether discussions taking this form could be useful.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new jobs have been created in Wales to date in 1973; and how many people have been made redundant.

I regret that the figure for jobs created is not available. Redundancies involving 555 workpeople have been recorded as due to occur in Wales in the period ended 28th February 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the percentage figures of male unemployment in each of the Welsh counties at the latest convenient date.

The following table shows provisional percentage rates of unemployment for 12th March 1973.

Anglesey	9·0
Brecknockshire	4·4
Caernarvonshire	7·2
Cardiganshire	5·4
Carmarthenshire	2·9
Denbighshire	4·6
Flintshire	4·2
Glamorganshire	4·2
Merionethshire	7·6
Monmouthshire	4·0
Montgomeryshire	3·0
Pembrokeshire	4·8
Radnorshire	3·6

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many manufacturing redundancies, male and female, respectively, have been declared in Wales in each year since 1960.

The information is not available in the form requested, but the total numbers of redundancies recorded by my Department as notified in manufacturing industry in Wales in the years 1961 to 1972 are as follows:

Year	Number
1961	8,300
1962	10,000
1963	4,600
1964	6,700
1965	7,800
1966	9,500
1967	7,500
1968	4,000
1969	4,400
1970	8,300
1971	18,300
1972	7,100

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs are in prospect in Wales at the latest available date; and how this figure compares with the number at the same date in each year since 1960.

I have been asked to reply.Estimates are available only to mid-1972, after which industrial development certificates which provided for basis for them were no longer required in development and special development areas. Figures for Wales for the years 1960 to 1972 are given below.

	'000s
1960	31
1961	28
1962	19
1963	14
1964	11
1965	14
1966	20
1967	22
1968	20
1969	28
1970	31
1971	25
1972	16

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many extra male jobs would exist in Wales, and how many extra female jobs, if male and female activity rates in Wales were at the level of the region with the highest male and the highest female activity rates, respectively.

If the overall male and female activity rates in Wales were at the same level as those in the regions with the highest activity rates as shown by provisional results from the 1971 Census of Population, the labour force in Wales would have included about 60,000 more males and about 100,000 more females. Part of the explanation for the lower activity rates in Wales is the higher than average percentages of the population above the normal working ages.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the total of males employed in Wales in each year from 1962 to 1972, inclusive.

The following table shows estimates of the number of male employees in employment in Wales for June of each year:

1962	668,000
1963	669,000
1964(a)	672,000
1964(b)	673,000
1965	670,000
1966	664,000
1967	640,000
1968	629,000
1969(a)	618,000
1969(b)	620,000
1970	608,000
1971	603,000
1972	592,000

All the estimates are based on counts of national insurance cards. Those from June 1964(b) are on a revised basis of calculation and are not strictly comparable with those for June 1964(a) and earlier dates. The estimates from June 1969(b) include improved information about the location of employees in the distributive trades.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the activity rate for women in employment in the Wrexham area at a convenient date during each of the past five years.

Activity rates for local areas are only available from censuses of population. In 1966, the activity rate for females in the Wrexham area— Wrexham municipal borough and rural district combined—was 34 per cent.; by 1971, it had increased to 37 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many disabled persons, persons registered for light work and persons over 45 years of age are wholly unemployed in the Hartlepool exchange area; how many in each category have been out of work for more than six months; and how many have had or been offered rehabilitation courses or Government training courses.

In January 1973, the latest date for which figures analysed by age are available, 253 registered disabled people were wholly unemployed in the area. 162 of these and 871 other wholly unemployed people in the area were 45 years of age or over. 185 registered disabled people and 508 other people had been unemployed for more than six months. Information about the numbers of people unemployed at that date who were regarded as suitable only for light work is not available. Of the 214 disabled people unemployed in the area on 12th March, four have been offered, and have accepted, vocational training courses; and the possibility of industrial rehabilitation has been discussed with 74, of whom 24 are or will be attending courses. Similar information is, I regret, not readily available for unemployed able-bodied people aged 45 or over.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men have been wholly unemployed in the Hartlepool exchange area for more than six months; and how many boys and girls, respectively, have not been offered their first job from leaving school.

On 8th January, the latest date for which the information is available, 1,324 men in the area covered by the Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland employment exchanges had been unemployed for more than 26 weeks. The precise information about young people is not available but on 12th March there were 23 boys and 10 girls in the area who were school leavers registered for their first employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new jobs were offered in the Hartlepool exchange area during a 12-month period to the latest available date; and what were the recorded redundancies in the same period.

3,839 vacancies for adults in the Hartlepool travel-to-work area were notified to my Department in the year ended 7th March 1973. Our statistics do not show how many of these vacancies arose through the creation of new jobs. Redundancies affecting 730 workpeople were recorded as due to occur in this area during the year ended 28th February.

asked the Secretary of Stale for Employment what was the total number of men and women, respectively, employed in the textile industry in Lancashire in October 1972; and what was the figure for the same date in the previous year.

The latest date for which figures are available is June 1971 when there were 77,200 males and 62,400 females. The comparable figures for June 1970 were 84,000 and 71,800.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies in the Derby and Nottingham travel-to-work area were notified to his Department in the first weeks of February 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973, respectively.

Numbers of vacancies for adults—excluding those in the professional and executive occupations—notified to the employment service in the combined Derby and Nottingham travel-to-work areas are shown below. Information is not available on a weekly basis.Derby and Nottingham combined travel-to-work areas

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of unfilled vacancies notified to his Department in each of the travel-to-work areas in the county of Stafford at the latest date for which figures are available; and how these figures compare with the figures for the same date in 1972.

Following is the information:

Employment exchange or travel-to-work area		March 1973 (Provisional)	March 1972
Burton-upon-Trent	…	208	203
Cannock	…	279	95
Dudley*	…	2,583	1,061
Leek	…	187	123
Rugeley	…	105	39
Uttoxeter	…	121	82
West Bromwich*	…	1,881	591
Stafford*	…	505	208
Stoke-on-Trent*	…	2,587	1,131
Tamworth*	…	300	165
Walsall*	…	1,303	449
Wolverhampton*	…	1,147	537
* Travel-to-work area.

Parts of the West Bromwich and Dudley travel-to-work areas are outside Staffordshire. The statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of unfilled vacancies for women in each of the North Wales travel-to-work areas at the latest available date; and how these figures compare with the same date in 1972.

Following is the information:

		Unfilled vacancies for females
Employment exchange or travel-to-work area		March 1973 (Provisional)	March 1972
Shotton*	…	52	44
Wrexham*	…	109	65
Llandudno*	…	178	123
Holyhead*	…	72	120
Caernarvon*	…	58	56
Llangollen*	…	32	35
Barmouth*	…	16	20
Pwllheli*	…	42	35
Colwyn Bay	…	74	52
Rhyl	…	62	56
Denbigh	…	27	36
Llanwrst	…	4	—
Tywyn	…	1	14
Blaenau Ffestiniog	…	1	—
* Travel-to-work area.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of unfilled vacancies notified to his Department at the latest date for which figures are available; and how this figure compares with that for the same date in 1972.

There were 306,818 in March 1973 and 157,658 in March 1972. The figure for March 1973 is provisional. The statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies were notified to his Department in the North-East Derbyshire travel-to-work area in the first week of March 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973.

Numbers of vacancies for adults—excluding those in the professional and executive occupations—notified to the employment service in the North-East Derbyshire travel-to-work area are shown below. Information is not available on a weekly basis.North-East Derbyshire

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will state the percentage level of unemployment in Newcastle-under-Lyme at the latest possible date.

On 12th March the rate of unemployment for the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area, which includes Newcastle-under-Lyme, was 2·3 per cent. The figure is provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the effect of the Aldington-Jones proposals on Merseyside and the extent to which the docks there are now under- or over-manned.

2,692 registered dock workers from Liverpool and Birken-head have left the industry under the special severance scheme reducing the register in the two ports to 7,103. During the five weeks ending 23rd March there was an average net daily shortage of 1,080 men in the ports.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will seek an immediate meeting with representatives of the National Union of Public Employees and other unions involved in the hospital workers' pay dispute.

I was with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister when he met the representative of NUPE together with other trade union representatives on Monday.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the average weekly earnings of National Health Service ancillary staff in June 1970; by what percentages their earnings have increased since that date; and what would be the increase taking account of the current offer by the management side.

£21·74 per week for men, which has been increased between June 1970 and now by 28·3 per cent. If the current offer is accepted, the increase would be 4002 per cent. £1418 per week for women, which has been increased between June 1970 and now by 469 per cent. If the current offer is accepted, the increase would be 61·28 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will investigate the merits and practicability of introducing a flexible retiring age for both men and women which would take account of individual circumstances such as health, shift working, hazardous occupations and unusual work patterns.

No, Sir. The ages of 65 for a man and 60 for a woman are of course already no more than the minimum ages at which people can be paid a retirement pension if they then choose to retire from work.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which other countries within the EEC either the State accepts, or the trade unions are absolved from accepting, financial liability flowing from the voluntary withdrawal of labour by strikers.

I regret that the information requested by my hon. Friend is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Some information in regard to payments of social assistance in the then EEC countries was given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Ralph Howell) on 13th June last; similar social assistance arrangements exist in Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. While supplementary benefit is payable for strikers' families in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Social Security Act 1966, this does not absolve trade unions from accepting financial liability for their members on strike. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment said in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Haltem-price (Mr. Wall) on 7th November last, it is clearly right that trade unions should bear their proper share of financial responsibility for official disputes and that is still normally the case in most strikes.—[Vol. 838, c. 1231–3, and Vol. 845, c. 799–800.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give guidance to assist officials administering supplementary allowances, in the light of advice tendered to claimants in a document entitled "Claimants Handbook for Strikers", a copy of which the hon. Member for Norfolk, North has sent to him.

The existing guidance in standing instructions dealing with claims for supplementary benefit made during trade disputes is adequate for the purpose. In addition, the Supplementary Benefits Commission has recently published an explanatory leaflet entitled "Supplementary Benefits and Trade Disputes" which is intended to correct the misleading state- ments made in publications of this kind to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether it is intended that as far as Scotland is concerned it should be permanently served only by an assistant director at the Central Council, subordinate to the director in London, and not through a director of its own.

The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work has been established by Act of Parliament to promote social work training throughout the United Kingdom and has appointed a single director to be responsible to it over the whole range of its functions. It has no plans to appoint a separate director for Scotland. In addition, however, to the proposed appointment of an assistant director for Scotland, the Council already has a Scottish Advisory Committee, statutorily appointed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and consisting of a chairman and eleven other members, of whom the chairman and five members must be members of the council.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now make a further statement on the Government's £3 million fund for the special needs of children with very severe congenital disabilities.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Astor) on 6th March. I wrote to local authorities last week, and I am sending a copy of my letter and the trust's explanatory leaflet to the hon. Member.—[Vol. 852, c. 220–1.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on his policy towards the service of councillors of London boroughs on the proposed joint liaison committees of area health authorities.

The function of joint liaison committees, which are interim bodies with no executive powers, is to assemble information and present issues and options for decision by the proposed new health authorities. I regard it as appropriate for this function to be exercised by senior officers with periodic reports of progress to their respective existing authorities. Members of these authorities may, if they wish, set up parallel "member committees" to review the work and recommendations of the joint liaison committee.After April 1974, if the House approves the National Health Service Reorganisation Bill which it is now considering, provision is made for joint consultative committees to be established, representative of both local government and health authorities. It is the intention that elected members of local authorities should be eligible to serve on these committees.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if a grant for funeral expenses can be paid from war pension funds if a war pensioner dies whilst receiving hospital in-patient treatment for his pensioner disability irrespective of the cause of death although no such grant is payable if the same man dies from the same cause at home; and if so whether he will take steps to ensure that in future a grant will be paid in the latter case.

Where no death grant under the National Insurance Scheme is paid, or one is paid at only the half rate, a funeral grant under the war pensions scheme may be paid in respect of a war disablement pensioner who dies as a result of his pensioned disablement, whether at home or in hospital. The maximum rate is £30. The further concession to which my hon. and learned Friend refers dates back to 1919 and it would be inappropriate to extend it now.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether strikers are entitled to free spectacles and dental treatment.

No. The personal requirements of strikers are to be disregarded under Section 10 of the Ministry of Social Security Act 1966 in deciding whether benefit is payable under Section 6 of the Act to meet a National Health Service charge.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from the British Association of Social Workers concerning the transfer of those social workers employed in the health service to local authority social service departments; and if he will make a statement.

The British Association of Social Workers sent a deputation to my Department on 15th March to discuss this issue. I hope to announce my decision on the future of hospital social work in the course of this week.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give an estimate of the number of girls who travelled to this country during 1972 for the purpose of having a private abortion.

It is estimated that during 1972 there were about 51,000 legal abortions performed in England and Wales outside the National Health Service on women usually resident elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average confinement after an abortion on the National Health Service.

During the first three-quarters of 1972, the median duration of stay for patients having abortions in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales was 3¼ days.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, following the decision of the Government that the present retirement pension alone is insufficient to maintain life at an acceptable standard, and therefore to introduce the State Reserve Pension for those without a satisfactory occupational pension scheme, he will make a statement on Government policy to bridge the poverty gap until the year 2019 when the State Reserve Scheme becomes fully operational.

No one is required to live on the retirement pension alone. I would refer the hon. Member to my speech on the Budget Resolutions on 8th March 1973.—[Vol. 852, c. 603–18.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances his Department is notifying individuals that their national insurance contributions for the last year are insufficient and is asking them to make good the deficiency; if he is aware that there are cases in which it is impossible for these people to purchase stamps to the precise amount of the deficiency; and if he will make a statement on this and on the amount of excess contribution which is thus being collected.

My Department sends a notice of the deficiency to any insured person for whom a flat-rate contribution is not recorded as paid or credited for every week of the contribution year. The notice, which is accompanied by a card for stamping as necessary, explains the circumstances in which contributions may be due for missing weeks and points out, where there has been a subsequent change in the contribution rate, that stamps from the current range to the same value may be affixed to the card. If this results in an excess payment because the arrears cannot be met exactly, the Department will, of course, refund the excess on application. No record is kept of the small sums which are paid in excess.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he proposes to appoint the Occupational Pensions Board in shadow form before the Social Security Bill is enacted.

I propose to establish a nucleus of the board to undertake preparatory work until, subject to parliamentary approval of the relevant provisions, the board can be appointed statutorily. I am glad to announce that Sir Philip Allen, GCB, until recently the Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, has accepted my invitation to become chairman; and that Mr. Ronald W. Abbott, FIA, ASA, senior partner of a firm of consulting actuaries, has agreed to serve as deputy chairman. Other appointments to the shadow board will be announced shortly. The secretary will be Mr. Peter Oglesby, an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Social Security.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what reply she has sent to representatives of the Wednesbury and District Trades Council following their letter about the right of factory inspectors to enter educational training workshops.

The Secretary of the trades council has been informed in a reply from my Department, a copy of which has been sent to the right hon. Member, that, while members of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate do not have a statutory right of entry to workshops in education establishments, local education authorities and colleges are encouraged to, and do, seek their advice on all aspects of safety.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many medical students there are at the Welsh School of Medicine, Cardiff.

In the current academic year there are 457 full-time and about 85 part-time students. These include 291 full-time, and about 74 part-time, medical students.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made regarding the reduction of variations in discretionary award grants for students.

My right hon. Friend gave guidance to local education authorities about the administration of discretionary awards in Circular 5/71 of 5th April 1971. She is now considering whether further guidance would be helpful.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set up a task force in Yorkshire and Humberside to tackle job loss in public and private steel.

I am not at present convinced of the need for such an appointment.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what square footage of new industrial space has been approved for industrial development certificates in Wales in each year since 1960; and what is the figure for each month since 1964 to the latest available date.

TABLE II
AREA IN TERMS OF THOUSANDS SQ., FT. OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES APPROVED IN WALES FOR SCHEMES OF 150,000 SQ. FT. AND OVER
	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972*	1973*
January	128	151	135	651	449	434	642	100	224	52
February	135	227	526	184	673	434	613	254	336	195
March	190	323	382	535	360	1,197	436	225	836	Nil to date
April	291	36	91	102	180	1,229	696	310	49
May	195	242	1,770	908	178	370	549	882	181
June	592	188	691	229	520	123	1,337	138	345
July	253	165	2,731	315	1,548	400	250	44	45
August	252	2,040	505	258	964	866	310	144	Nil
September	159	Nil	566	466	201	610	721	109	227
October	289	77	205	278	820	468	508	178	93
November	195	185	312	200	1,083	196	928	75	24
December	95	204	581	383	532	436	330	209	403
* From 19th July 1972 IDCs have been no longer required in Development and Special Development Areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many industrial development certificates have been granted in Wales in 1973 to date; and what is the total factory floor square footage involved.

Industrial development certificates are not required in the Welsh development and special development areas. Six IDCs for a total area of 247,000 sq. ft. have been approved for schemes of 15,000 sq. ft. and over in the period 1st January 1973 to 23rd March 1973 in the Welsh intermediate area.

Following is the information:

TABLE I
Area of Industrial Development Certificates Approved in Wales for Schemes of 15,000 sq. ft and Over
Year	Area in Thous sq. ft.
1960	5,030
1961	1,999
1962	1,645
1963	1,190
1964	2,774
1965	3,838
1966	8,495
1967	4,509
1968	7,508
1969	6,763
1970	7,322
1971	2,668
1972*	2,763
*From 19th July 1972 IDCs have been no longer required in Development and Special Development Areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will consider introducing legislation to delete the words "reasonable cause to suspect that an offence under this Act has been committed" from Section 28(1)(b) of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and to substitute the words "for the purpose of determining whether the provisions of the Act are being complied with".

No. I do not think it right that a trader's books should be open to routine examination. The Act already empowers an enforcement officer to examine books and documents if a complaint, or his own examination of the goods on offer, leads him to believe That an offence has occurred.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the amount of public money provided to assist industrial or manufacturing undertakings to leave the London borough of Ealing between 1965 and 1972 and re-establish themselves elsewhere; and how many jobs were lost and gained in the respective localities.

I regret that this information could not be provided without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet representatives of the Association of Municipal Corporations over its appeal for the dropping by the Government of the requirement that councils impose further rent increases of an average of 50p a week in April or October of this year.

I have agreed to meet a deputation from the association.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to examine and make recommendations on the use for production and recreation of the countryside.

I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply given to a similar Question from the hon. Member for South Shields (Mr. Blenkin-sop) on 21st March.—[Vol. 853, c. 77–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he has now considered the position of blind passengers under the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) Regulations 1971; whether he will amend the regula- tions so as to include such passengers; and whether he will make a statement;(2) whether he will introduce legislation to make it mandatory on local authorities to make special parking facilities available for disabled persons.

Local authorities are already required to provide certain concessions to disabled persons. On the scope for extending the orange badge scheme I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Alfred Morris) on 9th March—[Vol. 852, c. 220.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the effect of his policy by easing the burden of rate increases on those living in Nuneaton and Bedworth.

I do not have information in sufficient detail to state the benefit obtained by those living in Nuneaton and Bedworth from the recent rate support grant settlement and the special help to those most affected by revaluation. The local authorities concerned should be able to provide the information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement indicating the amount of rate increases in Nuneaton and Bedworth, indicating the reasons for this.

I would refer the hon. Member to the local authorities concerned. They are responsible for fixing the rate poundages and they alone know all the reasons for any increases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what procedure ratepayers in Retford and district should follow to claim allowances to offset the effects of rating revaluation according to Circular 34/73; and what percentage of domestic ratepayers he estimates will qualify.

It is unnecessary for ratepayers to claim relief of domestic rates in 1973–74 under the arrangements set out in Circular 34/73. The circular has asked local authorities to take responsibility for calculating, notifying domestic ratepayers and paying the amount of relief due. Estimates of the numbers of domestic ratepayers qualifying for relief in accordance with Circular 34/73 are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what he regards as the definition of a shop so far as planning purposes are concerned; and whether, in that connection, premises occupied by driving schools are regarded as premises in which retail trade or business is carried out.

The term "shop" is defined in Article 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1972 (S.I. 1972 No. 1385) and Article 2 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1973 (S.I. 1973 No. 31). Driving schools are not premises in which a retail trade or business is carried on. The definition of "office" in each of these orders, which differs from that in former orders, expressly includes premises used for administrative purposes in connection with driving instruction; and buildings used as offices are excluded from the definition of "shop".

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be in a position to announce the Department's latest programme of bypass constructions.

Trunk road schemes of a total estimated value of £2,000 million are in preparation. These schemes will provide relief from through traffic. The preparation of further schemes is a constant process.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider incorporating a test on suppressors fitted to car engines in the MOT test to ensure that they comply with regulations.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is yet ready to publish the consultation paper on "Public Participation in Road Planning".

In consultation with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, I am publishing the paper today. Copies are available in the Vote Office. I am seeking the views of a wide range of interests on the proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of trees and shrubs, which are eligible for grants under the Tree Planting Year 1973 scheme, which are, or will be, imported to meet current demand.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if trees and shrubs planted in connection with Tree Planting Year 1973 and other environmental improvement schemes which are eligible conform to British Standard Specifications for those products;(2) whether trees and shrubs which are imported for use in connection with Tree Planting Year 1973, or other grant-aided environmental schemes, conform to the relevant British Standard Specifications.

Buyers of large numbers of trees and shrubs for planting usually require, as is prudent, that stock should meet the relevant British Standard specifications or some more rigorous standards. But conformity with British Standard specifications is not a precondition of importation or grant-aid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has not yet replied to the letter dated 1st January 1973 from the hon. Member for Woolwich, East, or to a prisoner's petition dated 22nd June 1972 relating to new evidence.

I am sorry that the study of this case has proved so protracted. A reply will be sent to the hon. Member within the next few days.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies have, as a result of granting independence to British territories, acquired duel citizenship in 1972 and in each of the four previous years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it remains Her Majesty's Government's policy to continue the granting of dual citizenship.

It is not a consequence of the acquisition of another citizenship that a person loses citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies, nor is the holder of another citizenship debarred by our law from becoming a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies. But all aspects of our nationality law will be examined in the review to which my right hon. Friend referred in reply to Questions by the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. John Fraser) and my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Fowler) on 1st February.—[Vol. 849, c. 1588–89.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of convictions in the Metropolitan Police area for the illegal possession of firearms during each of the last three years.

Separate figures for the Metropolitan Police district are not readily available. The number of persons found guilty in England and Wales under Sections 1(1) and 2(1) of the Firearms Act 1968 of possessing firearms—including shotguns—without a certificate was 1,124 in 1969, 1,520 in 1970 and 2,085 in 1971.

asked the Prime Minister what guidance notes are in force applying to Ministers in Her Majesty's Government in relation to directorships and/or holdings of shares in companies on assuming office.

Ministers are guided by the principle that they must so order their affairs that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their private interests and their public duties.

asked the Prime Minister what further meetings he has had with the leaders of metropolitan authorities; and if he will make a statement.

None.

asked the Prime Minister what recent meetings he has had with the Trades Union Congress and Confederation of British Industry and when he will be meeting them again.

I met the CBI, to discuss the consultative document on the Price and Pay Code, on Thursday 15th March; and I held a meeting yesterday with the Chairman and General Secretary of the TUC, accompanied by officials of unions representing National Health Service employees, to discuss the situation in the hospital service. I will be meeting the CBI and the TUC again on Wednesday 4th April, when I propose to take the chair at the next meeting of the National Economic Development Council.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about his discussions with representatives of the CBI about the Price and Pay Code on 15th March.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Lanarkshire, North (Mr. John Smith) on 20th March.—[Vol. 853 c. 236.]

asked the Prime Minister what reply he has given to representations he has received from the Confederation of British Industry on the future of the regional employment premium.

As I told the House on 20th March, the Government propose to discuss with the CBI and the TUC the method and rate of phasing out the regional employment premium. The representations received from the CBI will be covered by those discussions.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech to the Bexleyheath Conservative Association on 9th March on economic matters.

I did so on 15th March.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to Peru.

I have at present no plans to do so, Sir.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now invite the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to visit the United Kingdom.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited the United Kingdom twice last year, in February and August. He is always welcome here but there are no plans for any further visits at present.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now invite President Nixon to pay an official visit to this country.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Oldham, East (Mr. James Lamond) on 15th February.—[Vol 850. c. 1440–4.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to which EEC countries exports of eggs from the United Kingdom are not permitted.

No commercial restrictions on trade in eggs are permitted between member countries of the Community. We understand that French public health regulations prevent the import of eggs from countries which do not prohibit the use of certain substances in the feeding and rearing of poultry. We are not aware of any other regulations among Community countries which might affect trade in United Kingdom eggs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the price currently being charged by the British Sugar Corporation for sugar beet pulp; and how this compares with the price charged on 8th November 1972.

No beet pulp is being sold by the British Sugar Corporation Ltd. just now as its stocks are exhausted. The wholesale ex-factory price charged by it for dried molassed beet pulp on 8th November 1972 was £25 per ton.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing for each of the years 1968–69 to 1973–74 (a) the sum spent, or to be spent, on the Farm Capital Grant Scheme and grants absorbed by the scheme, (b) the same sum related to a constant value of money, and (c) the same sum as in (b) further adjusted to take into account changes in cost of the items concerned.

Answers to the first two parts of the Question are set out below.As to the third part, I regret that the information available is not sufficient to enable the figures to be adjusted to take account of changes in the cost of the individual items concerned.Following is the information:

	Column 1	Column 2
	Expenditure on Farm Capital Grant Scheme and grants absorbed by that scheme	Expenditure in Column 1 at 1968–69 money values*
	£ million	£ million
1968–69	24·5	24·5
1969–70	27·7	26·3
1970–71	36·5	32·7
1971–72	57·6	48·2
1972–73	74·1	59·5†
	(Forecast Outturn)
1973–74	92·9	‡
	(Estimate)
*Adjusted by reference to the Consumer Price Index.
†This figure does not reflect price changes in the first quarter of 1973 which are not yet available.
‡Price changes for 1973–74 not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres of agricultural land were treated with lime in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what is his estimate of the minimum of acres treated with lime per annum to ensure that no deterioration takes place in the quality of agricultural land in England and Wales.

The following table shows the acreage of agricultural land in England and Wales on which subsidised lime was spread in each of the last five years:

Calendar Year	Million Acres
1968	1·2
1969	1·4
1970	1·3
1971	1·4
1972	1·3

It is not possible to estimate what minimum acreage ought to be treated with lime in any year: farmers decide individually how often to lime having regard to such factors as the amount of leaching and the crops grown or livestock carried on their land.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of outbreaks of fowl pest in each of the ridings of Yorkshire in 1972; and if he will make a statement on the disparities.

The number of outbreaks of Newcastle disease (Fowl Pest) in Yorkshire in 1972 was 13 in the East Riding, 12 in the North Riding and 39 in the West Riding.Sporadic outbreaks of the disease occurred throughout the year in various parts of the East Riding. These occurred mostly in small flocks that were either unvaccinated or part vaccinated only. The pattern was similar in the North Riding during the first six months of the year, but no outbreaks occurred there during the second half of the year.In the West Riding, however, there was a build-up of infection in the mainly urban south-west part of the county which commenced towards the end of 1971 and continued into the first six months of 1972. A total of 33 outbreaks occurred during this period, including 25 in 1972. The pattern for the remainder of the county was similar to that for the other ridings.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT those abattoirs which have been approved for use following the Termination of Guaranteed Payments (Fat Cattle) Order.

The abattoirs which may produce meat for sale under support buying are those approved for export to the EEC. There are currently 41 such abattoirs in England and Wales. The list is as follows:

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the latest statistics for accidents to personnel in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard with particular reference to the declining size of the civilian labour force.

In the past four years the numbers of reportable accidents in relation to the total numbers of industrial personnel employed in Her Majesty's naval base, Portsmouth, and other naval establishments in the area were:

Year	Number of industrial personnel employed	Number of reportable accidents	Accidents per 1,000 persons
1969	11,154	552	49·49
1970	10,728	566	52·8
1971	10,726	425	39·6
1972	10,109	475	47·0

It is some comfort to note that the total time lost through accidents was lower in 1972 than it was in 1971.Management is aware of the need to secure a reduction in the accident rate and it is hoped that this will be achieved through the accident prevention education programme currently in force at Portsmouth naval base.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much land in South Georgia is used by foreign whaling companies.

None. The two small areas of land at Grytviken and Husvik in South Georgia, formerly held on lease from the Governor of the Falkland Islands by an Argentine firm, have been transferred to Albion Star (South Georgia) Ltd., a British firm.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the resumption of negotiations with Iceland upon the fishing limits dispute.

Exploratory talks took place in Reykjavik on 22nd March. It is now for the two Governments to consider whether a date can be fixed for negotiations at ministerial level.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) to what projects the £830,000 for which he is asking parliamentary approval to give to the Government of Uganda during the present financial year will be applied;(2) if it is his intention, subject to the authorisation of the House in the Appropriation' Bill, to transfer to Uganda before 31st March the £830,000 of interest-free loan funds for which he is seeking authorisation in the Supplementary Estimates.

Since September 1972 no new aid has been provided to the Government of Uganda. A number of projects were, however, already being implemented at that time and it was decided exceptionally to continue to provide funds for their completion.The figure of £830,000 represents a scaling down of the provision made in the main Estimates for 1972–73 of £1,537,000 for development loans to Uganda. It was expected, when the Supplementary Estimates were prepared, that this amount would be disbursed in the year ending 31st March 1973. Actual issues of funds are being made as required. The sum issued as at 23rd March was £366,000.Since 1st April 1972, disbursements have been made on the following projects, some of which have by now been completed:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Directive EEC 70/32 applies the principle of free competition in public purchasing to nationalised industries and other State enterprises as well as to Government Departments and local authorities.

I have been asked to reply No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been spent on advertising the facts of VAT in the Yorkshire Post; and how much on advertising within Eastern Counties newspapers which serve Norfolk, Suffolk and neighbouring parts of other counties.