asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations have been received concerning proposed imports of liquid milk from the Irish Republic; what answers have been given; and if he will make a statement clarifying the extent to which such shipments may now take place on account of European Economic Community legislation.

One company has inquired about the conditions governing imports of milk from the Irish Republic. It has been informed that, in accordance with EEC regulation 480/73, imports of bulk milk into the United Kingdom are subject to the payment of a deposit which may be refunded in full or in part if the milk is used for manufacture.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Government wishes to encourage British viticulture.

It is for growers themselves to decide what crops to plant; viticulturists qualify for assistance under the Horticulture Improvement Scheme on the same terms as other horticulturists.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will list the items of food which have not increased in price since June 1970.

On the basis of information collected for the purposes of the Index of Retail Food Prices, old potatoes, hearted cabbage, carrots and onions were all cheaper on 20th February 1973, the latest date for which information is available, than on 16th June 1970. Comparisons over this period are of course affected by seasonal factors.

asked the Attorney-General if he will now name the date before Easter when he expects to receive the Law Commissioners' working paper on rent charges on freehold land; and how soon thereafter he expects it will be available to the general public.

The Law Commission's further working paper is expected to be published on 18th April. My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor received an advance copy on 29th March.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will instruct commanding officers of the Armed Forces to make arrangements to advise Service men of the need to make plans in advance of their discharge for securing accommodation in civilian life for their families and themselves.

It is already standard procedure for all Service men leaving the forces on completion of normal engagements to be given such advice well in advance of their discharge. Many Service men will already have bought their own homes during their service.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many women were in full-time employment in each of the employment areas in the Leek parliamentary constituency on 1st January in each of the past 10 years; and what proportions of the female population of working age these figures represented.

Estimates of the numbers employed in employment exchange areas are made only for each mid-year and the most recent are for June 1971. The figures do not identify full-time and part-time workers. Population estimates are not available for

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREAS
					Leek	Cheadle	Biddulph	(Thousands Kidsgrove
June 1961	…	…	…	…	5·5	1·5	1·0	2·7
June 1962	…	…	…	…	5·4	1·7	1·0	3·0
June 1963	…	…	…	…	5·3	1·6	1·1	3·4
June 1964	…	…	…	…	5·2	1·7	1·2	3·3
June 1965	…	…	…	…	5·3	1·5	1·1	3·6
June 1966	…	…	…	…	5·3	1·9	1·3	3·9
June 1967	…	…	…	…	5·4	2·0	1·2	4·3
June 1968	…	…	…	…	5·2	2·0	1·3	4·8
June 1969	…	…	…	…	5·3	2·0	1·4	4·6
June 1970	…	…	…	…	5·1	2·1	1·2	4·0
June 1971	…	…	…	…	5·0	2·2	1·4	4·1
The estimates are subject to sampling and other errors and no significance should be attached to small changes from one year to another.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in each of the main components of the cost-of-living index since

				Percentage increase between
Group				16th June 1970 and 20th February 1973	21st March 1972 and 20th February 1973	19th September 1973 and 20th February 1973
All items	…	…	…	23·2	7·5	3·6
All items excluding food	…	…	…	21·1	6·5	2·6
All items excluding seasonal food		…	…	23·1	7·0	3·1
Food	…	…	…	29·7	10·7	6·6
Seasonal food	…	…	…	27·3	19·6	14·8
Other food	…	…	…	30·6	8·9	4·9
Alcoholic drink	…	…	…	14·0	5·4	0·9
Tobacco	…	…	…	4·3	2·3	0·1
Housing	…	…	…	28·8	13·6	6·6
Fuel and light	…	…	…	25·5	4·6	2·9
Durable household goods	…	…	…	15·4	4·3	2·3
Clothing and footwear	…	…	…	20·4	6·8	2·8
Transport and vehicles	…	…	…	21·9	4·7	0·7
Miscellaneous goods	…	…	…	20·0	1·6	0·7
Services	…	…	…	25·3	8·0	4·1
Meals bought and consumed outside the home				32·3	10·2	4·3

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered disabled persons are unemployed in the Doncaster travel-to-work area; what percentage these represent of the total disabled register; and how this compares with the percentage of all persons registered as unemployed.

On 12th March 1973, 617 registered disabled people, or 181 per cent. of the total register, were unemployed in the Doncaster travel-to-work area. On the same date the total

The following table shows the percentage increases in the main components of the General Index of Retail Prices:number of unemployed persons, excluding those regarded as unlikely to obtain work except under sheltered conditions, represented 4·6 per cent. of the estimated number of employees in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms in the Doncaster travel-to-work area are failing to fulfil their statutory quota obligation in respect of disabled persons.

At 31st May 1972, the latest date for which individual area figures are available, 92 firms in this area were not employing their quota of disabled people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many former coal miners living in the Easington constituency are currently undergoing retraining on Government training schemes.

Eleven were undergoing training on 26th March.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the estimated weekly earnings for self-employed bricklayers, plasterers and glazed tilers in the building and construction industry on 8th November 1972, or the nearest available date; and what are the corresponding earnings on 1st April 1973 or the nearest available date.

I regret that such information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of those people trained in the Government training centre at Hull found work in the Hull employment exchange area in the years 1971 and 1972.

Sixty-five per cent. in 1971 and 66 per cent. in 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have ben lost through redundancies in the Hull employment area since 1970.

The information is not available in the form requested, but redundancies recorded as due to occur in the Hull employment exchange area during the period 1st January 1971 to 31st March 1973 inclusive involved a total of 4,760 workpeople.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultation he has had with the Central Council for the Disabled on the Robens Report on safety at work; and if he will make a statement.

None. The Central Council for the Disabled did not submit evidence to the Robens Inquiry; nor, so far as I am aware, has it subsequently sought consultations.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of inspectors covering wages council establishments for the last 10 years.

The number of wages inspectors employed full-time on visiting employers' establishments as at 31 st December in each year was:

1972	141 (including 14 women)
1971	138 (including 14 women)
1970	151 (including 18 women)
1969	146 (including 21 women)
1968	154 (including 24 women)
1967	150 (including 27 women)
1966	141 (including 30 women)
1965	141 (including 31 women)
1964	147 (including 28 women)
1963	142 (including 27 women)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, as part of National Tree Planting Year, he will replace the trees and shrubs removed from the central reservation in the course of the recent widening of the Al trunk route.

Where possible, trees and hedges were preserved, but it is not general practice for road safety reasons to plant trees in central reservations. 33,000 young trees were, however, planted along the sides of the road as part of the improvement scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what publicity is being given to how representations can be made on longer-term policy for business rents.

My right hon. and learned Friend does not consider that any special publicity is necessary. The relevant representative bodies are already well aware of the ways in which representations can be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to the board of British Rail to ensure that adequate provision is made of visual information, to supplement oral announcements, for the benefit of deaf travellers.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for an exhibition by the Upper Tame Main Drainage Authority to take place in the Upper Waiting Hall.

Yes. I shall be glad to arrange this if the hon. Member will let me know the dates he has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will allow standard grants to be available for the electrical rewiring of homes.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to similar questions from the hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. Albert Roberts), my right hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Sir Robin Turton), and the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. David Clark) on 22nd March 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the proposals concerning the transfer of the administration of the superannuation funds of the staff of the London boroughs to the Greater London Council; and if he will make a statement.

				1971 Tests		1972 Tests
				Conducted	Passed	Conducted	Passed
Sutton	…	…	…	4,644	2,315	4,643	2,208
Wallington	…	…	…	8,260	4,199	8,504	4,203
Morden	…	…	…	7,590	3,731	8,988	4,328

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the safety and design of opening lights in high-rise blocks of flats.

I have received a deputation from the London Boroughs Association and other written representations asking me to reverse the decision to make this transfer. I have replied adhering to this decision, which I believe will be in the best interests of the members of the funds concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to send out to county and district councils the circular on the discharge of planning functions after local government reorganisation, which was discussed with the local authority associations on 4th January 1973.

A draft is now being sent to the local authority associations for comment before the circular is issued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest available figure for people waiting to take their driving tests at the centres in Sutton, Wallington and Morden on the earliest available date.

The numbers of applications outstanding on 4th April were: Sutton, 1,197; Wallington, 2,648; Morden, 3.094.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people have taken their driving tests at each of the test centres at Sutton, Wallington and Morden in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many have passed the test; and how these figures compare with the previous 12 months.

This information is not available. The position in relation to tests taken is as follows:—

Designers and manufacturers have been given comprehensive advice on safety factors for windows and rooflights in high buildings in a code of practice, published in 1969 by the British Standards Institution. I am satisfied with this advice, but if my hon. Friend has information which suggests that further action is required I shall be glad to consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the design of car safety seats for children, for children under 40 lb. in weight.

I have asked for a report on the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the fact that the number of lorries using the Dover ferry service last year amounted to 156,581, an increase of 43 per cent. over 1971, that the import-export car traffic using Dover rose to 127,116 vehicles, and that Dover was used by 5,476,269 passengers and 1,003,453 accompanied private cars, he will expedite the A2 development programme, and in particular the construction of the Canterbury bypass.

While I know how pressing the problem is, I regret that there is no scope for further acceleration. The feasibility study into the need for and alignment of a Canterbury bypass is now being considered by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he received or sought any advice from the United Kingdom Chamber of Shipping on the ability of the Cross-Channel ferry service to handle future projections of trade between Great Britain and Europe.

In reply to my request for its views on the Channel Tunnel project and its implications for cross-Channel ferry services, the Chamber of Shipping has submitted a memorandum which I am studying and hope to discuss with it shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the impact of VAT on overseas students hostels; what response he has made; and whether he will make a statement.

I have received representations from the United Kingdom Council for Overseas Students Affairs and the International Students Trust and have told these two bodies that I have taken up the question which they raised with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.The present position is that facilities incidental to the provision of education, such as board and lodging, are only exempt from value added tax where they are supplied by institutions themselves providing education which is exempted from the tax by Schedule 5, Chapter 41, of the Finance Act 1972. Broadly this means education provided by a school or university or of a kind provided by a school or university otherwise than for profit. Facilities supplied by hostels other than these are liable to value added tax if their taxable turnover exceeds £5,000 per annum.I expect no early change in this position but I will keep the question under review with my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on Governmental discussions over the Anglo-Icelandic fisheries dispute.

The British and Icelandic Governments are agreed that a resumption of Ministerial talks is desirable. I hope soon to be able to announce that a date has been set for them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT particulars of the accidents caused by fireworks during the period 15th October to 11th November 1972, together with comparable figures for the four previous years.

The table below analyses the information obtained from hospitals in England and Wales relating to the 1,260 persons who received hospital treatment

FIREWORK INJURIES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
		1972	1971	1970	1969	1968
A. Place where injury occurred:
(i) Family or private party		441	382	433	680	1,125
(ii) Public or semi-public party in park or open space	…	166	139	155	206	367
(iii) Casual incident in street	…	422	349	399	492	689
(iv) Other place	…	95	88	87	151	193
(v) Unknown	…	136	101	90	107	163
B. Type of firework involved:
(i) Banger	…	369	316	359	491	759
(ii) Rocket	…	129	126	160	198	366
(iii) Jumping Cracker	…	51	47	46	95	145
(iv) Display firework, e.g. Roman Candle	…	262	223	250	354	558
(v) Home-made or extracted powder	…	54	57	48	56	96
(vi) Other than above	…	83	82	95	138	168
(vii) Unknown	…	312	208	206	304	445
C. Age group of persons injured:
(i) Over 21	…	167	145	184	276	543
(ii) 16–20	…	68	56	96	104	163
(iii) 13–15	…	257	210	226	304	416
(iv) Under 13	…	768	648	658	952	1,415
D. Severity of injury:
(i) Died	…	—	1	—	—	—
(ii) Detained more than one night	…	91	69	74	240✶	392✶
(iii) Other severe injury	…	143	88	104	—	—
(iv) Minor injury	…	1,009	879	965	1,358	2105
(v) Unknown	…	17	22	21	38	s540
* Separate figures for categories (ii) and (iii) are not available for these years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to take any action this year with a view to reducing the number of accidents caused by fireworks.

The number of injuries caused by fireworks in 1972 was greater than in 1971 or 1970, but substantially smaller than in any other year since 1962, when records were first kept. Every effort must be made to reduce injuries this year, and I am therefore having further discussions with manufacturers, particularly about the marking of fireworks, and with chief officers of police.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that in certain Government advertisements

I do not accept what the hon. Member asserts is a fact.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take action to ensure that toilet paper and sanitary towels are zero rated for value added tax.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he considers to be the best indicator of the money supply; and whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the monthly changes seasonally adjusted in this indicator during the past year, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding figure six months earlier and 12 months earlier, respectively.

There is no one correct indicator of the money supply. Particularly at this time of rapid structural change in banking it is important to look at the narrow definition of money supply Ml, as well as the wider version M3, which has recently been seriously distorted by special factors. My hon. Friend will find figures for monthly changes in Ml and M3 in Financial Statistics and the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a version of Table 1.2

RESOURCES AND CLAIMS: ANNUAL AVERAGE CHANGE 1971–1977
1972 Factor cost prices
		Low Investment		High Investment
		£m.	%	£m.	%
A. GDP	…	1,490	2·7	1,490	2·7
B. Claims in GDP:
(1)Private Investment	…	220	4·5	310	6·0
(2)Balance of Trade	…	–160	—	–160	—
(3)Public Expenditure:
Public consumption	…	370	3·2	370	3·2
Public investment	…	130	2·8	130	2·8
Total direct expenditure	…	500	3·1	500	3·1
Indirect public expenditure	…	190	3·1	190	3·1
Total public expenditure	…	690	3·1	690	3·1
(4)Resources available for privately financed consumption	…	740	2·6	650	2·3

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the ratio of public expenditure, including transfer payments and debt interest, to gross domestic product in the financial years 1964–65, 1970–71, 1971–72, and 1972–73; and what estimate he has made of the corresponding figure for 1973–74.

Total public expenditure expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product was as follows:

	Per cent.
1964–65	43·2
1970–71	50·3
1971–72	49·9
1972–73	50·8

The percentage for 1973–74 is unlikely to differ significantly from that for 1972–73, although the estimate at this stage suggests that there might be a small reduction.

The Government do not accept that the proposed hypothetical base has any special significance for judgments concerning the future; nor can they undertake to provide further versions of Table 1.2 in Cmnd. 5178. However, the following table illustrates the implications of the public expenditure programmes of Cmnd. 5178 if GDP were to grow over the period from 1971 to 1977 at the same rate on average as it grew over the immediately preceding 10 years, 1960–70. (All the definitions affecting the table are consistent with those used in Cmnd. 5178.)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those countries (a) in respect of which the Inland Revenue has accepted the "posted price" for crude oil as the operative price for the purpose of computing liability to United Kingdom taxation, and (b) where there is a statutory requirement on the production companies to sell oil at the posted price.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 5th April 1973; Vol. 854, c. 162], gave the following information:Transactions in crude oil at posted prices have, in accordance with legal advice received by the Inland Revenue, been accepted for United Kingdom tax purposes. The main countries concerned are: Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, Abu Dhabi Qatar, Oman and Nigeria. There are explicit statutory requirements in Iran and Kuwait.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under What conditions it is his intention that plans for farmyard development in Northern Ireland should be required to have planning permission.

Under Article 11 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1972, which is scheduled to come into effect on 1st October 1973, all building operations will constitute "development" for which planning permission will be required. However, it is the intention to make a general development order under Article 13 of the 1972 order granting planning permission for certain specified classes of development. One of these classes will relate to certain types of agricultural development but the exact range of this class has still to be determined; before this is done there will be further consultations With the Ministry of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and farming interests in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many houses in Northern Ireland are at present occupied by squatters, and in which areas.

5,181 public authority dwellings are occupied by squatters. Of these 3,846 are in the Belfast area, the balance being mainly in Londonderry. Precise information on the extent of squatting in the private sector is not available.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications what has been the increase in advertising revenue to the television companies since the dere-striction of hours; what has been the increase in their profits; and whether he will make a statement.

The Independent Broadcasting Authority tells me that its contractors did not substantially increase the number of hours for which they broadcast until the autumn of last year. Then-advertising revenue grew by £15 million between September 1972 and February 1973, but since revenue was already steadily growing it is not possible to say how far extra hours have contributed to growth in revenue. No information about the effect on profits is yet available since none of the companies has yet published an annual account covering a full year since its hours were increased.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will direct the Supplementary Benefits Commission to introduce a common accommodation rate throughout the country for the benefit of registered charities providing hostel facilities from voluntary funds.

I have not yet decided whether there should be two national television services transmitted on VHF after 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can now give the figures of recorded injuries caused by fireworks during the last guising season.

64 persons received hospital treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during the period 15th October to 11th November 1972, compared with 55 in the corresponding period in 1971. Detailed information is given below:—

My right hon. Friend has no power to direct the Supplementary Benefits Commission about the amount of supplementary benefit which is to be awarded in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Ministry of Social Security Act 1966. The Commission has explained in paragraphs 114–135 of the Supplementary Benefits handbook, which is available in the Library of the House, the principles governing the award of benefit in special kinds of accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement indicating when he hopes to receive the Report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council reviewing pneumoconiosis and byssiniosis for industrial injury benefit purposes.

I understand that the report on the review of pneumoconiosis, and on certain questions relating to byssinosis, is being prepared and that the Council hopes to submit it to my right hon. Friend by the middle of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what access is permitted to his Department's records for tracing missing persons.

Access to departmental records is limited to my officials. If the address of a missing person under 18 is known it will be given, on request, to the police or the parents. In the case of a missing adult, my Department is prepared to forward a letter, if an address is known, and to give assistance to the police if they are investigating a crime which is other than trivial. In maintenance and affiliation cases a missing man's address will, on request, be disclosed direct to the appropriate court.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a general direction to the British Airports Authority to ensure that adequate provision is made of visual information, to supplement oral announcements, for the benefit of deaf travellers.

No. This is a matter for the management of the authority. I am advised, however, that extensive use is already made of visually presented information and, in addition, if a deaf traveller—or any passenger with a disability—asks for special assistance the airlines or the authority will do their best to provide it.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the estimates for fines and forfeitures under the Merchant Shipping Acts in the Supply Estimates for each year since 1965; and how much was received for each of those years for fines and forfeitures, respectively.

The amounts shown in the Supply Estimates for fines and forfeitures under the Merchant Shipping Acts for the years specified and the amounts received are are follows:

	Estimates	Receipts
	£	£
1965–1966	56,000	73,243
1966–1967	64,000	68,746
1967–1968	70,000	59,274
1968–1969	55,000	51,262
1969–1970	50,000	53,786
1970–1971	54,000	58,978
1971–1972	50,000	62,111
1972–1973	55,000	The information is not yet available for this year

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries have been made to his Department within the last 12 months by firms from other EEC countries which are interested in developing in Wales.

Sixteen inquiries have been received in the last 12 months from firms in EEC countries actively interested in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will request the Welsh Council to conduct a study into the likely effect upon the Welsh economy of terminating the regional employment premium.

The council has already indicated its views in the reports "Wales: Employment and the Economy" and "Industrial Development Policy" which were published last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue a White Paper on the trends of outward migration from Wales in the 1970s, with particular reference to young people.

It is not possible to predict the trends of outward or inward migration from Wales during this decade. One of the objectives of Government policy is to enable those people who want to stay in Wales to do so.