asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many community health councils are now proposed for the county of Powys.

My proposals in this matter will need to take into account the wishes of the local communities and the need for each community health council to be able to relate effectively to the management of the health service for its locality. Given the necessary legislative authority I intend to consult the local authorities and other interests concerned in Powys. I shall also consult the shadow Powys area health authority as to its proposed management arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the total value of trunk and principal road schemes, respectively, firmly programmed as at 31st March last.

The information is as follows:

£ million
Motorways and Trunk Roads	…	71·3
Principal Roads	…	20·3

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those trunk and principal road schemes costing over £250,000, giving the estimated cost of each, which were added to the forward road programme during the six months ended 31st March last.

No scheme costing over £250,000 was added to either the trunk or principal road programme, but 12 major trunk road and motorway schemes estimated to cost £51 million were transferred from the preparation pool to the firm programme during this period.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now make a statement about the Government's future policy in regard to home improvement grants.

I made one reply to the hon. Member on 14th March.— [Vol 852, c. 376.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how much Government assistance has been given to the Wales Tourist Board since 1970; and what proposals he has to increase the contribution.

The total sums in each year, including allocations for assistance to hotel development and tourist projects are £324,000 in 1970–71, £963,000 in 1971–72 and £1,556,000 in 1972–73. The estimated total for 1973–74 is £2,950,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what assistance his Department is able to give to enable a design and technology centre to be established in Wales.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will be contributing towards the cost of a feasibility study of this project which will be undertaken by consultants on behalf of Cardiff Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the total sum spent on the NHS hospital service in Great Britain was spent in Wales last year.

5·03 per cent. for 1971–72, the latest year for which the information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what further steps he intends to take to ensure that the interests of Wales and of Welsh industry and agriculture are properly presented in Europe.

Existing arrangements provide every opportunity of representing Welsh interests in Europe. I will be visiting Brussels myself later this week for discussions with some of the Commissioners of the European Communities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated number of child visitors to Pembrokeshire (1) in the whole year, and (2) in the period June, July and August.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what was the number of children in hospital in the district general hospital at Carmarthen and in Pembrokeshire hospitals in each month of 1971 and 1972;(2) how many children from Pembrokeshire have been admitted to hospitals serving the area in the years 1971 and 1972 in each of the following categories: (

I regret that this information is not readily available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what examination the Welsh Hospital Board has carried out of touriest bed ratios in west Wales in the light of the recommendation of the Stacey Report.

The Welsh Hospital Board is currently considering the many recommendations in the report, including that relating to tourist needs for hospital beds.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to meet the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress at an early date to discuss with them the role of labour subsidies in regional development financial incentives.

An invitation to discussions on the phasing out of regional employment premium has now gone to the CBI and the TUC.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requests for collaboration on European aircraft and aero-engine projects have been received by his Department in 1973 from companies or Governments in the other Common Market countries.

A wide variety of possibilities is normally being discussed between companies at any time but no precise proposal has been put to me.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has yet received the report prepared by the Civil Aviation Authority on the Maplin Airport development.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to receive a report from the Civil Aviation Authority on air traffic and airport requirements in the south-east of England and their impact on the proposed construction of a new airport at Foulness.

I received an advance copy of the CAA report "Forecasts of Air Traffic and Capacity at Airports in the London Area" on 2nd May. I understand that the report is due to be published tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his recent official visit to the USSR.

My visit to the Soviet Union was as leader of the United Kingdom delegation to the second meeting of the Anglo-Soviet Joint Commission. The delegation included my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry; my hon. Friend the Undersecretary of State for the Environment, and senior representatives of British industry.Useful and constructive discussions were held at a high level, not only with the joint commission but with the Soviet Prime Minister and senior Soviet Ministers. I am confident that this visit to Moscow will lead to an improvement in our general relations with the Soviet Union and to increased opportunities for expanding trade in both directions.I am placing in the Library a copy of the communique issued at the conclusion of the joint commission meetings.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he intends to provide selective financial support for research and development projects aimed at meeting the needs of offshore operators in very deep water areas as recommended by the IMEG report.

Applications for support for research and development related to deep water technology will continue to be given full consideration particularly against the background of the IMEG report. The Ship and Marine Technology Requirements Board is giving special attention to IMEG's recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with his arrangements for obtaining information from the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom, in particular with regard to investigating allegations that British ships are engaged in illegal sanction breaking against Rhodesia.

I am very satisfied with our consultative arrangements with the Chamber of Shipping, although these have not involved inquiries into alleged violations of United Kingdom sanctions against Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total establishment of weights and measures inspectors in Wales; and how far the service is below establishment.

The complementing and staffing of local authority services in Wales is a matter for the 19 individual authorities. I am not aware of any serious deficiency of inspectors in Wales, although inevitably the recent commitment of the inspectorate to undertake work on monitoring post-VAT prices has meant that some other parts of its work have sometimes had to be deferred.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent advice he has received on the contraction of the coal industry; and whether he has received any request for moneys arising out of the Coal Industry Act to assist in reducing such contraction.

I have had a number of separate meetings with the National Coal Board, the mining unions and representatives of the main coal consumers at which the future level of demand for coal has been discussed. There has also been a request by the unions and by certain hon. Members for part of the moneys available under the Coal Industry Act to be used to prevent a specific pit closure.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total amount of financial assistance made available to firms in Scotland under the Industry Act at the latest available date; and how many new jobs have come as a result.

£17·4 million has been paid so far. New jobs involved in offers of regional selective assistance made to the end of April are 3,800. Further jobs will arise from payments of regional development grants.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total amount of financial assistance received by the Northern Region under the Industry Act; and how many projects this represents.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today in reply to Questions from the hon. Members for Whitehaven (Dr. John A. Cunningham) and Gateshead, West (Mr. Horam).

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measurements of other phenomena have been taken to establish a basis of comparison for the readings being taken of pressure waves caused by Concorde supersonic flights.

A number of comparative studies have been made. These show that the effects of Concorde's sonic boom are no greater than many common phenomena.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total of moneys deposited in the Bank of England in the Bankruptcy Estates account as at 31st December 1969, 31st December 1970, 31st December 1971 and 31st December 1972.

I understand that the balances to the credit of the Bankruptcy Estates Account at the Bank of England on the dates stated were as follows:

31st December 1969	…	…	191,379
31st December 1970	…	…	113,450
31st December 1971	…	…	224,009
31st December 1972	…	…	275,473

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer to the Monopolies Commission the bid by Mount Charlotte Investments Ltd. to take over Jennings Bros. Ltd. brewery in Cockermouth.

This bid does not fall within the scope of the Monopolies and Mergers Act 1965 since neither the gross assets of Jennings Brothers Ltd. exceed £5 million nor would the acquisition of the company create or intensify a monopoly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters sent to his Department by hon. Members before 7th December 1972 remain unanswered.

I am not aware of any such letters.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the average time his Department takes to reply to letters from hon. Members.

Statistics of this kind are not readily available, but replies to letters from hon. Members are sent as as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) why the hon. Member for Dudley has not yet received anything more than a formal printed acknowledgment to his letters of 7th December 1972, 30th January and 8th March on the subject of Mr. N. Hadley of Stourbridge and the rentals charged by Brean Down Caravan Park;(2) when the hon. Member for Dudley may expect an answer to his letters of 7th December 1972, 30th January and 8th March on the subject of Mr. N. Hadley of Stourbridge and the rentals charged by Brean Down Caravan Park.

I regret that the correspendence has been mislaid, but I wrote to the hon. Member last Friday. I apologise for the delay in dealing with the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the speed with which his Department replies to letters from hon. Members.

Replies are sent to letters from hon. Members as soon as possible. Investigations may sometiems cause delays, but these are kept to a minimum.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has held with furniture manufacturers and retailers and the Furniture, Timber and Allied Trade Union on the effect of VAT on furniture prices and the reason for ageeing to the retailers increasing their mark-up by 6·67 per cent., thereby increasing the retail price beyond its pre-VAT price.

No such discussions were held. I understand that the custom of the trade was to calculate the percentage mark-up on furniture on the wholesale price inclusive of purchase tax. Following the tax changes on 1st April, the requirement was that prices should be adjusted in such a way that retailers' cash margins were not increased. Thus a variation in percentage mark-up need not imply any increase in cash margins, but if the hon. Gentleman has any specific case about which he has doubts perhaps he would write to me about it.

asked the Secretary of of State for Trade and Industry, in calculating the productive capacity of the steel industry in the United Kingdom during the next decade, what consideration was given to the possible use of aluminium as a replacement or substitute for steel products.

In considering the future productive capacity of the steel industry, the British Steel Corporation and the Government take into account all factors which may affect steel demand including the possible impact of competitive materials.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what is the balance of trade with Iran; and to what extent has the import of non-petroleum products including dried fruits and carpets increased in recent years.

The annual statements of overseas trade of the United Kingdom and the monthly Overseas Trade Statistics, give figures for Iran of imports cif and exports fob, but the difference between these figures is not a precise measure of the visible trade balance because, inter alia, of the difference in the bases of valuation. The above sources also provide an analysis of imports by commodity.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the balance of trade with Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrein and Saudi Arabia; and what is the total of invisible earnings attributable to these States.

The annual statement of overseas trade of the United Kingdom and the monthly Overseas Trade Statistics give figures for each country of imports cif and exports fob, but the difference between these figures is not a precise measure of the visible trade balance because, inter alia, of the difference in the bases of valuation. Figures of invisible earnings of individual countries are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he can now give the total cost of the building of the new prototype fast reactor at Dounreay and the expected date of completion.

The present estimated capital cost to completion is about £43 million. Commissioning is in progress and it is expected that power will be raised by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations are held when appointments to the English Tourist Board are being considered; and if he will make a statement.

Members of the English Tourist Board are selected for their wide experience of business and public affairs and consultations undertaken in finding suitable persons must necessarily remain confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a general direction to the British Steel Corporation to increase steel supplies to meet expanding industrial export.

No. The corporation realises the problem and is already doing all it can to satisfy the demand; a general direction would be inappropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what products, whether agricultural or industrial, the United Kingdom, as an EEC member, no longer has the powers to conclude trade agreements with third countries.

Trade agreements with third countries generally fall within the common commercial policy and are negotiated by the Commission under a mandate from the Council of Ministers. For some international commodity agreements the member countries and the Commission are co-signatories.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish his studies into various aspects of the relative economic performance of the United Kingdom.

No. These form part of a continuing and more widely directed examination of industrial and economic problems.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the Government grant of £20,000 for each of the financial years 1972–73 and 1973–74 to the North-West Industrial Development Association, in view of the fact that there are 121,980 persons registered as unemployed in the North-West Region.

The agreement to pay the grant was reached with the North-West Industrial Development Association only in February last, and I am satisfied that it provides significant and useful assistance for the promotion of the North-West.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in discussions with the Chinese People's Republic to establish direct civil aviation services between Heathrow and Peking; and if he will make a statement.

Arrangements have now been made for a British delegation to visit Peking towards the end of May to commence substantive talks with the Chinese Government on the negotiation of an air services agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent he has reached agreement with the USSR to establish a Concorde or supersonic flight corridor over northern USSR to the Far East; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Kosygin agreed during my recent visit to Moscow that there was considerable scope for co-operation on the development of routes for civil supersonic flights and for solving the many problems of supersonic operation. These matters will require detailed discussions at the official level.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the total aircraft export orders to the People's Republic of China; what prospects are in the offing; and to what extent joint production of airframes and aeroengines is now a possibility.

China has so far ordered 18 Trident 2Es and 2 Trident 3Bs from Hawker Siddeley Aviation. A preliminary purchasing agreement has also been placed for 3 Concordes, 2 with Aerospatiale and one with the British Aircraft Corporation, and negotiations are continuing.A number of other projects are currently under discussion between British aircraft and aero-engine manufacturers and the Chinese, and I very much hope that further orders will be secured.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many official compaints have been received concerning the abuse of VAT in total and on a weekly basis since its introduction to the most recent available date.

Weights and measures inspectors received about 40,000 price complaints in the three weeks up to 20th April following the abolition of purchase tax and SET and the introduction of VAT. Of these some 55 per cent. were received in the first week, 30 per cent. in the second week and 15 per cent. in the third week.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been made in Liverpool concerning VAT since its introduction to the most recent available date.

Weights and measures inspectors in Liverpool received about 700 complaints about price adjustments following the introduction of VAT between 1st April and 27th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what notice was given to local authorities weights and measures departments prior to the introduction of VAT.

The Government's intention to designate weights and measures inspectors to investigate prices during the transition to VAT were announced in a White Paper in January—The Programme for Controlling Inflation: The Second Stage, Cmnd. 5205. They were subsequently discussed with the local authority associations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now publish his forecasts of the movement of interest rates over the next four months.

:No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of value added tax on private house building in Wales.

As the supply of new construction work is zero-rated for VAT, and SET and purchase tax have been abolished, the overall effect of the changeover should be favourable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement regarding the instructions given to Customs Officers who have occasion to visit firms to build up case notes for VAT purposes and the extent to which they can make demands upon executives' time when there is no question of fraud being involved; and if he will also take steps to see that questions are not put of which Customs and Excise are already in possession of the answers.

The present instructions should ensure that such demands are kept to a minimum and that unnecessary questions are avoided. If my hon. Friend is concerned about any particular case, I shall be glad if he will send me details.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated number of extra staff required to administer VAT.

I said, in the course of the Budget debate on 23rd March 1972, that Customs and Excise would need about 6,000 extra staff to administer VAT; the exact number will depend on the final total of registered taxpayers and experience in the working of the tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid to the Post Office for the year ending 5th April 1973 in respect of the sale of national savings items; and how much of this related to the handling of savings stamps.

Payments to the Post Office during the year ended 5th April 1973 in respect of national savings items transacted by the Post Office amounted to £17·4 million of which £5·9 million was for the handling of national savings stamps.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income and corporation tax has been paid by cor- porations operating within the public sector since 1946.

The total amount of taxes on income—income tax, profits tax and corporation tax—paid by public corporations during the years 1946 to 1972 is estimated to be £337 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what application has been made to the Board of Inland Revenue by the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency regarding legislation to give equal pension rights to women executives; and what reply has been sent.

No representations about legislation have been received.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the national income gross trading profits were in 1964, 1966, 1970 and 1972.

Information on the share of company profits is as follows:

		Gross trading profits of companies* as a percentage of total domestic income	Trading profits of companies † as a percentage of national income
1964	…	15· 5	12·1
1966	…	13·4	9·7
1970	…	11·9	6·9
1972	…	12·1	6·8
*Before deducting stock appreciation and capital consumption.
† After deducting stock appreciation and capital consumption.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer where full details of the EEC Budget for 1973 are published.

In the Official Journal of the European Communities, 15th year, No. L307, dated 31st December 1972. The French text is in the House of Commons Library. The English version should be available shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to seek to ensure a regular oppor- tunity for the House of Commons to consider the EEC Budget in future.

Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to consider this question in the light of any recommendations made by the Select Committee on European Communities Secondary Legislation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, consequent to his written reply on 16th April, by how much his estimate of £350 million would be reduced if the proposed tax-free allowances were given only to children resident in the United Kingdom and up to 19 years of age, as is the case with the existing family allowances.

About £25 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the terms of the Geneva Protocol, dated 21st December 1972 relating to the raising of taxes in the United Kingdom as per the Finance Bill 1973.

Copies of a text of the protocol have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services as a result of the Simper case in the High Court, how many pensioners, unsupported mothers, sick and disabled persons, respectively, are now receiving, or are expected to receive, additional money in supplementary benefit heating grants; and what is estimated to be the likely total extra expenditure.

I regret that this information is not available. The High Court's decision is not expected to lead to any large number of exceptional circumstances additions being granted without regard to the long-term addition.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what appointments have so far been made to the shadow Occupational Pensions Board which is to undertake preparatory work until the completion of the Social Security Bill; how many are men and how many women; and if he will seek to keep a balance in the appointments.

On 27th March 1973, in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mr. McCrindle), I announced the appointments of Sir Philip Allen, GCB, and Mr. R. W. Abbott, FIA, ASA, as Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively of the shadow Occupational Pensions Board.— [Vol. 853. c. 283–4.]On 18th April 1973 I announced the following six further appointments to the shadow board: Mr. G. V. Bayley, FIA, FSS, Director, Manager and Actuary of the National Provident Institution; Mr. C. J. Cornwall, FIA—Group Pensions Administrator of Courtaulds Ltd.; Mr. J. G. Haley, BA, Solicitor—Legal Officer of the National and Local Government Officers Association; Mr. E. F. Rogers, FIA—Pensions Officer of Unilever Ltd.; Mr. C. D. Sharp, FIA, MBCS—a Consulting Actuary and Mr. K. G. Smith, FIA, FSS—Pensions Manager of the British Steel Corporation. I also indicated that the appointment of additional members would be announced later. Although all those so far appointed are men, my aim is to appoint those best fitted to serve, be they men or women.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children have been abandoned in hospital during the last three years; and what action he is taking on this matter.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested, but surveys by my Department in 1969 and 1970 suggested that at any one time there are about 2,000 children in hospital who have not been visited by relatives for three months or more.Last year my Department issued a circular to hospital authorities and local authorities on the maintenance of family links with children in hospital and the measures that should be taken to prevent abandonment. My right hon. Friend has also been in communication with interested voluntary organisations about befriending children abandoned in hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the number of eye tests undertaken by opticians under the National Health Service in the Leek parliamentary constituency in each of the past 10 years.

The information is not available in the form requested. The approximate number of sight tests carried out under the general ophthalmic services by ophthalmic opticians in the Stafford shire Executive Council area is shown in the table below. Boundary changes were made to the area in 1965 and 1966.

Year				Number of Sight Tests
1963	…	…	…	58,500
1964	…	…	…	67,900
1965	…	…	…	72,200
1966	…	…	…	54,500
1967	…	…	…	53,700
1968	…	…	…	55,200
1969	…	…	…	56.700
1970	…	…	…	61,800
1971	…	…	…	62,900
1972	…	…	…	66,300

These figures exclude sight tests by opticians under the hospital eye service, statistics of which are not centrally collected.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children in the care of local authorities are in residential nurseries; and how many of such children on average every year are moved into other forms of accommodation.

On 31st March 1972, the latest date for which figures are available, 2,932 children in the care of local authorities in England and Wales were in residential nurseries.I regret that information about movements of children in care is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give an estimate of the cost of providing free prescriptions for single women pensioners; and if he will give further consideration to such provision.

About £¾ million a year in Great Britain. We see no reason to alter the existing arrangements under which all those aged 65 or over, and those under 65 who cannot afford to pay, are exempt from prescription charges.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he is taking to encourage and aid research into the prevention of mental handicap and physical disability, their alleviation and remedy.

My Department has for some years been sponsoring epidemiological research related to mental handicap as well as studies in the genetics field directed at the causes and prevention of both mental and physical handicap. It is also promoting research in support of its services for child assessment and development, and parental counselling; in the learning processes of handicapped persons; and in the residential and community care of the mentally handicapped. The cost of these researches in the last financial year was £350,000.A great deal of research into the causes and alleviation of mental retardation and physical impairment is carried out under auspices of the Medical Research Council, which is the main Government agency for medical research.Handicap is, in practice, treated as a priority area for research and my Department is always prepared to support soundly constructed projects in these fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of adapted four-wheel vehicles issued by the National Health Service to war-disabled pensioners; and of those war-disabled pensioners who are qualified to receive four-wheel vehicles as of right, how many have preferred to be supplied with a three-wheel vehicle.

6,290 disabled war pensioners currently have cars which are provided at my right hon. Friend's discretion. The foot controls of 4,100 of these vehicles have been converted in some degree to hand operation. 250 war pensioners, through choice or necessity, have three-wheelers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of families which are designated as homeless or living in local authority temporary accommodation, borough by borough, in the Greater London area at the latest available date; and how these figures compare with the same period last year.

Information is not available centrally in this form, but the number of families living in temporary accommodation provided by social services departments at 31st December 1972, the latest available date for which figures are available, compared with 31st December 1971, was as follows:

Inner London		31st December 1971	31st December 1972
Camden	…	200	160
Greenwich	…	57	—
Hackney	…	59	70
Hammersmith	…	76	10
Islington	…	465	—
Kensington and Chelsea	…	62	79
Lambeth	…	384	23
Lewisham	…	183	—
Southwark	…	227	118
Tower Hamlets	…	136	168
Wandsworth	…	160	70
Westminster	…	106	44
City of London	…	—	—

Outer London	31st December 1971	31st December 1972
Barking	9	11
Barnet	58	82
Bexley	61	80
Brent	139	—
Bromley	28	49
Croydon	133	238
Ealing	61	131
Enfield	6	5
Haringey	200	211
Harrow	14	22
Havering	3	5
Hillingdon	27	29
Hounslow	152	178
Kingston-upon-Thames	16	16
Merton	81	—
Newham	36	36
Redbridge	32	12
Richmond-upon-Thames	24	—
Sutton	33	48
Waltham Forest	28	11

The figures are not comparable in those Boroughs which, during 1972, decided to provide some or all accommodation for homeless families through their housing departments, as recommended in the joint working party reports on homelessness in London and endorsed by the London Boroughs Association.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the situation of Ugandan refugees in the United Kingdom in the light of the report by the Child Poverty Action Group, a copy of which has been sent to him, with special reference to the application of wage stop, the level of rent allowances, the making of exceptional grants and the general exercise of discretion by the local offices of his Department.

I am informed that the Uganda Resettlement Board to which the report was sent, is bringing it to the attention of the Supplementary Benefits Commission, which is statutorily responsible for the administration of the supplementary benefit scheme. I expect that the chairman of the commission will wish to write to the hon. Member when he has had an opportunity to consider the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what decision he has reached regarding the provision of subsidised butter to strikers and their dependants.

Strikers will not receive tokens for such butter, either for themselves or for their dependants, unless they are entitled to them as recipients of family income supplement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the aggregate cost to the Supplementary Benefits Commission of supplementary benefit paid to those involved in industrial disputes, and their dependants, since the coming into force of phase 2 of the counter-inflation legislation.

The information requested by my hon. Friend is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will esti- mate how many voluntary appointments will lapse under the proposed reorganisation of the National Health Services, in England and in Wales.

For England 1 would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 6th December 1972.—[Vol. 847, c. 473–4.] For Wales, which is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, the figures are as follows:

Regional Hospital Board	33
Hospital Management Committees	225
Executive Councils	450

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will establish and publicise, for the purposes of paying supplementary benefits, a more precise criterion of cohabitation, which would depend predominantly on proof of financial dependence.

This is a matter for the Supplementary Benefits Commission which has recently published, in paragraph 17 of the Supplementary Benefits Handbook, the main criteria which it takes into account.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that the precise criteria by which the Supplementary Benefits Commission adjudges the existence of cohabitation should be made available to appeal tribunals, that the evidence which the commission's officers have collected in accordance with these criteria should be openly declared before the tribunal, and that no benefit should be cut off until this procedure has been fully carried out.

The question at issue in deciding the existence of cohabitation is whether the relationship between the man and the woman is such that they must be regarded as living as man and wife in the ordinary sense of the term. There can be no precise criteria for this, but, as my right hon. Friend has explained in his answer to the hon. Member on 5th April, the commission has published the main criteria it takes into account. The commission's officers produce to the appeal tribunal all the relevant evidence in their possession. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No", since it is for the commission to withdraw benefit whenever it is satisfied that no entitlement exists.—[Vol. 854, c. 144–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure, regarding supplementary benefit payment in cases of alleged cohabitation that no anonymous tip-offs shall be accepted in evidence, and that a clear written statement of the evidence adduced against the claimant shall be submitted to her prior to any hearing before a tribunal.

Information given anonymously serves only to put the commission on inquiry, and cannot be regarded as evidence. When an appeal is made, a comprehensive summary of the facts on which the commission based its decision is submitted to the claimant and to the tribunal before the hearing.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that all families in receipt of family income supplement shall automatically receive school uniform and clothing grants to which they would otherwise be entitled under a separate means test.

No. The benefits for which family income supplement can appropriately serve as a passport are those which are available nationally and for which the assessment levels are similar to the family income supplement levels. Uniform allowances are available at the discretion of the local authorities, which are best placed to assess the needs of their areas and to devise the most appropriate schemes of assistance to meet these needs. It is, of course, open to an individual local authority to treat receipt of family income supplement as a passport in appropriate circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated number of people eligible for receipt of the selective welfare butter subsidy authorised by the European Economic Community; what percentage this represents of the total population; and what are the respective figures for the other Community countries in receipt of this subsidy.

Approximately 5 million people, including children. This represents about 9 per cent. of the population of Great Britain. I understand that about 2 million people are expected to benefit under the German scheme. This figure represents approximately 3·5 per cent. of the total population.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the rate of infant mortality in Kidsgrove urban district in the two most recent years for which figures are available.

The provisional number of deaths of infants under one year of age in the Kidsgrove urban district in 1972 was five, the same number as in 1971. These represent rates per 1,000 live births (infant mortality rate) of 13 (provisional) and 12, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to make it a criminal offence for judgment debtors to fail or refuse to disclose any change of address to the court in which the judgment has been entered.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many independent inquiries have been held under Section 32 of the Police Act 1964; and when the last one was held.

One, in 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for reports from all chief constables so as to ascertain how many men, how many women and how many boys under 18 years of age and girls under 18 years of age, respectively, were reported missing in the last year for which records are available, and how many such persons and what percentage in each category were subsequently traced.

I have obtained the available information for England and Wales and shall write to the hon. Member when it has been collated. The percentage of missing persons traced is very high, and is 99 per cent.-100 per cent. in a majority of forces.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive and to publish the report of the Working Party on Bail.

I understand that the working party expects to be able to submit its report in the autumn. The question of publication will be considered then.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to trace Ian Sippen, one of Her Majesty's subjects, of 35 Cantley Gardens, Ilford, reported missing in Morocco on Thursday 26th April.

The embassy in Rabat immediately asked the local authorities to institute a search when it was informed that Mr. Sippen was missing. In less than an hour the pro-consul had joined the police and other official searchers at the beach from which Mr. Sippen had been swimming.I am very sorry to say that the search was unsuccessful. A watch continues on this and nearby beaches and the embassy will remain in close touch with the local authorities. The consular department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to keep the family fully informed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the consequences for Her Majesty's Government and holders of Southern Rhodesia Government stock of the order of the High Court of Justice on the Petition of Right brought by Mr. Henry Franklin.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 19th April. —[Vol. 855, c. 185–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is delaying the signature of an air services agreement between the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom.

I have been asked to reply.Arrangements have now been made for a British delegation to visit Peking towards the end of May to commence substantive talks with the Chinese Government on the negotiation of an air services agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now place in the Library the memorandum of the European Commission on the forthcoming GATT negotiations.

The Commission's memorandum (COM 73) 556 dated 4th April) has been made public and a copy has now been placed in the Library.It does not contain formal proposals to the Council. These will be made later.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will investigate the feasibility of subsidising the price of bread.

We are always ready to consider any suggestions for making food prices cheaper but we do not think that subsidising the price of bread is necessary at the present time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the Manchester area concerning the export of live animals for slaughter.

Apart from those made by the hon. Member we have had representations from the hon. Members for the Manchester divisions of Ardwick (Mr. Kaufman), Gorton (Mr. Marks) and Wythenshawe (Mr. Alfred Morris), from the Manchester City Council and from people living in the Manchester area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many investigations and breaches of the Bal-four Assurances concerning the humane treatment and slaughter of animals have been made since January 1972; and whether he will list the findings in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

We received two main reports from welfare organisations in the first half of 1972 concerning exports of sheep to Belgium. These covered many breaches of the Balfour Assurances and were discussed with the Belgian Government. As a result strict licensing controls were introduced. Further reports of breaches affecting sheep and to some extent cattle were received at the end of 1972 and licences for the export of sheep were suspended from 1st February 1973. Two further reports concerning cattle, one largely a repetition of the other, were received in March and these and the earlier report concerning cattle have been referred to the Governments concerned for comment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether United Kingdom hop growers will qualify for the EEC subsidy in respect of the 1972 crop; which varieties of United Kingdom hops will qualify for a subsidy; what is the likely subsidy per acre expressed in pounds sterling; what is the estimated acreage likely to qualify for a subsidy; what percentage of that acre- age is brewery owned; and if he will make a statement.

The level of subsidy to be paid to hop producers for the 1972 crop has not yet been fixed by the Community. In determining this, the circumstances relating to the production and marketing of hops in the United Kingdom in 1972 will be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a further statement about Treasury holding in the British Sugar Corporation.

I regret that there was a factual error in the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend on 19th April 1973. Her Majesty's Treasury has held ordinary share capital in the British Sugar Corporation Ltd. since 1936. This holding originally represented 15 per cent. of the ordinary share capital; since the reorganisation of the company's share capital in 1964 it has represented 11·25 per cent.—[Vol. 855, c. 206–7.]

asked the Attorney-General if he will move to appoint a Select Committee to review the question whether the current levels of compensation for industrial injuries are high enough.

This topic is already covered by Law Commission Working Paper No. 41 issued on 18th October 1971, and the final report is expected this summer. It will also fall within the terms of reference of the Royal Commission on Civil Liability. In these circumstances I must advise the hon. Lady to await the report of the Law Commission.

asked the Attorney-General if he will arrange for the evidence submitted to the Law Commission between the publication of its two working papers on Transfer of Land, Rentcharges to be made available in the Library.

No. It would not be right to establish a general practice of publishing comment received by the commission on its working papers, because such comment is frequently made on the basis that it would be treated as confidential. It is important that members of the public should feel free to comment on this basis.

asked Mr. Attorney-General how many copies of Working Paper No. 49, "Transfer of Land, Rentchages", have been printed; and how the cost of 72p was determined.

I have been asked to reply.1,500 copies were printed. The selling price of 72p was based on estimated production costs plus Her Majesty's Stationery Office's publishing overheads.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the degree of coordination between the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment in the provision of adequate road and other services to the Penryn Industrial Estate in the South-West development district.

Yes. I know that my hon. Friend is in touch with the appropriate Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about this matter. I have also received a letter from the Town Clerk of Penryn. The Departments are considering what further help they can give.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate she has made of likely changes in the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools in the coming years.

My right hon. Friend's White Paper envisaged a teaching force by 1981 10 per cent. larger overall than that needed to maintain 1971 staffing standards. The share of this improvement achieved in the primary schools will depend on decisions still to be taken after consultation on the distribution of teachers in the event between primary, middle and secondary schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many new schools were completed and for how many construction was commenced in the first quarters of 1973 and 1967, respectively.

Returns for the quarter ended 31st March 1973 have not yet been received from all local education authorities. Following is the information for the first quarters of 1972 and 1967:

		Number of new school departments completed	Number of new school departments on which work started
Quarter ended—
31st March 1972	…	168	464
31st March 1967	…	165	328

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications for compulsory purchase orders for inner London boroughs were confirmed in the years 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, and to the latest available date in 1973.

The information relating to compulsory purchase orders made under the Housing Act 1957 and confirmed since 1971 is as follows:

1971	…	…	…	60
1972	…	…	…	73
1973 (4 months)	…	…	…	23

Figures for earlier years are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many compulsory purchase order applications were submitted from the inner London boroughs, borough by borough, in the years 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, and to the latest available date in 1973.

The information relating to compulsory purchase orders made

				1973	1969	1970	1971	1972 (4 months)
Camden	…	…	…	5	7	3	11	2
City of London	…	…	…	—	—	1	—	—
Greenwich	…	…	…	5	—	4	3	—
Hackney	…	…	…	3	3	17	20	—
Hammersmith	…	…	…	—	—	—	4	1
Islington	…	…	…	9	10	12	24	7
Kensington and Chelsea	…	…	…	—	—	2	—	—
Lambeth	…	…	…	5	10	14	14	5
Lewisham	…	…	…	7	11	6	8	9
Southwark	…	…	…	19	12	14	13	31
Tower Hamlets	…	…	…	15	4	2	4	2
Wandsworth	…	…	…	2	2	—	8	1
Westminster	…	…	…	—	—	3	3	—
Totals	…	…	…	70	59	78	112	38

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many compulsory purchase order applications from inner London boroughs were outstanding up till the latest available date.

One hundred and forty-one orders made under the Housing Act 1957.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will name the London borough councils he has recently met to discuss the action he is willing to take to reduce the number of empty houses that exist in such boroughs; and if he will make a statement.

On 16th April my hon. Friend met representatives of the Greater London Council London Boroughs Associations and the following London borough councils:

Brent	Lambeth
Camden	Lewisham
Hackney	Newham
Hammersmith	Southwark
Haringey	Tower Hamlets
Islington	Wandsworth
Kensington & Chelsea	Westminster

At that meeting he asked them urgently to review their policy towards short-life properties in their ownership, and take immediate steps to ensure that everything possible is being done to make maximum use of such properties. So far as empty dwellings in the private sector are concerned, he asked councils to consider the possible use of compulsory purchase orders, in cases of owners who were blatantly disregarding their obligations to bring housing into use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, how many houses are at present empty in each of the 32 London boroughs.

Complete information is not available, since records of vacant private sector dwellings are not at present kept. The Advisory Committee of Treasurers of the London Boroughs Association has, however, agreed to collect this information regularly from the end of the financial year 1972–73.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the procedures which must be followed by borough councils who wish to place compulsory purchase orders on empty property existing within their boroughs.

The relevant stautory procedures are contained in the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) Act 1946 and The Compulsory Purchase by Local Authorities (Inquiries Procedure) Rules 1962. [Statutory Instrument 1962 No. 1424.]Briefly, the procedures are intended to ensure that owners and others are notified of the making of any compulsory purchase order affecting their land; given an opportunity to object; and, before any public inquiry is held, given an indication of the local authority's reasons for making the order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current cost of redemption of permanent rent-charges on freehold property under the Law of Property Act 1925.