asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the progress of discussions with both sides of industry and other bodies on the future of the regional employment premium.

Formal consultations will take place shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received a report on the monopoly control of registration of engineers which the Council of Engineering Institutions was asked by him to provide not later than 31st August 1972.

The request was made not by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State but by the Privy Council. No specific reply has been received. Urgent steps are currently being taken to find a solution to this difficult problem by my officials in concert with the Council of Engineering Institutions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to prohibit labour-only sub-contracting in the clothing industry.

I have no evidence that legislation is needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent conversations he had had with the European Economic Community about the boundaries of regions qualifying under EEC rules for special grants; and whether he will make a statement.

The issues involved in the creation of a genuine Community regional policy have been discussed on a number of occasions over recent months at both ministerial and official level. Substantive discussions on the boundaries of regions to benefit from the proposed Regional Development Fund cannot however begin until the Commission's report on Community regional problems has been published and progress made in working out the details of the fund's operations.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received about special treatment for companies in the development areas during phase 2 of the current freeze.

Very few. I am satisfied that in general the provisions of the Price and Pay Code should not detract from the value of incentives available under the Industry Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if there will be separate United Kingdom representation at the GATT talks in the autumn.

Yes. But the Commission will speak for the Community as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the adherence by the United Kingdom to trade agreements existing between the EEC and third countries before 1st January 1973 will involve any breach of United Kingdom obligations under GATT.

No. The agreements to which we shall adhere have been examined in GATT or will be and are subject to further review there.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints concerning price increases were received by his Department in the period 6th November 1972 to 31st March 1973; how many investigations were carried out; in how many cases price increases were approved; and in how many cases reductions were made.

My Department received about 12,300 complaints in this period. Half of these proved not to relate to the standstill. Of the remainder, investigations were completed during the period in over 5,700 cases. Of these, 5,225 were not substantiated. In 488 cases prices were found to be above the level permitted by the standstill and in all cases were reduced. No price increases have been approved as a direct result of the investigation of a complaint.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is now in a position to give details of interim measures relating to aircraft noise along take-off flight paths from Heathrow Airport pending the report of the working party of the Noise Advisory Council on "minimum noise routes".

The technical evaluation is not yet complete but I will make an announcement as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries have been received for the factory vacated by Ranco Motors Limited, Tannochside, Glasgow.

Although one inquiry has been the subject of negotiation a formal application has not in fact resulted. The factory has been suggested to other concerns.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what matters are to be discussed at the next meeting of EEC Trade Ministers.

I would refer the hon. Member to the estimates of subject headings likely to come up for discussion in the Council of Ministers which are placed in the Vote Office. The next such estimate will be lodged in the Vote Office towards the end of April. There are no present plans for a meeting specifically of EEC Trade Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent the guidance he gives to British firms in South Africa specifically covers the question of collective and individual rights of African workers as distinct from conditions of employment.

My Department's guidance has been published and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. It summarises the main factors of which employers of African labour should be aware but does not and is not intended to relieve them of the need to inform themselves in detail by local inquiries on the spot.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what target financial return on assets, within what period, is reflected in the latest pricing schedules of the British Steel Corporation; and what communication he has received from the European Commission as to the conformity of these schedules with the rules of the Treaty.

I understand that the corporation will announce its new prices tomorrow and will also be notifying the European Commission. The prices can be expected to have regard to the four-year financial objective set last year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the proposed price increases of the British Steel Corporation, indicating the overall percentage increase that is proposed and the maximum increase a steel user might expect, taking into account the different rates of increase for various steel products and the operation of the basing point system on delivery charges.

No. This is a matter for the corporation, which I understand will publish tomorrow full details of its new prices for each product.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out the total cost of the wage increase offer made by the National Coal Board to the National Union of Mineworkers, including any extra holidays, fringe benefits or pension contributions, and express this as a percentage of the previous total wage cost.

The estimated cost in a full year is £28·5 million, or 7·2 per cent. on the wages bill, plus about £3 million or 0·7 per cent. to offset increased pension contributions. There will be no change in holidays because the union did not accept the proposal to consolidate into a complete week five separate days already available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Society of British Aerospace Companies regarding future aerospace projects; and if he will make a statement.

None, since the initiation of civil aerospace projects is a matter for the individual firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he is making to ensure that British consumer organisations are informed at an early stage of proposals affecting consumers which are to be discussed by the Commission of the EEC.

Apart from the regular consultations that take place between Departments and a number of consumer organisations, there will be close liaison between my officials and the Consumers' Association to ensure that relevant proposals are considered as possible subjects for study under the consultancy contract about which I answered a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Merton and Morden (Miss Fookes) on 22nd March.—[Vol. 853, c. 189.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, as part of his investigation of seat belts for children, he will seek to establish the insurance position in relation to injuries suffered by children travelling in car safety seats which do not conform to the British Standard; and if he will make a statement.

The question of the safety of seat belts for children is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. As to the insurance position, third party insurance for passengers is compulsory. Special insurance conditions in respect of car safety seats which are fitted to cars and which are not approved by the British Standards Institution are a matter for insurance companies and, in the event of accidents, for the courts to decide. I am, however, investigating all the issues that arise on the hon. Member's Question.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give details of the projects in the service industries which are being considered for selective assistance under the Industry Act.

Twelve applications are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many grants have been made in the Merseyside development area under the Industry Act 1972 to the latest available date;(2) what is the total amount of money given in grants made under the Industry Act 1972 in the Merseyside development area to the latest available date.

Up to the end of the financial year 1972–73 the total of the grants under Parts I, II and III of the Industry Act 1972 paid to applicants in the Merseyside development area was £847,742. Statistics are not available for the number of individual grants under Part I of the Act. The number of grants paid in the development area under Parts II and III was six.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with the working of the Industry Act 1972; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. During the financial year to 31st March 1973, over 5,600 applications were received for regional development grants under Part I of the Industry Act and over £8 million was paid out. During the same period 144 applications for shipbuilding construction grants were processed and about £12 million was paid.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the total amount of money given in grants made under the Industry Act 1972, to the latest available date;(2) how many grants have been made under the Industry Act 1972 to the latest available date.

Up to the end of the financial year 1972–73 the total of the grants paid under Parts I, II and III of the Industry Act 1972 was £20,120,512 Statistics are not available for the number of individual grants under Part I of the Act. The number of grants paid under Parts II and III was 146.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measurements of Shockwaves were taken at St. David's in Pembrokeshire on Thursday 12th April during Concorde's supersonic flight.

The overpressure measured at St. David's Cathedral was 1½ lb./square foot.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning permission to start productifion on Concorde aircraft numbers 17 to 22; to what extent such permission will depend upon receipt of firm orders; and if he will make a statement.

The manufacturers have made no request for permission to start full production at this stage on aircraft 17–22. The decision on starting manufacture of further aircraft will take full account of the market situations but the Governments must also have regard to other factors, such as the need to preserve manufacturing continuity, employment and the control of costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will state in table form how many applications have been received for incentive grants in respect of each development area since January 1972; and how much public money has been paid out in each area.

The information is not available in precisely the form requested. Details of residual applications for investment grants in the 15 months from January 1972 and of initial applications for regional development grants from September 1972 are as follows:

JANUARY 1972 TO MARCH 1973
Grant Office		Number of applications made✶	Grant paid at Development Area Rate
Investment Grants			£m.
Billingham	…	11,600	51
Bootle	…	11,200	27
Cardiff	…	22,600	54
Glasgow	…	6,800	35
Southend	…	5,100	2
Total	…	57,300	169
✶ This column relates to applications in respect of plant and machinery in all areas. Separate figures for development areas are not available.

PERMD SEPTEMBER 1972 TO MARCH 1973
Grant Office Regional Development Grants		Number of applications made	Grant paid in respect of Assisted Areas £m.
Billingham	…	1,500	3·7
Bootle	…	650	0·3
Cardiff	…	1,100	1·1
Glasgow	…	2,350	3·0
Total	…	5,600	8·1

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, as soon as practicable, he will ask the Director General of Fair Trading to take action under Clauses 3 and 17 of the Fair Trading Bill on the divergent prices of the same medical product, information about which he has previously received from the hon. Member for Willesden, West.

While I am concerned that consumers should be protected against exploitation, I have come to the conclusion that the consumers provisions of the Fair Trading Bill could not appropriately be used to control the particular price at which a particular branded item is sold.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many new industries have come to Glasgow and each of the new town corporations in Scotland in each of the past two years;(2) how many new jobs arising from new industries have been provided in Glasgow and each of the new town corporations in each of the past two years.

I regret that the information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many moneylenders and mortgage service companies, specialising in first and second mortgage facilities, have agreed to the voluntary control on the six points as outlined by his Department.

The response has been encouraging, but a number of technical points remain to be clarified with the major companies concerned. I hope to be able to give my hon. Friend further information when these points have been resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries his Department has received in the last quarter from EEC companies contemplating new projects in the development areas and particularly the Northern Region.

The total for all the assisted areas is 20, of which four relate to the Northern Region.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants from his Department have applied for permission to take up employment in firms with which the Government have a relationship or where the prospective employers might obtain an unfair advantage from knowledge obtained during their service, over the past 10 years; and on how many occasions such approval has been withheld.

Since 20th October 1970, when the Department of Trade and Industry was formed, 12 civil servants have applied for permission, in these circumstances, for approval to take 19 appointments. Approval has been withheld for five of these appointments.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take action to assist Girvan Town Council to attract further industry to the Grange-stone industrial estate.

There has been a close and continuing co-operation between the Department's office for Scotland and Girvan Town Council in developing Grangestone industrial estate and this will continue. I am hopeful that the efforts to attract further industry to the estate, now supported by the wide range of regional assistance available, will shortly meet with success.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to assist the Maybole Town Council in its effort to attract industry to the town, especially in view of the continuing high unemployment in the Ayr travel-to-work area.

I am fully aware of the problems of Maybole and the Ayr travel-to-work area, and the Department will continue to do all that it can to assist the local authorities concerned in their efforts to attract industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in view of the continuing concern in the Cumnock district about the lack of job opportunities, if he will offer direct assistance to the local authorities in their effort to attract more industry to the area.

No. The Cumnock district already stands to benefit from the generous development area incentives to industry. The Department's office for Scotland will continue to cooperate with the local authorities in their efforts to attract industry. It is encouraging that unemployment in the employment exchange area has fallen by 1·6 per cent. in the past year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what methods and which types of equipment will be used in the series of oil pollution control tests currently being planned by his Department; and if he will make a statement;(2) which organisations will be involved in the series of oil pollution control tests to be held around the British coastline;(3) when and where he proposes to arrange the further exercises designed to test the limits of Great Britain's ability to cope with oil pollution around the coast.

My Department is proposing to hold three more oil pollution exercises this year, in the Tees and Humber areas in the summer and in the Anglesey/Liverpool Bay area in the autumn. The exercises will be held in co-operation with other Government Departments, including the Ministry of Defence, the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office, with port and local authorities, including fire, health and police authorities and oil companies as appropriate. They will involve the use of dispersant-spraying ships, coastguard and naval resources and beach-cleaning equipment.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what conclusions he has drawn from the recently announced exercise to test arrangements for disposing of oil, which was held off the Pembrokeshire coast; and if he will make a statement.

This was a joint exercise with the Welsh Office, held in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and local authorities. My Department's primary objectives were to test the facilities at a newly established oil pollution operations base at the St. Ann's Head coastguard station and to exercise and demonstrate the Department's arrangements for dealing with oil which might be released in the event of a shipping casualty off the west coast of Wales. These objectives were achieved and a number of lessons learned, which will be applied as appropriate throughout the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to amend the law to enable contributions for political purposes to be refundable in certain circumstances.

No. It is open to shareholders who disapprove of such contributions to make their views known and to choose their own course of action.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is now in a position to state when he proposes to implement the balance of the recommendations contained in the Crowther Report on consumer credit.

A major Bill to implement recommendations of the Crowther Committee for a complete reform of the law relating to all types of consumer credit transactions will be introduced as soon as possible. No decision has yet been taken on the committee's recommendations for reform of the law on lending and security generally which is mainly of concern to those entering into non-consumer transactions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requirements are placed upon British pilots to obtain visual experience as co-pilots, in daylight, before landing at airports at which they have never landed previously whilst in command of an aircraft.

Provisions governing the training, experience and practice of pilots are contained in Article 26 and Schedule 11 of the Air Navigation Order 1972 and are designed to ensure that the commander has adequate knowledge of the aerodromes to be used and has been tested as to his proficiency in using the navigation and landing aids available. There is no specific requirement for a commander to have had prior visual experience of an aerodrome as a co-pilot

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state, from information available to him, the landing charges for British scheduled and charter aircraft at Berne and at Zurich airports.

No. Details of landing charges at Swiss airports are included in the Manual of Airport and Air Navigation Facility Tariffs, published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a copy of which I am placing in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give an estimate of the proportion of traffic at London airports which is attributable to the policy of discouraging international traffic from other United Kingdom airports.

No; there is no such policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for industrial development certificates for Leek rural district were withdrawn in 1972.

None in the Leek employment exchange area.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will arrange for an exhibition to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall of the macro-economic data for the House of Commons information retrieval system, by means of visual display units produced by International Computers Limited.

I have been asked to reply.This display can be arranged if my hon. Friend will let me know the dates he has in mind.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will now give the terms of reference of the proposed committee on broadcasting.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave on 2nd April to the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. David Steel).—[Vol. 854, c. 1.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the operation of VAT to date.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on progress on the implementation of value added tax; and whether he is satisfied with its working so far.

I would refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11th April to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Exchange (Mr. Parry).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated revenue which will be obtained from value added tax on motor vehicles in the current financial year and in a full year, respectively.

No such estimate for the current financial year has been made. The full year net yield of value added tax from motor vehicles is estimated to be about £230 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries gave Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in February 1973 on the likelihood of loss to the country of objects and works of art if they were subject to value added tax.

It is not customary to publish information of this kind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer which non-medically registered services are subject to VAT; and how much it would cost, respectively, to allow these to become zero rated or exempted for VAT purposes.

The services provided by the persons registered or enrolled in the registers referred to in Items 1 and 3 of Group 7, Schedule 5 to the Finance Act 1972 are exempt from value added tax: services in this field of persons not on these registers are in principle sub-pect to the tax at the standard rate. Information is not available on the cost of relieving non-medically registered services from VAT.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield's letter to him on the subject of advertising relating to VAT and the Birmingham Evening Mail and Birmingham Post: and if he will make a statement.

I sent the hon. Member a reply on 11th April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is prepared to offer any concessions from VAT to hostels providing accommodation and catering facilities to overseas students.

There is no distinction in VAT legislation between overseas students and United Kingdom students, and I am not satisfied that a case has been made out to introduce such a distinction.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Customs and Excise authorities intend to reply to the representations from the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries about zero-rating for purchases by museums.

My noble Friend the Paymaster-General has written to the Standing Commission.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) why no movement certificate forms necessary for exports are available at Luton and Northampton offices of Customs and Excise;(2) what action he is taking to ensure that Customs at Luton, Northampton and London are provided with movement certificate forms to enable exporters in Luton to move their goods.

Under the various EEC free trade agreements with the countries remaining in EFTA, exports from the United Kingdom to those countries are required as from 1st April to have movement certificates in order to obtain preferential tariff treatment.Demand for these forms has been very heavy and in some customs offices initial stocks of the forms were exhausted. Steps were taken to replenish stocks as quickly as possible, and further supplies were delivered to the customs offices mentioned on 10th April 1973.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the size of the Eurodollar and Eurobond market in Western Europe; and how much business is transacted through London.

According to estimates prepared by the Bank for International Settlements, the net size of the Eurocurrency market in Europe was 71 billion dollars at the end of 1971, including 54 billion dollars in United States dollars. Further estimates suggest that the market increased to over 90 billion dollars in 1972. United Kingdom banks account for approximately half the business of the market.New issues in the Eurobond market totalled over 6 billion dollars in 1972, some 10–15 per cent. of the subscriptions being arranged by United Kingdom sponsors.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what transfers were made and what amounts were received by the United Kingdom in respect of the EEC in March 1973.

In March 1973 nothing was credited to the European Communities sterling account with the Paymaster-General. Drawings in March were £8·875 million, of which £3875 million was advanced to the United Kingdom Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the rules of the Council of Ministers permit meetings of EEC Finance Ministers to constitute meetings of the Council of Ministers.

Yes, in accordance with Article 146 of the EEC Treaty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates are made of EEC expenditure for more than one year ahead; and where these are published.

The Commission makes estimates of EEC expenditure for three years ahead. These are not published, but are made available to the European Parliament, which gives its opinion on them. Copies of the three-year forward look for 1973 to 1975 have been placed in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what respects, and by what methods, the Council of Ministers and the Commission take into account the views of the Assembly in relation to the EEC Budget.

The procedures for the Assembly to examine the Budget and to transmit its views to the Council of Ministers are laid down in Articles 203–205 of the EEC Treaty as amended by the Luxembourg Treaty of April 1970. Under these procedures the draft Budget as established by the Council is forwarded to the Assembly by 5th October preceding the year to which it relates. When the Budget is returned to the Council, the latter considers the modifications proposed by the Assembly, and Assembly spokesmen can argue the case for their modifications to representatives of the Council.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total investment of the EEC countries in the United Kingdom in the calendar years 1970, 1971 and 1972; and What was the total investment of the United Kingdom in the EEC in the same period.

Information for 1972 is not yet available. New information which has become available since the right hon. Member asked a similar Question on 26th October 1972 suggests that, excluding oil, investment in the EEC by United Kingdom residents totalled some £100 million in 1970 and some £300 million in 1971, and investment in the United Kingdom by EEC residents was of the order of £50 million in 1970 and £100 million in 1971. Most of the investments in the EEC by United Kingdom residents was financed either from reinvested profits or from foreign currency by United Kingdom banks.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will take steps to discourage United Kingdom firms from investing in manufacturing industry overseas.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost would be in capital gains tax if the valuation of agricultural land was updated from 1965 values to those obtaining in 1972.

The information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of house buyers who qualify for tax relief on their mortgages and of the annual cost to the Exchequer of tax relief to house buyers.

I will let the hon. Member have an answer as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the comparative value of the United Kingdom £ sterling in June 1965 and June 1970 and on 27th June 1972; and what it is, at the current date, vis-à-vis the Portuguese escudo.

The London closing middle market rates for sterling against the Portuguese escudo on 30th June 1965, 30th June 1970, 27th June 1972, and 11th April 1973, are given below:

Date					Portuguese escudo
1965	…	…	…	…	80·20
1970	…	…	…	…	68·49
1972	…	…	…	…	67·00
1973	…	…	…	…	62·85

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, consequent on his reply to the Question of the hon. Member for Kensington, South on 24th January 1973 (c. 190), by how much the cost would be augmented if the same credit were extended to all children now entitled to an income tax child allowance as well as to the children now entitled to a family allowance.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 13th April 1973; Vol. 854, 382], gave the following information: Nothing. The figure of £350 million covers all children ranking for child allowance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many schemes have been approved for the restoration of derelict land in Yorkshire and Humberside; and what acreage they represent.

Since 1st April 1967, 222 schemes representing 2,702 acres.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much the total of mortgage repayments over the life of the mortgage increases when the interest rate is raised by 1 per cent. and the householder chooses to extend the repayment period rather than make higher monthly payments in cases where the mortgage was originally (a) of £4,000 repayable over 25 years with 10 years still outstanding, and (b) of the same amount and duration, but with 20 years outstanding.

Exact figures would depend upon the particular circumstances of the individual mortgage. Theoretical figures would be misleading because they would not be typical. Many mortgagors would not keep a mortgage for as long as 5–15 years without making changes in the repayments particularly when lending rates are altered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters he has received about the increase in mortgage rates; and what reply he has sent.

Correspondents are being referred to the measures set out in the White Paper "Widening the Choice: The Next Steps in Housing" (Cmnd. 5280), which include the bridging grant to building societies to moderate the increase in mortgage lending rates over a three-month period. These measures will help ensure an adequate flow of mortgage funds and an adequate supply of housebuilding land.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total value of mortgage business transacted for private houses by building societies, local authorities and insurance companies treated separately and the percentages of the market supplied by each.

The following amounts were advanced for house purchase in the United Kingdom in 1972:

Building societies	…	£3,614 million
Local authorities	…	£198 million
Insurance companies	…	£149 million

The total amounts advanced by other sources such as banks are not available so that exact percentage shares of the total market by the institutions listed above cannot be given.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the savings in expenditure intended to offset the £15 million grant to building societies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will specify the saving of £15 million he intends to make in the expenditure of his Department in order to pay for the cost of the mortgage subsidy scheme.

The Government conduct every summer a review of expenditure leading to the publication of the White Paper on Public Expenditure in the autumn. The reductions are being made during this review and total figures will be published in that White Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applicants for mortgages in the current financial year were earning less than the average national industrial wage; how many of these were industrial workers; how many were first time borrowers; and how many were contributing more than 10 per cent. of the total cost of the houses from other sources.

The latest available figures apply to the United Kingdom for the calendar year 1972. In that year the number of building society borrowers with incomes less than the average earnings of manual workers is estimated to have been about 192,000; of those about 126,000 were first-time purchases. Information is not available on the number of industrial workers, or on the number contributing more than 10 per cent. of the price of the houses from sources other than building society advances.

asked the Secretary of State tor the Environment whether he will introduce legislation to make it an offence for a hire firm hiring commercial vehicles over three tons to hire such a vehicle without ensuring that the hirer is in possession of a current operator's licence and a heavy goods driver's licence and that one of his vehicles is off the road within his margin of operation during the period concerned.

Not at present but I am considering how best to tackle this problem.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what his Department estimates to be the respective average proportions of the cost of new houses attributable to land costs, building costs and developers' profit; and what changes have taken place in these figures over the last five years.

This information is not available. The developer's profit depends partly on when the land was bought and also on rates of pay and costs of materials in the locality. Because these items of cost vary so much from one developer to another, reliable estimates of average costs and profits for new houses cannot be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the study of the new A259 South Coast road will be completed.

The study must be related to a number of other studies and decisions affecting the route and therefore completion is unlikely before 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider changes in the methods of testing new drivers.

Not at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the road accident figures were 4 per cent. lower in January 1973 than in January 1972.

It would be unwise to draw conclusions from one month's accident figures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many road accidents in 1972 were attributable, in whole or in part, to the deafness of the motor vehicle drivers involved.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects that the Northamptonshire Record Society will receive an answer from the Director of Ordnance Surveys to its letter of 5th April on the subject of 2½-inch Ordnance Survey maps.

The reply to the Northamptonshire Record Society was sent on Thursday 12th April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants from his Department have applied for permission to take up employment in firms with which the Government have a relationship or where the prospective employers might obtain an unfair advantage from knowledge obtained during their service, over the past 10 years; and on how many occasions such approval has been withheld.

Since the Department was established in 1970 24 applications for consent to re-employment outside the Civil Service have been considered in the light of the prospective employers'—or firms'—relationship with the Government and from the point of view of the confidentiality of information known by the applicant. In no case has it been thought necessary to withhold consent.

				Area	Population	Density
County				(sg. miles)	(000''s)	per sq. mile
Metropolitan Counties
Greater Manchester	…	…	…	496·70	2,722	5,481
Merseyside	…	…	…	250·1	1,651	6,603
South Yorkshire	…	…	…	602·37	1,320	2,192
Tyne and Wear	…	…	…	208·44	1,209	5,801
West Midlands	…	…	…	347·27	2,790	8,034
West Yorkshire	…	…	…	787·31	2,064	2,622
Non·Metropolitan Counties
Avon	…	…	…	516·46	902	1,747
Bedfordshire	…	…	…	476·70	463	971
Berkshire	…	…	…	484·78	620	1,279
Buckinghamshire	…	…	…	726·95	476	655
Cambridge shire	…	…	…	1316·27	505	384
Cheshire	…	…	…	896·62	865	965
Cleveland	…	…	…	225·14	567	2,518
Cornwall	…	…	…	1,369·24	377	275
Cumbria	…	…	…	2,628·80	476	181
Derbyshire	…	…	…	1,015·84	886	872
Devon	…	…	…	2,592·69	896	346
Dorset	…	…	…	1,024·74	553	540
Durham	…	…	…	940·54	608	646
East Sussex	…	…	…	693·17	650	938
Essex	…	…	…	1,418·39	1,354	955
Gloucestershire	…	…	…	1,019·92	463	454
Hampshire	…	…	…	1,456·41	1,370	941
Hereford and Worcester	…	…	…	1,51612	562	371
Hertfordshire	…	…	…	630·94	922	1,461
Humberside	…	…	…	1,355·91	838	618
Kent	…	…	…	1,440·93	1,396	969
Lancashire	…	…	…	1,174·93	1,341	1,141
Leicestershire	…	…	…	985·68	799	810
Lincolnshire	…	…	…	2,272·30	503	221
Norfolk	…	…	…	2,067·46	624	302
Northamptonshire	…	…	…	914·04	468	512
Northumberland	…	…	…	1,943·27	280	144
North Yorkshire	…	…	…	3,208·00	629	196
Nottinghamshire	…	…	…	835·52	973	1,164
Oxfordshire	…	…	…	1,008·27	504	500
Salop	…	…	…	1,347·59	337	250
Somerset	…	…	…	1,335·14	387	290
Staffordshire	…	…	…	1,048·72	963	918
Suffolk	…	…	…	1,467·35	537	366
Surrey	…	…	…	638·81	981	1,536
Warwickshire	…	…	…	764·69	456	596
West Sussex	…	…	…	778·39	610	784
Wiltshire	…	…	…	1,343·92	486	362
Isle of Wight	…	…	…	156·25	109	698

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration has been given to the proposals made by the President of the Society of Valuers and Auctioneers on 28th March, concern-

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the areas, populations and densities per square mile of the new metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.

The information requested is as follows:ing home ownership for young people; and if he will make a statement.

I have noted these proposals with interest. I consider that the most effective method of increasing home ownership is to increase still further the number of houses for sale. The measures set out in the White Paper "Widening the Choice: The Next Steps in Housing" (Cmnd. 5280) should help realise this objective. Discussions however are taking place with the Building Societies Association on ways and means of helping young married couples and other first-time purchasers to become owner occupiers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of new private housing is now supported by National House-Builders Registration Council certificates.

About 98 per cent, of all new private housing completed in Great Britain in 1972 had NHBRC certificates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the technical report of the Urban Motorways Committee.

In the summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a grant for a joint project between the British Waterways Board and the local authorities concerned to implement the proposed improvement scheme for the South Yorkshire Navigation Canal, having regard to the intermediate area status of South Yorkshire.

As I said in reply to the Question by the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Kelley) on 28th March, we need, and the board are seeking, more concrete evidence that an improved waterway would attract the necesssary additional traffic—[Vol. 853, c. 323.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects all replies from local authorities giving estimates of their future needs for new council housing to be received; and when he will be able to give a breakdown of the total number received.

I hope that those local authorities which have not yet replied will do so as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he can now state the Government's views on the Severnside feasibility study.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he can now state the Government's views on the Humberside Feasibility Study.

The Humberside and Severnside feasibility studies were commissioned in 1966 and published in 1969 and 1971 respectively. They were occasioned by forecasts that by the end of the century the population of Great Britain would have risen to over 70 million. Current projections, which take account of the provisional results of the 1971 census, indicate that the figure is more likely to be about 61 million, a growth of about 7 million.A projected population growth of some 20 million would have made necessary the establishment of major new urban areas of unprecedented size, calling for a special national effort, whereas it now seems possible to provide for the lesser number by the controlled growth of existing urban areas or in new towns of the traditional kind, without interference with the present planning system.In these circumstances, while there is a need to continue to tackle the present unemployment problems of South Wales, for example, a national effort to divert industry to support a population of over 300,000 in the area of Frampton Cotterell could not be supported. The Government do not intend, therefore, to stimulate growth in either Severnside or Humberside by any special means.Those who have to prepare the strategies for the regions in which Humberside and Severnside are located and those responsible for the statutory planning of the areas will nevertheless be able to draw inspiration from the studies and will find much useful information, conclusion and suggestions in both studies to absorb into the normal planning process. In some instances the solutions offered by the studies may be regionally or locally unacceptable. This is the case with the proposal for the development of what amount to two new towns in North Gloucestershire. The Government share the view of the local authorities, as expressed in their North Gloucestershire Sub-Regional Study, that these are not needed.On the other hand, there will be suggestions in the studies which local planners may wish to follow up, such as the proposal for development at Frampton Cotterell. If the local planning solution for meeting the population growth there, which will still be significant, calls for some development at Frampton Cotterell, although on a less massive scale than was suggested in the Severnside Study, the Government would not stand in its way by, for example, ruling out reconsideration of green belt boundaries, so long as this would not damage the overall effectiveness of the green belt—something which the Government are anxious to safeguard.Generally the studies contain much survey work which will be of lasting value, and regional and county planning should benefit from the work on feasibility and the range of available options which will help in forming an overall assessment of the present situation and future possibilities. At county level the boundaries of the new counties of Hum-berside and Avon were drawn in the spirit of the concepts which produced the enduring parts of the studies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet appointed a new chairman for the Housing Corporation and the National Building Agency, respectively.

I have appointed jointly with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales Lord Goodman to be the Chairman of both the Housing Corporation and the National Building Agency from 16th April 1973. Lord Goodman's first task will be to review their functions and relationship to enable them to make the most effective contribution to the new initiatives for the voluntary housing movement proposed by the Government in the White Papers Cmnd. 5280 and Cmnd. 5272.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further consideration he has given to the anxieties of Sussex fishermen about beam trawling; what fresh advice he has received about the effect of different types of gear on the seabed; and if he will now ban all beam trawling along the South Coast within the 12-mile limit except by permit.

A report by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea on the effects of all trawling gear will be considered by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission in May. This does not support the view that the effects of beam trawls are essentially different from those of other types of trawl, but despite this we shall review our regulations in the light of the commission's conclusions when it has discussed the report.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Veterinary Products Committee in relation to injectable oestrogens in veal production upon which the proposed regulations under Part II of the Therapeutic Substances Act 1956 are to be based.

I would refer the hon. Member to the Committee's Report for 1971, which is in the Library, and to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Preston, North (Miss Holt) on 20th March 1973.—[Vol 853, c. 46–7.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the ranks and departmental provenance of the officials who have acted as his advisers during his visits to the Council of Ministers of the EEC when this body has been considering the Commission's agricultural price proposals for 1973–74.

I have been fortunate enough to have the advice of a wide range of officials from the rank of Deputy Secretary downwards from my own and all other relevant Departments. I have also been assisted by the United Kingdom Permanent Representative and his staff.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number of slaughterhouses approved for export livestock in each of the four countries of the United Kingdom.

There are 39 slaughterhouses in England, two in Wales, 19 in Scotland and nine in Northern Ireland approved for export: with the exception of three in Scotland approved for export to Canada only, all are approved for export to the EEC.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what purposes 35 ponies were exported in two horse boxes from Great Yarmouth on 21st March 1973; and what was their destination.

The ponies were declared by the exporters to be for riding or for riding and breeding. They were consigned to three separate purchasers in Holland.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to increase the minimum value of horses and ponies for export to ensure that they are not purchased for slaughter.

Proposals for higher minimum values will be circulated to all interested organisations within the next two weeks. The necessary order will be made as soon as the views of the organisations concerned have been received and considered.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the nutritional value of synthetic meat contrasted with fresh meat, particularly in comparative mineral and vitamin content.

Meat analogues in this country at present are not accurately described as synthetic as they are prepared solely from natural edible veget- able materials which are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. This situation is likely to continue into the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the Food Standards Committee is reviewing these materials and has asked the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy to advise it whether there is any need for fortification with additional nutrients.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why expenditure on forestry is being reduced from an estimate of £51 million in 1972– 73 to £32 million in 1973–74.

The reduction in the estimated expenditure is due to the proposed recasting of the Forestry Commission's accounts in accordance with the arrangements outlined in the consultative document on forestry policy published in June 1972. This resulted in a reduction in the interest charges included in the Estimates from £34 million in 1972–73 to £15 million in 1973–74

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tariff or other import duties have been placed on imports of cheese from Canada and other Commonwealth States, respectively.

The present rate of levy applied under the common agricultural policy on cheddar cheese imported into the United Kingdom from all Commonwealth States other than New Zealand is £155.86 per ton. Imports from New Zealand under the terms of Protocol 18 of the Treaty of Accession are subject to a special levy of £84.50 per ton.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect the floating exchange rate for the £ sterling has had on the prices received by New Zealand for butter and cheese exported to the United Kingdom.

It has had no effect. The prices received by New Zealand for butter and cheese sold on the United Kingdom market have been determined by the supply and demand situation on our market.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many dog licences had been taken out on the last date for which figures are available; and what his estimate is of the number of dogs in England and Wales.

2,799,472 dog licences were issued in England and Wales in the year ended 31st March 1972. No departmental estimate of the dog population in England and Wales has been made.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation making it mandatory for a person to be in possession of a licence before acquiring a dog.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is discussing the problem of stray dogs with the local authority associations. No change in the licensing arrangements is envisaged while these consultations are in progress.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to control the use of drugs for chemical castration.

The Veterinary Products Committee has considered current use of oestrogens in animal husbandry and has not recommended that control is necessary in this particular practice. I am, however, keeping the matter under review.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what authority the EEC Commission is entitled to dispose of food stocks without reference to the EEC Council of Ministers.

In various regulations concerning the common organisation of the markets in agricultural products, the Council has delegated authority to the Commission to carry out day-today operations, including the disposal of surplus food stocks in certain circumstances. The procedures provide for the Commission to consult the management committees, on which all member States are represented.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the price of onions per pound in June 1970, Februrary 1972 and February 1973.

On the basis of information collected for the purposes of the Index of Retail Prices average prices for onions were:

			pence per lb
16th June 1970	…	…	6·5
22nd February 1972	…	…	4·0
20th February 1973	…	…	6·1

asked the Minister af Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who are the British members of the EEC's Management Committee for Milk and Milk Products; what are the rules of voting that govern its decisions; and what is its relationship to the Commission and the Council of Ministers.