asked the Minister of State for Defence what provisions exist for persons who had entered engagements to serve in Her Majesty's Forces before attaining the age of 18 years to terminate such engagements on attaining that age; and what changes have been introduced consequent upon the reduction of the age of majority from 21 years to 18 years.

There is no provision to terminate the engagement at age 18, but those who enter as juniors may opt to shorten their engagement when they reach the age of 18. The engagement structure for juniors is based on the recommendations of the Donaldson Committee (Cmnd. 4509) which took account of the reduction of the age of majority.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the action being taken by his Department to ensure that all firms, including one whose name has been sent to him, supplying components for the Harrier jet are observing the code of practice laid down by Her Majesty's Government for good industrial relations.

Observance of the code of practice for good industrial relations is not a condition of Government contracts generally or of contracts for Harrier aircraft in particular. The Ministry of Defence therefore has no special responsibility for ensuring observance of the code by its contractors or their subcontractors. Questions relating to observance of the code are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.The Harrier contracts do, however, include the standard conditions requiring observance of the Fair Wages Resolution of 1946.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is aware of the discrepancy in the figures of job vacancies notified by his Department and by the hotel and catering industry; and what further steps he intends to take to ensure that people presently unemployed are made aware of the number of secure jobs with advancement prospects which are now available in the tourist and related industries.

We are in very lose touch with the industry and recognise that estimates of total staffing needs are higher than the latest total of the unfilled vacancies for hotel and catering occupations notified to our local offices. In the last six months we have established specialist hotel and catering sections in over 20 offices throughout the country in order better to help the industry meet its requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total mount of regional employment premium paid to firms in Scotland in 1972.

The estimated payments made in respect of regional employment premium for the Scottish Development Area in 1972 were £26·3 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of registered unemployed who for physical or mental reasons are not suitable for any employment.

As my right hon. Friend stated in the House on 22nd November 1972 it is not possible to identify separately unemployed people under any definition of unemployable.— [Vol. 846, c. 1285–92.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment which privately operated apprentice or training schools were closed in 1972 or are to be closed in 1973 on Merseyside.

My officers are not aware of any such closures in 1972 or of any proposed closures in 1973 on Merseyside.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what publicly organised apprenticeship courses are now available on Merseyside; how many are fully taken up; and what new courses are envisaged.

The provision of apprenticeship facilities is the responsibility of industry assisted by industrial training boards and apprenticeship councils. My Department does of course provide, under the Training Opportunities Scheme, training courses for certain skills in the construction, engineering and automotive group trades.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the numbers unemployed in Westhoughton at June 1970 and at the last convenient date; and what percentage these are of the workforce.

On 8th June 1970 there were 51 people unemployed in the Westhoughton employment exchange area and on 12th March 1973 there were 120. Rates of unemployment—the unemployed expressed as a percentage of the estimated total number of employees —can be calculated only for travel-to-work areas. On 8th June 1970 the rate for the Bolton travel-to-work area, which includes Westhoughton, was 1·7 per cent. and on 12th March 1973 it was 3·4 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the compilation of separate regional cost-of-living indices.

I have been asked to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultations he has had with the President or other members of the National Industrial Relations Court about the working of the Industrial Relations Act.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, in view of the need to encourage employers to provide more apprenticeships, he will introduce a youth supplement to the regional employment premium to assist in achieving this objective.

No. The Government have announced their intention to phase out regional employment premiums from September 1974. In any event, indications are that there will be adequate opportunities for school leavers to obtain apprenticeships this year owing to the improvement in the economic climate and the reduction in the number of leavers consequent to the raising of the school-leaving age.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from the General Dental Practitioners Association; and what replies he has sent.

The association wrote to me on 20th March about the Budget Statement and preventive dentistry. I am sending the hon. Member copies of its letter and of my hon. Friend's reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will institute an inquiry into the outbreak f smallpox in London; and whether he ill make a statement.

Yes. It will be a public inquiry to establish the facts of, and report on, the recent outbreak. The precise terms of reference and the names of the persons to be appointed will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if the increase in the standby allowance for social workers is within the limits laid down by the current phase of the counter-inflation policy.

Effective agreement on the revision of the standby allowance for social workers was reached before the standstill. The agreement took effect from 1st July 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to implement the Fisher Committee's recommendation that all claimants should automatically receive a notice of assessment showing how their benefit is computed.

Explanatory notices are currently sent automatically in certain kinds of case and in all others claimants are informed that they may have an explanatory notice on request. We hope that it will be possible to launch a pilot project later this year in which such notices will be issued automatically on a much wider basis than at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services 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 of Health and Social Security was set up in 1968, five applications have been made and considered in accordance with the rules covering the acceptance by civil servants of employment after retirement or resignation. Approval was given in all cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his current estimate of the net annual cost of establishing a non-means tested national disability pension paid as of right to all disabled persons related to their degree of disability and paid at the same rates as the industrial injuries benefit on the assumption that such a national disability pension would replace the invalidity pension, the invalidity allowance and the attendance allowances for all those eligible for such a national disability income.

The cost of extending to all disabled persons across the whole age range, and irrespective of the origin of their disablement, provisions equivalent to those of the Industrial Injuries Scheme cannot be reliably estimated but could approach £1,000 million a year. As my hon. Friend will be aware, industrial disablement pensioners may be eligible for invalidity benefit and attendance allowance in addition to their industrial disablement benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled and chronically sick housewives who are covered by their husband's National Insurance become eligible for the invalidity pension and the invalidity allowance after 28 weeks' sickness.

Invalidity benefit under the National Insurance Act is paid as an income replacement benefit to people insured in their own right who were normally employed and have become incapable of paid employment. Severely handicapped housewives of working age will benefit from 4th June from the extension of the attendance allowance. My right hon. Friend has no further proposals to make at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of patients on hospitals waiting lists in the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board's area; and how these figures compare with those for each of the previous four years.

The totals for each of the years 1968–1972 are as follows:

Year ending	…	31.12.1972	49,315
Year ending	…	31.12.1971	48,571
Year ending	…	31.12.1970	52,416
Year ending	…	31.12.1969	53,493
Year ending	…	31.12.1968	52,132

These figures include patients awaiting admission to united Sheffield teaching hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to speed up and extend the availability of temporary replacement invalid cars for disabled people whose cars undergo repair or maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

Each specialist firm with which the Department has arrangements for the repair of invalid three-wheelers keeps a number of reserve vehicles for temporary loan purposes. These are serviced regularly and are inspected from time to time by visiting technical officers. The reserve fleet is under continuous review and as the older vehicles wear out they are replaced by newer ones. In areas where additional vehicles are needed, these are being provided as quickly as possible, consistent with the availability of suitable vehicles and the storage capacity of the particular firm.It is sometimes impracticable to provide a suitable reserve for a disabled person who has a specially adapted vehicle and in these cases the staff of our artificial limb and appliance centres try to ensure that the repairs are given a degree of priority. The case for spending more on the reserve vehicle arrangements has to be balanced against the need to extend the basic provision to as many people as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what items of the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board's current revenue account have now been transferred as a charge on the capital account;(2) when he decided that the system of acounting in regional hospitals should be changed so that items previously charged to the current revenue account should henceforth be borne by the capital account;(3) what difference in the capital expenditure the recent change in the system of accounting will make in the annual capital expenditure of the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board;(4) what difference the recent change in the system of accounting will make in the projected capital spending of the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board over the 10 years 1972 to 1982, from the spending which had previously been planned; and what percentage this is of the total capital budget;(5) what planned hospital buildings in Norwich will have to be discontinued as the result of the recent changes in the system of accounting;(6) if he will increase the allowance for capital building to make up for the extra charges on this account; and what provision is being made for inflation in this respect;(7) what was the expected deficiency on the current revenue accounts of the regional hospital boards in England and Wales when the system of accounting was changed.

A study in 1972 of the application of National Health Service financial resources as between capital and recurrent expenditure revealed an imbalance between provision for the continuing cost of bringing new buildings into commission and that for other priority purposes such as making improvements to the long-stay services. It revealed also that certain items had regularly been charged to revenue which in normal accounting practice would be considered as capital expenditure. By introducing a revised definition of capital expenditure from 1st April 1973 I am seeking to minimise this anomaly and to secure a better balance between capital and revenue. It would nullify this to compensate by switching additional funds to capital. The items affected by the redefinition including purchase of medical, dental and computer equipment, and of vehicles, costing £1,000 or more; improvements to buildings or engineering services costing £500 or more; and renewal or replacement of engineering plant costing £5000 or more, where repair would be uneconomic or undesirable. The East Anglian Regional Hospital Board estimates that annual expenditure of the order of £400,000 would at present fall to be met from capital by the redefinition, but it is for the board to determine how much it will actually spend on these items in any year.Capital allocations to regional hospital boards are revised annually and take account of rising prices. Boards are expected to keep their capital programme continually under review to take account of available resources, changes in priorities and progress on current building schemes. I cannot yet say what, if any, change will occur in the board's plans for Norwich because of the redefinition of capital since the latter is only one among many factors involved, but my hon. Friend will find provision made in the Supply Estimates 1973–74 for two major building schemes in Norwich to continue.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the average length of stay for in-patients, in medical and in surgical cases, respectively, over the hospitals which have been studied by the Brunei University Unit, namely, Hilling-don, Northwick Park, North London and Staines groups, and also the averages for the regions in which those hospitals are situated.

Following are the figures of average length of stay in days during the year 1971 and 1972 in the hospitals of the four authorities concerned as compared with average figures during the year 1971—the latest available—for the North-West Metropolitan Region in which the hospitals are all situated.

Hospital Authority		General Surgery		General Medicine
		1971	1972	1971	1972
Hillingdon	…	11·0	10·8	16·1	16·0
Northwick Park	…	10·8	9·3	16·1	13·1
North London	…	8·2	8·8	17·1	14·1
Staines	…	9·4	9·2	14·6	14·6
Regional Average	…	9·6	N.A.	16·0	N.A.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will reconsider the Ministry of Education directive that seating in school buses may be three children to each two seats.

The relevant regulations are made by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment; local education authorities have discretion in applying them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will provide premises, funding and facilities for the display of architectural models, both historic and contemporary.

While the hon. Member's suggestion is attractive, it is not part of my noble Friend's responsibilities to provide such facilities. On the other hand many museums and galleries show architectural models. The Department of the Environment and other agencies show models where they are relevant to their building projects. The majority of models are not judged to be of a quality which would justify permanent display.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the building of the annexe to the Tate Gallery and the reasons for the delay in implementation of this project.

Work began in January on the new north-western wing of the Tate Gallery and is estimated to be completed by about July 1975. A further substantial extension on the site occupied by Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital is under consideration, but the site will not become available until 1976. Preliminary planning of the building in the light of the trustees' requirements has, however, already begun.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement as to the details of the organisation, available staff and financial resources of the Area Museums Service.

The Area Museums Service is made up of a total of eight area museum councils. Scotland and Wales each have their own councils and, in addition, there are six councils covering the following areas in England —Midlands, South-West, South-East, North, North-West, and Yorkshire and Humberside.All councils include representatives of local authorities and other bodies maintaining museums in their area, together with representatives of the museum profession. Their total available staff currently stands at 51 full-time and five part-time.The Government make a grant on the advice of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries of 50 per cent. of the approved expenditure of the area councils. The current provision is set out in the Supply Estimates 1973–74 (Class IX—Museums, Galleries and the Arts). The balance is met from subscriptions from museums in the area, charges for services performed and contributions from local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will seek to ascertain the purpose of the grant of £5,150 made by the Social Science Research Council to Mrs. M. Simms of the Eugenics Society.

I understand from the Social Science Research Council that the purpose of the grant will be to compare the conclusions of the Birkett and Lane Committees on abortion, and to study changes in social attitudes and other factors since the 1930s.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the levels of supply of arms to Middle East countries.

I have nothing to add to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, North on 13th February.—[Vol. 850, c. 321.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is satisfied that the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 in respect of sale of arms to Middle East Countries is being observed by Kuwait in respect of British made Lightning fighters sold to them under the conditions of the Declaration.

Yes. Circumstances have changed in the Middle East since the Tripartite Declaration was signed in 1950. But Her Majesty's Government's policy, both on arms sales and on the promotion of peace, continues to be guided by the objectives of the declaration. We would not be prepared to supply military equipment likely in our judgement to increase the chances of a renewal of hostilities or impair their prospects for peace.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what statutory obligations are incurred by the United Kingdom as a direct result of resolutions of the EEC Council of Ministers.

Resolutions of the Council vary greatly in their significance and in their import. They are not one of the acts which are legally binding in accordance with Article 189 of the European Economic Community Treaty. But they can play an important rôle as an expression of Community policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what authority he has delegated to the United Kingdom representative in the EEC Committee of Permanent Representatives.

The United Kingdom representative in the Committee of Permanent Representatives acts on instructions from Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now announce the date for the ministerial talks with Iceland.

We are still in touch with the Icelandic Government on this subject but I regret that it has not yet been possible to fix a date for the talks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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.

Such permission has been sought under diplomatic service regulations by three officers since the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was established in 1968. After careful examination approval was granted on each occasion, although in two cases not until a period of six months had elapsed after the officer's retirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the EEC has yet agreed a negotiating mandate for the forthcoming conference on the International Sugar Agreement, and if he will seek to ensure that such mandate takes account of the interests of developing Commonwealth States dependent on sugar sales in world markets.

The Community is now considering its approach to the forthcoming conference. The United Kingdom is fully aware of the importance of an effective International Sugar Agreement to Commonwealth developing sugar producing countries, and is taking this into account in its discussions in the Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for future staffing arrangements in the dependent territories.

A review has recently been carried out of arrangements for expatriate staffing in dependent territories. The main conclusion is that in the case of administrative staff there are special long-term requirements which can best be met by the establishment of a small home-based career group within the Diplomatic Service, to be known as the Dependent Territories Administrative Branch.For all other expatriate staff it is proposed to begin applying arrangements in accordance with the new approach to supplementation announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Darwen (Mr. Fetcher-Cooke) on 8th June 1972. These new arrangements are not intended to affect existing policies of filling posts with local officers where possible. Subject to the agreement of dependent territory Governments it is hoped to bring the arrangements into effect by the end of the year.Since the amount of expenditure which will be incurred in the current financial year cannot yet be estimated, token provision has been made in the 1973–74 estimates to secure parliamentary authority for the new branch.—[Vol. 838, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further developments there have been in the case of the Rev. David Hathaway of Dewsbury who has been imprisoned by the Czechoslovak authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hathaway has been released and has arrived in this country. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State spoke last week with Dr. Ruzek, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia, about Mr. Hathaway. I am glad the Czechoslovakian Government have taken this decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of attacks on Catholic Church property in Northern Ireland there have been since and including 1969.

The information sought by the hon. Member is not available in that precise form, but between September 1968 and 15th April 1973, 45 Roman Catholic churches have been damaged, including three destroyed.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of legal aid money has yet to be paid to members of the legal profession in Northern Ireland for work already done over the past two years.

The amount for all outstanding cases is approximately £113,000. Consultations have taken place with the professional bodies concerned and a radical improvement to the present system is under discussion. Details will be sent to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been interned more than once.

Forty-four people interned in Northern Ireland during previous emergencies were again interned after 10th August 1971. Fifty-seven people released from detention or internment since that date have been detained a second time.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Protestant and Roman Catholic students, respectively, are training to be teachers in the new University of Ulster.

The information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money was expended in each of the last three years in Northern Ireland to encourage the movement of industry.

The main form of direct encouragement for the movement of industry has been provided by grants, made under the Industries Development Acts (Northern Ireland) 1966 and 1971, towards the removal of machinery, equipment and key workers. The amounts expended in the last three years for these purposes were as follows:

1970–71	…	…	…	…	£86,000
1971–72	…	…	…	…	£143,000
1972–73	…	…	…	…	£426,000

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement as to the number of people leaving Northern Ireland each year on a permanent basis; and if he will undertake a study in this field, in particular to examine the professions and trades of those involved.

This information is not available in the precise form requested, but it is possible to calculate the population loss which may be presumed to be due to emigration. On this basis there was between April 1961 and October 1966 a net loss of about 6,900 people per year and between October 1966 and April 1971 a net loss of about 7,300 per year.The feasibility of obtaining information about the trade or profession of emigrants is being considered.

asked the Prime Minister if he will reallocate the functions of the Departments concerned with the implementation of fire precautions legislation so that one Department is exclusively responsible.

No. My right hon. Friends must continue to be concerned with the aspects which relate to the general responsibilities of their respective Departments. There is close coordination between them and with the fire authorities through the Joint Fire Prevention Committee of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Councils for England and Wales and for Scotland.

asked the Prime Minister what further plans he now has for meeting President Pompidou.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 13th March.—[Vol. 852, c. 337.]

asked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Shetland.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will take responsibility for the running of the National Health Service, transferring this responsibility from the present Minister.

I refer the hon. Lady to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Manchester, Wythen-shawe (Mr. Alfred Morris) on 12th April. —[Vol. 854, c. 1498–1500.]

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Secretary of State for Social Services and the Secretary of State for Scotland in studying the effects upon Scottish social work grants of withdrawing family allowances in instances where a child has been sent to a List "D" school or other establishment from a children's hearing.

Yes. My right hon. Friends keep in close touch about the application of this rule, which operates on the same basis in Scotland as in England and Wales.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to East Flintshire.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will refer the matter of mortgage interest rates to the Central Policy Review Staff.

The Government have already taken decisions on mortgage interest rates, and other longer-term studies are in hand to which the CPRS will contribute as required by Ministers.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government have completed their review of the allocation of ministerial and departmental responsibility for adoption in England and Wales, following the report of the Departmental Committee on Adoption.

Yes. The Government have concluded that responsibility for adoption should be allocated to the Ministers responsible for child care in general. Accordingly, I have approved the transfer of responsibility for adoption in England from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services, and in Wales to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. Both these transfers will take effect from 24th April 1973.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will tabulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the acreage of sugar beet grown or expected to be grown in each of the existing member States of the EEC for years 1970–71 to 1973–74 together with the equivalent tons of refined sugar, respectively, the total internal requirement for each of those years and the tonnage imported and exported.

Following is the information:

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
AREA OF SUGAR BEET GROWN								('000 acres)
Year (July-June)	West Germany	France	Belgium/Luxembourg	Nether-lands	Italy	United Kingdom	Republic of Ireland	Denmark
1970–71	768	909	222	257	680	441	63	114
1971–72	786	964	227	255	628	447	72	124
1972–73	818	1,025	247	279	618	442	83	138
								(est.)
1973–74 (est.)	852	1,124	259	279	618	468	76	166

PRODUCTION OF REFINED BEET SUGAR									('000 long tons)
Year (July-June)		West Germany	France	Belgium/Luxembourg	Nether-lands	Italy	United Kingdom	Republic of Ireland	Denmark
1970–71	…	1,860	2,440	542	646	1,081	892	162	286
1971–72	…	2,121	2,894	760	758	1,138	1,069	173	293
1972–73	…	2,004	2,699	606	685	1,153	872	155	310
Estimates for 1973–74 are not yet available.

TOTAL INTERNAL REQUIREMENTS									('000 long tons)
Year (July-June)		West Germany	France	Belgium/Luxembourg	Nether-lands	Italy	United Kingdom	Republic of Ireland	Denmark
1970–71	…	2,107	2,037	338	658	1,503	2,651	134	260
1971–72	…	2,080	1,778	340	597	1,499	2,586	134	239
1972–73	…	2,100	1,886	345	610	1,543	2,568	N.A.	N.A.
Estimates for 1973–74 are not yet available.

SUGAR IMPORTED AND EXPORTED EACH YEAR									('000 long tons)
		West Germany		France		Belgium/Luxembourg		Netherlands
Year (July-June)		Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports
1970–71	…	27	65	583	25	108	8	74	11
1971–72	…	207	54	483	25	144	8	76	10

		Italy		United Kingdom		Republic of Ireland		Denmark
Year (July-June)		Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports	Exports	Imports
1970–71	…	5	13	289	2,103	18	29	43	4
1971–72	…	21	8	349	2,010	16	40	80	35
Figures for 1972–73 and 1973–74 are not yet available.
Excludes intra-Community trade for the Six.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the expected level of beet sugar production in each of the member States of the European Community for 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76 and 1976–77.

It is not possible to forecast the level of sugar beet production for the years in question. However, first estimates of the area planted with sugar beet in the member States for 1973–74 compared with 1972–73 are:

		'000 hectares
Member State		1972–73	1973–74
France	…	415	455
Germany	…	332·8	345
Italy	…	240	250
United Kingdom	…	179	189·4
Netherlands	…	113	113
Belgium/Luxembourg	…	103	105
Denmark	…	56	67
Ireland	…	33·6	30·9

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, how he proposes to make up the shortfall in sugar supplied to the British market following the phasing out of the Australian cane sugar quota after 1974.

The sources of supply of sugar to the British market will depend on the result of the negotiations to take place within the enlarged Community on imports of sugar from the developing Commonwealth countries and other Associated States, and on the future arrangements for domestic sugar beet production. However, we expect there to be an increase in the proportion supplied by home-grown beet.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the British Government will press for the European Community to join in the renegotiation of the International Sugar Agreement as an importing member.

We are taking all practicable steps to encourage the Community to pursue its declared intention of taking part in the forthcoming renegotiation of the Agreement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the expected level of consumer demand for refined sugar in each of the member States of the European Community for 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76 and 1976–77.

The requirements of the present Member States for sugar for human consumption in 1972–-73 were estimated to be:

			'000metric tons
Belgium/Lux	…	…	350
Denmark	…	…	248
France	…	…	1,880
Germany	…	…	2,085
Ireland	…	…	145
Italy	…	…	1,565
Netherlands	…	…	600
United Kingdom	…	…	2,594

It is impossible to say what the demand will be in the future but in Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom there has been little or no growth in recent years while total consumption has expanded by about 150,000 tons per year in the other Member States.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average retail price of white refined sugar in each of the member States of the EEC in each year since 1970.

Annual average prices, converted from prices in national currencies at average rates of exchange for the years in question, and including VAT where appropriate, were:

			p per lb.
	1970	1971	1972
France	5½	6	6½
Belgium/Luxembourg	7	6½	8
Netherlands	6	6	7
Italy	7½	7½	8*
Germany	6	6	7½
Denmark	6	6½	7
United Kingdom	3·8†	4·2†	4·6†
Ireland	4	4½	5‡
* Average of 10 months.
† based on the price of a 2lb. packet.
‡ Average of 8 months.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the increase in sugar beet acreages in the United Kingdom in 1973 compared with 1972.

We understand that the British Sugar Corporation and the NFU have agreed on 468,000 acres for the 1973 crop compared with 443,000 acres last year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to press for a reduction in EEC support prices for beet sugar in the next review period.

My right hon. Friend's attitude to prices under the Common Agricultural Policy was made clear in his statement to the House on 28th March 1973.—[Vol. 853, c. 1306–16.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals have been made for phasing-out the Australian cane sugar quota after 1974.

The arrangements which will apply after 1974 to Australia's present quote under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement will be determined by the Community in due course.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the continuing concern felt by Sussex fishermen about the threat to their gear, and thus to their livelihood, from the regular intrusion by Belgian beam trawlers within the 12-mile limit; and if he will now arrange for more regular patrolling of the area by fisheries protection vessels within the area or in easy reach of it.

Special patrols have been made by fishery protection vessels to investigate these complaints, but no foreign vessels have been found fishing illegally or causing damage to the gear set by our fishermen. This area of the coast benefits from the increased provision for coastal fishery protection which was made last year. Operational plans are kept under constant review and adjusted in the light of changes in the fishing situation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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.

There have been two cases in which such permission was required, and on both occasions it was granted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he expects to complete the re-evaluation of grade III listed buildings;(2) how many grade III listed buildings are currently undergoing re-evaluation.

On completion of the first survey of England by 1970, approximately 141,000 buildings had been graded III. The whole country is now being re-surveyed and several thousand grade III buildings have already been up-graded and included in the statutory lists. Another 7,000 grade III buildings are in the 15 local authority areas being re-surveyed at present. In addition to reassessing grade III buildings, the survey investigators are for the first time searching out and reporting on the best buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and also buildings which are of special interest on account of their "group value". The full programme of revising the lists is expected to take a number of years to complete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many inspectors his Department employs on a full-time basis on the re-evaluation of listed buildings.

Of the 18 investigators of historic buildings, 15 are engaged full time on re-survey work, the others on supervisory duties and giving advice on individual cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the protection presently afforded to grade III listed buildings.

No. There is no protection for grade III buildings. That is why no buildings have been listed in grade III since January 1970 and a principal aim of the re-survey of the whole country now under way is to add as many grade III buildings as are eligible to the statutory lists. Even if they are not so eligible, they can, like any unlisted building, be brought within control by a local authority, provided that they are within a designated conservation area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions exist at present for publicising grade III listed buildings; and if he will consider extending these provisions.

Grade III buildings are not subject to the statutory provisions relating to statutorily listed buildings and there is no requirement to publicise them. Local authorities have details of all grade III buildings in their areas and some make these available for inspection by the public on request. Because they enjoy no statutory protection, no buildings have been listed in grade III since January 1970, the general re-survey of the country's buildings now in progress aims to up-grade to the statutory lists all grade III buildings which are eligible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the existing machinery available to the public for suggesting additions to the supplementary list of listed buildings.

Yes. Anyone can suggest to my Department additions to the statutory lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. Last year, in addition to the general re-survey, 2,000 buildings were statutorily listed by individual emergency action, generally as a result of such suggestions, or of action by local authorities. In addition, anyone can suggest to a local authority that it should bring under control any building in a conservation area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the criteria used by the inspectors of his Department in grading listed buildings.

A summary of the principles of selection is in the free booklet "Protecting our Historic Buildings—A Guide to the Legislation", which is obtainable from the Department or from the offices of local authorities. A copy is sent to every owner whose building is statutorily listed and I am sending one to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will establish an appeal procedure against a decision not to list a building.

A decision not to list a building can be taken only on the grounds that the building is not of special architectural or historic interest, and on that I am required by statute to take expert advice. I am satisfied with the arrangements for obtaining such advice, which include in appropriate cases the advice of the Historic Buildings Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to include all buildings presently on the supplementary list as a new grade III within the statutory list.

No. The buildings must first be assessed on current listing criteria to ensure that they are of special architectural or historic interest, since if they are not of special interest I have no power to include them in the statutory lists. In the areas so far reviewed, more than half of the buildings previously graded III were found to qualify for upgrading to the statutory lists and were added to them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to provide for full compensation to be paid to any person whose property is affected by possible future coast protection works.

My right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied that the provisions which already exist under Section 19 of the Coast Protection Act 1949 give an expectation of compensation adequate to prevent depreciation from the prospect of coast protection works. Compensation in the form of purchase under the blight notice procedure would not be justified where works which might involve demolition of the property are no more than a possibility.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that many local authorities prohibit entry to their housing waiting lists, thus falsifying them; and whether, in the light of Part V of his White Paper, Command Paper No. 5280, he proposes to forbid this practice and require private landlords to inform him of applications for tenancies they receive, so that he knows the true demand for rented accommodation.

Part V of the White Paper makes clear the Government's view that local authorities should take a broad view of their statutory housing functions, which include the responsibility for knowing about and assessing housing need as well as for the allocation of the tenancies of their dwellings. They are well aware of the Government's view that tenants should be chosen on the basis of housing need.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many unoccupied dwellings in the Greater London area were, at the latest date for which figures are available, owned by the Greater London Council, London boroughs, and private owners.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation he has had with Messrs. Taylor Woodrow on office development in London.

In accordance with the usual office development control procedure, discussions have been held from time to time with Messrs. Taylor Wood-row about applications for office development permits which it has submitted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the application for an office development permit for the area of St. Katherine Dock, London.

An application for an office development permit is currently under consideration by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the promised announcement of the new national trunk roads programme will be made.

Work is at various stages of preparation on £2,000 million worth of schemes which will complete a primary network of about 3,500 miles of high quality strategic trunk roads during the early 1980s. The preparation of further schemes is always under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he

IMPROVEMENT GRANTS APPROVED
							Local Authorities		Private Owners and Housing Associations
							Number of dwellings	Allowable cost (£)	Number of dwellings	Grant £
East Suffolk
1971	…	…	…	…	…	…	244	170,400	1,210	646,400
1972	…	…	…	…	…	…	155	120,400	1,577	978,900
West Suffolk
1971	…	…	…	…	…	…	56	25,600	517	271,300
1972	…	…	…	…	…	…	210	124,300	629	404,300
Ipswich County Borough
1971	…	…	…	…	…	…	286	26,900	469	118,800
1972	…	…	…	…	…	…	149	17,600	403	118,800

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how the uptake of house improvement grants in East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich, respectively, or the convenient administrative area, compares with the best, worst and average for the remainder of England.

House condition varies throughout the country and comparisons between one area and another would not be meaningful. Details of grants approved in individual local authority areas are given in my Department's publication "Local Housing Statistics".

Until I have seen a full transcript of the judgment, and pending the possibility of an appeal, I cannot yet say whether or when legislation might be introduced, but I am, of course, watching the position closely.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many house improvement grants were approved in East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich County Borough, respectively, in each year from 1969 to 1972 inclusive; and what were the total sums per annum.

Full details for 1969 and 1970 are not available, but the numbers of dwellings for which grants were approved to local authorities and grants paid to private owners in individual administrative areas are given in "Local Housing Statistics" Nos. 14 and 18.Figures for 1971 and 1972 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will seek to amend Section 22(2)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 and/or the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1973, Schedule I, Class I, as necessary, to ensure that where a window is replaced in a main elevation of a building, involving an enlargement of the original window area or change in shape, such an alteration would be deemed to be material and so require planning permission;(2) if he will seek to amend Section 22(2(

No. I see no reason to vary the present arrangements. Under these, it is a matter of fact and degree whether an alteration materially affects the external appearance of a building and thus constitutes development. Permission for development of this kind is conveyed under Class 1.1 of the General Development Order 1973. This general condition can be withdrawn by an Article 4 direction but, outside conservation areas, directions are justifiable only in exceptional circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to amend the Housing Acts of 1957 and 1969 in respect of clearance, redevelopment and general improvement areas to make provision for full consultation with the residents involved before their homes are subject to compulsory purchase orders.

This would not be appropriate but I would refer the hon. Member to the remarks made by my hon. Friend during the debate on the Motion for the Adjournment on 16th February 1973.—[Vol. 850, c. 1722.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will encourage local authorities adequately to publicise their development plans along the lines recommended in the Skeffington Report, and before they are submitted to him for approval.

My right hon. and learned Friends the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Wales have issued their circular about publicity for development plans. I am sending to the hon. Member a copy of the circular (DOE 52/72, Welsh Office 104/72).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how often the litter between the two carriageways of Park Lane is removed.

Once a week on the rough pebbled areas and twice a week on the remainder. It is the responsibility of Westminster City Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in reducing the delay in issuing provisional driving licences, and the consequent inconvenience to L drivers wishing to start driving lessons.

Applications for first provisional licences are now being processed as soon as they come in, and are normally being cleared within 10 working days. Some of the applications which ran into difficulty as a result of strikes at the centre during March have still not been dealt with. I hope they will be cleared shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he has made to ensure that owners of foreign commercial vehicles or their insurers discharge their liabilities to owners of motor vehicles in this country resulting from accidents for which they may be responsible.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar Question by the hon. Member for St. Helens (Mr. Sprigas) on 28th March last. [Vol. 853, c. 330.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements now exist to obtain psychiatric reports on persons charged with offences; to what extent such persons are committed to prison for these reports; and whether he will make a statement.

Regional hospital boards provide courts with a list of psychiatric clinics able to provide reports on defendants remanded on bail. Where the court considers that a remand in custody is necessary, a report can be obtained from the prison medical officer. 11,953 defendants were committed in custody for psychiatric reports during 1972. Four establishments in England and Wales have arrangements for prison medical officers to examine and report on defendants who have been allowed bail.Administrative measures have been taken over the past two years to reduce so far as practicable the number of persons remanded in custody for reports and the length of such remands.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted in 1972 for driving without due care and attention and how many were convicted.

I regret that statistics for 1972 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the work of the Criminal Injuries Board; and if he will make a statement.

While the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, under the administration of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, is in general working satisfactorily, I have set up an official working party to review its operation, with the following terms of reference:

"To review the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in the light of its operation since 1964, and, taking into account the views of interested bodies, to frame proposals for placing the scheme, with such modifications as may appear desirable, on a statutory footing."

The working party will comprise officials of the Home Office, the Scottish Home and Health Department, the Lord Chancellor's Office and the Treasury, and of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. It will begin work shortly and will take steps to canvass opinion among interested bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total percentage of successful claims awarded by the Criminal Injuries Board.

From the establishment of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme on 1st August 1964 until the end of the financial year 1972–73, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board made awards in approximately 85 per cent. of the cases resolved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the percentage of successful claims to the Criminal Injuries Board from Liverpool citizens to the latest available date;(2) what is the highest award by the Criminal Injuries Board to a Liverpool citizen to the latest available date;(3) how many claims have been made to the Criminal Injuries Board by Liverpool citizens to the latest available date;(4) what is the total amount of damages awarded by the Criminal Injuries Board to Liverpool citizens to the latest available date;(5) if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT a breakdown of successful and unsuccessful claims made to the Criminal Injuries Board by Liverpool citizens on a yearly basis since the operation of the scheme.

This information is not available. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board does not categorise information about applications or awards by reference to the domicile of applicants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the highest award by the Criminal Injuries Board to the latest available date.

£51,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of claims made to the Criminal Injuries Board to the latest available date.

Up to the end of the financial year 1972–73, 53,549 applications had been received by the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total amount of damages awarded by the Criminal Injuries Board to the latest available date.

By 31st March 1973, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board had awarded £15,167,504.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total cost of the administration of the Criminal Injuries Board to the latest available date.

The cost of the administration of the Criminal Injuries Com-

	Applications received	Awards made	No award made	Applications withdrawn or abandoned
1st August 1964 to 31st March 1965	554	114	8	8
1st April 1965 to 31st March 1966	2,452	1,164	190	21
1st April 1966 to 31st March 1967	3,312	2,404	260	53
1st April 1967 to 31st March 1968	5,316	3,490	331	48
1st April 1968 to 31st March 1969	6,437	5,060	852	73
1st April 1969 to 31st March 1970	7,247	5,614	1,079	124
1st April 1970 to 31st March 1971	7,419	4,901	907	85
1st April 1971 to 31st March 1972	9,886	8,102	1,189	158
1st April 1972 to 31st March 1973 (provisional)	10,926	8,322	1,350	165
Totals	53,549	39,171	6,166	735

On 1st April 1973, 6,257 cases were pending and there were 1,220 in which an interim award had been made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims have been made to the Criminal Injuries Board relating to injuries which resulted in the death of the claimant.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board does not classify applications on this basis. From the establishment of the scheme on 1st August 1964 until the end of the financial year 1972–73, the number of cases in which an application was made following the death of the victim as a consequence of the injury and a final decision was made by the board and accepted by the applicant is estimated to be 879.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims to the Criminal Injuries Board related to claims which resulted in the total incapacity of the claimant.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT a total breakdown of claims, successful and unsuccessful, made to the Criminal Injuries Board on a yearly basis since the operation of the scheme.

The information is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average award made by claimants to the Criminal Injuries Board to the latest available date.

The average award by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in the period 1st August 1964 until 31st March 1973 is estimated at £387.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much longer the Government propose to keep open the temporary resettlement centres set up last year for the accommodation of United Kingdom passport holders expelled from Uganda; and if he will make a statement.