asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his official visit to Brussels; and what were the main issues he raised of relevance to Wales.

I visited Brussels on 10th and 11th May for meetings with two Commissioners of the European Community, Mr. Thomson and Dr. Hillery, and with senior members of the Commission staff. I also had discussions with the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the Community. These various talks covered a wide range of regional and social questions of interest to Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has now received the report of the task force examining the issues arising from the proposed closure of East Moors steelworks at Cardiff; and whether he will list the main recommendations made by the task force.

I have received an interim report. As was made clear when the task forces were set up, their reports are confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to receive the report of the East Moors task force; and when the Government will announce their decisions based on the recommendations of the task force.

I have already received the interim report of the task force. Work on the final report is continuing and the Government's views will be announced as soon as possible after that report has been received and studied.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the beef, mutton and lamb marketed in Great Britain is produced in Wales.

No statistics are available giving the information required.

asked the Seemtary of State for Wales how many children attend nursery schools in Wales at present; and what percentage of four-year-olds attend the same.

In January 1973, the latest date for which information is available, 3,671 pupils attended nursery schools in Wales. This includes 1,279 four-year-olds, which is 2·9 per cent. of the age group. Full figures for the under-fives are only so far available for January 1972, when in all 40,787 pupils attended maintained nursery schools. nursery classes or primary schools in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of general practitioners in Wales who employ part-time people to deputise for them at night and at weekends.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the use of commercial deputising services. Such a service operates in Cardiff, Newport and Cwmbran and 129 practitioners make some use of it, mainly at weekends.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales why the model rent rebate scheme of the Welsh Office does not differentiate between earnings of a woman who is either a tenant or tenant's wife, and a pension from a wife's former employment.

The model rent rebate scheme does differentiate between the earnings of a married woman and a pension arising from former employment. This is to allow for the extra expense incurred by a wife going out to work.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has yet come to any conclusion as to whether a board similar to the Highlands and Islands Development Board should exercise functions in Mid-Wales.

I am considering this matter in the light of what is said in the Welsh Council Report on Mid-Wales which is published today.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has received any advice from the Welsh Council on the desirability of extending the authority of the Mid-Wales Development Corporation to include towns additional to Newtown, Montgomeryshire; and if so what decision if any he has come to on this matter.

The Welsh Council's views on this matter are contained in its report on Mid-Wales which is published today. I am giving careful consideration to these views.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will seek to ascertain the total sum that was allowed by housing authorities in Wales during the last 12 months to remain on mortgage on the sale of council houses;(2) if he will seek to ascertain the total sum which within the last 12 months was loaned by housing authorities in Wales on the mortgage of council houses purchased by tenants.

No. This information could not be obtained without undue expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will request the Welsh Council to make a survey of freight services on railways in Wales and to publish a report.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will invite representatives from regional planning councils to take part in the discussions on the phasing out of the regional employment premium.

It is always open to the planning councils to make their views known to the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new jobs his Department anticipates will be created or available in the Stockport area in 1973, 1974 and 1975.

Precise figures are not available, but applicants for IDCs approved in the last 12 months in the Stockport employment exchange area estimated that 300 jobs would arise when the projects were complete and fully manned. This figure takes no account of developments below the exemption limit, moves into existing premises and jobs arising in the service sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the number of industrial development certificates which have been granted to firms wishing to establish factories in Cardiff, other than to those firms already operating in the city, since 30th September 1972; and how many jobs are expected to be provided.

Two. For reasons of commercial confidentiality I cannot give the number of jobs expected to be provided.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to require all large public companies to appoint non-executive directors, and to ensure that such non-executive directors exercise an effective supervisory function by defining their responsibility, accountability and functions.

I have noted with interest proposals commending the practice of appointing non-executive directors. I hope that these and other suggestions on company structure will receive wide and thorough discussion in connection with my current review of company law.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for industrial development certificates were refused in the United Kingdom in 1972; and how this figure compares with the figures for 1970 and 1971.

One hundred and ninety-four IDCs were refused in Great Britain in 1970, 112 in 1971 and 55 in 1972, but these figures are not comparable because since July 1972 IDCs have not been required in the development and special development areas and the exemption limits have been raised twice since the beginning of 1970. The IDC control does not apply to Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what revised estimate he has now made of the output from the coal mining industry during 1973; whether output per manshift continues to rise; what figures he has relating to trends in productivity; and what is his estimate of capital expenditure to be incurred by the coal mining industry for the year to 31st March 1974.

I accept the National Coal Board's estimate of output of coal in 1973 of between 135 million and 140 million tons which I gave to my hon. Friend on 7th May. Output per manshift continues to rise subject to seasonal fluctuations; this is the industry's usual measure of productivity. The most recent figures available are for the five weeks ended 5th May which show output per manshift at 47·1 cwt. The NCB expects to spend approximately £75 million on capital account in 1973–74 on its coal-mining activities.—[Vol. 856, cc. 17–18.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to establish and publish the proportion of capital expenditure to date, in connection with hydrocarbon exploration and production in the Scottish sector of the North Sea Continental Shelf, that has been placed with companies registered in Scotland.

It would not be possible to identify these figures without disproportionate effort and cost. However, the Government have made it clear that they expect the operating companies to give United Kingdom firms a full and fair opportunity to compete for business in offshore United Kingdom waters, and naturally this applies particularly to industry in Scotland and other assisted areas. The hon. Member will be aware of the very important orders that have been won by both new and well established industries in Scotland, which are reported in the special issue of the Scottish Economic Bulletin published by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on 7th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the other newspapers and magazines which carried the advertisement placed by his Department in the Oilman dated 30th April 1973.

The list is as follows:

• Scotsman.
• Sunday Times.
• Daily Telegraph.
• Institution of Electrical Engineers News.
• Mechanical Engineering News.
• Petroleum Times.
• Engineers.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional costs he estimates will be borne by the shipbuilding industry in Scotland as a consequence of the new basing point system for steel prices.

The adoption of the basing point system will in itself lead to little or no additional costs for the Scottish shipbuilding industry overall since Glasgow is a basing point for most of the steels it uses.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the totals of Government spending on research for civil aviation in each of the last five years.

Government expenoiture on research programmes related to civil aircraft, aero engines and associated equipment was about £10 million in each of the last three years. This represents an increase of about £1 million a year over expenditure in each of the two preceding years.Costs of research related to civil aviation services which were last year borne by the Civil Aviation Authority fell to the Government in earlier years. At that time the programme covered combined defence and civil needs and a financial breakdown between these is not possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce the composition of the committee to review the law of copyright.

I hope to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his estimate of the increase in energy demand in Great Britain in each of the next 10 years expressed in tons of coal equivalent.

While my Department keeps energy demand under continuous review, the issues involved are subject to great uncertainty and change, and it would not be helpful to publish estimates out of the contexts in which they were prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent his latest estimates of demand for British-produced coal over the next 10 years take account of the European Coal and Steel Community's need for a steady supply in furtherance of a common energy policy.

Demand for National Coal Board coal over the next decade will depend primarily on the competitive performance of the industry. The United Kingdom Government will ensure that proper weight is given to coal in the current discussions on energy within the Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will promote discussions in the European Community's Council of Ministers of long-term fuel policy with particular emphasis on the rôle of coal.

The Council of Ministers is discussing energy policy on 22nd May. The Government will seek to ensure that proper emphasis is given to the rôle of coal.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has studied the report "Coal and Energy Policy in Europe", produced jointly by the National Coal Board and trade unions; and if he will take steps to implement the recommendation therein that his national fuel policy should be based chiefly on the use of indigenous fuels.

This is a very useful report, which I and my Department have studied with interest. It is certainly our intention to make the optimum use of all our indigenous energy resources, as the Coal Industry Act helps us to do in the case of coal.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what applications have been made for the Ranco factory at Tannochside; and when he expects to have a new tenant.

None. The factory will continue to be drawn to the attention of possible occupiers at every opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has given any advice to small firms as to the powers which local authorities and central Government Departments have in relation to small firms.

In response to requests, my Small Firms Division helps small firms to obtain information about legislation or powers which may apply to them. The main function of the small firms information centres, which are being set up, will be to direct inquirers to sources of advice on this and other matters. The division does not, however, intervene in matters which are the statutory or sponsorship responsibility of other divisions or Departments or interfere with existing lines of communication between firms and individual Departments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals have been received by the Lord Chancellor from the Law Reform Committee or any other body for the harmonisation of criminal law practice in the countries of the European Economic Community.

No such proposals have been received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many men, how many women, how many boys under 18 years of age and how many girls under 18 years of age, respectively, were reported as missing during each of the last five years for which records are available; and how many and what percentage in each category were subsequently traced;(2) whether he will ask chief officers of police in England and Wales to supply him with such information regarding missing persons and their subsequent tracing, alive or dead, as is conveniently available.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the answers which I gave to his Questions of 7th and 15th May.—[Vol. 856, c. 24–5; Vol. 856, c. 279–81.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from magistrates about the establishment of outpatient clinics for medical reports.

None from individual magistrates: but the Magistrates' Association has welcomed these schemes, and the Home Office is in regular touch with the association about them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, for any of the past five years, he has any information as to the number of persons remanded in custody or on bail for medical reports by the individual magistrates' courts in Inner London.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any information as to the number of men

Vehicle or part in dangerous condition			1969	1970	1971
Brakes defective	…	…	29,956	34,039	34,490
Steering gear defective	…	…	3,859	3,435	2,845
Tyres defective	…	…	41,808	67,974	95,699
Emission of smoke etc., causing danger	…	…	881	700	531
Vehicle parts or accessories in dangerous condition			16,377	16,898	16,380

Two men and five women failed to attend these clinics at the time arranged in the 12 months ended 30th March 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has in respect of any of the past five years as to the proportion of persons remanded in custody for medical reports by magistrates' courts in London and elsewhere who had previously been granted bail either by the police or by the courts.

I am examining what information is available and shall write to the right hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the number of offences committed by garages either selling or servicing cars in an unsafe or unroadworthy condition in each of the years 1970, 1971 and 1972.

There were 275 convictions in England and Wales in 1970 and 280 in 1971 for selling a vehicle in an unroadworthy condition or altering it so as to render it unroadworthy. The information for 1972 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the number of offences committed by motorists driving cars in an unroadworthy or unsafe condition in each of the last three years.

Information is not available in the form requested but the following table shows convictions in England and Wales for relevant offences under the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations. Information for 1972 is not yet available.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will seek to ensure that copies of EEC Commission papers are available in the House of Commons Library on the same day as they are released to the Press.

Arrangements for the release of Commission documents to the Press are matters for the Commission, but every effort will be made to ensure that copies of papers released to the Press which are of special interest to the House are placed in the Library as quickly as possible.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will institute a daily delivery and collection service for parliamentary correspondence between the Members' Lobby at Westminster and the office of the United Kingdom delegation at the European Parliament during plenary sessions.

I have some sympathy with my hon. Friend's request, which is already being looked into.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will take steps to ensure that the motor cars to be provided for the United Kingdom delegation to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe are of British manufacture.

The motor cars provided for the United Kingdom delegation to the Consultative Assembly are hired locally for the three Assembly meetings each year through the Consul-General in Strasbourg.It would not be practicable for the delegation to insist on the hire of motor cars of British manufacture.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will make it general drafting practice to make clear in the titles of Government Bills to which country of the United Kingdom they apply, except in instances where all the nations of the United Kingdom are affected.

I am asking the Committee on the Preparation of Legislation, whose appointment I announced on 8th May, to consider this suggestion.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantities of soft wheat, other cereals and sugar beet were denatured in the EEC and in the United Kingdom in each year since 1968; and what is his estimate of the quantities for the current year.

Subsidies for denaturing, whether by incorporation into animal feeding stuffs or by admixture with dyes of fish oil, are paid in the European Economic Community on common wheat and rye of breadmaking quality. The quantities on which such subsidies have been paid in the Community in the years in question were:

	Common wheat ,000 metric tons
1968–69	1,876
1969–70	4,303
1970–71	3,745
1971–72	3,984
1972–73(August—March)	4,633

There is no denaturing of sugar beet, nor am I aware of how this could be done.No subsidies were paid on rye. During those years, the following quantities of home-grown wheat were bought by animal feed compounders in the United Kingdom primarily for incorporation:

	'000 long tons
1968–69	1,651
1969–70	1,363
1970–71	2,260
1971–72	2,073
1972–73(July—December) (estimated)	700

By 10th May claims for subsidy had been received for 466,857 long tons for the period February—March of which 412,178 tons was for wheat denatured by incorporation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about the sale of pickled birds in London; and what replies he has sent.

The only representation we have received was in July 1972. It related to a concoction made from small birds pickled in brine, which was on sale in West End restaurants, and sought a ban on such sales. The reply indicated that there were no powers under the Food and Drugs Act or under the Trade Descriptions Act which would enable a ban to be imposed on the sale of pickled wild birds.

asked the Minister of Argiculture, Fisheries and Food what is the attitude of Her Majesty's Government to the proposed Council directive on the approximation of laws relating to fertilisers.

The proposed directive is part of the programme for the removal of technical barriers to trade which Her Majesty's Government supports. Its purpose is to establish Community standards, descriptions and labelling requirements for "EEC-type "inorganic fertilisers which could then be freely traded within the Community. Member States would be able to maintain their domestic laws for all other fertilisers. The draft standards would involve some changes from existing United Kingdom law and practice which will need to be taken fully into account when it is further considered. Discussions are taking place with United Kingdom interested organisations.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what acreage of land within the boundaries of Southampton county borough is owned by his Department; for what purposes each piece is retained; and whether he will consider selling to the city council the land in the Archery Road area of Woolston, Southampton.

The Ministry of Defence owns 40 acres for the RN Stores Depot at Woolston and four acres for an Ordnance Survey establishment. The latter is in course of conveyance to the Department of the Environment. A review of our land holdings at Woolston is in progress; should any land eventually be declared surplus it will be disposed of by the Property Services Agency under the normal procedures and will be offered to the local authority if not required by another Government Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will provide a special grant to assist in retaining in the United Kingdom the picture "Five of Lord Gower's Children" by Romney, now for sale.

It is for the individual galleries to consider in the first instance whether they wish to acquire this painting which cannot be exported without an export licence. If an application for a special purchase grant is received it will be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she can now announce a decision on the proposals for reorganisation of secondary education in Salford, the time for public objection to which expired on 20th December 1972.

I have nothing yet to add to the reply given to the hon. Member's Question of 23rd March 1973. —[Vol. 853, c. 194–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in view of the quota system agreed between his Department and the hotel and catering trade, in what circumstances a work permit may be issued to an employer in the United Kingdom for the employment of foreign nationals and Commonwealth citizens in a catering establishment when no such persons have been employment in previous years.

The quota system applies only to men from countries outside the EEC, Malta and the Dependent Territories.Establishments which did not receive work permits for such men in 1971 or 1972 may be issued with work permits, provided that suitable indigenous workers are not available and other requirements are satisfied, for the following categories of overseas worker to whom the quota system does not apply.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the percentage of male unemployment in Llanelly, Swansea, Port Talbot, Cardiff and Newport, respectively, at the latest available date.

Following is the information for 9th April 1973.

Travel-to-work area	Percentage rate of unemployment: Males
Llanelly	2·5
Swansea	5·7
Port Talbot	3·6
Cardiff	5·7
Newport	4·

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the White Paper on the future of local government finance is to be published.

Shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many projects have been completed under the Operation Eyesore scheme in the Leek rural district.

The Department has approved three projects estimated to cost £2,692. I have no information about the number completed. No grant claims have yet been received from the council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the application to include in the principal roads programme the widening of the A24, London Road, in the London borough of Sutton.

This scheme was originally placed in the Ministry of Transport's road programme in December 1965. It has now been reprogrammed for a planned start of work in 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many domestic properties his Department owns in the London borough of Sutton; and how many are currently occupied.

Two hundred and sixty domestic properties are owned by the Department of the Environment in the London Borough of Sutton, of which 250 are currently occupied.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to publish statutory notices in connection with the amendment of the easterly junction of the Lindale bypass with the A590; and when construction is programmed to begin.

It is hoped to publish draft orders for the Lindale bypass, including the junction with the A590, before the end of the year. Construction could start either in late 1974 or early 1975, depending on progress with the statutory processes involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last conducted a survey of traffic density on the A590 between Levens Bridge and Lindale; whether he intends to conduct a further survey in connection with the planning of the improvements to this road; and if he will make a statement.

A traffic census on the A590 between Levens Bridge and Lindale was carried out in 1970 and another one between Sampool Bridge and Levens Bridge in 1971. It is not intended to conduct a further survey as sufficient traffic information exists for design purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total cost of subsidies to transport in south-east England in each of the past five years.

Information is not available in this form; I consider that the effort of obtaining it would not be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the procedure necessary for ratepayers in Retford to appeal against their new rating valuations; and on what date this expires.

Any ratepayer who is aggrieved about his new rateable value can make a proposal for its reduction and if agreement is not reached he can appeal to a local valuation court. He should in the first place approach the Inland Revenue valuation officer in his area whose address will be found in the telephone directory.The proposal can be made at any time during the currency of the valuation lists but if a successful proposal is to affect the rates in a given rate period the proposal must have been made before the end of that rate period.In a revaluation year as this one, proposals made before 30th September 1973 entitle the ratepayer, subject to certain conditions, to withhold part of any increase in his rate bill until the proposal is settled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many reinstatements of tenancies where the tenant has been unlawfully evicted there have been in the Greater London Council area during each of the last five years.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions there have been for illegal harassment of tenants under the Criminal Justice Act 1972.

Statistics of prosecutions for harassment under the Rent Act 1965 are not yet available for the period since 1st January 1973 when the increased penalties provided for in the Criminal Justice Act 1972 came into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proportion of the costs of £140 million which he has estimated as the cost of reclaiming land at Maplin he expects to be used for purchase of fill supplied by the Port of London Authority as part of its scheme for a new dredged channel to the proposed port development;(2) what are the component costs of the £140 million which he has estimated as the cost of reclaiming land at Maplin, and the basis or source of each respective estimate.

The first stage of reclamation at Maplin is estimated to cost approximately £140 million at 1972 prices. This stage, of about 14,000 acres, will provide land for the full two-runway development of the airport, together with the seaport and commercial and industrial land. Of the estimate of £140 million, about £19 million is for the sea wall and about £4 million for drainage.For the total scheme at Maplin the estimated cost of reclamation is £175 million at 1972 prices. This is for the works shown on the plan and section deposited with the Maplin Development Bill, and is made up as follows:

	£million
Sea walls	20
Reclamation of land from the sea (including dredging)	150
Associated drainage works	5

The total area to be reclaimed is about 18,500 acres. A detailed estimate of reclamation costs was made by the Roskill team. These have been brought up to date on the basis of informed assumptions about the availability of, and haulage distances for, fill of adequate quality, and making allowances for increases in cost and changes in location and size. The use of material dredged from the proposed Port of London Authority channel will be for the Maplin Development Authority to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he received the Alvechurch Highway compulsory purchase order from Redditch Development Corporation; when the time period for objections expired; how many objections were received; and when he will decide whether he will confirm the compulsory purchase order.

The Redditch Development Corporation Compulsory Purchase Order No. 10 1972 was made on 14th September 1972 under the New Towns Act 1965 for the acquisition of properties in the Alvechurch Highway area which the corporation wishes to demolish to make way for a new road. The order was submitted to the Secretary of State on 26th September 1972, the last date for objections being 28th October 1972.One objection was received and is the subject of negotiation. If the objection is not withdrawn, a public local inquiry will be held on 17th July 1973 and a decision on the order made as soon as possible after receipt of the inspector's report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he does not want rent scrutiny boards to operate in public; what effects sitting in private has on the speed of decisions, and why; what further representation he has received from the Association of Municipal Corporations on this subject; and if he will make a statement.

The function of these boards is to check the provisional assessments of fair rents which local authorities have made for their dwellings. Inspection of dwellings and examination of all the information available will take place over a period of time and can be done more expeditiously in private, informal meetings. If a board disagrees with an authority's provisional assessment, it must send a report to the authority with its reasons and consider any representations from the authority, and the authority must publish the report by depositing it at its principal office. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the Department's reply to a recent letter from the AMC on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any traffic censuses have been done on the A30/A303 since the opening of the M4; and whether this indicates any transfer from the former to the latter of traffic bound for the South West.

The M4 was completed at the end of 1971 and census figures are available only for limited sections of A30 /A303 for 1972. It is too early to determine whether any transfer of traffic to M4 has occurred.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons are allocated to the information services of the Overseas Development Administration; and what is the approximate annual cost of those services.

Fifteen. The total cost of the information services in 1973–74 will be about £90,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Zambian Government over the killing in Rhodesian territory of two Canadian tourists by Zambian troops tiring from Zambia.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 17th May of his distress at the tragic loss of life in this incident. I understand that the Canadian and American missions in Lusaka have been in touch with the Zambian authorities.The Zambian Government have admitted in a public statement that the shots were fired by Zambian Army personnel and have expressed deep regret that innocent people died.—[Vol. 856, c. 1697.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will institute a study of the financial benefits to the nation arising from widows who go to work, with particular relation to (a) revenue from tax, (b) earnings from their contributions to production and (c) the saving of supplementary benefits.

While I believe that working widows contribute greatly to the prosperity of the nation, I do not consider that the benefits of such a study would be commensurate with the costs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total of tax relief given in each of the last 10 years in respect of life insurance premiums.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of revenue collected in purchase tax on food in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

Following is the information:

	Net receipts of purchase tax on food:
Year	for human consumption £ million	pet foods £ million
1970	127	15
1971	137	16
1972	130	16

The foods liable to purchase tax were confectionery, soft drinks, ice cream, potato crisps, salted nuts and the like, and prepared pet foods.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, if the Social Security Bill becomes law, persons who are paid back into the Reserve Pension Scheme after membership of an occupational pension scheme, will be required to repay to the Inland Revenue any tax deductions from which they benefited as a contributor to that occupational pension scheme.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th May, 1973; Vol. 856, c. 362], gave the following information:No. A tax charge at a compounded rate of 10 per cent. is, however, payable by the administrator of a Revenue-approved scheme when a refund of contributions is made, in accordance with the rules, to a person on his leaving and ceasing to be a member of that scheme.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, assuming corporation tax on the basis and at the rate proposed for 1974–75, what would be the net cost to employers in the aggregate of an increase in their pension contributions of £40 million a year gross.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 16th May, 1973; Vol. 856, c. 326]. gave the following information:The rate of corporation tax for 1974–75 is not due to be proposed until the 1975 Budget. With an illustrative rate of 50 per cent., and assuming all the employers were companies liable to corporation tax, the net cost of an increase in pension contributions of £40 million gross would be £20 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, assuming total contributions from employers and employees to the proposed reserve pension scheme of £320 million a year in respect of 7 million employees of whom 5½ million pay tax at the basic rate, what is the net cost to the employees in the aggregate of contributions at the rate of 2 per cent. with tax relief and 1½ per cent. without tax relief, respectively; and what is his estimate of the total gain to the revenue by changing from the first to the second arrangement.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 16th May, 1973; Vol. 856, c. 326], gave the following information:On the figures quoted the total net cost to employees is very approximately £120 million under each system. The cost to the revenue is about £20 million less in a full year under the second system allowing for the indirect effect on corporation tax—at an illustrative rate of 50 per cent. —as well as income tax on individuals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether all remuneration paid in the form of free residences to Ministers, as stated in the main Estimates for 1973–74, are treated as taxable as income of the Ministers in question.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th May, 1973; Vol. 856, c. 360], gave the following information:In general, where an employee is required for the proper performance of his duties to live in accommodation provided for him by his employer, he ranks for tax purposes as a representative occupier of the accommodation, and is not taxable on its value. Ministers of the Crown are dealt with under the same rule.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many payments in compensation for loss of office were notified to the Inland Revenue last year in excess of £10,000; how many persons were involved; and what were the gross and net total sums concerned.

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th May 1973; Vol. 856, c. 360,] gave the following information:Tax chargeable under Section 187 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970 is collected through the normal assessment procedures and statistics of these particular transactions cannot be distinguished separately.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many enforcement officers are employed by the Ministry of Health and Social Services for the purpose of enforcing compliance under the National Insurance and Industrial Injuries Acts; and what is the total amount owing to the National Insurance and Industrial Injuries Funds at the latest convenient date for which information is available, showing class 1, class 2 and class 3 arrears separately.

The number of inspectors employed to secure compliance is 54. The total amount outstanding under class 1, class 2 and class 3 is not ascertainable without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what studies are being carried out for regional development projects in Northern Ireland for submission to the European Economic Community.

Consideration of suitable projects is a continuing process. The United Kingdom Government have already submitted to the European Economic Community Commission on behalf of Northern Ireland details of certain projects in the industrial training field which may be eligible for financial assistance under the European Social Fund. Proposals on agriculture for consideration under the Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (FEOGA) are also being transmitted.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hotels in Northern Ireland have received financial assistance in each of the last four years; what is the total amount involved; and what amount of grant is under consideration for future years.

The following table summarises grants towards the construction, modernisation or improvement of hotels in Northern Ireland in the last four years:

	Number of Hotels	Grant Paid £
1969	34	206,000
1970	45	561,000
1971	59	939,000
1972	50	603,000

Since in most cases payments are made in instalments there is some duplication in the number of hotels listed; the total number for the period was 104.The amount of future grants cannot be estimated very far ahead. The estimated amount which will be required during 1973–74 for grants towards the construction, modernisation or improvement of hotels, guest houses and boarding houses is £900,000, most of which will be for hotels.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about the state of the roads in Rathlin Island, North Antrim; and what steps he proposes to take to bring the roads on the islands up to proper standards.

No representations about the state of the roads in Rathlin Island have been received. Last January the Ministry of Development approved a proposal by Antrim County Council for the improvement of a section of the main road on the island at an estimated cost of £15,000. Work has begun and is expected to continue into 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to remedy the silting up of the main harbour in Rathlin Island.

I am advised by the harbour authority, Antrim County Council, that there is a thin layer of sand covering the rock bed of Church Bay, Rathlin Island, ranging in depth from 12 to 18 inches. Because of its thinness it is impracticable to remove this layer, which has not increased appreciably in depth for many years. The harbour authority from time to time removes large boulders which are washed in from the open sea.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the Ministry of Development in Northern Ireland has refused to enlarge its grant to Ballymena Rural District Council for the provision of a water main to supply the cottages at Lisnahaucheon, Collybackey, North Antrim.

The Ministry has not been approached about a grant for this scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made in the draft Road Traffic (Amendment) Northern Ireland Order 1973, since its was first published and at whose instigation.

The only amendment, apart from minor drafting ones, is that an article which dealt with the abolition of the power to suspend certain mandatory sentences was omitted from the order following discussions in the Northern Ireland Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will list all the bombing and shooting incidents which took place in South Belfast in 1972, and up to 31st March 1973, respectively.

In 1972 there were 544 explosions and 7,606 shooting incidents in Belfast. From 1st January 1973 to 31st March 1973 there were 104 explosions and 1,696 shooting incidents.I regret that separate figures for South Belfast are not available, and it would require disproportionate effort to provide them.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were killed in South Belfast in 1972 and up to 31st March 1973, respectively.

In 1972 272 people were killed in Belfast; and 58 from 1st January 1973 to 31st March 1973. Separate figures for South Belfast are not readily available.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will make a further statement of his consideration of proposals for cable television experiments, particularly in Scotland.

I am considering the whole future of cable television and my study covers Scotland as well as the rest of the United Kingdom. If the hon. Member has any comments on the development of cable television, I should be most glad to have them, if possible before the end of July.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications when he now expects the introduction of a fourth television channel in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

I have nothing to add to what I said in the House on 3rd May.—[Vol. 855, c. 1533–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of telephones provided by each of the four cities in Scotland for disabled people to the nearest available date.

The numbers of people given financial assistance by these local authorities to retain or obtain a telephone up to 15th May 1973 were as follows:

Aberdeen	31
Dundee	47
Edinburgh	155
Glasgow	21

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce legislation to curb excessive profits by certain builders of houses for private ownership in cases where no fixed price is agreed before completion of building; and if he will make a statement.

No. I believe that prices can most effectively be controlled by increasing the supply of houses for sale, and the measures relating to the availability of land and of mortgage finance outlined in the White Paper "Homes for People: Scottish Housing Policy in the 1970s" are designed to achieve this end.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters he has received from residents of Bishopbriggs concerning the inclusion of Bishopbriggs in the Glasgow district as proposed in the Local Government (Scotland) Bill.

I have received 2,511 such letters from residents of Bishopbriggs, 1,435 of them since the debate in Scottish Standing Committee on 1st March.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the fact that they carry salmonella, an important cause of food poisoning, whether wild birds are included in regulations governing the importation of uncooked and partially cooked meats.

Wild birds imported for sale for human consumption are subject to the requirements of the Imported Food Regulations 1968 which broadly require that all food entering this country should be sound, wholesome and fit for human consumption. Furthermore, on entry they become subject to the Food and Drugs Act 1955, and regulations made thereunder equally designed to ensure that food is safe to eat when sold in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many nurses in English National Health Service hospitals are recruited through private agencies; and what is the total amount paid out to these nurses and the agencies involved.

Three thousand, two hundred and sixty—one agency nurses—in whole-time equivalent terms—were employed in National Health Service hospitals in England at 30th September 1972 and about £6 million was paid by hospital authorities in respect of agency nurses in the year ended 31st March 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the criterion used by Plymouth City Council for defining homelessness as covering those people whose children are currently in care or were to be taken into care because the parents had no accommodation, or where the courts had granted permission to evict, was the definition of homelessness accepted by his Department for the purposes of statistics on homelessness.

I am making inquiries from the Plymouth City Council and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give his estimate of the net payments, after tax, by employees and employers separately, to the Reserve Pension Scheme, on the assumption of a 7 million membership, where the 4 per cent. contribution is equally divided between employer and employee and both have tax relief and where the employee contributes 1½ per cent. without tax relief and the employer 2½ per cent. with tax relief.

Total contributions to the reserve pension scheme, estimated by the Government Actuary on an assumed membership of 7 million and on the basis of current earnings to be of the order of £300 million a year, would consist of payments as to £150 million equally by employers and employees if the 4 per cent. contribution were divided equally between them and as to some £190 million by employers and £110 million by employees if the former paid contributions at 2½ per cent. and the latter at 1½ per cent. Tax relief whether to employer or to employee would make no difference to the payments into the scheme, but for estimates bearing on the net cost I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South-West (Mr. George Cunningham) today.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of claimants receiving supplementary benefit at the latest available date.

As at November last, about 2,929,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many married couples were in receipt of supplementary benefit at the latest available date.

As at November 1972, 673,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many married couples were completely dependent on supplementary benefit at the latest available date.

I regret that this information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he has for expanding community services for alcoholics.

I have just issued a circular calling, in parallel with the current development of hospital facilities for alcoholics, for an expansion of com- munity services to meet the needs of alcoholics, including those offenders studied in the Home Office Report on the Habitual Drunken Offender. Both local authorities and voluntary bodies have a part to play. For a transitional period while these services develop I shall be making revenue grants and capital grants of up to £2,500 a place to voluntary bodies providing hostels for alcoholics: the cost of this scheme is expected to rise to £2 million per year in 1975–76. Grants will also be available to speed the development of other services such as information centres or advisory services for homeless alcoholics. Alcoholism is a major health and social problem and I intend that these proposals should give impetus to the development of the full range of services that are needed.A copy of the circular has been placed in the Library.