asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions for possession of firearms without a certificate took place in 1972.

The figure for 1972 is not yet available. Table 22 in the Green Paper on the Control of Firearms gives figures for the years 1969 to 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of accidents which have occurred in which personal injury has been sustained from the discharge of air rifles or air pistols in the last three years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what precautions are taken in the Metropolitan Police organisation to prevent false messages originating in London from being transmitted through Interpol.

The Commissioner assures me that all reasonable precautions are taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about his new proposals to deal with prison disturbances.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Heston and Isleworth (Mr. Hayhoe) on 11th May.—[Vol. 856, c. 215–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of boys who have undergone borstal training return for a further period of such training; and what percentage of boys who receive borstal training are subsequently convicted on criminal charges.

The latest available figures for England and Wales are 21 per cent. in answer to the first part of the Question and 65 per cent. in answer to the second part. These are based on a two-year follow-up of those released on licence in 1968 in relation to convictions for "standard list" offences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will appoint a committee of inquiry to review the action taken under the urban aid programme over the past five years, and to recommend ways in which that programme might be made more effective.

I do not think it is necessary to appoint a committee for this purpose but I am keeping the results of the urban aid programme under regular review and am in consultation with those of my right hon. Friends who are also closely involved with the problems of urban life.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what considerations his Department takes into account in allocating help under the urban aid programme.

The urban programme aims to give special help to local urban areas with acute social need. Local authorities submit schemes which, though modest in cost, have an immediate impact but which they cannot cater for under their normal programmes. The Home Office, in consultation with the other Government Departments, makes the final selection in the light of local authorities' own priorities and the desirability of approving a reasonable proportion of schemes sponsored by voluntary bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the progress that has been achieved in helping deprived areas through the urban aid programme.

Over 2,700 projects have so far been approved in 206 different local authorities in England and Wales. I welcome the wide local support for this form of special aid for areas with acute social needs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a study of the identity card systems in force in other European countries.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) on 1st March. —[Vol. 851, c. 394–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now take steps to reduce fire hazard from certain classes of plastic foam used in domestic furniture.

I should prefer to await the outcome of the research, now being undertaken on our behalf, into the burning behaviour of plastic materials used in furniture.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used in deciding the correct establishment for the Metropolitan Police.

The nature, extent and population of the Metropolitan Police

As at 31st December:	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972
Police	18,480	18,414	18,680	19,192	19,996	20,458	20,682	21,057	21,354	21,304
Traffic wardens	429	425	463	702	1,257	1,221	1,394	1,585	1,966	2,055
Other civilians	5,488	5,706	6,063	6,480	7,224	6,092*	8,481	9,026	9,755	10,274
Number of cars	972	946	973	1,037	1,187	1,613	1,651	1,748	1,871	2,021
Total all vehicles (including vans and motorcycles)	2,328	2,588	2,639	2,883	2,913	3,071	3,173	3,266	3,262	3,254
Number of personal radios	—	23	120	370	2,394	4,920	5,922	6,472	6,472†	6,513
Number of mobilefone radios	886	1,045	1,237	1,557	1,784	2,065	2,457	2,808	2,816†	2,856
* Figures for 1968 and earlier were calculated on a different basis from and are not strictly comparable with those for later years.
† These represent increases of 472 and 474 respectively over figures given in answer to a Question by the hon. Member on 27th July 1972 [Vol. 841, c. 361–2.] The increases relate to sets issued to users outside the main divisional personal radio network, experimental sets and force radio sets fitted to motor cycles which were previously not included.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has considered the first annual report of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police; and if he will make a statement, with particular reference to the manpower shortage.

I have studied the Commissioner's report very carefully. It demonstrates once again how indebted we must all feel to the Metropolitan Police for the way in which they carry out their difficult duties. On manpower, I have nothing to add to statements I have already made today in reply to other Questions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as much detailed information as may be readily available, giving for as long a period as possible information affecting the rise and fall in the strength of the Metropolitan Police force, and stating at each date the number of extra aids such as cars, vehicles in general, two-way radios and other electronic aids assisting in the reduction of manpower, and the numbers of traffic wardens and pedestrian crossing patrolmen employed to release policemen from traffic control for other purposes.

Precise figures for electronic aids are not readily available. Otherwise, following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of persons convicted for murder and manslaughter in 1972; and by what percentage this total exceeds or is less than the comparable figure the year before the introduction of the Bill to abolish capital punishment.

I regret that this information is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for West Ham, North may expect a reply to his two letters concerning the deputation met on 1st March by his Department regarding parking problems; and whether he will expedite this reply.

My hon. and learned Friend wrote to the hon. Member on 23rd May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now introduce legislation to prohibit the offering of animals as prizes in competitions.

I am not convinced that this is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he has made for training local authority staff in civil defence, and which civil defence regulations require such training to be carried out.

Home defence study courses will be offered at the new Home Defence College near York. Expenditure by county councils on essential local training for key wartime appointments is being grant-aided. The Civil Defence (Public Protection) Regulations 1967 enable local authorities to train their staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a further statement on his intentions with regard to the setting up of a review body for complaints against the police.

Discussions are proceeding with the police representative bodies on the best way of introducing an independent element into the complaints procedure. It remains my aim to report the outcome to the House by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is satisfied with the progress being made in the action being taken to reduce vandalism; and if he will make a statement.

The Government are maintaining their policy of strengthening the police, and I am confident that chief officers of police are doing all that they reasonably can with the resources available to them to control vandalism and to bring offenders to justice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what period of time elapsed between the arrival in the United Kingdom of Mr. A. W. Madanayake and his being served with a notice that the Secretary of State intended to make a deportation order against him.

Just under five years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make legal aid available for a removal of disqualification from driving.

The Departmental Committee on Legal Aid in Criminal Proceedings, which reported in 1966, thought that there was no real need for legal aid for this purpose, as the applicant himself could ordinarily explain his change of circumstances to the court. We have no information to suggest that this conclusion was wrong.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to protect the police in the performance of their duty from the increasing violence displayed by youthful elements of the coloured community.

All possible steps must be taken to protect the police against violence, but I have no evidence to suggest that they need to be specially protected from any particular section of the community.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will propose a uniform code for the implementation of the provisions of the Shops Acts regarding Sunday opening to local authorities throughout England and Wales.

No. Responsibility for the enforcement of these provisions rests entirely with the local authority concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the assisted visits scheme to enable wives to make the maximum number of permitted visits to their husbands in prison.

We are considering what further extensions it may be practicable to make to the assisted visits scheme and we shall keep this objective in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds he decided to give priority to civil servants' applications as against other applications for registration as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies.

In the context of the Pakistan Bill, priority is being given to applications for registration by civil servants and others who hold offices barred to aliens by statute. This is to ensure that those whose applications are granted will not be forced to give up their employment at the end of the six months' grace period provided by the Bill because their cases have not been dealt with in time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what general directions he intends to give the Local Government Boundary Commission for England under Section 52(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 for its guidance in conducting the initial review of electoral arrangements for new districts in England as required by Schedule 9 to the Act.

My right hon. Friend does not at present propose to issue any such directions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on its initial review of electoral arrangements for new districts in England, as required by Schedule 9 to the Local Government Act 1972.

We are not yet in a position to say. I understand that the commission is consulting the local authority associations on various matters affecting the timetable for the initial review in all the new districts and counties.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pension, on what basis, is being paid to former Commander Drury of the Metropolitan Police.

Mr. Drury is being paid an annual pension based on his length of service and his salary before retirement, in accordance with the Police Pensions Regulations 1971. The pension will be revised in accordance with the Police Pensions Regulations 1973, which apply retrospectively to officers who retired on or after 1st April 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the pay award establishing £1,803 per annum as the salary for newly-trained probation officers with effect from 1st April 1973, he will make a statement on the salary to be paid to probation officers already in service and whose salary is either £1,803 or below.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make a statement about probation starting salaries shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that the distribution resources of Her Majesty's Stationery Office have been adequate to ensure a full supply of the consultative document, Command Paper No. 5297, regarding the control of firearms in Great Britain to all those clubs, organisations and individuals seeking to obtain a copy through normal retail sources.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the period for the receipt of comments on the consultative document on the control of firearms by either 28 or 42 days beyond 30th June.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers given to Questions on this subject by the hon. Member for Smethwick (Mr. Faulds) on 25th May—[Vol. 857, c. 195]—and by my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) on 11th June.—[Vol. 857, c. 251–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department at which magistrates' courts experimental duty solicitor schemes have recently been introduced; and over what period it is intended they should operate.

Such schemes are in operation at Bristol, Cardiff, Hendon, Manchester, Nottingham and Southport. The periods over which they are to operate are for local decision in the light of experience.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he has had no discussions with the Law Society to ensure that legally-aided defendants in magistrates' courts who apply for bail to a judge in chambers receive assistance with their application from their solicitors, in view of the statement by the Minister of State in Standing Committee on the Criminal Justice Bill, column 1116 of 23rd March 1972.

I think the right hon. Member has misunderstood what I intended. I meant to suggest that if anyone had evidence of shortcomings on the part of individual solicitors, he should take the matter up himself with the Law Society.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations take place between his Department and private security companies regarding the style of uniform issued by the companies.

None. The style of uniform issued by security companies is a matter for them, subject to their observance of Section 52 of the Police Act 1964, which makes it an offence to wear a uniform so nearly resembling that of a police officer as to be calculated to deceive.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about the number of companies offering security services operating in Great Britain.

741 organisations providing services for the protection of persons and property, including the installation of security equipment, were known to the police to be operating in England and Wales in 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what classes of premises have so far been designated under Section 1 of the Fire Precautions Act; and when and for what classes he plans to make further designation orders.

The Fire Precautions Act 1971 has so far been applied to hotels and boardinghouses. We expect to receive very shortly the recommendations of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Councils for England and Wales and for Scotland as to the next classes of premises to be designated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest figures for fatalities caused by fire; how many resulted from fires in the home; and how these figures compare with the previous five years.

The provisional figure for deaths in fires in the United Kingdom in 1972 is 1,030, of which 750 resulted from fires in private dwellings. The figures for the previous five years are:

	Total Deaths in Fires	Deaths in Fires in Private Dwellings
1967	779	583
1968	865	654
1969	861	688
1970	839	627
1971	822	574

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will clarify the interpretation he puts on the words "ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom" in administering the Immigration Act 1971.

Ordinary residence is a term which has to be construed in the light of all the circumstances that are relevant to a particular case, and I cannot helpfully make any general statement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the prices in new pence, respectively, of a standard and a large loaf of bread in October 1964, June 1970 and June 1973 following the price increase granted by the Price Commission.

According to the General Index of Retail Prices, the average price of a white, 28 oz., unwrapped loaf was the equivalent of 5·8p in October 1964 and 8·8p in June 1970. In April 1973 the average price stood at 10· 4p, which is the latest available figure. There are no equivalent figures for the white 14-oz. unwrapped loaf.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average price paid per acre for agricultural land in January 1972 and in January 1973; and what is the average price being paid for such land at the latest available date.

The average price of all sales of agricultural land in England and Wales notified to the Inland Revenue during the six months ended 31st March 1972 was £208 per acre. The latest figure available from the Inland Revenue's series shows that the average price of sales of agricultural land notified during the six months ended 31st March 1973 was £380 per acre.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the average quantity of beef, pork, lamb, fresh fish, fresh fruit, eggs and bread consumed per person in the first three months of 1970 and 1973.

Estimates of food supplies moving into consumption in the United Kingdom in the first three months of 1970 and 1973 are as follows:

	lb. per head
	January—March 1970	January—March 1973 (provisional)
Beef and veal	12·6	11·0
Pork	6·0	6·7
Mutton and lamb	5·7	5·6
Fresh, frozen and cured fish	4·0	3·7
Fresh fruit	18·7	19·0
Eggs	7·9	7·9
(number per head)	(61)	(61)
Bread	30·7	28·0

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what foodstuffs imported into the United Kingdom are now subject to import duties or levies.

The following are the broad categories of foodstuffs which are at present subject duties or levies:

• Mutton and lamb.
• Poultry meat.
• Poultry eggs.
• Bacon.
• Pork and pork offals.
• Beef offals.
• Fish.
• Shellfish.
• Dairy produce.
• Fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Processed fruit and vegetables.
• Canned fruit and fruit juices.
• Most dried fruit and nuts.
• Cereals and cereals products.
• Rice and rice products.
• Oilseeds, oils and fats.
• Prepared or canned meats.
• Sugar.
• Sugar confectionery.
• Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa.
• Jams, jellies, marmalades, etc.
• Cakes, biscuits, flour confectionery.
• Lard and poultry fat.
• Coffee.
• Most Spices.
• Beverages, wines and spirits.
• Honey.

Within certain categories, some individual items are free of import charge. Further information about particular products can be found in the United Kingdom Tariff.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to see that VAT is not levied on gratuities paid by way of service charges on hotel and other similar accounts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that VAT is not levied on service charges in hotels and restaurants.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will exempt all television and other rentals existing at the time of the introduction from VAT.

No. An exceptional transitional relief is already provided for television rentals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt from value added tax the telephone charges of private subscribers over the age of 60 years in the case of women and 65 years in the case of men.

No. The Government have already agreed to an annual review of pensions which will take account of any increase in the cost of living due to VAT, and local authorities have permissive powers under the National Assistance Act 1948 and the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 to assist with the cost of a telephone. The Supplementary Benefits Commission will consider claims for additional benefit to help towards the cost of a telephone.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why VAT is chargeable on garages let by the New Towns Commission to its previous tenants who have bought their houses from the New Towns Commission, and not on garages let by the Commission to existing tenants.

The grant of facilities for parking is chargeable with the standard rate of VAT. But where a garage is let by a landlord to a tenant as part of, or in conjunction with, the letting of domestic accommodation, it is covered by the general exemption from VAT in Schedule 5, Group 1 of the Finance Act 1972.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the Inland Revenue Statistics for 1973.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 13th June 1973], gave the following information:Inland Revenue Statistics 1973 is expected to be published in about four months' time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is now in a position to publish the Page Report on National Savings; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply on 24th May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing Schedule E income (principal source) classified by range of income for all persons for the latest available period.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 13th June 1973], gave the following information:The figures for 1970–71, the latest year for which the Income Survey is available, are:—

Lower limit of Schedule E income	Numbers	Amount
£	'000	£m.
420	1,286	592
500	1,552	850
600	2,945	2,048
800	2,722	2,447
1,000	6,387	7,907
1,500	3,548	6,088
2,000	1,824·5	4,281
3,000	451·7	1,650
5,000	116·7	740
10,000	13·4	176
	20,847	26,779

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is now in a position to state whether it is his intention to resume the minting of gold sovereigns.

I regret that my right hon. Friend is not at present able to make a statement on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have indicated that they intend to provide an opportunity for their employees to buy shares through the share saving scheme announced in the Chancellor's Budget Statement.

This information is not available. Until the Finance Bill proposals have become law I would not expect companies to apply for informal approval of their schemes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average annual rate of growth in the periods 1945 to 1951, 1952 to 1964, 1965 to 1970 and 1971 to the present.

The information is given in the table below. The first column is based in the growth of gross domestic product at constant—1963—factor cost using the average of the estimates based on expenditure, income and output data. The entries in the second column are based on the output measure alone, for which estimates are available for the first quarter of 1973, and to which it is thought that greater weight should be given in assessing changes in gross domestic product over the recent past. Estimates for the years before 1948 are not available.

AVERAGE ANNUAL RATE OF GROWTH
	Average estimate	Output-based estimate
Between the years:
1948 and 1951	3·3	3·1
1951 and 1964	2·8	52·7
1964 and 1970	2·4	2·4
1970 and 1972	1·9	2·5
Between year 1970 and first quarter 1973	n.a.	3·3

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Ministers he proposes to ask to attend the next General Assembly of the United Nations.

My right hon. Friend will visit the General Assembly during September and will participate in the general debate. My noble Friend the Minister of State hopes to be present in New York for part of the General Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will take immediate steps to tighten the application of sanctions policy against Rhodesia with respect to British firms currently defying it.

It is Her Majesty's Government's policy to keep the administration of our sanctions controls under continuous review. Specific allegations about breaches of United Kingdom controls are being investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what help is now being offered by Her Majesty's Government to provide relief in the drought-stricken areas of India.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Brentford and Chiswick (Mr. Barnes).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid in money terms was given to Uganda during 1972.

New aid commitments to Uganda were suspended in August 1972, and the value of technical assistance, development loans and investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation provided from British aid funds during the calendar year was £3·2 million.Repayments to Britain of £6·732 million outstanding on commutation and compensation loans at 1st April 1971 were waived early in 1972 after the signature on 29th February of the agreement whereby Her Majesty's Government assumed responsibility for the pre-independence element of expatriate pensions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government are prepared to give to the Kenyan Government towards their defence re-equipment programme.

The Kenyan Government are undertaking a limited re-equipment programme for their armed forces and police most of which will be supplied from United Kingdom sources. Her Majesty's Government have agreed to make a grant of £2 million to the Kenyan Government towards the cost of purchases in the United Kingdom in connection with this re-equipment programme. Some training assistance will also be provided to the Kenyan Air Force. Parlia- ment will be asked to approve the necessary Supplementary Estimate in due course. In the meantime an advance will, if necessary, be sought from the Contingencies Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will propose amendment of the principal Act to provide for an appeal to be made against a local authority decision not to allow the standard grant or a home improvement grant.

No. We believe that local authorities should have complete discretion in the approval of improvement grants. They are, however, obliged to pay standard grants provided certain conditions are met.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, with a view to legislation designed to encourage the letting of surplus accommodation, he will estimate the number of houses at present occupied by single persons or one family which could be subdivided to provide accommodation for an additional family of two or three persons.

The information is not available within the Department on which to base such an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on planning appeal reference APP/4430/A/71454 from Delltune Car Sales; and when he will reply to the letter on this matter dated 1st May 1973 from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam.

This appeal and another against an enforcement notice are, with the agreement of the parties, being dealt with together on the basis of written statements, and until the statements are complete I cannot say when a decision will be given. A reply has been sent to the hon. Member's letter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in relation to the most recent convenient period of 12 months and in respect of each of the London boroughs of Inner London, separately, (a) how many cases have been referred to the rent assessment committee; and (b) in how many cases the committee has (i) accepted the rent officer's figure for a fair rent; (ii) in-

Rent Assessment Panel Area			A. Number of registration cases determined by Rent	Number of cases at A in which Rent Assessment Committee			E. Increase (per cent.) Average Rent Assessment Committee determination on average
London Registration Area			Assessment Committees	B. Confirmed RO Rent	C. Increased RO Rent	D. Reduced RO Rent	Rent Officer determination
City of London	…	…	—	—	—	—	—*
Westminster	…	…	217	77	97	43	3·9
Camden	…	…	21	8	11	2	4·5
Islington	…	…	33	16	13	4	5·4
Hackney	…	…	181	38	134	9	7·3
Tower Hamlets	…	…	10	6	3	1	3·8
Greenwich	…	…	15	2	11	2	7·1
Lewisham	…	…	27	12	13	2	7·2
Southwark	…	…	46	3	43	—	5·6
Lambeth	…	…	46	20	16	10	2·6
Wandsworth	…	…	11	2	6	3	4·0
Hammersmith	…	…	38	22	11	5	1·3
Kensington and Chelsea		…	115	35	51	29	2·6
* Only one case—7·7 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will appoint an inspector to hear the appeal of the Manor Farm Dairies (Petersfield) Ltd. against the enforcement notice of the Hampshire County Council requiring the company to cease using the site (APP/2303/C/2164/48); and why he has delayed this appointment so long.

Arrangements have been made for an inspector to hold the local inquiry into this appeal on 25th October. It has not been possible to fix the inquiry earlier because of delays caused by the large increase in the number of appeals with which the Department and the local planning authority are now being called upon to deal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were

The following information is available and is based on those London rent assessment committee decisions details of which entered the Department's records during the year 1972. The cost of obtaining the figures requested under item (c) would be unjustifiably high.the relative increases for the years 1963, 1968 and 1973 in domestic rate poundages, the cost-of-living index and average earnings.

Poundage figures are available only for financial years. The following table shows corresponding figures for the other indices:

	1963–64	1968–69	1972–73
Average domestic rate poundage (England and Wales) p.	45	58·8	81·4
Index of retail prices (all items index— (Great Britain))	104·0	126·9	167·4
Average earnings indices (Great Britain)	65·69	89·85	137·85

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many road accidents have been reported as having occurred at the crossroads of the A1 trunk road and the C26 at Darrington, Yorkshire, during the years 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 to date; and what were the effects in terms of personal injury and death.

Following are the figures:

Year	Accidents	Fatal	Casualties Serious	Slight
1970	3	—	3	3
1971	4	—	4	11
1972	6	2	6	6
1973	1	1	1	1

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects work to begin on the constructions of the A1 fly-over at Darrington, Yorkshire.

During 1975, subject to availability of funds.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to the borough of Liskeard.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination of the Department of Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry concerning the unemployment position in the North-West Region.

Yes. The Departments concerned are working closely together on this problem with the help of the assistance available under the Industry Act.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement following his official meeting with the Prime Minister of Ontario on 16th May.

I was pleased to meet the Premier of Ontario and the members of his mission during their visit to this country at the invitation of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. This was a valuable visit in promoting the continued expansion of trade and investment between the United Kingdom and Canada.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list the London borough councils to which he has made an official visit this year.

I have visited several London boroughs in carrying out engagements but I have not visited any borough councils as such.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on Europe to the European Movement Congress at Guildhall on 13th May.

I did so on 14th May.

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

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to the Cayman Islands.

I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Leonard) on 24th May.—[Vol. 857, c. 128.]

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the progress of his talks with the TUC aimed at reaching a voluntary agreement for phase 3 of the Government's economic policy.

Together with my right hon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Employment and the Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs, I held a further meeting with representatives of the TUC yesterday afternoon.I made it clear that we were willing to discuss any of the matters in the memorandum which the General Council sent to the Government on 23rd May, and I said that among the matters which we would like to discuss with the TUC were its ideas on how to reconcile future arrangements for collective bargaining with the need to control the domestic causes of inflation.It was agreed that our talks should continue and that at the next meeting there should be a full discussion of specific subjects proposed by the two sides including future arrangements for collective bargaining; prices; social policy; the working of the Industrial Relations Act; and ways of achieving the best use of the nation's productive resources.I shall be meeting representatives of the CBI on 18th June and expect to have a further meeting with the TUC early in July.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with coordination between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office concerning arrangements to evacuate the inhabitants of British dependencies in the Pacific in the event of nuclear tests being held near those dependencies.

Yes. I am satisfied that the Government are taking all steps necessary to safeguard the welfare of the inhabitants of British dependencies for which we are responsible.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Treasury, the Scottish Office, and the Department of Health and Social Security on control over the activities of registered charities.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement following his official visit to Wales.

In the course of my visit to Wales on 31st May and 1st June I undertook a number of engagements in Cardiff, Swansea and Pembrokeshire, and met many of those prominent in different walks of life in South Wales. In particular I had a full discussion with the Welsh Council about the Welsh economy, met the leaders of the task forces concerned with the consequences of the rundown of the steel industry at Ebbw Vale, Shotton and Cardiff, and performed the opening ceremony at the new Pembroke power station.The impression which I have from my visit, and from my talks with local people, is that economic development in Wales is moving steadily ahead, and that Wales is sharing fully in the increased growth and prosperity of the country as a whole.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT his official engagements carried out during the Spring Holiday Recess.

In addition to meetings with ministerial colleagues and officials, my official engagements during the Spring Holiday Recess included a two-day visit to Bavaria and Bonn where I had a meeting with the Federal German Chancellor; a meeting with the Confederation of British Industry; a two-day visit to Wales; acting as host at lunches for Shaikh Isa of Bahrein and for Premiers and other leading representatives of the Australian States; giving a dinner for leading Churchmen; and a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister.

asked the Attorney-General by what authority justices of the peace in England are not permitted to take depositions in connection with probate documents.

The Statutory Declarations Act 1835 prohibits justices of the peace from taking any oath, affidavit or solemn affirmation except with regard to matters for which they have express statutory authority and these do not include the matters to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will forthwith arrange for the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to be located on the first floor of the petty sessions court, Regent Street, Newtownards, instead of being accommodated in a room formerly occupied by the juvenile court, which has now to conduct its hearings in a room which was never planned as a court room and which is exposed to so much noise from the main road outside that the court and the witnesses are inconvenienced.

With the passing of the Prosecution of Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 it was necessary to establish, as a matter of urgency, an office for the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Newtownards, to serve the areas of County Down and County Armagh. The only suitable accommodation which could be provided was on the first floor of the Courthouse Building in Newtownards. The juvenile court situated on that floor sits once only in each month. As a temporary measure, and with the consent of the county court judge and the resident magistrate, it was decided to make that courtroom available to the Department. I am informed that the room on the ground floor where the juvenile court now sits was considered to be large enough for the purpose and to be easily adaptable and suitable for the informal atmosphere of such a court. I have instructed that its suitability should be reconsidered.

asked the Attorney-General when he expects to be in a position to instruct the Director of Public Prosecutions to proceed in action arising from current inquiries into the Poulson case.

The Director of Public Prosecutions will receive a report dealing with one part of this case very shortly. If this report justifies them, proceedings could be instituted within a few months. Investigations into the remaining parts of this case are proceeding satisfactorily and the police have not experienced any obstruction to their inquiries.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether lie will make a statement on the implications of the break clause in the Government contract for the new cruiser in the light of the decision to cut defence expenditure.

There are no implications with regard to the break clause, or indeed any aspect of the cruiser order, in the cut in defence expenditure recently announced by my right lion. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 21st May.—[Vol. 857, c. 41.]

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether a new form of personal armour, produced by Bristol Composite Materials, has been tested for use by the Army in Northern Ireland; and if the Ministry is prepared to introduce the use of this armour.

My Department has tested the body armour produced by Bristol Composite Materials. We have however decided that the fragmentation vest at present in use by the Army affords the best available combination of personal protection and mobility, and this combination is essential for the Army's rôle in Northern Ireland. Nevertheless we are of course constantly examining new types of body armour.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will order an urgent investigation into the reason for the fire which swept through the dockyard cable shaft at Devonport, killing two brothers, John and William Coath, in the new frigate complex.

I have been asked to reply.Urgent inquiries are being carried out into this tragic incident.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of men in each year group of the ages 61 to 65 and the number who are in employment in each year group.

The numbers of men in the total population and in the working population for ages 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 are shown below for June 1971, the latest year for which full details are available:

GREAT BRITAIN: THOUSANDS
Age	Total Population	Working Population
61	300	280
62	294	268
63	285	250
64	270	233
65	257	101

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of unemployed, the percentage of the work force unemployed and the number of unfilled vacancies in Wales in May 1970 and May 1973 respectively.

Following is the information:

	Number unemployed	Percentage rate of unemployment	Unfilled vacancies
May 1970	36,246	3·7	9,079
May 1973	34,718	3·6	12,349

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what he is doing to stimulate action to improve the satisfaction workers derive from their jobs.

I am glad to be able to announce that the TUC and CBI have accepted my invitation to join with the Government in a tripartite steering group to consider ideas for improving satisfaction which people derive from their work.I have asked the Minister of State, Department of Employment, to take responsibility for co-ordinating Government action in this field.I hope that it may be possible through this group to initiate work that, with the support of both sides of industry, will draw on and extend the experience already gained in this field and thus stimulate a wider understanding of what can and should be done to improve the quality of working life in our industrial society.My Department has today published a report "On the Quality of Working Life" which it commissioned from Dr. N. A. B. Wilson, a senior occupational psychologist. Dr. Wilson's report describes schemes that have raised productivity and improved job satisfaction by changes in the content of work. He proposes a programme of development in industry and commerce which would include the carrying out of experiments under controlled conditions. This is an important proposal which I would expect the steering group to study.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement about the RUC/RMP Task Force.

The joint RUC/ RMP Task Force, which became operational on 6th December 1972, operates principally in the Greater Belfast area, but may be deployed elsewhere in Northern Ireland if the situation dictates. It would not be in the interests of security to divulge details of the force, but it is achieving an increasing detection rate against terrorists.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give an asurance that the world shortage of benzene and its consequent effect on the supply of polystyrene will not affect the supply of essential equipment such as syringes, tubes for tissue culture and petri dishes to the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

The supply consequences of the world shortage of benzene are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry but my officers have been in touch with him about possible effects on certain medical supplies. So far suppliers of polystyrene have co-operated in meeting major difficulties and our Departments are jointly keeping the position under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will stop the procedure whereby the amount of benefit payable is rounded up or down to the nearest five pence and take steps to ensure that benefits are always rounded up.

No. The cost would be just under £3 million and I do not think that such a change would have the first claim on any extra resources if they were available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unqualified nursing staff and nursing auxiliaries are on ward duty at night, unsupervised, at each of the hospitals in the Portsmouth Group in a typical night; what is the total number of fully qualified nursing staff on night duty at the same hospitals in a typical night; how many qualified nurses who have qualified on the Mature Women's Experimental Nursing Course in the Portsmouth Group have been refused permanent posts as part-time SRNs in the Portsmouth Group on completion of their course; and whether he will make a statement.

None, 185 and none respectively; one nurse who recently, on completion of the mature women's experimental nursing course, applied to a hospital in the group for part-time night work at hours when no additional qualified staff were required was subsequently accepted for employment at another hospital in the group.

asked the Secretary of State for the Social Services whether he will make a statement on the state of industrial relations in the Portsmouth Hospital Group.

Relations have been disturbed by a local trade union official seeking to withhold some ancillary services from private patients. Discussions are proceeding with the object of securing normal services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Social Services whether he will make a statement on the adequacy of nurses' homes in the Portsmouth Hospital Group.

I am making inquiries and will write to the hon. Member in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much expenditure was made by the Government in each of the last three years on, respectively, sick and disabled persons, retired persons, unemployed persons, single-parent families and low-paid workers.

The information is not available, but the estimated amounts paid in social security cash benefits to persons in the specified groups where entitlement depends upon being in that group are shown in the following table. Some people qualify for benefit under more than one heading.

£ million
Category	1970–71	1971–72	1972–73
Sick and disabled*	640	700	810
Retiredt†	2,030	2,335	2,750
Unemployed‡	240	385	395
Single parent families§	150	185	210
Low-paid workers║	—	4	10
* Sickness benefit, invalidity benefit, injury benefit, disablement benefit, war disablement pension, attendance allowance, supplementary allowance.
† Retirement pension, old persons' pension, £10 bonus (December 1972), supplementary pension.
‡ Unemployment benefit, supplementary allowance.
§ Widowed mothers allowance, pensions for war and industrial widows with children, supplementary allowance.
║ Family income supplement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now exempt from prescription charges all schoolchildren under the age of 16 years in view of the raising of the school leaving age; and if he will make a statement.

No. No relationship is intended between the age limit for automatic exemption from prescription charges and the age of ending full-time education, and we see no reason to alter the existing arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of the proposed reorganisation of the National Health Service and the transfer of the school health services to the local health authorities, he is yet ready to institute the review of the child health services; and if he will make a statement.

Together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, I have decided to establish a committee with the following terms of reference.

" To review the provision made for health services for children up to and through school life; to study the use made of these services by children and their parents; and to make recommendations."

Professor Donald Court, who is President of the British Paediatric Association and was until recently Professor of Child Health at Newcastle University, has agreed to act as the chairman of the committee.The National Health Service Reorganisation Bill now before Parliament provides for the transfer to the new health authorities of responsibility for the school health services and will enable them, in collaboration with local education authorities and with local authorities generally, to create a comprehensive child health service.We shall look to the committee to advise us on how to take the fullest advantage of this unique opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what developments he has initiated in the field of medical rehabilitation since the publication of the Tunbridge Report on rehabilitation.

The report on rehabilitation drew attention to a number of problems in medical rehabilitation and I have been examining ways of overcoming them and the means by which the services may be improved now and in the future. To help me, I have made 10 visits across the country to see effective rehabilitation services and to discuss the provision of these services with the people involved.I have recently allocated £1 million to be spent over the next four years on the development of a network of centres to demonstrate locally and nationally what can be done to treat and rehabilitate patients, particularly those suffering from stroke, rheumatism and arthritis. The first two centres to be designated are the Derby Royal Infirmary and the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. I hope to be able to announce a further six centres by the end of this year.There are several important issues to be resolved affecting occupational therapists, physiotherapists and remedial gymnasts, and therefore I have set up an informal working party to consider the future rôle of each of the remedial professions and the consequent training and staffing requirements. Because of the urgency of the problems confronting these professions I have asked the working party to submit its recommendations to me within six months, and I have undertaken to consult the medical and other professions promptly on these recommendations.The establishment of the Europe Chair of Rehabilitation at Southampton will give an academic base to the subject and will, I hope, stimulate interest in rehabilitation in medical education and research. My Department is also asking the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education to consider ways in which more emphasis can be placed on rehabilitation in postgraduate training for doctors.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much shipping tonnage has been produced in yards on Clydeside in each of the past 10 years; and what proportion of the United Kingdom shipping tonnage this represented in each of these years.

Following is the information:

SHIPS BUILT IN CLYDESIDE*
	Ship completions in Scotland (West) Region*	Proportion of total UK ship completions
	(Thousand gross tons)	Per cent.
1963	344	31
1964	231	27
1965	355	30
1966	292	26
1967	365	31
1968	181	17
1969	263	32
1970	343	26
1971	321	25
1972	179	15
* The statistics relate to ships completed each year in Scotland (West Region), all shipyards in which are located on the Clyde.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning the contract for the boiler plant for Peterhead power station; and when he expects the decision to be announced.