asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to ease the financial burden on medical students.

The rates of grant for medical students, along with those for other students, are now being reviewed with the aim of introducing new rates from September 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of all children at school now eats school meals; and how this compares with the figure for June 1970.

The latest available figures relate to a day in October 1972 when 64 per cent. of the pupils in attendance at maintained primary and secondary schools in England and Wales took the school dinner. The corresponding figure for 1970 was 67·9 per cent. Figures for June 1970 are not available. Information relating to October 1973 is being collected and should be available in December.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive the report of the Working Party on School Transport; whether the report will be published; and if she will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive the report of the Working Party on School Transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive the report of the Working Party on School Transport.

The Working Party on School Transport has presented its report to the Secretary of State for Wales and myself. Arrangements have been put in hand for its early publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will be able to publish the report of the commitee inquiring into school transport before the end of 1973.

I hope so. Arrangements have already been made to have the report published.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what changes are now to be made in the plans for the extension of nursery schooling.

I have no changes to announce.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied with the conditions subsisting in secondary schools, having regard to the shortage of teachers and of space.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals she has for ending part-time education in secondary schools; and if she will make a statement.

In a very few schools there are serious difficulties of accommodation and of staffing, mainly of specialist teachers. My right hon. Friend is of course concerned if these lead to even a very small proportion of secondary school pupils losing even a small part of their regular schooling. Throughout England and Wales as a whole, however, my information is that the local education authorities and the teachers are coping magnificently with the new tasks involved in the raising of the school leaving age.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will now take steps to alleviate the teacher shortage in London which is depriving school children of full-time education.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's answer today to the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. John Fraser).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to redefine truancy to include absence when the parent is aware of such absence.

Our current studies will cover this situation as well as truancy without the knowledge of the parent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received in relation to the delay in starting on the extensions of Saddleworth Secondary School.

Apart from approaches made by the hon. Member, representations have been received from Saddleworth Parents' Action for Comprehensive Education claiming that design work on the extension for the school has fallen behind.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received from the Teachers Superannuation Working Party since 8th October 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the current negotiations over teachers' superannuation.

On 5th November the local authority associations rejected the claim that part of the projected 1 per cent. reduction in the deficiency contribution should accrue to the teachers. They repeated their offer of an equal sharing of the 0·3 per cent. reduction in the new entrant contribution. The teachers' associations maintained their claim for a reduction in the teachers' contribution from 6·75 per cent. to 6 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further plans she has for bringing the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme into line with employers' contributions under the National Health Service.

The teachers' scheme is already in line in so far as the employers' contribution is made up in part of the balance of the new entrant contribution after deduction of the teachers' contribution, and in part of the supplementary contribution payable only by the employers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will now announce her decisions with regard to improvements to be made in the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme.

I would refer my right hon. and learned Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a Question by the hon. Member for Derby, North (Mr. Whitehead).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why she has cancelled extensions to the Polytechnic, and to Heath Town Infants School, and additions to Northcote Comprehensive School, Wolverhampton, together with six other major projects submitted by Wolverhampton Education Committee.

No educational building projects have been cancelled under the arrangements for phasing forward public building works announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans she has for further increasing the places at special schools for mentally handicapped children; and if she will make a statement.

I have been giving an increasingly high priority to providing places at special schools for severely educationally subnormal children since their transfer to the education service in 1971. 879 new places were authorised to start in 1971–72, 917 in 1972–73 and 1,571 in 1973–74. In the years ahead I hope to include a further substantial number of these places in building programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice has been given to local authorities about the minimum height of school classrooms in new buildings.

None. This is a matter for them to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the situation at the junior department at Crofton Primary School in the London borough of Bromley, which was built to provide 640 places but now has 885 pupils, whether she will review the cost yardstick as a matter of urgency so as to make possible the provision of additional accommodation in the Crofton area.

Price movements since the last increase in cost limits are being taken into account in drawing up the arrangements for the resumption of approvals for educational building. An announcement will be made as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many polytechnics have halls of residence for their students.

Twenty-six polytechnics have purpose-built halls of residence.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of her plans, polytechnic by polytechnic, to secure properly adequate residential, working and recreational facilities for their students, with particular reference to the need to avoid both aggravating existing housing shortages in their vicinity and causing further inflation in housing costs for the local population.

No. The planning of these facilities is a matter for the polytechnics and their local education authorities. Guidance has been given in the Department's "Design Note 8, Polytechnics: Planning for Development". The Government's policy on student residential accommodation and the measures to be taken to minimise the effects of the expansion of student numbers on the housing situation were stated in the White Paper "Education: A Framework for Expansion". I estimate that about 7,200 residential places are available or nearing completion at polytechnics and on present plans this number should increase to over 13,000 by the end of 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent she intends to modify the figures given in her recent White Paper, "Education: A Framework for Expansion", Command Paper No. 5174, for the expansion of student places in the universities from 236,000 in the academic year 1971–72 to 375,000 in 1981–82 in the light of the recent report of the Universities' Central Council on Admissions; and if she will make a statement.

Projections of student numbers are revised from time to time. As we move through the decade, new data, including reports of the kind to which my hon. Friend refers, may cause us to revise last year's estimate of what the policies on higher education set out in the White Paper would require by 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to discuss with universities in Scotland the setting up of a Government-aided centre for drilling technology.

The Petroleum Industry Training Board has been invited to take the lead in developing plans for the centre, in conjunction with the Department of Employment and the Education Departments. I should expect this further study to take full account of the suitability of Scottish universities and other institutions when considering where the centre should be located.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has now completed her study of the report of Sir Lionel Russell's Committee of Inquiry into Adult Education; when she will begin consultations with adult education bodies on the implementation of its recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement regarding the implementation of the Russell Report on Adult Education.

I would refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a Question by the hon. Member for Woolwich, West (Mr. Hamling).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what correspondence she has received from the Workers' Educational Association concerning the implementation of the Russell Report on Adult Education; what reply she has sent; and what action she proposes to take.

The association wrote to my right hon. Friend on 18th October suggesting how it might contribute to the implementation of the Russell Report and setting out the additional resources it would need. She has replied that she will carefully examine the association's proposals but that final decisions about the report's recommendations will not be taken till discussions with the major adult education interests, which she hopes to arrange within the next few weeks, have been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate she has made of the increase in educational spending on books and equipment for 1974–75.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a Question by the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Marks).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the cost allowance for new schools in the county borough of Huddersfield has affected the proposed new school building; and if she will make a statement.

In common with a number of other local education authorities Huddersfield has been finding it difficult to obtain tenders for school building projects within cost limits. The purpose of the phasing forward of public sector building programmes announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8th October is to reduce the pressure on the building industry and thus to help to moderate prices. New cost arrangements for the future are under consideration and will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will arrange for permissible allowances offset against parental income when assessing students' grants to include rent upon the same basis as mortgage interest.

No. The allowances which may be set against parental income follow in general the reliefs given for income tax purposes. My right hon. Friend sees no reason to change this.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations have been made to her by the National Association of Schoolmasters on the subject of pensions and a review of representation on the Burnham Committee; what reply she has sent; and if she will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend met the National Association of Schoolmasters in June. It said that it regarded the teachers' rate of contribution to pension as excessively high and the accrual rate as unrealistic. It asked that the war service of post-war entrants to teaching should count for pension. My right hon. Friend undertook to consider allowing the service of post-war entrants to count as to one-half for pension purposes, as under the Civil Service Superannuation Scheme. She will write to the association.On Burnham representation, the National Association of Schoolmasters argued the need for a revision of Burnham machinery. My right hon. Friend promised to consider the points raised by the association.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what funds were allocated by her Department, consequent upon the 1972 grants policy, for grants for capital purposes to village halls, community centres and voluntary youth service projects, respectively, in the financial years 1971–72, 1972–73 and for

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the London allowance, following her recent meeting with the National Association of Schoolmasters.

The Pay Board is to carry out a review of London allowances, including that for teachers. Meanwhile it is for the Burnham Committee to negotiate within paragraph 164 of the Price and Pay Code.

The first allocations under the new grant arrangements were made for the financial year 1972–73. Following is the information for 1972–73 and 1973–74 in respect of counties and county boroughs in Wales:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish the reasons for including in the salary scales of M grade academic staff at London University an element for London weighting and for not including such an element in any other grades of staff.

Salaries of university teachers are negotiated on a national basis between the Department, the universities and the staff. Provision is made for an allowance for those working in London. Salaries and wages of other staff at London University are negotiated directly between the university and its employees.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the reform of the Burnham Committee, following her recent meeting with the National Association of Schoolmasters.

My right hon. Friend is considering this matter. She is not ready to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT those education authorities which employ a full-time environmental education adviser.

Complete information is not available but the list is known to include the following:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much annual net revenue she now estimates will accrue from children not forming part of school parties, paying entrance charges to the national museums and galleries.

The numbers of children who visit the national museums and galleries are not separately recorded but from those estimates that can be made it is likely that about £150,000 will be received in a year from children not in school parties.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish figures showing the support grant, per pupil, to nursery schools and the support grant, per pupil, to direct grant grammar schools.

Rate support grant is paid to local authorities in general support of a range of local services including education. It is spent at the discretion of the authorities and it is not possible to attribute it to particular services or parts of services.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will seek to extend the Fire Precautions Act to all schools.

The Fire Precautions Act 1971 is being applied by stages to various types of premises within its scope on the advice of the Central Fire Brigades' Advisory Councils for England and Wales and for Scotland. It has not yet been decided when the Act will be applied to schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to report on the findings of her departmental inquiry on the education of deaf children.

The working party is expected to complete its task early next year. When my right hon. Friend has studied this report, she will then decide whether to issue further guidance to local education authorities and to the voluntary bodies concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress she has made in her discussions on the question of a more satisfactory career structure for teachers of the deaf.

This is for the Burnham Committee. Under the 1973 salaries document the number of posts above scale 1 is at the discretion of the local education authority. In a non-maintained school the number and pay of higher posts is for the governing body, subject to my right hon. Friend's approval of the fees.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether his Department has any further use for RAF Manby, and whether the Property Services Agency of the Department of the Environment has been informed.

The Royal Navy, the Army and the Procurement Executive are being asked whether they will have a use for RAF Manby when the station closes in March 1974. This procedure should be completed by January 1974, and if it becomes clear that RAF Manby is no longer required by the Ministry of Defence the Property Services Agency will be informed immediately. However, some at least of the married quarters are likely to be retained for use by RAF personnel from neighbouring stations.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the civilian contracts undertaken by each of the Royal Naval dockyards during the past financial year and of the price charged for each of these completed contracts; whether he will publish the estimated figures for the current financial year; and whether he will make a statement on the policy of the Government towards work of this kind, with a particular reference to the need to utilise capital equipment and manpower as fully as possible and towards the relationship between the dockyards and the public sector of industry.

It would not be in accordance with the normal conventions of commercial confidentiality to publish details of civilian contracts undertaken by the Royal dockyards. However, during the financial year 1972–73 total sums charged for work for private customers at each of the four home dockyards amounted to £336,223 made up as follows: Portsmouth, £130,799; Devonport, £97,116; Chatham, £99,975; Rosyth, £8,333. It is expected that work in the current financial year will be of a broadly similar order.Our policy is that the dockyards should not compete with private industry for civilian contracts but rather take on such work as they can where a demand exists which local firms cannot meet because of lack of capacity or suitable equipment and facilities. This "filling in" of temporary pockets of spare capacity is of mutual benefit to private industry and to the dockyards. The work undertaken for civilian customers includes foundry and machinery work and a miscellany of minor jobs.The practicability of the dockyards undertaking more commercial work is kept under review, but in any event, for the foreseeable future, the indications are that all the yards will be very heavily loaded with naval work, which will require the fullest possible utilisation of capital equipment and manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial tribunals sat during the first eight months of 1973; and what proportion no longer contains an official trade union nominee.

In this period industrial tribunals in England, Wales and Scotland heard 5,070 cases in which they reached decisions. Information is not available about the proportion of cases heard by tribunals which did not include a trade unionist.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will review the method of appointing members of industrial tribunals so as to provide for a minimum of five years' practice as a barrister or solicitor or a similar period in industry or in the field of industrial relations in the United Kingdom, and replace those who do not conform to these qualifications.

No. Legal expertise is provided by the tribunal chairmen who are barristers or solicitors of not less than seven years' standing. While most panel members have at least five years' experience of employment in industry or commerce, to restrict membership in the way suggested would unduly limit the field of selection.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of claims for redundancy payments and/or unfair dismissal were successful during the period since the coming into force of the Industrial Relations Act.

In the period 28th February to 30th June 1973, the latest period for which figures are available, the industrial tribunals heard 3,499 cases concerning either complaints of unfair dismissal only or dual applications concerning unfair dismissal and a redundancy payment. The tribunals found 713 of these applications to be outside their jurisdiction. Of the remaining 2,786, 42 per cent. were successful.During the same period conciliation officers of my Department dealt with 11,590 applications of these kinds and in 21 per cent. they helped the parties to reach a voluntary settlement.I regret that statistics of the success rate of applications made to the tribunals under the Redundancy Payments Act only are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those industries, other than shipbuilding and heavy engineering, in which he considers that there is a high risk of deafness being occasioned by conditions at work.

I regret that it is not possible to provide such a list. The information available to the Factory Inspectorate, including the results of its sample survey of manufacturing industry carried out in 1971, is not sufficiently detailed to allow a reliable comparison of risks of hearing impairment between individual industries or processes. Such evidence as is available is summarised in paragraph 85 of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council report on occupational deafness referred to by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services on 31st October.—[Vol. 863, Cols. 3–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the figures for long-term unemployed for each month since October 1972, and the latest available date in 1973, for the Hamilton, Blantyre and Larkhall exchanges.

Detailed analyses of the unemployed, showing the length of their current spell on the unemployed register, are made only for January, April, July and October each year. Following is the available information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many minutes of work were required to earn the price of 1 kg. leg of lamb, 1 kg. rump steak, 1 litre milk, 1 kg. butter, 1 dozen eggs, 1 kg. potatoes, 1 kg. carrots, 1 kg. apples, 1 kg. oranges, 1 kg. sugar, 1 kg. bread and 1 kg. haddock in each of the nine EEC countries in each of the years since 1964 up to the latest available date, taking the average earnings of male manual workers and retail prices simultaneously prevailing.

The following table gives the available information. Comparisons of this type involve considerable uncertainties. In particular, these arise from the variation in systems of remuneration and taxation int he different countries, from the importance of individual goods in the national patterns of consumption and from differences in quality and type in the goods listed. Detailed definitions of the articles are not available.