asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take powers to prevent and discourage the abuse of the improvement grant system by speculative builders.

The White Paper "Better Homes—The Next Priorities" [Cmnd. 5339] contains the Government's proposals for legislation, to be introduced this Session, to deal with abuses of improvement grants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, as a result of his recent review, what contribution he proposes to make towards amenity expenditure in Peterborough.

The Peterborough Development Corporation's revised amenity quota is £1,011,000, of which about £108,000 has already been committed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what contributions he will make towards amenities expenditure in Telford in view of his recent review.

The Telford Development Corporation's revised amenity quota is a total of £1,569,000, of which £173,000 has already been committed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of his recent plea for more use of public transport, he will review his decision to defer grant for the Manchester passenger transport improvements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now make a statement on his consideration of grant aid for the Manchester Picc-Vic Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what replies he has sent to representations he has received about his decision to withhold financial support to the SELNEC PTA Manchester Rapid Transit (Picc-Vic) Public Transport Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

I will announce my decision on the merits of the scheme by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider introducing grants or loans to assist in the rewiring of electrical systems in old properties.

Electrical rewiring may already be grant-aided, at the discretion of the local authority, within the terms of the Housing Act 1969 as part of a full scheme for the improvement of an older dwelling. Powers also exist under which local authorities may make advances for repairs of this or any other kind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average cost of a new house at the latest available date and the monthly repayment which is involved, assuming that the purchaser has a 90 per cent. mortgage over 30 years.

As to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his similar Question on 7th November.—[Vol. 863, c. 166.]As to the second part, the new mortgage repayment in the third quarter of 1973 on a 90 per cent. advance would have been £79.49 gross and £57.21 net of tax at the basic rate. However, the comparable figures in relation to actual average building society mortgage advances on new houses in the third quarter would have been £54.02 gross and £38.88 net.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the progress of discussions between local authorities regarding the future of overspill estates, in the light of his Department's Circular 107/73; and if he will make a statement.

The terms of the circular are that this is a matter for voluntary discussion between the local authorities concerned. I very much hope that, where problems exist, satisfactory solutions will be found in the best interests of the tenants of these estates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will examine ways of encouraging the use of smaller cars on the roads.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what new policies he is able to announce to make land more readily available for development by the inner London housing authorities.

The Government's policy of securing the release for housing of surplus land held by Government Departments and the nationalised industries has been of considerable assistance to inner London authorities. I have invited the chairmen of the various essential public services in London to consider, with the Chairman of the Housing Corporation, the possibility of releasing further underutilised land for the benefit of their employees as well as London as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made towards the redevelopment of disused dockland areas to provide more housing in London.

Three sites in the Dockland Surrey Area were released last year Design work for dwellings on these to accommodate about 5,000 people is in progress. A public participation exercise on how the docklands should be redeveloped was held this year and the views of the local people and their local authorities are now being considered by the Greater London Council. Further progress on the planning of the redevelopment of the area should be made in the New Year. I recently met representatives of the Greater London Council and the five boroughs concerned to discuss the machinery for securing the best redevelopment of the area. I hope that another meeting can be held very soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take urgent steps to review the retail pricing policies of motorway service stations, operated under licence from his Department.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the need for public access on reservoirs and land in Holmfirth Forest in the Peak National Park.

I have had no such representations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average waiting time for driving tests.

21 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current waiting period for the taking of driving tests in Stockport.

27 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people are currently waiting to take a driving test; and what is the average time between application for and date of such a test.

On 27th October there was a backlog of some 615,000 applications. The average waiting period is 21 weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress his Department has made on its survey of housing adapted for disabled people.

The survey data is at present being analysed and interpreted. But general guidance on ways of providing for the housing needs of disabled people will be contained in a circular shortly to be issued.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in the light of the situation at Thomas Tellis Secondary School, SE3, he will establish a new criteria for the approval of manned crossings outside secondary schools.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further plans he has for a meeting with the leader of Islington Council.

There are no arrangements for such a meeting at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will call in the planning application of Southampton University to build residential accommodation for 1,420 students in the parish of Chilworth and institute a public inquiry under Section 35 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, in view of local opposition to the proposal and the fact that this application satisfies criteria laid down in the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans) Direction 1965, Circular No. 70/65, namely that the proposed development would represent a substantial departure from the provisions of the development plan and would affect the whole neighbourhood.

I understand that Hampshire County Council considers that the proposed development would be a substantial departure from the provisions of the development plan, and that it has therefore decided to refer the planning application to my right hon. and learned Friend. When the matter comes before him formally my right hon. and learned Friend will carefully consider whether he should call in the application for his own decision and hold a public inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will amend the road traffic regulations so as to make inadmissible as evidence a calculation of speed obtained from a visual average speed computer and recorder.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, following the Royal Assent being given to the Heavy Commercial Vehicles Bill 1973, if he will commission a study of the disused railway line between Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard with a view to its being converted to a road solely for heavy commercial vehicles and buses; and if he will make a statement.

I am considering the commissioning of a general study of the factors involved in the conversion of disused railway lines into roads.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further legislation governing brewers' rent increases to tenants of licensed premises.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar Question from the hon. Member for Southwark (Mr. Lamborn) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the estimated average increase in private sector housing land prices per plot for the latest available 12-month period.

We shall shortly be publishing the latest available figures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the water shortage in Hull during spring and summer of 1973, he will permit the city council to complete as part of Operation Eyesore those schemes which were delayed because of the water shortage.

I appreciate the special circumstances under which these projects were delayed, but I can allow grant only on the work done before 10th May 1973; only one of the projects had been started by that date. Apart from these three stone-cleaning projects, other schemes to the total value of nearly £150,000 were approved under Operation Eyesore in Hull.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to complete his discussions with the National Ports Council concerning the viability or otherwise of the proposed seaport at Maplin.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar Question from the hon. Member for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire (Mr. Douglas) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he intends to take to increase the rate of house building in the public sector.

Local authorities are free to build all the houses they think necessary to meet the needs of their area. The Government put no obstacle in their way, and I am anxious that all local authorities which need to build do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the need to build more council houses in Dorset, he will modify the conditions he imposes, including fixed price contracts, since these are delaying the letting of tenders.

Following the announcement by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8th October of the decision to rephrase the programme of public building, with the exception of housing and roads, discussion have been opened with the industry and its public sector clients about contracting procedures for public sector work. The discussion will include consideration of firm price tendering policy.If my hon. Friend has a particular case of difficulty in mind perhaps he will let me have details.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many road accidents in the past four months have been attributed to lack of visibility caused by smoke due to the burning of stubble.

I understand that over 70 accidents were so caused this year. Two were fatal and five involved serious injuries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that the plans at present proposed for building the Huntingdon and Godmanchester bypass would result in Mr. Edward Page of Tudor Farm, Godmanchester, having to travel five miles in order to reach his fields, which are only a quarter of a mile away from his farm buildings; and whether these plans can accordingly be altered in order to give Mr. Page direct access to those fields.

Yes, we are looking into Mr. Page's difficulties to see whether it is possible to devise a satisfactory solution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a date has now been fixed for work to be started to complete the Dover Radial Road; and if he will make a statement.

Until my right hon. and learned Friend has completed his consideration of the report of the Greater London Development Plan Inquiry Panel and in particular the suggestion made by the panel for a completely new primary road pattern in the Greenwich/Lewisham area, no decision can be made on the Dover radial route.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals he has received against demolition of properties in the Manchester area during the past five years, and in respect of how many properties; and what decision was ultimately made.

The complete information is not readily available, but the following may assist the hon. Gentleman. During 1972 Manchester Corporation included 7,004 properties in 50 clearance orders and compulsory purchase orders made under Part III of the Housing Act 1957. There were 878 objections to the orders, mainly in respect of single properties, though not necessarily against demolition. In giving his decisions on the orders, my right hon. and learned Friend excluded a total of 102 properties.

asked the Secretary of State for Environment when he expects work to be started on the M25 South Orbital Motorway.

The Reigate-Godstone section is under construction. Subject to the completion of the necessary procedures and availability of funds, it is planned to start work on sections east of Godstone in 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the financial restructuring of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report of the public inquiry into the proposed demolition of the Cavendish Chapel, All Saints, Manchester.

My right hon. and learned Friend's decision to grant listed building consent for the demolition of the church was sent to Manchester City Council on 7th November 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the appeal by the London borough of Lambeth heard by a Ministry inspector in December 1972 following the refusal by the London borough of Croydon to allow Lambeth to build houses on 72 acres of land owned by Lambeth which would provide homes for 1,548 people, together with a children's recreation centre with a swimming pool and some children's housing.

I have recently heard that the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board wishes to pursue its proposal to build a new district general hospital at Shirley Oaks on the Lambeth appeal site. This is new information relevant to the appeal and I have given the local authorities concerned and the board preliminary notice of it. I have sent the hon. Member a copy of the letter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to compensate local authorities which have been granted loan sanction to borrow money from trade unions whose funds have been sequestrated as the result of a court order in a case to which the local authority is not a party.

No. The purpose of my powers to consent to borrowing by local authorities is to control their capital expenditure. Questions relating, to the raising and repayment of loans by local authorities to which I have given consent to borrow are entirely for the local authority and I think that they should remain so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now appoint a woman to sit on the British Railways Board, in view of the fact that it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to ensure that women play a full part in the nationalised industries.

Yes, when I have a suitable opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will bring forward land within the present designated area of Stevenage for immediate housing development, in view of the long waiting time for housing of second generation new town residents who cannot afford to buy private housing.

If the development corporation makes proposals to that effect, I shall certainly consider them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure improved social costing of all major road building projects, including an estimate of the likely adverse effects on health of resulting levels of lead and other toxic elements in the atmosphere; and whether he will make a statement.

Research is in hand in the Department aimed at quantifying the social values people place on the beneficial and adverse effects of new highways. Relevant results will be published and guidance given on improved methods of evaluation as they become available. Advice from the Department of Health and Social Security on the possible adverse effects of particular concentrations of lead and other atmospheric pollutants would be taken into account in quantifying social values. Research so far has not indicated that there is any risk to human health from present levels of emissions from motor vehicles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect the opening of the Channel Tunnel will have on the number of passengers using Heathrow and other existing airports.

The Civil Aviation Authority and the Channel Tunnel consultants have both estimated that about 4½ million passengers would be diverted from the London airports to the Channel Tunnel in 1980–81. According to the CAA this would leave a passenger demand of about 58 million at the London airports in 1980 and about 84 million by 1985, by which time 6 million would be diverted to the tunnel. As I explained to the House on 23rd October, I shall bring this assessment up to date in n report to Parliament under Section 2 the Maplin Development Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he has given to local authorities about referring to the rent officer, in the case of unfurnished tenants, and to the rent tribunal, in the case of furnished tenants, any case in which a request for a rent allowance shows that the rent being charged has not been officially determined; what is the general practice in this matter; and how many such references have taken place.

Local authorities have been advised that there should normally be no reason why a landlord should be aware that a tenant of his has applied for a rent allowance. It is not necessary for a rent to be registered before an allowance can be paid. The authorities' attention has also been drawn, to the legislative provisions which enable them to refer an unregistered rent under a regulated tenancy to the rent officer, or under a furnished tenancy to the rent tribunal. In the specific case of furnished tenancies, they have also been strongly advised not to use this power against the wishes of the tenant. Information as to the general practice of local authorities and as to the number of references is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many buildings in conservation areas have been made the subject of demolition control, other than listed buildings, under Sections 8 and 9 of the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act 1972.

Local planning authorities in England and Wales have so far made 155 directions under Section 8 of the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act 1972, covering 4,129 buildings. Section 9 of the Act applies only to Scotland, and matters concerning directions made under that section are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain from international sources and publish the average cost of a house in terms of annual earnings and the average rent of a house in terms of weekly earnings in (a) the United States of America, (b) East Germany, (c) West Germany, (d) Australia and (e) Denmark, as compared with England and Wales.

Figures in the form sought by the hon. Member are not available.The estimates below have been derived from figures in publications of the Government Statistical Service, the United Nations and OECD; the figures for East Germany are not available.While the basic data are compiled by the various countries on similar lines, there are differences in coverage which make the results only broadly comparable.

	Ratio of average construction cost of dwelling*to average annual earnings (all employees)	Housing rent† as percentage of consumers' expenditure
	1970	1970
United Kingdom	2·7	10·9
Australia	2·3	15·8‡
Denmark	3·1	9·2
West Germany	4·3	11·1
U.S.A.	2·3	14·3
		(1969)
* Fixed capital formation in dwellings (excluding land) including some additions and alterations to existing dwellings, divided by completions of new dwellings.
† Including imputed rent for owner-occupied housing.
‡ Including fuel and power.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of rent allowance applications are being refused in the case of furnished tenants and in the case of unfurnished tenants; and what information he has on reasons for, or categories of, refusal.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to raise the standard of thermal insulation in all new buildings.

My right hon. and learned Friend will soon be issuing, for consultation, proposals about improved thermal insulation in new housing. Proposals for improving thermal insulation in other new buildings in practice depend on legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to allow the construction of sleeping policemen as an aid to road safety.

I am considering this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land in the county borough of Sunderland were cleared in 1972.

No derelict land as such was reclaimed during 1972, but 225 acres were treated under the special environmental assistance scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria he has laid down for regional water authorities by which they will fix the lump sums to be levied on district councils as a sewerage charge; and what right of appeal exists to district councils against such assessment.

No criteria have been laid down by which the amounts which rating authorities are to collect for water authorities are to be assessed. A Steering Group on the Economic and Financial Objectives of the Water Authorities, in its first report, has made recommendations which relate to this charge among others and which I have drawn to the attention of water authorities and local authorities. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library. Rating authorities will collect sewerage charges on behalf of water authorities and will have no right of appeal against the amounts of the charges, any more than they have a right of appeal concerning the water rates which many of them already collect for water undertakers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he has ruled that the proposed sewerage charge should not be subject to rate rebate.

As a result of the Water Act, sewerage will be financed by charges instead of out of the general rates, and charges do not fall within the ambit of the rate rebate scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reports his scientific advisers have made to him on the problem of glare from halogen headlights in London streets after dark; and whether he will make a statement.

I have been advised that such headlamps can markedly increase seeing distance but that they cause more glare if incorrectly aimed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of council house tenants who are paying extra rent as a result of charges and arrangements made by local authorities before the Housing Finance Act 1972 where the reason for the increase no longer applies.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he now intends to introduce legislation to make it possible to challenge landlords' service charges, following the report of the Leasehold Service Charges Study.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now increase the statutory deduction from gross rateable values to reflect the full change in the value of money between 1962, when it was established, and the current year.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar Question from the hon. Member for Willesden, East (Mr. Fresson) yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will take action to assist the Netherlands in overcoming the embargo on oil imposed by States which do not approve of the Netherlands' policy on the Middle East.

When they met in Brussels for the EEC Council of Ministers meeting on 5th and 6th November my right hon. Friend and his Community colleagues agreed that, while they should keep matters under review, the action required in the present situation was for the Community to work individually and collectively for a just settlement in the Middle East. The hon. Member will have seen the declaration, which was made as a first contribution to this end and which was signed by all the Nine, including the Dutch.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement setting out the main terms of the agreement between Great Britain and Iceland over fisheries limits.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made to the House yesterday, 13th November.—[Vol. 864, c. 249.] A typescript copy of the exchange of Notes constituting the interim agreement was placed in the Library of the House yesterday afternoon. A Command Paper containing the exchange of Notes will be laid before the House very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons in each of the last five years, who were not at work but whose income was slightly above supplementary benefit scale rate, received exceptional needs payments; and what authorisation there is for regarding receipt of supplementary benefit as a rigid precondition for entitlement to "essential clothing" from education welfare officers.

I regret that information on exceptional needs payments to nonrecipients of supplementary benefit is not available. I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science that decisions about entitlement to assistance with school clothing are entirely at the discretion of local education authorities.

£ million
Suggested standard rates of benefit			Gross cost of extra benefit		Savings on supplementary benefit		Tax yield on extra retirement pension*
			Retirement pension	Other benefits	Retirement pension	Other benefits
£10 (single)	…	…	825	375	170	40	95
£16 (married)	…	…
£14 (single)	…	…	2,190	955	225	40	245
£21 (married)	…	…
* Short-term benefits are not taxable. A precise estimate cannot be made of the tax that would be payable on the higher rate of widows benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent swine vesicular disease has been transmitted to humans.

There is no evidence of illness due to swine vesicular disease occurring among staff working on outbreaks among pigs in the field. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science gave to his other Question on this subject today.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the gross cost at both current and October 1972 prices of introducing a retirement pension at the present time of, respectively, £10 for a single person and £6 for a married couple and alternatively £14 for a single person and £21 for a married couple; what would be the extra cost of increasing all other national insurance benefits accordingly, though not supplementary benefit; and what would be the net cost in both cases after savings on supplementary benefit and tax clawbacks.

The estimated extra costs compared with current rates of benefit are given in the following table. The retail price index rose by nearly 8 per cent. between October 1972 and September 1973, the latest date for which figures have been published.the rate of increase of population in the county of Buckinghamshire during the last ten and five years, respectively; and how this compares with the rate of growth in other counties in England and Wales.

It is estimated that the population of the county of Buckinghamshire increased by 18·7 per cent. between 1962 and 1972 and by 8·1 per cent. between 1967 and 1972. The population of each county in England and Wales in 1972 and the percentage increases in their populations over the previous ten and five years respectively are given in the following table. The counties are listed in descending order of their growth in population between 1962 and 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recommendations he has made to regional hospital boards about facilities for out-patient abortions; and what response he has had.

None. Early this year senior administrative medical officers of regional hospital boards were supplied with a background paper outlining the various types of facilities known to have been provided for day-care abortions in this country and abroad. The recipients were free to use the information as they thought appropriate, and no response was called for.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce a scheme for registering and classifying hotels as recommended by the English Tourist Board.

It is hoped to be able to make a statement on this subject shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for the extension of consumer protection in Scotland.

I am planning soon to meet the representatives of Scottish local authorities to discuss the possibility of establishing additional consumer advisory centres in Scotland. More generally, it is the aim of both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself to ensure that the Scottish consumer has the same degree of protection as the consumer elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the passenger-mile fuel consumption of the Concorde relative to that of the current range of subsonic jet aircraft; and what is the expected impact on sales of Concorde of recent increases in fuel prices.

Concorde's estimated fuel consumption per seat-mile is 0·45 lb compared with 0·15–0·25 lb. for current subsonic civil jet aircraft. The manufacturers do not consider that the recent fuel price increases will have any material effect on Concorde sales.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received a report regarding the recent tour of the United States by Concorde; and if he will make a statement.

Between 18th and 26th September Concorde visited Caracas, the new Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and Washington. Concorde was received enthusiastically by the public and airport authorities concerned, and leading members of the United States Administration expressed their favourable impression of the aircraft's environmental acceptability. The return flight from Washington to Paris in 3 hours 33 minutes demonstrated the time-saving that Concorde will offer to the public. I am sure the House will join me in extending my congratulations to all those who contributed to this successful and historic visit.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the estimated cost of copying the files in Companies House on micro-film; and how long the work would take.

The micro-filming of Companies House records has been planned for some time as a measure to improve the service to the public, independently of the decision to transfer work to Cardiff. The work began in October 1973; it is estimated to cost £800,000; and it will take about two years to complete.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his policy in relation to the development of terotechnology; what is his estimate of potential savings; and what further action he is initiating.

The policy is to promote a greater awareness of this important subject in industry, in the professional institutions and in the educational field generally. No precise estimate of potential savings can be formulated but it is estimated that the adoption of better maintenance engineering practices—which is but one aspect of terotechnology—could save manufacturing industry alone up to £550 million per annum. My Department has the advice of the Committee for Terotechnology and many activities have been undertaken and are planned with the aim of widening industry's understanding of the subject and of creating a greater awareness of its significance. The Department attaches great importance to industry's own views and to this end it held a terotechnology forum on 6th November attended by some 200 representatives from leading industrial and commercial organisations. The exchange of views proved most valuable and will greatly assist in guiding the Department's future steps.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the power output to the national grid scheduled to be delivered from nuclear power plants this year and in each of the succeeding four years, listing the power stations and types of reactor involved.

The output of the existing nuclear power plants at 31st March 1973 was as follows:

Station	Maximum Output Capacity MW s.o.	Type of Reactor	Operator
Bradwell	250	Magnox	CEGB
Dungeness A	410	Magnox	CEGB
Sizewell A	420	Magnox	CEGB
Hinkley Point A	460	Magnox	CEGB
Oldbury on Severn	400	Magnox	CEGB
Berkeley	276	Magnox	CEGB
Trawsfyndd	390	Magnox	CEGB
Wylfa	840	Magnox	CEGB
Hunterston A	300	Magnox	SSEB
Chapelcross	198	Magnox	BNFL
Calder Hall	198	Magnox	BNFL
Windscale	34	AGR	UKEA
Winfrith	100	SGHWR	UKEA
Dounreay Experimental Reactor	14	Fast Breeder	UKEA

No further nuclear plant is scheduled to come into service this year.I am asking the Chairman of the CEGB to send my hon. Friend such information as may be available about planned nuclear capacity over the succeeding four years. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will also ask the Chairman of the SSEB to write to my hon. Friend. I am advised by the UKAEA that the 250-MW prototype fast reactor at Dounreay should start to generate electricity next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the discussions on the future of the patents system; and if, before agreement has been reached with EEC countries, he will lay information before Parliament.

I intend to publish a consultative paper setting out the Government's proposals for new patent legislation and the future of the British patent system. This paper will explain the Government's present intentions in relation to the European Patent Convention which the United Kingdom has signed, and the Community Patent Convention which will be concluded in May 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any proposals to put to the EEC for a reduction of price levels.

At a meeting of the Community's Council of Finance Ministers on 9th November, the Commission was asked to suggest counter-inflationary measures for further consideration next month. The Government are participating fully in this Community effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the EEC budget proposals for coal and steel, the effect of the conversion of Great Britain's contribution to units of account taking the devaluation of the £ sterling into account, and, expressed in the currencies of the member countries, the percentage increase of contributions to the budget.

The operation of the ECSC is financed by means of levies on the coal and steel industries of member States, and separately from the main budget of the European Communities. The Commission has proposed a changed method for calculating conversion rates between the ECSC unit of account and national currencies when determining levy contributions; these proposals are still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, as a result of fuel economies, he will discuss with airline operators the reorganisation of schedules into flying and non-flying periods to give relief from aircraft noise to those living near London airports.

If a situation should arise where cuts in airline schedules were required because of fuel shortages, full consideration would be given to all the implications.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give an assurance that there will be no relaxation in the safety standards applicable to the use of light water nuclear reactors in order to make it possible for them to be used in the United Kingdom.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for which foreign Governments he prohibits British shipbuilders from building.

Licences are required for the construction of all ships for foreign owners. They are issued freely for all merchant vessels but applications to construct warships and other vessels which may have a naval capability are considered individually on their merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's exports and imports with the EEC taking the latest available three-month figures and comparing those with the previous three months.

For the three months August to October, exports to the EEC—seasonally adjusted—were 9 per cent. higher than in the previous three months, compared with 7 per cent. to the rest of the world. For imports, the corresponding figures were 11 per cent. and 12 per cent. respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the totals by weight and value of all fishmeal imported into the United Kingdom for the past six years to the nearest convenient date.

Following is the information:

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS OF FISH MEAL AND FLOUR
	Thousand metric tons	£ million
1967	400	22·7
1968	499	29·2
1969	467	32·0
1970	368	31·6
1971	301	25·5
1972	359	30·5
January to September 1973	221	41·2

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has considered the representations made to him about the final report of the inspectors appointed to inquire into the affairs of Pergamon Press Limited; and whether he will now publish it.

I have considered these representations and have decided that the public interest requires the report to be published. I expect to publish through Her Majesty's Stationery Office on 20th November, the earliest date practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the budget figures for the Common Market in 1971, 1972 and 1973 and the budget proposals for 1974.

I have been asked to reply.The European Communities' budget, including supplementary budgets, was 3,910 million units of account (mua) for 1971, 4,177 mua for 1972 and is 5,134 mua for 1973. The draft budget for 1974 as established by the Council amounts to 5,026 mua; this is now being considered by the European Parliament, and is available in the Vote Office.