asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of NAAS in the last year of its existence ; and what is the estimated current annual cost of ADAS.

The cost of NAAS in its last year, 1970–71, was £7·3 million and the estimated cost of ADAS for the financial year 1973–74 is £17·4 million. These figures, of course, are not comparable because ADAS includes a range of other professional and technical services which were not part of the NAAS.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current weekly catch in the disputed fishing zone off Iceland ; and whether he is satisfied with the operation in practice of the latest agreement.

The latest date up to which information is available is 17th November. The weekly catch by British trawlers fishing off Iceland during the four weeks prior to that date averaged 3,646 metric tons. I am satisfied that, given good will on both sides, the interim agreement will operate effectively, and so far it has done so.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will await a parliamentary debate on the O'Brien Committee's report before taking any action to implement it.

I am not able to judge in advance of the publication of the report of Lord O'Brien's Committee whether or not a debate would be appropriate. I will certainly keep the House fully informed on this matter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated current production cost of beef (a) in Wales and (b) in England.

No official estimates of the comparative production costs of beef in England and Wales are available, but the hon. Member may care to refer to a recent publication by the University of Newcastle^* which compares production costs of beef cattle on hill farms in the North of England and Wales in 1968–69 and 1969–70.

^* Hill and Upland Beef Herds ; an economic analysis of mainly single suckled calf production in the hill and upland areas of the North of England and Wales (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; Agricultural Enterprise Studies in England and Wales, Economic Report No. 22).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the slaughterhouses at present in operation in Wales.

My right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Social Services are jointly responsible for slaughterhouse legislation in England and Wales but the execution and enforcement rest with local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why average earnings rose at an annual rate of 12·2 per cent. between October 1972 and September 1973, in view of the provisions of stages 1 and 2 of the counter-inflation policy.

In addition to the effects of settlements reached during stage 2 the increase since October 1972 includes the effects of settlements implemented just before the standstill and of provisions of some pre-standstill agreements, in engineering and construction for example, implemented after the standstill. It also includes the effect of increased overtime working and of movements towards equal pay, etc., permitted under the pay code but not subject to the general stage 2 formula.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the number of days lost through industrial disputes in the shipbuilding industry in Belfast since 31st May 1972.

I regret that the information asked for is not available. In 1972, 2,000 working days were lost through stoppages in the shipbuilding industry in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will set up a training scheme for all tyre fitters.

The training of tyre fitters is the responsibility of industry and is generally undertaken by employers in the road transport industry. The shortness and limited amount of skill involved in this training do not appear to warrant the provision of facilities under the Training Opportunities Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of unemployed persons registered in the Northern Region who are aged 50 years and over.

On 9th July 1973, the latest date for which the information is available, there were 19,982.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the number of disabled persons registered as unemployed in the Northern Region.

On 12th November 1973, 6,432 registered disabled people were unemployed in the Northern Region.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the number of unfilled vacanies for women at present registered in the Northern Region.

On 5th November 1973 there were 8,309 unfilled vacancies for women in the region. The figure relates only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices and does not measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will seek to increase the industrial rehabilitation allowances to ensure that persons previously receiving social security benefits for long-term sickness do not suffer a fall in income when taking an industrial rehabilitation course.

My Department and the Department of Health and Social Security have been jointly examining industrial rehabilitation allowances and their relation to social security benefits to see whether it would be possible so to arrange matters that someone who has been receiving long-term sickness benefits need not incur a drop in income when he takes up a course of industrial rehabilitation. Discussions are still proceeding and no promise of an increase in rehabilitation allowances can be made at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many skilled, semiskilled and unskilled construction or building workers are currently registered as unemployed in north-east Lancashire.

The following table shows an occupational analysis of men unemployed in the area who last worked in construction :

Unemployed on 12th November 1973
Carpenters and joiners (construction sites and maintenance)	3
Electricians (installation and maintenance) premises and ships	1
Plumbers, pipe fitters	2
Steel erectors	2
Scaffolders/stagers	1
Steel benders, bar benders and fixers	1
Painters and decorators	4
Bricklayers	2
Plasterers	2
Mechanical plant drivers/operators (earth moving and civil engineering)	1
Crane drivers/operators	1
Fork lift and other mechanical truck drivers/operators	1
All other occupations (including labourers)	261
Total : unemployed men who last worked in the construction industry	282

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will locate the headquarters of the Manpower Services Commission in South Yorkshire.

I have nothing at present to add to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Redmond) and the hon. Member for Keighley (Miss Joan Hall) on 27th November 1973.—[Vol. 865, c. 195–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment who will be the members of the Manpower Services Commission ; and what their salary levels will be.

Sir Denis Barnes, KCB, as already announced, is being appointed as chairman of the commission. The other members will be :

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the survey of training needs in Pembrokeshire with specific reference to the demands of the construction industry which was initiated in the summer has yet been completed ; and what decisions about the need for additional training facilities have been taken.

The field work of the survey has been completed, and the results are now being evaluated. It is too early to say what conclusions will be drawn from the survey. In the meantime separate negotiations are proceeding with a view to increased training facilities being made available at Pembrokeshire Technical College.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what special provision he is making for the employment of physically handicapped pupils when they leave school.

My Department is responsible for the Youth Employment Service. Careers officers of the service are available to help physically handicapped school leavers to obtain suitable employment, with the assistance, as necessary, of employment medical advisers, disablement resettlement officers, local authority social services and voluntary organisations. The need for further provision will no doubt be examined by the forthcoming public inquiry into the educational needs of handicapped children, which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science on 22nd November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many fatal and non-fatal accidents took place on motorways in 1972 ; how many took place during the hours of darkness ; and how many persons involved were wearing seat belts.

The following is the information :

ACCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES ON MOTORWAYS, DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS 1972
	Daylight	Darkness	Total
Accidents
Fatal	105	85	190
Serious	465	383	848
Slight	1,090	616	1,706
Total	1,660	1,084	2,744
Casualties (seat belts worn)
Fatal	38	8	46
Serious	81	98	179
Slight	255	124	379
Total	374	230	604

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many accidents took place on rural highways in 1972.

Following is the information :

ACCIDENTS IN NON-BUILT-UP AREAS 1972
Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2,968	22,830	35,309	61,107

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many pedestrians were involved in accidents in rural areas in 1972.

Following is the information :

PEDESTRIAN CASUALTIES :
NON-BUILT-UP AREAS 1972
Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
564	1,888	2,077	4,529

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to British Rail to stop placing wheelchair-bound disabled passengers in the luggage carriage of trains and to make special provision to accommodate these passengers with other travellers.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the public inquiry held in July 1972 on the Ports-wood Link, Southampton.

The Department was advised in a letter dated 14th September that the Southampton City Council had resolved to abandon the scheme. My right hon. and learned Friend is now considering what effect this will have on his own motorway proposal in the vicinity. A reply to the city council's letter will be sent shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will expedite the issue of the regulations dealing with compensation for loss of office, and the superannuation regulations, consequent upon the reorganisation of local government, in view of the fact that local goverment officers are having to make decisions on whether to apply for jobs on the basis of information contained in consultative documents only.

Drafts of these regulations were issued for consultation with the associations and organisations concerned last July ; comments have been received and considered and I will see that the regulations themselves are issued as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment by what percentage mortgage rates for house purchase have increased since June 1970.

The gross mortgage interest rate recommended to member societies by the Council of the Building Societies Association has risen from 8½ per cent. to 11 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many driving licences were issued to applicants aged 16 years between 1st January and 30th June, and 1st July and 31st December during the years 1970, 1971, 1972 and during the first six months of 1973.

The cost of providing the full figures would be disproportionate, but during the whole of 1970, 152,893 provisional licences were issued to 16-year-olds ; between 1st March and 30th September 1973, 72,376 provisional and 83 full licences were issued to them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of motor cyclists, scooter and moped riders he estimates to be now wearing approved safety helmets.

Almost 100 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many fatal and serious casualties to motor cyclists, scooter and moped riders he estimates have so far been avoided since the wearing of safety helmets became compulsory.

It is too early to give accurate estimates yet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the existing approved investment plans for British Rail for each of the years 1973 to 1979, together with the additional sums indicated in his statement of 28th November, showing for each year the sums expected to be invested in the new track from Folkestone to London and separately other facilities, including rolling stock, related to the Channel Tunnel project.

Total railway investment approved for the period 1973–77 is as follows :

	£ million
1973	140
1974	141
1975	164
1976	201
1977	223

These figures include investment of £13 million in 1976 and £22 million in 1977 in the Channel Tunnel link, about £1 million of the latter figures being rolling stock.Investment levels for 1978 onwards have not yet been approved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he plans to require a specific minimum rate of return on the increased capital investment he has recently announced for British Rail ; and if specific schemes that would bring improvements in passenger convenience and comfort will need to pass this financial criterion prior to gaining his approval.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what capital sums, of the sums mentioned in his statement of 28th November, he plans should be devoted to modernisation of commuter passenger terminals of British Railways ; and in what specific ways, other than track and signalling improvements or improvement of visual amenities, will these investments improve travel conditions.

This is a matter in the first instance for the Railways Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his statement of 28th November means any adjustment in the present divisions of responsibilities of British Rail and National Carriers Limited and the National Freight Corporation for carriage of rail freight and parcels.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the statement on railway policy of 28th November excludes further schemes of main-line electrification.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the statement of 28th November concerning expansion of rail services, he will make it possible for the British Railways Board to retain serviceable equipment which is already paid for, without incurring a book penalty on calculated returns on nominal capital employed.

The way in which returns on capital employed in British Rail should in future be calculated has not yet been decided.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to extending the proposed new Channel Tunnel railway north of London by adaptation of either ex-Great Western broad gauge lines, or the former Great Central Railway main line.

None. This is a matter for the Railways Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek powers to prevent speculation in land and property in areas near or adjacent to prospective major railway developments.

No ; it would not be appropriate to take measures to deal with one part of the problem in isolation in the way suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to publish the future programme of work for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

The future programme of work for the commission is set out in the commission's Report No. 6, which my right hon. and learned Friend is publishing with his comments tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the persons, at the latest available date, licensed by his Department to perform experiments under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 ; and if he will list the names and the establishments in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

A card index of the approximately 16,000 persons holding licences is kept by the Home Office and is available for inspection during office hours. It would not be practicable to publish this information in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue is spent on advertising to recruit probation officers.

It is estimated that central expenditure for this purpose in 1973–74 will amount to about £55,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to increase capital gains tax in view of trends in property speculation since 1970.

Profits from property speculation are chargeable as income to corporation tax or to income tax, including the higher rates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was collected in VAT in the first two quarters of its operation ; how much of the tax has been passed to the Common Market ; and if he will make a statement on the cost of collection and the present purposes of the tax.

Provisional net receipts of value added tax in the half-year ended 30th September were £18 million ; no part of this has been or needs to be passed to the European Economic Community. No accurate estimate can be made of the separate costs of collecting value added tax and other Customs and Excise duties. The present purposes of the tax remain those set out in my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement of 1971.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to prevent tax avoidance by land speculators and property dealers.

Profits from land speculation and property dealing are chargeable to income tax or corporation tax as income, and I have no reason to think that these are not being assessed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average income per head (a) in Cardiganshire, (b) in Wales and (c) in England in the last financial year.

Figures for the last financial year are not available. For 1970–71 the figures of income per head of population are :

	£pa
Cardiganshire	550
Wales	500
England	600

The income figures used in calculating these averages are derived from the Survey of Personal Incomes for 1970–71 and exclude incomes below £420 per annum, and non-taxable receipts, such as certain national insurance benefits.The population figures used relate to mid-1970 and include all individuals of all ages whether they have an income or not.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his target date for the implementation of legislation on the tax credit scheme ; and if he is satisfied that the necessary computer installation will be operational and proved efficient by that date.

I would refer my hon. Friend to what my right hon. Friend said on 5th November 1973, in the debate on the Address.—[Vol. 863, c. 636.].

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual percentage increase in productivity in industry over the past decade ; and what estimate he can make of future increases.

Output at constant prices per person employed in industry increased between 1962 and 1972 at an average annual rate of about 4 per cent. It is not the practice to make available estimates of future productivity.Output is measured by the index of industrial production. Persons employed include employees, employers, and self-employed persons ; full-time and part-time workers are counted as whole units.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the variation in the original specific gravity of all beer as reported in each of the past five years by the Customs and Excise ; and to what extent changes have been due to differing sales of draught and packaged beers and lager.

The average original specific gravity of all beer marketed in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years was :

Revenue year	Average gravity (degrees)
1968–69	1037·14
1969–70	1036·99
1970–71	1036·86
1971–72	1036·88
1972–73	1036·98

The statistical records of original gravities do not distinguish between different types of beer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the event of petrol rationing being introduced, he will make a reduction in the road fund tax to compensate for loss of use of the vehicle.

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek powers to allow travel to work on public transport to be added to personal allowances for tax purposes during the fuel shortage.

No. The general arguments against such a relief do not lose their force because of the present fuel situation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much extra taxation would accrue to the revenue in the case of a married man with no children with an annual earned income of £4,000, £5,000, £10,000 and £20,000, respectively, if all income over £3,500 were to be taxed at 100 per cent ;(2) how much extra taxation would accrue to the revenue in the case of a married man with two dependent children with an annual earned income of £4,000, £5,000, £10,000 and £20,000, respectively, if all income over £3,500 were to be taxed at 100 per cent ;(3) how much extra taxation would accrue to the revenue in the case of a single man with an annual earned income of £4,000, £5,000, £10,000 and £20,000, respectively, if all income over £3,500 were to be taxed at 100 per cent.

I will let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered the formation of a unit or investment trust specifically for the purpose of allowing Arab investment in Western economies.

pursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 3rd December 1973 ; Vol. 865, c. 275], gave the following information :As far as the United Kingdom is concerned we welcome most forms of overseas investment, whether from Arab countries or elsewhere.The City of London offers an attractive range of investment assets and I am confident that it will prove possible to cater for the needs of the oil producers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT those private companies or undertakings in which the Government have a financial interest, or to which they have made grants ; if he will state the amount and percentage of the holding and of the grants, respectively, and under what legislation such was made ; what representations he has on the boards or controlling body of such companies ; and whether he considers such to be adequate in relation to the amount of public money invested.

, pursuant to his further reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 22nd November 1973 ; Vol. 864, c. 478–82], added the following information :

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why expenditure has been authorised for Maplin airport, in view of the fact that no rate of return can be calculated until the level of airport charges is fixed.

I have been asked to reply.No expenditure has yet been authorised for the airport apart from necessary expenditure on exploratory and research work.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total sum of rent repayments recovered through the benefits allocation branch.

Approximately £3·25 million, at 7th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total sum of rent arrears recovered directly from voluntary repayments on the part of the tenant.

I regret that this information cannot be obtained without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, in view of the fact that under the former system of local government a house purchaser in the Belfast area submitted a local government search certificate to the Belfast Corporation, and under the new system he submits three applications, first to the Housing Executive, second to the Ministry of Development, and a third to the Belfast Corporation, he will review this procedure.

						Interim Custody Orders	Detention Orders	Internment Orders
(A) Under the Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act (Northern Ireland) 1922	…	…	…	…	…	—	1,259	796
(B) Under the Detention of Terrorists (Northern Ireland) Order 1972	…	…	…	…	…	445	436	—
(C) Under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973	…	…	…	…	…	133	43	—

No internment orders were made after the introduction of direct rule.

Each of the three authorities referred to can furnish certified information only in respect of the services for which it is directly responsible. For one body to act as co-ordinator might lengthen the time taken to deal with applications. The matter will, however, be kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the aggregate cost of supplementary benefit payments made to those involved in industrial disputes at Messrs. Harland and Wolff Limited, and to their dependants, since 31st May 1972.

Since 31st May 1972 supplementary benefit payments amounting to almost £53,800 have been made in respect of the dependants of those involved in trade disputes at Harland and Wolff Limited. This amount includes almost £11,200 paid after the resumption of normal working.Payments after return to work are recoverable under Section 2 of the Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 1971. Up to 27th November 1973 almost £10,800 had been recovered, leaving about £400 still to be recovered.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many internment orders, detention orders and interim custody orders have been issued since 9th August 1971.

The figures on 2nd December 1973 were as follows :

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now publish the Hawick Working Party Report.

The publication of the report is a matter for Roxburgh County Council, but I understand that it will be available shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to re-examine and possibly reactivate the shale oil industry in Scotland.

Prospects for a resumption of the Scottish shale oil industry are not encouraging, but I will have this re-examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultation he has had with Royal Dutch Shell in connection with the sale of Shell Italiana to ENI, the National Hydrocarbon Corporation ; and whether he has been consulted in connection with the raising of the purchase price estimated at £300 million by a British bank consortium.

I am aware that negotiations are in progress but understand that no final decision has yet been taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total production of the British Steel Corporation in each quarter of 1973, or over the latest 12-month period for which figures are available ; and what proportion in each quarter was exported.

Exports of steel are usually given in terms of product weight and, therefore, should not be compared directly with crude steel production. The figures below show deliveries to export by the British Steel Corporation as a percentage of its deliveries to the home market and to export. Neither series of figures has been adjusted to allow for seasonal factors, such as annual holidays.

BRITISH STEEL CORPORATION
	Crude Steel production tonnes	Deliveries to Export as a proportion of total deliveries Per cent.
1972
Quarter 4	6·21	22
1973
Quarter 1	6·16	17
Quarter 2	5·99	16
Quarter 3	5·82	16

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he had with representatives of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters or any other organisation representing Post Office workers before starting the issuing of petrol rationing books ; and why he chose a Thursday as the day to commence this issue.

Advance consultations with its staff on the issue of coupons were a matter for the Post Office. I understand the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters was one of three bodies with which the arrangements were discussed. The starting date was selected by the Government as the most convenient to our purpose and was accepted by the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will give consideration to the recent findings of the Petroleum Retailers Association when reviewing the petrol companies' undertakings arising out of the 1965 Monopolies Commission Report on the Supply of Petrol to Retailers ; and when the review will be undertaken.

The review of the undertakings is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading. I understand that he intends to open discussions shortly. The Petroleum Retailers Association has already sent him a copy of their report.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in his contingency plans for petrol rationing, he will make provision for the special circumstances of the holding of a General Election or parliamentary by-election while such rationing is in force.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make provision to ensure that, if petrol rationing is introduced, Members of Parliament for large and scattered constituencies have sufficient petrol to make themselves available to their constituents.

If rationing became necessary, Members of Parliament would be able to obtain allowances for their constituency duties.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make provision to ensure that those living in rural areas who have no alternative to private car travel for their journey to work are allowed sufficient petrol for that journey if rationing is introduced.

This is one of the factors that would be taken into account in fixing allowances.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will take steps to ensure that users of handsaws and the other petrol-driven machinery in forestry are able to obtain supplies of fuel while restrictions are in force.

The Motor Fuel (Restriction of Supplies) Order 1973 does not restrict the sale of petrol in cans to users of handsaws and other petrol-driven machinery in forestry if this has been their customary method of purchase, provided the fuel is acquired in a normal quantity from the purchaser's normal supplier.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will consider revising his proposals for a petrol rationing scheme so as to discourage the use of cars with high engine capacity and heavy petrol consumption.

The different types of ration book according to engine size are designed to ensure that most car owners would get roughly the same basic allocations in terms of mileage if ration- ing were introduced. The basic mileage for cars with an unusually high rate of petrol consumption would, however, be less.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to forbid the advertisement of cures for baldness, in view of the fact that specialist medical opinion accepts this condition as irreversible.

This would not be appropriate. It is already an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to apply a false or misleading trade description to goods or to make a false or misleading statement about the provision of services in advertisements.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rates of royalty are payable to the Atomic Energy Authority.

The rates of royalty payable to the Atomic Energy Authority are :

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the reason for the delay in the provision of the General Service Medal to members of the Ulster Defence Regiment ; when a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment becomes entitled to the medal ; how many members have been awarded the medal ; and how many members who are entitled to it have not yet been awarded it.

The Army Medal Office has received 86,000 claims for the award of the General Service Medal 1962 with Northern Ireland clasp of which 8,051 have come from members of the Ulster Defence Regiment. Delay in dealing with such a large number of claims has been inevitable, but with additional staff the Army Medal Office is now keeping pace with deliveries of medals from the Royal Mint.All Service men qualify for the medal after they have completed 30 or more days' service in Northern Ireland, not necessarily continuous, between 14th August 1969 and a future date to be decided.Issues are made strictly in the order in which applications are received from record offices for Regular and part-time units alike, apart from certain priority issues to troops taking part in important parades. The first issues to the Ulster Defence Regiment are now being made.Twenty-four individual medals have already been issued to legal beneficiaries of deceased personnel of the regiment.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning the manpower shortage in the Ministry of Defence Police Force ; if he will take steps to bring rates of pay for Ministry of Defence Police into line with those of other police forces ; and if he will make a statement.

The Defence Police Federation has represented to the Ministry of Defence its concern about the long hours that members of the force are obliged to work because of the current manpower shortage.Negotiations on the pay of the Ministry of Defence Police are conducted centrally by the Civil Service Department, in consultation with the Ministry of Defence. Talks on comparability with other police forces will begin as soon as this is posisble within the framework of the Government's counter-inflation policy.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he has decided whether or not any of the 72 unoccupied houses at Bircham Newton are surplus to requirements ; and, if so, if he will make a statement on his plans for their disposal.

I regret that the deployment studies on which our need to retain the Service married quarters at Bircham Newton depends have not yet been completed, and that I am not yet able, therefore, to say whether any of them can be declared surplus to Service requirements.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what steps he is taking to limit low flying over Wales during the course of the present fuel crisis.

I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the reply my hon. Friend gave to Questions from the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. David Steel) and the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Gwynoro Jones) on 30th November.—[Vol. 865, c. 224.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the independent schools within the area covered by the Lancashire Education Authority, indicating those which are recognised as efficient.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the reply given to the similar Question by the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Marks) on 6th November 1973.—[Vol. 863, c. 107–108.] Whitelake School, Urmston, has since been removed from the register, on closure.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the cut-back in educational projects, including school building and extensions, in Nottinghamshire due to the recent three months' moratorium on school building ; what has been the effect, including the number of school places affected ; and what discussions she has had with the Nottinghamshire Local Education Committee and other authorities on these matters.

As announced in Circular 12/73, the Government's intention is that programmes should be phased forward by not giving final approval to building projects between 8th October and the end of 1973. The result is that a number of projects will not be able to start till approvals are resumed. Three projects in Nottinghamshire, at Sutton in Ash-field, Keyworth and East Retford, to provide a total of 870 school places, come into this category. Arrangements for the resumption of approvals will be announced in the near future. In the meantime discussions between officials of

	1973
Universities			Undergraduates	Postgraduates	Total
Aston	…	…	3,216	695	3,911
Bath	…	…	2,637	402	3,039
Birmingham	…	…	5,545	1,823	7,368
Bradford	…	…	2,970	547	3,517
Bristol	…	…	5,403	939	6,342
Brunel	…	…	1,655	390	2,045
Cambridge	…	…	8,882	2,143	11,025
City	…	…	1,852	248	2,100
Durham	…	…	3,243	632	3,875
East Anglia	…	…	2,801	383	3,184
Essex	…	…	1,640	444	2,084
Exeter	…	…	3,040	541	3,581
Hull	…	…	3,421	474	3,895
Keele	…	…	1,824	319	2,143
Kent	…	…	2,283	355	2,638
Lancaster	…	…	2,565	589	3,154
Leeds	…	…	7,588	2,064	9,652
Leicester	…	…	2,800	763	3,563
Liverpool	…	…	5,873	1,083	6,956
London Graduate School of Business Studies	…	…	—	184	184
London University	…	…	25,106	9,632	34,738
Loughborough	…	…	2,685	339	3,024
Manchester School of Business Studies	…	…	—	131	131
Manchester	…	…	7,660	1,738	9,398
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology	…	…	2,362	933	3,295
Newcastle	…	…	5,211	959	6,170
Nottingham	…	…	4,635	1,083	5,718
Oxford	…	…	8,011	3,292	11,303
Reading	…	…	4,103	962	5,065
Salford	…	…	3,050	442	3,492
Sheffield	…	…	5,354	1,071	6,431
Southampton	…	…	3,663	933	4,596
Surrey	…	…	2,190	357	2,547
Sussex	…	…	2,946	911	3,857
Warwick	…	…	2,639	380	3,019
York	…	…	2,198	475	2,673
Total England	…	…	151,051	38,662	189,713

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the number of full-time students at each British university for the years 1961 to 1973, respectively.

The provisional numbers of full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students in universities in October 1973 as recorded by the University Grants Committee are given in the following table. The numbers for 1972 and for 1971 can be found in the OFFICIAL REPORT for Wednesday 14th March 1973, Vol. 852, c. 364, and Thursday 13th April 1972, Vol. 834, c. 204–206 respectively. The numbers for previous years are published in "Statistics of Education", Volume 6.