asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

The planned reduction in public expenditure for 1974–75 on that part of the agriculture, fisheries and forestry programme which comes within my control amounts to about £6 million. The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 as a consequence of action to reduce expenditure next year will depend to a large extent upon the precise way in which the 1974–75 reductions are arranged. I cannot at present give a figure for the reduction in spending this year which will arise on this account. The allocation of reductions to main areas is still under consideration. The reductions apply to public expenditure on capital programmes and to public purchases of supplies and services. Our grants and subsidies to farmers are not affected by this.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will press for arrangements to be made to permit the growing, marketing and sale of the Bramley seedling cooking apple within the EEC.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for King's Lynn (Mr. Brocklebank-Fowler) on 29th November. —[Vol. 865, c. 195–6.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the findings which his research and development department, in conjunct tion with the radio and space research station, have reached on the study of the fox.

Yes. The forthcoming Triennial Report of our Pest Infestation Control Laboratory will include details of progress in these studies of fox movements. The findings will be taken into account in drawing up our contingency plans for rabies control in wild life.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

In 1974–75 we plan to reduce expenditure in each of the Departments for which I am responsible.In the Civil Service Department there will be a reduction of £1·5 million on current expenditure on the central management of the Civil Service and computers and telecommunications. There will be a reduction of £6·7 million on capital expenditure again in the field of computers and telecommunications.In the Central Office of Information it is planned to make a cut of £1·4 million against home publicity.In Her Majesty's Stationery Office there will be a reduction of £1·9 million on capital mainly in the areas of office and printing works machinery and £3 million on procurement mainly in the purchase of stationery, printing and office supplies.The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 as a consequence of action to reduce expenditure next year will depend to a large extent upon the precise way in which the 1974–75 reductions are arranged. I cannot at present give a figure for the reduction, if any, in spending this year which will arise on this account.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the amount by which increased allocation of Government funds to voluntary organisations has fallen short of the undertaking given by him two years ago; what steps he is taking to make good this shortfall; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend said that the Government would make available to voluntary organisations £3½ million of additional funds over the four years 1972–73 to 1975–76. The additional expenditure would be phased so that approximately £½ million would be available in 1972–73 and progressively more in the three years after that. Actual expenditure of these funds in 1972–73 was £441,000. The corresponding figure for 1973–74 is expected to be £754,000. My right hon. Friend's undertaking related to the full four years of the programme: there can be no question of a shortfall at this stage.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reduction will take place; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to what I said in the House on 18th December—[Vol. 866, c. 1133–1135]—in reply to a Question by the right hon. and learned Member for Aberavon (Mr. John Morris).

asked the Minister of State for Defence under what provision of the Road Traffic Act the military authority founded a prosecution under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1973 against Leading Writer Peter Francis Bryant.

As stated in my answer on 17th December—[Vol. 866, c. 257]— the prosecution was made under Section 42 of the Naval Discipline Act 1957 and Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

asked the Minister of State for Defence how the £60 fine imposed on Leading Writer Peter Francis Bryant was apportioned between the charge under Section 14A of the Naval Discipline Act and the charge under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

£40 on the charge under Section 14A of the Naval Discipline Act and £20 on the charge under Section 42 of the Naval Discipline Act and Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what facilities are being made available for the provision to the parents or legal representatives of the deceased Service men of the notes of the trial of Leading Writer Peter Francis Bryant.

None.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether a fitness report has been completed on Leading Writer Peter Francis Bryant since the accident at RNAS, Yeovilton, and what was the character reference thereon; and what recommendation was made regarding his suitability for advancement.

It is not the practice to disclose such information.

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with the speed with which contraventions of the civil or military law by Service men are prosecuted.

Yes, although from time to time there are unavoidable delays.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what facilities are offered to members of the public affected by a Service man's contravention of a Road Traffic Act or their legal representatives to attend the proceedings.

No facilities are offered in respect of summary trials but under the terms of Section 61(1) of the Naval Discipline Act 1957 any member of the public may attend a court martial.

asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the average time between the commission of an offence by a Service man and his facing trial for such an offence.

The periods vary according to the circumstances of individual cases but in recent months the average periods have been: (i) summary trials, between one and two weeks; (ii) courts martial, about eight weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

As a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December I plan to reduce capital expenditure by £2·2 million and current expenditure by £1·6 million in 1974–75. I am still considering how the particular programmes of my Department will be affected. Any savings which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 will depend to a large extent upon the way in which the 1974–75 reductions are applied.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will introduce legislation to require racehorse owners to insure jockeys and stable lads against riding injuries resulting in death or disablement; what consultation his Department has had with the horseracing authorities on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

No. All employers are required by the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 to insure against their liability to their employees for personal injuries sustained in the course of their employment. In addition, the wider issue raised by the hon. Member is relevant to the examination being carried out by the Royal Commission on Civil Liability and Compensation for Personal Injury under the chairmanship of Lord Pearson.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is yet able to provide information about the results of the survey of the characteristics of the unemployed which his Department has carried out.

The results of this survey are still being analysed. They suggest the need to carry out a follow-up survey, designed to show which of those unemployed at the time of the survey in June 1973 have subsequently found employment. This additional information will be obtained shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by a 50 per cent. transfer of commuters to dedicated bus services;(2) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by the use of car pools by 50 per cent. of those presently commuting by car;(3) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by a shift of 50 per cent. of inter-city car passengers in equal proportion to bus and rail;(4) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by a shift of 50 per cent. of inter-city lorry freight to British Rail;(5) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by the reduction of urban traffic congestion by 50 per cent.;(6) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by the achievement by 50 per cent. of all road vehicles of a 30 per cent. reduction in fuel consumption;(7) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by the conversion of 50 per cent. of the car-using passenger population to small cars;(8) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by a 50 per cent. success in limiting vehicle speeds to 50 mph;(9) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by a shift of 50 per cent. of short-haul air passengers to surface transport;(10) what estimates he has made of the fuel consumption savings which might be obtained, as a percentage of the total energy consumed in transport, by a transfer of 50 per cent. of current car users to walking or cycling up to a distance of five miles instead of driving.

Only very broad estimates are possible. Although these measures are so radical that their practicability would be doubtful, the resultant energy savings would in general be relatively small.For journeys on which a steady speed can be sustained most cars might use between 25 per cent. and 30 per cent. less fuel by cruising at about 40–50 mph instead of 70 mph, but this would affect only a fraction of road traffic.A 30 per cent. reduction in fuel consumption by vehicles using about half the energy used on the roads would save between 10 per cent. and 15 per cent. of the energy used in transport. If all the cars on the road were small, using about 40 miles per gallon, about 15 per cent. of transport energy would be saved.Car pooling for half of urban car commuters might save about 2 per cent.-3 per cent. of transport energy. If urban traffic were halved, about one-fifth of transport energy would be saved. A transfer of half of current car users to walking or cycling up to a distance of five miles would apply mainly to urban areas and would save about 10 per cent. of transport energy.The saving obtainable from a 50 per cent. transfer of commuters to dedicated bus services, of inter-city car passengers to bus and rail, of short-haul air passengers to surface transport, and of intercity lorry freight to rail would depend on many factors, notably the origins and destinations of the journeys involved, and seems likely to be comparatively small for the last three.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will remove the requirement that only councillors living more than three miles from the place of meeting may be entitled to a subsistence allowance, in view of the disadvantage to those members who do not own cars when meetings are adjourned for lunch.

No. A restriction of this sort applies in many fields where allowances are claimed from public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to encourage the reduction of the empty running of commercial vehicles during the fuel emergency.

No extra encouragement seems necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he is satisfied with the operation of the Accommodation Agencies Act 1953 in respect of the practices of accommodation agencies in England and Wales;(2) whether he will consult with the local authority associations and the Association of Municipal Corporations with a view to setting up a watchdog inquiry on the practices of accommodation agencies;(3) whether he will issue guidance to local authorities in England and Wales as to their responsibility for the conduct and practices of accommodation agencies in their areas;(4) whether he will introduce new legislation to enable local authorities to compile a register of accommodation agencies in their area;

I am satisfied that the Accommodation Agencies Act is working satisfactorily, and the recent High Court judgment gives me no reason to alter my opinion. I see no justification for undertaking an inquiry into the Act's working, for amending it, or for imposing an additional task on local authorities which, I have no doubt, are fully aware of the powers the Act gives them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will sponsor a national scheme to encourage car drivers to give lifts to pedestrians.

I have already announced—[Vol. 866, c. 290–1]— relaxations of bus licensing regulations which will allow payment for such lifts. This is primarily to assist rural communities where public transport is scarce.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further complete or partial extinguishing of street lighting to conserve power supplies.

None beyond the present 50 per cent. cut.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the railway investment programme is to be earmarked for freight-liner development.

Expenditure is a matter for the National Freight Corporation and is not, therefore, included in railways investment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indi cating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

I plan to reduce public expenditure in 1974–75 in the DOE field by about £326 million. The proposed reductions programme by programme are as follows:

	£m
Nationalised industries' capital expenditure	28
Road and Transport	178
Other environmental services	108
Common services	12

It is too early to say what the consequential changes in the remainder of 1973–74 will be.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning environmental hazards from people living in the area of the Sculcoates Power Station, Hull; and if he will make a statement.

During 1973 the Department has received two telegrams about Sculcoates Power Station. On both occasions, the district alkali inspector received parallel representations. This is a fairly old coal-fired power station but it meets the requirements of the Alkali Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, as a result of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on 17th December, there will be any delay in the completion of the M62 and the Humber Bridge and approach roads.

It will not be necessary to delay works already in progress. I am reviewing contracts still to be let to see to what extent individual schemes need to be deferred.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has completed his consultations with the Home Office, the joint fire prevention committee councils and the local authority associations on draft model standards under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, in relation to fire precautions; and if he will make a statement.

These consultations have almost been completed. I expect to be in a position to issue new model standards very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government's recent cut-back in capital expenditure will result in the postponement of consideration of the proposed Pudsey-Dishforth motorway.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average cost of a new house in the East Midlands area and the monthly repayment necessary to purchase it over 25 years on a 90 per cent. mortgage, and what were the equivalent figures for June 1970.

The average price of a new house in the East Midlands mortgaged with building societies in 1972 was £5,796 and the monthly repayments on a 90 per cent. mortgage for 25 years £40·70 gross and £30·20 net of tax relief in the first year for a standard rate taxpayer. The comparable figures for 1970 were £4,274, and £31·30 gross and £23·10 net respectively. On the actual average advances for houses in the region mortgaged with building societies the repayment figures over 25 years are, however, £27·30 gross and £19·70 net for 1970 and £35·20 gross and £26·10 net for 1972.Regional house price figures for periods other than whole years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the local authorities and other organisations from which he has received representations about his consultative paper on local government finance.

Representations on the consultation paper "Local Government Finance in England and Wales" have been received from the following local authorities and organisations:

Association of Municipal Corporations

British Residents and Owner Occupiers Council

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

City of Cambridge

County Councils Association

County borough of Bournemouth

Durham County Council

Gloucestershire County Council

Greater London Council

Greater Manchester Council

Kent County Council

London borough of Redbridge

London borough of Wandsworth

London Boroughs Association

London Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Northumberland County Council

Rural District Councils Association

Sidmouth Urban District Council

Southport Corporation

Taff Ely District Council

Urban District Councils Association

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

West Sussex County Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has studied the recent report submitted to him by the organisation Crisis at Christmas on the housing problems of homeless single people; and what action he proposes to take in the light of the evidence it contains.

I have obtained a copy of "Women, alone and homeless" issued by Crisis at Christmas. I am glad to say that the shortage of hostel accommodation to which it draws attention will be helped by new arrangements for financial support for local authorities and housing associations which will be included in forthcoming legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to introduce legislation to give effect to the proposals in the White Paper "Widening the Choice and the Next Steps in Housing", for a land hoarding charge.

I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the total road expenditure in Great Britain by the Exchequer and by local authorities, respectively, for the financial year 1972–73.

£438·6 million from central funds and £499·7 million from local authority funds, totalling £938·3 million. These figures include expenditure on roads, car parks and lighting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the Strategic Plan for the North-West, dealing with housing, roads, education and social services, circulated by the Department to local authorities in August, has now been sent to North-West Members of Parliament with a letter stating it is confidential; and why it has not been released to the Press.

The document referred to is the provisional version of the Report of the North-West Joint Planning Team on a Strategic Plan for the North-West. The team's work was commissioned by local planning authorities, the North-West Economic Planning Council and the Government. To enable the commissioning authorities to see how the report is shaping without waiting for general publication the team has circulated a provisional version in confidence to them. I have this week sent copies, similarly in confidence, to Members of Parliament for the North-Western constituencies so that they should know what was before the local planning authorities in their areas.The final version of the report is scheduled for publication later in March 1974 when the Government will, before formulating their own views, welcome the views of local authorities, the economic planning councils and the public. It would be inappropriate to give wider circulation to the provisional edition which is subject to amendment and available only in limited numbers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities that have not yet produced land registers in accordance with the request in Circular 102/72; and what further action he proposes to take in order to persuade these authorities to comply with his request.

When inquiries were last made, nearly 80 per cent. of local planning authorities had published information. Most of the remainder had it in course of preparation and only three county boroughs, due to special circumstances, were not doing so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the Government's official £80 million loan sanction to enable local authorities to buy land for resale for housing development has now been allocated; and how these allocations have been distributed between the different regions.

£69·68 million has been provisionally allocated to date, apportioned between the regions as follows:

	£ million
South-East	51·62
West Midlands	·35
East Midlands	2·00
East Anglia	12·65
Yorkshire & Humberside	·47
South-West	2·49
North	·03
North-West	·07
	£69·68

While the scheme was intended principally to assist land assembly in the main pressure areas of the South-East and West Midlands, applications were welcome from local authorities in any region and the same standards have been applied.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, having regard to its position on the A1 and the availability of overnight accommodation, he will reconsider his decision not to include Berwick-upon-Tweed in the network of strategic lorry parks.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost to public funds of the inquiry by Llewelyn-Davis Weeks, Forestier-Walker and Bor, into the question of taking traffic off the roads and on to the railways; and if he will now publish the report; and what action he proposes to take on its recommendations.

I do not consider that the expense of publication would be justified, but I have placed a copy of the consultants' report in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the report of the Borner Committee is to be published; and if he will make a statement.

The report is published today of the committee, under the chairmanship of Mr. R. S. Borner, which was appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to examine and advise on the functions of valuers in local government and in the Valuation Office of the Board of Inland Revenue in relation to the land transactions of local authorities in England and Wales.Most of the work concerned relates to the assessment of statutory compensation due when land and buildings are acquired for public purposes.The Government accept the majority recommendation that, when a local authority's own qualified valuer assesses compensation, the district valuer should carry out only a selective check on those valuations.The Government accept the recommendation that there should be a simple procedure for dealing speedily and easily with disputes on value where the amounts involved are small, but they consider that the procedure of the Lands Tribunal can be suitably adapted for this purpose.When the simplified procedure is operating cases assessed by the local authority's own qualified valuer which are subject to that procedure and in which the amount involved is less than £500 will not be checked by the district valuer. The £500 limit will be reviewed for the purpose of considering the practicability of increasing it after one year of the working of the new procedure has given a reasonable opportunity for assessing its operation. Of the cases still subject to checking, the objective will be to reduce the proportion so checked to 20 per cent. by two years after the establishment of the new procedure.The Government accept the minority recommendation that local authorities should not be charged for the use of the district valuer's services. These will, therefore, continue to be freely available to local authorities as at present.Discussions will be started forthwith with the local authority associations and others concerned with the implementation of these decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reply to Bristol City Council's request to amend the development plan to delete stages of the outer circuit road after Totterdown.

Within the next two weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the rerouting of aircraft leaving or arriving at the Manchester Ringway Airport has meant that the landing approach over Alderley, Wilmslow, Hanforth, has now been eliminated, and that the flight path over Stockport, Cheadle Heath and Cheadle has been increased to include aeroplanes flying to and from the airport.

I have been asked to reply.This is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority and the airport authorities, and the CAA has been asked to reply to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list each of the fringe benefits available to miners.

I have been asked to reply.In addition to paid holidays and rest days, fringe benefits available to mineworkers are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent he plans to reduce overseas aid in conformity with the reduction in internal Government expenditure.

The Government's proposed reductions in public expenditure were included in the statement made on 17th December—[Vol. 866, c. 952–66]—by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who also made clear that he would not hesitate to take further action at any time if developments should require it. The figures for overseas aid are set out in the White Paper on Public Expenditure (Cmnd. 5519), subject to a reduction of £6 million spread over the next three years, in accordance with the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 6th December—[Vol. 865, c. 1484.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protests he has recently made about the treatment of political dissidents and prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Union and the Communist countries of East Europe.

The Governments of the countries concerned are in no doubt about our views and the strength of public feeling in Britain on these matters. Her Majesty's Government do not have any standing to intervene on behalf of citizens of other countries, but my right hon. Friend drew Mr. Gromyko's attention, as he has done in the past, to the feeling in this country about these questions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend's statement did not specify any reduction in expenditure on overseas services. All programmes are naturally subject to continuing review in the present situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what request for recognition he has received from representatives of the Gouvernement Revolutionaire de l'Angola, of 15 Clifton Gardens, London N.15; and what reply he has sent.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent information he has on the use of the outpatient facilities at Brixton and Holloway Prisons; and what examination he has made of the operation of the out-patient facilities at these prisons.

During this year up to 30th November, 112 and 38 appointments were made to the out-patient clinics at Brixton and Holloway Prisons respectively. The examination is still in progress and it is hoped that a preliminary report will be completed early in 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for British citizenship have been received under the Pakistan Act; how many of these have already been dealt with; what is the average time taken to deal with such applications; and whether the procedure can be speeded up.

The number of applications received since the Pakistan Act came into force on 1st September is about 46,000. The Department is still dealing with applications from citizens of Pakistan received before that date under the law as it then stood. Since 1st September about 6,300 grants of registration have been completed. It is not possible to give an average time for dealing with applications: they are dealt with as promptly as is consistent with careful scrutiny, and within the capabilities of the number of staff available for this work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accommodation agencies were prosecuted in England and Wales for committing offences under the Accommodation Agencies Act 1953 during the years 1970–71, 1971–72 and 1972–73.

Following is the available information:

PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE ACCOMMODATION AGENCIES ACT 1953: ENGLAND AND WALES, 1970–72
	Persons or companies proceeded against	Number of charges
1970	4	4
1971	13	39
1972	18	22

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

Expenditure on Home Office services next year will be reduced by £18 million on capital programmes and £10 million on the procurement of goods and services other than staff. The main effect will be to reduce considerably new building for the courts, police, prisons and fire services. The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 as a consequence of action to reduce expenditure next year will depend to a large extent upon the precise way in which the 1974–75 reductions are arranged. I cannot at present give a figure for the reduction in spending this year which will arise on this account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he estimates to have been the effect on the number of casualties of the warnings that were received of the bomb explosion in Horseferry Road.

None; one of the warnings was too imprecise, the other was too late.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an inquiry into the leakage from his Department of information about London taxi fares which appeared in the Daily Express on 19th December.

It is not known whether the leakage occurred in the Home Office or in another Department. Inquiries are being made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made by the Inland Revenue in relation to the dividend policy of close companies in the light of the prices and incomes legislation.

No special arrangements are necessary or have been made. Dividends paid by close companies do not come within the scope of the Counter-Inflation (Dividends) Order 1973, as amended, in so far as they are paid in order that there should not be a short-fall in the company's distributions or an excess of relevant income over distributions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effect of the proposed three-day week on the time allowed for submission of returns and accounts; and whether there is to be greater flexibility in bringing cases for hearing by commissioners.

Taxpayers and their agents have reasonable time in which to submit returns and accounts; and there is already flexibility in bringing cases for hearing by commissioners. If the hon. Member has any particular difficulties in mind and will inform me of them, I will have them looked into.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of his statement on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend plans to reduce expenditure for which he is responsible by about £0·8 million in 1974–75. The main area affected will be Bank of England capital expenditure. The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 as a consequence of action to reduce expenditure next year will depend to a large extent on the precise way in which the 1974–75 reductions are arranged, and no estimate can at present be given.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in the last 20 years prosecutions recommended by the Solicitors' Branch of the Inland Revenue for fraudulent tax evasion have been dropped on the grounds that it would undermine public confidence in certain public institutions because of the persons concerned; how often they have been dropped for other reasons, and what those reasons were; and what action, if any, was actually taken in each of these cases.

None. It is not the function of the Solicitor of Inland Revenue to recommend prosecution but to advise whether on the evidence a prosecution is likely to succeed. If the Board of Inland Revenue forms the judgment that a prosecution should succeed, it is its invariable practice to prosecute, apart from a few exceptional cases where it feels it right to take account of such factors as very serious ill health. In these exceptional cases the board would enforce an appropriate monetary settlement. Information about the number of these cases in the last 20 years is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average wage as listed in the National Coal Board report for 1957 for (i) face workers, (ii) all underground workers and (iii) surface workers; and what would be the equivalent today, allowing for inflation and the general average rise in wages since 1957.

I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of introducing the tax credit proposals at the present time, at the illustrative levels given in the Green Paper.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 20th December 1973], gave the following information:Relatively little changed from the estimate in paragraph 117 of the Green Paper "Proposals for a Tax-Credit System", which of course related to 1972 conditions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the tax relief granted on employers' contributions to occupational pension schemes for each year since 1960; what has been the tax-free income to these funds yielded by their investments during each of these years; and what has been the notional premiums applicable to employees in the Government sector for each of these years.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 14th December 1973; Vol. 866, c. 277], gave the following information:Consistent estimates of employers' contributions to occupational pension schemes and of the investment income of these funds are possible only for the years for which the Government Actuary's Survey of Occupational Pension Schemes is available.In computing business profits, employers' contributions are deductible as a business expense; estimates of the additional tax which would have been payable if they were not deductible are as follows:

	£ million
1956	80
1963	180
1967	225
1971	290

The estimated investment income in these years for all occupational pension schemes is as follows:

	£ million
1956	not available
1963	325
1967	480
1971	750

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

Existing programmes of expenditure by Northern Ireland Departments or public authorities have not been reduced as a result of my right hon. Friend's statement on 17th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to take steps to review the Northern Ireland Police Authority; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend intends to lay before Parliament early in the New Year a draft Order in Council under Section 38 of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 to reconstitute the Police Authority so as to introduce into it an element drawn from elected representatives.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on the joint working party set up at the Sunning-dale meeting to define and agree the areas of common interest to be dealt with by the Council of Ireland; what is the membership of the working party; and when it plans to meet.

It was agreed at the Sunningdale conference that studies would be set in hand to identify and report on areas of common interest in relation to which a Council of Ireland would take executive decisions. There are no proposals at present to set up a formal working party, but officials of United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Departments have had an exploratory meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons currently wanted for the crime of murder in Northern Ireland are thought to be in Southern Ireland.

I shall write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the workings of the Joint Commission set up at the Sunning-dale conference to recommend, as a matter of extreme urgency, the most effective means of dealing with those who commit certain crimes.

My right hon. Friend hopes to be able to make an announcement in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a further statement on Harland and Wolff.

As my predecessor told the hon. Member on 19th November—[Vol. 864, c. 343–4]—an urgent examination of Harland and Wolff's financial position and its capital investment programme has been undertaken with the aid of outside consultants. No significant change is planned as a result in the company's expansion programme since expenditure on major items is either fully committed or essential to the success of the programme.Discussions with the board of the company about its financial position have not yet been completed, but I have agreed that the following statement may be included in the company's interim statement of account which is being made to the stockholders today:

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

The areas in which I plan to reduce expenditure in 1974–75 are: the Post Office, by £138·2 million; the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Broadcasting Authority, by £3·5 million.The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 as a consequence of action to reduce expenditure next year will depend to a large extent upon the precise way in which the 1974–75 reductions are arranged. I cannot at present give a figure for the reduction in spending this year which will arise on this account.

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if, in view of the present shortage of paper, he will give a general direction to the Post Office to collect old telephone directories when delivering new directories.

No. The Post Office is continually looking at this possibility but there are severe practical difficulties in recovering old directories.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give an assurance that the development of community centres and youth wings in Renfrewshire will not be held back as a result of the Chancellor's statement on Monday 17th December.

I have asked the authorities concerned to make savings in capital expenditure and I can, therefore, give no assurance that projects for community centres and youth wings will not be affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give an assurance that no road works planned or under construction in Renfrewshire will be held back as a result of the Chancellor's statement on 17th December.

The intention is that road works under construction will be allowed to proceed, and the implications for schemes on which work has not started are being examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the public expenditure cuts for Scotland.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I have given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

The amounts involved in 1974–75 are estimated to be about £55 million of capital expenditure and £16 million of current expenditure. The reductions will affect all services for which I am responsible except investment in the energy industries, infrastructure in support of them—for example, roads and water and sewerage schemes necessary to support oil developments—and new house building. It is too early to give details by projects or services.The savings which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 will depend on the way in which the reductions are arranged and I cannot at present give figures for these savings.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for the last 12-month period for which figures are available for Scotland and Glasgow, respectively, the number of cases in which a child, as defined for the purposes of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, has been sentenced by a court to a fine.

Information is readily available only in respect of children under 16 years of age. In the year 1972, 817 such children proceeded against were fined in the criminal courts in Scotland, 293 in Glasgow.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reconsideration he is giving to the construction of an oil-fired power station at Boddam.

Peterhead power station is designed to burn gas or oil and is urgently needed to meet electricity demands in the north-east of Scotland from 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when it is intended to ratify the draft agreement about fishing in the waters around the Faroe Islands.

The agreement was signed on 19th December on behalf of all the countries concerned, and my colleagues and I will lay before Parliament an order giving effect to it, which will allow United Kingdom vessels to take up to 18,000 metric tons of cod and haddock plus unlimited quantities of other demersal fish during 1974, and specify areas which will be closed to trawling in rotation. We have given advance notice to the fishing industry that the order will come into effect on 1st January 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has now completed consideration of the claim for recognition by the Regional Hospital Consultants and Specialist Association; when he received the first application in this regard; how many times officials of his Department have met the association; and if he will make a statement.

Not yet; a detailed case was submitted in May this year; once.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider assisting the provision of low-voltage electric underblankets for the very elderly who may suffer from hypothermia, now that these blankets have been improved to eliminate the risk of electrocution.

The provision of services for elderly people is taken into account in calculating the levels of rate support grant. It is for the local authorities to decide, within the limits of the resources available to them, how best to help in dealing with the risk of hypothermia.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

Forecast expenditure for 1974–75 on the health and personal social services in Great Britain is planned to be reduced by £69·3 million on capital and by £42 million on current account. The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 will depend to a large extent upon the way in which the reductions for 1974–75 are arranged. I cannot at present give a figure.The reduction in capital expenditure is bound to have a serious effect on the amount of new building work that can be started in 1974–75. I hope to avoid the need to rephase contracts or to interrupt work in progress.The reduction of £42 million in procurement is not intended to reduce hos pitals' expenditure on food, drugs, dressings and medical and surgical equipment supplied to, or for the use of, patients, but it does apply to other procurement for hospitals and the personal social services.The reductions are not intended to fall on the employment of staff, or on the family practitioner services. There will be no reduction in social security benefits.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider increasing the amount of grants and annual maintenance allowances given by his Department to drivers of handicapped vehicles to take account of increased petrol costs.

No changes in the vehicle service arrangements are contemplated in advance of decisions to be taken after Lady Sharp's report has been discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the total estimate of expenditure received by his Department from the London borough of Hillingdon for the construction of Uxbridge Health Centre; what sum has been approved for this project; and what are the reasons for any difference between the original estimate and the amount approved.

An initial estimate submitted in September 1971 of £181,618 was revised to £176,400 in June 1972. My Department's cost limit for approval was £125,425 with the possibility of adjustments at tender stage. The lowest tender received was for £283,097. This is too high for a building of the type and size proposed even on present prices. My right hon. Friend is prepared to approve loan sanction in the sum of £230,000 plus fees.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in the case of workers with children, when the three-day working week is introduced, who are ineligible for unemployment benefits for whatever reason, if he will amend the Family Income Supplement (General) Regulations on a temporary basis to allow those working less than 30 hours a week to claim FIS for the duration of the crisis.

No. Persons working less than 30 hours a week may claim supplementary benefit if their resources are below their supplementary benefit requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, regarding claims for means-tested benefits when the three-day working week is introduced, whether income will be assessed according to normal average income when a full week is worked or on the basis of the actual income obtained from working a three-day week.

The normal rules apply. For supplementary benefit, individual prescription refunds and tokens for free milk and vitamins, the actual income for the week of claim is taken into account. Claims for long-term benefits such as FIS, prescription charge exemption certificates and books of free milk and vitamin tokens are assessed on normal earnings.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether employed persons, when the three-day working week is introduced, will be eligible for the earnings-related supplement to unemployment benefit after 12 days' unemployment, provided they meet the usual conditions for eligibility; and if he will make a statement.

No. This is because, apart from having to satisfy the ordinary conditions, a suspended worker must be unemployed for a continuous period of at least seven days—excluding a rest day, which is ordinarily Sunday—to qualify for earnings-related supplement to unemployment benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether employed persons who, when the three-day working week is introduced, are not eligible for unemployment benefit, for whatever reason, will be eligible for supplementary benefit; and if he will give the reasons of any prohibition on making claims in such circumstances.

The normal rules for supplementary benefit will apply, and it will be open to the people concerned to make a claim if they are in need by supplementary benefit standards.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the amount by which he plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if he will make a statement.

The reduction in capital programmes for which my Department is responsible is expected to total £25 million in 1974–75. It is not possible to give a precise figure for the reduction in procurement expenditure but I estimate that this will be about £6½ million. The saving which will be made in the remainder of 1973–74 as a consequence of action to reduce expenditure next year will depend upon the precise way in which the 1974–75 reductions are arranged. The main fields affected will be roads, education, environmental services and health and personal social services.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what reductions will be made in expenditure on roads, transport, other environmental services, education, health and personal social services, respectively, in the Gwynedd County area in the years 1973–74 and 1974–75.

It is not possible at this stage to forecast what reductions will be made in any particular part of Wales since much will depend on what schemes are put to me for approval by the local authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales to what extent the National Museum of Wales is a charitable institution.

It is an institution registered as a charity under Section 4 of the Charities Act 1960.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how the proposed primary school for Cwmtwrch will be affected by the Chancellor's cuts in public expenditure announced on 17th December.

A new county primary school at Cwmtwrch will be eligible for approval as soon as the local education authority is able to submit the project on tender.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will introduce legislation to enable all nonprofit making museums and galleries to qualify for the benefits of charitable status.

No. A non-profit-making museum or gallery has charitable status unless its property either is not held on trusts or is held on trusts for purposes not regarded by the law as charitable. It would not be appropriate to confer the benefits of charitable status on such museums and galleries.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy under the newly announced arrangements for the administration of the charging scheme at the national museums and galleries, regarding the free access to lecture rooms within the institutions, both during normal opening hours and after closing time.

In general, there will be no charge for admission to lectures as such, but, apart from free days, if admission to the lecture room during normal opening hours cannot be organised without granting admission also to the collections, normal entrance chages will be paid, except by those, such as prearranged educational parties, who are otherwise exempt. Special arrangements according to circumstances will need to be made, as at present, for the use of lecture rooms after normal closing time.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy, under the newly announced arrangements for the administration of the charging scheme at the national museums and galleries, regarding the issue to members of the curatorial and scientific staffs of those institutions of season tickets at no charge, having regard to the professional advantage of their having access to institutions other than their own.

If any of the staff of a national museum or gallery is required in the course of his duty to visit another of the institutions he will normally be an official visitor and will be admitted free. If he is not on duty he will be treated as a member of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy, under the newly announced arrangements for the administration of the charging scheme at the national museums and galleries, regarding the free admission of registered handicapped persons and their attendants.

An attendant required to assist a registered handicapped person on a visit to one of the national museums and galleries may, at the discretion of the institution concerned, be admitted without charge. The charge for a single visit by a registered handicapped person will be 5p throughout the year; for a season ticket admitting to all 18 national museums and galleries for a year the charge will be 50p. It is for the authority of each museum or gallery to make the detailed arrangements for the admission of such persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy, under the newly announced arrangements for the administration of the charging scheme at the national museums and galleries, regarding free access to specialised libraries within the institutions and also to study rooms for the examination of objects of historic, scientific or artistic interest, such as drawings or prints; and whether she will ask that steps be taken to apprise visitors of these facilities before payment is claimed.

As has already been announced, there will be no charge for bona fide library readers or for students and scholars on prearranged visits. It is for the authorities of each museum or gallery to make the detailed arrangements for giving effect to these exemptions from charges.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her policy, under the newly announced arrangements for the administration of the charging scheme at the national museums and galleries, towards the trustees of these institutions, at their discretion, issuing season tickets without payment to persons who, in their judgment, have rendered services to their institutions, whether financial or otherwise.

In answer to a Question by the hon. Member on 14th November 1972—[Vol. 846, c. 106–7]—I gave details of arrangements for friends of the institutions and for contributors to the National Art-Collections Fund and the Contemporary Art Society.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied with the security arrangements for the national collections during the period of the proposed power cuts.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent the Wallace Collection is a charitable institution.

The Wallace Collection is not registered as a charity.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent the London Museum is a charitable institution.

The London Museum is registered as a charity under Section 4 of the Charities Act 1960.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the amount by which she plans to reduce expenditure for 1974–75 and in the balance of the current year as a result of the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17th December, indicating the main areas where such reductions will take place; and if she will make a statement.

The figures requested for 1974–75 are given in the table below. The consequential saving during the remainder of 1973–74 will depend upon the precise measures taken to effect the 1974–75 reductions. I cannot at present give a figure for the reduction in spending this year which will arise on this account.

REDUCTIONS IN SPENDING IN 1974–75
	£m. 1973 Survey prices
	Capital	Procurement
Research Councils, etc. (GB)	2·4	2·3
Arts and National Libraries (GB)	0·7	1·3
Education (England and Wales, excluding Welsh Schools)	100·5	50·2*
	103·6	53·8
* This includes the England component (estimated at £45·6 million) of the total reduction in procurement expenditure by local authorities in England and Wales of £48 million.

My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have issued a joint circular to local authorities advising them on the resumption of school building work in the light of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement. This indicates that school projects to meet basic needs for additional places and special school projects will be eligible for approval as from 1st January 1974, while allocations for nursery projects already announced to local education authorities will remain valid, but will run from 1st July 1974 instead of from 1st April.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the capital projects in higher and further education postponed, abandoned or reduced in cost following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement of 17th December 1973.

The following university projects in England, Scotland and Wales and polytechnic, further education and teacher training projects in England and Wales, originally planned to start in 1973–74 and costing more than £50,000, have been postponed as a result of the arrangements set out in Circular 15/73:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what specific use has been made to date of the Export of Goods (Control) (Amendment No. 4) Order 1973 which came into operation on 26th October 1973; and whether it has affected the supply of crude oil or petroleum products to any Common Market countries.

On 12th November a system of specific licensing for exports to non-EEC destinations was introduced together with open individual licences. On 12th December specific licensing was also introduced for exports to EEC countries in line with the general practice in other member States. Licences have not so far been refused for the exports of oil products to EEC countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in view of the fact that old people are suffering from the cold because of the shortage of paraffin and other heating fuels, what steps he is now taking to ensure that distributors receive a sufficient allocation of such fuel.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he is aware that old-age pensioners in South London cannot obtain supplies of paraffin for domestic heating; and if he will take action to help them;(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that paraffin dealers in South London get adequate supplies.