asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is now taking to arrange for members of the RUC to have a special allowance paid to them during the emergency.

My right hon. Friend has met representatives of both sides of the United Kingdom Police Council who are now about to enter into negotiations on the staff side's claim for a special allowance.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to strengthen the security forces in Northern Ireland.

A major recruiting campaign is being undertaken by the Police Authority and the Chief Constable to strengthen the RUC. We plan to keep in Northern Ireland the number of troops required to deal with the security situation at any particular time and to provide at short notice any temporary reinforcements which may be needed.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland haw many detainees have been released since 13th May 1974; and whether he will make a statement about the working of the scheme for sponsorship of released detainees.

Fifty-seven detainees have been released since 13th May. My right hon. Friend has decided to adopt a more comprehensive resettlement scheme for released detainees. A committee to assist in this has been set up and has already started work.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to be able to make a statement announcing proposals to end internment and detention without trial.

The Government are committed to phasing out detention for all sections of the community as soon as the security situation permits.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the gross national product of Northern Ireland and how this compares with that of the rest of the United Kingdom.

There is no official estimate of Northern Ireland's gross national product. The gross domestic product figure for the Province in 1972 was£1,121 million, which represents about 2·1 per cent. of the United Kingdom gross domestic product figure of£53,484 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to what extent children from County Donegal and elsewhere in the Irish Republic are receiving secondary education in Northern Ireland schools; and what are the reasons.

A relatively small number of children are involved. No central record is kept of the number of those coming from the Republic to attend secondary schools in Northern Ireland but I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to increase the number of constituencies in Northern Ireland to 18.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a Question from the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 4th April.—[Vol. 871, c. 1421.]

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners in Northern Ireland were granted parole during the summer and Christmas periods 1973.

71 and 140 convicted prisoners respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of incidents in Armagh City between January 1970 and May 1974, involving (a) loss of life, (b) injury to persons, and (c) damage to property.

The information for which the hon. Member has asked is not readily available. I will write to him.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the names of persons who were compensated in excess of£2,000, under the Criminal Injuries Act and who reside in the areas of the former Newry Urban Council, Newry No. 1 Rural District Council, and Newry No. 2 Rural District Council, respectively, for the period from 8th August, 1971 to the present day;(2) if he will list the names of the loss adjusters and assessors employed by him in dealing with claims resulting in payments of£2,000 or more under the Criminal Injuries Act to persons resident in the areas of the former Newry Urban Council, Newry No. 1 Rural District Council, and Newry No. 2 Rural District Council, from 8th August, 1971 to the present day.

I regret that the records on criminal injury compensation payments are not compiled on a basis on which the information requested can reasonably be provided.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to introduce his legislation on discrimination in the private sector of employment.

As soon as parliamentary time is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will bring in a Bill to provide that the Northern Ireland Assembly, when it is reconvened, shall have intrinsic security powers to combat the increasing IRA destruction and terrorism in Northern Ireland.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the effect on Danish agricultural exports to this country of the cheap credit which is available to Danish farmers: and what is the element of unfair competition which in his estimate thereby occurs.

We have no evidence to suggest that subsidised credit is available to Danish farmers to an extent which significantly affects the price of Danish agricultural exports to the United Kingdom or the competitive position of Danish farmers in relation to farmers in this country.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will list the kinds of food imported from New Zealand upon which levies are imposed.

The following products imported from New Zealand in any quantity are liable to levy: butter, cheese and dried milk; chilled beef; pork offals. In most cases levies are partially or totally offset by either accession or monetary compensatory amounts or both.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on building grants for the fishing industry.

We have today revoked the directions which imposed a temporary moratorium on approvals by the White Fish Authority and Herring Industry Board of vessel grants and loans. New directions have been issued to the statutory bodies to resume approvals on a basis that will limit the new commitment of public funds during the remainder of 1974 to a total of£13 million at current prices, of which no more than an extra£5·5 million is to be committed for payment before 31st March 1976. Approvals will relate to expenditure to which the applicant himself is committed at the time approval is given.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations have been made to him about the need to retain the sale of clean plucked poultry in opposition to EEC poultry hygiene directive (71/118/EEC); and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received representations on this subject from a variety of organisations representative of producer, trade and consumer interests. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Staffordshire, South-West (Mr. Cormack) on 2nd May 1974.—[Vol. 872, c. 520–1.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will initiate a study to estimate the future food requirements of the population of Great Britain and possible changes in the sources of supply for the next three decades or more with a view to identifying the priorities for the long term development of food production and supply.

Studies of future food requirements and supplies are a con-

LIVESTOCK PRICES—UNITED KINGDOM
				Week beginning
				6th January 1974	16th June 1974*	Change
Fat cattle (£ per live cwt.)	…	…	…	18·69	17·04	-1·65
Fat sheep (p per lb. deadweight)	…	…	…	33·7	30·9	-2·8
Fat pigs (£ per score liveweight)	…	…	…	2·96	2·62	-0·34
* Provisional figures only.

Source: MLC.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent he anticipates the unloading of cattle on the market; whether such course of management will develop a shortage of beef in the future; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he proposes to safeguard British honey production, given the current high cost of sugar for bees.

I accept that any increase in the price of sugar will to some extent affect the cost of producing honey. However only 1 per cent. of our beekeepers are commercial honey producers, and British honey commands a substantial price premium over imported honey. I see no immediate cause for concern.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are his plans to control the import of strawberries to protect the level of returns to home producers.

Apart from the natural protection afforded by proximity to their markets, growers continue to receive protection from the tariff.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what fall in livestock prices at auction markets there has been since January 1974 to the nearest possible date.

The information requested is as follows:

The expansion of the beef herd in recent years is likely to produce an increase in marketings later this year. Any premature unloading of cattle on to the market could disturb market prices and prejudice the orderly marketing of future supplies.The Government have decided to bring forward to 1st July 1974 the increase in the United Kingdom guide price scheduled for 31st January 1975 in order to sustain the market during the present difficult situation. I also announced in the House yesterday that I have given instructions that the certification procedures necessary to operate a system of direct help to beef production should be put in a state of readiness.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received from the National Farmers' Union for action to prevent the collapse of the British livestock and poultry industry; and if he will make a statement.

The National Farmers' Union has pressed upon me a number of ideas for providing further support for the livestock and poultry industry. I said a good deal on these subjects in my speech in the debate on 26th June and my hon. Friend will not expect me to make a further statement at this time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in the light of the latest evidence, whether he will now give grants to rabbit and squirrel clearance societies.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects have been deported by the Governments of Tanzania and Zambia since 1970.

I am not aware that any United Kingdom citizen has been deported, in the strict sense of the word, from Tanzania or Zambia since 1970, since these countries prefer to expel non-citizens by declaring them prohibited immigrants. But the authorities are not obliged to tell our high commissions about expulsions under either procedure. We cannot therefore be sure that we possess accurate figures for them However, if the hon. Member would like to write to me about any specific case he may have in mind I should be glad to consider the best way to help him.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects have been detained by the Governments of Zambia, Tanzania and Rhodesia since 1970.

Neither Zambia nor Tanzania is party to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, nor do we have a bilateral consular convention with either country. Their Governments are therefore not obliged to inform our high commissions of the detention of United Kingdom citizens. Our records show, however, that since 1st January 1970, 34 United Kingdom citizens have been detained in Zambia and 25 in Tanzania, for a wide variety of reasons. Some were detained only for very short periods.The Rhodesians do not normally reveal the names, numbers or nationalities of persons detained in Rhodesia. I regret therefore that I cannot give the hon. Member any figures for Southern Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the instructions sent to British representatives at the Conference on the Law of the Sea.

On 19th June, in a Written Reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Mr. Lewis), I made a statement on British policy at the conference. The right hon. Member will understand that I would not wish to give further information about instructions to the delegation at this stage. I shall be participating in sessions of the conference in Caracas next week.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will seek the co-operation of the Government of the Irish Republic in preventing the entry to Northern Ireland of foreigners intending to take part in the Official IRA's International Guerrilla Festival in Belfast.

We are in touch with the authorities in the Republic with a view to forestalling possible attempts by undesirable aliens to attend this meeting, the first part of which is to be held in Dublin.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government have taken to implement Resolution 712 of the Council of Europe.

I have been asked to reply.The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided, at their meeting in October 1973, to draw to the attention of the Governments of member States the proposals set out in Recommendation 712 of the Consultative Assembly.As a party to that decision the Government have a moral obligation to pay due regard to the proposals when formulating its policies in respect of migrant workers. They have therefore been drawn to the attention of the Departments concerned.In general terms the Government's policies are in line with the proposals made by the Consultative Assembly. Because they cover an extremely wide range of activities it would not be practicable to describe them in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Ethiopian Government have yet received Great Britain's free gift of trucks; and what landing fee was charged on their arrival at Haile Selassie airport.

I have been asked to reply.We have now flown out 23 of the 56 vehicles that Her Majesty's Government are providing for famine relief in Ethiopia. Of these, six were flown out by commercial air charter and the remainder by the RAF. In the case of the two commercial charter flights, landing charges of£480 per flight were paid, in accordance with normal commercial practice.The Ethiopia Government have waived landing and handling charges for RAF relief flights. It appears, however, that handling charges totalling£640 were raised in error by Ethiopian Airlines on four of the RAF relief flights. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that these were issued in error and we have been assured that there is no question of payment being required.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement on his plans to combat inflation.

The Government will continue to pursue vigorous policies against inflation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated number of taxpayers with total annual incomes in excess of£10,000 per annum and each subsequent£1,000 up to£20,000 treating married couples as one taxpayer.

I regret that estimates are not available for the current year in the precise form requested. For ranges of total net income—before tax—of£10,000 or more, the estimated information so far as is available is as follows:

Range of total net income£ per year				Numbers ('000)
10,000–12,000	…	…	…	63
12,000–15,000	…	…	…	43
15,000–20,000	…	…	…	28

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated number of taxpayers with annual earned incomes in excess of£10,000 per annum and each subsequent£1,000 up to£20,000 treating married couples as one taxpayer.

I regret that estimates for the current year are not available in the precise form requested. For ranges of earned income of£10,000 or more, the estimated information, so far as is available, is as follows:

Range of earned income				Numbers
£ per year				('000)
10,000–12,000	…	…	…	45
12,000–15,000	…	…	…	29
15,000–20,000	…	…	…	17

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated number of employees earning£2,000 a year or more in the year ended 5th April, 1973.

About 5 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue, actual or estimated, has accrued from the general betting duty in respect of (a) greyhound totalisators, and (b) on-course greyhound bookmakers for the years 1971–72, 1972–73, and 1973–74 in England, Scotland and Wales.

Separate figures for England, Scotland and Wales are not available. The information for Great Britain is as follows:

RECEIPTS OF GENERAL BETTING DUTY ACCRUING AT GREYHOUND TRACKS IN GREAT BRITAIN
(£ million)
			Totalisators	On-course bookmakers
1971–72	…	…	2·914	2·7*
1972–73	…	…	2·666	2·7*
1973–74	…	…	2·543	2·8*
* Estimated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow small local authorities in Scotland to form consortia for the purpose of borrowing foreign currency; or, as an alternative, if he will allow the large local authorities to act as agents for small authorities in such borrowing.

We intend to reconsider before the reorganisation in 1975 of local government in Scotland the present qualifications of Scottish local authorities for borrowing foreign currency.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) why the Sinking Fund on Redemption 3 per cent. 1986–96 has not been applied since 1971 to the purchase of stock; and in whose interests is the Sinking Fund being operated;(2) what protection do the holders of Redemption 3 per cent. 1986–96 receive from the operation of the Sinking Fund on this stock.

The Sinking Fund is operated for the sole purpose of redeeming the outstanding stock within the period provided in the prospectus. In 1971 the investments held by the fund were deemed by the Treasury sufficient to provide for the redemption of the whole of the outstanding stock. Thus the stockholders are fully protected as regards redemption at par between 1st October 1986 and 1st October 1996.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimate in the second and third line reserves of the sterling area; and if he will undertake to make frequent and periodic revaluations of overseas portfolio investments and British-owned fixed assets overseas.

I am not sure what my hon. Friend has in mind in the first part of this Question. Valuations of United Kingdom private investments overseas are updated annually and given in annex 1 of the United Kingdom Balance of Payments—the Pink Book—the most recent volume of which covers 1972. Estimates for end-1973 were provided in

"an inventory of United Kingdom external assets and liabilities: end-1973".

in the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin for June 1974. No separate estimates are available for overseas sterling countries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the status of European Economic Community draft Instrument—COM (74) 696 Final of 8th May 1974—which provides for rules whereby a member State shall give notice to other members of the European Economic Community and the Commission before changing its currency exchange rate and which is marked "secret and confidential"; why it is intended that the Council decision shall not be published; and what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards this proposed instrument.

The Commission document referred to incorporates a draft Council decision to which member States have been invited to convey their agreement in writing. Her Majesty's Government have not yet done so as parliamentary scrutiny is in progress. Her Majesty's Government have no objection to the rules in the decision. They should facilitate consultation between EEC member States when decisions to alter exchange rates are being made. This should help to preserve orderly conditions in the market. It is normal for such matters to be treated with discretion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made by the present Government to the

ADDITIONS TO PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ANNOUNCED SINCE THE BUDGET
	Additional cost in 1974–75	Hansard reference
Programme	£m.	Date	Col. No.
Agriculture, fisheries and forestry:
Fuel subsidy for horticultural producers	6·0	11.4.74	610
Additional pigmeat subsidy	15·0	19.6.74	480
Trade, industry and employment:
Subsidy to electricity industry for peak tariffs (provisional estimate	20–30	20.6.74	*
Rebate to British Rail for domestic coal freight charge	1·5	26.6.74	*
Nationalised industries' capital expenditure:
Coal investment (estimated additional cost in current year)	10·0	20.6.74	*
Education and libraries, science and arts:
Teachers pay	11·6	6.5.74	14 and 38
Health and personal social services:
Nurses pay offer—Briggs Report	18·0	6.5.74	57
Total	82–92
* Hansard not at present available.

The Government intend to publish the usual White Paper on public expenditure later in the year, which will enable a comparison to be made with Cmnd. 5519, as modified by the statement made on 17th December 1973.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of return in each of the last five financial years has been represented by interest payments by the nationalised industries on their public debt liabilities.

The average rate of interest paid by the nationalised industries as a whole in each of the last five years on amounts due to the National Loans Fund was as follows:

1969–70	1970–71	1971–72	1972–73	1973–74
per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
6·0	6·6	6·7	7·1	7·5

In accordance with the provisions of Section 5 of the National Loans Act 1968 commitments on public expenditure announced by his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, (Mr. Barber) in his statement of 17th December 1973, and if he will publish a corrected version of the table on public expenditure appearing in columns 977 and 978 of the OFFICIAL REPORT for 17th December 1973.

My right hon. Friend made provision for a net addition of£675 million to public expenditure for 1974–75 in his Budget. Subsequent changes have been announced as follows:the rates of interest on advances to the nationalised industries from the NLF are at least as high as the rates at which the Treasury is able to borrow money on comparable terms, plus the expenses of such borrowing.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what repayments of Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund loans have been made by the nationalised industries in each of the last five financial years.

Following is the information:

				£ million
1969–70	…	…	…	327·5
1970–71	…	…	…	439·8
1971–72	…	…	…	419·5
1972–73	…	…	…	481·6
1973–74	…	…	…	511·4
(Provisional)

The figures exclude repayments by the National Coal Board to the NLF of short-term advances to meet the board's day-to-day working capital requirements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what repayments of public dividend capital have been made by the nationalised industries in each of the last five financial years.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the increases in the public dividend capital of the nationalised industries of£723·0 million in 1969–70,£4·0 million in 1970–71,£125·0 million in 1972–73 and£11·4 million in 1973–74 were represented by cash payments from the Exchequer to the nationalised industries concerned in each of the above years.

All payments of public dividend capital in this period were made from the Consolidated Fund except in 1969–70 when, as part of capital reconstructions,£700 million was paid to the British Steel Corporation and£15 million to the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The increase in holdings in 1972–73 was£60 million, not£125 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of return in each of the last five financial years has been represented by dividends received from the nationalised industries on public dividend capital.

The British Airways Board has not yet made a proposal in respect of its dividend for 1973–74. The rate of return in the preceding four financial years represented by dividends received from the British Overseas Airways Corporation—up to 1971–72—and the British Airways Board was as follows:

				per cent.
1969–70	…	…	…	20
1970–71	…	…	…	7·5
1971–72	…	…	…	5
1972–73	…	…	…	5*
* inclusive of Advance Corporation Tax

The British Steel Corporation has not paid a dividend since it first received public dividend capital in 1969–70. The corporation has not yet made a proposal in respect of the dividend for 1973–74. In addition, the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation paid dividends for 1969–70 and 1970–71 representing a rate of return of 2·1 per cent. and 1·2 pet cent. respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much assistance has been provided from the Exchequer to each of the nationalised industries since their respective vesting dates.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table expressing earnings as a percentage of the gross national product for each of the last 10 years.

The information is given in the following table:

PERCENTAGE OF THE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT AT FACTOR COST
		Wages and salaries (including forces' pay)	Total income from employment *
1964	…	61·8	66·9
1965	…	61·8	67·2
1966	…	62·5	68·2
1967	…	61·9	67·7
1968	…	61·3	67·4
1969	…	61·8	67·9
1970	…	63·2	69·6
1971	…	62·9	69·2
1972	…	62·3	68·8
1973	…	61·6	68·0
* Income from employment comprises wages and salaries, forces' pay and employers' contributions to national insurance etc. and pension funds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will be writing to the hon. Member for Tonbridge and Mailing as stated in Written Answers Nos. 33 and 34 of 24th May.

I have now written to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax, in total, has been paid by the so-called top 20 companies in each of the past five tax years.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table expressing company profits as a percentage of the gross national product for each of the last 10 years.

The information is given in the following table:

Trading profits(1) of companies as a percentage of gross national product at factor cost.
1964	…	…	…	…	14·6
1965	…	…	…	…	14·1
1966	…	…	…	…	12·9
1967	…	…	…	…	12·9
1968	…	…	…	…	12·8
1969	…	…	…	…	11·5
1970	…	…	…	…	9·9
1971	…	…	…	…	10·2
1972	…	…	…	…	10·4
1973	…	…	…	…	10·0
(1) Before allowing for capital consumption but after deducting stock appreciation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the yield from corporation tax in each of the last five financial years.

Net receipts of corporation tax for 1969–70 to 1972–73 are given below:

£ million
1969–70	…	…	…	1,696·7
1970–71	…	…	…	1,582·7
1971–72	…	…	…	1,553·6
1972–73	…	…	…	1,533·1

This information can also be found in Table 8 on page 32 of the 116th Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Inland Revenue (Cmnd. 5487). Provisional net receipts for 1973–74 were£2,262 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, during the year to April 1975, a taxpayer who obtains a loan which he uses to repay an overdraft existing at 26th March 1974, which had been incurred on expenditure in purchasing or improving his residence, will obtain relief for the interest on such a loan in computing his tax liability for subsequent years.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 26th June], gave the following information:I would refer the hon. Gentleman to what I said in the Finance Bill debate on 18th June.—[

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if any nuclear test explosions were undertaken by Great Britain between 1964 and 1974.

Only the two referred to by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in his statement in the House on 24th June: the first in 1965, the second in 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated expenditure in the current year included in the Defence Vote in respect of (a) education of Service families, (b) the medical care of such families.

Figures for families alone are not available. Expenditure on education and medical care for members of the Armed Forces and their families combined is estimated to amount to some£50 million and some£80 million respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of students attending courses at each of the three Service musical schools in 1973 and in 1958; and what would be the anticipated savings if the three schools were amalgamated.

The following table lists the number of students attending courses at each of the three Services musical schools:

	1958	1973
Royal Marine School of Music	146*	104
Royal Military School of Music	224	283
RAF HQ Music Services	90	23
	*Estimate

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total capital expenditure on the modernisation of each of the dockyards at Portsmouth, Chatham, Devonport and Rosyth (a) in the last 10 years and (b) currently in progress.

The figures are as follows:

	Expenditure 1964–65 to 1973–74£ million	Work in Progress£ million
HM Dockyard, Portsmouth	11·622	13·871
HM Dockyard, Chatham	10·495	0·782
HM Dockyard, Devonport	15·738	57·100
HM Dockyard, Rosyth	10·893	2·045

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the anticipated cost of proposed improvements to the Polaris missile.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to equip British nuclear missiles with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace the warheads in the Polaris missiles; and to what extent these will involve further nuclear tests.

I cannot add to the answer I gave the House on 21st May—[Vol. 874, c. 70]—or to the statement of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 24th June.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of low-flying military exercises that have taken place over Wales in the first five months of 1974; and what was the figure for central and south-west Wales.

Complete figures for May are not yet available. During the first four months of this year, 3,974 low-level training flights were made over Wales by military aircraft. This total includes 2,227 carried out over central and southwest Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the yield of the nuclear device recently exploded;(2) what was the cost of conducting the recent nuclear explosion.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of the recent nuclear test.

It would not be in the public interest to publish this information.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in the light of the Greek Government's intention to purchase for common NATO defence purposes additional frigates from the United States of America and 185 new tanks from France, he will permit British manufacturers to offer similar British arms to Greece.

All requests to purchase arms are considered on their merits, taking into account all relevant factors.

asked the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the CBI.

I hope to take the chair at the next meeting of the National Economic Development Council on 3rd July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech made at the National Conference of Labour Women in Swansea on 9th June 1974 on the subjects of the Common Market and the economy.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on the Common Market delivered at Swansea on 9th June.

I did so on 10th June.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to make an official visit to Italy.

I have at present no plans to do so. However, I had a talk with Signor Rumor at the meeting of NATO Heads of Government in Brussels yesterday.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will ask Lord Crowther-Hunt, in his capacity as adviser to the Government on constitutional questions, to make a special study of the constitutional implications of holding a referendum on major questions of policy.

asked the Prime Minister if he will ask Lord Crowther-Hunt to make a special study of referenda.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on prices at Blackpool on 6th June.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on prices at Blackpool on 6th June.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech at Blackpool on 6th June about prices and the social contract.

I did so the following day.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is satis fled with the co-ordination between the Departments of Defence and Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now seek to pay an official visit to Luxembourg.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 23rd May to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).—[Vol. 874, c. 593.] The hon. Member will be aware that I had a full discussion with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, in Brussels, on 25th June.

asked the Prime Minister if he will review the arrangements under which departmental statements about the content of ministerial discussions are released to the Press.

Such arrangements are kept under regular review.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with co-ordination between the Departments of the Environment and Employment in preventing such disasters as the explosion at Flixborough.

Yes. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment announced in the House today the setting up of both a publicing the Flixborough disaster. There will inquiry and a committee of experts follow-be close co-ordination between both Departments on these further developments.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Secretary of State for Industry on public ownership and representation at the Nottinghamshire Miners Gala at Mansfield on 8th June represents Government policy.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council gave on 25th June to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South-East (Mr. Rost).

asked the Prime Minister whether he will now propose setting up a Royal Commission on reforming local government finance.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Marks).

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his NATO summit talks in Brussels on 26th June.

I visited Brussels on 25th and 26th June with my right hon. Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary. The main purpose of my visit was to attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and to sign on behalf of Her Majesty's Government the declaration reaffirming the aims and ideals of the North Atlantic Treaty which was adopted at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the North Atlantic Alliance in Ottawa last week. My visit also provided a welcome opportunity for bilateral talks with a number of allied leaders.I have arranged for copies of the Ottawa Declaration on Atlantic Relations and of the communiquéissued after the meeting of Foreign Ministers in Ottawa to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the methods used in his office to deal with complaints from constituents, other members of the general public and the constituents of other right hon. and hon. Members.

My office tries to ensure that all letters, irrespective of whom they come from, receive an appropriate reply as soon as possible either directly or from the responsible Government Department.

asked the Prime Minister if, in his preparations for a referendum on the EEC, he will provide for Scottish results to be tabulated separately.

I have been asked to reply.This would be considered in the context of the legislation which would be required to enable a referendum to be held.

asked the Attorney-General what action the Director of Public Prosecutions intends to take against members of the International Marxist Group who paraded in uniform red shirts during the anti-police march and demonstration in London on Sunday 23rd June.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has received no evidence which would justify any prosecution in relation to this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence is at present available to show how far severely impaired children placed in units for the partially deaf are successfully integrated with normally hearing pupils for social and academic purposes, respectively.

It is not possible to make any general assessment because of the wide variations between pupils. Much depends on a child's ability to develop speech and language and to learn through auditory methods, as well as on his personality and the amount of parental support. Where these factors are favourable and the staff of the main school show understanding, children with relatively severe hearing handicap can integrate successfuly, both educationally and socially.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent discussions he has had with the National College of Teachers of the Deaf with regard to the supply of teachers with special qualifications for teaching the deaf; and if he will make a statement.

The national college has recently been invited to discuss with officials of the Department certain matters relating to in-service training of teachers of the deaf with which it is directly concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make proposals for teachers' salaries that would enable local education authorities to assist areas where there is a high pupil-teacher ratio, such as the county of Essex, which has more pupils to teachers than any of the five Home Counties.

Salaries of teachers are a matter for negotiation within the Burnham Committees. The Department operates a quota system designed to secure a fair distribution of teachers. The actual pupil-teacher ratio in any area depends on a number of factors, including the attractiveness of the area to teachers and the staffing policy of the authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance has been given to the local education authorities by the Department and Her Majesty's inspectors regarding size of secondary schools, particularly bearing in mind that in September a school of 4,500 opens on one campus site in Milton Keynes.

Circular 4/74 which deals with the organisation of secondary education says that there is no ideal size for a comprehensive school, and that experience has shown that some large schools work well but equally some authorities, teachers and parents prefer small schools. In Milton Keynes the first phase of a school for 1,500 pupils which was approved in October 1970 is due to open at Stantonbury campus in September; the Buckinghamshire authority received approval for a second similar school in 1973 and is expected to propose a third in due course. The schools will be separate entities although they will, with other sectors of the community, share the use of the resource and leisure centre being provided on the campus.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will intervene under Section 68 of the 1944 Act in the NAS/UWT dispute with the Governors of the Sacred Heart School, Redcar.

Section 68 empowers me to give directions where I am satisfied that a local education authority or governors have acted or were proposing to act unreasonably with respect to the exercise of any power conferred or the performance of any duty imposed by or under the Education Act 1944. I do not consider that the powers conferred by this section are exercisable in relation to the Sacred Heart School dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is aware that many GCE examination results in North-Eastern England are likely to be withheld because of the difficulties arising out of the implementation of the recommendations of the Wood inquiry into the Sacred Heart School at Teesside; and what action it is proposed to take to overcome this problem.

The National Association of Schoolmasters and the Union of Women Teachers have instructed those of their members who are examiners and moderators for CSE examinations to hold the pupils' papers and marks until they are advised by their organisations to send them to three examining boards in the North of England.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he proposes to take in the light of the report of the special inspection of Countesthorpe College, Leicestershire, ordered by his predecessor last year and carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate in November; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with normal practice the report has been supplied in confidence to the Leicestershire Local Education Authority, the governors of the college and the principal for them to consider its contents and take action as appropriate. I understand that a number of steps have already been taken, while others are in hand, to meet the recommendations in the report, about which my Department is and will remain in touch with the local education authority. When agreeing to the local education authority's request for a full inspection of the college, my predecessor made it clear that it must take place in accordance with the normal arrangements and conditions as to both the inspection itself and the distribution of the report, and I see no reason to dissent from that view.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science at what frequency medical examinations of school children are conducted and how many such examinations are carried out during the school life of the child leaving school at 16 years of age.

I have been asked to reply.Responsibility for the medical and dental inspection and treatment functions of school health services passed to the Secretary of State for Social Services on 1st April 1974 as part of the reorganisation of the National Health Service.There is no predetermined frequency of medical examinations of schoolchildren. The trend in recent years has been towards a pattern which includes medical examinations when the child enters and leaves primary school and leaves secondary school, with additional examinations undertaken on a selective basis for children brought under notice by parents, teachers or school nurses. It is not, therefore, possible to say how many times a child leaving school at 16 years of age will have been examined during school life.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the Offshore Oil Office will be instructed to keep records of contracts obtained by businesses and companies in Scotland as a result of its efforts.

No. The Offshore Supplies Office function is to encourage and assist industry generally. It would not, therefore, be practical to identify for record purposes those contracts that had been won, even as a direct result of OSO's efforts, in Scotland or elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, of the total number of production platforms on order or under construction and required for North Sea oil and gas development, if he will indicate the number to be or being built in the United Kingdom, giving the location of the yards, in Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe, respectively.

I am informed that 28 major oil and gas production platforms are under construction or on order, 13 of them in the United Kingdom at the yards located at Graythorp, Methil, Nigg Bay, Ardyne Point and Ardersier. Full details of overseas sites are not available but these include sites at Cherbourg and Rotterdam and at Stavanger and Andalsness in Norway. Future platform requirements depend on the number and extent of new discoveries but substantial further orders for platforms for proven fields are expected this year and next.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, with reference to paragraph 24 of the interim report on the coal industry, he will make an estimate of expected manpower in 1985 given OMS being raised at 4 per cent. per year; and what the Scottish share is expected to be.

It is not possible to predict with any certainty manpower levels in 1985 needed to maintain output at around present levels, even assuming increases in output per manshift of 4 per cent. per annum, as other factors such as attendance levels, holiday and rest day arrangements etc. cannot be reliably estimated so far ahead. But it is clear that to retain a satisfactory level of manpower will require a vigorous recruiting campaign to offset the effects of the age structure of the industry's work force on future retirement levels. It is not feasible to give separate estimates of future manpower needs for individual areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the present position concerning the appointments of certifying authorities for the certification of offshore installations; and whether any consulting engineer will be appointed.

I am appointing the following five bodies: Lloyds Register of Shipping, American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, Det Norske Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd. These societies have been selected on the basis of their expertise and international reputation. In reaching this decision account has been taken of the contribution that consulting engineers can make in association with these authorities. At the same time my Department is carefully considering whether a limited number of further appointments should be made for fixed gravity structures in view of the trend towards their greater use and will particu- larly consider appointing consulting engineers for this type of work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT those local authorities whose tenants have not yet received notification from the rent scrutiny board of their fair rent under the Housing Finance Act 1972: and whether he has yet introduced a measure to stop the work of the rent scrutiny board.

In answer to the first part of the Question, of the former local authorities which submitted their provisional assessment of fair rents to the rent scrutiny boards, those listed below have not received a report from their board. In answer to the second part, I am now consulting the local authority associations about the legislative provisions to be made for the first stage in the repeal of the Housing Finance Act, which includes provision for halting the work of the rent scrutiny boards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to arrange an early meeting with representatives of the London Group Committee concerning wages and conditions of the following personnel employed by his Department: engineers, buildings, supplies, transport workers, and custody guards.