asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what statutory authority exists for the British Government to take a unilateral decision on extending fishing limits to 50 miles or more, without reference to the EEC Council of Ministers.

No statutory authority exists at present for any extension in United Kingdom fishery limits beyond 12 miles, irrespective of our membership of the EEC. Any further measures necessary will be considered in the light of the outcome to the Law of the Sea Conference.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will advertise in the local Press circulating in the Thirsk and Malton constituency that the payment dates for hill cow subsidy and for beef cow subsidy are now 1st January 1975 and 31st January 1975, respectively, and the dates by which producers should submit their claims if they are to benefit.

The proposed new qualifying date is 1st January for both the beef and hill cow subsidies. This will enable the 1975 subsidies to be paid this winter in addition to those made for 1974 and provide hill cow and beef cow producers with a further £24·50 and £11 a cow respectively to improve their cash flow. Between now and 1st January next my Department will undertake publicity reminding farmers of the new arrangements and of the need to send in their claims as soon as possible in the New Year in order to expedite payments.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the progress he has made in the provision of fodder for winter feeding and in securing supplies.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Drake (Miss Fookes).—[Vol. 882, c. 200.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied with the present common agricultural policy; and if he will make a statement.

In my statement to the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 18th June I indicated the changes I wished to secure in the CAP. There has since been some progress and I will be pursuing our outstanding objectives for the improvement of the CAP over the next few months.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he refuses to introduce legislation to prohibit the use of fertilisers on golf courses, football pitches, gardens, etc., so that it can be diverted to those areas of the world where it is urgently required in order to produce food.

The quantity of fertilisers used for non-agricultural purposes in the United Kingdom is very small, and the administration of such legislation would be difficult and expensive.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for nationalising the deep sea trawling fleet; and if he will make a statement.

We have no such plans.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many foreign trawlers have been caught by fishery protection vessels in the last 12 months poaching in British waters; if he will state to the last convenient date their nationality and numbers, respectively; and what has been the total amount paid in fines.

Two French vessels and one Bulgarian have been convicted for illegal fishing in the British waters in the last 12 months, and in addition to fines totalling £825, gear valued at £7,975 was confiscated. A further seven vessels were convicted for offences related to the stowage of gear.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he has made regarding the implementation of a common fisheries policy in the EEC.

Considerable progress has been made on the implementation in the United Kingdom of the marketing provisions of the EEC's common fisheries policy. The common fisheries policy as a whole is still evolving, and the United Kingdom is contributing in discussions within the Community to the development of policy in other areas and to the amendment of the existing policy in areas where experience has shown change to be necessary.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any plans to alter the present arrangements relating to the sale of untreated milk.

My right hon. Friend and I have been considering the policy in relation to milk-borne diseases and the sale of untreated milk for human consumption. We shall shortly be consulting the interests concerned on proposals for future policy. We intend to complete the consultations as quickly as possible in order to reach final decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the cost to public funds of the refits to Royal Fleet auxiliaries carried out in civil shipyards on the Tyne in each of the last 10 years;(2) what was the number of Royal Fleet auxiliaries refitted in naval dockyards in each of the last 10 years, together with the cost to public funds;

I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the extent to which the Mark 8 torpedo remains in service in the Royal Navy's nuclear and conventional submarines; when this mark of torpedo was first introduced into service; and when it is intended that it shall be replaced by more modern torpedoes.

The present version of the Mark 8 torpedo entered service in 1963 and is widely fitted in the submarine fleet. It is planned to be replaced about the end of this decade.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps his Department is taking to remove sexually discriminatory criteria in the awarding of academic grants, especially grants to mature students.

The grant which a student, whether a man or a woman, receives under the awards regulations is related to the student's requirements, income, and responsibilities. If my hon. Friend will give particulars of the provisions he has in mind I shall be glad to consider the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement about the school building programme in Cheshire with special reference to the new primary school to serve the village of Rainow, and the new Whirley Road Primary School, Macclesfield.

Cheshire has a lump sum allocation of £4,745,000 for major building projects to meet basic need in the 1974–75 building year. The authority has indicated that part of this amount will be used to build the new 280-place County Primary School in Whirley Road, Macclesfield, which was deferred from 1973–74 because of site difficulties.A project to replace the existing Rainow Church of England Aided and Rainow Methodist Aided Primary Schools by a new primary school in Rainow was deferred under the terms of Circular 15/73. Moreover this project was not eligible for the limited 1974–75 replacement programme which my right hon. Friend considered it right to restrict to projects of benefit to pupils living in areas of special need.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many colleges of education closed down in the United Kingdom in the academic year 1973–74; and how many he expects to close in 1974–75. and 1975–76. respectively.

Proposals for the closure of initial teacher training in six colleges were made in 1973–74 and four have been confirmed. The future of the remaining two is still under consideration. No college will actually close until its commitments to existing or prospective students have been discharged, and it is not yet possible to say when this will be.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what part he is playing to bring together the two sides in the labour dispute at the London Coliseum Theatre; what report he can make on progress so far; and what prospect he can hold out of eventual success.

This is in the first instance a matter between the management of the English National Opera Company and its employees and their representatives. The independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service is standing by and is ready to be called in. I have been kept informed of the situation and I understand that negotiations are still proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list the primary schools in England which are proposed for designation by the Burnham Committee as being located in socially deprived areas;(2) if he will list the primary schools in Wales which are proposed for designation by the Burnham Committee as being located in socially deprived areas;(3) if he will list the secondary schools in England which are proposed for designation by the Burnham Committee as being located in areas of social deprivation;(4) if he will list the secondary schools in Wales which are proposed for designation by the Burnham Committee as being located in areas of social deprivation.

The Burnham Committee has still to reach a final decision about which schools will be designated for the payment of special allowances to teachers in schools in areas of social deprivation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations he has had with the Burnham Committee about the criteria laid down by the committee for schools servicing areas of social deprivation.

None, but through my representatives on the Management Panel I am aware of the discussions within the committee about the criteria.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage savings in energy consumption he expects to achieve this year within his Department and all establishments over which he has responsibility; and what percentage savings he is budgeting for next year.

Heating and lighting within the Government estate is the responsibility of the Property Services Agency of the Department of the Environment. The measures to conserve energy so far introduced with which my staff are co-operating are expected to produce a saving of 6 per cent. in 1974–75 and 7 per cent. in 1975–76 over consumption originally forecast.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he has taken to assist and advise establishments with which his Department is concerned to conserve energy.

The Property Services Agency of the Department of the Environment is responsible for heating and lighting in all Government Departments and my staff are co-operating fully with the agency on measures to economise in their consumption.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what relationship the number of registered unemployed in the North-West of England at the latest available date bears to the figure at the same date in the previous year.

In the North-West Region there were 103,932 people unemployed in November 1974 compared with 80,904 in the same area in November 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to introduce his Employment Protection Bill before the Christmas Recess.

We aim to introduce a Bill in the New Year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the disputes within Scotland which the CAS is currently engaged in.

A considerable element of confidentiality is essential in conciliation work and it could hinder the effectiveness of the CAS to make known every dispute with which the service was in some way involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the amount of REP paid to firms within Scotland, in the six months of this year and the whole of 1973, which are engaged on oil rig and oil production platform construction; and what proportion that represented of total REP payments to Scottish industry.

Details of the amount of REP paid to firms engaged on oil rig and oil production platform construction are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were retrained in Hull in the years from 1964 to the nearest convenient date.

The Manpower Services Commission has advised me that information about people who completed courses under the Vocational Training Scheme and the Training Opportunities Scheme in Hull is available only for the Hull Skillcentre, formerly Government Training Centre. The following are the figures:

Hull Skillcentre
Year	Numbers who completed training
1964	63
1965	137
1966	158
1967	185
1968	166
1969	168
1970	168
1971	171
1972	201
1973	256
9 months ending 30th September 1974	220

Trainees sponsored by their employer are excluded.In addition a comparable number of trainees have completed courses in colleges in Hull over the past three years. To obtain precise figures would involve a disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all wage increases notified to his Department since 28th February 1974, and, in each case, show the actual increase and the percentage increase.

Details of changes in basic rates of wages which result from centrally determined arrangements are given each month in the leaflet entitled "Changes in Rates of Wages and Hours of Work" which is published by my Department. Copies of the leaflet are available in the Library of the House. Information about the percentage value of these increases is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about steps being taken to settle the dispute between bus drivers and conductors in Scotland and their employers.

This is an unofficial strike at a time when national negotiations are going on which cover the workers on strike. A national official of the union concerned appealed unsuccessfully last weekend for a return to work. The Conciliation and Arbitration Service is in touch with the union and the employers, but in the circumstances of the dispute there is no scope at present for its intervention. I hope that wiser counsels will prevail and that these Scottish workers will resume their services to the community and await the outcome of the processes of free collective bargaining.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for the decasualisation of the deep sea trawling fleet; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans for the decasualisation of the deep sea trawling fleet. The nature of the contractual obligations into which deep sea fishermen enter is a matter for the industry itself to resolve.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the trend of oil prices on the international markets.

After the enormous increases imposed by OPEC in October and December 1973 there has been a continuing upward trend in the course of this year. Oil prices are now five times as high as last October. Any further increase could only make the problems facing the world economy more difficult.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will take steps to require that vehicles used to deliver domestic heating oil be fitted with meters in accurate working order.

I have been asked to reply.It is my intention to introduce statutory control of deliveries of domestic heating oil, and the necessary consultations are taking place.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will provide comparative figures to show the extent to which basic equipment needed to exploit North Sea oil and gas has been supplied by British and American firms, respectively.

In 1973 the value of orders placed by operators on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf exceeded £500 million. About half of these orders by value were won by firms based in the United Kingdom. Information about orders won by American firms is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his plans for pursuing his recent suggestions that cheaper methods of home construction, including mobile homes, should be reconsidered to see what additional contribution they can make to the housing programme.

The Department is conducting an urgent review of the options which may be open to provide more housing accommodation more quickly and more cheaply. There is no commitment to use any particular kind of building.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many riders of motor cycles, showing separately those aged under 20 years, were killed and seriously injured, respectively, in the years ended March 1973 and March 1974; and what total number of motor cycles were licensed in each of those years in Great Britain.

Following are the figures:

RIDERS OI MOTOR CYCLES
		1972–73	1973–74
All ages
Killed	…	505	506
Seriously injured	…	8,211	9,222
Under 20
Killed	…	236	235
Seriously injured	…	3,920	4,719

No information is available on the number of motor cycles licensed separately from other two-wheeled motor vehicles, but motor cycle traffic mileage rose by 12 per cent. between 1972–73 and 1973–74.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average time taken by local authorities to acquire land for development under the compulsory purchase procedure; what steps he is taking to accelerate this; and if he will make a statement.

The time taken in preparing orders and in completing acquisitions after confirmation is determined locally, and an average cannot be given. The rate of progress in my Department varies widely, depending upon whether the parties continue to negotiate, whether an inquiry is necessary, the availability of inspectors and the complexity of the issues brought out. More inspectors have been appointed to take inquiries into housing compulsory purchase orders that are opposed, to speed up the process.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects to announce his decision on the compulsory purchase order on the Surrey section of the Basingstoke Canal.

Very soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will set up a public inquiry into the various proposals for the development of Piccadilly Circus.

The Westminster City Council, as local planning authority for the area, has before it a planning application involving partial redevelopment of the Criterion site. I am considering whether the proposal is one which I should call in for my decision. So far as I know there is no other application currently before the city council for major redevelopment in Piccadilly Circus.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make available the services of his Department in connection with finding and signposting a holiday rerouting traffic management scheme to avoid the A2 and Eltham High Street.

The Greater London Council, as the traffic authority, has responsibility for introducing traffic management schemes. The Department is always ready to advise on such schemes if the council requests assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will amend the General Development Order 1973, paragraph 5(i), in order to require an additional copy of plans to be provided with all planning applications for use by parish/town councils, to assist them in making observations to the planning authority.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 21st November to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Kershaw).—[Vol. 881, c. 484–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the letters of 15th October, 5th November and 25th November from the hon. Member for Surrey, North-West about his constituent, Mr. Dudley Glanfield of Windlesham, with regard to the remaining accommodation works following the building of the M3 motorway; and when he is going to reply.

Yes, and they were acknowledged. These letters, with some 25 enclosures, cover many diverse subjects in addition to the matter of accommodation works. I am having inquiries made and will reply to the hon. Member for Surrey, North-West (Mr. Grylls) as soon as detailed investigations have been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list Great Britain's crude trade deficit with other EEC countries for each half year since 1971.

I have been asked to reply.The information requested is as follows:

					£ million
1971	H1	…	…	…	118
	H2	…	…	…	138
1972	H1	…	…	…	279
	H2	…	…	…	301
1973	H1	…	…	…	502
	H2	…	…	…	665
1974	H1	…	…	…	990

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the possible breakdown of fingerprint services at Scotland Yard through the departure of experienced staff; and if he will make a statement.

We received a number of representations about the effect on Metropolitan Police fingerprint officers of the delay in settling the pay of the scientific Civil Service, to which they are linked. It would not be right to suggest that the service is approaching a breakdown, but the shortage of staff is still a cause for concern.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new salary levels have been introduced for fingerprint officers at Scotland Yard; and if he is satisfied that this will result in an adequate level of recruitment.

Metropolitan Police fingerprint officers are linked for the purposes of pay to the scientific Civil Service and have received all the increases recently given to that group. These increases should improve recruitment. A claim on behalf of the fingerprint officers for further improvement in their pay is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the normal time taken for a routine check by the fingerprint department at Scotland Yard on fingerprints found at the scene of a crime.

Most cases are cleared within a week of the receipt of the prints.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the full establishment for the staffing of the fingerprint department at Scotland Yard; how many are currently employed; and how many have left the department in the last year.

The establishment for fingerprint officers is 346, and the current strength is 296. In addition 13 police officers are employed in the branch. 58 fingerprint officers have resigned in the last 12 months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men and women, respectively, currently serving prison sentences have been in prison for (i) longer than 12 years, (ii) 10–12 years, (iii) 8–10 years, (iv) 6–8 years, (v) 4–6 years, (vi) 2–4 years and (vii) under two years.

I am arranging for this information to be obtained and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in furtherance of the Sessional Order, he will request the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to have a traffic warden or policeman on duty at St. Stephen's Entrance to assist hon. Members and visitors to the Palace of Westminster across the road.

I understand that the Commissioner of Police has already made arrangements to ensure that hon. Members can cross the road quickly at this point when a Division is called. In view of the proximity of the pedestrian crossing at the corner of Parliament Square he would be reluctant to establish a further full-time control at this point, but he will continue to do all he can to ensure the speedy access of all hon. Members to the House at all times.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men and women, respectively, were paroled in the last 12 months.

In 1973, 3,266 men and 78 women serving determinate sentences in England and Wales were released on parole.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list consultations he has had in recent months with trade associations, the relevant industrial group and the Confederation of British Industry on the effects on various leading industries of United Kingdom membership of the EEC.

My Department has received views on this matter in recent months from many quarters representative of industry including trade unions, the CBI, trade associations and individual firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the number of new factories opening in Hull in the past year on a weekly average.

No Government factories were opened in this period. I have no readily available information about other factories.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what are the number of Government-provided premises and local authority provided premises in the Hull district from 1970 to the nearest convenient date.

One Government advance factory of 20,000 sq. ft. has been completed, one of 15,000 sq. ft. is under construction and one of 15,000 sq. ft. and another of 10,000 sq. ft. were announced on 14th November. I am inquiring about local authority premises and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what are the numbers of Hull-based firms moving into new factory premises and the number of firms not based in Hull opening new factory premises over the past four years.

I will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many new jobs have been created in Hull from Government advance factories from 1970 until the nearest convenient date.

There is only one advance factory completed and occupied. I regret that I cannot provide the information, since this would relate to an identifiable firm and the provisions of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947 bar disclosure in such cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firms from EEC countries or from countries trading primarily with the EEC have opened new factories in Hull since the United Kingdom attempted to join the EEC.

The Department does not ordinarily collect this information and has no knowledge of any such cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will call an immediate halt to all steelworks closures, actual or planned, in Scotland; and if he will seek powers to establish a Scottish Steel Corporation controlled in, by, and for Scotland with powers to plan for its own expansion and competitiveness in the context of world steel trade.

Pending the outcome of the review of the British Steel Corporation's closure programme which my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State is conducting, the BSC agreed to suspend proposed plant closures in Scotland as elsewhere. The Minister of State's consultations have already included visits to nine works in Scotland and meetings with the Scottish TUC and with local representatives of the work forces. He will shortly hold a tripartite meeting between the Government, BSC and the TUC Steel Committee and he will also consult the appropriate Members of Parliament and other interested parties.The Government see no economic advantage to Scotland in having a separate steel corporation for that country but we are concerned to ensure that distance from London headquarters does not operate to the detriment of the BSC in Scotland.

INDEX OF PRODUCTION FOR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
1970=100
			United Kingdom	France	German Federal Republic	Italy	Austria	Belgium
1955	…	…	65	41	38	32	44	46
1956	…	…	65	44	42	34	46	50
1957	…	…	66	48	45	37	49	51
1958	…	…	65	50	46	38	49	49
1959	…	…	69	50	50	42	53	53
1960	…	…	76	55	56	50	58	58
1961	…	…	76	58	60	55	61	61
1962	…	…	76	61	62	61	62	65
1963	…	…	79	65	64	66	65	70
1964	…	…	86	70	70	67	70	75
1965	…	…	88	71	74	70	73	77
1966	…	…	90	77	75	78	76	80
1967	…	…	90	79	74	85	77	82
1968	…	…	95	83	83	90	82	87
1969	…	…	99	94	94	94	92	96
1970	…	…	100	100	100	100	100	100
1971	…	…	100	105	102	100	107	102
1972	…	…	102	117	105	104	117	109
1973	…	…	110	122	114	113	122	116

1970=100
			Netherlands	Luxembourg	Switzerland	Norway	Sweden	Ireland
1955	…	…	39	63	N.A.	50	N.A.	46
1956	…	…	41	68	N.A.	52	N.A.	45
1957	…	…	43	69	N.A.	53	N.A.	45
1958	…	…	43	67	51	53	N.A.	46
1959	…	…	47	71	56	56	50	50
1960	…	…	52	78	61	60	55	54
1961	…	…	54	79	65	64	59	59
1962	…	…	57	76	68	66	63	63
1963	…	…	60	76	70	70	66	66
1964	…	…	67	85	73	76	72	71
1965	…	…	70	85	76	80	78	74
1966	…	…	73	82	78	85	81	76
1967	…	…	76	82	81	87	83	82
1968	…	…	84	88	85	90	87	91
1969	…	…	93	99	93	96	94	97
1970	…	…	100	100	100	100	100	100
1971	…	…	104	99	103	103	101	104
1972	…	…	110	104	105	106	103	109
1973	…	…	117	117	110	111	110	121

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish tables in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing production in the manufacturing industry in the last 20 years compared with other European countries; and if he will outline his plans for improving the United Kingdom's position.

The following table gives the index of manufacturing production for a number of European countries, including the United Kingdom, for the years 1955 to 1973. The Government's plans for improving the position of the United Kingdom are outlined in "The Regeneration of British Industry" (Cmnd. 5710).

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps have been taken to recruit staff for the proposed National Enterprise Board.

Board appointments will be made by the Government. But it will be for the National Enterprise Board itself, once established, to recruit its own staff. Meanwhile the Department of Industry is keeping a list of any inquiries about potential employment by the NEB and this will be brought to the attention of the board in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the average cost per dialled unit, including rental charges, for a private subscriber with a single telephone who consumes 100, 500 and 1,000 dialled units per annum, respectively.

I will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much financial assistance has been granted by his Department to the workers' co-operative at Meriden; and if he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations to date.

The offer of financial assistance to the proposed workers' co-operative at Meriden was subject to the conclusion of the necessary agreements between the co-operative and Norton Villiers Triumph Ltd. Those agreements have not yet been concluded and no payments have so far been made to the co-operative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes that the extension next year of tax relief on inflationary increases in the value of work in progress will apply to professional firms as well as to traders.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 25th November 1974; Vol. 882, c. 65], gave the following information:This question is under consideration, and I am unable yet to let the hon. Member have a reply. I will write to him as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were born to citizens of Eire who were patients in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, during the years 1970 to 1974.

The information is as follows:

Year			No. of births
1970	…	…	…	1
1971	…	…	…	5
1972	…	…	…	6
1973	…	…	…	3
1974 to date	…	…	…	Nil
Total	…	…	…	15

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many citizens of Eire received medical treatment at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, during the years 1968 to 1974.

The information is as follows:

Year
1968	…	…	…	11
1969	…	…	…	16
1970	…	…	…	6
1971	…	…	…	18
1972	…	…	…	3
1973	…	…	…	1
1974 to date	…	…	…	4
Total	…	…	…	59

These figures do not include maternity cases which are dealt with in the answer to a separate Question by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many labourers' cottages have been sold by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to sitting tenants; how many have been sold in the open market; and if he will give the average price in 1973 and in 1974 to date.

The information is as follows: 341 cottages sold to sitting tenants, 28 in the open market. The average price in 1973 was £815 and 1974 to date £998.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons released from detention were later killed by the security forces in the execution of their duty since 9th August 1971; how many have been assassinated; and, in each case, how many were Roman Catholics and how many were Protestants.

This information is not readily available and it would take disproportionate time and effort to obtain it.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection how many prosecutions have been undertaken by the Department for breaches of the price control regulations since the most recent legislation was introduced.

So far no prosecutions have been undertaken under the Counter-Inflation Act 1973. The power to undertake prosecutions in relation to price regulation orders under Section 2 of the Prices Act 1974 lies with local weights and measures authorities except in Scotland, where prosecutions are the responsibility of the procurator fiscal. I am not aware that there may have been any prosecutions under this section of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many doctors serve the area of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston, respectively; and how many persons they have on their lists.

The information about principals in general practice and the patients on their lists as at 1st October 1974 is as follows:

Area			Principals	Patients
Ardrossan	…	…	7	16,514
Saltcoats	…	…	6	14,069
Stevenston	…	…	4	8,667

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to end the shortage of doctors in Stevenston.

I am not aware that there is a shortage of doctors in the Stevenston area. As at 1st October 1974 there was one group practice consisting of four principals with 8,667 patients on their combined lists.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will introduce legislation at an early date to remove from Scottish land tenure the remaining powers of feudal superiority.

I am at present considering the next stages in reform of land tenure, including registration of title to land.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the effect on Scotland of the strike of drivers and conductors in the Scottish Bus Group.

Unofficial strikes by drivers and conductors of the Scottish Bus Group, which started on 18th November, have now spread to all depots except Alloa, Ardrishaig, Rothesay, Montrose, Elgin, Buckie, Huntly and those in the group's Highland area. On 28th November 8,864 workers were on strike and 491 still at work. Most people outside the four cities are thus left without bus services. I greatly regret the problems this has caused, though the indications I have are that those affected are for the most part successfully overcoming their difficulties, often no doubt at the cost of considerable personal inconvenience and effort.The strike is in support of a demand by unofficial groups for an immediate increase in pay which is not in accord with the guidelines under the social contract

ORDINARY SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT RATES (INCLUDING RENT) AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE NET WEEKLY EARNINGS OF MALE MANUAL WORKERS IN OCTOBER*
							Married Persons
Year					Single householder	Without children	With 2 children (both aged under 5)	With 4 children (two aged under 5 and two aged 5–10)
1954	…	…	…	…	26·7	39·7	46·7	55·1
1955	…	…	…	…	26·5	38·9	45·8	54·7
1956	…	…	…	…	27·4	39·9	46·9	54·9
1957	…	…	…	…	26·6	38·6	45·2	52·6
1958	…	…	…	…	30·3	44·2	51·2	59·0
1959	…	…	…	…	31·0	45·9	53·7	61·9
1960	…	…	…	…	29·6	43·5	50·9	58·3
1961	…	…	…	…	31·1	45·3	52·9	60·3
1962	…	…	…	…	32·2	46·6	54·2	61·7
1963	…	…	…	…	34·1	48·5	55·9	64·4
1964	…	…	…	…	32·1	45·9	52·9	60·1
1965	…	…	…	…	36·1	51·7	59·0	66·7
1966	…	…	…	…	37·8	53·9	61·2	68·8
1967	…	…	…	…	38·9	55·5	62·9	70·2
1968	…	…	…	…	38·6	55·1	63·3	70·4
1969	…	…	…	…	37·8	54·2	62·4	69·7
1970	…	…	…	…	37·0	52·9	61·4	69·4
1971	…	…	…	…	37·6	53·9	61·9	69·2
1972	…	…	…	…	35·3	51·1	59·6	67·6
1973	…	…	…	…	36·0	49·3	59·3	65·7
* Taken from inquiries conducted by the Department of Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the value of national assistance/supplementary benefit payments for (a) a single person, (b) a married couple without children, (c) a married couple with two children and (d) a married couple with four children, as a percentage of average net earnings for each year since 1948.

I regret that it is not possible to provide this information for the years 1948 to 1953. The following table gives estimated percentages for each year from 1954 to 1973, the latest year for which figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the Official Report the average value of national assistance/supplementary benefit as a percentage of net average earnings for each year since 1948.

The information requested is contained in the following table:

SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT ORDINARY SCALE RATES (TO WHICH IN PRACTICE AN ALLOWANCE FOR RENT WOULD BE ADDED) AS A PERCENTAGE OF NET AVERAGE EARNINGS OF MALE MANUAL WORKERS IN OCTOBER
Year				Single householder	Married couple
1948	…	…	…	20·7	32·2
1949	…	…	…	20·0	31·3
1950	…	…	…	20·2	32·1
1951	…	…	…	21·6	33·9
1952	…	…	…	22·9	36·3
1953	…	…	…	21·4	34·3
1954	…	…	…	20·0	32·0
1955	…	…	…	20·0	31·4
1956	…	…	…	20·1	31·6
1957	…	…	…	19·2	30·2
1958	…	…	…	21·5	34·1
1959	…	…	…	22·4	36·0
1960	…	…	…	21·1	33·9
1961	…	…	…	22·0	34·8
1962	…	…	…	22·9	35·9

ORDINARY SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT RATES (INCLUDING RENT) AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS OF MALE MANUAL WORKERS IN OCTOBER*
							Married Persons
Year					Single householder	Without children	With 2 children (both aged under 5)	With 4 children (two aged under 5 and two aged 5–10)
1954	…	…	…	…	22·8	35·8	46·8	60·0
1955	…	…	…	…	22·3	35·0	46·0	59·0
1956	…	…	…	…	22·9	35·5	47·6	59·7
1957	…	…	…	…	20·0	34·0	44·6	56·9
1958	…	…	…	…	24·7	38·3	49·9	63·1
1959	…	…	…	…	25·5	40·0	52·0	66·1
1960	…	…	…	…	24·1	37·6	48·9	61 ·9
1961	…	…	…	…	24·7	38·1	49·5	62·6
1962	…	…	…	…	25·5	39·0	50·6	63·9
1963	…	…	…	…	26·7	40·7	52·5	66·3
1964	…	…	…	…	24·8	37·8	48·8	61·5
1965	…	…	…	…	27·3	41·6	53·4	67·2
1966	…	…	…	…	28·4	43·1	54·9	68·7
1967	…	…	…	…	28·9	43·7	55·7	69·7
1968	…	…	…	…	28·4	42·9	55·0	68·9
1969	…	…	…	…	27·6	41·7	53·3	66·6
1970	…	…	…	…	26·3	39·8	50·8	63·6
1971	…	…	…	…	26·9	40·5	51·8	64·7
1972	…	…	…	…	25·9	39·0	49·9	62·4
1973	…	…	…	…	26·1	37·0	48·3	58·3
* Taken from the inquiries conducted by the Department of Employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the Official Report the value of employment benefit/sickness benefit as a per-

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the Official Report the value of supplementary benefit payments as a percentage of average earnings for each year since 1948; and if she will give the information for a single person, a married couple without children, a married couple with two children and a married couple with four children.

I regret that it is not possible to provide this information for the years 1948 to 1953. The following table gives estimated percentages for each year from 1954 to 1973, the latest year for which figures are available.centage of net average earnings for each year since 1948.

The following table sets out the value of flat-rate unemployment benefit and sickness benefit expressed as a percentage of net average earnings—that is, the average earnings of male, adult, full-time manual workers —in manufacturing and certain other industries as determined by the Department of Employment's regular October inquiry, less tax and national insurance contributions.

		Single person	Married couple
October in each year
1948	…	22·4	33·8
1949	…	21·7	32·0
1950	…	20·2	31·0
1951	…	18·7	28·5
1952	…	21·3	33·3
1953	…	20·0	31·4
1954	…	18·7	29·3
1955	…	21·3	32·4
1956	…	20·1	30·7
1957	…	19·2	29·3
1958	…	23·9	35·9
1959	…	22·4	33·9
1960	…	21·1	31·9
1961	…	23·6	35·8
1962	…	22·9	34·8
1963	…	25·6	38·8
1964	…	24·0	36·5
1965	…	27·0	41·2
1966	…	26·2	40·1
1967	…	28·4	43·4
1968	…	26·6	40·8
1969	…	24·8	38·2
1970	…	25·0	38·4
1971	…	27·1	41·8
1972	…	25·7	39·8
1973	…	24·8	38·7
1974 (August)	…	25·9	40·0