asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the United Kingdom's consumption of butter for the latest available three months; and how this compares with consumption for the corresponding period in the preceding three years.

Estimated United Kingdom consumption of butter in the three months July to September 1974, the latest period for which figures are available, was 112,000 tons. Consumption in these three months in 1971, 1972 and 1973 respectively was 105,000 tons, 95,000 tons and 98,000 tons.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now restrict trawling for plaice and soles within the 12-mile belt by vessels exceeding 25 gross registered tons, or with engines exceeding 150 horsepower.

At its last meeting the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission approved a resolution which would restrict trawling for soles and plaice by heavier vessels in the coastal waters on the eastern side of the North Sea. The Government are now considering, in consultation with representatives of our fishing industry, whether acceptance of this recommendation by the member countries of the commission would make it desirable to adopt similar measures off the British coast.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated percentage of meat imported into the United Kingdom which is supplied by the Irish Republic; how this compares with the percentage for the same period in the previous year; and if he is satisfied that common agricultural policy subsidies are not being used by the Eire Government to the disadvantage of the British beef producer.

The proportion of United Kingdom imported beef supplies which came from the Irish Republic during the last two years is as follows:

Period	January—September
1973	1974
15·25 per cent.	35·5 per cent.

The increase in the Irish proportion this year reflects the very considerable reduction in imports of beef from non-EEC countries. The use which the Government of the Irish Republic make of funds accruing to them under CAP arrangements is subject to the agreement of the Community. I have no evidence that the system is being manipulated by the Government of the Irish Republic to the disadvantage of beef producers in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the approximate quantity of wheat and maize, respectively, imported for use as animal feedstock from June 1973 to June 1974 and its cost in sterling.

Estimates of the quantities of wheat and maize imported into the United Kingdom by animal compounders for use as feeding stuffs during the period 1st July 1973 to 30th June 1974 together with the approximate cost are given below;

			000 tons	£000
Wheat	…	…	283	13,230
Maize	…	…	1,478	88,273

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he can estimate the quantity of wheat and maize, respectively, used in animal and poultry feed in the United Kingdom in the period June 1973 to June 1974 and the respective proportions of each grain that were imported.

The estimated quantities of wheat and maize used in animal and poultry feed compounds and delivered straight by compounders in the United Kingdom between 1st July 1973 and 30th June 1974 together with the proportion imported are given below:

Wheat			1,978,000 tons
Per cent.	imported		16·3
Maize			1,524,000 tons
Per cent.	imported		99·8

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he can estimate the proportion of pigs and poultry kept in England and Wales that are fed on swill or other similar foods that otherwise might be wasted; and how the costs of such feed compares with that of cereal-based compounds.

It was estimated in 1973 that about 8 per cent. of pigs in England and Wales were fed on waste food. The proportion of swill-fed poultry is insignificant. Comparisons between the cost of swill and compound feeds would be misleading because of their different feed values.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the amount of money spent on advertising by each Department of State for each month during the past 12 months.

The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at dispropor- tionate cost. However, in the financial year 1973–74 the amounts spent on advertising by each Department were:

	£
Central Statistical Office	16,050
Civil Service Commission	681,000
H.M. Customs and Excise	455,650
Ministry of Defence (Air)	1,060,850
Ministry of Defence (Army)	2,108,900
Ministry of Defence (Navy)	1,415,350
Department of Education and Science	22,050
Department of Employment	350,400
Department of the Environment (road safety)	2,281,600
Department of the Environment (other)	847,400
Export Credits Guarantee Department	92,400
Department of Health and Social Security	842,150
Home Office	1,464000
Inland Revenue	61,400
Lord Chancellor's Office	190,850
Metrication Board	101,950
Royal Mint	97,000
Department for National Savings	1,752,274
Northern Ireland Office	14,950
Ordnance Survey	48,900
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications	134,290
Scottish Office	240,100
H.M. Stationery Office	2,467,998
Department of Trade and Industry	2,949,550✶
Welsh Office	18,550
Cabinet Office	1,700
Treasury	73,300
* Includes approximately 2·6 millions spent on emergency advertising.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of United Kingdom defence expenditure is spent across the exchanges.

The net effect on the balance of payments of defence expenditure cannot be precisely quantified because of the difficulty of measuring all the foreign exchange transactions that arise directly or indirectly in the defence field. Subject to these reservations, Annex A to the 1973 Statement on Defence shows a deficit on Government account of about 9 per cent. of the 1973–74 defence budget estimates. There are, however, a number of other transactions which are related to the defence field. These include private expenditure by United States forces stationed in the United Kingdom and sales of defence equipment by firms shown in the statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what reductions of manpower in the Army he intends to make in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will announce further details of the proposed cut in Army manpower which he announced on 3rd December 1974.

Our proposals, on which we are now consulting our allies and the Governments concerned, involve reducing Army manpower by about 12,000 compared with the strength in April this year. The bulk of the reductions would take place in the next few years. But I cannot give further details at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement as to what arrangements he is making so that units of the Army shall receive training in jungle warfare, after the withdrawal of British troops from the Jungle Warfare Training School in Malaysia.

No. At this stage of the defence review it would be premature to identify possible means of meeting any future need for such training.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present number of units in TAVR II which have a role in NATO and United Kingdom land forces respectively.

TAVR I, II and III became TAVR Group A in 1969.There are 57 major units and 55 minor units of TAVR Group A earmarked for assignment to 1 (BR) Corps and NATO Headquarters and a further seven major units and 25 minor units of TAVR Group A which reinforce SACEUR'S strategic reserve—United Kingdom Mobile Force—which is also earmarked for NATO. The remainder of the T&AVR Group A units in United Kingdom land forces, some 27 major units, are available for home defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the present strength of the TAVR III in each area of the country; and what percentage this represents of the total establishment in each case;(2) what is the present strength of the TAVR II in each area of the country; and what percentage this represents of the total establishment in each case.

The Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve was reorganised in 1969 into TAVR Groups A and B. TAVR Group A subsumed TAVR I, II and III.The strength of TAVR Group A in each district, numerically and as a percentage of the establishment, in each case is:

		Strength	Percentage of Establishment
Scotland	…	6,381	77·23
North-East District	…	7,814	80·65
North-West District	…	4,575	80·61
North Midland District	…	4,229	78·02
Wales	…	3,080	80·00
East District	…	3,088	78·39
South-East District	…	1,614	74·54
South-West District	…	2,899	76·87
London District	…	6,745	73·44
Northern Ireland	…	2,693	68·61

Sponsored units in Group A, which are not included in the above figures since they are recruited on a national basis and cannot be related to individual districts, have a strength of 6,294, 65·3 per cent. of their establishment.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details as to which Army units will be disbanded as a result of the decision to cancel the RS80 missile system; and how many Service men will be involved.

RS80 is at too early a stage of development for a firm deployment plan to have been drawn up. Withdrawal from the project will not, in itself, lead to changes in our present organisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will issue a statement outlining Government policy towards the youth service;(2) if he will establish a youth service consultative council, such as the now abolished Youth Service Development Council, to advise his Department on matters concerning the youth service.

My right hon. Friend is considering how he can best assist the development of the youth service in present circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to extend the provision of youth service training courses in colleges of education.

My right hon. Friend is considering proposals from a number of colleges of education to mount youth and community work courses as part of their plans to diversify training.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will introduce legislation to make it mandatory for local authorities to provide a youth service.

No. Sections 41(6) and 53(1) of the Education Act 1944, as amended, lay upon local education authorities a duty to secure the adequacy of leisure time facilities for young people. The facilities described in these sections are those generally accepted as constituting a youth service.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the amount of the full student grant which is intended to cover rent payments in term time, and the increase which this represents over the previous award.

The grant is intended to meet the student's maintenance needs as a whole, and there is no separately identified element to cover rent payments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many fully qualified and Scottish domiciled applicants for university entrance were denied places in each of the last two sessions.

This information is not available because many Scottish domiciled students do not apply for entry through the Universities Central Council on Admissions.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will compare the figures for absenteeism in the coal mining industry during the second quarter of 1974 with the same period during each of the preceding five years.

Coal industry statistics, including the rates of absence from NCB mines, are contained in the Monthly Digest of Statistics published by the Central Statistical Office and in my Department's statistical bulletin "Energy Trends". Copies are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to be able to present the reply to the report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries on the purchasing of powered roof supports and spares by the National Coal Board.

The reply will be presented today.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what consideration he has given to refinery policy and disposal of North Sea oil; and if he will make a statement.

North Sea crude oil production is expected to be between 100 and 150 million tons a year by the early 1980s. At current oil prices this represents a gross value of up to £5,000 million p.a.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement about the use of his proposed powers to control the rate of production of oil from the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.

In my statement to Parliament on 11th July on United Kingdom offshore policy I said that the Government proposed to take powers to control the rate of depletion of oil. I already have power to decide on the timing, nature and extent of future licensing rounds, and in the forthcoming petroleum legislation I shall be proposing powers to control the rate of production.How or when such powers may be used in the 1980s and 1990s will depend on the extent of the total finds, on the world oil market and on the demand for energy. On all these points great uncertainty prevails. Policy will also be influenced by our general economic situation and in particular the outlook for our balance of payments. The Government cannot, therefore, be expected to define, before any oil has come ashore, and when large parts of the sea remain unexplored, a long-term production pattern.On the other hand, these powers may be needed in the future to safeguard national interests. However much oil we find, it is limited and can only be used once. This and future Governments must, therefore, ensure that this vital national resource will be used at a rate which secures the greatest long-term benefit to the nation's economy, and in particular to Scotland, Wales and other parts of the United Kingdom in need of development.We propose, therefore, to take powers of control for use in the future, but it remains the Government's aim to ensure that oil production from the United Kingdom Continental Shelf builds up as quickly as possible over the next few years to the level set out in paragraph 4 of the White Paper (Cmnd. 5696). This will help our balance of payments, contribute to Government revenues, stimulate our industries and make our energy supplies more secure. It will also be an important British contribution to the development of the indigenous energy resources of the industrial world.I wish, therefore, to assure the oil companies, and the banks to which they will look for finance, that our depletion policy and its implementation will not

undermine the basis on which they have made plans and entered into commitments. Our future policy will be based on the following guidelines;

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish a list of those European countries with a temperate climate whose statutory regulation of thermal insulation on existing and new buildings is of a lower standard than those now applicable in the United Kingdom.

I have been asked to reply.As far as is known, no such countries lay down mandatory standards for the thermal insulation of existing buildings. As to new buildings, international comparisons are difficult to make, but, broadly, no country of North-West Europe has mandatory standards for housing which are lower than our current standards, which are in the course of being raised. There is little regulation of the thermal insulation of non-domestic buildings in continental countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) whether he has yet used his powers, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, to make regulations directed specifically towards energy conservation; and if he will publish details;(2) whether he has yet acted on the recommendation by the National Economic Development Office report of last June, urging higher standards of thermal insulation on buildings;(3) if he can now say what plans he has to change the building regulations to ensure proper thermal insulation of cavity walls and double glazing on new buildings, in the interests of energy conservation.

I have been asked to reply.I am considering how best to use the powers in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to make building regulations in the interest of fuel conservation over the full range of types of building regulations in the interest of fuel conservation over the full range of types of building. Action to improve the thermal insulation of dwellings under the Public Health Act powers will make an important early contribution to energy conservation, but I cannot yet say whether a further increase in the thermal insulation of walls and windows will be found to merit a higher priority than other measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department will publish regular reports on the progress of the low paid as this job, formerly done by the CIR, is not being fulfilled at the moment.

The New Earnings Survey provides regular information on the distribution of earnings, including the position of the low paid. The CIR did not publish regular reports on the progress of the low paid as such, though it did cover some aspects of low pay, for example, in its reports on certain of the wages councils sectors.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the United Kingdom changed their jobs in each of the years 1970 to 1973; and how many were out of work in each year for over one month.

The number of Forms P45 received by the Inland Revenue gives a very approximate indication of the number of job terminations as opposed to changes—namely, some 9 million to 10 million annually for the United Kingdom. The circumstances in which a Form P45 should be issued are such that the number of job changes would be less than the number of these forms. Figures are not available for the numbers unemployed for particular lengths of spell of unemployment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people became unemployed in the United Kingdom from June 1970 to June 1972; what these figures would be as a percentage of those who changed jobs during this period; how they were eventually re-employed; and what contribution they are now making to production enterprise.

The number of registrations at employment offices by unemployed persons in the United Kingdom between June 1970 and June 1972 was 8,134,000. Some persons would register more than once. The number excludes those registering at careers offices and with professional and executive recruitment but includes some persons who have previously not been in employment. Information is not at present available on the number of persons who changed jobs in the period June 1970 to June 1972, or on the re-employment of the unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment it he will give the date on which the Conciliation and Arbitration Service was requested to intervene in the dispute at B.P. Refinery (Kent), the dates of meetings which its officers have attended and the parties with whom these meetings were held.

The Conciliation and Arbitration Service has been helping to try and resolve this dispute since it began on 21st October. I understand that a number of meetings have been held. These have involved the management, the Joint Craft Trade Union Negotiating Committee, and the Transport and General Workers' Union representing the process workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered disabled people were unemployed in the Hull area at the latest available date; how this compares at the same time each year from 1970; and how many firms are failing to employ their quota of disabled people.

The number of registered disabled people unemployed in the Hull area in October, the latest date for which figures are available, was 843. Previous figures for the same month were:

1970	…	…	…	…	1,240
1971	…	…	…	…	1,284
1972	…	…	…	…	1,321
1973	…	…	…	…	1,100

In May 1974, the latest date on which information is available, 202 employers in the area failed to employ their quota of registered disabled people.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider with the local authority associations steps to increase their take-up of bricks to secure an adequate supply for their expanding house building programmes including, if necessary, a stockpiling subsidy similar to that applied to certain foodstuffs.

At the end of October 1974 there were 817 million bricks in stock, representing about two months' supply at current levels of demand. I can hold out no hope of the Government financing further stockpiling of bricks. I do not believe that there will be any problems over the supply of bricks in the short term, and I am keeping a close watch on the position as regards the longer term.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the interests of energy conservation, he will introduce financial incentives for the improvement of thermal insulation standards in existing domestic buildings.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara) on 25th November.—[Vol. 882, c. 89.]—The Circular on House Renovation Grants (DOE 160/74) was issued on 26th November, 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a detailed statement accounting for the more than threefold increase between the estimated cost of £120 million at February 1973 prices and £373 million at May 1974 prices for the proposed Channel Tunnel rail link.

I cannot add much to the statement by my right hon. Friend on 26th November. The former estimate was essentially based on engineering feasibility studies, whereas the latter was generally in the detail necessary for preparing parliamentary plans. In addition the cost of railway construction rose substantially over the period in question and the detailed planning of new development across environmentally sensitive and built-up areas, together with a London terminal and depot, proved more expensive than had been foreseen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date he was presented with the revised cost estimate by British Railways of the proposed high-speed Channel Tunnel rail link; and on what date he requested British Railways to examine a range of lower-cost options.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, with reference to his statement on 26th November, on what date British Rail's estimates of a revised cost for the high-speed link were presented to the Government for their examination.

The revised estimate is based on an interim report which I received from the Railways Board in September. This report indicated that, in view of the rising cost, the board was giving preliminary consideration to a lower cost strategy, in which I felt it prudent to encourage the board. It was not, of course, asked to abandon the previous project in favour of a range of alternative options until my right hon. Friend made his statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to build further offices in London for Government Departments; what area of land is involved; and if he will make a statement.

The Property Services Agency has plans for building offices in London on the following sites:

Vauxhall Bridge Foot	7·3 acres
Royal Mint	6·4 acres
Elephant and Castle (Site No. 3)	4·1 acres
St Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane	0·l acre

The first three are still the subject of discussions with the Greater London Council and the London borough councils concerned. The buildings will be used to rehouse staff currently occupying leased premises, and will continue to be required after the Government's programme of dispersal has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the likely effects on British Railways' advanced passenger train project if the plans for a high-speed Channel Tunnel rail link are cancelled.

The development of the advanced passenger train for use on domestic services will not be affected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that in Australia, where the wearing of car seat belts has been compulsory for some time, an exemption has been given for those doing collection and delivery work at reasonable speeds where frequent starts and stops are involved; and whether he will give favourable consideration to making a similar concession when seat belts are made compulsory in this country.

The answer to both parts of the Question is "Yes".

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps designed to speed up the building of new homes in London's dockland.

Three sites, totalling 177 acres, have already been made available in dockland for early housing development. They will provide about 2,200 dwellings, and construction is expected to begin in 1975. I trust that the Docklands Joint Committee, which was set up early this year, will secure the redevelopment of the area, including the provision of much further housing, with all possible speed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will initiate a thorough inquiry into the hazards to London's water supplies arising out of the dumping of toxic waste at Pitsea by Redland Purle.

This is a matter for the local authorities and the water authorities concerned. Water at present abstracted for drinking water in London or elsewhere is uncontaminated by effluent from Pitsea, and surveys undertaken to date do not suggest that any significant risk exists to water supplies. I am currently discussing with all the authorities concerned the desirability of continually monitoring the situation to ensure that the present position is maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the total number of housing starts, in both the public and private sectors, in the second and third quarters of 1974 and in the same quarters of 1973.

Including a provisional estimate for September, 137,200 dwellings were started in Great Britain during these two quarters of 1974, compared with 178,200 in the same period of 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what details he is now able to give of his grant to Humberside County Council in respect of that authority's transport policy and programmes for 1975–76.

County councils will be notified of their allocation of transport supplementary grant for 1975–76 as soon as possible after the House has approved the necessary provisions in the Rate Support Grant Order for next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the persons and/or organisations to which locus standi has been granted by him, in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act 1972, at the Leicestershire structure plan inquiry; to whom it has been refused; and upon what general criteria.

An examination in public on structure plans has replaced a public inquiry based on the hearing of objections. The examination is designed to investigate matters selected by the Secretary of State. Invitations to participate follow from the selection of matters for examination and the contribution that participants might make to the discussion. The list of those invited to participate at the examination in public on the Leicester and Leicestershire structure plan is long, and I am sending it to the hon. Member, together with a list of those who have written to the Secretary of State about the plan but have not been invited to participate. The criteria for the selection of matters and participants are set out in the code of practice, which I am also sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to conclude his consideration of the report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries on Capital Investment Procedures 1973, and of the Expenditure Committee in its report on Public Expenditure on Transport 1974, that transport planning within his Department is in need of co-ordination, and that a unit should be set up within his Department to determine overall transport investment policy.

I cannot yet say.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the £500 million loaned to building societies has so far been repaid to Her Majesty's Government.

£106 million of the £500 million loaned to building societies has so far been repaid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total sum of money which he has so far approved for loan sanction for the purchase of second-hand and new dwellings, respectively, by local authorities under Circular 70/74; and what is the total number of dwellings in each case.

Those authorities which have made the returns required by Circular 70/74 report the acquisition up to 30th September of some 6,000 dwellings under the general consent given by the circular at a cost of about £48 million. In addition, individual consents have been given so far this year for about £15 million for the acquisition of some 2,300 second-hand dwellings and for about £50 million for the purchase by local authorities of some 5,300 new dwellings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT each local authority to which he gave loan sanction between 31st October and 30th November in order to buy unsold dwellings from private developers under Circular 70/74, the number of dwellings approved in each local authority area and the cumulative total in the month.

During November approvals were recorded for 865 of these dwellings to be acquired by the 36 English local authorities listed below. Applications previously approved to acquire 30 dwellings were recorded as being withdrawn and the net cumulative total at the end of November was 5,287 dwellings.

Northern Region
	No. of dwellings
Newcastle upon Tyne	55
North Tyneside	23
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
Leeds	2
Ryedale	9
East Midland Region
Chesterfield	2
Derby	44
Gedling	4
East Anglia Region
Peterborough	2
West Norfolk	46
South-East Region
Brent	6
Bromley	10
Cherwell	6
Gosport	22
Lewes	9
Mid Bedfordshire	42
Mid Sussex	1
Southampton	77
Thanet	33
Thurrock	90
Tunbridge Wells	5
South West Region
Bath	6
Bristol	37
Caradon	10
Gloucester	48
Penwith	10
Purbeck	6
Thamesdown	78
Torridge	20
West Somerset	29

West Midland Region
Birmingham	…	…	8
Dudley	…	…	18
Lichfield	…	…	59
Rugby	…	…	32
Wyre Forest	…	…	9
North West Region
Oldham	…	…	3
Stockport	…	…	4

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the number of houses that have been proposed and constructed, respectively, by each local authority since Section 3(1) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 came into force; and if he he will make a statement.

From 29th August 1970, when this section came into force, to 30th June 1974, English local authorities submitted proposals for 1,721 dwellings with special provision for the needs of disabled persons and completed 203 such dwellings. Prior to local government reorganisation on 1st April 1974, 248 authorities had made proposals and 56 had completed dwellings. Since 1st April 1974 proposals have been made by 24 authorities and nine authorities have completed dwellings.Detailed figures for individual authorities are not immediately available, but I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been undertaken to ascertain the suitability of mobility housing for handicapped people who use but are not confined to a wheelchair; and if he will make a statement.

Research on this subject is described in an Occasional Paper issued by my Department's Housing Development Directorate in July this year. I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend. We need, within our housing programmes, to increase the range as well as the amount of the provision for physically handicapped people. The concept of mobility housing has an important part, along with other initiatives, in opening up new opportunities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for alternatives to institutional accommodation for young disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Circular 74/74 outlined a range of housing alternatives and said that increasingly the emphasis should be on housing in the community, not in institutions. This will help young as well as older disabled people. My Department and the Department of Health and Social Security are working up, with a number of authorities, new housing schemes in which severely disabled people, mostly young, will be able, given appropriate support, to live in the community.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what advice he has given to local authorities regarding the assessment of the level of need for specialised housing for severely disabled people;(2) what advice he has given to local authorities regarding the priority on waiting lists to be given to disabled people who require either specially designed or mobility housing.

My Department's Circular No. 74/74 on housing for disabled people gave advice on the importance of assessing their needs and on ways of doing so and included references, in this context, to those severely disabled. It asked all local authorities to set about securing, with housing associations, that a range of suitable housing—including specially designed and "mobility" housing—was made available. This will enable greater priority to be given to meeting the needs of disabled people, whether on waiting lists or not.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he intends to give to local authorities regarding the operation of Sections 56 and 65 of the Housing Act 1974 in respect of registered disabled persons.

Advice has been given in the Department's recently published Circular No. 160/74, a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those local authorities in England in 1974–75 where the special rate relief for domestic ratepayers amounts to more than 15 per cent. of the original domestic rate declared, together with the original domestic rate, the special relief, the special relief as a percentage of the original domestic rate, and the net rate payable.

This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total amounts given under the special rate relief for domestic ratepayers for each county in England in 1974–75.

Total amounts paid to local authorities, based on claims received so far, are as follows:

County			£ million
Avon	…	…	1·4
Bedfordshire	…	…	1·6
Berkshire	…	…	0·8
Buckinghamshire	…	…	0·8
Cambridgeshire	…	…	0·7
Cheshire	…	…	4·4
Cleveland	…	…	2·8
Cornwall	…	…	2·2
Cumbria	…	…	0·0
Derbyshire	…	…	2·0
Devon	…	…	2·5
Dorset	…	…	1·9
Durham	…	…	1·9
East Sussex	…	…	0·6
Essex	…	…	1·3
Gloucestershire	…	…	1·4
Hampshire	…	…	2·7
Herefordshire & Worcester	…	…	2·7
Hertfordshire	…	…	0·9
Humberside	…	…	1·7
Isle of Wight	…	…	0·1
Kent	…	…	1·3
Lancashire	…	…	2·1
Leicestershire	…	…	2·7
Lincolnshire	…	…	2·1
Norfolk	…	…	3·1
Northamptonshire	…	…	1·9
Northumberland	…	…	0·4
North Yorkshire	…	…	1·0
Nottinghamshire	…	…	3·0
Oxfordshire	…	…	1·4
Salop	…	…	1·4
Somerset	…	…	1·4
Staffordshire	…	…	2·8
Suffolk	…	…	1·1
Surrey	…	…	0·1

Warwickshire	…	…	…	2·6
West Sussex	…	…	…	0·3
Wiltshire	…	…	…	0·7
Greater Manchester	…	…	…	3·7
Merseyside	…	…	…	2·4
South Yorkshire	…	…	…	3·0
Tyne & Wear	…	…	…	4·1
West Midlands	…	…	…	7·3
West Yorkshire	…	…	…	6·2
Greater London	…	…	…	3·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Chairman of Hertfordshire County Council may expect an answer to his letter of 11th November about distribution of the rate support grant; and whether he will meet a deputation of Hertfordshire county councillors and other interested parties before the rate support grant is put before the House.

My hon. Friend the Member for Widnes (Mr. Oakes) is replying today to Mr. Ireton's letters of 11th November and 2nd December. I am sorry for the delay in replying to the letters, but I do not consider that a deputation would serve any useful purpose at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will initiate discussions between all concerned countries and the United Nations designed to lead to the admission of North Korea and South Korea to the United Nations.

Her Majesty's Government sponsored at the UN a year ago a resolution which would have had that effect but which was not voted upon. Unfortunately the North Koreans strongly opposed the concept, and still do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of the number of Western Governments which have recognised the People's Republic of North Korea, whether he will consider the recognition of North Korea by Her Majesty's Government.

This is a matter which is kept under periodic review.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the rate of exchange, fixed at par, when Rhodesia abandoned the pound to adopt the dollar compared with the English £ sterling; and what are the comparable rates of exchange today, giving unofficial rates if official rates are not obtainable.

At UDI the Rhodesian pound was worth £1 3s. 4d. There has been no official rate of exchange since the regime introduced the dollar currency, and transactions permitted under United Kingdom regulations are at £0·58 to the Rhodesian dollar, related to pre-UDI. However, I understand that the rate now generally used in Rhodesia is about £0·77 to the Rhodesian dollar.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current price of 20 cigarettes in Salisbury, Rhodesia.

Although I do not have complete information on current retail prices in Rhodesia, I understand that the present price of 95 mm long cigarettes is 23 cents for a packet of 20.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current price of 1 1b. of topside in Salisbury, Rhodesia.

I regret that I have no information about the current cost of topside beef in Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current price of a standard size loaf of bread in Salisbury, Rhodesia.

I understand that a loaf of bread weighing approximately 0·85 kilograms costs 14·4 cents in Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current price of 11b. of tea in Salisbury, Rhodesia.

The Rhodesians use the decimal system of weights and measures. I understand that one kilo of tea costs between R$ 1·10 and 1·48 according to quality.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the temporary release of Mr. Nkomo and the Rev. Mr. Sithole from detention in Rhodesia; and whether Her Majesty's Government are a party to discussions now in train between Zambia and South Africa concerning the future of Rhodesia.

Her Majesty's Government have not been directly involved in these recent developments but have been kept informed of them and welcome the efforts which are being made to promote a peaceful solution to the problems of Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money has been made available to the British Council for the current financial year for youth exchange projects to Common Market countries; and if he can indicate the sum which will be made available in 1975–76.

In the current financial year a sum of £185,000 has been made available to the British Council for youth exchange projects to Common Market countries. It is proposed that £167,000 will be made available for this purpose in the financial year 1975–76.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money has been made available so far under the arrangements instituted by the previous Government for youth exchange projects to Common Market countries; and whether he will give particular encouragement to exchange programmes involving community work.

Under arrangements instituted by the previous Government a sum of £416,000 has been made available up to the end of the financial year 1974–75 for youth exchange projects in Common Market countries. The British Council encourages all worthwhile youth exchange projects including those involving community work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount spent in each of the district councils in the North-West of England, under the urban aid programme, in each year since the programme's inception; and what has been allocated for the ensuing year to each district council in the North-West of England.

I regret that information about past expenditure is not readily available in the form requested. My noble Friend the Minister of State will write to my hon. Friend. We hope to announce by the end of the year which schemes proposed by local authorities under the current phases of the programme have been approved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he most recently sought the views of the police security forces on the wisdom of introducing capital punishment for terrorist crimes; what advice he received; and if he will make a statement.

I keep in close touch with both the police and the security services on counter-terrorist measures of all kinds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is respectively the establishment and strength of the police in Northamptonshire.

The authorised establishment is 844 and the strength at 31st October 1974 was 791.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Minister of State, Home Office, has any plans to visit the Indian subcontinent.

I propose to visit our posts in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan during the Christmas Recess to discuss with heads of mission the processing of applications from dependants and others who wish to come to this country.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many prosecutions were initiated by or on behalf of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue against employed persons in connection with payment of their income tax in each of the years from 1960 until 1974 inclusive; and how many such persons were convicted of one or more offences in respect thereof, differentiating between the various different professions and trades of the offenders;

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
	Number of persons convicted (number acquitted shown in brackets)
Nature of offence	1960–61	1961–62	1962–63	1963–64	1964–65	1965–66	1966–67
False accounts and returns of income etc.	14	22	19(3)	34	15	12	11(1)
False claims to personal allowances, deductions for expenses, repayments etc.	60	80	54(1)	74	74(5)	80(3)	91(2)
PAYE
False returns (offences by employers and pay clerks, etc.)	23(2)	7(3)	12	19(3)	17(4)	14(2)	12(2)
Forgery, impersonation, etc., by employees	3	—	2	1	1	1	2
False claims for post-war credits	—	—	—	2	1	—	—
Sub-Contractor exemption certificate frauds	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Theft, etc. of payable orders and Giro cheques	28	38(1)	27(1)	32(2)	21	19(1)	17(2)
Assaults on Inland Revenue Officers	—	—	—	—	1	—	—
Miscellaneous	2	—	1	1	—	1	1
TOTALS	130(2)	147(4)	115(5)	163(5)	130(9)	127(6)	134(7)

	Number of persons convicted (number acquitted shown in brackets)
Nature of offence	1967–68	1968–69	1969–70	1970–71	1971–72	1972–73	1973–74
False accounts and returns of income etc.	20	17(4)	15(1)	21(4)	12(4)	16(1)	8
False claims to personal allowances, deductions for expenses, repayments etc.	46(2)	62(1)	120(3)	131(6)	125(7)	65(3)	60(6)
PAYE
False returns (offences by employers and pay clerks, etc.)	11(4)	14(2)	15	15(2)	2(—)	5(—)	10
Forgery, impersonation, etc. by employees	1	1	—	—	7(2)	5(—)	8
False claims for post-war credits	—	—	—	—	—	1(—)	4
Sub - Contractor exemption certificate frauds	—	—	—	—	—	2(—)	20(3)
Theft, etc. of payable orders and Giro cheques	8(1)	17	24(3)	26(1)	41(1)	58(1)	30(3)
Assaults on Inland Revenue Officers	—	3	1(1)	2 (—)	2 (—)	—	6
Miscellaneous	1	1	—	—	6	—	—
TOTALS	87(7)	115(7)	175(8)	195(13)	195(14)	152(5)	146(12)

The following table gives details of Inland Revenue prosecutions from 1960–61 to 1973–74 but it is not possible to provide the detailed breakdown asked for in these Questions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to exempt building societies from paying all or part of the tax paid to their shareholders and, at the same time, cancel relief given on mortgage interest paid to building societies; and if he will estimate the savings in staff that would be caused by such action.

This would not be fair for either investors or borrowers. Implementation of the first part of the proposal would save few if any staff. Implementation of the second part of the proposal would save something of the order of 500 staff as compared with present arrangements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT all sums which the EEC has a commitment to pay to the United Kingdom and all sums which the United Kingdom has a commitment to pay to the EEC in each case as at the latest convenient date, together with an indication of the sums already paid.

Protocol No. 1 to the Treaty of Accession provides for Her Majesty's Government to pay approximately £57·5 million to the European Investment Bank (EIB) as a contribution to the bank's capital and reserves. This contribution is payable by five equal instalments over the first two and a half years of membership. Protocol No. 24 of the treaty provides for Her Majesty's Government to pay approximately £24 million to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as a contribution to the Community's reserves. This contribution is payable in three equal annual instalments. Of these sums £46 million has so far been paid to the EIB and £16 million to the ECSC.Payments to the Community budget by the United Kingdom to date total £337 million. Future payments will depend on the cash needs of the Community budget to which the United Kingdom contributes in accordance with the Treaty of Accession. Production levies, totalling approximately £11 million, have also been paid to the ECSC.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish figures showing capital movements between the United Kingdom and other Common Market countries for the past four years.

Comprehensive estimates of capital movements between the United Kingdom and other EEC countries are not available. Information on some components, including direct investment flows to and from the Six original member countries for years up to 1972, is published in "United Kingdom Balance of Payments 1963–73" (The Pink Book).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what controls are currently imposed on the export of capital to Common Market countries.

Capital movements to all countries outside the scheduled territories are controlled under the Exchange Control Act 1947. The controls are the same for Common Market countries as for all other countries outside the scheduled territories, with the minor exception of limited concessions for personal capital transfers so as not to inhibit the free movement of labour. The controls are intended to ensure that capital movements take place in ways which place least strain on the balance of payments and on the reserves.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the respective amounts of the aggregate transferred property which would attract capital transfer tax at the following rates: 15 per cent., 25 per cent., 35 per cent., 45 per cent., 55 per cent., 65 per cent, and 75 per cent.; and what are the corresponding amounts of property passing on death which would have attracted estate duty at the same overall percentages in the years 1970, 1965, 1960, 1955, 1950 and 1945, respectively, allowing for the diminution in the value of the £.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of adjusting current personal reliefs for income tax to their value in 1970, 1965, 1960, 1955 and 1950, respectively, taking into account the diminution of the value of the £.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has received since his Budget Statement relating to potential avoidance of his latest tax proposals.

I am not sure which proposals my hon. Friend has in mind, but if he has evidence of some specific avoidance device I shall be pleased to hear of it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether companies may submit claims to their inspectors of taxes for the proposed tax relief for stock increases, before the Finance Bill receives Royal Assent.

Yes. The general terms of the relief have been set out in Press notices issued by the Inland Revenue on 12th November and 3rd December. Any company which considers it is entitled to relief should send its claim, with a computation of the relief due, to the inspector of taxes as soon as possible. The form of the claim is given in Appendix II of the Press notice of 12th November.My intention is that the benefit of the proposals should be available quickly, and while the amount of relief cannot, of course, be finally settled until the proposals have been considered by the House and the Bill has received Royal Assent, the Inland Revenue is arranging for relief to be given wherever possible on a provisional basis. Thus, where the liability has been agreed, but the full amount of tax has not been paid, the amount to be paid will be reduced to take account of the relief which the inspector provisionally agrees is due. Where the assessment is under appeal, the tax not in dispute, which is to be paid on account, will be revised to allow for the relief due.Special provisions will be necessary in order to determine the amount of relief in the case of:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will refer to the Central Policy Review Staff the Hudson Institute Report on Great Britain's economic future, and ask it to report to him thereon.

The Hudson Report is being examined by the Central Policy Review Staff as a matter of course, and there is, therefore, no need for me to refer it to the CPRS.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it is his intention to hold a public inquiry into the future use of the East and West Bog Meadows, Belfast; and what is the reason for the decision by the Government to depart from the earlier decision to reserve these two areas as open spaces for playing fields.

No.Planning permission has now been given to develop land in West Bog Meadows for industrial rather than recreational use, on the grounds that the social and economic interests of Belfast can best be served by using the land for industry.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development whether there have been any changes in the continuing arrangements designed to avoid under-spending of the aid programme which were announced by her predecessor.

My predecessor announced that, subject to parliamentary authority for any necessary supplementary Vote, it would be possible for the Department to exceed the agreed total expenditure on the aid programme in a given financial year by up to £5 million and, with Treasury approval, to carry forward under-spending of up to £5 million into the following year. It has now been arranged that the aid programme may be exceeded in any one year by up to £10 million, such excess to be deducted from the following year's programme unless there are special reasons for spreading it over later years covered by the Public Expenditure White Paper. Under-spending may now automatically be carried forward up to a total of £5 million, and this amount may, with Treasury agreement, be increased by a further £5 million in appropriate circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will introduce legislation to prevent brewery companies, when selling licensed premises, imposing covenants restricting sales on the licensed premises to the products of stipulated brewery companies.

I have no evidence as yet to suggest that legislation would be justified, but if my hon. Friend will send me any information he may have about recent attempts to impose restrictive covenants of this kind, I shall be glad to make inquiries and write to him.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1) what section of the Price Code is relevant to solicitors' charges for conveyancing residential house property;(2) if she will refer to the Price Commission the matter of solicitors' conveyancing charges.

Solicitors' conveyancing charges are governed by paragraphs 103·106 of the Price Code. Scale charges were abolished with effect from 1st January 1973 and I have no evidence of subsequent increases contrary to the code or which would justify any general reference to the Price Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is the price of butter; and what she estimates the current United Kingdom retail price of butter would be if the United Kingdom were not a member of the EEC.

Butter prices in the Retail Price Index for October were generally within the range of 21p to 29p per pound. It is not possible to estimate precisely what they would have been if the United Kingdom had not joined the EEC.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the most recent available figures for the total annual expenditure on education in Scotland, and in England and Wales, respectively.

The total net expenditure met from revenue, including loan charges, in 1973–74 was £455·8 million in Scotland and £3,632·8 million in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish teachers have taken advantage of the Commonwealth Exchange Scheme over each of the last 10 years.

The information is given below:

1965	…	…	…	…	13
1966	…	…	…	…	15
1967	…	…	…	…	15
1968	…	…	…	…	9
1969	…	…	…	…	14
1970	…	…	…	…	16
1971	…	…	…	…	17
1972	…	…	…	…	16
1973	…	…	…	…	12
1974	…	…	…	…	14

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish trained doctors of medicine took up their first full-time position in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

The information requested is not readily available, but the majority of Scottish medical graduates undertake their preregistration year in full-time hospital posts in Scotland. For example, in 1973 there were 507 Scottish medical graduates in July and 488 Scottish medical graduates in house officer posts in Scottish hospitals in September.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish trained dentists took up their first full-time employment in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many qualified petroleum economists are employed in his Department; and what are their grades.

Nineteen qualified economists are employed in the Scottish Office, of whom four are partly concerned with work related to oil developments. The grades of the staff in question are:

1 Chief Economic Adviser (Undersecretary).

1 Senior Economic Adviser.

1 Economic Adviser.

1 Senior Economic Assistant.

In addition one senior research officer and one statistician who have degrees in economics are engaged in their respective spheres on work related to oil developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients there are per practising dentist in Scotland.

At the end of 1973 the ratio of general dental practitioners to the population in Scotland was about 1 to 4,600.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many students at Scottish universities in each of the last four years qualified for the minimum grant; and if he will express this as a percentage of the total number of university students in each of these years;(2) how many students at Scottish universities in each of the last four years qualified for the maximum grant; and if he will express this as a percentage of the total number of university students in each of these years.

The latest available figures for allowances for students ord-

Year			Total number of grants	Minimum grants	Column (2) as percentage of column (1)	Maximum grant	Column (4) as Percentage of column (1)
			(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
1969–70	…	…	22,912	1,620	7·07	5,426	23·68
1970–71	…	…	24,066	1,715	7·13	5,239	21·77
1971–72	…	…	24,987	1,852	7·41	6,032	24·14
1972–73	…	…	25,665	2,066	8·05	5,257	19·70

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many community health centres there are in Scotland; and how many more are planned.

On 30th November 1974, 58 health centres were in operation in Scotland, 23 were under construction and 90 were at earlier stages of planning.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make available special grants to local authorities forced to employ special auxiliary staff to cope with problems arising out of industrial action by teachers.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children in Scot-

Year			Lending by building societies in Scotland(£m. approx.)	Investment by depositors in Scotland(£m. approx.)	Repayment of principal by borrowers in Scotland(£m. approx.)	Total revenue from Scottish sources (£m. approx.)
1965	…	…	38	30	20	49
1966	…	…	49	37	23	60
1967	…	…	59	53	25	78
1968	…	…	63	45	29	73
1969	…	…	72	50	32	82
1970	…	…	83	81	37	119
1971	…	…	121	106	47	153
1972	…	…	156	117	59	177
1973	…	…	189	112	71	183