asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent wheat, maize and wheat flour can now be bought cheaper outside the EEC than inside; and if he will make a statement.

:Because of differences in quality, monetary fluctuations and varia-

Source and grain type		Price per ton c.i.f. £	Month of shipment		Basis
WHEAT:
United States 14 per cent. Northern Spring/DNS	…	80·50	May	…	MCA to buyer*
French milling wheat	…	51·85	April	…	Final
MAIZE:
United States No. 3 Yellow Corn	…	59·00	June	…	MCA to buyer*
EEC—Optional source	…	51·00	April	…	Final
*MCA = Monetary Compensatory Amount. On 7th April the MCAs would have reduced the total cost to the buyer by about £6.40/ton for wheat and £5.61 /ton for maize.

As for wheat flour, the pattern of world trade has changed in recent years, and because the quantities being offered on the open market are small, representative world prices are not available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the Government offices which have been transferred to a Scottish location in each of the last 10 years, stating in each case the number of Civil Service jobs involved.

	Period May 1963to 30th September1969	Year ended 30th September1970	Year ended 30th September1971	Year ended 30th September1972	Year ended 30th September1973	Year ended 30th September 1974	Totals
Department for National Savings
National Savings Bank.	2,024	889	600	168	32	697	4,410
Glasgow.
Inland Revenue
London Accounts Office. Edinburgh.	—	81	12	—	—	—	93
London Provincial Districts. Edinburgh.	—	660	218	32	137	12	1,059
Totals	2,024	1,630	830	200	169	709	5,562

:Records of Civil Service posts dispersed from London date from May 1963 following the Flemming Report and were not maintained on a yearly basis until October 1969. Information about offices and posts uispersed to Scotland in the period May 1963 to 30th September 1969 and for each year subsequent to 30th September 1969 is below. The figures do not include new organisations established in Scotland under Government location policies or announced plans for further dispersal. No central record of Government work which may have been transferred into Scotland, other than by dispersal from London, is maintained.

asked the Prime Minister what are to be the terms of reference and the composition of the Committee of Privy Councillors on ministerial memoirs.

:The terms of reference are as follows:

"To consider the principles which should govern the publication by former Ministers of memoirs and other works relating to their experience as Ministers, and the arrangements which should be made to give effect to those principles; to consider whether and to what extent rules can effectively be imposed; to examine the implications of these arrangements for the rules governing the publication of similar works by former members of the public services; and to make recommendations".

I am glad to say that the Rt. Hon. the Viscount Radcliffe, GBE, has accepted my invitation to be the chairman of the committee, and that the other Privy Counsellors who have accepted invitations to serve as members are:The Rt. Hon. the Lord Armstrong of Sanderstead, GCB, MVO.The right hon. Member for Carshalton (Mr. Carr).The Rt. Hon. the Lord Franks, GCMG. KCB, CBE, FBA.The Rt. Hon. the Lord Shackleton, OBE. My right hon. Friend the Member for Fulham (Mr. Stewart), CH.The Rt. Hon. the Lord Windlesham.The Secretary will be Mr. J. M. Moss.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will obtain and publish the total amount of money made available through the Arts Council in Wales to provide loans to help in the work of craftsmen in Wales in 1975; and what was the corresponding figure for 1974, together with the number of craftsmen who benefited from it.

:The Crafts Advisory Committee offers grants to craftsmen for workshop training, setting up new craftsmen and encouraging specialised projects such as the mounting of exhibitions. In addition, there is a small loan fund to help established craftsmen enlarge their workshops. No loans have been made available through the Welsh Arts Council. They are administered directly by the CAC.Five new craftsmen in Wales received grants in 1974–75 totalling £3,614. In addition, funds were made available by the CAC through the Welsh Arts Council, totalling £14,553, in 1974–75 for eight special projects including exhibitions, two bursaries, 10 commissions and five purchases of craftsmen's products.There is no information yet on the allocation of funds by the CAC for 1975–76.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many sixth-form colleges work closely and directly in conjunction with other educational establishments catering for the 16-plus age range; and how many have no close institutional arrangements with such establishments;(2) what is the average size of class at sixth-form colleges and in the sixth-forms of neighbouring conventional secondary schools for each of the following subjects: English, history, French, mathematics, physics and chemistry, respectively;(3) what is the average number of classes in principle subjects taken weekly by lecturers in sixth-form colleges and by teachers in neighbouring conventional secondary schools; and what time is spent weekly on tutorial and other work in each case;(4) how many sixth-form colleges offer CSE conversion courses; and how many students availed themselves of these courses during the last three academic years.

:This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will prepare and publish an assessment of the work of sixth-form colleges.

No. Sixth-form colleges are a fairly recent phenomenon and it is, as yet, too early to make a complete assessment of their work. Meanwhile Her Majesty's Inspectors maintain a close interest in these colleges and my Department is sponsoring a research project into the development of three of them. It will be some time before any results are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many firm proposals he has agreed for establishing new sixth-form colleges.

:56 sixth-form colleges are already in operation in England. Approval has been given to statutory proposals for the establishment of a further 20.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of fifth-form pupils from conventional secondary schools entered on courses of full-time education in each of the last three academic years.

:The following are the proportions of older pupils from maintained secondary schools, excluding Middle Schools, in England and Wales going on to a sixth form course in each of the last three years:

				Percent.
January 1972	…	…	…	44·2
January 1973	…	…	…	42·5
January 1974	…	…	…	40·3

These percentages relate the number of pupils aged 16 at the beginning of the academic year who would normally be in the first year of a sixth form course to the number of pupils in school the previous year aged 15 at the beginning of that academic year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average cost of maintaining a place in Bedfordshire comprehensive schools; and how this figure compares with other East Anglican counties.

:I regret that this information, is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the salaries of university teachers have kept pace with the increase in the cost of living over the past two years.

:The pay increase negotiated for October 1972 exceeded the movement in the retail price index for the previous 12 months. The increases for October 1973 and October 1974 were negotiated under the statutory pay policy of the previous administration and like those for many other groups did not keep pace with the rise in the cost of living.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now exercise his powers under the Health and Safety at Work. etc. Act to make regulations requiring manual workers to be medically examined before commencing work.

:I understand from the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that such a general requirement is not contemplated.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will exercise his powers under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act to require periodic medical examinations of senior executives in industry and commerce.

:No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are currently employed in the hat, cap and millinery industry as defined by the Hat, Cap and Millinery Wages Council (Great Britain) Wages, Regulation Order; what proportion female workers constitute of the total number; and what are the corresponding figures for each of the past five years.

:The most reliable estimate is given in CIR Report Number 77 on the Clothing Wages Councils. This shows that at the time of the survey in mid-1972 about 6,400 persons were employed in scope of the Hat, Cap and Millinery Wages Council, of whom 76 per cent. were female, including 15 per cent. home workers. Comparable figures are not held for a five-year period, but wages inspection records suggest a decline in the number of persons employed in recent years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what categories of workers, such as the disabled, learners and young workers, are not eligible for the basic adult minimum wage rate in each of the following Wages Council industries; and what are the numbers of workers in each category in each industry: ready-made and wholesale bespoke tailoring, dressmaking and women's light clothing (England and Wales), dressmaking and women's light clothing (Scotland), wholesale mantle and costume making, shirtmaking, corset, retail bespoke tailoring (England and Wales), retail bespoke tailoring (Scotland), hat, cap and millinery, and rubber-proofed garment making.

Wages Council		Estimated number of Juveniles (rounded)	Permits
Ready-made and wholesale bespoke tailoring	…	17,000	8
Dressmaking and women's light clothing (England and Wales)	…	20,000	19
Dressmaking and women's light clothing (Scotland)	…	2,500	—
Wholesale mantle and costume	…	9,000	2
Shirtmaking	…	8,000	3
Corset	…	2,500	5
Retail bespoke tailoring (England and Wales)	…	500	—
Retail bespoke tailoring (Scotland)	…	50	—
Hat, cap and millinery	…	600	2
Rubber-proofed garment making	…	50	—

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what request he has received for assistance in resolving the dispute involving the blacklisting of vehicles operated by F. B. Atkins & Sons Limited, of Derby, which have been refused entry to the container base at Perry Barr, Birmingham, on the instructions of the Regional Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union; and what response he has made.

:The company wrote to the Prime Minister on 26th March and the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South-East (Mr. Rost) himself forwarded to me on 2nd April a similar letter addressed to him. Officers of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in the Midlands are in touch with the parties to the dispute and will continue to give all possible assistance in helping to resolve it.

:The only categories of workers not eligible to receive statutory minimum remuneration at adult rates are learners and juveniles. A disabled worker is eligible to be paid not less than the statutory minimum, unless affected by infirmity or physical incapacity which makes him incapable of earning that minimum and the wages council has authorised payment of a lower minimum under Section 13 of the Wages Councils Act 1959, by issue of a permit.The Department has no separate reliaable statistics of learners and juveniles in these trades, but a limited amount of information is available from the CIR survey in mid-1972, the results of which were published in its Report Number 77 and which are summarised below, together with the numbers of permits issued by the councils and current in December 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what research projects to offshore oil exploration and the associated technologies have been sponsored by his Department at the last most convenient date; and what are the sums involved by way of financing such projects.

:I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 27th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy of total refining capacity in the United Kingdom what is the percentage of capacity now being utilised.

:The utilisation of estimated United Kingdom total refinery capacity was at the rate of about 72 per cent. in January 1975, the latest period for which information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what volume of deep-mined coal was produced in Great Britain during March.

:The output of deep-mined coal in Great Britain for the five weeks ending 29th March was 12,842,000 tons.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the quantities of coal produced in February and in March 1975 and in the same months of 1973.

:pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th April1975; Vol. 889, c. 332], gave the following information:Coal Production (thousand tons)March 1975= 14,078 (provisional).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the nine regional water authorities, the Sports Council, the 11 transport users' consultative committees, the Transport Tribunal, the Water Services Staff Commission, the Water Space Amenity Commission, and the Waste Management Advisory Council;(2) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the National Building Agency, the National House-Building Council, the seven national parks joint planning boards and committees, the Nature Conservancy Council, the 17 new town development corporations, the Noise Advisory Council, the Planning and Transport Research Advisory Council, the 45 rent tribunals, the 15 rent assessment panels, and the nine regional sports councils;(3) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the Letchworth Garden City Corporation, the Local Government Boundary Commission, the Local Government Staff Commission, the Local Government Finance Inquiry Committee, the London Transport Executive, the National Water Council, the National Bus Company, the National Freight Corporation, the National Ports Council, and the National Consultative Council of Building and Civil Engineering Industries;(4) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the Development Control Review Advisory Group, the 24 dock and harbour authorities, the eight economic planning councils, the Freight Integration Council, the House Corporation, the Historic Buildings Council for England, the Housing Associations Registration Advisory Council, the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council, the Keep Britain Tidy Group, and the Location of Offices Bureau;(5) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the Control of Motor Rallies Advisory Committee, the Committee on Bird Sanctuaries in Royal Parks, the Construction and Housing Research Advisory Council, the Commission for the New Towns, the Country Commission, the Clean Air Council, the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas, the Commission for Local Administration, the Committee of Inquiry into Drinking and Driving, and the Development Commission;(6) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the Agrément Board, the Ancient Monuments Board for England, the British Railways Board, the British Transport Docks Board, the British Waterways Board, the Building Research Establishment Advisory Committee, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, the Central Transport Consultative Committee, the Central Housing Advisory Committee, and the Centre for Environmental Studies;(7) if he will name those appointed by his Department to the Action Group on London Housing, the Advisory Committee on Fair Rents, the Advisory Committee on Pop Festivals, the Advisory Committee on Aggregates, the Advisory Committee on the Landscape Treatment of Trunk Roads, the Advisory Committee on Forestry in the Royal Parks, the Advisory Committee on Rent Rebates and Rent Allowances, the Advisory Committee on Theatres, the Advisory Group on Commercial Property Development, and the Advisory Panel on Institutional Finance for New Towns.

It will take time to assemble the information required and I will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will confirm that the bypass for Little Houghton, Northamptonshire, is included in the trunk road preparation pool; if plans for the bypass have been approved by him; and if a date for construction can be indicated under the roll-forward programme of trunk road projects.

:This scheme is in the trunk road preparation pool but detailed plans are still being considered. Subject to the availability of funds and the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures I hope that a start can be made in about five years' time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what advice he gives to water authorities concerning the saving of fuel by selecting sites for new reservoirs whose head of water is high enough to obviate or minimise the need to consume energy in pumping water thence to consumers; and what importance he attaches to this consideration in weighing the merits of alternative sites;(2) whether he gives either direction or advice to water authorities that. when choosing sites for new reservoirs, preference should be given to those sites which have a high enough natural head of water wholly or partially to avoid the consumption of energy in pumping that water to its consumers.

:No specific advice or direction has been given on this subject, but water authorities, when comparing alternative reservoir sites, will take account of operating costs as well as construction costs and can be expected to opt for the least total cost solution, provided that it is environmentally acceptable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much energy was consumed in the last year for which he has records by water authorities and water suppliers in pumping water from reservoirs to those who made use of it; what percentage of the national consumption of energy this represents; and what is its equivalence in terms of imported hydrocarbon fuels.

:This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the progress made by his Department's working party to examine the law, custom and practice relating to the control of dogs.

:The working party has identified the main problem areas and is considering the written evidence submitted by interested organisations and individuals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with local authority representatives in Berkshire about housing needs in the county.

:In recent months there have been six visits by Department officials to discuss general housing needs with specific district councils in Berkshire, including Newbury. In addition there have been frequent communication by telephone and meetings to discuss particular subjects as they arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance is being provided by his Department to housing associations in Berkshire.

:Proposals for over 1,000 new dwellings to be built by housing associations in Berkshire are known to the Department, and these should attract very generous grants under the Housing Act 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give advice to local authorities about providing chimneys in new housing to enable householders to have the widest choice of fuel; and if he will provide loan sanction to enable local authorities to include class I flues in houses where otherwise their installation would exceed cost yardsticks.

:I see no need to give local authorities advice on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria have been used by his Department in deciding to reduce by £350,000 the amount of loan sanction available to Newbury District Council; and when he expects to be able to review this cut.

:These criteria will be discussed with representatives of Newbury District Council at a meeting arranged for 14th April next.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any action is proposed to place 25 dimethoxy 4 bromo amphetamine, known as "bromo STP", on the list of controlled drugs.

substance will be controlled from 1st May under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Medication) Order 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what decision he has now reached about the convictions in the "Confait" murder case, about which the hon. Member for Lewisham, West first wrote to him in May 1974 and conclusions on which he informed the hon. Member for Lewisham, West on 28th January 1975.—[Vol.885, c. 132]—he hoped to reach shortly.

:I regret that I am still not able to inform my hon. Friend of our decision in this case. I shall do so as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the White Paper on Privacy is now expected to be published.

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Huckfield) on 21st November 1974.—[Vol. 881, c. 466.]

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he proposes to take to correct the imbalance in total family income disclosed in the Government's Family Expenditure Survey, which indicated a per capita differential between Scotland and the South-East of England of 32.6 per cent.

:We are working hard to attract new industry to Scotland and are particularly keen to encourage projects offering skilled jobs and high wage rates. When the Scottish Development Agency, the National Enterprise Board and the planning agreements system come into operation we shall be able to do even more. Recent decisions on the dispersal of Government work from London will also increase the range of jobs available in Scotland.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue from income tax collected in each county of Wales and in Wales as a whole for the last available year.

:Gross receipts from income tax collected in the counties of Wales in 1973–74 were as follows:

County			Income Tax collected
			£m
Clwyd	…	…	21·4
Dyfed	…	…	25·1
Mid Glamorgan	…	…	30·2
South Glamorgan	…	…	88·9
West Glamorgan	…	…	39·7
Gwent	…	…	38·2
Gywnedd	…	…	10·5
WALES	…	…	254·1

These figures include an unknown amount of tax collected in Wales in respect of taxpayers resident outside Wales, and do not include an unknown amount of tax collected in England in respect of taxpayers resident in Wales. In particular, the figures for South Glamorgan include £30.2 million tax collected by Cardiff (Marine) office in respect of seafarers and also a relatively small amount of tax collected by the Public Department offices at Cardiff. PAYE tax for public servants dealt with by these offices it not collected in Wales.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the wife's personal allowance for tax when she and her husband are both over 65 years of age.

:Under the proposals which my right hon. Friend announced in his November Budget a married couple, either of whom is aged 65 or over and whose combined income is £3,000 or less, will receive for 197–576 an age allowance of £1,425 in place of the ordinary married allowance. Entitlement to the wife's earned income allowance is not affected if the wife has earned income of her own.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the position of a retired wife's personal allowance when the wife is in receipt of her own occupational pension; and whether such an allowance is coupled with her husband's for the purposes of married couples' tax allowance.

:Under the ordinary tax rules the income of a married couple living together is aggregated and taxed as one. The husband is entitled to the married man's allowance and an occupational pension earned by the wife in her own right attracts the wife's earned income allowance in addition.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) in the case of a wife over 65 years who does not obtain age relief for the year 1975–76, whether the personal allowance remains at £950 if there are pension payments up to that amount;(2) whether the personal allowance of a wife based on her pension/income is the same as a single person's allowance provided that she earns as much as that allowance; and whether she can also claim earned income age relief.

:In my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement last November he proposed that the age allowance for a single person for 1975–76 should be £950. I must ask my hon. Friend to await my right lion. Friend's forthcoming Budget Statement for details of other personal allowances for 1975–76.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the effect of his statement on retirement pensioners' incomes following his decision to give no age relief for those over 65 years for the year 1975–76.

:My right hon. Friend's proposals for age allowance will mean that the tax threshold for over 65s in 1975–76 will he higher than they were under the age exemptions in 1974–75—by £140 a year for a single person and £280 a year for a married couple. Nobody will pay more tax as a result of the change and the great majority of pensioners will pay less.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions are required to be fulfilled for loans obtained by member States from the IMF Special Loans Fund to meet oil import costs.

:A member State wishing to draw on the 1975 oil facility has to demonstrate that it is in balance of payments difficulties because of the increased cost of oil imports. Assistance under the facility is then subject to a ceiling of 125 per cent. of the member's quota or 85 per cent. of the increase in oil import costs, whichever is the lower. Before drawing the member will be expected to describe its policies for achieving medium-term solutions to its balance of payments problems, for assessment by the fund, and any measures taken, or in prospect, to conserve energy. In addition the member has to undertake not to introduce or intensify trade restrictions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total Government borrowing from overseas sources since October 1974 and the annual cost of servicing such loans.

:I assume that the hon. Member has in mind Her Majesty's Government's foreign currency load of $2-5 billion, which was wholly drawn between October 1974 and February 1975. It is not possible to give a precise figure for the annual servicing cost since this loan is on a floating rate basis, with different rates applicable to different tranches. In broad terms, however, the cost of servicing the loan, at present interest rates, will amount to some $200 million per annum.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what representations he has received from the Disablement Income Group on the disabled housewives' allowance, on a disablement costs allowance, and on a wages supplement; what reply he has sent; and whether he will make a statement;(2) what representations he has received from the Joint Committee on Mobility for the Disabled on the proposed mobility allowance; what reply he has sent; and whether he will make a statement.

:My right hon. Friend received letters from both these organisations on 5th April and has replied that he will bear their representations in mind. My hon. Friend will appreciate that I cannot anticipate the Budget Statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what was the average retail price in July 1970 and at the latest available date for butter, beef, lamb, pork, bacon, chicken, Cheddar cheese, bread, flour, milk, dried milk, and sugar; and what she estimates the price would have been on 1st March 1975 if, apart from the green pound, the common agricultural policy had been in full operation on that date and there had been no consumer subsidies.

:Details of average retail prices in the United Kingdom for 21st July 1970 and 18th February 1975 are given in the table below. During this period the Retail Food Index in the United Kingdom rose by 85 per cent. and world food prices, as measured by the NIESR index of export prices of primary producers, rose by 150·5 per cent.The CAP establishes agricultural support prices for certain products. These cannot be translated directly into retail prices in hypothetical circumstances, because retail food prices are determined by many other factors, including the balance of supply and demand, and the costs of processing, manufacturing and distribution. The remaining adjustments to align United Kingdom support prices with the Community levels will be made in stages over the period to 1st January 1978. There is no commitment to phase out the green pound.Food subsidies are estimated to have produced the following savings on retail prices:Milk 2p per pintBread: Large loaf 2½pSmall loaf 1½pButter l1p per poundCheese 12p per poundTea 8p per poundFlour 1p per poundA proportion of the butter subsidy is contributed by Community funds.The Exchequer contribution to food subsidies is not taken into account in the official estimates which show that present United Kingdom food prices are not on balance significantly affected one way or the other by our membership of the EEC.

		Price (new pence) per lb.
Item		21st July 1970	18th February 1975
Butter:
New Zealand	…	17·3	26·0
Danish	…	20·2	29·7
Beef (Home-killed):
Chuck	…	32·4	54·7
Sirloin	…	45·9	83·2
Silverside	…	42·4	73·4
Back ribs (with bone)	…	28·9	51·4
Fore ribs (with bone)	…	28·5	49·4
Brisket (with bone)	…	18·6	—
Brisket (without bone)	…	—	49·2
Rump steak	…	58·6	98·1
Beef (Imported):
Chuck	…	27·3	49·9
Silverside	…	34·8	67·5
Rump steak	…	47·1	86·0
Lamb (Home-killed):
Loin (with bone)	…	36·5	66·1
Breast	…	11·0	20·2
Best end of neck	…	28·0	49·9
Shoulder (with bone)	…	26·1	44·5
Leg	…	35·3	62·9

	Price (new pence) per lb.
Item	21st July 1970	18th February 1975
Lamb (Imported):
Loin (with bone)	26·5	51·5
Breast	6·6	14·5
Best end of neck	21·7	41·8
Shoulder (with bone)	19·0	34·8
Leg (with bone)	28·8	53·7
Pork (Home-killed):
Leg (foot off)	28·1	51·7
Belly	18·2	36·6
Loin (with bone)	33·8	64·5
Bacon:
Collar	23·9	50·6
Gammon	34·8	69·6
Middle cut, smoked	30·8	66·6
Back, smoked	33·3	72·5
Back, unsmoked	32·0	70·3
Streaky, smoked	21·9	53·8
Chicken:
31b. frozen broiler	16·4	28·2
51b. oven ready	19·5	—
41b. oven ready	—	32·8
Cheddar cheese	18·5	40·7
Bread (white, 1¾lb.):
wrapped and sliced loaf	9·0	15·3
unwrapped loaf	8·9	15·5
white, 140z. loaf	5·2	10·0
brown, 140z. loaf	6·0	10·9
Flour, self-raising, per 31b.	9·8	19·8
Milk, ordinary, per pint	4·6	5·0
Sugar, granulated, per 21b.	7·5	29·5

Retail prices for dried milk are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she Will make a statement on immunisation from rabies.

:My Department issued guidance in November 1971, on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation of the Central Health Services Council, stressing that vaccination should be offered to everyone exposed in the course of work with animals to special risks of contracting rabies.Since 1946, eight cases of human rabies have been confirmed in England, the last being in 1969. In each case the infection was acquired abroad. The situation is being kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will institute talks with all British airlines with a view to securing that a higher proportion, i.e., approximately half, of the seats in passenger aircraft shall constitute areas in which smoking is not permitted, and with a view to securing through design improvements and adaptation that smoking and non-smoking areas of aircraft are effectively separated.

:My Department has for some time encouraged those responsible for public transport and public places to respond to the change in public opinion about smoking by increasing or introducing "no smoking" areas. Leading British airlines have "no smoking" accommodation in their aircraft and I understand that British Airways recently increased such accommodation to over 40 per cent. to accord with the wishes of their passengers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many secure units there are in psychiatric hospitals outside Broadmoor, Rampton and Moss Side.

:There are 70 beds in the advance unit of the planned new Park Lane Special Hospital and varying degrees of security provided by other psychiatric hospitals by a combination of staff supervision and/or locked wards or rooms. As regards regional security units I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Rose) on 8th April.—[Vol. 889, c. 391.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds there are in Broadmoor, Rampton and Moss Side psychiatric hospitals.

:The current provision is as follows:

		Males	Females
Broadmoor	…	650	125
Rampton	…	819	300
Moss Side	…	315	105

There is, however, some overcrowding, particularly in the male wards at Broad-moor. Some accommodation has also to be taken out of use from time to time for redecoration, upgrading, etc.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places are presently available for criminals in need of psychiatric care; and how this compares with places in 1974; 1973 and 1972, respectively.

:No beds in psychiatric hospitals are specifically earmarked for offenders; patients concerned in criminal proceedings may, subject to the conditions set out in the Act, be detained, by order or direction made under Part V of the Mental Health Act 1959, in any psychiatric hospital which can offer treatment suitable to the needs of the patient in appropriate conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the ratio of general practitioners to population for (a) the cities of Birmingham, Manchester and the Greater London Council and (b) for England and Wales.

:The following table gives the information in respect of unrestricted principals:

Population per General Practitioner, 1st July 1974
Birmingham	…	2,199
Manchester	…	2,081
Greater London Council	…	2,025
England and Wales	…	2.299

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans she has to improve the salary scales for nursery nurses in 1975.

:Salary scales for nursery nurses employed by local authorities are determined by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Professional, Technical and Clerical Services. The council is an independent body, formed from representatives of employing authorities and staff interests, and is not subject to direction from central Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many births were induced in Scotland for the latest year for which statistics are available; and by what percentage this differs from the previous year.

:Information is not available on the total number of induced births in Scotland, but of the births in those hospitals which provide central returns—some 80 per cent. of total hospital births—28,697 were induced in 1973. This was a 7·3 per cent. increase over the corresponding 1972 figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the expenditure on psychiatric patients and psychiatric hospitals in Scotland over the last 10 years.

:The following table shows capital and revenue expenditure on maintaining patients in psychiatric hospitals and in centres provided by social work authorities over the 10 years 1964–65 to 1973–74. Expenditure on treating such patients other than in hospitals or centres cannot be separately identified.

					£m
1964–65	…	…	…	…	16·6
1965–66	…	…	…	…	18·8
1966–67	…	…	…	…	20·8
1967–68	…	…	…	…	22·5
1968–69	…	…	…	…	24·4
1969–70	…	…	…	…	26·5
1970–71	…	…	…	…	31·2
1971–72	…	…	…	…	38·0
1972–73	…	…	…	…	44·2
1973–74	…	…	…	…	51·0

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how much land in Wales is owned by county councils and by district councils, respectively;(2) what is the total acreage owned by each local authority in Wales;(3) how much land in Wales is publicly owned and privately owned, respectively.

:This information is not available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the total acreage owned in Wales by public bodies including the Crown, Government Departments, Forestry Commission, National Coal Board, British Railways, etc.

:Details of the land holdings of every public body in Wales are not readily available. The estimated land holdings in Wales of the Ministry of Defence and Forestry Commission, two of the major landowners, are 52,000 and 396,000 acres, respectively.

asked the Secretary of of State for Wales (1) how many fifth-formers in the 11–16 year age range secondary schools applied for admission (a) to sixth-form colleges (b) to technical colleges (c) to sixth-form colleges and to technical colleges in Wales for the last academic year; and what proportion were accepted in the case of (a) and (b) and to each type of college in the case of (c);(2) what proportion of fifth-form pupils in areas served by sixth-form colleges in Wales entered courses of full-time education other than in sixth-form colleges in the last academic year; and how this compares with fifth-form pupils in neighbouring conventional secondary schools;(3) how many students followed SCE-conversion courses at sixth-form colleges in Wales during the last academic year.

:I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name those appointed by him under the terms of the Southern Rhodesia (Higher Authority for Power) Order 1970.

:Sir Evelyn Hone and Mr. J. C. Morgan were appointed in 1970 as United Kingdom members on the Higher Authority for Power. The other appointments are made by the Government of Zambia and the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name those appointed by his Department to the following bodies: the Universities of China Committee, the Imperial War Museum, the Advisory Committee on Rhodesian Travel Restrictions, the Secretary of State's unofficial Advisory Group on UN Affairs. the Commonwealth Telecommunications Council, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, the Lloyd (English School (Caori)) Trust, and the Marshall Scholarship Commission.

:The following appointments have been made:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name those appointed by his Department to the Wilson Chair of International Politics Advisory Board, the Advisory Panel on Arms Control and Disarmament, the Great Britain, East European Centre, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth Institute, and the British Council.

:The following appointments have been made:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many refugees from the Republic of China arriving in Hong Kong without formal entry documents have been returned to China within the last six months.

In the six months up to 8th April, 441 illegal immigrants, apprehended trying to enter Hong Kong from the People's Republic of China, were refused entry and returned.

asked the Secretar of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government propose to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

:There is nothing I can add to the reply I gave to my Friend the Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) and the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Hooson) on 24th March.—[Vol. 889, c. 8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the international treaties or agreements concluded by the European Communities since 1st January 1973, other than those concerned exclusively with foreign aid, stating in each case the date when each was approved by the Council of Minister, under what article of the Treaty of Rome and whether the unanimous or majority procedure was adopted.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th March 1975; Vol. 888, c. 514], gave the following information:A list of bilateral and multilateral treaties and agreements with third States signed by the European Communities or by one of the Communities and the member States together since 1st January 1973. other than those concerned with aid, is given below, together with information on dates of signature and the relevant articles of the applicable treaty where specifically linked. Information about the date on which the Council of Ministers decided to approve the text of a particular treaty for signature is not readily available. Majority voting has not been applied to any such decision since our accession to the Communities. The date on which the Council of Ministers adopted a formal Act—similar in effect to ratification—on the conclusion of a particular treaty is given in the third column.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the United Kingdom representatives at the North Atlantic Assembly.

:The following represent the United Kingdom at the North Atlantic Assembly: