asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current level of research and development expenditure in the United Kingdom on energy conservation.

Public sector expenditure in 1974–75 on R and D related to energy conservation by final consumers is estimated to be approximately £11 million. In addition, a substantial part of the R and D effort of the nationalised industries is devoted to improvement of their internal energy economics. No estimate is available for the private sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will now appoint a committee to study the implications of supplying energy from nuclear plants.

No. The Government's nuclear policy is set out in Cmnd 5695 of July 1974. This followed extensive discussion of the options and implications.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what revised estimate he has made of the output from the coal mining industry during 1975; whether output per man-shift continues to rise; what figures he has relating to trends in productivity; and what is his estimate of capital expenditure to be incurred by the coal mining industry for the year to 31st March 1976.

Overall output in 1974–75 was 125·1 million tons made up of:

	Million tons
NCB deep-mined	14·1
NCB opencast	9·1
Licensed mines	1·4

It is too early in the year to make an estimate of the output in 1975–76 but the National Coal Board has set a base tonnage of 115 million tons deep-mined output for the purpose of production bonus.The trend of output per man-shift in recent years has been affected by two national strikes. Figures over the last five years are as follows:

OVERALL OUTPUT PER MAN-SHIFT HOURS
	Cwts
1970–71	44·1
1971–72	41·9
1972–73	45·7
1973–74	42·3
1974–75	45·0

The National Coal Board's aim is to increase productivity in 1975–76 by about 4 per cent. The board is planning to spend £175 million in 1975–76 on capital expenditure in respect of its mining activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what amount of economically workable coal reserves has been estimated as a result of the National Coal Board's new exploration programme.

As a result of exploration in the last two years the National Coal Board has proved about 500 million tons of economically workable coal reserves accessible from existing collieries or in coalfields which the NCB plans to exploit in the near future. This is in addition to the total of 3,400 million tons which were already known to be accessible from existing collieries.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much has been spent by the National Coal Board on the coal exploration programme since 1972; and what estimate is further committed.

The National Coal Board has spent the following amounts on coal exploration over the last three years:

1972–73	£1 million
1973–74	£1·8 million
1974–75	£3·9 million

Estimated expenditure in 1975–76 is £6£3 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what sums of money are proposed to be invested in major colliery projects in the mining industry during the next five years.

The National Coal Board plans to invest about £400 million in major colliery projects during the five years to 1979–80.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions have taken place in the European Council of Ministers concerning long-term fuel policy with particular emphasis on the rôle of coal.

General guidelines for a common energy policy were discussed and adopted at a Council of Ministers held on 17th September 1974. Specific objectives and guidelines for 1985 were discussed and agreed at the Energy Councils of 17th December 1974 and 13th February 1975. These included objectives and guidelines for coal, the main points of which were debated in the House on 11th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy to what extent he estimates the coal industry's competitive performance is affected by the European Coal and Steel Community's need for the supply of British-produced coal in furtherance of a common energy policy.

Community energy policy provides for total Community coal production to be maintained at its current level and for access to world markets to be compatible with that. But this must presuppose that Community—including British—coal can be sold at competitive prices.

asked the Secretary of of State for Energy what contribution to deep-mined coal production he expects each EEC member country to make in connection with the proposed integrated fuel policy.

It is for each country to decide its own contribution to the objective of maintaining EEC coal production at at least its present level.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total tonnage of British-produced coal exported to member countries of the EEC in each of the last 10 years.

The following is the information:

U.K. Imports	M tons
1965	3·3
1966	2·4
1967	1·6
1968	2·4
1969	3·1
1970	2·9
1971	2·5
1972	1·6
1973	2·5
1974	1·6

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total tonnage of coal produced by EEC member contries imported by Great Britain in the past 10 years.

The following is the information:

U.K. Imports	M tons
1965	Negligible
1966	Negligible
1967	Negligible
1968	Negligible
1969	Negligible
1970	Negligible
1971	0·3
1972	0·6
1973	0·3
1974	0·1
Total	1·3

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many members of the Institute of Fuel, with experience as practising fuel technologists, are employed in the Department of Energy on the Government's conservation programme.

Five.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many of his Department's advisers on the oil industry have recent experience in the industry how many of these have had offshore experience, and what proportion of the total these two figures represent.

Thirty-two officials of the rank of Principal or its equivalent and above in the Department have had recent experience in the oil industry. Of these 14 have had offshore experience These figures represent 34 per cent. and 15 per cent. respectively of officials concerned with oil industry matters.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much coal and oil, respectively, was imported into the United Kingdom for the years 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively.

Statistics on annual imports of coal and oil are published in the "Digest of UK Energy Statistics". The figures for the three years requested are as follows:

UNITED KINGDOM IMPROTS
			Million tons
	1972	1973	1974
coal	4·9	1·6	3·5
Oil*	125·5	135·0	127·5
*Includes crude, process oils and refined products.

asked the Secretary of State for energy (1) how many tons of coal were used in generation of electricity in the United Kingdom for the years 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively;(2)what quantity of oil was used in the generation of electricity in the United Kingdom in the years 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively.

This information, expressed on a coal equivalent basis, is given in

				1972	1973	1974(Provisional)
Domestic
Coal(million tons)	…	…	…	14·3	14·3	13·4
Oil (million tons)	…	…	…	3·4	3·7	3·3
Natural gas (million therms)	…	…	…	2,292	3,225	4,333
Town gas (million therms)	…	…	…	2,217	1,590	1,047
Electricity (TWh)	…	…	…	86·9	91·3	92·3
Industrial (Iron and Steel and other industries)
Coal(million tons)	…	…	…	11·5	11·9	10·9
Oil (million tons)	…	…	…	26·8	26·7	24·0
Natural gas (million therms)	…	…	…	3,230	4,284	4,909
Town gas (million therms)	…	…	…	458	313	178
Electricity (TWh)	…	…	…	73·2	79·9	75·8

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what calculation he has made of the relative cost of producing a given amount of energy for m coal and oil at the most recent convenient date.

The relative cost of obtaining energy form coal and oil depends on the comparative prices of the fuels in different markets, the method in which conversion of the fuels to energy is under taken—having regard to capital, maintenance, fuel handling and attendance costs—and the efficiency with heat produced is utilized in the appliances of the final consumers. As these vary considerably between different consumers and processes, generalizations about energy

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much coal, oil, natural gas and electricity, respectively, were used by domestic consumers, and by industrial consumers, in the United Kingdom for the years 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively.

This information, expressed on a thermal equivalent basis, is available in Table 3 of the April issue of "Energy Trends" published by my Department and available in the Library of the House. The figures, in original units of measurement, are as follows:Costs may be misleading. Some comparative costs of fuels at present are:

Industrial coal	7–8½p therm
Domestic coal	8½p therm
Fuel oil	10p therm
Standard burning oil	14½p therm
Paraffin	20½p therm

Similarly wide ranges will exist in the efficiency of conversion of these fuels and of their utilization.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in Official Report figures for manpower and production in each member country of the EEC since the inception of the European Steel and Coal Community.

The figures for man power in the coal industry, and for the

A.MANPOWER: WORKERS AND OFFICIALS ON COLLIERY BOOKS* (THOUSANDS AT END OF YEAR) 1955–74
		United Kingdom†	German Federal Republic	France	Netherlands	Belgium
1955	…	694·5	585·8	241·7	60·8	157·6
1956	…	697·6	598·4	238·2	61·3	149·8
1957	…	703·7	607·4	239·6	62·9	159·9
1958	…	681·1	585·6	235·7	63·5	146·9
1959	…	634·0	531·8	228·6	61·2	127·8
1960	…	583·0	490·2	213·3	58·6	108·9
1961	…	561·1	465·0	204·5	56·9	95·0
1962	…	536·2	433·6	199·7	57·3	91·0
1963	…	510·6	412·0	193·6	55·9	90·6
1964	…	484·5	398·5	188·1	55·7	90·6
1965	…	446·8	377·0	181·4	53·9	80·7
1966	…	414·4	333·9	172·5	47·0	67·9
1967	…	382·4	287·3	159·6	38·7	60·6
1968	…	324·5	264·0	141·7	32·7	53·9
1969	…	299·6	254·1	128·0	27·7	43·5
1970	…	283·1	250·1	117·0	24·9	39·8
1971	…	278·8	244·4	109·3	22·3	37·2
1972	…	266·0	220·6	99·5	19·7	34·9
1973	…	245·1	204·5	89·6	16·0	30·3
1974	…	246·5	..	..	..	..
*In Italy, numbers fell from 7,000 in 1955 to zero at the end of 1972.
†At end September. Excluding officials.
..Not available.

B. TOTAL HARD COAL PRODUCTION* 1952–74
						million metric tons
1952	…	228·5	144·8	55·4	12·8	30·4
1952	…	227·1	146·0	52·6	12·5	30·1
1954	…	227·4	150·3	54·4	12·4	29·2
1955	…	225·7	153·9	55·3	12·2	30·0
1956	…	226·1	57·5	55·1	12·1	29·6
1957	…	227·8	155·6	56·8	11·7	29·1
1958	…	219·8	154·5	57·7	12·3	27·1
1959	…	210·1	147·1	57·6	12·4	22·8
1960	…	197·8	148·0	56·0	12·8	22·5
1961	…	195·1	148·3	52·4	12·9	21·5
1962	…	202·6	147·1	52·4	11·8	21·2
1963	…	200·5	148·2	47·8	11·8	21·4
1964	…	198·0	148·4	53·0	11·8	21·3
1965	…	191·6	141·0	51·3	11·7	20·0
1966	…	178·9	131·6	50·3	10·3	17·5
1967	…	177·7	116·8	47·6	8·3	16·4
1968	…	169·9	117·2	41·9	6·9	14·8
1969	…	155·7	117·0	40·6	5·8	13·2
1970	…	147·1	17·0	37·4	4·5	11·4
1971	…	150·4	117·1	33·0	3·8	11·0
1972	…	121·8	108·7	29·8	2·9	10·5
1973	…	132·0	103·7	25·7	1·8	8·8
1974	…	110·3	101·5	22·9	0·8	8·1
*No hard coal is produced in Denmark or Luxembourg. The quantities produced in Ireland are negligible. In Italy, production fell from 1 million tons in 1952 to a negligible level in 1973.
† Including slurry recovered by other than the NCB.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what will be the tonnage contribution of the British coal industry to the EEC Commission's cal

It is expected to be about 135 million tons.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, for the years for which figures are available, he will publish in the Official Report the shares expressed in percentage terms of total EEC production of coal and natural gas by each current member country.

HARD COAL PERCENTAGE
			United Kingdom	Germany F.R	France	Belgium	Netherlands	Italy
1960	…	…	45	34	13	5	3	—
1961	…	…	45	35	12	5	3	—
1962	…	…	46	34	12	5	3	—
1963	…	…	46	35	11	5	3	—
1964	…	…	46	34	12	5	3	—
1965	…	…	46	34	12	5	3	—
1966	…	…	46	34	13	4	3	—
1967	…	…	48	32	13	5	2	—
1968	…	…	48	34	12	4	2	—
1969	…	…	46	36	12	4	2	—
1970	…	…	46	37	12	4	1	—
1971	…	…	47	37	11	4	1	—
1972	…	…	44	40	11	4	1	—
1973	…	…	48	38	10	3	1	—
1974	…	…	45	42	10	3	—	—

NATURAL GAS (INCLUDING COLLIERY METHANE) PERCENTAGE
			United Kingdom	Germany F.R.	France	Belgium	Netherlands	Italy
1960	…	…	1	7	28	1	3	60
1961	…	…	1	7	33	—	4	55
1962	…	…	1	8	35	—	4	52
1963	…	…	1	10	35	—	4	50
1964	…	…	1	13	33	—	5	48
1965	…	…	1	17	29	—	9	44
1966	…	…	1	17	24	—	15	43
1967	…	…	2	17	20	—	25	36
1968	…	…	6	17	14	—	35	28
1969	…	…	10	16	13	—	38	23
1970	…	…	16	16	10	—	40	18
1971	…	…	20	15	8	—	43	14
1972	…	…	23	14	6	—	45	12
1973	…	…	22	13	6	—	48	11
1974	…	…	23	12	5	—	50	10
Production of hard coal and natural gas in Denmark, Ireland and Luxembourg was nil or less than 0·5 per cent. of the total.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about the development of coal gasification techniques in Great Britain and other member countries of the EEC.

The development of coal gasification techniques in the EEC is confined to the United Kingdom and the Federal republic of Germany. In the United Kingdom the British Gas Corporation at its Westfield Development Centre

Figures on coal and natural gas production in the countries of the EEC member are published by the Statistical office of the European Communities in the "Energy Statistics Year Book". The corresponding percentage shares of each current member country in total production of each fuel are given below:is developing a high capacity coal gasifier in which the ash will be removed as liquid slag. At BCURA Ltd., Leather-head, the novel COGAS gasification process is being developed to the pilot scale. Both projects are the result of contracts from American consortia. In West Germany, where the natural gas reserves are limited, the development of coal gasification processes is regarded with some urgency. Developments include an enlarged version of the conventional Lurgi gasifier and, for the longer term, the application of nuclear heat to coal gasification.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the names of those bodies and persons from whom he has had representations concerning the future of the Normal College in Bangor; and if he will make a statement.

There have been expressions of views on this question from a number of sources, including the Gwynedd County Council, the Joint Education Committee for North Wales which administers the college, the governing body and staff of the college and the University College of North Wales. My noble Friend the Minister of State for Education and Science visited Bangor last Friday for discussions with representatives of all the main interests concerned and a decision in principle on the future of the college will be announced shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the research programme in the field of radiation biology.

Yes. The Medical Research Council continues to support a substantial programme of research in this field, partly in order to determine the biological information on which standards of radiological protection, for workers and the public generally, should depend; and partly with a view to the practical uses of radiation in medicine—for example in radiotherapy and diagnosis. The council also makes an annual grant to the National Radiological Protection Board in support of its biological research programme. There are arrangements to co-ordinate the responsibilities of the two bodies.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if any buildings at Dundee University have been constructed with high alumina cement; what safety inspections have been made; if any remedial works may be necessary; and, if so, at what estimated cost.

Dundee University has had its buildings surveyed, and this has revealed that none was constructed with high alumina cement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what sum has been made available to local authorities under the minor works programme in each year since 1969–70; and what is the allocation for 1975–76.

Minor works allocations for England were as follows:—

	£ million (a)
1969–70	25·1
1970–71	27·5
1971–72	35·9
1972–73	47·8
1973–74
original (b)	50·7
revised (c)	20·1
1974–75
original	54·0
extra (d)	9·9

NOTE:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children who have been educated at special schools have entered courses at colleges of further education, colleges of education, polytechnics and universities, respectively, in each of the last five years.

This information is not available, but it is thought that recently something under 1,000 pupils per year have left special schools in England and Wales to enter further and higher education establishments. Many others have entered courses at other establishments specifically catering for the handicapped.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will introduce a special subsidy for students' housing, particularly in university-owned property like the accommodation units at Stirling University, where students pay £5·64 per week rental, without meals.

No. The student grant is intended to enable students to meet necessary costs incurred in attending their course, including that of accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students from the developing countries are currently at Scottish universities and institutions of higher education.

The latest information is for the academic year 1973–74 when 1,556 full-time students from developing countries attended Scottish universities, 109 attended Scottish colleges of education and 274 attended advanced courses at Scottish colleges of further education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, when notifying a public museum that a special Government grant is to be made for an acquisition, he will make it his practice to inquire from that institution if it is desired that contributions from private sources for the same acquisition should be detailed in his announcement in the House of the special grant in question.

No. Public collections can make adequate arrangements for their own publicity in those cases where they know it would be welcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the average teacher/pupil ratio in (i) infant, (ii) junior, (iii) comprehensive, (iv) secondary modern, (v) grammar, (vi) direct grant grammar, and (vii) public schools, at the latest date for which figures are available.

In January 1974, the latest year for which figures are available, the pupil/teacher ratios in schools in England and Wales were as follows:

Maintained schools (qualified teachers only)
Infant	24·3
Junior	25·9
Comprehensive	17·2
Secondary modern	18·4
Grammar	16·1
Dorect grant grammar	16·2

There is no recognised classification of "public schools": the ratio for independent schools recognised as efficient is 12·8.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with those concerned with direct grant schools regarding the requirement of boarding places they provide; and what plans he has to make use of this need in the future.

My right hon. Friend and I have discussed questions about direct grant boarding schools with representatives of the Direct Grant Joint Committee, the Catholic Education Council and the Board of Management for Methodist Residential Schools. We hope that the resources of these schools will, wherever possible, be used to the best advantage as part of the maintained comprehensive system.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the total of salaries paid to teaching staff in Bedfordshire; and what is the proportion defrayed by his Department;(2) who pays for teaching staff engaged by a local authority in excess of a quota set after consultation with his Department.

In the financial year 1973–74, the latest year for which information is available, expenditure by Bedfordshire and by Luton County Borough Local Education Authorities on teaching staff—salaries, national insurance and superannuation—was £8·8 million and £5·6 million respectively. Expenditure on salaries of teachers, whether or not they are within the quota, forms part of relevant expenditure for the purposes of rate support grant, which is administered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that the proposed closures of colleges at Alnwick, Northumberland, and Furzedown, in south-west London, as well as the proposed mergers of other colleges, notably in Brighton, is being undertaken solely for academic reasons or is a financial cost-cutting exercise.

The reorganisation of which these proposals form part is intended to create an institutional structure to meet as effectively as possible the expected growth in demand for higher education as a whole over the next few years, at a time when the requirement for newly trained teachers is falling rapidly. Where existing colleges of education are to give up initial teacher training, I am concerned that their places should continue in use for other educational purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that the projected number of teachers for 1981 currently standing at 510,000 will be adequate to allow for (a) class sizes of 30 or less, (b) no part-time education, (c) adequate in-service training for teachers, and (d) the promised level of nursery education provision.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, East (Mr. Clemitson) on 20th March.—[Vol. 888, c. 471–2.]I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the Department's Report on Education No. 82.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what developments there have been in negotiations of university teachers' salaries; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what result has emerged from his recent meeting with the negotiating committee on university teachers' salaries; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his grounds for insisting on a six-month delay before the increased salaries are paid to university staff in October 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to be able to make a statement on the pay of university teachers.

I regret that negotiations on university academic salaries between the university authorities and teachers and my Department have so far failed to produce agreement.As a result of the implementation of the report of the committee of inquiry under the chairmanship of Lord Houghton into the salaries of non-university teachers, university teachers are paid less than those in further education teaching at a comparable level. I accept that this is unjust. It is also inconsistent with the Houghton Committee's view that the salaries and career prospects of university teachers and their counterparts in further education engaged in comparable level work should be broadly comparable.The university authorities and teachers sought to reopen the settlement which became effective from October 1974. Because this would have involved an interval of less than 12 months between settlements and would have breached the TUC guidelines, the Government could not agree to that proposal. Since, however, the Houghton Committee's report had suggested links between university and further education lecturers the Government proposed that, in the light of those links, a settlement should be negotiated which would become effective from October 1975, the negotiations to be undertaken in such a way as to establish what increase the principle of broad parity would entail on the assurance that movement of such parity would begin in October 1975 and would be completed by October 1976. I also agreed that the negotiating committee would be able, nearer to October 1975, to negotiate further increases related to the cost of living since October 1974, subject to the considerations relevant to pay policy at that time.Intensive negotiations have been conducted on this basis over the past few weeks but, as I have said, have not so far resulted in agreement. The parties have been considering resort to arbitration for which the standing arrangements provide. The Government have not ruled this out, but before asking for it to be put in train the universities' side of the negotiating committee have asked to see me, following a meeting it held on Friday evening. I expect to meet its representatives soon and shall make a further statement thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will give examples of the circumstances in which he has upheld complaints under Sections 68, 76, and 99, respectively, of the Education Act 1944, against whom complaints under Section 68 were directed; and what steps were taken to require the local education authorities concerned to comply with any adverse adjudication under Section 99;(2) how many letters have been received during the last year concerning Sections 68, 76 and 99, respectively, of the Education Act 1944; from whom they were received; what were the most common issues raised; and in how many cases under each section he supported the complainant.

No detailed count is kept of letters received by my Department whose subject matter might require consideration in the light of my powers under Sections 68 or 99 of the Education Act 1944. The most common subject of complaint is a local education authority's unwillingness to admit a child to a school of his parent's choice. Very many complaints of this kind are settled to the complainant's satisfaction without formal determination, but most of the relatively few directions I give under Section 68 relate to such cases. I have given no directions under Section 99. Section 76 confers neither a right on anyone to complain to me nor a power on me to give directions; it enunciates a general principle to which I and local education authorities must have regard in exercising our respective functions under the Education Acts.

asked the Attorney-General whether he has any present pro- posals to remove the function of the Crown court from Hereford.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment who will represent Her Majesty's Government at the forthcoming Building Materials Export Group's Exhibition in Teheran; what will be the cost of the visit to public funds; if the visit was requested by the Export Group; and if the representative will visit any of the neighbouring Middle Eastern States during his period abroad.

My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State the Member for Manchester, Ardwick (Mr. Kaufman), is to visit the Teheran "Construction '75" trade fair at the invitation of the Building Materials Export Group, to provide Government support for the 50 or so United Kingdom firms which will be represented there and to further United Kingdom construction exports generally. As the visit will be specifically to this important trade fair, no other Middle Eastern countries will be visited by my hon. Friend. The precise cost to public funds of the visit cannot be quantified until nearer the time, but the return air fares for my hon. Friend and the two officials who will accompany him will amount to approximately £1,600.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet met the local authority associations for the discussion about housing issues referred to in the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Rathbone) on 23rd April.

I met the local authority associations this afternoon. I explained the Government's intention, within the public expenditure constraints announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to concentrate on the supply of new houses and the bringing into effective use of property which would otherwise remain empty. This means that we must concentrate our improvement resources on the modernisation of the rather older property which local authorities are acquiring from the private sector.For these purposes I propose to re-allocate £100 million from the present provision for local authority home loans and to use it partly to maintain the municipalisation programme at its high 1974–75 level and partly to provide some additional funds under Section 105 of the Housing Act, 1974, to ease the position for certain authorities facing the worst problems on related improvement. This task will be completed as quickly as possible. At the request of the local authority associations, I shall be asking the Building Societies Association to hold discussions with the local authorities to see how far they can help where the local authorities will as a result be curtailing their lending.I am also inviting the local authority associations to take part in a study group, under the chairmanship of my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction, to discuss future priorities in these fields.Finally, I told the associations that in order to achieve the reduction in subsidies for 1976–77 announced by the Chancellor it would be essential for them to raise rents substantially so that they make a larger contribution to costs than will obtain this year?

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local authority housing stock in England and Wales, certified to be in need of improvement and/or associated repairs, is likely to be attended to in 1975–76, following the reduction in allocation of loan sanction for the improvement of local authority dwellings under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1974.

The House Condition Survey 1971 indicated that about 500,000 dwellings owned by local authorities or new town corporations in England and Wales lacked at least one standard amenity, whilst some 100,000 councildwellings—which may be included in the½million dwellings already mentioned—needed more than £500 worth of repairs.Between 1971 and February 1975, the latest available date, improvement schemes have been approved for approxi- mately 365,000 council-owned dwellings. Of the new improvement schemes on which English local authorities wished to start work in 1975–76, 48 per cent. were in respect of dwellings claimed to be without a standard amenity, although experience over the last few years since the 1969 Act suggests that in many cases these might cover proposals to replace existing amenities.The extent to which the sum available for new council-house improvement schemes in 1975–76 is to be devoted to tackling these substandard dwellings, including those purchased from the private sector, is decided by the local authorities concerned. Of the allocations for 1975–76, some 76 per cent. related to expenditure already committed by contracts let before 1st April 1975, most of which was for purpose-built council housing already possessing standard amenities.For the future I intend to direct progressively more expenditure to those council dwellings which are decaying, obsolescent, and without the standard amenities. I plan to examine more closely, with the co-operation of the local authorities, the nature and scale of their requirements for the improvement and repair of their stock, both purpose-built and acquired.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, further to his written reply to Thursday 24th April, he will explain why the West Lancaster District Council received less than one third of its bid for expenditure under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1974.

The allocation to the West Lancashire District Council reflects the Government's policy of directing available resources for house renovation to those authorities in greatest need, including others in this part of Lancashire. Of the £225,000 allocated to the authority for the current financial year, £150,000 relates to existing contractual commitments leaving £75,000 for new improvement projects. The information supplied by the authority indicates that this should allow reasonable progress to be made towards installing standard amenities in the 177 dwellings in their ownership, or about to be acquired, which remain to be improved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the effect of the social contract on local government expenditure.

A beneficial effect. The local government manual and non-manual pay settlements since the abolition of statutory controls were both within the TUC guidelines under the social contract.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated average price per mile to the traveller using the following modes of transport: (a) public bus service, (b) public rail service, (c) private car with no passengers (including tax, insurance, depreciation, etc.), and (d) private motor cycle with no passengers (including tax, insurance, depreciation, etc.), respectively.

The average price per mile of travel by public bus services in 1974 was about 1·9 pence. For London Transport rail services the corresponding figure was about 2·4 pence but it is not at present possible to supply 1974 information for travel on the British Rail network. In 1973 the average price per mile of travel on the British Rail network was about 1·6 pence. The corresponding 1973 figure for public bus services was about 1·7 pence and that for London Transport rail services was about 2·4 pence.No estimates are available of the average price of travel by private transport. A wide range of figures is possible depending on the type of vehicle, its age and pattern of use and on the method used to treat depreciation and other costs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether, in reaching a decision to provide key sector loan approval for the Parkway scheme in Bury St. Edmunds, his Department had available to it any assessment of the cost benefits likely to be achieved, other than the advice put forward to him by the Suffolk County Council;

My Department had no information about the Parkway scheme other than that supplied by the Suffolk County Council and its predecessor, West Suffolk County Council. On the basis of this information no reason was seen to challenge the inclusion of the scheme in the county's transport policies and programme. Transport supplementary grant is related to the accepted overall estimated expenditure on local transport in the county, and not specifically to individual schemes. Key sector loan sanction is given on all accepted capital expenditure to the extent that this is not covered by grant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds with a copy of the traffic survey of Bury St. Edmunds carried out by the Eastern Road Construction Unit shortly before contracts were let for construction of the A45 bypass of that town, or alternatively, with a summary of the traffic counts contained in this survey.

The Department did not carry out a traffic survey at that time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what detailed proposals the Government have under consideration regarding neighbourhood councils; what interested bodies have been notified of the proposals; and what stage has been reached in the consideration of those proposals by such bodies.

The Government's initial views on neighbourhood councils were set out in the consultation paper of last July, copies of which were sent at the time to all hon. Members, to political parties and to the associations of local authorities. The paper was also publicised and copies sent to all who asked for one. Comments have been sent in by a great variety of local bodies and by interested individual citizens. Because of the interest shown the time for reply was extended until last month, and the responses are now being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many different types of warning signs for road works are available to motorway maintenance engineers; whether these are sufficient; and how many motorway hazard warning signals are reserved for the use of the police force.

Ten of the 12 different warning signs are specifically for use with road works, and other general warning signs are available for this purpose. These signs should normally be sufficient. The operation of motorway signals is always the responsibility of chief officers of police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the last four months motorway emergency signals, normally associated with accidents have been used in the case of minor road works.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has given approval for the use of the red overhead flashing light system on motorway gantries, to indicate lane closures caused by road works.

The operation of the motorway signalling system is the responsibility not of my right hon. Friend but of the chief officer of police in each area concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet received any results of research into the effect of the propellant gases used in aerosols; and if he will make a statement.

At the request of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, my Department has commissioned an appraisal of the possible atmospheric effects of aerosol propellants. This has been sent to the Royal Commission. I shall be considering the need for further research in the light of the commission's views on this appraisal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the total cost of the reorganisation of local government, with a specific figure for the totals of redundancy payments to local government employees and payment of pensions to those who have been subsequently re-employed in other authorities.

It would be impossible to calculate the cost of reorgansation as the changes will have continuing effects on the way in which services are administered in the future. Information on the particular items referred to by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the nature of the monitoring being carried out at those waste disposal sites described in his answer to the hon. Member for Consett on 27th April 1975 as presenting a potentially serious risk to water supplies and being under surveillance.

Ensuring that waste disposal sites do not present an environmental hazard is part of the statutory responsibility of waste disposal authorities. The exact nature of the surveillance imposed varies amongst the sites referred to, but includes discussions with site operators about disposal practices, monitoring of notifications under the Deposit of Poisonous Waste Act, and on-site investigations. In addition water authorities regularly test water abstracted for drinking purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the area of the Bloomsbury site acquired by his Department for the construction of the British Library; what was the total cost of acquisition; what the situation now is with regard either to building the Library or disposing of the site; and if he will make a statement.

The area of the Bloomsbury site acquired by the DOE is between 5 and 6 acres at a total cost to date of £6·44 million. I am not yet in a position to add anything to what my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science said about the siting in his answer of 19th December 1974.—[Vol. 883, c. 567–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet come to a decision about the future ownership of the block of flats that are being managed by the receiver of the Stern property group.

I shall make a statement as soon as possible.

asked the Attorney-General if he has yet received the recommendations of the Law Commission on exclusion clauses in contracts of service; and if he will make a statement.

The recommendations of the Law Commissions have not yet been received. The two Law Commissions, which are working jointly on this complex topic, are well aware of the importance and urgency attached to it. It is not yet possible to give a firm date by which they can be expected to report.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the statements of Heads of Government of Commonwealth countries concerning Great Britain's membership of the Common Market to which he has recently referred.

I have been asked to reply.The Government booklet on the referendum which is being distributed to all households, and of which copies have been placed in the Library, contains texts of public statements by the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand. Commonwealth Governments continue informally to make clear their hope that the British people will support the Government's recommendation on Britain's membership of the EEC.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in Jamaica.

I have been asked to reply.The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting does not end until tomorrow and my right hon. Friend is still in Kingston. He will doubtless inform the House of the outcome on his return.

asked the Lord President of the Council what studies, additional to those authorised by the Commission on the Constitution, he has initiated into devolved government among the member States of the European Community.

In the course of the Government's work on devolution there have been continuous inquiries and discussions about the position within member States of the European Economic Community.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether the arrangements for the holding of a referendum will include provision for Members of Parliament to attend the court for the area including their constituency; and what provision he intends to make for scrutineers and others persons to be present at the count.

The Order in Council to be made under the Referendum Bill will permit a Member of Parliament to attend both the preliminary verification of ballot paper accounts for areas which lie within his constituency and the counting of votes of such areas. The order will also empower the Secretary of State to arrange for persons to be appointed to observe these two stages, subject to a limit of one observer for each two counting clerks. My right hon. Friend proposes to invite Britain in Europe and the National Referendum Campaign to nominate observers for this purpose and an invitation has been sent to both organisations.

asked the Lord President of the Council if a Government paper relating to the referendum has been leaked; and if he will set up an inquiry.

As I told the House last Thursday during the business statement]—[Vol. 891, c. 730]—copies of three pamphlets relating to the referendum including a popular version of Command 6003, reached a national newspaper before they were due to be issued. Investigations are proceeding.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how often the independent advisory committee on Government advertising met in the last two years: and on what dates.

The last two meetings of the Advisory Committee on the Appointment of Advertising Agents were held on 12th December 1974 and 9th November 1973.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many advertising agents are on the list of agents recommended to the Government by the independent advisory committee on Government advertising through the Central Office of Information for handling Government advertising.

The number of advertising agencies recommended each year by the Advisory Committee on the Appointment of Advertising Agents is dependent on the number of Government campaigns scheduled for that year. In the current year, 35 advertising agencies were appointed; of these, 25 were for the Central Office of Information, two for the Scottish Office, two for the Department for National Savings, three for the Civil Service Commission and three for advertising in Northern Ireland.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the total staff of the Central Office of Information, the location and the functions of this office and the cost of this office to Gov- ernment funds in each of the last two years.

The Central Office of Information is a common service Department which supplies publicity material, services and advice to other Government Departments at home and overseas. The headquarters are in London and it has nine regional offices in England. The COI works in close collaboration with the Scottish Information Office, the Information Division of the Welsh Office and the Northern Ireland Information Services.On 1st April 1975 the staff of COI totalled 1,330, of whom 1,217 were employed at headquarters and 113 in the regional offices. The total costs for the last two years were:

1973–74	1974–75
£000	£000
22,238	23,266

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and women were registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Brighton Borough Council on 31st March 1975, 31st December 1974, 30th September 1974, 30th June 1974, and 31st March 1974, respectively.

Following is the available information which relates to the area covered by the Brighton employment office.

	Numbers unemployed
	Males	Females
10th March 1975	3,798	551
9th December 1974	*	*
9th September 1974	2,350	316
10th June 1974	1,852	177
11th March 1974	2,333	321
* Owing to industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency information for December 1974 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being taken by his local officials for finding jobs for unemployed school leavers in North Staffordshire.

Careers guidance and help to school leavers in finding jobs is now the responsibility of the local education authority careers service in all areas of England and Wales. Those who remain unemployed after leaving school may also seek the assistance of the local offices of the Employment Service agency. In North Staffordshire most of the 3,500 young people who left school in the summer of 1974 found work well before the end of the year, and only six remained unemployed by March 1975. There were about 900 Easter leavers, and most of these have already entered employment. Careers officers are now contacting local employers on behalf of the summer 1975 leavers—likely to number about 3,600—and early indications of prospects are fairly encouraging.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will instruct his local officials to make a special study of the problems of unemployed women in North Staffordshire.

No. The Manpower Services Commission is fully aware of the employment situation in the area and all its facilities arc available to help workers needing assistance in finding fresh employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were registered unemployed in the Merseyside county and Wirral borough areas at the latest date for which figures are available, compared with the comparable figures for 1972, 1973 and 1974.

Following is the information for the nearest corresponding employment office areas.

	Numbers unemployed
	Merseyside County	Wirral
14th April 1975	60,629	10,788
8th April 1974	45,520	8,382
9th April 1973	51,091	9,143
10th April 1972	54,562	9,949

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers in the private sector and how many in the public sector in Merseyside county as a whole and in the Wirral borough area are not complying with the quota of employment for the disabled.

At the last annual review of the quota scheme in May 1974, 708 firms in Merseyside county as a whole, including 97 firms in the Wirral borough area, were not employing the 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled people. Separate figures for private and public sector employers are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that secretarial and other students on training opportunity schemes receive examination fees where such fees are approved by the college authorities.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that student examination fees are paid under the training opportunities scheme if the examination is considered an integral part of the vocational training course.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of unemployed in Kirkby and on Merseyside at the latest available date; and what are these figures as a percentage of the employed population.

At April 1975, 4,399 people were unemployed in the Kirkby employment office area and 62,083 in the Merseyside special development area. Rates of unemployment are calculated by expressing the numbers unemployed as a percentage of the estimated total number of employees, including the unemployed. A separate rate is not available for Kirkby, which is part of the Liverpool travel-to-work area. The rate for the Merseyside special development area was 8·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and how many women from Kirkby, and from Merseyside, respectively, have received training and retraining in Government skill centres since January 1973.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that it is not possible without disproportionate cost to identify trainees from individual local office areas. There are three skill centres in this area, for which the numbers of local applicants trained from January 1973 to December 1974 were:

	Men	Women
Liverpool	1,031	Nil
St. Helens	343	Nil
Kirkby Annexe	179	Nil*
Runcorn	640	3
* Opened 2nd January 1973.

In addition during this period a few people from Merseyside would have received training in skill centres outside this area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons under 18 years of age are registered as unemployed in Kirkby and on Merseyside, respectively; and how many school leavers are registered as unemployed.

The most recent information about all unemployed young people, aged under 18, is for July 1974. Normally the statistics are compiled twice a year, in January and July, but the count due in January 1975 was not made due to industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency. Counts of the numbers of unemployed school leavers aged under 18 are made each month and the figures for April 1975 for the Merseyside special development area and Kirkby were 2,675 and 233, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and women are unemployed in each occupational group in Kirkby and on Merseyside, respectively; and how many skill centre places are available for each such occupational group.

Occupational analyses of the unemployed at March 1975 should be available shortly. I will arrange for the information to be put in the Official Report as soon as possible giving details of the unemployed and the skill centre places available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will appoint a departmental committee to review family law in general and the law relating to children in particular.

No. The Law Commission has considered and is considering various aspects of family law. The operation of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 is currently under review and the Children Bill now before the House includes substantial changes in the law relating to the adoption, custody and general protection of children.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in how many and what percentage of cases in which a father or mother was convicted of assaulting a child further children were left in his or her care;(2) how many fathers and how many mothers have been convicted of battering their babies and assaulting their children and causing their death or bodily harm, respectively, during each of the last five years for which records are available; and what sentences they received.

I am arranging to obtain such information as is available, and I shall write to my hon. and learned Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will urgently consider banning the sale of "Kung Fu" stars in view of the danger represented by this type of offensive weapon.

Under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 it is an offence for any person to have with him in a public place any offensive weapon. My right hon. Friend is not persuaded that a prohibition on the sale of specified articles would be effective in reducing violence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proof of identity and family relationship is currently required of persons seeking entry for settlement as dependent relatives; and what instructions have been given to entry clearance officers on this question.

The entry clearance officer has to decide on the balance of probabilities whether the applicant is a dependant who qualifies under the Immigration Rules. Circumstances vary widely, but the officer may rely on any relevant documentary evidence as well as the interviews of the applicants and their witnesses carried out by himself or other officers. Instructions to posts are confidential.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in detail the legislative measures he hopes to introduce within the next 12 months.

I cannot anticipate the contents of the Queen's Speech.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the police have been concerned with incidents involving physical violence, illegal picketing, and acts of sabotage in connection with the electricians' dispute in the housing department of Liverpool City Council; and if he will make a statement.

The Chief Constable of Merseyside tells us that the police advised the pickets of their responsibilities when the strike started. No complaints have been received by the police about the activities of the pickets, and no incidents of the kind referred to by the hon. Member have come to the notice of the police.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees were engaged in agriculture in Wales at the last date for which information is available; and how this compares with the corresponding numbers 10 and 20 years previously.

The numbers of regular whole-time workers, male and female, engaged in agriculture in Wales as at June 1974. 1964 and 1954 were 13,845; 20,244 and 32,980 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report the road schemes and their estimated cost and scheduled completion date on the main north-south trunk road in Wales, from Cardiff to Llandudno, together with other improvements to the road currently in the preparation pool, giving in particular the original and latest completion date for the section from Abercynon to Cefn Coed, together with any specific problems which have caused delay.

The following schemes estimated to cost over £250,000 each are under construction and in preparation on the route between Cardiff and Llandudno Junction:

	Estimated cost	Estimated completion date
Under construction Over £1 million
Llanelltyd bypass	£1·80m	December 1975
£250,000–£1 million
Nil.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish in the Official Report a list of the names of those persons serving on the Local Government Boundary Commission in Wales.

They were published on 12th June 1974.—[Vol. 874, c. 594]

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what action she has taken to use the powers provided under the Unsolicited Goods (Amendment) Act against the continuing activities of bogus trade directory businesses.

Regulations made under the Act, requiring disclaimers of specified form and size to appear on invoices for unordered directory entries, will be laid before the House this week.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will refer the restrictive labour practices in the printing industry to the Monopolies Commission under Section 79 of the Fair Trading Act.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will list those foods in respect of which subsidies are to be reduced in 1975 and the resultant increase in prices.

It is the intention to continue the food subsidies programme at broadly its present level throughout 1975, although some minor adjustments may be made later in the year to smooth the transition to lower rates of payment in the financial year 1976–77. Detailed decisions will be taken nearer the time in the light of developing economic conditions and the expected price movements for the various subsidised foods.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will make a statement on the effect of proposed subsidy reductions on the budgets of a single pensioner household, a married pensioner couple, a married couple with two children and a married couple with four children.

The effect will depend on the Government's decisions later in the year on the reductions to be made in particular subsidies.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she is satisfied with safety standards of baby walkers and the advice given by manufacturers.

Manufacturers are recommended to comply with the British Standard for baby walkers (BS. 4648:1970). It is important that manufacturers should also give adequate warnings and advice, and the inclusion of requirements to this effect in the standard is under consideration. Safety precautions are already usually indicated on the labels, but if my hon. Friend knows of any case where this is not so or of any failure to meet adequate safety standards I shall be pleased to have it investigated.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a list showing the duties and levies on imported dairy products, meat, including lamb, tinned food, fruit juices, fruit and cereals in force on 1st January 1975 and a similar list for 1st January 1972.

The following table shows the information requested for representative categories of foodstuffs within the product groups named. The table shows the pre-accession United Kingdom levies which applied to imports from all sources and were in force on 1st January 1972 and also the levies under EEC arrangements, net of compensatory amounts, which applied, on 1st January 1975, to imports from outside the Community. The tariff is highly complex, and therefore only the most favoured nation rate —that applied to imports from countries with no preferential arrangements—is

DUTIES AND LEVIES PAID ON SELECTED FOOD ITEMS AT 1ST JANUARY 1972 AND 1ST JANUARY 1975
			1st January 1972		1st January 1975
Item			Duty (MFN)	Levy	Duty(MFN)	Levy
Wheat	…	…	—	£2·00 per ton denatured	—	—
				£6·50 per ton milling
Barley	…	…	10%	£5·25 per ton	—	—
Maize	…	…	Free to 10%depending on type	£3·75 per ton	—	—
Butter	…	…	—	—	—	£301.39 per ton*
Cheddar cheese	…	…	15%	—	—	£398·52 per ton†
Beef—	…	…
boned or boneless	…	…	5%	—	11%	—‡
other:
chilled	…	…	£0·3500 per cwt.	—	8%+£0·1866 per cwt.	—‡
fresh or frozen	…	…	£0·3110 per cwt.	—	8%+£0·1866 per cwt.	—‡
Lamb, fresh, chilled or frozen	…	…	£0·9335	—	12%+£0·3734 per cwt.	—
Canned Beef (corned)	…	…	15%	—	19·4%	—
Canned Salmon	…	…	2·5%	—	7%	—
Canned Peaches containing	…	…	6%	—	7·6% to 13·2%	—
added sweetening matter.					depending on size of container and sugar content
Canned orange juice—
not containing more than 20% by weight of added sweetening matter.	…	…	Free	—	7·6% to 18·6% depending on sugar content and value. 11%	—
other	…	…	3%	—		—
Fresh oranges	…	…	5%	—		—
* The net levy on New Zealand butter (under Protocol 18 arrangements) was £190·15.
† The net levy on New Zealand cheddar cheese (under Protocol 18 arrangements) was £327·11.
‡The only beef imported into the Community in January 1975 was under the GATT levy-free quota