asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on agricultural tied cottages.

Both I and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food aim to start pre-legislation consultations shortly. I am most concerned that the work needed to prepare legislation should begin, and a Bill be presented to Parliament, as speedily as can be managed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet decided on his policy towards tied cottages in agriculture.

Yes. I intend to abolish them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet members of the National Association of Local Government Officers.

At their request I am meeting representatives of the National and Local Government Officers Association on 17th July to discuss local authority expenditure and the joint watch on local government staff numbers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people in England and Wales have been found guilty in each of the last four years under Section 19 of the Housing Act 1961.

I understand that the Home Office does not collect separate statistics relating to the offences created by Section 19.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many additional employees in local government have resulted from the reorganisation; how much was spent in 1974–75 on salaries and wages as compared with the financial year immediately prior to reorganisation; and what steps he intends to take to cut down on duplication of executive functions.

It is not possible to say exactly to what extent the staffing decisions of local authorities have been affected by reorganisation as against other causes, but it must have been considerable. Between mid-June 1973 and mid-June 1974 the total number of persons employed by local authorities dropped from 2,454,000 to 2.443,000 but it should be noted that about 90,000 former local government employees were transferred to health and water functions and to passenger transport executives and so technically away from local government. The estimated total salaries and wages bill of local authorities in England and Wales in 1973–74 was £4,300 million.Information in respect of 1974–75 is not available.My right hon. Friend has under constant review the allocation of local government functions, has set up the watch on staff numbers and has made it clear that local authorities must confine their finance to inescapable commitments—which in itself has implications for staff numbers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many additional rented dwellings have been provided in each of the standard regions of England to date by housing associations registered under the Housing Act 1974.

The information is not available in the form requested: the registration of housing associations is still far from complete and no separate statistics are available for the associations which have so far been registered. However, the following table shows new dwellings completed by all housing associations during 1974 and the first quarter of 1975:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any action is being taken to improve pedestrian facilities at the junction of Western Avenue and Old Oak Road; and if he will make a statement.

No, but I understand that the Greater London Council is considering an additional facility east of the junction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing associations have been registered under the provisions of the Housing Act 1974 in each of the standard regions of England.

The information is not available in the exact form requested. Housing associations are registered by the Housing Corporation and the figures for registrations to date, broken down by Housing Corporation regions, are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many accidents are estimated to have been caused in each of the last five years for which records are available as a result of vehicles crossing the central reservation of motorways and of dual carriageways, respectively; how many people were killed and how many were injured as a result of such accidents; how many and what percentage of the vehicles which crossed the central reservations were motor cars, lorries, articulated vehicles and coaches, respectively; and how many and what percentage of the drivers of each category of such vehicles were killed and injured.

In 1970 there were 307 injury accidents in which a vehicle crossed the central reservation of a motorway. The corresponding figure in 1971 was 266 injury accidents in which 72 persons were killed and 556 injured. Further information is not readily available. By the end of 1974 safety barriers had been installed on over 90 per cent. of the motorway system.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how often the Working Party on Housing Co-operatives has met; and if it has met in, or visited, Scotland.

The working party has so far met 13 times. It has not met in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations have taken place between the Working Party on Housing Co-operatives and Scottish local authorities, the Scottish Office or the Scottish organisations; and what is the specifically Scottish participation in this committee.

The working party was set up by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction to advise him on various aspects of cooperative housing. His responsibilities do not extend to Scotland, but the results of the working party's deliberations will, of course, be made available to the Scottish Development Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from interested parties in consequence of his decision to grant a permit for the proposed development of the site of Liverpool Street Station.

An office development permit was issued in August 1974 to the British Rail Property Board for 1·2 million sq. ft. of office space as part of the proposed redevelopment of Liverpool Street and Broad Street stations. The board has not yet applied to the local authorities for planning permission. Representations have been made to my right hon. Friend that Liverpool Street station should be listed and these are being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what correspondence he has had from Yorkshire and Humberside local authorities regarding the increase of grants for reclaiming derelict sand; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Planning and Local Government announced in the House on 31st January, the rates of grant for the reclamation of derelict land are to be increased to 100 per cent. for new schemes in the assisted areas and derelict land clearance areas in England when the proposed Scottish

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Minister for Planning and Local Government to Liverpool.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing action areas, under the Housing Act 1974, have been approved in each of the standard regions of England; and what is the total approved expenditure on such schemes and the number of dwellings involved in such schemes, by region.

The following is a list of housing action area declarations notified to my right hon. Friend up to 25th June 1975:

I visited Liverpool on 27th June to take the chair at a meeting to discuss the urban problems of Merseyside. Representatives of all the Merseyside local authorities, of the regional economic planning council and of a number of Government Departments attended. The seriousness of Merseyside's problems was recognised by all present, as well as the need for central and local government to work together in tackling them at a time of economic difficulty. A working party of officials from both sides is preparing papers on Merseyside's problems in employment and industry; housing and land availability; and on the best use of scarce resources. These will be discussed at a one-day conference to be held in the late autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list of all local authorities in England and Wales, giving their staff establishments on 1st June 1975 or the nearest convenient date, and showing additionally the numbers employed by each authority in each of the following areas of responsibility: (i) health, (ii) social services, (iii) education, (iv) planning, (v) refuse disposal and street cleaning and (vi) administration.

The information the hon. Member seeks is not available in this form. The Government and local authority associations have jointly instituted a system of watching manpower trends in local government as part of the rate support grant settlement for 1975–76. Individual authorities are expected to limit any expansion in present numbers to those needed to meet inescapable commitments.I have already indicated in reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 7th May 1975—[Vol. 891, c. 445]—that figures obtained from the survey will be published as soon as possible. The Department's Circular No. 30/75, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member, makes it clear, however, that the watch on staff numbers will focus at national level upon changes in the total work force and in the main components of that total.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reply he has sent to the President of the National Council of Building Material Producers, following Mr. Peirce's letter to him of 8th May, with its accompanying memorandum, about the state of construction output; and whether he will publish his reply.

The reply sent to the letter of 8th May from the President of the National Council of Building Material Producers requesting a meeting said that my right hon. Friend regretted he would be unable to meet a deputation but had asked me to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of dwellings for which improvement grants were approved in Great Britain in 1972, 1973 and 1974, and in the first four months of 1975, respectively; by what percentage the 1974 figure represents a decline compared with the 1972 and 1973 figures, respectively; and what percentage decline the 1975 figure represents compared with each of the other three years.

The numbers of house renovation grants approved in Great Britain during the years 1972, 1973, 1974 and the first quarter of 1975 are given below. The percentage changes from 1972 to 1974, from 1973 to 1974 and the first quarters of each of the years 1972, 1973, 1974 to the first quarter of 1975 are also shown.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will send information about grants to each of the 3,075 dwellings in the area of the West Lancashire District Council without an indoor flush toilet, the 1,310 dwellings without a hot water supply and the 2,025 dwellings without a fixed bath or shower.

No.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to take to prevent a collapse in the price of beef cattle this autumn.

I hope to announce later this month the scale of monthly target prices for beef cattle up to February 1976. These prices will increase between the autumn and the spring, and this will give producers an incentive to market their cattle in an orderly way. There are also support buying arrangements to prevent market collapse; but orderly marketing is much the better answer and I hope producers will cooperate in keeping the market stable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is yet able to make a statement about the effects of the referendum result on the policies of his Department.

My Department will continue to play a full and constructive part within the Community most notably in seeking to develop the common agricultural policy along the lines I have already indicated in the Council.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make representations to the Agriculture Commissioner designed to reduce the skimmed milk mountain.

My officials have had a number of discussions with the Commission about the level of stocks. At the recent meeting of Agriculture Ministers the Commissioner for Agriculture said that he was preparing proposals for consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his forecast of the milk production this year compared with 1974.

It is not the practice of my Department to publish forecasts of this type. On the basis of present trends, however, total milk sales to the boards during the current year would be expected to be lower than last year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he now has to help the British fishing industry.

I gave the House a full account of the Government's policy towards the fishing industry on Monday. As I said then, I will make an announcement about the possible continuation of the temporary aid which we gave in the first six months of this year as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement indicating to what extent the financial resources to increase United Kingdom dairy production will come from national subsidies and grants and EEC price determinations, respectively.

The bulk of milk producers' returns will continue to come from the market. Discussions are taking place with the interests concerned in order to determine whether there are specific measures which it would be right and practicable to take in furtherance of the aims set out in the recent White Paper "Food from our own Resources".

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from what sources he intends to finance the expansion programme for domestic production as outlined in his recent White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

The White Paper makes clear that the prospect of higher market returns should give farmers an incentive to plan for greater output. Following the referendum farmers will be looking also to future levels of support prices applying in the United Kingdom under the common agricultural policy; these will generally be rising as we take the transitional steps to full Community levels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the White Paper "Food from our own Resources" (Command Paper No. 6020) still represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether further discussions have taken place following the publication of Command Paper No. 6020, "Food from our own Resources", and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. These discussions are under way.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effects the latest Government statements on the containment of public expenditure will have on the food production policies outlined in the White Paper "Food from our own Resources".

The White Paper makes clear that the prospect of higher market returns should in itself give farmers an incentive to plan for greater output. Moreover, the planned level of public expenditure for 1976–77, as set out in the White Paper on Public Expenditure to 1978–79 (Cmnd. 5879), entails no reduction in forecast expenditure on agricultural grants and subsidies.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ban beam trawling within the 12-mile limit off the Sussex coast.

While beam trawling is a highly efficient method of catching fish, the main threat to fish stocks arises from general overfishing rather than from the use of any particular fishing method. But my right hon. Friend promised the House on 30th June that we would reconsider this matter, and we will do so.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the EEC directive on the stunning of animals before slaughter and related matters has now been translated into the law of all member countries of the EEC.

The directive required member States to notify the EEC Commission of the steps taken by 1st July to meet its requirements. However, we know that even before the directive was made the laws of the member States substantially met its requirements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agricultural holdings there were in 1945; and how many there are in 1975 in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

The number of agricultural holdings in England, Scotland and Wales in 1945 were 314,000, 76,000 and 57,000 respectively. Corresponding figures for 1975 are not available but in 1974 the numbers were 222,000, 53,000 and 39,000. These include holdings with insignificant output which are not now within the scope of the agricultural census but would have been in 1945. Part of the fall is due to farmers now rendering a single return for two or more holdings farmed as a single unit.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he is satisfied with the working of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in so far as it relates to the State Veterinary Service; and if he will make a statement.

My Department has always striven to take all practicable measures for safeguarding the health and safety of its staff, including those in the State Veterinary Service. However, in the light of experience and having regard to the provisions of the new Act, present arrangements and procedures are currently being reviewed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether or not it is his policy to support the reduction of the size of the British glasshouse industry; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the current state and prospects of the glasshouse sector of horticulture in the light of the latest Lardinois proposals.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the proposal of the European Community to give grants towards the destruction of heated glasshouses in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a further statement on his latest discussions with EEC Ministers regarding policy towards the glasshouse sector of the horticulture industry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the present state of the glasshouse industry.

My policy for the glasshouse sector of the British horticulture industry is to encourage growers, principally through capital grants and the help available from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, to increase their productivity. So far this season significant progress has been made in recouping higher input costs from the market. My right hon. Friend and a number of other Ministers of Agriculture have criticised the Commission's draft regulation providing mandatory grants for the dismantling of glasshouses and it is now being re-examined.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many representations he has received from the glasshouse industry during the last three months.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind representations about fuel costs. During the three months from 3rd April to 2nd July we received 35 letters from growers, of which 24 were included in the figure I gave in my reply to the hon. Member on 17th April.—[Vol. 890, c. 135]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the fall in milk production in the United Kingdom, if he will resist further attempts to continue the beef conversion scheme in the Community as far as Great Britain is concerned and seek to make this scheme optional in each country of the Community.

The Dairy Herd Conversion Scheme was with our agreement closed to applicants on 31st December 1974 and there are no current proposals for resuming its operation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he intends to take to alleviate the problems facing the agriculture industry referred to in the recently published annual report of the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation.

The Government have recognised that the new taxation proposals might present problems for agriculture. A relief for the agricultural land of working farmers has been given on capital transfer tax and is proposed on capital gains tax. Consultations with the industry on the wealth tax are in progress. An interdepartmental group is also reviewing the effect of capital taxation on agricultural production.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what allowance he made for the effect of the capital transfer tax, the proposed wealth tax and the Community Land Bill on agricultural production in the United Kingdom in preparing the White Paper "Food from our own Resources".

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will examine ways of increasing the amount of capital available to the agriculture industry in order to offset the effects of increased taxation, including the capital transfer tax and the proposed wealth tax.

The Government announced in the White Paper "Food from our own Resources" that they were setting up a review of the effect of capital taxation on agricultural production. Any effect that the new taxation measures might have on the amount of capital available to the industry will form part of that study. which is now in progress.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what percentage the national pig herd fell between February 1974 and March 1975; what this means in terms of tonnage of pigmeat lost; and if he will take steps designed to ensure adequate supplies to the consumer.

Information in the form requested is not available, but between April 1974 and April 1975 the size of the total United Kingdom pig herd declined by 13 per cent. In the same period the pig breeding herd declined by 10 per cent., implying a fall in annual production of pigmeat of approximately 85,000 tons. Market prices for pigs are substantially above the low levels of 1974 and feed prices are lower. This should encourage producers to increase the breeding herd in line with the objective of securing increased output which was described in the White Paper "Food from our own Resources" (Cmnd. 6020).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether Her Majesty's Government will oppose the imposition of the common agricultural policy on mutton and lamb.

Our attitude will depend on the nature of any proposals, and none have yet been made. We have made it clear that the United Kingdom could not accept a common market regime for sheep meat unless it provided satisfactorily for the interests of our producers and consumers, and for imports of New Zealand lamb.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will examine ways of improving the arrangements by which he consults the inshore fishing industry.

I am in the course of doing so.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to assist the improvement of facilities on upland farms for the conservation of fodder.

Grant aid is already available to all farms for the provision of silos and farm buildings generally. Farms with a development plan under the Farm and Horticultural Development Scheme may also be eligible for grant on farm machinery. As announced in the Annual Review White Paper (Cmnd. 5977), we are studying ways of encouraging better use and conservation of grass.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many registered shepherds there are in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

My Ministry does not maintain a register of shepherds. I am informed, however, that 2,395 workers in England and 126 workers in Wales had qualified under the Agricultural Wages Board Structure Scheme in the craft of sheep production between May 1972, when the scheme started, and 31st December 1974. I understand that comparable figures are not available for Scotland.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give specific financial assistance to the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering in the development of safety and noise levels on narrow hop and orchard tractors.

Such developments relating to narrow cabs are subsumed in the programme of work at NIAE commissioned by my Department.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce regulations banning the use of dried poultry waste as animal feed, in view of the fact that disease organisms, antibiotics and growth promoting drugs in poultry litter cannot be measured.

No, but my Department is currently considering suitable controls to reduce any disease risks in dried poultry waste used as a feeding stuff. Similar controls will apply to all animal proteins used for feeding to poultry or livestock and will require compliance with certain constructional and operational standards to minimise the recycling of disease and prevent re-contamination of the processed product.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he now has to implement his White Paper and secure expansion of agriculture.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Jones) and others.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further conversations he has had with his colleagues in the EEC over fishing quotas and industrial fishing; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has already impressed upon the Danish Minister of Agriculture the importance which the Government attach to fisheries conservation with particular reference to the recommendations of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission. I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by making a further statement at this stage.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about the doubling of potato prices in the past year, which is leading to the closure of fish and chip shops in Peterborough; whether, he is satisfied with the effect of EEC levies on the end of season price levels; and whether he will make a statement.

Some sections of the trade have recently expressed concern about supplies and prices of potatoes, and my officials are in close touch with the principal interests. At this time of year the domestic old crop rapidly runs down, and recent weather conditions have delayed the building up of the new crop. Imports of new potatoes from Cyprus, which fish friers normally use to bridge the gap between the old and new home crops, have been rather less than expected. There is no EEC common policy for potatoes. The tariff on imports of new potatoes has little impact on end of-season price levels. Supplies from Cyprus, our main overseas source at this time, are covered by a duty-free quota.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the intended advantages to horticulturists and the consuming public of the EEC regulations on standards of quality and packing for fresh cut flowers and foliage which require that the maximum permitted difference between shortest and longest stem lengths shall range from 2·5 cm to 10 cm depending upon code number; and what is the cost of supervising and enforcing this regulation.

The regulation recognises that reasonable uniformity of stem length increases the commercial value of most cut flowers and foliage, and ensures that in this respect the same descriptive terms are applied to home-grown and imported produce. Inspection of this produce at ports and markets is part only of the wide range of duties falling to the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate and separate costing is impracticable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why EEC regulations require that, in the packaging of flowers, paper and other materials in direct contact with the flowers must be new; and if he will seek an amendment to permit use of recycled packing material.

The regulation is in line with accepted practice. We do not regard it as precluding the use of wrappings newly manufactured from salvaged material.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the increasing general costs of United Kingdom cereal farmers, he will amend the EEC regulations which ban sales of all but first and second generation seeds.

No. I have no evidence to suggest that the price of certified cereal seed of the first generation introduced into the United Kingdom on 1st July 1975 will have any material effect on the production costs of crops for human or animal consumption. This category is normally used for multiplication purposes of second generation seed which will come within the scope of United Kingdom marketing regulations after 1st July 1976. In these circumstances it would be premature to seek an amendment to the EEC directive on which the Cereals Seeds Regulations 1974 are based but I will watch the situation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had about the practicabilities of effectively distinguishing the quality of wheat so that feed grain intervention price only may be applied to wheat thus designated; and if he will make a statement.

In the light of various statements by Commissioner Lardinois on the need to change the present intervention arrangements for wheat, I have followed my normal practice of preparing for any possible proposals by seeking views and advice from a variety of interested organisations on what might be practicable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from COPA requesting the alteration of the green pound for purposes of EEC trade in agricultural products; and what reply he has sent.

None.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if there is any restriction on the sale of vegetables not on the national list of vegetables approved of under the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulation 1973; and whether the same applies to the sale of these vegetables in other Common Market countries.

There is no restriction on the sale of vegetables but vegetable seeds of a variety of a species prescribed in the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 1973 may not be sold, subject to some exceptions, unless the plant variety is entered on the United Kingdom National List or on the Common Catalogue of the European Economic Community. Similar provisions apply in the other member States of the Community.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from organisations representing farmers, gardeners or seed users, rather than breeders and marketers of seeds, on the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 1973.

I have received some correspondence about the National List System from an organisation representing gardeners and from individual users but this has not revealed grounds for considering any changes to the present system as introduced by the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 1973.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish the report of the Sandilands Committee on Inflation Accounting shortly after he receives it, without awaiting formulation of Government views on the report.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the percentage increase of Consolidated Fund expenditure for the financial year to date compared with the corresponding figure a year ago.

Issues from the Consolidated Fund in the period 1st April to 30th June 1975 amounted to £7,927 million compared with £5,464 million in the same period last year, an increase of 45 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings in staff levels and expenditure in the Inland Revenue would be made if the Child Benefit Scheme were introduced to replace (a) child tax allowances for children under 11 years of age and (b) all existing child tax allowances.

There would be an initial extra cost to the Inland Revenue in the change-over period; but in the longer term it is estimated that the savings under basis (a) could be up to 400 staff, and under basis (b) up to 1,300 staff. The annual saving in money terms would be in the region of £1·2 million and £3·9 million respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in the Official Report those airports in the United Kingdom at which there are duty-free shops, and indicate for these airports the estimated number of alien passengers per annum passing through the terminals.

Following is the information:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the event of petrol reaching £1 a gallon by early 1976, if he will consider substantially reducing the tax on the petroleum product.

All tax rates are kept under review, but I cannot commit myself to any possible future course of action.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Government receive in taxation on tobacco and petrol each week or during any other convenient period.

It is estimated that receipts of duty and VAT currently average about £36 million a week on tobacco and about £28 million a week on petrol.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why, under the Save-As-You-Earn savings contract (Third Issue), investors can only make payments by standing order from the Giro and not from their clearing bank accounts.

All methods of payment which have previously been made available by the Department for National Savings for SAYE issues continue to be available for the third issue, including use of bankers' orders of the London clearing banks. The appropriate forms for this purpose are available at the banks.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent evidence he has received concerning the use by labour-only subcontractors of bogus income tax exemption certificates; and what action he has taken in such cases;(2) on how many occasions his Department has instituted legal proceedings for evasion of income tax payments by labour-only subcontractors in each of the past three years; what were the gross amounts involved; and in how many cases the use of bogus tax exemption certificates figured.

The Inland Revenue prosecuted two people, both of whom were convicted, in 1972–73, 23 people, 20 of whom were convicted, in 1973–74, and 76 people, 69 of whom were convicted, in 1974–75, for offences in connection with Sections 29 and 30 of the Finance Act 1971. These figures do not include prosecutions conducted by the police. The details for which my hon. Friend asks have not been recorded, but the extensive use of bogus documents was one of the considerations leading to the new provisions relating to subcontractors in the current Finance Bill, under which existing certificates will be withdrawn and replaced by an entirely new type of secure document which is intended to stop the abuse.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of the current replacement cost in 1973 of all vehicles, ships and aircraft, including those for military use, owned by the central Government.

To gather the necessary information would involve a disproportionate expenditure of time and effort and even then would not provide a meaningful figure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing revenue from (a) income tax and (b) indirect taxation as a percentage of gross domestic product for each year since 1960.

Following is the information:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, given an annual rate of inflation of 25 per cent. and the present rate of direct taxation, what would be the gross earnings necessary for a man with two children to have an income of: (a) £2,000, (b) £3.000, (c) £4,000 and (d) £5,000 net a year in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.

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

asked the Minister for the Civil Service for what purpose Her Majesty's Stationery Office is producing a book called "Nationalisation of British Industry" at a price of £21; and what is the expected cost, the expected number of sales, and the resultant profit or loss anticipated.

"The Nationalisation of British Industry 1945–51", which was published on 25th June 1975, is one publication in a range of official histories covering peace-time events. These were commissioned in consultation with the Standing Inter-Party Group of Privy Councillors, following the Prime Minister's statement to the House on 9th March 1966. The commissioning of this particular volume was announced by the Prime Minister on 18th December 1969.The expected cost inclusive of Her Majesty's Stationery Office publishing and selling expenses is £41,000. 2,000 copies of the publication have been printed for sale and for official use. A profit of 50p is anticipated on each copy sold.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy in respect of the application by the Gibraltar Workers' Union for official recognition as a union representing employees in Her Majesty's Dockyards. Gibraltar.

This is one of the points which will be dealt with in the reply to which my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs referred in his answer to a Question by my hon. Friend on 20th June.—[Vol. 893, c. 565.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals there are for carrying out of explosive tests in the Spithead and Solent areas.

We plan to conduct one shock trial in the Spithead and Solent areas early next year and a further one in the autumn. The trial that had been scheduled for this autumn will not now take place.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals Her Majesty's Government have for monitoring the possible damage to buildings caused by explosive tests in the Spithead and Solent areas.

Independent consultants were commissioned by the Department of the Environment in 1973 and 1974 to monitor the effects of Royal Navy shock trials conducted in the Solent area. The consultants concluded that no damage to buildings could be expected to result from the trials. We would, of course, cooperate in any further examination which was found to be necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the investiga-

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those organisations and individuals he has consulted on the Hodges Report on school transport.