asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Icelandic Government following their announced intention to move to a 200-mile fishing limit; and if he will make a statement.

The present Icelandic Government announced on its formation in August 1974 its intention to extend the fisheries limit to 200 miles during 1975. There have been a number of contacts with Icelandic Ministers since then. We have left the Icelandic Government in no doubt of our wish to enter into a further agreement after our present interim agreement expires in November 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the value of contracts so far awarded for construction of the Hong Kong Main Railway has been won by British firms.

I assume that the Question refers to the modified initial system of the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway. Although some tenders have been invited for this project and others will shortly be called, it will probably take until the early autumn for bids to be appraised.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what would be the cost of funding the pension of a principal in the Civil Service who retires in 1975 at the age of 60 years after 30 years' service, assuming that he is at the top of the salary scale and that inflation continues at 20 per cent. a year.

On the assumptions given, the cost would be approximately £75,000. However, the assumption that the present imbalance between the rate of inflation and the rate of interest can be sustained for any length of time is not reasonable. On more likely assumptions the cost would be about £30,000.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what are the minimum and maximum points on the scales normally paid to personal secretaries to (a) permanent secretaries, (b) undersecretaries and (c) assistant secretaries in the Civil Service, respectively.

The grades of personal secretary and senior personal secretary are general service grades used throughout the Civil Service. It is permissive to allocate senior personal secretaries to under-secretaries and above, and personal secretaries to assistant secretaries. Current minimum and maximum points of the scales are:—

Personal Secretary	Senior Personal Secretary
Minimum £2,030 p.a.	£2,505 p.a.
Maximum £2,660 p.a.	£3,205 p.a.

London allowances of £410 p.a. (Inner) or £260 p.a. (Outer) are payable in addition. Both grades can also qualify for proficiency payments of up to £336 p.a.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what salary an administrative civil servant earning £4,500, or the nearest scale point, on 1st January 1972 would be earning at the present date taking into account movement up the incremental scale but ignoring any promotion.

£7,450.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the highest and the lowest salary paid to the 27 special advisers to Ministers; and whether such salaries carry entitlement to pension on a contributory or non-contributory basis.

The annual salaries of those employed full-time range from £14,000 to £3,200. A majority of the advisers come within the ambit of the non-contributory Civil Service Pension Scheme.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the rates of VAT in the other EEC countries on housing.

The rates of VAT applied to housing vary from country to country. The following are details of what I understand the position to be in each member state.

		New housing	Resale of houses	Rents for houses
Belgium	…	14%	exempt	exempt
Denmark	…	15%	exempt	exempt
France	…	17·6%	exempt*	exempt†
Germany	…	11 %	exempt	exempt
Ireland	…	6·75%‡	exempt	exempt
Italy	…	12%	6%	exempt
Luxembourg	…	10%	exempt	exempt
Netherlands	…	16%	exempt	exempt
* If over 5 years old or a sale between private persons.
† If unfurnished. 17·6 per cent. for furnished accommodation.
‡ Special rules in relation to valuation effectively reduce this rate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation designed to ensure that banks and insurance companies give priority to investment in manufacturing industries.

No. The banks have already been requested to observe such a priority, and a large proportion of institutional funds is so invested.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he now has any proposals to relieve the performing arts of VAT.

As my right hon. Friend explained in his Budget Statement on 15th April—[Vol. 890, c. 305]—although most sympathetic he could not propose further reliefs from VAT at present.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to increase the help given to widows.

The best way to help is by increasing the level of widows' pensions. These were increased in April and we propose to increase them again in November.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the approximate annual cost to the Exchequer of supporting the 152,000 building workers currently reported to be unemployed; and if he will take steps to reduce this burden of unproductive public expenditure.

The cost to the Exchequer and to the National Insurance Fund of supporting 150,000 unemployed for one year at current rates of benefit is approximately £150 million. This excludes the loss of revenue to the Exchequer and the fund. The situaion in the construction industry is being kept under constant review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the fall in the value of the £ sterling since the 10-shilling note was replaced by a coin in October 1969.

48½ per cent. This estimate is based on the change in the General Index of Retail Prices between

		U.S.A.	Japan	West Germany	France	Belgium	Netherlands	Italy
July 1965	…	100·0	100·0*	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0
July 1966	…	99·9	100·4*	99·4	99·9	99·9	100·1	99·7
July 1967	…	99·8	100·1*	99·6	99·8	99·8	99·8	99·7
July 1968	…	85·8	85·0*	86·0	87·1	86·3	86·3	85·3
July 1969	…	85·6	84·9*	85·5	86·9	86·7	86·3	86·2
July 1970	…	85·6	85·2	77·5	96·5	85·6	85·6	86·3
July 1971	…	86·6	85·8	74·7	97·5	86·6	85·4	86·4
July 1972	…	87·8	73·1	69·4	89·6	77·5	77·8	81·6
July 1973	…	90·0	65·5	52·1	75·0	64·4	64·5	84·1
July 1974	…	85·8	70·6	54·9	81·7	65·6	62·4	88·3
June 1975	…	78·2	64·0	45·9	64·9	55·7	53·0	79·0
* Figures in the table have been calculated using middle market closing rates on the last day of the month in question. However, closing rates for the Japanese yen in the years 1965–1969 are not readily available and average annual rates have been used.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy towards retrospective taxation.

In general, I am opposed to it, but there may be circumstances in which it is justifiable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider a lower rate of road fund tax for electric vehicles, in view of the limited mileage covered and the absence of pollution.

Electric Vehicles are already subject to lower rates of

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of £1 sterling at the latest date, compared with its value on 28th February 1974.

Taking the internal purchasing power of the pound as 100p in February 1974, its value in May 1975, the latest date available, is estimated to be 75½p. This estimate is based on the change in the General Index of Retail Prices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, taking July 1965 as 100, he will publish a table for each year to the latest convenient date, showing the value of the pound in terms of the currencies of the United States of America, Japan, West Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.

The following are the figures:vehicle excise duty. I have no plans to alter the existing relationship.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms of solicitors have been sued under Section 98 of the Taxes Management Act for failure to comply with Section 18 of that Act in respect of clients' designated bank accounts; and if he will consider affording solicitors the same rights as bankers in carrying out their professional duties.

No record is kept but it is thought that there have been few if any cases of penalty proceedings against solicitors for failure to comply with Section 18 of the Taxes Management Act. Bankers can be required to make a return of interest under Section 17 of that Act.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give details of the component sectors of the public sector borrowing requirement.

The Budget forecasts for 1975–76 were that the local authoriy and public corporation borrowing requirements would be £1,557 million and £1,778 million respectively. The central Government borrowing requirement excluding its on-lending to them was forecast to be £5,720 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated shortfall in revenue to the Treasury caused by shortage of staff in the Customs and Excise Group.

There is no necessary correlation between staff shortages and revenue collected.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the economic situation.

I made a statement to the House last week. I have nothing to add at present, prior to the publication of the White Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will invite a representative from the National Chamber of Trade to join the NEDC.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the statutory responsibilities falling either on himself or the Bank of England in relation to intervention in the international money markets to support the £ sterling.

Section 24(3) of the Finance Act 1932 as amended by Section 63(1) of the Finance Act 1945 authorises the use of the Exchange Equalisation Account for the purpose of checking undue fluctuations in the exchange rate of sterling. Section 24(1) of the Finance Act 1932, which set up the Exchange Equalisation Account, states that it shall be under the control of the Treasury.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the Government or any agency thereof during each week in June 1975, and subsequently, incurred in supporting sterling in the foreign exchange markets whether by depletion of reserves, swap arrangements or otherwise.

It is not the practice to comment on this matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of tax was paid by life insurance and life assurance companies in the most recent year for which figures are available.

I regret that this information is not available centrally and could not be collected without the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of time and money.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any payments made by a man to a person acknowledged to be his mistress are liable to be declared for capital transfer tax.

Gifts to a mistress would need to be declared, just like other gifts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to introduce the new type of document relating to tax exemption for labour-only subcontractors in the construction industry.

The redesigned subcontractor's tax certificate will be introduced when the new measures against the lump, provided for in the current Finance Bill, come into force in about a year's time,

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his intention that the 10 per cent. limit on pay increases will apply to the recent Police Council agreement on police pay, which takes effect on 1st September.

I have been asked to reply.The Government's pay policy will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper. I cannot at present give details of the policy or comment on its effect on particular cases.

Year		United Kingdom	United States	Japan	West Germany	France	Belgium	Netherlands	Italy
1965	…	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
1966	…	102	107	110	103	104	103	103	106
1967	…	104	110	125·0	102	109	107	108	113
1968	…	108	115	143	109	114	112	116	120
1969	…	109	118	160	118	122	119	123	127
1970	…	111	119	177	125	129	127	132	134
1971	…	114	123	189	129	136	131	138	136
1972	…	118	130	205	133	144	138	143	140
1973	…	124	137	227	140	152	Not available	149	149

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the technical machinery for drawing prizes for premium bonds has been changed since the inception of the scheme; and whether, under present circumstances, every individual bond has an equal chance of winning one of the available prizes at each monthly draw.

The Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment (ERNIE) used to generate prize-winning premium savings bond numbers since the scheme was introduced in 1956 was replaced in January 1973 because the original equipment was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. With the new machinery, as with the original equipment, every individual bond eligible for inclusion in the draw has an equal chance of winning a prize.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, from information available

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, taking January 1965 as 100, if he will publish a table for each year to the latest convenient date showing real growth in gross national product, allowing for the increase in the cost of living in the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, West Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.

The following table shows index numbers of gross domestic product at 1970 market prices, with the value in 1965 taken as 100. The available figures at constant prices in the international sources relate to gross domestic product, not gross national product.from international sources, what was the gross domestic product per head at factor cost in Canada for the most recent year for which information is available; and how this compares with the figure for the United Kingdom.

The latest figures available relate to 1972. Gross domestic product at factor cost per head of population was estimated to be £1,672 in Canada and £954 in the United Kingdom. These figures are derived from those published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in "National Accounts of OECD Countries, 1961–1972" and the exchange rates used are those used for international comparisons in that publication and are the averages of the mean buying and selling rates. Exchange rates do not necessarily reflect differences in internal purchasing power between the two currencies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, following his economic statement of 1st July, if he will now take action to prevent the implementation of proposed rent increases to be paid by small businesses on commercial properties.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average pre-tax personal income of the working population, for the latest available period, in each of the planning regions of the United Kingdom; and how this compares with the previous two years.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the main items of Government expenditure per head of the population in cost terms; and how much such amounts have changed since 1970.

Following is the information.

PER CAPITA PUBLIC EXPENDITURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
	1974–75	Increase since 1970–71, at 1974–75 prices in cost terms
	£	£
Defence	73	+4
Overseas services	14	+4
Agriculture, fisheries and forestry	25	+13
Trade, industry and employment	51	+16
Nationalised industries' capital expenditure	45	—
Roads and transport	38	+9
Housing	72	+37
Other environmental services	32	+7
Law, order and protective services	25	+8
Education, libraries, science and arts	99	+20
Health and personal social services	83	+18
Social security	127	+20
Other public services	11	+2
Common services	10	+1

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has plans for further meetings with the Finance Ministers of the EEC; and if he will publish the proceedings.

My right hon. Friend the Paymaster-General is today attending a meeting of the EEC Council of Ministers (Finance). The next meeting is expected to take place in September. Discussions in EEC Council meetings are confidential; it would not therefore be appropriate to publish the proceedings. The Government have undertaken to make oral statements in the House whenever the substance of a Council meeting warrants it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he is giving to the EEC financial forecasts for budgeting expenditure and revenue, in the light of the announcement of 1st July.

In considering forecasts made by the Commission, my right hon. Friend naturally takes into account the latest developments in the economic situation, including the effect of the measures referred to in his statement of 1st July.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the increase in the standard of living on the basis of real disposable income per head between the fourth quarter of 1974, and the second quarter of 1975.

The first estimate of real personal disposable income in the second quarter of 1975 will be published by the Central Statistical Office in early October of this year. Between the fourth quarter of 1974 and the first quarter of 1975, real personal disposable income per head is estimated to have fallen by 1–1½ per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present level of United Kingdom official reserves compared with June 1973.

The level of the United Kingdom official reserves at end-June was $6,198 million, compared with $7,013 milion at end-June 1973.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue received from all forms of motor taxation and the amount of Government expenditure spent on roads in each of the financial years from 1970.

Following is the information:

			Motor taxation*	Roads expendilure†
			£m.	£m.
1970–71	…	…	1,965	750
1971–72	…	…	2,095	781
1972–73	…	…	2,265	872
1973–74	…	…	2,335	1,025
1974–75	…	…	2,330	1,129
*Includes estimates of net revenue from vehicle excise duty on all vehicles, taxes on road fuel, purchase tax, car tax and VAT on motor vehicles.
† Expenditure in Great Britain on road construction and maintenance by central and local Government including expenditure on car parks, but excluding administration. The figure for 1974–75 is provisional

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total tax revenue in the United Kingdom for the year 1966–67; what percentage of the gross national product this represented; and what are the comparable figures for the year 1974–75.

Following is the information:

		Total Tax Revenue (£m.)	As a percentage of GNP (at factor cost)
1966–67	…	10,628	31·2
1974–75*	…	27,725	32·9
* Provisional.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give an assurance that when the Government introduce their new pay policy the transitional arrangements envisaged by the Prime Minister in his statement of 3rd July will include a provision that arbitration awards made under the terms of the present social contract will be honoured, even though these awards are not due to take effect until after the commencement of the new policy.

I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, following his economic statement of 1st July, if he will now take action to prevent the implementation of proposed rent increases in the public and private sectors.

I regret that I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this issue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has made any estimate of the increased cost to the motor trade industry of plans to alter present MOT testing arrangements and, in particular, of likely expenditure for new machinery.

The cost of the changes to individual garages will vary with circumstances, but the average cost has been estimated at £2,500. The main additional item of equipment is a roller brake tester, costing about £2,000 at current prices: this will be a requirement for all testing stations except those in remote rural areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the national Freight Integration Council held its last meeting; and how many meetings it has had in the regional areas of the United Kingdom.

The last meeting of the Freight Integration Council was in June 1971. No meetings were held in regional areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to all publicly-owned undertakings for which he has responsibility not to exercise sexual discrimination in granting employee concessions; and if he will make a statement.

Employee concessions are a matter for the boards of the undertakings concerned, which are without doubt aware of any provisions of relevance in the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Bill now before Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it remains his intention, as expressed in the Minister of State's answer to the hon. Member for Melton on 22nd April, to implement Part III of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 before the Summer Recess.

The timetable for implementation is being reviewed in the

		(£ million)
Payment to	Purpose of Payment	1973	1974	1975 (to 30th June)
British Railways Board	Grants for unremunerative passenger services	59·4	145·0	15·1
	Grants for maintenance of surplus track and signalling equipment	10·3	—	0·5
	Payments by Passenger Transport Executives for local passenger services	16·7	11·4	18·5
	Compensation for public service obligation	—	—	144·9
	Infrastructure Grant	14·3	22·0	7·6
National Freight Corporation	Grants towards losses incurred on freight sundries traffic	2·5	—	—
British Waterways Board	Grant in Aid	3·6	5·2	3·1
	Bridgeguard Grant	1·2	1·4	0·6
National Bus Company	Rural Bus Grants	1·6	2·8	0·7

Figures for 1975 are latest estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the total borrowings of each of the nationalised

BORROWING BY NATIONALISED TRANSPORT INDUSTRIES AS AT 30TH JUNE 1975
£ million
	British Railways Board	British Waterways Board	British Transport Docks Board	National Freight Corporation	National Bus Company
Loans from Secretary of State for the Environment:
Commencing Capital Debt	133·00	3·75	76·87	99·34	87·72
Loans	118·30	5·50	46·57	55·00	21·90
Temporary Borrowing	42·90	1·37	—	5·45	—
Total Borrowing by Subsidiaries	46·30	—	—	7·60	—
Total Borrowing	340·50	10·62	123·44	167·39	109·62

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost of allowing all transport and traveling costs, except wholly private travel, as a tax deductible expense.

I have been asked to reply.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what payments were made to each of the nationalised industries for which he is responsible for tasks undertaken by them which were not in their commercial interest in each of the years 1973 to 1975.

Payments made by my Department and, where appropriate, by local authorities are as follows:industries for which he is responsible, at the latest available date.

Following is the information:Information on which to base a satisfactory estimate is not available but the cost of such relief would be substantial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of payments of motor tax in the last three months have been for a four- month period rather than the full year; how this compares with the same months in the five previous years; and what proportion was used as the basis for the

			April		May		June
			12 Monthly Per cent.	4 Monthly Per cent.	12 Monthly Per cent.	4 Monthly Per cent.	12 Monthly Per cent.	4 Monthly Per cent.
1975	…	…	49·2	50·8	44·5	55·5	Not available
1974	…	…	43·3	56·7	43·0	57·0	41·3	58·7
1973	…	…	42·4	57·6	44·0	56·0	38·8	61·2
1972	…	…	41·5	58·5	42·5	57·5	36·9	63·1
1971	…	…	40·6	59·4	40·3	59·7	39·0	61·0
1970	…	…	44·3	55·7	37·5	62·5	38·0	62·0

The revenue yield from the increases was estimated on the basis of the likely annual pattern, allowing for the effect of the changes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated amount that owner-occupiers

		Wales	England	United Kingdom
		£m.	£m.	£m.
Total value of tax relief on mortgage interest	…	20	630	680
		£	£	£
Relief per mortgagor	…	100	134	130
Relief per owner-occupied dwelling	…	50	68	66

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what grants for forestry are being paid from EEC sources to Great Britain; and what efforts are being made to harmonise British policy with that of the EEC countries in relation to forestry.

No grants are currently being paid from EEC sources for forestry in Great Britan. The United Kingdom and other member States are discussing a proposal for a Council directive on forestry measures aimed at promoting an effective pattern of land use and the improvement of agricultural structures and productivity. In general our view is that the nature and scale of assistance to private forestry should be determined by individual member States according to their particular needs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what

Following are the figures:in England and in the United Kingdom, respectively, receive by way of tax relief on their mortgage interest in total, per capita and per owner-occupied dwelling.

I have been asked to reply.The estimates for 1974–75 are as follows:steps the Government propose to take to offset the estimated fall in production of milk this year from that of last year.

I have nothing to add to the reply my hon. Friend gave the hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Boscawen) and others on 3rd July.—[Vol. 894, c. 1652.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of any increases of officials in the administrative grade in his Department in the last two years, together with the total of all such officials now on his establishment.

In the two years to 1st July 1975 the Administration Group—which comprises the former administrative, executive and clerical grades—in my Department rose by 265 to a total of 891. The increase is largely accounted for by the absorption of staff from the Welsh Hospital Board and from the Department of Industry, following the assumption by the Welsh Office of responsibilities in those fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many blanket applications have been made by his Department for financial assistance from the European Community Social Fund; and how many of these were submitted without prior consultations with and approval by the organisations involved.

With its full agreement, one organisation operating partly in Wales was included in blanket applications submitted by the Government for assistance from the European Community Social Fund in 1974 and 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the proportion of finance made available in Wales by the European Community Social Fund since 1973 which has been clawed back by the United Kingdom Treasury.

Receipts from the European Community Social Fund in respect of projects in Wales have so far been reimbursed for Government expenditure already incurred.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications have been made to date for financial assistance from the European Community Social Fund by individual organisations in Wales.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to publish the Daniel Report on water charges in Wales.

The report is with the printers and will be published as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average charge made for supplying water to industrial consumers in Wales in each year 1970 to 1975.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many local authority mortgages for (a) house buying and (b) home improvements were awarded by local authorities in Wales in each year 1970 to 1974; and what was the total sum involved.

The information requested in part (a) of the question is given in a reply dated 1st July to the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley).—[Vol. 894, c. 419–20.]As to (

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many tied cottages there are in Wales which are owned by farmers and other private landowners.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Roderick) on 3rd July.—[Vol. 894, c. 553–54.]

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many tied cottages there are in Wales which are owned by the Forestry Commission, agricultural colleges and university departments engaged in teaching agriculture.

I am advised that at 31st March 1975 the Forestry Commission owned 404 tied dwellings in Wales. Statistics for the other categories of owners specified are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated amount that owner-occupiers in Wales receive by way of tax relief on their mortgages in

		Wales	England	United Kingdom
		£m.	£m.	£m.
Total value of tax relief on mortgage interest	…	20	630	680
		£	£	£
Relief per mortgagor	…	100	134	130
Relief per owner-occupied dwelling	…	50	68	66

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to prevent further bombs being dropped on Lutton Marsh and adjoining areas by aircraft using the Holbeach Marsh bombing range.

Two practice bombs containing a smoke/flash compound but not explosives were prematurely dropped from a Jaguar aircraft on to Lutton Marsh on 7th May. Every possible precaution is taken to guard against such accidents, which are extremely rare and are immediately followed by an exhaustive investigation to establish the cause. In this case, it was found that the accident was caused by a technical failure of the aircraft equipment. The defect has now been rectified.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current manpower of the Royal Naval Reserve; what tasks are allocated to it; and if he will make a statement on its future rôle.

The strength of the Royal Naval Reserve and Women's Royal Naval Reserve is about 6,000. I would draw the attention of the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 9th July about the future rôle and tasks of the Royal Naval Reserve.—[Vol. 895, c. 663–5.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his powers in relation to requiring fishing vessels to carry unexploded bombs ashore.

I have been asked to reply.The estimates for 1974–75 are as follows:

The Secretary of State for Defence has no such powers. However, the Royal Navy offers advice to fishermen who may sight or trawl up mines and other dangerous-looking objects. This is summarised in the annual reprint of Notice to Mariners and also in a leaflet and illustrative poster which have been distributed to fishing fleets.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the powers possessed and the procedures adopted by his Department in connection with the discovery of unexploded bombs (a) on land and (b) at sea.

There are a number of Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal Report Centres to which incidents are reported by the civil authorities for explosive devices found on land, and by vessels which either sight or trawl up explosive devices at sea. At the request of the civil authorities Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal staff take the necessary action to render harmless those found on land.In the case of those found at sea the action taken will depend upon the precise circumstances. Fishermen) are asked to bring devices inshore wherever practicable and to lower them to the sea bed in less than 30 fathoms of water, with the position marked by a buoy. The naval authorities take action to render these harmless. However, if a device is dumped or left a considerable distance offshore in deep water where there is no danger to shipping it may not be necessary or practicable to take further action.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report the steps a citizen should take on discovering an unexploded bomb.

Any person who discovers a bomb or other dangerous-looking device should report it immediately to the local police. Devices sighted or trawled up at sea should be reported to the nearest naval authority, police or coastguard.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many letters he has now received on the subject of his proposals over the direct grant schools.

About 4,400.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many school buildings now in use for teaching purposes in the city of Birmingham are (a) more than 100 years old and (b) more than 70 years old; and what are the current plans for the replacement of these buildings.

The information asked for is not collected by the Department. As regards replacement, it is for the local education authority, under current arrangements, to determine what school building projects it will start within its lump sum authorisation.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to ensure that the new diploma of higher education qualification incorporates some training in skills that have vocational relevance; and what steps he has or will be taking to inform employers of the nature and status of this qualification.

The design and content of Dip HE courses are matters for the individual institutions concerned and for validating bodies, but it is the intention that both general and specialised courses should be made available. My Department has been in preliminary consultation about the diploma with the CBI, with members of the Standing Conference of Employers of Graduates and with representatives of several professional bodies. There will be no substantial number of diploma holders leaving Dip HE courses until 1977. As the number of Dip HE courses available grows I shall consider what further steps should be taken to publicise the qualification amongst employers and the professions. The providing institutions may also be expected to be intouch with employers in their area.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much grant each university in Great Britain receives, expressed (a) as a block amount and (b) as an amount per student for the academic year 1974–75.

The distribution of the universities' recurrent grant for the 1974–75 academic year is set out below, together with the amount per full-time student.

University or College	Total recurrent grant £000s	Amount per full-time student £
	£000s	£
Aston	6,500	1,543
Bath	3,705	1,160
Birmingham	13,590	1,854
Bradford	6,525	1,709
Bristol	10,200	1,589
Brunel	4,327	1,956
Cambridge	14,505	1,329
City	4,577	2,140
Durham	4,846	1,197
East Anglia	4,466	1,330
Essex	3,249	1,582
Exeter	4,681	1,235
Hull	5,353	1,364
Keele	3,255	1,443
Kent	3,597	1,343
Lancaster	4,534	1,290
Leeds	13,963	1,466
Leicester	5,099	1,383
Liverpool	12,544	1,880
London	85,585	2,405
Loughborough	4,643	1,366
Manchester	16,083	1,617
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology	6,919	2,049
Newcastle	10,388	1,645
Nottingham	8,386	1,438
Oxford	15,010	1,305
Reading	7,134	1,393
Salford	6,496	1,738
Sheffield	10,496	1,542
Southampton	7,962	1,593
Surrey	4,773	1,712
Sussex	5,534	1,371
Warwick	4,389	1,330
York	3,341	1,241
University of Wales	23,777	1,462
Aberdeen	8,516	1,606

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of changing Thanet's present educational system into a comprehensive one.

In response to Circular 4/74 Kent local education authority outlined arrangements for the introduction of comprehensive education in Thanet but gave no details of the implications for individual schools. We have recently asked the authority to provide up-to-date details for all their adopted schemes, including the one for Thanet.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce his decision regarding secondary school reorganisation in the Haywards Heath-Burgess Hill area.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave on 24th June to a question by the hon. Member.—[Vol. 894 c. 106.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will equate the average cost of retraining with the number of unemployed men and women in Cornwall, and indicate the global cost involved and his estimate of the time-span necessary to retrain all those who have applied.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the average cost of a training course under the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) is approximately £1,300. The number of men and women unemployed in Cornwall at the last count was 6,779 and 1,234 respectively. Assuming all applied and were suitable for retraining the cost would therefore be £10,416,900. The total expenditure by the Training Services Agency on TOPS in the financial year 1974–75 was £60 million.It is not possible to calculate the length of time necessary to train all those on the waiting lists for TOPS courses. There are over 600 courses varying in length from four to 52 weeks. Waiting periods for admission vary between trades and regions. For example, the estimated waiting period for the skill-centre at Redruth is one to three months for bricklaying and four to 12 months for electric are welding.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of building apprentices in training at the latest available date compared with the number 10 years ago; and what proposals he has for increasing the number.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 113,900 apprentices were in training in the construction industry in September 1964 compared with 79,300 in October 1973, the latest date for which currently comparable statistics are available. Recruitment in that year was affected by the raising of the school-leaving age. The Construction Industry Training Board is expected to announce within the next few days the special measures it is taking to increase the number of young persons recruited to the industry this summer for first year off-the-job initial training.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies there were, in each sector, extractive, manufacturing and services and what were the total number of redundancies notified in Wales in 1974 and to date in 1975.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that redundancies involving some 6,990 people were notified as due to occur in Wales in 1974, and some 7,300 for the period 1st January to 30th June 1975. The following table gives a breakdown into extractive, manufacturing and service industries.

		1974	1st January to 30th June 1975
Extractive	…	420	220
Manufacturing	…	5,760	6,650
Services	…	810	430
Total	…	6,990	7,300

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the Hamilton and Larkhall area have completed retraining courses at Government training centres during the last two years; and how many of these are now in permanent employment.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that it is estimated that during the period of 1st July 1973 to 30th June 1975 approximately 100 people from the Hamilton and Larkhall area were trained at skillcentres—formerly Government training centres. It is not possible without disproportionate cost to give the placing position of these ex-trainees, but in Scotland 80 per cent. of all trainees are placed either before finishing training or within six months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the Hamilton and Larkhall areas have been refused places in Government training centres; and how many of them are disabled persons in percentage terms.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that during the period 1st July 1973 to 30th June 1975, 21 people from the Hamilton and Larkhall area were not accepted for training at skillcentres—formerly Government training centres. None of these was disabled.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what extra and normal steps he is taking to provide employment for disabled persons in the Hamilton and Larkhall area; and how many disabled persons he estimates require such employment.

Although special steps are taken to help all disabled people find employment my Department supports the provision of employment only for those severely disabled people who need to work under sheltered conditions. The provision of sheltered employment in this area has been expanded over the last year with the opening of Remploy's new Rutherglen factory and the extension of the sheltered workshop at Wishaw. I doubt if further expansion is required; but the position will be kept under review. Nine unemployed severely disabled people in Hamilton and Larkhall are currently registered for sheltered employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide a breakdown on the sum of £2½ million per annum which his Department in its discretion may award to voluntary agencies, and a similar analysis of the total in each of the last three years.

My Department does not have a sum which it may award at its discretion to voluntary agencies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the temporary employment subsidy.

I am not in a position to make an announcement about the date for the introduction of the scheme; the detailed provisions remain to be agreed. A further statement will be made soon.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what an employee earning £4,500 per annum on 1st January 1972 could expect to be earning at the present date assuming his earnings had moved into line with (a) the cost of living and (b) the increase in average earnings over that period.

The latest available general index of retail prices in the United Kingdom, for May 1975, shows an increase of 62·2 per cent. since January 1972 and the latest available index of average earnings of all employees in all industries and services covered, in Great Britain and seasonally adjusted, for April 1975, shows an increase since January 1972 of 72·7 per cent. Applying these increases to an earnings figure of £4,500 per annum gives figures of £7,299 and £7,772 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any further measure in mind to assist school leavers in finding employment.

I have nothing to add at this stage to the reply on this subject given on 1st July 1975 to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesend (Mr. Ovenden).—[Vol. 894, c. 400.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many retraining places currently provided under Government auspices are in the West Midlands Region; how this compares with the number available a year previously; and whether he has any plans for increasing the number in the foreseeable future.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that under the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) in the West Midlands there are four Skillcentres, at Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley and Stoke-on-Trent. These provide approximately 1,000 places in skilled construction, engineering, electrical/electronics and automotive trades. On 31st May 1974 the number of places was 921.There are also educational establishments in most towns in the region and employers' establishments, offering training in a much wider variety of occupations. A precise number of places in educational establishments cannot be given as, in addition to exclusive TOPS courses, TOPS trainees can be accommodated on an "infill" basis on existing college courses. There were 3,896 places on exclusive TOPS courses in the 1974–75 academic year compared with 2,896 in the previous year. There were 511 places in employers' establishments on 31st May 1975 compared with 609 places on 31st May 1974. The Training Services Agency is constantly seeking to expand training facilities by arranging new courses with other employers.New skillcentres are planned for Castle Bromwich and Wolverhampton by the end of 1975 with 304 and 210 places respectively. An extension of training facilities at Birmingham Skillcentre is under construction. The work is being done in two stages and when completed in 1976 the number of additional places there is expected to be 176. This will bring the total number of places in skillcentres in the West Midlands to approximately, 1,690.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of jobs placed at risk (a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in all development areas and (c) in Wales as a result of the Government policy on public expenditure; and what is his estimate of the number of redundancies that will be caused in (i) the public sector and (ii) in the construction industry in each area.

No such estimate has been made in the detail required.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether it is his policy that whenever Europe's institutions provide funds for British investment the subscriber should have a right to a stake in the venture.

It is not standard practice for Community institutions to include the right of participation in the terms and conditions attached to loans granted by them for investment in the United Kingdom or other Community member States.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current cost of research into (a) new fuel sources, (b) new methods of mining or otherwise developing existing fuel sources; and what are the Government's intentions with regard to the extent and cost of such research in each of the next three years.