asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that the fact that members of the Factory Inspectorate make representations to their Members of Parliament regarding the proposed reorganisation will not be considered adversely from the point of view of their career prospects.

Although this is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive, Inspectors of Factories are civil servants and are subject to the rules which apply to all such officers. The rules relating to grievances provide for an avenue of approach by any officer to the most senior member of staff in his Department. There is no restriction on the right of a civil servant, including an officer of the Health and Safety Executive, to approach his Member of Parliament on matters of public interest. There is therefore no question of the career prospects of a Factory Inspector who exercised this right being adversely affected.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many factory inspectors there were in post on 31st July 1975; and how many he expects there will be in post on 31st July 1976.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the number of factory inspectors in post on 31st July 1975 was 772. The number of factory inspectors it is expected will be in post on 31st July 1976 is 905.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many factory inspectors carried out inspections of factories in Northamptonshire during the 12 months ended 31st July 1975.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that during the 12 months ended 31st July 1975, six factory inspectors from the Northampton District Office inspected factories in Northamptonshire, with a maximum of four inspectors in post at the office at any one time. In addition, visits within the district were carried out by 26 specialist inspectors from Nottingham Divisional Office and Headquarters.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give his estimate of the prospects of school leavers obtaining employment in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

In present circumstances employment prospects cannot be predicted with any certainty. Job opportunities immediately available are fewer than in recent years, but I expect that the numbers registered as unemployed will continue to decline during the next few months, and that the great majority of school leavers in Wales will have found employment or suitable training by the end of the year. As in other areas, their prospects will be improved by the special measures which the Government have introduced to help them.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the total number of redundancies in Wales notified to the Manpower Services Commission since the beginning of 1975, distinguishing between the different sectors of employment.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that redundancies involving some 12,000 people have been notified as due to occur in Wales, for the period 1st January to 30th September 1975. The following table gives a breakdown into extractive, manufacturing and service industries:

Industry	Notified Redundancies
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	Nil
Extractive	420
Manufacturing	11,020
Services	560
Total	12,000

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest estimate of unemployment and short-time working by planning) subdivision in Wales; and what is the unemployment rate in each year.

The following table shows the numbers unemployed and percentage rates of unemployment on 8th September 1975, and those known to my

			Number unemployed	Number on short-time	Percentage rate of unemployment
Clwyd—East	…	…	7,761	328	9·4
Clwyd—West	…	…	3,197	67	8·0
Gwynedd	…	…	6,552	91	9·3
Industrial South Wales	…	…	50,932	2,805	6·9*
Powys	…	…	1,660	44	6·2
West Wales	…	…	6,394	56	8·4*
* The percentage rate of unemployment relates to a group of travel-to-work areas which differs slightly from the sub-division.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing unemployment in Wales as a percentage of unemployment in the United Kingdom in September of each year since 1960.

Following is the information:

Number unemployed in Wales as a percentage of the number unemployed in the United Kingdom.
September 1960	6·7
September 1961	6·1
September 1962	6·4
September 1963	5·7
September 1964	6·4

UNEMPLOYED IN WALES ON 14TH JULY 1975
Duration of unemployment in weeks		Males				Females
		Aged under 20	Aged 20 and under 40	Aged 40 and over	Total	Aged under 20	Aged 20 and under 40	Aged 40 and over	Total
2 or less	…	3,140	4,234	1,120	8,494	2,668	1,846	229	4,743
Over 2 and up to 4	…	2,006	3,104	1,038	6,148	1,431	1,145	194	2,770
Over 4 and up to 8	…	1,008	3,129	1,578	5,715	588	738	207	1,533
Over 8 and up to 13	…	826	2,873	1,603	5,302	505	610	241	1,356
Over 13 and up to 26	…	1,273	4,306	2,674	8,253	765	911	538	2,214
Over 26 and up to 52	…	695	3,653	3,000	7,348	415	627	412	1,454
Over 52	…	188	2,329	6,054	8,571	92	285	644	1,021
Total	…	9,136	23,628	17,067	49,831	6,464	6,162	2,465	15,091

The figures are not adjusted to take account of amendments notified on the four days following the count.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of training places now available in Wales under central and local government auspices; and what is the increase over the past year.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that at the end of September 1975 there

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for unemployment in Wales analysed by age and duration

Following is the information:were 3,102 training places available for vocational trainees under the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) in Wales. This compares with a total of 2,520 places at the end of September 1974.Places available in colleges of further education are elastic as TOPS trainees can be considered for any suitable college course in addition to the exclusive TOPS courses which are arranged where there is sufficient demand. As college classes are geared to academic terms the number of places available is not constant.The MSC has no responsibility for local government training such as is given in local authority social services departments' training centres.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many civil servants in his Department are paid more than the various Ministers within it.

The information relating to the Secretary of State was given by the Minister for the Civil Service on 1st August in rely to a Question from the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Speed)—[Vol. 896, col. 669].The salary paid to the Minister of State is below the salary paid to 21 civil servants in the Department of Employment. The salary paid to the Joint Under-Secretaries of State falls within the limits of the scales paid to civil servants in the Department of Employment in the following grades and posts: Assistant Secretary; Senior Principal; Assistant Solicitor; Senior Economic Advisor; Chief Statistician; Chief Information Officer; Senior Principal Psychologist.The total number of staff in these grades is 73 and it is not possible without disproportionate cost to ascertain how many of these are being paid more than the Minister.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made towards the full implementation of the Equal Pay Act 1970; and what sectors of industry and commerce have yet to end discrimination between men and women in pay and employment conditions before the expiry of the transitional period on 29th December 1975.

Considerable progress has been made towards the implementation of the Equal Pay Act, but there are still some employers who have made no moves towards implementing its provisions.The following table shows the numbers of collective agreements and wages orders which were discriminatory at the end of June 1975, in each industry group, compared with the total number of agreements and orders on my Department's register.

NUMBER OF COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS AND WAGES ORDERS ON THE DE REGISTER* WITH DIFFERENT RATES FOR MEN AND WOMEN AT 30TH JUNE 1975
Industry group	Number of discriminatory collective agreements and wages orders at 30th June 1975	Total number of agreements and orders on DE Register
Agriculture, forestry etc	2	3
Food, drink and tobacco	10	16
Chemicals and allied industries	3	9
Metal manufacture, all engineering and vehicles	3	4
Metal goods	3	7
Textiles	13	21
Leather, leather goods and fur	4	4
Clothing and footwear	10	11
Bricks, potter, glass etc	5	11
Timber, furniture etc.	4	6
Paper, printing and publishing	12	12
Other manufacturing	3	4
Construction	—	1
Distributive trades	12	26
Professional and scientific services	—	1
Miscellaneous services	7	9
Public administration	1	6
* The Register consists of 151 collective agreements and wages orders which were discriminatory in 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the estimated cost of implementing the Equal Pay Act 1970 to industry and commerce to date; and what proportion of total wage and salary bill increases during the same period this amounted to.

An inquiry into the cost of introducing equal pay in 1969 showed that it was extremely difficult to assess the likely impact of equal pay legislation on employers' costs. However, as a result of the inquiry, the Government formed the view that the impact on costs of introducing equal pay was likely to be of the order of 3½ per cent. of the national wages and salaries bill.Because of the complexities of the Act and the interaction of the effects of equal pay legislation with other extraneous factors, it is not possible to establish with any precision how accurate the original estimate was or how much progress has been made. However, on the basis of the information on progress which is available and on the assumption that the original estimate was of the right order of magnitude, the Government estimate that during the five years from June 1970 to June 1975 the impact on costs of introducing equal pay was roughly of the order of 2½ per cent. of the national wages and salaries Bill.On this basis the cumulative cost to all employers in the public and private sectors of implementing the Equal Pay Act would account for approximately 4½ per cent. of the total wages and salaries Bill increases over the five-year period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of people unemployed in the Thanet area at 30th July and 30th August 1975; what percentage these figures are of the total workforce; and what are the comparable figures for these periods last year.

On 14th July 1975, 2,286 people were unemployed in the area covered by the Margate, Ramsgate and Sandwich employment offices and the rate of unemployment was 5·1 per cent. On 11th August 1975, 2,497 people were unemployed and the rate was 5·6 per cent. The corresponding figures for July 1974 were 1,203 and 2·7 per cent. and for August 1974, 1,309 and 2·9 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the expected final cost of the landscaping of New Palace Yard compared with the original estimate; and when he expects completion of the working.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave in the House to the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) on 30th July 1975. And as I told the hon. and learned Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Mr. Fairbairn) on 7th August, there has been a slight increase in the final cost of phase I, mostly due to difficulties of working on site beyond the contractor's control. The expected completion date is May 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will confirm that it is still the Government's intention to commence the A13 to A12 section of the M16 in the 1976–77 financial year.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give advice to local authorities to make a firm allocation of responsibility for the supervision of pigkeepers to an appropriate Department making clear their duties and responsibilities in this regard.

I have written to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report as much information as he has about the net usable floor space in the Palace of Westminster excluding circulation areas, lavatory and engineering services; and what is the percentage of the net total used for (a) administration, including Vote Office and Hansard, (b) catering, (c) Government Departments, (d) staff other than administration, (e) public rooms and galleries, and (f) rooms for Members including Ministers and party offices.

The total net usable floor space in the Palace of Westminster is 332,830 sq.ft. The proportion of this space allocated to the categories specified by my hon. Friend is as follows:

(a) administration, 11 per cent.

(b) catering, 10·5 per cent.

(c) Government Departments, 1 per cent.

(d) staff other than administration, 1 per cent.

(e) public rooms and galleries, 10 per cent.

(f) rooms for Members, 24 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the totals for grants and loans made available by the Government under the Highways Act 1959 since February 1974 to construction companies in connection with road contracts.

About £17,600,000: £13·1 million by direct grant and £4·5 million by loan.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the capital cost of building each toll tunnel and bridge completed in the last five years; and what revenue needs to be raised each year for each in order to complete the repayment for moneys loaned on each project;(2) what was the revenue for the last financial year from vehicles for each toll bridge and tunnel in the United Kingdom; and what was the cost of maintaining each bridge and tunnel for the last financial year;

Crossing	Heavy goods vehicles pence	Coaches pence	Motor cars (with caravan) pence	Motorcycles (with sidecar) pence	Cycles pence
Dartford Tunnel	20–30	12½–30	12½	5	2½
Mersey Tunnel	40–50	40–50	15 (30)	5	1
Tyne Tunnel	40	40	15	5	Free
Severn Bridge	12	12	12	5	Free
Tamar Bridge	40–70	70	15	4	1
Dunham Bridge	15–30	Not known	10 (12)	5	Free
Selby Bridge	4 per ton	Not known	4 (7½)	1 (2½)	Free
Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge	4 per ton	4 per ton	5	2 (3)	Free
Sandwich Bridge	7½–10	10	5	2½ (3½)	Free
Shard Bridge	5–10	10	2 (4)	2	1
Clifton Suspension Bridge	5	5	5	2	Free
Rixton and Warburton Bridge	12½	12½	5	2½ (5)	Free
Whitchurch Bridge	3–5	3–5	3	1	Free
Whitney Bridge	3½–8	6	3 (5½)	2 (2½)	1
Aldwark Bridge	4 per ton	4 per ton	4(5)	1	½
Bartheaston Bridge	5	12½	2½ (7½)	1 (1½)	½
Cartford Bridge	10	10	3(5)	2 (2½)	1
Eling Bridge	2½	2½	2½	2½	Free
Swinford Bridge	4–10½	5	2	1	Free

Revenue and maintenance cost details are available only for the five major publicly owned crossings. Figures for 1973–74, the last year for which a complete set of accounts has been published, are:

				Gross Revenue	Costs (excluding debt charges)
				£ m.	£ m.
Tamar Bridge	…	…	…	0·50	0·10
Severn Bridge	…	…	…	1·21	0·29
Dartford Tunnel	…	…	…	1·44	0·43
Tyne Tunnel	…	…	…	0·88	0·43
Mersey Tunnel	…	…	…	3·38	1·24

The Kingsway Tunnel under the Mersey, the only crossing in England in this category, cost about £38 million.Annual charges on the Departments' loans, which cost 75 per cent. of the cost, are £2,663,000. Charges on the remaining loans raised by the tunnel authority, Merseyside County Council, vary from year to year.Three tunnels and 16 bridges are subject to toll charges in England. Crossings in Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State.Charges on the crossings in England are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any further structure plans have been submitted to him for all or part of the area of local planning authorities since his answer to the hon. Member for Melton on 21st March; and if he will list them, together with the date of submission.

The structure plan for East Sussex was submitted on 23rd July 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what public examinations into structure plans have taken place to date during 1975; between what dates the examinations were held; and what further dates have been fixed for examinations in the next six months.

Two examinations in public have been held this year. The structure plans for Birmingham, Dudley, Walsall, Warley, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton (West Midlands Conurbation) were examined between 4th March and 2nd May. The structure plans for Teesside, East Cleveland and West Cleveland were examined between 10th June and 4th July. The examination in public of the East Sussex structure plan will start in March 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has of the annual amount received in the United Kingdom in rents in respect of council house property and the annual cost, whether to the Ministry or whether to local authorities, of maintaining and administering such property, including attributable salaries and wages but excluding interest.

On the latest estimate for the current year, rebated rents for council dwellings in the United Kingdom are expected to yield about £947 million. The cost of repairs and maintenance and of supervision and management are expected to total about £389 million and £246 million respectively. The estimate for repairs includes a small amount of interest for repair works financed by borrowing. The main loan charges, consisting of repayments and interest in respect of money borrowed to finance house building and improvements, are not included.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to enable a rating authority to send one rate demand note to each site owner instead of to each occupier of a caravan.

My right hon. Friend hopes to do so as soon as a legislative opportunity presents itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities which have written to him, or otherwise formally indicated to him, that they do not wish to be relieved of the duty of collecting rates on holiday caravans.

I have had no representations to this effect.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters he has received from holiday caravan owners protesting against the imposition of domestic rates; and what has been the general nature of his replies.

I have had over 1,200 such letters either directly or through hon. Members. My reply in general reflects my statement to the House of 25th June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many persons he estimates have now become eligible to pay domestic rates on caravans used for holiday purposes, following their inclusion in valuation lists; and what is the estimated average payment that they will be required to make annually.

About 220,000. The average general rate payment will be about £20, but there will be wide variations around this figure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now give details of his proposals for alleviating the staffing and administration difficulties of local authorities newly required to collect domestic rates on holiday caravans.

My right hon. Friend hopes to introduce legislation as soon as an opportunity presents itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions he has now reached in considering the staff and administrative costs of collecting rates from non-residential caravans; and how he now proposes to ameliorate the position.

My right hon. Friend is convinced that the existing rate collection arrangements can be inefficient and costly. He will be in a position to announce his intentions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government expect to report their recommendations on the rating of caravans.

In the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what experiments he has conducted to find out how long or over what distance the average motorist can be relied upon to remember and to respect a traffic signal which he has passed; and what was the answer.

No such experiments have so far been thought necessary, and none has been carried out.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made with the experiments which involve the use of tape recorders of traffic noise to ascertain the effect of this noise on people trying to get to sleep; how many tests have been carried out; what has been the cost to date; and how much more money will be spent.

To improve planning and compensation procedures the Department is seeking to develop a comprehensive and objective methodology for environment evaluation. This entails, among other things, assessment in monetary terms of social disbenefits from environmental nuisances, including noise.With the support of the Noise Advisory Council a relevant pilot study costing about £2,500 was carried out in 1973. A further study in 35 homes, costing about £10,000, was conducted in 1974, with redeveloped equipment. In each case people were asked to live with continuous tapes of recorded traffic noise installed in their homes for a week. Their reactions, and their views on the compensation they considered necessary to make this disturbance acceptable, were studied. This work, which will be published early in 1976, achieved some useful insights of levels of tolerance to noise, but it also revealed some unanticipated problems of methodology which remain unresolved. No further work on these particular lines is at present planned, but research will continue towards the broad objectives indicated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made with experiments with collapsible lampposts; what is the object of these experiments; how much they have cost to date; and how much more money it is proposed to spend.

There are about 14,000 road accidents each year from collisions with conventional columns. The annual death roll is about 300, and the total annual cost to the nation about £10–15 million.Research into means of reducing severity of impact with lighting columns which involved some two-man years of effort, and was completed some years ago, resulted in the design of a mounting system which allows a lightweight column to break away from its base when struck by a vehicle.Several trial installations, in places where new columns were needed, were set up from 1969 onwards. Of 32 accidents involving columns at these sites up to June 1974, three produced slight injuries, and the others only damage. This evidence points to savings in accident costs very substantially greater than the extra capital costs of these columns at new sites, and the Department is now considering policy, and the framing of standards. Breakaway columns would not be used wherever they might put pedestrians at risk. A variant design for possible use on central reservations is currently under trial.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what instructions he has issued regarding the skid resistance qualities which should be designed into roadways; what experiments he has authorised; and what materials are being tested.

The Specification for Road and Bridge Works and associated Notes for Guidance lay down qualities of stone and binder and methods of construction to be used for roads to ensure satisfactory skid resistance. A number of experiments have been made, or are in progress, to examine a wide range of suitable road materials. These include highly non-skid materials such as calcined bauxite/epoxy resin, which has proved successful in reducing skidding accidents at junctions. Any promising new material is checked against conventional materials to assess its relative performance. Some 170 sections of different materials are at present under observation, and a further 40 sections are being laid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent the cost of the Road Information Transmitted Aurally (RITA) depends upon the speed of the vehicle receiving the signal; upon what speed the timing of the signal is based; and what is the cost per mile of the three possible transmitters, namely, wire loops in the road surface, cables, or single roadside transmitters, mentioned by the Minister in the Official Report, column 881, of 26th June 1975.

Vehicle speed affects the design of transmission aerials—loops or coaxial cables—and governs the length of message zones. Present thinking allows for zones 1 km. and ¾ km. long in rural and urban areas respectively, which should enable drivers of vehicles travelling at speeds up to 70 m.p.h. to receive at least two complete 10–second messages. Since the use of roadside transmitters is unlikely, costs for these have not been closely investigated. Costs for wire loops and coaxial cables are each estimated to range from £6–8,000 per site. It would suffice if these sites were placed 3 km. and 1 km. apart in rural and urban areas respectively, in which case the average cost of adding the road element of RITA to the present matrix system would be about £5,000 motorway mile.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what costs will be entailed in suppressing interference with radio signals caused by operation of the "Aware" system, especially in heavy commercial vehicles; what it will cost to provide a dimmer on the panel so that the signals may be seen both by night and by day; and what steps he intends to take to prevent interference from and with local radio sets.

The design of AWARE effectively guards against interference from outside, and Home Office regulations prescribe that a frequency allocation would be made, to avoid interference between AWARE and other radio transmissions. Brightness in the panel is controlled through a simple automatic device in the car. It is not practicable to identify the cost of either of these two features of AWARE's design.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the fact that each separate carriageway signalling point for the traffic control system Advanced Warning Equipment (Aware) will cost £60,000 and that cost and installation charges in a vehicle will be between £40 and £50, how many will be required per mile of road.

Transmitters for AWARE could probably best be located at about the same intervals as the present matrix signals. On this assumption, each separate carriageway signalling point, and each dual site serving two carriageways, is estimated to £3,000 and £5,500 respectively to the costs of the present matrix system. Optimum distances between sites are still under investigation, but a likely order is about 3km. in most rural areas, and between ½ and 1 km. on roads with heavy traffic. The cost of receivers, installed in vehicles, is expected to be about £15–£20 each.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what advice he is seeking about the legal implications of installing and operating devices for controlling remotely the brakes of a motor car; and if he will make a statement;(2) what experiments are being made into the remote control of the brakes of a motor car; who is conducting these experiments; what they have cost; and how much more money it is proposed to spend.

There are no experiments in progress or planned on application of motor car brakes by remote control from the roadside. In current work on accident risks arising from "close following", a vehicle-borne radar device is being used to measure headways and rates of closure, which are being studied in relation both to driver perception and response. It is in principle feasible to use this device to apply brakes automatically as well as to warn; but development work towards automatic brake application in cars is not at present thought profitable. Accordingly, no consideration is being given to the legal implications of installing and using any such device.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that hatched yellow lines across a roadway can cause attacks of petit mal; what steps he is taking to minimise this danger to sufferers and others; and if he will make a statement.

The possibility of bright lines producing attacks of epilepsy is well known, and was thoroughly studied during experimental work on bar lines. The bar line system was accordingly designed to avoid the frequency bands associated with visually-induced epilepsy. We have had no reports of epilepsy attributable to this cause.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the hon. Member for Stroud may now expect to receive answers to the Questions which he raised in columns 876, 877 and 878 of the Official Report of 26th June 1975 on the subject of motorway road signs.

I can identify only four significant points in these columns calling for any further answer. These are all highly specific questions related to RITA. I have written to the hon. Member about them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the anticipated completion dates of the various sections of the M27 motorway currently under construction.

Both sections from Ower to Chilworth and Park Gate to Portsbridge are expected to be completed about the end of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is able to make an estimate of the total annual cost of maintaining stray dogs.

No. It would be disproportionately expensive to seek to obtain this information from the police forces throughout the country which have the responsibility for dealing with stray dogs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants in his Department are paid more than the various Ministers within it.

The information is as follows:

Secretary of State	4
Minister of Transport, Minister of Housing and Construction	24
Minister of State	129
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State	915*
* The salary paid to Parliamentary Under-Secretaries falls within the limits of the scales paid to the following grades:

• Deputy Chief Scientific Officers.
• Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments.
• Superintending Planning Inspectors.
• Assistant Director Water Engineering.
• Assistant Solicitors.
• Assistant Secretaries.
• Chief Statisticians.
• Senior Economic Advisers.
• Assistant Controller of Supplies.
• Chief Information Officer (A).
• Chief Information Officer (B).
• District Auditors.
• Deputy District Auditors.
• Superintending Grades.
• Senior Principal Scientific Officer.
• Senior Principal.
• Principal Planning Inspector.
• Principal Planners.
• Accountant Director.

The total number of staff in these grades included in the figure of 915 is 687 but it is not possible without disproportionate cost to ascertain how many of these are being paid more than the Parliamentary Under-Secretaries.My right hon. Friend the Minister for Planning and Local Government does not draw a ministerial salary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice or directives he has given to local authorities in respect of hypermarkets; and what studies have been made concerning the viability of other shopping facilities, particularly for consumers who are not owners of cars.

Advice has been given in Development Control Policy Note 13 and Circular 17/72 on out-of-town shops and shopping centres, copies of which I am sending to my hon. Friend. Studies of the effect of hypermarkets on other shopping facilities are at present being undertaken for my Department and for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the trunk road and motorway schemes (a) under construction and (b) planned for completion by 1980 in (i) West Lancashire District and (ii) Knowsley Metropolitan District.

Following is the information:

(a) Under Construction

(i) West Lancashire District: Nil.

(ii) Knowsley Metropolitan District: M62 Queens Drive to Tarbock.

(b) Other schemes planned for completion by 1980

(i) West Lancashire District: M58 Aintree to Skelmersdale—M6 link.

(ii) Knowsley Metropolitan District: Nil.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will arrange to have Sikhs' turbans tested by the Road Research Laboratory to see if they are an effective alternative to a crash helmet for motor cyclists.

The regulations require safety helmets to comply with relevant British Standards. I am satisfied that unnecessary deaths and injuries would follow if a lower standard of protection were permitted. I am advised that that a turban could not, because of its materials and construction, comply with the British Standards. I am also told that tests conducted by the BSI showed that a turban could not comply with the penetration and shock requirements of the British Standard.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if, prior to his announcement of the Green Route as the preferred route for the M1/A1 link and as the cheapest of the alternatives proposed, he considered what economies to public expenditure might be achieved by east coast traffic making use of the M1 between Crick and Collingtree thereafter linking up with the dual carriageway running east towards Wellingborough and finally joining up with one or other of the four possible routes;(2) if, following his decision on the M1/A1 link that the Green Route south of Naseby and north of Broughton be selected for further investigation, he will indicate what areas of land will be involved between the M1–M6 junction and the position of the proposed route where it meets the A6(T) south of Rothwell on the basis both of a single and dual carriageway and what consideration has been given to the question of the effects of the route on farming and food production.(3) if, prior to his announcement of the Green Route as the preferred route for the M1/A1 link, a cost benefit analysis of the four alternative routes was undertaken, and if so, with what result;(4) if, in the light of his statement regarding the proposed route of the M1/A1 link road and his reference to an already heavily congested section of the M1, he will give existing density figures for traffic on the southbound carriageway of the M1 from its junction with the M6 to the Collingtree junction in Northamptonshire for specified times over a 24 hour period and state the Department's estimate of when this stretch of road will be carrying traffic to the limit of its capacity;(5) if, following his announcement that he has selected the Green corridor for the route of the M1/A1 link road and his reference to the work of investigation taking some years to complete, he can indicate, subject to availability of resources, when construction is likely to start and how long a building period is involved.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the Green Route chosen is the best available on both environmental and economic grounds. The land requirement for the length of road indicated by the hon. Member is expected to be about 200 acres for a single carriageway with an additional 100 acres for a dual carriageway.Every effort will be made to minimise the effect on agriculture.Each of the four alternative routes showed a positive economic benefit.42,620 vehicle movements were observed between Junctions 16 and 17 of the M1 between 6 a.m. on 25th July and 6 a.m. on 26th July 1975. The M1 is expected to reach the limit of its design capacity at this point during the next 10 to 20 years.Work on the link road is not expected to start before 1980. Until preparation is further advanced it is not possible to say how long it will take to complete the link.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to invite tenders for the Westerham-Godstone section of the London outer road (M25).

Subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures and the availability of funds it is hoped that tenders for the section from Godstone to the Kent county boundary will be invited early next year and for the section between the county boundary and Sundridge, which is east of Westerham, in late summer 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the construction of the London outer orbital road (M25) to be completed.

Subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures and the availability of funds it is hoped to complete the London outer orbital road (M25) by 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects construction to start on the A111–A10 section of the London outer orbital road (M25).

Subject to the successful completion of the statutory procedures construction is expected to start in 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated economic rate of return on the London outer orbital road (M25).

The design of some 30 miles of the London Orbital Route M25 is still under preparation and until these designs are more advanced the economic rate of return for the whole route cannot be assessed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give consideration to amending Section 44 of the Water Act 1973 so that water authorities may levy domestic charges on launderettes for effluent disposal analogous to the domestic charges levied by the Gas Council.

No. I see no case for charging outlets which discharge concentrated flows of effluent as though they were domestic properties.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money has been spent by his Department and the former Ministry of Public Building and Works in making provision in Diego Garcia and in Mauritius for Diego Garcians.

There is no record of any money being spent by my Department or the former Ministry of Public Building and Works in making provision in Diego Garcia or Mauritius, for Diego Garcians.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date Her Majesty's Government decided to review the strategic plan for the South-East; what steps he has taken to give non-official bodies notice of the review; and how many have so far communicated their views to him.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesend (Mr. Ovenden) on 11th November 1974.—[Vol. 881, c. 47–8]—A Press report was issued in relation to that statement notifying the public of the decision to update and further develop the Strategic Plan. I would also refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould) on 5th August 1975—[Vol. 897, c. 115]—in which I indicated my hope that it would be possible to produce an interim report early in 1976. The intention is to involve non-official bodies in discussion of the interim report before the final report is completed.The final report itself is expected to be available in the middle of next year. It will be published and be open for public comment and debate prior to my right hon. Friend reaching conclusions upon its acceptance or modification. Members of the Standing Conference on London and South-East Regional Planning and the South-East Economic Planning Council have been associated with the progress of the work at both member and officer level. To date, two non-official bodies have made their views known to me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present approximate sum committed by the Government and local authorities to capital projects in new and expanded towns in South-East England for the next three years; and what estimate he can give of comparable investment from non public sources.

In the broadest of terms, the capital expenditure planned by central Government and local authorities in new towns in the South-East Economic Planning Region during the next three years is of the order of £250 million, of which over £50 million is already under contract. No comparable figures for expanding towns are available. The extent of committed investment by private enterprise in this period is not known, but on past evidence it may be expected to amount to about 20 per cent. of that in the public sector.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the direct or indirect benefits or inducements available for firms that are removing their activities to, or originating or extending in new and expanded towns in South-East England.

These towns can usually offer the benefit of fully serviced sites in planned areas of development and, in some of the towns, advance factory units and offices are available for letting. Good housing for the workforce within a short distance of job location can be offered and many towns can also offer room for future expansion and good communications, as well as other advantages to be found in a modern and properly planned environment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the arrangements he has made with his Department, or other Government agency, concerning weighing of commercial vehicles entering the United Kingdom at roll-on/roll-off ferry ports, where all laden vehicles are weighed and where only sample weighing is practised.

The Department's examiners—in co-operation at some ports with county trading standards officers—weigh a sample of about 15 per cent. of incoming commercial vehicles at the main roll-on/roll-off ferry ports. Facilities for weighing at minor ports are being improved. To weigh all laden vehicles would be too costly in manpower and would impose unacceptable congestion and delays in the major ports.

asked the Lord President if the Council if he will make a statement concerning the present state of the Register of Members' Interests; and if he will confirm that all Members have complied with the register's requirements.

In accordance with the resolutions of the House passed on 12th June, these are matters for the Registrar of Members' Interests, in conjunction with the Select Committee on Members' Interests (Declaration).

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will give details of the recent purchase of crockery for the various catering establishments fully within his control; what purchases were made; at what costs; from which firm and from which country; what offers were received from British manufacturers; and how the price and delivery dates compared with those from the firm with whom the eventual order was placed.

I have been asked to reply.Crockery to the value of £12,200 has been purchased from Rosenthal of West Germany. The management of the Refreshment Department made inquiries as to operative prices of traditional suppliers to the House. Price, guarantee, replacement upon demand and delivery dates were the deciding factors for the order of Rosenthal Studio Line china, added to which Rosenthal offers a further year's supply of crockery at June 1975 prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he is satisfied with the level of investment in the small business sector of industry and trade.

The currently low level of investment in all sectors of industry and trade is a cause for serious concern. I have no reason to believe, however, that the investment performance of small businesses is any worse than that of large firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the future investment programme of the Post Office and its adverse effects on employment in development areas, and especially in Central Fife.

I am in close touch with the Post Office and the telecommunications supply industry on the problems facing them, which arise from the reduced growth of the level of demand. It is the Post Office's responsibility to place orders on the basis of its judgment of future demand: I cannot predict their effect on individual areas. I hope that the current discussions will serve to ameliorate the present difficulties, but I cannot properly press the Post Office to buy what it does not need.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the inquiry he is to arrange into the efficiency and administration of the Post Office and its services will be such as to permit members of the general public and their Members of Parliament to submit evidence of maladministration upon the part of the Post Office and its staff.

I must ask my hon. Friend to await the announcement of the terms of reference.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what general directions he has given to the Post Office to deal with industrial disputes which prevent the collection and delivery of letters.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many civil servants in his Department are paid more than the various Ministers within it.

The information is as follows:Secretary of State for Industry: I have nothing to add to the reply by my hon. Friend

the Minister of State, Civil Service Department, on 1st August.—[Vol. 896, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry on what the European Space Agency's budget of £185 million is being spent; on what basis Great Britain's contribution has been decided; which countries are paying as much or more; and what work is being carried out in the British aerospace industry as a result of our membership of the ESA.

About 85 per cent. of the budget of the European Space Agency is devoted to applications programmes covering development and proving of communication satellite system technology, a meteorological satellite, a spacecraft launching vehicle, and a space laboratory to be carried in the United States space shuttle. The remainder is being spent on scientific research in space; the United Kingdom contribution to this is the responsibility of the Science Research Council.Contributions to the majority of the ESA programmes is on a gross national product basis, although the three most recently adopted applications programmes are being funded according to the national interests of the countries participating in each specific programme. Thus, the United Kingdom does not participate directly in the French-led launcher project and makes only a 6·3 per cent. contribution to the German-led Spacelab programme, but bears just over half of the cost of the maritime communications satellite development.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many officials in his Department specialise on work relating to the activities of multinational companies in the United Kingdom.

Many officials in the Department, and in other Departments, are concerned with the activities of multinational companies within the framework of their functional or industrial sponsorship responsibilities. A small staff in the Department's industrial and commercial policy division is responsible for co-ordinating work on multinationals including participation in internatonal meetings.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many multinational corporations have operations in the United Kingdom; and what is the total number of persons employed by them.

I have been asked to reply.At the end of 1971, the latest date for which information is available, there were some 4,500 enterprises in the United Kingdom which had either outward or inward direct investment links with overseas companies. Information is not available on the number of ememployees of these enterprises. The only available information on numbers of employees in such enterprises relates to those enterprises in manufacturing industries which are overseas-controlled. In 1968, the latest year for which such information is available, there were 670 such enterprises, which employed 704,000 on their manufacturing activities.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he is taking, or proposes to take, to assist small and medium sized businesses in Cheshire, particularly in the area covered by the Macclesfield constituency, in view of their employment of large numbers of people in an area of rising unemployment.

All businesses engaged on qualifying activities in those parts of Cheshire falling within the Merseyside special development area are eligible for the full range of Government incentives that are available to safeguard existing, and to provide new, employment. Many of these incentives are available also to firms engaged on qualifying activities in the North West Region Intermediate area, of which Macclesfield forms a part, and firms in both areas are able to use the free training services provided by the Manpower Services Commission. In addition, firms throughout Cheshire, as in the rest of the country, may be eligible also for assistance under the temporary employment subsidy scheme if faced with impending redundancy, and will be able to benefit from the subsidy scheme, effective from today, 13th October, for encouraging employment of school leavers. Small businesses can also call on the regional Small Firms Information Centre in Manchester to help them to find sources of advice and assistance on any business problems.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firms in the Thanet area have gone into voluntary liquidation since March 1974.

I have been asked to reply.I regret that the information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what has been the level of investment in British industry by companies located in the United Kingdom, that is net of direct inward investment, for each of the last 50 years; what has been the level of direct outward investment for each of these years; and what the latter has been each year as a percentage of the former.

, pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 7th August 1975; Vol. 897, c. 511–12] gave the following information:Fixed investment in the United Kingdom includes fixed investment by all companies operating in the United Kingdom, including those which are affiliates—that is, branches, subsidiaries and associates—of overseas companies. Inward direct investment covers a wide range of financial transactions between overseas companies and their affiliates in the United Kingdom which may be made to finance investment in assets other than fixed assets—for example, additions to working capital and trade investments.It is not possible to distinguish separately investment in fixed assets which is financed from inward direct investment. Similarly, outward direct investment covers the same range of financial transactions between United Kingdom companies and their overseas affiliates. Outward direct investment is generally financed from overseas borrowing and profits retained overseas. There is no necessary connection between overseas direct investment and investment in fixed assets in the United Kingdom.Annual information on inward and outward direct investment is given in Table 24 of United Kingdom Balance of Payments 1963–73 and will be brought up to date in the corresponding publication for this year at the end of August. Annual information on fixed investment in the United Kingdom is given in Section XI of National Income and Expenditure 1963–73; the corresponding publication for this year will be issued early in September.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what immediate steps he proposes to take to halt the decline in United Kingdom agricultural products.

The adjustment to sterling's representative rate which my right hon. Friend announced on 24th July was the latest in a series of measures which have substantially improved producers' returns and support prices. In addition, on 29th September my right hon. Friend announced a further limited increase in the guaranteed price of milk and at the same time made clear that urgent consideration was being given to what further measures were open to the Government to improve the position of dairy farmers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated percentage of United Kingdom apple consumption accounted for by domestic production over the past five years and what assessment he has made of the future share of consumption likely to be provided by home output.

The percentage of United Kingdom apple supplies accounted for by domestic production over the last five years is estimated as follows:

June/May Years
1970–71	67 per cent.
1971–72	64 per cent.
1972–73	57 per cent.
1973–74	60 per cent.
1974–75	56 per cent.

No assessment of the future share of domestic production has been made, and this will continue to fluctuate according to factors such as effect of weather on the domestic crop, the size of the market and availability of overseas supplies.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated current size of the EEC stock of herbage seed; and how this compares with the corresponding figure over the past three years.

This is not a sector for which the Commission has published any statistics or estimates of Community stocks. Such information as is available to our Department suggests that present EEC stocks of all species might be of the order of about 65,000 tonnes, compared with rather more than 40,000 tonnes in 1974 and rather less than that level when the Community was enlarged in 1973.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the present operation of the EEC herbage seed subsidy; what impact the subsidy level has upon the extent of cropping, in view of the fact that it is not announced until sowing has been concluded; and if he will make a statement.

No. We have asked the Commission to make early proposals to bring the arrangements more into line with the requirements of the market both as regards the overall level of herbage seed production and its distribution between different species.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current fortunes and prospects of the United Kingdom herbage seed industry, in the light of EEC regulations.

Transition to the EEC régime has three main implications for herbage seed production in the United Kingdom. First, for most species, marketing of uncertified seed—which is already prohibited in the original member States of the Community—will be prohibited in the United Kingdom from July 1976. Second, we are phasing in the EEC's common external tariff so that by 1977 the level will be 6 per cent. for grasses and 4 per cent. for clovers, compared with our previous 10 per cent. tariff on all imports from non-Commonwealth countries. Finally under the Community's régime our crops can qualify for the flat-rate production subsidy payable on most species of certified herbage seed.We are seeking improvements in the operation of the EEC herbage seed subsidy so as to assist the industry in the difficulties which it has lately been experiencing, and which have arisen because a build up in supplies of certain species, notably perennial ryegrass, has coincided with a decline in demand for both agricultural and amenity uses. More generally, however, such situations can best be resolved, and where possible avoided, by close and continuous liaison between the organisations representing merchants, breeders, growers and users of seed. Our seeds industry already has well tried arrangements for this purpose, and similar machinery has latterly been developing within the enlarged Community. Effective co-operation of this kind can do much to underwrite the future well being of the industry both in the United Kingdom and throughout the EEC.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the percentage difference between the green pound and the market exchange rate for sterling in respect of EEC currencies on a mid-monthly basis since the inception of the green pound formula.

The percentages used for calculating the monetary compensatory amounts (MCAs) applicable on the dates shown are listed below:

Representative Rate: 2·1644 UA=£1
15th February 1973	7·0
15th March 1973	5·8
15th April 1973	5·8
15th May 1973	4·7
15th June 1973 (a)	7·4
15th July 1973	12·3
15th August 1973	17·7
15th September 1973	14·1
15th October 1973	18·2
15th November 1973	16·7
15th December 1973	13·8
15th January 1974	9·8
15th February 1974	10·6
15th March 1974	12·7
15th April 1974	13·7
15th May 1974	15·4
15th June 1974	15·3
15th July 1974	15·3
15th August 1974	15·3
15th September 1974	15·3

Representative Rate: 2·0053 UA=£1
15th October 1974	6·1
15th November 1974	9·0
15th December 1974	11·4
15th January 1975	15·1
15th February 1975	16·5

Representative Rate: 1·96178 UA=£1
15th March 1975 (b)	12·7
15th April 1975	12·7
15th May 1975	13·8
15th June 1975	17·0
15th July 1975	20·6

Representative Rate: 1·86369 UA=£1
15th August 1975	8·6
15th September 1975	10·5

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement outlining the advantages which are deemed to accrue to British farmers, consumers, and taxpayers from the operation of a green pound for trade in agricultural produce within the EEC.

To the extent that the green pound is above the market rate for the pound sterling, the arrangements result in lower consumer and feedingstuffs prices than would otherwise be the case. They also mean lower agricultural support prices and lower Exchequer income.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present amount of milk powder held in storage by the EEC.

The total amount of skimmed milk powder held in storage by EEC intervention agencies at the beginning of October was 1,038,000 tonnes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total of EEC funds spent in the present year to date on intervention buying of milk powder, subsidising sales outside the EEC and feeding of powder to cattle.

The first available estimates of expenditure in the first six months of this year are as follows:

	Unit of account	£ (at £1 = 2·4 ua)
Intervention buying of skimmed milk powder	24,000	10,000
Subsidy in liquid skimmed milk and skimmed milk powder used for animal feed*	253,000	105,000
Restitutions on exports of milk products†	130,000	54,000
* No breakdown between the use of liquid skimmed milk and skimmed milk powder or between the types of livestock involved is available.
† No breakdown of the total cost of expenditure on restitutions is available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of beef held in storage by the EEC.

Statistics of intervention stocks in EEC countries other than the United Kingdom are kept not by my Department but by the European Commission. According to the latest information received, the total stocks of beef held by intervention agencies at the end of September were approximately 250,000 metric tons.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the total amount of wine now held in storage by the EEC;(2) what is the total of EEC funds spent in the present year on intervention buying and subsidised sales of wine.

There are no Community provisions for either the intervention buying of wine or its storage by EEC agencies. At 31st August 1975, stocks of wine on which private storage aids were being paid amounted to 19·8 million hi. Details of refunds paid on wine exports in the current year are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any negotiations or discussions have taken place with Agriculture Ministers of the EEC regarding imports of milk into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

No such negotiations or discussions have taken place.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the EEC requirements concerning the weight and quantity of information required on the labels of Grade 2 round-head cabbages; what answers have been given; what share of this trade is sold direct to the catering trade; what advantages derive from such labelling; and if he will make a statement.

While no precise figures are available, my information is that the great majority of round-head cabbages are sold through the wholesale markets. As for the other parts of the Question, I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend on 21st May.—[Vol. 892, c. 434–5.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many civil servants in his Department are paid more than the various Ministers within it.

For the number of civil servants in my Department whose salary is greater than my own I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Civil Service Department, to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Speed) on 1st August. So far as the other two Ministers in my Department are concerned, the information, which relates to 1st April 1975, is as follows:

(i) a further 39 civil servants receive salaries above that of the Minister of State;

(ii) a further 56 are in grades receiving salaries above that of the Parliamentary Secretary;

(iii) the salary paid to the Parliamentary Secretary falls within the limits of the scales paid to various other grades. The total number of staff in these grades is 179, and it is not possible without disproportionate cost to ascertain how many are being paid more than the Parliamentary Secretary.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement detailing the latest situation in respect of the formulation of an EEC régime for lamb and mutton; and what are the essential requirements of the British Government which must be embodied in any such régime.

The EEC Commission has recently addressed proposals for a common sheep meat marketing regulation to the Council of Ministers, but they have not yet been discussed. To be acceptable to the British Government, a Community sheep meat régime would have both to cover satisfactorily the domestic interests of the United Kingdom and provide adequate and continuing access for imports of New Zealand lamb at fair and remunerative prices.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what means feed wheat and milling wheat can be distinguished to enable an effective and equitable two-tier intervention price system to operate by 1976–77 as has been indicated by the EEC Council of Ministers.

We have yet to be satisfied that there is a sufficiently reliable or simple test to enable intervention authorities to distinguish between parcels of wheat of respectively good and poor breadmaking qualities. The Council of Ministers on 23rd July this year asked the Commission to submit to it

"appropriate measures to deal with all the problems raised by the development of these varieties unsuitable for making bread".

It has not indicated what these should be.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what would be the charge for an annual dog licence on the basis of updating the fee originally set in 1878 to take account of the changes in the cost of living.

In 1878 the dog licence fee was raised to 7s 6d., that is, the equivalent of the present fee of 37½ pence. Since then, the whole pattern of household expenditure has changed so completely that it is difficult to arrive at a realistic comparison between the cost of living today and that prevailing nearly a century ago. With that reservation, it is estimated that the fee would need to be raised at least tenfold to bring it into line with the cost of living today. This updated estimate reflects a more appropriate basis for comparison than was adopted for purposes of the related reply given to the hon. Member on 19th March 1975.—[Vol. 889, c. 98.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the rôle of political advisers employed by the Civil Service in the private offices of Cabinet Ministers.

The hon. Member is presumably referring to special advisers for Ministers whose rôle is to help and provide political advice to Ministers on their departmental activities. The duties of special advisers vary according to their own backgrounds and experience, and the personal requirements of the Ministers concerned.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the cost of producing the Central Computer Agency "Guide No. 7: Evaluation of Programming and Systems Techniques"; and if he will stop the distribution of the remaining copies as the information contained therein is over three years old and rather out of date.

The cost of printing and publishing the guide was £3,500, which has to date been offset by net revenue from sales of £1,250. The total cost of the evaluation upon which the published report was based was approximately £45,000. The guide was, however, only an end product: there was useful feedback into the ongoing activities of the Central Computer Agency and other Departments as the study progressed.The object of the study was to provide guidance on the factors to be taken into account in choosing a programming language, and not a comprehensive survey of available languages. As such it appears to have been generally well received by the computing fraternity, who recognise its continuing utility and its place in a highly commended series on programming techniques. I can, therefore, see no grounds for stopping the distribution of the remaining copies.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give for the latest most convenient stated date the actual or average amount of envelopes purchased and/or used by all Government Departments; what was the cost and his estimate of the savings to the Exchequer if stick-on labels and re-use of all envelopes became Government policy; and whether he will consider this for all public authorities where the Government have powers of action and/or advice.

I can speak only for the Civil Service, where it is already Government policy to aim for the maximum possible economy in the use of stationery. For example, Government Departments are urged to use "Economy Labels" whenever this would be appropriate.Total expenditure in 1974 on envelopes of all kinds, including wage packet envelopes, etc., amounted to £3·4 million, purchasing roughly 1,600 million envelopes. £250,000 was spent on some 200 million economy labels.For internal mail there is extensive reuse of envelopes, but for mail sent through the post the use of economy labels is often precluded by the requirements of automatic sealing and inserting machines which cannot handle envelopes with gummed labels.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the names of those persons appointed to the Equal Opportunities Commission.

The names of those whom I propose to appoint will be published in due course. No formal appointments can be made before the Sex Discrimination Bill receives the Royal Assent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to introduce the statutory order implementing Section 91 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967.

The section cannot be brought into force until sufficient suitable accommodation is available for the care and treatment of persons convicted of being drunk and disorderly. We are considering the offences of drunkenness within the criminal law.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, as part of their training, police officers receive advice on the problem of and treatment facilities for habitual drunken offenders as recommended in the Report on Habitual Drunken Offenders.

Basic training for police constables already includes general guidance on the procedures for dealing with drunken offenders. The question whether any further guidance would be appropriate will be considered if and when any special facilities such as the report recommended are introduced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the recommendation of the Report on Habitual Drunken Offenders for teams to be formed in prisons to identify and deal with drink problems has been implemented, and if not, why not;(2) if the experiment to test whether there would be advantage in grouping drunkenness offenders together in prisons in a treatment unit geared specifically to their needs has been conducted, and if not, why not;(3) if the model treatment unit has been set up in a closed prison to cater for medium and long-sentence prisoners with drink problems, as recommended as a matter of urgency by the Report on Habitual Drunken Offenders in 1971;(4) if an Alcoholics Anonymous group has been formed in every prison; and what attempt has been made to establish them.

The working party's recommendations have to be seen in the light of the general pressure of the last few years on the prison system and the competing demands for treatment of other needs among prisoners. Resources are not available to permit the formation of teams of the kind suggested by the report; but training programmes help non-specialist staff to identify alcoholism and its problems and specialist treatment is widely available in the prison system. An experimental therapeutic unit, which groups together prisoners with addiction problems, has been established at Wormwood Scrubs prison. Alcoholics Anonymous is co-operating with the Prison Department in forming new groups in prisons. Fifty-six out of 71 prisons now have such groups.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants in his Department are paid more than the various Ministers within it.

The following table gives the number of Home Office staff with a flat-rate salary, or a minimum salary if paid on a salary scale, which exceeds the salaries, including any parliamentary salary, paid to Home Office Ministers:

Minister	No. of Staff
Secretary of State	1
Minister of State (Mr. Alexander Lyon, M.P.)	56
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr. Shirley Summerskill, M.P.)	*125
Minister of State (Lord Harris of Greenwich)	†251

Notes:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about Chilean refugees; and what guarantees are obtained regarding political activities.

So far 7,789 applications have been received, including dependants, of which 2,122 have been granted, 2,641 have been refused and 2,236 are still under consideration; 1,137 have arrived in the United Kingdom.Our policy is kept under review in the light of the figures of Chilean refugees and the Government's other obligations affecting immigration. The change of emphasis which I announced on 9th July last will continue to apply.Acceptance remains conditional on personal acceptability of the applicant and reliable sponsorship once here. Refugees from Chile are not subject to guarantees regarding their participation in political activities in the United Kingdom and are free to participate in such activities providing they remain within the law.—[Vol. 895, c. 173–174.]