asked the Minister for the Civil Service what are the annual recruitment and annual wastage figures for staff in the Civil Service.

New entrants to the non-industrial Civil Service in the year ending 31st March 1975 totalled 65,500. The comparable figure for total wastage was 43,500. Figures for the industrial Civil Service are not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Army and the UDR were involved in the security operation along the border with the Irish Republic during the seven-day period commencing on 8th October; how many persons were apprehended; and how many have been handed over to the civil authorities.

Over the weekend of 11th–12th October there was a significant increase in the level of security force operations in the South Armagh area. This was in response to the recent increase in violence in the area including two incidents, on 9th and 10th October respectively, when terrorist devices exploded near Army vehicles killing one soldier and injuring five other soldiers and an RUC constable. The operations were carried out by the RUC and by the Regular and UDR units in that area reinforced by units from elsewhere in the Province. It is not, however, our practice to reveal details of the number of troops which are engaged in particular security operations. During the course of the operations nine people were handed over to the police.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he will take to help redundant workers from the electricity industry find employment in their local areas.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that all the facilities of the Employment Service Agency and Training Services Agency will be made available to any workers who may be made redundant from the electricity industry. These facilities include "Job Teams" to advise on alternative employment and on opportunities for training and retraining, and the canvassing of employers for additional vacancies. Special arrangements are made for those who may require the facilities of Professional and Executive Recruitment or the Occupational Guidance Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what aid has been given and is planned by the European Social Fund for retraining workers made redundant in Scotland during the current year; and what are the numbers of workers and the total finance involved.

Scotland benefits as a result of allocations from the European Social Fund in respect of schemes of training having effect throughout Great Britain which include in their scope the retraining of redundant workers. The United Kingdom's main applications for 1975 have not yet been considered by the EEC Commission, but so far an allocation of about £11 million has been made to the United Kingdom, of which it is estimated that something over £2 million is for training in Scotland. The number of redundant workers included in the numbers trained cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider increasing the capacity of places for community industry so that every local authority in the country can be allocated places.

The establishment of community industry units is initially a matter for local authorities; and it is unlikely that all authorities would consider it necessary or feasible to set up such units, since the scheme aims to help the limited group of young people who for personal or social reasons find it difficult to settle into regular employment. We shall review the possibility for making further provision when the additional 1,000 places recently authorised have been allocated.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the 50 additional community places allocated to the Liverpool area will be directed to Kirkby.

The 50 places so far allocated are intended solely for the district of Liverpool. The needs of young people in the Knowsley district, which includes Kirkby, along with those arising in many other areas, are receiving urgent

'000
			1960	1970	1974
Total employment(i)in agriculture	…	…	1,055	750	678
As a percentage of total civil employment(ii)	…	…	4·5%	3·1%	2·7%
(i)Including farmers and family workers.
(ii)Excluding H.M. Forces and unemployed.
Comparable figures for 1950 are not available. The most closely corresponding international statistics are those published by OECD which do not relate to agriculture alone and these are set out below. The basis of the statistics varies between countries and between different years; the comparisons and trends shown should therefore be treated with reserve.

TOTAL NUMBERS OF PERSONS EMPLOYED IN AGRICULTURE, HUNTING, FORESTRY AND FISHING AND AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT
thousands
		1950*		1960		1970		1973
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
West Germany	…	5,020	24·7	3,623	14·0	2,406	9·0	1,954	7·5
France	…	5,224	28·2	4,193	22·4	2,865	14·0	2,560	12·2
Italy	…	6,803	39·9	6,567	32·8	3,683	19·6	3,192	17·4
Netherlands†	…	533	14·3	465	11·5	329	7·2	309	6·8
Belgium	…	368	11·1	299	8·7	181	4·8	150	3·9
Luxembourg	…	Not available		22	16·4	16	10·8	14	9·1
Denmark	…	505	24·9	366	18·2	266	11·5	227	9·5
Irish Republic	…	496	40·9	390	37·3	291	27·5	261	25·1
Japan	…	16,070	40·8	13,400	30·2	8,860	17·4	7,012	13·4
Sweden	…	Not available		524‡	14·4‡	314	8·1	275	7·1
United States of America	…	7,497	12·5	5,458	8·3	3,462	4·4	3,461	4·1
United Kingdom§║	…	1,262	5·6	1,005	4·1	692	2·8	735	3·0
* Irish Republic 1951, Japan 1953, France and Italy 1954, Denmark 1955.
† Man years.
‡ 1961.
§ OECD estimates.
║ United Kingdom figures exclude hunting.
Sources:
OECD Manpower Statistics 1950–62; Labour Force Statistics 1960–71, and Economic Surveys 1975

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are employed in agriculture; what is this number as a percentage of the total labour force; what were the equivalent figures for 1950, 1960 and 1970; and from international sources available to him, if he will publish in the Official Report details of the corresponding figures from the United States of America, each EEC country, Sweden and Japan.

I have been asked to reply.The estimates available on a consistent basis since 1960 for agriculture in the United Kingdom are as follows:pay settlements made since the imposition of the £6 pay limit he estimates have been at £6; and what percentage below the limit.

On the information about settlements available to my Department, I estimate that some 95 per cent. of employees covered by settlements made since 1st August have been at or just below £6, with the remainder at a lower figure. In addition, five wages councils, covering some ½ million employees, have agreed proposals for increases in statutory minimum remuneration at or just below £6, and one council covering some 500 employees at a lower figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the numbers of unemployed and the number of job vacancies in Basingstoke and district, the number of those unemployed who are young people, and the number who are school leavers.

At September 1975, 1,257 people were unemployed in the Basingstoke employment office area, of whom 320 were school leavers aged under 18. There were 350 notified unfilled vacancies at the Basingstoke employment office and 109 at the careers office. The vacancy figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices and are not a measure of total vacancies. The most recent comprehensive figures showing the numbers of young people unemployed are from the detailed age analysis made in July 1975. At that date, of a total of 1,189 unemployed people in the Basingstoke area, 192 were aged under 18 and 140 were aged 18 but under 20.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his consultations with the Greater London Council concerning Dockland redevelopment.

The authority responsible for the redevelopment of the London Docklands is the Docklands Joint Committee which brings together representatives of its parent local authorities—the Greater London Council and the five London boroughs concerned.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment takes a close and continuous interest in the redevelopment of Docklands. He had a useful meeting with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Docklands Joint Committee in July, and since then he has visited Docklands to see the area for himself and to discuss its redevelopment with the chairman. Senior officials of the Department of the Environment have also visited Docklands recently and discussed aspects of its redevelopment with the Chairman of the Docklands Joint Committee and the Director of the Docklands Development Team. But the main and the continuing point of contact is the Docklands Officers' Steering Group, comprising officials of the six local authorities. Senior officials of the Department attend its monthly meetings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the housing local authorities which have in England and Wales given rebates to certain council tenants on rents which they have not paid; and if he will explain the policy which enabled such payments to be made in such circumstances.

A rent rebate is calculated on the basis of a tenant's established needs and resources in relation to the rent chargeable. The assessed rebate is deducted from the rent chargeable and the remainder of the rent is payable by the tenant. Accordingly, although a tenant's entitlement to a rebate is not dependent on the payment of rent, no cash payment is in fact made by a housing authority to a tenant in respect of the rebate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report of the inspector who held the public inquiry into the planning application by Adamson and Hatchetts to extend their factory off Station Road, North Redditch; and when he expects to be able to announce his decision.

By the end of October. My right hon. Friend will announce his decision on the case, which is in a priority category, as soon as possible after receiving the report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will ensure that the rate support grant to local authorities for 1976–77 takes fully into account the recent £6 per week award to local authority manual workers, and any subsequent pay awards to other local authority employees.

Yes, provided that subsequent pay awards to other local authority employees are within the Government guidelines.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the estimated costs of landscaping New Palace Yard, together with the actual expenditure incurred, and state any delays that have occurred in the original timetable for the work.

The estimated cost of phase I of the landscaping is £66,000. £51,076 has so far been spent on this, broken down as follows:

	£
(a)Bailiff of the Royal Parks	17,611
(b) Contractor's works	33,465

The Bailiff has still to carry out a certain amount of planting and other work which is estimated to cost about £4,500. It is expected that the remainder of the total estimated sum will be accounted for by contractor's works.The estimated cost of phase II is £237,000. Expenditure to the end of September is £41,400. The total estimated cost is broken down as follows:

	£
Paved areas	62,320
Future grassed areas	18,330
Builders work for seats, lamp standards, railing, plumbing and services	6,800
Kerbs and steps	33,870
Facings	13,590
Drainage	12,440
New Members' Entrance Porch	26,830
Prime cost items for electricity, gas and floodlighting	18,420
Provisional sums for water cascade, traffic signs, etc.	44,400

The timetable for the work has had to be put back two months to May 1976, partly because of the rephasing of work required by the changing wishes of the House, and partly because of a stoppage of work in September caused by ceremonies connected with the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish statistics for the past five years where it is known that children have been killed or severely injured whilst travelling on the laps of adults in the front seats of motor cars.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the annual recruitment and annual wastage figures for staff engaged in local government.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the total number of full- and part-time employees in local government for the most convenient recent date, and the comparable figure for each of the last five years.

The numbers of full- and part-time employees in local government in England and Wales, excluding police forces, agency, magistrates' courts and probation staff, at mid-June each year are as follows:

(thousands)
	Full-time	Part-time	Total
1970	1,375	694	2,069
1971	1,411	728	2,139
1972	1,471	770	2,241
1973	1,528	825	2,353
1974	1,497	845	2,342
1975	1,548	915	2,463

The provisional figures for 1975 are from returns made under the joint manpower watch arrangements which started in March 1975. Figures for 1970–74 are from those published by the Department of Employment.The 1974 figures exclude staff transferred to the new water authorities and NHS on local government reorganisation in April 1974, but include staff transferred from the NHS on that date.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department has given to the building industry and local authorities on the installation of flues in new housing to take into account changing heating prices.

None. The building industry and local authorities take into account changing heating prices when selecting the type of heating to install in new housing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average percentage increase which has taken place in the rents of public houses since the ending of the freeze on business rents.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will initiate discussions with the representatives of the brewers and the public house tenants with the aim of establishing guidelines for determination of rents.

Guidelines for the determination of rents of tenanted public houses are established in the Code of Practice on Tenants' Security which, I understand, was adopted two years ago by both sides of the licensed trade. The code provides that if, after negotiation, the parties cannot reach agreement, a fair rent should be determined by some independent means of arbitration. The fair rent is to be the rent which could reasonably be expected in the open market, having regard to the terms of the tenancy agreement proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any further proposals to deal with the problem of violence and hooliganism in connection with football matches; and if he will make a statement.

The measures agreed on and recommended by my working party are proving to be successful in practice. The number of undesirable incidents in football grounds has been substantially reduced this season, and the new measures announced by British Rail and the Traffic Commissioners in respect of rail and motor coach traffic are proving extremely helpful. I am keeping the situation under close review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects to announce his decision on the width and timing of the next phase of the mid-Kent sections of the M20 motorway

I hope to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of staff employed in each road construction unit and the value of the road programme for each unit for the most convenient recent date, and the comparable figures for each of the past five years.

There are difficulties of definition involved in answering this Question and I shall be writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward legislation to insert in the Leasehold Reform Act a scale of lease purchase prices based on formulae taking into account all relevant factors.

No. It would not be practicable to devise a formula or scale of charges which would take account of all the relevant factors influencing the price to be paid for a freehold under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967, since they may vary substantially from case to case.

asked the Prime Minister (1) what proposals he is making to the Governments of the Nine to set up machinery in the European Economic Community similar to that of the Committee of Public Accounts;

On 26th September, in Liverpool, I suggested that the Assembly, backed by the new Court of Auditors, should develop a central rôle in monitoring expenditure over the whole range of Community policies along the lines of a resolution which has been passed by the Assembly to give to a Sub-Committee of its Committee on Budgets functions similar to those of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons. I also suggested that the Assembly might move towards the British idea of a Select Committee on Expenditure to review the basis of the expenditure programmes themselves. At the same time I referred to the proposal made by the Federal German Government for a Commissioner concerned purely with control over expenditure from the Community budget.I arranged for the views which I then expressed on this and other proposals to be drawn to the attention of the Governments of other EEC member States, and I hope that it may be possible to consider these ideas, and other aspects of the question of control over Community expenditure, at the meeting of the European Council in December. The views of the Council will, I am sure, be communicated in an appropriate manner to the President of the European Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the names of all those serving on boards of visitors in prisons and borstals in England and Wales.

No. My right hon. Friend is not persuaded that it would serve any useful purpose to publish in the Official Report the names of nearly 1,400 members of the public who give their services in this way, but if my hon. Friend has any particular point to put to him about the membership of boards generally or about a particular board he will be glad to consider it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates to be the total cost to the economy in terms of lost revenue arising from unemployment levels of half a million, three-quarters of a million, one million, one and a quarter million, one and a half million, one and three-quarter million, and two million.

Unemployment has implications for the level of receipts of many kinds of tax, and there are serious difficulties in estimating the overall effects on revenue. So far as income tax is concerned, on the assumption that all the unemployed would have received earnings for the full tax year at the estimated average weekly rate in July 1975. the latest available estimate, and were liable to tax at the average annual rate for that level of income, the tax which would have been paid is approximately as follows:

Unemployed (million)	Tax (£ million)
½	310
¾	460
1	615
1¼	770
1½	925
1¾	1,075
2	1,230

But these figures cannot be taken as representing the total cost to the economy in terms of lost revenue of these levels of unemployment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will show the annual growth indices since 1950 for each of gross national product, industrial production and public expenditure, distinguishing between public expenditure on goods and services, on transfer incomes and on investment.

The following table shows the information requested in the form of index numbers. These all show volume changes, except for transfer pay-

					GNP at constant factor cost	Index of Industrial Production	Public Authorities' Current Expenditure on goods and services at constant market prices	Public Sector Gross Domestic Fixed Capital Formation at constant market prices*	Public Sector Transfer Payments (including net lending) at current market prices
1950	…	…	…	…	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0	100·0
1951	…	…	…	…	102·6	102·3	107·8	107·7	105·1
1952	…	…	…	…	102·2	99·1	118·0	115·3	110·5
1953	…	…	…	…	106·9	105·4	121·1	128·8	114·0
1954	…	…	…	…	110·9	110·9	120·6	128·0	116·5
1955	…	…	…	…	114·2	116·3	116·9	123·8	126·9
1956	…	…	…	…	116·7	117·2	115·9	122·4	130·4
1957	…	…	…	…	119·0	119·3	114·1	127·4	136·8
1958	…	…	…	…	119·0	118·2	111·5	125·4	151·0
1959	…	…	…	…	123·0	124·2	113·8	134·8	159·2
1960	…	…	…	…	128·5	132·7	116·3	139·2	177·0
1961	…	…	…	…	133·1	134·3	120·5	151·0	194·9
1962	…	…	…	…	134·9	135·6	124·3	156·4	206·3
1963	…	…	…	…	140·5	139·6	126·3	162·2	219·2
1964	…	…	…	…	148·8	151·5	128·3	189·4	232·4
1965	…	…	…	…	152·7	156·0	131·7	199·0	265·1
1966	…	…	…	…	155·4	158·7	135·5	213·4	277·6
1967	…	…	…	…	159·3	160·6	143·0	243·8	326·5
1968	…	…	…	…	165·0	170·1	143·5	242·9	377·9
1969	…	…	…	…	167·5	174·6	141·2	227·9	398·9
1970	…	…	…	…	170·7	175·1	143·4	233·4	429·2
1971	…	…	…	…	174·2	176·0	147·7	231·9	470·1
1972	…	…	…	…	177·4	179·7	153·1	224·7	544·4
1973	…	…	…	…	188·7	193·0	159·5	226·9	653·2
1974	…	…	…	…	189·1	186·3	164·7	228·4	883·7
* Including expenditure by nationalised industries and other public corporations, the coverage of which has varied over the period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the notional income to the Exchequer, at 1975–76 tax rates and at levels of benefit operative from November 1975, if supplementary benefit—including allowances for rent and rates—were taxable.

Information on which to base an estimate of the yield to the Revenue from making supplementary benefits taxable is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what calculations he has reached the figure, which he has publicly suggested, of £2 to £3 billion cuts in the public sector borrowing requirement as being perhaps necesary and what were his strategic aims in devising this objective.

My right hon. Friend is not clear to which public statement my hon. Friend is referring. In his April Budget he took measures to reduce the public

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to subject to tax items of wealth which are currently exempt, particularly non-dutiable trusts and surviving spouse settlement which the Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth, in Command Paper No. 6171, estimated to amount in 1973 to £6 million and £2½ million, respectively.

The Government's proposals to charge property held in trust to wealth tax were contained in paragraphs 16 to 24 of the Green Paper on Wealth Tax (Cmnd. 5704). My right hon. Friend will reach his decisions on the matter in the light of the report of the Select Committee on Wealth Tax. The Finance Act 1975 contains provisions which impose capital transfer tax on discretionary trusts and provide for a fundamental change from the old estate duty rules in the treatment of property passing to a surviving spouse.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has under current pay restraint policy to bring fringe benefits within the scope of remuneration subject to income tax.

Fringe benefits are already taxable when received by business employees earning £5,000 or more a year, or by company directors. My right hon. Friend made it clear in his Budget Statement on 15th April that it is his intention to take further action on fringe benefits.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list every type of personal and corporate expenditure for which tax reliefs and allowances are granted.

It would be impracticable to list the many types of expenditure which qualify for tax relief. The Inland Revenue publishes a number of booklets about various aspects of the tax system, and I shall be happy to send my hon. Friend a selection of these if he will let me know what particular aspects he has in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he allocated the $400 million granted by Iran to Great Britain under the first tranche of the $1,200 million Iranian credit; and how he proposes to allocate the further tranche of a similar amount.

The first $400 million drawing under the $1·2 billion line of credit from the Government of Iran was made by the National Water Council in November 1974. It will shortly be starting negotiations on the drawing of the second tranche.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Treasury negotiations have taken place with either Iran or Saudi Arabia for the sale of the stake held by the Government in BP or any part of it.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will now set in hand arrangements for minting and issuing of a 25p coin to commemorate the Silver Jubilee;(2) if he will now set in hand arrangements for minting a silver, limited proof, issue of a crown piece (25p) to commemorate the Silver Jubilee.

Proposals for special coinage to commemorate the occasion are under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now make the 2½p coin a permanent feature of the currency in view of its use in the battle against inflation.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Lambeth, Central (Mr. Lipton) on 10th July.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many chargeable gains for the purposes of development gains tax were the subject of assessment by the Revenue in the first financial year of the tax; and in how many cases no tax was subsequently charged.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th October 1975; Vol. 897, c. 583], gave the following information:No assessments to tax on development gains were made before June 1975.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what date he intends to remove controls on capital movements to other EEC countries in accordance with the provisions of the Rome Treaty and the terms of the Treaty of Accession; and if he will make a statement.

As I explained on 30th July—[Vol. 896, c. 524.]—the retention of existing exchange control restrictions on capital movements has been authorised in view of our balance of payment difficulties. No date has been decided for the removal of these restrictions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of taxpayers liable for development gains tax in the first financial year of its operation opted for the gain to be spread over (a) four years, (b) three years, (c) two years and (d) one year.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th October 1975; Vol. 897, c. 586], gave the following information:About one-third of the individuals who have so far been assessed have opted for spreading, in general over four years, but since the time limit for opting is six years this cannot be taken as a reliable indication of the number who will eventually exercise the option.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many assessments were made by the Revenue under the first letting or occupation provisions of the development gains tax in the first financial year of the tax; and in how many cases no tax was subsequently charged.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th October 1975; Vol. 897, c. 586], gave the following information:None of the assessments so far made related to first letting or occupation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue obtained from the development gains tax during its first financial year of operation; what element of that total represented the yield from first lettings charge; and by how much the yield from the tax exceeded its annual administrative costs at Her Majesty's Treasury and the Inland Revenue, including provision for administrative overheads.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th October 1975; Vol. 897, c. 586], gave the following information:As I said in answer to an earlier Question, no assessments were made before June 1975. However, since such assessments to tax are necessarily made a considerable time after the transactions concerned it is too soon to estimate with any degree of reliability how much tax will eventually be assessed and collected for 1973–74, and how many of the eventual assessments will relate to first letting or occupation. To date, the annual administrative costs have been very small.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what is the approximate number of black Rhodesian students in the United Kingdom who will be given financial aid in the current year; and what is the total estimated cost.

Approximately 1,100 at an estimated cost in this—1975–76—financial year of £1,700,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the present rate of unemployment in Aberystwyth; and if he will make a statement.

The unemployment rate in the Aberystwyth travel-to-work area in September was 5·7 per cent. The rate for males was 7·3 per cent. and for females 3·3 per cent. All these were below the average for Wales, and below the average for the Welsh Development Area of which Aberystwyth forms a part.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many leases have been purchased in Wales over the last 12 years from (a) private ground landlords and (b) public authorities; and what have been the annual average costs of purchase;(2) how many dwellings in Wales are (

This information is not available.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will give a statement of total and a breakdown of costs incurred by Her Majesty's Government in the referendum campaign, excluding those concerning the poll itself, and provide an estimate of the printing and distribution costs of each of the three documents distributed to every household.

The figures, which are partly estimated, are as follows:

	£
Grants to campaigning organisations	250,000
Referendum Information Unit: salaries, accommodation and incidental expenses	58,000
Advertising of Referendum Information Unit:
(i) Press	145,700
(ii) TV and Radio	96,400
Printing:
(i) "Britain's New Deal in Europe"	554, 100
(ii) "Why you should vote yes"	276,700
(iii) "Why you should vote no"	276,700
(iv) Miscellaneous (including preparation and printing of Asian language and Braille versions of "Britain's New Deal in Europe")	10,900
Distribution of "Britain's New Deal in Europe" and the two campaigning organisations' pamphlets	1,018,000
Total	2,686,500

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received to site the National Drill Training Centre in Aberdeen.

The Lord Provost of Aberdeen wrote to my right hon. Friend in July to urge that the drilling technology training centre should be established on a permanent site in Aberdeen after a pilot stage at Livingston. In his reply he said that the Petroleum Industry Training Board, which is responsible for the establishment of this centre, had reached no decision on a permanent site and would be very willing to consider any specific proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the branch of the Offshore Supplies Office to be opened in Aberdeen; how many persons will be employed there initially; how many local persons will be employed as opposed to staff transferred from London and Glasgow; where the office will be sited in Aberdeen; when he hopes it will begin operating; and what is the estimated cost of setting up the office, and the total cost of running it, including all salaries etc., in its first year.

It is intended to open in Aberdeen a small outpost of the main Offshore Supplies Office based in Glasgow as soon as suitable arrangements can be made. At this stage it is not possible to state numbers of staff and the cost of the office, but neither will be large.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the future of the Dragon Reactor project.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th October 1975; Vol. 897, c. 792–3], gave the following further information:Since April of this year the Dragon signatories have been trying to settle their collective policy on a proposed 5-year extension of the project. The United Kingdom has been aware of the risk that exhaustion of funds during the current extension might lead to premature termination of the project before a decision on a further extension could be reached. It was for this reason that in April the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority made it clear that it was ready to bear its share of the costs to prevent closure before 31st March 1976, if the other signatories could do likewise. Unfortunately this arrangement was not acceptable to the other partners.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students are deprived of grants because their parents refuse to complete the income assessment forms.

Students who are eligible for a mandatory award but whose parents refuse to complete their income assessment form are, in most cases, entitled to a minimum grant of £50. Information about the number of such students is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report details of the reconviction rates of approved schools for each of the last three years of their existence, and the comparable rates for community schools in 1974–75; and what was the variation in reconviction rates between community schools.

I have been asked to reply.Reconviction rates for approved schools during the last three years for which figures are available were as follows:

	1965	1966	1967
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
Boys	64	65	66
Girls	20	24	23

These figures relate to reconvictions during three years following release. Comparable information is not, therefore, available about those who left community homes with education on the premises in 1974–75. I am investigating the technical problems involved and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what are the reasons for the present shortage of spare parts for British Leyland buses in the United Kingdom.

This is a matter for British Leyland, and I am asking the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will make a statement on the workings of the Research and Development Requirements Boards.

My Department's Research and Development Requirements Boards are now directing the Department's research and development work to programmes that have specific industrial applications, involving industry directly in the work whenever possible; they are also formulating research and development strategies for their industrial sectors in consultation with industry. The boards are placing increasing emphasis on the application of known technologies, particularly in those industries that are not users of advanced technology.Information on the boards' work is contained in their second Annual Reports covering 1974–75, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total sum which has been made available by way of loans, grants, and purchase of shares, to the shipbuilding industry between 1965 and the most recent date for which figures are available; and if he will give separate figures in respect of the privately owned firms and firms wholly or partly publicly owned.

Excluding Harland and Wolff Ltd., which is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the figures for the period from 1st April 1965 to 30th September 1975 are as follows:

	£000
Privately-owned companies	58,600
Partly or wholly publicly-owned companies *	111,500
Total	170,100
* Includes purchase of Court Line's shipbuilding and associated interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total amount of Government assistance which has been committed or guaranteed but not paid to the shipbuilding industry; and if he will give separate figures in respect of the private shipbuilding companies and firms which are partly or wholly publicly owned.

Excluding Harland and Wolff Ltd., which is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the figures on 30th September 1975 were as follows:

	£000
Privately-owned companies	3,963
Partly or wholly publicly-owned companies	40,709
Total	44,672

The table excludes further payments of construction grants under Section 11 of the Industry Act 1972. These are not expected to exceed £5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will now announce the precise form of the proposed review of the Post Office; who will carry out the review; and when he expects it to commence.

I am not yet ready to make such an announcement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what easily available figures he has for the number of unfilled places in teacher training colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education in Scotland, at a recent convenient date.

In 1974–75 the estimated capacity of the teacher training colleges and of the central institutions, and other colleges providing wholly or mainly higher education in Scotland exceeded the numbers of students in attendance by about 600 and 2,500 respectively. I understand the corresponding figure for the Scottish universities is about 1,700.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will make a statement about tuberculosis among immigrants.

Numbers of notified cases of tuberculosis have been steadily declining in recent years, but studies undertaken by the British Thoracic and Tuberculosis Association have demonstrated a continuing high incidence among immigrant populations, notably from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Africa.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recently reviewed progress in the control of tuberculosis and reaffirmed its advice that children born into immigrant communities in which there is a high incidence of tuberculosis should normally be offered vaccination at birth. The committee also stressed the need to offer vaccination to all such immigrant children as soon as practicable after entry and to intensify case-finding procedures and contact examination for all immigrants already in Britain. This advice was circulated to doctors by the Chief Medical Officer on 9th October 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men and how many women she estimates are known to be suffering from diabetes in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively; and how many and what percentage of them are below the ages of 18, 15, 10, five and two years, respectively.

Information on the number of diabetic sufferers is unfortunately not available in the form requested. It has been estimated that in total about 350,000 persons are currently receiving treatment for diabetes in Great Britain. Newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in children under 16 years in 1974 numbered 861 in England, 89 in Scotland and 50 in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) of children below the age of 15 years known to be suffering from diabetes, how many and what percentage are known to use disposable needles prescribed by consultants; and what is the cost of the provision of disposable needles to such children;(2) how many sufferers from diabetes are known to use disposable needles prescribed by consultants; and at what cost.

I regret that no information is available centrally about the number of sufferers from diabetes using disposable needles prescribed by consultants, or the cost of this.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many sufferers from diabetes are known to use non-disposable needles prescribed by general practitioners; and at what cost.

I regret that the information requested in the first part of the Question is not available. In 1974 the cost of non-disposable needles prescribed by general practitioners for diabetic patients in Great Britain was about £140,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will now take steps to permit general practitioners to prescribe disposable needles for use by children under the age of 15 years who suffer from diabetes.

At a time when resources are severely limited I do not think we would be justified in diverting the necessary expenditure from other NHS priorities. In cases where disposable needles are essential they can already be supplied through hospitals. It is not easy to devise satisfactory arrangements for restricting these otherwise costly supplies to children only.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the increase in the number of out-patients awaiting treatment in the four major Leicester and Leicestershire hospitals in the last year of 64 per cent. to 9,801 persons, if she will take action to reduce this figure.

The increase is primarily due to the industrial action taken by some consultants earlier this year. The consultants have now resumed normal working, and I hope that the ground recently lost will soon be regained. I understand that the Leicestershire Area Health Authority (Teaching), with the co-operation of consultants and general practitioners, is making every effort to reduce the number of non-urgent cases and that arrangements have been made between consultants and general practitioners which are designed to ensure that urgent cases are seen without delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the Official Report the names and professions of the members of her Working Party on Oral Contraceptives.

This Joint Working Group was set up by the Central Health Services Council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines on the invitation of my right hon. Friend and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. The group's membership was drawn from each of the Standing Medical, Nursing and Pharmaceutical Advisory Committees, from lay members of the council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines. Its recommendations will be to the council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines which will each consider them and convey their conclusions to my right hon. Friends.Following are members of the Working Group on Oral Contraceptives:The Baroness Robson of Kiddington (Chairman) lay member of Central Health Services Council.K. J. P. Barraclough, Esq., Metropolitan Magistrate [Until 30-9-75, not yet replaced].Miss E. R. D. Bendall, State registered Nurse.Professor Sir Stanley Clayton, Professor of Obstetrics, King's College Hospital.W. M. Darling, Esq., retail pharmacist.G. T. M. David, Esq., retail pharmacist.Miss M. Davis, State Registered Nurse, State Certified Midwife.Professor Sir Richard Doll, Regius Professor of Medicines, Oxford University.Miss P. Greening, State Registered Nurse, State Certified Midwife.Mrs. E. J. M. Leigh, retail pharmacist.Dr. G. M. Morris, general practitioner.Dr. G. Murray Jones, general practitioner.Mrs. J. G. Page, lay member of Central Health Services Council.Professor J. S. Scott, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Leeds.Professor Sir Eric Scowen, Professor of Medicine, St. Bartholomew's Hospital.Professor G. M. Wilson, Regius Professor of Medicine, Western Infirmary, Glasgow.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will estimate the annual cost of making skin camouflage treatment freely available in the National Health Service;(2) what plans she has to make skin camouflage treatment freely available in the National Health Service.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Rodgers) on 13th March. [Vol. 888, c. 245.] Some preliminary results of the inquiries are now available and these show that skin camouflage facilities are provided in many areas. Inquiries are still continuing, and until these are completed I am not in a position to make a further statement about the availability of this treatment or estimate its costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she now expects to lay before the House regulations under the Employment of Children Act 1973.

This will depend on the outcome of current consultations with the local authority associations about the resources available to implement regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which local authority areas byelaws have been made which prohibit the employment of schoolchildren between 13 and 16 years of age on morning newspaper deliveries.

I regret that the information is not readily available and could not be produced without a disproportionate use of staff time.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will indicate the procedure to be adopted in providing personal allowances for patients in mental hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

Patients who are admitted to mental hospitals on or after 17th November and who do not qualify for either the new non-contributory invalidity pension or contributory benefits will be able to claim supplementary benefit on the same basis as patients in other hospitals. Other mental hospital patients who need personal allowances will continue, for the time being, to receive them from health authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether the nursing establishment of the intensive care unit at Hillingdon Hospital was full on the night of Thursday 2nd October; whether the unit is fully manned 24 hours a day; and if she is satisfied as to the availability of fully trained nursing staff in the Hillingdon area;(2) what is the total number of beds in the intensive care unit at Hillingdon Hospital; how many of them are open for use; and whether adequate financial resources are available to ensure that the unit is fully manned at all times.

My Department has made inquiries of the health authority about the allegations in a national newspaper on 9th October that a patient had died as a result of nursing shortages at Hillingdon Hospital. The medical staff of the hospital have issued a public statement denying that any patient's life had been or was being jeopardised. I am satisfied that there is no truth whatsoever in these allegations.The hospital, like others, is having to exercise financial restraint because of the economic difficulties facing the country. However, adequate financial resources have been made available for a full complement of trained nurses to be provided on a 24 hour basis for the three beds in the hospital's intensive care unit in regular use. The unit was built for five patients, and occasionally in emergencies more than three patients are accommodated. In these circumstances extra nursing staff are brought into the unit as necessary.On 2nd October there was a normal complement of three trained staff on the evening shift and four on the night shift.I am assured that the number of trained nursing staff available in the Hillingdon area is satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish the so-called black list of Rhodesians of all races who are prohibited from entering the United Kingdom; and the criteria for inclusion on the list.

The circumstances in which individuals resident in or connected with Rhodesia are subject to travel and passport restrictions remain as laid down in Mr. George Thomson's statement to the House of 27th June 1968. I do not propose to publish the list, which must remain confidential.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of appointments within the jurisdiction of his Department which carry with them the use of accommodation; and which of these appointments will now carry the right of the holder to continue in the use of the accommodation after the end of the appointment and which will not carry such a right.

The number of houses which are let to staff of the Department in appointments for which accommodation may be provided is as follows:

Laboratories and Research Establishments	58
Farm Settlements	5
Experimental Centres:
Agricultural workers	207
Others	53

Under existing policy occupants are expected to vacate the properties when their appointments end.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an assurance that in all cases where he has any power or authority no person will be required to leave any residential accommodation because of the end of an appointment or period of employment.

As regards accommodation akin to tied cottages in agriculture, future policy will be framed in the light of Government decisions in response to comments on the consultative document issued in August. In this connection I would refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 16 of that document, which says:

"On the assumption that abolition of agricultural tied cottages can best be achieved by extension of the Rent Acts, this would mean that the legislation would not encompass lettings by landlords excluded from the scope of the Rent Acts, e.g. the Crown, Government Departments, and local authorities. However, following enactment of the legislation, it would clearly be undesirable for the social objections to the tied cottage system to persist on such properties which include, for example, local authority agricultural college holdings, experimental husbandry centres of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and estates of the Land Settlement Association which come under the aegis of the Ministry. Extra-statutory arrangements could ensure that what happens on such properties would be compatible with any statutory provisions for the private sector."

As regards other accommodation, decisions will be taken in the light of general policy in relation to Government properties.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of Newcastle disease have been reported over the past five years; and whether any link has been established between this disease and the import of any particular species of bird.

The number of confirmed cases reported in each of the past five years is as follows:

1970	3,329
1971	4,217
1972	400
1973	74
1974	35
1975 (to 30-9-75)	6

Three of this years six outbreaks were associated with recently imported psittacine birds.In addition, research work at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, has yielded Newcastle disease virus in recently imported batches of psittacines as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what United Kingdom studies have been undertaken on the connection between Newcastle disease and the importation of caged birds.

During the last five years there has been an increasing amount of work at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, on the incidence of Newcastle disease in caged birds, particularly recently imported birds. The character of the virus is studied and virulent strains are frequently identified. There is also work on the excretion of the virus and on its transmission amongst psittacine birds and from psittacines to chickens. Each outbreak of Newcastle disease in poultry is studied in an attempt to ascertain the source of infection.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what percentage the dairy herd has declined in each of the last five months; to what factors he attributes this; and what action he is taking to reverse the trend.

There are no figures showing the size of the dairy herd on a monthly basis. Census data for March and June 1975 indicated a United Kingdom dairy herd of 3,294,000 and 3,231,000 respectively, representing declines of 4 per cent. and 4·8 per cent. compared with the same date in the previous year. Because of seasonal fluctuations a comparison of the two figures for 1975 would not be meaningful.Developments in the dairy sector depend on many factors, including the level of producers' returns.I would refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend on 15th October—[Vol. 897, c. 1360–71.]—about the action taken to increase the guaranteed price for milk which is worth about £50 million in a full year to our milk producers.