asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many copies of the book, "The Nationalisation of British Industry 1945–51", have been sold up to the present date.

About 275 copies of "The Nationalisation of British Industry 1945–51" have been sold to date.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the circumstances where the public funds available to the Government are used for insurance against personal accident to provide benefits in case of death.

Where the duties undertaken are of an exceptional character, e.g., flying—or parachuting and bomb disposal in the case of members of the Armed Forces—and the person concerned is required to pay a higher insurance premium assistance may be given from public funds towards the extra cost. Arrangements also exist for meeting from public funds accident insurance premiums in respect of Members of both Houses who travel away from the Palace of Westminster on parliamentary business in the United Kingdom or abroad.

asked the Attorney-General how many civil proceedings alleging assault against members of the security forces in Northern Ireland have been instituted since 9th August 1971 and with what results; how much money has been paid out in compensation; how many of such proceedings were settled out of court; and how many went to trial and with what results.

798 actions were commenced between 9th August 1971 and 30th September 1975. Of these, 11 cases went to trial, nine were dismissed and judgment was given for the claimant in two. 220 cases were settled out of Court. 567 cases are still outstanding. In the 222 cases disposed of £420,823·48 has been paid in compensation. These do not include cases settled or outstanding where no proceedings have been commenced.

asked the Prime Minister how many thefts of his official papers there have been since 1st March 1974; when they took place; from what premises; and to what the papers concerned referred.

None. No official papers have been taken at any time.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give details of payments made to jurors whose employers pay the individuals concerned their normal earnings and for those jurors whose employers make no such payments.

Payments which may be made to jurors are prescribed by the Jurors' Allowances Regulations 1974, as amended. All persons who attend for service as jurors are entitled to receive their travelling expenses, together with a subsistence allowance. A financial loss allowance is payable to persons who actually lose earnings or national insurance benefit by reason of jury service up to a maximum of £6·70 a day for the first 10 days' continuous service and to a maximum of £13·40 a day for every day beyond the first 10 days. These amounts were last increased in September 1974 and are currently under review.

asked the Attorney-General on what basis payments to jurors are protected against the effects of inflation.

The rates of travelling and subsistence allowances payable to jurors are reviewed from time to time in the light of economic circumstances. Travelling and subsistence allowances were increased as recently as last May, and loss of earnings allowances in September last year; all are at present again under review.

asked the Attorney-General what is the cost to public funds of the recent action brought by the Government aimed at preventing the publication of the Crossman diaries; and how much of this total related to the costs of the defence.

I regret that the information is not yet available. The parties' bills of costs have not yet been prepared. Unless the amounts can be agreed, the defendants' solicitors' bills must be lodged with the Supreme Court Taxing Office for taxation, and this procedure would not normally be completed for several months.I shall let the hon. Member have a full reply as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he is making a contribution to the appeal launched by the Office for Special Relief Operations of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations for contributions towards the pest control campaign in the Sahelian zone.

Yes, I have decided that we should contribute £10,000. A Supplementary Estimate to cover the British contribution will be put forward in due course but meanwhile I am arranging provision from the Civil Contingencies Fund.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will make a statement on the results of his recent discussions in Luxembourg with EEC Development Ministers on the subject of Community aid to non-associated countries.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Hooley) on Wednesday 15th October.—[Vol. 897, c. 710–11.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has had any correspondence from Gwynedd County Council concerning employment creation schemes in Gwynedd; and what answer he has given.

I understand from the Manpower Services Commission that Gwynedd County Council has expressed interest in participating in the job creation programme, and any proposals for labour intensive projects which Gwynedd might put forward will be urgently and sympathetically considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees have become redundant at the GEC factory in Kirkcaldy since 1st August 1975; how many further redundancies have been notified to his Department or are anticipated; and what prospects of employment will be available to those affected.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that redundancies affecting 82 women have taken place at the GEC factory in Kirkcaldy since 1st August 1975. Redeployment prospects for those affected are poor, as there is little local demand, particularly for female part-time workers.A further 289 redundancies have been notified as due to occur in the remainder of 1975 or later. Until more is known about the occupations and types of work being sought by those who may be affected, it is difficult to assess their prospects of redeployment. However, in present circumstances, it is anticipated that some difficulty may be experienced.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees have become redundant at the GEC factories in Coventry since 1st August 1975; how many further redundancies have been notified to his Department or are anticipated; and what prospects of employment will be available to those affected.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that redundancies affecting 39 people have taken place at GEC Coventry since 1st August 1975.As older workers were mainly affected prospects of finding alternative employment are poor.The numbers likely to be involved in further redundancies are not yet known, although it is understood that up to 1,100 people may be affected.Until more is known about the occupations and types of work being sought by those who may be affected, it is difficult to assess their prospects of redeployment. However, in present circumstances, it is likely that some difficulty may be experienced.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the steps taken to deal with the problem of unemployment in Sunderland.

The measures announced on 24th September were designed to mitigate the worst effects of unemployment in all parts of Great Britain. These measures included a grant of £30 million to the Manpower Services Commission to establish a job creation scheme; Sunderland has already benefited from this scheme with the establishment yesterday of a job creation project, sponsored by the Sunderland Borough Council, employing 25 people, mostly young people, who will be engaged on clearing and improving the foreshore.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of persons receiving as part of their remuneration commission related to profit; what is the average sum thus received; and if such pay will be subject to present policy on cash limits.

The 1974 New Earnings Survey indicated that 28·7 per cent. of full-time men received part of their remuneration in the form of payment-by- results and other incentive payments, and 13·5 per cent. of full-time women. These figures include commission related to profit, but separate information is not available. As my hon. Friend said on 23rd July, pay increases under payment-by-results schemes which were established before 11th July and have not been improved since then are not subject to the £6 limit; they are, however, subject to the £8,500 cut-off.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he hopes to issue regulations under Part I of the Health and Safety at Work Act to enable local authorities to assume their responsibilities under the Act.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that proposals for regulations allocating enforcement duties to local authorities will shortly be submitted to the Secretary of State.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those regulations made by him so far under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974; and how many further regulations he estimates he will publish before 31st December 1975.

Following is a list of health and safety regulations made under provisions in Parts I and IV of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. Those marked with an asterisk have been made by the Secretary of State for Employment; those with a dagger have been made jointly by the Secretaries of State for Employment and Energy.The Health and Safety Commission will probably be submitting proposals for two sets of regulations before the year end. In addition, there may be further proposals for regulations in respect of particular coal mines.The Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (Commencement No. 1) Order 1974, No. 1493.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now, in view of the fact that Scotland still has a higher rate of unemployment than England, introduce discriminatory measures in favour of Scotland to reduce unemployment in that country.

The difference between Scotland's unemployment rate and the national average has narrowed in the past two years and the whole of Scotland already has development area or special development area status. I do not, therefore, envisage taking any additional discriminatory measures in favour of Scotland. Our immediate concern is to mitigate the worst effects of unemployment, the level of which is unacceptable in all areas of Great Britain. The measures announced on 24th September were designed to meet this aim.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of insured workers are unemployed in the provinces of Dyfed, Gwynnedd, Clwyd, Powys, Gwent, West Glamorgan, South Glamorgan and Mid-Glamorgan, respectively.

The following table shows information for the nearest corresponding travel-to-work areas at September 1975:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of school leavers in the Bournemouth employment area who left school during June/July 1975 and who will register as unemployed on a convenient date in (a) August 1975 and (b) September 1975.

220 school leavers in the Bournemouth employment area were registered as unemployed on 11th August 1975 and 192 on 8th September 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the total number of job vacancies for males and females in the Bournemouth employment area notified to his Department on a convenient date during September 1975; and what were the comparable figures for each year from 1970 to 1974 inclusive;(2) what was the total number of job vacancies for males and females in the

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the efforts now being made by his Department to increase the number of training places available to young people in the West Midlands will not be rendered nugatory by expenditure cuts made or proposed by the education authorities in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

The help available to young people under the programme of special measures announced

The following table shows information for the Bournemouth Employment Office area at August and September each year. The vacancy figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices, and are not a measure of total vacancies.recently by the Manpower Services Commission, for which the Government has made over £70 million available, will not be affected by any restraint in local authority expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many private firms in the West Midlands are receiving training grants from the EEC Social Fund; and if he will publish in the Official Report details of the value of these grants.

No private firm in the West Midlands is at present receiving a training grant from the EEC Social Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the workers in industry in England and Wales, respectively, are apprentices.

Up-to-date figures are not available, but the New Earnings Survey indicated that in April 1974 the proportions of full-time employees who were apprentices were about 2·1 per cent. in England and about 2·2 per cent. in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage of apprenticeships gained by young men and young women entering industry in 1974–75 in Wales and England, respectively.

I regret that information covering all apprenticeships is not available. The percentages of boys and girls in Wales and England who entered apprenticeships as their first employment in 1974 were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average annual sum paid to industrial apprentices in Wales and England, respectively.

It is regretted that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the population over 15 years of age was at work in Wales and England, respectively, at the latest date for which the figures are available.

The proportion of the population over 15 years of age in employment—including Her Majesty's Forces—in Wales and England, respectively at June 1974 is shown below:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unfilled vacancies there are in Wales and England, respectively, for each 1,000 unemployed persons.

I regret that the details are not available in the precise form requested. At September 1975, 76,496 people were unemployed in Wales and there were 5,130 notified unfilled vacancies at employment offices and 1,000 at careers offices. The corresponding figures for England were 988,244, 123,885, and 23,473. The vacancy statistics relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices, and are not a measure of total vacancies. Because of possible duplication the figure for employment offices and careers offices cannot be added together, and it is thus not possible to calculate the ratios requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the cost of increasing the £5 per week recruitment subsidy for school leavers to a level equivalent to unemployment benefit.

The cost of the Recruitment Subsidy Scheme for school leavers has been estimated at up to £5 million. Unemployment benefit for a single person is at present £9·80, but in November it will be increased to £11·10. The extra cost could therefore be estimated at approximately £5 millions, or approximately £6½ millions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what percentage of claims for compensation for unfair dismissal, heard by industrial tribunals, were successful in each of the last 10 periods of six months for which records are available.

The table below gives information on the outcomes of complaints of unfair dismissal heard by industrial tribunals between 28th February 1972, when statutory protection against unfair dismissal was introduced, and 30th June 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints there have been against the Royal Ulster Constabulary or the British Army concerning the period while the complainant was in custody at a police holding centre; if he will provide a statistical summary of dates, kinds of complaints, and which centres; and whether there are any public holding centres currently in operation.

It is not possible, without analysis of each of the 12,123 complaints which have been made against the RUC and the Army since 1st January 1971, to distinguish those which related to custody in police holding centres. There are now only two police offices, formerly known as police holding centres, in Northern Ireland. They are at Ballykelly and Castlereagh, although the latter was bombed on 15th October and alternative premises are being sought.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans has the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for making available loans at reasonable interest rates to potential house purchasers, particularly newly married couples; what financial support will be given by the Government; and if he will make a statement.

I am engaged in discussions with the Building Societies Association about the volume of lending for house purchase in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to the needs of first-time purchasers and to lending on older houses. Apart from lending by building societies the Government have already made available £4 million to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in 1975–76 for lending to persons who wish to purchase houses within certain categories. I am at present reviewing these categories.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Provisional IRA was operating a road block in the Crossmaglen district at the same time as the recent security operation in the same district; whether he has received any reports of news reporters being fired upon at or near such an IRA road block; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed that at 15.20 hours on 11th October a car containing three men, two of them journalists, was stopped near Crossmaglen by a group of five armed and masked terrorists. The three men were being searched by the terrorists when another car arrived which distracted the terrorists' attention and enabled the three men to make good their escape. A number of shots were fired by the terrorists at the escaping car. As soon as the three men reached Crossmaglen they reported the incident to the security forces and a patrol was immediately sent to investigate. When the patrol reached the scene of the incident the terrorists were not to be seen, but a bomb exploded which fortunately did not injure any members of the patrol. The incident took place at a time when the security forces were engaged in a major operation in the South Armagh area.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made in ending internment, releasing prisoners not sentenced, and generally creating conditions which would permit the withdrawal of British troops to barracks in the short run and to England in the long run.

With regard to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) on 16th October 1975.—[Vol. 897, c. 796–97.]—The Army will continue to operate in aid of the civil power for as long as the security situation requires it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his views of the recommendations of the Scottish Law Commission regarding exemption clauses in contracts for services; and whether he will introduce early legislation to implement these recommendations.

The recommendations in the report of the two Law Commissions are under careful study and will be the subject of further consultation before legislation is introduced. It is too early to say when a Bill will be placed before Parliament.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will now consider a State lottery to help finance the National Health Service, in view of the present state of the service.

Under present legislation such a lottery would be unlawful. However, I should like to consider this idea further in the light of the Government's future policy on gambling.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list the total expenditure allocated to the capital cost, adaptation, insurance, servicing, attendance at breakdowns, repairs, reconditioning, garaging, making good accident damage, petrol allowance, maintenance allowance, carriage, driving tuition and maintenance of reserve vehicles, respectively, in relation to the supply by her Department of invalid tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the years 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75, respectively.

The accounts do not detail the expenditure in this way, but in total the figures for England are:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average annual cost per head involved in the issue to the disabled of invalid tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, for the years 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75, respectively.

Following are the figures for England expressed as a unit cost per vehicle on issue including reserve three-wheelers at 30th September each year:

asked the Secretary of State for the Social Services if she will make a statement on the report of the Parliamentary Commissioner on the invalid tricycle and on the action she proposes to take in the light of the report.

The Government fully share the Parliamentary Commissioner's concern that continuing efforts should be made to promote the safety of disabled drivers. The action to improve the arrangements for driving tuition and vehicle maintenance, which I referred to in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Lomas) on 13th October—[Vol. 897, c. 614.]—should contribute to that end. The Parliamentary Commissioner's report did not make specific recommendations, but all the matters covered in it are being taken fully into account in our ongoing consideration of the provision of invalid tricycles and the extended mobility help we shall soon be giving to severely disabled people.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many women commenced drawing national insurance retirement pensions in each three-month period of the most recent period of 12 months for which the information was available; how many were in respect of insurance in their own right; and how many were widows' pensions or widowed mothers' allowances;(2) how many people received national insurance retirement pensions for the first

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the new mobility allowance, though payable to children below working age, is not payable to men over 65 years and women over 60 years (a) while still in employment, and (b) drawing retirement pensions.

The mobility allowance is not primarily directed towards enabling disabled people to get to work. It has the much wider aim of helping them to get out and about, to be physically in the community as well as members of it, whether or not they are able to do a job. The restriction to those under pension age is regrettably necessary so as to contain expenditure within acceptable limits. It is estimated that to include people over pension age might increase expenditure on mobility help for disabled people, which is already being trebled, a further four times.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what total funds have been spent on social security benefits during vacations for students in higher and further education establishments during the last three years.

Information is not held in the form requested, but is available as follows:

I regret that this information is not available, but arrangements are made for it to be collected for future vacations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what health tests have been carried out and with what results on those brands of cigarettes sold to the public as not containing nicotine.

Brands of cigarettes with sales in the United Kingdom of 10 million or more cigarettes per year are tested each month at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist for their tar and nicotine yields. Nicotine-free, or herbal, cigarettes have not been included in these regular tests because their annual sales were believed to be less than 10 million and the manufacturers were not a party to the voluntary agreement on these testing arrangements. A few cigarettes from two herbal brands have been tested, and although the results cannot be regarded as generally applicable to herbal cigarettes they showed that while there was no nicotine yield, the tar yield was not lower than that of the average tobacco cigarette.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will make a statement about the implementation during 1974–75 of the requirement upon local authorities in Section 1 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 to identify disabled people in their areas.

I am very glad to be able to report that, during 1974–75, local authorities in England added the names of 135,700 disabled people to their general class registers. These registers include people other than (hose with visual or hearing disabilities. The number of newly identified disabled people in 1974–75 is nearly 30 per cent. higher than the comparable figure for 1973–74. Moreover, authorities have made a greater effort to keep their registers realistically up to date. The names of 53,000 people no longer registrable were removed, compared to a figure of 21,000 in 1973–74. The net effect is that numbers on the general class registers increased by 17 per cent. in 1974–75, making a total of 580,000. This compares with a figure of 234,000 five years ago when the Act became law. Including those registered as blind, partially sighted, deaf and hard of hearing, the total now registered is 766,000.In view of the financial difficulties they have experienced, their efforts in this field reflect the greatest credit on many local authorities, and I warmly congratulate them on the progress they have made.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if an estimate has been made of possible savings where general practitioners use bleeper devices for their own practice; if an estimate has also been made of the effectiveness of such devices in obtaining the services of doctors in emergencies; if she will reconsider her Department's approach to this problem; and if she will make a statement.

I regret that information is not available centrally about the economics of paging devices used by general practitioners or their effectiveness in emergencies. As I explained in my reply to my hon. Friend's previous Questions on 14th July—[Vol. 895, c. 377–8.]—It is for the individual practitioner to decide whether or not he needs to have such a device as part of his practice equipment. In the light of its experience of the Thames Valley pilot scheme referred to in my previous reply the Post Office has announced that it will be introducing next year a radio-paging service covering the Greater London area. Apart from that I have nothing to add to that reply, and see no reason to vary the Department's approach to the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much a staff nurse is paid in her first year of training and her first year after qualification.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 30th July,—[Vol. 896, c. 547–8.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps are being taken to improve conditions and pay for nurses and to insure recruitment of staff.

Nurses received substantially improved rates of pay and conditions of services in 1974 following the Halsbury Committee of Inquiry, and pay increases again in April this year. Further improvements for the present must be against the background of the Government's counter-inflation policy. The Department continues to provide support for the health authorities' recruitment activities with publicity campaigns in the national Press, and I understand that generally there is no lack of applicants for places in the schools of nursing.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many student nurses are currently undergoing training in National Health Service hospitals.

52,049 in England at 30th September 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present number of staff nurses employed in National Health Service hospitals.

28,528 in whole-time equivalents in England at 30th September 1974, the latest date for which figures are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will reconsider the entitlement of persons over pensionable age to be included in an earnings-related supplement to the sickness benefit scheme.

The traditional argument for the present long-standing arrangements, whereby the short-term benefit rate after pensionable age is tied to the pension rate, has been the need to avoid a situation in which people who are in fact retired have an incentive to make their claims on the basis that they are sick, so as to be able to receive a higher benefit. The pension rate may in fact be more favourable than the rate of sickness benefit which would otherwise be payable, and the new earnings-related pension scheme will, when it comes into operation, substantially increase the likelihood of this. Any more radical change would have to be considered in the light of the availability of resources and of competing priorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were treated in hospital in England and Wales for the toxic effects of non-medicinal substances between 1967 and the latest available date.

The number of children under 15 years of age admitted as in-patients to hospitals in England and Wales suffering from the toxic effects of substances "chiefly non-medicinal as to source" for each of the years 1968 to 1973 inclusive is estimated to have been as follows. The figures are derived from a sample survey.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations she has now received since her announcement that the £10 bonus for pensioners is to be discontinued; and if she will make a statement.

A number of representations have been received on this subject but a count of them is not kept. My reply to the hon. Lady's earlier Question on 9th July—[Vol. 895, c. 212.]—set out the reasons for the Government's decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will now ensure that the child benefit to be paid to one-parent families will be disregarded for supplementary benefit purposes.

Under Section 21(5) of the Child Benefit Act 1975 child interim benefit for one-parent families is required, like family allowances, to be taken into account in full for supplementary benefit purposes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) with which groups he compared agricultural workers before reaching the decision that they are one of the groups with the highest percentage of the labour force living in tied cottages; and which groups have a higher percentage;(2) what statistics he has used and what statistical confirmation exists which have made him decide that agricultural workers are one of the groups with the highest percentage of the labour force living in tied cottages.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring not to ministerial decisions but to the Shelter Report on Tied Accommodation, published last November.There is a passage in this report which reads:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the statistical information on which he based his conclusion that both numerically and proportionately occupants of agricultural tied cottages in practice enjoy a lower level of security of tenure than in any other industry.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to correspondence between one of my officials and the County Secretary of the Shropshire NFU.We do not have statistical information of the nature referred to. However, the hon. Member will be aware of the campaign which has been waged by the agricultural workers against the tied cottage since the end of the last century which has not been paralleled in any other industry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the state of the pig industry; and if he will make a statement.

Pig producers faced great difficulties last year, but since then prices have risen, and recent counts show that some expansion in the United Kingdom breeding herd is now getting under way. Confidence in the industry should be further strengthened by the decision to devalue the green pound, which has been warmly welcomed by pigmeat processors. The state of the industry will be considered at the forthcoming annual review.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give an assurance that with the increase in the beef intervention price, from 5th January 1976, there will also be a comparable rise in the target price.

I have considered, together with my colleagues, the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the implication of the green pound changes announced on 15th October for the target prices for beef in January and February 1976. We have decided that there should be no change from those announced on 24th July, that is, £24·60 per live hundredweight for January and £25·75 per live hundredweight for February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the proposed regulations concerning the importation of cage birds will apply to the whole of the United Kingdom; and what consultations have taken place on this matter with Scottish-based organisations.

I have been asked to reply.These proposed regulations will apply to the whole of Great Britain. The agricultural authorities in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have been informed of the proposals, and I understand that they intend to introduce similar regulations in the near future. In Northern Ireland there is already a general prohibition on the importation of birds from outside the British Isles, and imports from the British Isles are subject to licence.Consultations have taken place with the Pet Trade Association, which is a Great Britain body, and with organisations representing zoos, the veterinary profession and other interests concerned. In addition, various interested bodies in Scotland, including the National Farmers' Union of Scotland and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, have been notified of the proposals and have been asked for comments. No adverse comments have been received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many and what percentage of sufferers from diabetes over the age of 17 years hold driving licences; how many and what percentage of such drivers have been convicted of driving offences during each of the last five years for which records are available; how many of such persons were convicted of offences involving driving when unfit to drive due to use of insulin; and how do the above figures, other than that concerning the use of insulin, compare with drivers generally.

This information is not readily available. Departmental statistics make no distinction between people who suffer from diabetes and people with other medical conditions. Such evidence as is available, however, suggests that less than 1 per cent. of road accidents are wholly or partly caused by medical factors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is now in a position to announce the date for the public consultation on the improvement of the All trunk road between Newmarket and Cringleford which was promised for early autumn 1975.

This scheme has been reappraised. It is hoped to consult the public on alternative routes for a bypass of Attleborough early in 1976. Further economic assessments are being made on the remaining sections on All and it is impossible to say at this stage when public consultation is likely to take place.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what net saving in the next financial year he expects to arise from the centralisation of vehicle and driving licences at Swansea.

The cost of vehicle and driver licensing during the next financial year will include the cost of continuing the transfer from a local to the centralised system, which involves an element of double handling. Net savings neither are nor were expected during the transitional period.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of motorway are currently being widened to three lanes; what is the cost of each project; and in which years the motorways were opened for two lanes.

None, but at two sites on M5 near Bromsgrove climbing lanes, each approximately one mile long, are being constructed on the northbound carriageway. The estimated cost of this work is £587,570. This part of M5 was first opened to traffic in July 1962.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will instruct an anti-skid surface to be laid on the A40, on the Ealing side of the Western Circus roundabout, in the light of the jurors' comments on the fatal accident which took place on 17th June.

Tests of the road surface do not indicate the need for emergency treatment. Arrangements are, however, being made to carry out surface treatment in the normal maintenance programme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the approximate increase in rail fares since the Government took office on 4th March 1974.

About 67 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority houses have been sold to tenants since 1st April this year; and how many were sold last year.

Local authorities in England and Wales reported selling 636 dwellings in April to August this year and 1,633 in the year beginning 1st April 1974. As these figures exclude houses built for sale, most, though not necessarily all, will have been sold to tenants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent on new carpeting for the Palace of Westminster in the last 12 months.

The total spent between 1st October 1974 and 30th September 1975 was £18,151.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many persons have so far been granted mortgages who were nominated by local authorities under his scheme by which building societies are making available £100 million to compensate for his reduction in local authority mortgage lending; what is the average level of advance; and in what proportion of these cases building societies have significantly reduced their status requirements or widened the scope of the type of property on which they lent, so as to admit persons into the lending category who would not otherwise have qualified for it.

With the full co-operation of the building societies satisfactory progress is being made. Many local authorities are now in direct touch with particular building societies and my Department does not need to be directly involved in individual transactions. The information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the local authorities which are taking advantage of his £100 million mortgage advance scheme, indicating also, in each case, the amount of mortgage money they have been allocated, and from which building societies.

The scheme is open to all housing authorities. My regional officers are arranging for individual authorities to be put in direct touch with particular building societies. Depending on local authority circumstances, it has been decided not to make specific allocations of mortgage money in every case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many parking spaces will be provided for staff at Ashdown House; how many spaces elsewhere will be given up as a result of the acquisition; and whether the provision of the spaces is in accordance with Government policies for encouraging the use of public transport.

Ashdown House will provide up to 107 car parking spaces. This provision was based on the planning permission given to the developers, but in view of the GLC's more recent initiative to reduce parking provision at offices in central London, the PSA is considering the conversion of some spaces to storage use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment with regard to Ashdown House, Victoria Street, which Department is to occupy it; what will be the annual rent; to what extent this rent will exceed that now paid for the property being vacated; what will be the cost of outfitting the building; and what will be the cost of moving into it.

Ashdown House will be occupied by staff of one or more of three Departments, Trade, Industry and Prices and Consumer Protection, thus providing for the rationalisation of all three Departments' accommodation in buildings which can best meet this requirement. For commercial reasons it is not normal Government practice to disclose rents payable for accommodation. It has not yet been decided which buildings will be vacated. The cost of fitting out Ashdown House and of moving in will depend on the detailed needs of the occupants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the review of trunk roads has been put off; when it was originally expected to be completed; when it is now expected to be completed; and when the last review was carried out.

The review was begun in 1972 and was the first since the Trunk Roads Act 1946. My right hon. Friend has decided, after completing his consultations with the local authority associations this summer, that it is not appropriate to seek legislative time for the major reshaping of the network indicated by the review at a time when local authorities have many other calls on their resources. We do, however, propose to trunk a small number of local authority roads, some still to be built, that properly form part of the national network, and to remove trunk road status from a number of trunk roads whose fuction has been taken over by other roads. The roads which I am proposing to trunk after further consultation with the local authorities concerned are:

• M69/A46. Leicester Ring Road (partly new route).
• A46/A15. Proposed relief road for Lincoln.
• A52. Nottingham to Grantham.
• A140. Coddenham (B1078) to Norwich.
• A47/A12. Great Yarmouth.
• A15. Lincoln to M180.
• New Route. Gateshead bypass extension.
• Scotswood Bridge to A69 and from A69 to A696.
• A249. M2 to A2 at Bobbing and to Sheerness.
• A21. M25 near Sevenoaks to Hastings.
• New Route. Manchester Outer Ring Road, Eastern Section Bredbury-Denton-Middle-ton to M62.
• M602. Salford Docks spur.
• A1034. Market Weighton to Caves.
• A354. Dorchester-Weymouth to docks.
• A393/A39. Spur to Falmouth.
• A585. Spur to Fleetwood.
• New Route. Darlington A1(M) eastwards to A66.
• New Route. Immingham spur.
• New Route. Hull, extension of A63 to docks.
• A604. Colchester eastern bypass to Harwich.
• A15. M180 to A63.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has studied the return of rates published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; and what further steps he intends to take to reduce local authority expenditure and the burden on taxpayers in the municipal year 1976–77.

Yes. I am discussing local authority expenditure and rates with the local authority associations in the course of the rate support grant negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why his Department has instructed the North Cornwall District Council to install electric ceiling heating in 164 new council houses at Ridgegrove, Launceston; and what evidence he has that this type of heating is the most efficient in terms of cost to the council and the tenants and in terms of the use of energy.

No such instructions have been given. The decision on the most appropriate form of heating at Ridgegrove, Launceston, as in council housing generally, rests with the local authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the recommendations of the Layfield Report on the Greater London Development Plan.

I have done so today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House, and sent to Government Departments, the Greater London Council and London boroughs. They will be available at Her Majesty's Stationery Office from tomorrow.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the effect of the increase in parking fines introduced in September.

I have been asked to reply.I assume the hon. Member is referring to the increase in the fixed penalty to £6 on 1st September, when owner liability was also introduced for parking offences dealt with under the fixed penalty system. It is too early to assess the effect of these measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of people previously resident in the Chagos Archipelago who have been evacuated since 1965; and how many now remain.

As the Secretary of State for the Colonies stated in a Written Answer on 10th November 1965, the total population of the Chagos Archipelago at that time was approximately 1,000.According to Mauritian Government records, 1,151 people returned to Mauritius from the entire Chagos Archipelago between 1965 and 1973.The only people on the Chagos Archipelago at present are United Kingdom and United States Services personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the inhabited islands of the Chagos Archipelago prior to 1965 giving the population, excluding British or American Service men and their families, in each case and the populations at the present time.

The inhabited islands of the Chagos Archipelago prior to 1965 and until the closure of the copra plantations were Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos and Salomon. According to information available in late 1964, there were 483 people on Diego Garcia, 291 on Peros Banhos and 219 on Salomon. The only people on the Chagos Archipelago at present are United Kingdom and United States Service personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the properties and other rights sold by Chagos Agalega Ltd. in the Indian Ocean to Her Majesty's Government and state the area in each case and the price paid.

Chagos Agalega Company Ltd. did not sell any properties to Her Majesty's Government.By Instrument of Acquisition in 1967 the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory acquired on behalf of the Crown for the sum of £660,000 the following islands or groups of islands

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sums have been paid in compensation to the Seychelles and to Mauritius, respectively, for the surrender of sovereignty and other rights over Diego Garcia and other British territories in the Indian Ocean.

Grants amounting to £3 million were provided to Mauritius as compensation for the loss of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. A new international airport was constructed for Seychelles at a cost of about £6·2 million as compensation for the loss of sovereignty over Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the purpose of depopulating certain British territories in the Indian Ocean.

The British Indian Ocean Territory was formed in 1965 to meet the joint defence needs of the Government of the United Kingdom and the United States. Subsequently, the copra plantations on the Chagos Archipelago were closed down, the contract workers transferred and compensation paid.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the total costs of compensation and depopulation incurred as a result of agreements with the United States of America about the future use of British islands in the Indian Ocean, has been met by the United States Government.

The United States Government agreed in 1966 to contribute half of the total cost involved in the establishment of the British Indian Ocean Territory up to a maximum of £5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will state the total costs incurred in depopulating British islands in the Indian Ocean and compensation for loss of sovereignty, property rights and other possessions.

The total costs incurred in establishing the British Indian Ocean Territory and in resettling the workers from the islands of the Chagos Archipelago have to date amounted to about £11·2 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what compensation was agreed for residents of British territories in the Indian Ocean, who were compelled to leave their homes, following agreements made with the United States Government on the future of these territories; and if the compensation has now been paid to them.

Her Majesty's Government paid £650,000 to the Mauritian Government in 1973 for the resettlement of the workers on the plantations in the Chagos Archipelago transferred to Mauritius. The Mauritian Government acknowledged that this payment was a full and final discharge of Her Majesty's Government's obligations. The Mauritian Government considered that a long-term resettlement plan would serve the interests of those concerned better than cash payments, but they have recently informed us of their difficulties in devising an acceptable plan using the money paid by Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the agreements made between Her Majesty's Government and other Governments since 1964 which affect British owned territories in the Indian Ocean.

There have been two such agreements as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total annual income of the Maldive Islands in 1974; what was the income per head of population; and to what extent was the income derived from the United Kingdom in general and from the Armed Services in particular.

No reliable statistics are available. The latest figures available are those of the World Bank, which estimated in 1972 that the GNP was US $10 million, and per capita income US $ 10. During the 12 months ended 30th September 1974 wages and allowances of Maldivian employees of RAF Gan totalled £288,796. Over the last three years United Kingdom development aid disbursements averaged £100,000 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of all trade preferences which Iceland enjoys with EEC countries.

Details of the trade arrangements between Iceland and the European Community are contained in the text of the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland signed in Brussels on 22nd July 1972 and its associated Protocols (Cmnd 5128). With the exception of Protocol 6 the agreement entered into force on 1st April 1973. Protocol 6 has not yet entered into force since the conditions laid down in Article 2 of the Protocol under which it should do so have not yet been met.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the damage in Hong Kong and the danger of flooding caused by the recent typhoon.

A typhoon passed close to Hong Kong on 14th October. It caused little severe damage but some low-lying areas were flooded and some villages were evacuated. 46 people were injured, mostly by flying objects; of these, 15 were admitted to hospital. Schools and businesses closed and public transport stopped running during the typhoon.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will tabulate wages in Hong Kong, as compared with those in other Asian countries.

Reports produced by the International Labour Organisation and national Governments show that the average daily rates of wages, including fringe benefits, in the manufacturing sector for 1973 and 1974 in pounds sterling were as follows (£1 = HK dollar 11.83 at the average 1974 market rate):

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in preperations to enable St. Helenians working on Ascension Island to vote in St. Helenian elections.

The St. Helena Executive Council is at present considering a draft Bill to amend electoral legislation, one provision of which is the introduction of proxy voting for St. Helenians working on Ascension Island.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will use his good offices to persuade the Israeli Government to sign and ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so as to make possible the creation of a nuclear free zone in the Middle East.