asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has completed his review of the Wake-field Control Unit; and whether he will make a statement.

As the House will remember, the establishment of the two control units was one of the special measures announced by my predecessor in response to disorders in prisons in 1972. The aim of the units was to isolate those prisoners who persistently set out to undermine prison life and who, in the confines of a prison regime, make conditions intolerable for staff and other prisoners alike. Only one unit, at Wakefield prison, has been opened, and only six prisoners have been allocated to it. I am satisfied that allegations, which have received considerable publicity, of sensory deprivation, cruelty and brutality in the unit are completely unfounded and that the Governor and staff have conducted themselves in a commendably professional manner. That there should have been so few inmates in the unit is a tribute to the professional skill of the staff managing the difficult dispersal prisons. It is probable that some of the other measures introduced since 1972 have also played a part. However, it is a fact that the unit has not been used to the expected extent, and is wasteful of staff resources and of scarce accommodation.Accordingly, after thorough and wide-ranging consultations, I have directed that no further prisoners should be admitted to the unit. Immediate consideration will be given to using the accommodation for prisoners who themselves request removal from association under the provisions of Rule 43.Because so few prisoners have been detained the efficacy of the control unit régime has not been fully tested. It can, however, be said that there is no evidence that any of the prisoners have suffered deterioration in mental or physical health from their detention in the unit. It is important to be able to continue to meet the need to provide temporary relief to the dispersal prisons from the activities and influence of intractable troublemakers, and I therefore propose to retain the option, should the need arise, of using the accommodation for those who have to be segregated from the ordinary prison population under the same Rule 43 but in the interests of good order and discipline. In addition, I intend to increase the number of cells in local prisons available to governors of dispersal prisons for the temporary accommodation of serious troublemakers, and to increase the maximum period from 14 to 28 days for which they may be so removed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of circulars issued by his Department to local authorities in the first nine months of this year.

Including circulars addressed to the police, fire and probation authorities, the number is 396.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many staff have been employed in the Management Services Division of the Civil Service Department in each of the last five years; and on how many occasions in the last five years has the Management Services Division employed outside consultants.

The number of staff employed in the management services divisions of the Civil Service Department on 1st October each year since 1970 is as follows:

1970	109
1971	116
1972	118
1973	98
1974	100
1975	103

During this period the divisions have employed outside consultants on 43 specific occasions. In addition, there is a standing contract with one institution which has been used to provide a number of consultants on those occasions when fluctuations in demand and workload have made this necessary.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the total value of the financial economies achieved by Government Departments as a result of studies carried out in co-operation with the Management Services Division of the Civil Service Department in the last 12 months.

The greater part of the divisions' work is devoted to improving systems for the allocation and control of resources; the savings that result cannot normally be quantified. Some savings are however identifiable. Those expected from work done over the last 12 months are of the order of £4 million, part once-for-all, part recurrent. Further substantial savings are expected from other projects now in hand.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials at the Treasury specialise on work relating to operations of multinational companies in the United Kingdom and especially on their pricing policies and practices.

Treasury officials dealing with industrial and fiscal policy and with exchange control are concerned with these matters as part of their duties.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish estimates of the approximate effect on public sector revenue and on public expenditure of a 1 per cent. change in GDP at current rates of taxation, social security benefits and prices.

No. The effect of an increase in GDP on public revenue and expenditure depends very much on how the increase comes about.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his continuous scrutiny and review of the estimates of public expenditure underlying the Budget strategy lead him to conclude that public expenditure is currently running above or below those estimates.

I must ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the Public Expenditure White Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reduction in the estimated value of old council cottages is made by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the case of sitting tenants who wish to buy their homes where such tenants or their parents have lived in the property for (a) five years, (b) 10 years, (c) 20 years, (d) 30 years, (e) 40 years and (f) 50 years, respectively.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Mid-Ulster (Mr. Dunlop) on 5th August 1975—[Vol. 897, c. 163–4].

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many council cottages and council houses have been sold by the Housing Executive in each year since it took over responsibility for such property; and how many such cottages and houses are at present unoccupied.

This matter is the direct responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all projects in Northern Ireland which are receiving regional aid from the United Kingdom Government; and which are earmarked for such regional aid.

I shall reply to the hon. Member's question as soon as possible.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development whether the reduction of £20 million in Great Britain's overseas aid programme has or will take the form of (i) reductions in aid to international relief agencies, (ii) reductions in "gifts" overseas, (iii) reduction in aid to poorer countries on some basis of "equal" shares and (iv) reduction in loans to poorer countries or other unspecified reductions.

The reduction of £20 million—in 1974 prices—is being distributed equally over the two years 1975–76 and 1976–77. It was applied before the detailed aid allocations for those years were made and I cannot therefore say which allocations might have been affected. There have however been no reductions in existing programmes or commitments.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development if he will make a statement on the British Government's potition on the proposed International Fund for Agricultural Development, the establishment of which was recommended by the World Food Conference in November 1974.

This fund has not yet been set up, but a meeting of all interested Governments held in Geneva in May agreed that a working group should consider and make recommendations on its establishment and operation. This working group, of which the United Kingdom is a member, has held two meetings. The next step will be a further meeting of all interested governments in Rome, beginning on 27th October, to consider the working group's report and certain unresolved issues.My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Lanark (Mrs. Hart), informed my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Hooley) in reply to his Question on 23rd May that Her Majesty's Government were ready to participate in the fund if it seemed likely to add usefully to international efforts for agricultural development. Subject to the approval of Parliament, we are now ready to make a contribution of £15 million. This is on the understanding that agreement is eventually reached on satisfactory arrangements for the establishment of the fund and that other donors, particularly the oil producing countries, also make appropriate contributions towards the proposed target of one billion special drawing rights. It is also without prejudice to the question whether our contribution should be direct, or channelled wholly or partly through the EEC as part of an EEC contribution.—[Vol. 892, c. 650.]

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of all secondary school pupils entered part-time education in institutions of further or higher education in 1974.

About 22 per cent of school leavers from all schools in Scotland during 1973–74.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of (a) all, (b) male and (c) female secondary school pupils in Scotland were still at school at (i) 17 years and (ii) 18 years of age in 1974.

The numbers of 17 and 18 year olds at school in January 1974 as a percentage of the 13 year old age groups respectively four and five years previously are as follows:

17 year old pupils	All	Boys	Girls
	per cent.	per cent.	per cent.
Education authority schools only	17·5	18·4	16·6
Grant-aided schools only	58·7	63·7	52·4
Education authority+ grant-aided	18·7	19·9	17·5
18 year old pupils
Education authority schools only	2·4	2·9	1·9
Grant-aided schools only	7·6	9·8	4·8
Education authority+ grant-aided	2·6	3·2	2·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now issue a circular advising local authorities to demolish only dwellings which cannot be brought up to modern standards, and advising them to avoid further large-scale clearance programmes.

The Government's policy on housing renewal has been stated emphatically in successive circulars, and local authorities should need no further clarification on this point. DOE Circular 160/74, issued on 26th November 1974, advised local authorities that rundown residential areas should benefit from a careful mixture and phasing of redevelopment and rehabilitation resulting in gradual urban renewal over the years rather than massive bull-dozing and rebuilding. This approach was underlined in DOE Circular 13/75 on Renewal Strategies, issued on 21st January 1975, which urged local authorities, wherever possible, to avoid programmes of widespread redevelopment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take as a result of the First Report of the Working Party on Housing Co-operatives; and when he will take this action.

I am now considering the Final Report of the Working Party, which I intend to publish, together with a circular containing guidance about the setting up of housing co-operatives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has now received arising from the publication of the First Report of the Working Party on Housing Co-operatives in February 1975; and if he will list the bodies and associations that have made representations.

I asked various individuals and bodies listed below to comment upon Part One of the Report, and the Working Party has taken these comments into account in its final report which has now been submitted to me:

• Association of District Councils.
• Association of London Housing Estates.
• Association of Metropolitan Authorities.
• Conference of Private Residents Associations.
• The Co-operative Union and Co-operative Party.
• Greater London Council.
• London Borough of Hillingdon.
• The Holloway Tenant Co-operative.
• Institute of Housing Managers.
• Local Authorities' (Conditions of Service) Advisory Board.
• London Boroughs Association.
• National Association of Local Government Officers.
• National Union of Public Employees.
• Neighbourhood Housing Services Ltd.
• The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
• Shelter.
• Solon Housing Association.
• Town and Country Planning Association.
• Trades Union Congress.
• Mr. Alan Alexander.
• Mr. Andrew Gilmour.
• Mr. Steve Musgrave.
• Mr. Colin Ward.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to issue guidance to local authorities on the management and committee structure that authorities should set up in each county in connection with the Community Land Bill; and what form that guidance will take.

Authorities will be required under the Bill to ensure that the arrangements they agree in their land acquisition and management schemes foster close co-operation in achieving planning goals and the efficient use of existing staff. I am not aware they need any specific guidance from me on their management and committee structure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of crash barriers have been erected on central reservations of dual carriageways and motorways in England and Wales; and if he will list this as a percentage of the total miles of dual carriageways and motorways in existence.

Central barriers have been erected on the busiest 952 miles of trunk road motorways in England at 31st March—89 per cent. Dual carriageways, other than on trunk roads, are the responsibility of local authorities and the remaining information is not available. Roads in Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to reach his decision on the inspector's report on the central Lancashire new town; and if he will make a statement.

As I stated in reply to a similar Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Preston, South (Mr. Thorne) on 15th October—[Vol. 897, c. 709]—the Inspector's report took six months to complete. In view of the detailed consideration which must be given to this report, and the complexity of the outline plan proposals, it is unlikely that my right hon. Friend will be in a position to make a statement before the early spring of next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land in the areas of the present West Midlands County Council have been successfully reclaimed during the last 10 years; and how many of such acres have been designated by planning procedure as being residential in character, how much as being industrial, respectively.

2,328 acres of derelict land were reclaimed within the boundaries of the present West Midlands County Council between 1967 and April 1974. Figures for years prior to 1967 and since April 1974 are not available nor is a breakdown by planning designations possible at reasonable cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will give approval for the installation of a pelican crossing near the junction of Bassett Green Road and Lobelia Road in Southampton.

This matter cannot yet be considered, as Hampshire County Council, the highway authority for the roads concerned, has not applied for authority to install a Pelican crossing on this site.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the result of the survey of all the vacant dwellings included in housing revenue accounts, distinguishing those which are not available for letting, will be published.

This information is being collected in the Department's "relets" survey. The results are expected to be available by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of circulars issued by his Department to local authorities during the first nine months of this year.

As follows:

DOE circulars	22
DOE joint circulars with other departments	71
DOE roads circulars	42
Total	135

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many VR1s were issued in 1974 and for the corresponding period in the first six months of 1975.

1,432 VR1s were issued in 1974, of which 759 were issued in the first six months. 899 VR1s were issued in the first six months of 1975.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects that the badger control programme in part of South Gloucestershire and North Avon will begin; and if he will take into account the evidence that tuberculosis in badgers is spreading outside that area.

Surveying of badger sets in South Gloucestershire and North Avon is in progress. Gassing operations will start here early in November. We are aware of the existence of infected badger colonies elsewhere in those counties and in other parts of South-West England. Gassing operations in the localised areas concerned will commence as soon as they have been surveyed and the necessary staff have been recruited and trained.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of circulars issued by his Department to local authorities in the first nine months of this year.

Ten.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number and proportion of university buildings in Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and the English Regions which were built before 1939.

This information is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the proposals which he has sent to the local authority associations for new arrangements in respect of school transport.

In essence they would abolish statutory walking distances; empower local education authorities to arrange transport to and from school wherever, in their view, circumstances or needs warranted it, at a uniform charge fixed according to prescribed principles; and provide for remission of charge in cases of hardship or handicap. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the consultative document.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of people unemployed in the Thanet area at 30th September 1975; what percentage this figure is of the total work force; and what are the comparable figures for the same period a year earlier.

On 8th September 1975, 2,627 people were unemployed in the area covered by the Margate, Rams-gate and Sandwich employment offices and the rate of unemployment was 5·9 per cent. The corresponding figures for September 1974 were 1,368 and 3·1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of (a) new apprenticeships or learnerships and (b) new employment opportunities offering planned training required in Wales to equalise the percentage of young persons, both male and female, in Wales entering employment with training with the percentage in the South-East of England, as revealed in the reply to the hon. Member on Tuesday 15th July.

Comparisons between the numbers of entrants to the various categories of employment in Wales and South-Eastern England from 1970 to 1974 were set out in my reply to the hon. Member on 15th July—[Vol. 895, c. 412–422.]—The position varies from year to year and area to area and I regret that it is not possible to supply meaningful estimates of the type requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, in the light of the high level of unemployment amongst juveniles in Kirkby, he will allocate a considerable number of the community industry places to the area of Knowsley Borough Council.

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend on 17th October—[Vol. 897 c. 821–822.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, what is the total number of unemployed juveniles in Essex and, in particular, Basildon, at the latest available date.

On 9th October 1975 there were 4,357 unemployed aged under 20 in Essex of whom 680 were in the Basildon employment office area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the six months to 30th September 1975 unemployment benefit has not been paid to unemployed persons on the grounds that the claimant was adjudged to be not capable of and available for work and the adjudication was made on the basis of availability.

Figures for the six months ended 30th September 1975 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will set up an industrial training unit in the Southampton area to help children with the transition from school to work.

No. The whole question of the transition to work is currently being reviewed, and a discussion paper on vocational preparation for young people was published by the Training Services Agency earlier this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish his Department's definition of a "key worker".

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the Scottish Office's definition of a "key worker".

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the Welsh Office's definition of a "key worker".

I have been asked to reply also to the other two Questions.The Departments concerned do not use a strict definition of a "Key Worker". The precise meaning of the phrase depends upon the occupation and the level of skill required for a particular job, and the supply of suitable manpower; but the phrase generally indicates a worker who is especially important for the operation of an employer's establishment in a particular locality. This is the meaning used for the Key Workers' Scheme which is operated on behalf of my right hon. Friend by the Manpower Services Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he is taking to alleviate unemployment in new towns.

The measures announced on 24th September were designed to mitigate the worst effects of unemployment in all parts of Great Britain by helping up to 100,000 people obtain jobs which they otherwise would not have had. I would expect new towns, along with the rest of Great Britain, to benefit from these measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much public assistance has been given to the textile industry, including support for modernisation schemes, over the last five years; if he will give details of financial support which is currently available to the industry; and whether any specific subsidy or support is available in respect of the increasing cost of oil, on which certain sections of the industry rely extensively.

I give below the figures showing identifiable financial assistance to the textile industry for the last five years.The financial support currently available to the textile industry includes two schemes of assistance under Section 8 of the Industry Act:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, in view of the investment of public funds in the company of Kearney and Trecker Marwin or its holding company, he will give some indication of the current trading situation and the prospects for the current year.

My Department is in continuing touch with these companies and with Vickers who, under an agreement concluded last year, are managing the business. I cannot add at present to what is stated in the chairman's statement accompanying the report and accounts for 1974 of Kearney and Trecker Marwin Limited.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total amount of public money invested in the company of Kearney and Trecker Marwin or its holding company; and what is the total outstanding commitment of this company.

£4·95 million is at present invested in shares of KTM Machine Tools (Holdings) Limited. In addition the Department holds £235,000 in preference shares in Kearney and Trecker Marwin Limited which were originally purchased from the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation. In addition a guarantee, with a maximum contingent liability of £250,000 as reported to the House on 13th October, has been provided to the company's bankers.

asked the Secretary of State for industry:

(1) what is the security for the public funds invested in or committed to the company of Kearney and Trecker Marwin; and what were the company's results in the most recently published accounts;

(2) if, in view of the public funds available to the company of Kearney and Trecker Marwin, a copy of the latest accounts of the company will be made available in the Library.

As the Department's investment is in the form of shares it is of course unsecured. The guarantee of £250,000 is secured by a counter-indemnity by the company. I am arranging for a copy of the report and accounts for 1974 to be placed in the Library as soon as they become publicly available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what requests he has received and what assessment he has made of the SPX-SPSC type of two-stroke internal combustion engine; and if he will make a statement.

For reasons of commercial confidence it is not our practice to disclose whether requests have been received or assessments made in respect of development projects.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what criteria are used to decide which of the applications for aid from the European Regional Development Fund are submitted to the fund's administrators;(2) what Government machinery is used to decide which applications for aid from the European Regional Development Fund are submitted to the fund's administrators.

Applications are submitted through the Department of Industry following inter-departmental consultations. The applications are prepared by the responsible Departments including the Scottish and Welsh Offices and the Northern Ireland Department. In selecting projects to put forward Departments take account of the provisions of the fund regulation, of the views expressed by the Commission and the Community's Regional Policy Committee and the Fund Management Committee, of the investments being undertaken in the assisted areas, of the schemes suggested by local authorities and other public authorities, of the views of other investors, and of the priorities in the Government's regional policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the estimated cost to the Post Office, in the current financial year, of the postcode system; and what it will be in 1976–77 and 1977–78.

This is a matter for the Post Office, which tells me that the estimated cost of the upkeep of the postcode system, which involves in particular the allocation of postcodes to new addresses and the production of postcode directories, is £0·6 million for the current financial year and £0·5 million for each of the following two years.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what proportion of letters is estimated to include the postcode in the address; and how this effects delivery.

This is a matter for the Post Office, which tells me that it estimates the public usage of post-codes on average to be 45 per cent. Twelve offices now have automatic code sorting equipment in use and these handle 10 million items a week.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will issue a general direction to the Post Office to discontinue the postcode system.

No. This would not be an appropriate subject for a general direction, and in any case postcodes allow optimum use of automatic letter sorting equipment and so reduce costs and save manpower in sorting offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a further statement about the future prospects of persons employed at the Norton Villiers plant in Small Heath, Birmingham.

No. This is a matter for the management of that plant.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action she has initiated following the receipt of various representations made by community health councils alleging the failure of area health authorities to fulfil their obligations to them.

Only a small number of written representations have been received from community health councils and they concerned consultations over planning; community health council observers at meetings of area health authorities; and accommodation for community health councils. On these subjects, guidance issued to health authorities on planning procedures covers consultation with community health councils; my decision that councils should be entitled to send observers to meetings of area health authorities was announced in July, and accommodation for councils is in my view best settled locally.I do not feel that further general guidance to initiate further action in connection with the obligations of health authorities towards community health councils is needed at present, but I will keep the situation under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether overseas students are entitled to receive social security benefits during their vacations; and, if so, whether she will estimate the cost to the taxpayer.

Overseas students are admitted to Great Britain by the immigration authorities on the understanding that they have adequate funds available for their maintenance, and that of any dependants, during their stay. Supplementary benefit is paid only when there is unexpected hardship.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest estimates of the size of the population of the United Kingdom in 1980 and 1985 in each of the age groups 0–14, 15 to 64 and 65 and over.

The current (1974 based) projections of the population of the United Kingdom in 1980 and 1985 are as follows:

(Thousands)
	1974	1980	1985
0–14	13252	11961	11769
15–64	35090	35952	36949
65 years and over	7714	8242	8212
Total	56056	56155	56930

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of circulars issued by her Department to local authorities in the first nine months of this year.

Forty-four.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection which local authorities have been awarded money by her Department for price comparison surveys: and what is the total of grants so far made.

Local price survey schemes have been approved for the London boroughs of Barking, Ealing, Haringey, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wands-worth and Westminster; the countries of Cleveland, Clwyd, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dyfed, Greater Manchester, Gwent, Gwynedd, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Mid Glamorgan, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Salop, South Glamorgan, Tyne and Wear, West Glamorgan and West Yorkshire; the Strathclyde Regional Council in Scotland; and the Llanelli and Penarth Citizens' Advice Bureaux. The grants approved total £94,000 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations have been received by his Department over irrevocable letters of credit, between British exporters and importers, for textile imports, whereby payment is not required from the importer until the operating bank abroad pays the exporter.

I have received representations from a number of firms and organisations, comprising both importers and manufacturers. By and large, the importers are naturally concerned at the potential loss to them if goods ordered on letters of credit are not given import licences; the manufacturers are equally naturally concerned at the loss of potential business to them if import licences are given.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade which developed countries export textiles to the United Kingdom; what is the volume and value of those textiles over the last five years; and what is the present balance of trade position of each of those countries with the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom imports textiles from virtually every developed country. Information in the detail requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the broad picture can be gained from the figures for SITC(R) Division 65 published in Table 1 of Volume 1 of the Annual Statement of Overseas Trade for years 1970 to 1973 and Table 11 of the December 1974 issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.Balance of trade figures are not available with individual countries on a balance of payments basis. The crude trade balance—i.e. the difference between imports c.i.f. and exports f.o.b.—with each of the countries with which we trade can be obtained from Tables II and V of the monthly Overseas Trade Statistics.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many anti-dumping applications have been made by British interests against textiles imports; how many such applications are being considered currently; and how many such applications have been agreed.

Since the beginning of 1975 the Department has received one formal application for anti-dumping action against textile imports. This application was accepted for full investigation on 4th September 1975. It relates to double and single textured raincoats from Hong Kong and South Korea. The investigation is now under way.

TERMS OF TRADE*
			United Kingdom	German FR	France	Italy	United States	Japan	OECD†
1973—
1st quarter	…	…	97·5	104·0	103·7	95·8	94·2	102·0	100·0
2nd quarter	…	…	93·9	103·9	106·5	91·7	90·8	98·0	97·9
3rd quarter	…	…	88·3	107·0	105·4	90·4	93·4	100·9	98·2
4th quarter	…	…	84·4	100·9	104·2	87·3	91·3	98·3	96·0
1974—
1st quarter	…	…	76·8	92·7	86·9	75·1	85·5	80·8	87·6
2nd quarter	…	…	75·4	95·3	87·5	72·9	77·6	76·9	84·8
3rd quarter	…	…	77·3	96·2	87·9	73·8	77·6	79·8	85·6
4th quarter	…	…	78·8	98·5	88·6	76·9	79·7	77·9	86·5
1975—
1st quarter	…	…	80·0	103·1	89·1	78·3	81·7	74·2	87·5
2nd quarter	…	…	83·2	103·9	96·9	..	80·1	73·8	..
* Export average value index as a percentage of import average value index 1970=100.
† Member countries average value index numbers in national currency terms weighted together by the value of trade in 1970. No index numbers are published by the OECD for Iceland, New Zealand. Portugal and Turkey; these countries are excluded
.. Not available

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations he has received about restricting imports of motor cycles; and what replies he has sent.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why he has approved the discontinuation by the Companies Registration Office of his postal inquiry service.

We have felt obliged to withdraw the facility because the volume of work arising from the statutory duties of the Companies Registration Office continues to increase and it is no longer possible to provide the additional staff needed for the postal inquiry services, which are non-statutory functions. The staff previously employed on these services will be redeployed on statutory duties of the office.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish figures of the terms of trade of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the United States of America, Japan and the OECD area as a whole, for each quarter or every third month since the beginning of 1973.

The information is as follows:

I have replied today to the one letter the Department has received about imports of motor cycles.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) how many live sheep and lambs have been exported to France and Belgium during the last three months;(2) how many live cattle have been exported to France and Belgium during the last three months.

The numbers exported during the third quarter of 1975 were:

Live sheep and lambs
France	16,545
Belgium (including Luxembourg)	19,205
Live cattle
France	3,830
Belgium (including Luxembourg)	10,596

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the level of defence expenditure for each year since 1950; what percentage of this each year represented capital investment and what percentage was the latter of total gross domestic fixed capital formation for each year; what each year's total defence expenditure represented as a percentage of gross national product; and if he will publish details from international sources available to him the equivalent figures for France, Germany, United States of America, Japan, the Western economies and the world.

I would refer my hon. Friend to successive editions of the Central Statistical Office publication "National Incomes and Expenditure", Tables 1 and 50. International comparisons could not be provided without disproportionate time and effort because the figures are not readily available in this form.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many members of Her Majesty's Forces were convicted of desertion in 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970 and 1969, respectively; and how many of these were either warned for service in Northern Ireland or were serving or had served in Northern Ireland;(2) how many members of Her Majesty's Forces were convicted of absence without leave in 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970 and 1969, respectively.

The numbers of convictions by court martial for desertion and absence without leave during the period 1969 to 1974 were as follows:Desertion: 1969, 135; 1970, 112; 1971, 119; 1972, 88; 1973, 101; 1974, 120Absence without leave: 1969, 906, 1970, 843; 1971, 756; 1972, 659; 1973, 647; 1974, 688.In the case of the Navy, but not the Army or the RAF, charges of desertion may be dealt with summarily. In all three Services charges of absence without leave are normally dealt with summarily. Statistics of summary convictions are not readily available. The number of Service men convicted of desertion who had served in or been warned for service in Northern Ireland could not be calculated without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Armed Forces were permitted to purchase their discharge prior to the termination of their engagement with Her Majesty's forces in 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970 and 1969, respectively.

The information requested is as follows:

1969	6,914
1970	6,630
1971	6,435
1972	7,292
1973	8,835
1974	9,195

These figures exclude Service women, and also certain male recruits who may leave as of right during their early months of service on payment of a small fee. I will publish the statistics for Service women in the

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in view of the prevailing uncertainty in industry, if he will now announce a research and development contract for active radar Martel, a development contract for an anti-ship missile to NATO specifications and an extension of the AATV programme.

An extension of HSD's AATV programme has already been announced and the details are now being discussed with the management. It also has been decided that HSD should act as the British systems contractor for the NATO feasibility studies on a second generation anti-ship missile which are due to start early next year. The proposals recently submitted by HSD for an active radar Martel to meet the requirement—currently the subject of feasibility studies—for an anti-ship weapon for the Maritime Harrier are still being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many NCO's in the RAF were discharged in 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively, on the grounds that they were unable to fulfil their Service commitments due to circumstances beyond their control.

During the period August 1974 to August 1975, 11 NCOs were discharged from the Royal Air Force because they were unable to fulfil their Service obligations due to circumstances beyond their control. Equivalent figures for the years 1972, 1973 and 1974 cannot be obtained without disproportionate effort because of changes in discharge regulations and procedures which altered the basis on which these figures are calculated.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any proportion of resettlement grant can be paid to Service personnel in the Royal Air Force who are asked to leave the Service before completing 12 years' service due to circumstances beyond their control.

No. A resettlement grant can only be paid when Service men leave the Service after completing at least 12 years' reckonable service from age 18.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange for an exhibition relating to the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

I understand that arrangements are being made with the authorities of the House for an exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Thursday 6th November until Tuesday 11th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent Her Majesty's Government at the next round of negotiations on curbing the spread of dangerous nuclear technology.

Officials of a number of countries have met in London to discuss common problems in the field of nuclear energy. We expect another of these meetings to be held soon but no dates have been fixed. It would not be appropriate for me to name the officials taking part.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps, following his recent meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister, to persuade the representatives of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to resume their inter-communal talks on Cyprus.

With our partners in the Nine we are making every effort to encourage the resumption of the inter-communal talks on a substantive basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to announce the appointment of the members of the Board of BNOC.

My right hon. Friend announced on 29th July the appointment of Lord Kearton as Chairman Designate. My right hon. Friend is actively considering other prospective BNOC Board appointments and he will be announcing names in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if the appointment of Lord Kearton as Chairman of BNOC is to be full-time or part-time; and if he will make a statement.

The nature of Lord Kearton's eventual appointment as Chairman of the BNOC will depend on the composition of the Board as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects the working party, under Dr. Walter Marshall, looking into the combined use of heat and electricity from power stations, to report; and if he will publish the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has any plans to increase full-time research work within his Department into the utilisation of waste heat.

The group's studies so far have indicated that the economic case for publicly owned combined heat and power stations in the United Kingdom is finely balanced. There is, therefore, a need to pursue certain aspects of its work in greater depth in order to resolve the uncertainties. This is expected to take several more months. The group has initiated an examination by engineering consultants of combined heat and power in industry, and the results of this work,

						Domestic Heating Oil		(Pence per Gallon) Fuel Oil
						Including Tax	Excluding Tax	Including Tax	Excluding Tax
United Kingdom	…	…	…	…	…	23–26	22–25	16·4	15·4
France	…	…	…	…	…	28·4	23·1	15·8	15·8
Germany	…	…	…	…	…	29·1	25·5	14·4	13·2
Italy	…	…	…	…	…	25·5	21·8	16·1	15·9
Netherlands	…	…	…	…	…	28·9	22·4	14·9	13·7

Comparable prices for the United States of America and Japan are not readily available. Most domestic heating oil in mainland Europe is gas oil, whilst in the United Kingdom it is burning oil. Fuel oil is used extensively for heating in other sectors.

asked the Attorney-General when he or his predecessors first received

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he next expects to meet other EEC Energy Ministers.

A firm date for the next Council of Energy Ministers has not yet been fixed, but I expect it to take place within the next three months.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a table showing representative current prices expressed in pence per gallon for gas, oil and heating oils in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States of America, and Japan, taking exchange rates as those prevailing on 20th October.

Typical prices on 1st September 1975, taking exchange rates as on 20th September 1975, were as follows:a recommendation that legal aid should be extended to tribunals; who made it; on how many occasions such a representation has been made; and by whom.

The first recommendation was made in 1945 by the Rushcliffe Committee on Legal Aid and Legal Advice. Recommendations have been made on a number of occasions since then and in particular by my noble Friend's Legal Aid Advisory Committee in its Twenty-fourth Annual Report, 1973–74.

asked the Attorney-General which organisations and individuals have made representations to him objecting to extending legal aid to tribunals; and for what reasons.

A number of representations to this effect have been made to my noble Friend and his predecessors over the years. Among the reasons were those that legal representation would lead to proceedings being formalised and lengthened and so cause delay; that there was little need for legal representation; and that tribunals could be relied on to look after claimants' interests.

asked the Attorney-General how many people who appear before tribunals are successful in their applications; and how many of them are legally represented.

I regret that this information is not available.

		November	January	September	June
		1970	1974	1974	1975
Gross Income limits*	…	£2,030	£2,443	£2,884	£3,333
Percentage of Supplementary Benefit level†	…	263·1	245·3	252·8	259·6
Percentage of average earnings‡	…	119·4	101·8	103·0	101·0
* These figures show the maximum gross income limit for legal aid of a man with a wife and two children aged 4 and 8. They are based on the assumption that the applicant's income includes £0·90 per week FAM (£1·50 per week for June 1975) and that his commitments are:
Rent: £156 per annum.
Special commitments: Such amounts as are covered by £104 income disregarded under the Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1960, Schedule 1, Rule 4A.
Employed cases: National Insurance contributions at the appropriate rate.
Income tax: According to liability.
† The level taken is the standard short-term rate payable to a man with a wife and two' children aged 4 and 8 and with a £156 per annum rent commitment.
‡ The figures express as an annual amount the average earnings of men aged 21 and over in full-time employment in Great Britain at the dates in question. They are based on estimates for April, obtained annually by the Department of Employment from the New Earnings Survey, and movements between April and the dates in question in that Department's monthly index of average earnings.

asked the Attorney-General what information he has as to the availability of solicitors in different areas who are willing and able to do work before

asked the Attorney-General when he commissioned the study into the problems of the urgent need for legal aid; how it is organised; and when the results are expected.

My noble Friend announced on 30th July 1974 that he had commissioned a study which is being carried out by members of his office. He expects to receive the results in the near future.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish in the Official Report the basic income limit for legal aid for a man with a wife and two children for each of the past five years; and if he will express these as percentage terms of the supplementary benefit level for each of these years, and as a percentage of average earnings.

The information, in relation to the dates of increases in the income limits in the past five years, is as follows:tribunals; and on what occasions, and by whom, have representations been made to him on this subject.

No such information is available at present. Early next year the Law Society will, with the encouragement of my noble Friend, be publishing a national referral list which will include information about solicitors who are prepared to give advice and assistance in relation to specified categories of tribunal work. This follows representations made by the Law Society, the National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux, the Legal Action Group and the Child Poverty Action Group.