asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make available a report on the action taken by the French authorities to deal with allegations of ill-treatment to a consignment of sheep exported from England to France on 12th March 1975.

I understand that the French authorities still have this matter under active consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether there are sufficient veterinary officers in the State Veterinary Service to provide attention to animals in detention, lairages and ports that serve the live export trade.

The State Veterinary Service has sufficient staff to carry out all its responsibilities in connection with the export of livestock.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his policy towards the tax treatment of Scotch whisky in the EEC.

At present individual member States of the EEC set their own levels of taxation, but under the terms of the Treaty of Rome all products, including Scotch whisky, should receive parity of treatment with similar products.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total of expenditure incurred in the United Kingdom to date by the Intervention Board since its inception.

Expenditure of £648,884,561 net of export levies on intra-Community trade has been incurred by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce since its inception to 30th September 1975, including £443,144,697 reimbursed from Community Funds and £97,000,826 representing the Exchequer contribution to the general butter subsidy borne on the Vote of the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the Hull Fishing Vessel Owners Association Ltd., on North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission quota; what action he is taking; and what reply he has sent.

The Department has received a letter from the President of the Hull Fishing Vessel Owners Association Limited which alleges that some member States of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission are evading their cod quotas in the north-east Arctic fishery and discusses the problems that this is causing for United Kingdom fishermen. The reply, a copy of which will be sent to my hon. Friend, explains that we shall be raising the question of quota enforcement at the mid-term meeting of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission in November.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give further consideration to introducing legislation on the illegal import of rabies-carrying animals, with a view to making prison sentences the practice instead of the fines presently imposed.

I cannot usefully add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend's Question on 15th July.—[Vol. 895, c. 455.] We continue to watch the situation closely.

asked the Attorney-General when he expects the committee on the training of the judiciary, chaired by Mr. Justice Bridge, to report.

The committee was appointed as recently as 21st July 1975 and it is too early to say how long its deliberations will take.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what will be the percentage increase in Civil Service pensions that come into force on 1st December; what will be the cost of this increase; and how many former civil servants will be in receipt of pensions in excess of £8,500 following this increase.

Civil Service pensions which came into payment before 2nd July 1974, between 2nd July 1974 and 1st January 1975, and between 2nd January 1975 and 1st July 1975 will be increased on 1st December by 26·1 per cent., 29·3 per cent. and 19·9 per cent. respectively. The cost of these increases will be in the order of £38 million in a full year, the bulk in 1976.Some 75 Civil Service pensioners from a total of over a quarter of a million will have pensions exceeding £8,500 following payment of this year's increase. Most of these will have retired after having served a full career and reached the very highest ranks in the Home Civil Service or the Diplomatic Service.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many political advisers each of the 13 Ministers, listed in his Written Answer on 20th October 1975 to the hon. Member for Eastbourne, has; what is the nature of their duties; whether it is intended to appoint such advisers to the 11 Members of the Cabinet who do not have them at present; and what qualifications are required in the candidates for these appointments.

The number of special advisers appointed by each Minister is as follows:

Prime Minister	7
Lord President of the Council	1
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	2
Secretary of State for the Home Department	2
Chancellor of the Exchequer	2
Secretary of State for Education and Science	1
Secretary of State for the Environment	2
Secretary of State for Energy	2
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection	2
Secretary of State for Social Services	4
Secretary of State for Trade	1
Secretary of State for Wales	1
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	1
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	1

As regards the duties of special advisers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. Steel) on 13th October.Special advisers are appointed personally by the Ministers whom they serve. I am not aware that any member of the Cabinet who does not currently have a special adviser intends to appoint one.The qualifications required of special advisers vary according to the duties which the Minister appointing them wishes them to perform.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will state the individual amounts paid by way of compensation to the next of kin of single members of the Civil Service as a result of motor car accidents where the deceased was travelling on duty, excluding any sums due to the deceased under his terms of employment, during each year since 1969.

Compensation payments, other than those due to or in respect of the deceased under his terms of employment, would be made only as a result of a claim for damages against a Government Department. It is not possible to identify successful claimants who were also the next of kin of single members of the Civil Service who died as a result of motor car accidents.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he is satisfied that the medical facilities in the Palace of Westminster are adequate.

Medical facilities for Members and staff working in the House of Commons are kept under continuing review, and have been looked at again this Session by the Services Committee. I am satisfied with the existing arrangements.

asked the Lord President of the Council what has been the total cost to date of the Select Committee on the Abortion (Amendment) Bill; and what was the actual cost of that part of the inquiry leading up to the publication of the third report including all publication costs.

I regret that it is not possible to isolate all the costs of a Select Committee from the more general administrative expenses of the House

asked the Prime Minister on how many occasions since February 1974 he has given an official exclusive interview to the London correspondent of any American newspaper.

One. In addition I have given a number of interviews to American newspaper and television correspondents both in this country and in the United States.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is now able to give a complete breakdown of the expenditure by the Cabinet Office on the study of the United Kingdom motor industry giving (a) the fees paid to the consultants employed, indicating the maximum per diem rates paid for a consultant's services irrespective of whether such fees were paid on a monthly or any other basis, (b) the total man-hours spent by the CPRS on this exercise and (c) the total cost including (b) above.

Work on this study is not yet complete and I am, therefore, not yet able to give a complete breakdown of the expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many employees of the CEGB he expects to be made redundant as a result of the proposed closure of coal-fired power stations.

As my hon. Friend may have seen, agreement was reached on 16th October within the electricity supply industry's National Joint Advisory Council on the closure or partial shutdown of a number of power stations employing at 31st July last a total of 4,952 staff. The unions made it clear that they would not accept any compulsory redundancies. Staff problems will be dealt with as far as possible through such measures as re-deployment to other sectors of the industry—with re-training where necessary—through natural wastage, and through early retirement in the case of older workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will undertake to publish all the advice available to him in connection with the treatment of nuclear waste material from abroad and the dumping of such material after it has been treated.

The Government are considering whether it would be acceptable to take further contracts for the reprocessing here of irradiated nuclear fuel from overseas. When the Government have arrived at their decision, my right hon. Friend will, of course, make an explanatory statement. It would not, however, be right to publish the advice that has been given by the Departments concerned on the many aspects of this problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) how many coal-fired power stations have been closed in each of the last 10 years;(2) how many new coal-fired power stations have come into production in each of the last 10 years.

I am informed by the CEGB that during the last 10 years a total of 4040 megawatts of coal-fired capacity has been closed. In the same period 20685 megawatts of new coal-fired(

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the percentage of coal-fired capacity in the power stations in the United Kingdom for each of the last 10 years.

I am informed by the CEGB that the percentage of coal-fired capacity in each of the last ten years was as follows:

	Per cent.
1965–66	76·90
1966–67	76·39
1967–68	77·41
1968–69	77·84
1969–70	77·80
1970–71	77·03
1971–72	70·63
1972–73	69·00
1973–74	68·94
1974–75	69·95

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated percentage of coal-fired capacity in United Kingdom power stations for each of the next five years.

I am informed by the CEGB that the estimated percentage of

asked the Secretary of Sate for Energy whether he is satisfied with all the health and safety aspects of work involving the processing of nuclear waste and fuels at Windscale.

British Nuclear Fuels Limited's installation at Windscale is a licensed site under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. The necessary health and safety standards for the processing of all nuclear materials received at Wind-scale are provided by means of conditions attached to the licence, which is granted by the Health and Safety Executive. These conditions are enforced by the executive's nuclear installations inspectorate which exercises strict control at all licensed sites. These arrangements are designed to provide all practicable safeguards.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the total number of exploratory wells drilled in United Kingdom water to date; and how many are currently drilling;(2) what is the total number of exploratory wells drilled in United Kingdom water to date in which British-owned companies have participated and similarly for those exploratory wells currently drilling;(3) what is the total number of exploratory wells drilled in United Kingdom water to date in which British-owned companies other than Shell, BP, Burmah, the Gas Corporation and the NCB have participated, and similarly for those exploratory wells currently drilling.

Details of exploration wells drilled and being drilled in United Kingdom waters are as follows:—

Exploration Wells	Drilled	Currently being Drilled
Total	385	15
In which British owned companies have participated	270	13
In which British owned companies other than Shell, BP, Burmah, British Gas and NCB have participated	91	5

asked the Secretary of Stare for Energy (1) what is the total acreage of petroleum licences currently held in United Kingdom waters;(2) what is the total acreage of petroleum licences currently held in United Kingdom waters by British-owned companies;

The total area at present licensed under offshore petroleum production licences is some 105,000 sq. kms. The share held by British owned companies totals about 35,000 sq. kms. of which 11,500 sq. kms. are held by British companies other than Shell, BP, Burmah, British Gas and NCB.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the heating efficiency of a standard immersed element kettle compared with an ordinary kettle heating the same amount of water on a radiant ring.

I understand from the Electricity Council that the amount of electricity required to boil two pints of water in a standard immersed element kettle is 0·12 KW hrs., whereas it requires 0·2 KW hrs. of electricity to boil the same amount in an ordinary kettle on a radiant ring.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether any discussions have so far taken place between his Department, the CEGB and the SSEB regarding possible future siting of nuclear fuel reprocessing and storage plant in Scotland.

The availability of sites for fuel reprocessing and storage plants is kept under review, but there have been no specific discussions between my Department and the boards on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to ensure that there will be adequate control at executive level and general continuity of effort in the development of the United Kingdom's nuclear programme.

All such steps as are necessary, in co-operation with the responsible organisations, for the completion of the advanced gas-cooled reactor construction programme, the launching of the 4,000 megawatt SGHWR programme and the implementation generally of the Government's policy on nuclear power.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, in the light of the drop in electricity consumption throughout the United Kingdom, he is considering a reappraisal of the current and future level of research and development expenditure on nuclear energy.

Despite the present drop in electricity consumption, demand is forecast to grow at between 3½ and 4½ per cent. per annum over the next 20 years. Nuclear power will play a principal rôle in meeting these increases. Our nuclear research and development programmes are directed to this end.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what future prospect there is of Her Majesty's Government joining OPEC; and what commercial benefit it would be for the United Kingdom.

As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet) on 7th July, the Government have no plans to apply for Membership of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.—[Vol. 895, c. 25.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy by what means Her Majesty's Government intend to secure markets or concessions for their British-owned oil companies.

This is generally a commercial matter for the companies concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how far he expects the United Kingdom to be able to supply the needs of the oil industry by the end of the current decade with the prospect of North Sea oil production.

North Sea production is expected to be more than equivalent to total United Kingdom demand in 1980 and will supply the needs of the United Kingdom industry for this type of crude. Not all of this oil will, however, be refined in the United Kingdom because of quality and other considerations. Some will be exported and we shall continue to import substantial quantities of Middle East crude.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what consideration has been given to using North Sea oil as an aid in securing markets to under-developed countries.

There are no such plans at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, how many development contracts for prototype components of the SGHWR have so far been placed; and when, according to latest estimates, a start is likely to be made on the construction of the first SGHWR power station.

The National Nuclear Corporation and its operating subsidiary the Nuclear Power Co. are responsible for the conduct of the SGHWR development programme. They have placed contracts for specific items of development work and are considering orders for prototype components. Discussions currently in hand with the electricity boards should clarify the timetable for safety clearance of the detailed design by the nuclear installations inspectorate and the start of construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is now able to give an indication of when his Department's investigation into the safety of the pressurised water reactor will be completed; and whether a full report on its findings will be published.

The nuclear installations inspectorate has this in hand but it is too early to give a date for completion. The SGHWR has priority. Careful consideration will be given to the possibility of publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest estimate of the production potential of North Sea oil by 1980; what will be the likely production in barrels per day; and what estimate he has made of the capital cost of each barrel produced.

Potential annual production in 1980 is estimated at between 100 and 130 million tons, or an average of 2 million to 2·6 million barrels a day. The cost of production of North Sea oil varies between fields. For the fields currently under development it probably lies between $2 and $6 per barrel.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the new North Sea oil strikes are likely to be some years in coming into significant production; and whether such oil produced will greatly reduce the United Kingdom's dependence on imports.

Twenty-three new discoveries of oil have been made on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf since the beginning of the year. It is unlikely that all of them will prove to be commercially viable, and a further period of technical and economic appraisal will be necessary before decisions to develop can be taken. Oil from those that are developed should after about 1980 make an increasing contribution to our trade balance.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current estimated yield of possible reserves of North Sea oil in the explored potential oil-bearing structures.

The table on page 14 of the report to Parliament on the development of the oil and gas resources of the United Kingdom—the "Brown Book"—shows that the proportion of our total possible reserves of oil—3,000 million to 4,500 million tons—accounted for by existing finds was estimated at 1,800 million tons. Discoveries made since that date will be likely to increase that figure.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the likely effects on industry of recently announced oil price increases.

Before oil prices can be increased the companies must pre-notify them to the Price Commission. I understand no applications have yet been received and it is not yet possible, therefore, to assess the likely effects on industry or other oil users.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what commitment, and what amount of financial investment, is mainly devoted in developing domestic sources of energy, particularly in oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy.

The reality of our commitment is demonstrated by the Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 5879) as revised in subsequent reviews, e.g. the Plan for Coal, and by the 1975–76 Supply Estimates. The relevant figures for the current year are given in the following table.

£m (1974 Prices)
(i) Construction of power stations (Great Britain)*	357
(ii) Coal*	149
(ii) Natural Gas*	209
(iv) North Sea exploration by nationalised industries' subsidiaries	67
(v) Research, development etc. by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	100
(vi) Department of Energy, research and development	7
(vii) Department of Energy, assistance towards offshore development projects	24
Total	913
* Including research and development.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what collaboration, if any, exists between his Department and the National Coal Board in accelerating research into fluidised combustion of coal in power station boilers.

The Department of Energy and the National Coal Board are collaborating closely in the formulation of a proposal for a major research project under the auspices of the International Energy Agency. The proposal is for a large test facility to be built in the United Kingdom for the purpose of providing knowledge needed to exploit the fluidised bed combustion technique for a range of power generation purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will state what action he proposes to take in view of the interim decision of the Court of Justice of the Communities affecting the competitive position between the National Coal Board and National Carbons Ltd.

The decision to which the question refers related to an issue between the National Carbonising Company and the Commission of the European Communities to which Her Majesty's Government were not a party. I shall, however, be following closely the action the Commission take in the light of the interim decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what arrangements are being made for the areas in which oil is brought ashore, whether by price reductions in petroleum prices, supply for industrial purposes, gas or otherwise.

The Government's general intention is that North Sea oil should be sold commercially throughout the United Kingdom. British Gas is considering with the local authorities suitable outlets for small amounts of surplus gas in the Orkneys and Shetlands.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the subject of payment of pensions to widows whose husbands retired from the Armed Forces before 1st September 1950.

The widow of a Service man below the rank of warrant officer class I in the Army, or the equivalent ranks in the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force, is not entitled to a proportion of her late husband's pension if he left the Service before 1st September 1950. With effect from that date, such an entitlement was introduced, subject to length of service and other conditions. Because of the widely accepted principle that improvements in occupational pension schemes are not retrospectively applied, the revised scheme was not extended to widows of those who had already retired.As the hon. Member is aware, I have for a long time been deeply concerned about this situation and I directed that a careful and detailed study should be made to see whether, without creating new problems, something could be done to amend this disparity in treatment between the widows of one group of Service personnel and another.This study has now been completed and it has been regretfully concluded that it is not possible to change the present arrangements. To award a pension, however modestly scaled, to the widows of Service men who do not at present qualify for one could lead to a widespread sense of unfairness among similarly placed widows of other public servants and indeed among a much broader range of pensioners who believe that pension improvements should be retrospectively applied to existing pensioners as well as to those who have yet to retire. Particularly in the grave economic situation now facing the country it has been sadly concluded that action on this wide basis is just not possible.I recognise that this outcome to the review will be deeply disappointing to the many people who were hoping for some change in the existing arrangements. I greatly regret that, after the most careful examination, this has not proved possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give an assurance that the British naval force of eight ships and 2,000 Service men at present visiting the Near and Far East will not hold any exercises jointly with the Indonesian Navy.

No. HMS "Glamorgan" and HMS "Llandaff" and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary "Gold Rover" exercised for a short period with ships of the Indonesian Navy on their departure from Surabaja on 22nd October.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the dangers of the use of depleted uranium by the armed forces of the countries possessing 105 mm tank guns;(2) if he will make a statement on the proposed use by Great Britain and NATO of depleted uranium in armour-piercing anti-tank ammunition on the recent tank gun trials at Shoeburyness, on the danger of this material causing toxic aerosol clouds, on whether this crosses the border dividing poisonous from non-poisonous weapons and on safety precautions in the handling of depleted uranium.

No depleted uranium anti-tank shot was fired in the recent international tank gun trials at Shoeburyness.Theoretically, depleted uranium, because of its high density might offer operational potential. There is, however, at present no operational requirement for such ammunition in the British Army. If it were to be adopted, the fullest possible consideration would naturally be given to all factors, including those bearing on safety.There is no reason to think at present that ammunition using depleted uranium would have a level of toxicity greater than that present in some existing projectile materials, and in no sense could such ammunition be classified as a nuclear weapon. There are established safety procedures for the handling, manufacture, storage and transport of depleted uranium which would be applied to ammunition incorporating it.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members and former members of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army, respectively, have qualified for the award of the General Service Medal 1962, with Clasp Dhofar for service in the Dhofar Province of Oman, up to the latest date for which figures are available.

I regret that these figures are not available; applications

	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Royal Navy:
Church of England	84	84	84	84	75	75	73	71	71	71	72
Church of Scotland and Free Churches	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	19
Roman Catholic	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	15
Army:
Church of England	151	151	151	151	151	151	147	138	133	133	133
Church of Scotland and Free Churches	38	38	38	38	38	38	37	35	35	35	35
Roman Catholic	37	37	37	37	37	37	36	34	33	33	33
Royal Air Force:
Church of England	89	89	84	80	77	77	79	80	80	80	78
Church of Scotland and Free Churches	37	37	35	35	34	33	32	31	30	30	24
Roman Catholic	29	29	26	27	27	24	23	21	20	20	16

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if there is evidence that the incidence of smoking among boy soldiers is higher than among civilians in the same age group; and, if so, what steps are being taken to discourage smoking among boy soldiers.

Surveys undertaken by the Army indicate that smoking among soldiers aged from 15 to 18 years old is more prevalent than among civilians of the same age. The Army is currently evaluating all available methods of making its anti-smoking campaign effective.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish a list of chaplains and their denominational affiliations, currently in the establishments of the Army, Navy and the Royal Air Force, respectively;(2) if he will publish in the

Chaplains in the Armed Forces are in general established by overall totals for each Service and denominational grouping rather than for specific chaplaincies. The establishment of chaplains for the three principal denominational groups in each of the Services from 1965 to 1975 has been as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report figures showing the total cost of the Armed Forces chaplaincy services for each of the last five years, together with the estimated cost for the current year.

Estimate expenditure on the Armed Forces chaplaincy services in the years 1970–71 to 1975–76 is as follows:

	£m
1970–71	1·98
1971–72	2·20
1972–73	2·43
1973–74	2·57
1974–75	3·01
1975–76	3·76

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report the number of awards of gallantry in action made to members of Her Majesty's Forces serving in the Dhofar Province of Oman.

Since 1st October 1969 there have been 18 British awards for gallantry to members of Her Majesty's Forces serving in Dhofar.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of Her Majesty's Forces are known to be adherents to non-Christian religions.

The most recent statistics indicate that there are about 700 adherents of non-Christian religions among United Kingdom Service personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in chronological order the individual amounts of compensation paid to the next of kin of each of the 34 members of the TAVR, RAF, and RN reserve forces who have died since 1969 as a result of accidents while on duty.

Pensions, or single payments into estates, arising from the death on duty of members of the reserve forces are payable by the Ministry of Defence only where such a death has occurred on or after 1st April 1974 when a scheme of attributable benefits for reservists came into operation. It is not the custom to disclose details of individual awards.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make arrangements for the commanding officer of HMS "Ashanti" to comment in detail and expedition on the observations made by one of the hon. Member for Sudbury and Woodbridge's constituents regarding the state of the ship's helicopter and small craft whilst the vessel was off Madallera, Sardinia, in August.

I wrote to the hon. Member on 9th and 23rd October dealing with the points which he raised on this subject in his letter of 26th September.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what period is currently elapsing between the fulfilment of his reserve commitment by an officer or other ranks in the Royal Naval Reserve and payment therefor.

When an officer or rating of the RNR undertakes a period of training 60 per cent. of the gross amount of pay due is paid to him at the time as an advance. Any balance remaining after deduction of income tax and national insurance contributions is normally sent on within four or five weeks of the completion of the training period.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether Her Majesty's Government propose to make payments in lieu of interest to officers and other ranks of the Royal Naval Reserve when their pay has been abnormally delayed.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now make a statement regarding the future of HMS "Ganges"; what steps are in hand to meet civilian redundancies when the establishment closes; and if he will have immediate consultations with the authorities concerned regarding alternate use, especially as a Government job retraining centre.

I have written to the hon. Member explaining the situation in detail.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) wives and (b) widows of ex-Service men below the rank of warrant officer class I who retired prior to 1st September 1950 are estimated now to be living.

I regret that there are no records from which reasonable estimates can be made. However, in 1974, in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Boscawen)—[Vol. 871, c. 311–12.]—an assumption was made that there were about 30,000 widows of Service men below the rank of warrant officer Class I who had died or had been discharged to pension before 1st September 1950.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) wives and (b) widows of ex-Service men below the rank of warrant officer class I who retired between 1st September 1950 and 31st December 1972 are estimated now to be living.

I regret that this information is not available.

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 of the equivalent figures for France, Germany, United States of America, Japan, the Western economies and the world.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 24th October 1975; Vol. 898, c. 305], gave the following information:I would refer my hon. Friend to successive editions of the Central Statistical Office publication "National Incomes and Expenditure", Tables 1 and 58. 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 Education and Science what would be the annual cost of providing free school milk to all schoolchildren seven years of age to 11 years of age.

It would cost local education authorities an additional £13·5 million a year to provide free school milk for all pupils aged seven to 11 years. This estimate assumed a 90 per cent. take-up rate among children in attendance at maintained schools and a retail price of 8½p a pint. The estimate relates to England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of phasing out direct grant schools; and how this compares in percentage terms to the cuts in educational expenditure.

No firm estimate is possible. There will be some savings and some additional expenditure, but the phasing out is unlikely to make much difference one way or the other to public expenditure. In the circumstances it is not possible to express a quantitative relationship with the reduced rate of growth for 1976–77 implied by my right hon. Friend in his Budget Statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what elements are included in the rate support grant calculations for salaries of teachers sufficient to achieve Government objectives for pupil-teacher ratios; and if he will list those local education authorities which are now employing fewer teachers than those assumed for the relevant calculation.

The forecasts of the aggregate relevant expenditure on local authority services, which form the basis for determining annually the global amount of rate support grant, include the salary superannuation and national insurance costs of the total number of teachers it is expected will be employed; but, since an individual local authority's share of the total is not specifically related to teacher numbers, a list cannot be provided in the form requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in calculating the rate support grant for the financial years 1976–77 he will assume that local education authorities will be employing all those teachers entering the profession during that year.

Calculation of the intended level of relevant expenditure on particular local authority services in 1976–77 is subject to the constraints announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget of April 1975. In consultation with the local authorities' associations I am considering the optimum pattern of expenditure. The financial constraints are such, however, that we may no longer assume that all those qualified and willing to teach will find employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many circulars and joint circulars to local education authorities were issued by his Department during the period 1st April 1971 to 31st March 1972.

Nine circulars, including four joint circulars, were issued by my Department to local education authorities during the period 1st April 1971 to 31st March 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities have now declined their allocation earmarked for providing nursery schools and classes; which local education authorities have built nursery education accommodation but are now unable or unwilling to pay the nursery teachers and nursery nurses needed to staff it; which local education authorities have decided to close down their nursery education accommodation making nursery teachers and nursery nurses redundant; what action he intends to take; and what his estimate is of the number of nursery teachers and others who will be affected.

To date the local education authorities of Avon, Bromley, Croydon, Cumbria, Ealing, Hampshire, Isles of Scilly, Northumberland, Redbridge, Salop, Trafford and Wiltshire have relinquished the whole of their nursery education building allocation for 1975–76 while Bolton, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Coventry, Derbyshire, Havering, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk and West Sussex have relinquished part. For 1976–77 Cumbria, Leicestershire, Redbridge and Wiltshire have so far stated that they will take up none of their allocation, and Derbyshire part only. No local education authority has informed my Department of a decision not to use new nursery education accommodation in view of staffing costs but employment of staff is for individual authorities. None has notified a decision to close existing nursery education accommodation which would make nursery teachers and nursery nurses redundant.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what cuts, or reductions of previously announced increases, he has made in the expenditure programmes of his Department since the April Budget; and whether he will list them, and indicate their value at: (a) actual monetary, and (b) constant prices.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the approximate expenditure of local education authorities on expendable educational materials and books in primary and secondary schools, respectively, for each of the years 1970–74, each year as a percentage of actual expenditure in 1970 and the index of prices for each year using 1970 as a base year.

The information requested is set out in the attached table.

LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY EXPENDITURE ON EQUIPMENT AND BOOKS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
	Financial Years
	1970–71		1971–72		1972–73		1973–74		1974–75
	Primary	Secondary	Primary	Secondary	Primary	Secondary	Primary	Secondary	Primary	Secondary
Recurrent expenditure on text and library books:
£ million at outturn prices	6·7	8·9	8·1	11·1	9·7	13·0	11·0	14·8	12·2	16·2
As percentage of 1970–71 expenditure	100	100	120	125	144	146	163	167	181	183
Recurrent expenditure on equipment, stationery and materials:
£ million at outturn prices	13·9	20·6	16·5	24·3	19·0	28·9	21·5	34·6	27·9	42·2
As percentage of 1970–71 expenditure	100	100	118	118	137	140	155	168	200	205
Retail price index at beginning of year (April 1970=100):
Books, newspapers and periodicals	100		111		128		132		152
Stationery, travel and sports goods, photographic and optical goods etc.	100		112		115		117		131

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action has been taken by his Department in connection with the provision of school meals in Leicester; and if he will make a statement.

On 10th October officers of my Department discussed with officials of the local education authority the difficulties that have arisen in providing meals at some schools in the city area. Measures for dealing with the situation at two of the schools, where the waiting lists are substantial, are already under urgent consideration by the authority and the position at other schools is being reviewed. The authority has been asked for a full report on the situation and on its plans for dealing with it. My Department will be keeping in touch with it about progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost incurred by returning officers and counting officers at the referendum.

The exact cost is not yet known because many accounts have still to be submitted, but we have no reason to believe that the cost will differ significantly from the previous estimate of £5 million. This figure excludes costs incurred by the Post Office in connection with postal votes and the delivery of poll cards.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is proposing to take in response to the recommendation by the hight hon. Lord Justice Scarman in paragraph 184 of the Report on the Disorders in Red Lion Square of 15th June 1974.

Consultations with the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis have been completed. Some administrative action has taken place. Full implementation requires legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government, as a High Contracting Party to the European Convention of Human Rights have given notice that they wish to derogate from any article of the Convention in respect of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1974.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received a letter from the National Council for Civil Liberties requesting a meeting to discuss the position of Irish category A prisoners; and whether such a meeting will take place.

This letter was addressed to my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, who is giving careful consideration to the request.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons born in the new Commonwealth are admitted to the country as adopted children of residents; whether the number of such persons is increasing; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that the information asked for is not available

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current estimated annual cost to local authorities, Government Departments and other public bodies of repairing damage caused by deliberate vandalism.

It is not possible to make any reliable estimate of the substantial costs involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that the procedures for informing the families and solicitor of transfers of prisoners are adequate; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to improve the methods of communication.

Yes, in general, but we shall keep the procedures under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prison population were (a) coloured and (b) of non-United Kingdom birth, at the latest convenient date.

Information about the colour of persons held in Prison Department establishments is not collected. An analysis of the place of birth of the prison population in England and Wales as at the middle of October shows that about 10 per cent. were known to have been born outside the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what cuts, or reductions of previously announced increases, he has made in the expenditure programmes of his Department since the April Budget; and whether he will list them, and indicate their value at (a) actual monetary and (b) constant prices.

None. Expenditure on local authority services in 1976–77 is being considered in the current rate support grant negotiations. My Department's programmes as a whole to 1979–80 are being reviewed as part of the Government public expenditure survey. The Government's conclusions will be published in a public expenditure White Paper in the normal way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now consider extending the boundaries of the Border Television Company, and BBC Radio Carlisle, to cover the whole of Cumbria created by local government reorganisation.

No. The whole of the structure of broadcasting, in television and radio, is under review by the Annan Committee of Inquiry into the Future of Broadcasting. It would not be right to change the present arrangements while that committee is sitting.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the annual tax allowances granted for alimony payments in the case of a man earning £65,000 a year and making annual payments of, respectively, £25,000, £20,000 and £14,000 to previous wives, on the basis, of standard assumptions about his taxable capacity in other respects.

The payer of the alimony in the example given is entitled to deduct income tax at the basic rate and, providing he has paid tax on his gross earnings, can retain the tax so deducted. In this way he obtains relief at the basic rate. If he is liable to income tax at the higher rates, additional relief is subsequently granted.On the basis of the figures quoted the tax payable in 1975–76 by a single man with no other tax allowances earning £65,000 a year would be £48,415, but after allowing for alimony payments totalling £59,000 the ultimate tax payable would be £1,921. However, alimony payments are treated as investment income in the hands of the recipients and are taxed at the basic, higher and investment income surcharge rates. Assuming that each of the ex-wives is a single person with no other income or tax allowances the total tax charged on the alimony received would be £40,836.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish details of the comparison between different countries that the borrowing requirement bears to their respective national incomes, to which he alluded in his recent speech at the Mansion House.

International comparisons of public sector deficits are difficult because of differences in definition and coverage and because of statistical differences. Some measure of comparison can, however, be achieved by using the concept of the financial balance of the general Government sector used in the UN/OECD system of international accounts. Broadly, this is the balance of the receipts and expenditure of the central Government, the social security system and local authorities. It differs from the general Government borrowing requirement to the extent that there is net lending to other sectors.Official national figures on this basis are, of course, not yet available for the current year. The reference in my right hon. Friend's recent speech at the Mansion House was based upon estimates derived from the latest official forecast of the total public sector deficit in Germany—DM 75,000 million—the official forecast of the central Government deficit in Italy—L 7,172,000 million—tentatively adjusted for other components of the general Government sector and an independent published forecast of the United States Federal deficit for calendar 1975—$74,000 million—similarly adjusted. Relating these estimates to the most recent published OECD forecasts of GNP suggests that the general Government deficits of all three countries fall within a range of 5–8 per cent. of GNP. The general Government deficit of the United Kingdom is also expected to fall within this range.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the percentage spent annually from wages and salaries on all items excluding rent.

The report of the Family Expenditure Survey for 1974 shows that household expenditure on rents, rates and water charges were 11·5 per cent. of total expenditure by households responding in the survey; this expenditure on all other items was 88·5 per cent. of total expenditure. The report contains detailed information on the family budgets of many different types of household.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions and how many civil lawsuits to date have been instituted by the Customs and Excise arising out of the rendering of incorrect returns made in respect of value added tax demands since the inception of this tax; in how many cases have such prosecutions and lawsuits been successful; in how many cases have they failed; and if he will make a statement

The great bulk of prosecutions in connection with VAT have so far been in respect of failures to furnish returns. 59 such cases were heard in 1974 and a further 1,041 so far this year. In all these cases the prosecution succeeded. In addition the Commissioners of Customs and Excise have ordered proceedings in 72 cases involving tax evasion or false declarations. 15 of these cases have so far been heard in court and all have resulted in conviction.Incorrect VAT returns are not normally the subject of civil proceedings, although civil proceedings are used in appropriate cases for recovery of unpaid tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost involved in levying stamp duty taxation and the total revenue produced in each of the last three years; and what were the costs and revenues in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

The figures are given in the table below. I regret that separate figures are not kept which would show the division between England and Wales.

TABLE
Net receipts of duty
(£m.)
	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
England and Wales	219·7	183·1	187·5
Northern Ireland	—	0·4	1·2
Scotland	7·9	6·8	9·4
Total	227·6	190·3	198·1
Costs of collection
(£000)
	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
England and Wales	1,634	1,773	2,916
Northern Ireland	—	13	47
Scotland	158	172	296
Total	1,792	1,958	3,259

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the size of the public sector borrowing requirement was, both absolutely and as a percentage of GNP, for each of the last 20 financial years up to and including 1974–75.

The following table shows the information requested for the nine calendar years 1955 to 1963 and for the 12 financial years, 1963–64 to 1974–75. Figures of the borrowing requirements for earlier financial years are not available.

PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT COMPARED WITH GNP AT FACTOR COST
	£m.	Proportion of GNP Per cent.
1955	469	2·8
1956	564	3·0
1957	486	2·5
1958	491	2·4
1959	571	2·6
1960	710	3·1
1961	704	2·9
1962	547	2·1
1963	842	3·1
1963–64	1,084	3·9
1964–65	880	2·9
1965–66	995	3·1
1966–67	1,214	3·6
1967–68	1,980	5·5
1968–69	453	1·2
1969–70	−525	−1·3
1970–71	807	1·8
1971–72	1,010	2·0
1972–73	2,516	4·4
1973–74	4,458	6·8
1974–75	7,889	10·0

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide figures to show the cost of wages and salaries as a component of total public expenditure during the last five years, and the estimate for the current year.

Figures showing current expenditure on wages and salaries—and national insurance and superannuation contributions, etc.—by public authorities in the last five years are published in the National Income and Expenditure 1964–1974 Blue Book table 53. Details of total public expenditure in the same period are given in table 58 of the same publication. It is not customary to give estimates of public expenditure or its components in the current year other than at Budget time and in the annual public expenditure White Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether, in the light of current difficulties in the footwear industry, he will issue directions to all publicly owned industries and enterprises to purchase British footwear, in advance of requirements where possible;(2) whether, in the light of current difficulties in the textile industry, he will issue directions to all publicly owned industries and enterprises to purchase textiles which are British throughout, in advance of requirements where possible.

Following the statement on 23rd July by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry, Government Departments have been asked to place their orders for textiles, clothing and footwear with British manufacturers using British materials wherever possible, having regard to both financial considerations and our international obligations. Other public purchasing bodies have been enjoined to follow the same principles. The advantages of accelerated purchasing are in general outweighed by the disadvantages.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to increase the capital of the European Investment Bank; and if he will make a statement.