asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to prevent the erosion of river banks.

No. Water authorities already have adequate powers under the Land Drainage Acts to do work needed to prevent erosion of the banks of their main rivers.

asked the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what EEC regulations for controlling foot-and-mouth disease apply to the United Kingdom.

There are provisions in Directives 64/432 and 64/433, as amended, which govern the health standards that may be required for imports of livestock and meat. These provisions do not currently apply to the United Kingdom: they are covered by a derogation that runs to the end of 1977 and must be reviewed before then in the light of the animal health situation in the Community as a whole.EEC legislation does not, however, require modification of our domestic policies and procedures for controlling foot-and-mouth disease, should it reappear in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the amount of dairy produce imported from abroad in 1974 and the cost of this in foreign exchange.

606,000 tons of milk and milk products were imported in 1974, at a cost of £324 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the forms of subsidy and financial aid available to the British fishing industry, and show, from international sources of information available to him, how these compare with what is currently provided for the fishing industries of Norway, France, Holland and Iceland by their Governments.

Direct Government aid for the current financial year is recorded under Votes 8 and 9 Class III Supply Estimates 1975–76, to which should be added the provision under the White Fish and Herring Subsidy Schemes in operation for this calendar year. The industry also benefits from fiscal and regional measures available for more general purposes.Aids, direct or indirect, to the fishing industries of other nations vary so much in relation to purpose and effective uptake that direct comparisons are not practicable. Simple comparisons may be found in the OECD Annual Reports on Fisheries, which are available in the Library of the House.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of recent further cases of cruelty to birds being transported by air to or via this country, what changes he proposes in order to strengthen the regulations governing this traffic.

My hon. Friend wrote to the hon. Member on 3rd November outlining the action being taken to secure effective observance of the Transit of Animals (General) Order 1973 and of the regulations made by the International Air Transport Association, which are designed to protect the welfare of all living creatures being transported by air. It is also hoped to announce shortly new health controls governing the importation of captive birds.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied with the precautions which are taken to prevent the import and spread of psittacosis and related diseases; and whether he will now impose import restrictions, including quarantine, to prevent the spread of these dangerous diseases.

Psittacosis is a disease of concern to human rather than poultry health and consequently is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services. But, as I said in a reply to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert) on 30th October—Vol. 898, c. 572]—I hope to announce very shortly the import controls we propose to introduce in respect of captive birds to reduce the risk of importing avian diseases, particularly Newcastle Disease.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the proportionate amount of imported barley used in the production of Scotch whisky.

I regret that the information is not available in the precise form requested. The following figures relate to barley used in Scottish distilleries as a whole:

PERCENTAGE IMPORTED BARLEY
Year (August-July)
1972–73	20·8
1973–74	10·0
1974–75	19·7

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement about the development of St. Angelo Airport.

St. Angelo is a wartime airfield owned by Fermanagh District Council and used mainly by the local flying club. I understand that Fermanagh District Council has discussed St. Angelo with neighbouring councils in Northern Ireland and in the Republic, but I am as yet unaware of any specific proposals arising from these discussions.Major charter and scheduled flights to and from Northern Ireland are based on Aldergrove Airport, and will be for the foreseeable future.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the car mileage allowance for members of the Northern Ireland electricity consumer councils is substantially higher than that for civil servants.

Car mileage allowances for members of the Northern Ireland Electricity Consumers Council are the same as for members of the consultative councils in Great Britain. The rates for England and Wales are those determined by the Electricity Council and, while they are higher, at present, for low mileage users than the comparable civil service rates, it is established practice to apply the same rates in Northern Ireland. However, I shall consider, in consultation with my right hon. Friends who have this responsibility in England and Wales and in Scotland, whether there is an anomaly which ought to be corrected.

asked the Lord President of the Council what is his policy on the relationship between the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies and the EEC Commission.

I would ask my hon. Friend to await publication of the White Paper, which will set out the Government's proposals on this subject.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he is prepared to consider proposing a referendum to be taken in England, Wales and Scotland before legislation is introduced in the House of Commons on Scottish and Welsh devolution.

No.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he is aware that the Government's publication The Fight Against Inflation has not yet been delivered to 3 per cent. of the population, including those residents in the London borough of Newham; what is the reason for this; and what action he proposes to take to deal with the matter.

Delivery has been delayed in most parts of the areas served by the North-Western, Eastern and Northern District Post Offices in London. The local staff concerned have refused to observe the agreed delivery arrangements in the time required to do the job, despite every effort by management and the existence of a national agreement with the UPW to handle the booklet. Negotiations are continuing.

asked the Lord President of the Council how much space remains to be allocatd in the Norman Shaw North Building.

All the space has been allocated with the exception of two rooms which are in the process of being allocated by the Party Whips and of the old canteen area on the lower ground floor, the future use of which is under consideration by the Services Committee.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he is satisfied that the accommodation provided in the Norman Shaw North Building is being utilised to the fullest extent.

Yes.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many times in each of the last five years the Civil Service Commissioners have referred applications to their panel of medical referees or the Medical Advisory Service on the grounds of an applicant's previous mental illness; and in what proportion of these cases the applicant was offered employment in the Civil Service.

The Civil Service Commissioners do not keep detailed records of cases referred to their panel of medical referees or the Medical Advisory Service. However, based on the fees paid to their psychiatric referees, they estimate that the number of applicants referred for examination on grounds of previous mental illness were as follows:

1973–74	1,250
1974–75	1,150
1975 (1st April to 31st October)	550

The information to enable similar estimates to be made for earlier years is not available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what study has been undertaken by his Department of the operation of the anti-discrimination branch of the Public Service Commission in Canada and any similar bodies elsewhere; what consideration he has given to the establishment of a tribunal within the Civil Service with comprehensive powers to investigate allegations of discrimination on the grounds of race, national origin, colour, sex, sexuality, religion, age, marital status, parental status, physical disability, criminal record or previous mental illness; and if he will make a statement.

Ideas have been exchanged on anti-discrimination policies with the Public Service Commission in Canada in areas listed by my hon. Friend. The Civil Service is renowned for free and open competition in the selection of staff and equality of opportunity for those who are selected. I do not consider that a tribunal on the Canadian lines would be appropriate, as an applicant for a post or an existing civil servant who alleges discrimination has the same rights as any other subject under existing legislation or legislation before Parliament at present. In addition, any civil servant who is dissatisfied on a personal matter may appeal to the head of his Department. Any civil servant who considered that he or she had been subject to discrimination could exercise this right of appeal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost to the Exchequer and the total increase in local government staff levels since March 1974 as a result of the requirements of new legislation and departmental circulars initiated by his Department since that date.

I regret that the information is not available and could not be obtained even approximately without considerable expenditure of staff time. We are, however, fully conscious of the need to exercise restraint in placing new requirements on local authorities in a time of severe restraint in the growth of public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number

			1972	1973	1974
Employees in full-time employment	…	…	18,594,000	18,779,000	18,614,000
Employees in nationalised industries (including part-time workers)	…	…	1,765,000	1,725,000	1,703,000
Employees in the Civil Service (full time equivalents)	…	…	689,000	693,000	690,000
Note: Nationalised industries comprise those public corporations having financial independence and pursuing a profit. Public corporations providing a social service or engaged in research are excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many working days were lost as a result of industrial disputes during the last 12 months; and if he will list any other periods of 12 months since 1st July 1970 in which fewer days were lost giving the dates and numbers concerned.

Following is the information:

STOPPAGES OF WORK DUE TO INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES: UNITED KINGDOM
	Working day lost in all stoppages in progress
October 1974–September 1975 (provisional)	9,213,000
12-month periods since 1st July 1970 in which fewer days were lost:
September 1972–August 1973	8,891,000
October 1972–September 1973	7,074,000
November 1972–October 1973	6,820,000
December 1972–November 1973	7,159,000
January 1973–December 1973	7,197,000
February 1973–January 1974	7,010,000

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will outline the consultative process involved locally in the of people in full-time employment, the number employed in the nationalised industries and the number in the Civil Service for each of the last three years.

Information is not available in the precise form requested. United Kingdom estimates for 1972, 1973 and 1974 are as follows for (1) total employees in full-time employment; (2) number of employees, including part-time workers, in the nationalised industries; and (3) employees in the Civil Service, counting two part-time employees as one full-time. Estimates relate to mid-year.proposal to close the Factory Inspectorate offices at Shipley, Huddersfield and Halifax.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that once definite proposals have been formulated to reorganise Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate in the West Yorkshire area the Area Director designate will consult the TUC Regional Council for Yorkshire and Humberside which covers the districts at present served by Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate offices at Shipley, Huddersfield and Halifax. The Area Director designate is also chairman of a local area consultative committee and the other members have been nominated by the Factory Inspectorate Staff Associations in the West Yorkshire area. This committee will also discuss detailed proposals for the reorganisation of the area when they have been made, including staffing and operational matters which are related to the closure of some of the present Factory Inspectorate offices in the area. No firm decision has yet been made where the area office will be situated.I can assure my hon. Friend that all local views which are expressed will be taken into consideration when the West Yorkshire area of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate is reorganised.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many improvement and prohibition notices have been issued and how many persons have been prosecuted in each of the districts of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate during the first nine months of this year.

General District				Improvement Notices	Prohibition Notices	Prosecutions
Cambridge	…	…	…	39	5	16
Ipswich	…	…	…	6	11	9
Islington	…	…	…	21	8	4
Luton	…	…	…	10	5	5
North London	…	…	…	10	5	10
North West London	…	…	…	10	11	1
Norwich	…	…	…	22	5	20
Brent	…	…	…	19	1	3
Watford	…	…	…	11	2	8
Westminster	…	…	…	2	0	0
Ashford	…	…	…	20	7	4
Bethnal Green	…	…	…	28	8	4
Brighton	…	…	…	9	8	10
East London	…	…	…	15	11	29
North East London	…	…	…	12	32	8
Rochester	…	…	…	31	8	6
South Essex	…	…	…	53	11	9
Southwark	…	…	…	7	4	3
West Ham	…	…	…	17	13	18
Woolwich	…	…	…	19	28	6
Croydon	…	…	…	23	9	15
Ealing	…	…	…	63	16	14
Horsham	…	…	…	4	7	7
Kingston	…	…	…	37	14	11
Reading	…	…	…	46	15	7
South London	…	…	…	14	8	6
West London	…	…	…	41	2	4
Bridgend	…	…	…	19	9	11
Bristol North	…	…	…	47	18	7
Bristol South	…	…	…	44	19	17
Cardiff	…	…	…	7	18	7
Newport	…	…	…	26	49	7
Plymouth	…	…	…	13	28	4
Swansea	…	…	…	11	11	6
Taunton	…	…	…	26	1	6
Wrexham	…	…	…	11	11	10
Birmingham East	…	…	…	37	8	3
Birmingham North	…	…	…	57	3	9
Birmingham South	…	…	…	21	8	12
Birmingham West	…	…	…	45	8	4
Coventry	…	…	…	52	9	8
Dudley	…	…	…	27	30	14
Walsall	…	…	…	29	22	7
Wolverhampton	…	…	…	16	18	10
Worcester	…	…	…	31	10	5
Derby	…	…	…	39	12	8
Leicester	…	…	…	90	10	9
Lincoln	…	…	…	53	6	3
Northampton	…	…	…	80	16	10
Nottingham	…	…	…	50	30	4
Stafford	…	…	…	27	7	6
Stoke-on-Trent	…	…	…	22	21	6
Burnley	…	…	…	24	3	4
Carlisle	…	…	…	19	9	11
Lancaster	…	…	…	18	2	2
Liverpool North	…	…	…	11	10	4
Liverpool South	…	…	…	7	1	3
Preston	…	…	…	19	3	4
Warrington	…	…	…	12	16	6
West Cheshire	…	…	…	14	7	5

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the number of improvement and prohibition notices issued and the number of persons prosecuted in each of the districts of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate during the period 1st January 1975 to 30th September 1975 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will outline the consultative processes to be initiated regarding the reorganisation of the Factory Inspectorate and the consequent closure of district offices.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that when the general principle to reorganise Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate was approved the commission emphasised the need for local con- sultation during implementation. Area directors have been designated to each proposed area, and once detailed proposals have been formulated for a particular area the area director will approach the appropriate TUC regional council to discuss them. Within the Health and Safety executive area consultative committees have been formed which have the area director designate as chairman. The other members are nominated by the staff associations involved. A statement of agreement between official and staff sides of the Health and Safety Executive Whitley Council forms the basis for consultation at local and national levels. Negotiations are still taking place concerning the number of offices which may close and the location of area and local offices in a particular area. Under these arrangements local consultations will play an important part in the implementation of reorganisation in each area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what work has been carried out by the staff of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate who were responsible for the preparation and illustration of the publication Accidents since the last issue was produced two years ago.

The work in connection with the preparation of Accidents represented a small proportion of the overall responsibilities of those staff of HMFI who were involved. Since the discontinuation of Accidents other work has expanded considerably and this has more than offset any saving in staff time resulting from the discontinuation of the publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will report the progress made by the Health and Safety Commission in achieving the objectives set out in Section 1(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission has informed me that a number of proposals for revised regulations are now in the pipeline. A start has been made on arrangements for the progressive replacement of existing legislation required by Section 1(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. But this, of course, is a major task and will extend over some years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that prescription lens spectacles can be and are being manufactured and marked to the standard approved under Regulation 9 of the Protection of Eyes Regulations 1974.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that in appropriate cases prescription lens spectacles can be and are being manufactured and marked to the approved standard.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state what instructions have been issued to Her Majesty's Inspector of Factories advising him not to insist on strict compliance with the terms of the approvals given under the Protection of Eyes Regulations 1974 Certificates of Approval.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that at the commencement of the regulations, on 10th April 1975, there were difficulties about stocks of suitable, but unmarked, eye protectors already held by employers. To deal with the problem, inspectors were advised for the time being not to object to eye protectors meeting the approved standard of construction, but not marked in conformity with the certificate of approval. This advise is under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he anticipates publication of the journal Hazards promised as a replacement for Accidents discontinued two years ago.

It is hoped to publish a replacement for Accidents some time during the first half of 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many accidents were reported in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974 which could be attributed to lifting heavy loads; how many of these resulted in injury to the back; and what proposals has the Health and Safety Commission for either regulations or a code of practice manual on lifting of heavy loads.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the estimated number of accidents involving strains, sprains, etc., to the trunk, including slipped discs, in accident notifications received by Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate under the Factories Act 1961 were:

1971	49,280	(2,180)*
1972	47,480	(2,420)
1973	50,460	(2,380)
1974	51,480	(2,200)
* Figures in brackets show the number of slipped discs included in total.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans the Employment Services Agency has to expand its scheme of assistance to disabled people in travel-work in order to mitigate the effect of the exclusion of many who currently would qualify for an invalid tricycle under category 3 from the criteria for a mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Any disabled person who is currently entitled to a tricycle will continue to be so entitled as long as the conditions under which it was supplied are satisfied. The majority of those disabled people who, although they

Annual amounts in £
	Tax year
	1965 to 1966	1966 to 1967	1967 to 1968	1968 to 1969	1969 to 1970	1970 to 1971	1971 to 1972	1972 to 1973	1973 to 1974	1974 to 1975	1975 to 1916
A. Widow's pension (annual equivalent)*	208	208	219	234	245	260	288	332	378	486	637
B. Tax threshold	283	283	283	283	328	418	418	592	595	625	675
A as a percentage of B	73·5	73·5	77·4	82·7	74·7	62·2	68·9	56·1	63·5	77·8	94·4
* Adjusted to take account of the following changes in the standard rate of widow's pension:

Date			Rate of widow's pension
			£
30th March 1965	…	…	4·00
31st October 1967	…	…	4·50
4th November 1969	…	…	5·00
21st September 1971	…	…	6·00
3rd October 1972	…	…	6·75
2nd October 1973	…	…	7·75
23rd July 1974	…	…	10·00
8th April 1975	…	…	11·60
18th November 1975	…	…	13·30

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will take steps to ensure that the two hospital porters who refused to remove the body of a patient from the private ward of the Royal Portsmouth Hospital are appropriately disciplined and, if necessary, suspended from duty pending a full inquiry into their actions;

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what changes in the full rate of National Insurance widow's benefit payable to a 50-year-old widow have been made in the last 10 years; what changes have been made in the threshold for income tax on such a widow with no dependent children or mortgage and life insurance commitments; and what effect these changes have had on the relationship between the two during this period.

The table which follows compares the tax threshold for a single person in each of the tax years since 1965 with the amount of the standard rate widow's pension payable in each of those years:(2) if she will take steps to ensure that appropriate disciplinary action is taken in any case where employees of the National Health Service decide to discriminate between various groups of patients and, in particular, to limit services supplied to those who make additional payments as private or amenity bed patients.

Disciplinary action in the National Health Service is primarily the responsibility of each employing authority, subject to the provisions of the General Whitley Council agreement. I understand that after careful consideration of this incident the area health authority has decided not to take disciplinary action.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the total cost to the Exchequer and the total increase in local government staff levels since March 1974 as a result of the requirements of new legislation and departmental circulars initiated by her Department since that date.

I regret that the information is not available and could not be obtained even approximately without considerable expenditure of staff time. I am, however, fully conscious of the need to exercise restraint in placing new requirements on local authorities in a time of severe restraint in the growth of public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she expects to be able to publish statistics of provisions by social services departments in 1974–75 to disabled people under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

I expect to place copies in the Library of the House early in January.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what facilities now exist for the special training and teach-

				Maintenance	Capital
				£	£
Animal Diseases Research Association	…	…	…	647,938	133,699
Hannah Research Institute	…	…	…	564,000	175,796
Hill Farming Research Organisation	…	…	…	509,000	110,571
Macaulay Institute for Soil Research	…	…	…	960,000	85,123
Rowett Research Institute	…	…	…	1,295,000	214,489
Scottish Horticultural Research Institute	…	…	…	603,544	49,580
Scottish Institute of Agricultural Engineering	…	…	…	410,000	94,750
Scottish Society for Research in Plant Breeding	…	…	…	453,741	54,645

The Animal Breeding Research Organisation, Poultry Research Centre, Unit of Animal Genetics and Unit of Statis-

I have been asked to reply.For autistic or other non-communicating children there is separate LEA provision in Manchester for 12 children, and in the rest of the North-West for 51 children. In addition, there are two independent schools in the Merseyside area providing 38 places. Some autistic children may also be placed in special schools catering for other handicaps or in hospital schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that the operation of the Red Book is adequate as a guide to teacher-pupil ratios in Scotland's secondary schools.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many agricultural research institutions there are in Scotland.

Ten agricultural research institutes and two agricultural research units are located in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the annual budget of each agricultural research institution in Scotland.

Expenditure in financial year 1974–75 on the eight agricultural research institutes in Scotland financed by my Department is given in the following table:tics which are located in Scotland are administered by the Agricultural Research Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what Scottish official representation attended the States-General of European Municipalities in Vienna; and in what capacity;(2) what Scottish representation exists on the Council of European Municipalities; and whether he has any plans for encouraging and developing Scottish connections with this council.

I understand that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities nominates a representative to the executive of the British section of the council. It is not for me to produce specific plans for the development of international contacts by the Convention. One representative of the then Association of County Councils in Scotland and two individual councillors attended the biennial congress of the council in Vienna, in April.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many North Sea oil rigs have been inspected by environmental health inspectors or their equivalents for the years 1973, 1974 and to date for 1975.

So far as I am aware, no such inspections have been undertaken. The powers and responsibilities of environmental health departments of local authorities under public health legislation do not extend beyond coastal waters. Oil rig operators are, however, required by their licences to maintain contact with these authorities and to seek advice on public health requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list by category and number the main injuries sustained by oil rig workers who have been admitted to hospitals on the east coast of Scotland in the years 1973, 1974 and to date in 1975;(2) how many workers from oil rigs in the North Sea have presented themselves to hospitals in (

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report details of the 62 projects to be financed from the Regional Development Fund of the EEC; what proportion this represents of the total United Kingdom entitlement of £34 million for 1975; and what further projects he has in mind for submission to the Community for the years 1976 and 1977.

Details of the Scottish projects receiving grants under the first allocation of funds from the Regional Development Fund were given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry in reply to the hon. Member for Lancaster (Mrs. Kellett-Bowman) on 30th October 1975. These projects will receive fund aid of £1·7 million. Applications in respect of further Scottish projects involving aid of £11·3 million are now being considered by the Commission. Local authorities and other interested bodies are being consulted on projects for assistance in 1976 and 1977. It is too early to say what these projects may be.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects work to start on the proposed Lomond motorway.

This is a matter for Strathclyde Regional Council, since the Lomond motorway, if constructed, would be a local road and not a trunk road.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the co-ordination between his Department and the Scottish Special Housing Association in the light of delays in the construction of houses at the Castlegate, Jedburgh.

The construction of 10 houses on the Castlegate site in Jedburgh is being undertaken by the Scottish Special Housing Association acting as agent for the Roxburgh District Council. My Department approved tender costs for these houses in July 1973 but has no responsibility for building progress on the site, which is a matter for the district council, its agents and the contractor.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of total feeding stuffs used in Scotland is imported.

Precise information is not available. An estimate made in respect of 1971–72, however, suggested that of the total quantity of concentrates used in Scotland in that year about one-third was not of Scottish origin.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nurses' agencies and branches thereof are currently in existence to his knowledge in Scotland.

To my knowledge there are six agencies, one of them in three branches.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all official, full- and part-time paid appointments made by him with the salaries attached to these posts.

I am responsible, or jointly responsible with other Ministers, for making approximately 400 paid appointments. Some receive salaries and others are fee paid. The detailed information which the hon. Member has requested is not readily available in comprehensive form. My Department is, however, currently preparing a list of all paid appointments for which I am responsible, and when this is completed I shall arrange for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member. A copy will also be placed in the House of Commons Library.

asked the Attorney-General what consideration is being given to the evidence of the finding of firearm bullets at the premises of the Workers' Revolutionary Party, Derbyshire, follow- ing a police raid on 25th September last; and if he will make a statement.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has considered a police report and he has advised the police that the evidence in respect of the finding of firearm bullets does not justify proceedings.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will now announce the action he proposes to take on a report by the police into allegations of assault on prisoners on remand at Winson Green Prison, Birmingham; and if he will make a statement.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has received a report on the matters referred to and is now considering it. I am not in a position to make any further statement concerning the investigations, except that a decision is expected shortly.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will issue advice to magistrates regarding their sentencing procedures of football hooligans that these hooligans should wherever feasible be sentenced to spend Saturday afternoons at attendance centres or doing community service or given conditional discharges on terms that they report to the police on Saturday afternoons.

This is a question for my noble Friend. It is not open to him, or to any other Minister, to direct magistrates as to the manner in which they should exercise their discretion when imposing sentences within the limits laid down by Parliament. Moreover, although attendance centres are fairly widely available for offenders under the age of 17, those at present available for offenders aged 17 to 21 are available only at Manchester and Greenwich, and there is no centre for offenders over the age of 21. The making of community service orders is limited to those courts within whose jurisdiction schemes for such orders have been made available. Within those areas magistrates' courts are already fully aware of their powers to order community service. Even in cases in which the magistrates are of the opinion that a community service order might be appropriate, it may be made only with the offender's consent. With regard to orders of conditional discharge, the only condition which may be attached is that the offender must not commit any offence within a specific period, and there is therefore no power to attach to such an order a condition requiring the offender to report to the police.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement as to the reasons for the cancellation of the MRCA engine control contract held by Lucas Ltd.

£m.
				1970–71	1971–72	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76
Armed Services Recruitment—
(a) Press	…	…	…	3·093	3·040	2·954	3·021	3·012	2·77
(b) TV/Cinema	…	…	…	0·695	0·783	0·916	1·268	1·323	1·07
(c) Radio	…	…	…	—	—	—	0·005	0·005	0·005
(d) Posters	…	…	…	0·062	0·082	0·068	0·135	0·040	0·014
Civilian Personnel Recruitment—
(a) Press	…	…	…	0·203	0·205	0·268	0·482	0·603	0·625
(b) Posters	…	…	…	0·006	—	—	0·006	0·007	0·031

The figures for Armed Services recruitment represent, for the greater part, expenditure falling on the Votes of the Central Office of Information. Those for civilian recruitment comprise expenditure falling solely on Defence Votes and exclude expenditure by the Civil Service Commission. Advertisements are generally in English, but the Welsh language would be used for local advertising where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the number of Service men's widows still living whose husbands retired before 1950; and what is his estimate of the cost to public funds of paying post-1950 pensions to these widows.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Gosport (Mr. Viggers) on 27th October.—[Vol. 898, c. 337.] It would be necessary to know the

The circumstances in which Rolls-Royce (1971) Ltd. has notified Lucas Aerospace Ltd. of the cancellation of its subcontract for development of the MRCA main engine control unit are a matter for the two firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the total advertising budget of his Department in 1970 to 1974; and if he will give a breakdown by media, subjects and languages;(2) what is the projected advertising budget for his Department for 1975–76; and if he will give a breakdown by media, subjects and languages.

Advertising expenditure for the financial years 1970–71 to 1974–75 and estimated expenditure for 1975–76, broken down by subject and media, is as follows:rank held on retirement or death and the length of service of each husband before an estimate could be made of the cost of paying pensions to such widows; this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the Chatham Dockyard intake of 200 apprentices to which he has referred is in addition to the normal August entry;(2) if he will give the monthly figures of the work force in Chatham Dockyard for the months of April to October 1975, inclusive;(3) if the apprentice intake at Chatham Dockyard of 200 is the normal August figure; and if this shows an increase over 1974 or the figure originally intended for 1975;(4) if the intake of 200 apprentices in Chatham Dockyard is included in the total work force of 4,500 to be achieved by March 1976; and, if so, what is the total number of apprentices included in the March 1976 figure.

As I explained in a letter to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochester and Chatham (Mr. Bean) on 14th October, we have been able to set a target of 4,500 for the General Manager's Department at Chatham to be achieved by 31st March 1976; this contrasts with a strength figure of about 4,400 earlier this year. This will include an entry of about 200 craft and technician apprentices, making a total of 665; the normal annual intake will thus be preserved.The actual numbers of industrial employees during April to October were as follows:

April 1975	4,567
May 1975	4,481
June 1975	4,446
July 1975	4,483
August 1975	4,481
September 1975	4,570
October 1975	4,537

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total annual cost per pupil for each of the education authorities in England and Wales for the last three years for which figures are available.

This information is contained in the annual digests of education statistics published jointly by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the Society of County Treasurers, copies of which are in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the recent increases in bus fares so far as they affect schoolchildren living within the statutory limits; and whether he will review the limits in order to assist those who are the worst affected.

My Department has received 53 representations on this subject in the last six months. The question of statutory walking distances cannot be considered in isolation, but the difficulties facing the parents of these children are taken into account in the consultative document on revised school transport arrangements to which I refered in answer to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Mr. Ellis) on 29th October—[Vol. 898, c. 499–501.] I will send the hon. Member a copy of the document.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the total cost to the Exchequer and the total increase in local government staff levels since March 1974 as a result of the requirements of new legislation and departmental circulars initiated by his Department since that date.

This information is not available and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards the comprehensive reorganisation of secondary education in Ormskirk.

Lancashire Local Education Authority has made proposals for the reorganisation of secondary education in Ormskirk. Public notices outlining these proposals were published on 19th June. There have been objections to the proposals, and I am now considering these and the authority's comments on them. I hope to be able to reach a decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give in terms of million tons of coal equivalent his latest estimate of the total proved reserves of oil in the British sector of the North Sea; and if he will give a similar equivalent for his most recent estimate of total ultimate reserves of oil and natural gas on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.

The proven reserves of oil up to the end of March 1975 were published in the annual Brown Book, and in terms of coal equivalent amount to 1,760 million tons. Recent discoveries are being assessed but are unlikely to change the quoted figure by virtue of the definition of proven reserves. (Brown Book 1975, page 15.) Ultimate reserves of oil and gas include the categories "Proven", "Probable" and "Possible", as set out in the same passage of the Brown Book, and in terms of coal equivalent are in the range of 5,000–7,500 million tons for oil and 1,050–1,750 million tons for natural gas.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is to be the extent of Her Majesty's Government's participation in future licences in the North Sea.

As my right hon. Friend stated when announcing his intention to hold a further round of offshore licensing next year, future licences will provide for majority State participation in commercial discoveries.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give a general direction to area electricity boards to make available to employers in the public and private sectors, electricity stamps to sell on a weekly basis to their employees, and thereby help pay their quarterly electricity bills.

I will ask the Electricity Council to consider my hon. Friend's suggestion as part of its continuing efforts to help consumers who find it easier to pay their fuel bills by instalments.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is aware of the growing demand among poorer people that their premises should be supplied with the new form of pay-as-you-use gas and electricity meters using self-cancelling tokens; and what discussions about their wider introduction he has had with the National Consumer Council and the industries concerned.

The electricity and gas industries are evaluating the latest design, and I have asked to be informed of their conclusions in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether any licence holders in respect of oilfields declared commercial since 4th March 1974 have announced firm development plans or given firm orders for major items of development expenditure; and if so, whether he will list the fields.

The Ninian, Claymore, Heather, Cormorant and United Kingdom Statfjord fields have all attained commercial status since 4th March 1974. Development programmes have begun and platforms and other major items of equipment have been ordered for Ninian. Claymore, Heather and Cormorant and the United Kingdom and Norwegian licensees of Statfjord, which straddles the median line, are discussing joint development of the field.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement about the reasons for the delays in the approval of applications from industry for help under the Government's energy saving loan scheme.

Applications are dealt with as rapidly as possible, but it necessarily takes time to determine whether adequate financial security can be offered and then to negotiate the terms and conditions of the loan. Several offers of loans have been made and formal loan agreements are expected to be completed shortly. If the hon. Member has a particular case in mind I shall be glad to look into it and to write to him.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what replies he has had to his requests to the United Kingdom offshore operators for an indication of the number of production platforms they are planning to order in the near future; and how many platform orders he is now expecting during the remainder of 1975.

I have received replies from all the 20 principal oil companies to which I wrote about the possibility of their advancing orders for oil production platforms. Whilst the companies accepted our concern for the future development of the United Kingdom offshore industry and declared unequivocally their willingness to co-operate in giving business to British firms having the necessary capability and competence, none of them felt able to bring forward to this year orders for platforms for which their technical evaluations were not yet complete. I intend to hold further discussions on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he is satisfied with the arrangements for notifying shareholders of Her Majesty's Government's offer to acquire ordinary shares in BLMC.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his policy for the aviation industry to cover the position prior to and immediately after the implementation of the Government's policy on nationalisation; and what place Scottish Aviation Ltd. will have in that policy in view of current fears of redundancies.

In the interim period, the Government look to the companies concerned to operate on a vigorous and continuing basis and to plan constructively for the future. The Government are ready to discuss any particular issues

£ million 1975 survey prices
		Of which
Programme		Total cuts	Central government	Local authorities	Other
Defence	…	136	136	—	—
Overseas aid and other overseas services	…	16	16	—	—
Agriculture, fisheries and forestry	…	182	182	—	—
Trade, industry and employment	…	4	4	—	—
Nationalised industries	…	132	—	—	132
Roads and transport	…	117	30	82	5
Housing	…	129	3	126	—
Other environmental services	…	119	2	50	67
Law, order and protective services	…	33	13	20	—
Education, libraries, science and arts	…	110	32	78	—
Health and personal social services	…	98	78	20	—
Social security	…	—	—	—	—
Other public services	…	19	19	—	—
Crown services	…	13	13	—	—
Northern Ireland	…	18	14	3	1
Total public expenditure programme	…	1,126	542	379	205

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if the compensation to be paid to shareholders under the provisions of the Aerospace and Shipbuilding Nationalisation Bill will come from public funds.

Compensation will be satisfied by the issue of Government stock.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now publish in the Official Report a list of proposed Government cuts for 1976–77—to include cuts in previously planned rates of growth in expenditure—showing separately cuts in local government and national Government expenditure.

In his Budget Statement on 15th April my right hon. Friend announced cuts in public expenditure programmes for 1976–77 of £1,100 million at present prices compared with previously planned programmes. A provisional analysis by spending authority of these reductions is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent decentralisation of industry and the administrative services have been affected by the increase in transport costs.

The recent increases in commuting fares have strengthened the case for locating office employment away from central London. However, freight costs, which are of more relevance to the location of industrial plants, do not seem to have increased at a rate significantly out of step with other costs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total value of public sector borrowing since 1973; and how much has been secured from abroad.

The cumulative net borrowing of the public sector in 1973, 1974 and the first six months of 1975 totalled £15,079 million. Of this £4,463 million constituted net borrowing from abroad including borrowing in foreign currencies from United Kingdom banks.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current average income of self-employed persons in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

I regret that the information is not available in the required form. However, the following information has been derived from the Inland Revenue's Survey of Personal Incomes for 1972–73, the latest year for which published information is available:

	Average self-employment income: £
England	1,809
Wales	1,619
Scotland	2,133

The averages relate to taxpayers who receive some self-employment income and whose total net income for 1972–73 was over the effective exemption limit for that year (£595).They do not take account of other income received by these taxpayers—that is, income from employment or from investments. Self-employment income is the income, including wife's income, chargeable to tax under Schedule D Cases I and II and is after deduction of capital allowances and losses. Total net income is defined at page 41 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1974. In calculating the averages, married couples are counted as one unit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the self-employed on the administration of VAT; what proposals for reform have been put to him; and whether he will now list these proposals, with his comments.

I received in August a memorandum from the National Federation of Self Employed proposing

1. An allowance to remunerate small businesses for the work they do in collecting VAT from their customers.

2. An option for small businesses to submit annual instead of quarterly VAT returns, with provisional monthly payments based on the previous year's liability.

3. A further special scheme for small retailers, using a composite VAT rate.

4. Bad debt relief.

Customs and Excise, after a postponement at the Federation's request, met the Federation to discuss these proposals on 14th October. There was a useful exchange of views; the Federation undertook to work out the proposals in more detail, and another meeting will be arranged when that has been done.The Federation has also asked me to receive a delegation to make certain representations affecting VAT legislation. I hope to do this shortly.In the meantime, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of forms sent out inviting reapplication for subcontractor's tax certificates; and, at the latest convenient date, how many have been returned.

About 400,000 forms have been sent out inviting applications for the new subcontractor's tax certificates. At the latest count, on 9th October, 85,500 applications had been received.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total cost of servicing British overseas debt incurred by the Government since 1973.

I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave on 11th April, which implies that the cost of servicing the $2·5 billion Government foreign currency loan, at present interest rates, would still amount to about $200 million per annum.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to introduce legislation to amend Section 7 of the Finance Act 1971 with the effect of depriving severely disabled people of the vehicle excise duty concession granted under the previous Government.

Any amendment would require Finance Bill legislation, on which decisions have not yet been taken.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what appointment at the Treasury is held currently by Professor Lord Kaldor; whether or not the appointment carries a salary; and for how long the appointment has been made.

Professor Lord Kaldor was appointed as a special adviser to my right hon. Friend on 1st January 1975 at a salary of £14,000 per annum. The appointment is for one year, but it can be extended by mutual agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what was the percentage of petrol sales outlets controlled by the major oil companies in 1974 and the comparable figure for 1965.

The Monopolies Commission's report on the supply of petrol to retailers, which was published in 1965, showed that in 1964 the petrol companies owned about 14 per cent. of all petrol stations in the United Kingdom. No comparable figure for 1974 is available, but that for 1973 is estimated at about 26 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection as part of the Safety in the Home campaign, what plans she has to prevent the unsolicited use or issue warnings about the danger to children of PVC bags.

Manufacturers of plastic bags were asked some time ago to ensure as far as possible that organisations requiring bags for house-to-house collections are supplied with bags made from film at least 38 microns thick, which is judged to be reasonably safe. The danger to children presented by thinner bags has been well publicised, especially by warnings on the bags themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what complaints she has received about the practice of putting large PVC bags through letterboxes unsolicited by the occupier, which, if found by children, could have serious results.

A complaint about this practice was received earlier this year. Samples of the two plastic bags referred to by the complainant were examined and it was found that the film from which they were made was sufficiently thick not to present a suffocation hazard. I shall be pleased to look into any particular case my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will give the reasons why she decided, in amending the Bread Prices Order 1975 (S.I., 1975, No. 1245) by the Bread Prices Amendment (No. 4) Order 1975, to allow a bread loaf to be bagged in a wrapping made of plastics in addition to being wrapped in two wrappings made of waxed paper.