Written Answers

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Written Answers To Questions

Thursday 11th December 1975

Home Department

Dogs (Experiments)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received the report of the Advisory Committee on the Administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 about experiments in which dogs are used to test a tobacco substitute; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. The Committee has recommended that the experiment, which has been in progress for three years at ICI, should be allowed to continue, but that authority to begin similar experiments elsewhere should be refused. It found nothing to criticise in the treatment of the dogs on grounds of cruelty and it rejected the argument that animals should not be used to find ways of alleviating "avoidable" suffering in man. It was satisfied that the scientific justification for the experiment existed at the time the experiment began and that, in the case of an experiment which has been in progress for three years, such results can be expected to be obtained as would make it wrong to terminate it prematurely. The latest state of scientific knowledge, however, does not justify the beginning of any similar experiments.I have accepted the Committee's recommendations and have taken the necessary steps to implement them.The text of the report of the Committee, with the exception of annexes, the publication of which would infringe commercial confidentiality, follows. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Committee for its work."Dear Secretary of StateYou have referred to the Advisory Committee on the Administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 two cases involving the use of dogs to test a tobacco substitute. One experiment has been in progress for over three years and the other has not yet started. In both cases the licensees concerned, Dr. Conning and Dr. Clark, already held the necessary licence and certificates under the Act and to that extent the situation is unusual since the Committee's advice is normally sought only in respet of experiments for which consent has not yet been given.

2. Dr. Conning's work at the Central Toxicology Laboratory of Imperial Chemical Industries at Alderley Park, Cheshire, aroused considerable public and Parliamentary interest at the beginning of the year following an article and photographs in a Sunday newspaper and it was largely because of this that the matter was drawn to our attention. Dr. Clark's proposed work as Inveresk Research International, Midlothian, has not attracted similar publicity in England, though it has in Scotland. Since both projects have many identical or similar features—indeed we understand that Dr. Clark designed and inaugurated the ICI project—much of what we say applies to both.

3. As we see it three distinct questions arise for consideration: (A) whether the dogs at Alderley Park are being "treated with cruelty" in the ordinary sense of the word, (B) whether it is morally justifiable to train dogs—or indeed any other animal—to lead an unnatural life in order to discover a safer substitute for tobacco and (C) whether there is a reasonable likelihood of these experiments leading to or helping in the discovery of such a substitute and whether it is reasonably necessary to use dogs for the purpose.

The cruelty question

4. In the ICI experiment forty-eight beagle dogs are used. The dog's muzzle fits into a fixed airtight mask. The mask is equipped with an airway, a cigarette holder and a valve to connect the dog to one or the other. The valve is operated electronically to a predetermined set of parameters determined by the dog's own breathing pattern and the exposure to smoke which it is desired to achieve. During exposure the animals are provided with a sling which acts as a kind of hammock if the animal wishes to relax, but otherwise allows the animal to stand or sit. There is a head restraint, but it allows the dog to move its head freely, and—as some of us saw—occasionally to withdraw it entirely from the mask. Drinking water is within easy reach of the dogs. Twelve dogs inhale tobacco smoke, twelve the smoke from the experimental new smoking material, twelve the smoke of a 55 per cent./45 per cent. mixture of the two and twelve breath air but are fited with the mask and subject to the same restraints as the rest. The dogs that smoke smoke 30 cigarettes a day over a six-hour period, 5 days a week. They receive a two-second puff of smoke every minute (with fresh air during the interval) and have a forty-five minute break in the middle of the day.

5. A number of members of the Committee, including the chairman, visited Alderley Park in three separate groups to see the experiment for themselves and to talk with those concerned with it. They would like to record their appreciation of the ready co-operation at all times of the Company and its staff. We have no hesitation in saying that in so far as any reports which have appeared in the Press or elsewhere suggest that these dogs being "tortured" or are "in pain" or are being subjected to cruel treatment they are wholly misleading. It is, of course, true that they are not leading an ordinary dog's life but then they are not ordinary dogs. They were specially bred by the Company at Alderley Park for laboratory use and only those which proved temperamentally suited to the constraints involved in the experiment were used. The dogs had clearly established a good relationship with their handlers whom we saw and to whom we spoke and they showed no signs of fear or distress. We would indeed have been surprised if we had found anything to criticise on grounds of cruilty since the experiment has from the outset been regularly inspected by Home Office Inspectors.

The moral question

6. It is a requirement of the 1876 Act that every experiment under the Act must be performed with a view to the advancement by new discovery of physiological knowledge or of knowledge which will be useful for saving or prolonging life or alleviating suffering. It is also provided that experiments not involving complete anaesthesia should not be performed on cats or dogs unless it is essential for the success of the experiment that these particular species should be used.

7. The case presented by ICI on which the licences and certificates were granted may be summarised as follows:

Each year a large number of people die or suffer from lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema and cardio-vascular diseases mainly attributable to or exacerbated by smoking, particularly cigarette smoking. Steps have been and continue to be taken to persuade people to give up or curtail the habit. It must, however, be accepted that the habit will persist and that consequently the suffering and death it causes will continue on an appreciable scale for the foreseeable future. In these circumstances it is very desirable that a smoking material be developed which has no or demonstrably fewer toxic effects than tobacco. The ICI and other similar experiments are steps on the road to the successful development of such a substitute or substitutes, and so are aimed at the saving or prolonging or life or the alleviation of suffering. It is essential to "try out" any substitute on some animals in order to find out whether or not it has any noxious side effects and dogs are the species best suited for the purpose.

8. The argument against this thesis which is generally advanced is that the suffering referred to in the Act ought to be interpreted by the Home Office as excluding avoidable suffering, a category into which suffering arising from the self-inflicted exposure of lungs to tobacco smoke clearly falls. The way to reduce the incidence of disease associated with smoking is either to prohibit smoking or to make it more difficult for people to smoke by banning the manufacture or import of cigarettes. If despite all such measures and constant warning people go on smoking they have only themselves to blame and should pay the price of their own folly.

9. We are not in fact at all sure that it is right to regard all suffering from smoking as self-inflicted, for there is some evidence that a pregnant woman who smokes to excess may hazard the life or well-being of her unborn child and that many people, including children, live, work and spend their leisure in a smoke-laden atmosphere which may be injurious to them and is not of their making or seeking. But even apart from this consideration we think that it would be wrong in theory and impossible in practice to put such an artificial limitation on the meaning of the word "suffering" as used in the Act. It is probably true that a great of suffering may be avoided or mitigated by the adoption of a "sensible" way of life. Obesity, venereal disease and injuries in road accidents are obvious examples of largely avoidable suffering. It must be remembered, however, that it is no part of the function of the medical profession to make moral judgements in determining whether or not or how to treat the conditions which come to their notice. It is moreover often in practice simply not possible to determine with certainty whether a particular condition is "natural" or "self-inflicted".

10. We recognise, of course, that any use of any animals for experimental purposes raises issues on which widely divergent views are held. We have not been asked to express a view on these broader issues, a consideration of which would lead us far beyond these particular experiments, and all that we would say is that so far as we can see there is nothing in these experiments (save the fortuitous publicity attaching to them) which distinguishes them in any relevant way from many other experiments for which authority is commonly given. It follows that if there had been no doubt that the "scientific" question could be answered in a sense favourable to ICI we would see no reason to advise a withdrawal of the authority.

The "scientific" question

11. Even before we heard expert scientific evidence some of us doubted whether an experiment involving only 48 dogs over perhaps 3 to 5 years was likely to yield conclusive results which, coupled with other experiments not involving dogs, would justify marketing a product designed to replace a known toxic substance the effects of which became evident only after 20 or 30 years of habitual use. It looked, that is to say, as though experiments with more dogs over a longer period might be needed to achieve worthwhile results.

12. In accordance with the wish which you expressed in referring the question to us we consulted the Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health, which we shall refer to in this report as the Hunter Committee after its Chairman, Dr. R. B. Hunter, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. The initial evidence which they gave us left us in no doubt on two points:

(a) that when the applications were made and certificates granted it was entirely reasonable to think that it was only by the use of dogs that tobacco substitutes could be satisfactorily tested; but

(b) that as a result of further knowledge gained by the Committee in the course of the last two years or so they had formed the view that adequate toxicity tests of tobacco substitutes could be made without the use of dogs.

13. In their "guidelines" for the assistance of manufacturers of tobacco substitutes published shortly after they had given evidence to us the Hunter Committee set out three stages of testing which they consider necessary. Stage 1 involves "short term" acute studies in rats and monkeys. Stage 2 involves "short term" clinical tests in man. Stage 3 involves "long term" studies in various small animals—i.e. skin painting in mice, teratological studies in rats and inhalational studies in rats and a second species which could be hamsters. In his evidence given to us Dr. Hunter did, however, say that although dogs were not now thought necessary in toxicity tests it might be that a case could be made out for their use for other purposes—e.g. cardio-vascular tests—and that it was for that reason that the guidelines while not mentioning dogs did not specifically exclude them.

14. The evidence given by the Hunter Committee obviously raised a doubt whether what we have called the "scientific" question ought now to be answered favourably to ICI. Accordingly we put before ICI the substance of that evidence and invited their comments on it. We then put their comments to the Hunter Committee for them to answer. Copies of the correspondence and of the guidelines are annexed to this report. The main arguments on each side are summarised in the following two paragraphs.

15. ICI said that in their view it was essential that any programme of experimental investigation of a tobacco substitute should include investigation of the effects of inhaling undiluted smoke through the mouth for a large part of the life span of the animal used—in close approximation to the smoking pattern in man. This limited the choice of species to the dog and the primate. They gave various reasons for considering that the dog was preferable one of which was that the dog is liable to develop pulmonary and cardio-vascular disease similar to man and is the only species so far in which lung tumours similar to one of the types found in man have been produced by direct exposure to tobacco smoke. They said they had noted no reent publications supporting the view that rodents alone were adequate in an examination of the inhalation toxicity of tobacco substitutes and did not see how such a conclusion could be reached in the present state of knowledge in which the nature of so many of the biological reactions to smoking is still obscure.

16. The Hunter Committee in its reply pointed out that in its guidelines it had concentrated on the pathological effects on the respiratory tract and lung function. It reiterated—and supported by reference to recent experiments—its view that the use of the rat and the hamster in inhalational toxicity studies could produce valid comparative results within two years which it would be willing to accept as evidence in its assessment of substitute tobacco. It dealt with ICI's point as to pulmonary and cardio-vascular disease in the following paragraph which we would quote in full.

"The Committee would not disagree with ICI's statement that the dog may be liable to develop pulmonary and cardio-vascular disease after a sufficient exposure period to tobacco smoke. As the animal is amenable to dosing with undiluted smoke, the choice of the dog is understandable. The Committee appreciates that the dog is a suitable model in respect of the production of squamous cell bronchial carcinoma similar to those found in man but not found in smoke-exposed smaller mammals. The Independent Scientific Committee has not in its guidelines for animal studies specified cardiovascular end points as it is the Committee's opinion that the relationship between cigarette smoking and cardio-vascular disease has not been adequately demonstrated in animal models."

17. In the light of what we have set out in the last five paragraphs the giving of an answer to what we have called the "scientific" question is not altogether easy. The certificates in question were allowed on the footing that a tobacco substitute could not be safely marketed unless it had been "tried out" on dogs. This was undoubtedly a reasonable view to take when the applications were made and acceded to. Now, however, the Hunter Committee has said that dogs need not be used for "toxicity" testing of a tobacco substitute. The scientific advisers of ICI do not agree with this view; but we assume that the Home Secretary in considering any new application for a licence to use dogs in experiments with regard to a tobacco substitute would proceed on the footing that the view of the Hunter Committee was correct. Dr. Clark has not yet started work on his project at the Inveresk Research International and we, therefore, recommend that as matters stand he should not be allowed to proceed with it. If he still wishes to go on with it he should make a fresh application for the necessary certificates based on an alleged need to use dogs for some purpose other than "toxicity" testing. If and when any such application is made it will have to be considered on its merits entirely de novo.

18. The ICI experiments on the other hand stand on a different footing. They have been in progress for over three years and as we have said we are satisfied that they involve no cruelty to the dogs. It is true that the relevant authority was granted on a view as to the need to use dogs for "toxicity" testing which may have been superseded by later experience; but even so we do not think that the Home Secretary would be justified in halting the experiments, with the result that the work and money already put into them would be wasted, unless he was fully satisfied that the experiments when completed could not result in the acquisition of knowledge which would be useful for alleviating suffering. In face of what the Hunter Committee says in paragraph 5 of its replies to the comments of ICI quoted above we do not see how the Home Secretary could be so satisfied. Indeed Dr. Hunter himself in the course of his evidence told us that it was his personal view that the ICI experiments should be allowed to continue. Accordingly we recommend that Dr. Conning be allowed to continue his work under the terms of the licences and certificates he holds, subject as in all cases to periodical inspection by the Cruelty to Animals Inspectorate.

19. The members of your Advisory Committee are unanimous in both recommendations. All have seen this report and have asked me to sign as their Chairman.

Yours sincerely,

GEOFFREY CROSS.

Political Violence

56.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Manchester on political violence in respect of the meeting of the NCCL on 30th November and its relationship to acts of violence committed on previous occasions by extremist political groups from the Merseyside area.

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester tells me that police inquiries into the incident are continuing. I cannot comment further at this stage.

Television Services (Wales)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to announce the Government's intentions following the publication of the Report of the Working Party on a Fourth Television Service in Wales.

As soon as practicable.

Urban Aid

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will waive the mandatory 25 per cent. local authority contribution to urban aid schemes in special cases, so that 100 per cent. grants can be awarded for deserving urban aid projects.

No. Projects approved under Circulars 14 and 15 will be grant-aided at the usual rate of 75 per cent.

Fire Precautions

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the rate of progress being made by the various fire services in carrying out inspections of premises pursuant to the Fire Precautions Act 1971; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Cornwall, North (Mr. Pardoe) on 27th November—[Vol. 901, c. 1035–1036.]

Tobacco (Sales To Children)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many retailers in England and Wales were prosecuted for selling tobacco to children under the age of 16 years in each of the past five years for which figures are available; how many of these resulted in convictions; and what was the average fine imposed.

The following table shows the numbers of persons proceeded against for offences relating to the sale of tobacco to juveniles.

PERSONS PROCEEDED AGAINST UNDER SECTION 7 OF THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT 1933—ENGLAND AND WALES 1970–1974
Year	Total number proceeded against	Proceedings discontinued	Charge withdrawn or dismissed	Total found guilty
1970	22	—	—	22
1971	14	—	—	14
1972	18	2	2	14
1973	14	—	—	14
1974	30	—	2	28

Information on the average fine imposed could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Wage Compensation (Court Attendance)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to increase the maximum compensation from £6·70 per day for loss of wages while attending legal proceedings; and if he will make a statement.

I have made orders increasing to £8 a day, as from 29th December, the maximum allowances for witnesses in criminal proceedings and in coroners' courts and for coroners' jurors. My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is making similar provision for other jurors.

Prisons (Psychiatric Units)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all psychiatric units in Her Majesty's prisons have now been abandoned.

There are no plans to abandon the 42 existing units.

Law Centres

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the law centres that have received grants under the urban aid programme

Local Authority			Name of Law Centre				Approved Expenditure for 1975–76
							£
Brent Borough Council	…	…	Brent Community Law Centre		…	…	25,630 (current)
Haringey Borough Council	…	…	Haringey Law Centre	…	…	…	22,500 (capital)
							34,250 (current)
Coventry District Council	…	…	Hillfields Information and Opinion Centre				45,300 (capital)
							3,200 (current)
Liverpool District Council	…	…	Vauxhall Law and Information Centre			…	13,982 (current)
Manchester District Council	…	…	Manchester Law Centre	…	…	…	7,000 (capital)
							33,500 (current)
Newcastle-upon-Tyne District Council			Benwell Community Development Project				5,000 (current)

Government Counsel

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the remarks of Mr. Roger Parker, QC, referred to in the concluding passage of the judgment of Lord Denning in the Court of Appeal in the case of Congreve v. the Home Secretary were made on his instructions; and, if so, whether he will make a statement on the reasons for those instructions and the policy intentions reflected in them.

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement that I made on 9th December.—[Vol. 902, c. 233–240.]

Criminal Injuries Compensation

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will amend the rules governing the operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, so as to remove the limitation preventing the board from taking into account, in assessing compensation, earnings greater than twice the current average male earnings.

I shall consider the matter. As the hon. Gentleman no doubt knows, the operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is currently being reviewed.

Lotteries

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he

and state the size of the grant in each case.

Approved local authority expenditure on law centres in 1975–76 attracting grant-aid at the rate of 75 per cent. under the urban programme, is as follows:intends to seek parliamentary approval to introduce those provisions contained in the Lotteries Act 1975 which will allow societies and local authorities to promote lotteries.

Several sections of the Act and, in particular, Section 13, which increased the permitted financial limits on certain lotteries promoted by societies for charitable, sporting or other purposes, came into operation on 5th September. Parliamentary approval of regulations under Section 10, opening the way to the promotion of such lotteries on a larger scale and to the promotion of lotteries by local authorities, will be sought after the consultations required by the Act have been completed.

Bail

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to introduce the Bail Bill.

As soon as possible.

Race Relations

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards the relationship between local community relations effort and the proposed new Race Relations Commission; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a considerable number of representations about the place of community relations field word work within the new arrangements proposed in the White Paper on Racial Discrimination. The various recommendations that have been made show that there is still a wide difference of opinion about how this work should best be co-ordinated and financed. After careful consideration of all the views which have been put to me I have come to the conclusion that the balance of advantage lies in the new Race Relations Commission taking over the present responsibilities of the Community Relations Commission for work at the local level. I accordingly intend to include in the legislation that I shall put before Parliament proposals for placing these responsibilities on the new Commission.

Race Relations Act 1965

asked the Attorney-General, in relation to section 6 of the Race Relations Act 1965—incitement to racial hatred—how many prosecutions have been brought, how many persons have been acquitted, how many persons have been convicted and what sentences have been passed on persons convicted.

To date, 19 persons have been subject to prosecution under Section 6 of the Race Relations Act 1965. Convictions were obtained in 12 cases. One of these convictions was quashed on appeal. In four cases terms of imprisonment were imposed. In one case a probation order was made. In four cases fines were imposed and in two cases there was a conditional discharge.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Agricultural Workers (Career Structure)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures will be taken, in the light of the recent pay award to agricultural workers, to preserve the career structure of the agricultural industry.

The present career structure has been developed through the new craftsmen and appointments grades introduced by the Agricultural Wages Board in 1972; and any changes would be a matter for the board, on which both sides of the agricultural industry are represented.

Milk

11.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will introduce an indexing system for the price of milk to the dairy farmer based upon overheads and input costs.

No. Changes in the costs of production are one of the factors taken into account by Agriculture Ministers in determining the guaranteed price for milk in the light of the annual review.

50.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to ensure that adequate supplies of milk will reach the creameries and milk product factories in the South-West Region to avoid future unemployment during the winter.

We have taken steps to improve the position of milk producers. Milk production has increased recently over last year's level. 5 per cent. more milk was available for manufacture in October and 20–25 per cent. more in November than in the same period of 1974. There has been a resumption of butter production.

Tied Cottages

16.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how he intends to safeguard the livelihood of stock farmers in remote areas if the tied house in agriculture is abolished.

The consultative document issued last August foreshadowed this as one of the questions which my right hon. Friends will have very much in mind when deciding on the form of the forthcoming legislation.

21.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had with the farming industry regarding agricultural tied cottages.

All the principal agricultural and forestry organisations have been consulted following publication of the consultative document last August.

25.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many letters he has received from the general public commenting on the Consultative Document on the Abolition of the Tied Cottage System in Agriculture.

Over 70, nearly all of which were from farmers and farm-workers.

29.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state how many cases of eviction from farm cottages occurred in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

No statistics are available for the reasons given in my Written Answer to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Jones) on 30th October.—[Vol. 898, c. 571.]

Common Agricultural Policy

17.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress to date of his policy for securing a fundamental reform of the common agricultural policy.

26.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress made to date in the fundamental or substantial changes which he obtained in the CAP; and when he intends to table his next proposals for change.

I would refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the reply which my hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten) on 5th December.—[Vol. 901, c. 743.] It is our intention to secure further improvements in the operation of the common agricultural policy as a result of the forthcoming discussions on Community agricultural support and prices for 1976–77.

22.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the EEC Agricultural Price Review.

37.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the European Economic Community Agricultural Prices Review.

The European Commission's proposals for 1976–77 prices are expected to be available very shortly. The Council of Agriculture Ministers is likely to take decisions in January or February.

Production Costs

18.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated rise in the costs of production in agriculture in the current year.

We are examining the economic condition and prospects of the industry, including farmers' production costs, in the annual review of agriculture which is now under way. I would ask the hon. Member to await its outcome.

Iceland (Fishing Dispute)

19.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what measures have been taken to restructure the fishing industry in anticipation of an Icelandic 200 miles exclusive economic zone.

Such measures would be premature at the present. Any planned restructuring should be undertaken in the light of facts about the size and nature of future fishing opportunities open to us, and will clearly depend on the outcome of the discussions which Her Majesty's Government are actively pursuing in a number of contexts.

54.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any restrictions have been proposed or placed upon fishing in British waters or landings at British ports by Icelandic trawlers.

The Government have imposed no restrictions on Icelandic trawlers or on the landing of Icelandic fish.

Home-Grown Food

20.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that the United Kingdom should so far as is possible produce food from its own resources; to what extent this is now being done; and to what extent he expects it to be done as a percentage of consumption in future years.

28.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of our food supplies in 1975 was accounted for by home production; and what was the equivalent figure in 1974.

Home agriculture and fisheries contributed 55 per cent. of the United Kingdom's total food requirements in 1973–74, the latest year for which aggregate figures are available. The Government set out in "Food from our own Resources" their strategy for agricultural production in the years ahead.

27.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the level of agricultural output in the current year compared with last year.

Gross output of United Kingdom agriculture at current prices is expected to show a further increase this year, but I would ask the hon. Member to await the results of the annual review which is now taking place.

Beef

23.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of home-produced beef is derived from dairy herds.

It is estimated that between 65 per cent. and 70 per cent. of beef produced in the United Kingdom from home-bred animals is derived from the dairy herd.

Cod Supplies

24.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been taken to ensure adequate supplies of cod to the consumer.

The United Kingdom plays a full part in the International Fisheries Commissions which are seeking to ensure future supplies by means of international conservation measures. While hoping that it will still be possible to reach a satisfactory agreement with Iceland, the Government are in the meantime taking steps to protect the rights of British fishermen in international waters in that area.

55.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to find alternative areas for the catching of cod by United Kingdom deep sea fishermen.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for North Fylde (Mr. Clegg).

Capital Taxation

30.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive the report of the inter-departmental group which is reviewing the effect of capital taxation on agricultural production.

32.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessement his Department has made of the effect of capital taxation on investment in agriculture.

The interdepartmental group has now completed its work. My colleagues and I are studying its conclusions.

Animal Welfare

31.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to give the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' inspectors unrestricted right of access to slaughterhouses.

I pay tribute to the work of societies dedicated to the cause of animal welfare, but I do not consider it appropriate to afford their staff statutory powers of entry.

Investment

34.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the level of investment per acre in the current year compared to last year.

Gross capital formation in United Kingdom agriculture in 1975 at current prices is likely to show a further increase. I would ask the hon. Member, however, to await the results of the annual review of agriculture which is now under way.

Potatoes

34.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the potato acreage necessary to fulfil domestic demand.

Each summer a "target acreage" is determined for the United Kingdom potato crop for the following season. The target is calculated to provide sufficient potatoes assuming normal yields, to meet requirements and allow for a modest surplus. The United Kingdom target for the 1975 crop was 565,000 acres; the 1976 crop target has been determined at 546,000 acres. This takes into account the trend towards increasing yields.

39.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been taken to assure supplies of potatoes at reasonable prices to the consumer.

Acting on forecasts of a significant shortfall in production from the home crop this season, due largely to adverse weather conditions, the Government lifted the normal ban on imports of potatoes on 1st September 1975 and imposed a ban of exports of ware potatoes with effect from 17th October 1975. The Potato Marketing Board has relaxed the riddle sizes which normally apply. These measures alleviate but cannot make good the shortfall in supplies available for consumption. Prices are, therefore, likely to remain high.

Land Drainage Maps

38.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about his plans for land drainage maps held by his Department for a period exceeding 20 years.

These plans were originally supplied to my Department by farmers when they applied for field drainage grant. They are no longer needed for administrative purposes and in order to save storage costs those over 20 years old are being destroyed. My Department had intended to continue destruction on this basis annually, but in the light of representations received from the NFU and others we are considering whether arrangements can be made without undue public expense to retain the more recent plans for a further period.

Labelling

40.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to introduce regulations to ensure informative labelling of foods containing textured vegetable and other non-meat or synthetic proteins.

The food labelling law already requires food to be labelled informatively, and prohibits false or misleading descriptions to be applied to it. We are considering extensive representations about the Food Standards Committee Report on Novel Protein Foods before deciding whether, and to what extent, the law needs to be extended so as to deal specifically with these foods.

Horticulture

41.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any plans to encourage horticulture.

At present I foresee no change in our current policy of encouraging growers to increase productivity by the provision of capital grants, through research and the help available from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service.

51.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he remains satisfied about the future prospects of the glasshouse industry.

Yes. I am confident that efficient growers will adapt to circumstances and continue to provide the high quality produce in demand by the consumer.

Beam Trawling

42.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement about beam trawling off the Sussex coast, following representations made to him by the Chief Fishery Officer of the Sussex Sea Fisheries District.

I would refer the hon. Member to replies given to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 30th October and to the hon. Member for Rye (Mr. Godman Irvine) on 12th November.—[Vol. 898, c. 571; Vol. 899, c. 832–833.]

Horned Sheep

43.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the implications of European Economic Community Regulation 64/433 for British horned sheep.

I would refer the hon. Member to replies given to the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 16th and 30th October and 25th November and to the hon. Member for Banff (Mr. Watt) on 4th December—[Vol. 897, c. 776; Vol. 898, c. 575–576; Vol. 901, c. 100 and 686–687.]

Food Stocks

44.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many days' supply of food he estimates is held in cold stores and warehouses within the five-mile corridor mentioned in the Dock Labour Scheme and within inland ports.

On 21st November 1975, 29 days' normal supply of carcase meat, 16 days' supply of poultry meat and 66 days' supply of butter were held in the 163 public cold stores in Great Britain, 95 of which are in port areas. Information is not available about stocks of food held in warehouses.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present volume of stocks held in official and commercial storage together of beef, skimmed milk and butter, respectively, in the European Economic Community as a whole.

According to the latest information received from the Commission, the total quantities of skimmed milk powder and butter held in official intervention stores, or in private storage with the assistance of Community grant, were 1,125,000 and 213,000 metric tons respectively.The amount of beef currently held in official intervention stores is 243,000 metric tons. In addition there are stocks of beef held in private storage with the assistance of Community grant, but precise information about the size of these stocks is not available.

We have no information about stocks held in the Community in private store without payment of grant.

Arboreal Diseases

45.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provisions have been made to prevent the possible spread of arboreal diseases and to prevent a recurrence of Dutch Elm disease.

Statutory provisions prohibit the importation of live forest trees of the most important coniferous genera from all parts of the world and of elm plants from outside Europe. Further provisions regulate the landing of wood of oak, sweet chestnut, elm and of any of the coniferous genera from various parts of the world. These requirements give protection to forest trees against the introduction of known pests and diseases not present in this country.

Soft Wheats

46.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what State-aided research is being conducted into the use of soft wheats in bakery.

The breeding of new varieties of wheat for improved milling and baking characteristics is carried out at the Plant Breeding Institute, which is grant aided by the Agricultural Research Council. The resources devoted to this have recently been increased and improved varieties, currently in trials, show good combinations of yield and satisfactory milling and baking properties. Selection for all these characteristics is undertaken in the breeding programme. The Ministry also commissions work at the Flour Milling and Baking Research Association on the development of suitable tests for use by the plant breeders to determine milling quality and bread and biscuit characteristics. Work at the FMBRA has particular relevance to the use of increased proportions of soft wheats in bread flour grists made possible by the Chorleywood Bread Process. As a result, imported hard wheats, which formerly accounted for 80 per cent. of a given grist, have been reduced to less than 50 per cent. in the Chorleywood Process, the difference being made up with soft wheats.

Dairy Products

47.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the total cost to European Economic Community funds of support for dairy products in 1976.

The European Communities' draft budget for 1976 estimates the cost at £808 million^*. These are the best figures currently available.

^* Converted from units of account at the rate of £1–2·4 ua.

Sugar Refining

48.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had with management and unions concerning the future organisation of the port sugar refining industry.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to his Question of 4th December.—[Vol. 901, c. 689–690.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give assurances that those sectors of industry where sugar is used as a raw material will be consulted before any decisions are taken in respect of the future of the United Kingdom sugar refining industries.

I will, when considering the future of the United Kingdom sugar refining industry, have regard to the views of those sectors of industry which use sugar as a raw material. I have already received communications on this subject from two organisations representing food and confectionery manufacturers.

House Building

47.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what contribution landowners and farmers are currently making to the supply of new housing in rural areas.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the construction of houses rather than to the release of land for housing developments. No official statistics are available on the number of houses built by farmers and landowners. But I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 7th July 1975 to the hon. Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.—[Vol. 895, c. 17–18.]

Sheep Scab

52.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will reintroduce compulsory dipping of sheep in order to prevent the spread of sheep scab.

53.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce compulsory sheep dipping against scab.

Urgent consultations are being held with the farmers' unions and other interests about this and other measures for eradicating sheep scab. I shall make a further announcement as soon as possible.

Slaugh Termen (Pay)

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ban the payment of slaughtermen on a headage basis.

The basis on which slaughtermen are paid is a matter to be settled between them and their employers or the representatives of both. The slaughterhouse legislation gives my right hon. Friend no power to intervene in this process.

Environment

Homeless Persons

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities (a) in Lancashire and (b) on Merseyside have now assumed responsibility for the homeless; which of these make provision for the priority groups designated in Circular 18/74; how many units of temporary accommodation for homeless people are available in each local authority area; and how many homeless families are currently being accommodated in bed and breakfast hotels.

The information I have is that all housing authorities in Lancashire and Merseyside have accepted some measure of responsibility for the homeless, and with some exceptions they all provide for the priority groups as set out in the joint homelessness circular. The number of units of accommodation used temporarily by the housing authorities and the number of families in bed and breakfast accommodation in their area, varies according to circumstances and need, and the availability of permanent housing. Accommodation provided temporarily is by no means the sole measure of the overall help that housing authorities give to homeless people.I understand that on 2nd December 1975, there were 69 people in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in Merseyside; the equivalent information for Lancashire is not readily available. On the same day, the local authorities regarded the following numbers of units as available for use temporarily by homeless people:

Lancashire
Blackburn	0
Blackpool	0
Burnley	0
Chorley	12
Fylde	0
Hyndburn	0
Lancaster	3
Pendle	1
Preston	0
Ribble Valley	3
Rossendale	2
South Ribble	1
West Lancashire	8
Wyre	6
Merseyside
Knowsley	0
Liverpool	1
St. Helens	3
Sefton	0
Wirral	6

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will introduce legislation to give district councils the necessary authority to take on the responsibility of housing homeless families.

Local housing authorities have adequate powers to provide accommodation to meet housing needs in their district, including, of course, families who are homeless. However, as I told the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton) on 1st December—[Vol. 901, c. 466]—I shall shortly be making a statement about our intention to place the statutory responsibility for accommodation for the homeless on housing authorities.

New Towns

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what use was made of the £45 million profits made by the new towns before it was recovered by the Government.

By the end of 1975, surpluses amounting to £45 million will have been recovered from the Commission for the New Towns and the Harlow and Stevenage Development Corporations. While they remained with the Commission and the Corporations, such surpluses have been invested by way of short-term loans to local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what evidence he bases his judgment that there is no immediate future prospect of any new town making a surplus on its annual accounts.

The judgment is based on current forecasts of future income and expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the profits of £45 million made by the new towns can be ascribed to each of the four towns under the control of the New Towns Commission.

I shall give the actual amounts involved. The £25·8 million recovered from the Commission was made up as follows: Crawley, £12·3 million; Hatfield, £1·9 million; Hemel Hempstead, £10 million; Welwyn, £1·6 million. The remainder of the £45 million will, by the end of this year, have been recovered from Harlow and Stevenage Development Corporations.

Road Fund Licences

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek to alter the law stipulating that a road fund licence can legally be displayed only in the bottom left-hand corner of the windscreen, or alter the advice to motorists printed on such licences as issued which makes no such stipulation.

Some control over the positioning of licences is necessary so that the police and traffic wardens can see them readily and so that they do not impede drivers' visibility. I am, however, considering varying the position as at present prescribed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to make it compulsory for motorists when applying for a road fund licence, to be in possession of an insurance certificate which covers, as a minimum, the period of the road fund licence.

No. I do not think that this would produce the effect that I take it my hon. Friend desires, namely, the prevention of deliberate evasion.

Local Authority Expenditure

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of total local authority expenditure in England and Wales consisted of interest payments in the financial year 1974–5.

Interest payments are estimated at about 15 per cent. of total revenue expenditure in 1974–5. Revenue expenditure includes all expenditure in the housing revenue account, the rate fund account and all trading accounts.

M25

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, why he expects the A10 to M11 section of M25 to be open later than the M11 to A12 section, which went to public inquiry at the same time.

The statutory processes associated with the acquisition of land for the A10—M11 section of the M25, because it affects the fringe of Epping Forest, are likely to take longer than those for the adjoining section from the M11 to the A12.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why no preferred line has yet been proposed for the Micklefield Green—Hunton Bridge to the Al section of the M25, in view of the fact that public participation on possible routes was completed in 1974.

Consideration of alternatives put to the Department in the course of the public consultation has delayed the selection of the preferred route, but my right hon. Friend hopes to announce this next spring.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, why he does not expect the M25 from Egham to Maple Cross to be open until after 1982, in view of the fact that public participation on possible routes was completed in 1974.

Because of the time needed for surveys and detailed design work on the preferred route, the subsequent statutory processes and the construction of the road itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to expedite the construction of the M25 from Swanley to Sevenoaks in order to minimise the period when westbound traffic from Dartford Tunnel and the remainder of the M25 are forced to use the A225.

The construction of the M25 London Outer Orbital Route already has the highest priority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he does not expect the M25 from the A10 to the MI1 to be open until after 1980, when the public inquiry into the proposals has already taken place.

Because of the time needed for the completion of the various statutory processes, including the acquisition of land in Epping Forest, and the construction of the road itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he does not expect the M25 from Micklefield Green—Hunton Bridge to the Al to be open until after 1982, in view of the fact that public participation on possible routes was completed in February 1975.

Because of the time needed for surveys and detailed design work on the preferred route, the subsequent statutory processes and the construction of the road itself.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to expedite the construction of the M25 from Micklefield Green—Hunton Bridge to the Al in order to avoid a situation where the link from the remainder of the M25 to the M1 is incomplete, forcing traffic on to inadequate roads in the Hunton Bridge area.

It is hoped that the section of the M25 between Micklefield Green—Hunton Bridge and the A1 will be completed at about the same time as the section between Egham and Maple Cross. The situation envisaged by the hon. Member should not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why no preferred line has yet been proposed for the Egham to Maple Cross section of the M25 in view of the fact that public participation on possible routes was completed in 1974.

Government Offices (Dispersal)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many square feet of office space were rented or owned by Government Departments in London in April 1974 and how many in September 1975; how many civil servants have been moved out of London during the past 12 months; and how many square feet of extra office space are occupied by civil servants out of London.

Figures are not readily available for all the dates mentioned

PERCENTAGE OF DWELLINGS CONSTRUCTED
						Before 1919	1919–1944	1945 or later	Year of Cenus or estimate
Austria		…	…	…	…	58	17	21	1961
Belgium^*		…	…	…	…	53	27	20	1960
Denmark		…	…	…	…	63		37	1970
Finland†		…	…	…	…	21	29	44	1960
France		…	…	…	…	71		29	1970
Germany, Federal Republic					…	49		51	1970
Ireland^*		…	…	…	…	58	23	19	1961
Japan	…	…	…	…	…	48		51	1963
Luxembourg		…	…	…	…	75		25	1960
Netherlands		…	…	…	…	45		55	1970
Norway		…	…	…	…	35	24	42	1960
Spain‡		…	…	…	…	46	21	33	1965
Sweden§		…	…	…	…	34	31	33	1960
United States of America^*				…	…	32	31	37	1960
United Kingdom			…	…	…	33	23	44	1974
^* Before 1919; 1919–1945; 1946 or later.
† Before 1920; 1920–1944; 1945 or later.
‡ Before 1911; 1911–1940; 1941 or later.
§ Before 1921; 1921–1944; 1945 or later.
Note: Where the sum of the percentages does not equal 100, the distribution of the remaining dwellings is unknown.

but the estimated position is as follows: In April 1974 about 18·4 million sq. ft. of office space were rented or owned by Government Departments in London. In September 1975 the equivalent figure was about 18·9 million sq. ft. Some 1,450 Civil Service posts were moved out of London in the 12 months ending September 1975.

The extra office space occupied by civil servants in the United Kingdom outside London during the 12 months ending September 1975 was about 2 million sq. ft.

Railway Electrification Costs

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what costs have so far been incurred in the electrification of railway lines in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively.

Comparable figures are available only since 1964, and are as follows: England, £83·5 million; Scotland, £50 million; Wales, Nil.

Housing Stocks (Oecd Countries)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the estimated age distribution of housing stock in each of the member countries of the OECD.

The readily available information is given below. Broad comparisons only can be made—the figures relate to a range of base years and there may be differences of definition.

Noise Insulation (Bury St Edmunds)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the pace of administration in that section of the Eastern Road construction unit which has been dealing with noise insulation claims by property holders living near the Bury St. Edmunds bypass.

As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Industry—the hon. Member for Glasgow, Kelvingrove (Mr. Carmichael)—said in an earlier reply to the hon. Member, it is regretted that progress has not been better. Difficulties have been encountered in costing the insulation work and some properties have presented ventilation problems. Detailed offers of insulation, or a grant in lieu, should be made within the next three weeks. On receipt of responses the work will go ahead as quickly as possible on those dwellings for which' the offer of insulation is accepted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will cause an inquiry to be made into the delays in his Department's handling of claims for noise insulation and compensation for disturbance and loss of business by residents of Bury St. Edmunds whose lives have been adversely affected by the A45 bypass.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the failure of his Department over the past two years to make estimates of the cost of insulating homes on Eastgate Street and Thingoe Hill against noise from the Bury St. Edmunds bypass, he will now employ private professional and business firms to do the job more quickly and at less expense.

No. The survey and estimating work has now been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will instruct officials to meet the local councillors representing the St. Edmundsbury District Council, and the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds at the homes of those residents of Eastgate Street and Thingoe Hill who are adversely affected by the A45 bypass with a view to resolving the difficulties that for two years have prevented his Department from insulating these homes against noise.

I see no need for such a meeting, as the Department has now approved the cost estimates and will authorise its agent this week to make offers of insulation to those affected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will instruct his Department now to fulfil the statutory obligation laid upon it by Parliament, but undischarged for nearly two years, to insulate from excessive noise those residents of Eastgate Street and Thingoe Hill in Bury St. Edmunds whose homes have been adversely affected by the A45 bypass.

The statutory obligation will be discharged when offers of insulation are made.

Rail Fares

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the percentage increase in the cost of railway fares in the period March 1974 to the present time.

About 67 per cent.

Bus Fares

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the percentage increase in the cost of bus fares charged by the National Bus Company in the period March 1974 to the present time.

National Bus Company operating subsidiaries have implemented fare rises averaging about 65–75 per cent. between 1st March 1974 and the present time.

National Bus Company (Investment)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the capital investment of the National Bus Company in each of the financial years for the past six years including the estimate for the current financial year.

Capital investment by the National Bus Company at outturn prices is as follows:

	£ million
1970–71	12·2
1971–72	13·3
1972–73	13·0
1973–74	24·0
1974–75	19·9
1975–76	38·2
	(forecast outturn)

Housing

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the number of houses in England unfit for human habitation; and what proportion of the total housing stock in England this represents.

The House Condition Survey of England and Wales conducted in 1971 indicated that the number of unfit dwellings was approximately 1·2 million, or 7·3 per cent. of the then total dwelling stock. The information is not available separately for England.

Ordnance Survey Charges

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the Ordnance Survey, which is a Government monopoly, is proposing to increase its charge to Spurbrooks Limited for the reproduction of map extracts in books in the "Walking and Rambling" series from approximately £40 to approximately £600 per book; and whether this accords with the anti-inflation policy of Her Majesty's Government.

The system of charges being introduced on 1st January 1976 takes account of increased costs falling on the Ordnance Survey and aims to produce a result which is fairer as between different classes of user. The present system of charges was introduced at a time when the main demand came from professional users requiring only a limited number of copies of each item. The rate of charge is relatively high for the first few copies and declines rapidly as the number of copies increases. As a result, commercial publishers make only a small contribution per copy produced. The new scale follows normal commercial practice and applies a weighting for making reproduction for quantity printing.

The Price Code does not apply to Government fees and charges, but similar disciplines are applied.

Driving And Vehicle Licensing Centre, Swansea

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for his Department to maintain a record of complaints from members of the public about the operation of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea.

No. I am not persuaded that distinguishing between the different types of inquiries from the public would be worth the staff costs involved.

Sports Footwear

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will convene a meeting of all interested organisations to agree standards for footwear used in sport involving bodily contact, in view of injuries caused by unsuitable footwear used at present.

Regulations governing the type of footwear to be worn by participants are laid down by the governing bodies of a number of sports involving bodily contact. However, I am consulting the Sports Council on the question whether there is a need for more extensive or stricter standards.

Sports Aid Foundation

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what directions he has given to the Sports Aid Foundation since its formation; and if he will make a statement on the resignation of the chairman on 8th December.

The Sports Aid Foundation is an entirely autonomous body and quite outside the political arena. It has therefore been left totally free since its establishment and I have given it no direction. The ex-Chairman of the Foundation was appointed jointly by Sir Robin Brook, Chairman of the Sports Council, and myself. We also appointed three other governors, including the Vice-Chairman, to provide the Foundation with an initial impetus during is formative stage. It was made quite clear at the time that the Foundation would comprise representatives of the Sports Council, the Central Council for Physical Recreation and the British Olympic Association, and that a further eight independent governors would be appointed entirely by the Foundation.

House Purchasers (Local Authority Sponsorship)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) in how many instances, to date, have building societies in Scotland relaxed their normal criteria in granting mortgages to applicants sponsored by local authorities under the £7 million lending scheme;(2) of those prospective house purchasers sponsored by local authorities in Scotland under the building societies' £7 million lending scheme, how many have so far been granted mortgages; and what has been the average sum advanced.

I have been asked to reply.The details requested are not available: returns regarding the operation of the scheme have yet to be submitted. The scheme is, however, under way in a number of areas in Scotland. Building societies are allocating funds on the basis of individual loan applications and it has not yet been necessary to devise any block allocation for particular local authority areas. The lending criteria being applied are set out in SDD Circular No. 112/1975, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the basis of calculation for the directive issued to building societies in England and Scotland to provide £100 million and £7 million, respectively, for lending to prospective house purchasers sponsored by local authorities; and what representations he has received from Scottish building societies regarding the disparity in the sums allocated.

I have been asked to reply.There was no directive to the building societies and there have been no representations. The Government secured the agreement of the Building Societies' Association to a special scheme to supplement local authority lending in 1975–76, following the limit which had to be imposed on that lending. The sum of £7 million which the societies have agreed to make available in Scotland reflects the amount by which it proved necessary to reduce the level of lending for house purchase by the Scottish local authorities, in view of the current need to limit the public sector borrowing requirement. Similar considerations led to the agreement on a sum of £100 million for lending in England.

Industry

Chrysler United Kingdom Ltd

57.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on his latest discussions with Mr. Riccardo on the future of Chrysler United Kingdom Limited.

My right hon. Friend will be making a report very shortly.

Shipbuilding (Government Aid)

asked the Secretary of State for Industry, of the £299 million in Government aid to shipbuilding referred to in his speech of 2nd December, how much consisted of construction grant commitments; how much of the balance, excluding these grants, has been given or committed to the yards now wholly or partly in public ownership; what percentage this is of the total; and what are the comparable figures, including the £30 million, provided to Upper Clyde Shipbuilders.

The £299 million in Government financial support included about £47 million construction grants covering both payments and estimated commitments. Of the balance of £252 million, some £220 million–87 per cent.—has been provided or committed to companies now wholly or partly in public ownership of which about £30 million was paid or committed before the Government took a shareholding. Including the assistance of about £30 million given to Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd., which is no longer an operating company, would not produce a meaningful comparison.

Rhodesia (Mail)

58.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to accept the delivery of mail franked by the illegal régime in Rhodesia without surcharge; and if he will make a statement.

Hon. Members will recall that the practice of surcharging mail from Rhodesia was discontinued in 1970 under a previous Administration. The Government have no plans for its resumption.

Location Of Industry

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what assessments he is at present making of the effectiveness of location of industry policies and their impact on the regional economies of the standard regions of the British Isles.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the White Paper "Regional Development Incentives" (Cmnd. 6058) published in May 1975 which gives information about some of the studies my Department carries out on this subject. If my hon. Friend has any particular aspects in mind I shall be happy to write to him about them.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry in which standard region of the British Isles the location of industry policies pursued by successive Governments has had the greatest beneficial impact.

As explained in the White Paper "Regional Development Incentives" (Cmnd. 6058), it is not possible to measure accurately the effects of regional policies on the assisted areas as a whole. The difficulties in measuring the effects on the individual countries and regions of the United Kingdom are even greater. Figures for assistance under the Local Employment Acts to the assisted areas in the period 1966–75 suggest that the estimated additional employment was highest in the Scottish Development Area, while figures for offers of assistance to regions under Section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 in the period 1972–75 suggest that the estimated associated employment was highest in the Northern Region. But I must emphasise that these figures do not purport to represent the overall effect of Government regional policies.

Civil Service

Pensions

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the estimated capital value of a non-contributory inflation-proofed Civil Service pension of £8,500 each year.

To earn a pension of £8,500 a civil servant would have to serve a full career and reach the very highest levels in the Home Civil or Diplomatic Service; even after this month's increase, there are only some 70 such pensioners. Moreover, by foregoing pay, civil servants contribute in full measure to the cost of their pensions. On the assumption that over the longer term the rate of inflation will be lower than interest rates, it is estimated that the capital value of an inflation-proofed pension of £8,500 payable to a man retiring today at age 60 is £105,000. The capital value of a pension of £8,500 under a private scheme which provided a reasonable measure of pension protection would, of course, be broadly the same.

Defence

Northern Ireland

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the daily average of head checks, random checks of people in the streets—P checks—screening operations and searches carried out by 8th Brigade and 39th Brigade in Northern Ireland in the three months before and after 10th February 1975.

Figures in respect of head checks, P checks and screening operations are not available. The numbers of searches carried out in the three months before and after 10th February were 1,079,126 and 1,230,643 respectively by 8th Infantry Brigade, and 269,615 and 311,350 respectively by 39th Infantry Brigade.

Raf Maintenance Units

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian personnel are currently employed at each of the RAF maintenance units and similar establishments in the United Kingdom; and what was the corresponding figure a year ago.

The civilian numbers as at 1st November 1974 and 1st November 1975 for each of the RAF maintenance units and similar establishments in the United Kingdom are as follows:

	1st November
	1974	1975
RAF Aldergrove, No. 23 MU	1,071	1,103
RAF Bicestcr, No. 71 MU	155	146
RAF Cardington, No. 217 MU	227	198
RAF Carlisle, No. 14 MU	1,613	1,580
RAF Chilmark, No. 11 MU	268	267
RAF Digby	88	85
RAF Hartlebury, No. 25 MU	509	418
RAF Henlow, REU	385	379
RAF Kemble, No. 5 MU	535	531
RAF Leconfield, No. 60 MU	199	202
RAF North Luffenham	190	206
RAF Quedgeley, No. 7 MU	999	971
RAF St. Athan	886	905
RAF Sealand, No. 30 MU	1,261	1,264
RAF Stafford, No. 16 MU	1,069	1,023
RAF Sydenham	895	771
Woolwich, APFS	176	169
Woolwich, SSU	240	252
Total	10,766	10,470

Icelandic Fishing (Protection Vessels)

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether gun-carrying naval vessels operating to protect trawlers in the area of Iceland are equipped with non-explosive solid projectiles.

Yes.

Pensions

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of persons currently drawing pensions in respect of employment in the Armed Services, and the total annual cost of these pensions.

There are approximately 270,000 persons currently drawing pensions under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme and earlier occupational schemes for the three Services. Of this number, rather more than 30,000 are widows and other dependants.As stated in a Written Answer on 27th November to the right hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker)—[Vol. 901, c. 297]—the total cost of these pensions is expected to be £169 million in the current financial year.

Energy

Frigg Offshore Gasfield

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the negotiations with the Norwegian Government concerning the joint development of the Frigg offshore gasfield.

The Permanent Under-Secretary of my Department is today in Oslo to initial a draft agreement on the joint development of the Frigg gasfield which lies across the Continental Shelf boundary line between the United Kingdom and Norway. This important agreement, when signed, will have the distinction of being the first ever international unitisation agreement covering an offshore gasfield, and will enable the delivery of both British and Norwegian gas from the field to St. Fergus in Scotland in 1977. It will provide the legal and administrative framework for unitised operations in the gasfield and cover such aspects as jurisdiction, inspection, taxation, production and transmission. A copy of the agreement will be laid in due course.

Motor Cars (Fuel Consumption)

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will now make a statement about proposals to require fuel consumption of motor cars to be tested and the results published.

After consultations between our respective Departments my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry is now issuing a consultative document for consideration by bodies representing manufacturers, distributors and consumers. This proposes a scheme covering all new cars sold as from 1st January 1977, with the necessary testing to be completed during the intervening year in accordance with a specification annexed to the document. I am placing a copy of the consultative document in the Library.

Loch Ness (Wildlife Protection)

asked the Lord Advocate under what provisions prosecutions can be brought for the molestation of wildlife in Loch Ness.

It depends on the type of wildlife involved. For example, wild birds are protected by the Protection of Birds Act 1954, as amended, deer by the Deer (Scotland) Act 1959, as amended, and various wild creatures by the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act 1975.It may be that Loch Ness contains some wild creature not covered by any of the existing statutes. If this is so, special legislation may be required to protect it.

National Finance

Tax Revenue

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the per capita tax revenue obtained from each standard region of the British Isles for each of the last 10 years.

I regret that this information is not available because total taxation revenues cannot be attributed to different regions.

Mortgage Interest (Tax Relief)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax relief a house purchased would receive on a £15,000 mortgage at 11 per cent. for 25 years paying the highest tax rate and the standard rate, respectively.

Assuming 1975–76 tax rates throughout and sufficient taxable income to obtain full relief at the appropriate rate, the amounts of tax relief on an annuity mortgage would be as follows:

	£
(i) Aat basic rate	10,300
(ii) At the highest rate—income all earned	24,425
(iii) At the highest rate—income all investment	28,840

Savings (Index-Linked Scheme)

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will consider increasing the amounts of money that any one individual can invest in the Government's index-linked savings scheme;(2) whether he will extend the index-linked saving scheme to include children under 16 years.

All national savings facilities are regularly reviewed. The Government have no plans to extend the indexed savings schemes, which were introduced as a modest experiment to help protect at least some elements of small savings without risking the extension of indexation into capital markets generally.

Prices And Consumer Protection

Metrication

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection when she intends to bring in legislation to amend the Weights and Measures Act 1963 and related European Community instruments to enable metrication to proceed.

The EEC Units of Measurement Directive requires the United Kingdom generally to adopt the use of metric units by the end of 1979. I hope to introduce legislation in the current Session to amend the Weights and Measures Act so as to enable my Department, in consultation with trade and consumer organisations, to ensure that the United Kingdom gives effect to this directive.

Social Services

Pay Beds

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will consider banning the use of private beds in National Health Service hospitals during the period of industrial action by the consultants and junior doctors.

No.

Digestive Diseases

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many working days were lost last year because of digestive diseases of (a) a mild nature and (b) a serious nature, respectively.

The number of days of certified incapacity attributed to diseases of the digestive system and notified for national insurance purposes was 19 million in the statistical year June 1973 to June 1974. I am sending my hon. Friend a detailed breakdown of the causes of incapacity within the broad group; but we cannot make the mild/serious split for which he has asked. The gravity of illness is not adequately measured by the cause, or indeed the duration, of incapacity for work.

Women's Aid Centres

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what immediate steps she is taking to provide financial

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE STAFF, ENGLAND
			Medical and Dental Staff (Note 1)		Other Staff (Note 2)
Year			Number	Ratio to Population (Note 3)	Number	Ratio to Population
1950	…	…	40,200	1: 1,026	323,800	1: 127
1960	…	…	47,500	1: 908	417,300	1: 103
1970	…	…	53,100	1: 866	541,500	1: 85
1974	…	…	59,000	1: 787	595,300	1: 78
Notes:
1. Medical and dental staff include hospital medical and dental staff, general medical and dental practitioners and ophthalmic medical practitioners.
2. Other staff include nurses and midwives, ophthalmic and dispensing opticians, professional and technical, administrative and clerical and ancillary staff. Over 80 per cent. of these staff provide services directly related to the care of National Health Service patients.
3. Population figures are in each case the Registrar General's mid-year estimates.
4. 1950 figures for Other Staff exclude Ambulance Staff and staff of the Dental Estimates Board, Prescription Pricing Authority and Family Practitioner Service for which comparable statistics are not available.

Unemployment Benefit

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any guidance has been issued by her Department to insurance offices about whether or not an individual dismissed for not joining a union specified in a union membership agreement should be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit.

No. The question whether such a person should be disqualified for receiving unemployment benefit is for the decision by independent adjudicating authorities appointed under the Social Security Act 1975, and it

assistance for the maintenance of women's aid centres.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Ealing, Acton (Sir G. Young) on 9th December.

National Health Service (Staff)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of medical and non medical staff employed in the National Health Service in England and in Wales in 1950, 1960, 1970 and the latest year for which the information is available; and what in each case was the ratio of medical and of non-medical staff, respectively, to the population involved.

1974 is the latest year for which figures are available. The information in respect of England is as below. Information in respect of Wales is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.would be improper for my right hon. Friend or the Department to give guidance to them.

Hospital Beds (Birmingham)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what the number of available staffed beds was in the east district of the Birmingham Area Health Authority in 1974–75; and how this compares with previous years for which records are available;(2) what was the number of bed occupancies in the Birmingham Area Health Authority in 1974–75 and in the previous years for which figures are available;

(3) what was the number of bed occupancies in the east district of the Birmingham Area Health Authority in 1974–75; and how this compares with previous years for which figures are available;

(4)what the number of available staffed beds was in the Birmingham Area Health Authority in 1974–75; and how this compares with the previous years for which figures are available.

The information for 1974–75 is as follows:

	Available staffed beds (at 31st December 1974)	Average daily bed occupancy in 1974
Birmingham AHA(T) (including East District)	10,539	8,826·5
East District	907	765·5

The AHA(T) and its districts did not come into existence until 1st April 1974.

Birmingham Area Health Authority (Staff)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will give the total number of nurses, trained and untrained, employed by the Birmingham Area Health Authority in each year for which records are available;(2) if she will give the total number or portering, domestic, laundry and maintenance staff employed by the Birmingham Area Health Authority in each year for which records are available.

The total numbers of staff employed in each category—including part-time staff—at 31st December 1974 and 30th September 1975 were as follows:

	31st December 1974	30th September 1975
Nurses—trained	5,289	5,345
Nurses—untrained	5,659	6,132
Porters	627	695
Domestic	3,281	3,422
Laundry	358	353
Maintenance	716	744

West Midlands Regional Health Authority

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will give the amount of the capital expenditure budget allocated to the West Midlands Regional Health Authority for the current financial year and for the previous financial years for which there are records.

It is provisionally estimated that total capital expenditure in the current financial year by the West Midlands Regional Health Authority will amount to £29·8 million. The provisional accounts for 1974–75 show expenditure of £27·7 million. For figures for the years 1964–65 to 1973–74 inclusive I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Mr. Lewis) on 21st May.—Vol. 892, c. 469–72.]

"Help With Heating Costs" (Leaflet)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will up-date and re-issue the supplementary benefits leaflet entitled "Help with Heating Costs" last issued in November 1974; whether it can be broadened to give advice and information relevant not only to pensioners but to others, such as one-parent families, who face heating problems; and whether the leaflet can be made available not only to social workers but to potential claimants.

The advice contained in the existing leaflet is relevant to all recipients of supplementary benefit and not merely to pensioners. The criteria for awarding extra heating additions remain unchanged but the amounts have increased with effect from 17th November 1975. Arrangements are in hand for an updated reprint, which will be made available to members of the public on request at local social security offices.

Hostels (Young People)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hostels there are in London specifically for young people who have arrived in London with neither a job nor accommodation; and how many of these are (a) run or (b) aided by the Government.

I understand that some hostels are run primarily for young people but I am not aware of any that restrict admission to young people coming to London from elsewhere. The Supplementary Benefits Commission's reception centres in Dean Street and Camden are able to give temporary help to some young people, but otherwise, apart from commercially run establishments, hostels are provided by local authorities or voluntary organisations and Government aid is available in appropriate circumstances to local authorities by subsidy and to voluntary organisations by housing association or other grants.

Physiotherapy

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current level and trend of recruitment for student teachers of physiotherapy; what is the evidence of qualified physiotherapy teachers returning to clinical posts; and if she is satisfied that the present salary structure adequately differentiates the work of physiotherapy teachers.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy told me in August that eight student teachers were expected to start training in September in England: this compares with figures of 22, 18, 18, 17 and 21 respectively in each of the five years 1970–1974. I have no statistics on the number of physiotherapy teachers returning to clinical posts, although I have been informed of several instances over recent months where teachers have expressed an intention to move into other fields including clinical work in this country. The Staff Side of the Professional and Technical Whitley Council "A" has made representations to me concerning the changes in salary relativities between teaching and clinical grades effected in the context of the overall 38 per cent. increase recommended in the Report of Lord Halsbury's Committee of Inquiry into the pay of this and certain other professions. I felt unable to ask the Whitley Council to reconsider the effects of a Committee of Inquiry's recommendations so soon after it had reported although, while bearing in mind the terms of the Government's current pay policy, I intend to keep the situation under careful review.

Nurses And Ancillary Staff (Cheshire)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many trained and experienced full-time or part-time nurses or ancillary staff have been given notice or put on short-time; how many offers of employment to trained and experienced nurses or ancillary staff have been withdrawn in the Cheshire Area Health Authority and the Macclesfield District of the Cheshire Area Health Authority; and on whose authority.

No such nursing or ancillary staff employed by the Cheshire Area Health Authority have been given notice or put on short-time working. The only district of the Cheshire Area Health Authority in which any offer of employment to nurses or ancillary staff has been withdrawn is Macclesfield, where two offers of employment to trained nurses—one verbal, one in writing—have been withdrawn. This was on the authority of the district management team under powers delegated by the area health authority.There is no obligation on the part of any area health authority to employ newly qualified nurses in the area or district within which they have trained and such nurses are free to apply for posts anywhere in the country. However, of the 20 nurses who have recently qualified in Macclesfield, 16 have been offered posts in the district.

Widow's Pension (Member's Correspondence)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Newbury about the widow's pension of his constituent, Mrs. F. J. Stevens, 60 King's Road, Newbury, about whom he wrote on 14th October 1975.

I replied to the hon. Member's letter on 31st October and I am sending him a copy of that reply. I am sorry to say that a copy of his letter was not sent to the Treasury at that time but this has now been done.

Childbirth

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she intends to publish the results of the inquiry into the induction of labour.

This report by officials on a series of visits to maternity units was primarily prepared for use within the Department and was not intended for general publication. However, in the light of the interest that has been expressed in its contents I am arranging for a copy of it to be placed in the Library.

Children In Care

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were in care during the year ended 31st March 1974; and how many children were committed or remanded in this period.

On 31st March 1974 there were 91,000 children in the care of local authorities in England. In the year ended 31st March 1974 there were 20,000 committals to care by court order, including those on remand; the same child may have been committed more than once.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much it costs to keep a child in care in a local authority community home, in a registered voluntary children's home or a child boarded in a foster home, respectively.

The estimated weekly costs to local authorities in England in 1974–75 are as follows:

Community Homes (all types)	£50
Registered Voluntary Homes	£22
Boarded-out in foster homes	£7

NOTES:1. The estimated cost given for registered voluntary homes is the average amount authorities were asked to pay and may not cover the full cost to voluntary organisations of maintaining the children.2. The figures do not include administration and field social work costs which cannot be allocated to specific services.

MEN IN RECEIPT OF NATIONAL INSURANCE RETIREMENT PENSION
					Dependants
Age			All men	None	Adult dependant only	Adult and child dependants	Child dependants only
65 to 69	…	…	1,063,204	960,861	87,153	9,770	5,420
70 to 74	…	…	880,819	845,811	29,328	3,360	2,320
75 to 79	…	…	485,509	475,167	9,232	770	340
80 to 84	…	…	241,481	238,536	2,785	110	50
85 to 89	…	…	91,722	90,910	782	30	0
90 to 94	…	…	19,829	19,451	368	10	0
95 to 99	…	…	1,874	1,874	0	0	0
100 and over	…	…	50	50	0	0	0
All ages	…	…	2,784,488	2,632,660	129,648	14,050	8,130

3. No account has been taken of parental contributions.

Tobacco (Sales To Children)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she is satisfied that retailers are complying with the law forbidding the sale of tobacco to children under the age of 16 years; what representations she has received about the need for stricter enforcement of the law; and what reply she has given.

I am not satisfied that, in general, retailers are complying with the law forbidding the sale of cigarettes to children under the age of 16 years. I have received representations from the Chairman of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) who sent me the results of a recent survey, commissioned by ASH, in which out of 50 children under 16 years of age, 43 were able to buy cigarettes at tobaconnists' shops. What clearly needs to be done is to make the present law better known, and I am taking steps to see that this is done.

Male Beneficiaries

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men, receiving national insurance retirement pensions, in each age bracket and for the most recent date for which information is available, had no dependants, had an adult dependant only, had adult and child dependants and had only child dependants.

The following is the information for 29th November 1974, the latest date for which figures are available:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men, receiving unemployment benefit, in each age bracket and for the most recent date for which information is available, had no dependants, had an adult dependant only,

MEN IN RECEIPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT
Age			All claimants	No dependants	Adult dependant only	Adult and child dependants	Child dependants only
Under 20	…	…	27,700	26,000	400	1,100	200
20 to 24	…	…	57,700	42,000	1,700	12,100	1,900
25 to 29	…	…	46,800	21,800	1,100	20,100	3,800
30 to 34	…	…	31,600	10,700	700	15,300	4,900
35 to 39	…	…	26,200	8,100	500	12,200	5,400
40 to 44	…	…	24,400	8,000	1,000	9,300	6,100
45 to 49	…	…	23,600	9,400	2,100	7,800	4,300
50 to 54	…	…	23,100	11,000	4,800	4,400	2,900
55 to 59	…	…	22,000	10,700	8,300	2,100	900
60 to 64	…	…	48,400	18,700	27,200	1,200	1,300
65 and over	…	…	400	200	200	—	—
All ages		…	331,900	166,600	48,000	85,600	31,700

The following is the information for 5th May 1975, the latest date for which figures are available:

MEN IN RECEIPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT AND SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT
Age	Number of men who received unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit	Proportion of all men receiving unemployment benefit who also received supplementary benefit
		Percentage
Under 20	5,000	17·8
20 to 24	16,500	28·7
25 to 29	16,500	35·2
30 to 34	11,500	36·5
35 to 39	9,500	36·3
40 to 44	7,500	30·8
45 to 49	6,600	28·0
50 to 54	6,100	26·1
55 to 59	3,600	16·6
60 to 64	4,100	8·6
65 and over	100	21·9
All ages	87,000	26·2

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men

had adult and child dependants and had only child dependants.

The following is the information for 5th May 1975, the latest date for which figures are available, based on a sample count:receiving national insurance retirement pensions, in each age bracket and for the most recent date for which information is available, were receiving supplementary pensions; and what proportion they represented of all male retirement pensioners.

The most recent information relates to November 1974 and is as follows:

NUMBER OF MEN RECEIVING
Age	Retirement pension (1) (thousands)	Retirement and supplementary pension (2) (thousands)	Proportion of (1) (per cent.)
All ages	2,797	493	18
65 to 69	1,063	157	15
70 to 74	881	164	19
75 to 79	486	100	21
80 to 84	244	48	20
85 to 89	96	18	19
90 and over	28	6	21

Family Planning

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she is satisfied that the family planning service in hospitals, clinics and from general practitioners is being fairly and evenly applied throughout the United Kingdom.

Guidance issued by health departments to health authorities in Great Britain in the spring of 1974 set out the Government's plans for the organisation and development of a free comprehensive family planning service through National Health Service clinics, general practice and hospitals. All authorities were asked to pay particular attention to extending clinic facilities to localities which were most poorly served and in greatest need. Authorities in England and Wales were asked to set up family planning working groups to advise on plans for the development of the service in each district.The full development of these policies depended upon the outcome of discussions with the medical profession. General practitioners started a full free family planning service for women on 1st July this year. In that month agreement was also reached on hospital medical staff, but the extra cost involved has had to be taken into account by health authorities in their overall provision of hospital services in these areas so that, on this aspect of family planning, the situation at present is uneven.The situation in Northern Ireland is rather different, but I understand that in common with the rest of the United Kingdom the aim of the Department of Health and Social Services is the provision of a free contraceptive service to all, regardless of age, sex or martial status. At present there are 47 centres in Northern Ireland where family planning clinics are held, that is, at hospitals, health centres and other premises throughout the province. In addition, 82 per cent. of the general practitioners undertake to provide free contraceptive services. Health and social services boards in Northern Ireland are being encouraged to develop the provision of family planning services having regard to staff and finance available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she proposes to make provision to remunerate staff, in addition to consultants and doctors, involved in the hospital family planning service.

The terms of remuneration and conditions of service for non-medical staff, which are determined by the Whitley Councils for the National Health Service, already cover work in the hospital family planning services.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost of family planning services in hospitals, clinics and from general practitioners, during the current financial year.

The cost will depend upon the extent to which men and women come forward to seek advice, treatment and contraceptive supplies from the family planning services now available to them, but it is estimated to be between £20 million and £25 million for England in 1975–76.

Mentally Handicapped Persons

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places there were on 31st March 1975 in local authority homes and hostels for mentally handicapped adults; how many places there were on 31st March 1975 in local authority homes and hostels for mentally handicapped children; and how many places there were on 31st March 1975 in local authority adult training centres for the mentally handicapped, respectively.

6,193 places in local authority homes and hostels for mentally handicapped adults; 1,295 places for mentally handicapped children; and 34,245 places in local authority adult training, centres.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average daily number of occupied hospital beds for mentally handicapped adults and children at 31st December 1974.

The average daily number of occupied hospital beds in England for mentally handicapped adults and children during 1974 was 50,369.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will make a statement about the effects on the 20-year programme, outlined in Command Paper No. 4683, of the current limitations of public expenditure in the health and personal social services sectors.

(2) what measures she is taking to ensure that the hospital services and provisions for the mentally handicapped continue to improve in spite of restrictions on local government spending.

We envisage that services for the mentally handicapped will continue to be one of the priority areas, but decisions on the level of the resources which can be made available for such services must be taken in relation to the totality of the resources available and to the needs of the health and personal social services as a whole; and it may be that progress towards the targets suggested by Command 4683 will have to be slower for the next few years. We intend to publish as soon as possible a consultative document which will both indicate the resources likely to be available and invite comment on suggested priorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will report on the achievements of the 1969 interim programme for improvements in services for the mentally handicapped given to the then regional hospital boards for implementation.

Overcrowding in terms of the space standards proposed was almost eliminated by the end of 1972. Average nursing ratios had improved from 1:3.86 in 1969–70 to 1:2.8 in 1974–75. By 1972–73 expenditure per patient week, reflecting improved standards, had increased in real terms by one-third. There have also been marked improvements in the standards of personal clothing and meals.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will detail the targets set for local and health authorities in the White Paper, Command Paper No. 4683, "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped", which are currently being met by these authorities.

National targets for a 1520 year programme from 1971 are expressed in table 5 of Command 4683. The number of residential places, including local authority places and places made available by voluntary and other bodies, has increased from 6,629 at 31st December 1970 to 10,946 at 31st March 1975. Places in adult training centres have increased over the same period from 25,461 to 34,156. Hospital bed numbers have dropped from 62,175 in 1971 to 55,465 at 31st December 1974.

Approved Schemes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list the number of schemes that have been approved by her Department for which local authorities have been given authority to proceed but which are not being proceeded with because of the financial position of local authorities.

I regret this information is not available.

Trade

France

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the value last year of imports by the United Kingdom from France; what were the main products imported; and whether he is satisfied that all steps are being taken in the United Kingdom to minimise the need for the import of such products.

Details of imports by the United Kingdom from France in 1974 are contained in the December 1974 edition of "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" (Table II), copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.Minimising the need for the import of products is a matter of improving our competitiveness which is one of the main objectives of the Government's industrial strategy. My right hon. Friend has also urged purchasers and their potential customers to establish deeper and longer-term relationships which should result in a higher proportion of domestic purchases.

Airports

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in accordance with paragraph 5.1(ii) of his Department's "Airport Strategy for Great Britain", he will confirm that the three airports therein listed are not considered to be in South-East England for the purposes of airport planning.

The future rôle of the three airports, at Bournemouth, Birmingham and East Midlands, will be considered in the consultation document on regional airports which I hope to publish early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in accordance with paragraphs 2.8 and 2.12 of his Department's "Airport Strategy for Great Britain" he will confirm that future airport developments in Great Britain will be designed to cater for traffic serving an area reasonably adjacent to the airport.

I cannot anticipate the consultations on this document and the second document on regional airports, which will allow those concerned to present their views on the way air traffic demand in different areas should be met.

Heathrow

asked the Secretary of State for Trade why London Heathrow Airport is to be closed to general aviation flights in the 1980s.

It is the policy of the British Airports Authority to give priority to airline operations at Heathrow Airport; consequently the Authority has said in a consultative document that the forecast growth of air traffic is such that there is unlikely to be any significant runway capacity available for general aviation at Heathrow after 1980. A study of general aviation requirements in South-East England is now being made jointly by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Standing Conference on London and South East Regional Planning.

Chrysler Uk Ltd

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) when the Chrysler United Kingdom company last deposited an account of its trading activities at Companies House;

I. CAPITAL SCHEMES
Scheme			Local Authority			Sponsoring Organisation^*
Further Education provision for mentally handicapped adolescents in 16–19 age group.			Clwyd CC	…	…	—
Mentally handicapped adults: employment on maintenance of council properties.			Clwyd CC	…	…	—
Family Day Centre, Caernarvon	…	…	Clwyd CC	…	…	—
Pendine residential centre for deprived children.			Dyfed CC	…	…	—
Part-time playgroup, Penlan Road, Carmarthen.			Dyfed CC	…	…	—
Mobile information and advice unit, Central and Eastern Swansea.			West Glamorgan CC		…	—

(2) what action he intends to take in view of the fact that Chrysler United Kingdom has not provided the Official Registrar with an account of its trading activities.

No action is called for as the company is up to date with its returns to the Registrar of Companies. An annual return made up to 23rd April 1975 was delivered on 7th May. Annexed to the return were copies of the directors report and accounts for the year ended 31st December 1974.

St Christopher's Motorists' Security Ltd

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if St. Christopher's Security Limited is registered under the Insurance Companies Act.

St. Christopher Motorists' Security Association Ltd is not an authorised insurer under the Insurance Companies Act 1974. Members of the association are insured under a group master policy with Europa Insurance Co. Ltd., which is an authorised insurer.

Wales

Urban Aid

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report all those urban aid schemes approved by his Department and the organisations originally responsible for the applications.

The following list shows the schemes approved under Phase II of the urban aid programme—schemes for commencement in 1975–76—giving, in the case of projects originating with voluntary bodies, the name of the sponsoring organisation:

I. CAPITAL SCHEMES—continued
Scheme			Local Authority			Sponsoring Organisation ^*
Community Centre, Seven Sisters, Neath		…	West Glamorgan CC		…	—
Bonymaen Church Youth Centre	…	…	West Glamorgan CC		…	Glantawe Parochial Church Council.
"Sash" Hostel for the Single homeless		…	Swansea City Council		…	Swansea accommodation for the single homeless.
Old People's Pavilion, Montana Park Landore.			Swansea City Council		…	—
Community Centre, Perthcelyn, Mountain Ash.			Cynon Valley BC		…	—
Disused Eagle Hotel, Ynyshire: adaption as accommodation for homeless.			Rhondda BC	…	…	—
Community Development Centre, River side, Cardiff.			South Glamorgan CC		…	Canton and Riverside Action Group.
Cyrenians Overnight Shelter	…	…	South Glamorgan CC		…	Cardiff Cyrenians Ltd.
Community Centre, Gibbonsdown, Barry			Vale of Glamorgan BC			—
Centre at Tredegar to replace existing Red Cross Building (includes pre-school playgroup).			Gwent CC	…	…	—
Extension of Day Care facilities, Tudor Street, Abergavenny.			Gwent CC	…	…	—
Youth and Amenities Centre for Pillgwenlly Children's Playground Association.			Newport BC	…	…	Pill Childrens Playground Association.
Housing advice centre, Newport	…	…	Newport BC	…	…	—

II. NON-CAPITAL SCHEMES
Scheme			Local Authority			Sponsoring Organisation ^*
Accommodation of mentally ill patients: payment of grants to Private Boarding Houses.			Clwyd CC	…	…	—
Day Fostering: children in special need		…	Clwyd CC	…	…	—
Community worker: Gilfach Goch		…	Mid Glamorgan CC		…	—
Appointment of Tutor for adult illiterates			South Glamorgan CC		…	—
Community/Education project, South Ely			South Glamorgan CC		…	—
Drugs Advisory Service: prevention of addiction through counselling and education.			South Glamorgan CC		…	South Wales Association for the Prevention of Addiction.
Catholic Housing Aid Society: relief of homelessness in Cardiff area.			Cardiff City Council		…	Catholic Housing Aid Society
Scheme to combat adult illiteracy	…	…	Gwent CC	…	…	—

III. NON-CAPITAL SCHEMES (GRANT-AIDED FOR ONE YEAR ONLY)
Scheme				Local Authority			Sponsoring Organisation ^*
Fairwater Neighbourhood Association—Improvements at the "Threepenny Bit" Community Hall.				Torfaen HC	…	…	Fairwater Neighbourhood Association.
South Wales Talking Magazine for the Blind.				South Glamorgan CC		…	South Wales Talking Magazine for the Blind.
St. Cadoc's Hospital League of Friends—Furnishing of Group Home.				Newport BC	…	…	St. Cadoc's Hospital League of Friends.
Heol-y-Llwynau Children's Play Area			…	Lliw Valley BC	…	…	—
Play Area, Llanbradach	…	…	…	Rhymney Valley BC		…	—
Children's Play Area, Greenfield School Newbridge.				Islwyn BC	…	…	—
^* Where no sponsoring organisation is shown, the project was submitted by the local authority concerned.

Projects submitted under Phase 14 of the programme—schemes for commencement in 1976–77—are now under consideration in the Department.

Advance Factories

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total public capital expenditure on the provision of advance factories in Wales over the past 12 years, the number of factories concerned, the number of persons currently employed in these factories and the capital cost per job created.

£13·35 million has been spent in the past 12 years on 88 completed factories: 6,100 persons were employed in the 72 factories currently occupied. The capital cost per job created is about £1,800 in respect of the latter factories.

Nominated Bodies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total amount of allowances and expenses claimed by members of nominated bodies in Wales in 1974.

The total amount of allowances and expenses paid from Welsh Office Votes to members of nominated bodies in Wales in 1974–75 was £81,500.

Housing

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses in Wales are estimated, at the most recent available point in time, to be unfit for human habitation; and what proportion this represents of the total housing stock in Wales.

Local Authority				Resolution Declared			Area				Number of Dwellings
Blaenau Gwent DC		…	…	23rd December 1974		…	Six Bells, Abertillery		…	…	266
Cardiff City Council		…	…	26th March 1975		…	WAASP Area, Lower Splott, Cardiff	…	…	…	133
Rhondda BC	…	…	…	26th March 1975		…	Britannia Porth		…	…	200
Newport BC	…	…	…	22nd April 1975		…	Clarence	…	…	…	214
Vale of Glamorgan BC			…	28th April 1975		…	Cadoxton	…	…	…	276
Cardiff City Council		…	…	30th April 1975		…	Planets	…	…	…	248
Ynys Mon BC	…	…	…	29th May 1975	…	…	Vulcan Street, Holyhead			…	53
South Pembrokeshire DC			…	18th June 1975	…	…	Pennar	…	…	…	179
Afan BC	…	…	…	25th June 1975	…	…	Aberavon South		…	…	384
Islwyn BC	…	…	…	26th June 1975	…	…	Cwm Argoed		…	…	33
Swansea CC	…	…	…	31st July 1975	…	…	Hafod South	…	…	…	429
Lliw Valley BC	…	…	…	14th August 1975		…	Lower Gorseinon		…	…	153
Cardiff CC	…	…	…	24th September 1975		…	Cranbrook Street		…	…	35
Cardiff CC	…	…	…	24th September 1975		…	Walker Road		…	…	8
At this early stage it is not possible to estimate accurately the public expenditure associated with each scheme.

Northern Ireland

Communist Party (London District)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a request has been received by his Department for a meeting with the London district of the Communist Party; and whether it is the intention to meet it.

The London District Committee of the Communist Party wrote to my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 13th November, asking that he receive a deputation on 25th November to discuss Government policy in Northern Ireland. The Minister has asked the committee to let him have its views in writing.

I would refer the hon. Member to Table 5 of the 1973 Welsh House Condition Survey Report, copies of which are in the Library. This Report contains the latest available data for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the housing action areas in Wales that have been designated since the coming into force of the Housing Act 1974 and the total estimated public expenditure associated with each of these schemes.

The following 14 housing action areas have been confirmed by the Secretary of State since the coming into force of the provision of Part IV of the Housing Act 1974 on 2nd December 1974:

Ira Cease-Fire

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the attitude of Her Majesty's Government to the so-called IRA cease-fire.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975], gave the following information:Following the unilateral declaration by the Provisionals of their first cease-fire last year I reaffirmed to the House on 14th January that the actions of the security forces in Northern Ireland would be related to the level of any activity that might occur. This remains the policy, and the Government will not be deterred from taking all the measures necessary to deal with acts of terrorism from whatever quarter they arise.

Law Enforcement

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will take steps to ensure that the laws affecting motor tax, street trading, rent and rate-paying, broadcasting licences and licensed premises are fully enforced in all areas in Northern Ireland.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975] gave the following information:The hon. Member refers to a wide range of matters, in respect of which there are differing methods of enforcement, including action, as appropriate in the criminal or civil courts. The police and other organisations concerned do everything they can to enforce the law and they receive my full support.

Mullaghduff And Aghnacloy (Border Crossings)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will destroy all unmanned border crossings between Mullaghduff and Aghnacloy.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975] gave the following information:Of the 49 border crossings between Mullaghduff and Aghnacloy, three are approved crossings and 42 are blocked. The question whether the remaining four unapproved crossings should be open or closed is kept under review in the light of the security situation.

Law And Order

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is aware of the mounting campaign in Northern Ireland designed to discredit the Army, the RUC and the judicial and legal legal system in Northern Ireland; and if he will take action to counteract this campaign.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975] gave the following information:I am well aware of the campaign to which the hon. Member refers. It takes many forms ranging from scurrilous and unfounded allegations by members of illegal organisations and their supporters to unfounded criticisms by people in responsible positions.This highly disciplined and impartial way in which the Army and the RUC together with the UDR and the RUC Reserve have carried out their very difficult tasks in Northern Ireland is deserving of the highest praise. The judicial and legal system in Northern Ireland needs no defence from anyone. The hon. Member can be assured, however, that every effort will be made to present the truth about these and other matters to the public.

Farms (Border Areas)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to provide alarm systems for isolated farms in the border areas.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975] gave the following information:A number of suggestions for improving the security of isolated communities in border areas have been made and these are being actively studied.

Compensation (Prisoners And Terrorism Victims)

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there is a disparity between the compensation payments to prisoners ill-treated while in custody and the compensation payments to victims of terrorism; and if he will take steps to remedy this defect.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975] gave the following information:Prisoners who allege that they were ill treated while in custody may seek redress at common law in an action for damages in tort. Victims of terrorism may claim compensation for personal injuries under the Criminal Injuries to Persons (Compensation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1968.The bases of assessment and entitlement to compensation in these two circumstances are different. It is not appropriate to seek to draw comparisons. As the hon. Member is aware, I have instituted a review of the 1968 Act.

Murder And Armed Robberies

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many armed robberies and attempted armed robberies have taken place from 1st January 1975 to 29th November 1975 in the RUC "B" Division, Belfast; and how many people have been charged and brought before the courts.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975], gave the following information:138 armed robberies and 59 attempted armed robberies. 48 people have so far been charged and brought before the courts in connection with these crimes.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many armed robberies and attempted armed robberies have taken place from 1st January 1975 to 29th November 1975 in the RUC "C" Division, Belfast; and how many people have been charged and brought before the courts.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975], gave the following information:234 armed robberies and 17 attempted armed robberies. 32 people have so far been charged and brought before the courts in connection with these crimes.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many murders and attempted murders have taken place between 1st January 1975 and 29th November 1975 in "C" Division of the RUC, Belfast; and how many people have been charged and brought before the courts.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975], gave the following information:33 murders and 53 attempted murders. 35 people have so far been charged and brought before the courts in connection with these crimes.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many murders and attempted murders have taken place between 1st January 1975 and 29th November 1975 in the RUC "B" Division, Belfast; and how many people have been charged and brought before the courts.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th December 1975], gave the following information:11 murders and 109 attempted murders. 37 people have so far been charged and brought before the courts in connection with these crimes.

Education And Science

Adult Illiteracy

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of the campaign against adult illiteracy.

As a result of the BBC's adult literacy project and of local publicity many thousands of people are coming forward both to seek help in improving their reading and writing skills and to act as volunteer tutors.Local education authorities and voluntary organisations are responding to the increased demand for adult literacy provision and are being helped in their work by the Adult Literacy Resource Agency which was established by the National Institute of Adult Education to administer the £1 million provided by the Government to assist in combating adult illiteracy.

Artistic Works (Exports)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will specify the sources of information on which he based his review of cases relating to the export under open general licence of British portraits of national importance valued at less than £4,000.

My review was of all cases considered by the Reviewing Committee on the export of works of art in the nine years ended 30th June 1975, where the declared value was less than twice the figure at which a specific export licence was required. Only two of these cases were of portraits, and in neither case did the Reviewing Committee decide that the portrait concerned was of national importance under the Waverley criteria. It is clear that items of lesser value would have been even less likely to qualify under the Waverley criteria.

Archaeology

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when a reply will be given to the memorandum embodying the joint views of the Committee for Rescue Archaeology of the Ancient Monuments Board (Department of the Environment) and the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries, which was sent to his Department on 15th September and which urged central Government support for the care of material and records derived from rescue archaeology at local museums.

A letter was sent to the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries on this matter on 5th December.

Immigrant Children

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice is given to local education authorities with regard to the inclusion of immigrant children whose parents have special religious requirements in the comprehensive system.

The rights of parents and the duties and powers of local education authorities and other bodies with regard to religious education are set out in the Education Act 1944. These apply irrespective of whether the parents are immigrants and of whether the local secondary schools are comprehensive. In particular, the Act gives the parents of any child at a maintained school the right to withdraw the child from religious worship or instruction, and specifies the circumstances in which religious instruction distinctive of a particular denomination may be given in a county secondary school.

Education Costs

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average cost per student year in primary schools, secondary schools, technical colleges, polytechnics and universities, in England and Wales, in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he is able to provide comparable figures for other countries in the EEC.

In the financial year 1974–75 the net institutional recurrent costs per pupil or student were as follows:

ENGLAND AND WALES
	1975 Survey Prices
	£
Primary schools	215
Secondary schools	345
Polytechnics	1,500
Other major further education establishments	715
Universities (Great Britain)	1,685

These costs exclude expenditure on student support and loan charges.Comparable figures for other countries of the European Community are not available.

Local Authority Schemes

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of schemes that have been approved by his Department for which local authorities have been given authority to proceed but which are not being proceeded with because of the financial position of local authorities.

The information requested could not be made available without contacting all local education authorities and at disproportionate cost. If the hon. Gentleman will write to me about any particular schemes which he has in mind I will let him know the position.

British Library

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in the negotiations for the purchase of the site for the British Library.

As I announced on 5th August, negotiations have been opened with the National Freight Corporation and the British Rail Board for the purchase of a site owned by them in the Euston Road to accommodate the new British Library building. This will provide a more satisfactory and economical solution than the site previously contemplated in Bloomsbury. Negotiations are well under way, and site notices have been displayed, and a Press advertisement is to be issued in accordance with the principles of Section 26 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, as a preliminary to the consultation procedure that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will have with Camden Borough Council, as the local planning authority.

University Candidates (Language Students)

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many candidates applied for admission to university to read German, Spanish or

					Academic year of application
					1971–72	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
German	…	…	…	…	791	687	678	625
Spanish	…	…	…	…	227	241	167	182
Italian	…	…	…	…	67	61	52	48
French/German (combined)				…	782	839	787	722
Note: All subjects include "area studies".

Employment

Redundancy

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when the notification of redundancy clauses of the Employment Protection Act will come into force.

It is hoped to bring these provisions into force in the spring of next year.

Llanwern Steel Works (Dispute)

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the implementation of recommendations of the special court of inquiry into the wage dispute over the commissioning of the new high capacity furnace at Llanwern is consistent with the objectives of the Government pay policy.

It will be for the negotiators themselves to ensure that in reaching a settlement full account is taken of the provisions of the White Paper "The Attack on Inflation" (Cmnd. 6151).

Unemployed Persons

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing male and female unemployment in percentage and number terms in Glasgow for each October in 1945, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.

The following table shows information from 1950, the earliest Italian as main subjects in 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.

Following are the numbers of candidates applying through the Universities Central Council on Admissions—UCCA—for admission to Universities in the United Kingdom, stating German, Spanish or Italian as subject of first choice. Statistics of applications to read these subjects in combination with others are not readily available except for combined French/German, included below.year specified for which statistics on the current basis are available.

GLASGOW TRAVEL-TO-WORK AREA
	Number unemployed		Percentage rate of unemployment
October	Males	Females	Males	Females
1950	16,393	4,936	3·9	2·2
1951	12,155	5,233	2·9	2·3
1955	10,680	3,513	2·7	1·5
1959	21,658	5,643	5·6	2·5
1964	18,182	4,463	4·9	1·9
1966	15,793	3,327	4·5	1·4
1970	26,102	3,846	8·0	1·7
1971	35,966	5,858	10·6	2·7
1972	36,707	6,277	11·2	2·9
1973	23,443	3,367	7·2	1·5
1974	23,275	3,275	7·2	1·5
1975	30,045	6,256	9·3	2·8

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for the numbers of unemployed and the percentage unemployment rate for males and females for Great Britain and for each of the regions; and if he will list the regions in rank order according to the increase in the percentage rate of unemployment in the past year.

The following table shows the information available. The most recent figures of the unemployed are for November 1975. Owing to industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency full details of the unemployed are not available from October 1974 to December 1974. The regions have, therefore, been ranked according to the increase in the rate of unemployment since January 1975.

November 1975										Increase in percentage rate January 1975 to November 1975
				Numbers Unemployed			Percentage Rate
				Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
West Midlands			…	91,707	27,782	119,489	6·5	3·1	5·2	+2·5
Wales	…	…	…	55,031	15,709	70,740	8·5	4·2	6·9	+2·2
South-West		…	…	70,285	20,868	91,153	7·5	3·4	5·9	+2·0
North-West		…	…	137,606	35,256	172,862	8·2	3·2	6·2	+1·9
Yorkshire and Humberside				78,380	20,146	98,526	6·2	2·6	4–8	+1·6
North	…	…	…	67,375	20,136	87,511	8·3	4·1	6·7	+1·5
South-East		…	…	206,836	53,828	260,664	4·7	1·8	3·5	+1·4
East Anglia		…	…	22,523	5,914	28,437	5·4	2·2	4·2	+1·4
East Midlands			…	49,507	13,496	63,003	5·4	2·3	4·2	+1·4
Scotland		…	…	95,733	32,029	127,762	7·4	3·7	5·9	+1·1
Great Britain			…	874,983	245,164	1,120,147	6·3	2·7	4·9	+1·6

Jobcentres

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to bring about Saturday opening of jobcentres.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the Employment Service Agency, in providing and developing its employment services, aims to cater for the needs of each local community. It would favour selective Saturday morning opening where there is considered to be a significant need, but staff association support for such a service has not been forthcoming.

Industrial Tribunals

asked the Secretary or State for Employment how many women are members of industrial tribunals.

381.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many more cases are expected to come before industrial tribunals in 1976 as a result of: (a) the passage of the Sex Discrimination Act and (b) the implementation of the Equal Pay Act.

It is very difficult to forecast the likely case load for industrial tribunals under these two Acts. However, it has been necessary for planning purposes to make some assumption of the likely case load, and the number of complaints to tribunals forecast for 1976 is 6,000 for the two Acts, more than half of them complaints relating to the Equal Pay Act. It has also been assumed for planning purposes that somewhat fewer than half of these complaints will either be settled by conciliation or otherwise withdrawn, and so will not need to be dealt with by a tribunal hearing.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will advertise in appropriate publications for applicants for membership of industrial tribunals.

No. The present method of obtaining members of industrial tribunals is working satisfactorily and I see no reason to change it.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, if he will take steps to increase the number of women who are members of industrial tribunals.

The number of women members of tribunals has increased considerably in the past 18 months and 24 per cent. of all members are now women, and we have encouraged nominating organisations to have full regard to the claims of suitably qualified women on presenting their nominations. With this proportion of women on tribunals there will generally be a woman member on any tribunal which hears a case under the Sex Discrimination and the Equal Pay Acts. We will shortly be approaching the TUC, the CBI and some other employer organisations for additional nominations to cope with the expected increase in cases arising in the course of next year from new legislation. We shall encourage them to bear in mind the need for tribunal members to be representative of a wide range of different kinds of employers and workers, including women and members of ethnic minorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will ask bodies with industrial experience other than the CBI and the TUC to recommend names for consideration for appointment to membership of industrial tribunals.

In addition to the TUC and CBI, employers' organisations covering retail trades, local authorities and the health services are already invited to suggest nominees for membership of the industrial tribunals who have had experience as employers in particular areas of industry. I have no plans to invite other bodies to suggest nominees for membership.

School Leavers

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for the numbers of school leavers unemployed for Great Britain and each of the regions; and if he will list the regions in rank order according to the percentage increase in the number of teenagers unemployed in the past year.

I will reply to my hon. Friend's Question as soon as possible.

Community Industries

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is yet in a position to announce an increase in the allocation of places for community industries.

I hope that an early announcement will be possible.

Ormskirk, Kirkby And Merseyside

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers are currently on short-time in Ormskirk.

In the week commencing 10th November 1975, 236 workers were known by my Department to be on short-time working in the Ormskirk employment office area.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many unfilled vacancies there are in each of the main occupational groups in Ormskirk; and what this represents as a percentage of the unemployed in each group;(2)how many men and women are unemployed in each occupational group in Ormskirk;(3)how many unfilled vacancies there are in each of the main occupational groups in Kirkby and on Merseyside, respectively; and what these are as a percentage of toltal unemployed in each group.

The following table shows the numbers of unemployed and of unfilled vacancies. The vacancy statistics relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and are not a measure of total vacancies. A considerable number of unemployed are registered as general labourers, thus indicating that they could do a variety of unskilled work, and are considered for all suitable vacancies and not just those for labourers. For this reason ratios of the numbers of notified vacancies to unemployed are not calculated for the occupational groups.

				September 1975
				Ormskirk				Kirkby				Merseyside Special Development Area
				Notified unfilled vacancies		Unemployed		Notified unfilled vacancies		Unemployed		Notified unfilled vacancies		Unemployed
				Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
Managerial (general management)	…	…	…	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	9	—	64	21
Professional and related supporting management and administration	…	…	…	—	—	1	3	—	—	—	—	181	12	305	52
Professional and related in education, welfare and health				—	5	5	6	—	—	4	7	53	136	176	234
Literary, artistic and sports	…	…	…	1	—	3	1	—	—	5	2	5	2	175	57
Professional and related in science, engineering, technology and similar fields				—	—	3	4	1	—	8	1	210	2	472	56
Managerial (excluding general management)	…	…	…	1	—	8	—	—	—	14	—	159	25	655	41
Clerical and related	…	…	…	1	4	59	53	10	24	64	221	122	354	3,279	4,725
Selling	…	…	…	6	3	15	7	16	48	23	137	201	164	829	1,668
Security and protective service	…	…	…	3	—	4	—	1	1	17	—	32	3	262	5
Catering, cleaning, hairdressing and other personal service				—	8	5	11	4	18	54	53	155	413	756	983
Farming, fishing and related	…	…	…	1	—	6	—	—	—	7	1	7	1	114	15
Materials processing (excluding metal) (hides, textiles, chemicals, food, drink and tobacco, wood, paper and board, rubber and plastics)				—	—	1	—	2	—	30	4	16	1	466	30
Making and repairing (excluding metal and electrical) (glass, ceramics, printing, paper products, clothing, footwear, woodworking, rubber and plastics)				2	3	16	1	1	9	119	16	32	100	1,572	352
Processing making, repairing and related (metal and electrical) (iron, steel and other metals, engineering (including installation and maintenance), vehicles and shipbuilding)				14	—	40	—	19	1	368	4	239	7	5,420	42
Painting, repetitive assembling, product inspecting, packaging and related				3	1	3	3	9	5	75	41	220	32	1,014	513
Construction, mining and related not identified elsewhere				3	—	30	—	—	—	324	—	38	—	4,751	—
Transport operating, materials moving and storing and related				2	—	36	3	8	—	315	3	69	11	4,276	62
Miscellaneous, including general labourers	…	…	…	—	13	207	75	—	—	2,196	475	18	22	29,162	4,223
The figures do not include data for Careers Offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been lost in each of the men's occupational groups in Ormskirk in the last 10 years; and what job opportunities have replaced them.

I regret that information about job losses and job gains in each of the men's occupational groups in Ormskirk in the last 10 years is not avail- able. Although information from the 1971 Census of Population gives the numbers of men in occupational groups working in Ormskirk UD, similar information is not available from the results of the 1961 Census of Population. For this reason it is not possible to estimate the net changes within occupational groups over this 10-year period.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the total

UNEMPLOYED AT NOVEMBER 1975
		Total unemployed			Unemployed aged under 20 included in total	Percentage rate of unemployment
		Males	Females	Total	Unemployed aged under 20 included in total	Males	Females	Total
Ormskirk employment office area	…	450	123	573	88	11·1^*	6·2^*	9·4^*
Kirkby employment office area	…	3,925	1,222	5,147	1,465	Separate rates not available.—See footnote.
Merseyside Special Development area		57,464	15,538	73,002	15,458	12·2	5·5	9·7
^* Rates relate to the Ormskirk travel-to-work area which also includes Skelmersdale.
Note:
Kirkby is part of the Liverpool travel-to-work area. Rates can be calculated for this area as a whole but not separately for its constituent parts. The rates for the travel-to-work area were 12·8 per cent. for males, 5·5 per cent. for females and 10·0 per cent. in total.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers are currently on short-time in Kirkby and on Merseyside, respectively.

In the week commencing 10th November 1975, 36 workers in the Kirkby employment office area and 5,351 workers in the Merseyside Special Development Area were known by my Department to be on short-time working.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many building and construction workers are unemployed in Kirkby and on Mersey- side, respectively; and how this compares with the same months in each of the last five years.

number of unemployed in Ormskirk; how many of these are men, how many women and how many juveniles; and what these figures are expressed as a percentage of employees;

(2) what is the total number of unemployed in Kirkby and on Merseyside at the latest available date; how many of these are men, how many women and how many juveniles; and what these figures are in percentage terms of employees.

From October 1975 there are monthly figures of the numbers unemployed, other than adult students registered for vacation employment, aged under 20. Percentage rates of unemployment, however, are not calculated for separate age groups. Following is the information available.

Following is the information:

UNEMPLOYED WHO LAST WORKED IN CONSTRUCTION
	Kirkby Employment Office area	Merseyside Special Development area
November 1975	838	13,434
November 1974	576	10,085
November 1973	543	6,892
November 1972	603	9,351
November 1971	634	9,247
November 1970	415	6,184

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been lost in each of the main industries in Kirkby and on Merseyside, respectively, in the last 10 years; and what job opportunities have replaced them.

I will reply to my hon. Friend's Quesion as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and women are employed in each occupational group in Kirkby and on Merseyside, respectively; and how many

						Kirkby UD		Merseyside Conurbation
						Males	Females	Males	Females
Farmers, foresters, fishermen			…	…	…	80	20	2,840	270
Miners and quarrymen		…	…	…	…	—	—	60	—
Gas, coke and chemicals makers				…	…	260	—	6,020	740
Glass and Ceramics makers			…	…	…	260	—	640	100
Furnace, forge, foundry rolling mill workers					…	360	110	1,060	20
Electrical and electronic workers				…	…	640	200	13,600	2,340
Engineering and allied trades workers NEC					…	5,820	1,960	60,350	5,690
Woodworkers		…	…	…	…	1,200	20	8,150	80
Leather workers		…	…	…	…	10	—	560	500
Textile workers		…	…	…	…	10	30	530	760
Clothing workers		…	…	…	…	20	180	1,340	5,290
Food, drink and tobacco workers				…	…	570	770	8,190	5,360
Paper and printing workers			…	…	…	250	340	5,380	2,160
Makers of other products			…	…	…	210	80	3,770	2,040
Construction workers		…	…	…	…	570	—	11,480	10
Painters and decorators		…	…	…	…	330	10	5,360	150
Drivers of stationary engines, cranes, etc.					…	850	—	7,320	40
Labourers NEC	…	…	…	…	…	1,980	290	26,240	4,000
Transport and communications workers					…	920	50	42,170	3,070
Warehousemen, storekeepers, packers, bottlers						960	1,000	10,720	11,030
Clerical workers	…	…	…	…	…	1,350	2,100	30,800	67,030
Sales workers	…	…	…	…	…	550	470	24,840	28,560
Service, sport and recreation workers				…	…	700	1,670	21,420	45,920
Administrators and managers			…	…	…	890	40	17,730	1,610
Professional, technical workers, artists				…	…	1,850	900	33,790	26,230
Armed Forces (British and foreign)				…	…	20	—	660	30
Inadequately described Occupations				…	…	150	140	1,920	2,220
Total	…	…	…	…	…	20,550	10,380	346,940	215,250
NEC=Not elsewhere classified.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of skill-centre places available at Kirkby and Merseyside, including Liverpool, Runcorn, St. Helens and Kirkby, are, by broad occupational groups:

	Kirkby	Merseyside
Construction	14	222
Engineering production	36	246
Engineering servicing	—	64
Electrical/electronics	—	96
Plant and automotive	48	170
General servicing	—	12
Miscellaneous	—	42
Short industrial courses	—	24
Total	98	876

Scotland

Secondary Schools, Dundee

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in

skillcentre places are available in each such occupational group.

The 10 per cent. sample results of the economic activity information from the 1971 Census of Population give the following numbers of males and females in each occupational group in employment by workplace for Kirkby UD and Merseyside Conurbation, respectively:progressive order those secondary schools in Dundee which are overcrowded and express the degree of overcrowding in percentage form in each case, taking as standards those set out in The School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967 as altered by the Amendment Regulations 1973.

As records of the amounts of educational accommodation in schools are not maintained centrally I am asking Tayside Regional Council to write to the hon. Gentleman about the information requested.

Diseases

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in descending order of incidence the five most serious chronic diseases in Scotland and indicate for each one how much Government money has been spent on research into it during each of the past 10 years.

Chronic conditions cannot be distinguished in records from acute conditions affecting the same organs. In 1973 the most frequent causes of death from disease in Scotland were as follows:

Condition	Number of Cases	Percentage of all deaths
Heart disease	22,425	34·74
Malignant neoplasms	12,932	20·04
Cerebro-vascular disease	10,265	15·90
Pneumonia	3,021	4·68
Bronchitis, emphysema and asthma	2,652	4·11

Biomedical research is supported by the Medical Research Council, the University Grants Committee and the Health Departments, but most of this expenditure is not explicitly related to a particular disease. I shall write to the hon. Member with such additional information as is available.

Education (Expenditure)

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the central Government expenditure and local government expenditure on primary and secondary education in Scotland in the last available year; how many pupils were enrolled; and what is the cost of running the Department of Education in Scotland.

Expenditure by local authorities in 1973–74 on school education—primary, secondary, special and nursery—was £254·8 million. Within this total it is estimated that the figures for primary and secondary education were £108·8 million and £137 million respectively. Central Government assistance towards education and other services is provided to local authorities through the rate support grant; but it is not possible to attribute particular amounts of this grant to individual services or parts of services.In January 1974 there were 634,677 primary and 370,864 secondary pupils in local authority schools.Information about direct grants in connection with schools education, the administration costs of the Scottish Education Department and rate support grants in 1975–76 will be found at pages X–13, XIII–51 and XVII–5 of the Supply Estimates (HC210 of Session 1974–75).

Scottish Development Agency

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on what grounds he decided to make the chairmanship of the Scottish Development Agency a part-time rather than a full-time appointment.

My view is that the advantage to the Agency will be maximised by an appointment which combines a substantial proportion of the Chairman's time in the direct service of the Agency with the benefits to be derived from his continuing ability to participate in other spheres of activity in Scotland. The Chairman will, of course, be supported by a full-time chief executive who will ex officio be a member of the Agency.

Social Work Training

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that regional authorities in Scotland are including a sufficient proportion of the total social work department financial allocation for staff training in social work; and if he can give details region by region.

Details of regional authorities' financial provisions for the in-service training of social work staff are not available centrally.

Family Planning

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what area health boards are not making funds available for the implementation of the hospital family planning service.

A family planning service has hitherto been available in hospitals as part of the obstetric and gynaecological services. Implementation of the agreement providing for expansion of this service into the social field is presenting difficulties for health boards in the present financial situation. Discussions have taken place with the profession and further guidance will be issued to health boards shortly. Meantime no additional funds have been made available for the expansion of this service in hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost of family planning services in hospitals, clinics and from general practitioners, during the current financial year.

Hitherto the family planning service in hospitals has been provided as an integrated part of the obstetric and gynaecological services; and the rate at which this service can be expanded following the recent agreement with the profession will be a matter for local decision by individual health boards. For these reasons it is not possible to give a meaningful estimate of hospital expenditure in this field. The cost in the current year of family planning services provided by clinics and by general medical practitioners is estimated at £1,400,000. In addition to that figure, the cost of drugs and appliances prescribed by doctors in this context is estimated at £890,000.

Mortgages

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which local authorities in Scotland have so far nominated applicants for loans under the building societies £7 million lending scheme; what has been the sum allocated to each of these authorities; and which building societies have provided the mortgages.

The details requested are not available: returns regarding the operation of the scheme have yet to be submitted. The scheme is, however, under way in a number of areas in Scotland. Building societies are allocating funds on the basis of individual loan applications and it has not yet been necessary to devise any block allocation for particular local authority areas. The lending criteria being applied are set out in SDD Circular No. 112/1975, a copy of which is in the Library.

Secretary Of State For Social Services

Q7.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now dismiss the Secretary of State for Social Services.

No.

Q19.

asked the Prime Minister if he will dismiss the Secretary of State for Social Services.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Conway (Mr. Roberts).

Secretary Of State For Trade

Q8.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now dismiss the Secretary of State for Trade.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Chertsey and Walton (Mr. Pattie).

Q18.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now dismiss the Secretary of State for Trade.

Q33.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now dismiss the Secretary of State for Trade.

The House may assume that I do not intend to dismiss any existing Ministers or appoint any new Ministers, unless and until I make a statement to the contrary.

European Council (Rome Meeting)

Q9.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his last meeting with EEC Heads of Government.

Q11.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his last meeting with EEC Heads of Government.

Q12.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Rome.

Q14.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his last meeting with EEC Heads of Government.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Mr. Steen) on 9th December.

Prime Minister (Visits)

Q10.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Costa Rica.

Q23.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to Costa Rica.

Q26.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Costa Rica.

Q28.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to Costa Rica.

Q30.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Costa Rica.

I have at present no plans to do so.

Q15.

asked the Prime Minister if he intends to pay an official visit to Sweden.

Q21.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes next to visit Sweden.

Q31.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Sweden.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Chester-le-Street (Mr. Radice).

Q25.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to Shoreham.

I have at present no plans to do so.

Q34.

asked the Prime Minister when he next intends to seek to pay an official visit to the Republic of Cyprus.

I have at present no plans to do so.

Tuc And Cbi

Q13.

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to meet the TUC and CBI.

Q27.

asked the Prime Minister when he next expects to meet the Trades Union Congress and the Confederation of British Industry.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friends the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on 25th November.

European Community (Heads Of Government)

Q16.

asked the Prime Minister when he will next meet the European Economic Community Heads of Government.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Ward) on 9th December.

Nationalised Industries

Q20.

asked the Prime Minister when he next expects to meet the chairmen of the nationalised industries.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

Goverment Economic Service

Q22.

asked the Prime Minister if he will assume direct responsibility for the Government Economic Service.

No. Responsibility for the management of economists in the Government Economic Service properly rests with the 20 or so employing Departments acting on the advice of the Head of the Service, and subject to the overall control, in respect of numbers and grading, of the Civil Service Department. The Head of the Service has a general responsibility for matters relating to professional standards, training, career development and the deployment of staff over the Service as a whole.

Legislation

Q24.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the progress of the Government's programme of legislation for the present Parliament.

Yes, and I am sure my hon. Friend will welcome the further advance, which this programme ensures, in fulfilling the manifesto on which he and I were elected to this Parliament.

European Social Fund

Q29.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Departments of Employment and of Health and Social Security on the administration of British applications for European Economic Community Social Fund payments.

Yes.

National Consumer Council

Q32.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will take steps to ensure that the National Consumer Council will be formally represented at the next meeting of NEDC.

No. As my hon. Friend knows, Mr. Michael Young, one of the independent members of NEDC, is also Chairman of the National Consumer Council and is able if he wishes to express the council's views, in addition to his own, at meetings of NEDC.

Special Advisers

Q35.

asked the Prime Minister what is the current annual salary costs of the special advisers appointed by him.

I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow).

Nuclear Power Stations

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution on Demonstration Commercial Scale Fast Breeder Nuclear Power Stations and a copy of his reply to the Royal Commission.

I did so on 9th December.

Council Of Europe (United Kingdom Delegation)

asked the Prime Minister what change has been made in the composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The hon. Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel) has been appointed a Substitute Member of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in place of the hon. Member for Beeston (Mr. Lester).

United States Of America

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the setting up by the United States Government of a committee to study British proposals for import restrictions under President Ford's special trade adviser, Mr. Frederick Dent, he will personally communicate with the President of the United States with a view to harmonising British and American policies on (1) Great Britain's application for loans from the IMF and its special oil fund, (2) proposals for temporary restrictions on imports, and (3) further NATO defence cuts.

No. I had a full discussion with President Ford on matters of mutual interest at the Economic Summit Meeting at Rambouillet last month. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his reply on 10th November when announcing our wish to apply for International Monetary Fund drawings, these drawings are a matter for discussion with the Fund and are not expected to be made until early next year. No decisions have so far been taken on the subject of temporary restrictions on imports. The question of defence expenditure is still under review in the course of the annual public expenditure survey exercise.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

British Residents Abroad

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated number of citizens of the United Kingdom that are resident in each of the other eight countries of the EEC.

Precise figures are not available since citizens of the United Kingdom resident overseas are not bound to register with our diplomatic posts. The most recent estimates of the number of United Kingdom citizens resident in other member States of the EEC are as follows:

Belgium	25,000
Denmark	8,000
Federal Republic of Germany	60,300^*
France	30,000
Irish Republic	110,000
Italy	22,000
Luxembourg	1,200
The Netherlands	15,000
^* Excluding Service personnel.

Human Rights

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by the Government within the institutions of the EEC to press for the harmonisation of human rights throughout the countries of the EEC.

None. All the member States of the EEC are parties to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Cmnd 8969) drawn up by the Council of Europe and signed in Rome on 4th November 1950.

Passports

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it clear to his colleagues representing other members of the EEC that the United Kingdom will not contemplate the introduction of a common European passport until the legal systems of member States, and in particular of France, are revised so as to guarantee the level of legal and human rights enjoyed by citizens of the United Kingdom.

No.

Diplomatic Missions (Staffs)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons are employed full time on official United Kingdom representation in Paris and in the rest of France.

At our Embassy in Paris there are 121 United Kingdom-based staff of whom 47 are on the Diplomatic List. The Embassy also employs 158 locally-engaged staff of all grades, including messengers and cleaners but excluding domestic staff and 72 locally engaged staff at our consulates.In addition there are in France three Missions accredited to international organisations:

	UK-based Staff	Locally-Engaged Staff
OECD Paris	11	5
UNESCO Paris	1	1
Council of Europe Strasbourg	5	3

Embassy Officials (Children's School Fees)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now answer the Question tabled to him by the hon. Member for Kingston-on-Thames on 24th November 1975 asking if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the value per head of the total remuneration package, including all allowances and help with school fees at ambassador, minister, councillor, first secretary and second secretary levels in the British embassies in Bonn, Paris, Rome and Brussels; and whether he will indicate the cases in which accommodation, personal transport, or help towards personal transport are provided.

I have done so.

Un Centre For Transnational Corporations

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Minister will be responsible for maintaining contact with the UN Centre for Transnational Corporations; and what statements, reports and documents have been submitted by the United Kingdom to the Executive Director, Mr. Klaus A. Sahlgren.

Since the new Centre on Transnational Corporations will be a part of the United Nations system my right hon. Friend will have overall responsibility for Her Majesty's Government's dealings with it. But my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry will be responsible for maintaining day to day contact with the Centre. Since the Centre was only established on 3rd November of this year, no statements, reports or documents have been communicated to the Executive Director.

Volume 902: debated on Thursday 11 December 1975

Written Answers To Questions

Home Department

Dogs (Experiments)

Political Violence

Television Services (Wales)

Urban Aid

Fire Precautions

Tobacco (Sales To Children)

Wage Compensation (Court Attendance)

Prisons (Psychiatric Units)

Law Centres

Government Counsel

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Lotteries

Bail

Race Relations

Race Relations Act 1965

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Agricultural Workers (Career Structure)

Milk

Tied Cottages

Common Agricultural Policy

Production Costs

Iceland (Fishing Dispute)

Home-Grown Food

Beef

Cod Supplies

Capital Taxation

Animal Welfare

Investment

Potatoes

Land Drainage Maps

Labelling

Horticulture

Beam Trawling

Horned Sheep

Food Stocks

Arboreal Diseases

Soft Wheats

Dairy Products

Sugar Refining

House Building

Sheep Scab

Slaugh Termen (Pay)

Environment

Homeless Persons

New Towns

Road Fund Licences

Local Authority Expenditure

M25

Government Offices (Dispersal)

Railway Electrification Costs

Housing Stocks (Oecd Countries)

Noise Insulation (Bury St Edmunds)

Rail Fares

Bus Fares

National Bus Company (Investment)

Housing

Ordnance Survey Charges

Driving And Vehicle Licensing Centre, Swansea

Sports Footwear

Sports Aid Foundation

House Purchasers (Local Authority Sponsorship)

Industry

Chrysler United Kingdom Ltd

Shipbuilding (Government Aid)

Rhodesia (Mail)

Location Of Industry

Civil Service

Pensions

Defence

Northern Ireland

Raf Maintenance Units

Icelandic Fishing (Protection Vessels)

Pensions

Energy

Frigg Offshore Gasfield

Motor Cars (Fuel Consumption)