asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Law Commission to complete its review of the law on treason and related offences.

I am not yet able to make an informed estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's definition of the word "immigrant".

The Home Office is not charged with the responsibility for defining words, but the Oxford English Dictionary defines the term as one who comes into the country as a settler.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many political refugees from South Vietnam have been admitted to the United Kingdom for residence here since the Communist takeover in that country.

142, in addition to 96 Vietnamese who were already in this country and have been granted political asylum. Two applications have been refused.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many political refugees from Chile have been admitted to the United Kingdom for residence here since the present Chilean Government came to power.

1,326, in addition to 44 Chileans who were in this country at the time of the coup and have now been allowed to settle here. 3,192 applications have been refused.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Depart- ment what discussions he is having with the Betting Levy Board about the amount of financial assistance it is giving to horse-racing; and if he will make a statement.

The Horseracing Betting Levy Board has reported to me that it has not reached agreement with the Bookmakers' Committee on the rate of contributions to be required from bookmakers during the levy period beginning 1st April next. The matter is now for determination by me under Section 1 of the Horserace Betting Levy Act 1969, and I hope to announce my decision soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to introduce legislation to restrict the display of pornographic material to those premises not likely to be frequented by minors; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to Questions by the hon. and learned Member for Runcorn (Mr. Carlisle) and the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson) yesterday.—[Vol. 905, c. 590–592.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a working party to consider the operation of the law in regard to obscene publications; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to Questions by the hon. and learned Member for Runcorn (Mr. Carlisle) and the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson) yesterday.—[Vol. 905, c. 590–592.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now publish in the Official Report from international sources available to him a table showing the international detection rate in different countries of crime in recent years together with similar figures for England and Wales.

The figures in the table below are estimated percentage clear-up rates based on returns submitted by the countries concerned to

			Murder	Sexual Offences	Theft	Fraud
Australia	…	…	94	72	28	81
Canada	…	…	84	54	26	59
England and Wales	…	…	91	77	41	82
France	…	…	97	88	23	92
Germany: Federal Republic of		…	95	74	33	95
Italy	…	…	82	91	10	—
Netherlands	…	…	92	55	25	82
New Zealand	…	…	96	80	35	82
Norway	…	…	84	44	26	61
Scotland	…	…	93	77	33	82

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions, and by whose decision, are imposed on the non-family visitors allowed to see category A prisoners.

All visitors to Category A prisoners must be approved. Special arrangements may be made by the governor in particular cases on security grounds. No distinction is made

	1970–71	1971–72	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
	£	£	£	£	£
Civil cases*	45·61	46·91	50·90	56·43	71·39
	£	£	£	£	£
Criminal proceedings in magistrates' courts‡	30·70	31·22	35·65	42·97	52·82

Comparable figures for the higher criminal courts are not available. The following information is available on the

				1970	1971	1972	1973	1974
Applications granted	…	…	…	61,683	70,924	73,872	68,696	77,875
				1970–71	1971–72	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
				£	£	£	£	£
Expenditure§	…	…	…	5·35m.	6·16m.	9·72m.	10·29m.	14·38m.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost per legal aid case or certificate granted in England in each of the last five years.

I have been asked to reply.The information, which relates to England and Wales, is as follows:number of applications granted in each calendar year and the total expenditure in each financial year in respect of the higher criminal courts.†

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the employment prospects for those people who are currently employed at SRDE Highcliffe.

As announced in the 1973 Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cmnd. 5231) the work of the Signals Research and Development Establishment is to be transferred to the Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern. The move is planned to start in mid-1977 and to be substantially completed within three years.It is expected that a large proportion of the staff employed by SRDE at the time will transfer to Malvern with their work. In accordance with an agreement made with the staff representatives, official letters were sent last month to all employees at the establishment to indicate how the move was likely to affect them personally. Every effort will be made to meet individual preferences and to minimise unemployment arising as a result of the move of SRDE.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any proposals to mitigate the effect on Scottish farmers of the overall limit placed on payments of hill livestock compensatory allowances; and if he will make a statement.

The overall limitation on payments of 50 units of account per hectare of eligible land is likely to affect less than 3 per cent. of those in Scotland eligible to receive compensatory allowances. However, during the negotiations on the EEC Less-Favoured Areas Directive, the Government were able to obtain a concession to make payments in excess of the limit on an interim basis to farmers in certain remote parts of Scotland and the Scottish isles. Subject to consultation with the European Commission I propose to apply this concession for a period of two years to the former crofting counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland, Orkney and Shetland and to the Islands of Arran, Bute and Cumbria.I propose that these excess payments should rely upon the authority of the Estimate and the confirming Appropriation Act. I shall in due course be submitting a Supplementary Estimate for 1975–76, and in the meantime I propose to have recourse to the Contingencies Fund for making these payments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Treasury makes estimates of quasi-money in addition to M3; and, if so, what they are.

My right hon. Friend takes account of a range of financial statistics in addition to M3. But once one considers aggregates wider than M3 by including liquid assets other than those held with the banks, such as building society shares and deposits, there is no clear dividing line and no one generally accepted definition of quasi-money. Tables 81 and 90 of the Central Statistical Office publication "Financial Statistics" do, however, provide figures for a range of selected liquid assets held by industrial and commercial companies and the personal sector.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide figures for GNP and GDP at current and constant prices, at factor cost and at market prices for 1946 to 1955 and 1956 to 1975, respectively.

The following table shows the figures requested, together with an index of national disposable income at constant market prices. Gross national product at constant prices measures changes in the volume of output, whilst national disposable income at constant prices measures changes in the nation's real income taking into account movements in the terms of trade. Figures are not yet available for 1975, and there are no constant price figures available for 1946 and 1947.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list in the Official Report the gross national product for each of the last 30 years; the total revenue raised in taxation for each of those years; and the Budget surplus or deficit for each of those years.

Figures from 1946 are given in the table below. Total revenue raised from taxation is taken as the central Government's revenue from taxes on income and expenditure. The central Government's borrowing requirement, figures for which are not available before 1952, represents the net balance of the central Government's current and capital expenditure less revenue and certain capital receipts.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
			£ million
	Gross national product	Taxes on income and expenditure	Borrowing requirement*
1946	8,888	3,031	—
1947	9,491	3,015	—
1948	10,527	3,303	—
1949	11,144	3,458	—
1950	11,755	3,534	—
1951	12,985	3,826	—
1952	14,046	4,067	606
1953	15,110	4,041	527
1954	15,980	4,180	203
1955	17,047	4,487	446
1956	18,499	4,625	51
1957	19,626	4,932	171
1958	20,499	5,103	80
1959	21,522	5,231	156
1960	22,875	5,332	307
1961	24,487	5,874	220
1962	25,628	6,418	-79
1963	27,292	6,398	148
1964	29,648	6,869	434
1965	31,672	7,758	610
1966	33,526	8,503	543
1967	35,335	9,629	1,155
1968	37,810	10,920	757
1969	39,885	12,465	-897
1970	43,809	14,029	-670
1971	49,298	14,700	634
1972	55,259	15,031	1,612
1973	64,321	16,585	2,383
1974	73,977	20,501	3,544
* A positive sign represents a deficit, reflected in borrowing.

Source: National Income and Expenditure 1964–74 Bank of England.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish an analysis of current grants by the public sector distinguishing between those components which are uprated automatically by indexing to prices, wages, or some other aggregate, and those whose levels are adjusted on a purely discretionary basis, for the years 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1974; and if he will indicate in each case the specific economic aggregate to which any indexing is made.

No current grants are adjusted automatically in line with prices or earnings indices, though in the case of social security benefits Section 125 of the 1975 Social Security Act, which re-enacted the provisions of the 1973 Act, lays down the obligation that upratings should be no more than 12 months apart and that long-term benefits be updated in line with earnings, or prices if this is more favourable, and short-term benefits in line with prices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he next expects to meet representatives of the National Federation of Self Employed.

Discussions between my officials and the National Federation of Self Employed are continuing, but I have no immediate plans for meeting it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will give quarterly estimates of short-dated Government securities, maturity up to five years, and Treasury bills held by the non-bank United Kingdom resident public for the last 10 years;(2) if he will give quarterly estimates of short-dated Government securities, maturity up to five years, and Treasury bills sold to the non-bank United Kingdom public for the last 10 years.

The information available is given in the table below. Estimates of the amount of Treasury bills held and net purchases by the non-bank United Kingdom public are available on a quarterly basis. But this sector's holdings of short-dated Government securities are estimated only on an annual basis, as at 31st March. These estimates are provided in an annual article in the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin.

NON-BANK UNITED KINGDOM PUBLIC
	Net Purchases of Treasury Bills	Holdings of Treasury Bills	Holdings of Government Securites 0–5 years
Quarter ended	£m.	£m.	£m.
December 1965	-26	159
March 1966	5	154	2,223
June 1966	+2	156
September 1966	-7	149
December 1966	-12	137
March 1967	-21	116	1833
June 1967	+29	145
September 1967	+7	152
December 1967	-20	132
March 1968	-17	115	2,752
June 1968	-28	87
September 1968	+12	99
December 1968	-14	85
March 1969	-12	73	2,431
June 1969	-13	60
September 1969	+14	74
December 1969	-3	71
March 1970	-5	66	2,412
June 1970	+4	70
September 1970	-5	65
December 1970	+9	74
March 1971	-13	61	2,482
June 1971	-9	52
September 1971	+4	56
December 1971	+15	71
March 1972	-14	57	2,593
June 1972	-12	45
September 1972	+3	48
December 1972	+5	53
March 1973	-1	52	2,720
June 1973	-15	37
September 1973	+5	42
December 1973	-3	39
March 1974	+7	46	3,232
June 1974	+3	49
September 1974	+124	173
December 1974	+8	181
March 1975	-86	95	6,578
June 1975	+52	147	*
		144
September 1975	+413	557
* Change in statistical series.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average amount of VAT paid per household in 1973–74, 1974–75 and estimated for 1975–76.

It is estimated that the average amounts of VAT paid per household in 1973–74 and 1974–75 were about £110 and £140 respectively. The estimate for 1975–76 is £175.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the net value of family allowances, after payment of income tax for families with up to four children over a standard range of weekly earned incomes up to £200 per week, including the current level of average weekly earnings.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th February 1976; Vol. 905, c. 131], gave the following information:Assuming that the children are not over 11 years of age, the figures for 1975–76 are as follows:

NET VALUE OF FAMILY ALLOWANCE FOR A MARRIED COUPLE WITH:
Income* £	2 children £	3 children £	4 children £
1,300	78·00	156·00	234·00
1,400	72·05	156·00	234·00
1,500	37·05	156·00	234·00
1,600	32·50	145·85	234·00
1,700	32·50	110·85	234·00
1,800	32·50	75·85	219·65
1,900	32–50	65·00	184·65
2,000	32·50	65·00	149·65
2,500	32·50	65·00	97·50
3,000	32·50	65·00	97·50
3,480†	32·50	65·00	97·50
4,000	32·50	65·00	97·50
5,000	32·50	65·00	97·50
6,000	26–65	65·00	97·50
7,000	19·50	39·00	65·95
8,000	13·00	26·00	46·45
9,000	6·50	13·00	26·95
10,000‡	—	—	7·45
10,400	—	—	—

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the extent that private corporations are unable to utilise variable exchange rates to their advantage, and in view of the possibility of confusion among observers who seek to separate in their study of their accounts the effects of transactions as well as valuation charges, if he will take steps to report the sterling series in a non-artificial manner, or alternatively, if he will give private corporations similar reporting flexibility to the reserve announcements.

There is a range of possible techniques for valuation of the official reserves. To cater for several different interests, the end-month reserves series are provided on several different bases. There is no single generally-accepted accounting practice on the way in which companies value their foreign currency-denominated assets. I understand that the accounting profession both in the United Kingdom and abroad is considering this question at present. But in respect of foreign currency flows, both the public and private sectors normally convert into sterling for accounting purposes at the relevant market exchange rate at the time of the transaction. For example, the changes in the United Kingdom reserves exhibited in the balance of payments statistics in Economic Trends are converted in this way.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Answer given to the hon. Member for Blaby on 5th February, what was (a) the total increase in public expenditure on goods and services between the financial years 1964–65 and 1974–75 expressed as a percentage of the total increase on national expenditure on goods and services over the same decade and (b) the increase in public sector employment over the nearest comparable decade expressed as a percentage of the total increase in employment over that decade.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th February 1976; Vol. 905, c. 264], gave the following information:The ratios are:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Answer given to the hon. Member for Blaby on 5th February, in what way the 65 per cent. figure disclosed in that answer was affected (a) by the rate of inflation and (b) by shifts in relative prices.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th February 1976; Vol. 905, c. 303], gave the following in formation:The ratio of 65 per cent. given in the previous answer referred to an increase between 1964–65 and 1974–75 of £31,781 million to £44,805 million in public expenditure and an increase of £48,709 million to £78,858 million in gross national product at factor cost. If inflation had been slower, so that all costs and prices in 1974–75 had been 20 per cent. lower than they in fact were, the 1974–75 figures would have been 20 per cent.—£8,961 and £15,772 million—less, and the increases would have been smaller by the same (absolute) amounts, at £22,820 million for public expenditure and £32,937 million for gnp, the ratio of the former figure to the latter is 69 per cent. If relative prices had moved differently, and public expenditure prices only had been 20 per cent. lower in 1974–75 than they were, the ratio would have been 47 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the net income after tax of single people, couples without children and of couples with one, two and three children, assuming income all earned by one earner in each family over a standard range, including the current national average weekly earnings.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th February 1976; Vol. 905, c. 131–2], gave the following information:Assuming that the children are not over 11 years of age, the figures for 1975–76 are as shown in the table below.The income figure of £3,480 is an estimate of the average earnings of full-time males, manual and non-manual, in all industries at November 1975, obtained by applying the index of average earnings at November 1975 to the New Earnings Survey estimate of average earnings for April 1975.Income includes family allowances where there is more than one child, and clawback has been taken into account in the calculations.

						Married couple with—
Income				Single person	Married person	1 child	2 children	3 children
£				£	£	£	£	£
700	…	…	…	691·25	700	700	700	700
800	…	…	…	756·25	800	800	800	800
900	…	…	…	821·25	900	900	900	900
1,000	…	…	…	886·25	984·25	1,000	1,000	1,000
1,100	…	…	…	951·25	1,049·25	1,100	1,100	1,100
1,200	…	…	…	1,016·25	1,124·25	1,198·25	1,200	1,200
1,300	…	…	…	1,081·25	1,179·25	1,263·25	1,300	1,300
1,400	…	…	…	1,146·25	1,244·25	1,328·25	1,394·05	1,400
1,500	…	…	…	1,211·25	1,309·25	1,393·25	1,459·05	1,500
1,600	…	…	…	1,276·25	1,374·25	1,458·25	1,524·05	1,589·85
1,700	…	…	…	1,341·25	1,439·25	1,523·25	1,589·05	1,654·85
1,800	…	…	…	1,406·25	1,504·25	1,588·25	1,654·05	1,719·55
1,900	…	…	…	1,471·25	1,569·25	1,653·25	1,719·05	1,784·85
2,000	…	…	…	1,536·25	1,634·25	1,718·25	1,784·05	1,849·85
2,500	…	…	…	1,861·25	1,959·25	2,040·25	2,109·05	2,174·85
3,000	…	…	…	2,186·25	2,284·25	2,368·25	2,434·05	2,499·85
3,480	…	…	…	2,498·25	2,596–25	2,680·25	2,746·05	2,811·85
4,000	…	…	…	2,880·25	2,934–25	3,018·25	3,084·05	3,149·85
5,000	…	…	…	3,486·25	3,584·25	3,668·25	3,734·05	3,799·85
6,000	…	…	…	4,078·75	4,204·75	4,303·00	4,378·20	4,449·55
7,000	…	…	…	4,612·50	4,752·50	4,862·75	4,947·35	5,031·95
8,000	…	…	…	5,096·25	5,250·25	5,372·50	5,466·50	5,560·50
9,000	…	…	…	5,530·00	5,698·00	5,832·25	5,935·65	6,039·05
10,000	…	…	…	5,930·00	6,098–00	6,242·00	6,354·80	6,469·60

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the value of the proven oil reserves in the following fields, respectively: Argyll, Auk, Josephine, Montrose, Forties, Maureen, Andrew, Claymore, Piper, Beryl, Ninian, Alwyn, Heather, Cormorant, Hutton, Brent, Dunlin, Thistle and Magnus; and what best estimate he has made of the value of oil at present prices to be extracted each year during the expected life of each individual field.

At present prices, we estimate the value of proven reserves of oil on the United Kingdom Shelf, as given in the 1975 Brown Book, at around £50 billion. The 1976 Brown Book will include up-to-date information on production and reserves, and the Department is consulting United Kingdom operators about expanding the information which will be published in it about the individual fields.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the internationally recognised danger level of radiation in human beings; what is the highest recorded level of radiation in an inhabitant of the United Kingdom; and in which region of the United Kingdom there is the greatest concentration of radiation.

I have been asked to reply.There are no internationally recognized danger levels of radiation in human beings, but the International Commission on Radiological Protection makes recommendations on the amounts of radiation which are permissible for workers and for members of the public. The amounts vary according to the part of the body exposed. These recommendations are reflected in the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1968 and 1969 and in the Codes of Practice applicable to hospital, dental, and laboratory practice.The Department has no record of the highest level of radiation in an inhabitant of the United Kingdom since very high doses are given to patients undergoing radiotherapy, directed at specific tumours.The amount of naturally occurring background radiation varies from one part of the country to another and is appreciably lower in the South-East of England than in the North-East of Scotland.

asked the Lord President of the Council what percentage of the Members' copying machines in the House of Commons were actually in operation on Friday, 6th February; and what percentage of those working were producing usable copies.

The copying machine in 7, Old Palace Yard and the two copying machines in 3, Dean's Yard were working satisfactorily.One copying machine out of the four in Norman Shaw North was out of action and has since been repaired. On Friday morning the copying machine in 2, The Abbey Garden, was producing dark but readable copies and this fault was corrected by 3 p.m.On Friday afternoon the copying machine in Westminster Hall Annexe was producing dark but readable copies and this fault has since been corrected. On the afternoon of Friday 6th February both of the new copying machines on the Interview Floor were out of action but these mechanical faults have since been corrected.

asked the Lord President of the Council what future use he intends for the photocopying machines in the interview rooms.

I would refer the right hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Ross) on 18th December.—[Vol. 902, c. 725.]

asked the Lord President of the Council whether the Accounting Officer of the House of Commons has authority at his discretion to call for accounts, vouchers etc. in order to verify that the sums claimed by Opposition parties in Parliament have been expended exclusively on the parliamentary business of the respective parties, as provided for in the relevant resolution of the House.

A Member claiming for assistance on parliamentary business on behalf of an Opposition party is required to certify that the sum claimed has been incurred exclusively in relation to his party's parliamentary business as provided for in the relevant resolution. It is, therefore, not necessary to call for accounts and papers in connection with such claims, but if the Accounting Officer had any reasonable doubt about the validity of any claim he would refer the matter to Mr. Speaker.

asked the Lord President of the Council what reply he has sent to the letter dated 26th January 1976 from Mr. Terry Pattinson, a member of the National Executive of CAMRA, regarding the possibility of introducing traditional draught beers, into one of the bars of the House of Commons.

I have been asked to reply.The following is the reply sent on my behalf to Mr. Pattinson on 5th February by the Catering Manager of the Refreshment Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons in Scotland are not claiming supplementary benefit and are not in full-time work but are living on incomes below supplementary benefit level.

Such estimates are derived from the Family Expenditure Survey and the numbers in the sample for Scotland are insufficient to provide a detailed estimate. The 1974 Survey suggests, however, that there are about 90,000 such persons of whom the great majority are in single-person families. This figure, which is subject to sampling error, does not purport to show the level of unclaimed entitlement to supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the Official Report the latest available estimates on the numbers of single-parent families; and if she will break down this total according to those who are (a) dependent on supplementary benefits (b) dependent on national insurance benefits and (c) in full-time work.

The Finer Committee estimated the number of one-parent families in 1971 as 620,000, mainly on the basis of the 1971 Census of Population. No firm estimate of the increase since 1971 is yet available but the number probably reached at least 650,000 in 1973.At the end of 1974 there were 269,000 one-parent families receiving supplementary benefit and 99,000 receiving widowed mother's allowance. No figures are available for other national insurance benefits.On the basis of 1974 Family Expenditure Survey data, which is subject to sampling error, it is estimated that about 220.000 single parents were in full-time work, other than self-employment. These estimates are not mutually exclusive since some widows in receipt of widowed mother's allowance may either be receiving supplementary benefit as well or be in full time work.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost of employing social security officials to check on the cohabitation rule enforced against widows and unsupported women.

In 1974, the last year for which information is at present available, the cost of employing special investigators to investigate suspected cohabitation in supplementary benefit cases was £639,000. The estimated net saving to public funds after deducting this cost was £726,000. No record is kept of the cost of investigating widows' benefit cases or that of local office staff dealing with supplementary benefit cases where reference for special investigation is unnecessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will list in the Official Report the long-term national insurance rate for a single person, married couple, married couple with two children under 11 years of age, married couple with four children two under 11, two over 11 years of age, including average rent payments as a percentage of average net earnings for each year since 1954;(2) if she will list in the

The information requested by the hon. Member for a single person, a married couple and a married couple with two children aged under 11 is set out in the following table. For a married couple with four children the information in the table for the complete range of years relates not to a family of two children aged under 11 and two children aged over 11, as requested by the hon. Member, but to one with four children aged under 11. This is because the information was readily accessible on an all four children aged under 11 basis, while considerable additional expenditure of time and effort would have been required to assemble it on the age basis in the hon. Member's Question for all the years in the period. The information requested is, however, given in the relevant columns of the table at five-yearly intervals, starting with 1964 and ending with 1974, for four children aged 3, 8, 12 and 14 respectively. Records are not kept of the average rent paid by national insurance beneficiaries.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will make a statement on a special allowance for the blind and the costs of such a provision.

Blind people stand to benefit on the same terms as other disabled people from the substantial increases which we have made in the rates of pensions and other benefits, and from our four new benefits: the noncontributory invalidity pension, the mobility allowance, the invalid care allowance and the housewives' noncontributory invalidity pension. In the field of chronic sickness and disablement across the whole age range, these increases and the cost of the new benefits together amount in cash terms to an additional expenditure of over £1,000 million a year. In the next year or two we shall be concentrating on the completion of the arrangements for the mobility allowance, the invalid care allowance and the housewives' benefit. Against this background of continuing advances across the board, the Government have no plans for the introduction of special allowances confined to people suffering from blindness or from any other particular form of disablement. The cost of a special allowance for blind people would depend on a variety of factors, including the level of the allowance and the number of beneficiaries. On the assumption that the rate would be £5 a week, as has been suggested by organisations representing blind people, the gross cost for some 116,000 registered blind children and adults including those above pension age, would be some £30 million a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what contact her Department has had with the Royal Horticultural Society about access for blind people with guide dogs attending the flower shows arranged by the Society and if she will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what contact her Department has had with the Royal Horticultural Society about access for blind people with guide dogs attending the Society's flower shows; and if she will make a statement.

I recently met Lord Aberconway, the President of the Royal Horticultural Society. The Department and I have been in touch also with the main organisations representing blind people as well as with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.My hon. Friend and the hon. Gentleman the Member for Southend, West (Mr. Channon) will be pleased to see the text, as follows, of a letter I have sent today to Lord Aberconway:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will bring forward proposals for automatic increases in benefits to take account

					Percentage Increase since October 1973 in
					Retirement pension		Retail Prices Index
					single person	Married couple	Fuel element	Whole Index
November 1975	…	…	…	…	72	70	68	49
December 1975	…	…	…	…	72	70	73½	51

I regret that the figure of a 68 per cent. increase for the fuel element was erroneously apportioned to December rather than November 1975 in my previous answer.I recognise, of course, that these figures state averages while many households on benefit have been subject to larger than average increases in fuel bills.The Government will of course keep the developing situation under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will list in the Official Report the long-term supplementary benefit scale rate for a single person, married couple, married couple with two children under 11 years of age, married couple with four children two under 11, two over 11 years of age, including average rent payments as a percentage of average net earnings for each year since 1954;(2) if she will list in the

As I said in my reply to my hon. Friend's Question on this subject on 30th January—[Vol. 904, c. 376]—the Government's general policy is to maintain the value of social security benefits in relation to prices as a whole rather than the cost of individual items of expenditure. The following figures show that, although the fuel element in the retail prices index has risen sharply since benefits were last increased in November, the rise in pensions since October 1973—when our predecessors last raised benefits—still leaves a substantial margin over the rise in the index as a whole.years of age, including average rent payments as a percentage of average net earnings for each year since 1954.

The information requested by the hon. Member for a single householder, a householder married couple and a householder married couple with two children aged under 11—taken for this purpose as both being under 5—is set out in the following table. For a householder married couple with four children the information in the table for the complete range of years relates not to a family of two children aged under 11 and two children aged over 11, as requested by the hon. Member, but to one with two children aged under 5 and two aged 5 to 10. This is because the information was readily accessible on that age basis, while considerable additional expenditure of time and effort would have been required to assemble it on the age basis in the hon. Member's Question for all the years in the period. The information requested is, however, given in the relevant columns of the table at five-yearly intervals, starting with 1964 and ending with 1974, for four children aged 3, 8, 12 and 14 respectively. Information is not given for 1975 because figures for average rent payments for that year are not yet available.