asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the administrative and policy implications for education in the event of the setting up of a directly elected assembly in Scotland.

As the White Paper makes clear, the Scottish administration will be responsible for practically all educational matters except the universities. Decisions on policy and administration will, therefore, rest with it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in coming to his decision on the continuance of Stonehouse New Town, he will take into account the fact that the present unemployment rate in the Lesmahagow and Coalburn area is the highest in the United Kingdom: and if he will make a statement.

In reaching a decision on the position of Stonehouse New Town unemployment rates and all other relevant factors will be taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to enable local authorities more effectively to control stray dogs which are a danger to persons and to livestock.

The treatment of strays is one of the subjects which have been studied by the Government's Working Party on Dogs. The report of the working party is expected shortly, and will be studied by Ministers before any decisions as to action are taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the long delays in planning of hospital projects before they reach the stage of building; if he will take action to reduce such delays; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware that hospital projects may take a considerable time at the planning stage, but functional efficiency and economy depend on a great deal of careful and inevitably time-consuming work at that stage. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance is given to education authorities in determining the maximum capacities of classrooms as they are required to do under Regulation 8 of the Schools General (Scotland) Regulations 1975; and, if none, what standards or what criteria are available to authorities to enable them to make this determination.

Given modern developments in the curriculum and in school building, and the wide variety of uses to which a room may be put, it must be left to education authorities to decide in the light of the circumstances how many pupils can be suitably accommodated in a particular area for a particular form of instruction. I understand, however, that guidelines have been drawn up by the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will initiate pilot schemes of do-it-yourself artificial insemination in crofting townships in the Highlands and Islands to make available to crofters semen from bulls with greater growth potential than those available at present.

The use of artificial insemination in cattle breeding is already well established in those parts of the Highlands and Islands where there is a sufficient cattle population to enable services to be provided economically. Semen from a wide variety of breeds is available, and users are free to exercise their judgment as to the type of bull best suited to their needs. Crofting townships not presently covered by an Al service may be able to take advantage of the new arrangements for farm storage and DIY insemination announced by the the Government on 27th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland upon what date he requested the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board to suspend until 1st June the disconnection of supplies to households which can show that all the members in receipt of income are pensioners over retirement pensionable age.

On 13th February 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects publication of the draft circular on redecoration of staff quarters within the Scottish Prison Service.

A draft circular was sent to the staff associations in December. Comments were received in January and mid-February, and these are being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what effect Command Paper No. 6393 will have on indicative costs for local authority housing and on housing standards involving matters such as the number of rooms available per family and the dimension of living rooms, bedrooms, cupboard space, etc.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if one of the results of the White Paper on public expenditure will be that no start will be made on uprating the A74 to motorway standard between 1976 and 1980.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public appointments are within his patronage; and what is the salary and/or other emoluments attached to each; and what were the comparable figures in 1964.

I am solely responsible for about 460 full-time and part-time paid appointments. Details as at 1st February 1976 are shown in the table below. Comparable figures for 1964 could not be collected and collated with-out disproportionate cost.

Name of Body	Full-time Appointment		Part-time Appointment
		£		£
Commission for Local Authority Accounts in Scotland.	—	—	Chairman	2,000
			Deputy Chairman	1,000
			10 Members	500
Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland.	—	—	Commissioner	5,915
Committee of Investigation for Scotland under the Agricultural Marketing Act 1958.	—	—	Chairman	*
			4 Members	*
Countryside Commission for Scotland	—	—	Chairman	2,562
			Deputy Chairman	1,405
Crofters Commission	Chairman	9,230	1 Member	4,620
			5 Members	2,311
Cumbernauld Development Corporation	—	—	Chairman	4,432
			Deputy Chairman	1,966
			5 Members	700
East Kilbride and Stonehouse Development Corporation.	—	—	Chairman	4,432
			Deputy Chairman	1966
			6 Members	700
Glenrothes Development Corporation	—	—	Chairman	4,432
			Deputy Chairman	1,966
			6 Members	700
Irvine Development Corporation	—	—	Chairman	4,432
			Deputy Chairman	1,966
			7 Members	700
Livingston Development Corporation	—	—	Chairman	4,432
			Deputy Chairman	1,966
			7 Members	700
Economic Consultants to the Secretary of State.	—	—	2 Members	*
			7 Members	*
General Dental Council	—	—	2 Members	*
Argyll and Clyde Health Board	—	—	Chairman	2,500
Ayrshire and Arran Health Board	—	—	Chairman	2,000
Borders Health Board	—	—	Chairman	1,500
Dumfries and Galloway Health Board	—	—	Chairman	1,500
Fife Health Board	—	—	Chairman	2,000
Forth Valley Health Board	—	—	Chairman	2,000
Grampian Health Board	—	—	Chairman	3,000
Greater Glasgow Health Board	—	—	Chairman	4,000
Highland Health Board	—	—	Chairman	2,000
Lanarkshire Health Board	—	—	Chairman	2,500
Lothian Health Board	—	—	Chairman	3,500
Orkney Health Board	—	—	Chairman	1,000
Shetland Health Board	—	—	Chairman	1,000
Tayside Health Board	—	—	Chairman	3,000
Western Isles Health Board	—	—	Chairman	1,000
Highlands and Islands Development Board.	Chairman	10,830	2 Members	1,885
	Deputy Chairman	8,830	1 Member	750
	1 Member	7,830
	1 Member	11,000
Historic Buildings Council for Scotland	—	—	Chairman	750
Horserace Betting Levy Appeal Tribunal for Scotland.	—	—	Chairman	*
			2 Members	*
Independent Schools Tribunal	—	—	Chairman 2 Members	*
Legal Aid Central Committee	—	—	2 Members	*
Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland.	—	—	Chairman	2,045
			Deputy Chairman	3,864
			3 Members	1,296
Local Government Property Commission" for Scotland.	—	—	Chairman	4,014(a)
			2 Members	2,145
Local Government Staff Commission for Scotland.			Chairman	4,014(a)
			3 Members	2,145
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland	2 Members	11,000	Chairman	1,000
			8 Members	330
Milk Appeals Tribunal	—	—	Chairman	†
			2 Members
Aberdeen and District Milk Marketing Board.	—	—	2 Members
North of Scotland Milk Marketing Board			2 Members
Scottish Milk Marketing Board			2 Members

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the first appointed day for the Community Land Act in Scotland.

It is my intention that the first appointed day for the Community Land Act in Scotland will be 1st September 1976. I shall make the necessary Order in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current cost of the salaries of teachers in colleges of further education, expressed as cost per student, or per student hour.

Costs for the current year are not yet available. In the financial year 1974–75 the average cost of teachers' salaries per student in education authority colleges of further education was £591.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange to carry out experiments to develop a crash helmet which could be fitted over a turban and which would comply with the requirements of the law and, at the same time, satisfy any demands of the wearer's religion.

No. So far as I know, no member of any religion has indicated a wish to wear a helmet of the type proposed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied that road signs to and from Great Britain's major ports are of sufficiently high standard; and, in particular, now that that M18 and M62 are nearing completion, whether this is true in the case of Hull and its ring road.

Yes. The M62 is signed to Hull and the M18 is signed as well as it can be until the last link is completed. The signing on these approaches will be more effective when the road network is complete. Hull has only a partial ring road which takes northbound traffic from the docks and this is signed in a satisfactory manner. If the hon. Member has a particular problem in mind perhaps he would write to me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to encourage the use of reflective panels or kits in respect of cycles and reflective clothing for riders.

I propose to include advice in the revised Highway Code about the use of reflective materials by pedestrians and by riders of all two-wheeled vehicles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the current financial problems of football league clubs; and what replies he has given.

I have received no specific representations on this subject recently, but I have had many discussions with people in the football world about the financial problems involved in improving football grounds. I gave the House details last June of the Football Grounds Improvement Trust which has been formed to help football clubs to overcome such problems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new sports centres have been opened in England in each of the last three years.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5th February in reply to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane). The corresponding figure for 1973 is 42.—[Vol. 904, c. 684.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to British Rail to standardise its fare increases at a uniform percentage rate applicable to all regions.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications have been received by him for consent to demolish buildings situated in conservation areas since July 1974; how many have been approved and how many refused; and how many are at present pending.

Applications made by private persons for consent to demolish unlisted buildings in conservation areas are made to local planning authorities and not to me. I have received 143 applications, either on appeal or from local authorities, to demolish unlisted buildings in conservation ares. Of these 94 have been approved, two have been refused and 47 are pending.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many cases he has directed that Section 101 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, as amended, shall apply to a non-listed building situated in a conservation area since the passage of the Town and Country Amenities Act 1974; and if he will publish details of such buildings in the Official Report.

I have directed that this section should apply to the following:1, 3, 4, 6 and 8 Moss Hall Crescent, Barnet, Herts;Chapel Cottage, Totteridge Village, London, N.20;194–196 Main Road, Gidea Park, Romford, Essex.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many cases he has exercised his powers to designate conservation areas in accordance with Section 277(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 as amended since 1st August 1974.

I have not so far exercised my power to designate a conservation area in accordance with Section 277(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 as amended. I would do so only in an exceptional case of national importance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much additional revenue he estimates he would have to raise from taxation if public bus services were to be provided to the public on a non-fare paying basis, based on the present network and level of service.

The cost to public funds would be of the order of £1,000 million in 1976–77 at outturn prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set up an inquiry into the operations of British Rail and British Road Services, with power to make recommendations on the best methods to be employed to run the corporations profitably.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of total freight is actually carried by rail; and what percentage could be carried on existing rail facilities.

According to provisional figures for 1974, the railways carried 17·5 per cent, of total freight movement, measured in ton-miles. No meaningful calculation can be made of the capacity of the railways to handle more freight with existing facilities since much would depend on the origin, destination, timing and nature of the consignments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Enviironment what percentage of total freight was carried by road in the last year for which figures are available.

According to provisional figures for 1974, road transport accounted for 86 per cent, of freight tonnage and 65 per cent, of ton-miles.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of total receipts of British Rail is covered by State subsidies.

Approximately 31 per cent, in 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish revised figures for his forward projection of total subsidies to be paid to the British Railways Board from central Government funds from the years from 1975–76 to 1979–80, as given in table 2.6 of Command Paper No. 6393, to show the real purchasing power of such subsidies on the four different assumptions of average annual rates of inflation over the whole period of 8 per cent., 10 per cent., 15 per cent, and 20 per cent., respectively.

The figures are at constant prices as explained on page 145 of Cmnd. 6393 and are intended to express the purchasing power of the subsidies at 1975 survey prices irrespective of rates of inflation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the purpose and the cost of work being carried out on the Al Seaton Burn bypass, Northumberland; and when this road will be restored to dual carriageway in both directions.

The purpose of the work being carried out at present on the wide-open Seaton Burn bypass is to bring the strength of the carriageways up to that required to carry the increasing volumes and the individual heavier weights of commercial vehicles using this major north-south trunk road. The cost of the works will amount to £147,000. The scheme is due to be completed on 31st March 1976, when it is expected that the dual carriageways in both directions will be restored.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the proposed extension of the M40 motorway in the light of the Government's plans for public expenditure to 1979–80.

Proposals for this important link will continue to be developed within the financial constraints obtaining over the next few years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will advise local authorities of methods of expediting planning procedures.

My right hon. Friend has already done so, most recently in Circular 9/76, a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received urging a lowering of the age at which there is an entitlement to drive a moped; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the motor cycle industry and trade favour this, but I am not prepared to propose it in view of the high and rising number of casualties among young riders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what inquiries he has made into the availability of insurance for private houses and flats attaining high alumina cement; and how many insurers he is aware of who will cover such accommodation.

Insurance of private houses and flats is a matter between the owners and their insurers. However, the British Insurance Association is not aware of any difficulties in obtaining normal insurance cover for houses and flats containing high alumina cement concrete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to announce what grant the Government will be providing to local authorities towards the work of repairing schools and other premises built with high alumina cement.

My right hon. Friend recently discussed this issue with the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance and is considering the further representations made then. He expects to announce a decision shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures showing the numbers of persons involved and the cost so far of producing inner area study reports.

The composition of the consultants' teams on the three studies varies from time to time according to the work programme. It is estimated that they have on average involved the equivalent of about a dozen people full time per study. The costs of the studies cover research and special surveys by the consultants, and action projects of which the local authorities bear part. The payments from the Department's Votes, plus the proportionate local authority share of action projects, are expected to total some £1·4 million from the start of the studies to the end of March 1976; there will be some further expenditure incurred but not claimed within this period.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of empty council houses in each housing authority in England.

The Department's latest relets survey indicates that on 31st December 1974 about half of 1 per cent, of council dwellings held in housing revenue accounts in England were vacant and available for letting. About a further three-quarters of 1 per cent, were undergoing modernisation, repair, or conversion. Information is based on a sample. The questionnaires sent to local authorities state that the results for individual authorities will not be published separately.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to relax the 40 mph speed restriction on commercial vehicles on dual carriageways.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the locations of the four properties which will qualify for insulation under the Noise Insulation Regulations 1975 after the building of the A5(D).

Edside Farm, Old Stratford; Anglian Water Authority Bungalow, Old Stratford; St. Christopher Lodge, Simpson; and Canal Cottage, Simpson.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment where it is proposed to erect earth mounds and acoustic fencing along the route of the A5(D) in order to insulate properties from noise nuisance.

Earth mounds and acoustic fencing will be provided between the diversion and the Greenleys and Hodge Lea Estates, and earth mounds between the new road and the estates of Galley Hill, Fullers Slade and Denbigh Farm.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Article 4 directions have been approved by him since 1st March 1974; how many are outstanding; how long, on average, it takes his Department to approve an Article 4 direction.

At the end of 1975, 131 Article 4 directions covering all kinds of development had been confirmed since 1st March 1974 and 55 were awaiting decision. Confirmation takes an average of two-three months where consultations are necessary, although the period varies widely from case to case. Confirmation may be given in a matter of days where immediate effect is essential.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the use that local authorities are making of Article 4 direction in connection with the misuse of land as leisure plots, and that the present powers are adequate; and if he has any proposals for amending the General Development Order so that Article 4 direction can be brought into effect more easily by local planning authorities.

The use made of present powers appears to be generally satisfactory. My Department has asked local authority associations for information about the scale of leisure plot activity and any significant difficulties to which it gives rise. We shall consider in the light of that whether there is a case for amendment of the General Development Order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to seek to amend the Town and Country Planning Acts to make planning permission a requirement before the subdivision of land except for agricultural purposes.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards leisure plots and the abuse of land in this way, with a view to discouraging potential purchasers of subdivided agricultural land and also to avoiding pointless planning appeals.

I would refer the hon. Member to the speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Kelvingrove (Mr. Carmichael) in the Adjournment debate on 19th November 1975 last—[Vol. 901, c. 161–6]. My right hon. Friend is awaiting the information which the local authority associations have undertaken to provide.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to seek to amend Section 22(3) of the 1971 Act to provide that a change in the use of a separate plot of land from agricultural to a leisure purpose would constitute development.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates his Department has available to it of land-holdings in Great Britain by area and by value of local authorities.

Comprehensive information is not available. However, at the end of March 1975 English local authorities held an estimated 11,000 hectares of land for housing revenue account housing, excluding existing estates and sites for which building contracts had been let, and 1,500 hectares of land acquired for slum clearance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now seek powers to require local authorities to inform residents of property adjacent to premises which are the subject of a planning application, of the contents of that application and to consider any objection the residents may wish to make to the proposed development.

Local authorities already have powers to notify neighbours about planning applications. Many of them already do so and take into account any representations received. This sort of publicity is essentially a matter for local discretion and resources and I would not seek to impose rigid requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the accounts and annual report for 1975 of the National Freight Corporation will be presented to Parliament; when he will be in a position to amplify the suggestion on page 65 of the Public Expenditure Blue Book (Command Paper No. 6393) that "temporary support" will be needed for the National Freight Corporation; and if he will make a statement.

It is expected that the 1975 annual report and accounts of the National Freight Corporation will be published in early May. As regards the "temporary support" needed, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Mr. Lewis) on 21st January 1976.—[Vol. 903, c. 455.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends to raise the £38 million a year for capital expenditure by the National Freight Corporation for each of the next five years, as laid down in table 2.5 of the Public Expenditure Blue Book (Command Paper No. 6393); how he intends the National Freight Corporation should service substantial injections of extra capital, in view of its current trading losses; and if he will make a statement.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the outcome of the review of the Corporation's finances announced in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Mr. Lewis) on 21st January 1976.—[Vol. 903, c. 455.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in his forthcoming transport policy review, he will lay down criteria to be applied to the consideration of proposals to run down particular rail operations and to close depots.

The forthcoming consultative document on transport policy will seek views on the objectives to be set for the various sectors of railway operations. It will not seek to lay down criteria for detailed decisions appropriate to railway management.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many public appointments are within his gift; what are the emoluments payable; what was the total cost in the last financial year; and what were the comparable figures in 1970.

I am responsible for roughly 2,300 appointments i all. Of these, 1,071 are paid and this figure incldes 605 members of rent assessment panels who are paid on a daily fee basis. Emoluments in respect of paid appointments other than to RAPs amount to some £850,000 and the total cost of salaries and fees in the last financial year estimated to be of the order of £1,450,000. Exact figures are not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost to public funds. It is not possible to give comparable figures for 1970 as my Department was not formed until November of that year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the route of the South Dock Road, North Humberside.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the contribution of each Inner London borough to the London rate equalisation scheme for 1976–77 and the total for all such boroughs; what will be the cost to the average domestic ratepayer in each borough; and what will be the average for domestic ratepayers in Inner London.

The best current estimates are as follows:

	Contribution of each borough to 1976–77 Scheme £m.	Cost to average domestic ratepayer £
City of London	11·00	23·30
Camden	5·15	18·28
Greenwich	1·80	10·74
Hackney	1·68	12·26
Hammersmith	1·70	12·80
Islington	2·32	14·12
Kensington and Chelsea	3·30	26·70
Lambeth	2·74	12·29
Lewisham	2·13	11·46
Southwark	2·38	10·62
Tower Hamlets	1·97	11·70
Wandsworth	2·54	12·41
Westminster	15·00	26·76
Inner London Total	53·73	14·85

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much will be paid to each Outer London borough under the rate equalisation scheme for 1976–77; and what this will represent as pence in the pound rate for each such borough.

The last current estimates are as follows:

	Payment to the Borough £m.	Rate poundage equivalent p
Barking	2·94	10·8
Barnet	3·08	5·4
Bexley	2·48	6·5
Brent	4·44	9·0
Bromley	3·37	6·5
Croydon	2·67	4·0
Ealing	3·29	6·2
Enfield	2·97	6·4
Haringey	4·43	10·8
Harrow	2·30	6·5
Havering	2·71	6·5
Hillingdon	1·22	2·3
Hounslow	1·16	2·5
Kingston upon Thames	1·20	4·4
Merton	1·98	6·5
Newham	4·43	10·8
Redbridge	2·64	6·5
Richmond upon Thames	1·92	6·5
Sutton	1·89	6·5
Waltham Forest	2·61	6·5

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment with which London local authorities his Department had any exchanges with regard to the London rate equalisation scheme for 1976–77 after the receipt of the London Boroughs Association recommendation and his decision on the content of the schemes.

After receiving the London Boroughs Association proposals for the London rate equalisation scheme for 1976–77 my Department received written comments from, or on behalf of, the following London local authorities.The Greater London Council;The Cities of London and Westminster;The London boroughs of Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston-upon-Thames, Merton, Richmond-upon-Thames, Redbridge, Sutton.Replies to these representations were sent when I had made my decision on the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether in approving planning permission for the replacement Nypro plant at Flixborough he took into account the general lessons, regarding design criteria, outlined in paragraphs 211–214 of the report of the court of inquiry into the disaster.

Yes; my decision was based on the report of the inspector who took the planning inquiry and evidence about these matters was given at the inquiry. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the report of the planning inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dealers have been prosecuted under Section 60 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 during each of the last five years for

NUMBER OF OFFENCES
					Sentence
Year		Proceedings for trial	Findings of guilt	Proportion found guilty Per cent.	Fined	Other disposal
1970	…	375	275	73·3	265	10
1971	…	386	280	72·5	264	16
1972	…	387	322	83·2	308	14
1973	…	319	240	77·1	237	9
1974	…	265	206	77·7	203	3

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dealers have been prosecuted under Section 61 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 during each of the last five years for which records are available; how many and what percentage of such prosecutions have led to convictions; and what were the penalties imposed.

I have been asked to reply.I regret that information about the number of prosecutions in England and Wales for obstructing an authorised examiner in testing the condition of used vehicles at sale rooms, etc., is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will initiate a review on cross-Channel ferry services with a view to speeding up access to the Continent.

No. Various ways of improving access to the Continent are already under consideration.

I have been asked to reply.The available information about all prosecutions in England and Wales for selling, etc., vehicles in an unroadworthy condition, or altering vehicles so as to be unroadworthy, is as follows. The number of dealers among those prosecuted is not known.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table breaking down the total figures for housing investment contained in the White Paper on Public Expenditure under the following headings: new house building, acquisition of land for housing, acquisition of existing house stock, and other;(2) if he will publish in the

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 26th February 1976; Vol. 906, c. 311–3], circulated the following information:

GREAT BRITAIN

£. at1975 Survey prices

1970·71

1971·72

1972·73

1973·74

1974·75

1975·76

1976·77

1977·78

1978·79

1979·80

1. Investment

New house building

…

…

…

1,659·8

1,339·6

1,091·3

1,021·4

1,136·8

1,284·4

1,227·9

1,248·6

1,264·8

1,271·0

Land

…

…

…

143·2

108·2

181·8

206·9

228·9

212·1

211·3

210·2

209·2

209·3

Existing dwellings

…

…

…

51 ·6

51·6

51·5

87·6

285·0

1600

176·0

1440

144·1

144·1

Other

…

…

…

86·6

80·9

52·3

49·6

64·0

57·7

54·1

49·9

49·7

49·7

2. Gross Lending

To council tenants for purchase of council houses

…

…

…

40·5

141·2

146·7

107·7

6·2

10·4

10·9

10·9

10·9

10·9

To private persons for house purchase and improvements

…

…

…

282·5

322·9

213·4

385·2

600·5

412·3

265·1

356·3

379·1

393·4

To housing associations*

…

…

…

73·9

90·2

123·6

150·5

214·7

200·0

112·2

119·3

116·4

117·8

3. Subsidies

Central Government

…

…

…

361·1

392·2

441·3

548·5

768·6

847·0

966·0

927·4

881·0

903·8

Rate fund contributions

…

…

…

203·8

133·6

95·5

171·1

197·6

169·9

116·5

106·3

98·4

101·6

Rent rebates and allowances

…

…

…

—

—

152·0

269·3

309·1

305·9

330·8

377·4

392·1

402·6

* Includes lending by the Housing Corporation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current level of unemployment in the Aberdeen area.

At February 1976, the provisional rate of unemployment in the Aberdeen travel-to-work area was 3·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the latest totals of applications received under the job creation programme, listed on a regional basis.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that, up to 27th February, the number of applications received from each action committee area was as follows:

Action Committee Area	Number of applications received
Scotland East	156
Scotland West	248
Northern England	362
North West England	112
Merseyside	185
Yorkshire and Humberside	86
Wales	264
Midlands	152
South West England	184
London and South West England	306*
* This figure includes applications received by the MSC from different parts of the country which will be sent to the appropriate areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) which areas by region have benefited from the temporary employment subsidy;(2) how many companies or firms have applied for assistance under the temporary employment subsidy;(3) how many persons have now had their jobs protected through the operation of the temporary employment subsidy scheme;(4) what steps he is taking to ensure that all companies and firms are informed about the existence of the temporary employment subsidy scheme.

The temporary employment subsidy scheme has been used by employers in all parts of Great Britain. As at 27th February 214 applications had been approved covering 21,945 workers. The regional disposition is as follows:

English Regions	Applications approved	Workers involved
Northern	5	656
Yorkshire and Humberside	15	1,901
South East	18	2,130
South West	13	1,424
Midlands	38	4,065
North West	71	7,051
Scotland	34	3,000
Wales	20	1,718
TOTAL	214	21,945

As at 27th February, 316 applications had been received from firms or companies, covering 33,459 workers.As at 27th February, about 21,500 workers had had their jobs protected through the operation of the scheme. This figure takes account of some premature withdrawals.Among the methods used to publicise the temporary employment subsidy scheme have been Press notices at national level, local Press coverage, circulation of information to the CBI and TUC both at national and local levels. Broadcasts have been made on local radio stations and talks have been given to local committees, employers' associations, and other bodies, for example, chambers of commerce.In addition to this, managers of the Employment Service Agency local offices remind employers about the scheme when impending redundancies come to notice. A publicity leaflet, PL574, has been widely distributed and is available, together with an application form, from Department of Employment regional offices and unemployment benefit offices in addition to the Employment Service Agency employment offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the ratio of economically non-active persons to the number of persons engaged in manufacturing industry in Wales, Scotland and England, respectively.

Results from the Census of Population held in April 1971 show the following ratios of inactive persons to persons engaged in manufacturing industries:

	Numbers of inactive persons '000	Numbers employed in manufacturing industries '000	Ratio of Col. (1) to Col. (2)
	(1)	(2)	(3)
Wales	1,560	337	4·6=1
Scotland	2,875	694	4·1=1
England	24,409	7,105	3·4=1

The inactive includes such groups as children aged under 15, students, retired persons and housewives. Because of the varied constituents of the number of economically inactive no particular significance should be attached to these ratios.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the economic activity rate for men and women, respectively, for Wales, Scotland and England for the most recent available date; and, in so doing, if he will include the definition of economically active persons used for this purpose.

Information from the Census of Population held in April 1971 enabled the following activity rates for persons aged 15 and over to be calculated:

	(Per cent.)
	Males	Females
Wales	78·6	35·6
Scotland	81·4	42·4
England	81·7	43·1

The definition of the economically active used in this calculation is that given in full on page IX of the publication of "Census 1971 Great Britain, Economic Activity Part II (10 per cent, sample)". It includes persons in employment in the census week—other than students—and those out of employment seeking work, waiting to take up a job or prevented from seeking work by temporary sickness or injury.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the ratio between the number of employees and self-employed persons in employment and the total population for Wales, Scotland and the regions of England for the latest convenient date.

Results from the Census of Population held in April 1971, show that persons in employment—employees and self-employed—formed the following percentages of the total population aged 15 and over at that time:

Wales	52·2
Scotland	56·2
Northern	55·0
Yorkshire and Humberside	57·4
North Western	58·0
East Midlands	59·6
West Midlands	61·2
East Anglia	56·4
South Eastern	59·8
South Western	54·1
Great Britain	580

asked the Secretary State for Employment if he will list the Official Report (a) ports in the Unit Kingdom which subscribe to the Nation Dock Labour Scheme, and (b) ports the United Kingdom which do not sub scribe to the National Dock Labour Scheme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 1 December—[Vol. 901, c. 366]. The following table shows the ports to which the Dock Labour Scheme relates:A.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed persons there were at the latest available date in Scottish construction industry, regon by region; and if he will provide also a national breakdown of the skills and trades involved.

At January 1976, 28,440 unemployed people who last worked in the construction industry were registered at employment offices in Scotland. This figure does not include those registered at careers offices. The following tables give regional and occupational analyses:

Region	Nos. unemployed
Highlands	1,106
Shetland Isles	80
Orkneys	26
Western Isles	305
Grampian	1,240
Tayside	1,798
Fife	1,332
Strathclyde	16,215
Lothians	3,700
Central	1,466
Dumfries and Galloway	834
Borders	338
Total	28,440

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the design of the planned replacement Nypro plant at Flixborough adequately takes into account paragraph 213 of the report of the court of inquiry into the disaster.

I am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the problems raised by paragraph 213 of the report, zinc embrittlement of stainless steel, was one of a number of matters considered by the Health and Safety Executive when, in accordance with normal practice, the planning authority asked for advice on this case. Nypro UK Limited have been advised by the Executive to bear the problem in mind in designing and rebuilding the plant, with particular emphasis on those places where zinc is to be used for the protection of walkways. Adequate powers are available to ensure that any potentially dangerous juxtaposition of zinc and stainless steel that comes to the Executive's attention can be remedied.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if the proposed EEC regulation on the organisation of the market in potatoes (R/238/76) is likely to involve the replacement of the Potato Marketing Board by producer groups; and, if so, whether he envisages the organisation of these groups as agricultural co-operatives.

There has as yet been no detailed discussion in Brussels of the Commission's proposals for a Community potato regime. Until the final form of the draft regulation is known it would be premature to discuss any possible implications for producer organisations in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many public appointments are in his gift; what are the salaries and expenses payable; what is the total cost; and what were the comparable figures for 1970.

My right hon. Friend is responsible for making 347 appointments, of which 101 are salaried; he shares the responsibility for some of these appointments with his right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as appropriate. The annual total cost relaing to the salaried appointments is about £168,000; in addition, travelling expenses and subsistence allowances are normally payable. I regret that comparable figures for 1970 are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of the transfers and relocation of those stall willing to move from Hastings Army Records Office to the proposed site at Leicester and the cost of the redundancy pay and other benefits due to those who are unable to move.

The proposal to move the Army Record Office now at Hastings to a site at Leicester is part of a plan to co-locate all the Army's Manning and Record Offices and Regimental Pay Offices distributed throughout the United Kingdom to four sites. These proposals are currently the subject of consultations with the Departmental Staff Side and trades unions.A preliminary survey among the staff has indicated that the costs of transferring staff from Hastings to Leicester might be about £45,000, and that the costs of redundancy payments and other benefits to its staff unwilling to move from Hastings might be about £175,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of staff of his Department in Hastings who will be made redundant as a result of the proposed transfer of the Army Records Office from Hastings to Leicester and the number of staff who will have to be recruited to take their places at Leicester.

The proposal to move the Army Record Office from Hastings to Leicester is currently the subject of consultations with the Departmental Staff Side and trades unions. A preliminary survey has indicated that 77 staff under 60 years of age might become redundant if the move takes place, and if these staff are unwilling to move with the work. Should this occur it would then be necessary to recruit a total of about 100 staff to replace both those unwilling to move, and those over 60 who would be retired.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the plans to transfer the Army Records Office and its staff from Hastings to Leicester; what is his estimate of the real savings in expenditure which will arise from such a transfer; and what is the most recent estimate of the cost of the new buildings for the Records Office at Leicester, excluding furniture.

The proposal to transfer the Army Manning and Record Office at Hastings to Leicester is currently the subject of consultations with the Departmental Staff Side and trades unions, and no decision to implement it has yet been made.The Hastings Record Office has to move from its present premises because the lease expires in 1977. The most recent estimate of the cost of that part of the new buildings at Leicester which would house the Hastings Record Office is £400,000.The costs of this particular move would be offset by the substantial savings achieved by the whole plan to co-locate the Army's Manning and Record and Pay Offices.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the value of the subcontract work for United Kingdom warship builders now being processed at Chatham Dockyard.

The value of subcontract work for United Kingdom warship builders currently in hand at Chatham is approximately fi million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the value of work for private industry other than work for United Kingdom warship builders being processed in Royal naval dockyards; which dockyards are so employed; and what is the value of the work in each.

The approximate values of work currently in hand in Her Majesty's