asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give a detailed list of the various benefits in addition to salaries received by civil servants at all levels; and what estimate he has made of the extent to which these differ from persons in similar occupations in non-Government service.

Details of the pension arrangements which apply equally to all civil servants are contained in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme 1974 and the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Amendment) Scheme 1975 copies of which were laid before Parliament on 19th November 1974 and 21st April 1975 respectively. Full details of other conditions of service for civil servants are contained in the Civil Service Pay and Conditions of Service Code, which is already available in the Library of the House. In some instances, where different conditions apply to industrial grades, the code refers to other documents, and copies of any such documents can be made available to my hon. Friend if he so desires.There are wide variations of practice between other organisations. A reliable overall estimate of the extent to which conditions differ between the Civil Service and other organisations as a whole would, therefore, be difficult to achieve and could in any case only be undertaken at disproportionate cost. However, amongst the benefits enjoyed by outside analogues for the 1975 pay research settlement were discounts on goods, company cars, private health insurance and cheap mortgages, none of which is available to civil servants.The pay systems for determining Civil Service pay by negotiations require that all relevant differences in conditions of service are taken into account in deriving civil servants' rates of pay from those paid outside for similar work; and the Top Salaries Review Body, which makes recommendations for the pay of senior civil servants, also has regard to those differences.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many university graduates were recruited into the Home Civil Service in 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965. 1970 and 1975, respectively.

Morris: Broad figures for graduates recruited by the Civil Service Commission are as follows: 1950– 950; 1955–900; 1960–850; 1965– 1,100; 1970–2,250; 1975–4,500.Until the implementation in 1972 of the Report of the Fulton Committee on the Civil Service many graduates were recruited on "temporary" terms by individual Government Departments, and no central record was maintained of the numbers so recruited. It is not, therefore, possible to compare the figure for 1975, when all permanent appointments for graduates were made by the Civil Service Commission, with those for earlier years.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent the number of apprentices taken into Chatham Dockyard has fallen in each of the 10 years to 1975–76.

Annual entries of craft and technician apprentices for the General Manager's Department, Chatham Dockyard, have been:

Year of Entry			Craft	Technician	Total
1965	…	…	210	—	210
1966	…	…	215	15	230
1967	…	…	258	14	272
1968	…	…	215	9	224
1969	…	…	209	10	219
1970	…	…	221	15	236
1971	…	…	128	10	138
1972	…	…	119	21	140
1973	…	…	147	17	164
1974	…	…	187	15	202
1975	…	…	184	26	210

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum number of apprentices that could now be taken into Chatham Dockyard annually and provided with all the facilities required in the full four-year course.

The training capacity at Chatham Dockyard is the aggregate of the capacities in each of 13 separate craft trades and the technician training capacity. It is assessed at 205, annually.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if any increase in the number of apprentices will be offset by a reduction in the number of craftsmen in order to maintain the total work force within the declared maximum.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 5th November.—[Vol. 899, c. 182–3.]—Since no spare training capacity exists at Chatham there could be no increase at present in the apprentice intake.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will open Chatham Dockyard Training School to apprentices sponsored by private industry; and, if so, how many will be taken annually, and under what terms and conditions.

The Government fully recognise the need to provide opportunities for apprentice training and we constantly have in mind, for this purpose, the training capacity of the dockyards. At present, Chatham has a full intake of dockyard apprentices.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses and flats are owned by his Department; and of these how many are occupied by serving personnel.

The latest available figures show that the Ministry of Defence has a total of approximately 105,000 married quarters in the United Kingdom. Approximately 95,000 of these were occupied by Service personnel and civilian employees of the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a decision on the contract for a Type 42 destroyer for which Vosper Thorneycroft Limited have tendered; and whether that decision will be taken in accordance with the policy of concentrating defence orders on three leading yards, of which Vosper Thorny-croft is one.

We hope to place this order soon in the light of our declared warship building policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will introduce legislation to make it illegal for trade unions to display political propaganda leaflets alongside public information leaflets inside local government offices.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated cost of extending payment of regional employment premium to employment exchange areas within intermediate areas which have a rate of unemployment equal to or above the average in development and special need areas.

The estimated cost of extending payment of regional employment premium to employment exchange areas within intermediate areas which have a rate of unemployment equal to or above the average in development and special development areas is £20,900,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest average unemployment nationally, regionally and the average for intermediate areas and the Hull employment area.

The following table shows the rates of unemployment at 12th February 1976:

	Per cent
Great Britain	5·5
South-East Region	4·0
East Anglia Region	5·0
South-West Region	6·6
West Midlands Region	5·7
East Midlands Region	4·7
Yorkshire and Humberside Region	5·4
North-West Region	6·8
North Region	7·1
Wales	7·4
Scotland	6·8
All intermediate areas	5·6
Hull travel-to-work area	7·7

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how the £42·50 a week unemployment pay of a building worker in north-east Essex compares with the average wage in north-east Essex.

In October 1975 the average weekly earnings of a full-time manual man aged 21 and over in the construction industry in the South-East Region of England were about £58 outside Greater London. A separate estimate for north-east Essex is not available. I understand the quoted level of unemployment benefit would be very exceptional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to appoint members to the arbitration panel to decide the London teachers' allowance.

Appointments to this arbitration panel are now the responsibility of the independent Advisory Conciliation, and Arbitration Service. I understand that the Service has appointed the members, and that the hearing has been arranged for 25th March.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what changes he intends to make in the regulations concerning the qualifications for divers working from offshore installations; and specifically, if he will introduce a licensing arrangement for divers to be administered by the Training Services Agency in consultation with the relevant industrial and trade union interests.

Training standards for divers are being developed by the Training Services Agency of the Manpower Services Commission. Proposals to amend the regulations on this point will be discussed with the relevant industrial and trades union interests. At present regulations require employers to employ divers who either have previous experience in the use of the relevant equipment and breathing mixtures and a knowledge of diving practice, including decompression procedures, or are under the direct supervision of a diver with such experience. I am not clear that a licensing system would offer significant advantages over this existing requirement, but I will consider the proposal when suitable training standards have been established.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he proposes to authorise the building of fossil-fuelled power stations at Drax (additional capacity) and West Burton.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on 1st December 1975.—[Vol. 901, c. 422.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what volume of gas will be available to the British Gas Corporation by 1978.

This is a matter for the British Gas Corporation and I have asked the Chairman to reply to the hon. Member direct.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the most recent estimate of the total value of assets employed by the National Coal Board.

The latest available figure for the average capital employed by the National Coal Board is that for the years 1974 and 1975. It is £506·1 million as shown in the Board's published Report and Accounts 1974–75.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many flats and houses are owned by the National Coal Board; and of these how many are occupied by working miners.

This is a matter of the Board's day to day administration, and I am asking the Chairman of the National Coal Board to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he can now state whether British Nuclear Fuels Limited will be permitted to take on further contracts from overseas customers for the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel.

The Government have given full consideration to the safety and environmental implications of accepting more work of this kind, taking account particularly of the views which have been expressed in the recent extensive public discussion of the question. They have decided that the company may, subject to the negotiation of satisfactory terms, take on further work on the basis that the contracts will include terms to ensure that the company will have the option to return residual radioactive waste and will not be obliged to retain it in this country for long-term storage; and that suitable understandings in support of the return option are reached between the United Kingdom Government and the Government of the country concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether former employees of British Airways, British Rail, British Road Transport, the National Bus Company and the water authorities have pensions indexed to inflation.

I answer by agreement with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade as far as the British Airways Board is concerned.Details of nationalised undertakings' pensions schemes can be obtained from them.The Pensions Increase Act 1971 was applied to former employees of water authorities by the Pensions Increases (Local Authorities, etc. Pensions) Regulations 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now make a designation order on the Minley Road, Cove, site now that the county council alternative gipsy site at Star Hill, Hartley Witney, is open.

I have no power to designate individual sites. Outside Greater London a designation order under Section 12 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 may be made only in respect of the whole area of a county. As regards the particular sites mentioned, I understand that Star Hill cannot accommodate all the gipsies from Minley Road and that the county council is considering further alternative provision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many units of temporary accommodation and bed and breakfast accommodation for use by the homeless are provided in the City of Plymouth.

Accommodation provided temporarily is by no means the sole measure of the overall help that local authorities give to homeless people, but I understand that the City of Plymouth District Council currently has five three-bedroomed flats available for emergency use by homeless people. On 4th March 1976 there were two homeless persons in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in the city of Plymouth.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has in mind for reducing the present rate of casualties on the highways.

My priorities are the compulsory wearing of seat belts and strengthening the law on drinking and driving. The first of these alone could reduce fatal and serious casualties by about 15 per cent. I have published proposals to improve the standard of driving instruction and the driving test, and am considering means to reduce the accident rate of moped riders particularly among the young. I have in mind other measures, which I hope to be able to introduce after the necessary consultations, and I also intend to publish again proposals to require the use of headlights by vehicles on all roads at night.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the estimated cost to public funds of improvement of dwellings owned by local authorities in the Greater London area for each of the years from 1970 to 1975.

£33 million on improvement of housing revenue account dwellings and estates in 1972–73 and £46 million in 1973–74. Information for earlier years was not collected in a way that enables improvements to be identified. Figures for 1974–75 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of houses purchased in the Greater London area in the last two years by central and local government and the total cost of the same.

Complete information is not readily available. However, estimates of municipalisation under arrangements set out in Circulars 70/74 and 64/75 are:

Acquisitions by London Boroughs and GLC
Number of dwellings			Cost
1974–75	…	15,500	£120 million
1975–76	…	8,600	£65 million

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been spent to date on the Press and advertisement campaign for motorists to switch on their headlights; and since this encourages accidents by the temporary blinding of motorists, if he will change the advertisement to read "Switch on Dipped Headlights".

£141,137 has been spent on publicising the Regulations requiring motorists to use their headlamps during conditions of poor daytime visibility. I will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind if any further campaign is mounted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has of building societies charging more than the standard rate of interest to borrowers nominated by local authorities for the purchase of older property.

None. My understanding is that building societies follow their normal lending policies when advancing moneys to local authority nominees.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council dwellings there were in England on 31st December 1974.

It is estimated that the Greater London Council, London boroughs and district councils in England owned 4,630,000 dwellings at 31st December 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals his Department has formulated for the use of spare land on motorway verges.

All land forming motorway verges serves a highway function. Any spare land which has to be acquired in disposed of as soon as possible. Verges provide clear sight lines and areas for use in emergencies. Parts are sometimes landscaped and planted in order to lessen the impact of the motorway on the environment. The harvesting of grass for animal feed is permitted, on application, where possible. Other use of verges is not desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what price restraint discipline is expected to be followed by the Royal Ordnance Survey; and whether he will make a statement on increases by it in some of its charges in excess of 250 per cent. in one year.

The discipline imposed on the Ordnance Survey is that price increases must reflect increases in costs. Ordnance Survey costs have risen very substantially during the last two years, and a main aim of the increased charges was to contain the very large amount by which the Ordnance Survey is dependent on Exchequer support. At the same time an attempt has been made to relate individual charges more closely to costs.Among the largest percentage increases were the prices of lithographically printed large scale maps. There are over 200,000 sheets of these maps. They are expensive to produce, store and distribute, and the average annual demand per sheet is very small. The Ordnance Survey has introduced an alternative, cheaper method of making the information available in the form of microfilm and microfilm printouts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet received the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Local Government Finance.

I have now received the report, and am making arrangements for its printing and publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why, in view of the Government's attempts to reduce inflation, the cost of passports is to be increased from 15th March by 33⅓ per cent.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my answer on 25th February 1976 to my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Cunningham). The new fees will help to offset expenditure which would otherwise fall on the taxpayer generally. I do not consider that the increases will affect the day-to-day cost of living of individual members of the public.— [Vol. 906, c. 209.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of cases of assaults known to the police on licensees of public houses in the years 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975; and whether he is satisfied that the penalties for such assaults are adequate.

I regret that the information sought in the first part of the Question is not available: the Criminal Statistics do not distinguish the victims of assault according to their occupation. On the second part I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3rd March to a Question from the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby). —[Vol. 906, c. 658.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the production and distribution of the leaflet, "Protect Your Home".

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Richmond, Yorkshire (Sir T. Kitson) on 23rd October 1975.—[Vol. 898, c. 247.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of burglaries reported to the police each months for the last 16 months.

The number of offences of burglary recorded as known to the police in England and Wales between September 1974 and December 1975 is as follows:

1974
September	…	…	36,035
October	…	…	38,434
November	…	…	41,098
December	…	…	47,393

1975
January	…	…	45,013
February	…	…	42,877
March	…	…	42,735
April	…	…	47,347
May	…	…	43,143
June	…	…	41,320
July	…	…	42,795
August	…	…	40,812
September	…	…	40,574
October	…	…	43,413
November	…	…	42,757
December	…	…	46,681

Information for 1976 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are kept in solitary confinement for their own protection and for the maintenanace of good order of the prison, respectively, at the present time; in these categories, how many have been kept in solitary confinement for one month, three months, six months, a year or over; and what amenities or hobbies are prohibited to such prisoners.

I assume my right hon. Friend is concerned with statistics relating to prisoners segregated under Rule 43, and I would draw his attention to the information given in the reply to the Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 5th March.—[Vol. 906, c. 791–2.] 1 regret that further analysis of these figures in the detail requested would involve disproportionate cost. A Governor has considerable discretion as regards amenities and hobbies but provision will depend on individual circumstances and on resources and facilities available at particular establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is proposed that bonfires should be lit on a suitable occasion next year in celebration of the Queen's Jubilee.

Yes. Her Majesty the Queen has agreed to light, at Windsor, the first of a chain of bonfires to be established on the evening of Monday 6th June 1977. The Government are grateful to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for undertaking to organise the principal network of bonfires, which it is hoped will be accompanied by many other bonfires that evening all over the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the names of the members of the Chief Scientist's Requirements Board, the dates on which the Board has met and the projects for which it is responsible or is studying.

With the exception of the Chairman, Sir Ieuan Maddock, membership of the Department's Chief Scientist's Requirements Board varies from meeting to meeting in order to bring the appropriate expertise to bear on the proposals under consideration. In addition to the members listed in the published Requirements Boards annual reports the following have served as independent members of the Board: Mr. P. Hughes, Mr. A. N. Irens, Dr. S. Jones, Dr. R. M. Needham, Dr. D. S. Oliver, Mr. R. G. Tongue, Dr. J. Wallace, Mr. H. A. Whit-tall, Mr. A. Wilson.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the extra revenue produced by increasing the rate of income tax to 100 per cent. on all income above (a) £20,000 per year (b) £15,000 per year (c) £10,000 per year (d) £7,500 per year and (e) £5,000 per year.

Assuming that gross incomes were not reduced in consequence of the change proposed, and that the income limits specified refer to income after tax, the additional yield for 1975–76 from taxing the whole of the income in excess of the specified limit would be as follows:

Limit of net income after tax					Yield
£					£m
20,000	…	…	…	…	5
15,000	…	…	…	…	9
10,000	…	…	…	…	35
7,500	…	…	…	…	170
5,000	…	…	…	…	960

Calculations on the basis of before tax income limits are complicated, particularly in respect of the investment income surcharge, and require the writing of additional computer programmes. This is in hand, and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as the results are available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report all the possible

Expenditure heading	Cmnd 6393
	page	paragraph
Agricultural production grants and subsidies and support in special areas	28	6
Selective assistance to individual industries, firms and undertakings:
(i) Chrysler (UK) Ltd	39	22
(ii) Support to companies supplying goods and services for offshore oil and gas operations	39	24
British Aerospace and British Shipbuilders capital expenditure	50	4
British National Oil Corporation capital expenditure	52	12 and 15
Child benefits scheme	102	8
Cost of implementing devolution	115	2

The foregoing cannot, however, be taken as an exhausive list of all future claims on the reserve for the reasons explained in Chapter 16 of the White Paper; nor does it follow that additional expenditure will necessarily arise on all of the items in the list.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report the annuities currently received by those persons previously provided with such annuities within the Civil List.

The following annuities are currently payable under the provisions of the Civil List Acts.

	£
The Queen's Civil List	1,400,000
HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	95,000
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh	65,000
HRH The Princess Anne	35,000
HRH The Princess Margaret	35,000
HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester	20,000

The sum of £85,000 a year payable to the Royal Trustees under Section 3 of the Civil List Act 1972 is currently apportioned as follows:

	£
HRH The Duke of Kent	35,000
HRH Princess Alexandra, Mrs. Angus Ogilvy	30,000
HRH The Duke of Gloucester	15,000
HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone	5,000

In addition, payments are mady by way of superannuation benefits to or on behalf of staff of the Royal Household and for Civil List pensions; the following amounts were paid in 1974–75, being the heads of expenditure mentioned in Command Paper No. 6393 where it is stated that there could be a charge on the contingency reserve.

The following is the information:latest period for which information is readily available:

		£
Royal Household pensions	…	173,172
Civil List pensions	…	52,882

To date no payments have been made under the provisions of the Civil List Act 1975.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures of Stockbuilding between 1960 and 1974 in £ million at 1970 prices in the private sector as defined in line B.1(a) of Table 1.1 of Command Paper No. 6393.

The following table gives the information requested for the years 1970 to 1974. Figures for earlier years are not available on this basis.

Private sector Stockbuilding
1970	…	430
1971	…	-230
1972	…	-160
1973	…	570
1974	…	-100

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the tax treatment of qualifying life policies issued before 1st April 1976 which are varied on or after that date.

Yes. Under the provisions relating to life assurance contained in the Finance Act 1975 "qualifying" life policies—broadly, those entitled to tax reliefs—issued before an appointed day, since fixed for 1st April 1976, and varied on or after that date must, if they are to remain qualifying policies, either be individually certified as qualifying by the Inland Revenue or conform to a standard form of policy which has already been so certified.It has recently become clear in discussions between the Revenue and the Life Offices Association that the number of policies which would need to be certified individually by the Revenue under this procedure would be very much greater than had been expected, probably resulting in inconvenience and delay to the life offices and to policy holders. Accordingly it has been decided to defer for the time being introduction of the new procedure in relation to these policies.The Government, therefore, propose to include in the Finance Bill provisions which will have the following effects:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue from corporation tax on privately owned coal mines expressed as a percentage of their turnover, at the latest date for which figures are available.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the estimated cost of the works postponed and the curtailments listed in his reply to the hon. Member for Londonderry in Londonderry, Limavady and Coleraine.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 5th March 1976; Vol. 906, c. 756–7], gave the following information:I understand the hon. Member to be asking about the estimated savings which will be made in the period 1975–76 to 1979–80 as a result of the postponements and curtailments to which he refers. Following is the information:

Project and Estimated Savings in the period 1975–76–1979–80 resulting from postponement or modification
Londonderry Council Area
Major Road Works
	£000 (1975 Survey prices)
Madam's Bank Bridge	12,875
T7 Waterside-Caw (now including Glendermot Link Road)	74
Quay Route extension and Strand Road improvement	1,097
Academy, Asylum and Northland Roads	NIL
Western Distributor	200
Other Public Works
New Government Office Building	200
TOTAL	14,446

Limavady Council Area
A6 Dungiven bypass	750
T7 Limavady-Ballykelly bypass
Stage I	1,100
Stage II	150
TOTAL	2,000

Coleraine Council Area
Coleraine Ring Road stage III	101
B17 Bushmills Road, Coleraine	480
Coleraine Town Centre
Stage I	190
Stage II	250
TOTAL	1,021

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vans and cars and of what makes were bought in each of the past two financial years by the western area hospitals for their work in social services and welfare; how many were brought into use as soon as they were delivered; how many were kept in store; for what periods they were stored; and what was the cost of the vehicles and their storage.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 2nd March 1976; Vol. 906, c. 567–8], gave the following information:In the financial year 1974–75 two Bedford 8-cwt vans and seven British Leyland mini-vans were purchased at a cost of £4,100 and £5,600 respectively. The two 8-cwt vans and two of the mini-vans were used from the start for work in social services while the remaining five mini-vans, which are now used for those services, were placed initially in the transport pool for various uses as required. No storage costs, other than the normal costs of garaging, were incurred.No vehicles were bought in the financial year 1973–74.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what number of beds she plans to have made available for private medicine after 1976 in (a) Wirral Area Health Authority, (b) Liverpool Area Health Authority (Teaching), (c) Sefton Area Health Authority, (d) St. Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority, and (e) Cheshire Area Health Authority.

A copy of my Department's consultation proposals for the phasing out of 1,000 beds is in the Library of the House and contains the following for the areas cited:

	Proposed remaining number of pay beds
Wirral AHA	24
Liverpool AHA(T)	22
Sefton AHA	9
St. Helen's & Knowsley AHA	9
Cheshire AHA	53

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what studies she is making of the effectiveness or otherwise in breaking into the cycle of family violence of the work being done at Chiswick Women's Aid and other women's aid centres.

My Department is commissioning research on several aspects of the problem of family violence, including the intervention and activities of organisations aiming to help families and the rôle of women's aid centres in assisting battered wives. Direction and detail are under discussion with the researchers.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will make a statement about the recent meeting her officials had with representatives of Chiswick Women's Aid and of the London borough of Hounslow.

Officials of my Department were present as observers when members and officials of the London borough of Hounslow met representatives of Chiswick Women's Aid on 4th March. Following the meeting, Hounslow agreed to seek an adjournment of court proceedings against Chiswick Women's Aid to give time for further efforts to be made to achieve a solution to the problem of overcrowding at the main refuge.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many consultants, senior registrars, registrars, and senior house officers she anticipates will be in post at the time of commissioning the Royal Liverpool Teaching Hospital.

In preparation for the commissioning of the Royal Liverpool Hospital, the Liverpool Area Health Authority (Teaching) is consulting medical staff representatives and other interested parties about the functional content and staff complements of all the hospitals in the area after the new hospital opens. The authority is consequently not yet able to predict with accuracy how many medical staff will be in post at that time.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what studies she has in hand to identify further savings in the cost of programmes for which she is responsible, beyond those already announced in Command Paper No. 6393.

The Department's programmes are under constant study with a view to their being implemented as efficiently and economically as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps she is taking to ensure that copies of the Medicines (Fees) Regulations 1976 (SI., 1976, No. 347), which came into force on 6th March, are available to the public.

Copies of this instrument will be on sale by Her Majesty's Stationery Office from 18th March. In the meantime duplicated copies have been sent to the trade associations concerned and further copies are being made available to persons directly affected, upon request.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what criteria some voluntary bodies were given copies by the Supplementary Benefits Commission of the report on the cohabitation rule prior to publication, and other voluntary bodies excluded.

This is a matter for the Supplementary Benefits Commission, and I am sure that the Chairman would be pleased to reply to any inquiry from the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps Her Majesty's Government are proposing to take to implement the EEC medical directives; and, in particular, what body the Government intend to recognise as the competent authority for the issue of certificates of completion of specialist training.

The medical directives must be implemented by 19th December this year, and the Government are consulting the bodies principally concerned about the content of an Order-in-Council which it is proposed to make under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act in order to effect the necessary amendments to the Medical Acts.As recommended by the Merrison Committee on the regulation of the medical profession, the Government are proposing that the General Medical Council should be recognised as the competent authority for the issue of certificates of completion of specialist training.A copy of the consultative document incorporating the Government's present proposals for the implementation of the directives has been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what were the qualifications of Mr. S. T. E. Morton which led to his appointment as the first full-time Secretary of the Domestic Coal Consumers' Council.

By virtue of Section 4(6) of the Coal Industrial Nationalisation Act 1946 the Secretary of State furnishes the staff of the Domestic Coal Consumers' Council. Mr. Morton is a senior executive officer who was selected as suitable for this appointment after consultation with the Chairman of the Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the ongoing review of the coverage and operation of the Statistics and Trade Act 1947, with particular reference to the confidentiality ruling.

I have been asked to reply.It would be premature to make a statement now when possible proposals to amend the Act are still under consideration and before there has been full consultation with both sides of industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will estimate from international sources available to him the price of power station coal entering the Federal Republic of Germany from the United Kingdom and from Poland and the USA, respectively.

International sources do not distinguish the price of power station coal among the data they present.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what is the value, at current prices, of British exports to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for each of the last 20 years;(2) whether he will list the commodities that were imported by the United Kingdom from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during 1975.

The export figures are published in Table 15 of Volume 1 of the Annual Statements of the Trade of the United Kingdom for years 1958 and 1960, the Annual Abstracts of Statistics for 1970 (Table 270) and 1975 (Table 305), and Table V of the December 1975 issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom. A commodity breakdown of imports in 1975 is available in Table II of the last mentioned publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether any of the exports from the United Kingdom during 1975 included food products; and to which countries they went.

This information is available from Table V of the December 1975 issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what progress he is making in discussions with Eastern European countries in relation to a possible voluntary reduction in the number of men's suits exported by them to this country.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend gave on 10th March 1976 to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Garrett).—[Vol. 907, c. 243–4.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will investigate as a possible breach of anti-dumping legislation the import of 30 million domestic electric lamps from Poland and Czechoslovakia, the proposed price of which is only slightly higher than the cost of manufacturing materials used by Osram-GEC.

If the British industry concerned makes an application supported by prima facie evidence that the imports are dumped or subsidised and are causing or threatening material injury I shall immediately consider it. My officials have already explained to the Lighting Industries Federation what would be required to support an antidumping application.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average cost of a ton of butter landed in the United Kingdom from the Common Market; and what is the average cost of a ton of New Zealand butter landed in the United Kingdom, excluding any Common Market levies or dues.

The average cost of a ton of butter landed in the United Kingdom from the Common Market in January 1976 was £927. The corresponding figure for New Zealand butter exclusive of levies and dues, was £620·18.

asked the Attorney-General if charges were reinstituted after being thrown out in the magistrates' courts in the case of Regina v Harris, Stockwin and Davies, heard at the Central Criminal Court in October 1975; what were the final charges on which defendants were acquitted; and what was the cost to public funds of the case.

No charges were reinstated after being dismissed by the magistrates. The defendants were acquitted on one joint charge of conspiracy to rob; Harris was also acquitted on charges of taking a motor vehicle without authority and driving a motor vehicle taken without authority. Information about the cost of the case to public funds is not available, and could not be ascertained without disproportionate expense.

asked the Attorney General if charges were reinstituted after being thrown out in magistrates' courts in the case of Regina v McManus, Wing-field and Brown, heard at the Central Criminal Court in October 1975; what were the charges on which defendants were acquitted; and what were the costs to public funds of the case.

No charges were reinstated after being dismissed by the magistrates. Brown was acquitted on charges of robbery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault with intent to rob and attempted robbery. Information about the cost of the case to public funds is not available, and could not be ascertained without disportionate expense.

asked the Attorney-General if charges were reinstituted after being thrown out in magistrates' courts in the cases of Regina v Jenkins, Castell Quinton, Trusty, Chard, Williams, Hyde, Smith, McCartney, Cook and Harris; what were the charges on which defendants were acquitted; and what was the cost to public funds of the case which concluded at the Central Criminal Court in November 1975.

No charges were reinstated after being dismissed by the magistrates. Defendants were acquitted on the following charges: Mr. Quinton was acquitted on two counts of handling stolen goods; Mr. Castell was acquitted of conspiracy to rob; Mr. Hyde and Mr. Smith were acquitted of attempted murder; Mr. Williams was acquitted of handling stolen goods and assisting an offender; Mr. James Bernard Trusty was acquitted of attempted murder and wounding with intent to resist arrest.Information about the cost of the case to public funds is not available, and could not be ascertained without disproportionate expense.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the present position in respect of the replacement of Rawcliffe-in-Snaith Primary School, in the Boothferry district of Humberside;(2) what is the present position in respect of the replacement of Beal County Primary School, in Selby district of North Yorkshire;(3) what is the present position in respect of the replacement of St. Thomas's Roman Catholic (Aided) Primary School in Old Goole.

It is for the local education authority to decide when these projects can start within the annual allocations for school building authorised by my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of students enrolled in the current academic session for higher education and the proportion per 1,000 heads compared with the United States of America and the countries of the European Economic Community; and if he will give the same set of figures for 1974 and 1975.

The number of full-time and sandwich students enrolled in the current academic session in higher education in Great Britain is estimated at about 500,000, representing an annual entry of home and overseas students equivalent to some 19 per cent. of the relevant age group. The corresponding numbers for 1973–74 and 1974–75 are 481,000 and 488,000, again about 19 per cent. of the relevant age group in each case.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of the gross national product is spent on education as compared with the United States of America, Germany and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, respectively.

Figures of expenditure on education in the USSR and the German Democratic Republic are related to net material product which precludes comparability with countries in which expenditure is related to gross national product. The most recent figures available on a comparable basis for the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany are those published in the 1973 UNESCO Statistical Yearbook in respect of public expenditure on education in 1970:

	Percentage of gross national product at market prices
United Kingdom	5·9
United States of America	6·5
Federal Republic of Germany	4·0

It must be emphasised that the UNESCO definition of public expenditure differs from that used in the corresponding statistics officially compiled and published in the United Kingdom, and that the UNESCO definition of gross national product is at market prices—which includes taxes and excludes subsidies— rather than at factor cost. Moreover, since the education systems of the various countries have salient differences which can affect comparability, care should be exercised in any use made of these figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions have taken place between his Department and the ILEA on the provision of educational facilities for chil- dren of gipsy families in the Inner London area.

No such discussions have taken place. However, my Department has had a number of meetings with voluntary gipsy organisations and would be prepared to discuss any problems with local education authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions have taken place between his Department and the ILEA on the provision of free transport, either private or public, to children who have to travel long distances outside their own area to school, as a result of overcrowding in local schools.

There has been no occasion for such discussions; there have, however, been extensive consultations between my Department and the local authority associations on school transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions have taken place between his Department and the ILEA on the proposed new St. Gabriel's and Duncarn RC Primary School; and if he will make a statement on when the work will commence.

The authority has not included the deferred building project for the proposed St. Gabriel's RC Primary School amongst those notified to my Department in support of an authorisation for school building starts, and no recent discussions with the authority about it have consequently taken place.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations have taken place between his Department and the Inner London Education Authority on the proposed extension to Archway School, London, N.19; and if he will make a statement on when the work will commence.

It is for the authority to decide what projects it wishes to start within the annual allocations for school building authorised by my Department. The authority has not notified my Department of the extension of this school as a project commanding priority.