asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will cause research to be carried out by his Department on the incidence of rust affecting vehicles of varying ages and into the methods of detecting rust.

The Department's research on rust is concentrated on its reduction and prevention. I believe it right that this emphasis should continue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now instruct examiners from his Department to exercise powers given to his Department by Section 61 of the Road Traffic Act; and whether he will make a statement.

These powers have not hitherto been invoked, but vehicle inspectors do carry out examinations at vendors' premises at the request of the police or trading standards officers. I will bear my hon. and learned Friend's suggestion in mind, but the resources at present available are fully employed on tasks with a higher priority for road safety.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether examiners are required to follow his advice concerning the manner of ascertaining the presence or incidence of rust by the use of fingers or without the use of tools.

I refer my hon. and learned Friend to the answer which I gave him on 18th March 1976. [Vol. 907, c. 591–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what summaries are made of the contents of the forms completed and returned to the Department by authorised examiners; and whether such summaries include details of the number of occasions on which a vehicle fails its MOT test.

These forms are summarised to give quarterly and yearly data on the number of tests, number of failures and the reasons for failure. This information does not include details of the number of times any one vehicle fails its MOT test.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the forms completed and returned to his Department by all authorised examiners summarising the results of every MOT test show the percentage of passes and of failures by such authorised examiners; and, if not, whether he will prepare such information.

The forms returned by the authorised examiners are sampled and analysed to produce periodic returns summarising the results of the MOT test. The figures for 1975 are as follows:—

SUMMARY OF MOT TEST RESULTS 1975
		Number	Per cent
Motor Cycles
Total Tests	…	483,750	100·0
Failures	…	158,500	32·8
Brakes	…	89,450	18·5
Steering	…	63,800	13·2
Lights	…	46,650	9·6
Tyres	…	30,700	6·3
Motor Cars
Total Tests	…	12,606,900	100·0
Failures	…	4,435,450	35·2
Brakes	…	2,655,350	21·1
Steering	…	2,313,400	18·4
Lights	…	951,500	7·5
Tyres	…	782,800	6·2
Seat Belts	…	40,900	0·3
Light Goods Vehicles
Total Tests	…	593,100	100·0
Failures	…	234,650	39·6
Brakes	…	137,000	23·1
Steering	…	120,150	20·3
Lights	…	68,200	11·5
Tyres	…	30,700	5·2
Seat Belts	…	2,200	0·4

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the extent of the Exchequer contribution to the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham; and how it compares with money raised from other sources of public finance such as the local authority.

In round figures, the Exchequer has contributed £1·5 million towards the National Exhibition Centre complex itself, while Birmingham City Council has put up £27 million. In addition, an estimated grant of £1·3 million in respect of access roads will be made by the Exchequer—apart, of course, from the investment in the adjacent motorway and main road junctions.The cost of Birmingham International railway station—£6 million—is divided between British Rail—£3 million—the Exchequer—£2,250,000—and the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive—£750,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the fact that male unemployment in the Skelmersdale New Town is over 20 per cent., he will define the policy of the Government to the development of new towns in general and Skelmersdale in particular, giving details of plans to secure the long-term future of new towns.

The programmes of individual development corporations are kept constantly under review, but the Government consider there is ample evidence of housing demand to justify a continued new towns building programme for many years to come. The future requirements at Skelmersdale New Town in the context of the North-West Region are currently under consideration by an official working party set up late in 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Property Services Agency is proposing to obtain the tenancy of any premises in the constituency of the hon. Member for Greenwich; what rent per square foot is being asked; and for what purposes any such as may be acquired will be used.

The Property Services Agency is proposing to take a lease of part of Meridian House, Greenwich, the former town hall, to accommodate officers of the Inland Revenue, Department of Employment and Customs and Excise. The Agency is not currently proposing to acquire any other premises in Greenwich. It is not the policy of my right hon. Friend's Department to disclose details of the terms discussed between the owners and the Agency.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his most recent estimates of the date when Trinity Park House, Edinburgh, will be ready for occupation and the total costs of rent and fitting out by that date.

Trinity Park House, Edinburgh will be progressively occupied over the period May to September 1976. By September the total costs are expected to be: rent, £576,105; fitting out, £876,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions have been reached about accommodation for students; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and I have concluded that, while no basic change is required in the responsibility and management of institution-provided student accommodation, further initiatives need to be taken on single person—including student—housing as part of general housing policies and programmes for which my Department, local authorities and the Housing Corporation are responsible. Nearly 200,000 students live outside halls of residence and away from their homes, and this figure is expected to increase in the next five years. In many cities and towns the number of single people, including students, is bringing increased pressure on good family accommodation for rent, which is already in short supply.The Government have already taken steps to increase the supply of small dwellings to rent. DOE Circulars 170/74, 24/75 and 12/76, and the Department's Design Bulletins Nos. 23 and 29, all promote the development of dwellings for small households, including provision for single persons. Housing subsidies and grants are available to local authority and housing associations to help meet the cost of providing a wide-range of accommodation for single people. This includes hostels, bed-sitting rooms and fully self-contained flats, whether provided by new building or by conversion. Students should benefit along with other single people.I have also decided that in the areas where student demand seriously impinges on the general housing market, particularly in areas of stress and pressure, housing schemes which in practice would be mainly occupied by students will be eligible for subsidy or grant, provided that they contribute directly or indirectly to meeting the general housing needs of the area. Schemes should normally provide for at least a proportion of non-students, but schemes for students only will be considered on their specific housing merits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in the light of the proposal in the consultative document on the review of the water industry that the water companies should be integrated into the water authorities, what action he proposes to safeguard the positions of staff employed by the companies.

As the consultation document makes clear, the method and timing of securing public ownership of the water companies requires detailed study, and we shall welcome discussion of the issues involved during the consultation period. But I can say at once that I regard it as extremely important that the arrangements include proper safeguards for the staff concerned, and this is something to which I shall be paying particular attention.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what proportion of overseas contracts by number and value, covered by ECGD, are valued at under £1 million.

Precise figures are not readily available. However, of the £6,535 million of United Kingdom exports insured by ECGD in 1974–75, 86 per cent. was insured under comprehensive guarantees and over 95 per cent. of all applications for cover from ECGD's 12,000 comprehensive guarantee holders is in respect of export contracts of a value less than £1 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what information his Department has concerning the dumping from Eastern Europe of circular knitting machines for the hosiery industry.

My Department has received no formal application for antidumping action against imported circular knitting machines. We are ready to give immediate consideration to any application by the industry concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list in the Official Report all anti-dumping actions his Department has taken during the last two years, indicating which Orders are still in force and the respective industries concerned.

The following anti-dumping duties or provisional charges to duty have been imposed in the last two years.

Industry	Country of Origin
Wooden doors and panels, wholly or partly louvred	Taiwan.
Wood chipboard	Romania, Norway, Sweden.
Saccharin or its salts	Japan, Republic of Korea.

Of these the duties on wood chipboard have been revoked.This information does not however include all the anti-dumping action taken by my Department during the period in question. Many successful anti-dumping applications result in agreements to increase prices and I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member from Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 5th March.—[Official Report, c. 799.]

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has received a letter from Mr. E. J. Counter, writing on behalf of four manufacturers of electric lamps, advising him that it is expected that some 30 million electric lamps will be imported during 1976 from Poland. Hungary and Czechoslovakia, at prices that do not cover the cost of the materials used; and what reply he has sent.

I have replied to Mr. Counter's letter offering to meet the directors of the four manufacturers of electric lamps to discuss these questions.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on an integrated programme of commodities; and if this programme will embrace 10 or 17 basic commodities.

The UNCTAD Secretariat envisages that initially its integrated programme would include 10 "core" commodities and that seven additional commodities might be added at a later stage. Her Majesty's Government's attitude to the UNCTAD proposal for an integrated programme was set out in my right hon. Friend's answer on 24th March to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Blaker)—[Vol. 908, c. 198–9].

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what progress has been made in the negotiation of an international tea agreement; and what level of prices are envisaged when such an agreement is successfully concluded.

Consultations with Commonwealth tea-producing and consuming countries were held from 8th–10th March in London. The delegates agreed on the need for international action on tea and discussions will be continued at the meeting of the FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea in April. The question of agreed price levels for tea would be for consideration at the time of the negotiation of any agreement.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what tariff barriers currently remain in force against the products of the least developed of the developing countries of the world.

On imports into the United Kingdom, tariff preferences are given to developing countries by United Kingdom statutory instruments and EEC regulations. Details of preferences under the Generalised System of Tariff Preferences for Developing Countries are set out in Part 10B of "HM Customs and Excise Tariff", a copy of which is available in the Library.There are no special arrangements applied to the least developed of the developing countries except to the extent that the EEC regulations provide for preferences to be withheld from some of the more advanced of the developing countries, or provide limits designed to prevent the more advanced developing countries from monopolising the preferential advantages.Certain other developed countries operate similar schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what is his estimate of the total level of the external debt to the West of the COMECON countries; and how such a debt is composed;(2) what is his estimate of COMECON indebtedness to Western countries at the end of 1975.

I have been asked to reply.The figures available to Her Majesty's Government of the indebtedness to the West of the COMECON countries, many of which are confidential, are not comprehensive. An estimate of this debt is made in the Economic Survey of Europe published by the UN Economic Commission for Europe on 18th March.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether members of the Yorkshire Electricity Board, the North Eastern Electricity Board and the North Western Electricity Board, respectively, receive salaries in respect of their services; how much in each case; and whether it is in respect of full or part-time service.

The salaries of members of all area electricity boards are:Chairman—(full time) between £12,600 and £17,600.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if it is intended that natural gas liquids and liquid petroleum gas should fall within his control under the Energy Bill.

Clause 19 of the Energy Bill defines natural gas as any gas derived from natural strata. Section 9 of the Continental Shelf Act 1964, through Section 1(2) of the Petroleum (Production) Act 1934, refers to natural gas in similar terms. This includes, as well as methane, such gases as ethane, propane and butanes, which are gaseous at normal temperature and pressure.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what were the numbers

NUMBER OF DISCONNECTIONS FOR NON-PAYMENT (INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC)
Quarter ending			1971–72	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76
30th June	…	…		8,229	9,953	9,106	11,703
30th September	…	…		9,810	9,157	10,179	13,997
31st December	…	…		8,085	6,333	7,919	7,831
31st March	…	…		6,810	7,258	7,668
Total	…	…	27,400	32,934	32,701	34,872

asked the Secretary of State for Energy why he has taken action to print and circulate to post offices new petrol rationing coupons; why the earlier issue could not have been used; what is the additional cost; and how this compares with the previous issue which was destroyed.

The holding of stocks of coupons—including stocks at selected post offices is an essential part of the Government's long-standing contingency plans against a possible motor fuel shortage. New coupons are needed because the earlier versions were issued to motorists

The following information has been supplied by the Electricity Council and British Gas Corporation respectively.Electricity: Quarterly figures are available only for the year ending 31st March 1976, as follows:

Quarter ending	No. of disconnections in England and Wales
30th June 1975	39,403
30th September 1975	39,223
31st December 1975	33,323
31st March 1976	26,450*

The annual figure for the last four years are:

Year	No. of disconnections in England and Wales
1972–73	117,369
1973–74	113,778
1974–75	120,330
1975–76	138,399*
* This figure is actual plus an estimate for March.

Gas: Quarterly figures are not available for the year 1971/72 or for the quarter ending 31st March 1976, but the available information is:as a precaution during the 1973–74 emergency and subsequently declared obsolete. The new coupons cost £258,000. The estimated cost of the previous issue was £500,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will give a general direction to the Post Office not to seek the payment of a deposit before agreeing to provide telephone services for business subscribers.

No, a general direction would not be appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his latest estimate of the average delivery time of a second-class letter.

The Post Office informs me that since the introduction in January 1976 of the revised service standard for second class mail, 98·2 per cent. of letters in this class achieve the standard by being delivered by the third working day after posting.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the final results of the 12 months charity stamp experiment conducted by the Post Office which closed in January 1976.

The Post Office has not yet finished working out the financial results, but will make an announcement as soon as it is in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if, in view of the evidence supplied to him by the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne on the placing of substantial orders for machine tools in Japan, he is satisfied that as far as practicable.

	British expenditure	French expenditure	Both countries
	£ million	£ million	£ million
Actual costs from 29th November 1962 to 31st December 1975 at the prices and exchange rates prevailing when the costs were incurred	475	476 (5841 MF)	951
Estimated costs from 1st January 1976 to completion of programme at January 1976 prices and at an exchange rate of £1=9·08 francs	89	114	203
Totals	564	590	1,154

The latest estimates of the manufacturers' total production costs to the end of 1978 is £301 million in the United Kingdom and 3,450 million francs in France. This

	Britain	France
	£ million	Fr. million
Actual costs to 31st December 1975 at the prices prevailing when the costs were incurred	199	2,010
Estimated costs from 1st January 1976 to completion of programme at January 1976 prices	102	1,440
Totals	301	3,450

Yes. My hon. Friend may like to know that the report he has sent to my right hon. Friend is inaccurate in several important respects. I am asking the Chief Executive of British Leyland to write to him about it.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is his latest estimate of the development and production costs of Concorde.

The latest estimate of the manufacturers' total development costs in Britain and France is £1,154 million. There has been a net increase in the estimate of £58 million compared with that given to my hon. Friend by my predecessor on 24th March 1975. Pay and price increases in Britain and France account for £46 million, and changes in the exchange rates for £21 million. It has been decided to make provision for five years—not for two years as done previously—for engine development. But in spite of this addition of £21 million to development costs, there has been a small decrease of £10 million in the total estimate measured in real terms.The expenditure is divided as follows between actual past expenditure and estimated future expenditure:is divided as between actual past expenditure and estimated future expenditure as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary schools still have outside lavatories.

My Department is currently seeking information, on a sample basis, about deficiencies in school buildings, including outside lavatories. A survey carried out in 1962 indicated that nearly 14,000 primary schools in England, or about two-thirds of the total relied wholly or mainly on outside lavatories at that time. Since then a good deal of progress has been made in removing these.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many primary schools still in use were built before 1875.

It is estimated that there are somewhat over 7,000 primary schools in England with some or all of their teaching accommodation dating from before 1903, compared with 12,500 such schools in 1962. It is not known how many schools now in use were built before 1875.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further discussions he will have with local education authorities about the purchasing of school books, in view of the financial measures announced in the Government's White Paper on Public Expenditure.

The purchase of school books is entirely a matter within the discretion of local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to increase the numbers of graduate engineers as a proportion of total graduates.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State has recently had discussions about the supply of graduate engineers with some leaders of the engineering profession, and my Department is keeping the subject under review. My Advisory Committee on the Supply and Training of Teachers is considering what steps might be taken to try to overcome the shortage of mathematics and science teachers in the schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many mechanical (United Kingdom) engineers graduated in 1975; and if he will predict the trend for the next three years.

In 1974, the last year for which information is available, 1,515 students graduated from British universities with first degrees in mechanical engineering and 416 with higher degrees. 500 CNAA first degrees in mechanical engineering were also awarded. Particulars of CNAA higher degrees for this subject are not available. 1974 levels are expected to be attained again by 1977 after a drop in the intervening years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue guidelines to local authorities that have not yet reorganised secondary education on the basis of a comprehensive system, for a suggested size of a comprehensive school.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which my hon. Friend the Member for Eton and Slough (Miss Lestor) gave to the hon. Members for Woolwich, West (Mr. Bottomley) and Holland with Boston (Mr. Body) on 3rd February.—[Official Report, Vol. 904; c. 572.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why he is unaware of the number of pupils taking the 11-plus examination during 1976.

There are many different kinds of transfer procedure which involve some assessment of a child's ability. The collection of comparable information from local education authorities would involve a great deal of difficulty and expense and there could be no guarantee that it would be found suitable for any specific purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the employment prospects of those teachers who are this year currently unemployed.

Vacancies are constantly occuring through teachers leaving teaching service and the total number of teachers in the maintained schools is expected to rise in September by about 3,000; but it is unlikely that the employment opportunities in the schools will be sufficient to absorb all the teachers seeking posts.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the implementation of proposals made to him by the Advisory Committee on the Supply and Training of Teachers in respect of the training of teachers in further education.

My right hon. Friend has studied the Advisory Committee's report with interest and is considering how far progress might be made to implement its recommendations within existing resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will announce details of the next school building programme.

Local education authorities are being informed this week of their final allocations for 1976–77, adjusted to take account of prospective cost movements. I recognise that they will be anxious to know their allocations for 1977–78 and I will notify them as soon as I can.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Government's observations on the Report of the Select Committee on Expenditure (Education Sub-Committee) dated December 1973 will be made.

I regret that I cannot yet add to the answer which my right hon. Friend gave the hon. Member on 5th February.—[Official Report, Vol. 904, c. 698.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local authorities which have already introduced comprehensive schools will be required to alter their allocation of places policy in order to comply with the provisions of the Education Bill.

Every local education authority in England, except Kingston, maintains some comprehensive schools. Many of these authorities will wish to revise admission procedures to these schools when the Bill becomes law. However at this stage I cannot predict in how many cases my right hon. Friend will find it necessary to require a local authority to carry out such a revision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the actual cost of providing a school meal in primary and secondary schools on the date when the charge is to be increased from 15p to 20p per meal.

The average cost was 41½p in November 1975. I cannot say what the cost will be in September next.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local education authorities in England have indicated to him that they are in favour of changing the rules covering school transport before 1st September 1976.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations he has had on the Education Bill with London's head teachers.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State has received a deputation from the Conference of Comprehensive Heads of Inner London schools, at which the effect of the Education Bill was fully discussed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science approximately how many children he expects, on the basis of projected birth rate trends, to enter primary schools each year from 1981 to 1986.

Pupils enter primary schools at varying ages between 2 and 5. Information is collected and projections made of the numbers attending schools but not of those starting school for the first time. On the basis of the latest projection of births published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, the numbers of 5-year-olds in maintained primary schools in England and Wales are projected to be:

1981, 559,000; 1982, 559,000; 1983, 564,000; 1984, 581,000; 1985, 607,000; 1986, 640,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines his Department have issued on the manner in which local education authorities should make cuts in their budgets.

Guidance on the implications of the Rate Support Grant settlement for 1976–77 was issued in a joint circular from seven Government Departments (DES Circular 15/75) on 31st December 1975. Copies are in the Library. The settlement provides in aggregate for an increase of 2 per cent. in real terms on expenditure on education in 1976–77 over the estimated level in 1975–76.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will institute an inquiry into the standards of attainment, discipline and general morale of comprehensive schools on split sites.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to a question from the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) on 2nd March. Although split sites can present problems for any type of school, I do not consider that this calls for a separate inquiry.—[Official Report, Vol. 906, c. 1078–9.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will introduce legislation requiring local education authorities to publish truancy statistics.

Absence statistics are among the topics we are considering as part of our consultations on behavioural problems in schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he proposes to meet representatives of students' unions that have disaffiliated from the National Union of Students.

I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils of statutory school age were on the roll at State schools in 1955 and for every five years since then; and what is his estimate of the number likely to be on the roll in 1980.

In January of each year the numbers at maintained schools in England and Wales were:

1955	…	6,168,000
1960	…	6,427,000
1965	…	6,515,000
1970	…	7,254,000
1975	…	8,481,000

The estimate for January 1980 is 8,095,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is satisfied that the reorganisation of secondary education in Matlock will provide facilities for classical education where there is a demand for it.

The local education authority has not yet submitted any proposals for the reorganisation of the Matlock area. The balance of the curriculum is a matter for local decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received from the Inner London Education Authority its proposals to close the St. Marylebone Grammar School.

No proposal to cease to maintain this school has been submitted to my right hon. Friend by the Inner London Education Authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received against increasing higher education fees for overseas students.

I have received 88 representations from Members and from the general public since the beginning of this year. 52 were in favour

		1974–75 Overseas student numbers	Annual unit costs per student (rounded)		Total costs (rounded)
Institution		(Provisional)	Recurrent	Capital	Recurrent	Capital	Total
			£	£	£m.	£m.	£m.
Universities	…	26,850	2,100	570	58	15	73
Polytechnics	…	7,700	1,800	470	14	4	18
Other Further Education	…	25,200	810	330	20	8	28
Colleges of Education	…	500	1,000	390	1		1
Totals	…	60,250	1,540*	540*	93	27	120
* Average.

The students paid some £10m. in tuition fees. In addition it has been estimated that these students would use resources of the order of £60m. a year net of import content on their own maintenance.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the coat per student of a three-year university education for an arts undergraduate in Scotland at the latest prices.

In the financial year 1974–75, the average annual recurrent institutional cost to public funds of a student studying an arts course in a British university is estimated at £1,250 at 1975 Survey Prices. Separate costings for Scottish universities are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give figures expressing the expenditure of the Arts Council of Great Britain

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will explain the basis of his estimate of the resource costs of educating overseas students in the United Kingdom; and if he will break down the £170 millions by types of expenditure incurred and by levels of education or institution.

The educational resource cost of 60,000 overseas students in the United Kingdom has been estimated at £120 million a year at 1974–75 prices. This is made up as follows:per thousand population in each of the regions of England, in Scotland, in Wales and in Northern Ireland, respectively; and if he will make a statement.

The Arts Council of Great Britain has responsibilities only in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland matters are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Arts Council of Great Britain does not analyse the whole of its expenditure in England on a regional basis; the Scottish and Welsh Arts Councils are given block allocations. Using estimated population figures for 30th June 1974, in 1974–75 the expenditure per thousand population in England, Scotland and Wales was approximately as follows: England, £366; Scotland. £464; Wales, £689.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many mentally handicapped persons leave special schools each year (a) nationally and (b) on Merseyside.

This information is not collected by my Department. In January 1975 there were approximately 30,000 children aged 2–19 attending schools for the educationally subnormal (severe) in England and Wales, including 1,100 on Merseyside.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in the light of the document submitted to him by the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley he will ensure that the Institute for the Study of Conflict will not in future be commissioned or employed by his Department for lecturing and other purposes.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Newens) on 3rd November 1975.—[Vol. 899, c. 20.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations were made by Her Majesty's Government about the United States Navy's decision to move its communications functions from Londonderry and Dungiven to Scotland; what are the implications for NATO strategy of this decision; and whether he will make a statement about the future use of the sites.

Her Majesty's Government were fully consulted on this matter. It was a decision for the United States Government. Relocation of the facilities will have no effect on NATO strategy. The future of the sites is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the capital invested in new plant in the Royal ordnance factories for each of the last three years at constant prices.

Capital investment on new plant installed in the Royal Ordnance Factories organisation in financial years 1973–74 to 1975–76 at constant (September 1975) prices is as follows:—

1973–74	…	£6·4 million
1974–75	…	£5·8 million
1975–76 (Estimated)	…	£6·4million

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the expenditure on research for each of the last five years at constant prices.

The approximate net current expenditure on research by the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom in financial years 1972–73 to 1975–76 at constant (September 1975) prices is as follows. Because of changes in Department organisation comparable figures for 1971–72 are not available.

			million £
1972–73	…	…	84·2
1973–74	…	…	84·6
1974–75	…	…	82·0
1975–76 (estimated)	…	…	82·2

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated reduction in staff resulting from measures outlined under "Research" in Command Paper No. 6432.

The second stage of rationalisation of research and development establishments is currently estimated to contribute about 300 posts to the overall saving of 3,000 to 3,500 staff to be made in the next few years in the R & D area.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the proportion of research work being carried out in the United Kingdom in collaboration with other countries.

Approximately 7 per cent. of total research. This comprises both intramural and extramural activities and is based upon the estimated out-turn for the financial year 1975–76.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the level of defence sales for each of the previous five years.

The estimated value of defence exports for each of the last five years is as follows:

			million £
1971–72	…	…	242
1972–73	…	…	257
1973–74	…	…	423
1974–75	…	…	468
1975–76 (provisional)	…	…	500

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what evidence he has received from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of the effect on employment of VAT at 25 per cent.

None, but my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is well aware of the employment situation in the industries concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the annual increase in the retail price index each year since 1964, can be attributed to: (a) the fall in the value of sterling, (b) the increase in indirect taxes and (c) price increases by nationalised industries.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 16th March 1976; Vol. 907, c. 450], gave the following information:It is not possible to estimate precisely the proportion of the annual increase for any one year in the retail price index which might arise from the fall in the value of sterling because of the uncertainty about the degree to which the effects are passed on and the time taken for the effects to work through.The table below gives estimates of the percentage of annual increase in the retail prices index, since 1964, arising from the factors (

asked the Secretary of State for Employment which academic vacation is referred to in Annex 5 of his Department's Press notice concerning unemployment issued on 23rd March.

The academic vacation referred to is the one following the second term in the academic year, known at some universities as the Hilary term.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total take-up in 1975 in the United Kingdom with a specific breakdown for Scotland, England and Wales, if possible, by the hotel and catering industry from the European Social Fund for training and retraining; and if he will publish the corresponding figures for the other EEC member countries.

The European Social Fund made no allocations for 1975 to the United Kingdom hotel and catering industry. As the Fund has no specific scheme for assistance to this industry, no figures are available for other member States.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing average weekly earnings in agriculture, retailing and catering as a percentage of average manual earnings in 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975.

Information is not available for 1960 and 1965. The following estimates for 1970 and 1975 are based on analyses by industry of New Earnings

AVERAGE GROSS WEEKLY EARNINGS OF FULL-TIME MANUAL MEN AS PERCENTAGE OF THE CORRESPONDING AVERAGE FOR ALL INDUSTRIES AND SERVICES
Industry				MLH of SIC	April 1970	April 1975
Agriculture and horticulture	…	…	…	001	70·5	73·2
Retail distribution	…	…	…	820–1	82·1	82·6
Catering	…	…	…	884–8	69·4	75·0

The estimates are subject to sampling error.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many sheltered workshops there are; where they are located; and how many places they provide for mentally-handicapped persons;(2) how many sheltered workshops there are on Merseyside; where they are located; and how many places they provide for mentally-handicapped persons.

As to the number of sheltered workships and their location I would refer my hon. Friend to a reply given to a Question by the hon. Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 4th July 1975. This listed 204 sheltered workshops and Remploy factories, county by county; since then one new workshop at Rhyl—Clwyd—has begun operations. Seven of the workshops are in the Metropolitan County of Merseyside.Places in workshops are generally not earmarked for people with particular disabilities. Comprehensive information about the total number of mentally-handicapped people in sheltered workshops is available, but Remploy, in its annual report, provides a breakdown of categories of disability among its employees and I am arranging for a copy to be sent to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people visited

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that 21,096 persons visited the Industrial Health and Safety Centre during 1975. Of these 2,450 were bona fide apprentices. However, no statistics of visitors by age group are kept and, therefore, any more precise identification of young visitors is not possible.The overall cost of running the Centre is approximately £121,000 per annum at current price levels. This figure includes staff costs but excludes the cost of special exhibitions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the introduction of a May Day bank holiday and other plans for granting additional or alternative bank holidays.

The Government have decided to institute a May Day bank holiday starting in 1978. As already announced, there will be an additional bank holiday in 1977 in celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.The Government also intend to make the necessary additional arrangements to provide a holiday in lieu whenever a bank holiday or other public holiday falls on either a Saturday or a Sunday with effect from Christmas Day and Boxing Day 1976 and New Year's Day 1977.The Government will begin consultations shortly with the TUC, the CBI and the banks as to whether the May Day holiday should be fixed on 1st May or the first Monday in May and which days should be taken in lieu of those holidays falling at the weekend for which provision is not already made in the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.Separate consultations will be held in Northern Ireland and Scotland where, by tradition, public holidays are arranged on a local basis and bank holidays are not necessarily observed as general public holidays.

asked the Attorney-General how many appeals from industrial tribunals were outstanding on 1st January 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976, respectively; how many such appeals were outstanding on the latest date for which records are available; and what is the average time lapse between the bringing of such appeals and their hearing, on each of the aforesaid dates.

On 1st January 1972, 21 appeals from industrial tribunals were outstanding; on 1st January 1973, 68; on 1st January 1974, 67; on 1st January 1975, 54; and on 1st January 1976, 121. On 25th March, the latest date for which figures are available, 168 appeals were outstanding.This increase reflects an increase in the number of appeals being brought; the number set down in the first three months of this year—up to 25th March—shows an increase of 92 per cent. over the corresponding period last year.No figures are available for the average time lapse between the bringing of such appeals and their hearing.

asked the Attorney-General what he estimates will be the backlog of appeals awaiting hearing by the Employment Appeal Tribunal when it comes into operation on 30th March; and how many divisions of the Employment Tribunal will be sitting to hear and to help clear that backlog.