asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with the level of the Royal Navy's amphibious forces.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will update the table given to the hon. Member for Haltem-price on 22nd November 1974 (Official Report, c. 529–30) relating to comparative expenditure by NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Details of defence expenditure as a percentage of GNP and per capita were given to the hon. Member for Torbay (Sir F. Bennett) on 26th February. Comparable total expenditure figures in US $ for 1975 are as follows:

Nato*		Total Expenditure
		$ million
Belgium	…	2,000
Canada	…	3,100
Denmark	…	900
France	…	13,500
Germany	…	16,200
(including Berlin)	…	(19,700)
Greece	…	1,500
Italy	…	4,700
Luxembourg	…	20
Netherlands	…	3,000
Norway	…	900
Portugal	…	1,000
Turkey (1974 figure)	…	1,100
United Kingdom	…	12,000
United States	…	89,000
* on NATO definition

Warsaw Pact†			Total Expenditure
			$ million
Bulgaria	…	…	1,700
Czechoslovakia	…	…	2,800
East Germany	…	…	3,300
Hungary	…	…	1,300
Poland	…	…	4,400
Romania	…	…	2,200
USSR‡	…	…	125,000
† Estimates only. It is not possible to arrive at fully comparable figures.
‡ latest estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many extra officers have been appointed for factory inspection since the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Act; and how this compares with each of the preceding five years.

The total number of extra factory inspectors appointed since the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Act is 125.The comparison with previous years is shown in the table below:

Total Number of Inspectors in Post
1st August 1970	…	…	…	651
1st August 1971	…	…	…	683
1st August 1972	…	…	…	682
1st August 1973	…	…	…	663
1st August 1974	…	…	…	713

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act passed 31st July 1974
1st August 1975	773
1st March 1976	838

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many cases in each year since adoption of the 1969 Asbestos Regulations have been recorded as contravening these regulations.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the number of offences that have resulted in prosecutions under the 1969 Asbestos Regulations is as follows:

1970	…	…	…	…	nil
1971	…	…	…	…	1
1972	…	…	…	…	44
1973	…	…	…	…	19
1974	…	…	…	…	45
1975	…	…	…	…	32

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the number of cases brought under the 1969 Asbestos Regulations which were settled out of court, and what the settlement was in each case.

I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the Health and Safety Executive has no records of cases under the Asbestos Industry Regulation 1969 which were settled out of court, since this procedure does not apply to criminal cases such as those taken by or on behalf of the Health and Safety Inspectorate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the number of projects approved and the number of jobs created to date in the Lancashire area since the inception of the job creation programme.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 59 projects have so far been approved in Lancashire, providing 589 jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) when he proposes to grant licences under SI 1976/276 to the British National Oil Corporation and the British Gas Corporation;(2) what was the purpose of revising the Petroleum (Production) Regulations 1966/898;(3) whether he intends to give parity of treatment to private and State companies in view of the Petroleum (Production) (Amendment) Regulations 1976/276;(4) if it is Government policy that the BNOC should operate commercially in the light of SI 1976/276.

The intention to table amending Regulations was announced in a Written Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dundee. West (Mr. Peter Doig) on 4th February—[Vol. 904, c. 616–18].The primary purpose of the Regulation is to clear up possible doubts about the procedure by which licence No. P247 was issued, by providing that offshore production licences can be applied for without prior public invitation of applications in defined circumstances. One of the qualifying circumstances is where a substitute licence is needed by an existing licence holder, e.g. for reasons connected with the financing of oilfield development.The Regulation also enables BNOC or BGC to make applications for offshore production licences without prior public invitation. This provision is essential to give flexibility to the development of BNOC as a State Oil Corporation. It would for example allow the BNOC to explore blocks without necessarily developing what it finds if at any time the Government wants that. As a State Corporation acting as a sole licensee in the national interest, the BNOC could not very well be expected to operate on precisely the same basis as when it is in partnership or in competition with commercial companies. I made that clear in the debates last year on the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Bill.The granting of licences remains at my right hon. Friend's discretion, and he has no plans at present to award new licences to BNOC. The British Gas Corporation has made an application for a licence covering blocks 110/3 and 110/8 in the Irish Sea. My right hon. Friend is giving it consideration and will make a further statement to the House in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what published medical and technical evidence relevant to the United Kingdom the Minister of State based his statement in the debate on EEC Commission Directives on 4th March 1976 that even lead in petrol could have adverse effects on the lives of young children.

The statement quoted by the hon. Member formed part of a much fuller statement which made it clear that lead in petrol, taken in isolation, does not constitute a health hazard and that it is the totality that we absorb that matters. It is thought that children absorb lead at a higher rate than adults and it is in this context that they are possibly at greater risk from lead from all sources. This view is based on work by Dr. F. W. Alexander, Dr. H. T. Delves and Professor Barbara Clayton, which was reported in a paper presented at an international symposium on the environmental health aspects of lead held in Amsterdam in 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of private motor cars in the United Kingdom registered in a company name with: (a) current licences and (b) registered for the first time in each of the years 1970 to 1975.

In 1975, about 1·4 million and 470,000 respectively. Figures for earlier years are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further consideration he has given to providing financial aid via local authorities to individuals faced with the cost of felling dead elm trees on their property and who have a restricted or retirement income.

The felling of dead trees is in general the responsibility of the owner. However, I have recently received a report from the Tree Council which recommends that the Government should pay the cost of any additional labour required to secure the felling of dangerous elms, and we shall be considering this recommendation and other possibilities in the light of existing financial constraints and other relevant factors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will institute an inquiry as to whether the use of only hand and thumb pressure for testing rust is the best method for assessing corrosion without causing unnecessary damage to the vehicle.

No. The advice of the Department's vehicle engineers, which is based on long and wide-ranging experience, is that the method advocated is the best for determining the extent of corrosion without causing unnecessary damage to the vehicle.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has that unnecessary damage to vehicles has been caused by the use of methods other than only hand and thumb pressure for testing rust when assessing corrosion.

Evidence gained over many years on the Department's vehicles which are submitted to garages for the purpose of conducting incognito checks on garages' standards, as well as from the experience of the Department's vehicle examiners who see the condition of vehicles when they are called in to adjudicate on an appeal by a member of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent on advertising the slogan "Dip Your Headlights".

Nothing has been spent on advertising the specific slogan "Dip Your Headlights". In 1973 there was a campaign using posters and bus backs advising drivers to use dipped headlights on gloomy days. The cost for this was £29,500. A very short television film emphasising the need for drivers to dip their headlights to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic was also produced in 1973 at an approximate cost of £450 and, to date, has been shown on 400 occasions in public service free time periods allocated by the television authorities. More recent advertising, connected with the requirement to use headlights in poor visibility, has not specifically advocated that headlights should be dipped.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the statutory powers of arrest possessed by the transport police and the civil police, respectively, besides those available to them under common law.

The powers of the civil police are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Members of the British Transport Police are appointed under Section 53 of the British Transport Commission Act 1949 and have all the powers, privileges and protection of a constable in respect of the exercise of his duties and may follow and arrest any person who is suspected of having committed, in the vicinity of those premises listed in the Act, any offences for which a power of arrest exists. Members of the British Transport Police may also stop, search and take into custody any person in the employment or employed upon such property who may be reasonably suspected of having in his possession or conveying, anything stolen or unlawfully obtained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now publish the Blennerhassett Committee report on the law on drinking and driving.

The report is now being printed. I shall arrange publication when it is ready.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide details of the reduction in use of private transport resulting from the recent increases in excise duty on petrol.

As changes in the use of private motoring will result from a number of factors, it is not possible to isolate the effect of the increase in VAT on petrol from November 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet appointed a housing services adviser.

Subject to the approval of the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council and the completion of other formal arrangements, I propose to appoint Mr. William Woof, F.I.H.M., the Council's Director of Housing. Mr. Woof will be seconded to my Department and will take up his duties on 3rd May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will undertake to postpone further action in the Craythorne Lane Scheme in Boston until the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Administration has completed his inquiries.

No. Construction of the road has already been delayed, to the disbenefit of many of the population of Boston. The road scheme has gone through all its statutory processes and an application to overthrow the Road Order has been rejected by the Court of Appeal. No complaint has been referred to the Department by the PCA and any such reference would not affect the need for the road.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the reception of the BBC World Service to Southern Africa and particularly Rhodesia.

BBC World Service broadcasts are audible in Southern Africa, including Rhodesia. Reception could be improved by the introduction of additional equipment including the installation of more powerful transmitters, but this would be expensive and cannot be undertaken within the capital programme planned for the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters his Department has received during the last year on the subject of juvenile crime.

A complete estimate cannot be given because reference to juvenile delinquency is made in a large number of letters received at the Home Office which deal also with other aspects of crime and the criminal justice system: to make a complete count would involve disproportionate effort. However, the Department has identified 45 letters, either from bodies or individuals, dealt with during the last year, which related to juvenile offending in the specific context of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of ethnic minority groups work in his Department; and what is the highest position held by any of them.

No figures are available, but the answer to the second part of the Question is "Prison medical officer".

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Report of the Brodrick Committee on Death Certification and Coroners, further to his answer to a question on the subject by the hon. Member for Red car on 6th August 1975.

As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State indicated in the reply to the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) on

						£ million
						1975–76	1976–77	1977–78	1978–79	1979–80
Capital	…	…	…	…	…	6·9	4·5	3·9	2·5	1·7
Current	…	…	…	…	…	13·8	20·1	21·1	19·9	20·6

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give for the longest stated period of time the names of persons who have been arrested in Great Britain on suspicion of terrorist activities and for association with the IRA; how many of these were prosecuted; and with what results in each stated case.

Detentions in Great Britain under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1974, which had effect from 29th November 1974 to 25th March 1976, number 1,415. Twenty-five people have so far been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976, which came into effect on 25th March 1976. It is not possible to say how many people have been detained in connection with terrorist offences under other provisions.Of those who have been detained in Great Britain under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts 1974 and 1976, 77 have been charged, eight of them with murder, three with attempted murder, 11 with conspiracy

7th July 1975, the abolition of the duty of a coroner's jury to name the person it finds responsible for causing a death and the coroner's duty to commit that person for trial will be proposed as soon as a suitable legislative opportunity is found. More generally, the statement I made on 6th August promised discussions with the various bodies concerned, and a consultation document is being prepared.—[Vol. 895. c.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision has been made within the amount allocated to community services in Command Paper No. 6393 for current and capital expenditure under the urban programme.

Provision for expenditure under the Urban Programme in Great Britain is as follows:to cause explosions, seven with unlawful possession of explosives, six with conspiracy to possess or procure explosives with intent to endanger life, three with contravention of Section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968, five with conspiracy to defraud the Inland Revenue, 11 with theft, one with robbery, six with burglary, one with assisting offenders, two with causing criminal damage, two with attempting criminal deception, one with handling a stolen vehicle, three with handling stolen property, one with unlawful wounding, one with possession of drugs, three with wasting police time, one with causing an explosion, and one with harbouring a person known to have committed an arrestable offence. In addition, two people have been returned to the Irish Republic and there charged, one with robbery and one with burglary. One person has been returned to Northern Ireland and charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion.Three people were charged with offences under Section 1 of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1974.I am afraid that it is not possible to give the outcome of these charges without disproportionate effort.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the Final Report of the Working Party on Vagrancy and Street Offences; and if he will place a copy of the Report in the Library.

We expect to receive the Report shortly and will then consider whether to publish it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department who sanctions either the police authorities or the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions to release literature, films or pictures which had been confiscated on the grounds of obscenity to psychiatric hospitals and units for use in the treatment of psycho-sexual problems.

My sanction would not be required. The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me that his force does not release obscene material in its possession for this purpose. I am not aware of the release of such material by any other police forces; but, if the hon. Member knows of instances where this is alleged to have occurred, perhaps he will let me have the particulars.Any question concerning the Director of Public Prosecutions is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for confirmation of byelaws relating to the control of bulls have been received by his Department since the publication of the Report on Bulls and Public Footpaths by the Advisory Council for Agriculture and Horticulture in England and Wales; how many have been confirmed; how many have been rejected; and whether it is now his policy to defer a decision on such applications until after consideration of the report has been completed.

Since the Advisory Council's report was published, 23 local authorities have asked whether we would confirm new byelaws relating to the control of bulls. They have all been informed that we would not do so until consideration of the Report had been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to increase the number of policemen in London up to establishment.

An extensive campaign has been conducted to draw the attention of young people and those who advise them to the improved conditions of service and the satisfying nature of a police career. Recruitment continues at a high level, and the Metropolitan Police Recruit Training School is operating at capacity. Urgent discussions are taking place on the means by which training accommodation could be expanded.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what increase there has been to the last convenient date in the collection of waste paper for re-use; and what effect this has had on imports of waste paper and pulp.

Statistics of waste paper collections are not available, but consumption of waste paper in paper and board manufacture fell by approximately 20 per cent. in 1975 in comparison with 1974 due to the economic recession and the waste paper collection rate no doubt declined correspondingly. Over the same period imports of waste paper and wood pulp fell by 72 per cent. and 21 per cent., respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what decision he has taken following the recent application by members of the wool textile industry for financial assistance.

The application for further assistance to the wool textile industry recently submitted by the Economic Development Committee for Wool Textiles is still under consideration by my Department. I hope to be able to make an announcement soon.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the number of cases heard by the Value Added Tax Tribunal in Scotland since 1972.

Sixteen appeals have been heard. I refer to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Fife, East (Sir J. Gilmour) on 19th February—[Vol. 905, c. 781.]—for details of other matters dealt with.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the salary paid to the Vice-President of the VAT Tribunal in Scotland.

£9,179·68 per annum. There has been no increase since 1st December 1974.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to arrange for the publication of economic forecasts and access to the Treasury model to make forecasts on alternative assumptions, as required by Schedule 5 of the Industry Act 1975; and when publication and access will commence.

Negotiations are under way with several computer bureaux with a view to their providing access to the Treasury model on their computers. I am considering the most appropriate format and timing for the publication of forecasts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to announce the names of the chairman and members of the Committee on Policy Optimisation.

Professor R. J. Ball of the London Business School has agreed to take the chair of this committee. I hope to be able to announce the full membership by the end of April.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) civil servants and (b) persons employed by public bodies other than civil servants in Northern Ireland have been charged with terrorist activity, convicted of such activity or killed while engaged in such activity during the last five years.

Employment records of Goverment service show that during the last five years 31 Northern Ireland civil servants were charged with terrorist activity, 19 were convicted of such activity and one was killed while engaged in such activity.I further understand that of persons employed by Northern Ireland public bodies—which is taken to mean statutory bodies and includes the Northern Ireland Electricity Service, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, health and social services boards, education and library boards and ancillary bodies—available records indicate that 25 were charged with terrorist activity, 14 were convicted and two were killed. This information relates to the period 1st October 1973 to the present day; it is not available in respect of a previous period.The above information does not include employees who resigned or left the public service without notice before the employing authority became aware that charges of involvement in terrorist activity had been brought against them.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on what new industry is planned over the next five years.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 1st April 1976], gave the following information:The Government will continue their efforts to attract new industry to Northern Ireland and will continue to provide financial assistance from public funds to private firms with plans to locate or expand in the Province. In addition, the Northern Ireland Development Agency, when established, will have a key rôle to play in stimulating industrial development in Northern Ireland, including the setting up of state enterprises.

asked the Minister of Overseas Development if he will report on the position regarding the maintenance value payments due in respect of the United Kingdom contributions to the first, second and third replenishments of the resources of the International Development Association.

The maintenance of value obligations accepted by the United Kingdom in the arrangements for the replenishments, under the authority of the Overseas Aid Act 1968 and statutory Orders made under it, are being met by the deposit of non-negotiable non-interest-bearing notes, additional to those originally deposited for our contributions. A further note is being deposited for £3,947,982·89. This sum is based on the disbursements actually made by the Association from our contributions during the period 1st July 1975 to 31st December 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection when she proposes to introduce legislation further to restrict the sale of fireworks; and if she will make a statement.

The Government fully support the aims of the Explosives (Age of Purchase etc.) Bill, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock (Mr. Roberts) on 17th December 1975. This measure, which was given a Second Reading on 6th February, seeks to restrict further the sale to young persons of explosive substances including fireworks.In addition, I have negotiated a substantial agreed package of measures with the manufacturers and the retailers' and wholesalers' asociations to strengthen the existing controls by:

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will give a list of the number of references on consumer trade practices by the Director General of Fair Trading to the Consumer Protection Advisory Committee under Part II of the Fair Trading Act 1973 giving the subject of each reference, the date each reference was made and the action that she has subsequently taken.

The Director General has made three such references. The first, on 24th April 1974, was about the purported exclusion of the inalienable rights of consumers and failure to explain the existence of these rights. The Committee reported on 3rd September 1974 and I informed the House on 2nd December 1974 that after further consultations I would use the Department's order-making powers to implement the Committee's recommendations. These consultations are now almost complete, and I hope to be able to present a draft order for the approval of Parliament in the near future.The second reference, on 16th May 1974, concerned prepayment in mail order transactions and in shops. The Committee reported on 15th November 1974. I have been taking legal advice on certain difficulties presented by the proposals in the reference. However, I intend to lay the Committee's report before Parliament next month together with a statement of the action I propose to take. The third reference, on 25th March 1975, concerned the practice of seeking to sell goods without revealing that they are being sold in the course of a business. The Committee reported on 23rd June 1975. I hope to publish the report, which generally agrees with the Director General's proposals and to take action to implement them, within the next two months.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will take steps to ensure that hazardous household products are fitted with child-resistant closures; and if she will make a statement.

Preliminary results from an in-depth study being carried out for my Department show that child-resistant packaging can play an important rôle in reducing the number of children who are treated each year for suspected accidental poisoning involving household products. My Department has therefore asked the British Standards Institution to consider the preparation of a test specification for child-resistant packaging for these products. In addition, we shall be holding discussions with the industry with a view to securing a voluntary change-over to the use of child-resistant packaging over a range of potentially harmful household products. But I must stress that packaging of this sort is a partial line of defence and that the primary precaution is to keep these products out of reach of children.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether, in the light of the liquidation of the Council for Vehicle Servicing and Repair, she is satisfied that adequate advice and sources of redress are available to consumers of vehicles servicing and repair facilities.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will publish in the Official Report a list showing the number of paid public appointments within her gift, the highest and lowest emoluments payable and the total amount paid in 1975; and what is the likely total for 1976.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 1st April 1976; Vol. 908, c. 560–1], gave the following information:One hundred and six paid appointments. The vast majority of appointments made by the Department are unpaid. The highest and lowest salaries paid are respectively £16,580 for a full-time appointment and £500 for a part-time appointment. The total amount actually paid in respect of appointments from time to time during 1975 is not readily available. No comprehensive forecast has been made of the likely total for 1976 but the salaries currently payable, as at 29th March 1976, total £230,628 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give figures for the Scottish raspberry industry, showing yield per acre, cost per acre and price per ton for their produce in each year over the past five years; and what steps he has taken to protect the income of raspberry growers this year.

Information on the estimated average yield per acre and price per ton is given below for each of the past five years. My Department does not produce estimates of average production costs which depend on a number of variable factors.Assistance by way of capital grant and also technical and other advice from the

agricultural colleges continue to be available to raspberry growers. Under recent EEC arrangements aimed at the liberalisation of trade with third countries, a system of monitoring of imports of raspberries and certain other processed products was introduced, so that appropriate measures can be taken if the Community market is or is likely to be exposed to serious disturbance. Given this measure

SCOTTISH RASPBERRY PRODUCTION
			1971	1972	1973	1974 (Provisional)	1975 (Forecast)
Estimated average yield (tons per acre)	…	…	l·36	1·43	1·42	2·13	1·68
Estimated average price* (£ per ton)	…	…	£143	£155	£234	£277	£208
* Weighted average of various outlets.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what paediatric opinion in the United Kingdom on the causes of excessive lead absorption among children has been under consideration by her Department.

In recent months the medical staff of my Department have paid great attention to every aspect of lead in food and the environment and its possible effect on the population. They have studied all the available evidence on the subject and have consulted the Chief Medical Officer's Committee on Medical Aspects of Chemicals in Food and the Environment and its sub-committees, of which some of the country's leading paediatricians are members.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many administrative and clerical staff having no nursing or medical qualifications were employed within the National Health Service before re-organisation and on the latest convenient date following re-organisation.

I regret that no information is collated centrally as to the individual qualifications of generalist administrative and clerical staff. The number (whole-time equivalents) of such staff employed in the NHS in England at 30th September 1973 was 69,417. At 30th September 1974 the number was 85.172; but this of protection, the income of raspberry growers can most effectively be safeguarded by adjusting the level of production to the requirements of the market. There was a reduction of some 600 acres in the planted acreage in 1975 and a further fall which seems likely this year should help to improve the prospects for this sector of the industry.figure includes staff of the former local health authorities and ambulance officers (together totalling some 10,670 at 30th September 1974) who were not within the NHS until 1st April 1974. The 1975 figures are currently being collected and processed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many requests for abortion within the terms of the 1967 Act were received by consultants at the Central Middlesex Hospital in the months of November and December 1975 and January and February 1976; how many were performed within National Health Service provisions; how many were performed in the private sector; and how many were refused.

Information on requests for treatment under the Abortion Act are not collected. The Abortion Regulations 1968 require that notification of every termination of pregnancy must be given by the operating doctor within seven days of the operation to the Chief Medical Officer in the form set out in Schedule 2 of the Regulations. The form of notification covers the patient's identity, place of operation and also contains information designed to provide national data on the environmental, personal and social factors in the incidence of abortion. Regulation 5 forbids the disclosure of any information in the notification form but the Chief Medical Officer may at his complete discretion permit disclosure in the specified circumstances set out in Regulation 5. To give the detail by individual hospital has always been considered inconsistent with the provisions of Regulation 5 of the Abortion Regulations which were designed to preserve the confidentiality of patient information and the practice of registered medical practitioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which hospitals within the Brent-Harrow area day-care termination of pregnancies are available.

No hospitals within the area provide this facility.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children below the age of 5 years have

Nature of Poisoning	Estimated number of in-patient spells		Estimated mean duration of stay (days)
	Aged under 1	Aged 1–4	Aged under 1	Aged 1–4
Adverse effect of medical substances:
1972	510	15,160	—	—
1973	540	14,970	—	—
Toxic effect of substances chiefly non-medicinal:
1972	610	7,380	—	—
1973	600	7,540	—	—
All poisoning:
1972	1,120	22,540	2·8	1·3
1973	1,140	22,510	1·6	1·3

This information is derived from a sample survey; monthly figures are not available. From the sample the numbers of children admitted suffering from poisoning and who died in hospital are too small to enable reliable estimates to be derived but these are about 1 per 1,000 of child (0–4) poisoning cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance she has issued to area health authorities on the budgetary provision and numbers and grades of staff for health education.

An agreed salary and grading structure for health education officers was promulgated in August 1975. No detailed specific guidance has been issued to area health authorities on financial resources or numbers of staff but the Government's consultative papers "Prevention and Health—Everybody's Business" and "Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England", both published in March 1976, indicate clearly the importance which we attach been admitted to hospital, suffering from accidental poisoning, during each of the last 24 months for which records are available; what was the average length of time these children were detained; what were the ages of the children concerned; what was the nature of the poisoning; and how many and what percentage of such poisonings resulted in death.

I regret that information is not available in the precise form requested. The estimated number of children aged 0–4 admitted as in-patients to hospitals in England and Wales suffering from poisoning or suspected poisoning (including non-accidental cases which are not separately identified) in 1972 and 1973, the latest years for which figures are available, are as follows:to health education in the planning and allocation of local resources.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she will introduce the arrangements for joint planning and financing by health and local authorities of priority projects which she referred to her in her Consultative Document on Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England; and whether she will make a statement.

I have issued to regional and area health authorities and to local authorities in England, a consultative circular setting out revised arrangements for joint care planning between area health authorities and their matching local authorities. The circular also outlines proposed new arrangements enabling selected projects, agreed by both authorities, to be jointly financed.The circular is consultative. Its proposals will be reviewed later this year in the light of the observations received following consultations with the health authorities, the local authority associations and other representative bodies. The Government, however, regards the establishment of effective joint planning as crucial to the development of community services for, for example, the elderly, the physically handicapped, the mentally ill and mentally handicapped. I am therefore asking the authorities to take immediate steps to introduce joint planning arrangements along the lines proposed on the consultative circular even though some, as I understand and recognise, may have reservations about the details.I also consider it important that a start is made on jointly financed projects in the coming financial year. To this end, I shall shortly be making special allocations of joint financing money to health authorities. The amount available nationally in 1976–77 will be £8 million. As forecast in the consultative document on health and personal social services priorities, the programme is planned to rise to £27 million annually in 1979–80. In addition to the special allocations, the new arrangements also allow health authorities to apply the principles of joint financing to leases granted to local authorities for the use of land and property surplus to the requirements of the NHS, for projects jointly agreed by both authorities.I am confident that these new proposals will lay a firm foundation for the planning and development of the key interdependent services provided separately by health and local authorites and will stimulate progress towards the achievement of the Government's overall strategy of reducing, to the fullest extent practicable, dependence upon hospitals and other institutions in favour of care and support in the community.Copies of the consultative circular have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the net cost of raising family allowances by (a) 50p per week and (b) 75p per week, assuming the increases would be liable to income tax, but not to clawback.

On the assumptions stated the estimated net cost would be

(a) about £100 million in a full year and

(b) about £150 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the net cost of raising family allowances by (a) 50p per week and (b) 75p per week, assuming the increases would be liable both to income tax and clawback.

If the full benefit of the increased family allowance were passed on to those receiving child dependency benefits the estimated net cost, on the assumptions stated would be (a) about £30 million (b) about £45 million. If child dependency benefits were adjusted downward to take account of the increased family allowance the net cost, if any, after tax and full clawback, would be negligible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of National Health Service expenditure on chiropody has been spent on pensioners in each of the last four years.

I regret that information is not available in the form requested. However, in recent years the elderly—persons aged 65 and over—have accounted for about 96 per cent. of all chiropody treatments.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many new chiropodists qualified in each of the years 1973, 1974 and 1975.

119, 107 and 159, respectively, in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provision per 1,000 persons she considers feasible in the chiropody service of the National Health Service.

The average number of treatments per 1,000 population has risen in recent years to about 100 per year and I expect that with the growth in chiropody envisaged in the Consultative Document on Health and Personal Social Services Priorities, and with developments to make the best use of available staff and facilities, this growth should be maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the annual cost of chiropody on the National Health Service in each of the last four years.

The cost of National Health Service chiropody services—excluding hospital services—provided by local health authorities up to 1st April 1974 and by area health authorities thereafter in England in each of the latest four years for which information is available was as follows: 1971–72, £4·2 million; 1972–73, £4·8 million; 1973–74, £5·7 million; 1974–75, £6 million.Expenditure for 1974–75 may not be directly comparable with that for earlier years because of different accounting practices as between local health authorities and area health authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many full-time equivalents in chiropody were employed by each regional health authority at the end of 1974 and 1975, respectively.

The number of chiropodists working in the National Health Service at 30th September 1974, the latest date for which complete information is available, expressed in whole-time equivalents, is:

Regional Health Authority
Northern	…	…	71·04
Yorkshire	…	…	161·26
Trent	…	…	92·86
East Anglia	…	…	60·82
North West Thames	…	…	71·67
North East Thames	…	…	160·46
South East Thames	…	…	120·93
South West Thames	…	…	77·18
Wessex	…	…	39·99
Oxford	…	…	68·97
South Western	…	…	120·24
West Midlands	…	…	98·37
Mersey	…	…	53·85
North Western	…	…	274·90

I will send the hon. Member the corresponding figures in relation to 30th September 1975 as soon as the returns are complete.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what establishment in chiropody exists for each regional health authority in 1976; and how this compares with the previous two years.

Staffing levels are a matter for individual area health authorities and there is no nationally determined standard of complementing.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimates of expenditure she is considering for National Health Service chiropody services over the next 10 years.

The Department's recently published Consultative Document on Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England proposes that national expenditure on chiropody services should be increased by 3 per cent. a year between 1975–76 and 1979–80.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will provide to area health authorities the initial capital cost of fluoridation of water supplies.

The cost of fluoridation, like that of other preventive health measures, is normally borne by health authorities themselves. However, to help authorities provide the initial capital cost, we have proposed in the consultative document "Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England" to earmark £500,000 annually for this purpose. My Department will shortly issue advice to authorities about the necessary arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made towards reaching a reciprocal agreement with the Government of South Africa over the position of British pensioners, particularly those who have been resident in South Africa for a long time.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Reading, South (Dr. Vaughan) on 3rd March.—[Vol. 906, c. 664.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of delays in the settlement of chemists' and doctors' accounts for the dispensing of National Health Service prescriptions in England, she will make a statement.

Yes. A system of advance payments has been in force for some time and this is now being further improved. I am glad to say that Mr. R. I. Tricker, Director of the Oxford Centre for Management Studies, has accepted my right hon. Friend's invitation to undertake a fundamental inquiry into the functions, constitution and organisation of the Prescription Pricing Authority. This, I hope, will help the authority to overcome its current problems and also provide, for the first time in its history, an independent appraisal of its rôle in pricing prescriptions and as a source of information to help us control prescribing costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the rent to be paid for the new offices of the Essex Area Health Authority.

I understand the rent to be paid for the new offices when they are built will be £160,000 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will commission research into the reaction of carbon monoxide and chlorine and the production of phosgene;(2) if, in view of the connection between carbon monoxide from cigarettes and chlorine from the water and the production of phosgene, she will prohibit smoking in or near swimming baths.

I have been asked to reply.The possibility of a risk to health arising in the circumstances envisaged by the hon. Member appears to be very remote. Nevertheless I am seeking expert medical advice on the matter.

TABLE 1
				Universities in Great Britain		Further Education Establishments in England and Wales
Academic year				Undergraduate	Postgraduate	Polytechnics*	Other Establishments†
1970–71	…	…	…	9,966	17,878	n.a.	n.a.
1971–72	…	…	…	10,619	19,488	11,956	16,704
1972–73	…	…	…	11,236	21,613	13,313	20,420
1973–74	…	…	…	11,988	23,321	13,450	29,518
1974–75 (provisional)			…	12,919	24,928	15,182	33,257
* For 1970–71 to 1972–73 includes constituent colleges for polytechnics which had not been designated.
† Excluding former colleges of education.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the Government's total contribution in the current year towards the payment of student union fees.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to encourage the use of deaf teachers to teach the deaf as is the case in the United States of America.

I recognise that deaf teachers might have special insights into the learning problems of deaf children, but their hearing loss is bound to be a serious disadvantage. I am advised that only the exceptional deaf person can be expected to cope with the demanding classroom situation, including the special difficulties of oral communication; and such a person can already be considered for acceptance for teacher training in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish in the Official Report statistics of mature students studying at universities, polytechnics and colleges of further education over the past five years, indicating the disciplines which they are reading.

Following are the number of students who at 31st December each year were aged 25 or over on full-time or sandwich courses: An analysis by discipline of all these students could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The following table gives the only analysis available for university mature undergraduates and relates to those aged 26 or over at 31st December 1974:

TABLE 2
United Kingdom Universities in 1974–75 (provisional)
Subject	Age 26 or over at 31st December 1974
Education	234
Combinations of Education with other subjects	253
Total Education	487
Medicine	857
Dentistry	230
Pharmacy	43
Pharmacology	6
Other studies allied to Medicine and Health	177
Total Medicine, Dentistry and Health	1,313
Aeronautical Engineering	22
Chemical Engineering	44
Civil Engineering	292
Electrical Engineering	334
Mechanical Engineering.	273
Production Engineering.	40
Mining	26
Metallurgy	18
Other general and combined Engineering subjects	79
Surveying	5
Other Technologies	53
Combinations of Group 3 with Group 4–9	45
Total Engineering & Technology	1,231
Agriculture	45
Agriculture Biology	9
Agricultural Chemistry	1
Forestry	18
Veterinary studies	44
Total Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Science	117
Biology	76
Botany	30
Zoology	38
Physiology and/or Anatomy	18
Biochemistry	50
Other, general and combined Biological Sciences	54
Mathematics	209
Mathematics with Physics	12
Physics	71
Chemistry	74
Geology	54

Subject	Age 26 or over at 31st December 1974
Environmental Sciences (other than Geology)	41
Other, general and combined Physical Sciences	31
Combinations of Biological and Physical Sciences	122
Combinations of Group 5 with Group 6–9	112
Total Science	992
Business Management studies	75
Economics	291
Geography	83
Accountancy	17
Government and Public Administration	228
Law	453
Psychology	340
Sociology	514
Social Anthropology	64
Combinations within Group 6	876
Combinations of Group 6 with Groups 7–9	576
Total Social, Administrative and Business	3,517
Architecture	123
Town and Country Planning	15
Home, Hotel and Institutional Management	7
Other professional and vocational subjects	98
Total Architecture and other professional subjects	243
English	476
Welsh and other Celtic languages and Studies	8
French language and studies	101
French/German language and studies	19
German language and studies	80
Hispanic language and studies	43
Other and combined West European language and studies	86
Russian language and studies	36
Other Slavonic and East European language and studies	10
Chinese language and studies	20
Oriental, Asian and African language and studies	64
Classical studies	20
Other, general and combined language and studies.	82
Combinations of Group 8 with Group 9	260
Total language, literature and area studies	1,305
History	300
Archaeology	63
Philosophy	168
Theology	458
Art and Design	71
Drama	22

Subject	Age 26 or over at 31stDecember 1974
Music	36
Arts general and combined other Arts subjects	513
Total Arts other than languages	1,631
All students including subjects not known	10,837

Corresponding information is not available for students in further education establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether Staffordshire County Local Education Authority has taken up its full allocation from his Department for the extension of education facilities for children under five years of age.

Yes. Staffordshire accepted in full its nursery education building allocations for 1974–75 and 1975–76, and has not notified my right hon. Friend of any intention to surrender its allocation for 1976–77.

CCT Heading No.			Description of products	Security £/metric ton
12.01	…	…	B. Others, with the exception of castor beans:
			—Soya beans	11·859
			—Linseed	9·756
			—Cottonseed	7·536
			—Groundnuts	7·244
			—Colza and rape seed	6·952
			—Sunflower seed	6·134
			—Poppy seed, beech, camelina, illipes, mowrah, bassia, karite purghera, croton and mustard	0
			—Others	4·557
12.02	…	…	Flour or meals of oil seeds or oleaginous fruit, non-defatted (with the exception of mustard and castor bean flour):
			A. Of soya beans	11·859
			B. Others:
			—Linseed flour or meal	9·756
			—Cotton seed flour or meal	7·536
			—Groundnut flour or meal	7·244
			—Colza and rape seed flour or meal	6·952
			—Sunflower flour or meal	6·134
			—Other flour or meals	4·557
12.10	…	…	B. Others.	2·629
23.03	…	…	A. II. Residues from the manufacture of starch from maize (excluding concentrated steeping liquors) of a protein content not exceeding 40 per cent. by weight calculated on the dry product.	2·629
23.04	…	…	B. Others, with the exception of castor bean cakes:—Oil cakes:
			—Of soya and linseed	15·773
			—Of groundnut, cotton and sunflower seed	14·196
			—Other oil cakes	12·618
			—Other residues resulting from the extraction of vegetable oils	2·629
23.07	…	…	B. Others containing, separately or together, even when mixed with other products, starch, glucose or glucose syrup, falling within subheadings 17.02 B and 17.05 B and milk products	15·773
			C. Not specified or included	15·773

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in view of the widspread hardship experienced by farmers over the introduction of the raising of the ceiling for brucellosis compensation, if he will allow the new ceiling to be retrospective.

I am not yet able to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. Steel) on 25th March.—[Vol. 908, c. 617–19.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will specify the 12 categories of deposit for protein required under the dried skimmed milk scheme.

The categories of vegetable protein in respect of which securities are required on importation, together with the amounts of security applicable from 1st April, are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the EEC apple and pear grubbing grant scheme to commence; and if he will list The varieties of fruit covered by this scheme showing the estimated output by the individual Community nations for the latest available season.

The Scheme will formally commence after the Council of Ministers approves the Regulation and it is published

ESTIMATED AREA UNDER SELECTED VARIETIES OF DESSERT APPLES AND PEARS 1974
(000 Acres)
					Dessert Apples			Dessert Pears
					Total area	Golden Delicious	Imperatore	Red Delicious*	Total area	Passe crassane
Belgium	…	…	…	…	21	10	—	9	—	—
Denmark.	…	…	…	…	18	2	—	—	2	—
France	…	…	…	…	190	115	—	16	70	1
German Federal Republic				…	69	16	—	—	7	—
Ireland	…	…	…	…	2	—	—	—	—	—
Italy	…	…	…	…	178	67	24	38	132	31
Luxembourg	…	…	…	…	1	—	—	—	—	—
Netherlands	…	…	…	…	54	17	—	—	17	—
United Kingdom	…	…	…	…	52	2	—	—	23	—
* Includes Starking Delicious, which is a particular strain of Red Delicious for which separate figures are not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will consider offering financial assistance to horticulturists to convert oil fired boilers to take solid fuels, such as coal and wood.

Assistance is already available under the Farm and Horticulture Development Scheme and the Horticulture Capital Grant Scheme for the replacement of heating equipment that is an improvement on the existing system. The grant rates are 20 per cent. and 15 per cent, respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the evidence of the incidence of vitas yellows in sugar beet in the United Kingdom; what advice is proffered by his advisory department; and if he will make a statement.

Evidence of the incidence of sugar beet virus yellows is collected each week by fieldsmen of the British Sugar Corporation factories. This intelligence is co-ordinated by the Brooms Barn Experimental Station of the Agricultural Research Council. According to these reports, which have been kept since 1946, incidence has varied from less than 5 per cent. of the total acreage to over 60 per cent. in 1974, the worst year on record.The advice preferred by my advisory department is suplementary to detailed advice available from the BSC fieldsmen. ADAS officers in the beet growing areas assist in the monitoring of this disease and have produced advisory literature on the subject.It is difficult to make reliable forecasts, but present indications are that incidence will be lower this year than for some time.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date he received the Report on Bulls and Public Footpaths from the Advisory Council for Agriculture and Horticulture in England and Wales; and when the consideration of that Report by his Department, the Home Office and the Department of the Environment will be completed.

I announced on 28th April last—[Vol. 891, c. 28–29.]—that this report had just been received. Consideration of its recommendations, in the light of the comments from interested organisations, is continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will now take the initiative to convene a European Conference of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in regard to establishing a common shipping policy in accord with a recent recommendation by the Assembly of the Council of Europe; and if he will make a statement.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.