asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will take steps to introduce a facility for statutory bodies. Government agencies and registered voluntary bodies to deliver mail addressed to Members in bulk on a rota basis to save public funds and avoid needless expense.

Such a system would be inconvenient and is unlikely to produce any net saving in public expenditure.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will arrange for the debate on the Tindemans Report on European Union to be held before it is discussed again at the Council of Ministers.

I am hoping to arrange an early opportunity for the House to consider this report. It will be in good time before any decisions are due to be taken on the substance of the report.

asked the Prime Minister if he will consider commemorating the services to the nation of the late Field Marshal Lord Montgomery of El Alamein by a statue or memorial.

This is a matter in which it would be best to proceed by agreement. If there is broad public support for the hon. Member's proposal I will be glad to enter into consultation as to how the nation can best commemorate Lord Montgomery's services.

asked the Prime Minister if he will invite the President of Vietnam to visit the United Kingdom with a view to assisting trade and cultural relations.

A unified Vietnam with its own head of State does not yet exist. But we are doing whatever we can to foster trade and cultural relations with the two Vietnamese States, and the number of British business visitors to Vietnam has, I understand, markedly increased.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the reference number of any EEC directive concerning the rules for carriage of live animals or birds by rail, the view of Her Majesty's Government when any such directive was discussed and the relevant reference dates in the Official Journal of the EEC.

The EEC Council agreed that all member States should ratify the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Animals in International Transport, but has not produced any specific directive on the welfare of animals in transit by rail. All member States have complied except the Netherlands, though there are comprehensive welfare safeguards in operation in that country.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will amend the Transit of Animals (General) Order 1973 to enable the freight carriage of pigeons by British Rail to continue after 1st July 1976.

The provisions of the Transit of Animals (General) Order are necessary to ensure the humane transport of living creatures, including pigeons. These provisions do not prevent British Rail from continuing to carry pigeons or other livestock but they are required to ensure that no unnecessary suffering is caused.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report each of the public bodies for which he is responsible, the names of the chairmen of each of these bodies appointed by him, the names of the members of these bodies appointed by him, and the salaries of the chairmen and members these bodies receive, stating whether these salaries are for full or part-time service.

A directory of paid public appointments made by Ministers was published on 29th April. This lists the public bodies for which I am responsible, in some cases jointly with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, as appropriate. Since the information requested is lengthy and detailed, I shall write to the hon. Member. Information on unpaid appointments, however, is not readily available and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to release beef now held in intervention stores on to the British market; and in what quantity.

All the beef currently held in United Kingdom intervention stores is likely to be offered on to the Community market during 1976. At present only beef stored before 31st December 1975 can be released. Stocks at the end of 1975 amounted to 1,105 tons, of which 788 tons have since been contracted for sale.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of the storage of a side of best beef weighing 250 lb. in cold store for six months in Great Britain.

The rates paid for cold storage of beef are a matter for negotiation between the interests concerned. For intervention beef the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce negotiates rates with representatives of the cold store trade. For commercial reasons, the details are not published.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tons of best beef and cow beef, respectively, are held in store as intervention stocks in Great Britain.

Subject to verification, it is estimated that there were 8,297 tons of intervention beef in cold stores in Great Britain on 1st May. The whole of this beef was derived from steers or clean heifers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the approximate total acreage of sugar beet sown in 1976; what is the estimated 1976 crop in raw sugar (a) on the basis of an average yield and (b) on the yield for 1975; and what is the approximate acreage required on average yield to attain his White Paper target.

At 8th May, 510,670 acres of sugar beet had been sown. It is too early to estimate the 1976 sugar crop.An average yield of 1·9 tons of white sugar per acre would produce a total crop of 970,000 tons of white sugar. In 1975–76 the average yield of white sugar per acre was 1·32 tons, and multiplying this by the presently planted acreage would give about 675,000 tons of white sugar. Information available relates to white not raw sugar.The White Paper "Food from our own Resources" projected that by 1980 about 600,000 acres would need to be sown to sugar beet to produce 1·28 million tons of white sugar. As a step towards this the British Sugar Corporation's target for 1976 was 510,000 acres.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now make a statement about the advanced passenger train, high speed diesel, and other fast forms of inter-city transport, and the revised programme for development and operation, indicating the likely collaboration with other countries, and in particular the EEC.

British Rail has been authorised to construct 27 high speed diesel train sets for operation on the London to Bristol and South Wales routes. Some of these will provide a part high speed service from October this year, with a full high speed service following in May 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has taken any steps to ensure that in future years allocations under Section 105 of the Housing Act are notified to local authorities at a sufficiently early stage in the year to be incorporated into the normal process of budget preparation.

I am aware of the need to notify authorities of their allocations as early as possible, and will do my best to achieve this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement of his policy towards remedial work necessary for badly-built and badly-designed post-war council housing; and if he will take into account technical evidence sent to him on this issue by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Garston.

The need for such work will be taken into account when allocations are made to individual authorities under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to clear motorways of rubbish, as highlighted in a recent report from the Automobile Association.

The task of clearing debris from the motorways is part of the routine maintenance carried out by county councils which act as the Department's agents. Agents patrol the motorways regularly for the sole purpose of removing debris. But no matter how often a section is patrolled the risk of an accident occurring before the next patrol is due will always remain. For this reason motorists who see obstructions on or near the carriageway should stop at the next emergency telephone to warn the police of the danger. The police will immediately take the necessary action to have the obstruction removed. The surest way to reduce these hazards is for that small minority of irresponsible operators and drivers who shed debris to make sure that their loads and vehicles are in a safe condition. By accepting their responsibility in this way, the hazard from debris will be reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times he, or his predecessors, since the enactment of the Caravan Sites Act 1968, have had to call in planning applications for gipsy caravan sites and hold a public inquiry; and if he will list in each such case the reason or justification for this, as well as the nature of the decision reached.

This information is not readily available, and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how the recent revision of the Milton Keynes New Town master plan has affected the traffic projections for the A5(D).

The recent revision of the Milton Keynes master plan does not affect traffic projections for the A5 diversion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to implement the final report of the Water Resources Board published in 1973.

This report was referred to the water authorities when they were first set up, and they are taking full account of its recommendations in drawing up their regional plans. In the recently published consultation paper "Review of the water industry in England and Wales" the Government have proposed that one of the tasks of the new National Water Authority should be the preparation of a long-term national strategy, and the new authority will certainly base much of its work on the long-term recommendations in the report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the members of the advisory committee to each of the road construction units.

The director of each road construction unit chairs an advisory committee whose membership consists of the chief technical officers of the county councils and the Department's regional controllers (roads and transportation) concerned with that area, together with the RCU Deputy Director and Controller of Administration. The members serve ex officio and their names change accordingly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the precise nature of the maintenance and repair work on the footbridge on the M4 at intersection 5 (Slough East); what is the cost; and who will bear this cost.

The footbridge was hit by a lorry and moved. It has been put back on its bearings and a load test is being carried out. The cost, which is a charge against the vehicle owner's insurance, will be dependent on the results of the test.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those trunk road schemes costing over £1 million each which have been delayed for more than one year by cuts in public expenditure, giving the estimated economic rate of return in each case.

The delay to individual schemes consequent upon the reductions in the road construction programme which were announced in Cmnd. 6393 has not yet been decided.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total expenditure in the United King- dom on roads, streets and motorways in each of the last three years.

Following is the information for the financial years 1972–73, 1973–74 and 1974–75. I regret that information is not yet available for 1975–76. Total United Kingdom expenditure on roads, streets and motorways:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider taking over financial responsibility for the provision and maintenance of all railway tracks and signalling systems so that road and rail transport might compete with each other on an equal footing.

The transport policy consultation document suggests that road and rail users should both pay their resource costs in full except where there are social or other reasons for subsidising them. I shall be further coinsidering the issues involved in the course of my consultations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount paid in housing subsidies to local authorities in the current year and for each of the past five years.

The total amount of housing subsidies, excluding rent rebates and allowances, paid to local authorities in England in each of the last five financial years was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to enable local planning authorities to place a stop notice on the unauthorised use of land or premises in cases where planning permission has been refused but an appeal to the Secretary of State is pending.

My right hon. Friend intends to do so as soon as a suitable opportunity occurs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what percentages of the total area of commercial office floor space in England and Wales in 1974 are found in North England, Yorkshire and Humberside, the East Midlands, East Anglia, South-East

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be able to announce the result of appeal APP/5018/C/75/813/4/5 against the refusal of the London borough of Hillingdon to grant planning permission for use as a car breaking yard of Riverdale, Old Mill Lane, Cowley, Uxbridge, situated in the Cowley Lock Conservation Area.

By the end of this month. I will send the hon. Member a copy of the decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average length of time that it takes a local authority to complete a compulsory purchase order starting from the time the first notice of intension is published; and what was the corresponding figure 10 years ago.

Table 5 of "The Office Location Review", recently published by my Department, shows the following:

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average length of time taken for an appeal against a local authority planning decision to be determined by one of his inspectors.

Currently 32 weeks from receipt where an inquiry was held, and 24 weeks using the written representations method.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the public inquiry into the proposals for Goole southern bypass will be held.

Arrangements for the inquiry into the planning application have been suspended at the request of the Humberside County Council. The Council wants orders relating to the crossings of navigable waterways, the closing of side roads and compulsory purchase to be considered at a joint inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made with the installation of vandal-resistant parking meters.

Several models of vandal-resistant meters are on the market or under field test. The administration of parking controls, including meters, is the responsibility of the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set up an inquiry into operations of the competing public sector parcels services; and if he will make a statement.

The Consultation Document on Transport Policy refers—paragraph 8.12—to proposals for a study of parcels and small freight.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his policy that the licensing and excise concessions which at present apply to Post Office minibuses are to continue for the foreseeable future.

There are no vehicle excise duty concessions for Post Office minibuses. The Post Office receives fuel duty relief for its stage services authorised by road service licences, or permits under the Transport Act 1968. The Government have no plans to discontinue the fuel duty grant, which is available to all operators of stage carriage services.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is now the number of people working in the Civil Service Pay Research Unit.

The Civil Service Pay Research Unit at present has 38 staff. Last July the unit employed 59 full-time staff and 21 part-time technical advisers. The present level of staffing is currently under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses at North Weald are owned by his Department; how many are at present unoccupied; and how many have been unoccupied for six monthse or longer.

The Ministry of Defence owns 194 married quarters at North Weald, of which 57 are unoccupied. Seventeen of these have been vacant for over six months. Discussions are taking place with Epping Forest Rural District Council on the possible temporary lease to it of 18 quarters. We expect that most of the vacant quarters will be required for future use.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a statement about the Anglo-German offset agreements.

As I made clear in my reply to the hon. Member for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins) on 6th April—[Vol. 909, c. 128].—We are already in touch with the Federal German Government about successor arrangements. It is impossible at this stage to say when talks will be completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will ask the Schools Council Working Party to make an evaluation of the existing European studies courses in British schools and the rôle such courses should have in schools' curricula;(2) if he will ask the Schools Council Working Party to publish a report on the current position of European studies in British Schools including the place of these studies in examination syllabuses, both CSE and GCE at first and second school examination level.

The Schools Council, whose interests are confined to England and Wales, decides its own priorities for curriculum research and development. I understand, however, that it has before it two proposals related to European studies. The council does not judge work done in individual schools.Two GCE examining boards set O-level examinations in European studies. Twelve CSE boards administer Mode III examinations and one CSE board sets a Mode I examination. There are no examinations at GCE A-level.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much is being spent on research into the causes, control and cure of epilepsy; whether any progress is being made; and whether accidental injury can be a causative factor.

It is not possible to isolate the cost of research on epilepsy. As I indicated in my reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield, West (Mr. Lomas) on 3rd May—[Vol. 910, col. 270]—work in this field often forms part of wider programmes of neurobiological and allied research. Progress is being made not only in the development of new drugs for more effective control of the disorder but also in the techniques of controlling doses of those drugs to suit individual needs and to keep troublesome side effects to a minimum.Although our understanding of the causes of epilepsy is far from complete it is known that it can follow infection or physical damage to the brain.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will ask the schools working party on curricular matters to examine the provision of training in first aid in secondary schools.

There is no single working party on school curriculum matters. The Schools Council, which keeps the school curriculum under review and makes available advice on curricular matters, has a number of committees concerned with various aspects of the curriculum. The council itself decides from time to time which aspects are to be studied.Advice on the teaching of first aid in secondary schools is, however, given in the Department's "Handbook of Health Education" The handbook stresses that there are limits beyond which elementary first aid cannot go.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much money was allocated or spent on fuel research and development in 1975, giving the separate funds for coal and nuclear energy.

Figures for calendar years are not available. Figures for 1975–76 are not yet available, but the net cost in 1974–75 and the estimated cost for 1975–76 are shown in the Department's report on Research and Development 1974–75, Appendix on page 29. A copy of this report is in the Library of the House of Commons.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, of the amount allocated for research in the coal industry, how much was derived from United Kingdom sources and how much from agencies abroad.

This information was published in the National Coal Board's Report and Accounts for 1974–75, page 36. paragraph 8.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give an indication of the revised nuclear programmes in France and the Federal Republic of Germany and the amount of capital which he estimates will be required to complete them.

The hon. Member will find detailed information about the programmes of France and the Federal Republic of Germany in the April-May 1976 issue of Nuclear Engineering International, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will indicate whether the BNOC has performed any services under Section 2(1)(d) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act.

The BNOC has not, as yet, performed any services under Section 2(1)(d) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the BNOC has applied for his consent under Section 2(4)(b) and (c) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975.

BNOC has made no application for my consent under Section 2(4)(b) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975. A consent under Section 2(4)(c) has been given to the acquisition by BNOC of the issued share capital of Burmah Oil (North Sea) Ltd., details of which my right hon. Friend announced to the House on 10th March 1976.—[Vol. 907, c. 216–18.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has had occasion to issue any general or specific directions to the BNOC under Section 4 of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975.

I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the previous Minister of State on 25th February.—[Vol. 906, c. 199.]

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest estimate of the financial position of the National Coal Board in the current year.

The National Coal Board expects the final results for the financial year 1975–76 to show an overall break even after payment of interest. It is planning to achieve the same result in the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will name the organisations whose officials are considering the proposal by the noble Lord, Lord Wigg, for the establishment of a British Horse Racing Council in a committee chaired by a Home Office official.

The organisations represented have been, in addition to the Betting Office Licensees Association—which put forward the proposal for a Racing Consultative Council—the Department of the Environment, the Horserace Betting Levy Board, the Bookmakers' Committee, the Horserace Totalisator Board and, jointly, the Jockey Club and their Joint Associations Liaison Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many dependants of Malawi voucher holders have been admitted to this country so far this year;(2) how many Malawi voucher holders have been admitted to this country so far this year.

No separate record is available of arrivals of United Kingdom passport holders from individual countries in Africa, and no figures are yet available for 1976. Provisional figures for 1975 show that 8,190 United Kingdom passport holders from East Africa were admitted to the United Kingdom for settlement of whom 5,160 were dependants, 240 were husbands of wives settled in the United Kingdom and 2,790 were special voucher holders. These figures do not include dependants holding other passports.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will arrange for the present discharge grant to be ended and for a resettlement grant to be reintroduced, equivalent to the current average industrial weekly wage.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which divisions of his Department it is now proposed to disperse to Merseyside under the Hardman proposals, giving details of the numbers involved and the time phasing of such transfers; and, in cases where a decision to disperse a particular section or sections to the Merseyside area has been agreed in principle but no decision taken on the recipient town or district, if he will seriously consider the claim of Skelmersdale New Town.

As announced in July 1974, the Home Department has accepted a commitment to disperse 1,000 posts to Merseyside by 1984. On current plans it is expected that the posts will be dispersed by 1981. The identification of all the work to be transferred has not yet been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is established practice for a chief constable to demand payment if any of his officers are required to attend for interview by the solicitor of a person who is making a complaint against the police.

In the case to which my hon. Friend has drawn my attention a solicitor sought information relevant to a private prosecution being brought against a police officer. There is no established practice in such circumstances, although scales of charges are laid down for the provision by the police of information for the purposes of civil proceedings or insurance on such matters as road accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute a local inquiry, under Section 32(1) of the Police Act 1964, into matters arising from the conviction of a Sheffield police constable for assault, against whom neither the Chief Constable nor the Director of Public Prosecutions had been prepared to take any action whatsoever, particulars of which case have been sent to him.

No, but I have been informed by the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire that he has already set up an investigation, which is being conducted by a senior police officer from another force, into all aspects of the procedures adopted and inquiries conducted by the South Yorkshire Police in this case.When that report has been completed and I have reached my decision on the appeal made to me by the police constable concerned against his dismissal from the force. I shall consider whether any further action on my part is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that either (a) the illegal immigration traffic into the United Kingdom has been stamped out or (b) the resources available to him and the penalties avail-vigilance has not relaxed this may indiable to the courts are adequate to ensure that it is ended.

As I have indicated previously, all reasonable and practical measures are taken to prevent illegal entry, and these are kept under review and improved in the light of experience. Few attempts at illegal entry have been discovered in recent months and as our cate a reduction in the traffic, the extent of which is, I believe, often considerably exaggerated. I am satisfied that adequate resources and penalties are available to tackle this problem.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he next expects to meet representatives of financial institutions to discuss the future level of industrial investment.

The authorities are in regular contact with the financial institutions, which are fully aware of the Government's policies for stimulating industrial investment and for ensuring that the resources are available to finance it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will issue energy bonds for public subscription for the purpose of facilitating the development of North Sea resources.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for a single man, a husband and wife with no children, and a married couple with two children, respectively, with an income of £3,000, £4,000 and £6,000 per annum, respectively, the maximum increase in income he can expect as a result of the additional tax relief proposed and the amounts of extra tax he will have to pay, assuming a private medical insurance of £100 per annum paid by his employer and the provision of a 2,000 cc car by his employer.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many county court judgment summonses were issued by or on behalf of his Department in each of the years 1973, 1974 and 1975; how many of those summonses were heard; in how many of those cases an order for committal to prison was made; and in how many cases the debtor was in fact committed to prison.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th May 1976; Vol. 911, c. 60], gave the following information:No judgment summonses were issued by the Customs and Excise in any of the years 1973, 1974 or 1975.Judgment summonses applied for by the Inland Revenue were as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes, or what measures he has in hand, to ensure that resources taken from consumption by wages policy are not used for speculation in commodities or other similar activities.

The main purpose of the pay policy is to continue the successful attack on inflation, and the price controls help to ensure that the benefits of pay restraint are carried through to prices. In reviewing the price and profit controls the Government will also be concerned to promote investment and jobs. As regards the supervision of the commodity markets, I have nothing to add to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Industry, to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Hooley) on 13th April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish in the Official Report a revised version of the Explanatory Tables circulated in connection with h is Budget Statement, based on the pay restrictions now proposed following his discussions with the TUC.

pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 10th May 1976; Vol. 911, c. 58], gave the following information:The tables showing the effect of the income tax reliefs at different income levels and for different family circumstances remain valid since, for the reasons given in my statement of 5th May, I shall ask Parliament to approve in full the conditional reliefs described in my Budget speech. Figures showing the combined effect on net income at different initial earnings levels of the new pay limits which the General Council of the TUC is recommending and the tax reliefs are set out in the following tables, which show separately the position of a single person, a married couple— wife not working—and a married couple—wife not working with two children under 11. Since the tax reliefs were presented in the Explanatory Tables in terms of their gross pay equivalent, this is also shown.Those tables further indicated that the reduction in prices resulting from a low pay limit would be about 2 per cent. at the end of 1977. Since the pay limit recommended by the General Council is much more tightly drawn than I assumed in my Budget Statement, we can still hope to achieve this price advantage. The value of the price saving varies with income level and family circumstances. For a man on average earnings with a non-working wife the price saving by end 1977 is expected to be worth about £2 a week in gross pay terms.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it continues to be his policy to reduce unemployment to 700,000 in 1979; and what is his estimate of the Scottish share of that figure using the present Scottish /United Kingdom relationship as a measurement.

Yes, 80,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further urgent steps he proposes to take to increase the safety of the A74; and if he will now provide crash barriers.

I shall continue with the improvements I detailed in the debate on the Consolidated Fund on 18th December last and add to them as circumstances require. I am arranging for example for the erection of signs which will remind drivers of cars that there is a 60 mph speed limit on the A74.Five kilometres of central crash barrier are being provided on A74 north of Beattock, and I have instructed that as a start of a continuous programme for providing additional lengths about 10 kms should be provided at the south end of M74 where a number of cross-over accidents have taken place. As I explained in the debate, I do not think that the case for erection of central barriers at all locations is conclusive. They should certainly mitigate the effects of some serious accidents, but they may cause others which would not otherwise have taken place. I shall, therefore, monitor the effect of the length being installed and take the results into consideration in the process of identifying other stretches where their erection should be given priority.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made by Her Majesty's Government, the Scottish Arts Council and the Glasgow District Council in the planning and construction of a building to house the Burrell Collection.

The former Glasgow Corporation discussed with my Department its plans for a gallery to house the collection, and the City of Glasgow District Council has sought my consent to its starting construction in 1976–77. I hope shortly to inform the council of my decision on this and on its request for an increase in the Government grant offered in 1967.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the student output from teacher training colleges in Scotland, at the Summer Recess; and how many will be unable to find posts when their training is completed.

The expected output of qualified teachers at the end of this session is about 5,500. Education authorities are not yet in a position to estimate the total number of vacancies in the schools this summer.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the fact that 164 students will be seeking employment as teachers in June from Dundee but have already been informed by the Tayside Regional Council that none of them will be employed by them in the Dundee division, he will provide further funds for Tayside Regional Council to enable them to expand their teaching staff.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to introduce legislation on the future of new towns in Scotland.

As I am announcing today in reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Lanark (Mrs. Hart) legislation will be required to de-designate Stonehouse New Town. I have no further proposals at the moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is satisfied that adequate protection for the stocks of herring round the Scottish coasts is being provided by international agreement.

So far as concerns herring off the west coast of Scotland, I am satisfied that the total allowable catch of 136,000 tonnes for 1976, which has been accepted by all member States of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, is giving reasonable protection to the stock, which is of major interest for the United Kingdom. In the North Sea, the total catch of 160,000 tonnes for 1976 recently adopted by the commission still entails great dangers to the stock, though it is an improvement on previous catch regulation proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will pay an official visit to Arbroath.

My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the level of Exchequer expenditure in Scotland over the past 10 years.

The level of identifiable public expenditure in Scotland has for many years been consistently higher per head of population than in Britain as a whole. Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will isssue a circular to local authorities advising them of ways in which they might cut their expenditure.

Circulars on expenditure in 1976–77 were issued on 16th October and 22nd December. I am considering whether any further circular is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will pay an official visit to Coupar Angus.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further discussions he proposes to have with the STUC about policies designed to overcome current economic problems.

I shall be meeting the General Council of the STUC on Friday 28th May to discuss the general economic situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement on the future of Scottish fishing.

Although many problems regarding limits and conservation remain to be solved, the Scottish fishing industry is well situated and well equipped to meet future challenges and to take advantage of new opportunities. In his statement to the House on Thursday 6th May my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs outlined the Government's initiative for the modification of the common fisheriesc policy. The immediate economic situation has been improved by the sustained increase in quayside prices, which produced gross earnings in the first quarter of this year 26 per cent. above those for the first quarter of 1975. Within this total, vessels fishing herring have suffered a substantial drop in earnings due to the shortage of stocks. All vessls have encountered increases in costs, but, on average, those now fishing should be making daily profits after paying share earnings, wages, and all other operating costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which regulations govern the netting of salmon at Ayrshire river estuaries; and which estuaries are subject to netting during the current year.

The netting of salmon in Ayreshire river estuaries is regulated by the provisions of the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Acts 1862 and 1868, and the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act 1951, the Salmon and Migratory Trout (Prohibition of Fishing) (No. 2) Order 1972, as amended by the Salmon and Migratory Trout (Prohibition of Fishing) Amendment Order 1975, and under common law. I am not in a position to say which of the Ayrshire estuaries are being netted in the 1976 season which commenced in February. But, from the returns made by proprietors to my Department, netting took place in the estauaries of the Rivers Doon, Girvan and Stinchar during the 1975 season.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the nature of the majority of critical representations which he has received about the Rent Act 1974 as it affects Scotland.

A few private landlords have represented against the improved security of tenure granted to furnished tenants with no resident landlord, which it was the purpose of the Act to grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has, in the period before the rent review reports, for encompassing within the Rent Act 1974 the criticisms he has received.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the present review of the Rent Acts 1957 and 1974 was set up; what are its terms of reference; and when it hopes to report.

The review of the Rent Acts will not be undertaken until the current review of housing finance has been completed. I cannot say now what the terms of reference will be or how long the review will take.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what charge is made by the Scottish electricity boards to the CEGB; and how this compares with charges made to the major industrial users of electricity in Scotland.

The charges made by the Scottish Electricity Boards and the CEGB for the interchange of electricity are commercial matters for the boards concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of Scottish-produced electricity is supplied to the CEGB grid.

Information about the supply of electricity to the CEGB is published in the annual reports of the boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the number of abortions carried out (a) in total and (b) on foreign patients in the first quarter of 1974, 1975 and 1976, respectively.

The total number of abortions in Scotland notified in the first quarter of the year was 1,977 in 1974 and 1,864 in 1975. No abortions on women not usually resident in the United Kingdom were notified for either period. The figures for the first quarter of 1976 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the projected population at 1980 of Inverurie, Stone-haven, Dyce, Cove, Portleithen, Kintore and Newtonhill.

Population projections are available only for the local government districts in which these places are situated. The table below gives the estimated populations in 1974 and the projected populations in 1980 of the three districts concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the population of Inverurie, Stonehaven, Dyce, Cove, Portleithen, Kintore and Newtonhill at the latest available date and in 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many council, Scottish Special Housing Association and new town development corporation houses were sold to sitting tenants in each of the most recent five years for which figures are available.

The information is as follows: