asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a further statement on the investigations which are taking place concerning alleged irregularities in the Bank of England relating to currency activities contrary to the Exchange Control Acts; and whether the statement issued by his Department that, if irregularities are found to have occurred where the participants knew what they were doing, prosecutions may follow, was issued with his approval.

I cannot say more than that the investigation is proceeding urgently. I confirm that the statement by the Bank of England on 28th April was made with my approval.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the findings of the investigation into breaches of the exchange control laws by Bank of England officials.

An announcement will be made in due course about the outcome of the investigation. If it should produce evidence of exchange control offences, further action will be a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures the Government propose to take to reduce their level of borrowing below the present rate.

I have nothing to add to the Budget Statement that my right hon. Friend made to the House on 6th April this year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the current rate of inflation; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the progress of his counter-inflation strategy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the progress of his counter-inflationary strategy.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions on his economic policy he has had with representatives of the private sector of industry since the Budget.

I am in constant touch with representatives of the CBI at NEDC and other occasions, I saw the CBI on 14th and 29th April. Representatives of the private sector of industry have many opportunities of making their views known to me, and meetings are arranged as necessary.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been made to him on behalf of amateur sport asking for a reduction in the rate of VAT on the rental of sports grounds.

None.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will simplify the VAT system in the interest of small shopkeepers.

There already are special schemes, used by about 300,000 retailers to simplify their tax calculations and cut down paper work. Retailers are free to choose which scheme best suits their needs, and the schemes are regularly reviewed with the retail organisations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what specific statutory authority empowers Her Majesty's Customs and Excise to refuse a VAT-registered trader the right to reclaim the whole of the input VAT on road fuels used by cars in his ownership where some of this fuel is used by his employees for private purposes.

Section 3(1) of the Finance Act 1972.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the measures he expects to take next further to reduce the level of unemployment.

The prospects for employment will greatly benefit from the new pay proposals announced last week. Selective employment measures will also make a major contribution. Last Wednesday my right hon. Friend announced an extra £15 million pounds for job creation and training, the fifth set of selective measures since last summer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking with his EEC partners to reduce unemployment.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to my right hon. Friend's speech during the Second Reading of the Finance Bill.—[Vol. 910, c. 846–7.]

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes next to meet the Finance Ministers of the EEC.

The next meeting of the Council of Ministers (Finance) will take place on 17th May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is proposing to take in order to restore confidence in the external value of the currency.

The agreement reached with the TUC on 5th May has been welcomed abroad and has already strengthened confidence in the pound.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will restore the £ sterling to a fixed parity.

No. A fixed parity would have done nothing to diminish the underlying factors which have been mainly responsible for recent depreciation of sterling, and could have made matters worse.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the yield of mainstream corporation tax in the current financial year.

£1,675 million, after all repayments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost in sterling of interest payments on foreign loans raised between 1st March 1974 and 29th February 1976 on which the interest is payable in: (a) United States dollars, (b) Swiss francs, (c) German deutschemarks, and (d) any other foreign currency in the period 1st March 1947 to 29th February 1976.

It is not possible to give precise figures for the interest servicing cost of foreign currency loans raised by the United Kingdom public sector between 1st March 1974 and 29th February 1976 because some of the loans are on floating rate terms and the cost depends partly on the movement of the interest rates concerned. But at present interest and exchange rates the sterling equivalents of interest payments in the specified currencies are running at annual rates of approximately £320 million, £3 million, £7 million and £2 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any new proposals to make with regard to the international funding of the sterling balances.

No. Ideas for funding the sterling balances are obviously of considerable interest to the United Kingdom, but progress in this area depends on the co-operation of other countries and international institutions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much capital transfer tax would have to be reduced in order to compensate actuarially for inflation since it was first introduced.

There is no obvious way in which the yield of capital transfer tax could be adjusted to compensate specifically for the effect of inflation on the assets subject to the tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has. received asking for increased tax relief for mortgage repayments; and what replies he has given.

Representations have been received on several aspects of the relief. Some have asked for an extension of the circumstances in which it is available; others have suggested that it should be reduced. No change is proposed under the current Finance Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the frauds, relating to dollar premium, operating on the foreign exchange market; and if he will then seek authority to set up a public inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act.

The suspected offences under investigation have happened separately and at different times. There are no grounds for believing that evasion in this field is widespread, and I see no need for a public inquiry. The normal procedure of investigation will continue. This will be followed by prosecution where this is decided by the Director of Public Prosecutions to be appropriate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to have a meeting with the Governor of the Bank of England.

I maintain close contact with the Governor of the Bank of England, meeting him on a regular basis and also as and when circumstances require.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in view of the danger of rabies being introduced into Great Britain, what steps he is taking in conjunction with Her Majesty's Customs and Excise to strengthen defences against the illegal entry of animals.

Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are constantly seeking to make the most effective deployment of their available resources against, and to improve their methods of detecting, illegal importations generally, including the illegal importation of animals. They are fully aware of the vital rôle they have to play in the defence against rabies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of Forces wounds and disability pensions, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(2) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of war disablement pension, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax.

I regret that insufficient information is available about the incomes of recipients of disability pensions payable under the War Pensions and Armed Forces Pensions Schemes to permit an estimate of the revenue forgone from their tax exemption.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of attendance allowance, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(2) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of industrial disablement benefit, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(3) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of maternity benefit, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(4) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of invalidity benefit, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(5) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of sickness benefit, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(6) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of death grant, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;(7) if he will estimate for the current tax year and for 1975–76 the revenue forgone by the exemption of unemployment benefit, and the percentage of this which is at higher rates of tax;

The information from which to make precise estimates is not available, but estimates for 1975–76 based on expenditure on benefits in Great Britain and calculated at benefit levels operative from November 1975 are as follows:

	£ million
Unemployment benefit	180
Sickness benefit	150
Invalidity benefit	70
Maternity benefit	15

I regret that insufficient data is available to estimate the revenue forgone from not taxing industrial disablement benefit, the death grant, and attendance allowance and that no information is available as to the percentage of the above figures which represents tax at higher rates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of revenue due to the duplication of income tax allowances given to women in the year of their marriage for each of the last five financial years.

I regret that the information for a series of years is not readily available but an estimate for 1973–74 is about £30 million. This is based on similar working assumptions to the estimate for 1976–77 given in Table 17 of the April 1976 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss in revenue which would occur in 1976–77 if the remainder of taxable income above £7,000 were levied at 55 per cent.

The cost for 1976–77 in excess of the cost of the Budget proposals would be about £320 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss in revenue which would occur in 1976–77 if the remainder of taxable income above £8,000 were levied at 60 per cent.

The cost for 1976–77 in excess of the Budget proposals would be about £225 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of revenue which would be occasioned in 1976–77 if the first £500 of taxable income were charged at a tax rate of 25 per cent.

The cost for 1976–77 in excess of the cost of the Budget proposals would be about £1,100 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of revenue which would be occasioned in 1976–77 if the first £500 of taxable income were charged at a tax rate of 20 per cent.

Assuming implementation of the conditional and unconditional proposals in the Budget, the additional cost for 1976–77 would be about £1,650 million.

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.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th May 1976; Vol. 911, c. 182–3], gave the following information:The figures are as follows:

Income	Value of tax reliefs at highest marginal tax rate	Additional tax on medical insurance at highest marginal rate	Tax on car benefit at highest marginal rate*
	£	£	£
Single person
£3,000	21·00	35·00	—
£4,000	21·00	35·00	—
£6,000	65·25	40·00	209·25
Married couple
£3,000	45·50	35·00	—
£4,000	45·50	35·00	—
£6,000	75·00	35·75	192·00
Married couple, 2 children not over 11
£3,000	87·50	35·00	—
£4,000	87·50	35·00	—
£6,000	93·35	35·00	168·00
* Tax on the cash equivalent of the car benefit has been calculated at 1976–77 tax rates and allowances although the new legislation does not take effect until next year and the scales will not be brought fully into force until 1978–79. The figures given are the total tax payable in respect of the car benefit, not the extra tax, as the amount of tax presently paid is variable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the loss of revenue if the tax thresholds, as proposed in the Budget: (a) if agreement is reached, and (b) if agreement is not reached, were raised to family income supplement levels.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 7th May 1976; Vol 911, c. 282–3], gave the following information:To equate tax thresholds with the corresponding family income supplement levels operative in 1976–77 would require varying increases in thresholds depending on the number of children.Under (

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates would be the cost of making hotels eligible for capital building allowances; and by what percentage such allowances would have to be reduced overall to enable the cost of making hotels eligible to be financed without additional public expenditure.

The cost of extending the industrial building allowances to hotel buildings is estimated to be of the order of £25 million in a full year. In the short run this cost could be met by reducing the rates of both initial and annual allowances for qualifying buildings by approximately 9 per cent. In the long run such compensation cannot be achieved, since ultimately all qualifying expenditure would be allowed. Both estimates assume that sufficient profits would be available for advantage to be taken of the whole of the allowances.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax reliefs may be claimed by a man with two wives who is living with both of them.

The married man's allowance, and where appropriate, the wife's earned income allowance are not doubled, or otherwise increased, if he is living with two wives.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will review the present income limits for remission of arrears of tax which have arisen through official error.

These limits, which were last increased in July 1974, are kept under regular review, but I have no immediate proposals for raising them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the capital allowances against corporation tax and estimate the loss of revenue which will occur in 1976–77 as a result of each.

The estimated amounts of allowances due to companies for accounting periods ended in 1975–76, which would normally affect corporation tax receipts in 1976–77, are shown in the table below:

Type of Allowance	Allowance due for 1975–76
	£ million
100 per cent. first year allowances	4,610
Writing-down and balancing allowances;	755
Industrial Buildings allowance	440
Miscellaneous allowances	45
Total	5,850

The corporation tax equivalent of this total, assuming a rate of 52 per cent. is £3,040 million. However, I would not think it meaningful to describe this figure as representing the loss of revenue resulting from the allowances, since any system of computing chargeable profits would have to take acount in some way of the wastage of capital incurred in earning those profits.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of United Kingdom gross national product is represented by earnings from exports.

In 1975 exports of goods and services represented about 28 per cent. of gross national product.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional revenue that would result if his proposal to tax the value of concessionary air fares enjoyed by airline employees is approved by Parliament.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cases of manual workers, both skilled and unskilled, and blue coated workers receive concessions and rates from employers which are tax-free when earning: (a) £3,000 a year or more and (b) £5,000 a year or more; and what concessions and rates are subject to tax in the case of supervisors and white collar workers.

Manual and blue-coated workers are not distinguished for tax purposes from supervisors and white-collar workers. Employees earning less than £5,000 are not taxed on any benefit which cannot be converted into cash, with the exception of living accommodation beneficially occupied, the provision of free medical insurance and the provision of vouchers for goods or services. Those earning more than £5,000 are in general taxable on all benefits which they receive, with the exception of accommodation or supplies used solely for the duties of the employment, accommodation in which the employee is required to live for the proper performance of his duties, the provision of meals in a canteen and the provision of pension rights. There are concessions under which luncheon vouchers, subject to certain conditions and miner's free coal allowance are not taxed, whatever the level of the employee's earnings.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend capital allowances, at present available for industry, to the retail trade; and what he estimates the cost would be.

The same capital allowances for machinery and plant are available to the retail trade as for industry. As to retail buildings I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement on 6th April. —[Vol. 909, c. 248.] The cost of extending the allowances to capital expenditure occurred on new retail buildings is estimated to be £65 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend capital allowances to all commercial buildings; and what he estimates the cost would be.

I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement on 6th April.—[Vol. 909, c. 248.] If allowances were to be given on capital expenditure on all new commercial buildings at the current rates for industrial buildings the cost is estimated to be £480 million in a full year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional yield to the revenue is expected to accrue in 1977–78 and in subsequent years as a result of the passage of Clause 55 of the Finance Bill.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings on staff are expected to be enjoyed by the Revenue in 1977–78 and in subsequent years as a result of the passage of Clause 55 of the Finance Bill.

The simplification achieved by this legislation will reduce the staff cost per case, but since it will also increase the number of assessments on car benefits there will be a net increase in the total staff requirement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now give an estimate of the public sector borrowing requirement following his statement on the pay policy discussion of 5th May; and how the public sector borrowing requirement compares with the estimates given recently to the International Monetary Fund.

I see no reason for any significant change in the PSBR forecast for 1976–77 given in the Financial Statement and Budget Report. This forecast is within the estimate indicated to the International Monetary Fund last December.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the loss of revenue which would result from relieving persons over 65 years of age of liability to investment income surcharge on any part of the first £3,000 of income from all sources, assuming that this £3,000 is taken to include any income treated as earned for tax purposes.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 10th May 1976; Vol. 911, c. 56], gave the following answer:The information on which to base a precise calculation is not readily available, but it is estimated that the cost would be of the order of £15 million.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the Forestry Liaison Committee; and what response he intends to make to them.

Since my reply to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Sir John Hall) on 6th May my right hon. Friend has replied to the Committee agreeing to its request for a meeting.—[Vol. 910, col. 449–450]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what he estimates to be the cost of vaccinating all dogs and cats against rabies in the event of an outbreak; and if any contingency plans exist to do so.

In the event of an outbreak of rabies, compulsory vaccination in the infected area is one of the measures that would be adopted under our contingency plans, as appropriate. The cost would depend on the size of the area and the density of the domestic animal population.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now, officially recognise the Farmers Union of Wales for all negotiating and representational purposes relative to the agriculture industry in Wales.

I have been asked to reply.The Farmers Union of Wales last made a formal request for recognition in 1974. In my reply I explained that Ministers would need information about the strength of farmer membership in order to consider the request fully. To date that information has not been provided by the Union.

asked the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the CBI.

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to meet the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to meet the TUC.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. Corbett) on Friday 7th May.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a flight in the Concorde aircraft.

I should certainly like to do so when there is a suitable opportunity.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Trade with regard to sanctions policy on Rhodesia.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the economy in London on 22nd April represents Government policy.

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech on economic policy by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the European Trades Union Conference in London on 22nd April represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the European Trades Union Confederation on economic policy in London on 22nd April 1976 represents Government policy.

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the economy in London on 22nd April repre- sented the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech in London on the economy by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22nd April represents Government policy.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination among the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Home Office and the Department of the Environment for the defence against the introduction and spread of rabies in Great Britain.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination among the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Home Office and the Department of the Environment in moves to combat the spread of rabies to Great Britain.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination among the Home Office, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment on measures to prevent the entry and combat outbreaks of rabies in the United Kingdom.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination among the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of the Environment and the Home Office in moves to combat the spread of rabies to Great Britain.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Drake (Miss Fookes).

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to make a Ministerial broadcast.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Lawson) on Tuesday 27th April.

asked the Prime Minister what are his current criteria for making a ministerial broadcast.

The criteria for broadcasts of this kind, which were agreed between the broadcasting authorities and the main political parties, remain unchanged. They are:

"To provide information or explanation of events of prime national or international importance or to seek the co-operation of the public in connection with such events."

asked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to visit the German Democratic Republic.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Edinburgh.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 13th May.

There was a Cabinet meeting this morning and I shall be holding further meetings with my ministerial colleagues and others during the course of the day.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination of Ministers to whom the Parliamentary Boundaries Commission is responsible in its implementation of the commission's recommendations.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister when he next expects to take the chair at a meeting of the NEDC.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes next to chair the NEDC.

I hope to take the Chair at the July meeting of the National Economic Development Council.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Kirkby.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Greenwich.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Broadstairs, Kent.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to visit New Zealand.

I have at present no plans to visit New Zealand. I was pleased to welcome the New Zealand Prime Minister to London last month. My colleagues and I found our discussions with him most useful.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list the responsibilities of the Paymaster-General; and when she will answer Questions in the House in that capacity.

I appointed my right hon. Friend to be Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection and Paymaster General, and, as is usually the case with all non-departmental Ministers, she will carry out the special duties that are assigned to her from time to time as Paymaster-General. It is a long-established practice not to specify these special duties in detail.The traditional duties of the Paymaster-General, which, under successive Administrations, have been delegated to the Assistant Paymaster-General, are to make certain payments on behalf of Government Departments. The Paymaster-General also holds a number of trusteeships and other offices on an ex-officio basis.Provision could be made in the Question Time rota if it were the general wish of the House that the Paymaster-General should answer questions.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any announcement to make about a successor to Sir Brian Flowers, whose term of office as Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution comes to an end on 31st August 1976.

I am glad to be able to tell the House that the Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Professor Hans Leo Kornberg, FRS, Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, as a member of the Royal Commission until the end of August and as chairman thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now announce the level of child benefit to be introduced in April 1977.

I hope to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Government propose to consult organisations representing Commonwealth immigrants on their policy under Section 13 of the Child Benefit Act 1975 on the payment of child benefit to persons resident in Great Britain with children outside Great Britain.

I shall consider this at the appropriate stage.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Government remain committed to the introduction of the new system of child benefits in full in April 1977; and, if so, when legislative changes in the future pattern of child tax allowances may be expected in accordance with the undertakings given by the previous Minister of State recorded in the Official Report on 7th July 1975 (column 262).

I have nothing to add to earlier statements.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many millions of pounds will be transferred from taxpaying families to non-taxpaying families if child benefit is introduced at no extra cost.

If the amount of child tax allowance subsumed were the rate for children under 11, the amount transferred under a nil-cost scheme would probably be of the order of £40 million a year. This estimate is, however, subject to a fairly wide margin of error.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations have been received urging payment of increased pensions earlier than November.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock (Mr. Roberts) on 3rd May—[Vol. 910, c. 288.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in full the discretionary benefits which can be made by local offices of his Department; and what directions are followed by local offices in the exercising of such discretion.

The Supplementary Benefits Commission has a discretionary power under paragraph 4(1)(b) of Schedule 2 to the Supplementary Benefit Act 1966 to increase the benefit otherwise payable to take account of exceptional circumstances. By the nature of this discretionary power there can be no exhaustive list of the special expenses for which allowance is made, but the most frequent are those arising from a need for extra heating, a special diet, domestic assistance, extra expenditure on laundry or on hire purchase for essential goods.The Commission also have a discretionary power, under section 7 of the Supplementary Benefits Act, to award a single payment of benefit to meet an exceptional need. Some 830,000 such payments were made in 1974, covering a wide variety of needs, including awards for clothing and footwear, bedding, household goods, travel and removal expenses, fuel bills and funeral expenses. The commission has published detailed accounts of the ways in which its discretionary powers are exercised, in the Supplementary Benefits Handbook and in its Administration Paper No. 4 entitled "Exceptional Needs Payments".

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT AND SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT INCLUDING FAMILY ALLOWANCES FOR A MAN, WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN (1) AS A PERCENTAGE OF NET EARNING (2)
Date(October)		Unemployment benefit Percentage	Average earnings Unemployment benefit plus earnings related supplement (3) Percentage	Supplementary benefit (4) Percentage	Unemployment benefit Percentage	Half average earnings Unemployment benefit plus earnings-related supplement (3) Percentage	Supplementary benefit (4) Percentage
1950	…	36·4	Not applicable	44·5	72·5	Not applicable	88·4
1960	…	39·5	Not applicable	45·9	76·7	Not applicable	89·3
1970	…	48·3	72·7	54·8	81·2	81·4	92·1
1975	…	54·7	73·4	57·1	89·3	89·3	93·2
1976 (5) (7)	…	57·1	76·3	59·2	87·4	87·4	90·7
1976 (6) (7)	…	58·1	77·6	60·3	89·8	89·8	93·2
Notes:
(1) Children aged 3 and 8.
(2) Estimated earnings, net of tax and national insurance contributions, of male, adult full-time manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries based on the Department of Employment's October Enquiry.
(3) Earnings-related supplement calculated on estimated earnings as in (2), assuming that these average weekly earnings remained constant throughout the relevant tax year. The supplement was introduced in 1966.
(4) Supplementary benefit scale rates only (i.e. rent not included).
(5) Effects of the unconditional as well as conditional tax changes proposed in the Budget.
(6) Effects of only the unconditional tax changes originally proposed in the Budget.
(7) For the purposes of these calculations, gross earnings for October 1976 have been estimated as October 1975 gross earnings plus £6.

Following is the information in the form requested by the hon. Member, but he will of course be aware that the Chancellor stated on 5th May the Government's decision to recommend to Parliament in full the enactment of the conditional tax reliefs.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much it would cost to extend to a married woman, who is in employment and paying full contributions and whose husband remains at home to look after the children, the right to claim benefits for dependants, that is husband and children, if she becomes sick or unemployed.

I regret that insufficient information is available to enable us to make any actual estimate though, as my hon. Friend knows from the letter sent to her on 20th April, we accept that, on certain assumptions, the cost would be small. In practice, however, given the wide variation in family circumstances over time, it would not in our view be possible to limit a provision only to the specific permanent "rôle reversal" cases she has in mind: and the cost of equal rights for men and women in claiming dependency benefits could be up to £30 million a year. I am, however, writing to my hon. Friend explaining the problems involved.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in view of his Department's responsibilities for ensuring that the public have adequate safeguards with regard to medical laboratory investigations, he will give an assurance that there will be no attempt made to lower the present qualification requirement for the appointment of medical laboratory technicians to senior posts in the National Health Service.

Bearing in mind the need for adequate standards of investigation the Department is discussing with interested bodies the extent to which the National Health Service needs medical laboratory technicians trained beyond the level required for state registration. Any change in grading provisions would be primarily a matter for the Whitley Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress he has made in his study of varied hospital provisions in different parts of the United Kingdom; and if he can publish any illustrative figures.

I think that my hon. Friend may be referring to the study of disparities in National Health Service resources in England being carried out by the Resource Allocation Working Party. Copies of its First Interim Report and of the letter of my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State, of 19th February, notifying regional health authorities of her decisions on that report are in the Library. The article referred to in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 4th March—[Vol. 906, c. 741–2]—is also relevant. I expect a further report from the Resource Allocation Working Party in the middle of the year. It will again refer to England only. My responsibility for the NHS does not extend to other parts of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the present levels of additional payments available to recipients of supplementary benefit in respect of: (a) exceptional heating needs and (b) central heating charges: when these were last reviewed; and on what basis they are calculated.

Extra heating additions payable on grounds of ill-health or substandard accommodation, or a combination of both factors, are payable at one of three rates, namely 55p, £1·10 or £1·65 a week, on an all-the-year-round basis. These amounts have been reviewed by the Supplementary Benefits Commission and will be increased as from November to 70p, £1·40 and £2–10, respectively, at the same time as this year's uprating of benefits. They originally represented fixed proportions of expenditure by pensioner households on heating, derived from Family Expenditure Survey data, and have been adjusted periodically in the light of the movement in the fuel component of the retail prices index.Except where a fixed charge is levied, central heating additions are payable according to the number of rooms as follows:

1 or 2 rooms	25p a week
3 or 4 rooms	55p a week
5 or more rooms	£1·10 a week

These amounts were fixed after discussions with local fuel authorities and with the help of costings by heating engineers. They are being increased in November—on the same basis as ordinary heating additions—to 35p, 70p and £1·40, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what examination of the results of psycho-surgery has been undertaken by his Department during the past 10 years; and with what result;(2) if he will estimate the total number of psycho-surgical operations performed annually in the United Kingdom specifying the numbers carried out at each of those hospitals which have recognised psycho-surgical units.

I refer my hon. Friend to my replies to my hon. Friends the Members for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price) and Wood Green (Mrs. Butler) on 21st January and 27th April, respectively.—[Vol. 903, c. 512–3; Vol. 910, c. 80.] Psycho-surgical operations would normally take place in neuro-surgical units, where the operations recorded in current statistics as for the division of brain tissues are mostly performed in the treatment of neurological conditions such as Parkinsonism, but include those performed for the relief of psychiatric conditions. These latter are termed psycho-surgery.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the cost of the special inquiry into St. Augustine's Hospital, Canterbury; and what steps he will be taking to ensure that the regional health authority concerned issues it as a public document so that it can then be made available to all who are interested in mental health, including staff of mental hospitals throughout the country.

I am informed by the South East Thames Regional Health Authority that the cost of the inquiry was about £91,000. My Department is sending a copy of the report of the committee of inquiry to all regional health authorities, area health authorities and health districts in England; and copies will also be sent to area health authorities in wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to see that the growth of population in new and expanding towns such as Peterborough is matched by a corresponding growth in the provision of hospitals and other health facilities.

Population—and, as regards capital for new schemes, projected population—is the main factor determining the distribution of resources by my Department to the regional health authorities in England. The regional authorities know that I expect them to apply similar principles, as far as practicable, in allocating resources within their regions and to give priority to schemes needed to remedy absolute and major gaps in services which cannot be met by other means.The needs and priorities of new and expanding towns must be judged against those of other parts of the country which may be, in terms of health provision, severely deprived.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department's Circular 13/74 was issued to all local authorities with responsibility for housing.

No: that circular was concerned only with the functions of social services authorities; but the joint circular on homelessness—DHSS 4/74—was sent to all local authorities, including those with responsibility for housing, on 7th February 1974, and this explained the intention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to make a direction in regard to the duty of social services authorities to provide temporary accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether design work has commenced on the proposed second district hospital to serve the Peterborough area; and when he expects a decision will be made for it to be included in a building programme.

The regional Health authority has been given an indication of the capital resources that will be available to it for the years to 1978–79. So far it has selected priorities for starts only in the current financial year, and its programme includes a start on a 120-bedded unit on the St. John's Hospital site in Peterborough where work is expected to start in August 1976.The priority for further development of hospital services in Peterborough will be considered at a later stage. The area and regional health authorities are actively considering the needs of the Peterborough Health District with a view to establishing what further facilities are required. No design work is yet in hand, but a prospective site has been selected for a second district general hospital.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on progress in dealing with claims for the new mobility allowance for disabled people.

At 7th May a total of 40,437 applications had been received, of which 29,310 were from people within the age group—15–50—currently eligible to claim. Claims are still being received at the rate of about 1,000 a week. A substantial number of the claims are still being dealt with, but at 4th May 13,999 awards had been made. This compares with 2,728 rejections. The success rate among claimants for mobility allowance at this early stage is, therefore, 84 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many recorded cases of tuberculosis there were in Great Britain in each of the last five years.

Numbers of recorded cases of tuberculosis in Great Britain for 1971 to 1975 were as follows:

1971	13,444
1972	12,703
1973	12,637
1974	12,220
1975	12,323

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many tuberculosis visitors have a health visitors' certificate; and how many do not.

The number of tuberculosis visitors without health visitor certificates has in the past not been collected separately from those with the certificate. However, health authorities have been asked to provide this information in the statistical returns for 30th September 1975. Analysis of the returns is not yet complete, but I will circulate the information in the Official Report when it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many tuberculosis visitors there are in Great Britain.

140 in whole-time equivalents, on 31st March 1975 in England and Wales. Figures for Scotland do not separate tuberculosis visitors from other health visitors.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many tuberculosis visitors in the last 10 years have caught tuberculosis in the course of their duties.

Information concerning the incidence, if any, of this disease specifically among tuberculosis visitors is not collected, and the Department is not aware of any individual cases over the past 10 years. Tuberculosis is a prescribed disease for particular occupations, including that of tuberculosis visitor. The total number of spells of certified incapacity which commenced in each of the last 30 years, and resulted from a fresh attack of tuberculosis, occurring among all such occupations is shown in the table below.

Year beginning First Monday in June	No. of Spells
1974–75	51*
1973–74	64
1972–73	78
1971–72	63
1970–71	89
1969–70	84
1968–69	70
1967–68	76
1966–67	82
1965–66	94
* (Provisional)

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many school nurses in Hull have the health visitors' certificate; and how many have not.

In the Hull Health District there is one school nurse with the health visitors' certificate and 21 without.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many school nurses are presently in employment in Hull.

There are 22 school nurses employed in the Hull Health District, equivalent to 17·93 whole-time staff.

asked the Lord President of the Council what will be the estimated loss in revenue to the House of Commons catering department in selling off wines cheaply to hon. Members.

I have been asked to reply.There will be no loss to the Refreshment Department, as, following past practice, wines not on the wine list are offered at cost plus 20 per cent.

asked the Lord President of the Council if it is proposed to repeat the 1975 exercise of a house-to-house delivery of a "popular" version of the next stage of pay policy; and, if so, if he will arrange for a check list on progress of the objectives to be published as an appendix showing the movement in unemployment and industrial investment since the introduction of the £6 policy.

It is too early to say whether a pamphlet outlining the next stage of pay policy will be issued.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on the provision of computer-based information retrieval systems in Parliament.

My noble Friend the Leader of the House of Lords and I have together set up an informal joint committee to consider and advise on the contribution that computer based systems might make towards meeting the information and other requirements of both Houses.

The members of the committee are as follows:

• Lord Darling of Hillsborough (Chairman).
• Lord Avebury.
• Viscount Hood.
• The Earl of Mansfield.
• Richard Buchanan, MP.
• Ian Lloyd, MP.
• Eric Moonman, MP.
• Michael Spicer, MP.

The staff of the committee will be:

C. H. Cumming-Bruce (Printed Paper Office, House of Lords).

F. A. Cranmer (Table Office, House of Commons).

Mrs. A. M. Gould (House of Commons Library).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the prison workshops at Winson Green Prison have been closed; and, if so, why and for how long.

Of the eight workshops at Birmingham Prison, one has been closed for 11 weeks and another for eight weeks. Five other workshops have recently been opening only two days a week. The closures result from the need to redeploy staff to meet the demands of court work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the remand centres for boys which at present exist to serve the needs of London and the Home Counties and the number of places available at each.

The certified normal accommodation at Ashford and Latchmere House remand centres provides 403 and 130 places, respectively, for young males between the ages of 14 and 20.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new remand centres are planned to serve the London and Home Counties area; and where these are to be located.

Four new remand centres are planned for the south-east of England: at North Weald, Essex; Feltham, West London; Rochester, Kent; and Norwich, Norfolk.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the need for accommodation in remand centres in the London and the Home Counties area has been reassessed since the centre was originally planned at North Weald, in the light of changing demographic trends or revision of the criteria for putting young persons charged with offences on bail.

Yes. We regularly review the need for remand and other accommodation in the light of statistical forecasts, changes in the law and other relevant factors. Our projections show a continuing need for the remand centre planned at North Weald.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many boys or young men for whom remand accommodation was required during the past year could not be accommodated in existing centres owing to lack of available places at the latest date for which figures are available.

Male young persons under 21 who are remanded in custody are committed to a remand centre or local prison in accordance with directions issued from time to time by our Department. These directions take account of the present availability and accessibility of remand centre accommodation. On 15th April 1976, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 1,264 such persons held on remand in remand centres and 337 in local prisons.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average daily population of prisoners awaiting trial or sentence in 1975, respectively;(2) what was the average daily prison population in 1975.

Provisional figures are shown in the following table:

DAILY AVERAGE PRISON POPULATIO, 1975 (PROVISIONAL)
	Untried	Convicted Awaiting Sentence	Overall Prison Population
Males	3,442	1,868	38,601
Females	131	168	1,219