asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons who have entered the United Kingdom illegally in the last two years have been allowed to remain under the amnesty; how many have been expelled at the latest available date; and whether he will now see that all other illegal immigrants are expelled.

The hon. Member is misinformed about the extent of the amnesty that I announced on 11th April 1974. It applies only to Commonwealth citizens and citizens of Pakistan who entered the United Kingdom illegally before 1st January 1973 and who, as the law then stood, could not have been removed, and not to anyone who entered in the past two years. Those cases apart, it is the normal practice, in the absence of compelling reasons to the contrary, to send away all illegal entrants. From the beginning of 1974 up to the end of March this year, 333 illegal entrants were so dealt with.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now revise the Judges' Rules; and if he will introduce legislation to make them statutory.

No, but I am prepared to consider any specific representations that may be made to me concerning police interview procedures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will review the working of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876.

The working of the Act was reviewed by the Littlewood Committee in 1963–65 and is kept under review in our Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that all laboratory animals are bred in closed colonies by breeders accredited by the Medical Research Council.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her Question on 16th July.—[Vol. 915, c. 303.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department is planning to have any discussions with chief constables with a view to strengthening the Public Order Act 1936 and other relevant Acts with regard to political marches.

I am in constant touch with chief officers of police on public order matters; Lord Justice Scar-man reviewed the law relating to marches in his inquiry into the Red Lion Square disorders but did not recommend any fundamental reform of the law.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the size of the prison population.

The size of the prison population, which is a matter of continuing concern to us, is determined largely by the number of detected and convicted offenders, and the use by the courts of their sentencing discretion—as regards both the type of sentence imposed and, when it is a custodial sentence, its length. Government action has recently concentrated on: reducing the untried and unsentenced prison population, through the provisions of the Bail Bill and other administrative measures; developing alternatives to prison sentences, in particular community service, as resources permit; and stimulating the use of parole, in consultation with the Parole Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he proposes in the existing law and practice relating to immigration.

The operation of the Immigration Act 1971 and the rules made under it is kept under review. As I told the House on 5th July— [Vol. 914, c. 984]—I am examining urgently possible proposals for dealing with cases involving bogus marriages, where some change in practice or in the Immigration Rules may be desirable. I have no immediate plans for other changes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a committee of inquiry into the social effects of television and the cinema.

The social effects of television are within the remit of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting. We have no plans for initiating an inquiry into the cinema.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the work load of the Boundary Commission would permit adequate and timely consideration of the question of electoral boundaries for direct elections to a European Assembly.

I understand that the Select Committee on direct elections to the European Assembly has taken evidence from the four Parliamentary Boundary Commissions on this point. The Government look forward to receiving the Select Committee's recommendations in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet in a position to make known the views of chief constables on the proposal to increase the penalties for contravention of the animal quarantine requirements; and if he will make a statement.

On penalties, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his Question on 24th June.—[Vol. 913, c. 575–6.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recruiting of police cadets.

I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Morpeth (Mr. Grant) on 24th June.—[Vol. 913, c. 585.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he now proposes to take to bring into use the empty residential blocks constructed for female prison officers at Holloway Prison.

Measures to deal with water penetration will be put into hand as a matter of urgency when the certificate of final completion has been issued to the contractor. The accommodation will then be progressively furnished, equipped and brought into use as the work is completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received asking for the release of John Poulson.

None, though Mr. Poulson's case was mentioned in a debate in another place on 5th July.—[Vol 372, c. 1082–4, 1132.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the light of recent increases in population in certain areas, he will seek to amend the Representation of the People Acts to provide for more frequent Boundary Commission inquiries and reports.

No. Parliament decided on the present 10- to 15-year intervals between general reviews by the four Parliamentary Boundary Commissions to avoid the confusion and inconvenience that had previously resulted from more frequent reviews.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay involved in his judgment of the case of P.C. Betteridge of the Bedfordshire Police Force.

This was a difficult and complex case. There was some delay in the completion of the grounds of appeal, but thereafter I fully accept, as I informed the House on 7th June—[Vol. 912, c. 979–82]—that it took us too long to deal with it. This I much regret.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a further statement on the use of the fourth television channel in Wales.

I have nothing to add to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales gave to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Evans) on 10th May.—[Vol. 912, c. 14–16.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he allowed an immigrant, who had previously been refused permission to remain in the United Kingdom for the purposes of employment and education, to remain in the United Kingdom as a domestic servant to an Arabian Ambassador in his private residence.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to a Question by him on 19th July—[Vol. 915, c. 340.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the amount of revenue lost through the non-payment of television licences in 1974, 1975 and to the latest date for which figures are available.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) on 19th July.—[Vol. 915, c. 338–9.] Current estimates suggest losses of the order of £7·7 million in 1974, £7·9 million in 1975 and £7·5 million a year now.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in each of the last three years against people for not holding a valid TV licence and with what result; what is the latest estimated number of people operating TV sets without a valid licence and what is the estimated loss of revenue; and what is the current number of TV licences issued.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to a Question by the hon. Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) on 19th July.—[Vol. 915, c. 338–39.]The Post Office, which undertakes prosecutions on behalf of the Home Office in these cases, has provided the following information:

Financial year			Prosecutions	Convictions
1973–74	…	…	54,359	54,210
1974–75	…	…	53,257	52,915
1975–76	…	…	49,646*	49,188*
* England and Wales only; it is estimated that there were about 4,000 further prosecutions in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

There were about 17·9 million television licences in force on 31st May 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the number and ranks of the police officers at or within the vicinity of the American Embassy and Hyde Park corner between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday 15th July, the number of police motorcycles, charabancs and other vehicles, and the costs involved; what were the reasons for this exercise; and whether he will make a statement.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells us that 244 police officers were involved in policing a demonstration by the Association of Cypriot Students, which marched from Speaker's Corner to the American Embassy and the Greek Embassy on 15th July. One car, nine coaches and nine motor cycles were involved. The cost of the operation could not be obtained without disproportionate effort.The ranks of the officers involved were as follows:

Acting Commander	…	1
Chief Superintendents	…	2
Superintendent	…	1
Chief Inspectors	…	2
Inspectors	…	12
Sergeants	…	28
Constables	…	198

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many

PERSONS PROCEEDED AGAINST FOR NOT HAVING A VALID DOG LICENCE —BY OUTCOME AND SENTENCE
Number of persons
						Sentence
Year			Persons proceeded against	Found guilty	Absolute discharge	Conditional discharge	Fined	Otherwise dealt with
1973	…	…	3,836	3,700	69	19	3,612	—
1974	…	…	3,472	3,323	51	19	3,251	2
1975*	…	…	4,058	3,881	83	16	3,782	—
* Provisional figures.

No official figures of the total dog population exist; it has been estimated to be between 5 million and 6 million. I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that in England and Wales in March 1975—the latest date for which figures are available—2,611,039 licences had been issued, but since it is not possible to say how many unlicensed dogs are exempt from the licensing requirement no reliable estimate can be made of the loss of revenue involved.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the entry into the United Kingdom of residents of Rhodesia holding British passports who do not acknowledge, the Smith regime to be the lawful Government of Rhodesia.

The entry of people with British pasports who are subject to immigration control is regulated according to the Immigration Act and Rules.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons were in prison for contempt of court at the latest available date; and.

Information about proceedings in England and Wales under Section 12 of the Dog Licences Act 1959 for keeping dogs without a valid licence is contained in the following table:of these, how many were: (a) men, (b) women and (c) juveniles;(2) what is the time so far served in prison of those persons in prison for contempt of court at latest available date.

On 30th June, the latest date for which information is available, there were 37 people in prison for contempt of court. Of these, 36 were men and one was a woman; none were juveniles. The length of time spent in custody by these persons, up to 30th June, is shown in the following table:

Time-served	No. of Persons
Up to and including one week	15
Over one week up to and including three weeks	9
Over three weeks up to and including six weeks	6
Over six weeks up to and including 10 weeks	5
Over 10 weeks up to and including 13 weeks	2
	37

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will tabulate in the Official Report the number and type of motoring offences, including breathalyser, whether or not causing an accident resulting in prison sentences of firstly under six months and secondly over six months, and fines—including costs—of over £500, £1,000 and £5,000, respectively; how this compares with five and 10 years ago; and what are his predictions for the future.

PERSONS FINED OR SENTENCED TO IMPRISONMENT (IMMEDIATE) FOR MOTORING OFFENCES ENGLAND AND WALES, 1965–75
Imprisonment (immediate)
Year and offence	Fine	6 months and under	Over 6 months
1975
Causing death by dangerous driving	376	18	37
Reckless or dangerous driving	6,938	138	17
Driving or in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs	56,591	548	42
Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle	20,628	1,540	891
Other motoring offences	1,096,745	1,744	80
Total	1,181,278	3,988	1,067
1970
Causing death by dangerous driving	370	2	43
Reckless or dangerous driving	5,762	38	4
Driving or in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs	25,339	266	17
Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle	15,369	1,011	277
Other motoring offences	918,705	1,952	96
Total	965,545	3,269	437
1965
Causing death by dangerous driving	365	19	28
Reckless or dangerous driving	7,611	74	4
Driving or in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs	8,623	183	5
Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle	14,306	1,937	92
Other motoring offences	812,519	2,271	27
Total	843,424	4,484	156

The figures far 1975 are not strictly comparable with those for 1970 and 1965 because of changes in the method of recording those sentenced at the Crown Court after summary conviction. In 1975, 1,275 persons were fined and 1,241 sentenced to imprisonment (immediate) in these circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek powers to ban all dogs from beaches and the foreshore.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has of young men coming to Great Britain to avoid military ser

The following table gives the information that is readily available. Other information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There is no reliable method of predicting the number or disposal of future motoring offences.vice in Rhodesia; what estimates he has of the number of men involved; and if he will consider favourably applications from them to stay in Great Britain.

A small number of men have recently asked to be admitted to the United Kingdom on these grounds. Applications are considered on their individual merits in the light of the Immigration Act and Rules. I do not know how many young men are liable for military service under the illegal regime in Rhodesia. Some of them will, however, be patrial under the Immigration Act and so not subject to immigration control.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prosecutions in the East Midlands for driving defective motor vehicles relate to defective tyres; and how the percentage varies between the counties of the region.

The figures below give the proportion of all prosecutions in 1975 for using dangerous or defective motor vehicles which relate to defective tyres:

County		Percentage
Derbyshire	…	55·0
Leicestershire	…	51·5
Lincolnshire	…	48·2
Northamptonshire	…	62·2
Nottinghamshire	…	40·5
All five counties together	…	48·0

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prosecutions in the East Midlands for driving motor vehicles with defective tyres were successful; and how that percentage varies between the counties of the region.

I regret that this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now announce the names of the members of the Data Protection Committee.

Yes. The following have agreed to serve as members of the Data Protection Committee:

• Professor J. Durbin
• Dr. Charles Florey
• The Hon. Mrs. Celia Goodhart
• Mr. B. J. A. Hargreaves
• Professor F. M. Martin
• Miss Bridget Paton
• Sir David Pitblado
• Mr. K. H. Potts
• Mr. Charles N. Read
• Mr. Paul Sieghart
• Mr. Hugo Young

I announced on 24th June—[Vol. 913, c. 578]—the appointment of Sir Norman Lindop as chairman of the committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when next he is proposing to meet representatives of the cooperative movement.

My predecessor met representatives of the Co-operative Union in December 1975 to discuss their proposals for a Co-operative Development Agency. They agreed to prepare a paper clarifying their ideas and priorities. This has just been received and I hope now to have further discussions with them.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which air freight is being transferred to road transport for the domestic part of its journey instead of being flown direct from provincial airports.

Comprehensive information is not available on the amount of air freight involved, but the movement of air freight by road is referred to in Chapter 7 of Part 2 of Airport Strategy for Great Britain which deals with the regional airports. It will be a matter for consideration in the consultations on that document.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many jobs will be created by contracts awarded to British firms which have won contracts in the Hong Kong mass transit project.

It is not practicable to make a precise estimate but the award to British firms of five electrical and mechanical engineering contracts worth in total approximately £55 million will certainly provide a considerable stimulus to employment in the industries concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade to what extent British technology and equipment is being used by local non-British firms which have successfully tendered for various contracts in the Hong Kong mass transit project.

I understand that there will be a significant British contribution, valued at £1·6 million, to a civil engineering contract awarded to a local non-British company. British firms may secure other sub-contracting business in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in view of the fact that British companies have won five out of the eight electrical and mechanical contracts announced by the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation, he will point out to British industry the opportunities open in Hong Kong to progressive British companies.

Yes. The British Overseas Trade Board and my Department will continue to keep British industry informed of opportunities in the Hong Kong market. The Senior British Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong will be visiting Britain shortly and expects to talk to businessmen in different parts of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what were the exports from computer firms in the United Kingdom in 1975; and what proportion of that exporting was Scots.

In 1975 United Kingdom exports of electronic computers and related equipment were valued at £331 million fob; the proportion of this figure attributable to Scotland is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list all the commodities, currently being imported into the United Kingdom, which his Department have accepted for investigation under the anti-dumping regulations.

The commodities at present under full anti-dumping investigation are as follows:

• dumper trucks
• steel reinforcing bars
• single-barrelled shotguns
• double-barrelled shotguns
• single-beam atomic absorption spectrophotometers
• PVC coated fabrics
• men's leather fashion footwear
• alarm clocks
• hexamine
• ophthalmic lenses.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will appoint inspectors under the provisions of the Companies Act to inquire into the reasons why Brentford Nylons is not able to continue in existence as an independent public company.

No. There is no provision in the Companies Acts for the appointment of inspectors to make such an inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what are his Department's criteria for deciding whether the United Kingdom is suffering from the dumping of cotton shirts from the People's Republic of China.

In the case of market economy countries imported goods are normally regarded as dumped if the export price from the country of origin is less than the price at which the goods are being sold on the home market. This latter is known as the "fair market price". Where, as in the case of the People's Republic of China, the system of trading in the country of origin is such that a fair market price cannot be determined in this way, the standard of comparison is the price obtained for goods of the appropriate description exported to the United Kingdom from a third country, with adjustments to ensure comparability. If the goods, allegedly dumped, are found on investigation to have been exported to this country below the fair market price and to have caused material injury to the applicant industry, action would be taken to correct the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Terry Report on the future of the British Film Industry.

As stated by the then Prime Minister on 29th March in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, South-East (Mr. Cohen), although action is already being taken under existing legislation to release £2·37 million available for assistance through the NFFC, long term financial assistance and the establishment of a British Film Authority would both require fresh legislation. There is unlikely to be time in the next parliamentary Session for a substantial measure of this kind, but the Government intend to prepare a short financial Bill to permit the creation of the basic working fund referred to by my right hon. Friend in his previous statement for introduction as soon as parliamentary time permits. It had also been our intention to advance an initial sum of up to £5 million to the fund without delay once the necessary legislative approval had been given. I regret that in the light of the decision on public expenditure announced today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it is now necessary to defer this step until 1978. The release of the £2·37 million through the NFFC will, however, be unaffected and will enable some further if limited measure of encouragement to be given to the industry and to the private sources of investment on which it is crucially dependent.In the meantime, there is much that can be done, and my right hon. Friend the Member for Huyton (Sir H. Wilson), has accepted my invitation to chair an interim action committee to carry forward progress made by the Terry Working Party. If he is to have a compact team to assist him, membership cannot be representational; but the committee will have a duty to consult widely with the industry in advising the Secretary of State, as will be seen from the following terms of reference:

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection how many consumer advice centres have been opened since February 1974 to date; and at what cost.

Since February 1974, 76 consumer advice centres, including mobile units, have been opened. The other information sought is not readily available, but fixed centres typically cost £10,000–£25,000 to set up and £15,000–£30,000 a year to run.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what modifications she now proposes to make in the Price Code.

In considering the representations made to me during the consultative period, which ended on 16th July, I have had principally in mind the urgent need in the coming year to promote investment and to pay for a higher level of production. First, to encourage firms to accelerate their investment plans I propose that the rate of investment relief will be increased to 50 per cent. subject to careful monitoring of that investment. Provisions will be made to phase in the higher rate more quickly. Second, the adjustment factor for depreciation will be raised to 1·4, thus moving some way towards replacement cost. Third, so far as interest is concerned, I propose to give firms the option of being treated under either the rule proposed in the consultative document or the provisions of the existing code. The productivity deduction applicable to escalation and variation of price clauses will now affect increases in labour costs up to but not later than 31st July 1976. The rules for monitoring the treatment of stock will be tightened up. To help reduce the administrative burden on smaller firms, I propose to raise the lower limits of Category III above the limits proposed in the consultative document. These firms will, of course, still be subject to the Price Code.In the light of the reaction to the consultative document proposals for investment relief where equipment is leased, I propose a new provision. Relief will accrue to the owner, but he will in future be able to assign it to the lessee. Relief will no longer be given on the purchase or leasing of domestic television sets.A number of proposals for easing the operation of the controls have been made, which I have felt unable to accept. I believe it is necessary to maintain the limitation over the retrospective recovery of costs and to prevent the undue loading of price increases between related product disproportionally to costs. The new provision for price increases to be taken in stages will be clarified to ensure that it does not permit the recovery of profit margin forgone up to now.I shall be making a number of alterations to the proposals contained in the consultative document designed to deal with particular points of difficulty. These will appear in the Orders that will be laid on 29th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what was the expenditure on food subsidies, in current prices, in 1974–75; how much of that was spent before 10th October 1974; and how much was spent in 1975–76 and 1976–77 to date, respectively.

Expenditure on food subsidies is set out below. It is not possible to give figures for the period from 1st April to 10th October 1974 without disproportionate cost; expenditure is therefore shown to 30th September 1974.

£ million
		1974–75 April/March	1974 1st April to 30th Sept.	1975–76 April/March	1976–77 1st April to 30th June
Milk†	…	324·8	126·6	283·7	85·6
Butter*	…	71·2	26·6	113·6	20·8
Cheese	…	38·7	8·9	58·7	13·2
Bread	…	62·6	21·4	77·6	16·0
Flour	…	3·9	0·1	7·9	1·8
Tea	…	16·4	1·1	30·2	7·8
Total	…	517·6	184·7	571·7	145·2
* Includes FEOGA expenditure:
		11·6	4·9	21·4	3·8
† Includes expenditure under Appropriation Acts:
		46·4	—	10·1	—

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is her estimate of the effect of the 1p to 3p rise in petrol prices on the cost of living.

Since one major oil company has announced that it will not be putting up its petrol prices, it is difficult at this stage to define the final effect on average retail prices throughout the country.The direct and indirect effects on the retail price index of a 1p increase in the average retail price of a gallon of petrol is estimated to be about one-fifteenth of 1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will make it a condition of the provision of £5 million to the Lonrho Group that the funds so provided be converted into an equity holding in Lonrho; and what total equity shareholding he expects would accrue to Her Majesty's Government, with shares being issued at par value pro rata with the capital thus provided.

No. The loan has attained our purpose of saving the 1,800 jobs at risk.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what discussions he has had with the Governments of other EEC countries relating to a common EEC postal service.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is yet in a position to announce the siting of the headquarters of the shipbuilding industry on Merseyside.

An announcement will be made in due course when the decision on location has been taken.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether, as a means of cutting Government expenditure, he will stop the payment of the £10,600 per annum towards the cars as used by the two former Prime Ministers and arrange for them to call upon the Government's pooled car service as used by Ministers of the Crown.

It would not be right to change the existing arrangements given the security needs which underlie them.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne may expect a reply to his Question of 6th July about the purchase and installation of United States computer equipment at a Government Department at Newcastle upon Tyne.

I replied to my hon. Friend's Question on Tuesday 20th July and wrote to him on Thursday 22nd July.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service, from the information available to him in connection with the United Kingdom contribution to the EEC budget, what are the entitlements of members of the European Assembly with regard to all allowances and expenses stating particularly, in sterling values, the annual secretarial allowance, daily subsistence allowance and travelling allowance.

Allowances paid to members of the European Assembly are the concern of that Assembly. However, I understand that the following are currently payable:

asked the Prime Minister if he will define the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Employment.

The Secretary of State for Employment is responsible for the work both of his Department and, within the terms of relevant legislation, of the commissions and agencies concerned with employment matters. These have a wide range of functions, including the development and administration of policies on manpower, industrial relations, incomes, training, safety and health at work, discrimination in employment on grounds of race or sex and administration of unemployment benefit.

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

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

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

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council gave on my behalf to my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Atkinson) on 13th July.

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to make a public speech on the economy.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 20th May.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to address EEC Heads of Government.

No, but I meet EEC Heads of Government regularly and will next do so when I attend the meeting of the European Council in November.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection and responsible departmental Ministers in relation to nationalised industry prices.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on economic policy to the Royal College of Surgeons in London on 7th July 1976.

I did so on 8th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will place in the Library a copy of the public speech he made at the Press conference following the meeting of the National Economic Development Council on 7th July 1976.

I did so on 13th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his engagements for Thursday 22nd July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22nd July.

In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be holding meetings throughout the day.

asked the Prime Minister if he will dismiss the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) on 8th July.

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether the security authorities have yet completed the investigations referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Lawson) on 20th May.

asked the Prime Minister whether the security authorities have yet completed the investigations referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Blaby on 20th May.

No.

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to visit West Yorkshire.

I have at present no plans to do so.

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when he next expects to pay an official visit to Brussels.

I was in Brussels for the European Council meeting on 12th and 13th July. I have no plans to go there again in the immediate future.

asked the Prime Minister if he will appoint a Minister with special responsibility for reforming the House of Lords.

No.

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

No.

asked the Prime Minister if he will appoint a Minister for youth employment.

Matters concerning youth employment engage the full attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, who is responsible for them.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to address the United Nations.

I have no plans to do so at present. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs intends, as usual, to take part in the general debate at the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly, which is scheduled to start on 21st September 1976.

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech by the Secretary of State for Energy at Caxton Hall, Westminster, on 7th July about the nationalised industries represents Government policy.

In his 1976 Herbert Morrison memorial lecture, my right hon. Friend discussed the history of the nationalised industries and various possible ways in which they might develop in the future. The question whether his lecture represented Government policy does not therefore arise.

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

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Watkinson) on 15th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the actual or estimated amount of money spent on official entertainment by his office; how this compares with the three previous years; and whether, in view of the Government's policy of cutting public expenditure, he will drastically reduce such entertainment in the next 12 months.

The figures for the last four financial years are as follows:

				£
1975–76	…	…	…	3,523
1974–75	…	…	…	1,983
1973–74	…	…	…	1,145
1972–73	…	…	…	1,748

There is little scope for the drastic reduction of this modest expenditure, but I shall continue to exercise the strictest economy.

asked the Prime Minister what steps have been taken to advise Her Majesty the Queen on the appointment of a new chairman of the Forestry Commission.

It was announced on 16th July that the Counsellors of State, acting on behalf of the Queen, had approved the appointment of Mr. John Mackie as Chairman of the Forestry Commission.

asked the Prime Minister if members of the Central Policy Review Staff are allowed to take part-time appointments with commercial organisations.

Members of the CPRS are subject to the same rules about part-time employment which apply to all civil servants.

asked the Prime Minister, in the light of the recent official appointment, details of which have been sent to him, of an officer who previously worked with the Institute for the Study of Conflict, and in view of the institute's close contact with the Rhodesian and South African secret services, if he will review that appointment.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (1) he will protest to the Nigerian High Commissioner by reason of the 15,052 parking offences committed by persons on the list of that high commission, which have resulted in their claiming diplomatic immunity and thereby avoiding the payment of fines in the sum of £41,144, and at the fact that its accredited members avoided payment of more parking fines than any other commission during each of the past five years;(2) whether he will protest to the Cuban Embassy by reason of the 10,627 parking offences committed by persons on the list of that embassy, which have resulted in their claiming diplomatic immunity and thereby avoiding the payment of fines in the sum of £28,714, and at the fact that its accredited members have achieved the second largest total of non-payments of parking fines during the past five years;(3) whether he will protest to the Saudi Arabian Embassy by reason of the 9,003 parking offences committed by persons on the list of that embassy, which have resulted in their claiming diplomatic immunity and thereby avoiding the payment of fines in the sum of £22,666, and at the fact that its accredited members have achieved the third largest total of non-payments of parking fines during the past five years;(4) whether he will protest to the Iranian Embassy by reason of the 8,810 parking offences committed by persons on the list of that embassy, which have resulted in their claiming diplomatic immunity and thereby avoiding the payment of fines in the sum of £23,416, and at the fact that its accredited members have achieved the fourth largest total of non-payments of parking fines during the past five years;(5) whether he will protest to the Egyptian Embassy by reason of the 8,449 parking offences committed by persons on the list of that embassy, which have resulted in their claiming diplomatic immunity and thereby avoiding the payment of fines in the sum of £22,862, and at the fact that its accredited members have achieved the fifth largest total of non-payments of parking fines during the past five years;(6) whether he will protest to the Cypriot High Commission by reason of the 8,211 parking offences committed by persons on the list of that high commission which have resulted in their claiming diplomatic immunity and thereby avoiding the payment of fines in the sum of £22,746, and at the fact that its accredited members have achieved the sixth largest total of non-payments of parking fines during the past five years.

My right hon. Friend's officials have had and will continue to have discussions with diplomatic missions, including those of the six countries referred to by my hon. and learned Friend, in an effort to find solutions to the parking problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on the safety of British subjects in Uganda.

The British community in Uganda are being given clear advice by the High Commission about their safety.

asked the Attorney-General how many convictions there have been for murder of civilians and members of the security forces by terrorists in Northern Ireland in each year since 1969.

Records are not kept which distinguish murders by terrorists as such or the category of the person murdered, whether a civilian or a member of the security forces.Records are maintained in relation to results of prosecutions for scheduled offences, including murder. Since 8th August 1973, the date of commencement of the Emergency Provisions Act (Northern Ireland) 1973, the numbers of persons convicted of scheduled murder and the numbers of murders in respect of which they were convicted in each year upon indictment for scheduled murder are as follows:

Year		Persons convicted	Murders in respect of which convictions entered
1973	…	8	11
1974	…	24	33
1975	…	67	77
1976 (to 22nd July)	…	36	53

No relevant prior records are available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people have been convicted in Humberside in 1976 of smuggling animals ashore.

Two people have been convicted in Humberside for illegally landing animals so far during 1976. Both were also convicted for failing to confine the animals in a secure place onboard the vessels concerned. There were 10 further convictions for this latter offence involving a further seven offenders.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent the herring stock off the East Anglian coast is protected by a 12-mile exclusive limit.

Herring off the coast of East Anglia are part of the main North Sea stock which is distributed differently throughout the North Sea at different times of the year. Fishery limits do not therefore provide a sufficient means of protection for the stock and joint action by all the countries involved is essential.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the acreage of forest which has been affected by fire during the current drought; and what steps are being taken to ensure replacement of the trees thus destroyed.

Since 1st April 1976, 2,000 acres of forest managed by the Forestry Commission have been destroyed by fire; replacement will follow as part of normal replanting operations. It is estimated that about 1,100 acres have been destroyed during the same period in the private sector; replacement is a matter for decision by individual owners, who can apply for grant aid from the Forestry Commission under the normal rules.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, having regard to the danger from rabies and penalties properly imposed, he will take steps to acquaint persons abroad, who may bring animals into the United Kingdom, with the risks involved, in view of recent court cases in which the defendants pleaded ignorance.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the replies given to the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) and my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Watkinson) on 10th June and 11th June respectively. Efforts to publicise our anti-rabies regulations and penalties are continuous. In addition to the extensive distribution of publicity material in Europe, which is being extended worldwide, the television programme describing our anti-rabies policy and regulations continues to be shown in many countries. London-based foreign correspondents have been briefed; and recent court cases have received wide newspaper coverage overseas. Airline and ferry companies display posters and are alert to our requirement that rabies-susceptible animals cannot be imported into Britain without import licences.—[Vol. 912, c. 770–7.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fishers and Food if he will seek powers to ban all dogs from dock areas, yachting marinas and harbours as an additional precaution against the spread of rabies.

As circumstances vary greatly from place to place, I doubt whether it would be practicable to prescribe such a ban nationally. However, we actively encourage local, port and harbour authorities and marina owners to impose such local regulations or bye-laws as they consider appropriate to combat the rabies threat. I understand that some authorities and marina owners have already introduced, or are considering, such measures.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he proposes to take to prevent the EEC imposing an import levy on vegetable and fish oils imported into the United Kingdom.

This is one of a series of Commission proposals due for further consideration in the autumn aimed at restoring balance in the milk sector, but my right hon. Friend has already made it clear in the Council of Ministers that we are opposed to measures which are inflationary or distort trade in non-dairy products.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance he has given to education authorities regarding a communication on Islamic syllabuses addressed to them by the Union of Muslim Organisations of United Kingdom and Eire, a copy of which has been sent to him, stating that the number of Muslim children under tuition in local education authority schools will obviously increase with the passage of time.

My right hon. Friend does not consider it necessary to give local education authorities any guidance about this communication. They are well aware of examination syllabus procedures and of the requirements of the Education Act 1944 for the establishment of local conferences to prepare syllabuses of religious instruction.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the Government's response to the TUC's proposal for grant aid for trades union education and training; and if he will make a statement.

In conjunction with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, I have offered to the TUC grant of up to £400,000 in the financial year 1976–77 toward approved expenditure on trade union education and training incurred by TUC and by independent trade unions in order to help trade unionists achieve an improved understanding of industrial and public affairs required for the discharge of their role in employment. Expenditure connected with the function of trade union officers will not be eligible for grant. The offer is subject to acceptance by TUC of conditions of grant, to parliamentary approval, as appropriate, of the expenditure, and to the coming into effect of amendments to the Further Education Regulations, 1975, which will be laid shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage rise in the average industrial wage in the United Kingdom since 1965 in real terms; and, from information available from international sources, how this compares with the figures for each of the other member countries of the EEC.

For each member country of the EEC the attached table

PERCENTAGE INCREASES IN AVERAGE EARNINGS IN MANUFACTURING AND IN CONSUMER PRICE INDICES SINCE 1965
Country		Period covered		Percentage increase in average gross hourly earnings(7)	Percentage increase in consumer prices index(7)
Belgium	…	March 1965 to March 1976	…	254·2(1)	92·0(2)
Denmark	…	1st quarter 1965 to 4th quarter 1975	…	323·7(3)	132·7
France	…	January 1965 to January 1976	…	236·4(4)	100·2
Germany	…	January 1965 to January 1976	…	141·4	58·3
Ireland	…	1st quarter 1965 to 3rd quarter 1975	…	336·2	145·7
Italy	…	January 1965 to December 1975	…	284·0(4)	109·8
Luxembourg	…	October 1965 to October 1974	…	138·0	50·8(2)
Netherlands	…	January 1965 to October 1975	…	212·0(5)	103·7
United Kingdom	…	October 1965 to October 1975	…	217·3(6)	141·6

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report details showing the number of registered blind persons in employment in each of the regions of the United Kingdom; and what these totals represent as a percentage of the total number of registered blind persons in each respective region.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that information is not available about the number of registered blind people in employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report details showing the number of individuals registering for

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that on 8th April 1976, the latest date on which figures are available, the number of blind people registering for employment in Great Britain was:

South East	268
East Anglia	42
South West	66
North	57
North West	138
Yorkshire and Humberside	76
East Midlands	58
West Midlands	75
Wales	34
Scotland	74

NOTE. The figures relate only to those blind people who were registered as dissabled under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the EEC budget for its Social Fund in 1976; how this amount compares with expenditure on the Social Fund in 1975; and what has been the United Kingdom's share of payments out of the fund.

The European Social Fund's budget for 1976 is £183·3 million; the total of allocations made from the fund to all member States for 1975 was £156 million. The United Kingdom's share of allocations was 30·8

DRESSMAKING AND WOMEN'S LIGHT CLOTHING
			1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Establishments on list	…	…	8,022	7,770	7,610	7,600	7,474	7,353
Establishments inspected:
(a) Routine	…	…	626	554	507	543	555	420
(b) Complaint	…	…	253	207	210	224	204	192

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of establishments covered by the Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing (England and Wales) Wages Council which paid arrears of remuneration fol

DRESSMAKING AND WOMEN'S LIGHT CLOTHING
			1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Number of firms paying arrears:
(a) Routine	…	…	22	53	48	43	49	38
(b) Complaint	…	…	159	124	148	143	131	122
Amount of arrears paid (£):
(a) Routine	…	…	1,040	1,477	1,543	1,851	1,497	1,836
(b) Complaint	…	…	2,329	2,277	3,097	3,248	4,996	4,555

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of establishments on the Wages Inspectorate's lists covered by the 10 clothing wages councils—as listed on page 6 of

		1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Establishments on list	…	18,290	17,543	17,007	16,607	16,700	15,991
Establishments inspected:
(a) Routine	…	1,328	1,176	1,054	1,095	940	845
(b) Complaint	…	610	481	497	453	431	406

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of per cent, for 1973, 24·4 per cent, for 1974 and 29·4 per cent, for 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of establishments on the Wages Inspectorate's lists covered by the Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing (England and Wales) Wages Council and the number of these establishments inspected: (a) routinely and (b) following a complaint, for each year since 1970.

The information is as follows:lowing: (

The information is given below:the CIR Report No. 77—and the number of these establishments inspected: (

The information is as follows:establishments covered by the 10 clothing wages councils which paid arrears of remuneration following: (