asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will impose a duty of 10 per cent. on imports of Spanish footwear on the grounds that Spain subsidies exports of footwear to the United Kingdom.

I am considering a request from the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation for the imposition, under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act 1969, of a countervailing duty of 10 per cent. on allegedly subsidised imports of footwear from Spain.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what was the value of British imports and exports to and from the Federal Republic of Germany, at 1970 prices, for each of the years 1970 to 1975;(2) what was the value of British imports and exports to and from Italy, at 1970 prices, for each of the years 1970 to 1975;(3) what was the value of British imports and exports to and from France, at 1970 prices, for each of the years 1970 to 1975.

Information at 1970 prices for trade with individual countries is not available. Values at current prices are published in Tables 305 and 306 of the Annual Abstract of Statistics 1975 for years 1970 to 1974 and, for 1975, in Tables II and V of the December 1975 issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, in view of the fact that Trinity College, Dublin, is entitled under the Copyright Acts to a copy of each book published in the United Kingdom, whether there is any reciprocal arrangement under Irish copyright regulations for Irish publishers to send, at publisher's expense, copies of books published, to any library in the United Kingdom.

Yes. Section 56 of the Irish Copyright Act 1963 provides for complete reciprocity in this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many volumes have been supplied by British publishers to Trinity College, Dublin, under the terms of the Copyright Act, in each of the last five years.

No official records are kept in my Department of the number of volumes supplied by British publishers to Trinity College, Dublin, under the terms of Section 15 of the Copyright Act 1911.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the cost to his Department of converting the Concorde for the Prime Minister's four-hour flight to Puerto Rico on 26th June 1976.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) how many British companies are taking part in Export Year; and if he will list them in the Official Report;(2) what proportion of the cost of Export Year is being met from public funds; and what is the size of that contribution;(3) how many of the companies taking part in Export Year are new exporters.

By midday on 28th June 384 firms had notified their intention of running Export Years. Further notifications are being received daily. The list as it stood on 28th June is published below.Export Year is focussed on individual firms. It is not meant to be expensive either for them or for Her Majesty's Government but the larger share will fall on participating firms. Almost the whole of the public sector staff employed are being found from within the existing complement of the British Overseas Trade Board Divisions. Non-staff expenditure will be kept within existing budgets. Up to 28th June the British Overseas Trade Board had committed £28,846 in respect of such expenditure.As the concept of the year is addressed to established exporters and newcomers alike we have not sought to distinguish the newcomers and the figure requested is therefore not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how his Department identifies potential markets for British exports.

My Department assists exporters to identify potential markets by disseminating a wide range of general and specific economic and commercial intelligence through the Export Intelligence Service, "Trade and Industry" and other means. Additional and specific indications are obtained through the joint commissions set up with a number of governments. In the particular case of Japan the Export Marketing Centre on occasion commissions professional market research to identify opportunities.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how his Department persuades new exporters to exploit opportunities overseas.

The Department encourages firms to export by the dissemination of information about opportunities overseas and about the importance to the United Kingdom of increased earnings of foreign currency. Where a firm believes it may be in its commercial interest to export, the Department assists by providing information, advice and support under British Overseas Trade Board export promotion schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether in view of the fact that the British Overseas Trade Board controls a special Exports to Japan Unit, he will now set up an Exports to the Middle East Unit, following the substantial growth of this market in recent years.

As has been widely publicised a special Middle East Division was set up in my Department at the end of 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement on the performance to date of his Department's Overseas Projects Group in assisting the United Kingdom construction industry; how many contracts it has drawn to the notice of United Kingdom firms over the last 12 months; how many of them have subsequently been: (a) tendered for and (b) won; what has been the expenditure over the last 12 months of the Overseas Projects Fund; and what proportion of that expenditure has been reclaimed from successful tenderers.

In the 12 months ended 30th June 1976, my Department's Overseas Projects Group assisted construction exporters in various forms in pursuing 90 projects in which construction was a prominent feature. Most of these projects were of a long-term nature and only 12 have reached the stage of contract award; none of these was won by British firms. In the same 12 months, assistance totalling £230,000 was paid from the Overseas Projects Fund to British firms pursuing 10 of these projects. In two of these cases, British firms have not been successful, but 8 cases have not yet reached the stage of contract award. No repayments have, therefore, been made so far.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the value, for each of the last five years, of: (a) the overseas work covered by the construction works policy of the ECGD, (b) to cover against the potential loss on foreign exchange due to overseas Governments blocking or delaying sterling transfers and (c) the cover against cost escalation; what premium income, if any, was received for each of these risks; and what insurance pay-outs have been made.

(a) The total business insured by ECGD under its constructional works policies for 1974–75 and the preceding 3 financial years is as follows. Final figures for 1975–76 are not yet available.

				£ million
1971–72	…	…	…	44·989
1972–73	…	…	…	55·997
1973–74	…	…	…	42·913
1974–75	…	…	…	18·732

(

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the value of the insurance cover being provided by ECGD to support performance bonds for overseas construction work; and whether any expenditure has so far had to be met by ECGD in meeting a bond, following the failure of a United Kingdom contractor.

Since the bond support scheme was introduced in February 1975, ECGD has provided facilities producing bonds to a total value of £49·5 million in connection with contracts worth £254·2 million. Of these, constructional works projects account for bond facilities to a value of £13·2 million in connection with contracts worth £64 million.No bond supported by ECGD has been called, either as a result of the failure of a United Kingdom contractor or for any other reason, and no expenditure has been incurred by ECGD in this respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what Regulations he lays down with regard to the spraying of crops from the air; and what investigations and inspections are regularly made to see whether they are complied with.

Article 38(2)(f) of the Air Navigation Order 1974 (S.I. 1974 No. 1114) provides that articles may not be dropped for the purposes of agriculture, horticulture or forestry, from aircraft in flight without the prior permission of the Civil Aviation Authority. The inspection of the operator and his facilities is a matter for the Authority, but I am informed that it is the practice to inspect operators while they are actually spraying at least once a year. Permissions granted under Article 38 in no way override the requirements of Article 44 of the Air Navigation Order, which forbids anyone negligently or wifully to cause or permit an aircraft to endanger persons or property.

asked the Secretary of State for trade if he will now take steps to expedite publications of the Lonhro Report.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report 24th June 1976; Vol. 913, c. 601], gave the following information:The Report will be published tomorow at 3.30 p.m.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade when he expects to publish the second report into the Court Line case; and what further steps, if any, he intends to take.

The inspectors' further report has not yet been completed and at this stage I cannot state when it will be submitted. When it is consideration will be given to publication and any further necessary action.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what progress has been made with the scheme under consideration at Birmingham Airport, for the payment of grants for the sound insulation of dwellings affected by aircraft noise;(2) what research his Department has carried out in assessing aircraft noise annoyance, noise insulation of buildings, operational methods of noise control and the effects of aircraft noise on health.

						Company liquidations†
					Bankruptcies*	Total	of which, members' voluntary liquidations
1960	…	…	…	…	3,130	4,547	2,912
1961	…	…	…	…	3,881	5,025	3,071
1962	…	…	…	…	4,469	5,258	2,952
1963	…	…	…	…	4,338	5,542	3,237
1964	…	…	…	…	3,711	5,519	3,299
1965	…	…	…	…	3,740	7,136	4,381
1966	…	…	…	…	4,019	12,139	8,703
1967	…	…	…	…	4,385	8,943	5,275
1968	…	…	…	…	4,302	9,923	6,548
1969	…	…	…	…	4,711	9,046	5,302
1970	…	…	…	…	5,079	8,844	4,939
1971	…	…	…	…	4,814	8,489	4,802
1972	…	…	…	…	4,394	8,267	5,022
1973	…	…	…	…	3,938	7,286	4,598
1974	…	…	…	…	5,744	7,928	4,038
1975	…	…	…	…	7,333	9,849	4,229
* The figures are totals of receiving orders and administration orders in England and Wales, sequestration orders in Scotland, and adjudication orders, protection orders and administration orders in Northern Ireland, made in each year. These three sets of figures are broadly comparable.
† Company liquidations comprise compulsory liquidations and creditors' voluntary liquidations, in which the company is insolvent, and members' voluntary liquidations, in which the company is not insolvent. The figures are for liquidations begun during each year.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what discussions she has had with organisations representing the victims of pyramid selling techniques.

The Secretary of State and myself met representatives of the Mutual Protection Association Against the Effects of Pyramid Selling on 8th June last. A similar meeting took place with my predecessor on 3rd February.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she will publish the result of the

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing: (a) the number of bankruptcies and (b) the number of company liquidations in the United Kingdom for each year since 1960.

The numbers of bankruptcies and company liquidations in the United Kingdom during the relevant years are as follows:inquiry into the working of the Trade Descriptions Act.

Yes. I am proposing to arrange for the report to be published as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she will make a statement on her negotiations with the CBI and TUC about the Price Code.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what discussions she has had with the TUC regarding the Price Code; and if she will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to the hon. Members for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Dodsworth) and Kingston upon Thames (Mr. Lamont) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection at what intervals, and for what periods, the flexibility introduced under paragraph 17(2) of the draft Price Code will be operable; and whether firms will be able to change their arrangements should their circumstances change.

My right hon. Friend proposes that the option to treat manufacturing and service activities as a single activity should be available to companies at any time after the new Price Code comes into force. Where their circumstances change, firms would not be debarred from changing their accounting units for pricing purposes insofar as it is administratively feasible and provided that separate accounts can be produced for each unit in accordance with the code's requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether paragraph 17 of the draft Price Code will enable firms carrying on

LOWER LIMITS FOR CATEGORISATION
(£)
Sector				Present limits	Adjusted for RPI increase	Proposals in Cmnd. 6540
Category II
Manufacturing	…	…	…	5,000,000	8,425,000	10,000,000
Construction	…	…	…	5,000,000	8,425,000	7,500,000
Commercial services	…	…	…	5,000,000	8,425,000	7,500,000
Professional services	…	…	…	500,000	842,500	750,000
Distributors	…	…	…	10,000,000	16,850,000	15,000,000
Category III
Manufacturing	…	…	…	1,000,000	1,685,000	2,000,000
Construction	…	…	…	1,000,000	1,685,000	1,500,000
Commercial services	…	…	…	250,000	421,250	375,000
Professional services	…	…	…	100,000	168,500	150,000
Distributors	…	…	…	250,000	421,250	375,000

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is her estimate of the total cost to industry and commerce of administering the Price Code for the current year to the latest available date.

It is not possible to make a reliable estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what was the total cost to public funds of administering the Price Code for

For the purposes of allowable cost and gross percentage margn calculations, firms are permitted to use any sub-division, including separate outlets, for which separate accounts can be made available in accordance with paragraph 14 of the Price Code. There are further rules about the extent to which firms may split for profit control purposes in paragraph 67 of the Price Code.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will list in the Official Report the categorisation limits for Category II and Category III Sectors, as set out in paragraph 45 of "Modifications to the Price Code" (Command Paper No. 6540), taken at 1973 levels and adjusted for the increase in the Retail Price Index since that date.

The information, based on the rise in the Retail Price Index between April 1973, when the categorisation limits were introduced and May 1976, is as follows:the year to 31st Marsh 1976 or the latest available year; and what is the estimate for the current year.

As explained in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Bromsgrove and Redditch (Mr. Miller) on 27th March, separate figures for the Price Commission's costs in administering the Price Code are not available. The total cost to public funds of the Price Commission for these years was given in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Gow) on 20th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she will make a further statement with regard to Government policy on price controls and profit margins.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will list the percentage increases in the Retail Price Index in the five-months period January to May inclusive in each of the calendar years 1970 to 1976.

In the five-month periods mid-December to mid-May the percentage increases in the Retail Price Index were 3·8; 5·7; 2·8; 4·6; 9·7; 15·1 and in lastest period 6·3.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what the effect on the Retail Price Index will be of the changes she proposes in the Price Code.

Our estimate, which cannot be absolutely precise, is about 1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what further proposals are being considered to improve the protection of consumers.

A number of measures are proposed or are under consideration. A priority will be legislation to deal with exemption clauses, following reports from the Law Commissions. This will bring the rules relating to goods which are hired or exchanged into line with those for goods which are bought.The implementation of the provisions of the Consumer Credit Act is proceeding.The Director General of Fair Trading's review of the Trade Descriptions Act has now been received and my right hon. Friend is considering its recommendations. She issued a consultative document on estate agency in November 1975 and will consider the introduction of legislation in the light of the response to the proposals in that document.A consultative document has recently been issued on consumer safety. Comments on this are now being considered carefully.My right hon. Friend is also considering the report which she has received from the National Consumer Council recommending ways of strengthening consumer representation in the nationalised industries.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection when she expects to meet her European colleagues with ministerial responsibilities comparable with her own.

I have recently had useful discussions with the French Minister in charge of consumer protection, whom I invited to see our work in this field. I hope in due course to meet my ministerial colleagues with similar responsibilities in other European countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she expects prices to continue to rise throughout the present year and next year.

The continued fulfilment of the Government's counter-inflation policies, as described in the White Paper published last week, will produce further marked reductions in the rate of price increase during the coming year.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will introduce Regulations for the ingredient labelling of hair dyes and for such warnings in regard to use as may be necessary, in view of recent research revealing the use of carcinogenic chemicals in certain hair dyes and the need for adequate information about this to be made available to consumers.

My Department has played a full part in the preparation of an EEC directive on the safety of cosmetic products. This was adopted on 29th June and will be implemented in this country as soon as possible. To accord with the directive, our regulations will require certain substances present in hair dyes to be named on the label, together with a warning about any possible allergic reaction. The directive contains provisions for dealing quickly with products incorporating ingredients found to present a hazard.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she is aware of the inflammable nature of spectacle frames made of cellulose nitrate; and whether she will take steps to stop the sale of these articles.

The flammability of cellulose nitrate is well known. But the available evidence suggests that any risk from spectacle frames of this material is negligible and I am not at present convinced that there is any justification for stopping their sale.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what steps the Government propose to take to protect consumers during the period when retail packs of sugar are being converted to metric amounts.

Metric packs of granulated sugar will start to appear in shops from now on and they should be generally on sale by the end of August, although imperial packs will not finally disappear until some time later. The new packs will have to be distinctively marked with the words METRIC PACK and to be marked in both metric and imperial. For example, the 1 kg pack will be marked 1 kg 2·2 lb. Industry also intends to mark packs with helpful information on metrication. Metrication will not lead to any increase in the unit price but prices will in some cases need to be rounded to the nearest halfpenny.United Kingdom refiners have told me they will marginally round down their prices when they go metric. I hope retailers will do the same and I have no doubt that many retailers will find it necessary for competitive reasons to do so. I shall be asking the Retail Consortium to draw this statement to the attention of its members.The Government were concerned lest there was a rise in the retail price of sugar during the early stages of the metric changeover, arising from the EEC sugar intervention price. However, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture on 1st July, this is only one of the factors affecting price and the refiners expect to hold their present prices until at least the end of August, even though the increase in EEC intervention price takes effect from 1st July.Finally, the Government have now made a reference to the Price Commission requiring it to keep under continuous review the effect of metrication on retail prices. This general reference has been made at the present time with sugar specifically in mind, though it will of course be a continuing reference under which the prices of other products can be reviewed as the change over to metric quantities proceeds.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether she will take action to protect the consumer against gross quantitative inconsistencies in the sale of ice cream whereby children particularly suffer, in the light of survey evidence sent to her by the hon. Member for Cannock.

Whilst I am sympathetic to the problem, I do not think it would be feasible to introduce any quantitative restrictions on the sale of ice cream. Attempts to develop an accurate portion control for soft ice cream have so far proved unsuccessful but I am sure that responsible traders do their best with this difficult product to ensure equitable treatment for all their customers. Street traders in certain areas who operate illegally can, of course, be prosecuted under local legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will reimburse local authorities the full cost of administering the Consumer Credit Act from the licence fees received by Her Majesty's Government under the Act.

The local authorities are not responsible for administering the Act. It does, however, give them an enforcement rôle, but there is no power of reimbursement from licence fees.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection, in view of the fact that members of the public are being solicited to pay £1 in order to acquire the right to vote for the leader of the Liberal Party, whether she will seek to amend the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971 in order to protect the public from such offers.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what has been the rise in the cost of living between May 1973 and May 1976.

Between May 1973 and May 1976 the General Index of Retail Prices rose by 67·2 per cent. The overall increase is made up as follows:

		percentage increase
May 1973 to May 1974	…	16·0
May 1974 to May 1975	…	25·0
May 1975 to May 1976	…	15·4

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will institute an inquiry into the application to the Price Commission by oil companies for increases in prices for their products.

The Price Commission is responsible for examining any proposals for price increases which are notified to it to ensure that they comply with the Price Code, and my right hon. Friend does not propose any additional inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what representations she has received requesting that work in progress should be treated as stock for price code purposes.

None. For the purpose of the stock relief proposed in paragraph 13 of the Consultative Document. Modifications to the Price Code (Cmnd. 6540), work-in-progress would be treated as part of stock except for professional firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what representations she has received requesting that investment in office buildings be included in the investment relief for Price Code purposes for firms whose main income comes from the provision of services, where the main costs are office costs, such as the professions and similar firms.

None from the category of firms mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection how many women she has on her staff; and how many men.

In my Department, including the Metrication Board, there are 159 women and 223 men.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what estimates she has of the number of shops in England and Wales which use self-service or self-selection sales methods.

I have been asked to reply.I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Surrey, North-West (Mr. Grylls) on 7th June 1976.—[Vol. 912, c. 563.]

asked the Prime Minister whether the proposed examination by Lord Houghton and his Committee of the procedures for handling Cabinet documents will include any reference to the role of Ministers' political advisers.

Not as such, but in considering the procedures Lord Houghton's Committee will of course be free to review the discretion at present given to Ministers to decide which of their advisers should see Cabinet documents.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how full details of both the interim and full report on the Cabinet leaks by Sir Douglas Allen were leaked to the Press days before his official announcement to the House.

There was no leak.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give a detailed list of the persons interviewed by Sir Douglas Allen in his recent investigations into Cabinet leaks.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, since deaths caused by drinking methanol continue to be reported, he will take steps to ensure that an emetic or bitter agent is added in future, as a safeguard against such accidents.

It is difficult, without further information, to assess whether the steps proposed by my hon. Friend would be justified and appropriate. If he will let me have further details I will arrange for the matter to be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the unkempt condition of parts of the Camp Hill and Albany Prison housing estates on the Isle of Wight; and what steps he intends taking to rectify this situation.

A headquarters team will be visiting the Isle of Wight shortly to report on all aspects of the quarters position, and if the hon. Member will let me have his criticisms in more details we shall see that they are looked into.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers' residential quarters are at present vacant on the Isle of Wight; and what steps are being taken to let them.

Thirty. They are expected to be needed for further staff, and in the meantime cannot be made available for other use.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a surplus of prison officer housing provision on the Isle of Wight; and if so, whether he will make such properties available to the local housing authority.

There is not at present a surplus in relation to estimated future requirements. In the event of a surplus of prison houses, unwanted by other Government Departments, the local housing authority would be invited to buy them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average vacancy period for prison officers' residential quarters on the Isle of Wight.

Quarters fully in use, as distinct from those awaiting further additions to staff, are on average unoccupied for about three or four weeks, for redecorating, between occupancies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient stated period of time, the number of robberies in which private security firms were in any way involved, the amount of money stolen and the number of arrests made; and what convictions ensued.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to reply to the letter of 12th May from the hon. Member for Woolwich, East about the case of Mr. Michael Jenkins and his treatment in Wandsworth Prison.

My noble Friend, the Minister of State, replied to my hon. Friend on 1st July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in ascending order, beginning with the smallest, those constituencies in the United Kingdom whose electorate in the 1976 Electoral Register is more than one-third smaller than the national average electorate, showing also their total electorate and their geographical size.

On provisional figures the average 1976 electorate of constituencies in all parts of the United Kingdom is 64,207. The following are the constituencies with less than 42,805 electors—two-thirds of 64,207—together with their electorates and areas:

Constituency	1976 electorate	Area (land and inland water)
		Hectares
Glasgow Central	22,338	660
Western Isles	22,779	289,758
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central	24,114	787
Orkney and Zetland	27,200	240,503
Merioneth	27,225	170,929
Glasgow Govan	29,524	965
Caithness and Sutherland	29,649	701,999
Gateshead, West	30,476	985
Ross and Cromarty	32,333	636,510
Banff	32,530	163,124
Montgomery	34,955	206,435
Liverpool, Scotland Exchange	35,100	1,232
Glasgow Shettleston	35,837	608
Abertillery	36,778	8,038
Ebbw Vale	37,270	7,145
Kinross and West Perthshire	37,325	528,542
Glasgow Queen's Park	37,374	579
Birmingham, Ladywood	37,847	1,094
Manchester Central	37,971	1,511
Salford East	38,007	933
Liverpool, Edge Hill	38,179	667
Edinburgh Leith	38,601	797
Camden, Holborn and St. Pancras South	38,887	531
North Angus and Mearns	39,194	171,595
Manchester, Openshaw	39,415	1,540
Islington North	39,482	472
Glasgow Kelvingrove	39,541	616
Edinburgh Central	39,820	846
Galloway	40,481	358,553
Camden, St. Pancras North	40,662	730
Newcastle-upon-Tyne North	40,716	1,034
Islington South and Finsbury	40,847	487
Glasgow Hillhead	41,338	971
City of Westminster, St. Marylebone	42,334	595
Berwick-upon-Tweed	42,520	205,618

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by reference to the electoral register which came into operation in February, each English constituency in order of the size of the electorate, specifying the number and percentage by which each exceeds or falls short of the prescribed electoral quota.

The information is not at present available in the form requested. It is being prepared and will be sent to the hon. Member as soon as possible. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take on the views he receives from those responding to the Consultative Document on the Lotteries Act 1975.

All comments received on the consultative document will be carefully considered before Regulations are drafted and submitted to Parliament for approval.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many indictable offences have been tried at Crown courts in each of the last five years; and how this compares with the numbers prior to the implementation of the Beeching Report.

The available information is as follows:

PERSONS TRIED AT ASSIZES AND QUARTER SESSIONS, OR AT THE CROWN COURT
Court and year		Number of persons
Assizes and Quarter Sessions—
1968	…	32,248
1969	…	38,040
1970	…	44, 000
1971	…	47,382
Crown Court—
1972	…	51,619
1973	…	54,046
1974	…	56,020
1975	…	62,613

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of cases in the Crown courts during each of the last five years were committals for sentence, appeals against sentence, appeals against conviction and

PROCEEDINGS AT THE CROWN COURT, OR ASSIZES AND QUARTER SESSIONS—PROPORTIONS OF TYPES OF PROCEEDING
Percentage
	Assizes and Quarter Sessions	The Crown Court
Types of proceeding	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Committal for sentence	20	17	16	18	20
Appeal against sentence only	6	6	6	6	6
Appeal against conviction only or conviction and sentence	4	5	5	4	4
Trial	70	71	73	72	71
Total	100	100	100	100	100

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the working arrangements prevailing in the London magistrates' courts, and, in particular, that the time of police officers, barristers and solicitors is not wasted unnecessarily through inefficient listing and timing of cases.

The listing and timing of cases is primarily a matter for the clerks to justices concerned. This is always a difficult task because it is hard to forecast what course a case will take. Responsibility for the general administration of magistrates' courts rests with the four outer London magistrates' courts committees and the Committee of Magistrates for Inner London.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total cost to the Exchequer of the House of Lords in the past financial year.

About £4·1 million. This figure covers expenditure from the House of Lords Vote and the costs of services provided by Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the Department of the Environment.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give

The available information is as follows:the names of the two former Prime Ministers who have the personal use of. Government supplied cars; and why these cannot use the Government pool of cars, similar to provisions for Ministers of the Crown.

The right hon. Member for Sidcup (Mr. Heath) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Huyton (Sir H. Wilson), for security reasons.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make representations to the Government of Kenya in connection with their discriminating for the purpose of visa requirement against United Kingdom passport holders originating from the Indian Subcontinent; and whether he has received from that Government any explanation of that discrimination.

Although visa regulations for Kenya are solely a matter for the Government of that country, representatives of our high commission there have written to the Kenya authorities and discussed this visa requirement with them several times. The Kenya authorities have expressed concern about the number of United Kingdom passport holders who have entered Kenya as visitors without visas and have later attempted to prolong their stay. Others who may be eligible for special vouchers have tried to enter Kenya in order to obtain vouchers there quickly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, consequent to the oral reply of the Prime Minister on 29th June, he will list the sequence of events subsequent to any agreement related to direct elections to the EEC Assembly, particularly in respect of motions that may need to be tabled in the House.

The procedures will be to some extent dependent on the legal form of the scheme, which has still to be settled. The sequence of events that would apply if there is to be a Convention, as proposed by the Assembly itself, was fully explained by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister during the debate on direct elections on 29th March including, in particular, the Government's intention to seek Parliament's approval of a draft Order in Council under Section 1(3) of the European Communities Act. Whatever legal form is chosen the Government will ensure that Parliament has an opportunity to examine the text and consider proposals for its implementation.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions have taken place with the oil companies on the future of the state holdings with the oil consortia in the event of Scottish independence.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to be in a position to give figures for 1975 in respect of the British contribution to the provision of goods and services for exploitation of the North Sea oil and gas fields.

The Department of Energy has today published a booklet entitled "Offshore 1975—An analysis of orders placed", which describes and summarises the extent of the British contribution on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. The main findings are that British industry has improved its share of the total orders placed from 40 per cent. in 1974 to 52 per cent in 1975. In those areas where we have the capability our share over the same period has risen from 55 per cent. to 66 per cent. Particularly encouraging is the increased share in the services sector, from 29 per cent. in 1974 to 41 per cent. in 1975. Expenditure for the first time exceeded investment, rising from £830 million in 1974 to £1,500 million in 1975. I have arranged for a copy of the publication to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the strike of construction workers at Sullom Voe, Shetland.

I have been asked to reply.A dispute arose last month over terms and conditions of employment for men unloading supplies at the jetty at Sullom Voe, where a new oil terminal is being built. Shetland dockers blacked supplies, including food, and most of the workers employed on the construction site were flown to the mainland. I am glad to say that agreement was reached and blacking ended on 23rd June. I understand arrangements are being made for full resumption of work on the site at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what expenditure Cumbria County Council allocated to supporting places in fee-paying schools in each of the last three years; what contribution his Department made to such expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Local education authorities are not required to inform the Department of such expenditure, which at present lies entirely within their discretion; the Department makes no contribution to it.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what expenditure Cumbria County Council allocated to nursery education in each of the last three years; whether any supplementary capital allocation was offered and whether this was refused: and if he will make a statement.

Cumbria was initially allocated £164,000 of capital authorisation for nursery education building starts in 1974–75, £165,000 for 1975–76 and £54,000, or 1976–77. For 1974–75, the authority accepted an additional allocation of £135,000, making a total of £299,000, but it did not take up any of its allocations for 1975–76 and declined the sum offered for 1976–77.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in the light of his recent reduction in the number of graduates and non-graduates entering teacher training in 1977, if he can now estimate how many places there will be available in 1981, and how many colleges it is now expected will have to close.

The decision to reduce the intake in 1977 will not of itself require further college closures. The advisory committee is to give further consideration to teacher supply and the capacity of the teacher training system in the autumn.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he can now make a statement about tuition fees for students, including those from overseas, at institutions of higher and further education.

The Government have reviewed the level of tuition fees in universities and in further education, with particular reference to the position of overseas students. It has had the benefit of advice from many quarters, most recently in the final report of the Joint Working Party on Tuition Fees set up by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the University Grants Committee. I have now conveyed the Government's proposals, which are related to the academic year 1977–78, to the University Grants Committee and the local authority associations, inviting their comments, so that I may issue formal recommendations as soon as possible. I am also sending copies to other interested bodies in this field so that they may comment also. Similar action is being taken by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.The proposals I have put forward involve the abolition of the present differential between home and overseas students fees at advanced level. I propose a fee of £650 for all advanced full-time courses other than postgraduate, for which I propose a new rate of £750, as compared with the fees already recommended for 1976–77 of £150/£180 for home and £416 for overseas students for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.I further propose that all students with mandatory awards will not be required to pay any tuition fees, irrespective of the level of parental income; this will supersede the present minimum award of £50. This means that the parental contribution scale will apply only to grants for maintenance. I hope that local education authorities would similarly increase the value of their discretionary awards. Since the cost of mandatory awards is supported by 90 per cent. grant from the Exchequer, the net effect of these changes will be to reduce the overall burden on the rates.In the case of non-advanced full-time further education the abolition of the differential between home and overseas students is not practicable. I therefore propose an increase of about 25 per cent. on the 1976–77 fee levels, to produce new standard levels of £325 for overseas students and £125 for home students, as compared with about £260 and £100 recommended for 1976–77.I am also proposing similar increases of approximately 25 per cent. on other fees for part-time and evening courses, both vocational and non-vocational.The Ministry of Overseas Development will meet the increases in respect of overseas students assisted under the aid programme.The Government have also concluded, in present circumstances, that we cannot accept the continued rapid growth in the numbers of overseas students coming to our institutions. The numbers doubled between 1967–68 and 1974–75 from 31,000 to 62,000 and in the current year have increased still further. I am therefore proposing to ask universities and local education authorities to aim at overseas students intakes in 1977–78 and subsequent years which will stabilise total numbers at recent levels. Details of these arrangements will be worked out in consultation with the UGC and local authority associations.I recognise that my proposals will cause concern to some students already on courses, and that some particular cases of hardship may arise. In present circumstances it is not possible to mitigate the effect of the increases generally, but I shall be prepared to consider with the UGC and local authority associations what steps might be taken to deal with the special hardship cases. Apart from this, however, I would expect universities and other institutions to apply the new rates in full, and the savings achieved from them and from the associated reductions in numbers will be reflected in the grants to the universities and in the rate support grant at the appropriate times.I shall make a further statement when I have concluded consultations with the interests concerned.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the fact that it was estimated that 40,000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder would be used in the United Kingdom during the lifetime of the skimmed milk powder scheme, how much has actually been consumed to date; and if this is ahead of or behind target.

By the end of June 8,221 tons of skimmed milk powder had been released from intervention stores in the United Kingdom for use in animal feeding stuffs under the Community scheme. Although the scheme was slower in getting under way than the Commission had expected, the rate of uptake has now improved. The Commission's objective for the scheme was that 400,000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder should be disposed of in the Community as a whole; no specific targets were set for individual member States.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many calves have been certified during the first six months of 1976; and what were the comparable figures for the three previous years.

As the figures for live certifications of calves in June 1976 are not yet available I am giving the figures for the first five months of 1976 and comparable figures for the three previous years in England and Wales. They are as follows:

1973	…	…	…	876,669
1974	…	…	…	854,390
1975	…	…	…	1,005,592
1976	…	…	…	853,375

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1945 the number of operational aircraft in the RAF.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for Defence to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) on 14th July 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish details of the effects of the defence cuts on the United Kingdom's contribution to NATO's force level.

The statement on the Defence Estimates 1976 (Command 6432) includes details of our progress in implementing decisions on the defence review. Command 6432 also makes it clear that the reductions in the defence budget announced earlier this year are concentrated in the support area and do not reduce our front-line contribution to NATO.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present estimate of employment in the naval shipbuilding programme; and what part of this is in development areas.

At present about 20,000 people are directly employed on the Royal Navy's shipbuilding programme. About 18,000 work in the development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if before he purchased private houses in Stanton for the use of RAF personnel at RAF Honington, he was invited by the local authority to lease or purchase surplus town development houses in Bury St. Edmunds; if so, how many such houses were offered; and at what cost.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28th June 1976; Vol. 914 c. 18], gave the following information:The purchase of private houses at Stanton was completed in September 1975 following informal discussions with the local authority, which raised no objection. Surplus town development houses in Bury St. Edmunds were not offered to the Royal Air Force at that stage by the local authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if, within the limits of operational secrecy, he will state the approximate number of RAF personnel stationed at RAF Honington, giving a breakdown of their accommodation under the following or similar headings: personnel in RAF quarters on the base or in satellite housing areas, personnel in housing rented by his department from local authorities and private persons, respectively, and let to RAF families, personnel living in houses rented directly from private persons and personnel living in their own houses;(2) how many houses have been purchased over the past three years for RAF, RN and PSA personnel at RAF Honing- ton; where these houses are situated; and how much they cost;(3) what discussions he has had with St. Edmundsbury and Forest Heath District Councils about the purchase or rental of surplus town development houses for RAF Honington; and on what dates these discussions took place.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28th June 1976; Vol. 914, c. 18–19], gave the following information:(1) There are both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy personnel stationed at RAF Honington and the combined Service total is approximately 2,200. 895 Service men live in RAF married quarters on the base or in satellite housing areas. No housing is rented by my Department from local authorities or from private persons and let to RAF families. 455 Service men are living in houses rented directly from private persons or in their own houses, but separate figures are not maintained.(2) 63 houses have been purchased in the past three years for use by personnel at RAF Honington. The houses are at Stanton. It is not our policy to disclose publicly the cost of such house purchases.(3) RAF Honington was asked informally earlier this year by the St. Edmundsbury District Council whether the station wished to lease town development houses on a temporary basis. The council was advised that the station had no requirement for such leased houses. There have been no discussions with Forest Heath District Council about surplus town development houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much furniture was purchased by his Ministry for the Armed Forces in 1974–75 and 1975–76; and how much he estimates will be purchased in 1976–77;(2) how many beds, bunk beds and wardrobes were purchased by his Ministry for use by the Armed Forces during 1974–75 and 1975–76; how many he estimates will be purchased during 1976–77; how many were sold by his Ministry because they were surplus to the Armed Forces' requirements during the same years; and how many of those sold had been used and how many had only been stored;(3) how much furniture was sold as surplus to the requirements of the Armed Forces in 1974–75 and 1975–76, and how much he estimates will be sold in 1976–77;(4) to whom surplus furniture from the Armed Forces is sold; and at what depots these sales take place.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28th June 1976, Vol. 914, c. 20], gave the following information:—The following amounts of furniture were purchased by the Defence Accommodation Stores Organisation during 1974–75 and 1975–76, and are estimated for purchase during 1976–77:

1974–75	…	…	…	£6·7 million
1975–76	…	…	…	£14·6 million
1976–77	…	…	…	£17·3 million

	1974–75	1975–76	1976–77
Headboards 2 feet 6 inches	37,000	50,000	3,900
Bedsprings 3 feet	Nil	5,300	10,200
Head ends 3 feet with fitment	Nil	8,400	10,700
Foot end 3 feet	Nil	6,200	12,100
Head end 3 feet without fitment	50	50	50
Bedspring 4 feet 6 inches	Nil	800	3,000
Head end 4 feet 6 inches without fitment	Nil	8,500	4,000
Foot end bedstead 4 feet 6 inches	Nil	800	3,200
Bedspring divan complete with legs 4 feet 6 inches	1,600	10,500	5,800
Head end 4 feet 6 inches with fitment	Nil	1,400	3,000
Bedsprings 2 feet 6 inches	72,000	Nil	25,500
Bedspring divan 2 feet 6 inches	Nil	24,600	10,900
Wardrobes	31,100	23,200	17,200

No bunk beds were purchased during this time. The approximate numbers of beds, bunk beds and wardrobes sold in 1974–75 and 1975–76 were as follows:

		1974–75	1975–76
Beds	…	17,000	25,000
Bunk Beds	…	1,500	1,300
Wardrobes	…	13,000	21,000

Since only obsolescent styles of furniture have been authorised for disposal, and since the current range of furniture for married quarters was introduced over 10 years ago, and the new range of furniture for single accommodation four years ago, it is unlikely that many items of obsolescent furniture would have been sold in an unused condition. A few items may have been held in store, or in reserve, and then included in some disposal sales. Any such quantity must,

The amounts received from or estimated to be received from the sale of furniture during the corresponding years were:

£0·4 million

£0·5 million

£0·5 million

These transactions arise on the one hand from programmes for improving the furnishing of barrack rooms for single ratings, soldiers and airmen, now nearing completion, and for replacing obsolescent furniture in married quarters and single officers' and non-commissioned officers' accommodation; and on the other hand from the disposal of obsolescent furniture made surplus by the improvement schemes and from the closures, particularly of RAF stations, arising from the defence review.Beds are purchased in component parts, some of which are common to more than one type of bed. The following quantities of bed components and wardrobes, all of which are of the current design, were purchased for delivery during 1974–75 and 1975–76 and estimated for delivery during 1976–77:however, be small, and is impossible to quantify.Surplus furniture is normally sold by public auction or competitive tendering, and the buyers include Service men and their families, dealers who purchase bulk quantities and individual members of the public. A few private treaty sales have been negotiated with dealers in special circumstances, for example, when urgent clearance of a Depot was required.Sales of furniture have been made from over 100 sites including Royal Navy storehouses, Royal Army Ordnance Corps depots and Royal Air Force maintenance units and stations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what reductions there have been, following the defence cuts imposed since February 1974, in his Department's expenditure on the promotion of overseas defence sales; and what has been the effect on the number of personnel employed within the Defence Sales Organisation, with special reference to training, quality assurance and general product support.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 28th June 1976, Vol. 914, c. 18], gave the following information:The size of the staff in the defence sales organisation is 392, compared with 357 in mid-1974. The cost of the organisation has also increased because of the effects of wage awards and higher administrative expenses. The size of the organisation is kept under review, and support on training, quality assurance and other functions continues to be provided by the Service Departments and the Procurement Executive.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy on the

LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
		Capital expenditure
	Current expenditure	Total	Locally determined sector
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
1973–74—
(a) Increase forecast over 1972–73 in December 1972 (Cmnd. 5178)	6·0	3·1	7·5
(b) Outturn (Cmnd. 5519)	9·7	11·5	2·9
1974–75—
(a) Increase forecast over 1973–74 in December 1973 (Cmnd. 5519)	4·4	-12·0	-26·4
(b) Outturn (Cmnd. 5879)	10·0	-1·2	-22·2
1975–76—
(a) Increase forecast over 1974–75 in January 1975 (Cmnd. 5879)	4·0	-8·1	+14·4
(b) Outturn (Cmnd. 6393)	4·1*	-14·2	-12·1
* Subsequent information indicates a higher figure of about 6 per cent.

Corresponding figures in cost terms are not yet readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the housing need in Nottingham, he will refrain from giving Nottingham City Council permission to sell council

When there is no substantial unmet demand for rented accommodation in an expanding town, either existing or foreseen at a later stage of the expansion, it may well be appropriate for the local authority to sell houses into owner occupation, especially if this helps to improve the balance of tenures in their district. But it would depend on the authority's overall assessment of local housing conditions and needs in its district as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the projected and recorded increases, in cost and in volume terms, in local authority expenditure on current account, capital account, locally determined expenditure and in total as projected in the immediately preceding year, for the financial years 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1975–76.

On the basis of public expenditure White Paper figures the volume changes in percentage terms are as follows:houses at a discount on market value of up to 30 per cent.

Nottingham City Council's request to sell council houses at discounts of up to 30 per cent. has been turned down. It is not the Government's policy to issue such consent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated total annual cost to all local authorities in England and Wales of a 1 per cent. increase in the interest rate of Public Works Loan Board; and what were the corresponding figures for 1950, 1960 and 1970.

It is estimated that local authorities in England and Wales will borrow £2,120 million from the Public Works Loan Board in the present financial year. Most local authorities now choose to borrow for 10 years and to repay by equal instalments of principal. A 1 per cent. increase in the interest rate would cost local authorities approximately £21 million in the first year and one-tenth less in each succeeding year.Corresponding borrowings by local authorities in England and Wales were:

Year ending		£ million
31st March 1951	…	301
31st March 1961	…	36
31st March 1971	…	760

The low figure for 1961 is due to the fact that between October 1955 and

			Direct expenses of collecting Tolls	Number of staff employed	Amount received in Tolls
(a) Average Weekday	…	…	£234	20	£3,283
(b) Average Saturday	…	…	£326	20	£3,037
(c) Average Sunday	…	…	£326	20	£3,169
(d) Bank Holiday (Easter Monday 1975)	…	…	£326	19	£5,429
(e) In total over 1974–75	…	…	£153,691	39	£1,208,599

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now make a statement on the work to date of his Construction Exports Advisory Board, indicating in particular: (a) how often it has met, (b) what secretarial and research back-up it has, (c) what publications it has produced, (d) how many consortia for overseas work it has helped to form and (e) what is the value of the contracts or professional services which it has assisted United Kingdom firms to obtain.

Since its establishment in December 1975 the board has met five times. It is serviced jointly by officials from the Departments of the Environment and Trade and can draw on the resources of these Departments for secretarial and

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times in the last 12 months the waiting time for drivers at the Severn Bridge toll collection points has been more than 15 minutes.

I regret that this information is not available. Delays sometimes occur at peak periods, though they do not necessarily result from toll collection. The normal time taken to clear a toll collection booth is only six seconds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the direct expenses of collecting tolls on the Severn Bridge, the number of staff employed and the amount received in tolls, in each case (a) on an average weekday, (b) on an average Saturday, (c) on an average Sunday, (d) on an average Bank Holiday and (e) in total over the last convenient 12 months.

The information is as follows:research back-up. The board does not produce publications on form consortia itself. So far the board has been particularly concerned with the questions of harnessing additional resources for construction exports, mobilising the spare capacity of United Kingdom firms for overseas work, the gathering by Government posts overseas and the Department of Trade and the dissemination to industry of information relating to export opportunities, and the risk cover and financial facilities available to construction firms undertaking overseas work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of building the special bays on the site of motorways for police vehicles to inspect motorway traffic.