asked the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on Members' secretarial allowances.

I did so earlier today.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he will list in the Official Report, in the manner of his Written reply of 14th April 1976 (Official Report, column 509), all debates relating to what have now become EEC directives, giving the actual directive numbers, that have occurred since Great Britain acceded to the Treaty of Rome.

The information is as follows:

Date of Debate: 25.11.74

asked the Lord President of the Council when he expects to pay the £6 per week, as agreed under the Government's income policy, to Members of Parliament.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made today.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether the Government's new policy of restricting increases to 4 per cent. will apply to Members of Parliament.

The TUC's pay guidelines which have been endorsed by the Government should be universally applied and any increase for MPs in the next pay round should be within the new limits.

asked the Lord President of the Council how many former Members of Parliament who are past retirement age are not eligible for a parliamentary pension; and how many widows and dependants of deceased Members are not eligible to benefits from the parliamentary pension scheme.

There are no complete records of former Members who have not served in the House since 16th October 1964, but such Members are not eligible for pensions under the Ministerial Salaries and Members' Pensions Act 1965 or the Parliamentary and Other Pensions Act 1972. There are, however, 24 former Members and 33 widows of deceased Members who are not eligible for pensions from the pension scheme but who receive grants from the House of Commons Members Fund.

asked the Lord President of the Council what percentage of House of Commons publications are produced from recycled paper.

I have been asked to reply.House of Commons' publications are printed on paper made by a number of different paper mills. Some of it contains various percentages of recycled fibre, but it would be impossible to identify which grade of paper had been used for individual publications.On the general question of the use of recycled fibre, I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the statement I made on 5th April 1976—[Vol. 909, c. 30]—about the steps taken by HMSO to implement the recommendation of the Waste Management Advisory Group.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the current pension of an hon. Member who is a retired Prime Minister; whether this is payable irrespective of time in office; whether this is paid in addition to any other parliamentary income received; and what is the pension payable to an hon. Member after 30 years' service if he retires at 60 years of age.

The pension payable to a Prime Minister on retirement is currently £7,500 a year. This is not related to length of service and parliamentary salary of £3,700 a year may be drawn in addition. An hon. Member retiring at age 60 on 7th July with 30 years' parliamentary service would be entitled to a pension of £2,882 a year preserved for payment from age 65 which is the normal retiring age for the scheme. This assumes 21 years and 225 days of reckonable service given that not more than 10 years of parliamentary service may reckon prior to 16th October 1964. The preserved pension attracts increases under the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 and could be put into payment on an actuarially reduced basis between age 60 and 65.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service to what extent the Civil Service has adopted guidelines relative to the advertisement for posts in Wales, stating that in no circumstances should the wording of such notices include the suggestion that knowledge of the Welsh language is either desirable or essential; and how many advertisements issued in the past 12 months have made reference to any language qualifications.

There are no such guidelines. If the employing Department specifies that a knowledge of the Welsh language is either desirable or essential, the advertisement states such a requirement. In the past year three of the Civil Service Commission's advertisements have referred to a requirement for some knowledge of the Welsh language.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications for training courses were received from applicants wishing to engage in part-time employment during the last 12-month period for which figures are available; what proportion were approved; and how these figures compare with applications from people seeking to engage in full-time work.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the post-training intentions of applicants for training under the Training Opportunities Scheme are not recorded in a statistical form. Accordingly, the commission is unable to supply the information requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how much public funds was spent on retraining in 1974 and 1975; and how much of this expenditure was met by assistance from the EEC Social Fund.

Public funding for retraining in Great Britain is mainly through the Training Opportunities Scheme, on which expenditure by my Department up to 31st March 1974 and thereafter by the Training Services Agency was £64 million in 1974 and £93 million in 1975. Allocations from the European Social Fund for training under this scheme were £12·7 million for 1974 and £21·7 million for 1975. Other applications from the United Kingdom in respect of which allocations were made from the Social Fund include an element of retraining which it is not possible to quantify.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that foreign workers in the hotel and catering industry are properly instructed in the need to maintain high standards of hygiene; and what methods of instruction are being employed by the Hotel and Catering Industries Training Board for this purpose.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the approach of the Hotel and Catering Industry Training Board to this and other problems is to assist each individual company to identify its training needs in the light of its particular circumstances. Any training need, including hygiene, which is identified in this systematic method will then be given full attention, the board helping the firm to meet its need for training in the most appropriate way.At all times and in all circumstances, irrespective of the origin of a company's work force, hygiene is one of the subjects on which special emphasis is placed. There is, therefore, no danger that training needs on that score are overlooked in any firm in scope to the Hotel and Catering ITB.For several years various regions of the ITB have run health and hygiene safety seminars for managers and supervisors who will instruct workers on the job. Such seminars are now being coordinated and developed centrally by the board into a national programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people in the different employment areas in the Leek parliamentary constituency, who left school at the most recent school leaving date, have still not obtained their first job.

Summer school leavers have been leaving day by day since 28th May. In the local education authority careers service area of Leek, which includes Biddulph and Cheadle, 94 school leavers were registered as unemployed on 10th June. Statistics do not define the date on which these young people left school but it is believed that the majority are those who left on or since 28th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people who left school in the summer of 1975 in (a) Inner London and (b) the Woolwich area are still seeking employment.

I regret that this information is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost. The latest statistics show that in the area covered by the Inner London Education Authority's careers service 2,062 school leavers were registered as unemployed on 10th June and that of these 216 were in the Woolwich/Greenwich careers office area. A

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action his Department is taking to ensure that bodies other than the local councils in Humberside are aware of the possibilities of the job creation programme.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that several meetings have been held in

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the ratio of wholly unemployed males to notified vacancies in Scotland, Wales, Greater London and the regions of England; and what is the corresponding ratio for unemployed youths.

The following table shows the numbers of unemployed males and females and the numbers of unfilled vacancies at employment offices and careers offices. Vacancies are no longer recorded separately for males and females. The vacancy figures relate only to those notified to these offices and are not a measure of total vacancies. The vacancies notified to employment offices are mainly for adults aged 18 and over but include some for persons under 18. Vacancies notified to careers offices are mainly for boys and girls under 18 but include some suitable for adults. Because of possible duplication, the vacancy figures for employment offices and careers offices cannot be added together or used separately to provide the ratios requested.Humberside to publicise the job creation programme and to explain how bodies other than local authorities can become involved. There is a further meeting being held on 27th July in Hull. Up to 6th July, 18 applications had been received from these organisations in Humberside.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will take steps to extend the Protection of Eyes Regulations to all employees at work.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the Protection of Eyes Regulations, 1974, which came into operation on 10th April 1975, are included in the general revision of the Factories Act legislation currently taking place and that an extension of the Regulations across the board will then be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial accidents there were in each of the past five years in the Leek parliamentary constituency.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the total numbers of industrial accidents occurring in the Leek parliamentary constituency which have been notified to Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate during the past five years were:—

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many apprenticeships arc given every year in crafts related to special skills connected with building, namely, carpentry, joinery and stonemasonry.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the following numbers of apprentices were registered with the appropriate bodies in the last five years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to introduce special training for school leavers of shorter duration than normal apprenticeships as stonemasons and restorers on scheduled buildings.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the Training Services Agency has no plans to extend its direct training facilities for unemployed school leavers to include short courses designed specifically to train them in the standards required for stonemasons and restorers of scheduled buildings. The agency does, however, offer short courses of training at below craft level in construction for which unemployed school leavers with employment difficulties are eligible. These courses aim to equip young people with broadly-based elementary skills which will improve their chance of finding employment in construction and lay the foundations for further training on the job, including training to the standards required for stonemansonry and restoring scheduled buildings.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will amend the conditions of entry for courses within the training opportunities scheme to enable those who have completed teacher training but are unable to obtain posts to seek other jobs as recommended by him.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there are no proposals at present to amend the Training Opportunities Scheme in favour of those who have completed teacher training but are unable to obtain posts. The conditions of the scheme are, however, kept under constant review in the light of changing economic conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the full accident statistics relating to invalid tricycles with manual gearbox, automatic transmission, electrically propelled models and four-wheeled vehicles, respectively, in Scotland for the year ended 31st March 1976, listing the full information under the categories as published in England since September 1973.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much assistance has been given to the Western Isles Islands Council since its inception for bus and ferry services under Section 34 of the Transport Act 1968.

Since the reorganisation of local government, the expenditure of regional and islands councils in support of public passenger transport services has been relevant expenditure for the calculation of rate support grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many miles of motorway are now open in Scotland.

About 115.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how loss of income for research, caused by the progressive phasing out of pay beds,

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any grants are available from public funds to offset higher costs of moving heavy loads by water transport, where this is proved to be desirable on environmental grounds.

No grants are available from central government for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why water authority general service charges

Such losses in Scotland, if any, would be on an insignificant scale.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions since his appointment his official duties have required him to stay overnight in Scotland.

Fifteen, and on another 13 occasions I have travelled by overnight train either to or from Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each present member State of the EEC for each year since 1960 the number of passenger cars per 1,000 population.

Following are the figures:are not subject to rate rebate; what would be the total cost of extending the rate rebate scheme to such charges either to the Exchequer or the general body of ratepayers; whether the matter has been discussed with the local authority associations; and what proposals he has to deal with this position.

The rate rebate scheme is designed to help people who have difficulty paying the rates levied by local authorities. Water services charges are charges in the same sense as those levied by other public utilities and are thus quite separate. I have no plans to alter this situation, nor have I available sufficient data to establish the cost of an extension on the lines the hon. Member proposes. Water services charges are, of course, taken into account in the calculation of supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many road planning inquiries arranged by his Department objections have been raised by Mr. John Tyme, a senior lecturer at Sheffield Polytechnic.

Full information is not readily available, but Mr. Tyme is known to have appeared at 13 inquiries into objections to trunk road proposals since 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will order the suspension of the development of the Cop Lane site by the Central Lancashire New Town Development Corporation until an additional bridge has been built over the River Ribble to deal with the already very large increase in the volume of traffic using the present bridge at Penwortham.

No. As my hon. Friend the Member for Widnes (Mr. Oakes) explained to the hon. and learned Member in his letter of 14th April 1976, any increase in the volume of traffic resulting from the Cop Lane development would not seriously affect existing traffic conditions on the present bridge at Penwortham.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the local oppositon to the design and type of houses which the Central Lancashire New Town Development Corporation is building or planning to build on the Cop Lane site, Penwortham, he will order the Development Corporation to suspend further work on the site pending full consultation between interested parties, local authorities and the development corporation to improve the architectural quality of the houses.

No. This is a matter for the corporation to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to make sure that the Central Lancashire New Town Development Corporation gives the maximum notice and fullest information about its plans for the development of the Cop Lane site and other sites in South Fylde.

I am satisfied that the development corporation is fully aware of the need to publicise its development proposals at an early stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in favour of the provision of a crematorium to serve North Northumberland and the Borders area of Scotland; and what reply he has given.

None. The establishment of a crematorium is a matter for the decision of the private company or burial authority concerned, subject to obtaining planning permission and the approvals prescribed in the Cremation Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the future of the property known as Berrills in Spalding; and why Oxfam was evicted from it.

The Department proposes to demolish the property to allow widening of the trunk road as an improvement of the junction with High Bridge. As the building is an unlisted building in a conservation area, the proposal to demolish it is to be the subject of an informal public inquiry shortly to be advertised as being arranged for 7th September 1976. Oxfam's short-term licence to occupy part of the property was brought to an end by the Lincolnshire County Council which has, since local government re-organisation, been responsible for the building. The property, which is dilapidated and not entirely safe, is being conveyed to the Secretary of State with vacant possession.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the extensive watering in progress in New Palace Yard on 5th July is in accord with Her Majesty's Government's policy of conservation as outlined in the statement of the Minister for Planning and Local Government on 2nd July.

Before continuing the watering, my Department took advice from the Thames Water Authority, which informed us that there were no restrictions in force in the authority's area. Should the position alter, its advice will be followed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of installing domestic and commercial water meters;(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of running a domestic and commercial water-metering system.

It is difficult to make reliable estimates of the cost of installing and running water meters. The National Water Council has recently estimated, however, that the total capital cost of installing meters in all properties at present provided with an unmeasured water supply would be between £650 million and £950 million, and that the annual costs, including maintenance and meter reading, would be between £6·60 and £9·50 per dwelling.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of motorway are now open in each of the standard regions of England.

The number of miles of trunk motorway open in each economic planning region in England at 1st April 1976 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will stabilise council house rents by maintaining and, if necessary, increasing the housing subsidies; and if he will make a statement.

No. Subsidies have been meeting an increasing proportion of costs for some years past, and any acceleration of this trend could only be at the expense of investment in housing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet completed his consideration of whether architects in the PSA can now be officially styled, for departmental purposes, "architects" rather than "P. and T.O. II"; and whether he will make a statement.

Staff in the Professional and Technology Group in PSA who are employed as architects have titles which indicate their profession. The possibility of introducing a new set of titles for all staff in the group which would give greater prominence to their respective disciplines is still being explored.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current staffing establishment of the Directorate-General of Design Services; and whether he will break this figure down into Civil Service grades, indicating also the number of persons trained in relevant professional disciplines.

On 1st July, the staff in post were:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is now in a position to quantify in numerical terms the proportion of design work on behalf of the PSA which the Director-General of Design Services is intended to carry out in the present financial year; and whether he will list the schemes, in addition to the Teesside headquarters building, which are to be designed by the Director-General over the next 12 months.

A programme of projects is being built by the Design Office of the Director-General of Design Services that will fulfil the objective of its undertaking a significant representative sample of the PSA's work. Currently the value of projects to be designed over the next 12 months represents about 10 per cent. of the total work in planning in the PSA. In addition to the PSA Teesside headquarters, these are:

• Harrogate Single Soldiers' Accommodation,
• Catterick Resettlement Centre.
• Portland Laboratory/Office Block.
• Portland Physical and Recreational Training Centre.
• Lympstone Medical/Dental Centre and Church.
• Woking Married Soldiers' Quarters.
• Portsmouth Command Telephone Exchange.
• Birkenhead Offices.
• Oldham Offices.
• Office Improvement Programme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the agreed staffing establishment of the new design office of the Director-General of Design Services; how many staff have so far been appointed; how many of them are architects; and how many of them have been recruited from outside the PSA or his Department.

The framework of the multi-disciplinary Design Office has been set up and the establishment is being developed to enable it to handle the increasing load of allocated projects in an efficient way. On this basis, it is expected that the establishment will reach about 100 posts in the autumn of 1977. Nine- teen staff, including those in key professional posts, have so far been appointed, of whom six are architects. No professional staff have yet been recruited from outside the PSA.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the report of the Working Party on the Control of Dogs will be published.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Braintree (Mr. Newton) on 8th July.—[Vol. 914, c. 672.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish the statistics of accidents which have occurred on the Winchester Bypass between Popham and Compton during the last five years.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment why it has been necessary recently to install traffic lights on the Winchester Bypass.

Traffic signals have been installed at the junction of the Winchester Bypass with Easton Lane to reduce accidents. Twenty-one injury accidents, two of them fatal, occurred in the three years to 31st December 1975 at this location.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the estimated flow of traffic for which the Winchester Bypass was originally designed; and how much traffic it is now carrying.

The Winchester Bypass was originally designed with dual 20 ft. wide carriageways which, by the design standards of the time, were provided for traffic flows of between 4,000 and 9,000 vehicles a day. The average 16-hour day flow on the Winchester Bypass in June 1976 was 35,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will confirm that, subject to the completion of public inquiries, it is still his intention to proceed with that part of the M25 from the A13 to the Al2 in early 1977.

Yes, subject to the satisfactory completion of all the statutory processes and to the availability of funds at the appropriate time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he intends to take to improve the main road route from London to the Christchurch and Lymington areas.

Subject to the completion of the outstanding statutory procedures and to the availability of funds, it is proposed to extend the M3 motorway from Popham to Compton. This will provide much-needed relief to the present A33 trunk road. Authority to upgrade the existing Otterbourne and Chandlers Ford Bypass was given in 1974 but no date for the upgrading has yet been fixed. The M27 motorway from Chilworth to Cadnam was opened last year. Various improvements to the A31 between Cadnam and Ringwood have been completed or are in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has of the number of heavy goods vehicles using the main route for commercial traffic from London to Southampton docks.

Information is not available in the form requested, but 6,400 heavy goods vehicles were counted over a 16-hour day last month on the A33 near Winchester.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the effect on traffic on the A33 south of the M3 since the opening of the M27.

Traffic flows on the Popham-Compton and Compton-Chilworth sections of the A33 are about 12 per cent. and 50 per cent. higher respectively than for the corresponding months last year. Part of this increase is due to the opening of the Chilworth-Ower section of the M27 in December 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what levels of local authority current expenditure, including loan charges and revenue contributions to capital expenditure, were allocated to England for 1976–77 in the latest rate support grant settlement by spending sector; and what were the relevant figures for 1975–76 at November 1975 prices.

The information is not available. The rate support grant settlement is made for England and Wales. It is not broken down between England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the 9 per cent. cash limit for local authority current spending in 1976–77 applies equally to those local authorities whose actual expenditure in 1975–76 was within the levels provided for in the relevant rate support grant settlement.

There is no case limit on expenditure. The cash limit is on grant and applies to the totality of grant. The details are given in the joint departmental circular issued on 31st December 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the extent of current expenditure, including loan charges and revenue contributions to capital expenditure, by local authorities in 1975–76 in (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) England and Wales, giving also comparative figures for the relevant rate support grant settlement.

The information for 1975–76 in the form requested by the hon. Member will not be available until later in the year. But comparative figures for the rate support settlement cannot be given. The rate support grant settlement is for England and Wales and is not broken down by countries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing current and capital per capita spending by local authorities in (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) Wales and England in 1975–76 by spending sector; and if he will show the relevant figures for 1976–77 as provided for in the latest rate support grant settlement.

Information on current and capital spending for each local authority for England and Wales will be published when it is available. The other information is not available because the RSG settlement is made in terms of England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the current expenditure, including loan charges and revenue contributions to capital expenditure, in 1975–76 of each local authority in England, indicating in each case by what amount the local authority overspent or underspent in relation to spending levels provided for

The information the hon. Member seeks is not available. The RSG settlement does not provide separate spending levels for each individual authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing local authority current and capital spending per head in (a) Wales, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain, by spending sector for each financial year from 1975–76 to 1979–80 (as based on Command Paper No. 6393).

The following table sets out the information for the services shown in Command Paper No. 6393 for which comparable figures are readily available. Variations in the pattern of need and age structure in different areas need to be taken into account in interpreting figures of expenditure per head.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking, following the recent and continuing outbreaks of heath fires on Army firing ranges in the Ash, Normandy and Pirbright areas, to review fire precaution procedures, and particularly to provide improved fire breaks in order to give more effective protection to private property bordering these ranges and to reduce the burden on the public fire services.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I will jointly undertake a review of the policy for fire breaks and other fire precautions in these areas taking into account the present series of fires. The PSA is now using heavy plant equipment with assistance from the Army to provide fire breaks, where they are

asked the Minister for Overseas Development whether he will give the number of meetings held by (1) the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, (2) the Economic and Social Committee for Overseas Research, (3) the Institute of Development Studies (Governing Body), (4) Queen Elizabeth House (Governing Body) and (5) the Tropical Products Institute Advisory Committee, during the year 1975-76; and how many meetings of (1) were attended by Lord Gardner, of (2) by Lord Balogh, of (3) by Lord Balogh, of (4) by Lord Balogh, and of (5) by Lord Kearton.

asked the Minister for Overseas Development what grants and loans have been made available to Uganda by the British Government in the last two years.

The information is given in the table below. New aid commitments to Uganda were formally suspended in November 1972, and expenditure since this date represents the fulfilment of commitments made before the suspension.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what inspections are conducted to ensure that teachers comply with the religious requirements of the Education Act 1944; how many breaches of these requirements have been reported in the last 12 months; and what action was taken in respect of each reported breach during that period.

When Her Majesty's Inspectorate are inspecting or visiting schools they may look at religious instruction as they may at teaching in other subjects and they may also take note of the arrangements for school assemblies. Her Majesty's inspectors specialising in religious education may also visit schools specifically to look at this, as other subject inspectors may for their subject. No record is kept of occasions when inspectors may have given advice about whether the religious requirements of the 1944 Acts are being complied with.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of the age group of 18 to 20 years of age is enrolled in higher education; and what proportion is in full-time and part-time further education.

In 1974–75 the figures for universities and other grant-aided establishments of higher and further education in Great Britain were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students are enrolled on degree and comparable courses who are in receipt of no grant whatever.

It is estimated that in the academic year 1974–75 the number of full-time and sandwich home students enrolled in Great Britain on first degree and comparable courses without grants from local education authorities or the Scottish Education Department was about 13,000. Many of these received grants from other sources, including industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will issue a circular to local education authorities advising them that school caretakers should no longer be permitted to deny access to school premises in furtherance of any dispute between them and local education authorities;(2) which educational official has a statutory responsibility to ensure that schools remain open for the prescribed period;(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that schools in the Havant area remain open to staff and pupils.

These are matters for the local education authorities, who are the employers, and the employees' representatives. Provision of education is a duty laid on the local education authority and it is, therefore, the authority as such which has responsibility for maintaining the educational service.My right hon. Friend very much regrets the closure of schools in the Havant area as a result of a dispute over bonus payments between caretakers and the LEA. He understands that the normal disputes procedure is operating and that the dispute will be considered at a meeting of the Mid-Southern Provincial Council Disputes Committee on 12th July. He hopes that it will be brought to an end immediately after that meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many objections have been received by his Department to Section 13 notices to change the character of secondary schools in (a) the past five years and (b) the past 10 years.

No central record of the total numbers of objections is kept by the Department and, therefore, the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what savings will be made in net terms by all the changes which he announced in his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 5th July.

About £28 million in 1977–78 financial year at 1975 public expenditure survey prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will confirm that further savings, amounting to £42 million, will be found from tuition fees in the financial year 1978–79.

I would expect to find an additional £14 million savings—at 1975 survey prices—in the full financial year 1978–79, over and above those achieved in 1977–78, of which a substantial amount would flow from the proposals announced on 5th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will explain fully how his changes in the payment of fees for home students will reduce the overall burden on the rates.

The details will depend upon the consultations with the local authority associations. But under the arrangements which we have proposed to them, fees for home and overseas students would represent a higher proportion of the total cost of education provision than at present; and, in so far as the awards are mandatory, 90 per cent. of their cost falls on the Exchequer. While there would be an increase of rate expenditure on account of the remaining 10 per cent. of the fees of university students receiving local education authority awards, this would be more than offset by the savings in rate expenditure at local authority institutions resulting from the higher fees and somewhat reduced student numbers, together with the 90 per cent. Exchequer grant in respect of mandatory award holders at these institutions. The overall effect of the changes should be to reduce rate expenditure in this area in 1977–78 somewhat below what would otherwise have been required in that year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will produce guidelines on future fees policy to give assurances to overseas students and British firms which are supporting students on courses of more than a year's duration.

My right hon. Friend will be making a further statement after consultations with the University Grants Committee and the local authority associations.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) when the Youth Service Forum for England and Wales will be established; and by whom;(2) what are the criteria for membership of the Youth Service Forum;(3) what proportion of the Youth Service Forum will be young people under the age of 26 years;(4) what is the nature of the representation of the Youth Service Forum; and who will chair it;(5) what organisations will be represented at the Youth Service Forum; and how they will be chosen.

With the approval of my right hon. Friend, I reached agreement in principle on 12th May with representatives of statutory and voluntary youth interests on the broad constitution of the forum, of which it is proposed that I should be chairman.I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a consultative paper circulated to those involved for comment by 31st July; this proposes the establishment of the forum by the end of the year and sets out the constitution. Membership has been designed to ensure representation of both statutory and voluntary providers and of young consumers. I have proposed that young people under 26 should comprise not less than one-third of the permanent membership.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for registration under the Pakistan Act have been received; how many applications have been granted and how many refused up to 1st January 1976; and how many have been granted or refused since 1st January 1976 up to the present date.

The statistics of applications received do not distnguish between those made by citizens of Pakistan on grounds of ordinary residence as if they had continued to be Commonwealth citizens—for which the Pakistan Act made provision—and those made by wives and on behalf of minor children under other provisions of the British Nationality Act 1948. Between 1st September 1973 and 2nd July 1976 a total of 93,040 citizens of Pakistan applied for registration.Between 1st September 1973 and 31st December 1975, 49,548 citizens of Pakistan were registered on grounds of ordinary residence; and 26,650 on other grounds. Between 1st January and 2nd July 1976 the figures are 3,052 and 4,127 respectively.Between 1st September 1973 and 31st December 1975, 4,531 citizens of Pakistan were refused registration, and a further 2,772 up to 2nd July 1976. Statistics are not kept according to the reasons for refusal; but a sample check last year showed that about two-thirds of the refusals were because the applicant did not qualify under the transitional provisions of the Pakistan Act; and that of the people so refused about two-thirds were informed that they would still be able to qualify for registration by virtue of that Act at later dates. The higher proportion of recent refusals is largely accounted for by the fact that the straightforward cases were mostly decided earlier.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient stated period of time prior to November 1975, the number of cases in which prisoners in gaol whilst awaiting or actually undergoing trial have been refused permission to see their solicitors and legal advisers.

Although there are necessarily limits on the hours during which legal visits may take place, prisoners awaiting or undergoing trial arc never refused permission to see their legal representatives.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he will obtain a national and overall report and evaluation of the work of the Community Development Projects, in the light of the fact that the Information and Intelligence Unit is being closed 18 months before the end of the final project.

Each of the 12 local Community Development Projects is expected to prepare a full and comprehensive report assessing its activities and drawing out the lessons of its work for national as well as local policies for tackling urban deprivation. These reports will, of course, be considered and assessed by the Government. It was never envisaged that the Information and Intelligence Unit should prepare a national evaluation of the Community Development Projects.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total estimated cost of the Community Development Projects; and how much will be saved by the closure of the Information and Intelligence Unit in September 1976.

On present plans, the estimated total cost of the Community Development Projects in England and Wales, excluding the cost of social action projects and central support activity, is about £2·1 million. The estimated cost of the Information and Intelligence Unit for the period of 1st April-30th September is £27,000.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of issuing notices of a parking offence and collecting any fine payable in respect thereof; and what is the equivalent figure for each of the past five years.

The costs of enforcing parking offences by the fixed penalty system, to which I assume the hon. Member is referring, cannot be separately identified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police authorities and chief officers who do not keen up-to-date records of the policemen wounded or seriously injured on duty in their areas.

It is for chief officers to decide what records they need to keep, in addition to those required by Police Regulations. I understand that serious injuries are normally recorded on the officer's personal record, but few chief officers have found it necessary to maintain a separate list.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will advise chief constables of police to ban the use of guard dogs by the police force.

No. Police do not normally use guard dogs as defined in Section 1 of the Guard Dogs Act 1975; but dogs make a useful contribution to many aspects of police work. Advice is already available on their use and on any risks which may be involved, and we do not consider that further advice is needed at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has for selling surplus fire hose.

My right hon. Friend said in reply to a Question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Mr. Weitzman) on 19th March—[Vol. 907, c. 647]—that Civil Defence was bearing its full share of the cuts in public expenditure and that one of the main effects was in further reductions in Home Office stockpiles of equipment. These include stocks of fire hose which will be disposed of through the Ministry of Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prison hospitals carry out psycho-surgery operations.

None.