asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish in theOfficial Report details of the number of staff that were away sick and the period of time they were absent during the period when, in accordance with his letter of 20th July to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West, this was partially the reason for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letter concerning the regulations to be made under Section 10 of the Lotteries Act 1975.

No. I consider that this would be an unreasonable intrusion on the privacy of the staff concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will review the fines for taking eggs and young birds illegally, with a view to increasing them to levels that are more realistic in terms of present monetary values.

The Protection of Birds (Amendment) Act 1976, which received Royal Assent on 29th July, increased these fines fourfold.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were (a) for dangerous driving, (b) for careless driving and (c) for drunken driving in Macclesfield parliamentary constituency in each of the last three years.

I regret this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the intentions of the Governments of Jersey and Guernsey, respectively, about establishing the rights of individuals to petition the European Commission on Human Rights on matters concerning Jersey and Guernsey; what is the policy of the British Government over the right of individual petition for citizens of Jersey and Guernsey; and if he will make a statement.

At the request of the authorities in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, successive declarations have been made by Her Majesty's Government, since 1967, accepting Article 25 of the European Convention on Human Rights—right of individual petition—in respect of the Bailiwick. The latest such request was for renewal of the declaration for a period of five years from January 1976.The Jersey authorities have requested Her Majesty's Government to make a declaration accepting the Article in respect of Jersey for a period of five years from January 1976.Her Majesty's Government have been pleased to give effect to these requests.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many United Kingdom citizens hold dual citizenship with another country.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prevent the sale of air guns and air rifles which are imitations of ordinary firearms.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to seek to require the production of a birth certificate before air guns can be purchased and to raise the age for purchase to 18 years.

We hope to raise the age limit in the next Session.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to seek to raise the age of entitlement to use an air rifle from 14 to 16 years.

We hope to do so in the next Session.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of prisoners (a) awaiting trial and (b) awaiting sentence in prisons on 30th June 1976.

On 30th June 1976 there were 3,164 persons awaiting trial, and 1,770 persons who had been convicted and were awaiting sentence, in prisons and remand centres in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in order more effectively to prevent bigamy, he will seek to amend the law so that any person seeking to bring another into the United Kingdom with a view to matrimony is required to produce evidence of their own identity and status before approval is given to the admission of the intended spouse.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 28th July to Questions by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Mrs. Knight).—[Vol. 916, c.242.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Report of the Committee of Privy Counsellors appointed to inquire into the adequacy of present controls over the recruitment of mercenaries will be published; and if he will make a statement.

I am grateful to Lord Diplock and the two right hon. Members for their prompt report, which is being published today as a Command Paper. The Government will now consider the report as a matter of urgency.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received a report of the survey on the use of certificates of unruliness for the remand of juvenile offenders; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office survey showed that, during February 1976, courts issued a total of 378 certificates of unruliness; only 49 of these were in respect of 14 year olds, 43 boys and six girls. In 281 cases the certificate was requested by the police, in 47 it was requested by the local authority, and in 40 by both together, and the most common ground was the offender's history of absconding—219 cases. Other factors which led to the issue of certificates were a history of violent behaviour directed against others or of extremely disruptive behaviour; the nature of the offence; the committing of further offences while the offender was on bail. The respondents mentioned the lack of suitable local authority secure accommodation as a reason for the issue of the certificate in 172 cases. The most common offence of which the young people were charged—602 cases—was an offence against the Theft Act 1968.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils will have taken the 11-plus examination in 1976.

This information is not collected by my Department, but the hon. Member may be interested to know that over 70 per cent. of children in maintained secondary schools are now in comprehensive schools.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to redirect the money which was not spent on Fircroft College, Selly Oak, during 1975–76, and will not be spent during 1976–77 on Fircroft College, to other trades union educational purposes.

No. It is not yet possible to estimate the savings which will be realised by the temporary closure of Fircroft College. As my right hon. Friend stated on 22nd July, in answer to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale (Mr. Noble)—[Vol. 915, c.554]—subject to parliamentary approval, £400,000 is being made available for trade union education in the current financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present percentage of illiterates amongst the population of England and Wales; and how this compares with the figures for 1956 and 1966.

Such statistics are not available. For reasons which were explained in the Bullock Committee's report "A Language for Life" it is impossible to say with certainty how many adult illiterates or semi-literates there are in the country.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many representations he has received following the decision of the Schools Council to recommend a change in the system of public examination; and what replies he has sent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received following the Schools Council proposals to abolish the GCE O-level and CSE examinations.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to Questions by the hon. Members for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane), the Isle of Ely (Mr. Freud) and Gloucestershire, South (Mr. Cope).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to respond to the recommendations of the Schools Council on a common examining system at 16-plus.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a Question from the hon. Member for Cambridge (Mr. Lane).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many letters he has received from the general public concerning the recent Schools Council proposals for the abolition of 0-level and CSE examinations.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to Questions by the hon. Members for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane), the Isle of Ely (Mr. Freud) and Gloucesterhire, South (Mr. Cope). Of the 70 letters there referred to, 41 are from private individuals, individual teachers or local groups of teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to disseminate examples of good practice helpful in reducing damage from vandalism to educational establishments.

My department has for many years offered advice to local education authorities and others, based in part on examples of good practice, aimed at reducing the risk to life and premises by fire in educational establishments. We are currently considering whether advice might usefully be offered, aimed at reducing other kinds of damage.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science at what age careers counselling is started in secondary schools.

Practice in schools varies, but the advice of my Department is that careers education should be a continuous process beginning at 13.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to ensure that the replacement of outside toilets at Derbyshire infant schools is speeded up; and if he will make a statement.

It is for the Derbyshire education authority to decide what priority it can give to this work within the capital authorisations for sch000l building allocated by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the time of Her Majesty's School Inspectorate is actually spent on school inspections.

Rather more than 50 per cent. of the time of those of Her Majesty's inspectors assigned to work in schools is spent on inspection of some kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received any plans for comprehensive education from the Avon County Council which would affect the Kingswood constituency.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the likely effect of reductions in local education authority expenditure on pupil-teacher ratios in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Local authorities have been asked to review their budgets so as to ensure that their expenditure in aggregate does not exceed what was implicit in the rate support grant settlement for 1976–77. Our present information is that authorities generally intend to maintain next school year the pupil-teacher ratios attained in 1975–76.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he intends to scrutinise the official report of the inquiry into William Tyndale Junior School in respect of any relationship of its findings and conclusions to his Department's guidance and instruction notes to schools in the greater London area in general.

My Department does not issue any particular guidance to schools in the greater London area.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has yet received a copy of the report on William Tyndale School by Mr. Robin Auld, QC.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Educaion and Science what further steps he proposes to reduce truancy in schools.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a Question from him on 6th July.—[Vol. 914, c.463.]—The responsibility for tackling problems such as truancy must rest ultimately with individual teachers, schools and local authorities, but in conjunction with the education associations we shall be considering ways in which examples of successful measures can be disseminated.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of pupils are currently receiving free school meals; and what was the equivalent figure for 1966.

On a day in May 1976, 10·1 per cent. of the pupils in attendance at maintained schools in England and Wales received free dinners. This represents 15·2 per cent. of the pupils who took the meal. In October 1966 corresponding figures were 4·9 per cent. and 7·1 per cent. respectively but the figures are not directly comparable because they relate to the autumn term when take up of meals is normally greater than during the summer months. The latest comparable figures relate to October 1975 when 9·3 per cent. of pupils in attendance and 13·3 per cent. of pupils who took the meal received it free of charge.

asked the Secretary of State for Eductaion and Science when he proposes to increase the charge for school meals.

in September 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he is taking to expedite the reorganisation of secondary education within Calderdale, West Yorkshire.

My right hon. Friend has no powers to take any action at present but will consider what action may be appropriate when the Education Bill has become law.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what will be the total cost to public funds for providing places at British universities and polytechnics for overseas students in the forthcoming academic year.

About £85 million net at 1975 Public Expenditure Survey prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations he has had so far with universities and local education authorities aimed at stabilising overseas student intakes in 1977–78 at recent levels.

We are in consultation with the University Grants Committee and the local authority associations but my right hon. Friend is not yet ready to make a further statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he proposes to take to mitigate hardship to overseas students already enrolled in courses who, during the forthcoming academic year, may be disadvantaged by the increase in students' fees.

My right hon. Friend's recommendations for 1976–77 referred authorities to previous advice about the need for hardship arrangements in appropriate cases. He is consulting the UGC and the local authority associations on his proposals for 1977–78 and will be making a further statement in respect of that year in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of pupils in the United Kingdom have sat for two or more A-levels in summer 1976.

This information is not available for 1976 yet, but I expect the number of pupils from schools in England and Wales who attempted two or more A levels this summer to be between 16 and 17 per cent. of the population aged 18. Corresponding figures for the rest of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to abolish the GCE A-level.

No. The Schools Council is considering proposals for the reform of the sixth form curriculum and examinations but has not yet made recommendations on this subject to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average cost of training a teacher in England and Wales.

In the financial year 1974–75, the latest year for which figures are available, the average annual recurrent institutional cost to public funds for a student at a college of education was £950. The average cost of student support was £650.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidelines his Department issues to local authorities on careers advice.

Guidelines on good practice are given in Education Survey 18 "Careers Education in Secondary Schools" published in October 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his future policies towards public schools.

My right hon. Friend intends to continue to pursue the policies set out in our manifesto.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he remains satisfied that there are sufficient opportunities for newly-qualified teachers.

The 1976–77 rate support grant settlement made provision for local authorities, who employ teachers, to maintain collectively their 1975–76 staffing standards, and the latest evidence suggests that authorities are broadly conforming to those guidelines. My right hon. Friend has encouraged authorities to give priority, within these limits, to the employment of the newly qualified.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the latest employment prospects for newly-qualified teachers.

I have nothing to add to the statements already made by my right hon. Friend and myself as no further information is yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many student teachers qualifying in 1976 have not as yet found jobs in the teaching profession; and how this compares with the figures for 1975.

27,700–68 per cent.—of 41,000 teachers who successfully completed courses of initial training in 1975 had taken up full-time posts in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England and Wales by last September. Corresponding information about the 39,000 who will complete their training in 1976 will be available towards the end of the year. My Department does not collect similar data on those entering teaching in independent and special schools, in further and higher education, and outside England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will introduce legislation to dismantle the Inner London Education Authority.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will commission an independent, full-scale investigation of teaching methods in British schools.

We are not persuaded that in present circumstances such a widely-based investigation would produce useful results.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the cost of the provision of free school transport for the current financial year.

Total expenditure by local education authorities in England and

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if it

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many full-time and full-time equivalent teachers were employed in primary and secondary schools in Stoke-on-Trent for each of the years 1970 to 1976; how many pupils were receiving full-time education in those schools; and what was the pupil-teacher ratio for each.

The information for the years 1970 to 1974 is given below. Since the reorganisation of local government, which took place on 1st April 1974, Stoke-on-Trent has been part of the Staffordshire local education authority and the extraction of subsequent figures for the area concerned would incur a disproportionate cost. However the latest figures for Staffordshire are as shown.remains his policy to encourage students attending a postgraduate certificate in education course to qualify as teachers by giving them a mandatory award, in view of the number of qualified teachers now unable to obtain employment.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will increase the Victoria and Albert Museum's purchase grant fund which has remained static since 1973–74.

No. The basic grant in aid for the museum's own purchases was increased from £139,000 in 1973–74 and 1974–75 to £310,000 for each of the three years beginning 1975–76 to take account of estimated rises in cost over this period. These have also been supplemented by additional grants. It is open to the museum to apply under existing policies for such grants in the future, though I cannot anticipate whether under present circumstances they would be available. The museum also makes grants to local museums and galleries. Following the recommendation of the Committee on Provincial Museums and Galleries the fund was increased in 1973–74 from £150,000 to £400,000 a year and responsibility for technological material was transferred to the Science Museum. Such grants are normally fixed for a period of several years, and in present circumstances I do not expect to review this figure in the immediate future.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make funds available through grant in aid administered by the Science Museum, for the acquisition, storage and conservation of museum material from underwater excavations licensed under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

Funds are already available for these purposes. For assistance in acquisition of such material as for any other museum objects those administering local collections may apply as appropriate to the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum or the Royal Scottish Museum. Assistance towards the costs of storage or conservation may in suitable cases be the subject of application to the Area Museums Service, for which separate grants are made on the advice of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers in the North-West are being paid a special payment under the social priority schools allowance scheme, giving in each case the name of the constituency and the number of teachers involved; and what is the rate and period of payment.

Information about teachers in social priority schools is not available by constituencies, but the numbers in each local education authority in the North-West Region are listed below. Teachers in such schools receive an extra £201 per annum rising to £276 per annum after three years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he is taking, in the light of the fact that disabled young people will no longer be eligible for an invalid tricycle, to assist them in travel to places of further and higher education; and if he will make a statement.

The mobility allowances, which will be available in appropriate cases instead of the provision of invalid tricycles, are intended to assist disabled persons with their travelling arrangements. In addition, the necessary travelling expenses of students in receipt of mandatory awards are met as part of the award and local authorities have discretion to pay such expenses for other students. If particular travelling difficulties arise for individual disabled students it is open to local authorities to extend their arrangements for the provision of special transport. My Department issued a circular to local education authorities about the introduction of mobility allowances earlier this year and no further action is planned at this stage.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the Governor of the Bank of England.

On 15th April.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination between the Departments of Industry and Prices and Consumer Protection in relation to the pricing policy of nationalised industries.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister when he last attended a plenary session of the Common Market Assembly.

I have not yet attended a session of the European Assembly.

asked the Prime Minister when he next intends to visit Cyprus.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on the economy at the Durham miners' gala on 17th July.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech to the Durham miners' gala, on economic policy, on 17th July 1976.

asked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech on economic policy made at the Durham miners' gala on 17th July.

I refer the hon. Members to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton) on 26th July.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give the same opportunities for consultation about the economy to the service sector as are enjoyed by the TUC and the CBI.

Representatives of the service industries have many opportunities of making their views known to the Government, both directly and through NEDO.

asked the Prime Minister if he will publish his official engagements for 3rd August.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for the City of Chester (Mr. Morrison).

asked the Prime Minister whether he intends to pay an official visit to Birmingham before the end of the year.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to make a ministerial broadcast on the state of the nation.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Norfolk, South (Mr. MacGregor) on 27th July.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC.

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

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

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech on economic matters made by the Lord President of the Council at the Durham miners' gala on 17th July represents Government policy.

Yes.

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

I hope to do so in September.

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

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with coordination between the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Employment on the problems likely to arise from further cuts in defence expenditure.

Yes.

asked the Prime Minister if he will publish details of the conditions agreed by the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany at Puerto Rico that should apply to the granting of loans to Italy.

I have nothing to add to what I said in reply to a supplementary question from my hon. Friend the Member for Newton (Mr. Evans) on 22nd July.

asked the Prime Minister when he expects to receive the report of the Royal Commission on Civil Liability and Compensation for Personal Injury.

I understand that the Royal Commission expects to submit its report next year.

asked the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to coordinate departmental activities, bearing in mind Her Majesty's Government's commitment to the United Nations International Decade for Women; and how he proposes to deal with the report from the ILO on the serious effects on working women of the economic recession.

All Departments are aware that it is the Government's policy to eliminate discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity between men and women. The Departments principally concerned are in regular and close contact, and I see no need to set up special machinery to co-ordinate their activities. The effect of the economic recession on both working men and women is a matter of continuing concern to the Government. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment is making a statement today about the Government's further measures, which are particularly directed towards the provision of jobs for young people.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many poultry producers he anticipates will cease production as a result of the introduction of the Poultry Hygiene Regulations.

I see no reason to expect any significant reduction in the total production of poultry, as a result of the regulations that I shall be laying before the House tomorrow.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has had from the National Farmers' Union concerning the Rent (Agriculture) Bill.

My right hon. Friend and I have received a number of representations from the National Farmers' Union concerning the Rent (Agriculture) Bill, both before and since its publication. My officials and I have also met representatives of the union on a number of occasions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance is given to farmers who construct irrigation systems on their farms.

Grant on the cost of fixed equipment is available at 20 per cent. under the Farm Capital Grant Scheme and 25 per cent. under the Farm and Horticulture Development Scheme where it forms part of a development plan. The rate of grant under both schemes for farmers who qualify for the higher less-favoured areas rates is 50 per cent. In addition, movable equipment can qualify for grant under the Farm and Horticulture Development Scheme at 15 per cent. in less-favoured areas and 10 per cent. in other areas.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the capital costs of constructing a flood barrier in Rainham Creek.

The proposals for a dam closing Rainham Creek are estimated, at March 1976 prices, to cost about £3 million. Of this sum, between £1 million and £1·5 million represents the cost of the dam, the remainder being shared, in roughly equal proportions, between the raising of the defences fronting Frog Island and the construction of a sluice.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he is applying different criteria in respect of the eligibility of plastic field drainage pipes and clay pipes for grant-aided schemes; and whether he will now reconsider the matter in the light of representations made to him by industry.

All field drainage pipes used in grant-aided schemes must conform to British Standards. There are more critical limits of pipe strength and slot size in respect of plastic pipes than in respect of clay pipes, and flaws are less easy to detect visibly. The additional Kite Mark procedure required for plastic pipes is to ensure that the necessary standard is achieved. On 28th July the British Plastic Federation requested a meeting on this subject and this is being arranged.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and. Food what consideration is being given to including wild oats in the Weeds Act 1959.

The Weeds Act 1959 provides power for my right hon. Friend to require an occupier of land within a specified time to take such action as may be necessary to prevent the spread of prescribed injurious weeds. Wild oat grows in cultivated crops and is introduced mainly by contaminated seed or straw. It is also present in the soil of most farms growing cereals. Eradication will therefore call for long and sustained effort, and the powers of the Weeds Act would not offer an effective measure of control.The Agricultural Departments, through the ADAS and the Scottish Agricultural Colleges in association with the Agricultural Research Council, the British Crop Protection Council, the Home Grown Cereals Authority, the National Institute of Agricultural Botany and the organisations representative of producers, merchants and the agricultural chemicals industry, have been co-operating since 1973 in an advisory programme designed to promote a wider awareness among farmers of the cost of harbouring wild oats and the best methods of eradication and subsequent control.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is yet able to publish the results on the review of beef marketing prospects which he has recently undertaken.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Hardy) on 19th July.—[Vol. 915, c.337.]

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what would be the saving to the Exchequer if Civil Service occupational pensions which are currently index linked were to have the increments limited to the average percentage increase award under his present pay policy but after taking account of any increase in the retirement pension.

The cost of increasing Civil Service pensions next December by 13.8 per cent., as announced in my Written Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Thornaby (Mr. Wrigglesworth) on 19th July—[Vol. 915, c.329]—is estimated at £31 million for a full year. The average percentage increase under the present pay policy is expected to be about 4½ per cent., but if that policy, including the £2·50 minimum, were to be strictly applied to Civil Service pension increases, the cost in the same period would be £39 million—that is, an extra £8 million. This is because a 13·8 per cent. increase will mean less than £2·50 for some 220,000 of the 293,000 in receipt of Civil Service pensions. The effect of taking into account any increase in the State retirement pension could only be calculated at disproportionate cost because details of individuals who receive both a Civil Service pension and a State retirement pension are not readily available.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will give a detailed breakdown of the pensions increases being given to civil servants in December, showing the total number who will benefit, the number in each of the 10 top categories of pensions and their present rates, those within the medium or average 10 groups and those in the lower 10 groups; and by how much in cash these pensions will increase per week and in percentage terms as from 1st December 1976.

Approximately 290,000 former civil servants or their dependants will receive a pension increase of 13·8 per cent. from 1st December next. Civil Service pensions cannot be categorised in the way implied by my hon. Friend, as each pension rate is individual to the officer concerned, and is calculated on the number of years of reckonable service and his terminal salary. There are over 150,000 pensioners receiving pensions of £1-£500 a year. The average increase for these pensioners will be about 66p a week. There are over 135,000 pensioners receiving pensions of between £501 and £5,000 a year; their average increase will be about £3·40 a week. There are fewer than 1,500 pensioners receiving more than £5,000 a year; their average increase will be about £16·20 a week.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether, in the interests of security, he will initiate a system of Government-supplied planes for former Prime Ministers' travel overseas, on security grounds on a similar basis to the supply of cars for travel inside Great Britain.

There are no plans to make such a provision.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the expected increase, in absolute and in percentage terms, in civil servants' salaries during the fiscal year 1976–77; and how much of this increase is expected to be due to pay rises and how much to annual increments.

In the financial year 1976–77 the main settlement for non-industrial civil servants was implemented from 1st April 1976. This gave a £6 pay supplement to those earning less than £8,500, according to the terms of the Government's counter-inflation policy. The cost of the settlement was estimated as £171 million. Payment of the supplement represented an average addition to pay of 9·8 per cent. for those eligible. It is not anticipated that the continued payment of increments will involve extra cost on the salary bill in this period, but the Government will ensure that the effect is monitored and the agreed pay limits observed.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what was the total increase, in absolute and in percentage terms, in the salaries of civil servants during the fiscal year 1975–76; and how much of this increase was due to pay rises and how much to annual increments.

In the financial year 1975–76 the main settlement for non-industrial civil servants was a pay research settlement implemented from 1st April 1975. The basic pay bill for the grades covered by this settlement was increased by £372 million over that following their previous settlement from 1st January 1974. This represented an increase of 26 per cent. in annual terms. There was a further increase for non-industrial civil servants working in London only, due to London weighting increase costing £6.5 million implemented from 1st July 1975. The payment of increments during this period did not increase the annual salary bill.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants in the following grades are located in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, respectively; permanent secretary, deputy secretary, under-secretary, assistant secretary, senior principal, principal, senior executive officer, higher executive officer (A), higher executive officer, administrative trainee and executive officer.

,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 19th July 1976; Vol. 915, c.329–30],gave the following information:Detailed information of this kind is not at present available from central records. It is, however, known that, for the Home Civil Service, there are 42 permanent secretaries and 129 deputy secretaries in London, one permanent secretary and eight deputy secretaries in Edinburgh and one permanent secretary and one deputy secretary in Cardiff. The further information sought could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the basis of what calculation the Chief Secretary to the Treasury stated on 13th May 1976 that to raise the limit for children's earned income before a parent's child allowance was reduced from the present limit of £115 would require an additional 100 staff, or, if restricted to students over 18 years of age, an additional 55 staff.

The figures quoted represent the estimated cost in man years for 1976–77 of altering the tax codings and assessments for those taxpayers whose child tax allowances are at present being restricted because of the level of their children's earnings.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to end anomalies in taxation which adversely affect women, since this topic was excluded from consideration under the Sex Discrimination Act.

The tax system does not in general distinguish between people on grounds of sex; but if the hon. Lady has any particular anomalies in mind I shall be glad to look into them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Inland Revenue has increased its manpower from 69,692 on 1st March 1974 to 80,279 on 1st April 1976; and if he will specify where and in what activities the increases have taken place.

The main reasons for the increase in Inland Revenue manpower over the period mentioned are the growth in the total number of taxpayers and in the number liable at other than the basic rate of tax; the build up of work on the reconstructed National Insurance Scheme under the Social Security Act, 1973; and new work arising from the Finance and Finance (No. 2) Acts 1975. The increases in both work and staff have occurred mainly in local tax and collection offices.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree may expect an answer to his letters of 14th July asking for an explanation why the inhabitants of Nos. 32 to 42 Ashfield House, Liverpool have had to wait 18 months to have their appeals heard as to why their flats in an aged persons' home arc being rated as commercial rather than domestic lettings;(2) when the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree may expect an answer to his letters of 14th July asking for an explanation why the inhabitants of Nos. 19 to 31 Ashfield House, Liverpool have had to wait 18 months to have their appeals heard as to why their fiats in an aged persons' home are being rated as commercial rather than domestic lettings;(3) when the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree, may expect an answer to his letters of 14th July asking for an explanation why the inhabitants of Nos. 10 to 18 Ashfield House, Liverpool have had to wait 18 months to have their appeals heard as to why their flats in an aged persons' home are being rated as commercial rather than domestic lettings;(4) when the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree, may expect an answer to his letters of 14th July asking for an explanation why the inhabitants of Nos. 2 to 9 Ashfield House, Liverpool have had to wait 18 months to have their appeals heard as to why their fiats in an aged persons' home are being rated as commercial rather than domestic lettings.

I have now written to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in theOfficial Report the taxed worth of £10,600 per annum tax-free allowance to a married man with no dependants on a taxed income of £13,500 per annum and the equivalent figure for a bachelor.

For 1976–77 the tax-free allowance as the top slice of total income would be equivalent to an additional £58,023 of taxable earned income for a married man with no children. For a single person, the corresponding figure would be £58,291.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total cost to public funds in 1975–76 and in 1976–77, respectively, of paying benefits in respect of each of the following: attendance allowance, child's special allowance, constant attendance allowance, death grant, family allowance, family income supplement, guardian's allowance, hospital pocket money, industrial death benefit, industrial disablement pension, injury benefit, invalid care allowance, invalidity allowance, invalidity pension, maternity allowance, maternity grant, mobility allowance, old person's pension, rent rebate and allowance, retirement pension, sickness benefit, student grant, supplementary benefit, unemployability supplement and allowance, unemployment benefit, war widow's pension, war disablement pension, war orphan's pension, widow's allowance, widowed mother's allowance and widow's age-related pension; and what percentage of the gross national product this total sum represents.

The provisional figures for 1975–76 and estimates for 1976–77 are listed below. They relate to Great Britain; detailed estimates for Northern Ireland are not available. The total given for 1975–76 is equivalent to 9.4 per cent. of gross national product at factor cost.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient stated period of time, the total amount of tax relief that has been allowed for payments made for declared and known corrupt practices.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the amounts of vehicle excise duty raised in Wales during the last two financial years.

The yield from vehicle excise duty in Wales was £24·3 million in 1974–75 and £35·8 million in 1975–76.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he will take in view of the fact that, largely as a result of VAT, low-income families pay a larger proportion of their incomes in indirect taxation than high-income families.

I refer my hon. Friend to an article, "Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income 1974", published in the February 1976 issue ofEconomic Trends, a copy of which is available in the Library. He will see from a table contained in that article that VAT does not bear more heavily on the lower-income families.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring up-to-date table 37 of the Radcliffe Report which gives details of the nominal and market values of the National Debt by term to maturity for the years 1965. 1970, 1975 and 1976: and if he will publish the table in theOfficial Report.

I regret that this information cannot be provided without disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many extra civil servants will be needed to administer the wealth tax which he proposes to introduce;(2) what will be the annual cost of administering the wealth tax which he proposes to introduce;(3) what will be the likely yield of the wealth tax which he prop_ oses to introduce;(4) when the wealth tax which he proposes to introduce is to come into operation;(5) what exemptions and reliefs from the wealth tax he intends;(6) what assets will be subject to the wealth tax which he proposes to introduce;(7) at what rates the wealth tax will be introduced.

My right hon. Friend will not be in a position to make any detailed statement about wealth tax until he has completed his consideration of the tax in the light of the work of the Select Committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures of the United Kingdom balance of payments deficit or surplus expressed as a percentage of the GDP for each of the past 10 years.

Following is the information.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a) the gross invisible exports surplus on the balance of payments in each of the last 24 months and (b) the net amounts over the same period; and if he will describe the items of expense, state by whom they are incurred and which are deducted from the gross when arriving at the net figure.

Quarterly estimates of the net invisibles surplus within the current account of the balance of payments can be found on page 83 of the June issue of the CSO'sEconomic Trends, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Separate monthly out-turn figures are not available. Estimates of gross invisible credits and debts, together with their main components, are to be found on pages 82–85 of the same publication. Further annual details of invisible transactions are given in Tables 7 to 16 of the "Pink Book"—"UK Balance of Payments 1964–74"a copy of which has also been placed in the Library.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many 5p and 10p coins, respectively, are currently in circulation; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the proportionate issue of the two coins meets the demands of the retail trade and of the general public.

The numbers of 5p and 10p coins estimated to be in circulation on 30th June 1976 were approximately 1,500 million and 1,750 million, respectively.The Royal Mint makes weekly issues to the clearing banks in the quantities and denominations they need to meet the demands of their customers. A recent survey commissioned from independent consultants indicated that the mix of coins then in circulation was well suited to the public generally.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for an income tax allowance for children resident abroad were refused in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether British passport holders working and paying tax in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka receive income tax allowances for children resident in the United Kingdom.

They do, in certain circumstances, in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. I understand that there are no income tax child allowances in India and Bangladesh.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes there have been in the checks made on claims for personal reliefs from income tax in respect of children resident overseas since the publication of the Treasury Minute of 4th November 1968, which was commented on in the Third Report from the Committee of Public Accounts Session 1967–68.

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer with how many countries the United Kingdom has signed bilateral or multilateral tax agreements which provide for income tax allowances in respect of children resident in the United Kingdom for British passport holders working and paying tax overseas.

In virtually all our tax treaties United Kingdom nationals are guaranteed—on a reciprocal basis—the same tax treatment in the treaty-partner country as that country gives to its own nationals. Information is not, however, readily available about how many of our treaty-partner countries do grant tax allowances to their nationals for children who are not resident there.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regular detailed checks, similar to the pilot scheme started in April 1966, have been made since that date to check upon false claims for personal reliefs from income tax made for children resident overseas.