asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total cost and the total number of projects approved under the urban aid programme in England during the last financial year.

In April 1975, 194 summer holiday projects—£180,000—were approved under Urban Programme Circular No. 13. In February 1976, 69 Easter holiday projects—£46,000—were approved under Circular No. 15. In March 1976 approval was given under Circular No. 14 to 149 capital projects—£3·4 million plus running costs—87 recurrent non-capital projects—£0·6 million per annum—and 18 non-recurrent non-capital projects—£90,000. It would not be meaningful to provide a single figure for total cost, since some projects are for one year only and others are for five.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of the police authorities which operate police vessels; what is the general purpose of such boats: if he is currently encouraging coastal police forces to acquire more vessels for these duties; and what proportion of the capital cost, maintenance costs and crew salaries, is provided from Exchequer funds.

Services are operated throughout the year by the following police forces: Metropolitan Police, Northumbria, Essex, Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex, Kent.Seasonal boat patrols are operated by: Cheshire, Cumbria, Norfolk, Thames Valley.Suffolk police have acquired a launch which is expected to be in service in 1977.The general purpose of police vessels is law enforcement in coastal waters and inland waterways. The extent to which they are needed is for the chief constable and the police authority concerned to decide in the light of local conditions and operational needs, and no special advice has been given by the Home Office, although the attention of all police authorities has been drawn recently to the need for economy in the purchase of equipment of all kinds.Approved expenditure in purchasing, maintaining and manning police vessels attracts specific grant of 50 per cent. from Exchequer funds and present estimates of expenditure are included as relevant expenditure for the purpose of the rate support grant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen have retired on pension in England and Wales in each year since 1970.

The number of police officers retiring with pension or gratuity since 1970 were as follows:

1970	843
1971	1,413
1972	1,662
1973	2,336
1974	2,306
1975	2,613
1976 (January to October)	3,627

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if consultations have yet taken place to decide whether advice on the incorporation in new buildings of suitable low-cost facilities affording fall-out protection might be circulated to housing authorities or more generally, in the fulfilment of the undertaking given to the hon. Member for Harrogate on 11th May.

The local authority associations were consulted in May of this year and their views are in accord with my reply to the hon. Member's Question on 19th November.—[Vol. 919, c. 753.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost to his Department of running the magistrates' courts in England and Wales for the financial year ended April 1976.

The total expenditure on magistrates' courts in England and Wales for the financial year 1975–76 was £47·8 million, of which the Home Office met 80 per cent. or £38·2 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the categories of the following persons were detained at British ports or detention centres during a recent stated period because of questioned visit or immigration intention: (a) US citizens, (b) Old Commonwealth (non-patrial), (c) alien, (d) Common Market and (e) New Commonwealth (non-patrial), respectively.

Information in this form is not readily available and could be derived from operational records only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given to devising less costly methods of effectively and efficiently training staff; and whether consideration will now be given to the use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential conferences.

The training methods used for staff are as cost-effective as possible. A special unit was set up some time ago to develop self-instruction techniques. The material produced is widely used for Home Office staff, for the police and fire services.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff training conferences have been organised by his Department during each of the last five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses and allowances, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and organisers of courses.

I regret that the information is not readily available. Several hundred training courses are provided each year in a wide variety of subjects. Travelling expenses, allowances to partici- pants, accommodaion expenses and salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers are all within the limits laid down in the appropriate Civil Service regulations. The number of persons who received training in the 12 months ended 31st July 1976 was as follows:

Induction training	…	…	566
Vocational training	…	…	7,052
Management training	…	…	2,006
Background training	…	…	980

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff training conferences have been planned by his Department for the foreseeable future; what is the planned subject for discussion at each of them; when they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

It is expected that the existing pattern of training will continue, subject to the availability of resources and the need for economy in Government expenditure. The cost effectiveness of training programmes is kept under continuous review.

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what will be the rates of food subsidies when the reduction of the bread subsidy which he announced on 13th December comes into effect.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced today, we are accelerating the phasing out of the food subsidy programme. We have accordingly decided to abolish the butter subsidy with effect from Tuesday 28th December 1976 and, from the same date, to reduce the subsidy on cheese from the present rate of £109 per ton to £45 per ton. In retail price terms, these cuts are equivalent to about 4p per pound on both butter and cheese. I would not expect the full effect to be widely felt in shops for some time in the new year.

asked the Lord President of the Council what instructions govern the closing time of the Members' Tea Room; and whether these rules permit the ending of service before the completion of the Adjournment debate.

On sitting days the Members' Tea Rooms is open and service is available until a quarter of an hour after the rising of the House.

asked the Lord President of the Council what consideration has been given to the devising of less costly methods of carrying out effective and efficient staff training; and whether consideration will now be given to the use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential courses.

My Department continually endeavours to ensure that the most cost-effective methods are used in the training of its staff, including self-instruction in appropriate circumstances.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wirral on 19th November 1976, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the questionnaires being used in the 163 regular or continuing surveys being carried out by his Department and associated bodies in the current year and in the 84 once-only surveys; and, as he cannot calculate the cost, what steps he is taking to control expenditure on these surveys.

Yes. I am having copies assembled and will arrange for them to be placed in the Library shortly. My Department keeps a close watch on the need for statistical and related surveys and on the manner in which they are carried out. It has been a standing instruction since 1972 that all proposals for new surveys should be reported to the Survey Control Unit of the Central Statistical Office who, together with my own officers, seek ways of economising in departmental costs and of reducing the burden of form filling on respondents.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on chrysanthemum white rust disease and indicate the annual number of outbreaks reported in Great Britain since 1963;(2) what steps he is taking to restrict the spread of chrysanthemum white rust disease and in due course eliminate it from Great Britain.

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of my Department's "Current Topics" for 6th December which explains in detail what is being done to control and eradicate chrysanthemum white rust disease. Copies of this document are also available in the Library of the House.Annual figures of outbreaks of the disease in Great Britain have been as follows:

1963	…	…	…	1
1964	…	…	…	4
1965	…	…	…	56
1966	…	…	…	9
1967	…	…	…	1
1969—January	…	…	…	1
November	…	…	…	1
1971	…	…	…	2
1973	…	…	…	7
1976	…	…	…	219 to date

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy towards the import of Indian main crop potatoes to ease a United Kingdom shortage in spring 1977; and what provisions have been made to enforce such a policy.

Our policy in this matter is being considered in the light of our plant health requirements.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will discuss with the Government of the Irish Republic joint measures to ensure that prosecutions can proceed in cases where food manufactured in either country is found to be unfit for human consumption when sold in retail shops.

Prosecutions can only proceed before a court of the United Kingdom when the person to be prosecuted is within the court's jurisdiction. Where food manufactured in the Republic of Ireland or in any other foreign country is found to be unfit for human consumption when sold in retail shops United Kingdom enforcement authorities can proceed against the retail seller or the importer according to the circumstances of the offence. Although the authorities cannot proceed against the manufacturer, who is outside the jurisdiction, my officials assist them in seeking the aid of those responsible in the country concerned, so that the matter can be investigated and action taken as necessary.I do not think cases of the kind referred to by my hon. Friend would justify my opening discussion with the Government of the Republic of Ireland.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total output from United Kingdom woodlands in 1975 and 1976 to the nearest available date; and what percentage of this output came from woodlands in Scotland.

I have been asked to reply.Output of timber in Great Britain in 1975 was 3,524,000 cubic metres of which 33·5 per cent. came from woodlands in Scotland. Figures for 1976 will not be available until after the end of the year.

asked the Lord Advocate to whom recourse lies in the first instance in any dispute regarding the actions of the Keeper of the General Register of Sasines in refusing or rejecting any deed transmitted to him for registration.

In any dispute regarding the actions of the Keeper of the General Register of Sasines in refusing or rejecting any deed transmitted to him for registration, recourse lies to the Court of Session at the instance of the party presenting the deed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what purposes he will apply the estimated surplus of £932 million in the National Insurance Fund for the year 1976–77.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friends the Members for Salford, East (Mr. Allaun), Birmingham, Selly Oak (Mr. Litterick) and Ealing, Southall (Mr. Bidwell) on Monday 13th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons are employed in administering the National Insurance Fund in 1976; and what were the totals in 1975, 1974 and 1973.

During the period 1973–74 to 1976–77 the equivalent of 14 full-time civil servants have been engaged in the central administration of the National Insurance Fund and the investment of its assets.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) by what is the number of beds in the Trent Regional Health Authority short of the national average;(2) by what numbers the Trent Regional Health Authority has less hospital manpower, fewer nurses, fewer midwives and less out-patient facilities than the national average.

The numbers of staff—whole-time equivalent—to the nearest 100 estimated to be required to bring the ratio of staff per 100,000 total population for Trent Regional Health Authority to the England figures are as follows:

Nurses and midwives	4,000
Professional and technical (excluding works staff)	800
Works and maintenance	600
Administrative and clerical	1,700
Ambulance staff	Nil
Ancillary and other	1,900

There is no single indicator which completely describes the comparative provision of out-patient facilities, but an important statistic is the average number of clinic sessions per 1,000 population. In 1975 this figure was 24·0 for Trent Regional Health Authority and 33·6 for England; it is estimated that 43,000 additional clinic sessions would be required in Trent to bring it to the national figure.The number of beds estimated to be required to bring the 1975 ratio of beds to population for Trent Regional Health Authority to that for England is 5,500.It should be noted that a region's need for health resources, relative to the national provision, should not be estimated on the basis of the total population alone. There are other factors which have an important bearing on the distribution of resources, and these have been incorporated into the methods recommended in the report of the Resource Allocation working Party.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the estimated total cost in 1976–77 of the continuing surveys and census activities contained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Wirral on 22nd November 1976.

The estimated total cost in the financial year 1976–77 of the following continuing surveys is:

	£'000
General Household Survey	479
International Passenger Survey	463
Consumer Buying Intentions (for EEC on a repayment basis) and on census activities	56
Census Studies	27

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will place in the Library copies of each of the questionnaires used in the 21 surveys and census activities contained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Wirral on 22nd November 1976.

Yes. As work is completed upon these questionnaires they will be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many letters he has received since July 1976 expressing regret at the decision to phase out the invalid tricycle.

My right hon. Friend and I have received some 2,000 letters about the decision. The numbers taking particular points of view have not been separately recorded.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what contracts have been placed by his Department with A.C. Cars Ltd., either to convert the Model 70 invalid tricycle into a single-seater or two-seater four-wheeled vehicle, or to design a specialised four-wheeled vehicle for the disabled; and what contracts have been placed to put such a vehicle into production in April 1978.

No such contracts have been placed.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will instruct general practitioners prescribing medicines to National Health Service patients to use products in the British Pharmacopecia list in case of simple drugs and medicines and to be prepared, when prescribing complex products, to justify their choice of a particular item rather than its less expensive competitor.

Prescribing is a matter of clinical judgment, which may be assisted by the British National Formulary or other guidance. The information available to doctors includes drug cost comparison circulars supplied by my Department. There are already arrangements under which action may be taken where a doctor's prescribing appears to be unduly expensive.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will order an inquiry into the administration of the Perivale Maternity Hospital in the London Borough of Ealing, with particular reference to recent deaths that have occurred at this maternity hospital; and if he will make an interim statement.

This is a matter for the Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority (Teaching) in the first instance. It has asked its area medical officer and the district community physician to prepare a report for its January 1977 meeting when the need for an inquiry will be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of occupational pensioners who, after the provisions of the Social Security (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill are implemented, will be eligible to draw supplementary benefit.

Since the Bill provides that unemployment benefit will be reduced only by the excess of occupational pension over £25 a week, it will be very exceptional for a person to become entitled to supplementary benefit as a result.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the number of students with dependent children who drew benefit during the last summer vacation.

This information is not available in the form requested. However, in one week in August 1976 about 1,500 students with a dependent child or children were in receipt of supplementary benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many potential oil bear- ing structures there are in the Scottish sector of the North Sea; how many remain unexplored; and how many such structures are known to exist off the Scottish West coast.

As I said in answer to a Question on 15th November 1976, there are no sectors within the United Kingdom Continental Shelf, but because of the three systems of law in the United Kingdom it is necessary to define the areas of their respective jurisdictions. The resulting divisions are solely for this purpose.It is not possible to be certain how many potential oil-bearing structures there are in the United Kingdom sector of the northern part of the North Sea. About 900 geological structures have been identified, but a large proportion of these are so small that even if they do contain petroleum, the quantities will be insufficient for commercial exploitation. Over 250 have been tested. Seismic surveys continue to be carried out and will further assist in the evaluation of this area.Much of the area to the west of Scotland is underlain by very old rocks at shallow depth which are not of the type to contain petroleum, but the area is as yet unlicensed and a proper evaluation is not yet possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the value of total sales of natural gas drawn from the English sector of the North Sea in the past 12 months; what was the total charge made to Scottish consumers; and what percentage this represents of total sales.

All natural gas from the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea so far sold by the British Gas Corporation has come from the Southern Basin. In 1975–76 such sales totalled £1,200 million, of which Scotland accounted for £48 million—4 per cent. In addition, approximately £2 million worth of town gas sold in Scotland was reformed natural gas.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the cost of North Sea gas to a consumer in Yorkshire, and how this compares with the cost in Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Cornwall, Carlisle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling.

The cost to consumers varies with the level of consumption and the tariff selected. Average annual costs for consumers in the places named are illustrated below:

		150 therms per annum on General Credit Tariff £	500 therms per annum on Gold Star Tariff £
Cornwall	…	40·40	92·50
Glasgow	…
Edinburgh	…
Stiriling	…
Yorkshire	…	32·65	82·50
Manchester	…
Newcastle	…
Liverpool	…
Carlisle	…
Birmingham	…	31·15	80·00

The comparable figures for London are £37·40 and £92·50.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the value of the manufacturing and servicing market when gas was discovered in the English sector of the North Sea; how many exploration and production rigs were built; and what was the value of the work taken by companies operating in the English sector of the United Kingdom economy.

The United Kingdom Continental Shelf is one: there are no sectors. Collection of data on orders placed for the UKCS did not start until 1972 and has never distinguished between orders for oil or gas production nor between the various parts of the United Kingdom.There are now 33 registered fixed installations and one exploration rig in the Southern North Sea Basin, opposite the mainland of England.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the EEC Commission's request that member States give more detailed advance information of their investment plans in the energy sector; and under what headings the detailed information is required.

Member States already provide certain information about forward investment plans in the energy sector under Regulation 1056/72. Resulting from proposals I made at the June 1975 Energy Council, member States agreed to provide the EEC Commission with information on their national energy objectives and energy investment programmes. Co-ordinated estimates of these are contained in EEC Documents R/210/76 COM(76)9 and R/2275/76, both of which have been deposited in Parliament. Since then, member States have agreed that a review of national energy investment programmes should be made each year. For this purpose, information will be given to the Commission on projected annual expenditure of investments for the production, marketing and distribution of the different energy sources, for the period 1977–1990. These arrangements are for information only and do not involve any loss of national control over the programme in question.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the total amount of capital so far committed to developing the oil and natural gas resources of the British section of the North Sea; how much has been privately financed; how much has been publicly financed; and what percentage of each has come from British and foreign sources, respectively.

In the period 1965 to 1975 the gross fixed capital formation associated with the development of the United Kingdom oil and natural gas resources is estimated to have been slightly under £3 billion. A survey of operators conducted earlier this year by the Process Plant Working Party of the National Economic Development Office in conjunction with my Department indicated that between 1976 and 1980 a further £4 billion, in last quarter 1975 prices, would be required to complete the development of those finds already announced as commercial and for which plans had been approved.The share of the capital expenditure borne by the public corporations involved in the development of these resources is estimated to have been about 5½ per cent. to the end of 1975. On the basis of the current arrangements their share of forecast total capital expenditure up to 1980 may be of the order of 8 per cent. Because many of the financing arrangements are conducted on a corporate basis in both the public and private sectors it is not practical to estimate reliably the proportions of the capital expenditure that are attributable to British and foreign sources. Exchange control regulations normally require non-resident controlled licences to finance from external sources at least 70 per cent. of their fixed assets. EEC and Overseas Sterling Area owned companies are exempted from this requirement.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy to what extent he has received representations from EEC institutions urging co-operation in an EEC common energy policy; and if the co-operation envisaged is aiming to cover any of the following items: the speed of extraction of North Sea oil, the selection of markets and the pricing policy.

My right hon. Friend has received no such representations. I am, however, aware of the views expressed by some EEC institutions on lack of progress towards a Community energy policy. I hope that progress will soon be possible, although it would not be appropriate for matters which are within the competence of Her Majesty's Government to be the subject of common EEC measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many staff training conferences have been organised by his Department during each of the last five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (a) travelling allowances, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

Since its formation in January 1974 the Department of Energy has held two training courses. One in 1975 was residential and conducted on behalf of the Department by the Industrial Society. The cost for 24 staff was approximately £3,000. The other course was held during working hours on official premises with no travel- ling, accommodation or lecturer's expenses.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what consideration has been given to devising less costly methods of effectively and efficiently training staff; and whether consideration will now be given to the use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential conferences.

The Department continually endeavours to ensure that the most cost-effective methods are used in the training of its staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many staff training conferences have been planned by his Department for the foreseeable future; what is the planned subject for discussion at each of them; when they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

This information is being collected and I will reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy to make a statement on any report of the Nuclear Installation Inspectorate on the leak of radioactive waste at Windscale.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th December 1976; Vol. 922, c. 967], gave the following information:I wish to inform the House that the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate informed me yesterday that over the last year routine monitoring at Windscale has revealed detectable levels of tritium on the beach. Investigations by British Nuclear Fuels Limited, in consultation with the Department of Environment, and NII have not yet established the source of the tritium, but cannot rule out that it may have come from the silo which is the possible source of the recent seepage of radioactive water. I am advised that the tritium level on the beach is well below that permissible in drinking water and constitutes no hazard to employees or the general public. I will report to the House again when its source is established.Meanwhile, I have asked BNFL to ensure that the unions on the site, the local authority and members of the local liaison committee are informed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give his estimate of the number of houses which he expects to be constructed during 1976 and the number built in 1974 in total and in both public and private sectors.

The number of houses constructed in 1974 is published in the

RENT REBATES AND ALLOWANCES*: NUMBERS GRANTED AND PERCENTAGE TAKEN UP ENGLAND AND WALES: 1973–76
		Numbers granted (thousands) Allowances			Take-up (numbers granted as a percentage of estimated numbers eligible)
		Rebates	Unfurnished	Furnished	Rebates	Allowances†
Date—
May 1973	…	700	50	—	70	10–15
April 1974	…	840	120	12	70–75	20–25
April 1975	…	870	150	11	70–75	30–35
April 1976	…	970	190	13	70–80	35–40‡
* Tenants receiving supplementary benefit are excluded.
† Estimates of take-up of rent allowances relate to unfurnished tenancies only as reliable estimates for furnished tenancies are not available.
‡ These percentages relate to October 1975,as later figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of tenants receiving rent rebates and allowances, respectively, in 1975–76 in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford;

RENT REBATES AND ALLOWANCES: NUMBER GRANTED: ENGLAND: SEVEN DISTRICT AUTHORITIES, 1975–76
Authority		Rebates	Rebates as percentage of number of households	Allowances	Allowances as percentage of number of households
Manchester	…	15,000	8	1,980	1
Liverpool	…	10,100	5	1,880	1
Newcastle	…	9,000	8	2,640	2
Sheffield	…	14,200	7	1,940	1
Birmingham	…	28,000	8	3,490	1
Leeds	…	20,500	8	3,130	1
Bradford	…	8,100	5	1,670	1

NOTE: Rent rebates and allowances indirectly received by recipients of supplementary benefit are excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many claimants drew a (a) rent rebate, (b) rent allowance for unfurnished accommodation and (c) rent allowance for furnished accommodation, respectively, for each year since the national scheme came into operation; and if he will express the take-up figures as a percentage of those eligible for benefit.

The available information is as follows:and if he will also give as a percentage the number of households this represented in each of these local authority areas.

The available information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will request all local authorities with direct labour departments to publish audited accounts for such departments.

The audited accounts of local authorities are already open to public inspection. I propose to include in forthcoming legislation on direct labour organisations a requirement that separate accounts for their activities shall be kept as part of the audited accounts of the local authority concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution direct labour organisations will make to the costs of training personnel; and if they will be subscribing to the appropriate training boards, as is required of industry.

In general, grants are not available to local authorities for the training of craft apprentices and these costs are met directly by individual local authorities. The operating costs of the Local Government Training Board are met by a deduction, agreed with the local authority associations, from the needs element of the rate support grant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has considered the inclusion of Coventry as a housing stress area.

		Authorised level of discharge		Average quarterly discharge or annual discharge as percentage of authorisation
Nature of radioactivity		Curies per quarter	Curies per annum	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
Quarterly Alpha	…	2,000	—	33	47	59	59	33
Annual Alpha	…	—	6,000	45	64	82	76	58
Quarterly Beta	…	75,000	—	54	47	43	65	83

Within the above there are subsidiary limits on particular isotopes. I am arranging for copies of the reports published by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., which set out the limits and the discharges in detail, to be sent to the hon. Member. Monitoring by my Department and by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food confirms that in no cases have discharges approached the limit.

Representations have been received from a number of authorities throughout the country, including Coventry. My right hon. Friend is considering and evaluating these claims and expects to reach decisions shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Property Services Agency has had any firm offers for the former ordnance factory in Coventry.

I presume that the property referred to is the former Royal Naval Supply Depot at Red Lane, Coventry. The Property Services Agency (PSA) has received one firm offer to purchase this property; the offer was received on 10th December and bears little relation to the value of the property.The PSA proposes to arrange a sale by public auction when a Post Office interest in part of the property has been determined.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the levels of radioactivity in waste currently discharged into the Irish Sea for the last five years; and what are the legal limits.

The main discharges to the Irish Sea are from the reprocessing works of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. at Wind-scale, Cumbria. The main limits are on the total discharges of alpha and beta emitting isotopes: the authorised levels and the proportions of them represented by discharges over the last five years reported by BNFL are as follows:—I am advised that the discharges for 1976 to date are also within the authorisation. In addition, there are discharges of tritium which are not included in the authorisation because of their negligible significance.The next largest discharges of waste into the Irish Sea are the nuclear power stations at Wylfa in Anglesey and Chapel Cross in Dumfriesshire and BNFL's uranium plant at Springfields, Lancashire. Their total discharges are only some 300 curies a year. This figure represents a small percentage of their authorised limits. Total discharges from other minor users such as industry, hospitals and universities represent a still smaller amount.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the

					Approved costs for grant	Approved cost figures split between assisted and non-assisted areas
				Acreage	purposes	50 per cent.	75 per cent.	100 per cent.
					£	£	£	£
1969–70	…	…	…	41	120,179	4,100	116,079	—
1970–71	…	…	…	172	580,860	46,350	534,510	—
1971–72	…	…	…	563	942,137	237,355	704,782	—
1972–73	…	…	…	642	1,030,589	478,167	552,422	—
1973–74	…	…	…	607	948,047	245,306	702,741	—
1974–75	…	…	…	818	1,675,170	773,248	901,922	—
1975–76	…	…	…	794	1,813,744	762,090	160,042	891,612

The table also shows the approved costs between assisted and non-assisted areas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration has been given to the devising of less costly methods of effectively and efficiently training staff; and whether consideration will now be given to the use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential conferences.

Staff training is provided as a common service for members of the Department of the Environment and the Department of Transport. A continuous effort is made to ensure that the most cost-effective methods are used in the training of staff, including self-instruction in appropriate circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff training conferences have been organised by his Department during each of the last five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses and allowances, (c) salaries paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and organisers of courses.

The full information requested cannot be made available without disproportionate effort and expense.

The table below sets out the expenditure in the West Midlands Region on clearance of derelict land approved by the Department for grant purposes. Details are shown for each year since 1969–1970, together with the acreages involved.Courses are mounted in a wide variety of subjects. The numbers provided in each of the last five years are as follows:

Year Ending July			Number of Courses
1972	…	…	1,054
1973	…	…	1,403
1974	…	…	1,589
1975	…	…	1,969
1976	…	…	2,217

Travelling expenses, allowances to participants, accommodation expenses and salaries and fees paid to lecturers are all within the appropriate Civil Service regulations.For statistical purposes, Civil Service training is categorised under the following four headings; induction training, vocational training, management and supervision training, and background training. The share of total training falling within each of these categories is currently induction 8·53 per cent., vocational 60·67 per cent., management and supervision 15·68 per cent., and background 15·12 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many staff training conferences have been planned by his Department for the foreseeable future; what is the planned subject for discussion at each of them; where they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling allowances, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

Staff training is provided as a common service for members of the Department of the Environment and the Department of Transport. It is expected that the existing pattern of departmental training will continue subject to the availability of resources and the need for economy in Government expenditure. The cost effectiveness of training programmes is kept under continuous review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the current radiation levels in Scottish inshore waters; and if he will make a statement.

Man-made radiation is only about a quarter of natural radiation in Scottish inshore waters. Concentration of the principal man-made nuclide, caesium 137, is nowhere more than a quarter of 1 per cent. of what is allowable in drinking water under international standards. Plutonium nuclides are so low as to be scarcely detectable.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of Scottish economic prospects over the coming six months.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that current policies will secure a reduction in unemployment in the Scottish economy over the next six months.

Scottish economic prospects depend greatly on world developments. I am convinced that our policies, nationally and in Scotland, will in the longer term secure a lasting reduction in unemployment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, if local government expenditure remains at its present level and there are no cuts as a result of the cut in the rate support grant, what esti- mate he makes of the likely rate poundage increase in Crieff, Dunkeld, Aberfeldy, Killin, Comrie, Dundee and Stirling.

Estimates of local rate poundages can only be provided by the local authorities concerned. They will wish first to have the provisional allocations of rate support grant which will be intimated as soon as possible after the House approves the Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the effects of measures to reduce unemployment in Scotland.

I cannot be satisfied while unemployment continues at its present high level. Nevertheless, the total number of jobs in Scotland associated with approvals under the various employment protection and creation schemes since their inception was over 38,000 at the last count. This is clearly beneficial.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what, in money terms, is the difference between the rate support grant in 1976–77 and the 68·5 per cent. of the local authorities' relevant expenditure for 1977–78.

The Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1976, if approved, will provide for rate support grants of £882·8 million in 1977–78. These may be increased next year to take account of cost increases within a cash limit of £69 million. Last year's order provided for rate support grants of 882·7 million in 1976–77, which the 1976 order would increase to £875·3 million to take account of increased costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the value of the rate support grant in 1974; and what is the value of his present proposal at 1974 prices.

The Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1974 fixed the total of the rate support grant in 1974–75 at £412·02 million at November 1973 prices. The amount of the grant for 1977–78 prescribed in the Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1976, as laid before the House on 6th December 1976, is approximately £464 million on the same price basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what alteration he has made to the formula of the rate support grant; and what benefit the changed formula will bring to rural districts and urban districts.

The Rate Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1976, which was laid in draft before the House on 6th December, alters the rate support grant distribution formula so as to increase by about 10 per cent. compared with 1976–77—the proportion of needs element paid in total to district councils. The order also provides that the distribution of the district councils share will be more closely related to local circumstances. Details are given in the report on the order.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied that the education statistics available to him are sufficiently accurate and up to date.

Bearing in mind the need to limit the burden on education authorities and other bodies from which my Department collects information, my right hon. Friend is generally satisfied.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will order an inquiry into the Meehan and Waddell cases.

As I indicated in my statement to the House on 8th December, I am considering whether further inquiry into the issues arising from the two trials is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the prospects of industrial development at Canderside.

The Scottish Development Agency announced yester- day that it regards Canderside as having considerable potential for the attraction of a single suitable major industrial developer and that it proposes to acquire the site and plan its development on this basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most up to date timetable for the development of the Hunterston site.

Within its 10-year strategy to 1982, the British Steel Corporation expects to complete the ore terminal and stock yard early in 1978 and the direct reduction plants about the end of that year. The Corporation also intends to locate electric-arc capacity at Hunterston. Further steel development at Hunterston will take place in the period beyond 1982.Site preparation work on the oil platform construction yard has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, from the latest available figures, what is Scottish industry's share of the rate burden; and how this compares with the rate burden borne by industry in England and Wales.

Industrial subjects' share of the rate burden in Scotland in 1975–76 was 11 per cent. compared with 12·2 per cent. in England and Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the estimated number of civil servants in his Department following the establishment of the Scottish Assembly.

On the basis of the division of functions proposed in the Scotland and Wales Bill, about 3,000. On the same basis the total number of civil servants for which the devolved administration will be responsible will be about 11,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total output from Scottish woodlands in 1975 and 1976 to the nearest available date; what percentage of the output was taken by timber-based industries within Scotland; and what percentage by similar industries in England.

Output from Scottish woodlands in 1975 was 1,182,000 cubic metres of timber; figures for 1976 will not be available until after the end of the year. No information is available in respect of the proportion of this output used by industries based in Scotland and England respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of educating a Scottish child from primary school to the leaving age at 16 years; and how this cost compares with that in 1966 and 1956.

The estimated average current expenditure cost per pupil, excluding loan charges, at November 1976 prices is approximately £4,100. Comparable estimates for the earlier years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many wards are closed and how many beds are not in use in Scottish hospitals due to staff shortages.

The number of beds at present not in use because of staff shortages is 104. These figures include single beds, groups of beds, and several complete wards.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the representations which he has received from the construction industry regarding the coming depression in house building; and if he will take steps to alleviate the matter.

The construction industry can be affected by a number of factors in addition to the level of the house building programme, and questions concerning its general state are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. It is my concern, however, to see that house building meets the needs of the community. I have discussed the housing programme in Scotland with representatives of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction and I recently met the Joint Advisory Panel for the Building and Civil Engineering Industries in Scotland. I have also had meetings with many local authorities about their housing programmes, and my Department is involved in encouraging a sustained supply of building society funds for prospective house purchasers in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Renfrew District Council against the 2 per cent. surcharge on national insurance.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what would be the effect on Strathclyde Region and the district councils within that region of the 2 per cent. surcharge on national insurance.

It is for the individual authorities concerned to estimate the effect upon them of the proposed surcharge.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give a general direction to the South of Scotland Electricity Board in respect of persons in arrears with accounts so that anyone offering a substantial part payment of an outstanding account will not be disconnected.

No. Future policy on the payment of domestic electricity and gas bills will be governed by the code of practice which the nationalised fuel industries published on 13th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been central Government expenditure on road developments and improvements over the past six years on the Ayrshire section of the A76.

About £0·4 million excluding expenditure on the Hurlford diversion of A76, which was included in the contract for the A77 Kilmarnock by pass.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many staff training conferences have been planned by his Department for the foreseeable future; what is the planned subject for discussion at each of them; where they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling allowances, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances for the participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees to lecturers and course organisers;(2) how many staff training conferences have been organised by his Department during each of the last five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (

The full information requested cannot be made available without disproportionate effort and expense. The numbers provided in the past five years were:

1971–72	…	…	…	149
1972–73	…	…	…	234
1973–74	…	…	…	279
1974–75	…	…	…	290
1975–76	…	…	…	312

Travelling expenses and allowances to participants, accommodation expenses and salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers are all within the limits laid down in the appropriate Civil Service regulations.The general pattern of future training is being examined in the light of the availability of resources and the need for economy in Government expenditure. The number of residential courses is being reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if his permission is required before plans are proceeded with to bury radioactive waste in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

The authorisation of the Secretary of State for Scotland as the Minister responsible in Scotland for the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 is required before any disposal of radioactive waste is made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he expects there to be a rise in Scottish rates if the legislation envisaged in the Queen's Speech to encourage the enlargement of the scope of local authority direct labour departments takes place.

The purpose of the Bill will be to remove unnecessary restrictions on the wider use of efficient direct labour organisations, without increasing public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the prospects for redundant Scottish local government workers of taking up employment in the manufacturing sector of the Scottish economy.

The prospects of individual workers taking up employment in the manufacturing industry will depend to some extent on their qualifications and experience and the area in which they live.The Manpower Services Commission will, however, ensure that all its facilities will be available to help any redundant local government worker find alternative employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many building workers are now unemployed in the whole of Scotland, and in Strathclyde, respectively; and what is his estimate of the annual cost to public funds of maintaining this level of unemployment in this industry in Scotland.

The numbers of workers unemployed at 12th August 1976—the latest date for which figures are available—in Scotland and Strathclyde who were last employed in the construction industry were 28,290—27,803 males—and 17,164—16,849 males—respectively.I regret that we cannot make a meaningful estimate of the cost to public funds of a particular group of unemployed people, as the cost varies according to each person's circumstances—in particular his family status, dependants, national insurance contribution record, and length of time spent on the unemployed register.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the insured male and female working population, respectively, in the Girvan employment exchange area; and how this position compares with each of the past six years.

The precise information requested is not available. Estimates of unemployment from a new series of employment estimates started in June 1971 show that since then the total number of employees, including the unemployed, in the Girvan employment office area has been fairly steady at around 4,200—2,600 males and 1,600 females. The figures do not include employers and self-employed persons.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the temporary jobs created in Ayrshire by Government sponsored schemes.

The special measures introduced by the Government have so far benefited over 4,800 persons in Ayrshire. These measures include the Job Creation Programme, temporary employment subsidy, recruitment subsidy for school leavers, youth employment subsidy and the Work Experience Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether his Department is authorised to provide up to £25 per week to enable a disabled person to use a taxi to get to work; if this payment applies to emergency situations only; how many people claimed in this way in the last period conveniently recorded; and what was the total sum paid out in this period.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the Employment Service Agency is authorised to help certain disabled people with their travelling expenses—mainly taxi tares—to enable them to get to work. Payments are based on a formula which takes account of a number of factors, including take-home pay, but there is no fixed upper limit. The fares to work scheme is not limited to emergency situations.During the year ended 31st October 1976, 220 new applications for assistance under the scheme were received. Of these, 153 were accepted and 67 rejected. It is estimated that between 250 and 300 people were receiving assistance at any one time during the year. The total amount paid under the scheme in the year ended 31st October 1976 was £69,703.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the employment position and prospects in Stoke-on-Trent and the rate of unemployment.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 14th December 1976; Vol. 922, c. 700], gave the following information:On 14th October the number of people registered as unemployed in the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area was 7,828 and the unemployment rate was 3·9 per cent. The area has benefited from the measures which the Government have taken to alleviate unemployment; so far, over 1,800 persons have been assisted in the Stoke-on-Trent travel-to-work area by means of the Job Creation and Work Experience Programmes, the temporary employment subsidy and the recruitment subsidy and youth employment subsidy schemes. In addition, it is hoped to train over 700 people in the North Staffordshire area this year under the Training Opportunities Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what effect the introduction of the guarantee payments provisions under Section 24 of the Employment Protection Act 1975 will have on unemployment.

The provisions are not designed to affect the level of unemployment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of insured male workers within the Paisley employment exchange area in February 1974, and how that compares with the present position.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is her latest projection of the number of pupils aged 5 years and over in maintained primary and secondary schools in England and Wales for each of the next 20 years; and what are the comparable figures for the on-metropolitan county of Hampshire.

The latest projection of the number of pupils aged 5 and over in maintained primary and secondary schools in England and Wales is as folows:

Year (January)				No. of pupils (000s)
1976	…	…	…	…	8,663*
1977	…	…	…	…	8,673
1978	…	…	…	…	8,607
1979	…	…	…	…	8,475
1980	…	…	…	…	8,298
1981	…	…	…	…	8,068
1982	…	…	…	…	7,823
1983	…	…	…	…	7,574
1984	…	…	…	…	7,339
1985	…	…	…	…	7,135
1986	…	…	…	…	6,974
1987	…	…	…	…	6,871
1988	…	…	…	…	6,807
1989	…	…	…	…	6,802
1990	…	…	…	…	6,854
1991	…	…	…	…	6,953
1992	…	…	…	…	7,092
1993	…	…	…	…	7,262
1994	…	…	…	…	7,452
1995	…	…	…	…	7,650
1996	…	…	…	…	7,842
* Actual

There were 256,000 such children at school in the county of Hampshire at January 1976. I understand from the Hampshire authority that its best estimates for the numbers in 1981, 1986 and 1991 are 245,000; 230,000; and 240,000, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many staff training conferences have been planned by her Department for the foreseeable future; what is the planned subject for discussion at each of them; where they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) allowances and salaries paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

The staff training programme in my Department is planned year by year. For the remainder of the current training year—that is, up to 31st August 1977—a total of 64 courses is at present planned. These fall into the following categories: background, 9; vocational, 31; management, 24.The remainder of the information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what considerations has given to the devising of less costly methods of carrying out effective and efficient staff training in her Department; and whether consideration will now be given to the use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential conferences.

The cost of staff training arrangement in DES is kept under careful review. Only very limited use is made of residential training courses. Wherever appropriate, self-instructional methods are employed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many staff training conferences have been organised by her Department during the past five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time, (c) accommodation expenses and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

In each of the last five years, the total number of staff training courses organised by my Department was as follows:

1971–72	…	…	99
1972–73	…	…	101
1973–74	…	…	125
1974–75	…	…	190
1975–76	…	…	183

The remainder of the information could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent talks with Spain about Gibraltar.

Talks on Gibraltar between British and Spanish officials took place in Madrid on 12th November. These were part of a continuing series of talks deriving from the relevant United Nations resolutions and consensuses. They were without prejudice to the legal position of either side and did not affect Her Majesty's Government's pledges to the people of Gibraltar.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he supports the proposal for a World Disarmament Conference; and what steps he is taking to bring this about.

As my right hon. Friend the then Prime Minister said at Helsinki on 30th July 1975, we believe that a World Disarmament Conference might be of value provided that it is attended by all nuclear Powers and that there is full and adequate preparation. Until these conditions can be fulfilled we consider it more useful to concentrate on preparing for the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament due to be held in 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to the devising of less costly methods of carrying out effective and efficient staff training in his Department; and whether consideration has now been given to the use of printed material and correspondence courses instead of residential courses.

My right hon. Friend's Department continuously reviews its training programmes, to ensure that in each case the most cost-effective and efficient method is used. Generally, instruction in the work of the Diplomatic Service is most effectively given through participatory courses with practical exercises, held under experienced supervision. Apart from intensive language courses, my right hon. Friend's Department runs only two residential training courses annually.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff training conferences have been organised by his Department during each of the last five years; when they were held; and how much each cost in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time, (c) accommodation expenses and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

The full information requested cannot be made available without disproportionate effort and expense. The numbers of vocational and developmental courses organised by my Department in each of the last five years are as follows:

			Vocational	Developmental
1972	…	…	79	14
1973	…	…	79	19
1974	…	…	80	18
1975	…	…	86	19
1976	…	…	80	19

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff training conferences have been planned by his Department in the foreseeable future; what is the planned subject for discussion at each of them; where they are to be held; and what is the estimated cost of each in terms of (a) travelling expenses, (b) accommodation expenses, (c) salaries and allowances paid to participants for their time and (d) salaries and fees paid to lecturers and course organisers.

The full information requested is not readily available. The provisional programme of courses to be organised by my Department in 1977 provides for 86 vocational and 20 developmental courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the total cost up to 10th December of the Geneva Conference on the future of Rhodesia.

Final bills have yet to be received, but it is expected that total costs up to 10th December will be of the order of £300,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in Brussels on 13th December.